4. Shred the crab meat and mix with the mayonnaise and shredded lettuce. In a separate bowl, combine the watercress, chopped apple and avocado.
5. For each sandwich, lay a base tomato rectangle on a cutting board. Place a little of the lettuce and the crab mixture on the rectangle and top with another tomato rectangle. Top this with more lettuce and crab, and then another tomato rectangle. Cover with the watercress, apple and avocado mixture. Finish off with a final layer of tomato.
6. Using a very sharp knife, slice the layered rectangle diagonally to transform it into two triangles.
7. Place a small amount of tomato coulis in the middle of each plate. Place a club sandwich in the center and garnish with a chervil leaf at each end.
TIP: If you are not very confident in your knife work, you could also use a very sharp circular cutter to shape the club sandwich, which would look just as pretty.
WHITE ASPARAGUS WITH TRUFFLE VINAIGRETTE
The truffle vinaigrette:
3½ tablespoons sherry vinegar
cup truffle juice (the liquid in jarred truffles)
cup olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
1 small whole truffle, roughly chopped
The asparagus:
24 medium white asparagus spears
Salt
A dash of lemon juice
Sprigs of chervil
TO PREPARE THE TRUFFLE VINAIGRETTE:
Whisk together all of the ingredients.
TO PREPARE THE ASPARAGUS:
1. Snap off the tough bottoms at the ends of the asparagus spears. Asparagus spears snap naturally at the point at the bottom where they become woody and inedible. Cook the spears in salted boiling water, with a squeeze of lemon juice added, for 4–6 minutes until just tender but still slightly crisp.
2. Warm 6 plates. Drain the asparagus and place 6 spears on each plate. Pour the dressing over the asparagus and garnish with fresh chervil.
GRILLED LOBSTER WITH SAUCE VIERGE
The stock:
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 celery stick, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
A sprig of thyme
A small handful of parsley stalks
20 white peppercorns
2 cups white wine
2 cups white wine vinegar
Sea salt
The lobster:
4 1¼-pound lobsters, preferably alive
Sauce vierge
A few sprigs of chervil
The sauce vierge:
cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
8 basil leaves, cut into fine julienne strips
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
TO PREPARE THE STOCK:
Put all the stock ingredients into a large pot with 10 quarts of water and simmer until all of the vegetables are cooked. Remove from the heat and let stand for one hour. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot and season with salt to taste.
TO PREPARE THE SAUCE VIERGE:
1. Heat the oil gently in a small pan, and then add the lemon juice. Remove from the heat.
2. Add the coriander and basil and let it infuse the warm oil for a few minutes.
3. Add the diced tomato and serve immediately.
TO PREPARE THE LOBSTER:
1. Using a cooking thermometer to check, heat the stock to 175°F. Carefully take the bands off of the lobster claws and then plunge the lobsters into the stock to cook for 3½ minutes. Remove from the pan, wrap individually in plastic film and set aside in a warm place for 45 minutes to relax and rebalance the juices in the lobsters.
2. Remove the claws from the lobsters. Crack them open and carefully remove the meat in whole pieces. Do the same with the knuckles of the lobsters. With a large, sharp chopping knife, cut the body of each lobster in half lengthwise, from the head through to the end of the tail, taking care to preserve the shells. Remove the meat. Discard the brain sac, which is at the front of the head. Wash and clean up the lobster shells.
3. Cut each portion of body/tail meat into 3–4 pieces and place them in the shell so that the red edge is visible. Put the knuckle and claw meat into the head cavity. Lightly cover the lobster with the sauce vierge.
4. Arrange on plates and garnish with parsley or chervil.
GRILLED DOVER SOLE NIÇOISE
4 1-pound whole Dover sole, skinned and left on the bone
Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 teaspoon chopped shallot
¼ teaspoon crushed garlic
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for frying
8 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
12 black olives
8 very large canned anchovies, drained and rinsed
1 lemon, halved
A large handful of cilantro sprigs
TO PREPARE:
1. Panfry the fish in a little olive oil for 6–7 minutes, turning halfway through (you may have to do this in batches). Season with salt and white pepper. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
2. While the sole are frying, gently cook the shallots and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan; do not allow to brown. Add the tomatoes and cook until all of the water from the tomatoes evaporates, which should take about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
3. Using a small sharp knife, slice a petal from each side of each olive. You should end up with 24 small ovals. Cut each anchovy into quarters on a slant.
TO SERVE:
Place the fish on warmed plates. Spread the tomato dressing lengthwise down the center of each fish, following the spine from head to tail. Top the dressing with a crisscross of anchovy pieces, again working from head to tail. Put a petal of black olive into the center of each crisscross. The garnish should resemble a lattice. Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil on the plate, down each side of the fish, and top with a very light squeeze of lemon.
BRAISED PIG’S TROTTERS PIERRE KOFFMANN
Makes 6 servings
The veal stock:
6 pounds veal knuckle bones
½ cup olive oil 1 onion, roughly chopped
3 carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery sticks, roughly chopped
½ bulb of garlic
4 tablespoons of tomato purée
1 pound button mushrooms
½ bottle of Madeira
10 quarts of hot water
A sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
The trotters:
6 pigs’ trotters (from the back legs only, as they are bigger) Olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and cubed
1 celery stick, cubed
1 onion, cubed
½ cup dry white wine
3 cups veal stock
A sprig of thyme
½ bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
The chicken mousse:
½ pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, sinews removed
A pinch of ground mace
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 egg
2 tablespoons salt
1 cup heavy cream
The filling:
1½ ounces dried morels
1½ pounds veal sweetbreads
½ onion, diced
Chicken mousse
The sauce:
2 chicken legs
Sweetbread trimmings, reserved from the filling
3½ ounces mushrooms, sliced
3½ ounces shallots, chopped
½ bulb of garlic, sliced across to halve each clove
A sprig of thyme
½ bay leaf
1½ tablespoons sherry vinegar
1½ tablespoons cognac
1¾ cups Madeira
2½ cups veal stock
1 cup chicken stock
4 dried morels
Lemon juice
A few dro
ps of heavy cream
72 fresh wild mushrooms
2 tablespoons of butter
TIP: You need to start cooking this at least a day in advance, to have enough time to soak your trotters adequately. I would suggest making the various stocks and sauces well ahead.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS:
Basic mashed potato (recipe follows)
Roast button onions (recipe follows)
TO PREPARE THE VEAL STOCK:
1. In a large Dutch oven, cook the veal knuckle bones in 4 tablespoons of olive oil until golden brown, stirring and turning occasionally.
2. Simultaneously, in a separate pan, cook the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in 2 tablespoons of oil until soft, but not brown.
3. Add the tomato purée to the vegetables and stir in, then allow it all to cook gently and color lightly. Be very careful not to burn the ingredients.
4. In another pan, cook the button mushrooms in the remaining oil, then deglaze with the Madeira. Boil to reduce down to almost nothing. Add the syrupy mushrooms to the rest of the vegetables.
5. When the veal bones are golden brown, place them in a large stock pot and cover with the hot water. Add the vegetables and herbs and bring to a boil. Skim, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 8–12 hours, topping up with water as required to keep the bones covered.
6. Pass the stock through a fine sieve into another pan (preferably tall) and boil to reduce by half. Cool, then store. This can be kept in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for 3 months.
TO PREPARE THE TROTTERS:
1. Soak the trotters in cold water for 24 hours, then drain and pat dry. Singe off any remaining hairs, particularly between the toes. Scrape off the singed stubble and any stray hairs with a sharp knife.
2. Slit the underside of each trotter lengthwise, starting at the ankle end. Cut the main tendon and then start to work off the skin by cutting around it with a sharp knife close to the bone. Remember that the skin is essentially going to form a sausage skin, so be careful not to tear it. Pull the skin down and cut through the knuckle joint at the first set of toes. Continue to pull the skin off to the last toe joint. Snap and twist off the bones and discard them.
3. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy casserole dish and fry the carrots, celery and onion over moderate heat for about 2 minutes. Add the trotters, skin-side-down, and the wine and boil until the wine is reduced by about half.
5. Add the veal stock, thyme and bay leaf. Bring back to a boil, then cover and place in the oven to cook for about 3 hours. During that time, shake the casserole from time to time to keep the trotters from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Remove the trotters from the cooking liquid and let cool. They should be a wonderful oak-brown color.
TO PREPARE THE CHICKEN MOUSSE:
1. Roughly chop the chicken breast. In a blender, process the chicken with the mace and tarragon for 1 minute or until smooth. Add the egg and salt and process the mixture for another minute. Chill the mixture for 10–15 minutes (this will prevent it from separating later).
2. Add the cream, and then force the mixture through a sieve to make it a velvety texture. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Store the mousse wrapped in plastic film in the fridge until needed.
TO PREPARE THE FILLING:
1. Soak the morels in cold water for 10 minutes; drain and rinse. Repeat this process once more.
2. Remove the sinew and membranes from the sweetbreads (save the trimmings for the sauce). Cut the sweetbreads into cubes and fry these in a little very hot olive oil in a large frying pan until they are golden brown with a crunchy texture.
3. Add the soaked morels and the onion and cook for 1 minute only (this mixture is to be cooked again once it is used to stuff the trotters). Season with salt and white pepper. Drain the mixture thoroughly in a colander and let cool.
4. When the mixture is cool, stir in just enough chicken mousse to bind the ingredients together. Taste and adjust the seasoning again, if necessary.
TO PREPARE THE SAUCE:
1. Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry the chicken legs and sweetbread trimmings until they are golden brown but not cooked all the way through.
2. Add the mushrooms, shallots, garlic, thyme and bay leaves and stir well. Deglaze the pan with the sherry vinegar, allowing it to bubble to get rid of the acidity. Deglaze in the same way with the cognac. Add the Madeira and reduce until it looks caramelized. Pour in the veal stock and the chicken stock and add enough water, about ½ cup, to cover the chicken legs and vegetables. Drop in the dried morels and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Strain the sauce, then pass through a fine sieve or muslin cloth several times, saving the morels for a garnish for the mashed potatoes if you wish. Just before serving, reduce the sieved sauce just a little to give a coating consistency, like a thin cream. Add the butter, a few drops of lemon juice, 1–2 drops of cream and freshly ground pepper. Taste the sauce, while adding these final ingredients, and adjust the seasoning to suit you.
TO FINISH THE TROTTERS:
1. Cut out 6 large squares of kitchen foil big enough to wrap and seal a stuffed trotter. Butter one side of each square of foil, and then place a trotter on it, skin side down. Pick out the little pieces of fat on the inside of the skin.
2. Divide the filling equally among the trotters. There should be enough filling to give the trotters enough bulk to retain their original shape. Roll the foil tightly around each trotter, making a sausage shape, and twist the ends to seal them securely. Put the parcels in the fridge to set for about 15 minutes.
3. Poach the trotters in a large pan of boiling water for about 12 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the garnish. Cook the wild mushrooms in half of the butter in a large frying pan over high heat until they produce liquid. Drain the mushrooms in a sieve then cook again for 1–2 minutes in the remaining butter. Keep warm.
TO SERVE:
Remove the trotters from the poaching water, unwrap them and carefully place one, intact-skin-up, on each warmed plate. If using the roast button onions, arrange them on each plate in lines above and below the trotter. Scatter the wild mushrooms over the trotters. Place a pool of mashed potatoes, about the same width and length as the trotter, alongside it at the top of the plate and dot it with sliced morels left over from the sauce. Coat the trotters with the sauce and spoon more sauce onto the plate.
BASIC MASHED POTATOES
Makes 4–6 servings
2 pounds Desirée potatoes
½ tablespoon salt
7 ounces unsalted butter
6 tablespoons heavy cream
TO PREPARE:
1. Peel the potatoes and cut into one-inch cubes.
2. Put 1 quart of water in a pan, add the potatoes and salt and bring to a boil. Poach the potatoes for 4–5 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with kitchen paper.
3. Purée the potatoes in a food processor, then add the butter and cream. Serve hot.
ROAST BUTTON ONIONS
Makes 8 servings
48 button onions
7 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
TO PREPARE:
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2. Top and tail the onions. Blanch in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain the onions and then cool them in a cold-water bath. Pop the onions out of their skins.
3. Melt the butter in a small, heavy-bottomed, flameproof pan over moderate heat and add the onions and seasoning. Sauté for 3 minutes. Cover with buttered paper, roast in the oven for 5 minutes until the onions are caramelized. Serve hot.
HARVEYS LEMON TART
The pastry:
18 ounces plain flour
6 ounces confectioner’s sugar
9 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
Grated zest of one lemon
1 vanilla pod, split open
1½ eggs, beaten
The lemon filling:
9 eggs
14 ounces superfine sugar
Grated zest of 2 lemons
Juice of 5 lemons
1 cup heavy cream
The decoration:
2½ ounces confectioner’s sugar
Sprigs of mint
TO PREPARE THE PASTRY:
1. Sift the flour and confectioner’s sugar onto a work surface and work in the butter. Make a well in the center and add the lemon zest and seeds scraped from the vanilla pod. Add the eggs. Knead the mixture with your fingers, working as quickly as you can, until everything is combined to form a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic film and set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Grease a flan tin with a removable base that is 8 inches in diameter and ½ inches deep. Roll out the pastry on a lightly-floured surface to form a disc large enough to line the tin and to allow an overhang of not less than ½ inch. Lay the pastry gently into the tin.
4. Line the pastry shell with greaseproof paper and fill with enough dry beans or lentils to ensure the sides as well as the bottom are weighted. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and greaseproof paper and trim off the overhanging pastry, then return the shell to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes.
TO PREPARE THE LEMON FILLING:
Whisk the eggs, superfine sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in the lemon juice, and then add the cream. Continue to whisk until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Skim any froth from the top.
TO ASSEMBLE THE TART:
1. Reduce the oven temperature to 250°F. Pour the cold filling into the hot pastry shell (this will ensure that the shell is sealed). Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool and set for about an hour.
2. When ready to serve, preheat the broiler to very hot. Sift the confectioner’s sugar over the top of the tart and place in the broiler to caramelize the sugar to a light golden brown. Alternatively, you can just sprinkle the tart with confectioner’s sugar without caramelizing it. Cut the tart into slices and decorate each slice with a sprig of mint.
The Devil in the Kitchen Page 27