Posts filed under 'Nick Buckingham'
White fish recipe of Buckingham’s restaurant Derby
Sometimes simple cooking methods are best. When you want to cook a fillet of fish to perfection, keeping its delicate flavour intact, then poaching is the answer. This method uses a combination of fish stock and white wine to enhance the fish and has a very quick cooking time, ideal for a weekday evening meal when you are pushed for time. You can eat the fish plain with salad or steamed vegetables and a slice of lemon for a healthy and low-calorie meal or dress it up with one of the sauces suggested below to add interest and complexity to the finished dish and make it fit for a dinner party.
Amount
8 Portions
Ingredients
8 x 140g / 5oz Fillets of White Fish – Sole, Plaice, Turbot, Halibut
145ml / ¼ pt Fish Stock
14g / ½ oz Finely Chopped Shallot
145 ml / ¼ pt White wine
Butter
Seasoning
Method
Preheat the oven to 150C.
Butter a white ovenproof dish well. Add a seasoning of salt and pepper and then sprinkle the chopped shallots evenly over the base of the dish.
Place the fish fillets on top of the shallots in a single layer.
Pour over the white wine and fish stock.
Cover the dish with cling film and cook in the microwave for twenty seconds.
Remove the cling film from the dish and then place it in the oven at 150c for six minutes.
To Serve
Remove the fish from cooking essence and pat each fillet dry on kitchen paper . Serve on plate with an appropriate sauce, such as the Star Anis sauce. the Chablis and Shallots Butter sauce, or the Piquant sauce recipes also published on this blog.
Points to Watch
Allow the fish to stand in a warm place after cooking for a few minutes while you make the sauce. This will relax the fish.
Make sure the seasoning is put into the dish before the fish. If you season the white fish on top this will give you unattractive black spots of pepper.
Use the cooking essence to flavour the sauce.
View Nick Buckingham’s restaurant with one table, book online or call 01332 925 016.
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Choux Pastry recipe by Buckingham’s restaurant Derby
A beautiful batch of profiteroles, éclairs or cream puffs will easily impress your guests into thinking you are a master chef, but they are actually quite easy to make. The important thing is to learn how to get the choux pastry just right. After that you can choose what shape to pipe them into and then fill the pastries with a variety of flavoured creams and top with chocolate sauce. You can also use the same choux pastry to make savoury treats, such as cheese and chive fritters. Here is the recipe for the basic choux pastry, enough to make a generous batch of profiteroles or éclairs.
Amount
1.2 kg / 2 ½ lb Mix
Ingredients
255g / 9oz Plain Flour
200g / 7oz Butter
430 ml / ¾ pt Water
7 Eggs
¼ teaspoon Salt
Method
Combine the water, butter and salt in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stirring constantly bring it to the boil. Remove from the heat when it reaches boiling point. Stir in the flour. Return the pan to the heat and stir constantly until the dough forms a thick paste and begins to leave the sides of the pan as you stir.
Remove from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes to cool.
Put the mixture into a stand mixer. Beat in the eggs one at a time. The dough needs to be thick enough to pipe, so go cautiously with the last egg and leave some of it out if the right consistency has been reached.
When ready to bake, pipe the pastry into the desired shape and bake in a preheated oven at 200C for about 10 minutes until well risen. Reduce the heat to 175C and continue baking until the pastry is cooked through and completely firm, about another 20 minutes.
To Serve
When the cooked pastries are completely cool, pipe full of whatever filling you wish. Dip into melted chocolate sauce.
You can also use the basic choux pastry for this cheese and chive fritter recipe.
Points to Watch
Make sure you allow the batter to cool before adding the eggs or the pastry won’t puff up.
Don’t add eggs all in one go, you may not need all of them if the batter gets too runny.
View Nick Buckingham’s restaurant with one table, book online or call 01332 925 016.
read more of Nick Buckingham’s incredible recipes
Cheese and Chive Fritter recipe by Buckinghams’s restaurant Derby
Once you have mastered making choux pastry, you can use part of the quantity from the recipe for these delicious cheese and chive fritters. Ideal for an appetizer, snack or as part of a starter, they are very light and tasty. Use a full-flavoured mature cheddar for the best results, but you can also experiment with using other cheeses if you like.
Amount
8 Portions
Ingredients
225g / 8 oz Choux Pastry
110g / 4oz Cheddar Cheese
27g / 1 oz Chives, chopped fine
Homemade Pickle
Sweet and Sour Salad
Method
Grate the cheese finely and chop the chives quite finely too. Once you have made the choux pastry, mix together the choux pastry, cheese and chives.
Form the mixture into quenelles, using two dessert spoons, if you don’t have a special quenelle spoon, and then place them onto greaseproof paper until ready to fry.
Deep fry the quenelles in small batches for 2 ½ minutes.
To Serve
Serve at once, while piping hot.
Serve with a sweet and sour salad and home-made pickle.
View Nick Buckingham’s restaurant with one table, book online or call 01332 925 016.
read more of Nick Buckingham’s incredible recipes
Vegetable Pearls recipe by Buckingham’s restaurant Derby
When you are creating an elegant meal and want to plate it up beautifully, these vegetable pearls can be a great addition to your repertoire. A variety of colours and flavours of vegetable are presented in uniform balls that can be arranged around your meat to make an impressive main course presentation. It takes a little time to master the technique of scooping the vegetables into balls with a parisienne scoop or melon baller but the effect is well worth it for the wow factor.
Amount
8 Portions
Ingredients
1 Swede
1 Carrot
1 Courgette
1 Potato
1 Parsnip
1 Artichoke
Seasoning
Butter
Method
These are tiny balls cut with a parisienne scoop (melon baller). You can find them in many sizes from 1 1/4 inch (33mm) to 3/8th of an inch (9.5mm). The smaller ones are most effective when placed around the dish, but the bigger ones take less time to prepare.
Select any root vegetables but look for excellent quality and a variety of colours.
Peel the vegetables and then with a rocking motion from side to side make little vegetable balls with the parisienne scoop.
Allow two ounces of vegetable pearls per person.
In boiling salted water cook the vegetables until tender. Be careful not to over cook the courgettes. Mix the vegetable pearls together, season with salt and pepper and toss gently with melted butter.
To Serve
Gently reheat in butter and cascade around meat or fish
Points to Watch
Wash well to remove any tiny piece of vegetable
Keep the colour
Do not over cook
View Nick Buckingham’s restaurant with one table, book online or call 01332 925 016.
read more of Nick Buckingham’s incredible recipes
Spinach and Apple stuffing recipe
This baked stuffing is a delicious accompaniment to any roast poultry, bringing succulent fruit and savoury onion together in a combination that recalls the dishes of Elizabethan England. This stuffing would make an excellent addition to the traditional Christmas dinner, adding variety while staying true to the age-old flavours of winter festivities.
Amount
8 Portions
Ingredients
110g / 4 oz Apples (sliced neatly)
110g / 4 oz Onion (sliced neatly)
110g / 4 oz Spinach
55g / 2 oz Sultanas
55g / 2 oz Croutons (cut neatly)
55g / 2 oz Butter
55g / 2 oz / 4 tablespoons Olive Oil
Fresh Sage (finely chopped)
Seasoning
Method
Fry the bread croutons in the olive oil until crisp. Drain them on kitchen paper.
In a large frying pan, fry apples, onion, sage, spinach and sultanas together in a little more olive oil until softened, but without letting them colour.
Toss and mix well.
Add the fried croutons to the mix and season with care.
Put the mixture into a baking tray or dish and bake in the oven for five to eight minutes at 200C/400F.
To Serve
Serve with turkey, duck or guinea fowl.
Point to Watch
The stuffing must be freshly prepared so that it doesn’t go soggy.
Season with care.
Roast Pepper and Onion Mashed Potato recipe by Buckingham’s restaurant Derby
Roast Pepper and Onion Mashed Potato recipe by Nick Buckingham
A rich and savoury take on mashed potatoes, this version provides a hearty accompaniment to a meat dish with an extra touch of sophistication. The added flavours of roasted pepper and onion bring complexity to this favourite potato comfort food and the cream makes it rich, smooth and velvety. It can be prepared earlier in the day and reheated on the stove if required.
Amount
8 Portions
Ingredients
1 kg / 2lb Potatoes
110g / 4oz Butter
55g / 2 oz / 4 tablespoons Fresh Cream
110g / 4 oz Sweet Red Pepper (cut into thin slices)
110g / 4 oz Onions (cut into thin slices)
Seasoning
Method
Peel the potatoes and cut into large pieces. Put the potatoes in to a pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Simmer for twenty minutes until just tender.
Drain well allowing the steam to rise off and then hand mash until smooth, before adding any liquid or butter.
Pan fry the thinly sliced onions and red pepper in the butter until soft. Add to the potato with all the butter and liquid from the pan and beat in with the cream.
Season with care
Reheat when required in pan on stove
Points to Watch
Make sure the consistency is correct. It should be soft and fluffy, but not gluey.
Always mash the potatoes while they are still hot.
Do not add the butter or cream until the potatoes are fully mashed.
View Nick Buckingham’s restaurant with one table, book online or call 01332 925 016.
read more of Nick Buckingham’s incredible recipes
Venison recipe by Buckingham’s restaurant Derby
Venison recipe by Nick Buckingham
Venison is a rich and well flavoured meat, and also happens to be a great low fat option for the gourmet who is trying to eat healthily. Loin of venison is naturally quite tender so doesn’t need marinating. Cook the meat very simply as in the recipe below, with just a little flavour from herbs or lavender flowers. Then serve it combined with the complex flavours of this ragout of wild mushrooms.
Amount
8 Portions
Ingredients
1.5-2kg / 3-4 lb Piece of Loin of venison (completely denuded of all bone, fat, skin and sinew)
1 tsp Lavender Flowers
Seasoning
55g / 2 oz Garlic Butter
Method
Pan fry the venison to your liking in the garlic butter
Dust the meat with the lavender flowers and then roast in the oven for twenty minutes.
Season with care and keep warm until ready to serve.
To Serve
Slice the venison allowing three pieces per person. Arrange them on the plate with ragout of wild mushrooms to accompany.
Point to Watch
Venison can get tough if overcooked or reheated.
View Nick Buckingham’s restaurant with one table, book online or call 01332 925 016.
read more of Nick Buckingham’s incredible recipes
Traditional Roast Duck recipe by Buckingham’s restaurant Derby
Traditional Roast Duck recipe by Nick Buckingham
Roast duck is looked upon as a gourmet dish, but there is nothing complicated about cooking it. If you can get hold of some good Gressingham duck you have the makings of an impressive dinner party main course for very little effort. The succulent rich meat bastes itself, so all it needs is a few herbs and a little seasoning. Served with a port and redcurrant sauce and perhaps the spinach and apple stuffing on the side it makes a wonderful winter meal.
Amount
8 Portions
Ingredients
4 Whole Gressingham Duck
Fresh Thyme
Seasoning
Method
Remove all the pin quills and trim the excess fat from the duck.
Trust the duck with string to preserve its shape.
Rub a little seasoning and thyme all over the duck and roast in the oven for two hours at 180C / 375F in a large roasting tray until the skin is crispy and most of the fat has melted away.
Allow the duck to cool for 15 minutes, then split it in half down the breast and remove the bones apart from wing and leg bone.
Place on a clean tray, season and place in oven to keep warm until serving.
To Serve
Serve with this Port and Redcurrant Sauce
Points to Watch
Do not overcook the duck
View Nick Buckingham’s restaurant with one table, book online or call 01332 925 016.
read more of Nick Buckingham’s incredible recipes
Salmon Teriyaki recipe by Buckingham’s restaurant Derby
Salmon Teriyaki recipe by Nick Buckingham
An extremely simple supper or elegant main course for a dinner party, teriyaki salmon has plenty of flavour but is really easy to prepare and is very healthy too. Make sure that you buy good quality salmon and take care not to overcook it and you can’t go wrong. For extra flavour the salmon can be served with this piquant sauce.
Amount
8 Portions
Ingredients
8 x 110g / 4 oz Salmon Fillets (skinned and boned)
55g / 2 oz / 4 tablespoons Soy Sauce
27g / 1 oz Sugar
Small amount of Japanese Green Horseradish or English Mustard
13g / ½ oz / 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
Method
Mix together all the ingredients to make a marinade. Marinate the salmon in the mixture for at least an hour to allow the flavours to penetrate. Turn the salmon in the marinade at least once during the time.
Roast the marinated salmon fillets on a tray in a hot oven for six minutes.
To Serve
Serve on a leaf salad with this piquant sauce.
Points to Watch
Do not over cook the salmon.
View Nick Buckingham’s restaurant with one table, book online or call 01332 925 016.
read more of Nick Buckingham’s incredible recipes
Red Onion Marmalade recipe by Buckingham’s restaurant Derby
Red Onion Marmalade recipe by Nick Buckingham
A mellow red onion marmalade makes a wonderful relish to accompany all sorts of dishes from cold meats, pates and cheese to grilled meats and steaks. Plus it adds zest and flavour to many vegetarian dishes. The marmalade keeps well if bottled in sterilised jars and refrigerated, so you can make a bigger batch and store it until needed.
Amount
1 Pint
Ingredients
4 Red Onions
½ pt Water
¼ pt Red Wine
110g / 4 oz Sugar
Method
Slice the red onions very thinly. Cover with the water and red wine and bring to boiling point. Simmer together until the onions are really soft.
Add the sugar and stir in until it dissolves.
Bring the pan back to the boil and cook at a simmer until the mixture becomes a thin marmalade and no longer looks liquid. Stir regularly once the mixture is reducing, so that the onions don’t stick and burn.
To Serve
Serve in small bowls for people to help themselves or else put a dollop of the marmalade on top of a steak or burger or crostini.
Points to Watch
Ensure the onions are really soft before adding the sugar.
View Nick Buckingham’s restaurant with one table, book online or call 01332 925 016.
