game pithiviers

These lovely little savoury pies are my favourite things to make at the moment. Filling ideas are endless but as we're in France I couldn't resist using duck confit and pigeon breast. The two ingredients so hard to find elsewhere.. well  that's not entirely true but at least here duck confit can be bought all ready to go which saves hours of time..and we have a local pigeon farmer. Substitute quail breasts for pigeon for ease if you have trouble sourcing them and use a mix of minced veal and duck beast instead of duck leg confit.

The other thing worth noting is the pastry. Here too in France I can buy fresh puff (or any other kind for that matter) in the cold fridge in the supermarket. It's superior pastry and the cooked result is perfect but whatever you do buy puff pastry don't bother to make your own, it's far too time consuming for this.

Recipe is for 6 pithiviers:

Roll out your bought puff or sheet pastry and cut out twelve (12) 10cm circles with a fluted cutter. Place these circles onto baking paper on a large baking tray (or 2 small) and place in the fridge. 

Ingredients:

2-3 sheets of puff pastry

2 duck confit legs, shredded and blitzed briefly in a mini food processor

8 quail or pigeon breasts, finely diced into tiny tiny cubes

1 large carrot, streamed, diced into tiny tiny cubes

1 packet fresh spinach, wilted in boilng water for 1 second and dried out with paper towel

salt & pepper to taste

1 whole egg whisked

25g fresh breadcrumbs

a few fresh French tarragon leaves chopped (or use thyme if you like, instead)

To glaze: 4 egg yolks - NO whites, please

Method:

Oven to 230 C

Mix all the above ingredients together except the pastry and egg yolks.  Remove the ready cut circles from the fridge and brush all twelve with egg yolk and place 60g of the mixture into the middle of 6 circles. Place the other 6 circles over the top but upside down so the egg side is facing down and over the ingredients. Squash out all the air and firm the sides of the circles with your fingers. Brush egg yolk all over and place in fridge for 15 minutes. Remove, brush again with more egg and place back in fridge for another 30 minutes or until you are ready to cook which might even be the next day. DO NOT cover the pithiviers at any stage of this procedure.

When you want to cook them take the next size cutter, 9cm, and recut them so the edges are neat discardng the rough edges.. Gently flute the edges at intervals wth a knife and lightly score the tops for presentation sake. Bake on the baking paper on the tray (s) in a very hot oven, 230C for exactly 15 minutes. Remove and rest for 5 minutes.

Serve with a madeira jus and a little oiled salad on the side or whatever takes your fancy.

Once you have mastered the technique required to make pithiviers use your imagnation to invent novel ideas to fill them. 1 pithivier (pronounced: pee thiv ee ay) is enough for each person as a starter with garnish or for lunch with perhaps a more substantial salad on the side.

Have fun!

Oeufs en Meurette (eggs poached in red wine)

This is my interpretation of a famous French classic and I've voted it my starter of the year. Fitting I think too for The Food Vine's 6th birthday on 1st November just gone.

You might want to try this recipe several times before serving it for a special meal - it's not easy to do and it takes patience and care but if you take into account the following tips your chances of getting it wrong up are fairly slim.

This is a beautiful and elegant dish and a perfect starter for a French styled meal.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

4 very fresh large eggs
500g fresh mushrooms: portobello, swiss brown etc..
1 eschallot, finely chopped
1 small knob of butter
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon double cream
4 slices of white bread, toasted then cut into a disc about 2 inches in diameter
1 bottle of good red wine
1 x 28g beef or veal stock pot portion and 2 tablespoons water
2 slices of prosciutto

Method:

Cook the eschallots and mushrooms in the butter over a low heat until the mixture is cooked through and all the moisture has evaporated. Add the cream and finely add the parsley. Turn into a small bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator.

Prepare a bowl of ice and water and leave it standing next to the cooker. Pour enough red wine into a very small frying pan (reserve what's left in the bottle). Bring the wine to boiling point then turn it down to the lowest heat setting. Crack one egg into a small cup then slide the egg into the wine. Set the timer for 3 minutes. Baste the egg yolk continually. After 3 minutes remove the egg with a slotted spoon and carefully place the cooked egg into the ice water. Repeat this with the other three eggs. Place the cooked eggs in the ice bath into the refrigerator.

Pour the wine from the frying pan into a medium size saucepan. Add the rest of the wine to the saucepan from the bottle. Bring the wine to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer until reduced by three quarters of its original volume. Add the stock and 2 tablespoons of water. Reduce by half. The sauce should be thick enough to coat. If it isn't whisk in a pinch of xanthan powder until you achieve the desired consistency. Cover and place in the refrigerator.

To plate up:

Toast the bread. Cut out a two inch disc from each slice. Spread a thick quantity of the mushroom mixer over the top of each disc and place the discs in the centre of four serving dishes.

Cook the 2 slices of prosciutto in a little oil until crisp. Drain. Cut each slice into two. Set aside.

Take the eggs from the refrigerator. Very carefully drain off the ice water. Boil the kettle. Carefully fill the bowl with boiling water and leave to stand for 2-3 minutes. Take a slotted spoon and carefully remove each egg, one by one and place on top of the four discs. Heat the sauce in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Coat each egg with a little sauce. Place a piece of prosciutto across or alongside each egg and garnish with a little parsley or fresh bay leaf. Serve immediately.

Note:  'Continental' produce highly concentrated stock portions called: Stock Pot - they come four to a pack weighing about 28g each. Ideal for this sauce. If these aren't available to you use any other stock but then you will probably most definitely need to thicken the finished sauce with xanthan powder or similar.

Bon Appetit!

ricotta cakes

Use your imagination to restyle a traditional serving of a classic dish.

A thick slice of baked ricotta loaf makes an ideal presentation for lunch but for a change use a fluted pastry cutter. The loaf, scaled down, becomes an appealing starter instead.

Ingredients: (serves 6 sliced or 10 little cakes)

3 eggs

750g full fat ricotta

400g grated parmesan, freshly grated

6 springs lemon thyme, leaves picked

Extra virgin olive oil

Roast tomatoes halves or whole TINY cherry tomatoes

Basil oil

Black olives, pitted (tiny ones for cakes)

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C. Lightly whisk eggs in a large bowl and stir in ricotta. Mix in the parmesan, thyme and season well. Grease a loaf tin with olive oil and spoon in the mixture. Place the loaf tin in a large baking tray and pour in the water so it comes half way up the sides of the loaf tin. Bake approximately 45-50 mins, test with a skewer or until ricotta is firm and golden brown – a piece of foil may be required on top if it browns too quickly.

Remove from the water bath VERY CAREFULLY and allow to cool to room temperature. Invert onto a serving plate and refrigerate until cold.

To serve: cut thick slices from the loaf. Cut circles from the slices, using a fluted pastry cutter. Place the cakes onto individual plates, top with tiny confit tomatoes and tiny olives, a sprig of basil and a few drops of basil oil on the side.

Tomatoes & Olives:

Preheat the oven to 150C . Place a handful of tiny/or normal sized cherry tomatoes and a handful of olives onto an oven tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with sea salt, a teaspoon sugar and fine slices of garlic from one clove. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove and cool.

Basil Oil:

A quick way to flavour herb oil is to blanch a handful of fresh basil or other herbs, leaves only, then whizz them in an electric food chopper with a little oil. Strain the liquid into a jug and use as directed. Discard any remaining oil after use.

Note: Do not attempt to serve these little cakes hot. The loaf needs to be cold or very cool for sharp, clean cutting. A zap in the microwave might be a good idea if you prefer a little warmth.

beetroot soup

This is my friend Claudia’s recipe and it makes a wonderful change from borscht. Not that there is anything wrong with borscht, it is delicious, but when I think ‘beetroot soup’ borscht usually comes to mind. I just love the taste and texture of this soup especially the intense tarragon flavour – it marries so well with beetroot.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

500g beetroot, baked, peeled and moulied or chopped

2 red onions, sliced

1litre chicken stock

3 tablespoons, brown sugar

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

50ml red wine

8 large French tarragon spigs, leaves only.

Natural yogurt for ice cubes

Method:

Add leaves from 4 tarragon sprigs to the yogurt and freeze in ice cube trays until solid.

Melt onions and sugar in a covered pan and sweat for 10-15 minutes. Add the vinegar, the wine and reduce to half the volume. Add stock, beetroot and the rest of the tarragon (leaves only). Bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Season, then blend well until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator until cold.

Serve in bowls with a yogurt and tarragon ice cube in the centre of each

Click here for printer friendly recipe: 

https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/beetroot-soup/beetroot-soup

globe artichoke hearts

The wonderful thing about artichoke hearts is they are available all summer and just one large heart per head makes a substantial starter. I like to cook them from a cold-water start on a gentle simmer for 45 minutes, give them at least an hour to drain and cool down then get rid of all those tiresome leaves, clean up the choke and serve them whole in all their glory. I cannot see the benefit of going through the slow process of peeling off each bract (leaf), dipping it in melted butter or vinaigrette with the net result of a tiny nibble of each and a huge mess. I just do not have the patience.

It is interesting to know that when the artichoke flower is still a bud the whole head can be consumed but once the flower forms and the bracts become tough then their bases only become edible along with the all important heart. Artichokes are a member of the thistle family and their flowers alone are things of great beauty.

Artichoke hearts can be a daunting thought unless you know how to prepare them properly but once this is established they are one of the best and most versatile vegetables available.

Artichokes should feel heavy for their size with closed bracts. Select fresh deep green or purple artichokes.

Cut off the stem as close as possible to the base of each artichoke then snap off any really tough outer bracts – by doing so you will fit more artichokes in one large saucepan. Slice off the tops too thus getting rid of any spiky ones (see photo) and place all the artichokes in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water and add the juice of one lemon. Place a bowl over the top to keep them submerged during the cooking process. Bring the pot to the boil, turn down heat to low and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain well, upside down, for at least one hour or  when cool enough to handle.

Now you have two choices depending of your preference.

One is to remove all the leaves and the choke, keeping only the hearts and serve them with melted herb butter as in the photograph.

Alternatively, cut into the centre of each artichoke, remove the choke but keep a lot of outer leaves intact. Pour melted herb butter into the cavity and serve. This gives the choice of a nibble of the bracts ending with the prized heart.

Whole artichokes hearts are lovely stuffed to accompany any meat dish but eating them on their own is truly a wonderful way to experience their special taste and flavour. Robust food, I think!

globe artichoke hearts printer friendly recipe:
https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/globe-artichoke-hearts

prawn thyme!

We all love basil with tomatoes – yes, they are a marriage made in heaven BUT French tarragon with tomatoes is even better. Probably the last herb one would associate with tomatoes but you will be surprised how good they taste together.

Think outside the box for prawns too. On the plancha, most people would add chopped parsley but try fresh thyme instead, storks and all. It is quite something!

Ingredients:

As many large, unshelled, green prawns as you can eat!

Sea salt

Extra virgin olive oil

1 lemon, halved

Freshly picked thyme

Take a flat plancha if you have one otherwise use a frying pan. Smear some extra virgin olive oil over the surface with kitchen paper and rev up the heat. Scatter some sea salt over the plancha/frying pan and toss another pinch or two of sea salt over the green, unshelled prawns. Place the prawns, side by side; on the hot surface and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until they are pink, and the juices caramelize. Try not to overcook them.

The sea salt does three things: it stops the prawns from sticking to the plancha/frying pan, it brings out the natural juices and then it caramelizes them.

Transfer the cooked prawns to a warm serving dish, scatter over the fresh thyme, a drizzle or two of extra virgin olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. Place the other lemon half on the side of the serving plate.

Never mind your sticky fingers, just enjoy them….   

prawn thyme printable recipe, click here:

https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/prawn-thyme

cured salmon with star anise and white burgundy

For a special occasion, cured salmon makes an elegant first course. Delicately perfumed with star anise and flavoured with dry white wine and a touch of sweetness this dish is delicious and very simple to prepare. Give yourself a two day head start otherwise it’s plain sailing!

Ingredients:

2 x400g-1kg fillets of salmon, skin on

(Do not remove pin bones from the fish until it is ready to slice – this keeps the fillets tightly intact and gives a better slicing result)

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives or a few chervil sprigs, to garnish

For the court bouillon:

500ml dry white: Burgundy, Chardonnay or Chablis

500ml water

20g sea salt flakes

1 teaspoon cracked pepper

2 level teaspoons sugar

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 3mm slices

1 small leek, white part only, cut into 3mm slices

1 fresh bay leaf

1 clove garlic, skin left on and mashed

1 clove

2 star anise, smashed into pieces with a pestle and mortar

Sherry Vinaigrette

100ml extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons walnut oil

2-3 teaspoons aged sherry vinegar

Salt and ground white pepper

Serves: 8-10

Method:

Place all the court-bouillon ingredients into a 3-litre non-aluminium saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, skim froth and simmer for 20 minutes on a low heat. Allow to cool completely to room temperature.

Select a non-aluminium pan dish deep enough so the salmon lies flat and submerged by the liquid – it should be a snug fit. Sterilize the dish with boiling water then allow the dish to cool completely before placing the salmon into it – skin side down first but turn once a day after sealing well with cling film and refrigerate for 48 hours.

Make up the sherry vinaigrette by whisking together the ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the fish and discard the court-bouillon. Remove the pin bones and thinly slice the salmon, beginning at the tail/or narrowest end, with the knife at a 30c angle. Arrange the slices on a serving platter and moisten with the vinaigrette. Garnish with chopped chives or/and chervil and serve with lightly toasted unbuttered bread cut into triangles.

Note:

Reduce the fish by half for less serves but use the same liquid measurements. Reduce the proportions in the vinaigrette too in this case but use only a tiny amount in any event as it is there to simply moisten the fish not to change its delicate flavour.

This recipe is from the region of Burgundy in France – the above is adapted from Damien Pignolet’s fabulous book: French.


cured salmon with star anise and white burgundy printer friendly version:
 https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/cured-salmon-with-star-anise-and-white-burgundy

kingfish sashimi with honey & lime vinaigrette

This is an elegant first course to serve on Christmas day. Not only beautiful to look at but light enough not to spoil the large main course to follow.  

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

400gm sashimi grade kingfish

100ml grapeseed oil

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

½ teaspoon soy sauce

Pinch salt

Pinch white pepper

Microherbs or shiso leaves, chopped chives and ground black pepper to garnish

Method:

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together and shake well. Slice the kingfish into long thin pieces with a very sharp knife and lay them side by side on each plate. Spoon a little dressing over the top and scatter the plates with herbs and a few grindings of cracked pepper.

Kingfish Sashimi printable recipe, click here:

https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/kingfish-sashimi

marinated kipper fillets with lemon and grainy mustard dressing

This 99^th recipe on the foodvine should well have been the first! I only wish I had a pound for every time I made this dish when I lived in London. Anyone who knows me well will remember how often I served it - from two people to one hundred and as many times. Kippers are hugely popular in the United Kingdom so it is not surprising I gave it a good innings.

Marinated kipper fillets are great for lunch or as a starter for a dinner party but equally good as part of a large buffet. If freshly smoked are unavailable use frozen.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 packet frozen kipper fillets, skinned

1 medium Spanish red onion, very finely sliced

2-3 lemons, very finely sliced

1-tablespoon grain mustard

1-teaspoon caster sugar

pinch salt

cracked pepper to taste

2-tablespoons white wine vinegar

125ml extra virgin olive oil

Parsley, finely chopped to garnish (optional)

Method:

Skin the kipper fillets and slice them lengthwise into 4-6 slices depending on the width of each fillet, mix with the sliced onion and place in a serving dish large enough to accommodation the kippers and the onion in one layer with no gaps - a tight fit.

Cover the dish with overlapping lemon slices.

Mix together the mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar and oil and pour over the top. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 48. Parsley looks nice for added colour but it is not particularly necessary.

Note: any bones in the kippers more or less disintegrate or at least soften enough to be edible. The lemon slices although tart can be eaten. Remove from the refrigerator thirty minutes before serving.

kipper fillets with lemons, printable recipe, click here:

https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/kipper-fillets-with-lemon

mussels with pernod and mayonnaise

How to steam open a kilo of mussels with a good slug of pernod!

Wash thoroughly, debeard and place the mussels in a large saucepan, add a generous slug of pernod, cover with a lid and shake over the burner until all the mussels open. Add a couple of tablespoons of your best mayonnaise, two teaspoons of grain mustard and a handful of chopped parsley. Gently mix the ingredients through the mussels, add salt and pepper to taste and cook for a further minute. Turn the mussels out immediately onto a large serving platter and discard any that have not opened.

This unusual but impressive method of preparing mussels comes from my belle-soeur, Anita, in France.

Mussels with pernod and mayonnaise, printable recipe, click here:
https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/mussels-with-pernod-and-mayonnaise

Octopus Oz

While I'm still on my favourite subject, the cooking of octopus, see previous octopus recipes under FISH, I thought I'd see what was available at the Sydney fish markets. They had plenty of octopus of varying size but not the kind we buy in France. In France they sell a completely different variety and it's sold by the kilo. In other words the fishmonger will happily chop a hunk off a very large octopus from where the head has already been removed. Buying large pieces of octopus where the cut pieces are the same size gives easier portion control and greater yield. However, the net result of my shopping trip was pretty much the same as far and taste and texture were concerned.  I chose pre-tenderised medium sized octopus and although the finished dish had many irregularities in size it was just as delicious only it did lack moisture. Overall it was good to know that it is possible to evoke the taste and flavours of Spain here in Australia.

baked pear and fennel salad

I spotted a variation of this salad in a magazine recently but instead of using peaches as suggested I thought pears would go just as well, if not better, with the other ingredients.

This is a truly mind blowing salad and one you will repeat again and again. It's fresh, crisp and deliciously tasty. The key is the use a mandoline to slice the cheese and fennel - there is simply no other way. Slicing finely with a knife will not do! So with that in mind combine the following ingredients in a large plain white salad bowl and drizzle over the top a little of your best extra virgin olive oil and a scattering of snipped fennels fronds.

Serves: 4

2 large Beurre Bosc pears, baked  at 180c until tender, cored and each sliced into 8 pieces
1 medium fennel sliced on a mandoline
1-2 packets of jamon cru or proscuitto depending on your appetite!
10-12 slices Gruyère cheese cut on a mandoline
Sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Extra virgin olive oil
Fennel fronds for garnish

Baked pear and fennel salad printable recipe, click here:

https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/baked-pear-and-fennel-salad

tuna and mango refresher

This cheerful little starter refreshes the palate and lifts the spirits.

A set of ring moulds is worthwhile investing in especially one that includes a pusher. It is important to compress the stack in a gentle manner otherwise it is likely to topple over and that just will not do. Pretty up the plate with dots and trails of herb oil if you like. A good tip for making dots (see photo) is to buy a medicine measure from the chemist. It can be a risky business putting dots on a plate when all other ingredients are in place so a device that will not let you down is vital. This little measure has a squeeze top allowing greater control when dot size matters.

Serves: 4

1 slightly under ripe mango, peeled and finely diced

2 mini cucumbers, peeled and finely diced

200gm fresh, sashimi quality tuna, finely diced

4 teaspoons lump fish caviar

2 teaspoons Spanish sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

few chives, finely chopped

Method:

Dice the mango, cucumber and tuna. Place in separate bowls. Mix the oil, vinegar and chives together, stir the dressing into the tuna.

Place each ring mould on a plate and spoon in the mango, the cucumber and lastly the tuna. Place teaspoon lumpfish caviar on top of each one and serve. Garnish the plate with a little herb oil.

tuna and mango refresher recipe - printable version, click here:

https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/tuna-and-mango-refresher-2

Salmon Torrefie

I use this coating sometimes to add interest to sashimi quality tuna instead of serving it raw. This gives it that extra something crunchy with heat. The ingredients for the mixture formed part of a dish I made in a cooking class in France last year where we used another type of fish. I applied it to tuna with great success and here I'm doing it with salmon just as successfully but the salmon needs to be cured first unless it is sashimi quality from a reputable fishmonger.

Coating for 2 X 200gm thick fillets of cured or sashimi quality raw salmon, pin bones removed. Use tuna as a substitute.

7gm green anis - from a health food store

7gm coriander seeds

3gm black peppercorns

9gm sea salt

10gm instant coffee granules

40g mixed red pepper berries

Whizz all the above in a mini food processor then add 20gm sesame seeds

Cut each thick salmon fillet into 2 even logs, lengthways. Roll in the mixture to evenly coat and place in a hot pan with no oil or fat. Using tongs, turn each salmon fillet so all four sides on each one change colour but the inside of the salmon remains raw.

Remove and rest the salmon for ten minutes. Slice each log of salmon into 6-8 slices per log and place 3-4 slices on each plate. Serve with micro herbs and freshly squeezed lemon and a few drops of oil. I serve it with a coffee and mango sauce now and then but perhaps wasabi flavoured mayonnaise would work well too.

Serves: 8 as a starter.

Click link for a printer friendly version of this recipe:

https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/salmon-torrefie

steak tartare

Steak tartare at Macleay Street Bistro in Sydney’s Potts Point is just about as good as it gets – and whenever we go there, Al never fails to order it as a first course. He is also very good at making it himself and like anyone who makes steak tartare he has his own special style.

We like the meat undressed with the onions, cornichons, anchovies, capers and parsley on the side, not pre-mixed with the meat and the mustards, sauces and oil in separate bowls on the table for individual use. Served this way it is up to the individual to create their own ‘tartare’ according to their personal likes, dislikes and heat preferences.

Rump steak has a stronger flavour and better suited, we think, to this dish than eye fillet. The meat needs to be finely chopped by hand and not blitzed in a food processor. Some recipes say to scrape the meat through a drum sieve as in the making of rillettes but the resulting texture of the meat is not to our liking. Chopping it by hand gives a superior result.

Raw meat is a little overwhelming and does not appeal to everyone despite the fact the whole dish will change dramatically once the accompanying ingredients are mixed through. Serving it as a starter is a more subtle way to approach this classic dish and to appreciate and understand its status on the world’s culinary stage.

Ingredients for 4:

100g rump steak per person for a starter or 200gm per person for a main course

4 egg yolks served in their half shell or alone

Toast to serve

very finely chop:

1 Spanish onion

12 cornichons

12 anchovies

4 tablespoons salted capers, washed and drained

4 tablespoons parsley

Method:

Finely chop the steak and form a small mound on each plate making a slight well in the centre. Place one egg yolk on top of the meat. Arrange the rest of the ingredients in alternating rows fanning out from the steak and serve the following condiments on the side along with unbuttered, quartered toast.

Worcestershire Sauce

English mustard

Green mustard

Tabasco


Link to printer friendly page: https://sites.google.com/site/foodvineprintablerecipes/home/copper-love

Beetroot with Goat's cheese

This is a variation on a theme and just goes to show that deconstruction is still alive and kicking. My original recipe for beetroot with goat’s cheese is quite challenging and time consuming. Using the same ingredients but adding cucumber for variation and mint not thyme the dish this time round not only looks just as appealing but also saves time and the problem of finding opaque goat’s cheese - hard to come by outside France.

Ingredients to serve 4:

1 very large, very thinly sliced, cooked beetroot

½ peeled telegraph cucumber, thinly sliced

1 x 175g block of goat’s cheese, evenly and finely sliced

Baby beetroot leaves or micro herbs to garnish

Mint and olive oil to garnish

Method:

Peel and cut the beetroot and cucumber very thinly with a mandolin or a very sharp knife. Place a piece of beetroot on each plate and make alternating layers of cucumber and goat’s cheese to form small stacks. Finish by topping each stack with a slice of beetroot. You might find this easier using a ring mould.

Whiz a few sprigs of mint with 50ml olive oil in a blender or small food processor and drizzle over the top of each stack and sides of the each plate. Garnish with baby beetroot leaves or micro herbs pre moistened in olive oil so they look shiny.

Note: Mint oil made this way will not keep – discard any unused.

Duck Liver Parfait with Blood Orange Glaze

Duck livers are a bit hard to come by so use chicken livers instead but do try to find them if you possibly can. We have a quail/duck farm close by otherwise; I would go to David Jones or hope a good butcher might be able to get them in for me.

The duck liver parfait recipe is my adaptation of a Damien Pignolet recipe. The jelly glaze topping is my own recipe.

Parfait ingredients:

600g duck livers cleaned of any green parts, blood vessels and fat
5 sprigs thyme
1 small bay leaf
1 clove garlic unpeeled and lightly crushed
50ml Grand Marnier
50ml Armagnac
100g unsalted butter
pinch sea salt
pinch white pepper
pinch grated fresh nutmeg
125ml double cream lightly whipped

Jelly Glaze ingredients:

300ml water
50ml Grand Marnier
2 x 5g Titanium gelatin sheets
4 slices glazed blood oranges, halved

10 small fresh bay leaves
16 whole peppercorns

Parfait method:

Toss the livers in the herbs and alcohol and leave to marinate overnight. Then remove the livers and set aside, discard the bay leaf and the garlic and strain the marinade into a small saucepan and reduce it until 2 tablespoons remain. Set aside. Melt the gelatin for 5 minutes in cold water until it softens, squeeze out and add it to the hot marinade. Stir until dissolved. Set aside.

Melt the butter over a low heat and add the livers, gently turning them until they change colour on the outside but remain pink on the inside. Turn them constantly for about five minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a clean plate and place them in the fridge for half an hour. Strain and reserve the cooking butter. Set aside.

The livers need to be cold before being pureed otherwise they will taste bitter. Puree them in a food processor with the marinade and strained butter until they are very smooth. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg and half the whipped cream. Turn the parfait into the bowl containing the remaining cream and fold it into the cream, very gently.

Lightly grease an 800ml capacity terrine with light cooking oil. Turn the parfait into the terrine and smooth down the surface. Cover with a lid or baking paper and refrigerate for at least six hours.

Jelly method:

Heat alcohol and reduce to one tablespoon, add the water and bring to a simmering point. Turn off heat. Melt the gelatin sheets in cold water until they soften, squeeze them out, add them to the hot flavoured water, stir until dissolved. Set aside to cool.

The setting procedure for the jelly is a three-stage process so leave plenty of time. Either start very early in the day or do it all the day before so there is no chance of it being under set! If the jelly is not firm it will slip off when the parfait is sliced thus ruining presentation and all your hard work.

Remove the parfait from the fridge, pour a thin layer of the gelatin mixture over the top and refrigerate again until set. Decorate with oranges halves, bay leaves and peppercorns. Spoon another thin layer of gelatin mixture over the top and refrigerate until set. Finally, pour the rest of the gelatin mixture over the top to set again.

Slice the parfait using a hot, cleaned knife between each slice. Serve with dry toast.

Just for starters................

An old favourite served with a new twist!

Try scallops and avocado with nasturtium flowers instead of the classic marriage of prawns. Lightly grease a ring mould per plate, press down some avocado pieces into each mould, add a layer of scallops then a layer of dill and lime flavoured mayonnaise. Remove the ring mould and garnish with a sprig of dill, a flower or two and just a trickle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Razor Clams

Bored with prawns and oysters for Christmas and then try one of my top favourite things, Razor clams (pinna bicolor).

I was amazed to find these heavenly clams at the Sydney Fish Markets just recently. I had always believed they were a European mollusk available only to travelers and those lucky enough to live on the Spanish or French coastlines where they are found in abundance. Elusive like Monk fish (Stargazer) in Australia, Razor Clams come from South Australia but are a rare sight and a food experience not to be missed. If I had my way, I would eat them every day and must confess I did exactly that when we were last on the Costa Brava. I could not get enough of them!

Pre-soaking them as follows is a personal choice and not necessary if the clams look clean or if your fishmonger says they have been pre-purged in salt water. If in doubt about their cleanliness fill a sink with water, toss them in and liberally sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of plain flour over the top of the water and leave for an hour or so. The clams ‘take’ in the flour then ‘spit’ it out cleaning themselves in the process. Then rinse in several changes of water. Mussels also benefit from this procedure.

There are several ways to cook Razor Clams depending on your preference.

To steam: Lay the clams in a bamboo basket or any kind of steamer and gently steam them for a few minutes until they open.

For a more rustic approach: pat them dry, turn with tongs continuously on a lightly oiled hot plate (a plancha) until they open and are cooked through.

To boil: Pour a little white wine, a little water , a sliced spring onion and a few sprigs of parsley into a saucepan, add the clams and bring to the boil and cook for exactly one minute. Drain immediately and discard the other flavourings.

I love to eat them coated with just a little garlic-flavoured extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped parsley, a grinding of black pepper or two and masses of delicious bread to mop up the juices.

Aspic Eggs with Jamon Iberico

In Oz I buy glace de viande (meat glaze) in jars from David Jones mainly because it's easy and I'm too lazy to make my own. With time on my hands recently and a long way from David Jones I not only wanted to end up with glace de viande but wanted a wobbley (not rubbery) aspic (jelly) in the process. I was determined not to clarify the stock with the aid of egg whites and if it wasn't for the simmer pad on my Lacanche cooker my goose would have been well and truly cooked! So it was with Richard Olney's trusted Simple French Food by my side and a few of my own ideas ready to throw in for good measure I set out on an interesting and successful journey.

Technically, glace de viande is made from a demi glace and demi glace is, more or less, sauce Espagnole. Glace de viande is the result of progressive transferrals of a demi glace to smaller saucepans and continued reduction to the state of a thick syrup and is the consistency of hard rubber. It is one of the sauce-enrichening standbys of classical cuisine. It can be kept, refrigerated, for a very long time. My idea was to by-pass the demi glace and turn the jelly, after using some of it for my aspic eggs, into glace de viande by continual reduction.

Place a rack if you have one in the bottom of your stock pot on which to place the meat and bones and then add the following:

1 veal knuckle (including meaty section) cut in two or three pieces, 2 pig's trotters split in two or 1 calf's foot boiled from a cold water start for 5 minutes, 500g chicken wing-tips, water to cover.

Place the meat and bones onto the rack if using and fill pot with enough water to cover by a good 4 to 5cm. Heat slowly taking about an hour to get to boiling point. Do not start to remove the forming scum until just before boiling when it is very easy to do so. As soon as you skim the first lot of scum off add a glass of cold water to the pot and wait until it almost reaches boiling point again and repeat the process again and again until there is not grey scum visible only a little white froth.

Now add to the pot the following:

1 medium onion stuck with a few cloves, 3 large carrots, peeled, 2 large leeks, cut in 3 - 4 pieces each, 1 stick celery, 1 unpeeled whole garlic bulb and a handful of course salt. Bouquet garni tied in muslin: a few sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf, few sprigs of parsley

Return the pot to almost boiling point and skim again. Regulate the heat onto the lowest of the low settings and leave the lid ajar. The surface of the stock should be at a murmur - not as cool as true poaching point nor slipping into a full boil. This careful adjustment may take some time until it is precise and consisent. Use an asbestos pad if your cooker is tricky. The stock must be left, undisturbed, for around 9 - 10 hours.

Place a colander over a bowl or another saucepan and line it with several layers of muslin and drain the stock through it. Wash out the muslin and repeat and keep repeating until the stock is completely clear. Cool rapidly, place in the refrigerator overnight, uncovered.

Aspic (jelly) must be as clear as crystal. Remove any traces of fat with a spoon then wipe the surface of the set stock with a piece of muslin that have been boiled and rung out. Put the pot back in the fridge until you are ready to make up the eggs.

600ml of (the jelled) stock melted gently with 3 tablespoons port or sherry, decorative pieces, e.g. leaf of tarragon, half an olive, tiny piece red pepper, 6 very lightly poached eggs: cooled , cut into neat circles and trimmed of excess whites.

Rinse six moulds/ramekins out with cold water. Pour in a tablespoon of stock to just cover the bottom of the mould and add the decorative pieces. Place in refrigerator to set. Add a little more stock, set it, add the eggs but turn them upside down in the moulds so when they are upturned they are the right way up, add a little more stock and set again. Add a slice of ham cut to fit each ramekin, I used jamon Iberico (pata negra) .... as I just happened to have some in the kitchen BECAUSE our good friends from Spain gave us a WHOLE HAM recently - blowing us completely away ........SO I JUST HADE TO USE IT - the most fantastic ham in the world world. Lastly top up the moulds with stock if there is any room left and reset in the refrigerator.

Unmould by running the tip of a knife round the top of each mould, turn upside down and jar against your hand. If they don't budge dip the bottom of the mould in hot water for a brief second then try again. The aspic eggs would be nice served on a bed of small leaves or with a mousse or as I have done, with dressed cucumber rounds.

With my leftover jellied stock every two days I gently reheated it then reduced it for 15 minutes, cooled it rapidly and put it back uncovered in the refrigerator. Now, some time later I have wonderful glace de viande which I am successfully using in other sauces. Voila! I should point that my version is not quite the real thing but it still works and tastes great.