June 2002 Recipe of the Month

Pot – roasted Guinea Fowl with Sage, Celery and Blood Orange

Ingredients

2 x 900-1100g/2-2 ½ lb guinea fowl

8 blood oranges

1 bulb of celery

1 small handful fresh thyme, picked

maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 cloves of garlic, whole and unpeeled

85g/3oz butter

10 sage leaves

350ml/12fl oz fruity dry white wine

Method

Remove any excess fat from the cavity of each guinea fowl. Wash thoroughly inside and out and pat dry with kitchen paper. Rub the cavity with a little salt. Cut off the two ends of the oranges, stand them on end and carefully slice off the skin (once you have removed one piece of skin you can see where the flesh meets the skin). Slice the oranges into five or six rounds each. Remove the tougher outside sticks of the celery until you reach the white, dense bulb and slice across thinly. Put in a bowl, mix in the thyme and a small pinch of salt and pepper, and then stuff the cavity of each guinea fowl with this filling. Pull the skin at the front of each guinea fowl’s cavity forward, to cover the filling, and tightly tie/truss up.

Heat a thick-bottomed pan and add the olive oil and the guinea fowl, the skin of which has been rubbed in Maldon sea salt and pepper. Seal until lightly golden on all sides, then add the garlic, butter and sage and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Add the wine at intervals, enough to keep the pan slightly moist at all times. Place in the oven at 225C /425 F/gas 7 for 45 minutes, checking every 10-15 minutes and just topping up the wine as necessary. The guinea fowl will be roasted and semi-steamed.

Serves: 4 - 6

Seared Encrusted Tuna Steak with Fresh Coriander and Basil

Ingredients

1 Small dried red chilli

1 Tablespoon coriander seeds

½ clove of garlic

1 Good handful of basil, picked and finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tuna steaks, 225-285g/8oz-10oz each. About 2cm/3/4 inch thick

Method

Tuna is widely available in supermarkets and fishmongers these days. There are many types: the best sushi/sushini quality tuna is blue-fin tuna, and big-eye tuna is very close second best, These two types of tuna can be bought in Britain but are very expensive, as most of it is bought for the Japanese market, where they prize it like gold. The most available and reasonably prices is yellow-fin tuna, which can be pretty good. When buying tuna you should look for meat that is evenly coloured, dark red and has a fine, tight grain free of large sinews. Generally you get better tuna in good fishmongers that in supermarkets, but sometimes the supermarkets get a good batch in so keep your eyes peeled. There is a bit of a thing about it being fashionable to serve tuna pink; if you buy good – quality fresh tuna the last thing you want to do is cook it all the way through and make it taste like tinned tune, so yes, good-quality fresh tuna should be served rare or very pink.

Smash up the chilli and the coriander seeds in a pestle and mortar. Add the garlic, basil, coriander and lemon juice to taste. Mix together, and season.

Lay out your tuna steaks on a tray, season both sides and rub the herb mixture on to each side.

There are two ways to cook it: on one of those ridged grill pans or in a frying pan. Rub your pan, which should be very, very hot, with a little bit of oil on a piece of kitchen paper, then put in the tuna. What you want to do is sear the tuna so that it toasts, fries and browns (about 45-60 seconds on each side). Once cooked, I like to rip the steaks in half and serve with salad and chips or boiled potatoes and a big wedge of lemon.

Serves: 4

Red Fruits with Lemon Flavoured custard

Ingredients

800g/ 1 ¾ lb mixed red fruits

(raspberries, strawberries, bilberries, redcurrants, cherries)

240 ml / 8 fl oz single cream

200 g / 8 oz caster sugar

240 ml / 8 fl oz lemon juice (from about 5 lemons)

6 egg yolks

zest of 1 lemon, cut into fine julienne

2 tablespoons crème de menthe

Method

The lemon-flavoured custard: In a saucepan, bring the cream to the boil with 60g/2 oz sugar and the lemon juice. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 80g/ 3 oz sugar to a ribbon consistency. Pour the boiling cream on to the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Pour the mixture back into the pan and poach very gently at 85 C/ 185 F for 2 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spatula, on no account let the custard boil. Pass it through a conical sieve into a bowl and keep in a cool place, stirring the custard occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Once the custard is cold, cover the bowl with Clingfilm and refrigerate.

The lemon julienne: Put the zest in a small saucepan with a little water and bring to the boil. As soon as the water boils, refresh and drain. Return the zest to the same pan with the remaining sugar, 3 tablespoons water and the mint syrup. Bring slowly to the boil and poach gently until all the liquid has evaporated, Use a fork to lift the candied zest into a small, fine strainer and spread it out evenly. When it has cooled, transfer it to a cup or saucer and keep at room temperature.

The fruits: Gently rinse in cold water, hull or stone as appropriate, but leave the redcurrants on their stalks. Chill until needed.

PRESENTATION: Place the well-chilled fruits in four deep plates. Pour over the chilled custard, scatter with lemon julienne and eat with soupspoons.

NOTES: It is essential to use very ripe, sweet fruits to contrast with the wonderful sharp lemony custard. Some can even be so ripe that their juices are running. Your need not use all the suggested fruits, but remember that you will need at least three different varieties.

All the separate elements of this dish can be prepared the day before; it will take you only 2 minutes to assemble the dessert on the plates at the last moment.

Serves: 4