February Feast

Creamed Leek & Roasted Garlic Soup

Ingredients:

150g leek whites
3 cloves garlic
700ml veg/chicken stock
75ml double cream
30g chopped white onion
15g butter
¼ head of celery
10g finely chopped parsley
Salt
Pepper

Method:

Toss the garlic with oil and wrap in foil. Then roast @ 150º for 15-20mins.

Cut the leeks lengthways and roughly chop.

Melt the butter and sweat the remaining vegetables until soft making sure they do not brown.

Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for approx. 1hr. Add the cream and garlic and then liquidise.

Reheat, add seasoning and garnish with parsley.

Pan-Fried Halibut, Beetroot Pesto and Wilted Red Chard

Ingredients:

2 x 6oz halibut
100g red chard
Beetroot cress
Knob of butter

For the pesto:

1 x medium beetroot peeled & cooked until tender (approx.35mins)
30g grated parmesan
25g pine nuts
½ clove garlic
Juice of ½ a lemon
30ml olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Method:

Chop the beetroot into chunks and blend with the rest of the pesto ingredients until smooth.

Heat a little oil in a non-stick pan and add the halibut. Leave for 4 mins and then turn and leave for 3 mins. Set aside. In the same pan wilt down the chard.

To serve place the chard on a warm plate, place the fish on top, add some beetroot pesto and garnish with beetroot cress and a drizzle of olive oil.

Rhubarb in Champagne Jelly, Lemon Sabayon & Lemon Shortbread

Jelly

350g rhubarb washed and cut into 2cm lumps
50g caster sugar
500ml water
125ml champagne/sparkling wine
3 sheets of leaf gelatine

Put the water, sugar and rhubarb into a large saucepan, bring to the boil & simmer for 15mins. Remove from heat & allow to cool for 1 hr.

Place a piece of muslin in a sieve over a bowl and add the rhubarb liquid. Allow to drain through without forcing it (you can press gently with the back of the spoon), soften the gelatine in a little warm water & add to the rhubarb juice. Gently warm to dissolve the gelatine, remove from heat, add the bubbly mix and divide into 2 ramekins.

Chill for 5-6 hrs.

Sabayon

2 x egg yolks
30g caster sugar
1 tbsp water
zest & juice of 1 lemon

Over a pan of simmering water place a heatproof bowl with the egg yolk, sugar and water in. Whisk until thick and frothy.

Remove from the heat & whisk in zest and juice.

Leave to cool.

Shortbreads

30g icing sugar
185g plain flour
20g corn flour
10g ground almond
85g butter (in cubes) + extra for greasing
1 drop almond essence
25g lemon curd
Icing sugar for dusting

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4.

Sift the icing sugar, flour and corn flour & add the ground almonds.

Place the mixture into a food processor, add the butter & pulse until it is the consistency of breadcrumbs.

Add almond essence & pulse again briefly.

Turn onto a floured surface & knead into smooth dough.

Grease up a muffin tray with extra butter, split the dough into small balls & place into muffin tray & flatten.

It should be around 1/3 of the way up the cup. Pop into the oven for around 10mins.

Allow to cool & then press the top gently with your finger to make an indentation.

Cool further and turn out gently. Dust with icing sugar & fill holes with lemon curd.

To Serve:

Turn out the jellies (this will require putting them upside down under a warm tap), place a dollop of sabayon next to the jelly & place the shortbread on top. Garnish with a sprig of mint