Chef 2 Shelf

1. June 2011 Edition Chef 2 Shelf “The Newsletter from the Chef Foundation & NPD team” FOOD TRENDS Be a carnivore with a conscience2011 is not so much about becoming a vegetarian but about becoming more meat-aware. An over-consumption of red meat is linked to a number of health problems, including heart disease and certain cancers, while rearing and transporting meat is proving both a strain on the environment and the animals. But rather than turn your back on meat completely, simply reduce your consumption. Paul McCartney’s Meat Free Monday campaign is the perfect start to giving meat a day off, and you'll find some excellent vegetarian cookbooks on the market – Ottolenghi’s Plenty, Deborah Madison’s The Green Cookbook, and Rachel de Thample’s Less Meat, More Veg are encouraging publications full of fabulous veggie recipes that won’t have you pining for a plump steak. The benefits of a vegetarian diet. Book Review Raymond Blanc is respected as a culinary legend, whose love of delicious food is lifelong. Years of experience have given him a rich store of knowledge and the skill to create fantastic dishes that work time after time. With a range of achievable and inspirational recipes for cooks of all abilities, Kitchen Secrets is all about bringing Gallic passion and precision into the home kitchen. Raymond has done all the hard work, refining recipes over months and even years until they are quite perfect. Every recipe includes explanations and hints to ensure that your results are consistently brilliant. Dishes that once seemed plain, or impossibly complex, suddenly become simple and elegant; the book's sixteen chapters include classics like watercress soup, chicory and Roquefort salad, cep ravioli, greengage cassoulet, chicken liver parfait, confit salmon, moules marnière, grilled dover sole, home cured ham, pot au feu, lambs liver persillade, roast wild duck, lamb cutlets, galette des Rois, cherry clafoutis and Maman Blanc's own chocolate mousse. With more than 100 recipes from both series of Kitchen Secrets , this is guaranteed to be a must-have for anybody with a love of French cuisine and finesse. Answers (1) = C (2) = B (3) = A (4) = A (5) = C

2. Homemade Eton Mess Ingredients For the Eton mess -1 lb of Strawberries -1 pint of Double cream -1 tbsp of icing sugar -Meringue nests For the Meringue -The whites of 3 large eggs -175g of caster sugar Method Method for the Meringue -Add the egg white to a clean mixing bowl -Whisk the egg whites until the egg whites expand and go fluffy which may take a while -Start to the add the caster sugar to the egg whites a tbsp at a time at the same time as whisking the egg whites -Heat the Oven on full until the Meringue is ready then turn the oven down to gas mark 1 140oc. -Slowly cook for approx 1 hour. -Remove from oven and leave to stand so they can dry out and completely cool down Method for the Eton Mess -Lightly whip the double cream into a bowl so they are at a floppy stage -Wash and quarter the strawberries -Take approx 1/2 of the strawberries and blend together with icing sugar until smooth -Break up meringue into small pieces -Mix the Meringue, strawberries pieces and whipped double cream together lightly folding it without turning it to mush, pour some of the strawberries couli over the Eton mess and garnish with a leaf of mint Nick Marley Trainee Development Chef FOODS AT THEIR BEST IN JUNE Asparagus Aubergine Broad beans Carrots Cherries Crab Salmon Mackerel Lamb Strawberries

3. Restaurant Review Pollen Street Social 6 / 10 Tucked away in a quiet side street attracting a bare minimum of passers by is Jason Atherton’s new restaurant . After his well-publicised departure from Maze and Gordon Ramsay, Jason has spent the past 18 months working towards the launch of his own restaurant, Pollen Street Social. It’s official opening was Monday 18th April. The restaurant is tastefully decorated and although trading on the sociability factor, it does still have an element of fine-dining, both in the décor and the rather formal service. You can eat from a tapas menu in the bar area or in the main restaurant which has its own dessert bar where you can enjoy a drink while eating just desserts. Our waiter was very attentive & the bread waiter came around at least 4 times offering us bread, the reasoning behind the excessive generosity of bread service became apparent. The portions are pretty tiny in some dishes. The food was good, but sometimes playing about with food too much is just not necessary. Food Quiz 1) When is Brown Crab in Season? (a) April to December (b) December to April (c) May to November 2) What is Ganache ? (a) The liquid centre of a chocolate (b) A filling for cakes, chocolates made from chocolate & double cream (c) A Nutty Chocolate Sauce 3) What does the vintage on a wine label refer to? (a) The year the grape was picked (b) The year the wine was bottled (c) The year the wine reached the store 4) What fish is round? (a) Cod (b) Dover sole (c) Place 5) What is roast pheasant traditionally served with ? a) Apple sauce (b) Cumberland sauce (c) Fried breadcrumbs and game chips The FINEST Pizza StoryFINEST Pizzas are being relaunched on a hot pressed, wood fired stone baked base with toppings that capture quality ingredients with provenance. The FINEST pizza ‘best in market’ project started two years ago, when the Ball and Pin method was introduced into the process to replicate the type of base that results from kneading, finished by hand stretching to result in an authentic pizza base! Last year, an extra improvement stage was added by introducing Sour Dough to the recipe to intensify the flavour. This July we will maintain the Ball and Pin process, keep the Sour Dough, and add a HOTPRESS PROCESS, to seal in the flavourand baking in abrand newWOOD FIREDoven By Hot Pressing the base, the flavours will be sealed for the ultimate pizza. The base will then be baked on volcanic stones in a new, brick lined oven to give our customers the most distinctive Italian pizza in the market! (By Martha Smith) Answers on the bottom of page 1 BRIGHT IDEAS? Have you any great ideas for sandwich fillings, salads or pizza toppings you’re keeping to yourself? Is there a recipe you would like to see in print or do you have any general feedback on this newsletter? Please forward your ideas to us at gavin.lewis@northernfoods.com Please click on the link below to find some great 2 for 1 offers in some high street chain restaurants www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/cheap-restaurant-deals (right click then click open hyperlink)