S
582
Shrimps latin name Crangon crangon also known as Brown shrimp seasonality Spawning peaks April– September so commercially harvested shrimps are best eaten October–March habitat Sandy estuaries all around the British coast mcs rating 3–4 rec minimum size 4cm total shell length sourcing goodfishguide.org; cleysmokehouse.com; eastlincsseafood.co.uk; fishfanatics.co.uk; morecambebayshrimps.com
Nick Fisher Wetsuits and boogie-boards are all well and good, but personally, if I’m off with the family to a sandy beach for the day, it’s shrimp nets I want to see cluttering up my rear view mirror. The best shrimps to eat are brown shrimps. You can buy them – there are shrimp fisheries around our coast – but the finest brown shrimps are ones you’ve caught yourself and boiled in a bucket of seawater, sitting on the beach. Shrimp nets are a basic tool: a broom-handle-like shaft attached to an angled, hardwood board with a fine-meshed net, which billows in the water behind the board as you push it through knee-deep, sea-covered flat sand. Clever people make their own shrimp nets, the rest of us buy them. Apart from having a delicious pay off, shrimping provides hours of obsessively exciting, joyously competitive fun for all the family. It’s a low tide, summer activity, which takes planning and a very flat sandy beach like those of Morecambe or Hunstanton. Look for knee-deep, warm lagoons left by the outgoing tide. Shrimps take minutes to cook: drop them into boiling, salty water (about g salt per litre, if you’re not doing it there and then on the beach), return to the boil and cook for another couple of minutes, then drain and cool. If you don’t want to eat your shrimps just as they come, another option is to make classic potted shrimps: peeling cooked shrimps and preserving them in spicy butter to be spread on sourdough toast. Flash-frying them in hot, spiced fat and eating them whole, heads and tails too, is another great way to go (see below). But in the same way that shrimp gathering is a leisurely activity, I feel that shrimp eating should also require an investment of time. For me, the best way to eat shrimps is from the shell, one at a time, sucking each nugget-like tail from its shell while crunch-sucking each head – not a wham-bam snack but an exercise in meditative, mindful eating. Shell-on, peeled or potted brown shrimp are available in shops and online all year. Most of these are the harvest of beam trawlers, with all the attendant issues of by-catch and habitat damage. The small Solway Firth fishery is relatively good, however, while off Norfolk they’re making improvements with a view to going for MSC accreditation. In Lancashire’s Morecambe Bay, meanwhile, the shrimp are still caught in nets towed by small boats or tractors.
SHRIMPS ON SOURDOUGH WITH PAPRIKA AND LEMON 25g butter 1 garlic clove, grated or crushed Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika 1 tbsp chopped parsley 150g cooked shrimp, shell-on or peeled 2–4 slices of sourdough bread (depending on size) Extra virgin olive oil, to trickle Sea salt and black pepper
Plump brown shrimps have so much flavour that they can take an intense hit of smoky paprika and sharp lemon and come up smiling. If you have shell-on shrimps, you can fry them whole in the spiced butter and eat them, shell and all, or peel them as you go. Otherwise, peeled shrimps work just as well. Serves 2 Place a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the butter. When it is melted and bubbling, add the garlic and lemon zest. Cook for 1–2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant but not coloured. Add the smoked paprika, parsley and most of the lemon juice. Finally add the shrimps and toss well to combine. Cook for a further minute, but no more. Meanwhile, toast the sourdough and trickle with extra virgin olive oil. Season the shrimps with salt and pepper to taste and pile on to the toasted sourdough. Trickle with a little more extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice to serve.
583
Bleu de Barkham, gelée au genévrier et porto Barkham Blue, juniper and port jelly General de Gaulle used to raise his arms to the sky and declare, in what has now become a famous quote, ‘How can you govern a country which has three hundred and sixtyfive cheeses, one per day!’ These days, with the great British food revolution, almost as many cheeses are now produced here as in France, which probably means Britain will soon become ungovernable, too. Cheese makers have reconnected with their craft and terroir. Passion and knowledge are at the heart of it. Barkham Blue is produced by Two Hoots Cheese, a family-run business in the village of Barkham on the Hampshire-Berkshire border. This award-winning cheese is made with pasteurised cow’s milk from the Channel Islands and is suitable for vegetarians. It is certainly distinctive. Made in ammonite-shaped rounds, it has an attractive, natural mould-ripened rind and deep yellow moist interior, with dark blue-green veins. As for its taste and texture, Barkham is rich, smooth and buttery, with none of the harshness associated with some blue cheeses.
Set aside to cool and infuse, stirring occasionally. Taste and correct the seasoning, then strain through a fine sieve into a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate to set. This jelly will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. FOR THE SALTED PECANS
24 pecan nuts 1 organic/free-range egg white A pinch of sea salt Preheat the oven to 170°C/Gas 3. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper. Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and toss the pecans to coat thoroughly. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and scatter on the tray. Roast in the oven for 7 minutes. Leave to cool. The egg white gives not only a wonderful shine to the nuts, but also a crispier texture. Store the salted pecans in an airtight container.
SERVES 8 TO SERVE FOR THE BARKHAM BLUE PURÉE
140g Barkham Blue cheese, at room temperature 70g crème fraîche 2 tsp white wine vinegar (Chardonnay) A pinch of cayenne pepper In a large bowl, crush the cheese using the back of a spoon, then whisk in the other ingredients. Cover and refrigerate. FOR THE PORT AND JUNIPER JELLY
60ml ruby port 40ml cranberry juice 40g redcurrant jelly 8 juniper berries, crushed A pinch of freshly ground black pepper 1 sheet of bronze leaf gelatine, softened in cold water for 10 minutes
240g cold Barkham Blue cheese, broken into 24 pieces 40g hazelnuts, toasted and crushed 8 ficelle croûtons, broken into small pieces 1 celery stick, peeled and thinly sliced 24 celery or dandelion leaves Pipe a line of Barkham Blue purée down the centre of each plate, then slide a teaspoon over it to broaden the line, and top with 3 pieces of cheese. Spoon the port and juniper jelly around. Add a line of crushed hazelnuts to each plate. Arrange the pecan nuts, ficelle croûtons, celery slices and leaves around the cheese.
In a small saucepan over a medium heat, bring the port to the boil and boil for 30 seconds to drive off some of the alcohol. Add the cranberry juice, redcurrant jelly, juniper berries and pepper, and bring back to a simmer. Take off the heat. Immediately drain the gelatine and stir into the mixture until fully dissolved.
430
WINTER · DINNER
ROAST_pp001-190:Layout 1 30/09/2013 13:45 Page 116
Roast Christmas turkey serves 8–10 I have always preferred to remove the legs from the turkey, stuff them and cook them separately from the crown, the day before. It reduces the cooking time drastically and means that most of the preparation can be done the day before, giving you more time to spend with your family. When buying your turkey, go to a good butcher. Try to find a bronze turkey as their flavour is superior. They are a bit more expensive but as with most things, you get what you pay for. White turkeys can be good if they’ve been reared slowly and given enough time for their flavour to develop. Never buy a frozen turkey. They take so much time to defrost fully that it can become dangerous to eat them. It’s really important to have a temperature probe when cooking a turkey. If you decide to cook your bird with the legs separate, probe into the thickest part of the breast. If you choose the more traditional approach, place the probe into the inside of the thigh. The temperature should reach 72ºC. one 5kg turkey, with giblets 60g softened butter 1 carrot, roughly chopped 1 celery stick, roughly chopped 1/ leek, roughly chopped 2 1 onion, roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves vegetable oil sea salt and freshly milled black pepper For the stuffing 50g butter 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp chopped sage 100g fresh white breadcrumbs 100g good-quality sausage meat
Preparing the stuffing Remove the giblets from inside the cavity of the turkey. Reserve the neck and gizzard for the gravy and roughly chop the heart, liver and kidneys to use in the stuffing.
The sinews in a turkey’s legs are more like little bones. These will all need to be carefully removed using a small knife before stuffing the legs. Pull off the skin from each boneless leg in one piece, and reserve.
Heat a saucepan over a medium heat and melt the butter. Add the onion and sage and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook the onion for about 4-5 minutes, until it’s soft and translucent. Add the breadcrumbs and mix well before removing from the heat to cool. Once cool, add the sausage meat and the chopped offal and mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined. Keep covered in the fridge until required.
Lay a sheet of clingfilm on a solid area of work surface and place the first boneless turkey leg on top with the inside facing upwards. Place another sheet of clingfilm over the leg and using a meat tenderiser or the bottom of a small solid saucepan, give the leg a few solid taps, flattening it out. Don’t bash it too hard. Many lighter taps are more effective than a few hard taps, or you risk tearing the meat. Repeat the process with the remaining leg.
Preparing the turkey Remove the turkey’s legs by opening them out and cutting the skin with a sharp knife, down the inside of each one. Open the legs further and pop each leg, one at a time, out of the turkey’s hip sockets. Cut between the now open socket and the thigh bone all the way through, removing the legs one at a time. Remove the thigh bone from each leg by slicing down each side of the bone and then underneath it, being careful not to leave too much meat attached to the bone. Pop the thigh bone out of its socket and cut through any tendons holding it in place. With the thigh bone removed, slice down the full length of the inside of the remaining leg bone, all the way to the bone and open it up. Remove the leg bone from each leg by slicing down each side of the bone and then underneath it detaching it at the end knuckle.
Spread the skin of each leg out flat on the worktop with the inside of the skin facing up. Place the flattened legs inside the skin. Season each one. Place a log of stuffing down the middle of each leg and roll the legs inside the skin, wrapping the stuffing inside. Tie the stuffed legs with cooking string to hold them together. Roll the tied legs tightly in many layers of clingfilm, twisting and tying the clingfilm in a tight knot at each end to seal them in. Bring a pan of water to the boil and poach the legs for 20 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from the water and allow to cool, still wrapped in the clingfilm. To prepare the crown, using sturdy kitchen scissors, cut through the ribcage along either side of the breast. To remove the backbone, continue cutting all the way through the bones just underneath the wing where it joins the carcass. You should be fine cutting the ribcage with scissors, but you may need a cleaver to continued on page 118
116
roast
a very british cookbook
ROAST_pp001-190:Layout 1 30/09/2013 13:45 Page 117
ROAST_pp001-190:Layout 1 30/09/2013 13:45 Page 118
continued from page 116 get through the heavier bones to remove the backbone. Once removed, chop the backbone into six pieces and reserve with the giblets for the gravy. Using the heel of a heavy knife or a cleaver, remove the wings at the second joint and chop them each into three pieces. Place the chopped wings with the rest of the bones reserved for the gravy.
45 minutes turning them from time to time so they brown evenly. Once browned, remove the tray and follow the instructions for making Gravy for Roast Chicken on page 295. To prepare the legs, remove the clingfilm from each one. Heat a frying pan over a medium heat, and in a little vegetable oil, fry them on all sides until the skin is crispy and browned, then transfer to a roasting tin.
Place the crown in a large roasting tray and rub it with the butter. Season the skin liberally and cover the tray with foil. Place the crown in the oven and roast for 80 minutes, basting regularly. Place the reserved bones and vegetables in a separate tray and roast these on the shelf under the turkey for about
Fifteen minutes before the turkey is due to be ready, remove the foil and increase the temperature of the oven to 220ºC/Gas Mark 6 to brown the skin. Before removing the turkey crown from the oven, make sure its core temperature has reached 72ºC. If not, leave in the oven until it has, covered with foil if it’s browning too quickly. Once out of the oven, rest the crown for 20 minutes. While it’s resting turn the oven back down to 200ºC/Gas Mark 6 and roast the rolled legs for 20 minutes. Serve with all the trimmings.
118
a very british cookbook
To roast the turkey, remove the crown from the fridge 2 hours before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 200ºC/Gas Mark 6.
roast
ROAST_pp001-190:Layout 1 30/09/2013 13:45 Page 118
CHRISTMAS PUDDING CUPCAKES
Makes 12 cupcakes
For the cake
100g mixed dried fruit 100g dried cranberries 100g pitted soft prunes, snipped into small pieces 100g pitted soft-dried dates, snipped into small pieces 100g dried figs, snipped into small pieces 100ml brandy, plus optional extra to ‘feed’ the cakes Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange 100g butter, softened 100g dark muscovado sugar 2 tbsp black treacle or date syrup (see directory, p.307), optional 2 eggs (at room temperature) 100g self-raising flour 2 tbsp ground mixed spice 100g mixed whole nuts, toasted and chopped (see p.148) for the ganache
150g white chocolate, chopped into small pieces 100ml double cream To decor ate
24 dried cranberries 24 small holly leaves Equipment
12-hole muffin tin 12 paper tulip muffin cases (you can use normal muffin cases but the sides of the cakes may be marked with ridges) Cocktail stick
151
These give you both Christmas cake and Christmas pudding in one perfect portion. The cakes are topped with a decadent white chocolate ganache to represent custard. Cranberries appear both inside the cakes and on top as ‘holly berries’, and fresh holly tips finish them off with traditional rustic charm. You can also make mini Christmas puddings by scaling the mixture down and baking it in 24 mini-muffin cases (see the table on p.149). Put all the dried fruit in a bowl. Add the brandy and orange zest and juice and stir to combine. Cover the bowl with a shower cap, clingfilm or plate and leave to soak in a cool place for at least 12 hours or, even better, 2 days. When you’re ready to bake the cakes, preheat the oven to 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1. Line the muffin tin with the tulip cases. Using a hand-held electric whisk, or in a free-standing mixer, beat the butter with the sugar for 5–10 minutes or until very light and creamy. Beat in the treacle or syrup, if using. Break the eggs into a mug or jug and beat lightly with a fork. Gradually add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour and spice into the bowl in a couple of batches, folding in each batch gently. Finally, stir through the soaked fruit, with any liquid left in the bowl, and the chopped nuts. Spoon the mixture into your cases and flatten the tops with a spoon dipped in hot water. Bake for 50–60 minutes or until the cakes are firm to the touch and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring the cakes, in their cases, to a wire rack. If you want to ‘feed’ the cakes, prick the surface with a cocktail stick, going about 3cm deep, then brush about 1 teaspoon of brandy over each. Leave to soak in while the cakes finish cooling. Once cold, you can store them in an airtight tin for up to 5 days. Make the ganache on the day you serve the cakes. Put the chocolate in a medium-sized heatproof bowl. Gently heat the cream in a small saucepan over a medium heat. When it’s just coming to the boil, pour it over the chocolate and stir gently until smooth and shiny. Leave to cool – in the fridge, if necessary – until the ganache reaches a soft, thick custard consistency. Remove the cakes from their cases and, if necessary, trim off any domed tops to create a flat surface (this will become the base). Turn each cake over and spoon the ganache on top, letting it drip down the sides a little – tilting the cake in your hand can help this process. Leave to set before finishing the cakes by placing the cranberries and holly leaves on top (be sure to remove the holly leaves before eating).
fruit cake
41
Bûche de Noël France completely. To make the ganache, bring the cream to the boil in a small saucepan. Pour it over the chocolate in a bowl and leave for 1 minute, then whisk gently to a smooth, shiny ganache. Leave until it reaches a soft, spoonable consistency. Put all the ingredients for the chestnut rum cream except the marrons glacés in a bowl and whisk until stiff, then set aside. Grease a 1-litre terrine mould and line it with cling film, letting it overhang the sides. Using the terrine mould as a guide, cut the sponge to fit it. You will need 5 pieces: one for the bottom, two for the sides, one to go in the centre of the terrine and one for the top (there’s no need to cover the short sides). Line the mould with the bottom and side pieces, ensuring there are no gaps. Using a pastry brush, lightly soak the sponge with the coffee syrup. Filling the mould with the ganache, sponge and chestnut rum cream can be uniform or random; both look good. Pipe in enough chestnut rum cream to cover the base, then randomly pipe or spoon in 5 or 6 dollops of ganache. Add a few pieces of marron glacé, pipe or spoon in a little more chestnut rum cream, so it comes about half way up the terrine, and level with a palette knife or spatula. Add the middle layer of the sponge and brush with coffee syrup, then repeat the filling process. Save a little filling to coat the outside so you can attach the meringues. Once the terrine is full, level the top with a spatula and cover with the remaining piece of sponge. Place in the fridge for
a little icing sugar a little cocoa powder silver leaf (optional)
First make the meringue sticks. Heat the oven to 110°C/Gas Mark ¼. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Put the egg whites and a third of the sugar in a large, grease-free bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk them to medium peaks. Add another third of the sugar and continue to whisk until the mixture forms firm peaks. Add the remaining sugar and whisk for another 3–4 minutes, until the meringue is thick and glossy. Put the meringue in a piping bag fitted with a 5mm plain nozzle. Pipe little dots the size of a 5p piece on the lined baking tray, spacing them about 5mm apart and pulling away as you pipe to create small peaks. Bake for an hour until crisp and dry. When they are ready, they should lift off the paper without sticking. Leave to cool on the tray. Next make the cake. Heat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Grease a Swiss roll tin, approximately 37cm x 28cm, line it with baking parchment and grease the paper. Using an electric mixer, whisk the eggs with the sugar until they have trebled in volume and look pale and fluffy. Sift the cocoa powder and flour directly on top and fold them in with a large metal spoon. Transfer to the lined tin and bake for 10–15 minutes, until the sponge springs back when pressed lightly with your finger. Do not overcook the cake or it will be dry and crisp. Leave it to cool in the tin. Place all the ingredients for the coffee syrup in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave to steep for 10 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve and leave to cool
96
80 cakes from around the world
This traditional log-shaped cake is made throughout France especially for Christmas. Many of the world’s top pâtissiers are to be found in France, and such is the competition to outdo each other that they are always inventing new cakes or modernising traditional ones. The bûche de Noël has not escaped the makeover, and I adore the pretty designs, different flavours and stunning finishes. I hope you enjoy the traditional taste and modern finish of mine.
Meringue sticks 3 large egg whites 180g caster sugar
Cake 4 large eggs 125g caster sugar 25g cocoa powder 70g plain flour
Coffee syrup 50g caster sugar 50ml water 1 teaspoon ground espresso coffee
Ganache 100ml double cream 100g dark chocolate (70 per cent cocoa solids), finely chopped
Chestnut rum cream 190ml double cream 215g sweetened chestnut purée 15g icing sugar 15ml dark rum 3–4 marrons glacés, chopped
To decorate
1–2 hours. To turn the terrine out, pull gently on the cling film, invert the mould over a plate or cake card and tap the
base. Peel off the cling film. Coat the outside with the leftover chestnut cream and attach the meringues to it. Dust with icing sugar and a little
cocoa powder, then finish with pieces of silver leaf, if using.
80 cakes from around the world
97
RECIPES TAKEN FROM OUR DELICIOUS RANGE OF COOKBOOKS BROWSE ONLINE AT BLOOMSBURY.COM/UK AND FIND THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR YOUR LOVED ONES.
‘Shrimps on Sourdough with Paprika and Lemon’ from River Cottage A to Z Hugh Fearnley-Whittinstall et al. £40 Hardback
‘Roast Christmas Turkey’ from Roast: A Very British Cookbook Marcus Verberne £25 Hardback
‘Barkham Blue, Juniper and Port Jelly’ from Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons Raymond Blanc £50 Hardback
‘Christmas Pudding Cupcakes’ from Quinntessential Bakes Frances Quinn £25 Hardback
FOR MORE RECIPES, AND UNLIMITED ACCESS TO HUNDREDS OF COMPLETE COOKBOOKS FROM BLOOMSBURY, ABSOLUTE PRESS, QUADRILLE AND HARDIE GRANT, VISIT COOKED.COM ‘Buche de Noel’ from 80 Cakes from Around the World Claire Clark £20 Hardback