Julia's Menu
Julia John's dishes included crab salad and fish pie:
Crab, avocado and endive salad
Serves 5
Ingredients
1lb fresh white crabmeat
I red pepper, grilled, de-skinned and finely chopped
1 avocado chopped and tossed in lemon juice
Half a small can sweet corn
A little freshly ground black pepper
Carefully mix all the ingredients together and chill. Do not add too much red pepper as it will overwhelm the flavour of the crab. Add it a bit at a time and taste it to make sure (half might be enough).
Dress endive leaves with:
To make the dressing, mix equal quantities of freshly squeezed orange juice and extra virgin olive oil, add a splash of balsamic vinegar, a good slug of sesame oil, plenty of meaux mustard and a good dollop of runny honey and whisk vigorously
I dressed the plate with 2 or 3 endive leaves, a few slices of thinly sliced cucumber, a cherry tomato, halved, a piece of lemon, and a little lambs lettuce.
Place a generous scoop of the crab mixture on the plate next to the leaves, rather than on them, and sprinkle with fresh chives.
Fish pie
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
5lbs old potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward - don't use new potatoes for mashing)
8oz mushrooms
3 cloves crushed garlic
1lb prawns
1 1/2 lbs skinned and boned cod or haddock fillet
1lb skinned and boned undyed smoked haddock
3 oz butter
3 tbsp flour
¾ bottle of dry white wine
2 tbsp grainy or Dijon mustard (not English)
6oz grated mature cheddar
Two tbsp of fresh parmesan
Pint single cream
Black pepper to season
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg to mash with potato
Four king prawns in their shells and a handful of parsley (for garnish)
Make a roux with butter and Flour, then start adding single cream, add plenty of black pepper, and once the sauce is a little thinner, add white wine. About half and half with the cream. Add plenty of grated mature cheddar, freshly grated parmesan and some grainy mustard to taste. Stir well, and cook on a low heat until the sauce is nice and thick but still pours off the spoon easily. Add pinch of black pepper (but no salt).
Sauté some sliced button mushrooms in butter and a little oil, and add crushed garlic when they are nearly done. Careful you don't burn it. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a little salt.
Cut your un-dyed smoked haddock into 2" chunks and do the same with the cod - use half and half quantity. Place in an ovenproof dish. Scatter over some large cooked prawns and the mushrooms. Add a quantity of finely chopped parsley and mix well.
Pour over the sauce.
Peel and chop a quantity of good quality potato, boil in plenty of salted water and mash with butter, cream, black pepper and a little nutmeg. Spoon or pipe over top and cook on gas mark 5, 180 degrees until top is browned and the sauce is starting to bubble up. Garnish with chopped parsley and king prawns in their shells.
Gratin of fresh summer fruits with pears and Amaretti biscuits
Serves 5
Ingredients
8oz amoretti biscuits
3tbsps amaretto liquer
1 sliced kiwi
1 pear
1 small punnet of raspberries
1 small punnet of blueberries
1 small punnet of strawberries
1 peach (or other fruit as desired)
1 tub (250gm) marscapone
1 tub (250gm) thick greek yoghurt
2 tbsps soft dark or light brown sugar
Slice strawberries, pears and peaches or nectarines (you don't need to peel the pears) and pop into a bowl with blueberries, raspberries and whatever else you fancy (apples don't work, but pineapple and kiwi do - it needs to be soft fruit). Pour over a liquor such as grand marnier, cointreau, amaretto or brandy.
Mix together equal quantities of mascarpone and Greek yogurt. Crush plenty of amoretti biscuits and place in a shallow ovenproof dish, pour over a little more liquor. Just before you are ready to serve the pud, pile the fruit on top of the biscuits, then spread the topping over it with a palate knife.
Sprinkle with plenty of soft dark brown sugar and place under a pre-heated grill until it's bubbling - not too long. Decorate with mint leaves and fresh berries.
Dinner Party 3: Paula Pearson
Serves 5
Ingredients
1lb fresh white crabmeat
I red pepper, grilled, de-skinned and finely chopped
1 avocado chopped and tossed in lemon juice
Half a small can sweet corn
A little freshly ground black pepper
Carefully mix all the ingredients together and chill. Do not add too much red pepper as it will overwhelm the flavour of the crab. Add it a bit at a time and taste it to make sure (half might be enough).
Dress endive leaves with:
To make the dressing, mix equal quantities of freshly squeezed orange juice and extra virgin olive oil, add a splash of balsamic vinegar, a good slug of sesame oil, plenty of meaux mustard and a good dollop of runny honey and whisk vigorously
I dressed the plate with 2 or 3 endive leaves, a few slices of thinly sliced cucumber, a cherry tomato, halved, a piece of lemon, and a little lambs lettuce.
Place a generous scoop of the crab mixture on the plate next to the leaves, rather than on them, and sprinkle with fresh chives.
Fish pie
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
5lbs old potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward - don't use new potatoes for mashing)
8oz mushrooms
3 cloves crushed garlic
1lb prawns
1 1/2 lbs skinned and boned cod or haddock fillet
1lb skinned and boned undyed smoked haddock
3 oz butter
3 tbsp flour
¾ bottle of dry white wine
2 tbsp grainy or Dijon mustard (not English)
6oz grated mature cheddar
Two tbsp of fresh parmesan
Pint single cream
Black pepper to season
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg to mash with potato
Four king prawns in their shells and a handful of parsley (for garnish)
Make a roux with butter and Flour, then start adding single cream, add plenty of black pepper, and once the sauce is a little thinner, add white wine. About half and half with the cream. Add plenty of grated mature cheddar, freshly grated parmesan and some grainy mustard to taste. Stir well, and cook on a low heat until the sauce is nice and thick but still pours off the spoon easily. Add pinch of black pepper (but no salt).
Sauté some sliced button mushrooms in butter and a little oil, and add crushed garlic when they are nearly done. Careful you don't burn it. Add plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a little salt.
Cut your un-dyed smoked haddock into 2" chunks and do the same with the cod - use half and half quantity. Place in an ovenproof dish. Scatter over some large cooked prawns and the mushrooms. Add a quantity of finely chopped parsley and mix well.
Pour over the sauce.
Peel and chop a quantity of good quality potato, boil in plenty of salted water and mash with butter, cream, black pepper and a little nutmeg. Spoon or pipe over top and cook on gas mark 5, 180 degrees until top is browned and the sauce is starting to bubble up. Garnish with chopped parsley and king prawns in their shells.
Gratin of fresh summer fruits with pears and Amaretti biscuits
Serves 5
Ingredients
8oz amoretti biscuits
3tbsps amaretto liquer
1 sliced kiwi
1 pear
1 small punnet of raspberries
1 small punnet of blueberries
1 small punnet of strawberries
1 peach (or other fruit as desired)
1 tub (250gm) marscapone
1 tub (250gm) thick greek yoghurt
2 tbsps soft dark or light brown sugar
Slice strawberries, pears and peaches or nectarines (you don't need to peel the pears) and pop into a bowl with blueberries, raspberries and whatever else you fancy (apples don't work, but pineapple and kiwi do - it needs to be soft fruit). Pour over a liquor such as grand marnier, cointreau, amaretto or brandy.
Mix together equal quantities of mascarpone and Greek yogurt. Crush plenty of amoretti biscuits and place in a shallow ovenproof dish, pour over a little more liquor. Just before you are ready to serve the pud, pile the fruit on top of the biscuits, then spread the topping over it with a palate knife.
Sprinkle with plenty of soft dark brown sugar and place under a pre-heated grill until it's bubbling - not too long. Decorate with mint leaves and fresh berries.
Dinner Party 3: Paula Pearson