Nourished

Tony Fleming

Angler

Lobster Bisque…

The recipe for this gorgeous mouthful of sea was donated to me by the lovely Tony Fleming – it’s the recipe he uses at the Angler restaurant.  I promised not to give away all his secrets, so here I’ve documented a similar recipe to help you along your way, together with my photos…  Do try this, it may be laborious, but it’s well worth the effort!
Just as a point of clarification, this isn’t technically a bisque, as bisque traditionally denotes that some of the shell has been ground into the soup, and this obviously gives you the slightly grainy texture you sometimes have. That said, it’s the perfect way to use up the leftover lobster shells from the lobster and scallop ravioli.

Ingredients

lobster shells
prawn shells
splash of brandy
2 tbsp/1fl oz olive oil
½ lemon
1 onion or 2 shallots
3 cloves garlic
2 sticks celery
2 carrots
6 tomatoes
1 tsp paprika
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper
2 glasses white wine
50g/2oz tomato purée
double cream
few knobs of unsalted butter

Preparation method

  • In a large saucepan, fry lobster shells and prawn shells in a little olive oil for 5 mins. 
  • Add splash of brandy and flambé. 
  • Add chopped onion or shallots, garlic, celery and carrot, and fry for a further 5 mins. 
  • Add chopped tomatoes, paprika, bay leaf and seasoning, and stir well. Add lemon juice, white wine, tomato purée and water to cover. 
  • Bring to boil and then gently simmer for 1 hour, skimming the surface periodically to remove scum.
  • Pass through a fine-meshed sieve and return to saucepan and gently reduce to half the volume. Gently whisk in double cream and butter until sauce thickens, and add seasoning to taste. 
Roast your lobster carcasses, then flambé them

Boil your ‘stock’ for 40 minutes or so before straining through muslin

Reduce your ‘stock’ down until it is thick and dark

When ready to serve, mix with cream until you reach the desired flavour intensity

Angler

Lobster and Scallop Ravioli, with Buerre Blanc…

The lovely Tony Fleming kindly gave me the recipe he uses at the Angler restaurant, and it was delicious.  I agreed not to print his recipe in full, so instead I’ve included a couple of master recipes that are very similar to help you along your way, and I can show you the pics…

Beurre Blanc

Ingredients

2 shallots, finely chopped
60ml/2fl oz white wine vinegar
60ml/2fl oz dry white wine
125g/4½oz cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
salt and freshly ground white pepper
fresh chives, finely chopped, to garnish

Preparation method

  • For the beurre blanc, place the shallots, vinegar, wine and 60ml/2fl oz water into a saucepan. Set over a moderate heat until almost no liquid remains. 
  • Turn the heat down to a low setting and whisk in the butter one piece at a time, allowing each piece to melt and homogenise before adding the next (it is also a good idea to occasionally take the pan off the heat, then returning it when it is becoming too cool.) 
  • Once all the butter has been used the sauce should be pale and have a thin, custard-like consistency. Keep warm. 

Lobster Ravioli

Ingredients

300g/10½oz ’00’ pasta flour, plus extra for dusting
4 free-range eggs
2 x 750g/1lb 10oz cooked lobster
200g/7oz raw shelled king prawns
75ml/3fl oz double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small bunch basil
olive oil

Preparation method

  • For the ravioli, place the flour and three of the eggs into a food processor and pulse until it forms small crumbs. Remove the mixture from the food processor and pull together to form a dough. 
  • Knead the dough lightly for 2-3 minutes until it is smooth and elastic then wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 20 minutes. 
  • Flour the pasta machine and turn it to the lowest (thickest) setting. Feed the dough through the machine, turning the handle with one hand and holding the dough as it comes through the machine with the other. 
  • Change the setting on the pasta machine to the next-thickest setting, flour it again and feed the pasta sheet through the machine again, as before. Repeat this process 3-4 more times, flouring the machine and changing the setting down each time – it helps to cut the pasta into smaller pieces as you work to prevent it drying out. Cover any pasta you are not working on with cling film. Set the pasta aside. Any extra dough can be frozen for use on another occasion. 
  • Cut the lobster in half lengthways and remove all the meat – taking care to keep the claw meat intact. Cut the lobster meat into 1cm/½in thick slices. 
  • Place the prawns and cream into a food processor and blend to a purée, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 
  • Lay a sheet of pasta onto a lightly-floured work surface and place spoonfuls of the prawn mixture at intervals along the sheet, leaving a gap of about 6cm2½in between each pile. Top each pile with a piece of lobster and a basil leaf. 
  • Beat the remaining egg in a small bowl or cup. Brush the pasta around the seafood with the beaten egg. 
  • Top with a second sheet of pasta and press down lightly around the edges of the seafood. Stamp out the ravioli using a circular cutter about 5cm/2in diameter, lay them on a baking tray and cover with cling film until ready to cook. You should have 20 ravioli. 
  • To cook the ravioli, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and gently lower the ravioli into the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes until they float to the top of the water then remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Toss with a little olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper and keep warm. 
The pasta dough, with dill interleaved between the sheets and re-rolled
Lobster and scallop mousse, with chives

Parcelling up the ravioli 
The ravioli(o)
The finished product, served with samphire and a chive beurre blanc

Axis

Tribute Dish: Tony Fleming’s Duck Egg with Truffled Soldiers

This dish is based on one create by Tony Fleming at Axis.  Lovely dish, packed full of flavour!  In an ideal world you’d have a truffle around which you can finely shave over the finished product, but here you can achieve a pretty good effect with more accessible truffle products :0)  Now the point of a tribute dish is to try to achieve a similar effect using normal home tools – we’re not going to make our own stock – it’s not to do a perfect dish – it’s supposed to be fun! Don’t get too hung-up on the finesse of the thing, cook it – eat it!

Sauces

Onion jam: cook sliced red onions in a little bit of olive oil on a low heat for at least 30 minutes.  Once they have reduced to almost nothing, add a small amount of good chicken stock.  Reduce again until the onion mixture has a jammy consistency.  I added a tiny bit of red wine vinegar just to offset the sweetness of the onion jam. Set aside until you’re ready.

Chicken jus: reduce chicken stock until it has a demi-glace like sheen.  I like to put a drop of Madeira into mine.  You can add little butter just at the end to increase the glossiness of the sauce, but save that for the final reheat.

Truffled Brioche Soliders

Mushroom duxelle : chop two large field mushrooms into fine dice and sweat with a tiny bit of olive oil and butter under fully coloured, but not crisp.  I added the tiniest pinch of truffle salt, and a small drizzle of truffle oil at the end. Set aside.

Brioche soldiers : make your brioche according to your favourite brioche recipe (or buy a brioche loaf!).  When it has cooled, cut into large rectangles.  Melt a little clarified butter in a frying pan and when hot, cook the rectangles in the butter, but do not crisp and do not swamp with butter. Set aside in a warm place.

Plating Up

Put a circle of the onion jam into the centre of the plate (I used a ring to get the disc the right size).  Scatter a few warmed mushrooms around the outside edge of the plate in a circle.  Put a little warmed duxelle onto the top of the brioche soldiers on a separate plate, with a little napkin under it to stop the moisture from making the brioche soggy.  Put the fried duck egg on top of the onion jam (I cut my duck egg with a ring to the same size), and drizzle a little of the reduced jus around the plate.  Serve immediately.

Here is Tony’s much finer version, with truffles :0)

Blackberry Soufflé

Tony Fleming’s Blackberry Soufflé

This is Tony Fleming’s blackberry souffle dish for the TV series Britain’s Best Dish. Tony and I discussed souffles at length following the show, and in part my mini souffle project is inspired by those conversation.

Ingredients

For the blackberry purée:
350 g blackberries
35 g caster sugar
For the blackberry and elderflower granita:
225 g blackberries
250 ml elderflower cordial
Juice of 2 lemons

For the blackberry soufflé base:
1 tbsp blackberry liqueur, such as crème de mûre
10 g cornflour
100 g caster sugar
For the pastry cream:
250 ml full fat milk
½ vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out
50 g caster sugar
3 medium egg yolks
25 g plain flour

For the blackberry soufflés:
3 medium egg whites
30 g caster sugar
Icing sugar, for dusting
8 blackberries, to decorate
For the almond brittle (optional):
125 g butter
150 g caster sugar
50 ml double cream
1 tsp pectin
50 ml liquid glucose
175 g flaked almonds, chopped

For the cranachan (optional):
70 g honey
70 g oatmeal
200 ml double cream
½ vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped out
3 tbsp whisky, preferably blackberry
3 tbsp malt whisky
15 blackberries
For the blackberry sauce (optional):
25 ml blackberry liqueur, such as crème de mur

Preparation:

For the blackberry purée:Put the blackberries and sugar together with 25ml of water into a pan and bring to the boil. Break the blackberries down with the back of a spoon, then simmer on a low heat for 8–10 minutes until the blackberries are well cooked and mushy. Transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth, then push through a sieve and chill.

To make the blackberry and elderflower granita:Put the blackberries, elderflower cordial and lemon juice into a food processor and blend until smooth. Pass through a sieve and pour into a shallow metal tray, then freeze. Fork through the granita at 30-minute intervals to ensure even freezing.

For the blackberry soufflé base:
Put 250g of the blackberry purée into a pan and bring to the boil. Mix the blackberry liqueur and cornflour in a small container and then mix in 1 tablespoon of the hot purée. Tip it back into the pan and simmer for 5 minutes until thick. In a separate, very small pan, gently heat the caster sugar with 50ml of water until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and continue to cook until it reaches 120°C (hardball stage). Pour half of this into the blackberry purée (making smaller quantities of the sugar solution makes it difficult to check the temperature). Combine and chill in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4 and generously butter six 130ml soufflé moulds and line with sugar. Brush the butter in an upwards direction from the base of the dish to the rim. This will encourage the soufflés to rise. Chill the moulds in the fridge and, once the butter is hard, paint lines of blackberry purée inside each mould and return to the fridge.

For the pastry cream:Boil the milk with the vanilla pod and seeds and leave to cool slightly. In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg yolks and flour. Whisk in the infused milk and return to a clean pan. Remove the vanilla pod and cook gently for 5 minutes until thickened and then chill in the fridge.

To make the soufflés:Whisk the egg whites and caster sugar in a bowl until soft peaks form. In a separate bowl, combine 50g of the blackberry soufflé base with 100g of the pastry cream. Beat in 1 spoonful of the egg whites and then gently fold in the rest. When folding in the last lot of egg whites, do this thoroughly but very carefully so as not to knock out any air.

Divide the soufflé mixture evenly between the six moulds; run your thumb around the rims to clean them and this will help the soufflé to rise straight and evenly. Bake for about 6 minutes until risen and golden.

To serve:Remove the soufflés from the oven, dust with icing sugar, place a blackberry on top and put on plates. Add the blackberry and elderflower granita. The chef suggests serving this dessert with cranachan and almond brittle (methods follow).

To make the almond brittle (optional):Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4 and line 2 baking sheets with silicon mats. Put all the ingredients except the almonds, into a pan and warm through. Stir in the almonds until well combined and then spread onto the prepared baking sheets in a thin layer and leave in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set. Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for about 10 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven, leave to cool slightly and then cut the brittle into triangles and wrap each triangle around a ramekin to curve until set.

Meanwhile, prepare the cranachan. Toast the oatmeal until golden. Boil 30g of the honey and add toasted oatmeal, continue to cook for 1 minute and spread on a tray to cool. Whip the cream to soft peaks with the vanilla seeds, remaining honey and 2 tbsp of each whisky. Chop the blackberries and mix with 1 tbsp of the blackberry purée and remaining whisky.

Spoon a little of the blackberry mix into the bottom of four shot glasses then add a layer of the pastry cream and sprinkle with oatmeal. Keep layering it up until the glasses are full. Finish with a little blackberry mix and oatmeal to decorate.

To make the blackberry sauce (optional), heat 50g of the blackberry purée in a pan. Then add the liqueur and mix through.

Makes 6