restaurant food – The Foody Grail

bread, broth, food blogging, food photography, oxtail, pickles, quenelles, recipes, restaurant food, savoury, soup, thefoodygrail.com

Glazed Oxtail with Prawn Quenelles, Oxtail Broth and Pickled Radish. Accompanied by Mini Miso buns.

August 7, 2017September 27, 2017 thefoodygrail.com

Glazed oxtail in an oxtail broth. — A rich glazed oxtail dish with prawn quenelles, pickled radish and mini miso buns.

“Oxtail and Prawns!!” I hear you exclaim. The same indignation, to my choice of ingredients, was forthcoming from two family members. Not one to take umbrage, I set out to offer them the ‘proof in the pudding’ as it were.
Later that day, the soothsayers of culinary fusion were not only eating ‘oxtail and prawns’ but their negative words also.

Ingredients:

Oxtail: makes approx’ 1.5 litres of broth.
600g oxtail or 4-6 cuts of oxtail.
270g celery or 4-5 sticks – chopped.
150g red onion or 2 small red onions – chopped.
150g carrot or 1 large carrot – peeled and sliced.
50g unsalted butter.
1.2 litre of rich beef stock. One Knorr rich beef stock pot is fine.
1/2 litre of water.
3 tsps tomato puree.
2 bay leaves.
2 sprigs of fresh thyme.
2 tsps chopped parsley.
2 garlic cloves – sliced.

Glaze:
300ml rich beef stock. Half a Knorr rich beef stock pot is fine.
3 dessert spoons of honey.
2 dessert spoons white wine vinegar.
1 dessert spoon of light soy sauce.
Black pepper to season.

Prawn Quenelles: makes approx’ twelve if using teaspoons.
200g cooked prawns.
20ml double cream.
1 egg white.
1/2 tsp wasabi paste.
Seasoning – salt and pepper.

Pickled Radish:
4-5 radish sliced.
1 level dessert spoon of sea salt.
50ml white wine vinegar.
1 1/2 dessert spoons of sugar.

Mini Miso Buns: makes approx’ 12 buns.
200g strong bread flour.
125ml warm water.
1 tsp sugar.
7g fresh yeast or 1 dessert spoon of dried yeast or 1 tsp of easy yeast.
2 tsps ground coriander.
2 heaped tsps miso paste.
1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tabls of water for egg wash.
1 tsp of caraway or sesame seeds.
Extra flour for kneading.

Garnish:
1 spring onion cut in to fine strips.

Method/cook:

Oxtail:
Set oven to gas 7 or 220°C/425°F.
Place cuts of oxtail in a baking tray. Drizzle with oil and roast in the oven until well browned. Aprox’ 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
While the oxtails roast start to prepare the broth.
Melt the butter in a large pan.
Add the celery, onion and carrot to the butter and sweat until soft.
Next, add the tomato puree and cook out for several minutes.
Add the stock, water, herbs and garlic and bring to a simmer.
Once simmering remove from the heat.
When the oxtails have roasted, add them to the broth and simmer for 2-3 hours, or until the oxtail meat is tender.
When the oxtails are cooked turn off the heat and skim off any fat. Leave the broth and oxtails to cool in the pan. Once cooled remove the oxtails and set aside.
Season the broth with salt and pepper. Blend the broth with a hand blender and pass through a sieve. Set aside.

Mini Miso Buns: (Don’t add salt as the miso paste is salty.)
Firstly mix the flour with the coriander – set aside.
If using fresh yeast or active dried yeast, dissolve yeast with the warm water and the sugar.
After yeast has fermented, and frothed up, add to the flour and coriander. Form a dough and kneed for 5 minutes.
Place dough in a floured bowl. Cover the dough and leave to prove, in a warm place, until doubled in size.
Next, on a floured surface, roll out the dough to approx’ 13cm x 11cm. Spread with miso paste (see image)
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Fold the dough over a 1/3 (see image)
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Fold the dough over another 1/3 to create an oblong (see image)
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Spread more miso paste over the top half. (see image)
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Fold the bottom half of the dough up over the top half. (see image)
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Roll out the pastry to approx’ 20cm x 30cm. (see image)
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Roll up the pastry in to a sausage shape. (see image)
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Once rolled, cut in to 10-12 slices. (see image)
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Lightly dust each slice with flour and press down with the palm of your hand. (see image)
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Place your dough portions on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with caraway or sesame seeds. Leave to prove and double in size. (See image)
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Once proved, bake at gas 7 or 220°C/425°F for 20 minutes.
Once baked place on a cooling rack. (See image)

Once cooled, store the buns in an airtight container.

Prawn Quenelles:
Place prawns, egg white, wusabi and seasoning in a food processor.
Blitz to a smooth paste.
Add the cream and blitz until thoroughly combined.
Using two teaspoons, form quenelles with the prawn mix.
Steam the quenelles in a bamboo steamer over a pan of simmering water for 4 minutes. (see image)
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Note: If you don’t have a steamer, poach the quenelles
in simmering water.
When the quenelles are cooked, remove from the steamer, and set aside.

Pickled Radish:
In a dish, sprinkle the slices of radish with the salt.
Leave for 2 hours and drain off any liquid.
Rinse the radish in cold water and then dry.
Heat the vinegar and sugar in a pan. Once boiling pour over the radish.
Leave the radish for 1-2 hours to pickle. Set aside.

Glaze:
Set oven to gas 7 or 220°C/425°F
Place all the glaze ingredients in to a saute pan and bring to a simmer.
Add the previously cooked oxtails.
Spoon over the glaze and place in the oven to re-heat.
Cook the oxtails in the glaze for 35-40 mins. Baste at 10 minute intervals.
When the oxtails are heated, remove the pan from the oven, place on the hob, and continue to reduce the glaze for several minutes while basting the oxtails.
Set aside and keep warm.

Now that all the prep is done it’s time to put the dish together.

Re-heat the broth and the quenelles.
Place a ladle full of broth into each of your warm serving bowls.
Place a glazed oxtail into each bowl, followed by portions of quenelles and pickled radish.
Garnish with spring onion and drizzle with extra glaze.

Enjoy.

food blogging, food photography, pickles, recipes, restaurant food, savoury, terrine, thefoodygrail.com

Chicken Terrine with Sweet Pickle.

June 12, 2017August 16, 2017 thefoodygrail.com

A moist Chicken Terrine, that is so easy to make, you won’t buy from the Deli’ ever again. For those that don’t like liver this Terrine is worth a try – as it doesn’t contain any.

Ingredients:

Terrine: Serves 8-12
Non-stick loaf tin with approx’ outer measurement of 25cm x 13cm x 6cm.
500g chicken thigh meat – (weight without skin and bone)
120g or 2 slices of black pudding – cut into small cubes.
1 red onion – finely chopped.
knob of butter.
1 large egg – beaten.
100ml double cream.
50g crushed pistachio nuts. (don’t grind)
1 tsp salt.
1 tsp black pepper.
Dessert spoon of chopped Thyme.
Dessert spoon of chopped Tarragon.
2 tabls Madeira wine. (optional)

For lining and layering the tin:
12-14 rashers of streaky bacon.
3 bay leaf.
1 medium carrot.
6 Asparagus spears.

Sweet Pickle:
100g cauliflower – break or cut into small florets.
5 radish sliced.
50g red pepper – diced.
3 spring onion – sliced.
100g cucumber – remove seeds and cut into thick slices.
Coarse salt.

For the pickle sauce:
250ml white wine vinegar.
2 tsps Tumeric.
1 tsp ground Coriander.
2 tsps English mustard.
1 tsp Mustard seeds.
1/2 tsp ground Cumin.
4 heaped tsps Cornflour.
80g of sugar.

Garnish:
Sprigs of fresh Dill.
1 large red or yellow pepper roasted – skin and seeds removed then sliced.
Fresh slices of crusty bread – toasted. Bread of your choice.

Method/cook:
Start by making the pickle first. Veg’ has to be salted for 24 hours.
Add all your prepared vegetables to a bowl.
Generously sprinkle with coarse salt and mix.
Add the veg’ and salt mix to a colander and sit over a bowl – cover with a cloth.
Leave the covered veg’ for 24 hours in a cool place.
After 24 hours rinse the salted veg’ in cold water. Set aside.
Now prepare the pickle sauce.
Mix the spices, mustard and cornflour with 2 tabls of the vinegar. Make a paste.
In a pan, bring the remaining vinegar and sugar to a boil – then simmer.
Add the spice and cornflour mix to the simmering vinegar – whisk until thickened.
Taste the pickle sauce. If more sweetness is required add a little more sugar, a teaspoon at a time, until you are happy with the flavour. 80g of sugar is usually enough, but everyone’s taste buds are different.
When you are happy with the sauce, remove from heat, and stir in your rinsed veg’ Place your Sweet Pickle into a sterilised jar or airtight container. Leave to cool.

Chicken Terrine:
Peel carrot and cut into 3 lengths. Cut each length into thin strips. Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. Cool and set aside. (see image)
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Blanch the Asparagus spears in boiling water for 3 minutes. Cool and Set aside.
Lightly fry the onion in the butter until soft.
Add the black pudding cubes to the onion and fry for 3 minutes. Set aside and cool.
Add your chicken meat to a food processor and blitz until smooth – about a minute.
Empty blitzed chicken meat into a mixing bowl.
Tip: Place your mixing bowl over crushed ice to keep the meat cool.
To the chicken, mix in the beaten egg followed by the cream.
Now add the salt, pepper, herbs, cooked black pudding, pistachio nuts and the Madeira – thoroughly mix. Set aside.
Line your loaf tin with streaky bacon, leaving a 5cm overlap all the way around. The overlap can be folded over to seal the top of the terrine later.
Time to layer your Terrine.
Put a layer of the chicken mix in the base of the loaf tin.
Now layer all of your Asparagus onto the chicken layer – lightly press down.
Add another layer of chicken mix over the Asparagus – smooth with a spoon.
Add your slices of carrot to create a layer of carrot.
Add the rest of the chicken mix over the carrot layer and smooth with a spoon.
Fold over the overlaps of streaky bacon, so the final layer of chicken mix is covered. Place 3 bay leaves on top (see image) and seal the top with a layer of tin foil.
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Cook your Terrine in a Bain Marie – see below. Gas 4 or 180°C/350°F for 1hr 30 mins with the foil on. Then cook a further 30 mins’ without the foil.
Once cooked, remove the Terrine from the oven and cover with a fresh piece of foil. Sit in a clean tray and place a weight on top. I use an oblong glass dish filled with water. Use a brick if you have one. Leave to cool and refrigerate over night.
To turn the Terrine out, run a thin bladed knife all around the edge of the Terrine. Turn the Terrine over onto a board or plate and turn out – give a tap or shake (See image)
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Bain Marie method: Place your loaf tin, with prepared Terrine, in a roasting tray and top up with boiling water until water reaches half way up the loaf tin.
Tip: Place your roasting tray, with loaf tin, in the oven then add the boiling water – much safer than lifting a tray with boiling water sloshing around.

Serving:
Serve a slice of the chilled Terrine with your Sweet Pickle.
Garnish with slices of roasted red/yellow pepper and sprigs of fresh dill.
Toasted and buttered bread of your choice.
Tip: Pick some of the veg’ out of the pickle and blend the rest. It makes a great sauce.

rose veal liver

Rose Veal Liver

March 11, 2017August 31, 2017 thefoodygrail.com

I do like a traditional Sunday lunch, but it can become a little samey, roast chicken, roast pork, roast beef…you get the idea. So today, with great trepidation, I have thrown tradition out of the window. This strategy is high risk and I could quite literally be following tradition through the window, followed by liver, red wine sauce and a variety of vegetables. Traditionalists, and teenagers, can be an uncompromising bunch.

Several hours later. Phew! I don’t know what all the fuss was about. The dish went down a storm. “It’s about time we had something different…we are fed up with roasts!”
If you haven’t tried Rose Veal liver then I would highly recommend it. The liver is melt in the mouth and has a sweeter less ‘livery’ flavour than liver from other animals. You may even get a compliment.

Recipe: (for 2 persons)

Veal liver:
350-400g Rose Veal Liver.
2 tbls olive oil.
25g butter.
Salt and pepper to season.

Rosti potatoes:
2 small potatoes. 170g for each potato.
3 tbls olive oil.
Salt and pepper to season
You will need two 9cm cooking rings.

Garnish:
10 Shallots.
1 small turnip/swede.
4 tbls olive oil.
30g butter.
2 tsp sugar.
300g broccoli.
Salt and pepper to season.

Red Wine Sauce:
300ml red wine.
2 tbls red wine vinegar.
1/2 of a red onion – chopped
3 mushrooms – button or chestnut – sliced.
250ml chicken stock.
25g unsalted butter.

Cook/method:

One:
Trim veal liver removing any sinew or collagen.
Set aside in the fridge for later.

Two:
Set oven to gas mark 6 or 200c/400f.
Put two small pans of water on to boil – one for turnip and one for broccoli.

Three – Roasted shallots:
Peel shallots – leave whole – and place in a oven proof dish.
Spoon over the olive oil add the butter in small pieces.
Sprinkle with the sugar and season with salt and pepper.
Place in the oven on the middle shelf.
They will take approx’ 40 minutes to soften and brown – baste the onions, every 10 minutes, as they cook.

Four – Broccoli and turnip:
While the shallots cook prepare broccoli and turnip.
Peel and slice turnip into 1/4 inch or 1/2 cm slices.
Blanch the slices of turnip for 3 minutes in boiling water.
Refresh turnip slices in cold water, drain and set aside for later.
Trim broccoli and separate the florets. Cook in boiling water for 4 minutes.
Refresh in cold water, drain and set aside for later.

Five – Rosti potato:
Peel two small potatoes and grate into a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Place grated potato into the center of a cloth or tea towel. Wrap up the cloth and twist over a bowl to squeeze out the moisture from the grated potato.
Discard any liquid squeezed out from the potato.
Put a large non-stick frying pan on a hob over a medium heat – add the olive oil.
Place your two 9cm cooking rings into the frying pan.
In each ring add a thin layer of grated potato and carefully brown on one side.
When one side of the potato is browned remove the cooking rings and turn each potato rosti over to cook and brown the other side. Once cooked set aside on kitchen paper.
Cook more rosti potatoes until you have used up all the grated potato. Set all your rostis aside for later.

Note: If you have a large enough frying pan and 4 cooking rings then cook four rostis at the same time.
The rostis should be thin enough that they only have one thin layer of potato – They will crisp up once cooked.

Tip: If your frying pan becomes a bit dry, add a drizzle of olive oil to each rosti as they cook.

Six:
Check your shallots. They should be turning golden brown and going soft. If they are cooked remove them from the oven and set aside.

Seven – Glazing the turnip:
Place your cooked slices of turnip onto a non-stick tray.
Brush with butter, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with sugar.
Place under a medium grill and cook until golden brown.
Once cooked set aside for later.

Note: If you have a kitchen blow torch then use that to glaze your turnips.

Eight – Red Wine Sauce:
Melt 7g, or a heaped teaspoon, of the butter in a frying/saute pan.
Add the chopped red onion and sliced mushroom. Lightly fry until golden brown.
Add the red wine vinegar and reduce until vinegar has been absorbed.
Add the red wine and flame to burn off alcohol. Reduce by half.
Add the chicken stock and reduce by half.
Take off the heat and strain into a clean pan. Set aside for later.

Nine – Cooking the veal liver and serving:
Your shallots should be cooked so turn your oven down to gas 3 or 160c/325f
Place your rosti potatoes and turnip in the oven to warm through.

Cook the veal liver in a frying pan with the olive oil and butter.
Seal liver on both sides and fry until cooked.
When cooked, place liver in the oven to keep warm.

Heat your cooked broccoli in a pan of boiling water or microwave.

Put your red sauce on the hob on a medium heat until simmering.
Add 20g of chilled butter and stir until melted. This will slightly thicken and add a sheen to the sauce.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

For the final dish I stacked slices of veal liver with rosti potatoes and topped with the slices of glazed turnip – see image.
Around the plate I arranged the cooked broccoli and roasted shallots then drizzled with red wine sauce.

Hope you try this dish as Rose Veal Liver is melt in the mouth gorgeous. Enjoy.

crispy salmon, fish dishes

Crispy Skin Salmon

March 5, 2017September 11, 2017 thefoodygrail.com

Walking around the supermarket this morning and the fresh salmon fillets sent my creative juices into a tizz – 20% off – I’ll have two.
Half an hour later I was back home in the kitchen unpacking my haul.
“Whats for lunch dad?”
“Salmon…you can give me a hand if you like.”
“Just give me a shout when it’s ready. I’ll be in my room.”

So here it is, my first blogging recipe for two. Light, simple and ‘appreciated’ by teenage offspring. Made this many times since its initial creation as family and friends seem to love the crisp crunch of the croutons and gherkins with the soft flaky salmon.

Ingredients:
2 boneless cuts of Salmon fillets. Not from the tail end. Buy thicker fillets from the middle of a whole fillet.
2 tbsp olive oil.
25g unsalted butter.
salt and pepper.
1 lemon.

Tempura gherkins:
6 small pickled gherkins.
80g plain flour.
1/2 tsp salt.
1/2 tsp sugar.
150ml tonic water.

Apple and cider dip:
2 apples.
2 shallots.
200ml cider.
1 tbsp white wine vinegar.
knob of butter
1/2 of a lemon.
Pinch of sugar.
Salt and pepper to season.

Salad and Croutons:
1 small bag fresh rocket salad.
1 slice thick white bread – for croutons.
2 tbls olive oil.
15g unsalted butter.

Cook/method:

One – prepare salmon:

Check salmon fillets for bones – even boneless can sometimes have the odd bone.
Scrape the scales off the skin using a blunt knife.
Rinse the salmon fillets under cold water, dry on kitchen paper, store in fridge for later.

Two – salad:

Wash and dry the rocket salad. Set aside in the fridge.

Three – prepare croutons:

Cut slice of bread into approx’ 1/2 inch squares.
In a frying pan gently heat the olive oil and butter until butter has melted.
Add the squares of bread to the pan and gently cook until golden brown on both sides.
Note: You can drizzle a little more oil into the pan, as the croutons cook, if you think
it needs it.
When croutons are golden brown remove from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and set aside for later.

Four – make apple and cider dip:

You will need a small pan with a lid.
Peel, core and slice apples – set aside in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon – this stops the apples from going brown.
Peel and chop the shallots into a small dice.
Melt the butter in a small pan and add the onions – gently cook/sweat until onions are soft. Do not brown.
When the onions are soft add the white wine vinegar and reduce on a low heat until absorbed by onions.
Now add the cider and the drained sliced apples to the onions, put a lid on the pan. Cook, for 3 minutes, on a gentle heat until the apples have softened.
Add a pinch of sugar and season with salt and pepper. Set aside for later.

Tip: If you prefer, a smoother apple dip, pass the cooked mixture through a fine sieve or blend with a hand blender.

Five – Tempura Gherkins:

Have your fryer ready on a medium heat.
Dry your pickled gherkins on kitchen paper and lightly coat with flour – this will help the batter to stick.
Add flour, salt and sugar to a bowl then whisk in the tonic water. Your batter is made.
When ready dip Gherkins into the batter and drop, carefully, into fryer. Cook until batter is golden brown. Keep warm.

Tip: Use bamboo skewers to stab the gherkins – dip the gherkins, on the end of the skewers, into the batter. Still on the skewers dip the gherkins into the hot frying oil for 10 seconds – twist the skewer off the gherkin and fry gherkin until golden brown.

Note 1: If you want a thicker batter add more flour, a dessert spoon at a time, until you have the consistency you want.
For a thinner batter add more tonic water, little by little, until it reaches the consistency you prefer.

Note 2: You can batter and deep fry your gherkins before cooking your Salmon, but I prefer to cook them last as they remain crispy when served.

Six – Cooking the salmon:

You will need a non-stick frying pan.
Now that the prep’ (mise en place) is done, it’s time to cook the salmon.
Season the Salmon fillets with salt and pepper.
In a, non-stick, frying pan add the olive oil and heat. Not too hot.
Skin side down add the salmon fillets to the frying pan. Hold each fillet down, for 10 seconds, as you place them in the pan – stops fillets from curling.
Slowly fry on the skin for 3 minutes. Then turn each fillet onto it’s side to seal the sides. Just 15 seconds on each side.
When the salmon sides are sealed turn salmon back onto its skin and add the butter.
Over a medium heat, continue to cook the salmon, for 3-4 minutes, while basting with the butter. Finish with a squeeze of lemon.
Keep warm.

Seven: Enjoy

Serve your salmon fillets with washed rocket salad, croutons, apple and cider dip and tempura gherkins. Wedge of lemon optional.

Tip: Drizzle Rocket salad with olive oil.

chocolate cheesecake, chocolate mouse, desserts, food blogging, food photography, thefoodygrail.com

Welcome

March 5, 2017August 31, 2017 thefoodygrail.com