Rhubarb Compote

image courtesy of http://millyanddottie.blogspot.co.uk/

This wonderful accompaniment can go with a variety of things. Rhubarb goes with all things gamey, so its a treat to have with duck, goose, guinea fowl, venison or even beef if the tone suits. Aside form this it goes phenomenally well with smoked fish sucj as mackerel (with a hint of truffle if you're feeling adventurous).

If necessary you can also add this to desserts as an accompaniment too - it goes phenomenally well with alot of things in the dessert world also with apples, pears and even strawberries (in some contexts) or can be aded to pies and crumbles as a secret ingredient.

You will need(makes a large batch:

1 Kilo of rhubarb stripped and diced
75g of fresh ginger skinned and cut into a fine dice, or grated from frozen
125g of red wine
250ml additional red wine* (for the stock syrup)
250ml (by volume) sugar* (for the stock syrup)

The doing bit:

Make stock syrup  by combining the additional red wine ans sugar in a pan, and heating gently until the sugar has melted into the wine.


To the stock syrup add the rhubarb and cook till tender

Add to this the ginger reduce by a third on a low heat

Add the red wine and reduce by another third the mixture

You should have a deep red colour and a thick consistency.

allow to cool slightly and store.

Parmesan Crisps

Image provided courtesy of wordsfromwillow.blogpost.co.uk

These are usually served as an accompaniment to either a main meal or a starter type dish or even with soups. They provide an interesting texture, definite depth of flavour and can provide means of being a vehicle for accompanying flavours also. Ill also warn you they're incredibly moreish.

You will need: (makes one large crisp)

50g grated parmesan cheese
one tiane / serving ring (heat ristsant) - egg rings will do perfectly.
Silicon mat

The doing bit:

Pretty simple. Just add the grated parmesan to the ring on a silicone mat and flatten so that the cheese is evenly spread. Grill for about 3 mins until the cheese begins to bubble / colour. Remove from heat, then allow to cool.

feel free to add a variety of seasoning, such as chilli, herbs, pepper, paprika etc depending on what you're going to serve it with. Finely chopped rosemary work brilliantly.

Chilli Butter (as an accompaniment

image courtesy of devonfresh.com

Much like our other larder items, chilli butter is one of those wonderful flavour additions that can be used in a multitude of ways.It goes phenmoenally well with fish, white meats and vegetables where neccesary for both cooking and for finishing, giving a spicy and enjoyable edge.

You will need (makes a batch of about 8-10 portions)

1 and a half red chillies, chopped very finely, seeds removed.
salt and pepper
tbsp lemon juice
1 shallot chopped very finely
tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, crushed
250g butter.

The doing bit:

Melt the butter until soft. Mix all ingredients together until they form a uniform paste. Wrap the butter in clingfilm into a sausage shape and chill until required.

Herb butter (for fish, white meats, sauces and vegetable dishes)

image courtesy of bitlessbridle.co.uk

Another one of the good larder ingredients, this butter provides a wonderful herb element whilst giving a moderate sweetness with the shallot presence. Perfect accompaniment and finishing tool for a variety of sauces, meats, fish, and vegetable dishes.

You will need:

250g salted butter softened
3 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
1 tbsp sage finely chopped
1 tbsp rosemary finely chopped
1 tsp tarragon finely chopped
1 crushed clove of garlic,
1 shallot very finely chopped

The doing bit:

In a saucepan add a small amount of oil then add the shallots and garlic and cook gently until soft. Allow to cool.

Combine all ingredients and mix into uniform paste. Wrap in cling film and form into a sausage shape. Chill until required.

Sage Butter

Image courtesy of anu's healthy kitchen

Another one of the good larder ingredients, this butter provides a wonderful herb element whilst giving a moderate sweetness with the shallot presence. Perfect accompaniment and finishing tool for a variety of sauces, meats, fish, and vegetable dishes.

You will need:

250g salted butter (soft)
4 large shallots (chopped very finely)
tsp brown sugar
10 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped.

In a small pan sear the shallots then turn the heat down to very low, and stir occasionally. When the shallots begin to froth a little / release their sugar, add the brown sugar and continue to stir until the sugar has melted and the shallots are glazed. Allow to cool.

In a small bowl combine all ingredients with the shallot mix above until uniform. Wrap in cling film and form to a sausage shape, then chill until required.

Hollondaise

Image courtesy of forex online

Hollondaise is one of the sauces (despite being my favourite) that is incredibly useful and versatile, as its buttery texture gives rise to many options of the food world. It goes phenomenally well with fish, eggs, meats and vegetables, and can be used as a master sauce also for many other sauce variants.

This mixture makes a batch of about 3/4 portions. But can be chilled if leftovers occur and used as a very luxurious salad dressing.

You will need:

225g unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
juice of half a lemon
tbsp hot water
Pinch cayenne pepper
pinch of salt

The doing bit:

Melt the butter gently in a pan and leave to cool slightly. The butter will have seperated so we only need the oil section, the milk solids aren't required.

In a bain marie, blend the egg yolks to the water and whisk together until the egg yolks mix begins to expand. Remove bain from the heat and add clarified butter in a steady stream whilst whisking, until texture is uniform.

Add lemon juice and seasoning. Serve

Lemon Butter (as an accompaniment)

There are all kinds of flavoured butters used in cooking to give a different element or dimension in flavour. This infusion uses elements that are versatile for many different applications, inclusive of fish, green vegetables, white meats such as chicken, turkey or even pork. It can also be used as an alternative means for butter sauce derivatives such as hollondaise where necessary. It can even be used as the base of a sauce such as bechamel when making the roux for said sauce. Used in this manner it makes dishes like lemon veloute alot deeper and developed in flavour.

You will need (makes about 8-10 portions depending on usage):

1 lemon, zested and juiced.
6 tarragon leaves.
Pinch of black pepper
250g salted butter (soft)

The doing bit:

Combine all ingredients above until the a uniform paste. Wrap in cling film in a sausage shape and chill until required. Use as a finishing tool for a variety of meat / vegetable dishes or as a sauce medium (mentioned above).

Fondant Potatoes

Probably one of the most classic accompaniments to alot of main courses, the fondant potato, is held in high regard for alot of people. It's one of those dishes you can also use as a vehicle for many flavours (depending on what you're serving it with) and goes down a treat with alot of food, due to its universailty.

I put these alongside a roast shoulder of lamb for mothers day, and they went down very well.

Herein, i show you the standard way of making them - but will also suggest a variety of ways they can be tweaked where necessary. I make no promises however save one, - if you've not tried them before, you're going to love them.

You will need:

1 good sized potato per fondant potato (you can however make mini ones or large ones, the method remains the same)

Stock, of almost any variety. Usual practise is to use the stock of a meat or flavour you're serving it with.
Chicken stock, in its versatility however can be universal. If you have veal stock on hand, use that. Youll need enough to cover them when in the roasting tin.

Butter - as much or as little as you like. Bear in mind though that if there is no butter the term fondant becomes somewhat redundant. i usually go for approx 25-50g per fondant potato if making large ones. Yes you can use spread / margarine but we all know that its never the same.

A disc cutter the size of the fondant potato you want to make.

Any other seasonings / flavourings you want to incorporate. If serving with duck / game throw in a star anise or two. If serving with red meat add some mustard seeds and a good amount of crushed garlic and black pepper. Herbs are always welcome in fondant potato, and the more sturdy herbs such as rosemary, sage and thyme go with pretty much every meat. A few chopped onions and a clove never go amiss either.

The doing bit:

Wash and peel your potatoes, and discard the peel / feed to your rabbit / make crisps out of them. (I'll leave that up to you). Using your cutter cut out the fondant potato and trim accordingly. Usually i use a turning knife to trim the top into an even taper but if you wish to cut them top and bottom so they're flat, that can work also.

When your potatoes are cut out any trimmings you have set to one side for mash / other uses (dont waste them).  Heat up a large frying pan and add a small amount of oil and coat the pan until smoking hot. Sear the potatoes until coloured both sides then add to the roasting tin. Pour in the stock (preferrably hot) and the butter and any other seasonings, then cover the tray with greaseproof paper and tinfoil. Put in preheated oven to about 180C then check every half an hour to see if theyre ready by piercing with a blade in the center. If the knife goes in easily, remove from oven, and leave to cool. Extract from the stock, then keep the buttered stock to one side for a sauce or similar.

Theyre ready to eat - so reheat in oven where necessary. Oh, and lastly - enjoy.

Cumberland Sauce

image courtesy of taste.com

If theres one sauce i love, its cumberland sauce. It gives a wonderful sweet flavour which is ideal during the winter periods for alot of foods that require the sweetness that this sauce provides. You can have it as a sauce with meats and cheeses, or even with pates or terrines. Its also brilliant for accompanying all poultry and game, and even pork.

Its very easy to make and this batch should be sufficient for a family sized batch - give it a try with your xmas dinner, or other meal you're going to enjoy over the festive season. You will fall in love with it forever.

4 Oranges Zest and juiced
1 k of Redcurrant jelly
250ml of Medium sherry
½ a teaspoon of Nutmeg
½ teaspoon of Cinnamon
80g of Root ginger finely chopped

Melt the redcurrant jelly into the orange juice

Add remaining ingredients and reduce to a jam like consistence

Red Onion Marmalade

image courtesy of 1.bp.blogspot.com

This recipe gives a wonderful accompaniment to so many dishes, and is a wonderful ingredient for so many more. It can be used as a shorctut to red wine sauce and similar, used as a glazing ingredient for roast meats, or just on its own with meats, pates, and cheeses or even on sandwiches.

Ive made a batch of this recently and am going to give it away to lucky people as xmas gifts, which im sure will be well received. Once tried, never forgotten

It does however take some time to make. But don't be put off by that - the wait is very much well worth it. The only downside to this dish is the potential crying session in preparation due to the onions.

You will need:


1.5k of red onions thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced.
Heavy pinch of rock salt
5 bay leaf
Half a handful of rubbed thyme & rosemary
Black pepper
120g of soft brown sugar
80ml of wine vinegar
2 table spoons of dry sherry
400ml of red wine
100ml of port
120g of pitted chopped prunes


Add onions to the pan e to begin with on a low heat, stirring occasionally. They should soften nicely and when they begin to stick slightly, it shows the sugar is releasing from the onions. At this point add the vinegar, sherry salt, and sugar. When the liquid has turned to a syrup, add the herbs, garlic, bay leaves  and prunes and the wine. Simmer stirring occasionally for 2-3 hours.

Allow to cool & store in a kilner jar. Keeps for up to 2 months dry, or longer refrigerated.

Anchovy & Roast Red Pepper Compote

Ingredients:

150ml of olive oil

6 Large red peppers roasted and skinned then seeded, sliced into a 5mm dice

50g of thyme

15 Anchovy fillets

Hand full of torn basil leaves

50g of capers diced

50ml of balsamic dressing

4 Cloves of garlic, crushed

Heat the oil, add peppers, garlic and thyme sauté for about five minutes

Add anchovy and cook till anchovies are melted into the peppers

Season carefully as the anchovies can be salty

Finish with capers, gurkins, balsamic vinegar and basil

Caesar Salad Dressing

Image courtesy of caesar-salad.com

I have always loved caesar dressing, as its an a=excellent accompaniment - and not just to caesar salad either. It serves well as a dressing for a number of applications, and can be used effectively with fish and meat. It also goes remarkably well with asparagus, and can be a good substitute for hollondaise in the classic "grilled asparagus with poached egg" 


Here is the recipe we always used in the trade - im quietly confident there are others out there although ive never found a problem with this one. 

Ingredients:

2 Egg yolks

50ml of red wine vinegar

Juice of one lemon

5 Anchovy fillets

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

15ml of Dijon mustard

15ml of English mustard

Healthy pinch of black pepper

Healthy glug of Worcestershire sauce

300ml of good virgin olive oil

Add all the ingredients into a food processor, with the exception of the oil, blend

Add the oil as you would mayonnaise in a (very) steady stream.

Red pepper mousse

This recipe comprises all the things i love about peppers, their sweetness their texture and their wondrous flavours that complement such a wide spectrum of accompanying ingredients. When experimenting with this recipe and mousses in general i was trying to move away from the standard "salmon" and similar mousses that everyone uses for starter and side dishes. Instead the use of a red pepper gave opportunity to the vegetarian frontier - which are often as an audience can be found to be neglected or offered "token" gestures. 


This recipe makes a large batch (about 14 portions so feel free to divide by two or three for a more family size. 

*** (Makes about 14 timbales)

Ingredients.

5 Red bell peppers

4 egg whites

300g cream cheese

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1 Tsp paprika

1 clove peeled garlic

Pinch Salt

Pinch Pepper

Preparation: 

Grease and line with cling film about 8 timbale moulds (metal!).

Cut cheeks from peppers and place in small roasting tin. Add water to tray (just enough to cover the peppers half way up) and cover tray with tinfoil. Cook peppers in oven until the flesh begins to soften. Allow peppers to cool then peel cut away the flesh from the skin. We are going to use the skin for a decoration so do not discard. Instead, put the skin (shiny side down) into the bottom of each mould. Any skin left over add to the food processor.

Whip up egg whites until foamy.

Combine in food processor pepper flesh, and all other ingredients. Add the egg whites last.

Pour mixture into moulds, leaving about ½ centimetre from the top

.

Cover moulds with foil tightly. Poach timbales in bain marie until mixture is firm to touch. Allow to cool and refrigerate.