Category: meat recipes

Categories
bacon egg food ice cream milk

heston blumenthal’s egg and bacon ice cream

Heston Blumenthal was born in West London in 1966. His childhood fed many of his culinary fantasies he was to later draw upon and revisit: from fish and chips at Norman’s Plaice, to ice cream at the Regent Snack Bar. Breakfast and ice cream recur throughout his career, and the confluence of those is one I’m going to look at and cook today: egg and bacon ice cream.

This recipe, like so many of Heston’s, was born out of obsession and one of the first foods he investigated in depth at The Fat Duck restaurant. He wanted to find the perfect creamy mixture, with bold flavours, and yet not tasting too eggy. Not every ice cream recipe needs eggs but egg is an emulsifier that suspends butterfat particles and creates richer, creamier ice cream that stores really well. Searching for the perfect ice cream he began to experiment with all the variables, tweaking egg volume, freezing time, sugar content. After pushing received wisdom that custard bases should be cooked no higher than 85°c, his pastry chef Jocky Petrie commented that the overheated result “looked just like scrambled egg”. This eureka moment sent Heston off in a breakfast direction, remembering how much egg and bacon was a special treat growing up. After some refinement the dish first appeared on the menu at the Fat Duck restaurant in 2000.

The original plating in 2000

It might surprise you that this recipe uses milk powder. Heston has long favoured ice cream recipes with a low sugar content. Not for dietary reasons, but to create a denser texture and heightened flavours. Because of reduced fat and sugar, this recipe is high in egg yolks. The skimmed milk powder stops the ice cream from crystallising to create richness yet light and clean.

There are two published versions of the recipe: the uber-recipe from The Fat Duck Cookbook is an unsurprisingly complex and multi-layered affair, with tea jellies and tomato compotes. But there’s also the comparatively laid back version in Heston at Home, which is what I’ve emulated here: with the ice cream served with an egg-soaked bread and candied bacon. Much more approachable and likely more crowd pleasing.

The original recipe requires dry ice. I wasn’t willing to stretch to this – I can’t find it for under £37 – but instead used my ice cream maker for the final step. It may not be truly authentic but at least it’s Heston’s own endorsed model?

The result is a surprising and playful dessert that combines sweet, creamy ice cream with the savoury and smoky flavours of bacon. The Egg and Bacon Ice Cream reflects Blumenthal’s signature style of molecular gastronomy, where he combines unexpected ingredients and techniques to create unconventional but delicious dishes.

It is terrific. Really, super tasty. If you like dishes that combine sweet and salty flavours this is the one for you. The ice cream has a sweet but smoky flavour with a slightly ‘chunky’ texture and is a real winner. But the pain perdu / french toast / eggy bread is stunning. With a glass-like finish and sweet, chewy middle it’s sensational and worth having with other desserts.

Here’s a variation on the recipe served in egg shells.

And here’s Aldo’s version from BigFatUndertaking.

Print

egg and bacon ice cream

Heston Blumenthal's ice cream inspired dessert is french toast with a twist of sweet / savoury ice cream.
Course Dessert
Cuisine British
Keyword savoury, sweet
Servings 2 people
Calories 609kcal

Equipment

  • Ice cream machine

Ingredients

For the ice cream base:

  • 66 g sweet-cured smoked back bacon
  • 166 g full-cream milk
  • 5 g semi-skimmed milk powder
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 20 g caster sugar

For the pain perdu:

  • clarified butter
  • 2 slices brioche stale (refrigerate overnight in a container to speed this up)
  • 100 g milk
  • 1 egg
  • 10 g golden caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

For the caramelised bacon:

  • 2 slices smoked bacon
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar

Instructions

For the ice cream base and caramelised bacon:

  • To start the ice-cream base, preheat the grill to high. Lay the bacon slices on a baking tray lined with baking paper and place under the grill for 5-7 minutes or until crisp.
  • At the same time mix the syrup, salt and sugar together and then brush on two more bacon slices and grill with the other bacon. When this is cooked refrigerate until needed.
  • When the initial bacon is cooked, drain on kitchen paper and cut it into strips. Place in a bowl, pour over the milk then refrigerate to infuse overnight.
  • The next day, put the milk and bacon into a saucepan and add the milk powder. Place over a medium-low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Remove from the heat and strain off the bacon.
  • In the meantime, blitz the egg yolks and sugar together using a hand blender. Combine the egg mixture with the warm milk and return the pan to the heat. Warm the liquid until it just reaches 90ºC.
  • Once this temperature has been reached, remove the pan from the heat and pass the ice-cream base through a fine sieve into a clean container over iced water, pushing the custard through with the back of a spoon. Transfer to an ice cream machine and churn until done. Freeze until needed.

For the pain perdu:

  • Mix the egg, milk, vanilla and sugar together. Dunk the bread in to soak for 20 minutes. After this time remove the bread to a rack to drain for a couple of minutes.
  • Melt a tablespoon of clarified butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bread and fry on all sides, remove and place on paper towel to absorb any excess fat.
  • Wipe the pan out then place it over a medium-high heat. Add enough sugar to cover the bottom of the pan and allow to melt.
  • Once the sugar has completely melted and caramelised, add the bread and cover every side. Once coated on all sides, remove the bread from the pan, place on a silicone mat and allow to cool.
  • To serve, scoop the ice cream into a serving bowl (I used an egg cup). Place a slice of crystallised bacon on top and serve with pain perdu on the side.

Video

Notes

If you don't have an ice cream machine, you probably don't have dry ice either. This can be also made by placing into a freezer, and breaking up every 30 minutes but the results won't be a smooth.
Categories
chicken yoghurt

what effect does yoghurt have on marinades?

It’s BBQ season in the UK, so it’s time for burned or dry meat all round as we scurry to avoid undercooking everything. But it doesn’t have to be this way! A marinade can help. But which method: vinegar, yoghurt, salt… I remembered a clip from Heston Blumenthal’s In Search of Perfection where he conducted such an experiment by putting a chicken breast under an MRI scanner (of course!). Have a look:

So this proved that yoghurt helped ginger and garlic permeate the meat.

Why use yoghurt in a marinade?

Yoghurt can have a positive effect on marinating chicken in several ways:

  1. Tenderizing: The natural enzymes and acids present in yogurt, such as lactic acid, can help break down proteins in the chicken, resulting in a more tender texture. The calcium content in yoghurt also aids in tenderizing the meat.
  2. Moisture retention: Yoghurt can help retain moisture in the chicken during the marinating process. The thick consistency of yoghurt coats the chicken, creating a barrier that prevents moisture loss and helps keep the meat juicy.
  3. Flavour enhancement: Yoghurt can add a subtle tangy flavour to the chicken, enhancing its taste. The acidity in yoghurt can also help balance the flavours and complement the other ingredients in the marinade.
  4. Flavour infusion: Yoghurt acts as a carrier for other spices and seasonings in the marinade, allowing the flavours to penetrate the chicken and impart a more pronounced taste. The acidic nature of yogurt helps in the absorption of flavours into the meat.

It’s worth noting that marinating chicken in yogurt for an extended period (typically several hours or overnight) can have a more significant impact on tenderizing and flavour infusion. However, excessive marinating time with yoghurt can potentially make the chicken mushy or overly tangy, so it’s important to not overdo it.

That said I’m a big fan of brining meat, so how does that measure up?

Why brine meats?

Brining chicken involves soaking it in a solution of salt and water (sometimes with other flavourings) before cooking. Brining can have several effects on marinating chicken:

  1. Moisture retention: Brining helps the chicken retain moisture during the cooking process. When you brine chicken, the salt in the solution causes the meat to absorb water, resulting in juicier and more succulent chicken. This is particularly beneficial for lean cuts of chicken that tend to dry out easily.
  2. Flavour enhancement: While salt is the primary ingredient in the brine, you can also add other flavourings like herbs, spices, sugar, or aromatics to the brine solution. These additional ingredients infuse the chicken with subtle flavours, enhancing its taste.
  3. Tenderising: Brining can contribute to the tenderisation of chicken. The salt in the brine helps to break down proteins in the meat, resulting in a more tender texture. This can be particularly beneficial for tougher cuts of chicken.

But how does that come out in the final chicken? I decided to find out. Taking 3 chicken breasts and pounding them to about 2cm thick, I then steeped them in 3 marinades for about 6 hours.

Sample 1: just ginger and garlic (a sort of control)

Sample 2: ginger and garlic in 5% salt brine

Sample 3: ginger and garlic in yoghurt

I then used my trusty Grill and Press to sear them for about 2 minutes. Pounding them thin and using a marinade gets cooking going much quicker. Plus the grill heats from both sides. I checked that the chicken was done to at least 70°C.

What were the results?

The three were similar, but it was possible to see, taste and feel differences between the methods.

Ginger and garlic only allowed the natural chicken flavour to shine through. The marinade effects were less pronounced, and it had a slightly more chalky, overcooked texture.

Brined chicken had a noticeable well seasoned flavour, though the ginger and garlic itself wasn’t as strong. It was the moistest of the three.

Yoghurt chicken developed a well-browned surface, and allowed the ginger and garlic paste to come through. It wasn’t as moist as the brine sample.

I made a short video recapping the results:

So what does this mean? Personally I recommend brining. The chicken is tasty and moist and the risk of undercooking is so negligible. Some people don’t like the ‘deli’ salted flavour that brining gives though, in which case yoghurt marinades are the way to go. Add seasonings afterwards to develop the flavour of your recipe.

Categories
chicken cucumber food

fried chicken in cucumber sauce

I recently bought an recipe book from 1969: the Family Circle Thrifty Cook’s Book. It’s full of some frankly quite odd recipes but equally some really interesting ideas. SPICY EGG FLUFF… CHEESE CURRY… RICE AND RAISIN WINE… and an entire chapter on how to throw a ‘teenager’s record session’. Oh, and fried chicken with cucumber sauce.

I put a selection of these recipes out to my socials and the cucumber recipe was the most popular. So I streamed the recipe on YouTube – check it out for yourself:

It’s a fried chicken leg, with a roux made from the pan and then diced cucumber stirred through the sauce. It’s… kind of OK? It’s fresh and crunchy, against the thick and savoury roux. Probably worth further experimenting.

Check out the book yourself here https://amzn.to/3MfYCpZ

Print

fried chicken with cucumber sauce

An intriguing recipe from 1969.
Course Main Course
Cuisine British
Keyword cheap
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken portions I used legs
  • 2 oz plain flour
  • 2 oz margarine I used butter
  • 1 chicken stock cube
  • ¾ pint boiling water
  • 2 tablespoons top of the milk I used cream
  • ½ cucumber

Instructions

  • Coat chicken joints in flour.
  • Melt margarine in a large frying pan. Fry chicken joints slowly for 20 to 25 minutes, turning occasionally until golden brown and tender.
  • Remove joints and place on a warm serving dish.
  • Add remaining flour to fat in pan and cook for 2 minutes. Dissolve stock cube in boiling water and add to pan. Bring to boil, stirring, and cook for 2 minutes. Add milk and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Peel cucumber, cut into small dice and add to sauce; reheat and pour over chicken. If liked, serve with grilled, halved tomatoes.

Notes

I've presented the recipe as it was originally written, including Imperial measurements.
Categories
asparagus bacon cheese cream egg food

improving the coronation quiche

For the first time in a very long time, Britain (and other countries for reasons I don’t want to get into in a recipe blog) have a new monarch. And as is customary, we will have a coronation ceremony in May 2023. And more importantly for most people, we get a bank holiday. A bank holiday so you can celebrate in your own way whether that’s hosting a street party, a garden BBQ, afternoon tea or throwing eggs at a rich person that you don’t like.

You know what the signature dish was for the 1953 coronation? It was called “poulet reine Elizabeth“, but everyone knows it as coronation chicken. It’s a creamy curry sauce that’s got an Indian vibe and you can either chuck it in a salad or slap it in a sandwich.

From Le Cordon Bleu cookery school

Apparently, the dish was the brainchild of food writer Constance Spry and chef Rosemary Hume from the fancy Cordon Bleu cookery school in London. They whipped it up for the queen’s coronation feast. It was inspired by a dish called jubilee chicken, which was created for George V’s silver jubilee back in 1935.

For Queen Elizabeth II’s golden jubilee in 2002, there was another jubilee chicken dish. This one was made by the chefs at Buckingham Palace and was a baked chicken cut into bits and smothered with a mix of creme fraiche, mayonnaise, lime and ginger. They served it up with pasta salad, lime slices, and flat leaf parsley, all packed up in a Waitrose plastic tub.

Now, for her platinum jubilee, they had a pudding competition and the winner was a lemon swiss roll and Amaretti trifle recipe. Nice, eh?

For King Charles’ coronation we have the coronation quiche. Perfect picnic fare, this quiche is flavoured with broad beans… and spinach?

Eh. It’s a bit dowdy, isn’t it? Doesn’t reek of celebration or festivities. Likely in the backdrop of cost-of-living crisis with rising energy bills and being squeezed, it was selected as being muted in tone to be a bit more down to earth. But I think we can do better than that, celebrating the best of British produce. While it’s nice to use broad beans it’s a bit… post-war rationing. Why not the undisputed king of British summertime, asparagus? Bang on season and something I wait for every year. And let’s add in some bacon, by the fact that everything is better with bacon. I also think we can do a little more with that pastry, so let’s amp that up. And finally let’s use some precision in the baking. None of this “20-25 minutes until golden”, let’s cook it until it’s actually perfect. With science!

Can you buy the coronation quiche?

I don’t think you can buy the coronation quiche in any shops. The only way to get the real deal is to use the official recipe, or you know, just be invited to the coronation.

Print

my coronation quiche

A celebratory quiche suitable for any gathering or garden party. One of the best things about a quiche is it really doesn't matter when you eat it: straight from the oven hot with a salad, or the next day packed up for lunch.
Course Main Course
Cuisine British
Keyword eggs, garden party
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 200 g plain flour
  • 50 g cold butter
  • 25 g lard
  • 25 g cheddar cheese
  • 1 egg
  • milk might need a splash

Filling

  • 300 ml double cream
  • 2 medium eggs save a tablespoon of it for later
  • 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon chopped
  • 100 g grated cheddar cheese
  • 100 g bacon diced
  • 150 g asparagus spears

Instructions

For the pastry:

  • I use a food processor for speed and to be honest, it's better: add the flour, butter, lard and cheese and pulse until it forms a sandy breadcrumb texture. Whizz in the egg and if needed pulse in the milk until it comes together - be sparing and stop the moment it comes together. If doing by hand, rub fats, cheese and flour together until it resembles breadcrumbs, then beat in the egg and milk as required to form a dough.
  • Wrap and allow to rest in the fridge while you get on with everything else.
  • Put a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the bacon to a dry pan and fry for 4-5 minutes. While this fries, snap off the woody end of the asparagus spears. Then finely slice the stalks but stop at the tips. Add all the asparagus pieces to the pan and continue to stir fry for another 3-5 minutes until softened. Remove to a plate to cool down.
  • Preheat the oven to 190°C.
  • Put the cheese, cream and tarragon in a jug, add salt and pepper and stir well to mix. Hold back about a tablespoon of the egg mix to one side for later.
  • Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out to the thickness of a British pound coin. Lay into a quiche dish (appropriately enough) or similar and prick the base all over with a fork to stifle it rising. Brush your reserved egg over the base to seal it. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes, where it should have gone a biscuity brown.
  • Take the pastry base out and reduce the oven temperature to 140°C.
  • Spread the bacon-asparagus mixture over the base, then pour over the liquid mixture. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until the middle of the quiche gets to 85°C.

Video

Notes

You can stop cooking this when you're happy with how golden it is. By using a probe thermometer you can capture it when it's perfectly smooth and not scrambled-eggy.

Want more quiches? I took a lot from this fantastic cheese and onion tart I made years ago. Or take a look at Big Foodie Geek’s video.

Exit mobile version