Caprese

This week was our Italian wine dinner. Here is the starter from the evening. We got our hands on some Alpine plum tomatoes which were marinated with EVOO, garlic, thyme and shallot. The cherry tomatoes were also marinated in EVOO. The mozzarella is a fantastic product from Laverstoke Park. I would say the best fresh mozz in the South of England. Garnish is balsamic which has been misted onto the plate, black olive dust, and a smoke filled mozzarella baloon. Terre Bormano olive oil is drizzled around.

Fresh, tasty and Italian which matched our wine.

Croustillant of Golden Cross goats cheese with candied tomato, fennel and pickled watermelon rind

Here is a dish i have had my du jour menu this week. The cheese is an unpasteuriesd goats cheese from Sussex, which is rolled in oak ash and then matured. It is whipped with a little creme fraiche. The tube is made with rice papper which is deep fried to make it crisp. The cheese itself has hints of macadamia nut and burnt caramel on the palette. It eats nicely with the sweetness of the tomato being tempered by the tartness of the watermelon rind, leaving an aroma from the fennel to round it off. Garnish is some small fennel fronds.

This weeks du jour menu

Warm beetroot soup with sour cream and saffron floating island

Hampshire Brown crab cocktail, roasted seeds and nuts, marie rose sorbet

Teriyaki glazed pork belly, seared scallop, poached mushrooms, shallot and ginger confit

Elderflower parfait, frozen olive oil emulsion

(Dessert courtesy of Dale over at http://thecomponents.wordpress.com/)

Teriyaki marinade

100ml Mirin

100ml Kikoman soy sauce

100g Sugar

500ml Water

Grilled mirepoix

25g Carrot

25g Celery

25g Onion

5g Ginger

20g Pineapple

50g Beef trimming

In a hot pan, add the mirin and flambé. Once the alcohol has burned off, add the soy sauce, sugar and water. Bring to a boil and add the mierpoix. Simmer until reduced by half. Strain through a fine chinois and thicken with corn starch.

Tomato sorbet

Water 292g

Dextrose 153g

Peeled tomato flesh(good quality) 1093g

Salt 6g

Stab (neutrose) 8g

Tabasco 1g

Basil 4g

Tomato paste 110g

Mix together the dextrose, and stabiliser. Boil the water and add the two powders, mix well and boil for 1 minute. Transfer to a container and rest overnight.

Blend the fresh tomato, tabasco, basil, tomato paste and salt into the syrup until completely smooth. Pass through a conical strainer and pour into paco jet containers and freeze completely.

Puree when needed.

Parfait of Brown Hampshire crab, mary rose sorbet and crisp

This week we had some beautiful Brown crabs from Solent in Hampshire. I've wanted to get live crabs in for a while to teach my team how to cook, break and clean them. The flavour of the meat is sweet, fresh, and delicious. With a product this good, there is not much that i want to do to it apart from showcase its superb flavour. Therefore, i did not do much to it.

The parfait is layered up of...........

Crab jelly made from the shells

White crabmeat mayonaisse scented with preserved lemon zest

Brown crab meat(seasoned with tabasco, lea and perrins, and lemon)

Lemon and basil curd

Chiffonade baby gem

Crab jelly

White crab mayonnaise

Roasted nuts and seeds

Marie rose sorbet

Marie rose crisp

An important aspect is that i got extremely good feedback from our guests on this starter and will consider putting it on the A La Carte menu through the summer.

Line caught Seabass, plum tomato fondue, stuffed courgette blossom, candied black olive, basil puree