Basics - Recipe: Pesto (& Spaghetti for my lover!)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

This is so simple to make and you can vary the ingredients to bring out the flavours that you prefer, or tailor them to your favourite (more frequent) dishes, a little spaghetti for example, some parmesan shavings and some quartered cherry tomatoes makes you a tasty slow energy release meal in under 10mins!!! 

Or if you fancy something a little more exotic, it goes very nicely with a little goats' cheese stuffed into courgette flowers!!

ingredients (200ml jar)
for the pesto
3 (45g) basil - spinach - wild garlic
1 (15g) grated parmesan
1 (15g) toasted pine nuts
8 (120g) extra virgin olive oil
1/3 (5g) rock salt
1/3 (5g) crushed garlic (optional)

apparatus
mini food processor

pesto
Blitz everything but the oil until a smooth paste forms. The salt helps with this process. Then add a little oil and blitz to loosen the paste. Add the rest of the oil until smooth. Done!

thinking ahead
If nothing protrudes through the top layer of oil in the pesto jar, the oil forms a protective barrier, stopping the mix of herbs, nuts and cheese from oxidising and going off!!. Don't forget to sterilise the jar and lid by putting them in boiling water for 10 minutes.

use in spaghetti for 2 : )
10 baby plum / cherry tomatoes
140g spaghetti (Barilla no.5 cooked 7mins in salted water and drained)
1 tbsp pesto
16 cooked tiger prawns (defrosted)
1/2 lemon
10g parmesan shavings and a couple of basil leaves for garnish

Mix the lot together in a pan serve and garnish with parmesan and basil leaves. Serve immediately.

Fast and tasty, your sweetheart will love you for it : )

If you can make this look as good as it tastes please get in touch!

Ski series - Recipe: Rice Pudding w/ Crunchy Sugar Coating

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab 

 

This was another left overs one but came out rather tasty! Big smiles all around except for a 5 year old who flicked a big spoonful of it into his dad's eye, and came very close to . . . .  well what would you do with him? Anyway, given that kids are pretty choosy, I'll take that comment on the chin, or in the eye!! ; )

ingredients (serves 12)
for the rice pudding
2.5L     milk
12     star anise
1kg     pudding rice
1     orange (zest)
450g caster sugar
0.5L     cream

to serve
brown sugar
raspberry syrup

garnish
star fruit
kiwi
physalis peruviana (inca berry)

apparatus
big pot
blow torch
ring mould to serve

rice pudding
Bring milk to boil w/ star anise and then leave to simmer and infuse for about 20 mins.
Add the rice and sugar, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20mins with a lid, adding the orange zest after 10mins.
Check occasionally to make sure it's not dried out. (Add a little more milk if it has!)
Once the rice is cooked, add the cream and mix it through the pudding, heating until it starts to bubble and mixing slowly to get the cream evenly mixed into the pudding.

Don't forget the mix needs to be stiff enough to keep it's shape when you lift the ring mould.
Decorate the plate with syrup then place the empty ring mould. Fill it with rice pudding, flatten the surface a little and coat it with brown sugar.

WARNING: The ring mould will get very hot so remove it before caramelising. Just because it doesn't glow doesn't mean it won't burn!! (As my hostess found out!! - Soooorry, my bad!)

Next set to it with a blow torch until the sugar starts to bubble and caramelise, spread the heat evenly so as not to burn the caramel.

To make fruit syrup put equal amount of sugar and water into a pan and bring to the boil, add the desired fruit and leave to simmer. Don't disturb the fruit once it's in, simply pass through a sieve when the syrup is of the desired consistency and flavour, and it will remain clear.

Recipe: Breakfast Rolls (60g)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

Bread making is definitely a skill acquired with practice. I've put this recipe together so as to eliminate problems that might arise when making free form breads, it's simple and takes very little work - 20 mins to make the initial dough and less than 10 minutes to portion it into the tray! 10-15 minutes to savour for breakfast with marmalade! : )

ingredients (makes 16 rolls)

for the dough
500g strong white bread flour
325g water
10g salt
5g dried active yeast
10g extra virgin olive oil

apparatus
high sided baking tray 30cm x 25cm
food processor
mixing bowl - for dough

dough
Boil 1/3 of the water and add to the remaining cold water (the water will be 35C - perfect for yeast!). Now add the yeast and stir. Leave 12mins
Add the dry ingredient s to food processor with a plastic dough blade fitted.
Once the yeast is ready (completely dissolved), run the motor and add the water & yeast mix and oil.

A dough will have formed by the time all the water is in. Run the motor for another 2mins to knead the dough.
Pour a touch of oil into the mixing bowl and use the dough to spread it around.
Then turn the dough over so it's oil side up, and cover with cling film. Leave to ferment until it's doubled in size - about 60mins.
It doesn't need to be in a warm place - it just takes longer if it isn't.

forming and placing
Take the dough out of the mixing bowl and knock it back to release the CO2 from the dough.

Cut into 60g pieces and shape into balls, placing them into 4 rows of 4 in the baking tray.
Leave them to ferment further until they have grown to the intended size of the bap!
Cook at G6/200C/400F on the middle shelf for 15-20mins until golden brown!

thinking ahead
You can make these days in advance and freeze them for whenever you want. Don't forget to cut them in half before you freeze them, so you can toast from frozen if you like!






If you want to make burger baps cut the dough into 90g balls and place 6 of them into the tray:

. . bake at G7/220C/425F for around 15mins . . .  RESULT!! 



 

Experiment - Recipe: Hearts of Palm, Crab and Tomato Salad (low carb high protein)

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

I always like to try out new ingredients, and I'm nearly always trying to make something that tastes good but keeps this pounds off the waistline, so when Cook's and Company sent me some Hearts of Palm in the mail I thought I'd give them a try. They have a similar taste and texture to artichokes, and reminded me a little of white asparagus.

After a little hunting around the kitchen for some ingredients I decided on a salad type ensemble: Tomato, shredded Egg White Omelette, Crab & Palm Hearts dressed w/ Egg Yolk coated Rosemary Croutons, Basil, Coriander & Lemon Zest with a touch of White Balsamic Reduction

I don't think I'd change this at all, it was absolutely gorgeous! The flavours work really well, if you don't go mad with the sauce it's extremely healthy.

ingredients (serves 4)

 
for the heart of palm & crab salad
3 beef tomatoes (coarsely diced)
400g white crab meat (cooked, torn into chunks)
2 egg whites (fried / shredded)
220g (1 tin) hearts of palm (sliced into 4mm think slices / rings)
2 tbsp mayonnaise or heart of palm sauce to taste (see variations)

for the egg yolk coated rosemary croutons
100g rosemary infused brown seeded batch or focaccia (roasted)
2 egg yolks (50C & whipped)

for the garnish
coriander leaves
basil shoots
lemon zest
poppy seeds (optional)
a though of white balsamic reduction

apparatus
blender if you're making the sauce (instead of using mayo)

heart of palm & crab salad
Prep the ingredients as indicated in the list.
Whisk the eggs season them and make a thin omelette from them. Once cooled slice into thin stops.
Remove the centres of the hearts of palm and cut the remianing tubes into rings reserving the soft centres for the sauce. If you're using mayo instead simple slice the centres and add them to the rings.
Mix the tomatoes and the mayo, then add the crab and the egg and lay on the plates ready to dress.

egg yolk coated rosemary croutons
Lightly whisk the egg yolks over a bain marie just to make the mix homogenous and warm it up to 50C.
Cut the bread into crouton sized pieces and roast in the oven at 180C for 8mins or until golden, them remove and add them to the yolks,  mixing well with a fork until all the yolk coats the bread and season with a little salt.

to serve
Dress the salad with the croutons and palm hearts, add sauce at this point if you've made it, and garnish with the lemon zest, coriander, basil and poppy seeds. Serve immediately.

thinking ahead
The sauce will keep for a few days, just be sure to keep the palm heart rings in their liquor in the fridge.

techniques used
emulsification

variations
If you fancy a really complimentary dressing don't use the mayonnaise, make a sauce from the liquor the palm hearts come in. Use the the same method as for mayonnaise here but:

use these ingredients:
1 egg yolk
100ml liquor
palm heart soft centres put aside (add with liquor)
10ml lemon juice
salt to taste
around 200ml sunflower or rapeseed oil

It should come out about half the viscosity of mayonnaise, and complements the crab and this salad very well!!

with thanks to Cooks & Co for the product - Hearts of Palm see here for more info!

Experiment - Recipe: Truffle Stuffed Hearts of Palm - Great British Menu Inspired

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

Palm Heart w/ Butternut Squash Centre, Coriander and Sugar Sanps

Well, I don't know about anyone else but watching the Great British Menu on BBC2 but you've got to have respect for the food that the chefs design. I think I'd be telling pork pies if I said I didn't love to soak up all the inventive ideas, and feast on the variety of ingredients and techniques that just don't stop coming!

"Ground breaking", "Pushing the boundaries", "Is this a unique starter?" possible used a little to often, but hey!

It clearly got my juices flowing because when some palm hearts arrived for me the other day here's what I made:

Hearts of Palm stuffed w/ Heart of Palm and Truffle Oil Puree, served w/ Crab & Egg Yolk coated Rosemary Croutons, dressed with Coriander & Lemon Zest with a touch of White Balsamic Reduction, Sugar Snaps & Butternut Squash

Flavours work well! Would clearly benefit from fresh crab!!

ingredients (serves 4)
for the stuffed palm hearts
220g (1 tin) palm hearts
20ml truffle oil
400g white crab meat (roughly shredded)
30ml white balsamic reduction

for the egg yolk coated rosemary croutons
200g rosemary infused brown seeded batch or focaccia (cut into croutons, roasted)
2 egg yolks (lightly whipped to break yolks, brought up to 50C)

for the garnish
coriander leaves (on light stems)
butternut squash (small dice, steamed)
sugar snaps
lemon zest
poppy seeds (optional)
a touch of white balsamic reduction

apparatus / equipment
small blender

stuffed palm hearts
Gently push the soft centre out of the palm hearts. (cut them into quarters first to make it easier)
Be careful - they're quite delicate.
Take the soft centres and put them in to a small blender with the truffle oil and a little salt, blend until smooth.
Put resulting puree into a piping bag and refrigerate until needed.
Dress the crab meat with the balsamic reduction.

egg yolk coated rosemary croutons
Lightly whisk the egg yolks over a bain marie just to make the mix homogenous and warm it up to 50C (the sensation we're aiming for is the flavours and texture you get when dipping rosemary bread into soft boiled egg yolks!)

Cut the bread into crouton sized pieces and roast in oven at 180C for 8mins or until golden, then remove and add the yolks,  mixing well with a fork until all the yolk coats the bread, and season with a little salt. Leave a little yolk to garnish with!

to serve
Place 4 of the hollowed palm hearts in the centre of the serving plate, pipe the truffle puree into the centre of each and into the centre hollow between the 4 hearts. I also put a sliver of spring truffle on each heart (optional).
Arrange the crab meat around the hearts. (I've gotta put my hands up here, I used what I had about so - and I hang my head in shame - it's actually crab stick in the picture!!). Sprinkle with lemon zest, sugar snaps, and squash.
Add a little white balsamic reduction, dust with poppy seeds and spoon the last of the egg yolk onto the bread.
Serve immediately.

variations
A darker puree, to add contrast.

with thanks to Cooks & Co for the product - Hearts of Palm

Cooks & Co - Hearts of Palm

Cooks & Co - Hearts of Palm (Ecuador)

What's in the tin?

 

London Supper Club: ferdiesfoodlab this month! Highly recommend!

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

Well it's been a crazy busy month as usual, if I'm not hosting, cooking or experimenting I'm tapping away at my computer.

In this post,a fabulous post from Mummy, Mrs, Minä, birthday party

and, Movember Action!

Constructive criticism always welcome, it's how you grow. Praise? . . . .  ahem . . err yeah!!

Obviously it's not all been private parties, and the social banquet has been exploding as usual into a smorgasbord of people, flavours, colours, wines (Mr Drink & Eat) and beers (Kieran is Beerin) conversation and laughter, and the odd squeal of excitement (I kid you not!).

It's always nice to chat to our guests at the end of the night and this night was no exception, I especially remember Michelle the inquisitor ; ) (and I 'm talking 1 million questions a second - I had to concentrate and take deep breaths) and the very dry not to mention sardonic Andy and the very beautiful mystery blogger and hubster! It's nicer still when said mystery blogger Mummy, Mrs, Minä says this about the evening:

"We spent a lovely Saturday night out with our friends Michelle and Andy at Ferdie’s Food Lab  at Toynbee Hall in Shoreditch. This was the first supper club for me and the hubby: up til now he has been a little dubious about the concept of dinner served in somebody’s front room. Evening was fab, met some lovely new people and more importantly, the food was delicious. Highly recommend!"

(you can see full post here)

I think it's the "Highly recommend!" bit I like!!  Thank you very much for your post! : )

So, all in all, it's been a pretty busy month. There have been other gruelling elements to this month but I'll leave those for another post . . . . . .

Next banquet is on Fri 8th June and promises to be rather good!!!

If you fancy coming along just send an email with you details!! Here's how . . . .

The table awaits!

Birthday Party!!! I love a good party!

The private parties at ferdiesfoodlab are just as good as the social banquets, and, even though all of the group have one connection in common, there's still lots of room for catching up and "getting to know you!" This fabulous birthday was no exception, as I found out while I socially hopped about the room. Folks had come from all over the country leaving their cares (of both types) in the care of others, some staying with friends, others booking the weekend in plush hotels, but all coming to the banquet!!

Here are some of the comments left by Jean and Jamie's friends:
 

"Writing this as the birthday boy/man/whatever,
I had a truly splendid time - the atmosphere of this fine and noble establishment is most convivial, and the food - oh the food! Heavenly . . .
Superlatively friendly and unobtrusive service also.  Credit all round.
Jamie"

I think you'll find it's my party!! (Thank you very much a hu huh!!)

"Loved! the Yum Salaad, <--- + all the stuff - the tomatoey thing etc
We loved the food and had fun!"

Seating - Quick bit of reconnaissance at the fire place.

"You're amazing, whenever I called it was all so easy, never a problem such delight, and a change!!
Thanks, Jean"

Our crack team caught a wee banquetee being smuggled in!!!

"Thanks Simon,
The food was very tasty and the portion size was great . . the Yum Salaad took us by surprise, it was a great mix of flavours.
The ribeye was cooked to PERFECTION (Aussies like it rare) thanks for giving us a wonderful meal!"

The roast ribeye of beef - BURNT!!! - NO, just dusted in liquorice!

Rare - maybe rest 5 mins more next time . . .

"Fanstastic food + evening! My nearly 6 month old who hasn't been weened yet had his first non-milk food - polished off the grapefruit/basil thing - which I loved too. Salad, fudge + ganache + clear tomato juice - GORGEOUS!! Perfect roasts too. Jolly good show Ferdie - have liked you on Facebook and by golly I like your food in real life too!!!
Thanks!"

Got to keep up my strength - the wee banquetee went for a shot! (of grapefruit and basil granita yogurt)

Thanks Jean for very smooth organisation and thanks for just being helpful in general! I hope you all had a really great time!! Simon (ferdie)

Is that a Freddie Mercury frame on the table? Bring it on!! (not provided by ferdiesfoodlab . . a consideration for the future tho!)

Rumour's got around, why haven't we got one on our table!!???

Things are getting lively!

Uh oh, busted, papping the guests!! And (oh no! horror!) forced to join in!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Movember (@MovemberUK on twitter)
What's occurring? Well I was asked if I could contribute to this year's Movember cookbook, and seeing as I'm a bloke, and not only is it a GREAT excuse to grow a moustache, but it's also a great cause and I love cooking and designing recipes, it seemed like a no brainer. Movember charity: The aim of which is to raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

You can find out more from their web site here and there's a face book page too LIKE it here! If you're in the mood for liking, don't forget to LIKE ferdiesfoodlab too : )

So the conversation with Paula at Movember got me thinking "what recipes shall I do?". If you want to know how to make anything I cooked for my old supper club, the Pea Soup for example has already been requested by 4 people!! I'll be putting up a gallery soon! Watch this space!

Purple cabbage & black olive salad - colourful and tasty! Mum's salads are so good!

Home made sausage rolls will always WIN!! not that healthy : ( tho

Duck breast and baked potato . . with an orange and thyme sauce! I'm on my knees!

Lamb belly cartouch! Slow braise and served with skinned broad beans!

Simple, tasty, healthy - roast mackerel with lemon, potatoes and chicken stock - mum's know best!!

Experiment with edible flowers, beetroot & smoked salmon! Aye!

Snowburst Nectarines Pancakes with Grapefruit and Basil Syrup

Possibly make choose some healthier recipies! . . . . . hmmm . . .

And I've been practicing my moustache looks Zoolander stylee!

Blue Steel - eat you heart out Zoolander!

Magnum - I know! It's a heart stopper isn't it? I was practising it in a shop window and this young woman behind me keeled over! Quick bit of CPR and she was fine!

Next banquet is on Fri 8th June and promises to be rather good!!!

If you fancy coming along just send an email with you details!! Here's how . . . .

Ski series - Recipe: Crispy Chicken Skins, garnished w/ Nasturtiums and Cress Shoots

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab 

This tasty little number is something that one of the chefs I was living with in Verbier rattled off at me while we were sat on the balcony of our digs. In fairness I changed it a little to make it look nicer : )

amuse bouche - crispy chicken skins with cress shoots

Sounded nice so I gave it a try. Works for cured meats and sausages, pancetta, Parma ham, bacon, chorizo, pave etc. A honey coating works well with the bacons, and depending on what you're serving, they make a really tasty garnish or amuse bouche. Adjust the cooking time and temperature if you have thicker slice - longer and lower!

balcony view from our digs in verbier

for the crispy chicken skins (serves 4 as an amuse)
skin of 1 chicken
1/2 thumb of ginger
1tbsp cajun seasoning (optional)
1tbsp corn flour
1tbsp honey
squeeze of lime juice
dash of fish sauce

apparatus
2 heavy baking trays that fit into each other
2 sheets baking parchment

crispy chicken skins (200C / 20mins)
Trim off any really large bits of fat, then boil the skin for 10mins with the sliced ginger until the skin is cooked.
Pre-heat oven to 200C
Line the first tray with a baking sheet. Spray - for more even coat - with oil.
Cut the skins in to manageable pieces. Large as you like!
 

Mix cajun seasoning, corn flour then add the skins until all the coating is stuck to them.
Lay out the skins flat on the baking sheet and cover with another baking sheet, then place the second baking tray on top, press everything down flat and place in the oven top shelf for 20mins.

If you don't have heavy baking trays, fill the top one with blind bake ceramics to weigh it down.

Mix the honey, lime and fish sauce thoroughly for the dressing.
Check the skins after 20 mins, they should be golden and crispy, if not, give them another 5mins!
Once ready pat down with kitchen towel, dress immediately then serve.

Recipe: Never Mind the Bollocks

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab 

Photography Fredrik Solstad (unless otherwise stated)

cuisine is an act of love . . .

Well, the last three weeks have been a bit of a nightmare, thus the lack of posts. The first of the three saw me resurrecting a software project I had been working on when I started Fernandez and Leluu, I didn't want to see a project I'd put so much work into die so I thought I'd put together "a guide", basically, architecture documents for the software I'd written, for the guys who said they'd take it over. I sat down to "rehydrate" the software process, i.e. read my notes, get my head around where I was with the design and update the docs for folk to run with. It would only take a day or so. (honest) Crap! I'd forgotten how much code there was, larger crap, crap no.2 my notebook decided to die, hard disc and DVD drive failure, . . . . . arse biscuits! I'll post a recipe on those later, a recipe that matures in the mail! I won't bore you with the details but needless to say it wasted a lot of my time that week. Got it all together just in time to make sure the supper club went without a hitch, in fact, the comments and feedback were really very good. It was held at Toynbee Hall: Here's what folks said.

I didn't really have time to breathe after that since I'd offered to help with another event. Anyway the following 8 days turned out to be rather more gruelling than I imagined. I'm not a complainer I get on and get things done! (I have to admit I can get a bit distracted by blue sky thinking) but when you have 40-50 people waiting for dinner in the banqueting hall there' isn't a lot of opportunity for that. (It's already been done!)

I have to be frank though - this week's events have left me feeling more than a little "I told you so" than I'm comfortable with, and the result is I've slept very little this bank holiday weekend. Partly because I had so much to do and partly because I've been so mindful about the future.

It was only last night I realised I had an extra day this weekend to get things done. I think this morning some part of me just thought "fuck it, I think it's time to re-assess, have a look over the last 9 months (squeeeeze -  puff puff - hooo hooo - sweat puff hoo - screeee . . . pop . . . . whuar whuar whuar - it's a boy! ) Where did that come from???"

So I thought I'd look through this year's not yet finished posts (all in various stages of disarray - and morcilla is coming next I promise @donalde @finandflounder @brunofrenchbake) and I came across the photos taken by Fredrik Solstad  who'd come along to one of the banquets that I'd been meaning to write up . . .  much better than I could take - obviously - and I think captured the mood quite well!

Reflecting . . .

cracking evening - it's always the guests who complete the atmosphere - electric

ingredients (serves: as many socially-minded, tolerant people as will fit in the room!)

for the kitchen (maybe FoH too)
1 KP / solicitor (with a sense of humour - Bernard CAB)
1 writer & graduate chef (Jen's great blog here: Hungry Tiger Thirsty Dragon)
1 writer (Iranian "humour saucier"  - Sabrina Ghayour)
1 writer / pastry chef (Susan's buzzing blog here: Susan Eats London)
1 superb photographer (Fredrik Solstad)
1 cracking journalist (Nilas Johnsen)
1 well planned menu (ahem err, me)
1 ferdie (to prop up the front door, yip that was me too!)

for the banqueting hall
2 FoH / trainee chef
40 guests (all in - as it a happens - a great mood)
Some tunes (chosen by the guests - always uber varied!)

Nice table decor, place settings etc.

there's 40 people right behind me waiting for the 1st course! it's all totally under control! honest! : )

seconds later getting that steak out for the 1st course

assembly: sabrina, jen, me and bernard keeping the whole place spotless - trooper

a light fillet of beef and roast baby pepper starter with rosemary infused crusty bread

champagne vanilla and pear married w/ serrano and a little punch of water cress

cut here, here & here. be gentle accurate and fast susan! puff of deep sea essence emanates from the crab pot

steamed using white wine, succulent, sweet, style and substance served w/ jus of blended oysters king crab & samphire 

i'm going in for the crab, it doesn't look so bad you know! ; )

patience and time - hours later

this is the perfect roast potato - we never let them leave the lab - for our guests only! - there's a potato detector on the exit

passion fruit sorbet, white choclit & whiskey sauce w/ banana tatin

for the garnish
A jolly good mood from everyone,
1 chef wandering the banquet hall to find out what peoples favourites were.

what could go wrong?
Now there's a question!! There's always a snag list on the whiteboard!
Bit by bit it's been getting smaller, and the balance between snags and missing stock has been getting smaller!

Needless to say, if I let lots of small setback get on top of me - a couple of weeks back some idiot drops a stone onto my windscreen as I drive under an underpass at 70(ahem)mph - the car's got a problem with the electrics so when it rains the windows and the sunroof open and it won't start! - just read a post on another web site that's a rehash of one of my own [I guess copying is the greatest form of flattery] - mindless trolling etc etc etc . . . .

Ah well . . . . Never Mind the Bollocks!!! 

I'll leave you with a question, I was wandering around a historic castle recently and I noticed a piece of chewing gum stuck to one of the pieces of artwork. I couldn't believe my eyes! Some people are simply without any moral fibre whatsoever! Nothing really surprises me anymore and I wonder if I'm just getting a little jaded!? As I ambled about the magnificent building I wondered how someone could possibly justify such an act. "That man offered me £50, mum" said this 8 year old behind me. Now I don't think the two incidents were associated, but imagine they were:

Is being offer £50 justification enough to stick chewing gum to a piece of 200 year old art, or someone's skirt or anything at all?

? ? ?

He was a bit too big for my domestic oven so I did him in two halves . . . This one's one of my menu development snaps I'll post more later . . .

COMING SOON - roast suckling pig -  i think I'll put it on for new year with the alaskan king crab!

Verdens Gang Article