Elite Chef Recruitment

Platinum Recruitment – Feature of the Month Each month the team at Platinum Elite Chefs bring you an industry specific feature from one of the UK’s finest establishments. This Month’s feature: Chris O’Callaghan – Head Chef – Linthwaite House – Cumbria 4 Red Star **** - 2 AA Rosette Linthwaite House is a stunning, privately owned country house hotel in the Lake District, the hotel has 30 bedrooms and a fine dining restaurant which has recently been taken over by Head Chef Chris O’Callaghan, Chris has a fantastic background which includes a 5 year stint under Michelin Star Chef Alan Murchison and a Sous Chef at Gravetye Manor which had a fine dining restaurant that also held a Michelin Star. Chris is using his experience to bring stunning, unfussy fine dining food to Linthwaite House, Find out about Chris in our 60 seconds on the clock feature......... Chris Where in the world are you from? Kent Describe a typical day as head Chef at Linthwaite House My days starts in the morning at 8.30am check in deliveries then mise en plas until 10.30am, then there is a management meeting to check hotels business for the day ahead. We then set for lunch service which starts at 12.00pm and finishes around 2.30pm, we then clean down and I then get the team out on a break around 3.30pm. I then develop the menu and work on planning, phone suppliers. The boys are back at 5.30pm and we set for dinner, there is a pre service meeting at 6.15pm with all kitchen and front of house staff. Service starts at 7.00pm and we finish around 10.30pm when we send the last petit fours, clean down do the orders and then home. Which chef influenced you the most? Gordon Ramsay, Alan Murchison, Chris Horridge What / where was your best ever meal? The Ledbury What’s your favourite cookbook? White heat or Modernist cuisine What is the next restaurant you want to visit? Sat Bains What’s your favourite produce to cook with? Scottish salmon or squab pigeon Where would you go on a stage? The French Laundry If you weren’t a chef what would you be? A Paratrooper What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into the industry? You need to read, learn, focus…………….. and don’t be late Who would be in your dream brigade? Larder – Brett Graham Sauce – Daniel Clifford Pastry – Ferran Adria Garnish – Simon Rogan Pass – Thomas Keller Fish – Nathan Outlaw For more information on Chris O’Callaghan and Linthwaite House, check out the hotel’s website www.linthwaite.com Follow Chris on Twitter @chezchristof Follow Linthwaite House on Twitter @Linthwaitehotel Chris thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy day to take part in our recipe feature and good luck in your new role at Linthwaite House hotel! Why not try and recreate Chris’ stunning Gin Cured Salmon Dish Enjoy, See you next month Andy ‘Gin & Tonic’ - Gin Cured Salmon, Lemon Purée and Tonic Sorbet Ingredients • Cured salmon • Tonic sorbet • Lemon puree • Crispy salmon skin • Trout eggs • Crispy capers • Bread croutons • Borage flowers • Wood sorrel Cured salmon • 2 Sides of Loch Du Hart Salmon • 250g Rock Salt • 250g Demerara Sugar • 200g Gordons Gin • 4g Crushed Juniper • 0.5 zest of lemon • Dijon mustard • 2 bunches dill finely chopped Cover two sides of Loch Du Hart salmon with rock salt, Demerara sugar, Gordons gin, crushed juniper and lemon zest. Put the fillets flesh side together, wrap tightly in cling film and cure for between 48 and 60hours (rotating every 12 hours). After curing time remove the cure from the fillets spread a thin layer of mustard and evenly cover with dill Individually wrap the fillets and leave before a further 48 hours Tonic sorbet • 3g Gelan f • 600g Tonic water • 95g Sugar • 30g Trimoline Boil trimoline, gelan f and sugar with 200g tonic water mixing well Pour mixture into a bowl over ice and when cool add a further 400g of tonic Pour into paco container and freeze Lemon Puree • 12 lemons • 320g caster sugar • 200g olive oil • 200g water • 1 pinch saffron Remove skins and pith from lemons, place in a pan, cover in cold water and bring to the boil. Repeat this process four times. Strain the lemons and whilst still hot transfer to a blender. Blitz with caster sugar, water and a pinch of saffron Once blitz slowly add olive oil until emulsified Crispy Skins Remove scales from skin and dehydrate for 24 hours Cut into strips, deep fry at 180, season and cool Crispy capers Wash capers, dry, deep fry at 180, season and cool Bread for croutons PF • 3k Campiette bread flour • 60g salt • 100g yeast • 1.6k water Mix together speed 1 for 2 mins then speed 2 for 6 mins rest in fridge for 2 hours. Bread • 900g wholegrain flour • 1.6k PF • 65g yeast • 30g salt • 30g sugar • 300g water • 180g oil Dust top with oats and flour Mix together speed 1 for 2 mins then speed 2 for 8 mins roll into ball and prove overnight then roll into 50g balls and fold into mini tins and prove till double in size sprinkle with oats then dust in flour and oats Bake in oven at 210ºc with 10% humidity for 8 mins maximum of two trays at a time. Croutons Freeze some freshly baked bread for 6 hours then slice on gravity feed setting number 1 wrap an egg box in tin foil then place sliced bread on top and bake again for 6 mins at 180ºc allow to cool. Plating Method Using a square template 10cm by 10cm place 6 thin slices of salmon in the middle of the plate, remove template trimming as necessary to get a perfect square, small teaspoon of crispy capers on the bottom left and top right corners of the salmon, teaspoon of trout eggs next to the capers on the bottom left, 3 dots of lemon puree, 1 piece of crispy salmon skin on the top left corner, use 4 sorrel leafs and 3 borrage flowers to fill the gaps then put the crouton on the bottom right corner and the sorbet in the middle. If you’re interested in working alongside top quality chefs such as Chris O’Callaghan send your CV to andy.sinclair@p-r-c.co.uk or call 01202 203150.

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