Chef's recipes

• Our Head Chef's share some of their favourite recipes for you to try at home.
  
  
• Stephen Robinson's Gazpacho soup

  Serves 4
  
  Ingredients
  15 ripe plum tomatoes (medium size)
  2 green peppers
  2 red peppers
  1 cucumber
  1 medium white onion
  4 cloves of garlic, peeled
  White bread
  Red wine vinegar to taste
  Salt & pepper to taste
  
  Blitz all the ingredients together in a food processor except the vinegar and salt and pepper. These you can add to taste after. Now pass the mixture through a chinois (fine strainer). Check the seasoning. Serve chilled with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and some rusty bread.
  
  

• Adrian Sedden's Rustic chicken liver parfait with toasted sour dough and apple plum chutney

  Serves 10 portions
  
  Ingredients
  
  For the plum apple chutney
  2 kg plums, stoned and quartered
  2 kg cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped to roughly same size as plums
  8 medium size onions, roughly chopped
  8 cloves crushed garlic
  5 pts malt vinegar
  750g golden syrup
  750g Demerara sugar
  4 teaspoons salt
  4 star anise
  4 bay leafs
  2 crushed cinnamon sticks
  1 handful rosemary leaves
  
  Simmer the plums, apples, onions and garlic in malt vinegar for 20 mins. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for a further 90 mins. Stir occasionally. The mixture should become quite thick. When cooked, chill and store in air tight jars.
  
  For the chicken liver parfait
  5 lb chicken livers, prepared
  18 eggs
  3 pt whipping cream
  500g butter
  3 cloves crushed garlic
  salt and pepper
  Brandy to taste
  Port and red wine reduction
  Mixed herbs
  
  Prepare the chicken livers, removing any sinews and bile sacks. Melt the butter so that it is clarified. Place the livers with all the other ingredients in a robot coupe, apart from the butter. Blitz until starts to become smooth. Slowly pour in the butter as the mixture is moving. Allow to incorporate. Pass through a fine strainer. Check the seasoning. Pour into lined terrine moulds in a bain marie. Cook in an oven at 140C for approx 45-50 mins. Ensure that the mixture is firm. Use a probe to ensure cooked.
  

• Adrian Sedden's Fillet of sea bass with king scallops, served on an open tart of plum tomatoes

  Serves 4
  
  Ingredients
  4 x 5oz Fillet of sea bass
  8 x King Scallops (two per person)
  Olive oil
  Salt & freshly ground black pepper
  Lemon
  Butter
  Filo pastry
  1 x Onion (finely chopped)
  1 x Garlic clove (crushed)
  6 x Beef tomatoes
  1 x Bouquet garni
  2 x Leeks (deep fried)
  Rocket salad leaves
  
  To cook the sea bass
  Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Season the sea bass with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add the butter to the frying pan. When the butter stops foaming, add the sea bass skin-side down.
  
  Cook for four to five minutes until the skin is crispy, and then flip the fillet over. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook the flesh side of the fillets, for two minutes.
  
  To cook the scallops
  Slice the scallops in half. Heat a frying pan up until it is very hot, add the oil and, when that is hot, sear the scallops for one to two minutes on one side to get them golden-brown and caramelised. Turn the scallop over and cook for 20 seconds more on that side. Remove from the heat, and season.
  
  To prepare the tomato tart base
  Brush the filo pastry with melted butter and stack one sheet on top of another, four sheets thick. Cut two discs, 12cm/5ins diameter. Place on a buttered baking sheet, with another sheet on top. Weight down. Cook in a preheated oven at 200 C / 400 F / Gas 6 for ten minutes or until golden. Remove, then cool on a wire rack.
  
  To prepare the tomato fondue
  Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for about 30 seconds, then remove the skins and seeds and reserve. Chop the flesh into small dice sized pieces. Juice the reserved pulp, then fry with the garlic, onion and bouquet garni and reduce to a thick syrup.
  
  To make the tomato tart
  Spread two tablespoons of the tomato fondue over the base, and top with tomato slices. Season well, drizzle with olive oil and bake for seven minutes.
  
  To prepare the finished dish
  Place the tomato tart in the centre of a hot dinner plate, arrange the dressed rocket leaves on top. Then place the fillet of sea bass on top, skin-side up. Arrange the scallops around the bass on the tart in a circle. Drizzle the basil oil around the plate and tart. Finish with the deep-fried leeks.
  
  

• Stephen Robinson's Lobster thermidor

  Serves 2

  Ingredients
  1 x 750g/1½lb lobster, cooked
  20g/¾oz fresh Parmesan, grated

  For the sauce
  30g/1oz butter
  1 shallot, finely chopped
  1 x 284ml/10fl oz tub fresh fish stock
  55ml/2fl oz white wine
  100ml/3½ fl oz double cream
  ½ tsp English mustard
  2 tbsp chopped parsley
  ½ lemon, juice only
  salt
  freshly ground black pepper
  
  Cut the lobster in half and remove the meat from the claws and tail. Leave to one side. Remove any meat from the head and set aside. Cut the meat up into pieces and place back into the shell.
  
  For the sauce, put the butter in a pan, add the shallots and cook until softened. Add the stock, wine and double cream and bring to the boil. Reduce by half. Add the mustard, herbs, lemon juice and seasoning.
  
  Pre-heat the grill and spoon the sauce over the lobster meat. Sprinkle with the grated parmesan cheese. Place the lobster halves under a pre-heated grill for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
  
  

• Mike Haddow's Four Hour Slow Cooked Ribs of Beef, horseradish mash and baby carrots

  Serves 4
  
  Ingredients
  12 beef ribs - 3 per portion
  3 carrots
  3 sticks of celery
  1 leek
  1 onion
  1 garlic
  Red wine
  Thyme
  
  Roughly chop the carrots, celery, leek, onion, garlic and thyme and cover with the red wine. Marinate the ribs in these ingredients for 24 - 36 hours.
  
  Drain and dry the ribs. Coat in flour. Place on a clean tray with the other ingredients and cook for 3 - 4 hours at 160C.
  
  For the horseradish mash, use warm milk, melted butter and creamed horseradish while mashing your potatoes.
  
  Once cooked, remove the ribs from the sauce, reduce by half then strain over the ribs to serve.
  
  

• Paul Woodward's Roast Rump of Lamb, confit tomatoes, borlotti beans and red wine shallots

  Serves 4
  
  Ingredients
  4 x 6oz Roast Rump of Lamb
  400g tin Borlotti beans
  500ml Lamb stock
  Teaspoon garlic, crushed
  500g Shallots
  Teaspoon tomato puree
  Half bottle red wine
  20 vine cherry tomatoes
  Sprigs of rosemary and thyme
  4 cloves of garlic, crushed
  
  Marinate the lamb in rosemary, thyme and garlic for 3 - 4 hours. Seal the rumps in a pan for 10 - 12mins. Place onto a tray roast in the oven at 100C 10 - 12mins for medium/rare meat.
   
  Heat and sauté the whole shallots - add red wine, garlic, rosemary, lamb stock and tomato puree. Reduce by half or until the shallots have cooked. Taste, season and add the borlotti beans.
   
  To make the Confit tomatoes, place the tomatoes, sprigs of rosemary and thyme and 4 crushed cloves of garlic on a tray and cook for 3 hours at 110C.
  
  

• Peter Williams' Lemon posset

  Serves 2
  
  Ingredients
  1pt double cream
  6oz caster sugar
  Juice of 3 lemons
  
  Boil the cream and sugar for 3 mins. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Pour into ramekins or a sturdy dessert glass. Chill overnight. Serve topped with fresh raspberries.
  
  

• Mike Riordan's Crème brulee with mixed berry compote

  Serves 6
  
  Ingredients
  
  For the mixed berry compote
  2 Vanilla Pods - split
  250g Strawberries
  250g Blueberries
  250g Raspberries
  2 tablespoons Caster Sugar
  4 tablespoons Cassis
  
  Heat a pan and add the vanilla pod - heat for about 20 seconds to release the aromas. Add the berries and heat for 30 seconds. Add the caster sugar, caramelise slightly and add the cassis. Cook for 30 seconds then remove from the heat and allow to cook. Make a layer at the bottom of the ramekins of the berry mixture ready for the crème brulee mixture to be poured onto.
  
  For the crème brulee
  8 Egg Yolks
  55g Caster Sugar
  1 Pint Double Cream
  1 Vanilla Pod - split and seeded
  Caster Sugar to finish
  
  Mix the egg yolks and caster sugar together. In a separate pan bring the cream and vanilla seeds to the boil. Whisk the crea mixture into the egg and sugar mixture. Pass through a strainer and pour into ramekins. Cook at 130C for approximately 30 minutes and allow to cool.
  
  Top the crème brulee with brown sugar and use a bowl torch to caramelise on top.
  
  

• Paul Woodward's Vanilla panna cotta with biscotti biscuits

  Serves 5 - 6
  
  Ingredients
  
  For the panna cotta
  1/2 Pint Double Cream
  1/2 Pint Milk
  4 tbsp Caster Sugar
  1 Vanilla Pod (de-seeded)
  175g Mascarpone
  4 x Gelatine Leaves
  
  Bring cream, milk, sugar and vanilla to boil. Remove from heat. Whisk in mascarpone cheese. Add melted gelatine leaves (soften in cold water and melt in a little of the cream mixture). Pour into moulds evenly. Set in fridge for approximately 4 hours. Remove from moulds to serve.
  
  Chefs Tip - Put the moulds briefly in a little warm water to free the panna cotta.

  For the biscotti biscuits
  250g Plain Flour
  250g Caster Sugar
  6 Whole Eggs
  1 tbsp Baking Powder
  Zest of 2 Lemons
  50g Apricots
  50g Currants
  50g Dates
  50g Almonds
  50g Pistachios
  50g Hazelnuts
  
  Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and half the eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the eggs) and mix. Mix in the remaining eggs. Roll into a sausage shape. Bake in the oven at 160 degrees for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and slice to your desired size.
  
  

• Stephen Robinson's Baked victoria plum and almond crumble

  Serves up to 5
  
  Ingredients
  2kg Victoria plums, halved and stoned
  16oz soft brown sugar
  8oz butter
  1 cinnamon stick
  2 oranges, grated zest and juice
  
  Crumble topping
  2lb plain flour
  1lb butter
  8oz brown sugar
  grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
  ½ lb nibbed almonds
  ½ lb ground almonds
  
  Place the plums and butter in a pan. Saute gently adding the sugar, cinnamon, orange zest and juice. Bring to a simmer and gently cook until the plums are just tender. Remove the mixture from the heat and place in a deep baking dish.
  
  For the topping
  Gently rub the butter into the flour. Stir in all the other ingredients. Evenly spread the crumble mix over the plum mix. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 160C or until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and dust with castor sugar. Serve with some hot thick custard and maybe a blob of ice cream.