Tuesday 26 April 2011

Rhubarb ripple syllabub with Kitty’s homemade ginger wine

6 sticks of young (or 'forced') rhubarb
20g sugar
I vanilla pod – seeds only (or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract)
275ml Stichill double cream
4 tablespoons Kitty’s ginger wine

Pre-heat the oven to 140C.
Trim the rhubarb, and slice into 3cm lengths. Lay it on a baking sheet. Mix the sugar and vanilla, and sprinkle it over the rhubarb. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Reserve a chunk or two of rhubarb for each serving.
Whisk the cream in a large bowl. Add the ginger wine and the remaining rhubarb (including all the syrup from the tray). Swirl, don’t stir, and serve in wine glasses. Top with a chunk of rhubarb.

Bellingham bakery hot cross bun bread-and-butter pudding with Stichill clotted cream

6 Bellingham bakery hot cross buns, sliced vertically, and buttered on both sides
2 Greenbrae eggs
200ml Stichill double cream
200ml milk
50g sugar
Stichill clotted cream

Line up the bun slices in an ovenproof dish, leaning so the tops are at the top. In a bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients. Pour over the buns. Squash down a couple of times. Leave to stand for 10 minutes, while the oven heats up.
Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or so, until the top is crispy and the custard has just set.
Serve with a little Stichill clotted cream.

Northumberland Poultry duck breast with sweet and sour sauce, sweet potato mash

2 Northumberland Poultry duck breasts
A glass of Sloecrafts damson vodka (or a glass of wine)
2 tablespoons Sloecrafts sloe cheese (or any fruit jelly)
A little (30-100ml) white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon tomato puree (not needed if your chutney contains tomatoes)
Salt and pepper

Slash the skin of the duck breasts. Place them skin side down in a hot griddle pan, and press them down. Let them cook for 5 minutes, and drain off the fat as it renders out. Keep the fat for roast potatoes. Get the skin crispy. Turn, and continue cooking for a further 3-8 minutes, depending on how well done you like them.
Remove the duck breasts, wrap them in foil and keep them warm.
Remove any fat from the griddle pan, but keep the sticky and crunchy bits. Add the alcohol, and boil until reduced by half (or flame off the vodka). Add half of the vinegar. Melt in the jelly/chutney, and add the tomato puree. Add a little water, if the sauce is too thick. Add a little more jelly, if the sauce is too sour. Add a little more vinegar, if the sauce is too sweet. Season to taste.
Slice the duck, and serve on a bed of sweet potato mash (just mashed up baked sweet potatoes, with a touch of cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg), or champ potato. Pour over a little of the sauce.

Greenbrae beefburgers with wild garlic pesto

500g Greenbrae minced beef (or get your butcher to mince frying steak)
1 tablespoon wild garlic pesto
1 onion, chopped
1 Greenbrae egg yolk
Salt and pepper

For the pesto
A blender bowl full of rinsed wild garlic leaves
A handful of lightly toasted pine nuts
A handful of grated parmesan
A squeeze of lemon juice
Lots (maybe 1/3 of a litre?) of extra virgin olive oil

To make the pesto, blend everything. Keep adding olive oil until it becomes creamy. Put in jars, and top with a little olive oil. Use within a week or so. Once opened, keep in the fridge and make sure it always has a skin of olive oil over it, to stop it drying out.
To make the burgers, just mix everything together in a bowl, shape into burgers, and fry or barbecue until they are how you like them. Use good beef, and you can serve them medium-rare.