BLACK Beluga lentils are grown on the cool dry plains of North America and are the most delicious type of lentil
I've ever tasted. Their vibrant black colour and slight earthy taste makes a wonderful contrast with the apricots here.
They're now available in our local supermarkets so do check them out.

INGREDIENTS
2x175g (7oz) duck breasts
Juice from 3 medium oranges
100g (4oz) dried apricots
100ml (3.5floz)cold water
200g (8oz) Black beluga lentils
1 finely diced red jalapeno chilli
5-6 sugar snap peas
2 Tbsp dry sherry
1 Tbsp olive oil
4-5 pitted dates chopped
1/2 chicken stock cube
100ml(3.5floz) Balsamic vinegar (optional)

METHOD
1. Score (criss-cross) the skin of the duck breasts, then refrigerate.
2. In your food processor combine the orange juice, apricots and cold water and puree until smooth.
3. Push the apricot sauce through a fine strainer, pressing it through so the sauce becomes very smooth.
The apricot pulp can be saved and used for something else.
4. Reduce the balsamic vinegar in a small non-stick saucepan until it has a syrupy consistency.
5. Remove the balsamic from the heat and cover the saucepan with clingfilm to prevent further evaporation.
6. Rinse the lentils under cold water then drain and recover with twice the volume of water to lentils.
Add the stock cube and simmer for about 15 minutes.
7. Remove the stringy fibre down the sides of the sugar snap peas, then cut them into very small pieces and
stir them into the hot cooked lentils.
8. Next stir the sherry, chilli, olive oil and dates into the lentils, season with salt and pepper, and cover with a lid.
9. Preheat your oven to 19O9C (gas mark 5).
10. Brown off your duck breasts on both sides in a hot frying pan (you don't need oil because the duck will give
off plenty of fat as it is cooks.)
11. Transfer the duck to the oven and cook for a further 8-10 minutes on the middle shelf.
12. Allow the duck to rest for 5 minutes whilst you heat up the apricot sauce and lentils.

TO SERVE
USE a pastry cutter to shape your lentils into a disc shape on each warm dinner plate. Cut each duck breast
into two and place onto the lentils, then spoon around the apricot sauce. Decorate with a thin 'lace' of the
balsamic using a teaspoon to drizzle with.

beef

If you caught any of my BBQ masterclasses around the UK, you know you can cook anything from whole chickens and shoulders of lamb to pizza and cheesecake on a barbecue - if you know how to control the heat. For this recipe, your BBQ needs a lid and you'll also need a disposable aluminium roasting tray. The tray needs to be placed underneath the grill bars in the middle. If your barbecue is charcoal, place the coals around the tray. If your BBQ is gas, leave the centre gas jet off and put the tray in the middle.

INGREDIENTS
1tbsp olive oil
1 .5kg rib (3lb) Rib of beef on the bone
100g (4oz)oyster mushrooms
1 large portabella mushroom
125ml red wine
30g (1.5 oz)butter
1.5tbsp plain flour
2 rashers smoked bacon finely diced
500ml (1pint) beef stock
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 small shallots diced
1 level tbsp tomato puree

METHOD
1. Set up and light your barbecue as per the above instructions.
2. Slice mushrooms into large pieces then fry together with bacon in a non-stick frying pan, until golden brown.
3. Turn the heat down, add the butter and shallots and cook until the shallots are soft. Stir in the flour and stir occasionally until the flour has lightly browned.
4. Transfer the mushroom mix to a non-stick saucepan, gradually add the beef stock a ladle at a time so it stays smooth.
5. Finally add the wine, garlic and tomato puree, stirring in well, then simmer for 40-50 minutes.
6. Rub on a little olive oil and then season the rib of beef with salt and pepper on both sides.
7. Position the rib of beef over the aluminium roasting tray and close lid of the BBQ. In doing this you're creating an oven and can cook the beef to your desired taste (I prefer my beef medium rare so the beef when pressed should still have a little spring in it). If you have a meat thermometer, cook the beef until it reads 145F.
8. Allow the meat to rest before carving then pour over a little of the sauce.

Stews and Casseroles become very popular at this time of year but sometimes can look a little ordinary at a fancy dinner party. So I thought I show you a couple of “chef’s secrets” to make your casserole look much more fit for a king.
This process does involve a little advanced planning but the beauty of all casserole dishes is once they are ready, serving them is a breeze.

1kg Blade of beef
3 medium onions peeled
2 peeled carrots
250ml red wine
1 head garlic
500ml beef stock
2 Tbsp tomato puree
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 dessertspoon olive oil

1. Brown the blade of beef in a heavy large saucepan or oven casserole dish on a high temperature using the olive oil. Season the meat during this process.
2. Roughly chop the onions, carrots and add them and continue to cook until the blade is sealed and brown.
3. Now add the red wine, herbs, garlic and beef stock and bring the liquid to a low simmer and cover.
4. You can either casserole in the oven at 190 C gas mark 5 or simmer on the stove until tender which will take 2.5-3hours. From time to time you may need to top up the stock with a little water.
5. Once the blade of beef is very tender gently remove from the stock allowing it to cool for 5-10 minutes.
6. Lay a sheet cling-film 40cm (16”) long out on a clean work surface, and then lay another sheet on top in an overlapping fashion to make the width 40cm (16”) also.
7. Place the warm blade at the one edge and roll up the cling in a Swiss roll fashion. Now take the two ends of the cling film and roll the wrapped blade backwards and forwards to help shape into a uniform sausage fashion, tightening the ends as you roll.
8. Once you have a uniform cylindrical shape wrap with one more layer of cling film and tie off the ends.
9. Now add the tomato puree to the stock and reduce until you have a sauce consistency, you can thicken with a little corn flour if you wish, then strain into a clean large saucepan.
10. Allow the blade to cool completely before slicing the blade into 4 thick steaks.

Root Vegetables & Fondant Potatoes
Make the 4 fondant potatoes by peeling 4 large potatoes, and then cut them into circles using a large pastry cutter. Remember to make the circle wide enough to sit the blade steak on it. Trim the circles so they have a flat top & bottom and are about 4cm (1.5”) thick. Cook the fondant potatoes
in stock and butter until they are brown and tender.
Cut Carrots, Parsnip, Swede, Celeriac and Sweet potato into even sized pieces. I blanch the vegetables in boiling salted water then roast then in a little butter and finish with a teaspoon of honey to give them a nice sheen and keep them warm.
Assemble
Gently reheat the blade steaks in the sauce.
Use 4 large warm pasta bowls or plates and place a "steak" in the centre and coat generously with the sauce. Next arrange the roasted root vegetables and then place the fondant potato on top. Serve the remaining root vegetables & sauce at the table.

Still a luxury item for most of us never the less there are some good reasons to treat ourselves once in a while, if you’re game? Low in fat, high in protein & often organic makes venison a very modern food, even the way most chefs cook has a lighter up to date approach. Modern venison is very tender thus it does not need more than about 3-4 days hanging. Because the hanging time has shortened, the idea of venison having a strong gamy taste has changed forever. Loin steaks come from the saddle are the best cut if you can get them. You only need to be about 5oz portions, I prefer to marinate the steaks in a 50/50 mix of olive oil & brandy.

2 x 125g (5oz) Venison Loin Steaks
4 Tbsp Olive oil
4 Tbsp Brandy
250 ml (1/2pint) Beef stock
1 Tbsp Tomato puree
1 Onion roughly chopped
1 Carrot roughly chopped
25g (1oz) Flour
25g (1oz) Butter
100g (4oz) mixed fresh raspberries, blackberries & blueberries
125ml (1/4pint) red wine
2 Portions of garlic mashed potatoes

1. Marinate the venison steaks in the brandy and olive oil and refrigerate over night.
2. Wipe a non-stick frying pan with a little oil then brown the onion & carrot on a high heat. Once brown remove from the heat.
3. Turn the heat to low then add 25g (1oz) of the butter and the flour and cook for several minutes until you have a smooth paste.
4. Now add the tomato puree; then gradually add the wine & stock stirring the sauce well after each addition of liquid to prevent lumps.
5. Simmer the sauce on medium heat until the vegetables are tender and you have a sauce consistency.
6. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a clean saucepan, pushing the sauce through with a ladle or spoon.
7. Keep the sauce on a low heat and add the fresh berries and season with salt & pepper.
8. Heat a large non-stick frying pan then carefully place the venison steaks into the pan.
9. Brown all the sides of the steaks on a high heat then turn the heat down to a medium low and season with salt and pepper.
10. Cook for a further 5-6 minutes adding the remaining 25g (1oz) butter during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Bring the heat up on the sauce when you are about to serve.

To Serve
Allow the venison steaks to rest for 2-3 minutes then move to your plates and top with your Fruits of the Forest Sauce.

venison w juniper, blueberries & thyme

venison w juniper, blueberries & thyme

After making so many sweet dishes with all the blueberries, I thought it would be nice to make something savoury. I stumbled across this great venison dish on Jamie Oliver’s website.

Jamie brilliantly pairs hearty game meat with juniper and thyme and blueberries. It’s a great match with the sweetness of the blueberries cancelling out the slight bitterness of the juniper and both cutting through the iron richness of the venison.

Venison w Juniper, Blueberries & Thyme
Recipe by Jamie Oliver. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
800g venison loin, trimmed
1 small handful of fresh thyme, leaves picked
5 dried juniper berries
4 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 glass of robust red wine
200g fresh blueberries
2 large knobs of butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Method:
1. Bash up the thyme and juniper berries in a pestle and mortar with a really good pinch of salt and pepper. Loosen with 2 good lugs of olive oil.
2. Pat the venison dry with some kitchen paper and rub the thyme mixture all over it.
3. Sear the meat in a hot pan on all sides (roughly 6 minutes for medium rare, 7-8 minutes for medium: don’t cook it anymore than that and use your instincts not your clock!).
4. Remove it from the pan when it’s cooked to your liking and allow it to rest on a plate for 4 minutes, covered with tinfoil.
5. Reduce the heat under the pan and add a good lug of oil.
6. Add the shallots and the garlic and fry gently for around 3 minutes until translucent and tender.
7. Turn up the heat again, add the wine, and let it reduce by half.
8. Add the blueberries and simmer slowly for 4 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.
9. Add the butter and jiggle and shake the pan around so the sauce goes slightly opaque and shiny. Season to taste.
10. Slice the venison into 2cm slices. Add the meat’s resting juices to the sauce and spoon over the venison. Serve with vegetables or salad passed separately.
Note: If you haven’t got a pestle and mortar, use the end of a rolling pin and a metal bowl.

food

Crab Cakes, Artichoke and White Bean Salad

by Jennifer Hess on March 23, 2007

Mike and I started our last meal at Dressler with a delicious warm artichoke salad, and since that night I have wanted to try to recreate it at home. I love the combination of crab and artichokes, so I thought the salad would make a nice accompaniment to crabcakes. My version of the salad wasn’t quite as good as the original - one of my artichoke bottoms broke in half and the dressing needed a little more zip - but it was good enough that I’ll attempt it again.

Artichoke and White Bean Salad

2 artichokes
2 lemons
1 can cannellini or great northern beans
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup tiny greens

Trim the artichokes down and remove the choke - you want to be left with a little bowl-shaped piece of the bottom/heart for each one. Cut one lemon in half and squeeze it into a pot of water, then throw the halves in. Place the artichokes into the pot, cover and bring to a boil. Cook the artichokes until they are tender, then drain them and set them aside.

Halve and juice the remaining lemon, add salt and pepper and whisk in the olive oil. Drain and rinse the beans and toss them with the dressing. Mound beans on top of the artichokes, top with greens and drizzle a little bit of remaining dressing over the top.

Crab Cakes

1 lb. crab meat
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup shallot, diced
3 eggs
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Several dashes of hot pepper sauce
1/2 to 1 cup panko, plus additional for coating
Oil for frying

Beat eggs in a large bowl, then mix in mustard, Old Bay, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Add crab meat, bell pepper and shallot and gently combine. Add as much panko as you need to the mixture so that it holds together when formed. Form into six cakes and coat the outsides of each with panko, gently pressing it in. Fry cakes in batches in hot oil, then drain on paper towels.