FIRSTLY I would like to wish you all a slightly belated Happy New Year.
As we begin 2016 with the much-publicised dry January, which will bring a tear to the eye of many a publican, I am bucking the trend a little with my recipes for you this month.
However, as I understand it, the dry January relates to not drinking alcohol rather than eating it and so, if you do not feel this is the spirit of things, you can always save these to try in February.
Beer makes a great batter for fish and my first recipe is a long-time Star Inn favourite blending the cheaper woof with the more luxurious scallops (like posh fish and chips).
My second recipe uses beer in a sticky toffee-style pudding, both in the pudding itself and also in the ice cream, like a double measure.
Beer-battered Scarborough Woof with Seared Sea Scallops, Warm "Fortunes" Kipper Salad, Tartare Hollandaise (serves four)
Ingredients
A little olive oil
8 King Scallops, cleaned and out of shells
12 x 50g pieces of woof (cod if unavailable)
Beer Batter – see separate recipe Chervil for garnish Tartare hollandaise
200ml basic hollandaise (3 egg yolks, 250g unsalted butter, 3 peppercorns, 2 bay leaves and 5ml white wine vinegar)
With addition of: Chopped capers Chopped gherkins Chopped flat parsley Chopped shallots
A squeeze of lemon juice Seasoning
For the salad
Ingredients
A few mixed leaves ie, Bull’s Blood, landcress, flat parlsey etc
100g cooked kipper meat – boneless
House vinaigrette
Method
Make beer batter and set aside. Make hollandaise and set aside in a lukewarm place.
Cook kippers, remove bones, keep warm.
When all ingredients, components of the dish are assembled, the putting together of the dish is quite simple.
Firstly heat a frying pan with a little olive oil for the scallops. Coat the woof in seasoned flour, then dip into the batter and deep fry until golden brown.
Cook for three to four minutes. While these minutes each side, dress the salad leaves add the kipper, then arrange on a long plate or down the centre of a round one, alternate woof, salad, scallop, salad, woof, scallop. Spoon over a little hollandaise on to each scallop and, garnish with the dressed salad leaves. Serve immediately.
Beer batter
Ingredients
15g fresh yeast
300ml dark beer
225g flour
1 tsp salt
1 dash vinegar
Pinch chopped chives
Method
Dissolve yeast with a little beer, then, when mixed up, add the rest of the beer gradually. Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl, and make a well in the centre. Pour in the beer and dissolved yeast, and whisk into a batter. Leave covered for an hour at room temperature before using.
Steamed Ale Cake with Great Yorkshire Brewery ‘Two Chefs’ Ice Cream, Dark Muscavado Sauce (serves six)
Ingredients
Steamed Ale Cake
225g unsalted butter
350g Demerara sugar
4 eggs
10ml vanilla essence
225g plain baking flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarb
400ml ‘Two Chefs’ Beer
100g cocoa
Method
Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer until pale and creamy. One at a time add the eggs and mix well, it may appear to split, but it will come together once the flour is added. Add the vanilla essence and the dry ingredients. Mix well.
Now add the beer and fold it through the mixture without knocking all the air out of it. Pour into a greased cake tin and bake at 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for about 1 to 1½ hours.
Great Yorkshire Brewery ‘Two Chefs’ Ice Cream
Ingredients
5 egg yolks
450ml milk
1 litre ‘Two Chefs’ Beer
50g caster sugar
100ml cream
Method
In a pan, reduce the one litre of beer down over a high heat to approx 100ml. Scald the milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisk the sugar and egg yolks until mixed through.
Pour a little hot milk over the egg yolk and mix together then pour it back into the pan. Return to the heat and continue stirring until the custard coats the back of the spoon. Remove the custard and strain, add the reduced beer and mix well. Now allow it to chill.
Whip the cream and fold it gently into the ice cream mix. Pour into the ice cream churner and allow to churn until ready.
Dark Muscavado Sauce
Ingredients
1 pint cream 700g
Muscavado sugar
200g butter
Method
Place all the ingredients in a pan, warm gently and allow the sugar to melt and the sauce to thicken slightly.
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