FOOD + DRINK
Mother’ s Day AT HOME cont.
Five-Star Dinner At Home
Going out for a slap-up meal at a restaurant is always an exciting plan, but in reality good restaurants often get booked up quickly on memorable dates and they can be pretty pricey too. So, why not recreate the anticipation and finesse of a three-course meal at home? Make sure you make an effort with your table setting, put your mum’ s favourite music on and definitely don’ t forget the champagne!
We’ ve sourced some fantastic recipes from Gary Durrant, head chef at Hunter 486, the stylish restaurant within five-star boutique hotel The Arch London, which are sure to impress...
Starter:
CHILLED CUCUMBER AND AVOCADO SOUP WITH BROWN SHRIMP AND DILL( 4)
INGREDIENTS:
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• Half clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cucumbers peeled, seeds removed and sliced
• 650ml vegetable stock
• 1 medium avocado
• Half cucumber peeled, seeds removed and cut into small cubes
• 40g peeled brown shrimps
• 4 sprigs of dill
METHOD:
1. Cook the chopped onions and garlic in a little vegetable oil until soft and translucent.
2. Add the cucumber and cook for approximately 10 minutes until the cucumber is soft. Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Place in a liquidiser and blend until smooth.
5. Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl, and place this in a bowl of ice to chill the soup.
6. When the soup is cold, peel and chop the avocado, add to the soup and blend again until smooth; season with salt and black pepper – it’ s very important that the soup is cold before you add the avocado otherwise it will go brown and you’ re looking for a bright green colour.
8. To serve, pour into a chilled soup bowl and sprinkle over the peeled brown shrimps, the cubed cucumber and the chopped dill.
Main:
WHOLE SEA BASS WITH ORANGE BUTTER, FENNEL AND ROCKET SALAD( 2)
INGREDIENTS:
• 2 whole Seabass descaled and gutted( approx 400g each)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 lemon
• 125g unsalted butter
• 2tsp good quality sea salt
• Black pepper
• 70ml white wine
• Zest and juice of 1 medium orange
METHOD:
1. Season the inside of the fish and place crushed garlic, fennel and half a lemon inside.
2. Take a piece of strong kitchen foil( roughly 35cm square) and brush well with oil and a little butter.
3. Season one side of the fish with the sea salt and black pepper and place on the foil. Season the other side and sprinkle over the fennel seeds, white wine and a squeeze of lemon juice.
4. Scrunch up the sides of the foil to form a well sealed parcel and cook in the oven at 220-240 ° C for 20 minutes.
5. To make the orange butter, add the zest and orange juice to the soft butter, roll in cling film to form a cylinder and refrigerate until needed.
6. When the fish is cooked, gently open the parcel and place the fish with all the juices onto plates. Top with a slice of the orange butter and sprinkle over some fennel leafs.
7. Serve with a salad of shaved fennel and rocket.
Dessert:
CHOCOLATE AND AMARETTO MOUSSE( 2)
INGREDIENTS:
• 500ml milk
• 1tbsp plain flour
• 2tbsp caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 80ml Amaretto
• 100g dark chocolate
• 50g butter
• 30g Amaretti biscuits( crushed) and strawberries
METHOD: 1. Pour the milk into a saucepan and warm over a low heat. 2. In a separate pan, mix the flour, sugar and vanilla essence before slowly adding the warm milk. When all mixed together, put back on the heat and stir continuously for 2 minutes.
3. As the mixture heats up, whisk in the Amaretto. By this time the mixture should be thickening.
4. Take off the heat and stir in the butter and chocolate.
5. Serve immediately with sprinkled Amaretti biscuits and strawberries on top.
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