Cuisine from around the world

A busy month for my restaurant, developing dishes and writing menus for the upcoming season has certainly kept me active. Any down time I have is usually spent on the other side of the pass enjoying dinner with my family.

Because of my work commitments, we only tend to get one day a week together to eat out, alternating between who chooses the destination. My daughter had overheard me talking to the chefs about a restaurant called Artusi in Peckham, and after hijacking my night to choose, we were in and ordering before I knew it. A sweet neighbourhood spot in a beautiful part of town, Artusi offers wonderful Mediterranean fare at great prices. The ingredients are impeccable and the combinations intelligent—all round great cookery and lovely, welcoming service. She gave it a straight ten!

We also had a meal at another local favourite French bistro, I’ll spare you the name of the place; it was definitely not an ‘on’ night for them. But, to be honest, I really don’t mind when the experience doesn’t quite deliver (everyone has those days, we certainly do)—what I really mind is when it’s lazy and complacent, as this was, to the point that not even the wonderful bottle of Morgon Côte de Py could save us. French service can be some of the worlds’ best, but done badly it can be catastrophic.

We held a Japanese night at Trinity with the wonderful Yoshiko Wada. It was inspirational and such a great dinner to be a part of. This was the menu;

Japanese Guest Evening with Yoshiko and Adam Byatt

17 November

I have lots of Masterclasses and Client dinners booked in with the bartlett mitchell team and I’m really looking forward to meeting you all over the coming year.

I have included my recipe for Salted Caramel Chocolate and Clementine Leaf Cremosa for you to try in December – Enjoy.
Salted Caramel Chocolate and Clementine Leaf Cremosa

Introduction – ‘Cremosa’ is simply the Spanish word for mousse, but this recipe is essentially a variation of the great British classic of Chocolate custard. It’s incredibly simple, yet done in a way where the chocolate and custard are emulsified to create the perfect balance between the richness of the egg and the bitterness of the chocolate.

Makes – 8

Ingredients:

Caramel

• 115g sugar
• 4.5g salt

Crème anglaise

• 250ml Milk
• 125ml Double Cream
• 1/2 Vanilla Pod
• Caramel
• 10 Egg yolks

Cremosa

• 450ml of the crème anaglaise
• 150g Good quality 70% chocolate

Clementine

• 6 Clementines
• 60g Clementine leaves
• 250g Caster sugar
• 1 Litre water
• 1 Star anise

Method

Clementine

1. Peel and segment 5 clementines and remove all the pith.
2. Make a simple stock syrup by mixing the 250g sugar, water and star anise in a sauce pan. Keep stirring as you bring it to a boil. Allow it to cool.
3. Place the clementine segments into the cooled stock syrup, and let it steep for 24 hours.
4. Remove the segments from the syrup and place into a dehydrator set at 57°C for 12 hours. If you don’t have a dehydrator, use an oven on full fan set to 50°C overnight.

Caramel

1. Place the sugar and salt into a pan with a splash of water.
2. Bring up gently over the medium heat; make sure there is no sugar on the side of the pan. Cook to 161°C, (or until dark, rich caramel forms).

Crème Anglaise

1. Pour the caramel into a large bowl and add the egg yolks.
2. Boil the milk, cream and vanilla add 60g clementine leaves. Pour over the egg yolks and caramel whilst whisking.
3. Return the custard mixture to a pan and cook until thickened and coating consistency. Pass this through a fine sieve and retain.
4. Using a blender, preferably a thermo mix, blend the chocolate and crème anglaise together until glossy.
5. Place into a plastic container and allow to cool. Refrigerate overnight.

Wishing you all a wonderful festive season with you and yours.