Stephen Harris

32

STEPHEN HARRIS’ DIARIESSTEPHEN HARRIS’ DIARIES

Moverrar etriori ia rebus ala se reis, ses vist? Ero et? Rem opotiam ia iae et, et ommors hum mo viciam nintum iamperti, C. Publint eribefe cierivigna, P. Teber am aus m nintum in. Moverrar etriori ia rebus ala se reis, ses vist? Ero et? Rem opotiam ia iae et, et ommors hum mo viciam nintum iamperti, C. Publint eribefe cierivigna, P. Teber am aus m nintum in.

54

STEPHEN HARRIS’ DIARIESSTEPHEN HARRIS’ DIARIES

Moverrar etriori ia rebus ala se reis, ses vist? Ero et? Rem opotiam ia iae et, et ommors hum mo viciam nintum iamperti, C. Publint eribefe cierivigna, P. Teber am aus m nintum in. Moverrar etriori ia rebus ala se reis, ses vist? Ero et? Rem opotiam ia iae et, et ommors hum mo viciam nintum iamperti, C. Publint eribefe cierivigna, P. Teber am aus m nintum in.

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THE SPORTSMANTHE SEA

The Sea

The Kent Coast and North Sea

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THE SPORTSMANTHE SEA

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THE SPORTSMANTHE SALT MARSHES

Salt-baked gurnardwith braised fennel

I have always liked the idea of gurnard more than the reality. It is nearly always roasted and served with crisp skin, but I find the skin to be bitter. One day I

thought I would try to bake it in a salt crust, and the results were extraordinary: the flesh was sweet and saline, and had a pleasing gelatinous texture.

Spread a thin layer of salt over the bottom of a heavy baking pan. Arrange the fish in the pan with space between them. Cover entirely with the rest of the salt, although it’s not necessary to cover the heads or tail tips. Sprinkle with a little water to dampen the salt completely.

Bake the fish for 15 minutes per kg/2 lb 4 oz, plus an additional 2 minutes. Use a probe thermometer to check that the thickest part of the fish has reached 45ºC/105ºF. Now remove from the oven and leave the fish to finish cooking in the residual heat for at least 10 minutes – although they will hap-pily keep out of the oven in the salt for up to 30 minutes.

While the fish are baking, prepare the fennel. Slice the bulb in half length-ways and cut out the core. Slice thinly widthwise and reserve the fronds separately. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Sauté the fennel over medium heat for around 10 minutes, or until it starts to brown. Deglaze the pan with the Pernod and cook until it evaporates. Add the orange juice to the pan (holding back 1 tablespoon) and cook until it evaporates and the fennel is sticky. Remove from the heat and add the reserved orange juice, a squeeze of lemon juice and a good pinch of salt.

After the fish have rested, the salt will have cooled to form a hard crust which can be easily cracked away and removed. Use a pastry brush to brush away any residual salt from the fish, then transfer them to a board and carefully peel away the skin. Use a sharp knife to remove the 4 fillets; keep them in one piece if you possibly can. Remove any pin bones with tweezers.

Serve the fillets on the braised fennel, and garnish with the reserved fennel fronds.

Serves 4Cooking time 2-3 hr

· 2 medium gurnard (about 1 kg/2 lb 4 oz) each), gutted and cleaned

· 1 kg/2 lb 4 oz (5 cups) sea salt (I use sel gris)

· Braised fennel· 1 large fennel bulb, outer leaves removed

· 1 tablespoon olive oil shot of Pernod

· 150 ml/5 fl oz (2/3 cup) fresh orange juice

· squeeze of lemon juice· sea salt

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF.

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THE SPORTSMANTHE SEA

Pickled herringsThis recipe may seem like a lot, but the herrings will keep in the pickling

solution in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Place the herring fillets in a shallow tray and sprinkle over a light layer of salt and sugar. Cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and leave in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Rinse them well and pat dry.

Combine the vinegar and sugar with 120 ml/4 fl oz (1/2 cup) filtered water in a measuring jug and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Put the herrings in a non-metallic container (plastic or porcelain is good) and add the juniper, peppercorns, bay leaf, carrot and onion. Pour on the liquid and cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap). Leave the herrings to pickle in the refrigerator for a week before eating, then store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Makes 12

· 12 herring fillets (make sure they are bright and shining)

· around 55 g/2 oz sea salt· around 55 g/2 oz caster (superfine) sugar

Pickling solution· 180 ml/6 fl oz (3/4 cup) cider vinegar

· 80 g/3 oz (7 tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar

· 4 juniper berries· 4 peppercorns· 1 bay leaf· 1 small carrot, thinly sliced· 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

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THE SPORTSMAN

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THE SPORTSMANTHE FARM

Pork bellyand apple sauce

This method is exactly the way we make it in the restaurant kitchen and you won’t get the same results with the recipe scaled down. Sometimes we smoke the confit pork belly, to serve with Brill Braised in Vin Jaune [pp. xx], and we

use the trimmings to make Pork Scratchings [pp. xx].

Sit the pork belly in a large roasting pan and rub the salt into the pork flesh. Put the pan into the refrigerator and pour in enough water to cover the meat completely. After 12 hours, take out of the refrigerator and pour away the water. Rinse well.

Preheat the oven to 100ºC/200ºF. Put the duck fat into a large pan and melt it slowly. Pour a layer of fat into the roasting pan and arrange the pork belly on top, skin side down. Pour in the rest of the fat and cover loosely with baking paper. Cook for 12 hours.

After 12 hours, check that the pork belly is cooked by pulling at a rib bone. If it doesn’t move freely, then return to the oven for another 20 minutes and check again.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. You can strain off the duck fat to be used again. Transfer the pork belly to the refrigerator and leave overnight to set hard.Remove the bones and trim the edges to create a neat rectangle. Keep the trimmings to make the Pork Scratchings [pp. xx]. Cut the belly in half down the middle and then divide into portions as you wish. We get 8–10 main course portions from one belly. Wrap the individual portions in clingfilm (plastic wrap) until they are needed.When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF and take the belly portions out of the refrigerator.

Arrange the belly portions in a non-stick, ovenproof frying pan and loosely cover with a baking paper. Roast for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven. If the skin isn’t nicely browned, then finish on direct heat on the stove. Re-member the skin is like glass: it will be gel like when hot, but will crisp up as it cools. Turn the portions over and leave to cool slightly before serving with apple sauce, mashed potatoes and cabbage.

Serves 8–10 as part of a tasting menu

Confit pork belly· 1 x 2 kg/4 lb 8 oz pork belly· Good handful of grey salt· 3 litres/100 fl oz (12 cups) duck fat

Apple Sauce (page xx), to serveMashed potatoes and steamed cabbage, to serve

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THE SPORTSMANTHE SEA

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THE SPORTSMANTHE FARM

Chocolatemousse cake

This has been on the menu for a long time but I still can’t come upwith a better chocolate dessert for the summer.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF. Remove the base from a 23 cm/9 inch springform cake pan and wrap in baking paper. Fit it back into place and butter the inside of the pan well.

Put the chocolate and butter in a large mixing bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water. Once the chocolate and butter have melted, stir gently to combine.

Warm the liquid glucose so that it is runny (a few seconds in the microwave is ideal for this). Add to the melted chocolate mixture, along with the egg yolks, and stir to thoroughly combine.

Put the egg whites into a stand mixer and whisk until frothy. Add the sugar, a bit at a time, while whisking. Whisk in a good pinch of salt and continue whisking to stiff peaks.

Gently whisk a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to slack-en. Fold in the remaining egg whites gently, as you would for a mousse, keeping as much air in the mix as possible.

Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and give it a little shimmy so the mixture settles. Bake for 15 minutes then take out of the oven. Don’t worry if it seems quite liquid as it will set firm in the refrigerator. Leave to cool at room temperature, then refrigerate.

Remove the cake from the pan and turn it over to create a smooth, attractive top surface. Serve with raw cream and fresh raspberries.

Serves xx

· 340 g/12 oz 70% chocolate, roughly chopped

· 95 g/3 1/2 oz (1/3 cup) butter, roughly chopped

· 1 tablespoon liquid glucose · 8 eggs, separated into whites and yolks

· 40 g/1 1/2 oz (4 tablespoons) caster (superfine) sugar

· sea salt· raw cream and fresh raspberries, to serve

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THE SPORTSMANBASICS

FocacciaIt may seem strange that we make focaccia in a restaurant that highlights

English food, but this bread is on the menu for sentimental reasons. Just before opening The Sportsman I visited The Walnut Tree restaurant in Wales. I was

impressed by many things, but the bread board knocked me out: it had a cheese bread, black bread and this focaccia.

Crumble the fresh yeast into a bowl and pour over 500 ml/17 fl oz (gen-erous 2 cups) warm water. Leave for 30 minutes to give the yeast time to activate.

Meanwhile, put the flour, salt and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a bread hook. If kneading by hand, combine in a large mixing bowl. With the mixer on a medium setting, add the yeast and water mixture to the dough and knead for around 5 minutes. The dough should be shiny and spring back when pressed with a finger; this means the glutens are in line. Leave the dough in the mixing bowl and allow to rise for an hour.

While the dough is rising, take a deep baking tin, around 30 x 24 cm (12 x 9 1/2 inches) and oil it very generously.

Knock the air out of the dough and turn out onto a floured work counter. Knead the dough for around 5 minutes to get it back to the shiny stage.

Swirl the oil in the pan to make sure all the inside surfaces are well-oiled. Put the dough into the pan and press into the sides and corners. Turn it over so that it is completely coated with oil. Spread the onion slices over the surface and tuck in the rosemary sprigs, distributing them evenly.

Leave for 2 hours, loosely covered with a tea towel, until the dough has risen almost to the top of the tin. Preheat the oven to 250ºC/500ºF.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the focaccia is golden brown. In the restaurant, we turn it upside down in the pan and bake for another 10 min-utes to ensure it is evenly browned all over, but this is cosmetic rather than essential.

Turn out the focaccia onto a wire rack and leave for at least an hour before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf

· 20 g/3/4 oz fresh yeast· 700 g/1 lb 9 oz (5 1/2 cups) bread flour

· 20 g/3/4 oz (1 tablespoon) sea salt

· 15 g/1/2 oz (1 tablespoon) caster (superfine) sugar

· 1 red onion, thinly sliced· 2 stalks rosemary, picked into small sprigs

· olive oil

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THE SEA

Binding: HbkFormat: 270 x 205 mmExtent: 256 pagesNumber of images: Word Count: 50,000ISBN: 978 0 7148 7495 1

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