Blackened Cajun salmon with pickled vegetables

Polenta

I onion diced

I garlic clove grated

250g polenta

Sprig of thyme

10g parmesan

19g butter

20g mascarpone

Salmon

4 x Salmon fillets

Black Cajun

20m| olive oil

Pickle

½ red cabbage thinly sliced

3 carrots thinly sliced or ribboned

1 red onion thinly sliced

250ml water

250ml cider. vinegar

250g Sugar

1 Staranise

1 Cinnamon Stick

3 crushed cardamon pods

2 cloves

METHOD

For the pickled veg

Place water, vinegar and sugar into a small saucepan over heat and bring to the boil.

Simmer for a couple of minutes, remove from heat and add the spices and the vegetables. Leave to cool, then pop into the fridge until ready to serve. Allow to come to room temperature before serving, removing the larger spices before doing so.

For the salmon
In a wide, shallow dish, mix the oil with the Cajun seasoning. Add the fillets to this mixture, turning them to coat, then place in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour.

When you're ready to cook your fish, preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. On the hob, quickly fry the salmon skin-side down, until nice and crisp and slighting blackened. Turn over and quickly do the other side.

To cook to perfection, place in the oven for a couple more minutes, then remove and allow to rest for a couple more minutes. Serve with the pickled veg.

Beef Wellington, hispi cabbage, red wine jus

INGREDIENTS

Wellington

6oz beef fillet

200g chestnut mushrooms

2 garlic cloves

Bunch of time leaves

3 rashers parma ham

1 tsp English mustard

3 egg yolks

Ready rolled puff pastry

Sea salt & black pepper

Cling film

Cabbage

1/2 hispi cabbage

2 rashers bacon

100ml chicken stock

Red wine jus

2 tsp olive oil

2 shallots

175ml port

175ml red wine

1 rosemary sprig

1 bay leaf

800ml beef stock

2 tbsp butter

pinch sugar

METHOD

Wellington

Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees celsius. Season the beef and sear off in a hot pan to a good brown colour, set aside to rest. Chop the mushrooms into small pieces then blitz with garlic and thyme into fine pieces. Add sea salt and cook on a medium heat to evaporate all the moisture, then allow to cool.

Roll out 3 layers of cling film overlapping each other. Lay 2 parma ham in the middle and add a think layer of duxelles. Brush the beef with mustard and place on top of the ham/duxelle layers. Cover the top of the beef with a layer of duxelles, then with the third parma ham. Starting with the cling film closest to you, roll the beef parcel until it resembles a tight cylinder shape and place in the fridge until cool.

Roll out your pastry and brush with egg yolk. Place your beef on the pastry closest to you and roll it completely around the beef, squeezing the ends to seal the parcel. Place onto a baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes checking the internal temperature reaches 45 degrees celsius using a cooking thermometer. Remove from the oven and rest for 10 minutes.

Cabbage

Slice the hispi cabbage and cook in a pan with the bacon and chicken stock. Add a lid and allow to steam for 5 minutes until tender.

Red wine jus

Fry the shallots in olive oil until golden and caramelised. Add the port, wine and herbs and simmer until reduced by half. Add the stock and reduce by half again, then strain, discarding the shallots and herbs. Transfer the sauce into a new pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, then season to taste.

Turkey Friccasse

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

50g butter 

100 - 150g chestnut mushrooms

100mi Sherry 

150ml chicken or turkey stock

200 ml double cream 

800g leftover turkey

Small bunch of parsley

Small bunch of tarragon

2 cloves of garlic

Squeeze of lemon juice

METHOD

Slice your mushrooms, dice your onions, shred your turkey and crush your garlic.

Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and add the mushrooms, for four to five minutes until soft.

Add the butter, onions and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes until all are soft.

Add the Sherry and reduce your liquids by half. (flambé the sherry if you dare!)

Add the turkey stock, turkey leftovers and the cream and stir and let simmer on a low heat until the sauce has thickened but no longer than 10 minutes

Take your pan off the heat and season to taste.

Add your herbs and a squeeze of half a lemon, mix and serve . 

Toffee Apple cocktail

 Serves 2

Ingredients

100ml Vodka

100ml Apple Juice

50ml Le Sirop de Monin Caramel syrup

50ml Prosecco

8 ice cubes

2 whisky tumblers

Glass jug or cocktail shaker

Method

1/ Add 4 ice cubes to each glass

2/ Add the vodka, syrup and apple juice to a glass jug or cocktail shaker and stir

3/ Pour your mixture equally into each glass

4/ Top up the glass with equal measures of Prosecco

5/ We garnish with dried apple slices

Gin & juniper cured salmon starter

Gin and juniper cured salmon with  avacado puree, pickled cucumber and dill croute

Ingredients

½ side salmon (pin boned)
500g sugar
325g salt
25ml Hendricks Gin
10 juniper berries crushed
2 avacado
1 lime juice
Salt and pepper
25ml water
50ml white wine vinegar
100ml water
50g sugar
2 juniper berries
1 star anise
6 cumin seeds
1 cucumber in shavings
½ baguette sliced thinly
Dill
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Method

1/ mix sugar, salt, gin and juniper berries together in a bowl

2/ completely cover the salmon bottom and top with the mixture and cling film

3/ rest in the fridge for 24 hours

4/ wash the salmon and dry with a j cloth making sure it’s slightly firm to touch

5/ peel avacado’s, removing the stone and blitz with lime juice, salt, pepper and water until smooth

6/ for the pickled cucumber, put the white wine vinegar, water, sugar and aromatics into a pan and bring to the boil

7/ cool the pickled liquor then shave the cucumber into the liquor

8/ for the dill croute, slice the baguette thinly then place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, drizzle oil, add dill, salt and pepper

9/ put in the oven for 5-8 minutes until golden brown

Salted caramel espresso martini cocktail

serves 2

Ingredients

2 tsp coffee powder / 100ml espresso

100ml Vodka

50ml Kalhua

50ml Le Sirop de Monin Caramel syrup

Martini glass

6 ice cubes

Cocktail shaker

Method

1/ Either make a coffee with 75ml of boiling water, or make a 100ml espresso

2/ Add 6 cubes to a cocktail shaker and add your boiling coffee

3/ Add in your vodka, kalhua and syrup 

3/ Shake for 5 seconds

4/ Serve in a martini glass

5/ Garnish with three coffee beans