Gourmet British Dishes

GOURMET FRIDAY 8-24-12

Chef Doug excepted my challenge to prepare a few British dishes that he would bring into a 5 star hotel in London if he were trying to get a job!

Below are the recipes and you can check out all things Chef Doug at www.funwithfoodcatering.com

                                                                                                       Lancashire Hot Pot
Serves 4


1 TBS olive oil
1.75# diced lamb
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
1 medium rutabaga peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 ½ cups lamb stock or beef stock
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2# of potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 350*F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the meat in batches and fry it until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large casserole dish as it browns. Set aside.

Once all the meat it browned and removed from the skillet add the vegetables to the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring them occasionally. Return the lamb to the skillet and pour over the stock. Add the Worchestershire sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix it all in well and then carefully pour the mixture back into the casserole dish. Tuck the two sprigs of thyme into the mixture, burying it.

Cover the top of the mixture with a layer of half of the sliced potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and then dot with butter. Finish layering with the remaining potatoes and adding a final dusting of salt and pepper and dot once again with some butter. Cover with foil.

Bake in the heated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil and bake for a further hour until the meat is very tender and the "thatch" (potatoes) is nicely browned in places and tender as well. Serve hot with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the delicious juices.

Toad in the Hole

Ingredients

Serves four to six people

·        3.5oz A&P flour

·        2 eggs

·        1 cup milk

·        ¼ cup water

·        1/2 teaspoon salt

·        8 good quality pork sausages

·        1 large onion (1/4 inch diced)

·        2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

You need a large baking dish that will take all the sausages and the Yorkshire pudding mix in one and have space to allow it to rise as it bakes. So it's best to choose a dish that looks slightly too large for the quantity you're cooking.

Make the pudding mixture first, so it has time to rest while you're cooking the sausages.

But before you start any cooking follow the first rule of Yorkshire pudding making: get your oven very hot. That means gas 450 degrees. Start it now!

While the oven heats, mix the flour, salt and eggs together, then gradually beat in the milk until the batter is smooth and creamy. Then set it aside to stand.

In a heavy frying pan heat a couple of tablespoons of oil. When hot add the sausages and brown them quickly all over. Turn the heat down a little, add the chopped onion and cook until the onions are soft and slightly browned.

While the onion is still cooking, add a little oil to your baking dish and place in the hot oven.

When the fat is sizzling hot remove the tin from the oven. Add the sausages and onions and pour in the batter and place in the oven.

Bake the Toad 10 minutes at 450 then reduce the heat to 400 and bake 25-30 minutes until well risen and golden.

Apple Crumble

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the apple filling

·        2.75 oz. caster (superfine) sugar

·        2.2# Braeburn ( or Granny Smith) apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

·        2 vanilla pods, seeds scrapped out or ½ tbsp vanilla extract

·        1 oz. crystallized ginger, finely chopped

·        1 orange, zest

·        3.5 oz. raisins

·        3.5 oz. dried cranberries

·        4 star anise

·        A few tbsp of water to loosen

For the crumble topping

·        3.5 oz. A&P flour

·        Pinch of salt

·        1.75 oz. butter, chilled and cut into small cubes

·        1.75 oz.  blanched hazelnuts, toasted and crushed

·        1.5 oz.  oatmeal

·        2.5 oz. light turbinado sugar

·        Pinch of ground cinnamon

·        Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

·        1 orange, zested

To serve

·        Vanilla ice cream to serve

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Heat a sauté pan until hot. Add the caster sugar and melt to form a light caramel. Add the chopped apples and vanilla seeds, and heat for 2-3 minutes tossing frequently. Stir in the crystallized ginger, orange zest and continue to cook for a further 4-5 minutes to soften, adding a few tablespoons of water if the mixture becomes dry.

3. Stir in the raisins, dried cranberries and star anise to the apple mixture and continue to cook for a further 5-6 minutes, tossing frequently until the pieces feel just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. It may be necessary to add a splash of water to loosen throughout cooking. Remove from the heat and cool slightly while you make the topping. Remove the star anise and discard.

4. Place the flour, salt and butter in a bowl and using your fingertips work together until a breadcrumb texture has been achieved. Lightly crush the hazelnuts in a large bowl using the end of a rolling pin. Add the oats, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest and crushed hazelnuts and mix until fully incorporated.

5. Layer the fruit into the bottom of your baking dish, scatter the crumble topping over the fruit. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the topping is nicely browned. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.