Brunch 31st January 2009
Parsley Soup
Roast Carrot Tart with Toasted Walnut Pesto
Beetroot and Celeriac Gratin
Chicory, Clementine and Pomegranate Salad
Rhubarb and Passion Fruit Mess
Add the main ingredients were.......
Joe
Lars
Lou
Mark
Mattia
Riley
Tabitha
Yuki
Me
...and the menu was......
Parsley Soup
I made a vegetarian version of this Simon Hopkinson recipe with homemade vegetable stock. (see next recipe)
Serves 4ish
75 g butter
2 large leeks, white parts only, sliced
2 big bunches flat leaf parsley, stalks and leaves separated, both chopped roughly.
1 large potato, peeled and chopped
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
150 ml double cream
salt and pepper
Melt butter in a pan and sweat leeks and the parsley stalks gently without colour for 20 minutes.
Add the potato, stock, salt, pepper and simmer for a further 20 minutes.
Coarsely chop the leaves of one parsley bunch and add to the soup. Simmer for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile blanch the leaves of the remaining parsley in fiercely boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain and refresh immediately under cold running water then squeeze dry in a tea towel.
Unlike Annie who on the day was impatient to blend the soup too quickly, (which she always writes that you should never do this when the soup is too hot as pressure builds up in the blender jug and forces the lid off, burning whoever is in the way!) leave the soup to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Blend the soup with the blanched parsley to make a vivid green puree. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan, add the cream, reheat and adjust seasoning.
Vegetable stock
The vegetable combination for this stock is not a strict list, vary according to the flavour you fancy. I didn't add the fennel or wine/vermouth for the stock I made for the Parsley soup. The addition of the star anise is Ramsey inspired. Not crucial
2 leeks
6 carrots
3 celery stalks
2 onions
6 shallots
2 bulbs fennel
whole head garlic, cut in half across it's middle
2 litres cold water
¼ teaspoon white or black peppercorns
1 lemon, cut into wedges
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
200 ml white wine or vermouth (optional)
1 large sprig thyme and parsley (You can also add tarragon, basil, chervil, coriander)
Put all the vegetables, peppercorns, salt, lemon, bay and star anise into a large pot with water (enough just to cover). Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the wine (if using) and submerge the fresh herbs. Remove from heat and leave to cool completely to infuse thoroughly.
Roast Carrot Tart with Toasted Walnut Pesto
Makes a 20 cm tart.
110 g plain flour
50 g butter, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
pinch salt
500 g carrots, plus about a few small ones for top
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 whole garlic cloves, unpeeled
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ lemon
150 ml double cream
6 egg yolks
For the pesto
50g walnut halves
1 Bunch Flat leaf parsley, leaves removed
200ml extra virgin olive oil
50 g finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino, (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven 200 C. Cut the carrots (no need to peel) in half lengthwise and tip into a large roasting tin. Pull the thyme leaves off of their stalks and add to the carrots with the oil, whole garlic cloves and season with salt and pepper. Add a half a cup of water and toss together well and roast for 20-25 minutes tossing occasionally. Remove from oven and squeeze over the juice from the lemon half.
To make the pastry, rub the butter into the flour with a pinch of salt. Add the egg yolk and enough water to make a dough. Roll out the pastry thinly then line and trim a 20 cm tin.
Once the carrots are cooked, reduce the oven temperature to 180 C. Bake the tart case blind for 15-20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature again to 170 C.
To make the pesto, place the walnuts on a baking sheet and roast for 5-10 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool. Place the parsley leaves and toasted walnuts into a food processor with a little of the oil and whiz until roughly chopped. You want it quite rough in texture. Scrape into a bowl and stir in the remaining oil, cheese (if using) and season well with salt and black pepper.
Pop the garlic flesh out of their papery cases into a food processor with the carrots, (keeping 6 halves for the top) and puree well. Add the cream and egg yolks, whiz again then sieve.
Pour into pastry case and arrange remaining carrots arranged on top cut side up Bake for 30-40 minutes or until only just set.
Beetroot & Celeriac Gratin
A variation of Tom Aitken's beetroot and potato gratin. Use a couple of large potatoes to replace the celeriac if you want.
Serves 4-6
500ml double cream
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 medium beetroot, peeled
½ large or 1 small celeriac.
Pre-heat oven 170 C.
Pour the cream into a pan, add the thyme, bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 10 minutes then strain. Place the garlic cloves into a small pan of water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes or until softened. Press through a fine sieve into the infused cream and whisk well to incorporate.
Slice the beetroot and celeriac about 2mm thick (a mandolin is best for this) into a large ovenproof dish or roasting tin. Season generously with salt and pepper, pour over the flavoured cream and mix together well.
Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until tender when tested with a knife.
Rhubarb and Passion Fruit Mess
A version of a gorgeous recipe by Diana Henry. Both rhubarb and passion fruit in season. You can of course use bought meringues to crumble into the mix. Nice addition of Greek yoghurt into the cream.
serves 8
800g rhubarb
100 g soft brown sugar
1 blood orange
juice and seeds of 7 passion fruit
350ml whipping cream
200g Greek yoghurt
7 tbs icing sugar
4 small meringues
Preheat oven 220 C
Trim and cut the rhubarb into 5 cm lengths and place in a large ovenproof dish. Finely grate the zest and squeeze the juice from the orange and add to the rhubarb. Sprinkle with the sugar and toss all together well. Spread out into a single layer and roast on the top shelf of the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until tender.
Tip the rhubarb into a sieve set over a small pan and leave to cool.
Place the pan with the rhubarb juices over a medium heat and simmer until syrupy and reduced by half.
Whip the cream until soft peaks, then stir in the yoghurt and icing sugar. Gently stir the rhubarb and the passion fruit into the cream. (reserve a little of the passion fruit to decorate)
Roughly smash up the meringues and carefully fold them into the cream.
Pile into bowls or glasses and garnish each one with a drizzle of passionfruit.
Serve immediately.
Meringues
Skye Gengalls recipe for meringue with a very sensual addition of vanilla extract in the meringue itself. This is a grest recipe for meringues. A delicate crisp shell on the outside with a little pillow of marshmallow in the centre. Always allow 60 g sugar per egg white.
6 egg whites at room temperature
pinch salt
360 g caster sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 150 C. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and add the salt. Using an electric whisk beat the egg whites, slowly at first until they break down and begin to froth a little.
Increase the speed and beat until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar a little at a time, whisking continuously, until stiff, and gorgeously glossy. Finally beat in the vanilla.
Place generous spoonfuls of meringue on the baking sheet allowing space for them to expand. Place in the oven and immediately turn the oven temperature down to 120 C. Bake for 45 minutes then turn oven off and leave the meringues to cool completely in the oven.