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.
Susan from Leicester asked:
I want to make triple cooked chips, but haven’t got an apple corer and even if I did, don’t think they would be thick enough. I can use a plastic corer, (3.8mm for use with pastry), but can this be used on part boiled potatoes, which would otherwise be too hard?
You don’t need to use an apple corer, you can cut them into prefect rectangle shaped pont neurf (thick cut) style. We only do round chips in the restaurants because of the consistency of size but they don’t have to be round. The key is to cut them the same size and then follow the same method.
Alistair from Chester asked:
Hi Tom, I’m looking to do some of your recipes from the H&F cookbook, but don’t have the same equipment. Please could you tell me how to cook venison without a waterbath without ruining it, and how to dehydrate the savoury carrot cake without a dehydrator?
Using your oven a bit like a water bath is the key, just lightly oil the venison and wrap it in cling film, place in a tray of water and place in the oven. Set the oven to 55c and cook the vension for 1 hour, remove from the cling film, season and sear in a hot pan as per the H&F book recipe.
For the dehydrated carrot cake, follow the recipe as is but instead of drying it in a dehydrator put you oven on a low heat of about 80c and simply dry the bread out until crispy.
It will take longer but will give you the desired effect.
Lawrence from Helecine (Belgium) asked:
It’s Game season at Chateau Edwards! I’m working on your Venison & maple roast squash recipe from the H&F Cookbook, and I’m having trouble sourcing venison bones to make the venison sauce. Can I use a combination of Beef/lamb bones instead?
You are best to speak to your local butcher for these, supermarkets only really carry sell joint and not the bones.
You could use beef bones but it might be too powerful for the venison.
Lyn from Bristol asked:
We have horseradish growing in the garden and please could you tell us to make horseradish sauce. We have tried but it’s not been that great.
We use raw horseradish all the time in the restaurants, we finely grate it on a microplane grater and stir it into crème fraiche. Add lot’s of cracked black pepper and season with salt and lemon juice, then lightly whisk. The cream fraiche will take more horseradish than you think.
Adam from Maidenhead asked:
Yes chef! Morning boss man, can I sneak in one and a half questions please?! On the egg poaching video, do you crack the egg into the small cup that you just poured the vinegar in or did you tip the vinegar in the pan first? And main question – the perfect way to cook a pork chop please? Do I need a big heavy pan?
I added the vinegar to both, a little splash in the cup, this simply helps firm the whites up a little before poaching. Then I added a generous amount of vinegar to the pan. Be sure to have the water on a rolling boil.
For the pork chop, make sure it’s a proper thick wedge of meat, not the skinny ones, those are hard to cook well. Ask you butcher for an inch think pork chop and ask them to score the fat.
Using a heavy based pan, pop onto a low heat, once the pan is hot season the chop and lay into the pan skin side down for about 5 to 10 minutes to crispy up the skin and render out the fat.
Once the crackling is crunchy lay the chop on the flat side and add butter to the pan and fry until the butter goes golden brown.
Then flip over, add a little more butter and cook for a few minutes.
Once the chop is cooked remember to rest it for at least 8 to 10 minutes before carving.
Fletch from Cheltenham asked:
I’m cooking a rib roast for Christmas. I’ll rub it like your Dry rub beef ribs (epic by the way) I want to know how to take the veg to the next level? I spray my potato’s with truffle oil 5 min before the end of cook. What can I do to the carrot, parsnip and beetroot to blow the families minds?
For me keep it simple, focus on the rib and your family will be wowed with that. Classic honey roast parsnips with bacon is a go to of mine, they soak up the flavour like a sponge.
For the beetroots, roast, peel and roast with butter, garlic, thyme and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
The carrots, follow this recipe for the Hand and Flowers carrots which can be found in my Proper Pub cookbook.
