Simon's Fine Foods: Recipes
Cream Of Locally grown pumpkin, walnut pesto
- 2 kilos rough diced pumpkin
- half a kilo yellow onion rough dice
- 6 cloves garlic smashed
- half a head celery rough dice
- 1 leek rough chop (white part only)
- 1 kg russet potato rough dice
- water or vegetable stock or chicken stock enough to cover vegetables once chopped
- 8oz butter
- salt and pepper
- 200mls 33%cream
- ground nutmeg
In a deep saucepan add the butter and melt, then add all of the vegetables and sweat on a low heat for about 15 minutes, dont allow to colour too much
Add enough stock or water to cover the vegetables about 1 inch over, if you add too much liquid you will have a diluted tasting soup
Bring to the boil then simmer until all the vegetables are tender
Puree everything together and season, taste then add 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg and taste again
Push the pureed soup through a sieve to remove any junk
chill the soup in an iced water bath then place in the fridge till needed
Soups always taste better the next day after the flavours have developed
To serve, warm then add cream to taste, adjust the seasoning and put a spoon of walnut pesto in each bowl when serving
Walnut pesto
- 8oz walnuts
- 1 clove garlic
- 6oz parmesan cheese
- 8 floz olive oil
- handful washed spinch (more for colour)
- salt and pepper
put everything in a food processor and blitz till smooth
Raspberry creme brulee
You will need....
- 10 large free range egg yolks
- 8 ounces castor sugar
- 1 pint 35% cream
- half fresh vanilla pod
- 4 tablespoons fresh raspberries
- little sugar to glaze
The first stage is to beat the yolks, sugar and seeds of the vanilla pod till pale and creamy
Next put the vanilla pod into the cream and warm the cream to just below boiling point
Remove the vanilla pod and pour a few tablespoons of the cream over the yolks while whisking, this stage is called Tempering
Then pour this mix into the remainding cream and whisk together
(At this stage you must pour the mix into a tall jug and allow to settle, remove any froth with a spoon, this will ensure a smooth brulee once cooked)
Into four 8 ounce ramekins put a tablespoon of rinsed and dried raspeberries
Place the ramekins into a deep tray which will allows you to pour water in up to the sides of the ramekins, otherwise know as a waterbath
Pour the custard over the raspberries until all the mix is divided,
Place in a pre heated oven, then pour warm water half way up the ramekins to create the water bath
Cook at 300F for 15 to 20 minutes till the custard is set
Carefully remove and place the ramekins onto a cooling rack for about 30 minutes then place in the fridge till chilled, at least 4 hours
Remove when needed sprinkle castor sugar over the brulle till covered then glaze with a blowtorch till the sugar caramalises
Using a blowtorch is the best method to quickly cook the sugar, but ensure you follow the proper methods of use for safety.
The raspberries will explode in the custard while cooking creating colour and taste, serve with shortbread biscuit or any crisp cookie
- Tempering is basically a method to raise the temperature of the egg yolks to the same as the cream to prevent scrambling the yolks
- The waterbath is used to create a slow cook again to prevent the egg custard over cooking
- Creme Brulee means ''Burnt Cream''
Brulee is a perfect dessert to be made the day before a dinner party and finished on the night leaving you free to enjoy the night.