Adam Byatt's Black Fig Tart with Mascarpone

Create's Consultant Chef, Adam Byatt, shares another of his tried and tested dessert recipes with us. This dessert is so delicious and simple to make you may find yourself making it again and again. it Adam has designed a range of seasonal menus for Create, as well as offering his culinary expertise and presence at a selection of tastings and events.

Give it a go and let us know what you think at @createfood. We'd love to see what you make!

Ingredients: Makes 8 

500g puff pastry (preferably made with all butter)
12 slightly firm, black Italian figs
60g butter
30g icing sugar
200g mascarpone, to serve

Preparation: 
Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it is the size of an A4 sheet of paper and about 2mm thick. Place the pastry on a baking sheet and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Slice the figs.
Preheat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 8.

Method
1 Remove the pastry from the fridge and prick it all over with a fork – the holes should be about 1cm apart (this is called ‘docking’). Now crimp the edges with your thumb and forefinger, and chill the pastry again in the fridge for 20 minutes.

2 Lay the figs over the pastry in lines, overlapping them slightly so that they completely cover the pastry. Leave the tart to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

3 Melt the butter and brush it generously over the figs, then sift over the icing sugar. Bake the tart for 30 minutes or until the edges are crisp.

4 Remove the tart from the oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into squares and topping each square with a spoonful of mascarpone. Serve warm.

Adam Byatt's cappuccino crème brulee

Create's Consultant Chef, Adam Byatt, shares another of his tried and tested dessert recipes with us. Adam has designed a range of seasonal menus for Create, as well as offering his culinary expertise and presence at a selection of tastings and events. This is one of his favourite autumn recipes, so give it a go and tell us what you think at @createfood.

Ingredients: Makes 6

9 egg yolks

50ml cold espresso coffee

75g caster sugar

450ml double cream

Milk Foam

5g leaf gelatine

200ml milk

20g caster sugar

To Serve

icing sugar, for sprinkling

1 bar dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

Choc Chip Cookies 

Preparation:

Turn the oven on to 130°C/110°C fan/gas ½. Take a shallow roasting tray that is big enough to hold six 150ml coffee cups. Pour cold water into the tray until half full, then place the tray in the oven for the water to heat up.

Method

1 Put the egg yolks, espresso and sugar into a bowl and mix together well with a wooden spoon.

2 Bring the cream to the boil in a saucepan over a high heat. Pour the cream over the espresso mix and stir well. Pass this mix through a fine sieve and pour into a jug.

3 Pour the mix into the coffee cups, filling them three-quarters full. Place the cups in the tray in the oven and cook for 40 minutes. Test them by shaking the tray gently, the cream should be nearly set with a slight wobble. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least an hour until firm.

4 Meanwhile, make the milk foam. Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water until they are soft, about 10 minutes. Bring the milk and sugar to the boil in a pan. Lift out and squeeze the leaves, then add them to the milk and stir until dissolved. Pour the milk into a siphon canister (the same contraption used to whip cream in high-street coffee shops), screw the lid on and place the canister in the fridge. Leave for an hour to allow the gelatine to set.

5 When you are ready to serve, remove the chilled creams from the fridge and sprinkle the tops with icing sugar. Using a blow touch or a hot grill, burn the sugar evenly until dark brown. Allow to cool for 2 minutes.

6 Now check that the lid of the siphon canister is screwed on tightly, charge it with 2 gas cartridges and shake well. Gently squeeze the trigger to form a small ball of foam over the brûlées. Grate chocolate over the foam and serve straight away, with cookies.  

The Ultimate Dessert from Adam Byatt

Create's Consultant Chef, Adam Byatt, shares his tried and tested chocolate hot pot recipe with us - it's easy to make and the utlimate crowd pleaser, so give it a go and tell us what you think at @createfood.

Adam says, "Over the years, we've had a number of complex desserts on the menu at Trinity Restaurant - soufflés, parfaits and so on - but these posh desserts were not hitting the spot for me. We worked on this recipe tirelessly, eliminating the flour completely in order to produce a warm, decadent chocolate soup that delivers the ultimate chocolate hit, and it's stayed on the menu ever since!"

Ingredients - Makes: 10 
255g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
255g butter 4 eggs
4 egg yolks
125g caster sugar 

Preparation 
Roughly chop the chocolate and butter and place the pieces in a bowl.

Method 
1 Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure they do not get too hot. Remove the bowl from the pan, and stir the chocolate and butter together well with a spatula. Allow to cool slightly, but keep warm.

2 Put the eggs and egg yolks into a separate bowl and whisk slowly with an electric mixer. Add the sugar gradually, a few spoonfuls at a time (this will help aerate the eggs), and continue whisking until the mixture turns pale yellow and holds a ribbon trail when the mixer is lifted.

3 Using the spatula, gently fold the melted chocolate and butter into the egg mixture (taking care not to collapse the aerated eggs). Transfer to a container, cover and leave to relax in the fridge for an hour (or up to 3 days).

4 When you are ready to bake the hot pots, preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan/gas 61/2. 5 Spoon the mixture into 10 small ovenproof pots, coffee cups or medium-sized ramekins placed on a baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the centres are warm.

Serve with good quality vanilla ice cream - the combination of hot and cold takes this dessert to another level.

Summer of Street Food

A while back we predicted that "street food" would be the talk of the town, the crumbs on everyone's lips and the most requested "theme" for the urban BBQ of Summer 2013 - and low and behold we were right. Our chefs have been busy all summer stirring paella in Bedford Square, carving kebabs at the Tower of London and BBQ'ing beer can chickens everywhere.

Over the summer we have...

Graffiteed 215 square metres of bespoke pop ups using 40 cans of spray paint...

Cleaned and steamed 80kg of mussels, chopped 10kg of shallots, 2kg of garlic, 12 bunches of parsley and opened 15 litres of white wine for moules mariniere...

BBQ'd 60 chickens sitting on beer cans...

made 350 posh fish fingers...

 And finally stirred a lot of tasty paella...

Not bad for 5 weeks work!

Where there is smoke there is flavour...it's BBQ time

Here at create, we love nothing better than a BBQ.

During the summer months we can be found at some of our favourite venues grilling, charring and spit roasting. We love it so much that our new venue Cannon Bridge Roof Gardens is dedicated to the great British 'barbie'. As we speak the trusty create BBQ is being hoisted up (by crane!) to it's new home above the station, in preparation for tonight's Cannon Bridge Roof Garden Summer Launch.

In honour of our exciting new project we thought we should share with you some of our tips, ideas and general BBQ expertise ahead of the big event.

1. INGREDIENTS

We never thought we would say it but BBQing isn't all about meat. Fish and particularly shellfish are a great alternative; what could be nicer than a half 

lobster and crab claws basted with lots of delicious flavoured butter, or  scallops cooked in the shell giving off salty toasted sand aromas.

Grilled cheese is always a winner, but try thinking beyond haloumi. Why not bake some feta or goats cheese in a tin foil parcel with oregano and lemon juice.

Or how about baking a whole wheel of brie in it's wooden box studded with garlic, thyme and honey (just remember to soak the wooden box first, I have known people to soak it in white wine but water does just as well!)

2. MARINADING

A delicious homemade marinade is a marvellous thing, you ideally want to marinade overnight but avoid using:

extra virgin olive oil - it will burn at a lower temperature and produce a lot of

smoke, use a light olive or vegetable oil and save the extra virgin for your vinaigrette or dressings

citrus fruits -  will break down the proteins of the meat and dry it out although a good squeeze over the meat during cooking is a better option, you can always rub the grill with half a lemon once the grill is hot, this will also remove any grease, add some flavour and hopefully stop the meat from sticking!

be adventurous - try using a few unusual flavours in your marinades, buttermilk tenderises meat and hold spicy flavours really well, but just don't pack too much punch, you want to be able to taste the meat not mouth fulls of marinade!

3. GETTING STARTED

BBQ'ing is still cooking! You're best to have someone at the BBQ who can cook rather than a have-a-go hero, if they can't cook inside they shouldn't be cooking outside!

Try putting some fresh herbs on the BBQ coals. Sage, rosemary and thyme work particularly well and will give off amazing smells as well as imparting a

flavour into the food. You can always throw on some soaked wood chips to impart a smokey flavour to the coals if you aren't using wood.

Don't use lighter fluid, it will taint the food you are grilling!

4. GRILLING

Try not to overload the BBQ, you run the risk of the food steaming rather than caramelising!

Don't prod, poke, turn frequently or flatten the meat with your BBQ tools, although it may look good or like you are doing something beneficial, it actually just forces the juices out of the meat and reduces the likeliness of an all over golden crust. Just put the meat on, turn once or twice during the cooking and sit back with a glass of Pimms.

You don't just have to use the grill, you can use the coals or wood embers. Wrapping vegetables like potatoes in heavy duty tin foil and placing around the edge of the fire will allow you to concentrate on getting everything else cooked to perfection (or making that special glass of Pimms.)

 5. EATING

Time to go condimental; no BBQ is complete without an array of sauces. 

Here at create we like to do things ourselves from making our own BBQ sauce using left over coca cola, to roasting apples until soft and sweet for hog roasts. 

Even the humble chicken thigh will taste amazing with some herby homemade mayonnaise. 

Are you ready for Spring Summer 13? We certainly are

After weeks of tastings, plating and cooking we have launched our new Spring Summer 2013 menus. In an attempt to encourage the summer sun we have scoured the UK coastlines, farms and fields for the finest seasonal produce that our fair isle has to offer.

The menus this summer have a strong theme of "re-invention", whether it is taking a cult classic like a summer pudding, jamming it full of delicious cherries and beetroot and serving it with a perfectly pink duck breast or pressing a classic club sandwich and serving it along side a marinated breast of spring chicken, this is 'meat and two veg' with a difference. 

Our desserts are always a talking point, beautifully presented, scented and tasting - this summer is no exception. We have retro chocolate mud pie with summer berries and chocolate popped rice and an amazing peach and miso arctic roll. They are the perfect talking point for any dinner, assuming people will want to talk rather than just indulge in our desserts.

A small taster...
english pea pannacotta (v)

with chargrilled pea pods, whipped cornish yarg, red mustard frills and poppy seed white toast wafers

salcombe bay crab

with honeydew and watermelon tartare, pineapple vinaigrette, pineapple crisps and baby coriander

breast of chicken rolled in tomato flakes and thyme

with pressed club sandwich, sautéed sugar snaps, baby beetroot and herb cream sauce

chocolate mud pie

with tarragon and fresh honeycomb ice cream, strawberry pesto and freeze dried strawberry and popped rice

pink rhubarb sherbet

with homemade custard creams, marshmallow with pink peppercorn and orange gel

What you have all been waiting for...dessert!

“The Masque”

Beetroot, Apples & Pears

candied baby beetroot, beetroot crisps and sweet beetroot crumble, apple blancmange “scotch egg”, spiced apple cake & free form apple sponge

& pear chantilly and honey cress.

Words don't really do this beautifully designed dessert enough justice, so here are some photos....

180 edible white chocolate red velvet sprayed cloches...

'The Masque'

Now it's time to head downstairs to the transformed Undercroft; James I's original drinking den. Enjoy a damson gin martini, grab a scoop of baked somerset brie studded with garlic and rosemary, a slice of vintage farm house cheddar, blue cheese and some marzipan fruits from the petit four station.



Create Venue Dinner 2013

Welcome to the virtual tour of 
create's 2013 Venue Dinner!

Set up is underway at Banqueting House, here's a sneak peek...

create are taking inspiration from the fascinating history of Banqueting House and the origins of a party at the prestigious venue. Our team of food and party designers have devised an evening based on a journey through typical hospitality of the Stuart era; farm and field peasant life, an opulent banquet with a “royal roast” and finishing with (create's homemade) damson gin cocktails in James I’s original drinking den.

The Undercroft Market Stalls
Once you have bustled passed Adam's Byatt's seafood station and picked up some delicious crab mayonnaise on baby gem leaves and tasted the freshly shucked oysters, make sure you get involved in James I pie and pint station from Alan Lucas and the create chefs and warm up with a little pint of beef consommé with horseradish foam. Why not ask the chef to carve you a slice of quails egg gala pie or wild boar and apple amongst others?

Now quickly get to the bar and have a mini tankard of warm spiced apple cider and grab a quail and pineapple lollipop, you can regale to your friend that pineapples symbolise hospitality and in the ol be hired by the hour to show off to your guests!

Next, the glorious canapés...

Who says Valentines Day has to be all about chocolates and flowers

To the create kitchen, Valentine's Day is all about cooking the food we love for people who love our food; although chocolates and flowers are obviously appreciated too!

Rather than big pink cupcakes, lollies, marshmallow hearts and strawberries dipped in chocolate, try adding touches of pink to your dishes like pink rhubarb, sour cherries or perfectly pink lamb. We think this year we're all about avoiding the Valentines overkill (although we won't deny, we do still like the big pink cupcakes, marshmallow hearts and strawberries dipped in chocolate!) 

Here's what has been coming out of our tasting room love nest recently...

dark chocolate and salted caramel verrine

poached scottish salmon 

with lightly pickled ribbons of cucumber and pink rhubarb

wasabi pea crusted rack of lack

chargrilled quail with pickled rapsberries and pear

juniper seared duck with sour cherries and rosemary

Happy Valentines Day to all!

New Year, New Food, New Trends

The create kitchen predicts what's hot 
and what's not for 2013 

(and a few trends we are going to push this year!)

Street Food
Back in October when we ate our way through the launch of KERB, the new street food market sensation at Kings Cross Boulevard, it got us thinking...so expect big things from the create 'streat' movement this Summer!

Recipe resurrections making the classics cool
History has given us some amazing recipes which have long been forgotten and we think it's about time people remembered them; our menus are going be crammed full of sippets, flummeries and heritage varieties of vegetables.

Making sweet savoury
Just like fashion, food follows trends. Some are good and some are terrible and some are just plain strange, but if you are clever and can combine the good and the strange we think, you have an excellent recipe for success. 

Our star dish of Autumn/Winter 2012 was a sirloin of beef with cashel blue and chard bread and butter pudding, and looking forward, we are thinking duck and hot cherry and beetroot summer pudding is a must. 

A few more to look out for:
Trash food - the gourmet junk food.
Gourmet grilling - spit roast cow and vertical bbqs both a spectacle in their own right and here at create, we are masters at both.
Sharing platters - the new tapas!
Eating your greens- foraged herbs and baby cress have made greens cool again.

November: create the seasons

Call it an early Christmas present from create's kitchen; we are going to compile monthly 'eat the season' blog entries, which help keep you in the know of what's hot and what's not when it comes to seasonal ingredients.

What better month to start than in November, with the nights drawing in and the opportunity to roast chestnuts on an open fire! This winter, create are braising, roasting, creating rich stocks, sourcing feathered and furred game and now the frost has come, promoting the magnificent brussel sprout! 

Here is what is hanging out in the create larder this month:

Celeriac

Not the most appealing of vegetables, but once you have peeled away the knobbly exterior, they are really very delicious. Roast in the oven with lots of garlic and thyme, add to some buttery mashed potato or try a celeriac and apple remoulade (we like it accompanying delicious cold meats).

Brussel Sprouts

A firm create favourite. Whether it's the sprout tops tossed in salted butter with a grate of fresh nutmeg or the buds sauteed with crispy bacon and chopped chestnuts, we love them. Staff lunch is made all the better with leftover sprout bubble and squeak.

(Oh and if it helps... we don't believe in putting crosses in the bottom of them, which is good if you are delivering a three course dinner for 1500 guests) 

Game  (pheasant, pigeon and partridge)

create's open game pie

with smoked apple purée, mulled brambles and sloe gin syrup

This dish has become a firm tasting kitchen favourite. Game provides an excellent carrier for all of the winter flavours, and it's an excellent way to promote the very best of British. 

Late Season Apples

With over 3000 varieties of apples native to the UK, we are spoilt for choice. Roast them, bake them, purée them or (our favourite), eat them with guinea fowl and black pudding...

create's seared breast of guinea fowl

with butter roasted potato, savoy cabbage, black pudding bon bons, baby apples and herb cream sauce

A lunch to remember on the 5th of November

Monday's promotional lunch at Plaisterers' Hall couldn't have fallen on a better date; we love all things toasted, caramelised and topped with crackle candy, so writing a menu for bonfire night appealed to all of our senses.

Here is a sneak peak at some of the bonfire beauties.

canapés

smoked salmon galette

with horseradish pannacotta and toasted dill seeds

worcestershire parma ham and brioche soldiers

with hollandaise dip

beetroot millefeuille

with rosemary scented goats cheese

main course

fillet of british beef

with chard and cashel blue bread and butter pudding, buttered spinach, glazed baby beetroot and carrots and a roasted garlic cream

and (the very tweeted) dessert

bonfire sundae

with baked apple ice cream, beetroot chocolate brownie, pumpkin marshmallow, caramelised nuts, cinder toffee sauce and fondant flames

The afternoon was finished off with our bonfire pick & mix to take-away; hot toddy jellies, sweet potato and maple pecan marshmallow lollipops, spiced orange brownies and treacle toffee.

Damsons and Damsels

The Great British Damson is beautifully ripe by mid September, so we took the opportunity to make some deliciously fruity damson gin. Here is how we did it...

step 1

Take a trolley full of gin, an orchards worth of British damsons, a sackful of caster sugar and two gainful create employees (who by the end of the process will not like gin as much as they used to!) and several very large containers...

step 2

Pour approximately 1/3 of a containers worth of damsons, another 1/3 of sugar and a 1/3 of gin into your chosen vessel.

step 3

Mix with all your might; crushing, squishing and bruising the damsons as much as you can. Seal with an air-tight lid.

Stir every three days to release the rich juices from the fruit and coax the sugar to completely dissolve.

To be continued...

Out and about with the create kitchen

We decided recently to give some of our chefs a camera to document a week in their chef shoes...

We have left out the blurry shots and all the (very artistic) self portraits, and here is a selection...

Monday
Ladies who like to lunch with a view, at OXO2 
salcombe bay crab, chilli beignet & butternut squash bisque | chocolate and passionfruit parfait

 Tuesday  
 Antipasti platters at the Levi's Launch Party

Wednesday

Awards Dinner for 600 at Old Billingsgate 

spiced guinea fowl & cauliflower terrine | blood orange soufflé with cornflake ice cream

Thursday
Canapés for 200 guests at One Marylebone
roasted chicken and bread sauce beignet | cassis macaroon with freeze dried brambles

Friday
Cooking in the dark with the Crown Jewels at HM Tower of London
fig with goats cheese panna cotta and black fig wafer

Saturday
Wedding food stations
beetroot cured salmon and potted crab station | petit fours pick & mix station