As part of the filming for my new TV?series which will be aired in the Autumn, I have been visiting the homes of some well known chefs to see what kind of food they cook at home. It's always interesting to see how, understandably, the food they make for their families is often very different to what they cook at work.
While a Michelin-starred chef may create haute cuisine looking like a piece of architecture on a plate in the restaurant, at home he or she tends to go for very simple wholesome grub.
When I went to visit Michelin-starred chef Galton Blackiston of Morston Hall in England's Norfolk last week we filmed him cooking, and then devoured afterwards the best Toad in the Hole ever.
I always reckoned Toad in the Hole was a very wintery dish, but eating it sitting outside his gorgeous home in front of his own cricket pitch (cricket is his first love) on a sunny evening with his own new baby carrots, spuds and asparagus on the side, it was the perfect early summer meal.
Toad in the Hole
Ingredients
4 tpsp Beef dripping
8 fat, good quality sausages (I would use Caherbeg pork sausages from Roscarbery in West Cork. Available in some supermarkets and delicatessens)
225g / 8oz flour
Pinch of salt
tsp sugar
4 eggs
½ cup of milk
Galton placed a few tablespoons of beef dripping (but you could also use duck or goose fat, or olive oil) in a roasting tray (about 18x30cm in size), which he then placed in a hot oven (his Aga). A few minutes later when the tray was hot and the fat smoking he took out the tray, placed it on a low heat on the hob, and covered the base of the tray in really delicious big fat sausages. The sausages went back into the oven and cooked for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile he made the batter, which is just like that of a Yorkshire pudding batter. Into a bowl went 225g / 8oz flour with a good pinch of salt and sugar. Into a well in the centre we cracked 4 eggs, then poured in enough milk while whisking all the time till you get a pancake batter-like consistency, about the thickness of rich double cream. The batter was then poured in all over the sausages and straight back into the oven for about half an hour till the whole thing was deep golden brown and puffed up.
Served in the roasting tray on the table with some gravy and the delicious buttered summer vegetables on the side, it was worth going all the way to Norfolk for.
Galton Blackiston's Lemon Sole With Parmesan And Cream
Galton made this delicious very quick and simple little fish dish on Market Kitchen a couple of months ago. Use plaice if you can't find any lemon sole.
Serves 4
A small knob of butter
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
700g/1lb 8oz lemon sole, skinned and filleted
juice of 1 large lemon
225ml / 8fl oz cream or double cream
75g / 3oz Parmesan, grated (though an Irish Desmond or Gabriel cheese would be just as delicious)
2 tbsp finely chopped Parsley
To serve: 4 stalks purple sprouting broccoli, trimmed of lower woody stalks
Melt the butter in a frying pan until foaming, then add the garlic and fry for about half a minute until softened.
Lay the sole fillets in the pan. Squeeze over the lemon juice and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Pour over the cream and sprinkle over the parmesan. Cook gently for 3-4 minutes, turning the fish over halfway through cooking, or until the fish is cooked through.
Cook the broccoli in a pan of boiling salted water for 5-6 minutes, or until tender but with a bit of bite.
To serve, place the fish onto serving plates and pour over the creamy cheese sauce. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve with the cooked broccoli.
Galton Blackiston's New Potatoes With Samphire And Broad Beans
This is another delicious recipe of Galton's. This salad, served without the poached eggs, would be a great accompaniment to the lemon sole with cream and parmesan.
Serves 4-6
225g / 8oz samphire (see note*)
500g / 1lb 2oz new potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
2 Shallots, peeled, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
175g / 6oz smoked streaky bacon, cut into lardons
125g / 4½ oz broad beans, out of their pods, skins removed (weigh when prepared)
large knob of salted butter
2 eggs, poached (optional)
Prepare the samphire by stripping the fronds from the main stalks, wash thoroughly and then blanch by plunging into a pan of unsalted, boiling water for 30 seconds. Refresh in iced water, drain thoroughly and set aside.
Place the new potatoes into a large pan of salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 10-18 minutes, or until just tender. Drain thoroughly.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and fry the shallots and garlic for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add the bacon and fry for a further 3-4 minutes, or until golden-brown. Add the drained new potatoes to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the potatoes are coloured all over. Stir in the samphire and broad beans, then melt in a knob of butter and toss well to coat. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
Spoon the new potatoes, bacon, samphire and broad beans onto a large serving plate and top with the two poached eggs (optional) and allow diners to help themselves.
INGREDIENT NOTE : SAMPHIRE (Marsh samphire), otherwise known as glasswort and sea asparagus, is an edible cacti-looking hardy plant that grows on beaches and salt marshes during the summer. Throw on a pair of wellies and pick your own at low tide, or you may be able to find some at your local farmers' market or a good fishmongers. It is usually boiled or steamed, tossed in a little butter, and understandably is best served with seafood.
Galton Blackiston's Raspberry And Rose Syllabub
This is a divine little boozy pudding, perfect for a summer Sunday lunch.
Serves 4
150 ml / 5fl oz cream Sherry
6 tbsp caster sugar
285g / 10oz raspberries, plus extra for decorating
juice of half a lime
150ml / 5fl oz rosé wine
Nutmeg, for grating
425ml / 14fl oz cream or double cream
Mix together the sherry, sugar, raspberries, lime juice and rose wine in a bowl. Leave for one hour, then blend in a liquidiser and push through a fine sieve.
Place the cream in a large bowl and pour in the fruit mixture. Whisk until thickened and light. Serve in tall glasses or a glass bowls with a grating of nutmeg and a few fresh raspberries.