Mussels in Cream with Fresh Herbs

Plump succulent fresh mussels served in a bowl with plenty of crusty bread to mop it up with, mussels are one of our favourite shellfish and this recipe is one that I have been serving since 1972 when I first introduced it on the menu at The Whitewell Hotel (now The Inn at Whitewell) for a Christmas day starter, the mussels came through the Trough of Bowland from Morecambe every other day and the local customers would almost demand the dish as a bar snack, just try it you won’t be disappointed.

Serves / Makes: 2 servings

Prep-Time: 10 minutes
Cook-Time: 10 to 15 minutes

YOU WILL NEED
¾ kilo, (2 pints), mussels
1 glass dry white wine
2 chopped shallots
260mls, double cream
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
a good pinch of fresh mixed herbs, we like to use parsley and tarragon, or parsley and chervil
finely chopped parsley to garnish

METHOD

Prepare the mussels by rinsing carefully, scrape off any barnacles and seaweed, and de-beard,
Sweat the shallots in a large saucepan with a little butter and the garlic, add the mussels, cover and turn up the heat, add the white wine and the herbs.
Shake pan gently and turn mussels, leave for a couple of minutes and check to see if the mussels have begun to open as soon as they have opened, add the cream and chopped herbs and then bring almost to the boil and Serve at once and Enjoy! With lots of French bread

Mussels are truly one of nature’s most delightful delicacies; they are extremely high in proteins, calcium and iron while being low in fat and calories. They are also excellent for your heart, containing the highest amount of omega3’s of any shellfish (this is the naturally occurring fatty acid that is believed to lower blood pressure). Mussels with fries or Moules frites are a characteristic Belgian dish, you get a big bowl (just about always pot) of steamed mussels, broth, and a side of frites.


Don't be tricked by how upmarket they look, mussels are the definitive uncomplicated seafood. Clean them, sauté them, steam them and hey up you'll have a dish everyone will be wowed there are many ways to serve the mussels, but the most classic is Moules Mariniere the mussels are offered in a sauce of white wine, shallots, parsley, and butter.

You can in addition find mussels served with sauces made with beer, or cream, or vegetable stock. For the greatest authenticity, use a shell to crack open the mussels, not your fork.

Mussels are at their best in cold weather, so their season is usually from October to March. When you see them in a fishmonger’s, a sign of freshness is that most of them are tightly closed: if there are a lot of open mussels don’t bother. When buying mussels you need to allow at least 1 pint (570 ml) per person for a first course, and 1½ to 2 pints (about 1 litre) for a main course. That may seem a lot, but some will have to be discarded and, once they have been shelled, mussels are very small and light.

The ritual of cleaning and preparing them sounds more bother than it actually is. When you get them home, plonk the mussels straightaway into a sinkful of cold water first of all throw out any that float to the top, then leave the cold tap running over them while you take a small knife and scrape off all the barnacles and pull off the little hairy beards. Discard any mussels that are broken, and any that are open and refuse to close tight when given a sharp tap with a knife. After you’ve cleaned each one, place it straight in another bowl of clean water.

When they’re all in, swirl them around in three or four more changes of cold water to get rid of any lingering bits of grit or sand. Leave the cleaned mussels in cold water until you’re ready to cook them. As an extra safety precaution, always check mussels again after cooking this time discarding any whose shells haven’t opened.

Related articles

• Kerry Saretsky: Franglais: Moules Marinière over Spaghetti (huffingtonpost.com)
• Steamed Meriteranian Mussels with Thai Chilie Sauce Recipe (ilovethaicooking.wordpress.com)
• Tomato Garlic Mussels (marksdailyapple.com)

Jo Pratt's Potted Prawns and Crab

These little pots of juicy prawns and sweet crabmeat in a delicate, dill-flavoured butter are perfect for a beach picnic. Spread over some rye or crusty bread for a light, tasty nibble, so says Jo Pratt from the Mail online and we have just got to agree with her and you do not need to change on bit of this recipe it is so tasty as it is just scrumptious!!

Last year we had these as a treat for Christmas Boxing day actually they went well as a starter and we will probably have them again this year maybe as a light lunch.

Serves / Makes: 2 servings
Prep-Time: 10 minutes plus 1 hour to chill

YOU WILL NEED

75 grams, unsalted butter
100 grams, cooked and peeled small Atlantic prawns
100 grams, white crabmeat (preferably fresh but frozen or tinned is fine)
1 teaspoon chopped dill
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
Sea salt
Cayenne pepper
Rye or crusty brown bread

METHOD
Gently melt the butter in a saucepan and pour into a jug for all the milky solids to sink to the bottom.
Mix together the prawns, crab, dill and lemon zest and season with salt and a shake of cayenne pepper divide between a couple of small pots or ramekins and pack down really well with the back of a spoon.
Pour over the clear (clarified) butter to just cover the mixture, leaving behind the milky solids. Chill in the fridge for about 45 minutes to set the butter.
Cover each pot with cling-film and pack in a cool bag with your chosen bread. Don’t forget some napkins and a couple of knives to scoop out, spread the potted prawns, and crab on to the bread.
Serve and Enjoy!

NOTES
Read more see Jo Pratt on the Mail Online

Jo Pratt is a regular face on Market Kitchen cooking delicious no-fuss recipes.
Jo graduated in July 1995 from Liverpool John Moores University with a BA honours degree in Home Economics. She went on to work with Gary Rhodes at the BBC Good Food Show in November 1996, before becoming the main home economist for all his series and books.
 
Jo has worked with many other celebrity chefs including Ainsley Harriot, Anthony Worrall Thompson, Jamie Oliver, Tony Tobin and Brian Turner on various television, demonstrations and photography projects, readers of Elle magazine will be familiar with her monthly food column, Elle's Kitchen. She co-wrote The Nation's Favourite Food in 2003, and provided the recipes for dishes voted for by the British public to accompany the eponymous titled TV series. This year, Jo published her new book “In the Mood for Food”.

These Two Books Written by Jo Make The Perfect Christmas Gift 

 

Related articles

• Crab and Seafood One Pot (notecook.com)
• The Kitchen Thinker: Potted food (telegraph.co.uk)

Crab and Leek Tart

A rich indulgent tart flavoured with sweet white crab meat, herbs, and saffron, served as a starter or a lunch or supper dish and a magnificent dish to serve over the Christmas and New Year holidays.
This was a success at the Great Tree Hotel, Chagford and later on at the Bowd Inn, Sidmouth with the summer visitors to Sidmouth and Devon in general, we always made it with seasonal brown crab that was caught locally, our supplier in Sidmouth was Stan Bagwell, and I believe he is still supplying fresh fish and seafood to everyone.

Serves / Makes: 4 to 6 depends on who is a gannet

Prep-Time: 10 to 15 minutes

Cook-Time: 50 minutes

YOU WILL NEED;

For The Pastry
200 grams, plain flour
¼ teaspoon, sea salt
¼ teaspoon, cayenne pepper
50 grams unsalted, butter
50 grams, lard (this helps to make the pastry very elastic, essential for a good savoury pie)
25 grams, mature cheddar cheese, grated
1, egg yolk

For The Filling
25 grams, unsalted butter
225 grams, leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
¼ teaspoon, saffron strands
300 grams, white crab meat
3 medium, eggs
2 teaspoons, lemon juice
1 or 2 dashes, of Worcestershire sauce
125mls, double cream
Small handful snipped chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD;
For the pastry, sift the flour, salt, and cayenne pepper into a mixing bowl, rub in the butter and lard until the mixture is crumbly, mix in the cheese, then bind the pastry with the egg yolk and little cold water.
Leave the pastry to rest for 30 minutes roll out and line a non-stick baking tin
Preheat the oven to 190°C / gas mark 5, line the pastry case with greaseproof paper and fill with baking peas or some dried pulses if you don’t have the ceramic peas.
Bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, remove the paper and peas, and return to the oven for a further 5 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
Now prepare the filling, melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the leeks for 5 minutes until they are softened but not browned.
Stir in the saffron, allow to cool then turn into a mixing bowl, fold in the remaining filling ingredients and season well, spoon into the cooked pastry case and bake in the hot oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Notes:
We serve this hot or cold, crusty bread and a mixed salad dressed with a Sherry Vinegar Dressing

Sherry Vinegar Dressing
Just A Superb Dressing, Need I Say Anything More

Serves/Makes: 2 servings
Prep-Time: 10 minutes
Cook-Time: nothing

You Will Need;

1 tablespoon, sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon, walnut oil
1 tablespoon, garlic flavoured olive oil
The juice from half a lemon, about 2 tablespoons
½ teaspoon, sugar
A pinch of sea salt
Freshly grated black pepper

Method:
Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl until they thicken slightly drizzle over your salad and serve

Related articles

• Recipe: Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

Battered Dublin Bay Prawns

A great traditional British dish perfect for a snack or starter, try our version of deep frying succulent Dublin bay prawns coated with a light beer batter deep fried to a golden colour, serve with a garlic mayonnaise to dip


Another one of Maureen’s favourite shellfish either in breadcrumbs, batter or as scampi Provencal, we have served this superb lobster like shellfish to many of the rich and famous here and in America. We like to serve these with a garlic mayonnaise or a homemade Tartare sauce, we also think that this makes a superb dish to serve over the Christmas period.

Serves / Makes: 4 servings
Prep-Time: 10 minutes
Cook-Time: 3 minutes

YOU WILL NEED

12, Dublin bay prawns, King Prawns can also be used for this recipe
¼ cup milk
2 tablespoons, seasoned flour
1 cup, plain flour
¼ to ½ cup, light beer
1, whole egg
Oil, for deep-frying
Lemon wedge and parsley, for garnish

METHOD

Remove the heads and shell from the prawns, leaving the tail intact, slit down the back of the prawn, and remove the centre vein.
Sift the flour into a bowl, beat the egg and milk together, blend, and stir the flour to form a smooth paste add enough beer to form a batter consistency and leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Heat the oil for frying in a deep, heavy based pan toss the prawns in seasoned flour to season the flour add a sprinkling of salt and white pepper to plain flour. and dip into the batter one at a time.
Lower six prawns carefully into the oil and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden brown remove the prawns with slotted spoon and drain well on kitchen paper, and keep warm.
Cook the remaining prawns, and drain well serve on a warm serving plate and garnished with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges.
Do not cook more than six prawns at once as this will lower the oil temperature and cause prawns to absorb excess oil.
Serve and Enjoy!

NOTES

Langoustine, Scampi Or Dublin Bay Prawn, According to the Larousse Gastronomique, the Dublin Bay prawn is known in French as "langoustine”, while in Britain the shelled tail meat is generally referred to as "scampi”. The term "prawn" can be confusing since it is used to describe several varieties of shellfish: the first group includes members of the lobster family such as the Dublin Bay prawn (langoustine in French and langostino in Spanish), Danish lobster, Italian scampi, etc., while the second takes in large shrimp, particularly those that live in fresh water.
An edible crustacean, Nephrops Norvegicus, of the order Decapoda, which is commercially sold as scampi, similar to a large prawn, it has a slender pinkish body, up to 7.87 in long, with long claws. It is widespread in the Mediterranean and NE Atlantic, living in sandy burrows at a depth of 10 to 12 ft. Dublin Bay prawns are usually fished by trawling and are marketed fresh, frozen, or cooked, shelled or unshelled, whole or as tails.

Can be cooked whole as a lobster and served cold with mayonnaise or the peeled, uncooked tail meat. They are delicate and need to be poached only for a few seconds in court bouillon. Unlike the rock lobster or spiny lobster (called "langouste" in French), or even shrimp, the Dublin Bay prawn changes colour little during cooking. It is better to undercook it rather than overcook it, so that it does not become tough and dry. When very fresh, Dublin Bay prawns have an outstanding slightly sweet flavour that is lost when they are frozen. They can be eaten plain, accompanied by melted butter. In North America, it is common to coat Dublin Bay prawns with breadcrumbs and butter and cook them briefly under a very hot broiler.

Related articles

• Scrumpy battered Dublin Bay prawns with herb mayonnaise (independent.co.uk)
• Once bitten: Mark Hix's guide to autumn's most delicious canapés (independent.co.uk)
• Prawn cocktail recipe (wino-sapien.blogspot.com)
• Seafood Ciopinno With Soft Shell Crab (luxuryhaven.blogspot.com)

Molly's Egg and Bacon Salad

This recipe just rather evolved back in about 1992 we use/used American bacon for this recipe as it does cook nice and crisp we have used pancetta and it is really tasty. We have made it with quail’s eggs to use as a starter for a few dinner parties.

Serves / Makes: 4 servings
Prep-Time: 10 to 15 minutes
Cook-Time: about 10 to 15 minutes, depends on what else you’ve got going on

YOU WILL NEED
4 slices, white bread, or brown or granary, thick sliced with crusts removed
6 eggs, poached or soft/hard boiled
4 slices, back bacon, sliced, you can use streaky bacon
4, little gem lettuces, the leaves separated and rinsed (2 small cos lettuce can be used
½ tablespoon, red wine vinegar
½ tablespoon, olive oil
4 whole, spring onion, washed and finely shredded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

METHOD
Cut the slices of bread into a ½-inch dice, unless grilling, if grilling, keep the slices whole.
If using soft hard-boiled eggs, then simply quarter them, the ingredients calls for 4 to 6 eggs, however four should be enough, on the other hand six eggs will obviously give six quarters for each portion.
The bacon can now be pan-fried or grilled until crispy, if pan-frying, use just a dot or two of the oil, any fat content will be released into the pan from the bacon, this will also happen if grilling. Either method you choose, keep the bacon fat for frying the bread afterwards.
Once cooked, remove the bacon from the pan and keep warm.
Now add the bread and fry until golden and crispy, it might need a little extra oil to get a golden finish.
If the bacon has been grilled then just brush each slice of bread with the fat from the bacon, and toast, at this time the bread can be diced.
Season the salad leaves with salt and pepper (it’s advisable, when making salads, to sprinkle salt in the bowl and not directly on the leaves, this will stop the salt from falling on to wet leaves and sticking in lumps). Add the red wine vinegar, just enough to coat the leaves, and the olive oil.
Cut the bacon into strips and mix into the leaves, with the spring onions and fried or toasted bread.
Arrange on four plates or offer as one large salad, the hard-boiled egg quarters can now be seasoned with salt and pepper and positioned amongst the salad leaves.
For the poached eggs, re-heat in simmering water for 1 minute before placing on top of the salads.
Serve and Enjoy!

Related articles

• BLT Deviled Eggs (stacyknows.blogspot.com)

Baby Cos and Beetroot Salad with Soft Boiled Egg

A light tasty start to any meal a modern variation on egg mayonnaise, I think this recipe came originally from a magazine not sure which one but it certainly is one of our favourites either as a starter or a light lunch salad for 2, Maureen sometimes when she makes it likes to use quail eggs.
Serves / Makes: 4 servings


Prep-Time: 10 minutes

Cook-Time: 15 minutes

YOU WILL NEED;
4 medium, free range eggs or 8 quail eggs
½ cup, mayonnaise
2 teaspoons, Dijon mustard
2 whole, baby cos (romaine) lettuce, the leaves washed and sorted, iced/little gem lettuce is ok to use
4 whole, baby beetroot (beets) cut into 2cm chunks
2 tablespoons, snipped chives
Crusty bread to serve

METHOD;
Place the eggs in a saucepan of cold water over a high heat, bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 3½ minutes.
Remove the eggs and cool slightly, peel carefully, then set to one side.
Place the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard in a bowl, then add 1/3 cup (80ml) of boiling water. Whisk to make a loose dressing, adding a little more water, if needed.
Divide the cos lettuce between 4 serving bowls and top with the cooked beetroot, carefully halve the soft-boiled eggs and position them on top of the beetroot, drizzle with the mustard dressing, season with some freshly ground black pepper and garnish with the chopped chives, Serve and Enjoy with fresh crusty bread.

Fishcakes with Prawns and Homemade Tartare Sauce

I must first apologise for this blog and recipe being late, I did promise it for last week but I was a little under the weather, now feeling much better here it is.

Fishcakes with Prawns and Homemade Tartare Sauce

You can't beat these homemade fish cakes, served with homemade tartare sauce just perfect with a squeeze of lemon.

We both like fishcakes and do not mind if they are made from Haddock, Cod, Pollack, Whiting, or Salmon, they are so straightforward to prepare, why not try adding a bit of smoked salmon for additional indulgence.
We used to serve these for breakfast and light lunches at The Great Tree Hotel sometimes using smoked haddock but no matter what fish we used they were always a popular dish.
We have served fishcakes as tea for the children of families we have worked for, and they always wanted more, Lord Hanson loved them for breakfast as did quite a few of his guests.

The fishcake has always been seen as a way of using up leftovers that might otherwise be thrown away, In Mrs Beeton's 19th century publication Book of Household Management, her recipe for fishcakes calls for leftover fish and cold potatoes.
For us though they are not just to use up leftover fish and potatoes they warrant being made in their own right, just the thing for a simple supper with salad. Perfect to cook and freeze in batches using good quality fish, ask your fishmonger for some good fish trimmings which he will probably have in somewhere, some fishmongers put a mix together for making fish pie.
Recipes that are more modern have added to the dish, by using ingredients such as smoked salmon, shellfish, and vegetables, in other words the humble fishcake has come of age and is now found on the menus of fine dining restaurants.

Now to the recipe which will make 4 large cakes or 8 small ones, this recipe should only take about 20 minutes to prepare and about 15 to 20 minutes to cook.

You will need for the Fish Cakes;
450 grams, filleted and skinned haddock, or you can use whiting, pollack, or cod
4, large raw tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
300 grams, potatoes, peeled and chopped for boiling
2, fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs, fresh parsley
150mls milk
½ teaspoon, finely grated lemons zest, we now use the small microplane grater
1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons, plain flour to use for dusting etc
100 grams, fresh white breadcrumbs, we like ours to be a day or two old
2 tablespoons, vegetable oil, for shallow frying, we use the Tefal Again and Again it has no cholesterol.
Lemon wedges and watercress, baby spinach and rocket leaves to garnish

For a Quick Tartare Sauce Recipe;
200mls, mayonnaise
3 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
3 tablespoons gherkins, drained and chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 good squeeze of lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mix all the sauce ingredients together and put to one side it is best to keep this chilled.

Method
Place the haddock and bay leaves and parsley sprigs into a pan, pour over the milk cover, bring up to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Now add the prawns, and take the haddock and prawns off the heat and let stand, covered, for about 10 minutes to finish cooking, the prawns will steam nicely and cook and become tender.
Put the potatoes into a pan cover with water and season with sea salt, bring to a boil lower the heat, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.
Now take the haddock and prawns from the milk with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and leave for a few minutes to cool and drain a little, now put them through a potato ricer or mouli or just mash them by hand, we just want a light fluffy mash. Mix into the potatoes about 1 tablespoon of the sauce, lemon zest and parsley, season well with salt and pepper the potato should have a nice zesty flavour, so taste and fine-tune the seasoning.
Drain off any liquid from the haddock, grind some pepper over it, then flake it into the pan of potatoes slice the prawns into a similar thickness and then with your hands, gently lift the haddock and prawns and potatoes together so they just mix together it should only take a couple of turns, be careful you don’t want to allow the fish to break up too much.
Put the beaten egg into a shallow dish and lightly flour a board, spread the breadcrumbs on a baking sheet.

Divide the fish cake mixture into four cakes or 8 small cakes and on the floured work surface, and with floured hands, carefully shape the fish cakes about 1 inch thick.
Then one at a time, coat each cake in the beaten egg, making sure the top and sides are coated, I like to use a pastry brush for this. Now cover each cake one at a time in the breadcrumbs so that they are lightly covered.
Let chill for 30 minutes or so, you can make them ahead of time if you want.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the fish cakes over a medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden.
Serve and Enjoy with the tartare sauce and garnished with the watercress, spinach and rocket leaves and lemon wedges.

• The fish cakes will freeze brilliantly for up to 4 weeks
• To cook the fish cakes from frozen, place them on a lightly oiled tray, then drizzle with a little more oil, cook on the middle shelf under a medium grill for 12 to 15 minutes until golden, flip over, then cook the other side for 5 minutes.