A selection of seasonal recipes from our Head Chef - Michael Bremner.

Summers smoking! - basic home smoking techniques

Smoked pigeon breast & Sussex cherry salad

Smoked Sussex cherry soufflé

Pan-roast turbot with crab-crushed potatoes & carrot puree

Marinated leg of South Downs lamb

Whole roasted black bream with wild fennel

Cucumber, bread & tomato salad

South Brockwells Farm Asparagus Three Ways

Apple and hazelnut tart with brown butter ice cream

Brown butter ice cream

Elderflower cocktail

Summer’s smoking! – Michael Bremner – Head Chef at Due South

Cooking your own smoked food at home is easier than you may think. You can smoke food indoors or outdoors & the great thing about cooking with smoke is the experimentation with different flavours. With Sussex cherries at their finest right now, smoking these already fabulous fruits adds an exciting new dimension.

You can use most things to smoke – tea, coffee, herbs, wood chippings all create unique flavours but a good starting point is rice - it has no taste of its own, smokes really well & you can flavour it with whatever takes your fancy!.

Basic smoking technique

You will need –

• 1 old pan
• Tinfoil
• 100g rice
• 2 star anise
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp black peppercorns
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp sea salt

Line the bottom of your pan with tinfoil and place all the ingredients on top. Cover with a layer of foil and pierce about 8 or 9 holes, repeat with another layer of foil and holes. In a well ventilated area – near a window or on the BBQ place the pan on a high heat until it starts to smoke.

At this point place whatever it is you want to smoke on top for the required smoking time and cover with a lid or another layer of foil. Take off the heat and sit for 2-3 minutes before removing from pan.

Smoked pigeon breast & Sussex cherry salad (serves 6)

• 6 pigeon breasts
• 200g fresh peeled broad beans
• 6 diced rashers of smoked streaky bacon
• 200g cherry compote
• 2 handfuls of salad leaves
• 2 tsp of quality stock

Using the smoking technique described – smoke the pigeon breast over a high heat for 3 – 5 minutes until cooked on the outside and pink in the middle. Remove from the heat and sit in pan for 2-3 minutes. Remove and leave to rest before carving diagonally into thick slices.

In a pan sauté the bacon until golden, add the broad beans with the stock and reduce by half. Add the smoked cherry compote (see method below) and heat through.

To serve - place the bacon, bean and cherry compote mixture into a ring on plate - pressing down lightly, drizzle the pan juices around the edge before removing the ring, top off with some of the salad leaves and arrange the sliced pigeon breast on top.

Smoked Sussex cherry soufflé (serves 6)

A super easy recipe for an impressive soufflé that can be prepared in the morning and cooked in the evening.

• 1kg cherries (to make 300g smoked cherry compote)
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 ½ tsp corn flour
• 5 egg whites
• Icing sugar to finish
• 6 ovenproof ramekins

To make the cherry compote - pit the cherries and place in a heat proof dish or bowl and place in your smoking pan for about 3 minutes, remove from heat and leave to cool.

Butter the ramekins in advance and place in a fridge. Fill the buttered ramekins with sugar and twist when emptying to coat the insides with a good layer of sugar. Return to the fridge until ready to use.

Blend cherries to a puree & set aside. In a pan boil the puree & sugar until reduced by 1/2. Mix the corn flour with a splash of water and add to pan, cook over a medium heat for 7-9 minutes stirring continuously. Place in a container and chill until ready to use.

For the soufflé – whisk the egg whites and sugar to stiff peaks. Add 1/3 of the egg white mix to the cherry puree base to lighten then fold in the rest of egg white mixture and smooth with a knife. Pour into ramekins and tap down on a bench. Add rest of egg white mixture to the top and smooth with a knife. Store in fridge until ready to cook.

When ready place in a pre heated oven and cook at 190 degrees for 10/12 minutes until risen.

Pan-roast turbot with crab-crushed potatoes & carrot puree (serves 4):

• 4 x 150g turbot (or any other white fish, eg. Pollock, sea bass)
• 4 x large carrots
• 250g unsalted butter
• 500g cooked new potatoes
• 100g white crab meat
• 1tbsp chopped parsley

To garnish:

• Selection of favourite mixed herbs
• Green oil

1. Peel and chop the carrots and put into a pan with 150g butter.  Cook on a medium heat until butter boils and stir a few times to coat.  Cover pan with tinfoil (like a lid), trying to keep in as much steam as possible.  Turn heat down low and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes until tender, then puree until smooth.  Season and keep warm.
2. Cut the pre-cooked potatoes in half and place in a pan with 80g butter.  Heat potatoes until hot and butter is melted.  Crush with a fork and add the crab meat.  Lightly mix with chopped parsley and season and keep warm.
3. In a non-stick pan heat some olive oil until smoking hot, and add seasoned turbot fillets skin-side down.  Wait 30 seconds and turn heat down to medium/low, and cook for approximately 2 minutes until skin is coloured.  Add 20g butter, turn the turbot over and take the pan off the heat.  Let the turbot sit in the pan so the fish is just cooked.
4. Press the crushed potatoes in a ring with some carrot puree on the side and the turbot.  Finish with mixed herbs (such as coriander, chives, chervil) and green oil.

Apple and hazelnut tart with brown butter ice cream:
(These can be made in the morning and re-heated just before serving)

For the frangipan:

• 125g butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 125g ground hazelnuts
• 2 whole eggs
• 25g plain flour

For the tart:

• 500g pre-made puff pastry
• 4 x good sized apples
• 100g sugar
• 50ml franjelico

1. For the frangipan: Cream the butter and sugar together until pale.  Add the eggs one by one, followed by the ground hazelnuts and flour.  Put in a container and rest in a cool place for 30 minutes.
2. Roll out the puff pastry to approximately 5 millimetres thick and cut out 4 large circles using a saucer.  Put on a tray with parchment paper and spread each pastry circle with some frangipan.  Quarter the apples, remove the core and slice, then fan the slices on top of the frangipan.  Sprinkle evenly with sugar and top each tart with 10g of butter.  Put in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes until risen and caramelised. 
3. Remove from the oven and drizzle each one with franjelico.  Turn the tarts over so the apples are facing downwards and bake for a further 5-8 minutes on 180 degrees Celsius.  Turn over so apples are facing upwards, garnish with some caramel and serve with brown butter ice cream.

Brown butter ice cream:

• 200g caster sugar
• 100g water
• 500ml milk
• 500ml double cream
• 200g butter
• 10g corn flour
• 10 egg yolks (approximately 200g)
• 50g glucose

1. Melt the butter and boil until it starts to brown.  Remove from the heat and add the corn flour and cook for 1 minute.
2. In a pan boil the sugar and water to make a caramel that is dark gold in colour.  Remove from the heat and dip the base of the pan in cold water to stop it cooking further (BE CAREFUL – the caramel will be VERY hot).
3. Pour in the milk and cream with the caramel and bring to a simmer, for approximately 5 minutes until the caramel has dissolved.  Then add the glucose and simmer until this also has dissolved.
4. In a bowl whisk the egg yolks until pale and pour in one third of the cream mix and whisk again.  Then pour it back into the pan and put on a medium heat and keep stirring until the mix coats the back of the spoon.  CAUTION: If the eggs starts too cook too much it will scramble – if this happens, remove from the heat and put into another container, and blend with a stick blender or food processor; then let it cool and churn freeze for a minimum of 3 hours.

Summer is here and its time to head out into the garden, light up the barbeque and enjoy al fresco dining with these delicious recipes.

Marinated leg of lamb

• 1 leg of South Downs lamb – butterflied (ask your butcher to do this for you).

• 1 bunch of flat leaf parsley
• 1 bunch of fresh mint
• 1 bunch rosemary
• Splash of white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• Sea salt and coarse black pepper
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic

• 1 smoke pouch – 2 handfuls of Apple wood or Oak chips / piece of foil approx 40cms square.

Roughly chop all the herbs & mix in a bowl with the other ingredients. Liberally rub all over the lamb and leave to marinade for at least two hours.

To make the smoke pouch soak the wood chips in cold water for around ten minutes then drain. Take the piece of tin foil & fold double, place the wood chips on top and fold foil around to make a parcel. Pierce about five holes on the top (dry side).

When you are ready to cook the lamb, place the smoke pouch onto a hot barbeque for 5 minutes before adding the lamb. Cook the lamb for about 10/15 minutes depending on size, basting liberally with marinade during cooking.

Remove from the Barbeque and leave to rest for the same duration as cooking.

Slice, serve and enjoy.

HINT – for a slightly different taste Anchovies and lamb go well and you could add about 6 to your marinade at the beginning.

Whole roasted black bream with wild fennel

• 4 whole black bream – scaled & gutted (ask your fishmonger to do this for you).
• 1 bunch of wild fennel
• 1 whole lemon
• 100ml of white wine
• Olive oil
• Quality sea salt to season

Rub each fish with olive oil & season with sea salt inside and out. Score the fish 3 times on each side with a sharp knife. Stuff the inside of each fish with the fennel and the zest of the lemon. Lay out on a tray and drizzle with the white wine. Store in the fridge until ready to cook.

Cook on a medium to high heat on the barbeque for around 3/5 minutes each side, getting a nice colour on the skin. Take off the heat and rest for about 2 minutes.

Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice & some chopped fennel.

Cucumber, bread & tomato salad

• 1 small French stick cut into inch square cubes
• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 2 bunches of roasted, skinned baby beetroots
• 1 bunch of spring onions – chopped
• 1 bunch of sussex asparagus
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 handfuls of fresh green salad leaves
• Homemade salad dressing (3 parts olive oil / 1 part vinegar / pinch of mustard powder & seasoning to taste)

Slice the cucumber lengthways as thin as you can. Lay out on a tray and cover with the dressing. Marinade for about 10 minutes.

Place the cubes of bread on a tray and drizzle with the olive oil & season. Place into the oven at a moderate heat and roast till golden. Leave aside to cool.

Mix all the other ingredients in a bowl and leave to one side.

When ready to serve take the cucumber out of the marinade and using a chefs ring place around the inside. Dress the salad & leaves, add the bread cubes and lightly mix. Place the mixture into the centre of the ring and push down gently. Remove the ring and serve.

Elderflower cocktail

To make home made elderflower cordial

• 7 large elderflower heads
• 400g sugar
• ½ sliced lemon
• 20g of citric acid
• 250ml of boiling water

Infuse all ingredients for three days, pass through a sieve and bottle.

For the cocktail

• 200ml Hendricks gin
• 100ml Lemon juice
• 100ml elderflower cordial
• 100ml champagne

Mix gin, lemon & elderflower in a jug over ice, pour into glasses and top off with champagne.

South Brockwells Farm Asparagus Three Ways
Michael Bremner – Head Chef of Due South.

Spring is upon us and the long anticipated South Brockwells Farm Asparagus is finally in season. The fresh stalks are tender, sweet and have a beautiful green “granny-smith apple” color with purple-tinged tips.

Here at Due South we serve the following dish – Asparagus three ways – a smooth creamy soup, a super fresh salad and a beautiful soufflé – all dishes showcasing the difference in textures and subtleties of flavour that this wonderful spring ingredient has to offer, while also ensuring that none of the stalk goes to waste.

The twice baked souffle is extremely easy to make and can be prepared in advance to the set ramekin stage - at which point it can be refrigerated to finish off later.

• 24 Asparagus stalks.

Prepare the asparagus as follows –

Trim the hard base of the stalks and set aside trimmings to flavour the soup – then snap off the ends of the stalks where they break naturally. Cut the “flower” heads off and set aside for the salad.  

Use a vegetable peeler to peel the remaining stalks leaving the centre portions intact.
Set aside the peelings for the soup and blanch the remaining stalks in hot water for about 5 minutes then cool quickly in cold water to retain texture and colour.

Soup:

• Asparagus peelings & trimmings from the base
• 2 shallots chopped
• ½  leek chopped
• 2 celery sticks chopped
• 1 pint of vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp of crème fraiche
• Olive oil
• Seasoning

Saute the leeks, shallots and celery in a pan with butter until soft. Add vegetable stock and the asparagus peelings and simmer on a moderate heat for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the asparagus trimming for texture and using a blender blitz until smooth. Mix in crème fraiche and season to taste. Serve either hot or cold with a drizzle of olive oil.

Salad:

• Asparagus tips
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise (homemade if possible)
• 2 tbsp chopped capers
• 2 tbsp chopped shallots
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice

Slice the asparagus tips lengthways – arranging lengthways on serving dish.
Prepare the dressing, mixing capers, shallots, mayonnaise & mustard together. Add lemon juice and pour dressing over asparagus.

Twice Baked Asparagus Soufflé:

• 30g butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 100ml milk
• 2 whole eggs (separated)
• 25g asparagus puree
• 25g grated Twynham grange cheese
• 4 sheets of filo pastry
• 50ml clarified butter

Make a simple béchamel sauce – mix the butter and flour and cook them gently in a pan for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally to form a roux making sure the mix doesn’t burn or colour. In a separate pan, heat the milk.
Gradually add the hot milk to the roux, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook gently for a few more minutes until thickened nicely. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Chop the blanched asparagus stalks and blitz with crème fresh to form puree.
Mix the béchamel sauce, egg yolks, asparagus puree & grated cheese.
In a separate bowl whisk your egg whites until they form soft peaks then fold whites into the asparagus & béchamel sauce mix.
Transfer to buttered ramekins. Place ramekins into a oven dish and add simmering water to come halfway way up the side of the ramekins & cook in the oven for 8 – 12 minutes at 180 degrees or until it has set but not risen. Remove and reserve to cool.
Take a sheet of filo pastry, butter and fold in half lengthways – butter again and repeat fold until you end up with a long strip about 2 inches wide. Repeat with each sheet.
Turn out the ramekins onto a greased baking sheet and wrap a pastry strip around the sides of each one to form a collar – glue end with butter.
Place back into the pre-heated oven at 180 degrees and cook until risen for 15 minutes.