Karen's Menu
Karen Cullen's dishes included cheese and asparagus tart and honey & whisky ice cream:
Cheese and Asparagus Tart
Makes either 1 10" tart, 4 individual tarts or 6 starter tarts
Ingredients
6 oz shortcrust pastry (ie made with 6 oz flour, 3 oz fat)
1 1b asparagus
3 large free range (preferably organic) eggs
2 oz cheddar cheese
Heaped tablespoon each of gruyere and freshly grated parmesan
¾ pint double cream
Salt and black pepper
Blind bake the pastry cases(es). Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Line the tart tin(s). Allow the pastry to rest in the fridge for 30 mins. Prick the base of the pastry. Put tin foil or grease proof paper onto the pastry and weigh down with baking beans, or, as I use, a handful of small pebbles kept for the purpose. Bake for 10 mins. Remove foil and pebbles and bake for a further 5–10 mins until very pale golden.
Trim the asparagus – bend until it breaks and then partially cook the tip end for 4–5 mins, (the stalks can be used for soup etc). Arrange the asparagus over the tart base. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the asparagus. Whisk the eggs until frothy and then add the cream and beat together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus and cheddar. Sprinkle the Parmesan and Gruyere over the top. Cook at 190 degrees for 35–45 mins until golden brown and a bit risen.
Serve hot or warm.
Lamb Stuffed with Apricots and Mushrooms with Marsalla or Madeira redcurrant gravy
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 whole leg of lamb, tunnel boned (ask the butcher for the bones to make stock)
Ingredients (for the stuffing)
4 ozs mushrooms, very finely chopped
half a medium onion very finely chopped
4 ozs dried apricots (no soak variety) very finely chopped
2 slices bread (white or granary)
Liquid – egg, milk or any fruit juice is good
1 small tablespoon fresh or dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and black pepper
Combine all the ingredients, except the liquid, thoroughly. Add the liquid until the mixture just holds together. Stuff the tunnel in the leg of lamb – it will be a tight fit – this is intentional – it will swell even more during cooking to provide lots of crispy stuffing. Rub the outside of the Leg of lamb with garlic, salt and pepper.
Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Put the lamb, on a rack, into the oven for 20 mins until sizzling. Reduce heat to 160 degrees and cook for a further 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Remove from oven and wrap the whole thing – including spilled out stuffing in tin foil and allow to rest for 30 mins.
Gravy
Tip most of the fat from the baking tin and pour the juices and residue into a saucepan. Add 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour. Cook over a low heat, stirring continuously, to a smooth paste. Gradually add some of the stock made from the lamb bones (about 1 pint). Pour in a good dollop (about 1–2 decent wine glasses) of Marsalla or Madeira. Add 1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly. Boil rapidly until reduced by at least half.
Taste – you can sneak in a stock cube at this stage if the lamb stock hasn’t provided enough flavour. Check seasoning – add salt and pepper if necessary.
Tip: To remove fat from gravy if you haven't got time to put it in the fridge overnight, take off the heat for a couple of minutes and add a handful of ice cubes, leave for about 1 min and remove – the surplus fat will come out with the ice cubes (don't leave in too long or the ice cubes will melt the fat back into the gravy).
Honey & Whisky Ice Cream
Ingredients
4 egg yolks
250gm (8oz) thick honey
1 pint double cream
2-3fl oz whisky (measure this very carefully – too much and it won't set)
Whisk the egg yolks with the honey until the mixture has doubled in volume. Whisk in the cream and add the whisky to taste. Pour into containers and freeze for 2 to 3 hours or longer. No need to beat during setting – it'll happen (if you haven't added too much whisky!)
Recipe from Good Housekeeping Magazine (June 1997).
Dinner Party 2: Gordon Todd
Makes either 1 10" tart, 4 individual tarts or 6 starter tarts
Ingredients
6 oz shortcrust pastry (ie made with 6 oz flour, 3 oz fat)
1 1b asparagus
3 large free range (preferably organic) eggs
2 oz cheddar cheese
Heaped tablespoon each of gruyere and freshly grated parmesan
¾ pint double cream
Salt and black pepper
Blind bake the pastry cases(es). Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Line the tart tin(s). Allow the pastry to rest in the fridge for 30 mins. Prick the base of the pastry. Put tin foil or grease proof paper onto the pastry and weigh down with baking beans, or, as I use, a handful of small pebbles kept for the purpose. Bake for 10 mins. Remove foil and pebbles and bake for a further 5–10 mins until very pale golden.
Trim the asparagus – bend until it breaks and then partially cook the tip end for 4–5 mins, (the stalks can be used for soup etc). Arrange the asparagus over the tart base. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the asparagus. Whisk the eggs until frothy and then add the cream and beat together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus and cheddar. Sprinkle the Parmesan and Gruyere over the top. Cook at 190 degrees for 35–45 mins until golden brown and a bit risen.
Serve hot or warm.
Lamb Stuffed with Apricots and Mushrooms with Marsalla or Madeira redcurrant gravy
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 whole leg of lamb, tunnel boned (ask the butcher for the bones to make stock)
Ingredients (for the stuffing)
4 ozs mushrooms, very finely chopped
half a medium onion very finely chopped
4 ozs dried apricots (no soak variety) very finely chopped
2 slices bread (white or granary)
Liquid – egg, milk or any fruit juice is good
1 small tablespoon fresh or dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and black pepper
Combine all the ingredients, except the liquid, thoroughly. Add the liquid until the mixture just holds together. Stuff the tunnel in the leg of lamb – it will be a tight fit – this is intentional – it will swell even more during cooking to provide lots of crispy stuffing. Rub the outside of the Leg of lamb with garlic, salt and pepper.
Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. Put the lamb, on a rack, into the oven for 20 mins until sizzling. Reduce heat to 160 degrees and cook for a further 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Remove from oven and wrap the whole thing – including spilled out stuffing in tin foil and allow to rest for 30 mins.
Gravy
Tip most of the fat from the baking tin and pour the juices and residue into a saucepan. Add 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour. Cook over a low heat, stirring continuously, to a smooth paste. Gradually add some of the stock made from the lamb bones (about 1 pint). Pour in a good dollop (about 1–2 decent wine glasses) of Marsalla or Madeira. Add 1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly. Boil rapidly until reduced by at least half.
Taste – you can sneak in a stock cube at this stage if the lamb stock hasn’t provided enough flavour. Check seasoning – add salt and pepper if necessary.
Tip: To remove fat from gravy if you haven't got time to put it in the fridge overnight, take off the heat for a couple of minutes and add a handful of ice cubes, leave for about 1 min and remove – the surplus fat will come out with the ice cubes (don't leave in too long or the ice cubes will melt the fat back into the gravy).
Honey & Whisky Ice Cream
Ingredients
4 egg yolks
250gm (8oz) thick honey
1 pint double cream
2-3fl oz whisky (measure this very carefully – too much and it won't set)
Whisk the egg yolks with the honey until the mixture has doubled in volume. Whisk in the cream and add the whisky to taste. Pour into containers and freeze for 2 to 3 hours or longer. No need to beat during setting – it'll happen (if you haven't added too much whisky!)
Recipe from Good Housekeeping Magazine (June 1997).
Dinner Party 2: Gordon Todd