Category Archive: Showing off

Elaborate, impressive or just jolly cheffy

Peppercorn sauce

Just in case you’re making a steak… 1 big shallot, fine diced 3 tsp black peppercorns, 2 tsp pink peppercorns 20g butter big pinch salt 2-3 tbsp brandy 200ml beef stock 2 tsp mushroom ketchup or worcester sauce 100ml double cream Dry-toast the black peppercorns, then crush 2 tsp of them. Melt butter and fry …

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Herb flavoured oils

These are really easy to do, so thanks to chef at Aulis for explaining how! Take a great big bunch of your herb, chop it roughly and throw it in a blender. Add plain olive oil, or you could try rapeseed oil, maybe 200ml for a big bunch. Oh: if your herbs need washing first, …

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Chai souffle

I like Indian masala chai. A lot. Maureen once posed the following question: if you could only drink coffee or only drink chai forever more, which would you choose? For me the answer is masala chai. It is much more refreshing in the throat and exciting on the tastebuds. But I do need to be …

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Soufflé essentials

It is so often said that soufflés are challenging, precarious concoctions that will collapse pathetically like your dreams of a place on Masterchef if you so much as look at them funny. They’re not! I’ve never had a problem with them, sweet or savoury. It’s not as though I learned from a pro, or spent …

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Hay, hay, hay!

The latest bit of experimentation inspired by our astonishing meal at Noma is hay smoking. The principle is fairly simple: put some hay into a big casserole, put some foil in with your foodstuff on top, cover with the lid and get it on a high heat for 5-10 minutes. This will get the hay …

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