| 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: Andrew Pern - Chef/Director - the Star Inn, Harome Andrew regards himself as ‘just a chapter’ in The Star's long history, despite being the owner of the pub since 1996, when it was acquired in a near derelict state. Since that time it has not only been restored, whilst maintaining and enhancing its abundant character, but it has picked up a long list of prestigious awards and expanded to incorporate a hotel just across the road. Find out about Andrew in our 60 seconds on the clock feature......... Andrew where in the world are you from? I was born and bred near Whitby, North Yorkshire What is your role at what would happen on a typical day? Chef/Owner - The Star Inn at Harome. My average day starts at 8am and finishes around 11pm and comprises: paperwork, staffing, menus, cooking!!!, kids, cooking!!!, beer, bed - generally in that order. Which chef influenced you the most? The Roux Brothers What/where was your best ever meal? The 2 Star Michelin, Heathcotes, Longridge What’s your favourite cookbook? The first book which most inspired me was Marco Pierre White's 'White Heat' What is the next restaurant you want to visit? The Hand and Flowers at Marlow What’s your favourite produce to work with? The abundance of game, literally on my doorstep Where would you go on a stage? Faviken in Sweden If you weren’t a Chef what would you be? Probably in the Army Who would be in your fantasy brigade? • Paul Heathcote • Marco Pierre White • Terry Laybourne • Nigel Haworth • Stephen Doherty What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into the industry? Work hard, never stop learning, be punctual, tidy up as you go - and get on with it! It's a great industry! For more information on Andrew Pern take a look at the following sites; • Website Andrew thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy day to take part in our recipe feature and good luck for the future. Why not try and recreate Andrew’s Black Pudding and Pan-Fried Foie Gras dish Enjoy, See you next month Andy Grilled Black Pudding with Pan-Fried Foie Gras, Apple and Vanilla Chutney, Salad of Pickering Watercress and Scrumpy Reduction (Serves 1) The Star’s No 1 bestseller. This dish is easily the most popular, remaining on the menu for at least the last nine years. It has been eaten by Lords, Ladies, famous actors, famous foodies, famous artists (aka Caine, Ronay and Hockney) as well as the locals alike. Very much a ‘rich man, poor man’ dish. Using the North Country staple of black pudding with the luxurious pan-fried foie gras, teamed with the apples and peppery Pickering watercress. Perfect! Ingredients • 10g of washed and trimmed watercress • Salt and pepper • Knob of butter • Apple and Vanilla Chutney • Sprigs of thyme for garnish • 2 slices black pudding • 1 slice caramelised apple • 1 decent slice of duck or goose foie gras • Scrumpy Reduction – made with apple juice and a splash of cider vinegar. • A dash of house vinaigrette Ingredients - Apple and Vanilla Chutney • 1 kilo Granny Smith apples with skin, ½ - 1cm diced • 3 medium shallots, finely diced • 200ml cider vinegar (or white wine, if you wish) • 1 fresh vanilla pod – split and de-seeded • 400g caster sugar • Pinch of salt Method Place everything into an ample sized thick-bottomed pan and reduce down until thickened and starting to caramelise. Cool down and tub up ready for using. Keep in a cool place. N.B - Place the vanilla pod into the pan with everything else to maximise the flavour. Dish Assembly Place five small piles of apple chutney at intervals around the plate; garnish each pile with a sprig of herb. In the centre of the plate dress a few seasoned leaves to form a little ‘salad’. Drizzle the reduction around the side of the plate. Lightly brush the slices of black pudding with melted butter and grill for 3 to 4 minutes. Whilst this is cooking heat a frying pan and pan-fry the foie gras for 1½ minutes each side. When cooked, stack alternatively; black pudding, foie gras, black pudding. Top with the slice of caramelised apple. Serve immediately. If you’re interested in working alongside top quality chefs such as Andrew Pern send your CV to andy.sinclair@p-r-c.co.uk or call 01202 203150. |
Friday 1 February 2013
Friday 30 November 2012
| 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: Damian Allsop - Owner, Damian Allsop Chocolates Ltd Damian Allsop has been Head Pastry Chef for over 20 years working in Michelin starred restaurants nearly all his life including 3 Michelin Star El Celler de Can Roca, The Aubergine with Gordon Ramsay and Locanda Locatelli with Giorgio Locatelli. It was whilst working with Giorgio in 2002 that Damian created his unique Water Ganache, below is more information about his unique product. What is a water ganache? A Ganache is a French word that is applied to a mixture made of chocolate and cream, often enriched with butter. By removing the cream and butter from the classic ganache recipe and replacing it with locally sourced spring water you can now taste the exact flavour of the chocolate used, the flavour delivery is more exciting and intense; the mouth feel is smooth and leaves a clean, fresh sensation. The big difference here is that everyone uses cream as their liquid, I use spring water, Hence the name Water Ganache. Why? For flavour, so you can taste the chocolate we choose, to respect all the work involved. When chocolate is made well, the flavour is beautifully complex and individual like a fine wine or a great single malt whisky, these delicate characteristic flavours are lost when you use cream. The result? A more intense, pure chocolate experience yet light and clean on the palette. How? We first must achieve an emulsion; this follows the same process as a classical emulsion, after this it’s all about a balance, choosing the right ingredients to deliver the right balance of flavour where each flavour has a voice and reason to be there, each chocolate is different, each flavour needs balancing to get harmony. Find out about Damian in our 60 seconds on the clock feature......... Damian where in the world are you from? I was born in a small village near Grimsby. What is your role at what would happen on a typical day? Every day is different, It's just Anna and I running the business with Terri on main production, so I could be helping in production, out meeting new clients, answering emails or developing new recipes for one our Michelin starred clients. Which chef influenced you the most? Joan Roca - El Celler de Can Roca What/where was your best ever meal? El Celler de Can Roca 3 years ago - the tasting menu What’s your favourite cookbook? Maricel Pressilla's A new Taste of Cacao What is the next restaurant you want to visit? Angela Hartnett’s Murano What’s your favourite produce to work with? Chocolate, of course!! Where would you go on a stage? Alinea looks very, very interesting! If you weren’t in Pastry Chef what would you be? Mechanical engineer or sculptor What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into the industry? What you put in, you get out. It takes time, be tenacious. For more information on Damian Allsop take a look at the following sites; • Website Damian thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy day to take part in our recipe feature and good luck for the future. Why not try and recreate Damian’s Award winning flavour changing bar Enjoy, See you next month Andy Damian Allsop’s Award-winning flavour changing bar Ingredients • Valrhona Manjari Dark Chocolate 64% • Raspberry puree • Basil leaves • Unrefined Golden Caster sugar Method • Blend your raspberry puree with 25% of its weight in sugar. • Spread this on a silpat and dry at 40`c. • Place equal amount of basil leaves and sugar in a blender and puree to a paste. • Spread on a silpat and dry at 40`c • For each 100g of chocolate use 20g raspberry crisp and 5-10g of basil crisp. • Temper the chocolate, add the crisps and pour into moulds If you’re interested in working alongside top quality chefs such as Damian Allsop send your CV to andy.sinclair@p-r-c.co.uk or call 01202 203150. |
| 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: Damian Allsop - Owner, Damian Allsop Chocolates Ltd Damian Allsop has been Head Pastry Chef for over 20 years working in Michelin starred restaurants nearly all his life including 3 Michelin Star El Celler de Can Roca, The Aubergine with Gordon Ramsay and Locanda Locatelli with Giorgio Locatelli. It was whilst working with Giorgio in 2002 that Damian created his unique Water Ganache, below is more information about his unique product. What is a water ganache? A Ganache is a French word that is applied to a mixture made of chocolate and cream, often enriched with butter. By removing the cream and butter from the classic ganache recipe and replacing it with locally sourced spring water you can now taste the exact flavour of the chocolate used, the flavour delivery is more exciting and intense; the mouth feel is smooth and leaves a clean, fresh sensation. The big difference here is that everyone uses cream as their liquid, I use spring water, Hence the name Water Ganache. Why? For flavour, so you can taste the chocolate we choose, to respect all the work involved. When chocolate is made well, the flavour is beautifully complex and individual like a fine wine or a great single malt whisky, these delicate characteristic flavours are lost when you use cream. The result? A more intense, pure chocolate experience yet light and clean on the palette. How? We first must achieve an emulsion; this follows the same process as a classical emulsion, after this it’s all about a balance, choosing the right ingredients to deliver the right balance of flavour where each flavour has a voice and reason to be there, each chocolate is different, each flavour needs balancing to get harmony. Find out about Damian in our 60 seconds on the clock feature......... Damian where in the world are you from? I was born in a small village near Grimsby. What is your role at what would happen on a typical day? Every day is different, It's just Anna and I running the business with Terri on main production, so I could be helping in production, out meeting new clients, answering emails or developing new recipes for one our Michelin starred clients. Which chef influenced you the most? Joan Roca - El Celler de Can Roca What/where was your best ever meal? El Celler de Can Roca 3 years ago - the tasting menu What’s your favourite cookbook? Maricel Pressilla's A new Taste of Cacao What is the next restaurant you want to visit? Angela Hartnett’s Murano What’s your favourite produce to work with? Chocolate, of course!! Where would you go on a stage? Alinea looks very, very interesting! If you weren’t in Pastry Chef what would you be? Mechanical engineer or sculptor What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into the industry? What you put in, you get out. It takes time, be tenacious. For more information on Damian Allsop take a look at the following sites; • Website Damian thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy day to take part in our recipe feature and good luck for the future. Why not try and recreate Damian’s Award winning flavour changing bar Enjoy, See you next month Andy Damian Allsop’s Award-winning flavour changing bar Ingredients • Valrhona Manjari Dark Chocolate 64% • Raspberry puree • Basil leaves • Unrefined Golden Caster sugar Method • Blend your raspberry puree with 25% of its weight in sugar. • Spread this on a silpat and dry at 40`c. • Place equal amount of basil leaves and sugar in a blender and puree to a paste. • Spread on a silpat and dry at 40`c • For each 100g of chocolate use 20g raspberry crisp and 5-10g of basil crisp. • Temper the chocolate, add the crisps and pour into moulds If you’re interested in working alongside top quality chefs such as Damian Allsop send your CV to andy.sinclair@p-r-c.co.uk or call 01202 203150. |
| 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: Damian Allsop - Owner, Damian Allsop Chocolates Ltd Damian Allsop has been Head Pastry Chef for over 20 years working in Michelin starred restaurants nearly all his life including 3 Michelin Star El Celler de Can Roca, The Aubergine with Gordon Ramsay and Locanda Locatelli with Giorgio Locatelli. It was whilst working with Giorgio in 2002 that Damian created his unique Water Ganache, below is more information about his unique product. What is a water ganache? A Ganache is a French word that is applied to a mixture made of chocolate and cream, often enriched with butter. By removing the cream and butter from the classic ganache recipe and replacing it with locally sourced spring water you can now taste the exact flavour of the chocolate used, the flavour delivery is more exciting and intense; the mouth feel is smooth and leaves a clean, fresh sensation. The big difference here is that everyone uses cream as their liquid, I use spring water, Hence the name Water Ganache. Why? For flavour, so you can taste the chocolate we choose, to respect all the work involved. When chocolate is made well, the flavour is beautifully complex and individual like a fine wine or a great single malt whisky, these delicate characteristic flavours are lost when you use cream. The result? A more intense, pure chocolate experience yet light and clean on the palette. How? We first must achieve an emulsion; this follows the same process as a classical emulsion, after this it’s all about a balance, choosing the right ingredients to deliver the right balance of flavour where each flavour has a voice and reason to be there, each chocolate is different, each flavour needs balancing to get harmony. Find out about Damian in our 60 seconds on the clock feature......... Damian where in the world are you from? I was born in a small village near Grimsby. What is your role at what would happen on a typical day? Every day is different, It's just Anna and I running the business with Terri on main production, so I could be helping in production, out meeting new clients, answering emails or developing new recipes for one our Michelin starred clients. Which chef influenced you the most? Joan Roca - El Celler de Can Roca What/where was your best ever meal? El Celler de Can Roca 3 years ago - the tasting menu What’s your favourite cookbook? Maricel Pressilla's A new Taste of Cacao What is the next restaurant you want to visit? Angela Hartnett’s Murano What’s your favourite produce to work with? Chocolate, of course!! Where would you go on a stage? Alinea looks very, very interesting! If you weren’t in Pastry Chef what would you be? Mechanical engineer or sculptor What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into the industry? What you put in, you get out. It takes time, be tenacious. For more information on Damian Allsop take a look at the following sites; • Website Damian thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy day to take part in our recipe feature and good luck for the future. Why not try and recreate Damian’s Award winning flavour changing bar Enjoy, See you next month Andy Damian Allsop’s Award-winning flavour changing bar Ingredients • Valrhona Manjari Dark Chocolate 64% • Raspberry puree • Basil leaves • Unrefined Golden Caster sugar Method • Blend your raspberry puree with 25% of its weight in sugar. • Spread this on a silpat and dry at 40`c. • Place equal amount of basil leaves and sugar in a blender and puree to a paste. • Spread on a silpat and dry at 40`c • For each 100g of chocolate use 20g raspberry crisp and 5-10g of basil crisp. • Temper the chocolate, add the crisps and pour into moulds If you’re interested in working alongside top quality chefs such as Damian Allsop send your CV to andy.sinclair@p-r-c.co.uk or call 01202 203150. |
Monday 29 October 2012
| 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. William Curley – Owner at William Curley Patissier Chocolatier We are very proud to introduce William Curley to our monthly recipe feature, William and his wife Suzue opened their first shop together in Richmond in 2004. After the success of this, they opened their second shop in Belgravia in 2009, which launched the first "dessert bar" in London, where customers can sit at the bar and sample a tasting menu of desserts created in front of them by the chefs. William's career began with an apprenticeship at Gleneagles and then moved on to train at numerous Michelin-starred establishments working with respected chefs and patissiers in the business including Pierre Koffman at La Tante Claire, Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons and Marco Pierre White at The Restaurant. At age 27, he then became the youngest Chef Patissier at The Savoy Hotel working with Anton Edelman (where he met Suzue), leading a team of 21 pastry chefs. Suzue is also a highly respected patissier. Originally from Osaka, Japan, Suzue moved to London in 1996 where she trained at Le Cordon Bleu. She has worked at Claridges and The Savoy where she was in charge of the world famous Afternoon Teas. William has won numerous awards, including The Caterer's Acorn Award, The Craft Guild Pastry Chef of the Year, The Academy of Culinary Arts Award of Excellence and British Dessert of the Year. Having won the William Heptinstall Scholarship, he was given the opportunity to work under Marc Meneau at L'Esperance in France. William has also been awarded the Best British Chocolatier accolade by the Academy of Chocolate from 2007-2011. Both William and Suzue have represented Scotland at international culinary events, winning Gold medals in Chicago and Basle, and then at the Culinary Olympics in Germany. William and Suzue are intensely passionate about their craft and dedicate themselves to creating inspiring chocolate and patisserie of the highest standard. With strong links with The Academy of Culinary Arts and The Academy of Chocolate, they strive to nurture the talent and aspirations of young pastry chefs in their team. Find out about William in our 60 seconds on the clock feature......... William where are you from? I'm from Fife, in Scotland What is your role at what would happen on a typical day? My role is to oversee the Curley brand and try and spend as much time as I can in the kitchen creating new products and developing our brand – this is what I love doing most – the creative side of the business. Which chef influenced you the most? All chefs I have worked with have influenced me in different ways. I was fortunate enough to work with both Raymond Blanc and Pierre Koffmann, and from both of them I learnt skills that I have been able to take away with me. What/where was your best ever meal? I would say Le Becasse in Osaka. Classic French cuisine, made to perfection What’s your favourite cookbook? Marco Pierre White’s: ‘White Heat’, it changed a generation. What is the next restaurant you want to visit? There are many restaurants in Japan I would love to visit next, however in the U.K. I would like to visit, Midsummer House in Cambridge, and L’ortolan in Reading Berkshire. What’s your favourite produce to work with? Amedei, simply great quality – they are by far the best chocolate producers in the world. Where would you go on a stage? I would love to do a stage with Hidemi Sugino, a great Japanese Pastry Chef. If you weren’t a chef what would you be? I have never thought of it, I am fortunate enough to be doing what I love. What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into the industry? A lot of dedication and enthusiasm and to get as much experience as you can, and make sure it is from the best. For more information on William Curley take a look at the following sites; • Website - www.williamcurley.com • Twitter - @William_Curley • Facebook - www.facebook.com/pages/William-Curley/156913156249 William thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy day to take part in our recipe feature and good luck for the future. Why not try and recreate Williams’s stunning Orange & Chocolate Sacher Enjoy, See you next month Andy Orange & Chocolate Sacher by William Curley Makes 3 x 56 x 9cm Frames- 26 portions Contents • Sacher sponge • Alhambra sponge • Orange ganache • Orange jelly • Dark chocolate mousse • Grand marnier syrup • Caramel glaze • gold Orange Ganache • 600g - Orange Juice • 60g - Caster sugar • 52g - Invert Sugar • 225g - Toscano brown chocolate • 225g - Toscano 65% dark chocolate • 75g - Unsalted butter Method Place the orange juice in a pan and reduce to 270g Chop the butter into cubes and allow to come to room temperature Finely chop the milk and dark chocolate and place into a bowl Place the caster sugar, glucose and invert sugar into a pan with the reduced orange juice bring to the boil Pour the orange mixture gradually over the chopped chocolate stirring to form an emulsion Add the butter and mix until smooth Orange Jelly • 680g - whole oranges • 410g - caster sugar • 200g - orange juice • 150g - caster sugar • 16g - pectin Method Mix the caster sugar(150g) and pectin together in a bowl With a peeler take off the rind of two of the oranges Roughly chop all of the oranges including the ones with the rind removed Place the rind and chopped flesh of the oranges into a pan with the orange juice and the caster sugar (410g) Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until it reached 1kg approx. Place into a thermo mix or food processer and blend for 5 minutes until smooth Return to the pan and re boil Add in the pectin and sugar and cook for 10 minutes on a low heat Cool slightly and spread into a tray lined with black sil pat mat 55cm x 28 cm and place into the freezer to set Sacher sponge - Makes 1x 60x40 • 100g - Ground Almonds • 100g - caster sugar • 20g - Egg whites • 65g - Icing sugar • 105g - Egg yolks • 75g - Egg whites • 125g - Eggs • 65g - Icing sugar • 50g - Plain flour • 25g - Cocoa powder • 50g - Chocolate 100% • 50g - Unsalted butter Method Pre heat the oven to 180C Line a tray with a silpat mat Sieve together the flour and cocoa powder. In a mixing bowl, beat together the ground almonds, caster sugar and egg whites (20g) until it binds together. Gradually mix in the icing sugar until smooth. Gradually mix in the eggs and egg yolks, beat until smooth and light for 4-5 minutes. Simultaneously whisk the egg whites and gradually add the icing sugar. Whisk to a firm meringue. Finely chop the chocolate, place into a metal bowl over a bain marie and melt, remove from the bain marie, and add the unsalted butter, mix until smooth. Beat the chocolate and almond mixes together. Fold in the flour and cocoa powder. Insure the mixture is smooth Carefully fold in the meringue. Spread the mixture onto the Silpat mat. Bake at 180-190°C for 15 minutes approximately. Remove from tray and cool on wire rack. Alhambra sponge Makes 2x 60x40cm trays • 400g - Whole eggs • 100g - Egg yolks • 200g - Unsalted butter • 160g - Caster sugar • 50g - plain Flour • 50g – Cornflour • 60g - Cocoa powder Method Pre heat the oven to 180C Sieve together the flour, cornflour and cocoa powder Mix together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar over a bain-marie. Heat up to 40°C mixing continuosly. Whisk until ribbon stage. Transfer to a larger bowl. Add small amount of sabayon to the melted butter mix until smooth Fold in the flour, cornflour and cocoa powder to the sabayon, when 2/3 of the dry ingredients have been folded in gently mix in the butter mixture Continue to fold in the dry ingredients until a smooth mixture is formed. Spread the sponge mixture onto the silpat mat, carefully spreading with a palette knife. Bake at 180°C for 18-20 minutes. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Dark Chocolate Mousse • 225g - whipping cream • 225g – Milk • 90g - Egg Yolks • 45g - Caster sugar • 600g - whipping cream • 480g - Toscano 66% Dark chocolate Method Finely chop the chocolate and place into a bowl Place the milk and whipping cream (225g) into a pan and bring to the boil Place the egg yolk and sugar in a bowl and whisk until smooth and light in colour When the milk and cream have boiled, pour half over the egg yolks and sugar mixture and mix thoroughly Add the mixture back into the pan, cook over a low heat stirring continuously until the mixture reaches 82-83C Take off the heat and pass through a fine sieve over the chocolate Using a spatula mix until it forms an emulsion. Leave to cool Place the whipping cream (600g) into a machine bowl and whisk until soft peaks form When the chocolate mix is cool, gradually mix in the whipping cream in three parts. Simple syrup • 375g - Caster Sugar • 450g - Water • 1g - Vanilla Method Boil the water and sugar together. Allow to cool completely. Caramel Glaze • 750g - Caster sugar • 700g - Whipping cream • 200g - Stock syrup • 80g - Cocoa butter • 450g - White chocolate • 450g - Toscano 65% Method Finely chop the chocolate and cocoa butter and place into a bowl Place the cream and stock syrup into a pan and bring to the boil Make a dry amber caramel with the caster sugar. Gradually add in the cream and stock syrup mixture to the caramel, add in the soaked gelatine. Pour over the chocolate in 3 parts forming a ganache consistency. Allow to cool, use al 30C To Assemble • Cut the sponges 9x56cm to fit into the frames, for each frame you will require 3 sacher sponge and 6 Alhambra sponges • Take the orange jelly out of the freezer de mould and cut 3 rectangle 9x55cm, place back into the freezer • Place the sacher sponge into the base of the frame, soak well with Grand Marnier syrup. • Pour 300g of ganache on top of the sacher sponge, spread evenly, place a sheet of the Alhambra sponge on top, soak well with simple syrup • Place the rectangle of orange jelly on top. • Place 250g of mousse on top and spread out evenly • Place the second sponge in top, soak well with simple syrup • Top up the frame with the remaining chocolate mousse. • Place into the freezer to set To Finish • De mould the entremets • Gently warm the caramel glaze, spoon generously onto the top of the entremets, and spread thinly • Allow to set • Cut into 3.5cm portions and trim the ends. • Decorate with chocolate decorations If you’re interested in working alongside top quality chefs such as William Curley send your CV to andy.sinclair@p-r-c.co.uk or call 01202 203150. |
Wednesday 1 August 2012
| 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: David Campbell – Head Chef – The Royal Crescent Hotel – Bath 5 Star ***** - Relais & Châteaux The Royal Crescent Hotel an impressively located luxury hotel in the World Heritage City of Bath, occupying the two central buildings of the world famous Royal Crescent. The hotel boasts 45 unique rooms offering guests the ultimate luxury accommodation and the stunning fine dining restaurant, The Dower House, the restaurant is headed up by Head Chef David Campbell previously of Pennyhill park. Find out about David in our 60 seconds on the clock feature......... Chris Where in the world are you from? Scotland, Helensburgh, small seaside town 20miles North of Glasgow Describe a typical day as head Chef at The Royal Crescent A typical day starts at 9, check deliveries are ok, check on the team, Sort out any supplier issues and then onto a section, Normally Sauce or larder, I like to be in the Kitchen, I’m not at all office based and never wish to be, I normally do a section for service, but will often do the pass, especially on a Friday or Saturday night Which chef influenced you the most? Michael Wignall and Marc Wilkinson, Watching them was a massive learning curve in terms of The attention to detail, focus and dedication you need to succeed, I’m not at their level, but if a little of what I learned from them rubs off then happy days. What / where was your best ever meal? Best ever meal, two stand out, Marco at the Oak room in 99, He was at his peak then, flawless cooking and service that I have not seen bettered since, more recently had the 10 course menu at Roganic, stunning food and really love what Simon Rogan does, he’s Britain’s Version of Rene Redzepi, inspirational What’s your favourite cookbook? Favourite cookbook is a tossup between The French laundry cookbook and Quay by Peter Gilmore, Visually both brilliant, The French laundry really gets across Keller’s Holistic approach to Cooking What is the next restaurant you want to visit? Next Restaurant to visit is Tom Aitkens, His new style looks Great, Very Natural broken style of food in understated room. What’s your favourite produce to cook with? Herb’s, I love herb’s, they give dishes real punch in flavour, we use a lot of Herb puree’s at the crescent to give dishes flavour kicks, also to finish things off, but they have to be appropriate to the dish and not just there for colour, We do a Basil Quinoa With a Bass dish at moment which is typical of where we use herbs to add real depth in flavour to a dish. Where would you go on a stage? Stage would love to go to L’enclume, Simon Rogan ticks all the boxes at the moment, Natural, innovative, lots of Vegetables and herbs and he seems a lovely guy too If you weren’t a chef what would you be? Would have gone into personal training, I love weight training, cycling and gym work, not much time for it at moment, but that’s what I would have done had I not become a chef What would be your advice to anyone looking to get into the industry? Work hard, start in as good a kitchen as possible, listen, respect the ingredients and eat in as many restaurants as you can afford to see what others are doing. For more information on David Campbell and The Royal Crescent Hotel, check out the hotel’s website www.royalcrescent.co.uk Follow David on Twitter @Royalcreschef Follow The Royal Crescent Hotel on Twitter @royalcrescent David thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy day to take part in our recipe feature and good luck for the future. Why not try and recreate David’s stunning Goat’s Cheese and Vanilla Cream dish Enjoy, See you next month Andy Goat’s Cheese and Vanilla Cream, Pickled Vegetables, Spiced Pastry, Toasted nuts and Seed’s Goat’s cheese cream • 300 grams Sussex slip cote • I x vanilla pod • 5g spice of angels • 50g Philadelphia • 150mils double cream • 1tbsp maple syrup Place Slip cote, vanilla, maple syrup and spice of angels in chilled robot coupe bowl and pulse for approx 1 min, be careful not too overwork or it may split! Scrape the sides down and then quickly incorporate the double cream on a high speed, check consistency and adjust if necessary, mix should spread but hold its shape on a plate! Vegetables • Candy beetroot x 3 • Stripy beetroot x1 • Shimeji mushrooms 1 x punnet • Butternut squash x 1 • Baby carrots x 8 • Radish x 2 • Baby Nave x 4 • Swede x 1 Pickle liquor • 200 mgs cold water • 200grams chardonnay vinegar • 50 grams castor sugar • 3g each white peppercorns • Fennel seeds • Coriander seeds • Star anise • 1 x bay leaf • 1 x red chilli split Place all ingredients in a pan, bring to the boil, cook for 3 mins then leave to cool, pass once cooled and store as required. To Prep vegetables, Trim all too desired shape or size, blanch and refresh in boiling salted water till al Dente, pickle individually using the pickle liquor for maximum of 2 hours, drain and Reserve for service Pastry • Feuille de Brick x 3 sheets • 30 g clarified butter • Maple syrup • Pinch of Mace Defrost Pastry, add 1 tbsp. to clarified butter and season with a pinch of mace, using a pastry brush carefully brush on the butter mix to the pastry sheets, layering up till you have a triple layer, place a sheet of silicone paper on either side and press between heavy baking sheets. Cook at 180C for 8/9 mins till pastry is crisp, golden brown and evenly cooked. Nuts and Seed’s • Black onion seeds • Caraway seeds • Poppy seeds • Cracked Almonds • Fennel seeds • Cracked Hazelnuts. Roast all for 2 minutes in a hot oven Service Place dollop of Goat’s Cheese on Centre of a plate, evenly work into a disc using the back of a small step palate knife, Sprinkle the various Nuts and seeds evenly on to the cheese, Season the vegetables with a touch of Hazelnut oil, salt and pepper and carefully assemble on top of the Goat’s Cheese, be careful to get different height points for presentation, once all vegetables are on carefully snap the Brick pastry sheet into shards, slide the shards into wherever there is gaps, garnish with Nasturtium, Red vein sorrel, Coriander cress, Navelwort, Viola’s and any other suitable leaf or Herb. Dress lightly with small amount of Hazelnut oil and serve. If you’re interested in working alongside top quality chefs such as David Campbell send your CV to andy.sinclair@p-r-c.co.uk or call 01202 203150. |
Tuesday 3 July 2012
| 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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