Best of British Food event at 10 Downing Street

Two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited by the Prime Minister David Cameron to join other chefs to celebrate the excellence of British Food and Chefs. Although I am French, I have been living in Britain since 1986, so it was a real honour to feel part of it.

It was a wonderful reunion, with lots of chefs and food critics present. We discussed a lot about sustainability, which we are all trying hard to pass on the message. I must say that we are on the right track. It was really nice to see all my friends and colleagues representing what we believe in and how this can thrive in the future.

The Minister of Agriculture gave an excellent speech and it was also great to see the Prime Minister David Cameron showing his support.

Talking about sustainability, I will visit a couple of farms with Panasonic to shoot two videos to show this important issue. I will keep you updated over the next few months about how it all went!

Daniel

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Exciting changes are happening at The Vineyard

Like many great wines, The Vineyard is improving with age. The reception, bar and casual dining area is currently being transformed, so from May 2012, as guests walk through our doors, they will instantly see the partnership The Vineyard has with the Peter Michael Winery in California. An impressive wine vault containing over 880 bottles is also being built, with a large, glass floor giving guests the opportunity to see down to the cellar.

We will also have a brand new tasting room where we will match the food to the correct wine, which I’m really looking forward to. Trust me though; it is a real challenge as it relies on the sommelier’s accurate description of the wine. We have over 100 wines by the glass available so there is plenty of choice to suite every taste.

The design of the new space will be very slick, elegant and modern, and Yohann and his team are already stocking the cellars in preparation for the unveiling of the new space in May. Check The Vineyard’s website to keep updated on the exciting changes taking place. www.the-vineyard.co.uk

We look forward to welcoming you soon.

Daniel

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Delicious Roast Monkfish recipe for Good Friday

Planning to cook fish this Good Friday? Why not try my delicious Roast Monkfish fillet recipe.

 Pavé de lotte rôtie, ragoût de moules et palourdes au safran

Roast Monkfish Fillet with Saffron-scented Mussel & Clam Ragoût

Preparation time: 35 minutes, plus cooking the rice and asparagus.

Cooking time: 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 monkfish fillet, about 400g/14oz, skinless and boneless

400g/14oz fresh mussels

200g/7oz fresh clams or cockles

2 tbsp olive oil

55g/2oz butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

A pinch of saffron threads

100ml/3 ½ fl oz/scant ½ cup double cream, half of it whipped

Zest of 1 lime

1 small handful of chives, roughly chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steamed rice, to serve

Cooked asparagus, to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6. Wrap the monkfish in a clean tea towel and set aside. This will absorb excess liquid and make it easier to roast.

Remove and discard the beards from the mussels and wash them and the clams in a bowl under cold water, scrubbing well to remove all traces of grit. Discard any that float or any open ones that do not close when tapped. Set aside.

Put half the oil and butter in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the monkfish and cook for 4–5 minutes, turning continuously, until it has a lovely golden colour all over. Transfer to the preheated oven and roast for 8 minutes until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven, transfer to a clean dish, cover with kitchen foil and set aside.

Put the remaining oil and butter in a cast iron or heavy-based pan over a medium heat. When the butter is foaming, add the shallot and cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the mussels, cockles and saffron. Cover and cook for 4–5 minutes or until the shellfish open. Discard any mussels or cockles that remain closed. If using the Combination Microwave Oven, put the oil, butter and shallot in a large microwaveable bowl and cook on HIGH MICROWAVE for 5-6 minutes. Add the mussels, cockles and saffron, cover with pierced cling film and cook on MEDIUM MICROWAVE for 5-6 minutes.

Pour the unwhipped cream into the pan with the shellfish and cook, uncovered, over a medium to high heat, for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, use a slotted spoon to take the shellfish out of the pan and put them in a large bowl, then cover and set aside. Return the pan with the cooking liquid to a medium heat and cook for 4–5 minutes until reduced by half. Stir in the whipped cream and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lime zest, chives and any juices that have collected from the monkfish and season with salt and pepper. You should now have about 100ml/ 3 ½ fl oz/scant ½ cup sauce.

Slice the monkfish into 4 pieces and either divide onto four plates with the ragoût and a few spoonfuls of the sauce spooned over it or place in a casserole dish to serve at the table with steamed rice and asparagus.

Taken from The French Brasserie Cookbook by Daniel Galmiche © Commissioned Photography by Yuki Sugiura / Duncan Baird Publisher

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We’re getting ready for Easter at The Vineyard

With Easter just around the corner, everyone at The Vineyard is very excited. Our team of pastry chefs have been hard at work making an excellent Easter display. For the last two weeks, having made kilos and kilos of chocolate, we have made a giant egg of nearly three and a half feet high!

The team have been busy making all kinds of different sized eggs, butterflies and caterpillars in different colours. It’s now finished and is up on display – we think it looks pretty impressive!  Let’s hope there are no breakages this time – during Valentines, all the sugar work displays got knocked down by children running into the table!

We are holding a competition at the hotel for guests to guess the weight of the egg. All donations made will be given to the charity Swings and Smiles and the lucky winner will win a bottle of wine or a homemade Easter egg to take away. So why not come down to The Vineyard this Easter?

I wish you all a lovely Easter.

Daniel.

Work in progress:

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Mother’s Day Recipe Competition

Is there that one delicious dish that only your mum can make? Or is there a great new recipe you have perfected to show your mum that all those days teaching you to cook were not in vain?

If there is, then there’s no day like Mother’s Day to show it off to the world….

I have a number of my own favourite Mother’s Day dishes and in fact even a special Mother’s Day menu at the Vineyard!

But this week, I am interested in hearing all about YOUR favourite Mother’s Day recipes!

It’s all very simple. Submit your recipes in the comments section at the bottom of this post by 10pm on Mother’s Day (Sunday, March 18). I will pick the recipes that I like the most and the top 5 winners will receive signed copies of my French Brasserie Cookbook!

To get you started, here’s one of my Mother’s Day special recipes…..

Hand Dived Scallop Soufflé

Ingredients

300gr of freshly cut scallop meat

2 whole eggs

1 egg yolk

5gr of table salt( 1 pinch)

200gr of whipping cream

200gr of whipped cream

Method:

1. Firstly, when buying hand dived scallop, ask your fishmonger to cut them for you, or else buy them from a good supermarket. Make sure they are in shell
2. Now, in a food processor or stainless steel bowl, put together the scallop meat, the whole eggs, the egg yolk and the salt
3. Mix well or until very smooth. Don’t over do it
4. Now add the whipping cream and mix well. You will start to get a lovely smooth shiny, white soft mix
5. Remove from bowl with the help of a spatula onto a fine sieve and pass it through into a clean cool stainless steel bowl and whisk the whipped cream in gently. Cover and rest for an hour
6. Now you should get enough to half fill 10 to 12 soufflé moulds
7. Before pouring it into the moulds, cover the inside of the soufflé moulds with silicone paper, so you do not have to put any fat around to help the soufflé mix and to avoid sticking inside
8. Fill them in and place into a bain-marie for 12 minutes
9. Have it with a lovely light mushroom sabayon, or shellfish essence

Enjoy this lovely, light dish.

Bon Appétit!

Daniel

(By submitting your entry, you agree to the contest Terms and Conditions)

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Valentine’s day treat

Why not try my very own Crème Brûlée taken from The French Brasserie Cookbook for a special Valentine’s day treat using your Panasonic Combination Microwave Oven…

CRÈME BRÛLÉE WITH RASPBERRY PURÉE

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks

80g / 2 ¾ oz / ⅓ cup caster sugar

270ml / 9 ½ fl oz / 1 cup double cream

25g / 1oz / 2tbsp soft brown sugar, for sprinkling

Raspberry puree:

100g / 3 ½ oz scant 1 cup raspberries

Grated zest of 1 lime

2tbsp caster sugar

Method

First make the raspberry puree. Put the raspberries, lime zest and sugar in a bowl and mix gently using a fork. Set aside to macerate for about 15 minutes, then crush the mixture into a puree, using a fork. There’s no need to pass it through a sieve as you want to keep the seeds to give the puree more flavour.

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°C/gas 2 and line a deep baking dish with greaseproof paper. The paper will direct the bubbles away from the pots, providing a more gentle cooking process so the custard doesn’t curdle. Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together in a heatproof bowl until smooth. Gently heat the cream in a saucepan over a low heat, then slowly pour it into the egg yolks, whisking as you go. Make sure it is smooth with no lumps; otherwise you’ll end up with scrambled egg!

Divide the puree equally into four 150ml/5fl oz / ⅔ cup ramekins, then divide the egg and sugar mixture equally into the ramekins and put them in the baking dish. Pour enough warm water into the dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins and place in the preheated oven. Bake the brûlées for 30-40 minutes until set but still slightly trembling when shaken, then remove from the oven and transfer the ramekins to a wire rack to cool until set.

Preheat the grill to high. Sprinkle the brûlées with the brown sugar and put them on a baking sheet. Grill for 2-3 minutes until the sugar is caramelized.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Daniel Galmiche

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New Year Plans

I am discussing with Panasonic, making two new videos to follow the success of the first one, which was made in November, at Brixham with my fish monger.

This time, the destination is in Scotland with my butcher and veg man, at a fantastic farm where we buy our beef from, and asparagus in March/April time, weather permitted.

I am also looking forward to the refurb happening here at the Vineyard which will take up most of my time! The new part will be really trendy, modern and very interesting; you can come and see for yourself! But in the meantime it is business as usual, we will be open, just the entrance will be via the spa.

I am so excited about the project – a new menu will be made, that reflects the four seasons, and of course Valentine’s Day will be our next big rendez-vous, so get ready for two delicious menus, coming soon to our website:

danielgalmiche.co.uk

danielgalmiche.com

Many thanks,

Daniel

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After a busy 2011, I am very much looking forward to 2012…

After another very busy year – working in the Vineyard, touring England with Panasonic, plus Saturday Kitchen with James and the BBC Good Food Show, I am very much looking forward to a good 2012, and starting all over again.

But first, I am having an operation on my ankle, key hole surgery, due to a painful injury that occurred whilst playing football with my son Antoine, four and a half years ago. They’ve finally found out what was wrong, so let’s get on with it!

2011 has been a very interesting year; my first book “The French Brasserie” came out in September, after 18 months of hard labour and valuable help from my wife Claire. With thanks to Panasonic, we also made a version on the book adapting nearly half of the recipes for the new combination Microwave oven. It has been very well received I am pleased to say.

Finally, saving the best till last – I got married to Claire last July after seven and a half years together, and I am very proud.

So here’s to 2012!

Cheers,

Daniel

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Filming in Brixham

When asked by Panasonic UK if I wanted to do a video at my fishmongers in Brixham I said yes of course! But I had forgotten that it was far away, then came the time and when. So off I went, I left The Vineyard at 10.20pm and arrived late that night or should I say early morning-yes 01.20am.

I thought when are we filming? I then remembered that I had to meet in the lobby at 05.20am. It was dark; cold- didn’t get much sleep. Met the crew, Gaele had come early on the previous evening so she could see fish being landed. By the way Gaele is from Panasonic, in charge of Marketing and digital communications she is a very good pro, fun and always helpful. We had a great time meeting my friend Martin from Channel Fisheries. The market on that day was wonderful, lots of fish, prime quality and lots of betting! Cooking was great too on that super cool new Panasonic microwave combi and we demonstrated the flexibility and efficiency of cooking with fresh quality ingredients, keeping them the most natural way possible.

What a day it was, good product knowledge with friends – great fun!

Next England tour with Panasonic to demonstrate the way this is done can’t wait!

Daniel Galmiche

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