Category Archives: Saturday Refined Gourmet

Raspberry Soufflé

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Some of you may not feel confident with making soufflé, but this really is a foolproof recipe. An important point to remember is to not open the oven door during the baking process as it will make the soufflé collapse and not rise again. This makes a perfect finish to a saturday dinner with carrot and ginger soup as a starter and glazed duck as main course.

Serves 6

300 g raspberry
4 egg whites
100 g caster sugar
juice of ½ a lemon
½ tsp cornflour, mixed with 1 tbsp water

1. Butter and sugar moulds and place in the fridge.
2. Make the raspberry coulis: Heat up the raspberries, 50 g sugar, lemon and one tbsp water on the stove. Once the sugar has dissolved blend the mixture in a blender, pass through a sieve and put the mixture back on the stove. Add cornflour and bring the mixture to the boil, then take off the heat and let cool. Up until here can be prepared in advance and kept in the refrigerator.
3. To make the meringue: Whisk the egg white hard, add the remaining 50 g sugar and whisk again until smooth soft peak.
4. Mix one third of the meringue with the raspberry coulis, then add the remaining meringue and combine using a spatula to avoid knocking out the air.
5. Divide the mixture between the moulds. Smooth the surface to get an even border and run your finger along the edge to avoid the mixture from sticking and not raising properly in the oven.
6. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees C, for 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle icing sugar on top and serve immediately.

Eggs en cocotte

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It is not easter without at least one dish containing an egg. So here is a simple dish known as oeufs en cocotte in French, referring to the ramequins in which the eggs are cooked. The ingredients can vary, feel free to switch the cheese or herb to any personal favourite. Serve as it is or with a piece of bread, followed by rack of lamb and pavlova for the complete easter menu.

Serves 4

200 g of mixed mushrooms, washed and cut into pieces
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
leaves from 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
200 ml double cream
4 tbsp grated parmesan
4 eggs
salt and pepper
garden cress, for decoration

1. Sweat the mushrooms in oil in a pan over medium heat until most of the water has evaporated. Add shallot and garlic and continue frying for another minute. Add thyme and season with salt and pepper.
2. Butter the inside of the ramequins and cover the bottom with mushroom mixture. Add cream, then parmesan, finishing off with the egg. Season with salt.
3. Cook in a water bath in the oven at 200 degrees for 15 minutes (the egg white should have set, but not the egg yolk). Take out and sprinkle some freshly ground pepper and decorate with some garden cress.

Rack of lamb with a parsley crust, mint dressing, rösti and red wine sauce

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Lamb is a classic for easter. Try it together with the egg en cocotte and pavlova as a menu. Although the trimming of the lamb may take some time, it looks so much prettier when served. If you would like to leave the racks as you bought them that is fine too. The mint dressing is wonderful and can also be used for other dishes, like in salad or accompanied to other meats. Make sure to prepare it ahead of time so that the flavour can fully evolve.

Serves 4

2 racks of lamb, each 6 or 8 ribs

60 g breadcrumbs
10 ml olive oil
60 g flat parsley leaves
salt and pepper
40 g Dijon mustard

50 ml chopped mint leaves
75 ml caster sugar
50 ml water
1 tbsp malt vinegar

4 large potatoes, for example baking potato
1 egg
salt and pepper
oil for frying

200 ml red wine
600 ml veal stock
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp cornflour
salt and pepper
1 tbsp unsalted butter

Desired vegetable, like baby carrots and green beans

1. Start off by making the mint dressing: Mix mint, sugar, water and vinegar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Put aside for 8 hours.
2. Trim the lamb: Remove the skin and excess fat. Cut away the silver skin (the shiny thin layer on the meat), it doesn’t dissolve during cooking and is hard to chew. Clean the bones by removing any meat and fat between them, all the way into the filet at the end of the bone (but still making sure the bone is attached to the filet). Scrape the bones clean with the knife all the way to the end (this will look neater after cooking). Tie a string around the meat between each bone to keep the shape of the meat during cooking.
3. For the crust add breadcrumbs, oil, parsley, salt and pepper to a mixer and blend. Put aside until needed.
4. For the wine sauce combine wine, stock, honey in a small pan. Let simmer until reduced 75%. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Mix the cornflour with 1 tbsp cold water add to the sauce while stirring (this will thicken the sauce). Set aside.
5. Make the rösti: Peel and grate the potatoes, mix with egg and season. Using a ring mould, form round shapes in the pan and fry in oil on high heat to give golden colour on both sides. Place the rösti in the oven and continue cooking for another 20 minutes at 200 degrees.
6. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Seal in oil in a pan on high heat (make sure the pan is very hot before adding the meat), turning the meat to get colour on all sides. Put the meat in the oven for 10 minutes at 200 degrees, take it out and let it rest for 10 minutes in room temperature covered with aluminium foil. Remove the string and coat the outside of the lamb with mustard, then roll the lamb in the crust and make sure it is attached. Put the meat back into the oven for another 5 minutes. Take it out and let rest under aluminium foil for another 5 minutes.
7. Cook the vegetables in salted boiling water until tender but still with resistance.
8. Reheat the sauce. While whisking add butter and keep stirring until it has dissolved. Cut pieces of the racks of lamb. Serve the dish on warm plates.

Pavlova with pear cream, ginger sauce and hazelnuts

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This is an easy but feastly dessert that combined with rack of lamb and eggs en cocotte make a beautiful easter meny. Pear and ginger are great flavour combinations! The components of the dish can be prepared beforehand and assembled right before serving.

Serves 6

2 egg whites
150 ml caster sugar
juice of 1/4 of lemon

4 pears, peeled and cut into small pieces
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
juice of 1/4 of lemon
50 ml caster sugar
50 ml water
200 ml whipping cream
1 tbsp icing sugar
50 ml hazelnuts

100 ml milk
100 ml double cream
50 ml sugar
1/2 tsp cornflour
2 egg yolks
2 cm fresh ginger, grated

2 mint sprigs, for decoration

1. First make the meringue: Whisk the egg whites, sugar and lemon juice with an electric mixer in a bowl over a bain-marie (bring a bit of water to the boil in a pot, and put the bowl with the meringue mixture on top, whisking constantly while heating the mphotoeringue and dissolving the sugar) until glossy and firm. Take the bowl off the heat and keep whisking until the meringue has cooled. Add the meringue to a piping bag and pipe the desired shape, with an extra layer on the sides so they are higher than the centre to create a cup. Bake in the oven at 130 degrees for 50 minutes.
2. Add pieces of pear, sugar, vanilla extract, water and lemon juice to a small pan, and let simmer over a low heat for about 10 minutes until tender. Leave the pear in the liquid until needed, preferably over night to absorb the sirup flavour.
3. Roast the hazelnuts in a pan over medium heat, stirring constantly until with golden colour. Chop to desired size.
4. To make the ginger sauce, first add the milk and double cream to a pot and bring to the boil. In a separate bowl, mix egg yolk, sugar and cornflour, then add to the milk and cream. Bring back to the boil while stirring and take off the heat as the first bubble appears. Add the grated ginger.
5. Whip the whipping cream with icing sugar. Drain the pears, reserve a few pieces for decoration and stir in the remainder into the whipped cream.
6. To serve, add a few spoons of pear cream to the meringue, sprinkle hazelnuts over. Top with a few pieces of pears and a couple of mint leaves. Spoon the ginger sauce around the meringue.