Three Chefs, Three Ingredients
Ben Tish, Norma London
THE INGREDIENT: Lemon
“Lemons are so incredibly versatile and important. Make sure to buy them unwaxed as a minimum and try to find the big, knobbly and delicious Sicilian or Amalfi ones. The skin and juice give different results and qualities. The juice is immediately sharp and acidic while the zest is rounded, perfumed and sweeter. Use the zest finely grated into pork, lamb or beef mince for meatballs, gremolata or in a martini. The juice is excellent as an additional seasoning to meat or fish or vegetables, and always add a little into sauces at the end to balance them out. Whisk with extra virgin olive oil for a simple salad dressing; add the juice to sugar and butter for lemon curd; or into a custard for a set cream or tart.”
THE RECIPE: Gremolata
Mix everything together, season well and leave for an hour before use.
THE INGREDIENT: Courgette
“There are many courgettes varieties to be found – I like ones from Italy and Spain. Varieties include round grezzina, trombetta, crocadon, English and yellow – all of which are delicious in season and can be used to add colour, texture and flavour to dishes (good delis and supermarkets will offer a few different sorts now). Try to find heavier, tighter fleshed ones for more sweetness and flavour. They can be steamed, boiled, roasted and grilled on the BBQ. In the summer months, you’ll find the flowers – stuff them with cheese, crab or anything you like, then either steam them or dip them in batter and deep fry. Courgettes are also good grated into fritters or lean burgers such as turkey as a flavouring and to add moisture. They’re brilliant in desserts – courgette and mascarpone cheesecake is one of my favourites.”
THE RECIPE: Simple Courgette Salad
Mix everything together, season well and serve.
THE INGREDIENT: Tomatoes
“Another incredibly versatile ingredient. Good tomatoes are available year-round, with special varieties grown for winter harvest, such as iberica, while in the summer I love the southern Italian varieties such as datterini, san marzano and vesuvio. Tinned tomatoes aren’t to be looked down on either, they are as just as important in sauces things like lasagne and parmigiana. Green varieties are delicious in their own right – more sour and crunchier – but great as part of a tomato salad. Tomatoes for eating should always be served at room temperature with a little sea salt – delicious. I like to slow-cook or dry my own tomatoes by cutting them in half, seasoning, drizzling with oil and thyme and leaving in a warm spot until slightly shrivelled.”
THE RECIPE: Salmorejo
Set a large pan of water on the heat and bring to the boil.
Remove the stalks from the tomatoes along with the eyes and then prick the bases of the tomatoes with a small knife.
Plunge the tomatoes into the boiling water for 30 seconds and then remove and plunge them into ice-cold water to refresh. Peel the skins from the tomatoes and quarter them.
Place the tomatoes in a blender with the garlic and a good amount of salt and pepper. Blend for 2 minutes and then add the vinegar and bread and continue blending until you have a smooth puree. Continuing blending and slowly pour in the olive oil to emulsify into the tomato base. The mix should look creamy and become very smooth.
Transfer the salmorejo to a bowl and check the seasoning before transferring to a fridge for at least 2 hours.
Soft boil the eggs (6 minutes from boiling) and then cool them in ice water to stop the cooking process. Peel, cut in half length-wise and reserve.
Fry the breadcrumbs in olive oil until golden brown, season well and sprinkle with the fresh thyme.
Divide the salmorejo between serving bowls, place an egg half in the middle, the ham slices and then sprinkle over the croutons. Finish with more olive oil and serve.
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Francesca Strange, The Proof
THE INGREDIENT: Sea Salt
“Salt enhances the flavour of your baking and acts to balance the sweetness. My preference is to use fine-ground sea salt whenever a recipe calls for it because it is less processed yet strong in flavour. Use salt as a garnish on top of cookies and brownies before baking – that pop of saltiness when you take a bite adds so many dimensions and takes the taste to the next level. Use a digital scale or measuring spoons when adding salt so you can be precise. Too much salt can totally change the taste of what you are baking and often not in a good way, unless you are making something that calls for a salty flavour like salted caramel sauce.”
THE RECIPE: Salted Caramel
In a heavy, non-stick saucepan add the sugar and heat over a medium heat. Don't be tempted to stir it as the sugar can crystallise.
Once the sugar is in liquid form and starts to colour, swirl the pan a few times as the colour darkens to a gorgeous amber colour. For a deeper caramel you can let it go to a dark golden brown but be careful as it’s easy to burn the sugar at this point.
Once at a colour you are happy with, carefully add the butter in one go and whisk in quickly until melted. Now remove from the heat.
Add the cream and vanilla to your buttery sugar mixture – it will bubble a lot so take care here until the bubbling subsides.
Put back on a medium heat, stirring occasionally and allowing the caramel to thicken. This takes around 5-6 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add your choice of salt, stirring thoroughly to ensure it infuses into your mixture.
Add to a clean, sterilised jar and enjoy drizzled over ice-cream or added to brownies and buttercreams.
THE INGREDIENT: Vanilla
“Spend as much as you can afford – good-quality vanilla in any form is expensive but you are rewarded in taste. Vanilla bean paste is an excellent substitute for vanilla pods and sometimes an improvement. Never throw away your used vanilla pods, simply put them in an air-tight container full of sugar to infuse for a couple of weeks and you will end up with beautifully fragrant vanilla sugar which is wonderful to use in baking.”
THE RECIPE: Vanilla Cheesecake
Crush your digestive biscuits either by hand or in a food processor and melt the butter. Add the biscuits and butter to a bowl and combine well ensuring all of the biscuits are coated in butter.
Line an 8-inch round tin with baking parchment and add the biscuit mixture to the tin, pressing down tightly so that it covers the base firmly. Place in the fridge for 1 hour to set.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla and whisk well.
Add the double cream and whisk the mixture until it comes together and starts to thicken.
Once whisked, add to the top of the biscuit base and leave it to set in the fridge for 5-6 hours, or preferably overnight if you have time.
Once set, remove the vanilla cheesecake from the tin and serve with berries, coulis or some of that gorgeous salted caramel sauce you have also made.
THE INGREDIENT: Butter
“I always spend more on my butter because it is a crucial part of most baking. French butter is my preference because of the quality and taste, which is a priority for buttercreams in particular. Unsalted butter is the butter I use in my baking unless a recipe specifically calls on you to use salted butter. I find it easier to add my salt separately because it’s a more controlled method. When baking cakes or making buttercreams, always beat your room temperature butter thoroughly for a few minutes before adding anything to it. This gets rid of lumps, makes it silky smooth and provides a perfect base to your bake.”
THE RECIPE: Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies
Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan/Gas 5 and line your baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter and both sugars and beat until creamy.
Add your eggs and vanilla and combine until well mixed.
Add your sifted flour baking powder and sea salt to the bowl and mix gently until just combined.
Add the dark chocolate chips and mix.
Use a spoon to make small balls of around 100g each of the mixture onto your baking tray, ensuring they are well spaced apart. Chill in the fridge for an hour (or freezer if you don’t want to bake them all at once).
Bake for 12-14 minutes until they are light brown on the edges and soft in the middle.
Leave to cool before eating.
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Sami Harvey, The Laundry
The INGREDIENT: Black Sesame Seeds
“The forgotten little sister to the white sesame seed. Nutty, earthy and wholesome in flavour, they’re highly nutritious and a fantastic addition as a garnish or seasoning. Store nuts and seeds in the freezer to stop them going rancid, then use straight from frozen. Always toast the seeds before eating as it brings out the nuttiness and crunch. You can also grind them with a pestle and mortar for a different flavour and texture altogether.”
THE RECIPE: Sesame-Crusted Tuna
Trim the tuna so ideally you have long piece, 1 inch in diameter.
Mix the sesame seeds together, season generously and place on a plate.
Roll the tuna in the sesame seeds until it is completely coated.
Heat a non-stick pan on a medium heat. Place a dash of oil into the pan and sear the tuna on all sides, until sesame seeds just begin to toast.
Remove from the pan and rest. The tuna will still be quite pink in the middle, so sear longer if you prefer it cooked through.
Slice in 1cm pieces and serve over your favourite salad.
THE INGREDIENT: Sweetcorn
“Sweetcorn reminds me of home (Sydney, Australia) and is definitely my favourite vegetable. It brings a brightness, fresh appearance and taste to any dish – it’s like sunshine on a plate no matter what the weather outside is like. If you don’t fancy serving corn on the cob whole, boil your ears of corn, refresh in ice water and then hold vertically and trim down for ease of eating. Steaming or boiling whole ears of corn then charring them on a BBQ makes a fantastic side dish. You can also substitute chickpeas for corn for an alternative homemade hummus.”
THE RECIPE: Corn Fritters
Place the corn in a bowl and add in the flour. Mix until well combined.
Add in the whisked egg and you should have a loose batter, add enough milk to make a dropping consistency.
Fold through the chillies and chives and season to taste.
Heat a pan over medium heat, add a splash of oil and cook spoonfuls of the batter, flipping only once halfway through cooking, similar to making a pancake.
These can be served at room temperature or enjoyed straight away topped with avocado and salsa.
THE INGREDIENT: Cabernet Sauvignon Vinegar
“This is the best cupboard staple you can have. It’s so versatile and has an incredible depth of flavour that really complements so many ingredients. It’s always worth paying a little bit more for a quality vinegar. Make sure to store your vinegar in a dark bottle and in a cool place to preserve the flavour. I like to mix it with olive oil instead of balsamic vinegar to complement bread.”
THE RECIPE: Rosemary Vinaigrette
Whisk all ingredients together and serve. It’s best made a couple of days ahead of time to allow the rosemary to infuse.
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