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Best difficult recipes
Trotters, truffles and faggots
Photograph: Rob White
42. Piere Koffman's stuffed pigs' trotters with morels
Originally served at La Tante Claire
Serves 4
4 pigs' back trotters
100g carrots, diced
100g onions, diced
150ml dry white wine
1 tbs port
150ml veal stock
225g veal sweetbreads, blanched and chopped
75g butter, plus a knob for the sauce
20 dried morels, soaked until soft, and drained
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 chicken breast, skinned and diced
1 egg white
200ml double cream
knob of butter, to serve
salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 160ºC/gas 3. Place the trotters in a
casserole with the diced carrots and onions, the wine,
port and veal stock. Cover and braise in the oven for 3 hours.
Meanwhile, fry the sweetbreads in the butter for 5 minutes,
add the morels and chopped onion and cook for another
5 minutes. Leave to cool.
Purée the chicken breast with the egg white and cream, and
season with salt and pepper. Mix with the sweetbread mixture
to make the stuffing. Take the trotters out of the casserole and
strain the cooking stock, keeping the stock but discarding the
vegetables. Open the trotters out flat and lay each one on a piece
of foil. Leave to cool.
Fill the cooled trotters with the chicken stuffing and roll tightly
in foil. Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 220ºC/gas 7 or prepare a steamer, and
when the water is simmering, steam the foil-wrapped trotters
until heated through. Alternatively, put the trotters in a casserole,
cover and heat in the oven for 15 minutes.
Put the trotters on a serving dish and remove the foil. Pour the
reserved stock into the casserole and reduce by half.
Whisk in a knob of butter, pour the sauce over the trotters and
serve very hot.
• From Tante Claire - Recipes from a Master Chef by Pierre
Koffman and Timothy Shaw
43. Gordon Ramsay's Cappuccino of white beans with
grated truffles
Served at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Royal Hospital Road,
London
Serves 4-6
250g dried white haricot beans, soaked overnight in cold water
1 small onion, peeled
1 medium carrot, peeled
1 bouquet garni (sprigs of thyme, flat-leaf parsley and rosemary tied together)
800ml vegetable stock
150ml double cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½-2 tsp truffle-infused olive oil
few knobs of ice-cold butter
few thin slices of fresh truffle
Drain the soaked beans and transfer them to a large pan. Cover
by about 5cm with lightly salted cold water. Push in the onion,
carrot and bouquet garni and increase the heat to high. Boil
vigorously for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to a simmer and
cook for a further 1-1½ hours or until the beans are just soft and
tender.
Using a slotted spoon, remove about 4-5 tbs of the beans and
reserve for the garnish. Continue simmering the remaining beans
for a further 10-15 minutes until they are very soft. Drain the beans, discarding the onion, carrot and bouquet garni, but reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid.
Put the beans into a blender and whizz to a fine purée, adding a
little splash of the cooking liquid to get the beans moving, if
necessary. You may have to stop the machine and scrape down
the sides of the blender a few times to get a really smooth result.
Pass the purée through a fine sieve, pressing the pulp with the
back of ladle.
Meanwhile, boil the vegetable stock for about 5 minutes until
slightly reduced. Mix the reduced stock with the bean purée in
a large pan. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Whisk in the cream and season well. (For a velvety-smooth
texture, pass the soup through a fine sieve once more.) Add
the truffle oil, according to taste, then reheat the soup. Just
before serving, whisk in a few knobs of ice-cold butter, using
an electric hand blender to froth up the soup.
Divide the reserved beans between warmed cappuccino cups
or wide tea cups.
Spoon the frothy soup over the beans and serve immediately,
garnished with truffle slices if you wish.
44. Raymond Blanc's coq au vin
Chosen by Rebecca Seal
This dish demonstrates what is truly great about French cuisine.
Preparation time: 1 hour, plus 24 hours' marinating .
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves 4
1.5kg organic or free-range chicken, cut into 10 pieces -
you could ask your butcher to do this
1 heaped tbs plain flour
2 tbs olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the marinade:
1 litre full-bodied red wine, such as Shiraz or
Cabernet Sauvignon
3 medium carrots, cut into slanted slices 1cm thick
2 celery sticks, cut into slices 1cm thick
20 baby onions, peeled but left whole
1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
1 bouquet garni (a few parsley stalks, 2 bay leaves and
6 sprigs of thyme, tied together)
for the garnish:
1 tbs olive oil
200g smoked streaky bacon, rind removed, diced
400g small button mushrooms, trimmed
1 tbs fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
To marinate the chicken, bring the red wine to the boil and
continue to boil until reduced by a third. This removes the
alcohol and concentrates the colour and flavour. Leave to
cool. In a bowl, mix the chicken pieces, carrots, celery,
onions, peppercorns and bouquet garni. Pour on the cooled
red wine. Cover with clingfilm, refrigerate and marinate for
24 hours.
Place a colander over a large bowl and put the chicken mixture
in to drain off the marinade. Leave for a minimum of 1 hour to
remove excess liquid. Separate the chicken, vegetables and herbs,
and pat dry with kitchen paper. Season the chicken with four
pinches of salt and four pinches of freshly ground black pepper.
Keep the liquid.
To toast the flour, preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Sprinkle the
flour on a baking tray and cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until
it is very lightly coloured. Set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C/gas 2.
To fry the chicken: on a high heat, in a large, heavy-based casserole,
heat the olive oil and colour the chicken pieces in it for 5-7 minutes
on each side. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate
and set aside. Add the drained vegetables and herbs to the casserole.
Lower the heat to medium high and cook for 5 minutes, until lightly
coloured.
To make the sauce, spoon out most of the fat from the casserole, add
the toasted flour and stir into the vegetables for a few seconds. On a
medium heat, whisk in the wine marinade little by little - this will create
a sauce and prevent lumps forming. Bring to the boil and skim any
impurities from the surface. The wine marinade will be slightly
thickened and have the consistency of a light sauce.
Add the chicken pieces and return to the boil. Cover with a lid and
cook in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.
To finish the sauce: if you wish you can serve the coq au vin as it is.
But should you prefer a richer, more powerful sauce, drain it through
a
colander and, on a high heat, boil the sauce until it has reduced by a
third. It should have acquired more body and become a rich, vinous
colour. Pour the sauce back over the chicken and vegetables.
To cook the garnish: over a medium heat, in a medium nonstick
frying pan, heat the olive oil and cook the bacon for 30 seconds.
Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 4 minutes. Season to
taste with salt and pepper. Mix the bacon and mushrooms into
the coq au vin. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve piping hot,
straight from the casserole.
45. August Escoffier's oxtail soup
Chosen by Gordon Ramsay
Serves 10
1.8kg of oxtail, browned in the oven
900g gelatinous bones, broken small and browned in the oven
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 medium onions
one faggot [a bundle of parsley, bay leaves and thyme, tied together]
butter
2.5 litres ordinary broth [stock]
1 litre water
450g lean beef mince
1 leek
½ an egg white
1 small carrot, cut into small dice
arrowroot if required
Brown the oxtails and the gelatinous bones in a roasting
tin in the oven. Remove and cool.
Garnish the bottom of a small stockpot or stewpan with one
finely chopped carrot and two medium-sized onions cut into
thin rounds and browned in butter and one faggot.
Add the oxtails. The tails should be cut into sections, each of
which should contain one of the caudal vertebrae. Also add
the 900g of gelatinous bones, broken very small. Add
2.5 litres of ordinary broth [stock] and one of water. Set to
boil very gently for 4½-5 hours.
When this is done, strain the broth, which should be reduced
to 2.5 litres, and completely remove its grease. Transfer the
largest sections of the tails, by means of a braiding needle,
one by one to another saucepan. Cover them with broth,
and keep them warm for the garnish.
Finely chop 450g of very lean beef. Put this mince into a
saucepan with the white of a leek cut into dice and half the
white of an egg, and mix thoroughly. Add the broth, the
grease of which has been removed, set to boil, stirring
constantly the while, and then leave to simmer for one hour,
which is the time required for the beef to exude all its juices
and for the clarification of the broth.
While the clarification is in progress, cut a small carrot in
brunoise [small dice] fashion, or turn it by means of a very
small spoon. Cook this garnish in a little water with butter,
salt, and sugar.
A few minutes before serving, strain the oxtail broth
through a napkin, put the sections of oxtail and brunoise
into the soup tureen, and pour thereon the prepared broth.
This soup may be flavoured with port or sherry, but this is
optional. Please note: if a thickened oxtail soup is required,
add to the broth per every litre of it 10g of arrowroot
diluted with a little of the broth or some cold water.
• This is taken from a 1909 translation of the original French
version of Auguste Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire. Metric
conversions added.
46. Jason Atherton's salt and pepper squid
Serves 4 as a starter
400g baby squid, cleaned
½ packet tempura batter
5 heaped tbs plain flour
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
groundnut oil, for deep-frying
to serve:
coarse sea salt, to sprinkle
1 green chili, finely sliced
4 lime wedges
Set aside the squid tentacles and slice the body pouches into
rings. Pat the squid dry with kitchen paper. Make the tempura
batter according to the packet instructions and set aside. Put
the flour into a shallow bowl and season with the salt and pepper.
Dip the squid rings in flour, then batter.
Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer or other suitable deep, heavy pan
to 180°C. Deep-fry the squid in batches in the hot oil for
1-1½ minutes until lightly golden and crisp. (Make sure you
don't overcrowd the pan or the temperature of the oil will drop.)
Carefully shake off the excess oil, drain on kitchen paper and
keep warm while you deep-fry the rest of the squid rings.
Now draw the squid tentacles through the tempura batter and
deep-fry these until lightly golden and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
Sprinkle the deep-fried squid rings and tentacles with a little coarse
salt. Divide between warm plates and scatter over the sliced chilli.
Serve at once, with lime wedges.
47 Dan Lepard's carrot cake
Chosen by Anjum Anand
Makes a 23cm cake with 2 tiers
300g self-raising flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
pinch of Maldon salt, ground fine
4 eggs
335ml sunflower oil
450g caster sugar
125g carrots, grated
140g walnuts, chopped
2 tbs hot bottled spring water
butter and flour for the tin
for the icing:
130g unsalted butter, softened
300g full-fat soft cheese (Philadelphia), softened
160g icing sugar, sifted
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease two 23cm springform
cake tins with melted butter. Line the bottom of each tin with a
disc of non-stick baking parchment. Butter the paper, then dust
the paper and the side of the tins with a little flour. Sift together
the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt.
Separate 2 of the eggs. In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer,
beat together the oil and the sugar. Slowly add the whole eggs,
beating well, then beat in the 2 egg yolks. Beat in the grated carrots,
then stir in the chopped walnuts. Fold in the sifted flour, followed
by the hot water. In another bowl, whisk the 2 egg whites until
soft peaks form. Fold them into the batter.
Divide the cake mixture between the prepared tins. Set the tins
on a baking tray in the middle of the oven and bake for 45 minutes
or until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cake comes out clean.
Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then run a knife between
the cakes and the sides of the tin. Release the spring-lock, remove
the collar and let the cakes cool on a rack.
To make the icing, beat all the ingredients together to a thick cream.
With a palette knife, spread a layer of icing on one cake, then press
the other on top. Spread the rest of the icing over the top and side
of the cake, swirling it attractively. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours
before serving, and keep in the fridge, as the icing will soften at
room temperature.
48. Angela Hartnett's chocolate and vanilla semifreddo
This recipe (the Italian version of parfait) originally came from my
Auntie Maria's mother-in-law Ilda, and then Maria passed it on to
Nonna, who passed it on to Mum, who passed it on to me, so it's
a great example of Italian women passing recipes down the
generations. Be aware that it does contain uncooked eggs, and
make sure you always use fresh organic ones.
Serves 6
100g amaretti biscuits
splash of amaretto liqueur (Disaronno)
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
4 eggs, separated
100g caster sugar
500ml whipping cream, lightly whipped
1 vanilla pod, slit open and seeds scraped out
Carefully line the base and sides of a 1 litre plastic container with
a large piece of clingfilm (you must ensure there are no splits or
gaps in it). Set aside. Crush the amaretti biscuits in a bowl and
stir in a generous splash of the liqueur. Spoon the mixture evenly
over the base of the lined container and place in the freezer.
Break up the chocolate and place in a bowl set over a pan of
simmering water (taking care that the bottom of the bowl does
not actually touch the water). Allow to melt. Once it has melted,
remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.
Using an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until pale
and thickened.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to form stiff peaks, then
fold them into the yolks and sugar. Divide the mixture equally
between 2 bowls. Add the melted chocolate to one bowl and mix
well. To the other bowl add the cream, another touch of the liqueur
and the vanilla seeds.
Remove the container from the freezer. Pour in the chocolate
mixture first. Lightly tap the container on a work surface to level
the mixture, then pour the vanilla mixture over the top. Tap gently
again to even out. Cover with clingfilm and return to the freezer
overnight to set (it needs to freeze for at least 12 hours).
When ready to serve, allow to soften slightly at room temperature,
then tip on to a chilled plate and cut into slices with a knife warmed
in hot water. Serve immediately.
49. Giorgo Locatelli's white truffle risotto
Served at Locanda Locatelli
Serves 4
2½ litres good chicken stock
50g butter
1 onion, chopped very, very finely
400g superfino carnaroli rice
125ml dry white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
for the mantecatura:
75g cold butter, cut into small dice
about 100g parmesan, finely grated
a white truffle
1 tsp truffle butter
Some tips: chop the onions as finely as you can (the size of grains
of sea salt) - you don't want the onion to be obvious in the finished
risotto, and if you have large pieces, they will not cook through
properly. Grate the parmesan finely so that it is quickly absorbed.
Make sure that your butter is very cold. Cut it into small, even-sized
dice before you start cooking, and put it into the fridge until you are
ready to use it. That way it won't melt too quickly and it will emulsify
rather than split the risotto. Remember, the more rice you cook, the
greater the heat it will retain, so it will take less time to cook.
To make the soffritto: put the stock into a pan, bring it to the boil and
then reduce the heat so that it is barely simmering. Put a heavy-based
pan on the heat next to the one containing the hot stock, and put in the
butter to melt. The choice of pan for risotto is important, as a heavy
base will distribute heat evenly, preventing burning. As the butter is
melting, add the onion and cook very slowly for about 5 minutes, so
that it softens and becomes translucent, losing the pungent onion
flavour,
but doesn't brown - otherwise it might add some burnt flavour to the
risotto and spoil its appearance with brown flecks.
I don't recommend that you add any salt at this point, because the
stock that you will shortly be adding will reduce down, concentrating
its flavour. You will also be adding some salty parmesan at the end,
so it is best to wait until all these flavours have been absorbed and
decide at the end whether you need any seasoning or not.
For the tostatura ("toasting" the rice), turn up the heat to medium,
add the rice and stir, using a wooden spatula, until the grains are well covered in butter and onions, and heated through - again with no
colour. It is important to get the grains up to a hot temperature before
adding the wine. Add the wine and let it reduce and evaporate,
continuing to stir until the wine has virtually disappeared and the
mixture is almost dry -
that way you will lose any taste of wine. From this point to the end
of the cooking, for this quantity of risotto it should take about 17-18
minutes (a minute or so less if you are doubling the quantity). Start to
add the stock a ladleful at a time (each addition should be just enough
to cover but not drown the rice), stirring and scraping the base and
sides of the pan with your spatula. Let each ladleful of stock be almost absorbed before adding the next one. The idea is to keep the
consistency runny at all times, never letting it dry out, and to keep the
rice moving so that it cooks evenly (the base of the pan will obviously
be the hottest place, and the grains that are there will cook more quickly than the rest, unless you keep stirring them around). You will see the rice beginning to swell and become more shiny and translucent as the outer
layer gradually releases its starch, beginning to bind the mixture together
and make it creamy. Keep the risotto bubbling steadily all the while as
you continue the process of adding stock, stirring and letting it absorb,
then adding more stock.
After about 15 minutes of doing this, start to test the rice. A word of warning: let it cool before you taste or you will burn your mouth!
The rice is ready when it is plump and tender, but the centre of the
grain still has a slight firmness to the bite. When you feel you are almost there, reduce the amount of stock you are adding, so that when the rice
is ready the consistency is not too runny, but nice and moist, ready to
absorb the butter and parmesan at the next stage and loosen up some
more.
Take the pan off the heat and let the risotto rest for a minute without
stirring. For the mantecatura, quickly beat in the cold butter, truffle
butter, then beat in the parmesan. The result should be a risotto that is creamy, rich and emulsified. At this point, taste for seasoning and, if
you like, add a grind of salt and pepper, then shave over the white truffle. Serve the risotto as quickly as you can, as it will carry on cooking for a
few minutes even as you transfer it to your serving bowls (shallow ones
are best), and you want to enjoy it while it is at its creamiest.
50. Larousse Gastronomique's Bresse chicken-liver terrine
Chosen by Allegra McEvedy
Serves 4
8 Bresse chicken livers (preferably white ones)
150g beef marrow
50g plain flour
6 whole eggs
4 egg yolks
2 tbs double cream
750ml milk
salt, pepper and ground nutmeg
a large pinch of chopped parsley
½ garlic clove, peeled and crushed
a few slices of truffle to garnish
for the sauce:
cream
port
fresh tomato purée
butter
Heat the oven to 180°C. Rub the chicken livers through a sieve
together with the beef marrow. Add the flour. Mix thoroughly and
then add the eggs, yolks, double cream and milk. Season with salt,
pepper and nutmeg. Add the parsley and garlic.
Cook in a bain-marie in the oven for about 45 minutes or until set.
Turn out the mould just before serving. Prepare the sauce by
reducing the cream, port and tomato purée, enriched with a little
butter. Pour the sauce over the terrine and garnish with the truffle.
Serve warm or cold.
• From Larousse Gastronomique, published by Hamlyn
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