Friday 21 December 2012

On the last day of create christmas

Richard Groves made for me...Christmas Mince Pies
Orange pastry:
500g plain flour
175g icing or caster sugar (I use icing)
375g butter
Finely grated rind and juice of one large orange

Sift the flour and sugar into a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces, stir these into the flour and rub gently with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Stir in the grated rind. Then, using a knife, stir in the orange juice until the dough just begins to stick together, add more fresh orange juice if the orange was not juicy enough!

Gather up the dough, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.
This quantity will make about 24 mince pies.

Mincemeat:

If you use bought in mincemeat the addition of a little grated orange rind, chopped apple and brandy will improve its flavour.

Roll out the pastry and use a 7.5cm fluted pastry cutter, grease your pie moulds and pop the bottoms in. Fill with mincemeat and put a 5cm top on after moistening the edge of the bottom. Brush the top with milk and bake in a preheated oven (gas mark 7/220c/425f) for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Deluxe version: Cream 250g full fat cream cheese and 50g caster sugar until smooth. Put a teaspoon of the cheese mixture on top of the mincemeat in each pastry bottom and top with a smaller round top.

Serve warm if possible and dust with icing sugar.

If you are being a complete show off, put a pinch of cinnamon powder in the icing sugar before dusting the mincies and serve with soft brandy butter to complete the hedonistic mince pie ritual.

Thursday 20 December 2012

on the 11th day of create christmas

The kitchen reduced  for me... spiced Christmas gravy

Every morning in the create kitchen huge stock pots bubble away, with all of the trimmings from the onions, vegetables and herbs thrown in too. When it comes to Christmas we pop in some cinnamon sticks and star anise as well for some festive spice. We guess that you probably don't have 100 litre stock pots at home so use the biggest pan you can find.
Ingredients
25g butter
Turkey giblets (neck, heart and liver) 
3 celery sticks, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 fresh bay leaves
8 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
8 black peppercorns
3 tbsp plain flour
150ml red wine
a dash of Worcestershire sauce

1) melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat, add the giblets and vegetables and fry for 8 minutes, until golden.
2) add the bay leaves and spices and 1.5 litres water, gently bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour.
3) strain the stock into a jug – you should have around 600ml. Set aside to cool slightly, then discard the fat from the surface.
4) once your turkey has roasted remove it from the pan and place the turkey’s roasting tin on the hob over a medium-high heat, add the flour and stir for 1 minute. Gradually stir in the wine, bring to the boil and reduce by half, then add the stock and any of the turkey’s cooking juices and bring back to the boil, allow to simmer for 15 minutes, to thicken. Discard any film from the surface, then season with the Worcestershire sauce.

Wednesday 19 December 2012

on the 10th day of create christmas


Turkey Finder found for me... the best free range turkey
I have become a little obsessed recently with the concept of PYOT (or pick your own turkey in case you didn't already know). What could nicer than going to the farm and choosing your own bird and then getting it delivered to your door. Agreed it might not be up everyone's pear tree but if you want to know you are eating a turkey which is truly free range then give it a go, just enter your postcode into the search box and call up the friendly if not slight stressed farmer to arrange a viewing!
There have been many theories over the last few years on how to avoid dry tasteless turkey, from Nigella and her rather strange soaking your turkey overnight in a spice bath to wrapping and roasting your turkey in a buttered muslin cloak. If you start with the best quality free range turkey you can find then you are already half way there.

We find that wrapping the turkey breast in lots and lots of bacon and putting a herbed or spiced butter under the skin always works well. Breast side down may deform your turkey a little but you will have deliciously moist and flavoursome meat!

Tuesday 18 December 2012

on the 9th day of create christmas

the pastry kitchen made for me... boozy brandy butter


Possibly the simplest Christmas recipe but definitely the most un-healthy! 3 ingredients never tasted so good especially when eaten with a warm mince pie or Christmas pudd...

Ingredients:

125g unsalted softened butter
125g icing sugar
2 tbsp boiling water
3 tbsp brandy

1) whip the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy
2) gently beat in the boiling water and brandy
3) refrigerate and repeat the process as brandy butter never lasts long if left un-attended.

on the 8th day of create christmas


the kitchen sauteed for me... brussel sprouts with chestnuts and bacon
Sprouts get a lot of bad press and we are not sure why, we love sprouts at create, possibly because we don't believe in crossing their sprout bottoms. Whoever the clever chap was who decided to sauteed them with bacon and chestnuts in lots of butter, was, in my opinion a bit of genius, who doesn't like bacon and butter?

Ingredients:
6 thick rashers of English pancetta from the Wild Pig Charcuterie, Worcs
2kg of brussel sprouts
1kg of fresh chestnuts (you can buy these pre roasted and vac packed or alternatively roast them your selves)
150g unsalted butter
1 nutmeg

1) cut your pancetta into little pieces and in a hot pan saute until crispy and golden
2) meanwhile boil a large pan of salted water and cook your sprouts for 5-7 mins, the common mistake is to over cook sprouts so keep an eye of them, they want to have a little bit of bite.
3) once cooked drain the sprouts and put them in a bowl of ice water, this will stop them cooking.
4) roughly chop your chestnuts and add these to the pan of bacon and toss around, add you butter to the pan, once melted grate in a few good grates of fresh nutmeg
5) remove your sprouts from the iced water and pat dry add these to the pan of bacon and chestnuts and toss around over a medium heat until all the sprouts are coated and hot.

Monday 17 December 2012

on the 7th day of create christmas


The kitchen made for me... pear and celeriac stuffing

However you like you like your stuffing, in rustic round balls, baked through the oven or stuffed into your Christmas bird, this delicious recipe gives you something slightly different...


Ingredients:
2-3 tbsp goose fat
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
½ small celeriac, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes
Juice and zest of 1 orange
3 pears peeled and cored and cut into 1cm cubes
500g of coarsely minced sausage meat
80g finely chopped chicken livers
100g finely chopped almonds
1 handful fresh white breadcrumbs
1 tbsp finely chopped sage
1 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves
Pinch ground mace
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the goose fat in a large, heavy-bottomed frying pan over a low heat, add the onion and cook gently until soft and translucent, throw in the celeriac and cook until soft.
Squeeze the orange juice into a large mixing bowl and add the pears into the juice and toss to stop discolouring.
Remove the onions and celeriac from the heat and mix thoroughly with the pears, sausage meat, chicken livers, breadcrumbs, herbs and spices and season well with salt and pepper.
Shape into small balls and roast in the oven for about 20-30mins until golden brown and slightly crisp.

on the 6th day of create christmas


The Butchers delivered to me... pigs in blankets 


We scoured the country's butchers for the finest sausages and the best cured bacon for what we think makes up the ultimate pigs in blankets and little did we know that the winner would be our very own butcher! With their meat reared on The Buccleuch Estates spread across Scotland these master butchers know more about meat than most, and when it comes to pigs in blankets only the best will do.

We are hoping that you don't need a recipe for how to make pigs in blankets but just in case here is a quick reminder

1) wrap your little chipolatas in rashers of streaky bacon (you can cut the rashers in half and they will roll better) and roast through the oven until golden and delicious.

Pretty simple really!

Friday 14 December 2012

Create's Exciting Partnership with Adam Byatt

As Chef Patron of Trinity and Bistro Union restaurants in Clapham, Adam Byatt has won over the likes of London's most ruthless critics. Giles Coren of The Times regarded his experience at Trinity as, 'As close to an absolutely perfect experience of eating out as it is possible to have.' Trinity was named 'London Restaurant of the Year' at the AA Hospitality Awards in 2008.


Adam has joined forces with create in an exciting new relationship. Adam is exclusively available to create, designing a range of seasonal menus whilst offering his culinary expertise and presence at a selection of tastings and events. Caroline Gardiner, Managing Director of create said "This exciting partnership adds a new dimension to create, with a celebrated consultant chef on board whose love of food design and sourcing of great British suppliers has a close synergy with create's food ethos. We are delighted to be working with Adam". 
 
Adam's first book How to Eat In was published by Random House in April 2010 and is full of enduring recipes that take classic heritage cooking techniques into the modern era. As one of Britain's leading chefs and culinary experts, Adam's skills can also be seen on top-rated BBC 1 programme Saturday Kitchen, on which he regularly features as a guest presenter.


"As someone who is passionate about locally sourced food & using the best in British produce, I look forward to working with create, whose approach to delicious food is based on sound traditional kitchen practices & is totally in line with my way of thinking. The way create offer apprenticeships to local people really appeals to me too, they are a fantastic company to be associated with & I look forward to getting started!"
Adam Byatt

on the 5th day of create christmas


I made for myself... lots of bread sauce (sung like 5 gold rings!)


In my humble opinion, bread sauce is the king of all sauces.
Ingredients:

110g stale crustless white bread - chop in a processor
1 large onion
1 pint of whole milk
50g butter
2 tbsp double cream
1 nutmeg
2 bay leaves
1 sprig of thyme
15 cloves
5 black peppercorns
2 peeled garlic cloves
salt to taste


Stud your peeled onion with cloves and peppercorns & place in a pan with the bay leaves, thyme, smashed garlic and the milk. slowly bring to the boil with a lid on to let all the flavours infuse.
Add the bread & stir gently, switch off & leave to cool.
Once cool remove the bay, thyme, garlic & studded onion, if you like you can grate some of the cooked onion into your sauce.
When ready to use heat gently & add the double cream, some salt and pepper and a little grated fresh nutmeg.

Enjoy!

Thursday 13 December 2012

on the 4th day of create christmas


The create kitchen roasted  for me,
crispy goose fat roast potatoes.....


No Christmas lunch is complete without roast potatoes, there are a million and one different schools of thought for how to achieve the ultimate crispy outside and fluffy inside.

I have been doing some very difficult research into the ultimate roast potato and made some interesting discoveries.

Desiree potatoes they have been scientifically proven to be the best roaster (by scientific I mean my tested by my tummy)

Don't discard the peelings, wash them thoroughly and wrap them in muslin and add this to your pan of boiling water, it will give your potatoes a much fuller flavour.

Don't discard the water which you boil the potatoes in either, use it as a stock when it comes to making your gravy, all the starch will act as a natural thickener.

The larger surface area, edges and corners you have on your potatoes the crispier they will go.

Par boil potatoes for around 4 minutes, drain & shake in the collander to rough up the edges and if you are feeling particularly cheffy you could use a fork to fluff up the edges.

Make sure your goose fat is really hot; the potatoes should sizzle when you throw them in.

Season and pop into the oven until golden, crispy & delicious.

On the 3rd day of create christmas


There must be hundreds of mulled wine concoctions but here in the create kitchen as far as recipes go we have the fairy godmother of all, passed down through the generations of the Gardiner family.
Caroline gave to me...a secret mulled wine recipe



Take one bottle of decent red wine – don’t cheat as using cheap wine will give you a headache!!

Add a couple of shots of homemade damson gin or brandy, it adds a little warmth...

Throw in a couple of cinnamon sticks, two-three star anise, the old fashioned orange studded with cloves or some clementines, grate some fresh nutmeg and add some brown sugar (about 3-4oz) but depends on your palette.

Gently warm and once nearly bubbled, switch off, cover and leave overnight for the spices to infuse. Warm gently the next day and pour into warmed glasses and serve with some fresh orange and a star anise in each glass.

Thursday 6 December 2012

On the 2nd day of create christmas

 Alan stewed for me... kilners of cranberry sauce




No Christmas lunch is complete without cranberry sauce. Although not native to the British farm and field, cranberries are the best thing to come out of America (followed closely by Britney Spears).

Ingredients

450g fresh or frozen cranberries if you can't get fresh
200ml of red wine
50ml red wine vinegar
125ml of fresh orange juice
25ml of cherry brandy
150g caster sugar
2 strips of orange zest
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
5 cloves

1) Tie your cloves, cinamon stick, star anise and orange zest into a little piece of muslin, make sure you leaves a long piece of string on the end so you can fish it out later.
2) Pour your cranberries into a large sauce pan and over a gentle heat allow them to gently stew away so the skins pop and some of the natural juices are released
3) As soon as you have a little juice in the bottom of the pan add the sugar and stir until all the cranberries and coated and allow to simmer for a minute or so.
4) Add the wine, orange juice and cherry brandy and pop in the little spice bag you made earlier, tie the end onto the sauce pan handle so you can easily pull this out later
5) Allow to simmer until the liquid has reduced by a third and you have a losse cranberry compot


Once cooled you can freeze the sauce and that is one less thing to worry about on Christmas eve, as long as you remember to take it out of the freezer!

Wednesday 5 December 2012

12 days of create christmas, the edible advent calender


From the 1st week of December the create kitchen will be sharing with you their secret recipes for how to cook, what we think, are the most important 12 elements to make up the best Christmas lunch. From curing your own salmon to sourcing the best blankets for your pigs, we think we have it sussed, and as a thank you to everyone who has been supporting, contributing and providing us here at create with blog-able stories we have decided to share our secrets of Christmas with you.

On the first day of create christmas......

Alan cured for me, sides of scottish salmon


Ingredients

1 side of fresh Scottish salmon pin boned and trimmed from James Knight of Mayfair, supplier to The Queen and create
5 raw beetroot, chopped into cubes
A large thumb sized  root of fresh horseradish (depends on the size of your thumb of course)
500g rock salt
250g refined caster sugar
2 bunches of fresh tarragon

1) Lay your side of salmon skin side down in a large dish (be aware don't use your favourite dish as the beetroot will more than likely stain in).
2) In your food processor, blend the beetroot, horseradish, sea salt, sugar and tarragon into a smooth paste.
3) Evenly pour the purée over the salmon, cling film and place in the fridge.
4) After a night of curing in the fridge turn the salmon over and leave for a further 24 hours.
5) At this stage the salmon should have taken on a beautiful deep purple colour and it is ready to eat, just wash off the cure and pat dry with a clean cloth.

Wednesday 21 November 2012

Alan in Wonderland

Having been hijacked on Monday night and whipped up into a social media frenzy we thought we would treat you all to what the kitchen does best......cooking creatively!

And what is more creative than a Mad Hatter's Tea Party

A menu full of unexpected surprises like our bacon jam and montgomery cheddar jammy dodgers and create's now infamous edible frogs filled with passion fruit frogspawn were all joined alongside  "drink me" little bottles of mock turtle soup and Mad Hatter sandwich cylinders of mustard bread with ham and piccalilli butter, earl grey tea smoked salmon with thyme creme fraiche and beetroot bread with sweet pickled cucumber and curd cheese.


Sadly for the sales team who love a chocolate frog possibly more than they love cupcake Friday's, everything was devoured bar the crusts from the bread, no wonder they all have such straight hair, clearly no one told them crusts make your hair curl!

P.s. 'Alan' is our Executive Head Chef and you can follow him on twitter @AlanCreatefood to see what he gets up to. 

Tuesday 20 November 2012

create gets social at #StrictlySW7

Last night saw create take part in the innovative dinner StrictlySW7. The event showcased  the three breathtaking venues on South Kensington’s Exhibition Road, the Natural History Museum, V&A Museum and the Science Museum, with a different caterer providing part of a three course meal in each. create took responsibility for catering at the V&A Museum, with a spectacular menu making the most of some fantastic seasonal produce. 


Throughout the evening we were tweeting using the hashtag #StrictlySW7, which reached 13,709 accounts over the course of the night. 21 Twitter accounts contributed to the hashtag, with our twitter account (@createfood) ranking second. 


We were also live blogging and live pinning on Pinterest. We interviewed our MD Caroline, posting the clip on Audioboo. Throughout the event we also uploaded all images to Instagram and Flickr within 30 minutes of them being taken, allowing everyone to follow the sensational dinner. 


create’s starter course were individually crafted seasonal mini starter plates, passed round by our waiting staff and designed especially for the evening. These included sauteed razor clams, smoked applewood and onion steamed pudding, wild mushroom risotto soufflé, rainbow trout rillette and roast breast of quail with leek terrine. 


The main event was a mouth-watering choice of seared fillet of british beef served with chard and cashel blue bread and butter pudding, wilted spinach, glazed beetroot and roasted garlic cream sauce or baby cauliflower cheese with a potato and sage rosti, sauteéd kale and a parsley and pesto sauce. These were accompanied by two wines, Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Jean Curial 2010 and Sancerre Bernard Reverdy et Fils, 2009. 

The grand finale was a selection of miniature create dessert plates and eclectic glasses, including Mini Spotted Dick, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Twice Baked Cherry and Chocolate Soufflé, Apple and Blackberry Queen of Puddings, Lemon Sherbet Syllabub and Blackberries and White Chocolate. 

Monday 19 November 2012

Something Sweet to Finish #StrictlySW7

One hundred diners have already enjoyed a taste of create’s winter menus at this evening’s StrictlySW7 event. Under the spellbinding dome of the V&A Museum guests have been served a mouth-watering array of starters, delicious main courses and fabulous wines, but one final task remains... desserts! 

Tonight’s sumptuous selection of desserts is guaranteed to satisfy the most discerning of diners, offering a range of sweet options to tempt our third group of guests. 

For our grand finale we are serving a selection of miniature create dessert plates and eclectic glasses. So without further ado, let us present the dessert menu: 

mini spotted dick
with sticky marmalade sauce and cinnamon ice cream

sticky toffee pudding
salted toffee sauce, vanilla custard and crushed pink pralines

twice baked cherry and chocolate soufflé
with cherry brandy cream, sweet pickled cherries and cherry popping candy

apple and blackberry queen of puddings
sweet toasted breadcrumbs topped with apple and blackberry compote and glazed meringue

lemon sherbet syllabub
layers of lemon syllabub and lemon curd with popping candy

blackberries and white chocolate
white chocolate ganache topped with cassis soaked blackberries

The Main Event: Dinner is served at #StrictlySW7

Our second group of diners have now arrived at the magnificent V&A Museum for the main event of tonight’s innovative dinner party, create’s mouth-watering main courses. 


Our two chosen dishes focus on the best of British ingredients, with seasonal ingredients taking centre stage in both options. 

Guests have the choice of seared fillet of british beef served with chard and cashel blue bread and butter pudding, wilted spinach, glazed beetroot and roasted garlic cream sauce or baby cauliflower cheese with a potato and sage rosti, sauteéd kale and a parsley and pesto sauce. 


Main courses are accompanied by a choice of two wines, chosen to complement the robust flavours of tonight’s dishes. Diners are enjoying a choice of Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Jean Curial 2010 or Sancerre Bernard Reverdy et Fils, 2009. 


We’re going to find it difficult to top that, so we best get to work on the bounty of desserts our lucky third group have in store... 

#StrictlySW7 Begins...


The stage is set for a spectacular dinner this evening, as create takes part in StrictlySW7. 


The unique event sees diners move between the three museums of Exhibition Road, South Kensington for starters, main courses and desserts to experience the event space of each. 

Three groups of 50 lucky diners have been invited to this innovative showcase, and the first fifty have just had a taste of what to expect, enjoying starters in the breathtaking fashion galleries of the V&A Museum. 


Here is a list of the dishes that kicked off StrictlySW7 at the V&A Museum: 

sauteed razor clams, garlic and parsley
with crispy bacon crumbs and salsa verde served in the shell

smoked applewood and onion steamed pudding (v)
with yellow cauliflower and broccoli florets, white wine sauce

wild mushroom risotto soufflé (v) 
with truffle oil and baby chard

rainbow trout rillette
baby beetroot and micro sorrel, black pepper croute and herb emulsion

roast breast of quail
with leek terrine, sloe gin jelly, sour dough wafers

And now we await the next fifty guests as we put the final touches on the main courses!

Create Prepares for #StrictlySW7


This evening will see create food & design cater for one third of an extraordinary event on South Kensington’s Exhibition Road.

StrictlySW7 is an innovative showcase and party, where three of the capital’s finest museums will come together to allow guests to experience the grandeur and luxury of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum


A moving dinner will allow guests to fully experience the event space at each of these elegant venues. Each museum will each host one of three courses, whilst guests move between the venues after each course enabling them to enjoy the trio of prestigious spaces. create will be resident at the glorious Victoria and Albert Museum delivering a three course meal for the lucky guests.

create's menu and event designers have been busy preparing a delicious menu, with sensational tabletop design to match.

Menu Sneak Peek 
selection of create's autumn/winter 2012 menu starter plates
 
sauteed razor clams, garlic and parsley
with crispy bacon crumbs and salsa verde served in the shell

smoked applewood and onion steamed pudding (v)
with yellow cauliflower and broccoli florets, white wine sauce

wild mushroom risotto soufflé (v) 
with truffle oil and baby chard

rainbow trout rillete
baby beetroot and micro sorrel, black pepper croute and herb emulsion

roast breast of quail
with leek terrine, sloe gin jelly, sour dough wafers

For updates on the dinner party to end all dinner parties keep an eye on the create social channels. We’ll be posting live content throughout the event, so have a look at our Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Blog for a sneak peek of StrictlySW7.