Recipes from Fritton House
Shallot and Red Wine sauce
Ingedients
250g shallots, sliced
4 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
Sprig rosemary
5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
400ml red wine
400ml beef or brown chicken stock, preferably homemade
Knob of butter
Method
Saute the shallots in a medium saucepan with the oil over the high heat for about 3 minutes until lightly browned, stirring often. Season with ground black pepper and add the garlic and rosemary. Continue cooking for a further 3 mintues, stirring often to prevent the shallots burning.
Pour in the vinegar and cook until evapourated away to a syrup, then pour in the wine and cook untill reduced by two thirds.
Pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer untill reduced by two-thirds again, to around 250ml. Remove the garlic and rosemary. Add a little salt to taste and finally ‘monte’ (whisk) in a knob of butter. Add any juices from the steaks just before serving.
Beef Wellington
Ingredients
A good beef fillet (preferably Aberdeen Angus) of around 1kg
3 tbsp olive oil
250g chesnut mushrooms
50g butter
1 large sprig fresh thyme
100ml dry white wine
12 slices prosciutto
500g pack of puff pastry, thawed if frozen
A little flour for dusting
2 egg yolks beaten with 1 tsp water
Method
Heat oven to 220c/fan 200c/gas 7. Sit the beef on a roasting tray, brush with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with pepper, then roast for 15mins for medium –rare or 20 mins for medium. When the beef is cooked to your liking, remove from the oven to cool, then chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
While the beef is cooling , chop the mushrooms as finely as possible so they have the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. You can use a food processor to do this, but make sure pulse chop the mushrooms so they don’t become a slurry.
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil and all the butter in a large pan and fry the mushrooms on a medium heat, with the thyme sprig, for about 10mins stirring often, until you have a softened mixture. Season the mushroom mixture, pour over the wine and cook for about 10 mins untill all the wine has been absorbed. The mixture should hold its shape when stirred. Remove the mushroom duxelle from the pan to cool and discard the thyme.
Overlap two pieces of cling film over a large chopping board. Lay the prosciutto on the cling film, slightly overlapping, in a double row. Spread half the duxelles over the prosciutto, then sit the fillet on it and spread the remaining duxelles over. Use the cling film’s edges to draw the prosciutto around the fillet, then roll it into a sausage shape, twisting the ends of cling film to tighten as you go. Chill the fillet while you roll out the pastry.
Roll out a third of the pastry to a 18x30 cm strip and place on a non stick baking sheet. Roll out the remaining pastry to about 28x36cm. Unravel the fillet from the cling film and sit it in the centre of the smaller strip of pastry and brush the pastry’s edges, and the top and sides of the wrapped fillet, with beaten egg yolk. Using a rolling pin, carfully lift and drape the larger piece of pastry over the fillet, pressing well into the sides. Trim the joins to about a 4cm rim. Seal the rim with the edge of a fork or spoon handle. Glaze all over with more egg yolk and, using the back of a knife, mark the beef wellington with long diagonal lines taking care not to cut into the pastry. Chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Heat oven to 200c/fan 180c/gas 6. Brush the wellington with a little more egg yolk and cook until golden and crisp 20-25mins for medium-rare beef, 30 mins for medium. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving in thick slices.
Fritton Mess with Raspberries
Ingredients
3 eggs whites
175g caster sugar
600ml double cream whisked until stiff
700g raspberries
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 100c/gas/1/4
Line two backing trays with non stick baking parchment.
Whisk together the egg whites and suagr in a bowl. Set over a bain marie (pan of gently simmering water) until the mix forms a thick trail when the whisk is removed.
Remove the bowl from the bain marie and continue to whisk for about 2 minutes or until the mixture has cooled down significantly.
Using 2 spoons, spoon 6 meringues onto baking tray lined with non stick baking parchment.
Bake for 1 hour 45mins until dry and crisp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
When cold, roughly crush the meringues and combine with the raspberries as they are in season and cream. Place in serving dish.
Andy Parle, freelance chef
Since leaving the Walpole Arms in May Andy has been working as a consultant, freelance chef and outside catering.
He has recently joined forces with Crawford White of Whites Butchers, Red Lion Street, Aylsham (this years EDP Butcher of the Year) to bring their ‘you kill’em, I’ll grill’em’ format whereby the customer can, with guidance, learn about certain butchery methods from Crawford in the morning and watch Andy compile a menu and demonstrate the dishes to you in the comfort of your own kitchen. Invite your friends and over the course of the day (and a couple of glasses of wine perhaps) watch the meal unfold, culminating in a three course meal served in the evening.
Andy is also able to take on any catering needs from dinner parties, conference lunches to weddings in his own distinctive style and attention to detail.
Mussels with linguine, chilli, garlic and parsley
Serves 1
Ingredients
12 mussels – de-bearded, cleaned and rinsed
75- 100 grams linguine (or spaghetti.) Depending on appetite
½ mild red chilli diced
1 good sized clove of garlic chopped
1 handfull flatleaf parsley chopped
¼ glass white wine or marsala
A good glug of extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper to taste depending on your heat theshold
Method
Put a sizeable pan of well salted water on to boil.
Put another pan, big enough to hold the mussels comfortably on a high flame. When hot add some oil, the mussels and the wine, place a lid on top. Allow to sizzle for a minute or two, shake the pan and cook for another minute or two until the mussels are all open. Cool the mussels slightly and remove them from their shells, keeping both the mussel meat and their juices.
By this time your water should be boiling, add the pasta and stir to separate, return to the boil, reduce the temperature and allow to simmer for 8-10 mins or until cooked but retaining bite. Drain and keep hot.
Meanwhile, in a third pan, gently heat some more oil. Put the galic in the pan and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add the chilli and cook for one or two minutes. Turn up the heat and add the mussel juices, reduce until quite syrupy and then add the mussel meat and pasta. Throw in your parsley and mix thoroughly. Only at this point add any seasoning but only after first tasting the pasta. The mussels can be naturally salty and the chillies vary in spiceiness so it’s up to you. When you are happy turn everything out into a bowl and enjoy.
Moroccan style mussels and cous-cous
Serves 1
Ingredients
12-15 mussels- de-bearded, cleaned and rinsed
2 oz/50 g – diced onion
1 clove diced garlic
½ tsp. Cumin seeds
½ tsp. Coriander seeds
½ tsp. Fennel seeds
½ tsp. Paprika
Extra virgin olive oil
½ tin chopped tomatoes
¼ orange-zest and juice
¼ lemon-zest and juice
50 g cous-cous
1 tsp orange or rose flower water
Chopped herbs such as flatleaf parsley, mint and coriander
Pomegranate concentrate (optional)
Method
First make your sauce. Place a pan on a medium heat and put a good coverage of oil in, allow to warm. Add the onion and garlic, cook until translucent.
Meanwhile, toast the spices in a dry pan (minus the paprika as it is already prepared), cool and grind in a pestle and mortar (or if you have any sense buy a coffee grinder, it takes all the effort out of using whole spices!) And add all the spices to the pan. Cook for one minute stirring on occasion.
Now add the tomatoes and simmer fo 10-15 mins until you have a rich sauce. Reserve.
Place the cous-cous in a bowl and pour an equal volume of boiling water over, stir with a fork add some salt and when cooled add lots of chopped herbs and the rose water. Reserve.
To complete the dish
In a large, heated pan, put some oil and the mussels, cook for one minute and then add a splash of water. Put a lid on the pan and cook the mussels, shaking the pan on occasion for five minutes or until they are all open. Add the warm sauce and bring up to heat, stir in the cous-cous and pomegranate concentrate if using. Remove to a bowl and get stuck in!
John Kenny, Happy Hogs
Chorizo, Tomato and Bean Casserole
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 x pack of chorizo sausages
1 x onion - finely chopped
1 x clove of garlic - finely chopped
1 x red chilli – deseeded and finely chopped
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g tin of butter beans
1 x tablespoon of olive oil
1 x tablespoon corrinander - chopped
1 x tablespoon basil - chopped
1 x tablespoon chives– chopped
8 oz of pasta
Method
Put the oil in the pan over a medium heat, add the sausages and brown slightly.
Add garlic, onion and chilli to pan and soften slightly.
Pour in tomatoes add beans and stir through with sausages.
Place lid on pan and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, until sausages are cooked through and piping hot.
Cook pasta as per instructions on packet.
When sausages are cooked remove from the pan and keep warm.
Strain the pasta and add to casserole and stir in.
Add herbs and season to taste.
Place pasta in a bowl with chorizo on top and serve.
Pork Schnitzel
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 x pork steaks
3 x eggs – beaten to eggwash
Breadcrumbs
Flour for dusting
½ lemon
Knob of butter
Splash of oil
Method
Cut pork steaks in half, then butterfly and flatten with rolling pin.
Dust in flour then immerse in the egg wash.
Put the steaks in the breadcrumbs and cover with breadcrumbs.
Pour oil into frying pan and heat over a medium heat.
When pan is hot add the schnitzel and cook for 2-3 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
Turn the schnitzel over and add the butter to the pan.
Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until crisp and brown.
Remove schnitzel from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and plate.
Squeeze the lemon over the schnitzel and serve with season vegetables.
Matthew Martins, The Staithe Restaurant Stalham
Head Chef at The Staithe Restaurant Stalham, Matthew Martins was bitten by the food bug at the age of five and since then has pursued his ambition with fervour and enthusiasm, training at City College where he finished his two years of course work early and went off to Morston Hall, returning there after completing his third year at the college during which he won the Young’s seafood competition. He later worked at the Norfolk Mead for 18 months and at several other places on the North Norfolk coast before working at a Castle in Scotland. He was enticed back to Norfolk by Brian and Richard to become one of or perhaps the Youngest Head Chef in Norfolk.
The Staithe Restaurant Stalham has been created from the former outbuildings to Staithe house built in 1813 by the Burton Family who owned the Stalham Wherry fleet and the Mill.
The Restaurant opened in March this year and is fast gaining a reputation for it’s food and atmosphere.
The owners are Brian Hodgson and Richard Pointing both of whom had successful careers in the entertainment industry. Richard, who designed the restaurant, was one of the top costume supervisors in the film industry working on over fifty major productions including Rocky Horror Show, Tommy, Reds, Revolution, Spygame and Polanski’s Oliver Twist.
Brian worked mostly in television and amongst other things was the original Sound Designer for Dr Who creating over seventy hours of sounds including the Tardis Sound and the voice of the Daleks.
Turbot with celeriac mash, wild mushrooms & vine tomatoes
Ingredients
Piece of Turbot Trimmed and cut into 6 oz portions
1 whole celeriac root
Cherry Vine tomatoes 5 per person
8 oz of Wild Mushrooms
Chives, Basil leaves, Wild Garlic leaves or small clove garlic
Sprig of Rosemary
Olive oil
Butter
Balsamic Vinegar
Brown Sugar
Salt
Black pepper
Method
Pre Heat oven to 180c
Have ready 1 large pan of boiling water with a pinch of salt
1 small pan of boiling water
1 Bowl of iced Water
Place cherry vine tomatoes in a small roasting tin, with a glug of olive oil, a sprig of rosemary 1tablespoon of brown sugar and a dash of balsamic vinegar, place in the oven.
Peel celeriac and cut into inch cubes and boil until tender (about 12 minutes).
Blanch the chives, garlic leaves and basil in the small pan of water for 15 seconds, then refresh in the bowl of iced water.
Dry the herbs with a cloth then place into a blender with a pinch of salt a teaspoon of dark brown sugar and 8 table spoons of olive oil, blitz for a minute or so then pour into a squeezy bottle.
Pick through the mushrooms in case of moss and roughly chop large mushrooms.
Trim the turbot and cut in to 6 oz portion sizes then season with salt and black pepper.
Drain the celeriac and place in a food blender (while hot) with a knob of butter and a pinch of salt. Press the pulse button about 12 times for a rustic mash.
Heat a heavy frying pan with a table spoon of olive oil and a knob of butter.
Place the turbot in pan flesh side down for 2 min then turn over for 3 min. Add the wild mushrooms, turn the fish flesh side down for 1 min and pull off the heat.
Place a large spoon full of the mash in the centre of a large plate, take the tomatoes out of the oven and place a few of them on the edge of the mash, sit the turbot on the mash flesh side up and place the mushrooms on top.
Drizzle the herb dressing round the outside of the plate and enjoy.
Franck Pontais
Franck was born in Paris in 1972. After winning various awards at French culinary schools, he went
on to cater daily for 2,000 soliders in the French National Service, worked at Harrods as a Traiteur (chef producing ‘delicatessen’-type food), was poached by Selfridges, then went on to work for a company who specialised in providing party food for celebrities and royals. He now runs his own entertainment food and events company in Suffolk with his wife.
Franck is positively messianic about food! “I have no fear of failure and so am always learning, always discovering new ways with food.”
Sweet potato & carrots with orange juice & cumin
Serves 6 of 250ml
Ingedients
1 orange, large
2 carrots, large
1 sweet potato
Sprinkle cumin seeds
60g salted butter
1 courgette, julienne cut
Seasoning
Preparation time
15 minutes
Cooking time
30 minutes
Method
Peel and segment the orange.
Peel and dice the carrots and sweet potato, make sure they are all the same size. Layer into the verrine with the carrots at the bottom and season to taste. Arrange the segments of orange on top.
Sprinkle over the cumin seeds and add a chunk of butter.
Squeeze the remaining orange into each before closing.
Completely seal the verrine with a lid or tightly wrapped foil.
Cook for 30 minutes at 200oC, gas mark 6.
For a garnish, take a fine slice of courgette, including the skin, cut to a julienne and quickly blanch.
Advice
Press the carrots and sweet potato firmly into the verrine to really fill it, as they will reduce in volume during the cooking.
Aromatic crispy duck with a pea salad
Serves 4 of 100 ml
Ingredients
1 duck breast (approx 300g)
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp hoi sin sauce
Seasoning
4 tsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon syrup
75g chick peas
75g cooked peas
1 tsp coriander, roughly chopped
Preparation time
25 minutes
Method
Trim the duck breast and remove the skin. Cut once through the duck breast length ways. Cut into thin scallops (above left) of a maximum of 5mm.
Quickly seal the duck in a very hot, smoking pan for about 1 minute on each side.
While the duck is in the pan, deglaze with a splash of soy sauce.
Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tbsp of hoi sin sauce, transfer to a bowl to rest, sprinkle with seasoning.
Make the tahini dressing by mixing the tahini with lemon syrup, coriander and seasoning.
Mix the peas and the chick peas together with half of the tahini dressing.
Spoon this mix into your serving verrine. On top of this arrange the duck, spoon over any remaining cooking juices and a further drizzle of tahini dressing. Garnish with a hibiscus flower.
Advice
I have used the hibiscus flower to garnish this dish even though they are quite hard to find. It is well worth persevering as they come in a wonderful syrup which is great when added to Champagne. The internet is a great kitchen assistant!
Smoked mackerel & trout with saffron potatoes
Serves 8
Ingredients
300g new potatoes, peeled
pinch saffron
400g fillets of smoked mackerel, skin on
1 tsp fresh dill, chopped
100g melted butter
200g fillets of smoked trout
Seasoning
Preparation time
30 minutes
Chilling time
4-6 hours
Method
Boil the potatoes with saffron strands until soft and thoroughly cooked, drain and keep hot.
Line the mould using the cooked mackerel fillets.
Add to the slightly cooled potatoes, chopped dill, melted butter and seasoning. Using your hands, crush the potatoes and press firmly into the mould.
Just before you reach half way up the terrine, place in the smoked trout fillets, add more potatoes and finish with the mackerel.
Advice
Build this terrine while the potatoes are still warm as it is the action of the starch and the butter cooling together that binds the terrine.