Thanks to all of you who sent in your cookery questions. Here are my answers to some that were sent in, check to see if yours is included. Sorry I couldn’t answer them all, but keep them coming in.
Glenn from Ely asked:
I recently had “Blade of Beef” at a restaurant in Newmarket and it was melt in the mouth. What would be your recommended method of cooking this flavoursome and value cut of beef.
This cut of beef comes from the chuck and along with brisket and shin is one of my favourites for the classical cooking method of “low and slow”
- I like to marinate the meat overnight first in some ale or red wine if you prefer, then drain, pat dry and sear in a hot pan with a little oil so there is plenty of colour all over
- Remove the beef and add onions, carrots, celery and garlic and roast in a pan until golden, at this point I like to add mushrooms as it gives a great depth of flavour to the finished sauce. Add thyme, bay leaves and a couple of spoons of tomato purée, cook out for 5 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with the marinade used for the beef, add back in the beef and cover with beef stock, bring to simmer, cover and put into a slow oven around 110 degrees for 3-4 hours, check its tender with a knife which should easily inset the meat.
- Take out and allow to rest for an hour in the braising liquid.
- Remove the meat, strain the braising liquid and reduce until sauce consistency
- Serve with some creamy mash potato and buttered carrots and you have the best winter dinner there is.
Chrissy from Goldsborough asked:
Do you have a recipe, cooking advice for a small rack of venison with an alternative, I’m thinking cocoa/ pistachio/ other crumb? I’m planning a trio of venison with a venison sausage and an individual pot of venison ‘shepherds pie’. Any suggestions on accompanying veg. Something masterchef / great British menu worthy.
One of the best accompanying flavours for venison in my opinion is curry spice.
I’d suggest gently rubbing some mild curry seasoning onto the venison before cooking.
A good way to give a nice pink finish is to place the venison in the oven at 60 degrees for around an hour. Take out and sear in a hot pan all over then add butter and baste gently for a minute, rest back in 60-degree oven for 10 minutes before carving.
A wonderful accompanying veg with these would be celeriac but I suggest chopping the celeriac into a small dice and cooking it like a risotto, finish with a curry butter, fresh lime juice and good grated parmesan and serve on the side.
Pamela from Liverpool asked:
I have had a total gastrectomy and suffer badly eating certain food groups especially complex carbohydrates. I particularly cannot tolerate potatoes, rice, pasta and white bread. I am a real foodie but can only eat small portions. I would be grateful of a nice indulgent recipe for myself to make. I tolerate all meats, fish and most vegetables.
I know exactly what to suggest, baked scallops with lyonnaise onions, bacon and thyme.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large onions, sliced
- Olive oil
- 4 large fresh scallops, in their shells
- 4 small cubes of butter
- 100g bacon lardons, fried or baked until crispy
- 1 tsp lemon thyme leaves
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 60g curly endive, picked into small leaves
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
METHOD
- Heat the oven to 180C (200C non-fan). Fry the onions in a pan with some olive oil until dark brown. This will take about 20 minutes. Leave to cool.
- Carefully remove the scallop meat from the shells and trim off and discard the coral. Clean the shells thoroughly. Place 1 tsp fried onions into each shell. Add the butter and scallop meat. Sprinkle over the crispy bacon and thyme leaves, then grate over the lemon zest.
- Wrap the shells in a double layer of foil and place them on a tray lined with coarse sea salt; this will stop them sliding around. Bake for 8 minutes. The scallops will steam and bake in this time.
- Remove from the oven and unwrap the shells. Use a blowtorch to colour the scallops until toasty brown, or quickly flash in a very hot frying pan. Sprinkle over the endive leaves and chives. Drizzle with a little olive oil and serve.
Elena from Crawley asked:
Do you have a recipe for gluten free cheese cake?
INGREDIENTS
- 50g ground almonds
- 50g dedicated coconut
- 120g butter
- 3 fine leaf gelatine sheets (quick dissolving)
- Juice of 1 lemon (50-60ml)
- 400ml double cream
- 700g full fat cream cheese
- 200g caster sugar
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 tsp vanilla pasteFor the topping
- 2 ripe peaches, stoned and cut into wedges
- 250g strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
METHOD
- Line the base of a 23cm round springform cake tin. To do this, open the springform ring, place a piece of greaseproof paper over the base of the cake tin and tuck this into the springform ring. Close the ring around the base and trim off any excess paper underneath.
- Mix almonds and coconuts, bake in a 180 degree oven, turning them every couple of minutes until golden brown. Mix them with the melted butter, tip this mixture into the base of your tin and flatten it down evenly with the base of a glass. Now put the tin in the fridge for around 30 minutes to 1 hour so the base can firm up while you get on with your filling.
- Place the gelatine sheets in a small bowl of cold water and leave them to soften. Heat the lemon juice over a medium heat in a small pan. When hot, remove from the heat. Lift the gelatine out of the bowl, squeeze out any excess water and add it to the lemon juice. Stir until it dissolves.
- Pour the double cream into a bowl and whisk until stiff peaks form, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric whisk to soften. Then add the sugar, lemon zest and vanilla paste and beat again to mix. Pour in the cooled gelatine mixture and beat gently until incorporated. Fold the double cream into the cream cheese mixture with a wooden spoon. Take your cake tin out of the fridge, spoon the cheesecake filling over the base and smooth the top with a step palette knife.
- Pop the tin back into the fridge for 2-3 hours to firm up.
- About 10-20 minutes before you are ready to serve, mix all the topping ingredients together in a bowl.
- When the cheesecake has set, take it out of the fridge and run a palette knife carefully around the inside edge of the tin. Remove the tin and transfer the cheesecake to a serving plate. Cut it into wedges then add the fruit topping.
Ginny from Nottingham asked:
Hi Tom, wondered how you stopped a soggy bottom on a beef wellington? I’m making my own and did a trial run – was lovely and the pastry was cooked underneath but a bit wet.
There is a nice simple solution to this one,
Pre heat a tray on the oven and when at correct temperature slide the wellington onto the tray with a piece of greaseproof paper underneath, cook as normal but the pre heated tray will start cooking the pastry from below and stop it from going soggy.
Kevin from Wheathampstead asked:
No matter what I put into it, the sauce I make for pasta always seems to taste the same. I add, chilli, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, etc.etc.etc. What do you suggest to make it different?
The key to any good sauce is the foundation, the base!
- I like to start my favourite pasta sauce with finely chopped onions, garlic and celery, sweat these off in a little olive oil until soft. At this point I add some diced pancetta and my absolute favourite! N’Duja!!
- This is where the base really takes on the beautiful layers on savoury, sweet and spicy.
- Cook this out for 3-4 minutes then add a cup of white vermouth, reduce down and then add in a quality tin of chopped tomatoes.
- Add a sprig of oregano and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook your pasta and reserve some of the cooking liquid when straining.
- Add pasta into the sauce, a tablespoon of good olive oil and if needed add a couple of spoons of the cooking liquid to loosen it.
- I always add a good grating of parmesan over the top.
Tracey from Melton Mowbray asked:
I really love your recipe for Slow Roasted Lamb with Boulangère Potatoes and it has been a real winner each time I’ve cooked it. However my daughter-in-law is not a great fan of lamb. Is the an alternative that you would recommend using instead?
An absolute favourite in our house is Chicken boulangère.
Still made with a good chicken stock, I roast the chicken on a rack over the potatoes for an hour, so all those juices and fats run straight onto the potatoes, then remove the chicken and finish cooking the potatoes until cooked through and golden on top
I serve it with some buttered Hispi cabbage. Lush!
Neil from St Albans asked:
Can you recommend a good way to pimp up gravy granules?
Gravy granules have plenty of flavour but are a bit flat, using the water from the vegetables you have cooked to go with your roast will add a depth.
Then I would suggest doing as we do when we “finish” our gravy
We always add in a couple of things:
- A little of the fat from what we are cooking
- A knob of unsalted butter
- A splash or wine (the alcohol will cook off almost straight away)
This way you get a richer sauce but with a nice punch from the wine
If you want to go a bit more in-depth you can take some of the trimmings from what you are roasting, add into a pan with a little oil and roast until dark golden, add in some carrots , onions & celery and do the same, then add granules, water from the veg and carry on as above
Nicki from Lane End asked:
I love truffle, where can I buy fresh truffles from?
We buy our truffles from several different people depending on time of year, type of truffle, quantity etc.
One of the companies we use is Wiltshire Truffles.
They sell many varieties online depending on time of year from White Alba truffle and black Perigord truffle through to English autumn etc.
They also sell truffle juice, oils etc and are very well priced.
Simon from Plymouth asked:
I love your new cook book, Pub Kitchen, I want to try making the stuffed courgette flowers recipe but where can I get courgette flowers from? I have never seen these in the supermarkets or my local grocers.
The season is late spring through to early summer, at this time you will often find people selling them in farmers markets and good quality greengrocers.
If you can a good place to go is the local Fruit and veg wholesale market where you will find them in plentiful supply, either from UK growers or some wonderful ones imported from Italy.
Alternatively look up the local fruit and veg wholesaler who delivers to your neighbourhood restaurants, a quick visit to them and they will definitely sell you a box.
Please keep you questions coming in.
