Sweet Stuff

Well it’s time to get serious about desserts. Today I have been crystalising oranges, making oat milk and creating forget-me-not voignier jellies. Okay so the oat milk is probably not going to make a great dessert, but it is very easy to make and works fantastically with pumpkin. For more on milk alternatives hit this link.

oranges (Photo credit: WGyuri)

Forget-me-not jelly is a very pretty thing (I will get some pictures up once it is set.) The jelly is made with 1/4 pint of 2008 St Gabriel Viognier. Flame off the alcohol by bringing the wine to the boil and lighting the vapour. The wine will boil like fury as the alcohol burns away, the flame will disappear suddenly and the boil will fall back rapidly. At this point, turn off the heat and add a couple of leaves of gelatine which have soaked in cold water for 10 minutes.  Add your flavours (vanilla, juniper, orange and cinnamon syrup, star anise, whatever you like, and allow to infuse to the hot jelly mix. You will then need to delicately lay the flower heads out in moulds and gently add the jelly mix. Make sure that you have completely submerged the flowers, they will bob back to the surface, but they will now be coated by the surface of the jelly. Leave to set and cut into small squares. I will be using these as a decoration for a peach sabayon which will be served at the forthcoming Shabby Chocolat “Decedant Dessert” evening on the 25th May.

Crystalised oranges. Cut the orange in half lengthways and slice thinly. It is an idea to make a mix of semicircles, quarter circles and wedges for variety. Make a simple Syrup, and add a table spoon of Orange and Cinnamon tea (We use The Hebden Bridge Tea Company) to infuse. Strain the syrup and leave the orange slices to soak for 3-4 hours. Once soaked, coat the slices in caster sugar and put on a baking sheet on greaseproof paper. This needs to go into an oven on the lowest setting for 3 hours. Remove from the oven and plate on a drying rack overnight to fully dry.

The addition of the tea compliments the bitterness of the orange and the cinnamon adds a spice to the sweetness.

So there we go. Don’t forget the next event on the 2nd May – The South American Table, and the 30th June – Our first vegetarian table.

 

Calling all Vegetarians

Due to several requests for a vegetarian menu, we will be setting our June Table Without Borders as a veggie affair. We have yet to design a full menu, but we will be bringing some indulgence and luxury to vegetarian cuisine. Our approach to vegetarian cooking is exactly the same as our approach to any other style, which is to say we will source the best ingredients we can and produce mouthwatering and unique dishes with strong flavours and elegant presentation.

The vegetarian menu will be priced at £20pp, and this will be for a four course menu. Please book in advance as we have already taken several bookings for the vegetarian menu.

Enjoy.

Taste Globally – Cook Locally

 

The Balkan Table

Thanks to all who came to the eastern European Table on Saturday. The night was a great success and we will certainly be cooking some of those dishes again. There were some lovely comments about the food, and one that was particularly flattering was that “there is nothing out there to compare this to.” We work hard to develop each of our tables and like to explore different possibilities for dishes, keeping the experience unique is close to out hearts. One of my favourite new items was the beetroot and orange puree topped with a walnut cream. The walnut cream is made using fresh walnuts, chicken stock and sour cream, it is then blitzed and passed through muslin to create a silky texture. This is then set in the fridge before serving. Although it is only served as an amuse bouche, it packs a real punch of flavour and is a delicious Bendy’s Kitchen discovery.

The idea of this particular table was to create a meal which took the diner on a journey through the cuisines of Eastern Europe, we had influences from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Bavaria, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary. All of these influences were given a bit of a twist in keeping with our “taste globally, eat locally” approach, and we are now looking forward to our next event.

On the 12 May we will be holding our third Table Without Borders, and we will be setting off to South America to be inspired by the delights of Brazil, Peru, Argentina and Bolivia. There will of course be some latin influence here, but also some Arab influence which was taken to this part of the world by the Spanish and Portuguese in the 15th century. We are expecting this to be a journey through a colourful and vibrant culinary tradition of spiced meat dishes, fresh salads and beautifully made baked products.

The South American Table is already nearly fully booked, but we will be looking for a larger venue to cater for more guests – still seated at one table, enjoying good food and good company. This Table is £20pp and will be a five course menu.

Enjoy.

 

Nuts from Bulgaria

Sometimes recipes are the result of simple serendipity. I met two lovely people this weekend who have carved a life for themselves in Bulgaria. They are canning their own foods, making wine and using all the fantastic ingredients they have to hand. We did, of course, spend some time talking about recipes and foods, and generally about how eating fresh, seasonal ingredients is one of life’s true pleasures.

Angie and Ivor very kindly gave me a sack full of Bulgarian walnuts – as well as indulging me in some home grown merlot. The Bulgarian nuts are smaller than the walnuts I usually source, and darker too. In texture they are creamy and have a distinctly sweeter flavour than the paler variety we see in the UK every Christmas.   With the next event on the way, and it being of an Eastern European flavour, I had to find a way of getting these Adriatic fruits onto the menu. Not only did I get them onto the menu, but I also got them onto the wall, ceiling, cupboards, boiler and most of the oils and vinegars that live on the work surface – I will explain.

Yesterday I decided to include an amuse bouche on the menu which will be a beetroot puree, topped with a savoury curd cheese, served in a shot glass. We tried it last night and it is delicious. The puree has been made from the consome process, and carries a velvety rich beetroot flavour, with a hint of star anise.  The curd cheese is made by steeping the milk in rosemary and splitting it with lemon juice. However, with the introduction of walnuts, I decided to cream them with some chicken stock and horseradish to create the creamy topping for the appetizer.

Whilst forcing the walnut puree through muslim, the pressure became too much and the material burst with an explosive force, splattering the tasty contents all over the kitchen.   Attempt two has proven to be more successful, and I am happy to say that thanks to Angie and Ivor’s lovely nuts, and some serious cleaning on my part, I have now added the Beetroot, Walnut and Horseradishshot to Saturday’s menu.

Enjoy.

Please let us know if there are any ingredients you would like to see on the Table Without Borders. Are you a local producer? whether commercial or an allotment grower, we want to buy your produce so that we can continue to Taste Globally & Cook Locally.

Related articles

• Fried Cheese Curds (greenling.com)
• Selena Gomez Going To Bulgaria…Sans Justin Bieber? (celebs.gather.com)
• A Journey to the Black Sea (bendyskitchen.wordpress.com)

 

Pirozhki

Pirozhki with cabbage, apple and paprika puree, topped with sour cream and thyme.

Pirozhki are a small pasty like savoury which are popular in Russia, Ukraine and Polan, although there are similar dishes all over the world. They are made with a sweetened yeast dough, which is filled and brushed with egg to give a beautiful golden glaze. I have served them here with an apple, cabbage and paprika puree, which has been topped with sour cream and thyme. The Pirozhki themselves are filled with chicken and walnuts flavoured with more paprika and sour cream and some Dijon mustard.

What I found interesting is that there is a Japanese equivalent called Piroshiki. This version is deep fried in Panko breadcrumbs. This is exciting for me because it comes from the very heart of what inspires me about cooking and food as a cultural experience. The Table Without Borders is all about understanding diversity and influence, the Piroshiki will now find a place on our Kawa (River) menu and so we begin to create menus without borders.

 

 

Eastern European Table Update

After some rather delicious research we have decided to shorten the menu for this and increase the portion size, as we think this is in keeping with the style of cuisine.

 

We will be updating the menu page shortly, but until then, this is what we are planning:

 

 

Borshch Consome with Beetroot and Chicken Stock Jellies

Blinis with Fennel & Wild Mushrooms

Spicy Pork Ribs with Spatzle & Roast Beetroot

Bulgarian Rice Pudding

…and a little surprise to finish.

 

I have just polished off some of the topping for the blinis an it goes like this:

Slice some fennel and oyster mushrooms into a heavy pan and bake in a little oil until the fennel is soft. (make sure you keep the root on the fennel or it will fall apart.)

Then…

Fry off some shallots and garlic in a heavy pan is some butter.

Add a good whack of white wine and white wine vinegar and reduce by about 50%

Add cream, mustard, Worcester Sauce, salt and a little pepper.

Reduce again by about half.

 

Strain the sauce over the fennel and cook slowly in the oven until soft (be careful not to let the sauce split.)

Fry your blinis (recipe here) and top them with the mushrooms and fennel.

Dress with the fennel tips and some fresh thyme.

Finally add a dollop of sour cream on top and sprinkle with some smoked paprika.

Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

A Journey to the Black Sea

On April 14th we will be hosting our Eastern European Table, using recipes and flavours from Bavaria, Poland, Russia, Hungary and Bulgaria and more. We want to take you on a journey through the flavours of this remarkable and vibrant region, where the rich pastries and cured meats of Northern Europe blend through to the  Eastern Adriatic, where the aromatics and spices of the Mediterranean come to the fore.

Once again we will be using local produce and small suppliers (where possible) to create a selection of dishes which will satisfy and seduce. We do not have a set menu, nor will you need to order, simply arrive with a bottle of whatever takes your fancy and let the food arrive as you meet new people in friendly and homely surroundings.

All of our tables a individually priced and the Eastern European Table is £15 per head.

Please see the booking form or contact us direct to book a place. Numbers are limited so please get in early.

Enjoy.

 

We’re off!

Last night we launched the Table Without Borders with a small gathering of select diners. The initial feedback has been excellent and we would like to take the opportunity to thank all who came and helped get this show on the road.

The way we serve our food is to keep a steady flow of dishes arriving  at the table at just the right speed to keep the evening bubbling along. A social dining event should be like a piece of theatre that has pauses and excitement, expectation, surprises and rhythm. We served the as a whole in itself rather than in separate courses, and the guests enjoyed the variety of flavours and tastes, as well as feeling that they were being cared for, but also surprised at every turn.

Food is an entertainment that we can all enjoy.

Anyway, that the conceptual stuff – what, more importantly, did we eat?

The menu was pretty much as advertised with a few changes, the most notable of which was the last minute

addition of some “Surrogate Wasabi,” as the guests have christened it.(above).

Wasabi root itself is not easy to cultivate, and as a consequence it is expensive to source. Most of the wasabi paste in this country is up to 90% horseradish. Wasabi root has a milder flavour than horseradish which can be quite agressive and intense. Our recipe softens the flavour of the horseradish with rice vinegar and mirin, whilst adding freshness and a peppery note with fresh watercress. The result is a vibrant green paste which has both heat and freshness. The surrogate wasabi is also in keeping with our approach of using cultural influence, fused with local and reagional ingredients and flavours. Also on the menu was pumpkin puree hosomaki, salmon and tuna sashimi, and one item that didn’t quite make it was the potato, fennel and ginger gyoza dumplings – these will be on the menu for the next Kawa Table Without Borders.

What next?

As I am writing this, I am leafing through some Hungarian baked fish recipes to begin planning our next pop up event which will be an Eastern European dinner to continue the “Without Borders” theme. We will be bringing you the menu very soon, along with pricing details, venue and all the rest of the stuff you will need to know to come and enjoy a wonderful evening’s dining which is unique to Bendy’s Kitchen.

See you soon.