Bread Sauce

What a delight a good home made Bread Sauce is, forget the ghastly packet stuff, This is just perfect with Roast Chicken or Turkey. I always make it at Christmas but have to admit not that often in the year.

I was making a Roast Chicken with sage and Onion stuffing so decided I would have to make some and very glad I did!

As far as I know this is the sole surviving bread thickened sauce from Medieval times. Its easy cut an Onion in half and stud it with about half a dozen cloves add a dozen whole black peppercorns and a bay leaf and a pint or so of full fat Milk and a pinch of Salt

Bring it to nearly a boil and cover with clingfilm to stop a skin forming and leave it to infuse for at least 2 hours.
I blend the Breadcrumbs in a food processor crusts and all , if you haven't got any stale bread, put 3 slices in your toaster for a minute and that will dry out the bread without colouring.

Once the Milk is infused set aside the Onion Bay and Peppercorns and add your breadcrumbs and gently heat add a big chunk of butter and some double cream and stir.
Once the breadcrumbs have swollen return the studded Onion and keep in a warm place until you serve absolutely scrumptious

Pork Chops in Calvados Creamed Mustard Sauce

Pork Chops are not my favourite, but these little Baby chops cooked in a Cream and Calvados are something else, very quick, and very easy.

In a hot skillet add a drop of Olive Oil and a good knob of butter then put in your chops, at this size they take not much more than a minute each side, you want them to take on some colour. Then add around half a glass of Calvados and flambé.

Once the flames have died down add a ladle of Chicken Stock and a teaspoon of Grain Dijon Mustard.
Stir it in with a wooden spoon and take off the heat before adding a glug of Single Cream and stir that in.

Serve on a plate with a scattering of chopped fresh Parsley. The mustard creamy sauce compliments the Pork beautifully. I served with a Potato and Vegetable bake, really Delicious brings your Pork Chops to life. If you haven't got Calvados, Cider or White wine would suffice.

Sometimes I make some sliced Caramelised Apples along with the Pork, This time just didn't have an Apple left. I served with a Cold Soave White wine.

Rib Eye Steak with Sauce Vierge

Before I even start I apologise for the photos they don't do the dish justice, but I am not a photographer so forgive me.

Sauce Vierge is a classic French sauce for Fish, so why not with grilled meat, you may well ask. The answer is simple it works so well! Lets face it Meats love Lemon juice Olive Oil and Herbs. So why not?

I have no doubt you know only too well how to grill a steak so I won't even go there. The sauce is a classic and easy. Chop a shallot into tiny cubes do the same with a Courgette now take a Tomato cut it with a sharp knife into quarters and then using the knife take out the pips and core. Make an incision between the skin of the Tomato and the flesh and loose the skin.

Chop the Tomato and courgette into tiny cubes about 3mm square. Finely chop some freshly chopped Parsley and a little Tarragon.

Put your very best Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a pan and heat. I was lucky I had my chum Claudia's Manzanilla Olive Oil from Oleoteca, which is to die for, but get the best you can get.

Add the Shallots and Courgette, then add the chopped Tomato and at the last minute the Fresh Parsley and Tarragon add the juice of a fresh Lemon and take off the heat.Now add a teaspoon of capers and stir.

In all, it takes not much more than three minutes.

The result I think you will agree is exceptional. I topped it with Rocket dressed in Olive Oil and enjoyed a couple of bottles of a not to shabby Rioja. Not a bad life!

Steak au Poivre

Steak au Poivre has always been an old favourite of mine, I just love it always have. It's rumoured to have originated in Maxim's of Paris in the 1920's the first restaurant I managed to spend over a thousand pounds for Dinner in the 1980's, still remember the Dinner long after the Girl I dined with is long forgotten.

It's so very much a dish of the 1920's there's a decadence, a richness about it thats hard to beat, there are a great many variations of it this is mine and to my mind the very best.

I used some matured Argentinian Rib Eye steak,took it from the fridge early to bring it to room temperature. Mixed some ground peppercorns with beef stock and reduced on high heat vigorously for about ten minutes got my griddle pan scarily hot and seared the steaks about one minute each side.

Then I added them to a frying pan on high heat that had some melted butter in,and added a glass of Brandy and Flambed, took the steaks out the pan and put in the oven for 4 minutes, added the reduced beef stock to the brandy and a glug of double cream, stir with a wooden spoon.

Remove the frying pan from the heat add the steaks from the oven and  some chopped Parsley..let it rest for five minutes the delicious juices will seep into the sauce, check the seasoning may need a pinch of salt I add a dribble of Worcestershire Sauce. Serve with a decent Claret and enjoy.....

Steak Pizzaiola

Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant where I am a little dubious of how good there sauces would be,I always ask for Steak with a Pizzaiola sauce,there isn't an Italian Restaurant in the world that can't make a half decent Pizzaiola sauce.

This is a fabulous dish done well,Start by sautéing finely chopped garlic in olive oil,don't let it burn or it will be bitter,just as it looks as though its going to take on colour add a splash of ideally white wine,I had drank all the white wine so added red,then let that bubble up for 30 seconds and add chopped tomatoes,reduce the heat and let that simmer,as it does so it gets richer season with salt and pepper and then add a tbsp of capers and a handful of black Olives.

I had cooked the steaks on the BBQ about one minute either side then added to the pan with the sauce took the pan off the heat and let them rest at least 5 minutes.

Serve on a plate with some chopped parsley,or in my case parsley stalks out of parsley! or Basil,Proper Food!

STEAK DIANE

I have very fond memories of this dish, in the 70's my wife and I used to go to the Lantern Room restaurant, very smart, waiters in black tie, and waiters who were true professionals and would cook this dish at your table, there are lots of variations on this dish, Julia Child used to mariate for 5minues the steaks in soy sauce, I didn't but have done before the result is very good.
Traditionally you use battened out fillet steak, I prefer the flavour of sirloin and so thats what I used. I started by putting a very generous splash of Worcestershire sauce on the steaks and seasoned with salt and pepper, I got my frying pan very hot added a little olive oil and a a spoon of butter then added the steaks and cooked on high heat for around a minute each side,then removed the steaks from the pan and put on a plate to rest.
I took the pan off the heat and reduced the heat to 4, added chopped shallots a little more butter and then sliced mushrooms, I had a beef stock which I reduced by half and added a couple of spoons of the stock to some Dijon mustard about a large teaspoon but you could use more, and stirred together

I increased the heat of the pan to full placed the steaks back in the pan with the shallots and mushrooms,then added a glass of brandy and lit...stand back and let tyne alcohol burn off,then add the mustard and stock mixture to the stack stir and add to the pan,reduce a little and take off the heat add double cream a splash of tobacco freshly chopped parsley and serve.... superb one of my very favourite dishes and sadly along with lobster Thermidore Escargot and Coquille st Jaques rarely seen in restaurants