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Archive for the ‘Recipe’ Category

Patisserie Demonstration

Posted in Cookery School, Events, Food, l'ortolan, Recipe, tagged , , , , on March 13, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

L'ortolan Macaroons

Yesterday our demo studio came to life with an afternoon tea inspired Patisserie Demonstration from L’ortolan Pastry Chef Samantha Rain. Our demonstration guests arrived to a beautifully sunny L’ortolan and introductions were made over tea and coffee in the bar. Afterwards the guests took their seats in the studio to learn how to produce a stunning selection of pastries both appealing to the eye and delicious – the perfect accompaniment for afternoon tea!

Macaroonier Sam demonstrated her perfect Liquorice Macaroons; a small light biscuit, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, made with ground almonds, sugar and egg whites. Macaroons are one of our favourite current sweet crazes so we asked our very own L’ortolan Pastry Chef for a lesson in baking the popular French confection.

Liquorice Macaroons

Ingredients:

300g Icing Sugar
300g Ground Almonds
10g Liquorice Powder
115g Egg Whites
80g Water
300g Sugar

Method:

1. Blitz together 300g icing sugar, 300g ground almonds and 10g liquorice powder and pass
2. Whisk 115 egg whites to stiff peaks
3. Boil 300g sugar and 80g water to 118°c and pour onto egg whites
4. Whisk egg whites until fluffy and add to dry mix
5. Once the Italian Meringue is cold, combine all the elements into a smooth paste
6. Pipe the mixture and leave to form a skin
7. Bake at 150°c for 6-8 minutes

Liquorice Pastry Cream Filling

Ingredients:

250g Milk
1 Vanilla Pod
60g Sugar
4 Egg Yolks
22g Cornflour

Method:

1. Boil 250g milk, 30g sugar and vanilla
2. Pour milk onto egg yolks and whisk, then place mixture back into the pan and cook out
3. Combine 30g sugar and 22g cornflour
4. Add Liquorice compound to taste

Liquorice Macaroons_______________________________________________________________

L’ortolan Cookery Demonstration Programme

9th April – 3 Course Dinner Party – Bring a little Michelin star flair to your dinner party at home with some ideas and inspiration from the L’ortolan kitchen.

23rd April – Chocolate Heaven – The perfect indulgent treat for serious chocoholics. During this masterclass you will be introduced to a variety of different chocolates including some of the world’s finest single estate chocolate.

14th May – Shellfish Masterclass – Delicious ways to prepare and cook shellfish – include a selection from lobster, oysters, clams, mussels, crab and razor clams depending on availability.

11th June – 3 Course Fish Supper – How to select and prepare the ‘catch of the day’ and cook your fish to perfection.

18th June – Summer Barbecue with the Big Green Egg – The Big Green Egg can be used to smoke, bake and slow cook as well as a barbecue. Join chef on the terrace and discover some new techniques and recipes.

To book your L’ortolan demonstration please call 01189 888 500 or email info@lortolan.com

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A Shellfish Masterclass

Posted in Cookery School, Food, Recipe, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

L'ortolan Shellfish MasterclassWednesday saw the demo studio come to life once again with an entertaining Shellfish Masterclass from L’ortolan Chef Ian Swainson. Due to the bank holiday weekend the demo was rescheduled for the following day, so we breathed a sigh of relief in the morning when the freshly caught shellfish arrived.

Our demonstration guests arrived early and introductions were made over tea and coffee in the bar. Afterwards the guests took their seats in the studio to learn how to prepare dressed crab, cooked lobster, clams mariniere and oysters with pickled shallot & chilli.

Here is one of the recipes that Ian demonstrated:

How to make Clams Mariniere

Ingredients

1kg – Clams (washed)
200ml – White Wine
1 – Banana Shallot (diced)
1 – Clove Garlic (pureed)
100ml – Double Cream
Parsley (chopped)
25ml – Riesling

Method

  1. Take a large saucepan and heat until very hot.
  2. Add the clams and pour in the white wine, cover with a lid. The clams will steam in the wine very quickly.
  3. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.
  4. Finish with the cream, followed by parsley and Riesling.

Following the demonstration Ian showed the guests around the L’ortolan kitchen and introduced them to the rest of the culinary team. Once the party were seated in the main restaurant for their lunch, Ian took a couple of minutes to demonstrate how to remove the tail meat from the lobster that was cooked earlier. Take a look at the video.

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L’ortolan Cookery Demonstration Programme

11th September – Shellfish Masterclass – If you love shellfish but like many find preparing and cooking it a daunting task, then our Shellfish Masterclass will teach you how to transform it into some wonderful and tasty dishes.

9th October – Game Cookery – As we embrace the game season the L’ortolan Chef’s will be revealing secrets behind some of our favourite signature dishes

30th October – Food and Wine Matching - Basics

27th November – Food and Wine Matching - Advanced

18th December - Turkey Masterclass - taking the strain out of Christmas

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Surprise Dinner Party Guests with a ‘Fried Egg’

Posted in Food, Recipe, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 3, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

Impress your dinner party guests with a surprise course – our Mango with Coconut Espuma.

Our ‘fried egg’ pre-dessert is often a talking point amongst diners at L’ortolan, as it adds an element of playfulness and amusement to our guests’ experience. It’s a delicious, simple dish to make and the mango even flows onto the espuma in a ‘yolk’-like fashion.

L'ortolan Mango & Coconut Espuma


How to make the Mango with Coconut Espuma

(approximately 20 servings)

Ingredients

  1. 250g – mango purée
    35g – sugar
    2-5g – ultra-tex (a starch based powder that thickens liquids and sauces). Alternatively xanthan gum may be used as a substitute (Available from many health food stores).
  2. 10g – vege gel
    250ml – water
  3. 250g – coconut purée
    25g – sugar
    ¼ – lime juice

Method

  1. To make the mango yolk blend the first step of the ingredients together (mango puree, sugar and ultra-tex) and freeze in half sphere moulds.
  2. Once frozen dip into the water and vege gel.
  3. To make the coconut espuma blend the third step of the ingredients together (coconut purée, sugar & lime juice) and pipe using a cream whipper.
  4. Garnish with black pepper and coriander.

As you can imagine, this popular pre-dessert receives countless feedback comments from our guests. Here is what a few of them say;

‘My younger son is still taking about the ‘fried egg’ of coconut and mango, his favourite part of the meal.’
- Guest January 2012

‘The “fried egg lookalike” pre-dessert was really good fun.’
- Guest January 2012

‘The food was of a very high standard and had a few outstanding surprises (e.g. the mango and foam “fried egg”)’
- Guest November 2011

‘What at first glance resembled a fried egg, turned out to be a supreme coconut espuma with a delicious mango purée centre.’
- Food and Drink Guide

‘Visual jokes add levity to the occasion, as when a pre-dessert of coconut espuma with mango purée in it is fashioned to look like a fried egg.’
- AA

Read more recipe blogs from L’ortolan

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Recipe: Cured Pigeon by guest Chef Chris Horridge

Posted in Food, Recipe, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 14, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Chef Chris Horridge

Chris Horridge has produced a special menu for l'ortolan which is being prepared throughout July

Throughout July guests at Reading’s only Michelin starred restaurant will have the chance to enjoy top quality food prepared by a celebrated ‘superhealthy’ guest chef.

L’ortolan is delighted to welcome Chef Chris Horridge into the kitchen this July. Chris is widely recognised for his truly unique cuisine which delivers innovative flavours packed with health promoting nutrients.

“I want to create great food, that’s massively attractive and can also be enjoyed by the majority of people,” explains Chris, “I want to produce ‘healthy’ food that doesn’t taste like healthy food – people should be able to enjoy what they eat!”

Chris has prepared a special gluten and sugar-free menu for l’ortolan guests to enjoy in July – 6-courses for £49 – and here Chris explains how to create a dish that’s not on the l’ortolan menu in your own home.

Cured wild pigeon

Wild pigeon tends to be on the menu more infrequently these days particularly as it tends to have a strong flavour which is becoming less appealing to the modern palate. Curing the breasts tends to temper the strong aroma making it more palatable and subtler.

The recipe for the pigeon cure is as follows (with experience you can adjust it to your taste). To bring the wild angle back into the dish I usually serve it on a tile with a fruit puree and wild herbs. It can equally be served with more traditional accompaniments to cured meats.

Ingredients

  • 6 – 8 Pigeon breasts boneless, skin off, (1 breast per starter portion)
  • 50g Coarse sea salt
  • 50g Sugar
  • 1x 6” sprigs of savory or thyme
  • 3 Bay leaves
  • 5 Cloves
  • 9g Garlic cloves
  • 6 Black pepper corns
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 250ml Red wine
  • 10 Juniper berries

Method

  1. Crush all spices and herbs before using
  2. Add the salt and sugar to the wine and bring to the boil
  3. Remove from stove and add the other ingredients.
  4. When temperature is cool place pigeon in marinade cover and chill
  5. Turn every 12 hours leaving for a total of 48 hours
  6. When the meat is sufficiently cured it should be fairly firm to the touch
  7. If it still feels tender then continue to marinade for further 12 hours
  8. Wipe off the excess marinade wrap in cling film and freeze until solid
  9. Unwrap and using a very sharp knife slice as thin as you can or use a meat slicer (Be very careful – see below)
  10. As you slice lay the meat on a plate, this is important otherwise on defrosting (which is almost instant) the meat will clump together, being almost impossible to separate
  11. We slice the pigeon breast lengthways which allows us to roll it up around some wild herbs

Please note that cutting frozen meat with a sharp knife is difficult and the knife may sometimes slip if you are not very careful. Obtaining a meat slicer is a safer option -  household editions are now reasonably priced.

Why not sample Chris’s restaurant food for yourself – he’s produced a special 6-course tasting menu for l’ortolan guests available Tuesday – Friday at a cost of just £49 per head.

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Bank Holiday Dinner Party: Steamed Sea Bream

Posted in Food, Recipe, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 28, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

With another bank holiday upon us it may be time once again to think about getting your family around your dining table.

But with the weather heating up, dinner parties can be tricky your guests start watching their figure.

So the Michelin starred chefs at l’ortolan restaurant in Shinfield have created a recipe that is guaranteed to impress your dinner party guests which it is not only low in fat and carbohydrates but also packs a punch on the taste buds.

Pan fried bream, sag aloo puree and a curry foam

Steamed Sea Bream with Sag Aloo and Cauliflower Puree

Serves 4 – 6

Ingredients

  • Steamed sea-bream (or similar) – one fillet per person
  • Squeeze of lime juice for seasoning
  • 4 large potatoes
  • Florets from half a cauliflower
  • 1 bag of spinach

For sag aloo curry mix

  • 1 finely diced onion
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon madras spices

For Cauliflower puree

  • Half a cauliflower (sliced)
  • Water
  • Milk
  • Butter (optional)

For plate dressing (optional)

  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Sprinkling of black onion seeds
  • 1 tbsp fresh coriander

Method

  1. First make the cauliflower puree.  Place sliced cauliflower in a pan and half-cover with water.  Then add milk to the pan until the cauliflower is completely covered by the water and milk mixture.  Cook until soft.  Drain well and blend for 10 minutes until smooth.  Add a knob of butter (optional) and blitz again, seasoning as desired.
  2. For the main dish dice potatoes into half cm cubes, cook until firm and not too soft.  Refresh in cold water. Blanch the cauliflower florets
  3. Whilst doing this make the sag aloo mix by sweating the onions until very soft.  Roast the spices together in a pan before adding to the onions and cooking for 5 minutes.
  4. Heat potatoes and cauliflower in a pan with a little of the curry mix and wilt some spinach through.
  5. Steam sea-bream and season with a squeeze of lime juice.
  6. Carefully spoon curried vegetable mixture onto centre of plate before carefully laying hot sea-bream fillet on top of vegetables.
  7. Dress plate with a spoon of cauliflower puree, and sprinkled dish with fresh coriander, black onion seeds and cayenne pepper.

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From the l’ortolan Menu: Recipe – Crispy Parmesan Risotto

Posted in Food, Recipe, tagged , , , , , , on February 17, 2010 | 1 Comment »

With Pancake Day over for another year we can all finally start thinking about other gastronomic treats.  So to help move our taste-buds on from concoctions of egg, flour and milk l’ortolan Head Chef Elliott Lidstone explains how to recreate part the l’ortolan experience in your own home.

Jerusalem Artichoke Salad, Crispy Parmesan Risotto & Pickled Mushrooms

This dish is great for this time of year when Jerusalem artichokes are beautifully in season.  We are currently serving this on our Menu Du Jour and it is proving really popular with our guests.

Crispy Risotto

  • 40g finely chopped onions
  • 25g butter
  • 250g rice
  • 640g water
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 210g grated parmesan

Method

  1. Melt the butter and add the chopped onion and rosemary.  Cook until the onion becomes soft and loses its colour.
  2. Add the rice to the onions and cook for a further two minutes always keeping the rice moving to prevent burning.
  3. Cover the rice and onion mix with the water.  Stir the mixture regularly until all the liquid has evaporated.
  4. Add the cheese and then pour into a lined tray leaving the risotto about ¾ inch thick.
  5. Once set form into balls or neat squares.  Then coat in flour, eggs and Japanese breadcrumbs
  6. Carefully deep fry the risotto until golden brown.

To finish off the dish serve with:

  • Neatly diced Jerusalem artichoke (which has been blanched in salted water), dressed with a simple vinaigrette.
  • Seasonal mushrooms, pickled in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, thyme and bay leaf
  • Artichoke puree – cook artichoke trim in 50/50 milk and water, and then blend in a Thermomix
  • A few mixed leaves and cresses

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How to smoke your own garlic

Posted in Food, Recipe, tagged , , , , , on February 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

At l’ortolan we’re often asked how we can get such wonderful flavours from our food – in this blog l’ortolan chef Elliott Lidstone talks you through a technique that will leave your food with a deep smoky flavour.

Admiring Elliott's apron? Visit the l'ortolan online shop and buy one as a gift!

Smoked Garlic – the l’ortolan way

The Garlic is left with a deep smoky flavour, which we use in dishes such as our pearl barley which we use to compliment some of our poultry dishes, and in the restaurant we also use similar techniques to smoke fish and duck.  This is a technique you can do in a domestic kitchen, but keep an eye on the smoking chips, and it is also advisable to use an old pan!

  1. Firstly we cut the top off whole bulbs of garlic, wrap them in foil and roast in medium oven for 1 half hour until very soft.
  2. Next we line a heavy bottomed pan with foil and cover with chippings.
  3. Carefully burn the chippings with blow torch and then cover the saucepan with a lid. 
  4. The first smoke will be too strong and will leave a heavy bitter taste, by treating it this way you allow the first smoke to burn off. 
  5. Repeat this 3 times.
  6. Burn the chippings for the last time, place the garlic above the smoke, cover and leave to one side allowing the smoke to penetrate the roasted bulbs. Leave for 45 minutes.
  7. Pop the garlic out of the skin and use as required.

The garlic is left with a deep smoky flavour, which we use in dishes such as our pearl barley which we use to compliment some of our poultry dishes.

In the restaurant we also use simular techniques to smoke fish and duck.

Experiment with the flavours and enjoy!

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From Stocks to Sauces: Seasonal Venison Sauce

Posted in Food, Recipe, tagged , , , on December 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

After so much turkey over the festive period, l’ortolan chef Elliott Lidstone takes a moment to explain how utilising your left-over carcass can really bring alive the flavours in some other seasonal fare.

Turning your stock into to something really special

“As I have explained before, a good stock is at the very heart of a good sauce, and the great thing about a stock made from turkey or chicken is that it can be incredibly versatile.

We reduce our chicken stock by about three-quarters, and this will naturally darken the stock to a rich golden brown.  Some people roast the bones to get this colouration, but at the restaurant we reduce our stock as this allows us to have more control over the end product.

All of the sauces on our menu start with the chicken stock as a base.  But each dish uses a different sauce, which is flavoured by infusing the bones of each animal with the basic brown chicken stock, and then carefully blended with other flavours to make our dishes really special.Venison finished with Seasonal Sauce

L’ORTOLAN VENISON SAUCE RECIPE

  • 2 venison saddle carcasses (chopped and roasted)
  • 2 garlic heads
  • 1 celery stick
  • 2 onions
  • 3 carrots
  • 100g blackberry puree
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Small bunch of thyme
  • 6 juniper berries (crushed)
  • 2 bottles of red wine (boiled for 5 minutes)
  • Brown stock to cover
  • Creme de mure

Method

  1. Caramelise the vegetables, and then pour over the red wine.  Add half of the roasted bones and cover with the stock.
  2. Bring the mixture to the boil and skim well.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, skimming frequently.
  3. Pass through a sieve and set in fridge over night, removing the fat when set.
  4. Bring the sauce back to the boil and add half of the remaining bones.  Cook for 20 minutes, then pass through a sieve.
  5. Add the thyme, juniper and remaining bones.  Boil for 10 minutes, pass through muslin and season with crème de mure.

This fruity, and almost gin-smelling sauce adds a real depth and richness to gamey flavours of the wild venison; and as we tend to finished the sauce with a small amount of bitter chocolate we compliment the richness with pickled beetroot and cabbage to create a balanced experience within the dish.

Chocolate and venison is quite a classic combination, but if you over-kill with chocolate then you risk turning this main into a dessert.  The same is true when you make a fish sauce.  Finishing off the sauce with citrus can really cut through the richness of the fish really giving the dish a lift.  The trick is to be careful with balance, add enough to complement the dish, but not to overpower it.  Taste everything.

Don’t be scared to play about with sauces.  Use recipes as a guideline and have the courage of convictions to really try something new.  The more you play around the more confidence will grow.  Using healthy, fresh ingredients is the key to creating healthy sauces.  Make sure your bones and vegetables are fresh for your stocks, and when adding wine to a sauce if you wouldn’t drink it, then don’t add it!

To learn more about Sauces and how to get the best out of them in your kitchen why not have a go at our Cookery School Demonstrations“

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Using up the carcass: Stocks

Posted in Food, Recipe, tagged , , , , , on December 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Sauces always add another dimension to a dish, creating a depth and a flare in a plate that can compliment and tie-in a whole range of flavours.  L’ortolan chef Elliott Lidstone takes a moment to share some of the secrets of making the perfect sauce that will both really impress and help you deal with your Christmas left-overs.

Eliott checks the stock

“The real secret to producing the best sauce, full of depth and flavour is to create a fresh and clean footing for your flavours to work with.

At the base of good sauces is always a good stock.  Stocks are generally very thin and give you the groundwork flavours for your sauces, and the trick is always to get as much flavour as possible from the bones.  You should always make sure that the bones you use are fresh, if they are slimy, or starting to smell don’t use them.  They’ll ruin whatever you try to make.

In the restaurant we use predominantly chicken stock as it provides a lighter and cleaner finish to our sauces.  So with all that leftover poultry the festive season is the ideal opportunity to create the perfect base to your post-Christmas sauces.

L’ORTOLAN CHICKEN STOCK – This is the recipe we use in the l’ortolan kitchen, so beware – this makes a lot of stock!  Feel free to shrink the recipe as required!

  • 80 litres of cold water
  • 15kg chicken bones
  • 6 leeks
  • 6 onions
  • 2 celery sticks
  • 6 carrots
  • Thyme
  • Peppercorns
  • Bayleaf

Method

  1. Place the bones in a large stock pot and cover with cold water
  2. Bring to the boil, skim well and then add the vegetables and garnish
  3. Simmer for 8 hours, skimming frequently
  4. Pass the stock through a fine chinois

Simmering chicken stock

At l’ortolan we have stocks on the go five days a week, cooking each stock out for around eight hours, and preparing over 100 litres at one time – that’s not really practical to use up in your average domestic kitchen!  So a good idea for when you are at home is to make your stock, and then pour it into ice cube trays.  Once frozen, pop the cubes into a bag or a box in the freezer and then you have stock for whenever you need it!

This clean, clear, fresh stock provides a great starting point for your sauces as stock made from poultry are really versatile.  It can be used in making risottos, braising vegetables, or making soups really adding to the background flavour, substance and depth.

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