Tuesday 14 June 2011

Fillet Steak with Creamy Mushroom Sauce


The sauce for this is really very simple. I used some of the leftover mushrooms from the recipe in my last post but pre-frying up a few sliced chestnut mushrooms works just fine. Simply simmer a large glass of red wine in a saucepan over a low heat. Add half a beef stock cube and continue to simmer. Add two tablespoons of the mushroom mixture and roughly 100ml of double cream. Season to taste with some salt and black pepper. 

Get the best well hung fillet steak you can find. Allow it to sit out of the fridge for 30 minutes or so to reach room temperature before you start to fry. Pat each steak with a little oil and grind over some black pepper. Get your griddle pan really hot before you start to fry the steaks for 3-4 minutes on each side (medium rare). Allow the steaks to rest for at least half the cooking time. This will relax the meat and make it extra tender. Pour over the sauce and serve. 

Monday 13 June 2011

Amuse-Bouche Reception

Last weekend I was very pleased to get the chance to trial my first amuse-bouche reception. Larger than a canapé but smaller than a main plate of food, guests get a number of dishes to replace a full meal. This would probably have to be my ideal kind of party food as a guest because you get to sample endless tasty little dishes without having to queue for a buffet or risk missing the tray of canapés as they are whisked around the room, usually because some group of fatties have positioned themselves by the kitchen door gobbling them all as they come out...


The event I was catering for was in a beautiful apartment in Islington. My amazing five-strong serving team and I dished up canapés to the arriving guests who were taking drinks on the roof terrace before going down to a private piano recital. During the interval we served two dishes before serving the main Aperitivo at the end of the recital. Here is the menu and some photos of the food we served:






Canapés

Pear & Pecorino Skewers with Honey
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Chicken Liver Paté with Loganberry Jelly
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Mint & Balsamic Roasted Beetroot with Horseradish Dipping Sauce
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Field Mushroom and Porcini on Toasted Brioche










The mushroom brioche has to be my favourite dish. I had it years ago as a starter in the Brixton Bar & Grill and have been trying to recreate it ever since. The sweet brioche really compliments the creamy, nutty flavour of the mushrooms and although it looks a little dark on the boards I think it was close to perfect.

Recipe:

Take 200g of field mushrooms, 200g chestnut mushrooms chop into small pieces and start to fry in a little butter. Reduce well until the mushrooms start to blacken and crisp up. Add a dash of truffle oil, Worcester sauce and a good pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Soak a good handful of dried porcini mushrooms in boiling water. When they have rehydrated slice into strips and add to the pan with a couple of tablespoons of the soaking water. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon, season again to taste, sprinkle with parsley and serve on slices of toasted brioche. 

Amuse-bouche


Italian Summer Melon Salad with Garlic Bread

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Carpaccio di Manzo

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Chilled Cucumber & Thyme Soup

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Monk fish, Scallop & Prawn Galette

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Caponata with Venison Sausages & Fresh Oregano

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French Trimmed Lamb Cutlet with Salsa Verdi

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Rich Chocolate Tort

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Lemon Possets with Fresh Fruits

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                                                                Prosecco & Elderflower Jelly