Philip Howard's Foie Gras Ballotine...

For well over a decade The Square has been one of our favourite restaurants.  The chef-proprietor is Philip Howard - a very talented, if mercurial chef, and The Square has held two michelin stars since 1998. So you can imagine that I couldn't have been happier when The Square cookbook finally thudded it's way through my door...  

Steamed turbot, crushed potatoes with crab, and buerre noisette...

My on-going lack of a gas supply has resulted in me turning to some alternative methods of cooking.  I wanted to pan-fry some turbot, in a loose tribute to Tony Fleming's dish, but actually as his was steamed, it suddenly motivated me to get the steamer out of the cupboard - I'm quite sure it's not even been used a dozen times - but now it was going to come into it's own!  Needless to say the children had eaten all my lovely tomatoes - so the sauce vierge was also going out of the window.  I swapped over to a beurre noisette and capers - and here you have it...

Creme Patisserie [Thermomix]

Whenever people ask me what I make in my Thermomix, the first thing that springs to mind is flawless, effortless creme patisserie.  It's just ridiculously easy in a Thermo, and rather time consuming when made in the conventional way.  Once you have creme patisserie, you can make perfect fruit tarts, glorious soufflés and immaculate pain au raisin!

Lobster Bisque...

The recipe for this gorgeous mouthful of sea was donated to me by the lovely Tony Fleming - it's the recipe he uses at the Angler restaurant.  I promised not to give away all his secrets, so here I've documented a similar recipe to help you along your way, together with my photos...  Do try this, it may be laborious, but it's well worth the effort!

Lobster and Scallop Ravioli, with Buerre Blanc...

The lovely Tony Fleming kindly gave me the recipe he uses at the Angler restaurant, and it was delicious.  I agreed not to print his recipe in full, so instead I've included a couple of master recipes that are very similar to help you along your way, and I can show you the pics...

Marco Pierre White's Raspberry Soufflé

For Gemma, from the Independent

Frozen raspberries are actually better than fresh for the pureé (or coulis) which is used as the base of this soufflé. They contain more moisture than fresh, and are much cheaper.

Compressed Watermelon, with Basil Oil and Pink Salt

I certainly can't claim to take any credit for this recipe, for a start it's really just a technique - and it's not even mine...  The subject of compressed watermelon came up last year on twitter, and an Australian chef, Michael Moore posted a picture of it!  I'd seen pictures in a few books, one had a cube with a tiny scoop cut out and a drop of watermelon, and Catherine Loubet mentioned that Bruno also has a variation.  So, I'm hoping that you won't notice that it's November, and technically out of season - because I had to give it a go with my new gadget.  Michael recommends compressing at 15 bar psi, and leaving it for at least two days.  I haven't quite worked out how to do that yet, so I compressed it at the normal psi, but for a shorter period of time, around 20 seconds.  I popped in some basil oil, and himalayan pink salt.  This is it curing...  I have to say it tastes fantastic. The first batch never made it to an audience - I ate the lot :0&

Confectionary: Vanilla Fudge; Peanut Butter Fudge; and Golden Syrup Fudge

I know, who blogs about fudge? But, as I'm making a job lot for the school's fireworks party, it seemed silly not to take the opportunity to pass on some sugary tips! Personally, I love making confectionary of all kinds, and have the odd burn mark to prove it.

Cured Confit of Salmon, cooked sous-vide

The day has finally arrived, my kitchen finally has a chamber vacuum packer! This immediately means that I can sous vide items which contain marinades, or confit them in olive oil.  My first thought was a piece of salmon, though today I have watermelon compressed with pink salt and basil oil in my fridge, and the Sunday beef sitting in my Grant waterbath!  In a moment I will be sealing the soused raw vegetables I made to accompany the salmon, which will mean they remain fresh until next weekend - what a difference this machine is going to make to my kitchen.  Having said that - it's flipping enormous!  I was assured this new machine had been specifically designed for the home cook, but given the size and weight of it. I'm going to have to find a permanent home for it in my back kitchen...

Basic Measurements

I've culled these measurements from sites all over the web, but if you click on the header it will take you to the originating site :0)