How to make Popcorn Pannacotta

As you know I like taking a dish and putting my own spin on things and it doesn't stop at dessert!!

This dish is far easier than it sounds but tastes great!

It does take a bit of time but well worth the effort!

So I popped my own sweet popcorn on the stove.

Get the deepest pan you have and chuck in your popcorn kernels so they cover the bottom. Now glug some oil in so they are just covered and sprinkle with sugar.

On a medium heat start to warm the pan shaking every now and then, when the first one pops get your lid on straight away and keep shaking until the popping stops.

First job done, now Pannacotta.

You need
1 litre cream
Sugar to taste
6 sheets gelatin
Popcorn

Take a litre of cream and gently warm through with some of that popcorn you made. Keep tasting until the popcorn flavour comes through and add sugar if you need it.

While thats infusing chuck your gelatin in cold water as per packet instructions.

After 5 minutes drain off the gelatin and squeeze all the water out.
Add this to your infused cream, stir in and then pass through a seive to remove the popcorn.

Pour into moulds and fridge until set.

Job done!!

I served mine with salted caramel sauce and some left over popcorn!

How to make perfect rice

I've been asked alot lately how to cook rice and if it matters what brand of rice is best to buy.

This method is so simple it even makes supemarket own brand rice brilliant.

First warm a good glug of oil in a sauce pan.

Then measure out 1 cup of rice and chuck it in. Keep stirring it so all the grains are coated. Cook the rice until it starts talking to you ( you will know what I mean when it happens, its like a sizzle ).

Then lob in 2 cups of hot water and bring to the boil.

When its boiled for a minute bang the lid on, turn the heat off and leave it. Never take off the lid until atleast 20 mins has gone.

Serve immediately or cool it down ( refresh ) with cold running water if you are going to use it for fried rice.

Because this method absorbs all the water you can muck about with flavours and use stock instead.

Never heat rice more than twice, so if you have made fried rice don't reheat the left overs. You could be very ill!!!

Piri Piri Pork

Ok so to try and help warm everyone up I knocked up this Piri Piri Pork dish.

A favourite flavour of mine and one I can't recall unleashing on the boys yet, but it went down a storm!!

The pork steaks themselves are just dusted with cajun spice and oven roasted on 185c for around 25 mins.

Piri Piri Sauce

I used
6 good sized red chillis
6 cloves of garlic
Drizzle of oil
Can chopped tomatoes
Some veg stock powder
Sugar

First roast off the chilli and garlic until they start to char round the edges and chuck them in a food blender.

Lob in your chopped tomatoes then add your stock powder to taste.

At this point slowly add some sugar and keep tasting. The sugar rounds off the flavour of the chilli and brings your tomato to life!!

Have a go!!

I served mine with new potatoes and a sweetcorn puree.

Our Christmas Dinner with a Twist!!

As you all know by now im not one for all the traditional goings on and christmas is no exception!!

Last year we only really broke from tradition by changing the dessert. this year we had a complete overhaul, and to be honest I wasnt sure how it would be received myself!!

Planning the menu took a good few weeks, just to get my head around what it is I wanted to do with it. And with inspiration from Mark Taylor at Premier Foods Service for the main (Turkey Wellington with something called Paxo inside!) I was well away!!

Heres the menu.

 

Starter

 

 

Homemade Duck Spring Rolls

 

 

 

Main

 

Turkey Wellington

(Turkey Escalope coated in Paxo and filled with homemade cranberry Sauce)

Honey Roast Parsnips

Baton Carrots

Roast Potatoes

Turkey Gravy

 

 

 

Dessert

 

Festive Cheesecake

(Homemade Orange Shortbread base topped with a Christmas Pudding inspired cheesecake and garnished with Cherry Brandy Sauce and Mango Coulis)

 

 

 

 

 

Massive thanks to all my team and the staff at the school for helping out to make this night such a massive and unexpected success!!

 

Also special thanks to my boss Janet Brown for letting me do what I do and Danny Wallace and the guys at Sheringhams for their exceptional quality vegetables and service.

 

 

 

Cheers guys its been wicked.

 



Authentic Dhal

Alot of you might not know that im blessed to be part of a punjabi family, so when I went to visit a couple of weeks ago I took the opportunity to nick this fantastic recipe.

Now when you taste proper indian food its worlds apart from what we might get from a takeaway!!

This recipe for dhal is in 2 parts, the lentils and the Turka. The Turka gives amazing flavour and depth and can be used in any dish you might want to make.

So for the lentils

1 full cup of green lentils

1/2 cup black lentils

5 cups water

1 1/2 tsp fresh ginger

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp garam masala ( punjabi is best )

Cook altogether until lentils are soft.

While thats cooking make your Turka

In 2 tbsp oil fry

1/2 tsp cumin seed

1 chopped onion

Brown these then add

8 cloves garlic

1 chopped green chilli

1 tsp fresh ginger

1/2 tsp masala

1/2 tsp cumin powder

Chuck this into your soften lentils and season to taste.

Thanks for letting me take your recipe Pinks!! You are a star

Enjoy!!

Micro herbs in a school???

Just wanted to say a bit about micro herbs and why I use them in a school!!

Micro herbs/Sakura cress are more commonly found in your high end fine dining restaurants and I think that has put chefs in my position off the idea of using them.

Yes the price might seem extravagant but the flavour and colours you get from them are amazing!!

A tray of Sakura cress costs me around £13. Don't get me wrong it is alot for just a garnish but a box will last me for 2 services so around 180 plates.

Now it sounds better, right??

Not only that but it really enhances the look of the dish. As chefs we are always taught you eat with your eyes first.

If you get chance to get some of these bad boys grab them!! Its not as expensive as you think!!

More Awards Ceremonies!!!

Well it was our annual company conference Friday 15th November which gives us employees chance to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Along with it is the awards, from manager of the year to the new addition this year of "comedy moment". Our company awards night has always been a good evening, and this year was no exception.

So my team picked up a silver award for our in house audits and I picked up a special recognition award.

Massive thanks to everyone involved in making the night a good one for us all and welldone to everyone that picked up a highly sort after award!!

Almost forgot we are in the educatering magazine this month page 62!!