Brock Hall Goats' Cheese Delish-Dish

Brock Hall Goats' Cheese Delish-Dish: perfect as a starter for four or supper dish for two....This recipe was devised from fresh ingredients from my "fridge & field" this evening.  I love the taste of this tangy, fresh soft goats' cheese from Shropshire-based Brock Hall Farm and the excuse to use Dairy House's creme fraiche is never one to be missed.  Combined with the lemony/citrus taste of fresh sorrel and the subtle green fennel from a fresh head of seeds, this simple recipe is delicious served straight from the pan or left to cool and serve at room temperature.  While I was picking the sorrel I found some salad leaves, rocket & peppery mizuna, coriander sprigs & flowers, a few cherry tomatoes & basil leaves and the nasturtium flowers, leaves & dill flowers all gathered together to create an attractive salad.

Gather your raw ingredients together: 

2 largish shallots

1 clove of garlic

1 oz/25 g Netherend organic farmhouse butter

splash of Shropshire Oils rapeseed oil

six largish leaves of sorrel with their stalks

2 organic free-range eggs

2 oz/50 g Brock Hall Farm soft, goats' cheese

2 oz/50g Dairy House creme fraiche

splash of non-homogenised/GM Mawley Town Farm milk

green fennel seeds

pinch of Halen Mon sea salt

grind of Malaysian black pepper

Melt the butter with a splash of oil in a 8"/20 cm shallow frying pan. 

Add the shallots and soften in the butter.  Crush the garlic and add to the onions after a couple of minutes.  Remove the stems from the sorrel leaves and cut into 1/2"/1cm lengths and add to the onions continue to stir until all are softened.

Sprinkle in the green fennel seeds at the end of the softening process.

Crack the eggs into a roomy mixing bowl then add the creme fraiche and the soft goats' cheese.  

Beat with a balloon whisk, adding a little milk if the mixture is too thick.  Season with salt & pepper.

Shred the sorrel leaves and fold into the egg mixture along with with softened onion mixture from the frying pan.  

Wipe the frying pan with some kitchen roll, smear the pan with a little butter/oil and heat.  When the pan is hot pour in the complete mixture, swirl across the base of the  pan  and level with a spatula.   Cook for a few minutes until the underside is brown and the mixture is shrinking away from the sides a little.  

Transfer to under a hot grill or to a pre-heated oven and continue cooking until the top has set and browned a little.  It should be soft & springy.  Run a palette knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen then invert a flat plate over the top, carefully turn over and out.  Serve with freshly picked salad leaves and a honey/ginger dressing.

GOOD, CLEAN, HONEST & FAIR are the watch words of the International Slow Food movement and ones which I also like to follow.  Anyone who knows me knows that I love to use ingredients that are as local to me as possible and of course only those that are grown, produced and made by small-scale independents hence all the "name-dropping" in my recipes.  Even the black pepper corns are from a Slow Food producer in Sarawak, Malasia! Obviously substitutes can be made and a recipe is just a guideline - do as you will or wish!

Our free-range, rare-breed pedigree Berkshires...

Our Berkshires have generous neighbours who bring them their cabbage-white-caterpillar decimated cauliflours.  (That was a bit of a mouthful!)

DEMMING AT WORCESTER FEAST - Friday 4 September 2009

Heart of England Fine Foods invited me to dem at the first ever Worcester Food and Drink Festival aptly named Worcester Feast which took place around the Cathedral Close and within the walled gardens of The Commandery just down the road.  I had the lunchtime slot on Friday 5 September and was asked to present "Worcestershire on a Plate"............ and took care to choose ingredients available from various stall-holders at the show. I enjoyed catching-up with David McCaw from The Fold Bransford & on conferring all our chosen recipes were similar, seasonal & made from local produce.  Which was more than I can say for the other demmers on the day: not sure what prawns, pineapples, corned beef and tinned milk/cream have to do with the food of Worcestershire!

BAKED AUBERGINES with FRESH WALNUTS & LITTLE URN CHEESE - very appropriate because this cheese is made just outside of Worcester and was named to commemorate England winning the Ashes in 2005 and of course this has just recently happened again!

2 Aubergines from Evesham

rape seed oil - I used some of Just Oils from Staffordshire, who were at the show kindly gave me some to use.  Love their smoked and flavoured varieties (I couldn't find a rape seed oil producer which comes from Worcestershire)

1 Garlic clove, crushed

1 tbs chopped onion

2 Drews' tomatoes, diced

1 rape seed oil

S&P

25 g/1 oz walnuts, chopped

15g/1 oz breadcrumbs

50g/2oz little Urn Lightwood, Lower Broadheath, 2005 Ashes

(pomegranite dressing: pom syrup, plain yog, lemon juice, mint, garlic, oil)

Preheat the oven to 200C/440F/Gas 6

Slice the aubergines lengthways

Smear a baking tray with a little oil and lay aubs on it then drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for about 10 minutes until soft

While cooking, sauté the onions and garlic in oil and add the tomatoes and herbs and cook to soften add the chopped walnuts to the tomato mixture and season well.

Remove aubs from oven spread the mixture onto the slices and layer up to reform the shaped aubs.  Remove carefully to a baking dish with high sides which will just hold the two aubergines. 

Top with the cheese and breadcrumbs mix, drizzle over some more oil and bake in the oven to brown

Serve with fruity dressing on a crisp green salad - I have some pomegranite syrup brought back from holiday by a friend which is an ideal partnership with aubergines, but at the food festival I saw various piquant, fruit sauces for sale.  Experiment by whisking a fruit syrup, lemon juice, oil and plenty of chopped mint ............

MUDDY BOOTS FOODS special burgers with green been & mint salad with crème fraiche & chilli jam sauce

Once again I'm indebted to the lovely Muddy Boots peeps for their generous contribution of some of their delicious Aberdeen Angus beef burgers which sell themselves really and require absolutely no "messing about".  Just fry or griddle to rare/medium as you like them - please do not even dream of over-cooking to Hell and back!  Then serve them with some salads such as this GREEN BEAN, HERB & MINT ensemble.......

Lightly steam some French beans (leaving them whole).  While they're steaming, add to some oil: a clove of garlic crushed with salt, black pepper and a handful of finely chopped green herbs. I used coriander, rocket & lovage, all picked from or garden that morning then finely chop half a handful of fresh mint and add to the rest - aaaaah, that smell! Remove the beans from steamer whilst they'll still "snap" when bent in half (or thirds).  Whatever their size, cut/snap them into inch long pieces.  Whilst warm, throw them into a bowl and scrape in the oil/herb mixture - toss together and serve with the burgers........

COURGETTE & GINGER HONEYBUNS with CURD CHEESE/HONEY/HAZLENUT topping

these ingredients make 24 buns

250 g trimmed courgettes

1 tbs of grated fresh ginger

2 large eggs

125 mls rape seed oil

100g silver spoon granulated sugar

50g runny honey

225g s/r flour plus1 tsp baking powder

cup cake or muffin tins

topping

200 g cream/curd cheese

50 g honey

a little, freshly grated ginger & crushed hazlenuts

Coarsely grate the courgettes with mandolin or in food processor and squeeze out the excess moisture in a clean tea towel

Cream together the oil, eggs & sugar in a bowl and mix in the grated ginger.

Sieve in the flour, bp & whisk until mixed then fold in the grated courgettes

Spoon into muffin/cupcake tins and bake until firm to the touch and light brown. 190c/375f/g5 10 – 12 mins

Leave to cool a little before turning out and cover with the cream-cheese topping when cold & sprinkle with chopped hazlenuts

For the topping         Beat 200 g cream cheese with the grated ginger 

Worcestershire Pear Snow - Pears!  The emblem of Worcestershire!

Peel and core chosen amount pears.

Cube and place in saucepan with vanilla pod/s & 1 tbs of honey per pear and cover with perry.  Cook until soft and then puree.  Then leave to cool completely

Whip one egg white per pear then fold the pear puree into the egg white.

Spoon into decorative, stemmed glasses and stud with fresh blackberries

Mortimer Country Food Fair - Saturday 11 July 2009

Our second annual Mortimer Country Food Fair took place at The Bookery in Brampton Bryan and Aardvark Books and I worked really hard to create a successful day show-casing over 30 local businesses specialising in artisan food producers

APPLE & GINGER MUFFINS

 

4 oz Silver Spoon British golden castor sugar

2 oz soft Netherend organic butter

 

Spices – ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice (a little of what you fancy) Use fresh, grated ginger if available

 

9 oz Bacheldre organic stone-ground unbleached plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

 

8 fl oz  Mawley Town Farm milk

 

4 oz chopped Herefordshire apples

1 oz chopped Herefordshire walnuts

 

·     Cream together the sugar and butter

·     Add the spices

·     Sift the flour with the baking powder together and fold into the sugar/butter a little at a time alternated with the milk.

·     Fold in the chopped apples and nuts

·     Spoon into greased muffin tins or paper cases

 

Makes 12

Bake 200c gas 6 for 15 minutes or so. 

TEME VALLEY HUNT FUN RIDE

SUNDAY 14 JUNE 2009

BRAMPTON BRYAN PARK, SY7 0DH

between Knighton (Radnorshire) & Leintwardine, 

just off the A4113

By kind permission of

Mr & Mrs Edward Harley & Mr and Mrs Jonathan Coltman Rogers,

local farmers and land owners

 

Approximately 15 mile ride in the glorious, private estates of Brampton Bryan

and Stanage on the borders of north Herefordshire and Radnorshire-Powys.

Grass rides, tracks and trails through woodland, grassland and upland.

Spectacular scenery and views.

 

OPTIONAL JUMPS, SHORTER CHILDREN'S ROUTE, ROSETTES

BBQ with LOCAL FOOD, TEAS, COFFEES & HOMEMADE CAKES

TRADE STANDS, LOADS OF PARKING, EASY ACCESS FROM A4113

 

ADULTS £15.00 ~ CHILDREN (Under 14) £7.00

All riders enter at their own risk and hard hats must be worn.

 

For further information contact 01547 540 532 – 07960 273 865

email carolyn@lowerbuckton.co.uk - www.lowerbuckton.co.uk 

HEREFORDSHIRE SQUIRREL PIE

Squirrels are back in season down at my local butchers', AH Griffiths of Leintwardine and the following is a tasty recipe for an open squirrel pie in savoury pastry.

Take TWO SQUIRRELS which have been skinned, gutted and cleaned in fresh water.  Pop into an oven-proof pot and throw in a small, quartered onion (with skin), a carrot cut into chunks, a bay leaf, some fresh sage, half a dozen peppercorns and a tad of salt.  Cover with fresh, cold water put on lid, bring to boil on hot-plate, simmer for a couple of minutes, skim off any scum and simmer gently for about an hour and half either on a hot-plate or in the oven.

Meanwhile make the PASTRY: You will need a 6"/7", deep, loose-bottomed cake tin

8 0z Bacheldre Mill wholemeal flour

4 oz Netherend farmhouse butter

1 large garlic clove crushed

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tbs tomato paste, thick tomato sauce or a skinned, de-seeded minced tomato

water + S&P

Sift the flour into a large-ish mixing bowl, tipping in the "wholemeal bits" at the end.

Melt the butter, garlic, thyme, tomato, black pepper from a mill + pinch of salt in a small saucepan.  When liquified, pour over the flour and stir/mix well until it turns 'doughy'.  Whilst it's still hot push it with your fingers into the base of the tin and up the sides.  Pushing and moulding with your fingers.  Try and get it as far up the sides as possible whilst ensuring that the pastry evenly covers the base.  Chill it in the fridge until required.........

THE FILLING

When the squirrels have finished poaching and are cool enough to handle, cut/pick all the flesh from the carcasses and put it in the bowl in which you made the pastry........(retain the poaching liquid for stock)

Have the oven heated to 400f/200c/g6 and bake the pastry case for 20 mins or so until golden, remove..........turn down oven low to 325f/170c/g3

THE FILLING.........

2 tbs Shropshire Oils rape-seed oil

1 onion, chopped

1 fat garlic clove, crushed

1/2 lb Lower Buckton Berkshire pork mince

1/2 lb steamed vegetables, cut into small dice: eg carrot, celery, celeriac, parsnip

flesh picked from the squirrels

In a frying pan heat the oil and soften the onion then add the garlic and pork mince, cook/fry to brown the meat then stir in the cooked vegetables, season with a little salt and pepper.  Put the whole lot into the bowl with squirrel flesh and mix up.

TOPPING

Warm 1/2 pint whole milk in the saucepan you used for melting the butter.

Into a bowl, break 2 eggs plus on egg yolk and break-up with a fork.  Pour the warmed milk onto the eggs and whisk well with a fork, add a little S&P.

Now fill the pastry case with the squirrel/pork mixture then trickle over the milk/eggs mix and place on a baking sheet.  Put in oven for half an hour or so........... remove and sprinkle with a cheese/breadcrumb topping made from 4 oz Little Hereford cheese & 2 oz breadcrumbs from a good quality loaf.

Replace in oven for another 15 minutes or so until golden brown on top.

Allow to cool a little before un-clipping the tin and removing the pie.  Good hot/warm/cold!