Kevin Dundon - Recipes That Work

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

300ml/10fl oz/1¼ cups pouring cream

2 tsp truffle oil (optional; it has a very intense flavour)

Crème fraîche, to garnish

1 Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F), Gas mark 3.

2 Place the mushrooms in a roasting tray with the garlic and thyme sprigs. Roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until just becoming tender but shrivelled up a little. This helps to develop and intensify their flavour. Keep a small amount of these roasted mushrooms aside to garnish the soup just before serving.

3 Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the remaining vegetables and sauté gently for 4–5 minutes. Add the roasted mushrooms and sauté for a further 2–3 minutes. Add the flour and stir until the vegetables are coated and any liquid in the pan has dried up. This will act as a thickening agent.

4 Carefully pour in the boiling stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a low simmer and simmer until the vegetables are all tender.

5 Remove the pan from the heat and season to taste. Add the cream and truffle oil, if using, then using a hand-held electric blender, blitz until smooth. Alternatively, use a food processor.

6 Serve the soup immediately or leave to reheat gently later. To garnish, add a spoonful of crème fraîche on the top and a little of the reserved roasted mushroom selection.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

This classic soup is very simple to make and, if you get it right, your family and friends will love it. It’s just as good reheated the following day. The soup is traditionally made with beef stock but it can be made with vegetable stock if you are vegetarian.

SERVES 6

50g/2oz/½ stick butter

4 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2–3 fresh thyme sprigs

2 tsp brown sugar

50g/2oz/ 1/ 3cup plain (all-purpose) flour

½ glass red wine

1 litre/1¾ pints/4 cups good-quality hot beef stock (see Chapter 5) Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

CROUTONS

1 French stick

50g/2oz/½ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Gruyère cheese

1 Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Carefully add the onions, garlic, thyme sprigs and sugar and sweat over a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the onions have partially softened.

2 Next add the flour all in one go and stir until the onions are coated and any liquid in the pan has dried up. Pour in the red wine, which will immediately begin to thicken as it reacts with the flour, then gradually add the hot stock, stirring continuously. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the onions are soft and the soup is well flavoured.

3 Meanwhile, preheat the grill or if using the oven preheat to 190°C (375°F) Gas mark 5.

4 Cut the French stick into slices about 1cm/½in thick and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Grill or bake in the oven until the cheese is melted and the bread is crispy.

5 Serve the croûtons on top of the fragrant soup and sprinkle with a few thyme leaves.

VICHYSSOISE

This is a leek and potato soup that is enriched with cream, chilled and puréed, and sprinkled with chives. It’s a marriage of flavours made in heaven. It is important to include the sieving (straining); in fact, it may be necessary to do it twice to achieve the perfect smoothness.

SERVES 6–8

50g/2oz/½ stick unsalted butter

350g/12oz small leeks, trimmed and finely chopped

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

225g/8oz potatoes, peeled and diced

1 celery stick, diced

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

Salt and freshly ground pepper

900ml/1½ pints/3½ cups chicken or vegetable stock (see Chapter 5) Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

150ml/5fl oz/ 2/ 3cup milk

150ml/5fl oz/ 2/ 3cup double (heavy) cream

Snipped fresh chives, to garnish

1 Melt the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan. As soon as it foams, stir in the leeks, onion, potatoes and celery until well coated. Add the garlic and season generously, then place a parchment paper circle directly on top of the vegetables to keep in the steam. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and sweat over a low heat for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and just beginning to colour.

2 Remove the lid and paper from the pan and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the potatoes are completely tender. Transfer to a food processor and blitz in batches until smooth. Or use a hand-held electric blender.

3 Pass the soup through a fine sieve (strainer) set over a bowl (you may need to do this twice) and then pour into a clean pan. Season to taste then stir in the milk and most of the cream, reserving some for the garnish.

4 Reheat the soup gently, then ladle into a large bowl, cover with clingfilm (plastic wrap) and chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight, which is best.

5 To serve, ladle the vichyssoise into serving bowls and swirl in the reserved cream. Garnish with the chives and serve ice cold.

VARIATIONS

♦ Of course, this soup can also be served hot, garnished with crumbled Roquefort cheese for a special treat.

♦ For a richer version, replace the milk with cream or experiment with the proportion of leek to onion and potato, by adding some celeriac (celery root). I have even made it using cauliflower instead.

CURRIED PARSNIP AND APPLE SOUP

This soup is one of my personal favourites. It has a smooth texture in the mouth but gives a sharp kick to the back of your throat. You can leave the parsnips a little chunky, as they do tend to cook down and disintegrate more easily than the other ingredients. If you or any of your guests are vegetarian, use vegetable stock and make sure the Thai green curry paste doesn’t contain shrimp paste.

SERVES 6–8

25g/1oz/¼ stick butter

1 leek, trimmed and chopped roughly into chunks

2 celery sticks, chopped roughly into chunks

½ medium onion, peeled and chopped roughly into chunks

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped roughly into chunks

350g/12oz parsnips, peeled and chopped roughly into chunks

1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and diced

2 level tsp Thai green curry paste

1.25 litres/2 pints/5 cups chicken or vegetable stock (see Chapter 5) Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.