Figs -availability / Wine suggestion

RE*AC*TOR

Right so figs are kind of out of season right now - but are they at all available?

Trying to put together a few courses for a meal for tomorrow - and a salad involving figs would sit nicely in there.

Also any suggestion for an accompanying wine would be great, as I'm not the best when it comes to this.

I was think a light chilled Beaujolais... *edit* or maybe a sauvignon blanc

Course so far are -

Celeriac veloute
Goats cheese parcel / fig salad
Porcini lasagne
Pannacotta w/ rhubarb

Main aim really is to have as much prepared in advance - ie as little cooking at eating time as possible.

Mr Magnolia

My local veg store still stocks figs anyway. I was thinking of doing somethingwith fig myself this weekend. Looks good, couldn't recommend a wine I'm afraid.

RE*AC*TOR

next question...

fresh porcini (or similar) mushrooms?

I'm thinking Fallon & Byrnes

tSubh Dearg

Depends where you're located. It's possible you might get them in Mortens or The Italian Shop just up the road from it. They'e both located near the Beechwood Luas stop.

RE*AC*TOR

Located in Dublin, willing to go on a little expedition.
Work in UCD, live in castleknock (cooking in waterford tomorrow).

Minder

Porcini for a lasagne is a lovely idea, but will probably require a remortgage. Use dried porcini and a mixture of fresh mushrooms to get all the flavour.

Consider serving white and red wines with the meal. Viognier is a delicious, light white grape variety favoured by the new world producers - look for it in the South American whites - probably Chilean. The porcini lasagne will have a meaty flavour from the mushrooms and should stand up to a red wine. I would try a malbec grape from Argentina. Norton, if you can get it.

RE*AC*TOR

I'm willing to spend a little bit extra for the porcini - but may have to go with your suggestion.

Thanks for the wine suggestions Minder. Are you suggesting the Viognier for the salad / dessert - Malbec for main?

Minder

Viognier with the salad/veloute. Malbec with the main.

RE*AC*TOR

What about dessert? I think 3 wines could be overkill for my audience.

Late harvest riesling?

tSubh Dearg

There's another new grocey not too far from Mortens that might have something too. It's on the Upr Rathmines Rd.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=rathmines+road,+dublin+6+ireland&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.150864,58.447266&ie=UTF8&ll=53.317698,-6.258945&spn=0.01146,0.028539&z=15

On that map Mortens and the Italian shop are on Dunville Ave. The other veg place is on the Upr Rathmines Road between it's junction with Frankfort Ave and Maxwell Road.

RE*AC*TOR

thanks tSD

only up the road from me - will endeavour

tSubh Dearg

I have gotten some really flavoursome Parisian brown top mushrooms in Mortons that might work with or instead of porcini. They were meaty but still had that really delicate mushroom taste.

I used them in a Coq au Vin for a change instead of button mushrooms and they really added to it.

EDIT:Any of those shops should also have figs and what not.

Minder

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

Late harvest riesling?

Or Tokaji. But I tend to agree that three wines might be overkill and I'm not sure how a sweet concentrated dessert wine will sit with the sweetness of a panna cotta and the tartness of the rhubarb.

Coffee and liquers?
Limoncello is always a great digestive. Find it in a good off license or italian deli. Stick it in the freezer and it will thicken - must be served cold.

Mr Magnolia

Minder wrote: »

Coffee and liquers?
Limoncello is always a great digestive. Find it in a good off license or italian deli. Stick it in the freezer and it will thicken - must be served cold.

I have a bottle of Limoncello, type os sobet I suppose? Good idea, have to try it.

Minder

Freezing limoncello makes a big difference in the flavour. As I said, it will thicken but it won't set and can still be poured into a glass. When really cold it loses that sharp acidity. In the time that the bottle sits on the table after a meal, the flavour will change glass by glass as it comes to room temperature.

RE*AC*TOR

Went to the 3 place tSD mentioned - naer a fresh porcini (or anything other than standard mushrooms) to be seen. I did get most of the other required ingredients for my recipes though.
Picked up a few packets of dried porcini and a selection of nicer looking more standard mushrooms instead.... and some truffle oil for good measure.
An odd thing that I couldn't find in any of the places was leaf gelatin. Easy enough to get elsewhere though.

tSubh Dearg

That's a pity Re*ac*tor. I know I have seen them in both Mortens and the Italian place but it's clearly only a time to time thing rather than regular. The third place I mentioned I thought was worth a shot as they're trying for an upmarket veg shop thing.

RE*AC*TOR

now if only i can get sodium alginate

Minder

Sodium alginate - is that the same as Agar agar. If so, it can be used as a setting agent in panna cotta, but look for recipes that use agar agar as the quantities will be different and way it is used is slightly different. Agar agar is what you will see on the shelves.

As a panna cotta is essentially a milk jelly (made with cream) - can you use a jelly to get the setting agent? Are there vanilla jellies available in the shops? or some other flavour that will not take over the cream?

Rather than run the risk of the dessert not setting if using a substitute to gelatine, why not change the dessert - creme brulee maybe. I have had little success with gelatine alternatives.

RE*AC*TOR

No - using gelatine for the panna cotta.

Was thinking that basil can be nice with panna cotta - was going to make a basil syrup and form into little spheres (caviar) using a sodium alignate solution.

Its different from agar. Happy enough making panna cotta with gelatine, don't want to mess about with it. Getting gelatine won't be a problem (apart from the 3 shops earlier).

Minder

For future reference,

http://www.infusions4chefs.co.uk/acatalog/Texturas.html

Mr Magnolia

How'd it go?

RE*AC*TOR

Velouté was a bust - didn't serve it - everything else was top notch though.

xxdilemmaxx

Re*ac*tor any chance you could post your recipes up if you have a chance?

That menu sounds very impressive and have an special dinner coming up so was thinking of copying you

RE*AC*TOR

Got the celeriac velouté somewhere on the web, didn't work out for me, so can't stand over it (was the first time i tried it).
The salad is a Sean Hope recipe,
The Lasagne is a Hugh Fernleigh Whittinstall recipe (recommend maybe reducing the amount of parmesan in the bechamel)
The dessert is Jamie Oliver (recommend using big strips of lemon zest and removing them before the end).

Celeriac velouté

For the velouté (makes 10 demi-tasse portions)
50g shallots
1 medium-sized celeriac (300g in weight),finely diced
1 litre double chicken stock
25g butter
50ml olive oil

To make the velouté, sweat off the shallots. Add finely diced
celeriac and sweat off until cooked. Add boiling chicken stock
to the celeriac liquid and simmer for 10 minutes only (to maintain
freshness). Blitz and pass.



Crispy goats' cheese parcels, fresh figs, Salad and walnut dressing

For the walnut dressing
8 walnuts, roasted
1 egg yolk
1tsp Colsterworth honey
1tsp grain mustard
1tsp cider vinegar

For the crispy goats' cheese parcels
16 wonton or filo pastry squares (each about 10cm square)
1 egg, beaten
2 Skylark Hill goats' cheeses, cut into 8 pieces
Black pepper, cracked
Celery salt
3tbs olive oil

For the salad
1 packet mixed salad leaves, watercress or rocket
1 red onion, finely chopped
12 walnut halves, roasted
1tsp herb fennel, chopped
4 fresh figs, quartered




METHOD
Place the walnut dressing ingredients in a blender and blitz for 10 seconds.

To make the crispy goats' cheese parcels, lay out all 16 pieces of wonton or
filo pastry and lightly brush with egg wash. Place a piece of goats' cheese
in the centre of each sheet and sprinkle with cracked black pepper and celery
salt. Bring all corners together and crimp tightly to seal, making a purse shape.

Heat the olive oil in a pan, drop in wonton parcels and turn to brown on all sides.
Remove from pan and drain on kitchen paper. Alternatively, bake filo parcels in a
preheated oven at 190°C.

To assemble, place all salad ingredients in bowl. Dress salad leaves with walnut
dressing and divide on to four plates. Stud each salad plate with four crispy goats'
cheese parcels, plus a quartered fresh fig.


Porcini (cep) lasagne

Ingredients
at least 500g/1lb2oz fresh porcini, or other boletus (ideally twice that quantity)
275g/10oz parma ham, sliced very finely
white lasagne sheets, ideally fresh, but dried can be used (enough to make at least 3 layers in an 20cmx25cm/8x10in baking tray)
at least 250g/9oz fresh parmesan
truffle oil (optional)
butter
For the bé chamel:
500ml/17fl oz hot milk
50g/2oz butter
50g/2oz plain flour
pinch nutmeg
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method
1. To make the bé chamel sauce, mix the flour with the melted butter in the pan and cook it for a few minutes. Add the hot milk by degrees and stir to thicken. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for just a minute. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
2. Grate half the parmesan and stir into the bé chamel. The finished bechemel should be a thick pouring consistency. Add a little more hot milk if necessary.
3. To prepare the rest of the ingredients, slice the whole boletus into large but very thin slices. If you are using dried lasagne of the kind that requires pre-cooking, then cook according to the instructions. Scrape the rest of the parmesan into shavings with a large knife blade or potato peeler.
4. Pour a small amount of the bé amel onto the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Put a layer of white lasagne on top followed by a layer of thinly-sliced ceps, a layer of parma ham and a layer of slivers of parmesan. Season with a few drops of truffle oil.
5. Then pour over a layer of béamel and repeat the layers. You can make as many layers as you have ingredients, or space for, but finish with a layer of béamel sauce, some grated parmesan and a few knobs of butter.
6. Bake for around 20-30 minutes in a fairly hot oven (190C/375F/Gas 5) until nicely browned on top.



Pannacotta with roasted rhubard

• 70ml/2½fl oz milk
• 2 vanilla pods, scored and seeds removed
• finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 375ml/13fl oz double cream
• 1½ leaves of gelatine, soaked in water
• 70g/2½oz icing sugar
• 200g/7oz rhubarb
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 x 2.5cm/1inch cinnamon stick
• 115ml/4fl oz champagne, prosecco or other sparkling wine

Put the milk, vanilla pods, vanilla seeds, lemon zest and half the cream into a
small pan and slowly simmer for 10 minutes or until reduced by a third. Remove
from the heat and stir in the soaked gelatine leaves until dissolved. Allow to cool
a little, then place in the fridge, stirring occasionally until the mixture coats
the back of a spoon. Remove the vanilla pods.

Whip together the icing sugar with the remaining cream. Mix the two cream mixture
together. Divide into four serving moulds (I use little moulds, espresso cups or
small glasses). Cover and chill for at least an hour.

Meanwhile chop the rhubarb into 4cm/1½inch pieces, sprinkle with the caster sugar
and grill until lightly browned. Gently heat together the ginger, cinnamon and
champagne or prosecco, then pour over the roasted rhubarb, cover, and leave for
about 30 minutes for the flavours to do their bit.

To serve, sometimes I'll dip the mould or cup into some simmering water to loosen
the pannacotta a little, then turn it out on to a plate next to some rhubarb with
its juice (remove the cinnamon). Or you can just put the rhubarb on top of your cups
or glasses of pannacotta and serve from there. Both ways are cool. Also gorgeous served
with fresh figs and honey or caramelized blood oranges.

PS: Nice with a little basil.

Minder

What wine did you go for?

RE*AC*TOR

mad fish sauvignon blanc semillion

lasagne would have benefitted from the malbec you suggested, but twas easier to go with one wine.

xxdilemmaxx

Thanks for the recipes, will be trying these out!