Pub grub made proper
This year has been a busy one for me so far. My first cookbook and TV series have been a lot of hard graft but, in the same breath, it has sort of been effortless as well. Of course, it’s centred around doing what I love most of all – thinking, planning, creating, cooking and eating food.
The process of creating Proper Pub Food has taken me on a similar journey to when my wife Beth and I opened our own pub, The Hand & Flowers, in Marlow in 2005. Before then I worked in Michelin-starred restaurants; but when I had the opportunity to open a business myself, I wanted something that felt more like me. In just under a year we were awarded one Michelin star and 3 AA Rosettes, then in 2011 we became the first pub in the UK to be awarded two Michelin stars. My main goal for Proper Pub Food is to show how achievable fantastic pub food can be to prepare – right in your own kitchen or barbecue.
I like to take ordinary, everyday dishes and make them extraordinary. I’m not interested in pretentious food – for me it’s about honest dishes with flavour and taste that’s the result of time, care and attention. Great pub food should be accessible to everyone.
The quality and intensity of the ingredients are the key: keep it simple and let those ingredients speak for themselves.
The result? Robust, delicious, interesting, good-looking dishes that people can’t wait to eat. These recipes showcase great, simple cooking that brings a smile to the face of everyone at your table.
Proper Pub Food, by Tom Kerridge, with photographs by Cristian Barnett, is published by Absolute Press, priced £20.
Serves 4
For the tapenade
Roll the pu pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 25cm x 12cm. Transfer the pastry to a sheet of baking parchment on a baking sheet. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 6 hours.
Meanwhile, make the tapenade. Put the black olives, anchovies, capers, Parmesan cheese and garlic in a food processor and process to break down. Add the olive oil and blend again to make a thick purée. Leave to one side until needed.
When ready to bake the tart, preheat the oven to 200C/395F/gas 6. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the pastry for 15 to 20 minutes until it is crisp and golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully transfer the pastry to a wire rack to cool.
Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to the boil and put a bowl of iced water in the sink. Add the tomatoes and boil for 10 seconds, then immediately drain and place in the iced water to stop them cooking. Drain the tomatoes again and use a small knife to peel off the skins.
Cut the tomatoes into 0.5cm slices and lay them on a non-metallic tray. Season with the thyme leaves, sugar and sea-salt flakes, then leave for 15 to 20 minutes, until they soften. Transfer to a clean tea towel and leave to dry.
Reheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5. Spread a layer of tapenade over the base of the pu pastry tart case, leaving a border on all sides. Layer the tomatoes on top, placing a basil leaf between each slice. Drizzle the tart with olive oil and return to the oven for 5 to 8 minutes to warm through.
While the tart is in the oven, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Dust the gurnard fillets in flour, shaking off the excess. Place them in the oil, skin-sides down, and fry for 7 to 8 minutes, until not quite cooked through.
Remove the tart from the oven and place the gurnard fillets on top. Sprinkle with sea-salt flakes, then return to the oven for a further 1 to 2 minutes until the sh is cooked through, the flesh flakes easily and the pastry is hot. Again, remove the tart from the oven, drizzle with a little more olive oil and add a few fresh basil leaves. Sprinkle with sea-salt flakes and it’s ready to serve.
Makes 30 to 40 mini meringues
For the meringues
Bring the double cream to the boil in a saucepan over a high heat. Whisk the eggs and the caster sugar together in a heatproof bowl until light and fluffy. Pour over the boiling cream and mix together. Pour the mix back into the pan and whisk over a medium heat until it reaches 87C on an instant-read thermometer: it needs to reach this temperature in order to set.
Pass the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in the fresh lemon verbena and grate in the zest of one of the lemons. Do not discard the zested lemon. Leave the mix to one side for 25 minutes to cool. After the mix has cooled, remove the lemon verbena.
Pour the mix into a blender and blend until smooth, then pour into 6 serving dishes or ramekins. Transfer them to the fridge for at least 3 hours to set.
To make the meringues, preheat the oven to 110C/ 230F/gas ¼ and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar and continue beating until it is incorporated. Add the icing sugar and continue to whisk until the meringue is stiff and glossy.
Spoon the meringue into a piping bag tted with a small plain nozzle and pipe mini meringues on to the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, until crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and leave the meringues to cool completely. Do not attempt to take them o the baking sheet until they are cool.
When ready to serve, take the set creams out of the fridge and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Use a blowtorch to melt the sugar and glaze them.
Segment the lemons and place them on a metal baking tray, then use the blowtorch to char them. This will give a lovely toasted flavour to them. Place the lemon segments on top of the glazed creams, add some meringues and serve. Any leftover meringues will keep in an airtight container for several weeks.
The process of creating Proper Pub Food has taken me on a similar journey to when my wife Beth and I opened our own pub, The Hand & Flowers, in Marlow in 2005. Before then I worked in Michelin-starred restaurants; but when I had the opportunity to open a business myself, I wanted something that felt more like me. In just under a year we were awarded one Michelin star and 3 AA Rosettes, then in 2011 we became the first pub in the UK to be awarded two Michelin stars. My main goal for Proper Pub Food is to show how achievable fantastic pub food can be to prepare – right in your own kitchen or barbecue.
I like to take ordinary, everyday dishes and make them extraordinary. I’m not interested in pretentious food – for me it’s about honest dishes with flavour and taste that’s the result of time, care and attention. Great pub food should be accessible to everyone.
The quality and intensity of the ingredients are the key: keep it simple and let those ingredients speak for themselves.
The result? Robust, delicious, interesting, good-looking dishes that people can’t wait to eat. These recipes showcase great, simple cooking that brings a smile to the face of everyone at your table.
Proper Pub Food, by Tom Kerridge, with photographs by Cristian Barnett, is published by Absolute Press, priced £20.
TOMATO AND OLIVE TART WITH CORNISH GURNARD
Serves 4 - 500g all-butter pu pastry, defrosted if frozen
- plain white our for rolling out the pastry and dusting the fish
- 6 to 8 plum tomatoes, with a small X cut in the top of each
- 2 tsp thyme leaves
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp sea-salt akes, plus extra for sprinkling
- handful of basil leaves
- olive oil
- 4 large gurnard fillets, or 8 smaller ones, total weight about 800g
For the tapenade
- 115g stoned black olives
- 25g salted anchovy fillets
- 2 tbsp capers in brine, drained
- 3 tbsp freshly Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 130ml extra-virgin olive oil
Roll the pu pastry out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 25cm x 12cm. Transfer the pastry to a sheet of baking parchment on a baking sheet. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 6 hours.
Meanwhile, make the tapenade. Put the black olives, anchovies, capers, Parmesan cheese and garlic in a food processor and process to break down. Add the olive oil and blend again to make a thick purée. Leave to one side until needed.
When ready to bake the tart, preheat the oven to 200C/395F/gas 6. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake the pastry for 15 to 20 minutes until it is crisp and golden brown. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and carefully transfer the pastry to a wire rack to cool.
Meanwhile, bring a saucepan of water to the boil and put a bowl of iced water in the sink. Add the tomatoes and boil for 10 seconds, then immediately drain and place in the iced water to stop them cooking. Drain the tomatoes again and use a small knife to peel off the skins.
Cut the tomatoes into 0.5cm slices and lay them on a non-metallic tray. Season with the thyme leaves, sugar and sea-salt flakes, then leave for 15 to 20 minutes, until they soften. Transfer to a clean tea towel and leave to dry.
Reheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas 5. Spread a layer of tapenade over the base of the pu pastry tart case, leaving a border on all sides. Layer the tomatoes on top, placing a basil leaf between each slice. Drizzle the tart with olive oil and return to the oven for 5 to 8 minutes to warm through.
While the tart is in the oven, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Dust the gurnard fillets in flour, shaking off the excess. Place them in the oil, skin-sides down, and fry for 7 to 8 minutes, until not quite cooked through.
Remove the tart from the oven and place the gurnard fillets on top. Sprinkle with sea-salt flakes, then return to the oven for a further 1 to 2 minutes until the sh is cooked through, the flesh flakes easily and the pastry is hot. Again, remove the tart from the oven, drizzle with a little more olive oil and add a few fresh basil leaves. Sprinkle with sea-salt flakes and it’s ready to serve.
LEMON VERBENA CREAMS WITH CHARRED LEMON AND MERINGUES (pictured top)
Serves 6Makes 30 to 40 mini meringues
- 750ml double cream
- 4 eggs
- 40g caster sugar
- 120g fresh lemon verbena, plus extra sprigs, to decorate
- 2 lemons
- demerara sugar for dusting
For the meringues
- 75g egg whites (approximately 2 eggs’ worth)
- 70g caster sugar
- 70g icing sugar
Bring the double cream to the boil in a saucepan over a high heat. Whisk the eggs and the caster sugar together in a heatproof bowl until light and fluffy. Pour over the boiling cream and mix together. Pour the mix back into the pan and whisk over a medium heat until it reaches 87C on an instant-read thermometer: it needs to reach this temperature in order to set.
Pass the custard through a fine sieve into a bowl. Stir in the fresh lemon verbena and grate in the zest of one of the lemons. Do not discard the zested lemon. Leave the mix to one side for 25 minutes to cool. After the mix has cooled, remove the lemon verbena.
Pour the mix into a blender and blend until smooth, then pour into 6 serving dishes or ramekins. Transfer them to the fridge for at least 3 hours to set.
To make the meringues, preheat the oven to 110C/ 230F/gas ¼ and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar and continue beating until it is incorporated. Add the icing sugar and continue to whisk until the meringue is stiff and glossy.
Spoon the meringue into a piping bag tted with a small plain nozzle and pipe mini meringues on to the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, until crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and leave the meringues to cool completely. Do not attempt to take them o the baking sheet until they are cool.
When ready to serve, take the set creams out of the fridge and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Use a blowtorch to melt the sugar and glaze them.
Segment the lemons and place them on a metal baking tray, then use the blowtorch to char them. This will give a lovely toasted flavour to them. Place the lemon segments on top of the glazed creams, add some meringues and serve. Any leftover meringues will keep in an airtight container for several weeks.