A selection of Canapé’s from John and Laurie’s Burns Night Cocktail Party

Thank to John and Laurie and their wonderful guests for a great evening. Thanks also to Sarah and Clara for all their help waiting on. They carried around wine and Canapé’s (Beetroot Hummus, Home Smoked Mackerel and horseradish Cream, Black Olive Tapenade, Chicken and Duck Liver Parfait, Mushroom Pate and Egg Mayonnaise with Chorizo), and then the guests also enjoyed a ramekin of Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. If you have a party coming up (be it a birthday dinner, a drinks party or you just fancy catching up with old friends)and want some help with the cooking, or need somewhere to have it, email me on the-baysc@hotmail.co.uk or call me on 07817 168708.

Old friends and fun times...

We’re in the second half of January already, and if the next few weeks are anywhere near as fun as the first few, I’ll be a very happy Supper Club runner!!  A brilliant evening on Saturday; booked out by old friends for Verity’s birthday party.  It was all wine, smiles and stories, and so great to host them all.  Thanks guys!!

Not long now until the next Supper Club and there are still spaces available.  So if you’re free on 29^th January grab get some friends together, grab a few bottles of wine and come and enjoy what’s shaping up to be another great night.  If you can’t make it on the 29^th keep your ears and eye’s open for future dates.  Looking forward to February, if you have a birthday, special occasion or just fancy catching up with friends, why not book the place out?  For any bookings or enquiries email me at the-baysc@hotmail.co.uk

Roast Peaches, Thyme Honey and Stilton

This week’s recipe is one I read about in Diana Henry’s “The Gastropub Cookbook, Another Helping.” It was a featured recipe from The Gurnard’s Head in Cornwall. I replaced the Gorgonzola with a local award winning Stilton, and instead of serving this as a plate of food, I served it as a Canapé at this weeks Supper Club. There’s not a huge amount of cooking involved, but it taste’s stunning.

Step 1

To make the Thyme infused honey, gently heat the honey along with a couple of Thyme branches for about 10 minutes, being careful not to boil it. Make sure you don’t make the mistake I did and try tasting it while its still hot...I had a wonderful pair of burns on my lips from where the spoon touched and a very tingly tongue (what a fool I hear you cry, and I’ll be honest, I have to agree with you!!)

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 200oC, Gas Mark 6

Step 3

Cut the Peaches in half, and remove their stones. Place tightly in a baking tray and place a knob of butter on top of each. Scatter some Thyme Branches on top and drizzle with honey.

Step 4

Roast until the flesh starts to collapse; about 15 minutes.

Step 5

Allow to cool and serve all elements at room temperature. I decided to serve it in classic “cheddar and pineapple” style on a cocktail stick for a bit of fun, with a little of the Thyme honey drizzled on top.

Snow and Smoke

This week has been one of cycling through the snow to pick up ingredients, cups of tea and peering out through the window to check the weather and determine if anyone would be able to get here. It’s a relief to tell you that they could, and that they did!! A great party last night for Meera’s mum, thanks to those who came; it was an absolute pleasure.


I’ve just added a new date (29th January), so if you’re interested email me at the-baysc@hotmail.co.uk.


This week I’ll be talking you through a technique, as opposed to a recipe. The starter for the party was Home Smoked Mackerel with Potatoes, homemade Horseradish cream and Watercress. The fish was sweet, delicate and lightly smokey, and it’s a fairly straightforward process.


Step 1


You need to find a metal box of some sort, with a removable lid. I was lucky to find an old bread bin in an Oxfam shop for £3.


Step 2


Drill a couple of holes about 2-3 inches from the top and a couple of inches in from the sides. Drill corresponding holes on the back of the box. Do the same at the bottom of the box.


Step 3


Push metal rods through the front hole, and out through the back hole at each of the four positions.


Step 4


To deflect some of the heat I use the bottom two rods to support a metal sheet; leaving about an inch all around to allow the smoke to pass into the main cavity. The top two rods support a rack onto which the fish sits. The whole box is placed upon a camping hob (I wouldn’t recommend doing this inside…unless you like furniture that smells of wood smoke!!)


Step 5


You need to soak dried wood chips for about 30 minutes (there are all kinds of chips available, including Oak, Beach, Apple, Maple, and even old Whisky casks) in water. Whilst the chips are soaking, cover the Mackerel fillets generously with Salt (this helps draw out some of the moisture from the fish. After 20 minutes, thoroughly wash the salt from the fish and dry well with a clean tea towel. Drain the wood chips of the water.


Step 6


Light the gas camping hob and place the box on top. Drop the chips directly onto the base of the box, put the deflector sheet in, followed by the rack and then the lid.


Step 7


Once smoke is billowing out of the top of the box place the mackerel flesh side down directly onto the rack. On a very high heat the Mackerel can take as little as 8 minutes, but may take up to 20 minutes. Check the fish after 8 minutes and every couple of minutes thereafter. Ensure that it is cooked through. Remove the rack (being careful as it may be hot) and tuck in then and there, or flake the flesh from the skin to scatter in a salad or to make a pâté.


Any questions just send me an email at the-baysc@hotmail.co.uk. Happy smoking!!


Richie

Confit Tomatoes

Confit Tomatoes

Ok, really simple and totally delicious. I served them at last nights Supper Club rolled up with a Basil leaf inside as an appetiser, but they’d be great in a salad or served with fish.

Step 1

Pre-heat your oven to 150oC/300oF/Gas Mark 2

Step 2

Cut your fresh Plum tomatoes in half (length ways) and using a spoon scrape out the seeds and nick out the top where the stalk would have attached with a knife.

Step 3

Place the tomatoes skin side down on a baking tray. Generously drizzle with Olive Oil, and season with Salt (I use Maldon Sea Salt) and Pepper. Gently bruise a few garlic cloves with the skin still on and scatter around the tomatoes, along with a few sprigs of Thyme.

Step 4

Once the oven is up to temperature, place the tray in the oven. After 30 minutes, turn the tomatoes over (skin side up) and continue to cook for a further 30 minutes.

Step 5

There is no step 5…they’re that simple!! Some people may like to take the skins off, but I prefer to leave them on for added flavour and texture.

Enjoy

Lamb Shoulder stuffed with Anchovy's, Rosemary and Garlic

Another great night on Friday; it's been a real pleasure so far opening my living room to such wonderful people, long may it continue!! They enjoyed themselves so much 2 of the 3 tables have already re-booked.

After a request on Friday, I'm going to talk you through how to prepare and cook the Lamb that was served as the main course. You can ask your butcher to remove the bone from your Lamb shoulder (its worth asking for the bone because you can use this to make stock or you can add it to a casserole for more flavour). You'll need to ask your butcher for some butchers string as well, but don't be worried about rolling the meat, it really isn't that tricky. Lamb shoulder is naturally fatty and as a result this recipe pairs it with Anchovy's (and I served it with a Caper Jus) to help cut through the fattiness. The fat helps keep the meat moist, so don't be tempted to remove it (if you don't want to eat it, you can just leave it on your plate).

Step 1

Find a good butcher!! A good butcher should be able to tell you where your meat has come from, what breed of animal it was and also give you tips on how best to cook your selected piece of meat. Once you've found a reliable meat man, ask him (or her) for a boned Lamb shoulder of around 1.5-2kg.

Step 2

To make the stuffing (it’s almost a little more like a marinade) finely chop 2 garlic cloves, 5-6 Anchovy fillets, and a handful of both Rosemary and Parsley. Mix in a bowl along with a little of the oil from the Anchovy's and a few tbsp of Olive oil. Season with Black Pepper.

Step 3

Lie the Lamb shoulder skin side down on a chopping board. If there are any large clumps of meat just run a knife half the depth of the meat and open out using your hands. What you're looking for is a consistent depth. Using your hands, rub the marinade over the meat (inside of the joint).

Step 4

Cut about 5-6 lengths of butchers string (approx 1 1/2 foot). Roll up the meat as tight as possible so you're left with a cylinder shape. Place the cylinder skin side up on the chopping board. Starting at one end, gently loop the string under the meat and pull tightly. Knot the string twice so that it holds the meat securely. Continue to do this along the length of the meat approx. 1 1/2 inches apart. Cover with Clingfilm and place in the fridge until you are ready to cook it (I did all this the day before I needed it).

Step 5

Remove the meat from the fridge approx. 20 minutes before you plan to cook it (this brings the meat back up to room temperature, so you're not having to cook the chill out of the meat before the cooking starts. This is especially important when you plan to cook something quickly, for example a rare steak or a duck breast). Weigh the meat and turn the oven on to 220oC, Gas Mark 7. When the oven is up to temperature place the meat in a roasting tin, drizzle with Olive oil and generously season with Salt and Pepper. Place near the top of the oven. After 30 minutes, turn the temperature down to 160oC, Gas Mark 3. Pour over a glass of white wine and a glass of water and continue cooking the meat 10 minutes (per 500grams) for Rare, 15 minutes (per 500 grams) for Medium, and 20 minutes (per 500 grams) for Well Done.

Step 6

Remove from the tray, cover with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving. The juice left in the tray can be drained of fat and used to fashion a gravy.

What's going on this week...

Well the stockpot is bubbling away in the background and things are starting to crank into motion ready for Friday. I'm really excited about being able to welcome a room full of new people to the supper club. Fingers crossed the rain will stop by Thursday so I can dash to the fishmongers on my bike to pick up the crabs without getting soaked through. The plan with the lamb is that the Anchovy's and Capers will help cut the richness of the meat and the creamed leeks....