Restaurant review: Caravan King’s Cross

I first stumbled across Caravan a few weeks ago when out for a drink with an old friend. Looming dramatically in the beautifully renovated Granary Building as you walk across the open rear of King’s Cross I was filled with excited anticipation. Hype and rave reviews sprawled across the internet suggested that this was the place to visit, and I couldn’t wait to sneak a peak. I was not disappointed; the space inside was wonderful. A big room transformed into an intimate, electric atmosphere with an open kitchen and working coffee roaster. It was Tuesday and packed, noise loud from chatter and an hour wait for tables. We decided not to wait on this occasion but I was taken, and instantly booked a table for Katie and I for a week later. 

I spent that week raving about this new place behind King’s Cross to anyone who would listen for long enough, and counted down the days until finally Saturday night came. Kate and I have had the fortune of eating at some great restaurants recently, and I couldn’t wait to show her this new place that I had discovered. 

But when I opened the door this time something was different. Things seemed brighter, quieter and far less of a bustle, and instead of competing with talk circulating the room we were conscious of sharing our conversation with the table an elbow away. This was a minor thing really, and we were soon salivating over the menu. And it was an impressive list, the sort where you wanted to eat everything. I instantly knew that I would be jealous of whatever Katie chose, so we decided to share. The menu was split into a number of options, from picky bits, small plates, mains and pizzas, and reasonably priced too. We went for a couple of starters followed by the lamb gnocchi for Katie and a pizza for me. 

Those first two plates were a joy. One held a large dollop of creamy burrata, vibrant with pesto and crumbed olive, and the other slabs of jalapeno cornbread with a chilli butter. Two things unlikely to be found together on a menu anywhere else, but the flavours were terrific and portions just right. Our snug table neighbours saw this and ordered the same. First course in and very impressed. 

I really wish that we had have just ordered more of the small plates and left it at that, as our mains were a different story. I don’t really have much to report about the serrano ham, jalapeno and Taleggio pizza. Admittedly a meat and chilli pizza is a far from inspired order, but a good pizza is a thing of beauty, and I could have stopped off at half a dozen understated Italian restaurants between Stoke Newington and Kings Cross and got something so much better. There was nothing offensive with this pizza, it was just underwhelming. Fair enough it was £7.00, but I would much rather have paid double and had something a bit better executed. It came with a garnish plate with chillies, herbs and oils which was quite cool, but that pizza needed so much more than that to revive it.

Katie’s choice was a glorious looking bowl of gnocchi bound with sauce thickened with meltingly fall apart lamb and olives. As we were sharing I could not wait to wolf down half of my flaccid pizza and get stuck into that, but Katie had other ideas. It appeared that when reheating the sauce, it had been carelessly boiled to a temperature slightly lower than the surface of the sun. The only thing melting that she could taste was the skin on the top of her mouth. Thankfully it had cooled by the time my turn came around, and actually it was really lovely. It was that soft, rich, comforting taste that brings memories of old home cooked family meals and holidays abroad. The texture of the gnocchi itself though was unspectacular, and to be honest I expected more; light little pillows instead of heavy and stodgy. A little critical, but when you go to places with such hype you expect something above average. 

We skipped dessert and went straight for the coffee, and thankfully this failed to disappoint. We were both in agreement that the flat whites were superb, and it was great to sit in the same room where the beans had been roasted. 

We left with the distinct feeling that we had ordered the wrong things, and that we should have just stuck to a wider selection of the small plates that had provided such a good start.  But the experience as a whole is what makes eating out it’s best. I was left slightly fed up of how trendiness was becoming bigger than the thing itself. Some of the food was good yes, but the service throughout the evening had that tinge of glazed smugness to it, like we were just another number walking through the door. We asked for a minute when deciding what to order, and the impatience was clearly visible. The minimal storage layout also slightly irked me; it can be very beautiful having everything on open shelves, but in all honestly I don’t want to know where you store your blue roll. The sign of a really good meal is that you never want it to end, for that last mouthful to keep on going. In this case I wasn’t particularly bothered, and wanted to see what the rest of the evening had in store (half-cut Boris bikes to ice cream cones in Camden proved far more entertaining). 

I think that Caravan would be great for an afterwork drink and snack, or for a quick lunch. But as a full dinner experience it didn’t really cut it for me. Caravan could be brilliant, but it needs to look again at creating a harmonious experience for the customer.

Crab risotto with basil oil, brown meat mayonnaise and tomatoes

It surprises me that it’s taken just over a year for me to post a risotto recipe. Now that the days are longer and it’s a bit warmer, a bowl of light risotto is a perfect midweek dinner to have sat on the balcony in the evening sun. The joy of risottos are they can be as simple or complicated as you want them to be, and they are often a saviour when you need to make a meal out of the scant remnants in the fridge. They were one of the first things that I learned to cook post university, when it wasn’t considered acceptable to live on a diet of lasagne and poorly cooked steaks. My dad also makes a mean risotto, usually the centrepiece of a big family gathering and usually using vegetables that he has pulled from the ground that very day. Good times and full stomachs. 

For this recipe I have returned to an old favourite, crab. These early summer evenings just cry out for a fresh piece of seafood, and I fear that it may be weeks before I’m lusting over a piece of red meat again. My mind has sprung to life with recipes that make the most of light, delicate fish and zingy citrus and herbs. I was particularly inspired by the idea of a crab risotto because I saw it made on Masterchef during the finals this week. On that occasion, the cook made a real mess of it, but in my head it lit a spark and from then I craved it. Luckily, I work just across the road from a good fishmongers so was able to pop over and get my hands on a crustacean that was perfect for the job. Risottos are normally associated with stodgy cold weather meals, but with crab, lemon and basil flavours running through it’s much lighter. I used very similar ingredients in my crab and scallop ravioli recipe that I posted last year and I couldn’t help using them again; they complement the crab perfectly without overpowering. The dish still tastes distinctly crabby - the worst thing you can do to crab or any other shellfish is mask the taste with heavy flavourings. 

To someone who has never worked with crab, especially live ones, they can seem really daunting. However, there is a mine of online information about how to prepare one yourself, with videos and photos to make the directions easier to follow. The best thing to do is just get stuck in and learn as you go along. Once you’ve prepared a couple it gets loads quicker and are even dead easy for midweek after work suppers. Sourcing your crab is important. Always try and buy them live or freshly cooked from a local fishmongers, as they will taste way better and fresher than any supermarket bought alternatives. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 crab, cooked with brown and white meat removed and kept separate

For the stock:

2 fennel bulbs, sliced

2 shallots, sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1/2 red chilli, sliced

4 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 tsp smoked paprika

A small pinch of saffron

1 litre light chicken stock

1/2 glass dry white wine

Legs and claw shells from the leftover crab

Salt and pepper

For the risotto:

1 shallot, finely sliced

Splash of brandy

5/6 of a mug of arborio risotto rice

The white meat from the crab

1 lemon, juice only

30g butter

Salt and pepper

For the brown meat mayonnaise:

The brown meat from the crab

1 egg yolk

Splash white wine vinegar

400ml vegetable oil

1/2 lemon, juice only

Salt and pepper

For the basil oil:

2 bunches basil

100ml olive oil

1/2 tsp caster sugar

Salt and pepper

For the tomatoes:

1 plum tomato

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp caster sugar

To finish:

Red amarinth leaves

First make the stock. Heat up a large saucepan with a little olive oil to a medium heat. When hot, add the crab and lightly caramelise on all sides. Chuck in the fennel, shallot, garlic, chilli, seasoning, saffron and smoked paprika and cook for a couple of minutes until everything starts to soften. Pour in the white wine and bring to the boil to cook out the alcohol. Add the chopped tomatoes and stir through for another minute before adding the hot chicken stock. Bring to the boil then turn down to a simmer and cook for around 20 minutes, until the stock is full of flavour and colour. Strain the liquid through a sieve into another saucepan and discard the shell and vegetables. Keep warm.

Heat up about a litre of lightly salted water in a small saucepan.

Whilst the stock is cooking make the basil oil. When the water is boiling quickly blanch the bunches of basil for about 20 seconds, then remove with a slotted spoon, keeping the same water for use later. Transfer the basil to a small food processor with the oil, sugar, salt and pepper and blitz well until very fine. Taste and adjust if needed. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl or bottle and set aside. 

Also make the mayonnaise. Put the brown crabmeat into a high-sided bowl with the egg yolk, salt and pepper and white wine vinegar. Whisk well until frothy. Carry on whisking whilst very slowly adding the vegetable oil until all of it has been emulsified into a thick mayonnaise. Squeeze in a little of the lemon juice and taste. Adjust the seasoning if needed and pour into a bottle. Set aside. 

To prepare the tomato, score a cross into the bottom of it and put it in the water still boiling from the basil earlier. Boil for about a minute, then remove and plunge in a bowl of cold water. Pull the skins off, then slice segments of the flesh from around the edge. Discard the seeds from the middle. Cut the flesh of the tomatoes into 1/2cm squares and place into a small bowl. Dress with the olive oil and sugar and set aside.

Put a large frying pan or skillet onto a medium heat with a little olive oil. When hot, add the chopped shallot then season and fry for a couple of minutes until tender. Add the rice and cook for another minute or two, stirring to coat the grains. Pour in the brandy and allow to bubble away and cook out. Add a ladle of the hot stock and allow the rice to absorb the liquid before adding the next. Stir regularly. When the rice starts to get plumper and the starch has thickened the mixture, start tasting a grain every so often to judge the cooking. The rice is cooked when soft with a little bite remaining, and it should be wet enough to spread out once dolloped onto a plate. At this point stir in the white crabmeat, butter and lemon. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. 

To serve, spoon a good amount of the rice into the middle of a shallow bowl and shake to spread out evenly. Squeeze a few blobs of the mayonnaise evenly on top and place some of the tomato pieces around the middle. Scatter some of the amarinth leaves over the top and drizzle a little bit of the basil oil around the edge.

Egg yolk and ricotta ravioli with asparagus, asparagus puree, smoked salmon and capers

Tomorrow this blog will be a year old; I can’t believe how quickly the time has gone! In that time I have made 47 posts of recipes and reviews, way more than I ever could have hoped when starting out. I’ve certainly come a long way in my cooking, and continue to learn with everything I make. By blogging I have become competitive with myself, trying to make the dish that I am cooking even better than the last. I’d never have thought that my blog would drive me to make things like ballotines and consommes, and I’m excited about what’s to come in the future. Writing about food has also been really fun, I enjoy the weekly cooking routine and I have met some wonderful like-minded people along the way. Long may it continue!

This recipe is another example of something that I would never have thought of making a year ago. I first discovered the concept of an egg yolk ravioli a while ago when it was featured on a cooking programme, potentially Masterchef from memory. It sounded great; perfectly cooked pasta with a soft filling and runny egg yolk pouring out. All of my favourite things in one go! It did look really complicated though, requiring a very delicate approach to avoid breakages. 

This proved to be the case when constructing the ravioli, but I have to admit that is was easier than I first anticipated. I found that the key is to make a little cup in the filling that will encase and protect the yolk while you seal the pasta. Timings are just the same as I would use when cooking normal ravioli. A poached egg cooks in 2 minutes, so after that time the pasta was cooked and the yolk still good and runny. A great tip with ravioli and pasta in general that I have recently learned is to use cous cous to dust the outside of the finished pasta instead of flour. Whist cooking, flour tends to form a claggy paste around the pasta whilst cous cous just drops to the bottom of the water.

The other thing that I had to think about with this dish was what to serve alongside the ravioli. I have seen it made with just a simple butter sauce in the past, but for this recipe I wanted to add a few more elements. I thought about using mushrooms, which would have been lovely, but I am aware that I have cooked with mushrooms loads recently so don’t want to be too much of a one trick pony! Instead I chose to wait until the British asparagus season was upon us and make use of the extremely short period that such an amazing ingredient is available to us. Those imported Peruvian ones available aren’t nearly as good! Asparagus is so good with boiled and poached eggs so I was sure it would be great with this. By using it simply boiled and in pureed form it makes it a bigger component of the dish and not just something stuck on the side. The other thing that I have used is smoked salmon, which adds a lovely smokey taste and rounds everything off. 

A note on the amarinth leaves. As I have said before, micro leaves should not just be used to make a plate look pretty, as every ingredient should contribute to the overall taste. In this case they add a subtle beetroot flavour with gives the recipe a nice earthiness. If you can’t find any, baby watercress would give pepperiness that would work.

Serves 2

Ingredients: 

For the pasta: 

100g strong ‘00’ flour, plus more for dusting

1 medium egg

1 tbsp olive oil

pinch of salt

150g good ricotta

1 tbsp tarragon leaves, finely chopped 

1/2 lemon, juice only

Salt and pepper

2 egg yolks, whites kept for brushing

1 tbsp cous cous

For the asparagus puree:

6 stalks asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2” pieces

1 lemon, juice only

50g butter, at room temperature and cut into small cubes

Salt and pepper

To finish: 

The tops of 4 asparagus stalks, peeled, the rest used for the puree

4 slices good smoked salmon, trimmed

1 tsp capers, rinsed

A few pinches of red amarinth leaves

First make the pasta dough by tipping the flour onto a work surface. Make a hole in the middle and crack in the egg and add the oil and salt. Using a fork mix well, incorporating the flour bit by bit. When incorporated, knead well with your hands for 5-10 minutes, or until the dough feels smooth and elastic in texture. Wrap with clingfilm and leave to rest for at least fifteen minutes, preferably longer. 

While the pasta is resting make the filling by combining the ricotta, chopped tarragon, lemon and seasoning. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, you want the seasoning to be quite high to balance with the egg yolk. Set aside. 

Put a small saucepan of seasoned water on to boil. 

To make the asparagus puree, boil the asparagus until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the water and transfer to a food processor with the seasoning and lemon juice. Blitz well, then add the butter a cube at a time. Combine again. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then strain through a fine sieve into a bowl. Set aside.

When the pasta has rested, remove it from the fridge and using a pasta machine roll it through every setting until it is the thinnest it can be. Cut the pasta sheet into two, and using a 3 1/4” pastry cutter gently mark two circles onto one of the sheets. Arrange one teaspoon of the ricotta mixture in the middle of each circle and create a deep indent that will hold the egg yolk. Very carefully separate the egg yolks, reserving the whites, and tip the yolk into the centre of each filling. Brush some of the egg white around each filling, covering an area larger than will be needed once the pasta is cut. Cut the other pasta sheet into large squares, and one at a time, very delicately position over pile mound of filling. Starting from one end, seal the pasta sheets together, pushing any air bubbles out. When fully sealed, cut around the fillings with the cutter. Dust with a small amount of the flour and move to a plate lined with baking parchment and scattered with the cous cous. Set aside white you finish the dish. 

Fill up 2 saucepans with well seasoned water and bring to the boil. 

When the water is boiling in both pans, drop the asparagus tips into one and boil for 3 minutes. After one of the minutes, put the ravioli into the other pan and cook for the remaining 2 minutes. 

While the asparagus and pasta are cooking prepare the plates. Spoon a generous amount of the puree onto each plate and position the smoked salmon opposite. Top the salmon with some capers and the amarinth leaves. Drain the cooked ravioli and the asparagus and position onto the plates. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil around and serve.

Rhubarb and custard tart with Italian meringue topping

Yet again I have got into the habit of concentrating on making savoury food and not spending any time on puddings. One of my aims for the future is to even this out, as although I’m not bad at baking, when it comes to making clever desserts I’ve got a lot of work to do! I just haven’t really got much of a sweet tooth, so will always err on the side of starters and mains, with cheese to finish. 

Special occasions are perfect times to make something sweet, and it was for a friend’s birthday that I thought I would give this tart a try. More and more I try to be conscious about using seasonal ingredients, but this year I have been really rubbish at taking advantage of all of the lovely British rhubarb that is available at the moment. I love rhubarb, it is such a flavoursome and versatile ingredient; being great in both sweet and savoury dishes. Even meat and fish such as lamb and mackerel work so well with the tart acidity that comes off it. My favourite use of rhubarb though has to be the traditional rhubarb and custard. I used to love wolfing down those boiled sweets when I was younger, and this tart brings back that same old fashioned flavour. The delicate pastry and Italian meringue also make this a light and refreshing dessert, perfect after a rich and heavy meal. 

Tarts like this often take lots of time with all the resting and cooling involved, but it is well worth it for the end result. Pastry always takes a lot of care and lightness of touch but practice makes perfect. Making it always stresses me out as you have to be so delicate with rolling and lining the tins, then making sure that it is not to thick, but also not too thin that it will crack when cooked. But after a few attempts you will be so much more confident with it, and every time I make it I get a better result. The same with the custard, which takes concentration and patience so that it is slowly cooked down to the right texture without scrambling. 

Each element of this tart uses techniques that are great to learn and can be used in many other dishes. Once you master making pastry, custard and Italian meringue the sky is the limit with what you can create.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

For the shortcrust pastry: 

120g butter, at room temperature

100g icing sugar

pinch of salt

225g plain flour

2 egg yolks, whites kept for the meringue

2 tbsp cold milk

For the rhubarb:

1 kg british rhubarb, trimmed and peeled of woody bits

150g caster sugar

1 lemon, juice only

For the custard:

4 egg yolks, whites kept for the meringue

65g caster sugar

15g plain flour

15g cornflour

100g ground almonds

1 vanilla pod

A few drops of almond extract

250ml whole milk

100ml double cream

For the Italian meringue:

400g caster sugar

7 egg whites (6 from the eggs used above and 1 extra)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Makes a tart to fit a deep 25cm non-stick tart tin.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC

To start make the pastry. Cream the butter and sugar together in a food processor until light and pale in colour. Add the flour, salt and egg yolks and pulse a few times until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs, Pour in the milk and pulse again a couple more times. Tip the mixture out onto a clean surface and push the mixture together until it just forms a dough. Wrap with clingfilm and put in the fridge to rest for an hour. 

Grease and line the tart tin with some butter.

Once the pastry has rested take it our the fridge onto a floured surface, and roll out to a square that is slightly bigger than the tin and a couple of millimetres thick. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry around it and unravel over the tin, very gently tucking into the corners. If the pastry is really short it might break up a little, and can be patched up with some extra pieces. Make sure it is all sealed and even all the way up the sides. Scrunch up a large piece of baking parchment, then use it to line the pastry. Pour baking beans on top of the parchment to evenly line the bottom, then put in the preheated oven for 6 minutes. Carefully remove the baking beans and top piece of parchment and brush the part-cooked pastry with a little egg white. This will help seal the pastry and stop any cracks from forming. Put the uncovered case back into the oven for another 5-8 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. 

Turn the oven down to 160ºC.

Cut the trimmed rhubarb into 3 inch pieces and scatter evenly onto the bottom of some large baking trays. Sprinkle over the caster sugar and squeeze over the lemon and toss to combine. Put in the oven for about 10 minutes then check - the thickness of the rhubarb will determine how long they take. If they are not quite cooked return to the oven for a couple of minutes until they have a little give when touched. Remove from the oven at this point - they will continue to cook as they cool. Set aside until cold. 

To make the custard, beat the eggs with the sugar until pale in colour and well combined. Add the cornflour, flour, almond flour and extract and mix well again. Set aside. Pour the milk and cream into a medium saucepan along with the split vanilla pod. Bring to just below boiling then remove the vanilla and slowly pour the mixture into the egg and flour, whisking all the time. When well combined return back to the pan and put on a low-medium heat. Whisking continuously, cook slowly until the custard is very thick. Remove from the heat then pass through a fine sieve. Pour into the cooled tart case and spread evenly with a palate knife. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least an hour. 

Once the custard has set arrange the rhubarb pieces over the top to cover. Return to the fridge while you make the meringue.

Now make the Italian meringue. Put the caster sugar into a small saucepan and just cover with water. Put onto a high heat. Pour the egg whites into a large bowl and whisk with a handwhisk until light and foaming. 

When the sugar reaches 115ºC take it off the heat. Working quickly, turn the whisk up to a medium-high speed and slowly trickle in the hot sugar until fully combined. Turn the whisk to a high speed and continue to mix for another 10 minutes or so until the meringue is glossy and light. Spoon a little of the meringue onto the top of the tart and smooth over. Put the rest of the meringue into a piping bag and working from the outside in, carefully pipe little swirls. Once covered, use a blowtorch and quickly brown the outside of the meringue. Keep refrigerated until you serve. 

Roasted guinea fowl with braised leg, cauliflower cheese puree, chard and bluefoot mushrooms

This weeks recipe is something that I’ve had churning around my mind for ages in various forms. Because of the collaboration with the other bloggers in the past couple of weeks, I have had to wait to finally get round to cooking this, but this allowed me to develop the dish in my head and refine different elements. I’m really happy with how it finally turned out, and really can’t wait to make and eat it again!

There are no two ways about it, this dish is a major slog to prepare and takes ages, but it is truly worth it in my opinion. Each main part of the dish would make a nice meal on their own in the form of cauliflower cheese, roasted guinea fowl and a slow cooked guinea fowl broth, but by taking them a step further you end up with a load of flavours that work together really well. As usual, most of the parts can also be prepared way in advance, making it an option for when you’ve got friends around for dinner. All you need to do is quickly cook the crown and heat up the other ingredients. 

Guinea fowl is a delicious meat and is now even widely available from decent supermarkets. It is a great alternative to chicken with a stronger flavour, and it stays really moist when cooked on the bone. I’m not the world’s greatest poultry cook and I found it fairly easy to get right. Portioning the bird yourself is a good thing to get into, especially when chicken and duck in particular are so much cheaper as a whole. They also go way further and you end up with the carcass to make a decent stock with. I used to be quite intimidated by tackling a whole piece of meat like this, but once you get stuck in and have a bit of practice it is really quick to do. Removing the wishbone of whole birds is a really good idea if roasting on the bone. This makes taking the breasts off so much easier when cooked, which is especially needed when ready to plate up and everything is cooking at the same time. 

Getting the stacks made from the potatoes and shredded leg meat is a bit fiddley, but easier than it sounds with a bit of care. The key thing is making sure the components are all cold when constructing, as the butter holds everything together and the parma ham won’t slip everywhere. It’s nice to combine the slow cooked texture of the leg meat with the roasted breast to add another taste and texture to the dish. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 guinea fowl, wishbone removed, legs and wings cut off and kept

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp butter

Olive oil

For the braised leg:

The legs from the guinea fowl

1 carrot, chopped

2 shallots, sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

5 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1 glass of dry white wine

1 ltr good chicken stock

And then:

4 slices parma ham

1 large maris piper potato

500 ml good chicken stock

1 clove garlic

1 bay leaf

5 sprigs thyme

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

For the cauliflower cheese puree:

1/4 head of cauliflower, cut into small florets

500ml whole milk, or enough to cover the cauliflower

1 garlic clove, crushed

5 sprigs thyme

2 tbsp double cream

50g gruyere, finely grated

For the sauce: 

The wings and trimmings from the guinea fowl

Olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 shallot, finely chopped

5 sprigs thyme

80ml brandy

The drained liquid left after the legs have been braised, about 800ml

1 tbsp butter

For the chard:

3-4 large chard leaves, shredded, with large storks removed

1 tbsp butter

1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped

For the mushrooms:

6 bluefoot mushrooms, trimmed 

1 tbsp butter

1/2 garlic clove, finely shopped

2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

Prepare the guinea fowl by carefully removing the wishbone at the back of the bird, leaving the breasts and skin as intact as possible. Cut off the legs and wings and trim the rest of the carcass until just the crown remains. Keep all the trimmings for the sauce later. 

Heat up a medium saucepan or skillet with a little olive oil to a medium-high heat. Season the legs and sear until well coloured on all sides. Remove from the pan, turn the heat down a little and add the carrots, shallot, garlic and thyme and fry for a couple of minutes until starting to caramelise. Pour in the white wine and allow to boil and reduce by half, then add the stock. Add the legs and the bay leaf back to the pan and bring to a simmer. Season well.  Turn to a medium-low heat, partially cover and allow to cook for 45 minutes. 

While the legs are cooking prepare the rest of the ingredients that will go into making the leg stacks. Peel the potato and cut it lengthways into slices the thickness of a pound coin. Using a circular object about an inch in diameter, carefully cut 8 round discs out of the slices. Put the potato discs into a small saucepan with the second measurement of stock, garlic, bay leaf and thyme and bring to the boil. Cook gently for about 5 minutes or until just tender. Drain and allow to cool on a plate. 

When the legs are cooked, remove them from the cooking liquid and set aside to cool slightly. Drain the liquid and reserve for the sauce. When cool enough to handle, strip the meat from the bones and very finely shred. Place in a bowl. Melt the butter in a small saucepan then add to the leg meat with the parsley and seasoning. Mix well then taste and adjust if necessary. Cover the bowl and put in the fridge to cool down. 

When all the elements are cool, put 2 12” pieces of cling film onto the work surface. Place two pieces of parma ham on each, joined to form a rectangle with as few gaps and tears as possible. Form 6 tiny patties out of the leg meat, the same diameter as the potato rounds and twice as thick. Starting and ending with a piece of potato, stack the potato and meat patties so that you form one cylinder stack per person. Gently put a little pressure on each one to help stay together, but making sure that the potato and meat are the same diameter. Carefully roll each one with the two pieces of parma ham, using the cling film to help wrap tightly. Make sure there are no gaps for the filling to spill out of, then cover and refrigerate. 

To make the cauliflower cheese puree, put the milk, garlic and thyme into a medium saucepan with a good crack of black pepper and bring to the boil. Add the cauliflower and simmer for 6-8 minutes, or until tender. Drain the cauliflower and tip into a small food processor with the double cream, seasoning and gruyere. Blend really well, adding more cheese, cream and seasoning to balance the texture and taste. Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl and set aside to reheat later. 

For the sauce, put a large frying pan or skillet on a high heat with a little olive oil. Season the wings and trimmings and when the pan is hot, sear well on all sides until really coloured. Turn the heat down slightly and add the shallots, garlic and thyme, being careful not to burn, and fry for a minute. Add the brandy and flambe. When the flames have gone out, pour in the reserved cooking liquid from the guinea fowl legs and season again. Bring to the boil and reduce the liquid until thickened, dark and glossy. The texture of the liquid should coat the back of a spoon. Drain through a sieve into a clean pan and set aside. 

Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC (Fan).

Heat up a heavy frying pan to a high heat with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Season well then sear the guinea fowl crown quickly on all sides until golden brown. Remove to an oven tray and position so that the breasts are upwards. A small trivet of any spare root veg helps to sit the bird up if needed. Rub the butter over the top of the guinea fowl and put into the hot oven for 18 minutes, or until the juices run clear from the thickest part. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest. 

While the meat is resting, place the wrapped leg meat stacks onto a lined oven tray and put in the oven to crisp up for 5-6 minutes. 

This is also the time to cook the greens and mushrooms. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter each in two separate pans. When at a medium heat add the garlic to each and cook for a minute. Fry the chard and mushrooms in each pan for a couple of minutes until tender and cooked, seasoning as you go. A splash of water with the chard will help the cooking. Keep warm until time to plate up.

While the mushrooms and chard are cooking heat up the puree and sauce, finishing off the latter by stirring in the butter. 

Once rested for 8-10 minutes, carve the breasts from the guinea fowl. 

To plate up, spoon a large tablespoon of the cauliflower cheese puree onto each plate. Add the leg meat and potato stacks and some of the chard. Position the breasts on top, scatter over the mushrooms and spoon on some of the sauce. 

Slow roasted pork belly with crispy cod cheeks, bearnaise sauce, peas, celeriac and apple

Sorry for the lack of blog action over the past couple of weeks. I’ve been away in Devon for the past week or so, so my home cooking has taken a bit of a backseat. 

Carrying on from last blogs brunch, we all decided to set another theme which this time was set as surf and turf. Like brunch, this was a bit of a funny one for me as surf and turf isn’t normally something I decide to cook, so it was time to get my thinking cap on again! I often cook fish and add something like chorizo or bacon to add another flavour, but I wouldn’t class this in the same way as the fish is always the main part. In my mind surf and turf should share equal prominence whilst complementing each other perfectly. I also wanted to stay away from the cliche of beef and lobster. Not only does my budget not stretch as far as this too often, but I also feel like a good bit of steak doesn’t even need anything else and vice versa. It will certainly be interesting to see what everyone else comes up with, and it’s really always inspiring to chat about it on Twitter. 

White fish and pork are always good companions, but I wanted to do something a little different with this dish. I’ve always loved pork belly, but I often find that the big slab normally dished up is a bit much. Combining this with soft white fish lessons the portion size and makes a much more balanced plate of food. Pork belly also has a more subtle flavour than bacon or chorizo, so each ingredient on the plate stands out. Most flakey white fish would be a suitable pairing, and in this instance I opted to use cod cheeks. This came after a chat a while ago with local fishmonger Jon Norris, who recommended that I use them instead of monkfish in a dish that I was planning at the time. Like monkfish they have a meaty texture and can stand up to bold flavours. I also like the idea of using a less used part of the fish, especially with cod where the amount of flesh in the cheeks is too good to ignore.

Although I was pleased with the way that the dish turned out and ate, in reflection there are a few changes that I would make if cooking again. The cod cheeks were really good but I feel like the proportions were still a little uneven, so I would reduce the amount of cod a little. I would also be tempted to scrap the panko and deep fry element and gently poach the fish instead. This would reduce the richness further still, whist the crunchy texture would still be a part of the dish in the form of the pork crackling. I think in cooking sometimes you get tied-up in habit, and recently I have been breading and frying perhaps a few too many things when something a little simpler would have been better. That said, fried cod cheeks and bearnaise as a meal in itself would still be immense. 

When buying pork belly and pork in general, always buy as good quality as you can afford, and always buy a lot more than you need. I went to the brilliantly fantastic Ginger Pig in Victoria Park for this. Slow roasted pork makes incredible leftovers, and if you use 1.5kg for 4 people in this recipe you will get a fair bit. I plan on using it in a slightly healthier but equally delicious vietnamese style soup with loads of chilli, ginger and lime. 

Bearnaise is a classic french sauce that is well worth mastering. The creamy yet tangy tarragon and butter goes so well with anything from steak to white fish, and really helps tie everything together in this recipe. I used Michel Roux Jr’s version as a base for the recipe below, which as usual is easy to follow and tastes great. This original can be found here:

http://www.goodtoknow.co.uk/recipes/428220/Michel-Roux-s-bearnaise-sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the pork belly:

1.5kg piece of pork belly

2 fennel bulbs, sliced thickly

5 garlic cloves

1 large glass dry white wine

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

For the cod cheeks:

6-8 cod cheeks - you want 3 x 1 inch pieces per person

1 large handful panko breadcrumbs

100g plain flour

1 egg, beaten

Salt and pepper

Vegetable oil for frying, about 1 litre 

For the bearnaise sauce:

4 egg yolks

1 small banana shallot, very finely chopped

4 tbsp tarragon, chopped

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

250ml clarified butter

1/2 lemon, juice only

3 tbsp cold water

Salt and pepper

For the peas:

150g frozen peas, defrosted

1/2 small banana shallot, finely chopped

1/2 lemon, juice only

1/2 clove garlic

1 tbsp tarragon leaves

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

To finish:

1 braeburn apple, cut into 1cm squares

50g celeriac, julienned

1/2 lemon, juice to squeeze over the prepped celeriac and apple

Peashoots

Preheat the oven to 140ºC.

Take the piece of pork belly out of the fridge bring to room temperature. Using a sharp knife slash through the fat at 2.5cm intervals. This will help the crackling crisp up and will also make slicing easier once cooked. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and rub into the fat so it gets between the slash marks. Drizzle with a little olive oil and set aside while you prepare the trivet. Slice the fennel and arrange with the garlic in the bottom of an oven tray. Season and toss in a little more olive oil. Place the pork belly skin side up on top and put in the oven for 2.5 hours. Add the white wine to the bottom of the oven tray half way through cooking. 

While the pork belly is on make the bearnaise sauce. Pour the white wine vinegar into a small saucepan with three quarters of the tarragon, some seasoning and the chopped shallot. Reduce by half over a low heat then take off the heat and allow to cool. If clarifying your own butter then do this at this point too and cool slightly (Roux suggests it should be tepid). When the reduction is cool add the egg yolks and whisk well. Return to a very low heat and carry on whisking continuously and making sure that the mixture doesn’t get hot enough the scramble. After about 10 minutes the eggs will have emulsified with the reduction and formed a thick frothy texture. Take off the heat and very slowly add the butter, whisking still until all the butter has been incorporated into the sauce. Pass through a sieve then add the remaining tarragon and taste. Squeeze in the lemon and season if necessary. Cover and set aside. 

Next prepare the cod cheeks. Put the flour and panko onto two separate plates and beat the egg in a small bowl. Season each element. Coat each cheek with the flour then dip in the egg before transferring to the panko plate and covering well with the breadcrumbs. Cover and set aside.

Prepare the rest of the ingredients while the pork finishes cooking. 

When the 2.5 hours is up, raise the heat of the oven to 210ºC and cook the pork for another 15-20 minutes, or until the crackling is bubbling and crispy. Take out of the oven and allow to rest while the rest of the dish is finished. 

Heat the frying oil for the cod cheeks in a medium saucepan to 160ºC. 

Heat another small saucepan with a little olive oil to a medium heat. 

When the deep frying oil is up to temperature carefully lower the cheeks in and fry for a couple of minutes until golden and crisp on the outside. Use a slotted spoon to remove them to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain. 

While the cod cheeks are cooking fry the shallot and garlic in the other saucepan for a minute until softened. Add the peas, lemon and seasoning and cook until the peas are tender. Stir in the tarragon leaves. 

To plate up, spoon some of the bearnaise onto the middle of the plate and place a piece of the pork belly on top. Arrange the cod cheeks on the plate and add the peas. Finish with the apple cubes, some of the celeriac matchsticks and peashoots.