Beef Fillet with a Gratin of Wild Mushrooms

Serves 4

Ingredients
• Shallot, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 100g wild mushrooms, eg ceps, girolles, blewits, morels, finely chopped
• 100g chestnut mushrooms, chopped
• 2 tbsp white wine
• 1 tbsp each finely chopped parsley, chervil and chives
• 4 tbsp double cream
• 1 egg yolk
• 4 fillet steaks, about 4 cm high
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


Method
• Gently sauté the shallot and garlic for about 5 minutes
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the mushrooms over a high heat, stirring for about 7 minutes until brown and cooked. Add the wine and cook until it has reduced away. The mixture should be quite dry. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl, season and mix in the herbs. Allow to cool.
• Whip the cream until softly stiff, then fold in the mushrooms along with the egg yolk. Cover and chill.
• Brush the steaks with olive oil and season. Heat a non-stick frying pan and cook the steaks for about 2-3 minutes turning them to sear all over. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.
• When ready to serve, heat the oven to 220°C/ Gas 7. Put the steaks on a shallow baking tray. Pile the mushroom mixture on top and dust with Parmesan. Cook uncovered for about 5-7 minutes until the topping is bubbling and golden.

Bobotie

Ingredients
• 2 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 125ml milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 50g butter
• 2 onions
• 2 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 600g minced lamb
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns
• grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon Ma Ball’s hot chutney or other mango chutney
• 1 teaspoon demerara sugar
• 1 tablespoon blanched almonds, halved
• 6 lemon leaves or bay leaves

Topping
• 2 large eggs
• 100ml single cream
• 100ml milk
• ¼ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
• grated nutmeg

Method
• Tear the bread into pieces, place in a small bowl and pour over the milk. Leave for 10 minutes
• Heat the oil in a casserole and when hot add the butter. Tip in the onions and chillies and cook until golden. Add garlic and minced lamb and continue to cook until meat browns. Sprinkle over curry powder, cinnamon, peppercorns and lemon zest. Stir and fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
• Squeeze excess milk from bread and add bread to the mince. Stir well and add the lemon juice, chutney, sugar and almonds. Remove from heat and leave to cool before turning meat mixture into a 1litre pie dish. Roll the lemon or bay leaves into cigar shapes and stand upright in the spiced meat.
• Preheat oven to 180°C /Gas 4
• Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk and stir in the peppercorns. Pour savoury custard over the mince and sprinkle with nutmeg. Place pie dish in a roasting pan half filled with hot water. Bake for about 25 minutes until the topping is golden and set.
• Serve with boiled rice or baked sweet potatoes or with a crisp salad and some tangy chutney.


Foie Gras with Spiced Lentils and Fig and Apple Chutney

Ingredients
• 200g foie gras, cut into 4 slices

Spiced Lentils:
• 100 Puy lentils
• pinch ground cumin
• 40g red onion, finely chopped
• 25ml balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 20g pickled ginger, finely chopped
• 25ml soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
• 3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped coriander
• squeeze lemon juice

Fig and Apple Chutney:
• 1 cooking apple, peeled and diced
• 20g onion, diced
• 50g dried fig, chopped
• 25ml white wine vinegar
• 1/3 teaspoon English mustard
• pinch cayenne pepper
• ½ clove garlic
• 50g sultanas
• 2 teaspoons of sugar

Method
• Combine all the ingredients for the chutney in a heavy saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hours until thick. Add a splash of water if the mixture dries out before two hours. Leave to cool, then liquidize the mixture until it is the consistency of jam. Add the sugar and chill.
• Soak the lentils overnight in a bowl of water. Next day, cook the lentils in a pan of fresh boiling salted water for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and leave to cool.
• Warm the cumin in a dry saucepan to release the flavour. When fragrant add the onions, vinegar and garlic. Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Add the rest of the ingredients, plus the cooked lentils and stir well. Adjust the seasoning to taste with the lemon juice.
• Bring the chutney to room temperature
• Heat a frying pan until very hot. Season the foie gras with salt and pepper, place in the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides.
• Serve on top of lentils with a quenelle of chutney.


Roast Duck Breast with Honey Glazed Baby Onions and Salsify

Serves 4

Ingredients
• 4 duck breasts, skin lightly scored
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 250ml Madeira

For the Honey Glazed Onions and Salsify
• 100g baby onions
• 2 medium salsify
• 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 29g butter
• 1 ½ tablespoons runny honey
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Crushed Peas
• 300g shelled peas
• small bunch mint
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• wilted spinach
• sautéed morels

Method
• Immerse onions in boiling water for 1 minute to loosen the skins, then drain and peel. Add them to a fresh pan of boiling water and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender when pierced with a skewer. Drain well and pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Peel and trim the salsify, then cut into 2-3cm batons and immediately immerse in a pan of cold water with a generous squeeze of lemon juice added (to help prevent discolouration). Bring the water to the boil then remove from the heat and leave the salsify to cool in the pan.
• Add the peas and mint to a pan of boiling water and blanch for 2-3 minutes, then drain and tip into a food processor. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil and pulse for a few seconds until lightly crushed, but not puréed. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste. Set aside.
• When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas7. Heat a large ovenproof frying pan until very hot. Season the duck breasts and place skin side down in the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, then turn and sear briefly on the other side. Transfer the pan to the oven. Cook for 6-8 minutes, then remove and set aside to rest in a warm place for 3-4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the Madeira, allow to bubble and reduce for a few minutes then set aside.
• To glaze the onions and salsify, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan. Drain the salsify and pat dry. Add to the hot pan with the onions and fry over a high heat until they start to colour. Add the butter, honey, another squeeze of lemon juice and some seasoning. Toss for a few minutes until caramelised. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• When ready to serve, warm up the deglazed pan juices and crushed peas. Place a round metal cutter on a warmed plate and spoon in a layer of peas and level with the back of a spoon. Top with a thin layer of warmed spinach then remove the cutter. Slice the duck breasts and arrange, overlapping on the spinach. Alternate the morels, baby onions and salsify in a circle around the plate. Drizzle with a little olive oil and spoon the pan juices over the duck breasts just before serving.