Club Gastronomique de Bretagne

Many of you will be pleased to hear that we are starting a private dining club. This will commence on August 21, 2010 and will continue on the third Saturday of every month. A gourmand dinner of at least seven courses with champagnes and fine wines all for E100* per person is exceptional value. Places will be restricted to 12 maximum so early booking is recommended. Menus will be available on facebook (Club Gastronomique de Bretagne) well in advance and dates each month are as follows:

21 August 2010
18 September 2010
16 October 2010
20 November 2010
18 December 2010 (*Christmas Dinner E150*)

Elderflower Fritters

It has been a great season for elderflowers one of the best in fact for ten years! Must have been the warn spring we had with plenty of rain! Anyway we have made the elderflower cordial and now there is another reason to go straight back out and forage again for more elderflowers. This is the amazing elderflower fritter which makes a delicious light and delicate dessert. Just right for this time of year.

Serves 4 –6
At least 20 heads of freshly picked elderflowers
200g plain flour
1 organic egg, beaten
300ml cold sparkling water
a good splash of gin
light oil for frying
icing sugar for dusting

Sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Put the egg into the well and mixing with a wooden spoon, start incorporating the egg into the flour. Gradually add the water, mixing all the time until the batter is thin, like double cream, and smooth. Finally mix in the gin. Leave the batter to rest in the fridge for 15 minutes or so.
Heat the oil in a deep pan, it needs to come at least 3cm up the sides. Test the heat by dropping in a teaspoonful of batter, it should bubble and start to turn golden quickly.
One at a time, dip the flowers into the batter. Shake off the excess and lower them carefully into the hot oil, holding onto the stalk. Cook them for a few seconds on each side or until the batter turns golden.
Remove and lay on kitchen roll to absorb any excess oil.
When they are all cooked, dust with icing sugar and serve hot. Serve with a glass of chilled Kerrouet Royale.

Elderflower Cordial

It's that time of the year again and we are busy making elderflower cordial. It is so simple to make and so nice to drink that I make enough for the whole year ahead!

Take 60 elderflower petals, 4 organic lemons, 3.5 lt water, 2 kg of sugar, and 60g of citric acid.

Pick your elderflowers early morning. Cut the stems of the elderflower removing any insects or dirt but do not rinse. Place in a large pot.  Wash the lemons and cut in thin slices and place on top of the flowers. 

In another pot bring the water to the boil. Add the sugar, citric acid to the boiling water and then pour over the elderflower petals. Allow to cool and store in a refrigerator for 4 days. On the fourth day, strain the juice from the pulp and pour the syrup into sterilized bottles. Keep in a cool place.

Serve 1 part elderflower to 5 parts water. A wonderful refreshing natural drink for the whole year ahead. We also use it in gin instead of tonic and also as an addition to champagne and sparkling wines!!

Summertime and the cooking is easy

I love summer! Especially when we have hot sunny days and balmy nights. Right now the weather is gorgeous and the temperature just right at 22 degrees (9am!). The climate really does impact upon the kitchen and our recipes as well as on our students. We are far more inclined to consider new menus and experiment with new recipes when the sun is shining! Out door grazing is so much fun too after a winter of being stuck indoors! Now we have the chance to sit in the gardens under the trees and enjoy our cocktails, trial new drinks and experiment with new ideas! Incidentally have you ever tried cold beer with tonic?! Well it's not as bad as you might imagine and in fact some people actually enjoy it! That was more accident than design though. The elderflower is out in full blossom again and so we are planning to make another year's supply of our wonderful elderflower cordial. You will find the methodology in last year's blog and some of the wonderful ways you can serve it too. My favorite is elderflower champagne or Kerrouet Royale as it is known to our students! The linden tree is also about to blossom and we will be collecting the flowers and new leaves in order to make a tasty and healthy tea! All this takes time when the vegetable garden is demanding constant attention and those weeds keep jumping up overnight! The flowers also demand attention if only to smell those beautiful scents and admire the colours of summertime. Yes summer is here at last and when we are not cooking you can find me in the garden listening to the sounds of nature, the smell of summer and the delights of the garden! Did I tell you we are also designing a swimming pool or is it a posh garden pond?

Rhubarb Compote

The cooking school at Kerrouet House has its own garden and we are blessed this year with wonderful Rhubarb. Unlike the past three years, this season has been great for growing and we are about to harvest some of the finest stalks yet. Everyone should taste fresh rhubarb and everyone should be able to know how to to make a rhubarb compote. It is very simple and not at all sinful!

You will need

half kg tender rhubarb
quarter litre water
175 g sugar
1 vanilla pod

Method

Rinse the rhubarb stalk after cutting off the base and leaves. Cut the stalks into pieces 2 cm long. Cook a syrup from the water sugar and split vanilla pod. Add the rhubarb to the syrup and bring slowly to the boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Discard the vanilla pod. Remove the rhubarb pieces carefully and place in a serving bowl. Reduce the syrup slightly and pour it over the rhubarb.

Another way to do this without making syrup is to place the rhubarb pieces in a baking dish and sprinkle with sugar. Cover with foil. The rhubarb will be tender after 15 minutes at 150 degrees or until it begins to get juicy.

Rhubarb compote is great with ice cream, yoghurt, custard, or simply on its own. It can also be combined with porridge for breakfast and with healthy options liked baked oates but that is a dish for another day!

Spinach Salad with Chorizo and Chives

We tasted some wonderful dishes down in Spain over the winter period and I promised you all a few recipes so here is a nice simple one to get you ready for the summer weather. In Spain it is called Ensalada de espinacas al chorizo:

Ingredients for 4 persons:

450g baby spinach rinsed and dried
4 x piquillo peppers cut in strips
2 x hard boiled eggs grated
1 small bunch of fresh chives finely chopped

For the breadcrumbs:

225g bread torn into chunks
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh rosemary

For the chorizo bits:

1 x whole chorizo sausage
240 ml olive oil
1 tsp fresh rosemary

For the salad dressing:

60 ml white wine vinegar
salt & white pepper

Method:

For the breadcrumbs: Cut the bread into 1cm pieces using a blender. Toss with a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp olive oil. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 175 degrees until lightly brown. Meanwhile saute 1 tsp of rosemary with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Mix with the toasted breadcrumbs.

Place the chopped chorizo , oil, rosemary in a saucepan and leave to simmer until the chorizo bits are golden. Strain reserving chorizo oil for the dressing.

For the salad dressing simply whisk together the chorizo oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

To serve:

In a bowl combine the spinach leaves, chorizo bits, breadcrumbs and piquillo peppers and toss with about half of the dressing. Pour the rest of the dressing on the plates. Top with the grated egg and finely cut fresh chives.

This is a wonderful dish for that lunch on the patio with a nice cool glass or two of albariño.

Grilled Sea Bass with Sorrel, Nettle and Chives

Sea Bass is one of my favourite dishes. My grandmother believed in using hedgerow leaves whenever possible and sea bass when served with sorrel, nettle and chives is absolutely delicious. For four persons you will need:

4 x 140g fillets of sea bass scaled and boned
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
300ml of fish stock
1 tbsp dry vermouth
8 tbsp natural low fat yoghurt
1 bunch sorrel, stalks removed and chopped
1 bunch of fresh new nettle leaves washed and chopped
1 bunch chives, chopped finely
1 tbsp butter
sea salt and freshly milled white pepper

Method:

Brush the sea bass fillets with the olive oil and squeeze the lemon juice on top. Season with salt and pepper, cover and place in the fridge.

Add the vermouth to the fish stock and reduce over a high heat until it is of coating consistency. Leave to cool slightly and shake in the yoghurt. Keep warm in a bain maire on top of the stove.

Place the fish over hot charcoal or under the grill, skin side down and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully turn and cook for another 3 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate non stick pan, sweat the sorrel and nettle in the butter for 1 minute. To serve, place a quarter of the sorrel and nettle in the centre of each plate and place the sea bass fillet on top. Serve the chives into the sauce, check for seasoning and pour around the fish and leaves.

Serve with a nice cold Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.