Tonight's Dinner

Actually, not really a dinner but drinks with finger food all around. A fun approach that I will consider more often for larger gatherings. A few old ones, but also some fun new stuff.

• porcini & chestnut veloute shot
• mortadella cube, smoked scamorza, green olive on toothpick
• celery stick & roquefort dip
• grilled polenta, garlicky wild mushrooms, lardo colonnata
• red pepper, fennel, carrot & tonnato sauce
• bresaola bombs
• roast potatoes & coriander dressing
• speck & fontina cigarillos, truffle vinaigrette
• cannellini & chorizo stew
• cauliflower risotto & anchovy breadcrumbs

Steak au Poivre

There are 101 recipes for this classic but I think Rowley Leigh's is top notch. As he says, some people prefer white peppercorns but agree black is the way to go. Key is to only break the peppercorn rather than ground. Probably a good idea to limit this meal to 2-4 people, using two frying pans simultaneously if necessary.

2 fillet steaks, each weighing 225 gr
2 tblsp black peppercorns
40 gr unsalted butter
30 ml brandy
50 ml white wine
100 ml strong beef stock
50 ml double cream
squeeze of lemon

1. take meat out of fridge and let rest an hour
2. pound the peppercorns in a mortar until they are broken, then sieve out the dust saving for other use
3. salt one side of the fillets and then place this side down into the peppercorns, pushing down well so that the pepper adheres to the meat
4. melt the butter in 2-3 tblsp of oil in a frying pan
5. let the meat color well and do not be tempted to move it around for a couple of minutes
6. once nicely browned, salt the exposed side of the steak, turn them and color the reverse
7. once they are rare, just over blood heat (42 c) if tested with a skewer drawn from the middle of the meat, remove the steaks from the pan and let them rest on a plate in a warm place, ideally a warming oven
8. pour the fat from the pan and return it to high heat
9. pour in the brandy and set alight
10. pour in the wine immediately and scrape any caramelized juices with a wooden spoon
11. allow the alcohol to evaporate to a syrupy glaze and then pour in the stock
12. reduce this quickly by half before adding the cream
13. whisk the cream into the sauce and reduce slightly
14. salt to taste, add a squeeze of lemon
15. whisk in the remainder of the butter and any juices from the resting steaks
16. serve the steaks with plenty of sauce, green beans and some good chips

Ramsay Roast Chicken

A Ramsay roast chicken recipe that I could not resist jotting down before I forget. Serve with a nice laitue.

1 2 kg chicken, giblets removed
chopped tarragon
200 gr butter (room temperature)
3 heads of garlic, halved
EVOO
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper
400 gr cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 red chillies, sliced
1 lemon, zested
3 thyme sprigs, leaves only

dressing
laitue
balsamic vinegar
runny honey
maille mustard

1. pre-heat oven to 22 C, season inside of chicken
2. whip up tarragon and butter until combined, season with salt and pepper
3. loosen the skin over both chicken breasts, shove butter in
4. in a bowl, mix chickpeas, chillies, lemon zest, thyme and a dash of EVOO, mix well
5. spoon mixture into the chicken cavity and place the whole lemon at the entrance
6. place the garlic heads, cut side down, in a roasting tin
7. put the chicken on top and drizzle with EVOO
8. season the outside of the chicken with maldon sea salt and pepper, roast for 10-15 minutes until golden brown and beginning to crisp up
9. reduce heat to 180 C, continue roasting for 1 1/4- 1 1/2 hours until cooked through and golden all over
10. extract lemon from the cavity and spoon the stuffing into a large bowl; place the chicken on a warm platter, cover loosely with foil and set aside for 10-15 minutes
11. spoon the garlic out of the pan, squeeze the pulp into a sieve place over the bowl of the stuffing
12. slice the roasted lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the garlic; push the garlic and lemon juice through the sieve with the back of the spoon
13. mash the contents of the bowl with a potato masher, then add 1 tblsp of dressing; mix well then transfer to a serving bowl with a little more EVOO
14. serve alongside the chicken 

Avocado, Kiwi & Pineapple

My favorite smoothie from Sign in Daikanyama.  I'm not too sure about the proportions, particularly as the avocado can get quite thick from blending. Perhaps some pineapple juice instead of the fruit itself would thin it out.

1 avocado
some pineapple chunks to taste
half kiwi
1 ice cube

Fruit Dust

I couldn't think of another name, but I think pretty catchy. Typically when I eat a pomelo, I will dip it into a mixture of sugar, salt and dried red chili flakes. This is a better version of that, and would be good on anything really. I think I will try with pomelo, but also pineapple, apple, pear, green mango and even papaya.

refined sugar
refined salt
broken kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest)
sliced small green chili

1. in a mortar, grind 1 part salt, 3 parts sugar with the other ingredients to taste
2. keep grinding with the pestle until you get a fine mixture; remove the kaffir lime 
3. dip your fruit straight in