Skye Gyngell first came to public prominence as the Head Chef of Petersham Nurseries Cafe, a restaurant set up in the grounds of Petersham House. Winning a Michelin star in 2011, the highly seasonal menu and location was meant to be the antithesis of restaurants found in London proper. Ironically the star ultimately led to her decision to leave Petersham Nurseries, as she felt that the location didn’t meet the expectations of the new influx of clients. After taking a little time out, Skye set about creating a new restaurant in an elegant high ceilinged space at Somerset House, and this book was borne out of the process.
And what a gorgeous book Spring
These are the recipes:
Starters: asparagus with crème frâiche and Parmesan; eggs, anchovies, celery heart and radishes; carpaccio of wild salmon with pickled green tomatoes and horseradish crème frâiche; crab with crème frâiche and roe; spice-roasted quail with celeriac and walnuts; nettle risotto; chickpea soup with pancetta and sage; potato and porcini soup
Bread: how to make a starter; sourdough; rye bread; rye crackers
Dairy: butter; yoghurt; ricotta
Salads: Little gem, candied walnuts and Caesar dressing; salad of beetroot, tomatoes, goat’s curd and radicchio; raw cabbage, fennel and pecorino salad; slaw with pears, toasted hazelnuts and buttermilk dressing; spinach, wild herbs and goat’s curd; spelt, anchovies and mint; octopus salad with potatoes, capers and olives; crab salad with chilli, squash, curry leaves and lime; roast chicken, tarragon and gorgonzola salad
Pasta: making and shaping fresh pasta; purpled with oxtail argue; ravioli with sheep’s milk ricotta and herb butter; spelt pasta with farrow and pancetta
Seafood: grilled langoustine with seaweed butter; scallops with white beans, fennel and speck; squid with peas and sage; turbot with porcini and bone marrow; wild salmon with preserved lemon butter; sea bass with roasted tomatoes and girolles; halibut with mustard seeds, curry leaves and tomatoes; mackerel with bread and almond sauce
Meat: guinea fowl with farrow and parsley cream; grouse with corn purée and roast figs; braised kids with squash, tamarind and chickpeas; lamb cutlets with roasted red peppers and salsa verde; butterflied lamb with roasted beetroots and carrots; slow-cooked pork with Jerusalem artichokes and walnut and parsley sauce; spiced pork and veal meatballs with tomato sauce; veal chop with fried courgette shoestrings and aïoli; fillet of beef with anchovy, brown butter and wild greens; skirt steak with kimchi
Vegetables: samphire and chilli oil; radishes poached in chicken stock and butter; broccoli with garlic, chilli and black olive dressing; spinach with girolles; slow-cooked courgettes with tarragon; slow-cooked chard with chickpeas; yellow wax beans, radicchio, barley and basil; new season’s potatoes with lovage oil
Fermented: kombucha; sauerkraut; kimchi
Dessert: iced summer fruits with rose-scented geranium syrup; rhubarb crisp; blackcurrant and buttermilk pudding; summer pudding; quince and cobnut tart; plum upside down cake; apple galette; bitter chocolate and espresso cake; candied blood orange and white chocolate nougat; canelés de Bordeaux
Ice-Creams: langues de chat; vanilla ice-cream; burnt caramel, ginger and chocolate ice-cream; roasted strawberry and balsamic ice-cream; blueberry, lemon and mascarpone ice-cream; walnut and chestnut honey ice-cream; Campari, pomegranate and clementine sorbet; ricotta, pistachio and chocolate ice-cream sandwich
Drinks: lime cordial; cucumber and lime cordial; lovage and fennel seed cordial; lemon barley water; quince, ginger and bay cordial; white peach and lemon verbena; grenadine; tonic; bitters; fig liqueur; bicerin
Also pages on: The Architect | The Name | The Design | The Walls | The Uniforms | The Garden | The Kitchen | The Table | The Opening
You can buy your copy here >
Spring, at Somerset House
Focusing on a subset of Japanese cuisine, Tim has delivered a detailed, authentic and accessible guide to ramen, and the dishes found intheizakaya (Japanese bar). The context of eachdishis explained,andregionality explored – variations and Britishsubstitutionsare listed where possible. Being bar food, there’s also a recommendation for which drinks to have with particular dishes – perfect! The food photography (courtesy of Mr Winch-Furness)isunfussy and appealing, and the openspineis laminated, a nice and unusual touch. Therecipesare broken down as follows:Introduction | IngredientsFundamentals: including kimchi; braised kombu; ume-shiso cucumber; dashi; vegetarian dashi; how to cook Japanese rice
I’m thoroughly enjoying Sarah’s book, which is full of original and delicious offerings. We’re entering a brave new world, where foraged, seasonal, raw, vegetarian, vegan and allergen-free cooking-styles are colliding head first. I’ve the most obscure Scandinavian restaurant books sitting along-side my raw books, and for the first time it’s beginning to feel as though these worlds are overlapping in mainstream vegetarian books… Yes, there have been a spate of releases in this genre of late, but this is probably my favourite of 2015. These are dishes that are balanced, well-considered, and beautiful – they feel a little more grown-up than some of the other offerings.
For anyone too young to remember the early ’90’s, it’s pretty difficult to sum up the impact of White Heat at the time. Marco was the “enfant terrible” of the fine dining scene, “the volatile but beautiful Marco”, he of the mercurial mood swings and exquisite dishes.
