Homemade mozzarella

A couple of days ago at work, we attempted to make mozzarella after obtaining some delicious buffalo milk from Laverstock park. Laverstock Park is in Overton, Hampshire and is owned by Jody Scheckter(former Formula 1 champion). Their farm covers 2500 acres and breed Angus and Hereford cows, pigs, sheep, wild boar, poultry, and water buffalo. Their breeding methods are designed to improve the quality of the meat by growing their animals slower with a more natural diet. They are online and have an online shop that you can browse through.
We got a few litres of the buffalo milk and had some good results with our mozzarella. Now to put the cheese into action on the tasting menu.

These are American measurements:
1 gallon Water buffalo milk
2 tspn Citric acid
1/4 tspn Vegetarian rennet

Place the milk into a saucepan and mix in the citric acid. Slowly bring to 85F stirring constantly. Add the rennet at 85F and continue heating to 105F. Remove from the heat and let sit for 15 mins. Seperate the curd from the whey(curd is the solids and whey is the milky liquid). Squeeze the curd together and place in a bowl and add a little water and heat through a microwave oven for 1 minute or until the cheese is past warm. Wearing gloves , knead the cheese for a while whilst warm until it is smooth and forms a ball. From here you can shape it how you want, we made regular round ball and boccocini size. You then season the whey with salt and submerge your mozzarella ball into this liquid and leave for a few days.
Next my thoughts are to flavour the milk or stuff the mozzarella with truffle jam or confit tomato. We'll see, watch this space!

Twisted English classics

Served as an amuse bouche, here is a sausage roll with foie gras, spiced red wine reduction and morel dust.

Seared rabbit tenderloin, leg meat ragu, spiced carrot mousseline

Tasting menu Friday 19th June 2008

Chilled pea and mint soup
Jon Dory fillet, crushed potato with black olive, fresh tomato puree, dill oil
Gressingham duck breast, butternut squash, morels, spiced chocolate sauce
Cerney goats cheese, warm Medjool dates, fruit bead cracker

Pea panna cotta, crisp parma ham, oyster mushroom cream

Here is a light starter for the summer months. The pea panna cotta is made with 400ml double cream, 100ml milk, 200g smooth pea puree and 2g agar agar.

Summer truffle season is here again

Summer truffle season is here!
The black summer truffle thrives in northern Italy, central Europe and does grow in North Africa and Turkey. It is highly valued by chefs for its culinary uses mainly aroma and distinct flavour. Summer truffles do not have as strong an aroma or taste as winter truffles do. They are mainly harvested from June to November. Currently we shave it on green asparagus risotto and jullienne it on a Challans black leg chicken dish.
For me the smell is addictive and i cant resist a whiff every time i hold one. Priveleged?? You bet!!

Local cheese plate

Here we have Barkham blue (left) made by Sandy Rose in Woking, Tunworth (white paste) made by Julie Cheyney and Stacey Hedges near Alton, Waterloo (yellow paste) from Anne Wigmore in Riesley and an interesting blue goat cheese named Nanny Williams (right) from Loosehanger cheeses in Redlynch.
I love the English cheeses on offer. Never have we had such a vast array of pasteurised and un-pasteurised great artisanal cheeses to choose from and long may it continue.