Carpaccio of Scallops with a Japanese twist

This dish developed in Kerrouet is an easy East meets West dish. No cooking involved and it can be served as soon as the ingredients are brought together. It’s a wow starter and very dramatic despite being fairly simple to make. 

Ingredients

4-6 medium sized clean fresh raw scallops per person 

pickled sushi ginger

Sashimi soy sauce

Fresh lime juice

Fresh Chives

Rose pepper 

Salt and pepper

Method

Slice the scallops into 4-5 millimetres / 0,2 inches

On four plates, cover the plates with the pickled sushi ginger, and then sprinkle a little of the Sashimi soy sauce but not too much as it is very strong and will overpower the scallops.

Sprinkle some chopped fresh chives, rose pepper and a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Finally squeeze some fresh lime juice on top and serve.

Serve with a dry white wine. 

Peruvian Potato Cake

Occasionally one comes across a dish from another country which causes a sensation. This is one of such dishes! It was introduced to me by Martha - a cook at the Peruvian Embassy in London. 

It took a lot of persuasion to get the recipe off her but I can recommend this dish as a starter for a large group of hungry guests. It is delicious. 

Ingredients 

For the potato cake: 

1 kg of potatoes peeled and mashed. 

4 tbsp olive oil

I garlic crushed

Salt & pepper to taste

4 eggs hard boiled

Sprig of parsley

Red pepper finely chopped

Tuna Filling

300g good quality canned tuna

3 tbsp fresh mayonnaise 

4 tbsp lime juice

One small red onion finely diced 

Dash chili pepper

Half red pepper finely chopped

Avocado Filling 

2 avocados peeled and mashed

3 tbsp of fresh mayonnaise 

4 tbsp lime juice

Dash chili pepper 

Salt & pepper to taste

Method

This is a potato cake constructed in layers in a cake tin. So use a good sized tin and line with cling film. 

Make the mashed potato and let it cool. 

Strain the tuna and break it up with a fork. Add the finely cut red onion, red pepper, lime juice and mayonnaise. Mix well adding a little chili pepper as desired. Set aside. Keep cool. 

Mash up the avocados. Add the lime juice and mix in the mayonnaise and season as desired. A little chili pepper as desired. Set aside Keep cool. 

To assemble your layered cake, start by adding some mashed 

potato to the bottom of the lined cake tin. Then a layer of tuna. Then another layer of potato. Then a layer of avocado. Then a layer of potato. Continue adding alternatively until you reach the top of the cake with a layer of potato. Quarter the hard boiled eggs and decorate the top adding the remaining red pepper and some parsley as in the photograph. Cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least three hours before serving. 

Keep cool to the point of serving. To serve, carefully remove  all the cling film, place the cake on a serving dish, cut into individual portions and serve. 

Wine tasting at the cellars of Joseph Drouhin.

To go on a wine tasting anywhere in France is serious business and it was thus so as we entered the famous cellars of Joseph Drouhin in the centre of the pretty Burgundian town of Beaune. You are left in no doubt you are entering a historical site and going deep underground. 

Our visit was scheduled for two in the afternoon and would take two hours including a tour of the original wine press still used for special occasions and a walking tour under the old city of Beaune passing by Roman walls,  the cellars of the 13th century parliament, the 13th century Notre Dame collegiate church, and the cellars of the 15th century Dukes of Burgundy and Kings of France. 

Our guide Elisa knew her history as well as her viticulture and we were in safe hands deep down underground in the semi darkness for the first thirty minutes of our tour. She recounted the extraordinary history and architecture and archeological interest of these 13th and 15th century cellars which sit on the relics of Roman cellars in the 3rd century and forward to their continued storage use in our present times. 

All wines are stored here for at least a year in oak barrels ( the oak forest is owned by the family and they make their own barrels even for their vineyards in Oregon Portland! 

As you walk through the labyrinth of almost 1 hectare you get an insight into what an extensive rare collection lies under the house of Maison Drouhin. They only account for 0.2% of the wine produced in France yet next week they will hold the most expensive wine auction here in the world!! 

Soon it was time for some actual wine tasting and we were in for a treat! We were offered three Chardonnay’s and then three Pinot Noirs all of course from the same wine house.

We started left to right. Our first was a Chablis premiere cru 2021. We were the first members of the public to taste this vintage! It was beautifully light and crisp. Would pair well with oysters and mussels. 

The second bottle was a Meursault 2019. It was exceedingly rich with intense oaky buttery flavours. Our third white was a 2019 Meursault Charme première cru. This was pure joy. Richer in flavour and more full bodied than the previous bottle and our favorite of the three. 

It was time to taste the reds. We started with a light 2018 Cote de Beaune. Fruity and delicate it was a natural wine for drinking anytime. We moved on to the 2019 Clos dés Mouches ( Enclosure of the Honeybees)! This was a much more powerful wine with structure and finesse. Finally our third red was the 2019 Nuits Saint Georges premier cru. This was an extraordinary wine which held its fragrance in the mouth long after we had imbibed! A winner and the best red but of course the most expensive too! At €61 it was one for Christmas. Funnily enough thé clos des mouches was more expensive as it is much more limited in production ( at €91). The Cote de Beaune was €41. 

We were also offered an opportunity to taste the Marc de Bourgogne, the house eau de vie! This is made once the grapes are pressed and distilled in oak barrels. It was more like a brandy than a snaps and I will definitely be on the look out for another glass of Marc de Bourgogne later this evening! 

All in all an exceptional wine tasting experience and we have no hesitation recommending this house wines for your collection. They deliver all over the world free for accounts over €400! Email elisaerrier@drouhin.com. 

www. drouhin-oenotheque.com

 

A trip to Beaune in Burgundy

A trip to Burgundy is a must for anyone interested in French foods and wines and the town of Beaune is the epicenter for most visitors. Not only is the town full of beautiful medieval buildings and churches, it is a full of little cobblestone streets with lots of bars and restaurants. Some of the worlds most expensive wines are sold here and we were not surprised by the bottle of Romanée Conti on our adjoining  table at a cost of €13000 euros! It made our bottle of Puligny Montrachet very cheap indeed at €197! Our wine was outstanding but Poul ( who has tasted the wine years ago as a sommelier) said the Romanée Conti was a religious experience and the six young men imbibing  were obviously from the local cénobite community! 

It was our first night in Beaune so we decided to dine at a little Michelin one star restaurant called Le Benaton. We were not disappointed! 

An appetizer- tempura fried mussels in a herb crust on a hot potato soufflé in a mussel sauce.

A scallop carpaccio with blue crab, passion berries and sweet corn.




Pan fried scallops in a cauliflower foam and  ratafia syrup.





Cep tart with a maderia sauce and barberry pulp.



Sea bream with a wine sabayon sauce on a bed of white beans.






 Breast of pigeon with beetroot, black current and gingerbread.

A selection of cheeses from Burgundy -  Brillat-Saverin, Crotton du Morvan and a Vacherin du Haut-Doubs

www.lebenaton.com

Mussel soup

One of my favorite dishes in Brittany is mussel soup. It is a bit of effort but I think we’ll worth it. 

serves 6

ingredients

1kg of fresh mussels

3 tbsp of olive oil

bottle of dry white wine

For the stock: 

1 shallot onions

1 small carrot (keep half and use as julienne vegetables)

1/2 leek ( keep half to use as julienne vegetables)

2 cloves garlic1 sprigs of thyme

1 sprigs of parsley 

10 black pepper corns

sprinkle of saffron

150 ml  of fresh cream or coconut cream 

chives

juice of 1 lemon

salt & pepper

Method

Rinse the mussels in cold water removing all beards and algae. Discard any lifeless mussels which refuse to close. Store in a cold place.

Chop up the vegetables for the stock. 

In a large pot sauté the vegetable for a few minutes, then and white wine and boil for 5 minutes .

Then add the mussels and boil for another 5 minutes. Discard any which have not opened.

Remove the mussel shells from the stock and then remove mussels from their shells. Discard shells. Set aside. Reduce the stock, add the saffron and  cream, bit of lemon juice (if necessary) and salt & pepper to taste. 

Using the half portions of leek and carrot saved cut as julienne vegetables, blanch them and add it to the soup. 

Reintroduce the shell-less mussels to the stock and keep warm.

Sprinkle with chives and serve in a warm soup bowl. 

Option: 

Serve linguini and top up with the mussel soup and chives for a main dish.