Cooking recipe and tricks

1. For the rough puff pastry: put the flour in a mound on the work surface and make a well in the centre. Add the butter and 1 teaspoon of salt and work them together with the fingertips of one hand, gradually drawing the flour into the centre with the other hand.

2. When the cubes of butter have become small pieces and the dough is grainy, gradually add the iced water and mix until incorporated, being careful not to overwork the dough. Roll it into a ball, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

3. Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry to a 40 x 20cm rectangle. Fold it into three and give it a quarter-turn. Roll the block of pastry into a 40 x 20cm rectangle as before, and fold it into three again. These are the first two turns. Wrap the block in cling film and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

4. Give the chilled pastry another two turns, rolling and folding as before. This makes a total of four turns, and the pastry is now ready. Wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for another 10 minutes before using.

5. For the crêpes: put the flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add one-third of the milk, the eggs, a pinch of salt and a twist of pepper. Whisk lightly to make a smooth batter, then pour in the rest of the milk and mix thoroughly. Pass the batter through a chinois or fine sieve. Cover with cling film and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.

6. For the beef: preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/Gas 5. Trim the fillet of any membrane, then season all over with salt and pepper. Heat the clarified butter in a roasting pan over a medium-high heat and sear the beef for 3-4 minutes until golden, turning to colour evenly. Transfer to the oven and roast for 5-8 minutes, turning the meat over after 4 minutes. Lift the beef onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely. At this stage it will be very rare.

7. Just before cooking the crêpes, stir the herbs into the batter. Lightly grease a 26-30cm frying pan with a touch of clarified butter and place over a high heat. Give the batter a stir then ladle in just enough to cover the base of the pan. Cook quickly for about 1 minute, then turn over with a palette knife and cook for barely a minute more. Repeat until you have used all the batter. Stack the crêpes on a plate, layering a piece of greaseproof paper between each to prevent them sticking together.

8. For the mushroom duxelles: heat the clarified butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and lemon juice and cook, stirring from time to time, until all the moisture has evaporated. Add the shallot and cook for another 2 minutes, then pour in the cream and cook, stirring, until it is all absorbed. Add the chopped parley and season to taste. Set aside to cool, then chill.

9. Blanch the spinach leaves in boiling salted water for 30 seconds, then drain and refresh in cold water. Drain well, separate the leaves and pat each one dry with kitchen paper. In a small dish, beat the egg together with a pinch of salt to make an egg wash and set aside.

10. To assemble, on a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry to a rectangle about 40 x 25cm and 3-4mm thick. Trim the sides to neaten. Place 2 crêpes along the middle of the rectangle and cover with 8 spinach leaves. Spread a 1cm-thick layer of mushroom duxelles along the middle of the spinach and crêpes. Put the cold beef fillet on top and thickly cover the meat, including the ends, with the remaining duxelles.

11. Cover the mushroom duxelles with the remaining spinach leaves and another 2 crêpes. Fold the crêpes over the beef and, if necessary, cut off any overlapping parts with scissors. Lightly brush the ends of the pastry rectangle with egg wash. Fold one side over the beef; brush it and the ends with egg wash, then fold the other side over the beef.

12. Roll the two ends of the pastry to a thickness of 4-5mm and trim to 8cm in length. Brush these with egg wash and fold them over the beef. Turn the pastry-wrapped beef over onto a baking sheet. Brush the entire surface of the pastry with egg wash and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/Gas 6.

13. Brush the entire surface of the pastry with egg wash a second time and score it with leaf patterns using the tip of a pointed knife. Cut a small hole in the middle of the pastry to allow the steam to escape during cooking and, if you have one, insert a pastry funnel. Bake for 25 minutes if you like your beef rare, or 35 minutes for medium. If the pastry becomes too brown as it cooks, cover loosely with foil and lower the oven setting to 170C/150C fan/Gas 3.

14. For the béarnaise sauce: in a small heavy saucepan, combine the vinegar, shallot, two-thirds of the tarragon and the cracked pepper. Bring to a simmer over a low heat and reduce the liquor by half. Set aside to cool completely.

15. Add the egg yolks and 3 tablespoons of cold water to the liquor. Set the pan over a very low heat (ideally use a heat diffuser) and whisk continuously for 8-10 minutes, until the sauce emulsifies and becomes rich and creamy – the temperature will increase gradually but never let it exceed 65C. Turn off the heat and whisk the clarified butter into the sauce, a little at a time. Season with salt and pepper and, just before serving, stir in the chervil and remaining tarragon.

16. Use a palette knife to transfer the cooked beef en croûte to a wire rack and leave it to rest for 5 minutes before carving and serving with a garnish of watercress and a jug of béarnaise sauce.

1. For the tomatoes: Put the tomatoes in a small pan and cover with the olive oil, garlic, bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Over a medium heat, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes if well ripe, or 30 minutes if not. Reserve in a warm place.

2. For the salmon: Half fill a pan with cold water, add bay leaves and thyme, a generous pinch of salt and the salmon pieces. Over a medium heat, bring the water to a simmer. Place salmon into water and cook for 4 minutes for pink salmon, or 6 minutes for medium salmon. Reserve away from the heat.

3. For the broccoli: Put floret tips into a sieve and plunge into a pan of boiling water for 10 seconds, then drain.

4. For the sauce: Combine the groundnut oil and vinegar in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and 3 turns of the pepper mill. Stir with a small whisk to emulsify. Add the tomato ketchup, Worcester sauce, Tabasco, shallots and snipped herbs. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust seasoning.

6. To serve: Drain the salmon on kitchen paper and with a small knife, carefully remove the skin. Put the salmon in the middle of each plate, with the tomatoes on one side and a scattering of broccoli couscous around the fish. Spoon the Sauce Bois Boudran generously over part of the salmon and garnish with a piece of lemon.

1. For the chicken: Place the chicken thighs and drumsticks in a pot of boiling water with the garlic and thyme and leave to simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
2. Remove from the stock and drain, then chill in the fridge overnight.
3. When the chicken is ready, mix the flour, cumin, cayenne pepper, celery salt, mustard powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Toss the chilled chicken in the seasoned flour (the skin can be removed if preferred).
4. Pour the milk into a shallow bowl, dip the chicken pieces into milk one by one and then dip them back into the seasoned flour. Set aside.
5. For the coleslaw: mix all coleslaw ingredients together and season with black pepper.

6. For the wedges: Preheat the oven to 190C/170Cfan/gas 5 and put a baking tray in the oven to heat up.
7. Put the potato wedges into a bowl and pour over some oil, then add all the seasonings and toss together.
8. Empty the wedges onto the heated tray, spread out evenly and bake for 25mins or longer, depending on their size. Remember to turn them half way through the cooking time.
9. While the wedges are cooking, pour the vegetable oil into a deep fat fryer and heat to 170 degrees. Test the oil temperature by dropping a cube of white bread into the oil – it’s hot enough when the bread turns golden brown in 1 minute
10. Fry the chicken in batches, carefully lowering them into the oil with a slotted spoon and remove when crispy, golden and cooked right through – about 5 minutes.
11. Serve the chicken with a dollop of coleslaw and wedges.

1. Pour the milk and yeast into a bowl and stir to dissolve the yeast. Put the flour, 1 tsp fine salt and beaten eggs into an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook and pour in the milk and yeast mixture. Mix on slow speed to combine and knead the dough for 5 minutes.

2. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then knead at medium speed for about 10 minutes. By this stage, the dough should be smooth, elastic and combined well.

3. Meanwhile, in another bowl, mix the butter and sugar together. Add a few small spoonfuls of the butter mix to the dough, then with the mixer running at low speed, add the rest a piece at a time. When the butter mixture is all incorporated, increase the speed and work for 6-10 minutes, until the dough is very smooth and shiny and comes away from the bowl with perfect elasticity.

4. Remove the dough hook, leaving the dough in the bowl. Cover with a tea towel or cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, until the dough has doubled in volume.

5. Knock the dough back by flipping it over 2 or 3 times with your hand. Cover the bowl again and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (but not more than 24 hours). The dough is then ready to use and mould.

6. To shape a large brioche: divide 600g dough into two-thirds (400g) and one-third (200g). Shape the larger piece into a ball and place it in the bottom of a well-buttered brioche mould, measuring 16cm across the top, 8cm across the base. Make a deep indentation.

7. Shape the small piece of dough into an elongated oval and gently press into the indentation in the large ball, so that only a little is left visible, resembling a ‘head’. Lightly brush the dough with egg wash. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 1.5 hours, until it has at least doubled in volume.

8. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush the brioche lightly again with egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the setting to 180C/160C fan/gas 3 and bake for another 30 minutes. Leave the brioche in the mould for 5 minutes, then tip out onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

1. For the veal: put the veal in a casserole, add enough chicken stock or water to cover the meat and season with a little salt. Bring to the boil over medium heat, then lower the temperature, so that the liquid no longer boils, and skim the surface. Cook gently for 10 minutes, then add the carrots, large onion and bouquet garni and simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Add the small onions, simmer for 60 minutes, then add the mushrooms and simmer again for 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, carefully transfer the veal, small onions, mushrooms and carrots to a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and keep warm.

3. For the sauce: remove the onion pierced with cloves and the bouquet garni. Pass the cooking broth through a conical sieve into a saucepan, set over a high heat and reduce the liquid by half.

4. Put the cream, egg yolks and lemon juice in a bowl, beat lightly with a wire whisk, then pour on the cooking liquid, whisking all the time. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and cook gently for 30-45 seconds, stirring with a wooden spatula, as though you were making a custard. On no account let the sauce boil.

5. Take the pan off the heat and immediately stir in the veal and the vegetables. Keep hot.

6. For the croûtons: in a frying pan set over a high heat, fry the bread in the clarified butter until golden on both sides. Drain on kitchen paper.

7. To serve: pour the blanquette into a soup tureen or directly on to a plate and arrange the croûtons on top with a few leaves of flat leaf parsley.

1. Heat a large heavy based pot with Ghee or Oil until almost smoky. Place all the whole spices and dried chillies into pot and cook for 30-40 seconds. Add onion and a pinch of salt and caramelise.

2. Add ginger, garlic and ground spices, then stir in crushed chillies, tomatoes and tomato paste, cook for 1 minute. Add lamb and stir until the lamb is totally coated with the spices.

3. Add water and salt to taste and reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 2.5 hours until tender.
Once lamb is cooked add the vinegar, check for seasoning, sprinkle chopped coriander and serve with Raita.

4. For the raita: Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well, set aside in fridge.