Kathy's Menu for August 2002

Warm Chicken Salad with Fresh Ginger
Serves 4

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts
piece of fresh root ginger approx 1 inch (2.5cm) long
1oz (25g) butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons of mayonnaise
mixed salad leaves

For the dressing
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 dessert spoon lemon juice
2floz (100ml) olive oil

Method

1. Cut the chicken breasts into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces, season and set aside.
2. Arrange the salad leaves on four individual serving plates.
3. Peel the root ginger and cut into very fine slivers.
4. Make the vinaigrette dressing by shaking together the salt, black pepper, lemon juice and oil in a screw top jar.
5. Spoon the mayonnaise onto the salad leaves, then drizzle over the vinaigrette dressing.
6. Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and then fry the chicken pieces for about 10 minutes until cooked through. Scatter the cooked chicken pieces over the salad leaves and then scatter over the slivers of ginger. Serve immediately.

Trout flavoured with Bacon
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 rainbow trout, cleaned and gutted
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
0.5oz (15g) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 rashers streaky bacon
4 bay leaves
parsley
50cl red wine
1oz (25g) butter

For the stuffing
1oz (25g) butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 rasher streaky bacon, diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6oz (175g) mushrooms, finely chopped
thyme
2 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
grated zest of half a lemon
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. To make the stuffing, heat the butter and oil over a low heat and fry the bacon and onion until the onion is soft. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of thyme, increase the heat slightly and cook for several minutes. Add the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and parsley. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool for another 10 minutes.
2. Whilst the stuffing is cooling, fry the carrots and onions gently in butter and oil for about 10 minutes and then set aside.
3. Season the trout inside and out with pepper. Fill the trout cavities with the stuffing.
4. Line a shallow ovenproof dish with four bacon rashers and scatter the carrot and onion over the top. Arrange the trout on top and put a bay leaf on top of each trout. Add a few sprigs of parsley and pour the wine over the trout. Cover with the remaining bacon, laying one rasher on top of each fish, add a few more rashers if the fish is not fully covered.
5. Cook the trout in a pre-heated oven at 180C (350F, gas mark 4) for about 35 minutes. When the trout are cooked, remove the covering of bacon and set aside. Discard the bay leaves and parsley sprigs. Transfer the trout to a large warmed serving dish and keep warm. Pour the cooking liquid and vegetables into a saucepan and discard the bacon lining. Set the pan over a high heat and boil to reduce the liquid down to one third. While the sauce is reducing, chop the reserved bacon into small pieces, discarding the rind. Strain the sauce through a sieve, pressing the vegetables to extract their juices.
6. Whisk the butter into the sauce, taste and adjust seasoning. To serve the trout, scatter the chopped bacon over the top and then pour over the sauce and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately with mixed vegetables.

Pineapple with Coconut Ice Cream
Serves 4

Ingredients

One large fresh pineapple

For the Coconut Ice Cream
3 size 1 egg yolks
4oz (110g) caster sugar
5 level tablespoons coconut milk powder
15floz (425ml) milk
2.5 floz (65ml) whipping cream
half a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1 rounded teaspoon cornflour

Method

1. To make the ice cream, whisk the egg yolks, cornflour and sugar together in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy.
2. Warm the milk in a saucepan and as it warms pour in the coconut milk powder and whisk it to dissolve into the milk. Pour the hot milk over the egg yolk mixture, return the mixture to the saucepan and cook for one minute, stirring until the mixture thickens. Keep stirring to ensure that the mixture does not catch on the bottom of the pan. Return it all to the bowl and allow to cool.
3. When the mixture is completely cold, whisk the cream until it thickens slightly and then stir the cream into the bowl of custard mixture. Stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer the mixture to a polythene freezer box and put into the coldest part of the freezer for 2 hours or until it becomes firm at the edges. Empty the freezer box out into a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk to break down the ice crystals. Return the mixture to the freezer box and return to the freezer. Repeat the whisking process after another two hours and then re-freeze until needed.
4. An hour before you want to serve the dessert, place the ice cream in the fridge and prepare the pineapple.
5. Twist off and discard the leafy top of the pineapple. Trim the fruit level at the top and bottom. Slice down the fruit to remove the skin in vertical strips. Pick out any spikes in the pineapple flesh with the point of a knife.
6. Slice the pineapple and remove and discard the core. Arrange the pineapple slices in a serving dish, cover with clingfilm and chill for at least an hour.

Cookery Book Recommendation of the Month

A Chef for All Seasons by Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay is Britain's most celebrated chef and restaurateur - the only London chef to hold three coveted Michelin stars for his restaurant, Gordon Ramsay, in Chelsea. He accepts nothing less than the best - every dish must be superbly cooked and perfectly presented to receive his stamp of approval. In A Chef for all Seasons, he presents a delicious range of utterly contemporary recipes that are totally accessible to the home cook. Focusing on four seasonal chapters - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter - Gordon discusses his favourite ingredients, giving culinary tips and suggests unusual and innovative taste combinations, such as lavender and chocolate, and peaches with aromatic thyme.

Return to Top