Slow-Braised Pork Belly in Honey Mead, Soy, Juniper Berries & Liquorice - My Recipe in Collaboration with Bombay Sapphire Gin

Gin is one of my very favourite tipples, so I was thrilled to be asked to take part in Bombay Sapphire’s The Grand Journey, taking place between 17 and 23 July 2017 at London’s Banking Hall. But best of all, I got to experiment with some of Bombay Sapphire's botanicals and create a new recipe which I am sharing with you below, but more on that later.

The Grand Journey will be an immersive drinking and dining experience which explores the ten botanicals from around the world used in Bombay Sapphire gin. Ten dishes have been newly created by Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers of Story Restaurant especially for this event - each will feature one of these botanicals: juniper berries, citrus, angelica, orris root, coriander, liquorice, cassia bark, almonds, cubeb berries and West African grains of paradise.

I recently got to visit Story Restaurant to find out more, and to cook one of these dishes with Chef Tom Sellers. His scallop two ways uses Spanish lemons (one of the gin botanicals), and this is what we made together.

It was a delightful dish of raw and pan-fried scallops – Tom mixed diced raw scallops and apple with lemon, crème fraiche and fine slices of radish. The pan-fried scallop was served with a super-light and zingy lemon foam, a very sophisticated hollandaise-style creation brimming with flavour, zinginess and intense citrus flavours.

Bombay Sapphire brand ambassador Sean Ware was also at Story Restaurant to prepare some fabulous cocktails, some of which will be available at The Grand Journey. I was interested to hear that for Sean, the measurements for a perfect G&T are 100ml tonic to 50ml gin, with loads of ice.

But beyond that, one of Sean’s gin cocktails that really impressed me was the Maghreb Hi-Ball. Made from 1 part each of Bombay Sapphire gin, water, and Moroccan liqueur (a heady concoction of vodka, dried mint leaves, coriander seeds and saffron) to 2 parts of honey mead, garnished with fresh mint leaf, this was as exotic and spicy as it was refreshing.

This was also the first time I got to try mead, an ancient drink thought to be the oldest of all alcoholic beverages preceding even wine, made from fermented honey. Unsurprisingly, it has a pronounced taste of honey and a rich, luscious sweetness. With an alcohol content as high as 14.5%, it resembles a fortified wine.  

Inspired by this experience, I went back to my own kitchen and decided to play around with some of the botanicals in Bombay Sapphire gin, as well as honey mead. One ingredient I thought was crying out to be combined with these – PORK BELLY!

In this recipe, I use one of my favourite cuts of meat, which is a great accompaniment to the sweet flavours of the honey mead, the savouriness of dark Japanese soy sauce, and the botanicals licorice root and juniper berries. 

This is an easy dish to prepare, and one I hope you will try out at home – it will taste even better the next day. All you need is a bowl of white rice and a refreshing Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic to go with it.

Slow-Braised Pork Belly
in Honey Mead, Soy, Juniper Berries & Liquorice
With Tatsoi-Sesame Greens

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1kg g boneless pork belly, in one piece
• 200g raw brown rice

• 500ml chicken stock (or water)
• 240ml Honey Mead liqueur
• 120ml soy sauce
• 30g soft dark brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, lightly bruised with the back of a knife
• 8 dried juniper berries, lightly bruised with the back of a knife
• 5cm liquorice root (can substitute with 1 star anise, whole)

• 1 tbsp English mustard
• 1-2 tsp cornflour, dissolved into two tbsp water (optional)
• Baking paper, cut in a circle to the size of the casserole lid and with a centre vent/hole

For garnish:

• 200g Tatsoi greens (or Bok Choy), roughly chopped
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
• Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper 

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy casserole over medium-high heat. Add the pork belly, skin side down, and sear until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn over and brown on the other side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the browned pork to a colander and run under hot water to remove excess oil. Pour off the fat from the casserole and wipe it clean.

2. Return the pork belly to the casserole. Sprinkle the raw brown rice over the meat. Pour in enough cold water to cover by an inch and bring to a simmer over high heat. Cover with the cut out circle of baking paper with a centre vent. Braise gently until the pork is tender when pierced with a knife, about 2 hours (and up to 6 hours). Add water to the pot if necessary, as the meat should be kept covered in liquid throughout this process. 

3. Carefully remove the pork, keeping it in one piece. Discard the rice and the cooking liquid and wash off any residue off the pork under running water. Dry the pork belly with kitchen paper or a clean tea towel, and let it cool down to room temperature. If not cooking right away, tightly wrap the pork in cling film and refrigerate it for up to 2 days.

4. Cut the pork crosswise into 4 to 8 square pieces of roughly equal size. In a heavy casserole, add the chicken stock, honey mead, brown sugar, garlic cloves, soy sauce, liquorice root or star anise and crushed juniper berries, stirring over high heat until all the ingredients are mixed completely. Add the pork into the pan and return to the boil. Then reduce to a simmer and cook, turning occasionally for 1-2 hours or until the pork is very tender.

5. Gently strain the cooking liquid into a clean pan, reduce over a high heat until lightly syrupy and concentrated for about 5 minutes. Do be careful not to over-reduce the sauce as it will become too salty; if you need some thickening help, dissolve the cornflour in a little cold water and whisk in, little by little, until the sauce thickens to a coating consistency. Check for seasoning and adjust.

6. To prepare your garnish, blanch the leaves and stalks of the tatsoi greens in plenty of boiling, salted water for 15 seconds, drain, squeezing as much water as possible with a clean tea towel. Transfer the greens to a bowl, season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a tsp each of toasted sesame oil and seeds, mix well. 

7. To serve, top each piece of pork with about 2 tablespoons of the reduced sauce, a dollop of English mustard and the tatsoi-sesame greens on the side.

For more information on Bombay Sapphire gins, cocktails and The Grand Journey, visit their website at http://www.bombaysapphire.com.

Nikkei Recipe - Salmon Tiradito with Passion Fruit and Aji Amarillo Tiger's Milk

My cookbook 'Nikkei Cuisine: Japanese Food the South South American Way' was recently published by Jacqui Small. It was a hectic but incredible time writing this book, which saw me travelling to Peru, Brazil and Europe to research it. I learnt a great deal about Nikkei life and cuisine and some touching stories about my own family I never knew. The book is a personal collection of over 100 recipes ranging from family favourites to contributions by Japanese and Nikkei Michelin-starred restaurants I visited during my research trips.

I will be sharing with you in the coming 12 weeks, 12 recipes from the Nikkei cookbook and I hope they will encourage you try cooking Nikkei at home. If you try one of these recipes I would be keen to hear your thoughts.

Thanks and enjoy!

Salmon and Passion Fruit Tiradito
Crispy Butternut Squash, Espelette Pepper

The world is your oyster when it comes to seasoning Tiradito. Much as I love using lime as a major component for Leche de Tigre, there is a whole range of different fruits to play with. Here, I use passion fruit and aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow chilli) to create a zingy, punchy dressing that works really well with the fatty salmon. Finish the dish with a dusting of fine Espelette pepper for a gentle, fruity hint of chilli.

Serves 4

200g sushi-graded salmon fillet, skinned
½ butternut squash 
Sunflower oil for deep-frying
a few sprigs of chervil (or coriander)

For the passion fruit Leche de Tigre (Tiger’s Milk):
4 small passion fruit, juice and seeds (around 50g in total)
1 teaspoon of aji amarillo paste
1 lemon, juiced (60ml)
¼ teaspoon of salt
1 clove garlic, cut 
1cm slice of ginger
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sugar
¼ banana shallot, very finely chopped
2 tbsp of chervil, very finely chopped (or coriander)

A sprinkle of Espelette pepper (can substitute with sichimi pepper)
A sprinkle of Maldon salt flakes

Make the passion fruit leche de tigre by whizzing all the ingredients (except the shallot and chervil, and 1-2 tablespoons of passion fruit seeds to be reserved for the presentation) in a food processor. Pass it through a fine sieve, add the finely chopped shallot and chervil. Refrigerate until needed.

Peel the butternut squash. Using a zester, cut fine strips of squash rather like spaghetti. Line a plate with absorbent paper. Add sunflower oil to a pan and heat to 140°C (note – use a deep pan and do not fill more than 1/3 full as the hot oil will rise to the surface as the squash is added). Fry the butternut squash spaghetti for about 1 minute until lightly browned, transfer to the lined plate. The squash strands will not be crispy at this stage but do not worry – they will crisp up as they cool down. Season with sea salt.

Remove any residual brown flesh from the salmon fillet. Cut the salmon into thin slices and arrange them in a single row over each of the four serving plates. For each plate, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of the passion fruit leche de tigre over the salmon, dot with a few passion fruit seeds around the plate, arrange a line of crispy butternut squash spaghetti in the middle of the salmon row, and scatter a few sprigs of chervil (or coriander) over the squash and on the plate. Sprinkle some Maldon sea salt flakes and Espelette pepper. Serve immediately.

If you would like to purchase a copy of this book, it is on sale on Amazon here. Alternatively, if you are visiting my supper club, you can purchase a signed copy here.

Recipe: "Ankimo" - Sous-Vide Monkfish Liver with Grated Radish & Ponzu Dressing

Since finishing Cordon Bleu last autumn, I have been able to apply some of the French cooking techniques I learnt there to a number of different Japanese dishes at my supper club. Of all my recent experiments, the one I am happiest about is Ankimo - Japanese monkfish liver.

In Japan, monkfish liver, sometimes referred to as the Japanese foie gras, is very much a delicacy - it is usually cooked in a mixture of water and sake for about 10-15 minutes, rolled in a sushi mat to shape it and served with grated white radish (mooli) and ponzu dressing. It is soft, unctuous and very lightly fishy with a delightfully creamy texture. I love Ankimo and had it often when I was living in Tokyo.

Returning to the UK and after much research, I found that Fin & Flounder in London's trendy Broadway Market could supply me with monkfish liver. I had already eaten and purchased Fin & Flounder's fish on some occasions so I knew I was in good hands. Richard, the proprietor, was very helpful and despite having stopped selling monkfish liver at his shop a while back, he was happy to source and sell it to me whenever I placed an order. I cannot recommend Fin & Flounder highly enough - the level of service and the range and quality of fish Richard supplies are second to none.

Fish Counter at Fin & Flounder

So having found the monkfish liver, I was now ready to recreate this dish in London using my newly acquired Sous-Vide Supreme. Sous-Vide, pronounced "soo veed", is the French term for "under vacuum" and refers to a method of cooking in vacuum-sealed plastic pouches at low temperatures for long periods of time. I have written extensively about this cooking method in an earlier post including a recipe for Tamago Onsen - sous-vide duck eggs, served with silken tofu and ponzu dressing which you can read here.

We touched on sous-vide cooking at Cordon Bleu, but it wasn't until I acquired a Sous-Vide Supreme water bath that I managed to practice sous-vide(ing) at home. This piece of kit couldn't be simpler to use and it is reasonably priced at around £450 in John Lewis for the water bath and vacuum sealer. 

I found that sous-vide cooking gives the liver a creamier texture and greater concentration of flavour than simply boiling it in water. So, I can definitely say that the sous-vide technique produced better results for this dish than the more traditional or conventional cooking methods. The other practical advantage for using the sous-vide technique for this recipe is that the liver can be cooked and stored away well before serving as it is protected by the vacuum pouch.

I served Sous-Vide Monkfish Liver at my Japanese Supper Club as one of the starters during the summer of 2012 and had great feedback. This is a rather unusual but very rich and delicious dish and you don't need to go all the way to Japan to try it.

Sous-Vide Monkfish Liver with Grated Radish & Ponzu Dressing

Ingredients:

1kg monkfish liver
50ml sake
2 tbsp sea salt
1 medium-sized white radish (mooli)

Ponzu Dressing:
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp mirin
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp dashi powder
(Alternatively, ready-made ponzu dressing can be purchased from any Japanese food shop)

Optional:
Shichimi - Japanese Seven Spices
Black sesame seeds - for decoration
Radish or baby cress - for decoration

Equipment Required:
Sous-vide Supreme water bath
Sous-vide Vacuum Sealer
Vacuum pouches
Cling film

Method:

1. Remove the outer veins from the monkfish liver, rinse under running water, drain. Place the liver in a container, mix the sake and sea salt, cover and marinate overnight in the fridge.

2. Fill the Sous-Vide Supreme with water, set it to 65C. It will take about 10-15mins for the Sous-Vide Supreme to reach this temperature.

3. In the meantime, prepare the ballotines - remove the liver from sake and salt marinade, and pat it dry. Place two 60cm sheets of cling film one on top of the other over a clean work surface, pressing them down so that all air between the sheets is eliminated. Place the liver over the cling film (closer to you), and roll it tight (away from you) to make a cylindrical shape. Tie one end of the cling film cylinder, squeeze out any air from it through the other side, and roll it again to tighten it before tying the other end. The ballotine should be about one and half inches thick. Depending on the size of the livers, you should be able to make one or two ballotines.

4. Place the monkfish ballotines into a medium sized vacuum pouch. Using the Sous-Vide Supreme vacuum sealer (following the manufacturer's intructions), seal the pouch.

5. Place the sealed vacuum pouch in the Sous-Vide Supreme water bath when the temperature has reached 65C. Ensure that the pouch is completely submerged, sous-vide the monkfish liver for 3 hours and 15 minutes.

6. Prepare the ponzu dressing - mix all ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

7. In a large bowl, add some ice cubes and water. Once the cooking time is up, remove the vacuumed pouch from the Sous-Vide Supreme water bath and refresh it in the iced water to bring the temperature of the liver down rapidly. Refrigerate it until needed, the monkfish is served at room temperature (remember to take them out of the fridge at least one hour before serving).

8. Just before serving, peel and grate the white radish, squeezing out the excess water. Set aside.

9. Remove the liver ballotines from the vacuum pouch, very carefully remove the cling film layers from the liver, and pat it dry. Cut in 1.5 cm thick slices.

10. To serve, place one slice of monkfish liver in a small bowl or plate, top it with grated radish, one or two teaspoons of ponzu dressing, and a sprinkle of shichimi pepper, black sesame seeds and baby cress if using. Serve.

Tilda Goes Vintage - My Review and Recipe for Tilda’s 2006 Vintage Basmati Rice

In Asian cultures, rice is one of the most important elements of any meal. This was very much the case as I grew up in our Japanese household in Brazil, and to this day I relish good quality, well cooked rice as part of my cooking in the UK.

Basmati is, in my opinion, one of the best types of rice as far as flavour and versatility go. I love using it for Persian chelow rice, for oriental stir-fried rice or Indian Biryani. So when I recently heard that Tilda was to launch an aged, Vintage Basmati rice my curiosity was piqued.

To learn more about my review and adapted recipe for Japanese Chestnut Rice (Kuri Gohan), one of my favourite autumnal rice dishes, using Tilda's 2006 Vintage Basmati Rice, visit the Tilda website here.

Cooking Sous-Vide at Home & a Recipe for Tamago Onsen (Sous-Vide Duck Egg with Silken Tofu, Katsuoboshi Flakes and Ponzu Dressing)

One of my latest and most exciting acquisitions, the Sous-Vide Supreme is the first water bath device designed specifically for the home cook. I have been experimenting with it for a few weeks now, using it to cook a number of dishes at home and for my Japanese Supper Club with really good results.

Pronounced "soo veed", sous-vide is the French term for "under vacuum" and refers to a method of cooking in vacuum-sealed plastic pouches at low temperatures for long periods of time.

The idea is to cook food at precisely the same temperature that it will be served so that it is perfectly cooked throughout. For example, medium-rare steak is about 55°C in the centre. In sous-vide cooking, the entire piece of meat is cooked at 55°C, for as long as it takes for the heat to slowly penetrate to the centre. The whole steak, from edge to edge, reaches 55°C and cannot overcook, because the water temperature does not go any higher. In more conventional cooking methods, the same steak will normally end up with a well done ring on the outside, a medium ring inside and a rare ring in its centre.

I have spent many an-hour probing meat, fish and other food wondering about their doneness, inspecting the juices of roast chickens, using my senses of smell and touch to ensure an appropriate internal temperature and hoping that the food I cook is indeed thoroughly cooked. This fundamental step for any cook is much reduced if not eliminated with sous-vide cooking.

In addition to the above benefits, one of the most important aspects of sous-vide cooking is that you don’t have to watch the time. Since there is little risk of overcooking, you can leave the food in the Sous Vide Supreme for a few hours at the desired temperature and it will not be over-cooked.

Slow cooking also allows for better integration of flavours and creates tender textures. When spices, herbs or marinades are vacuum-sealed with meat, fish or vegetables, the vacuum helps the flavours to penetrate deeply into the food. The food literally stews in its own juices: no air, no water, no evaporation, just total concentration of flavour.

Since sous-vide is essentially a very controlled and precise poach, most food cooked in this way has the appearance of being poached. So foods like shellfish, fish, eggs, and some skinless poultry can be served as they are, or straight from their pouches. Steaks and pork chops however are not traditionally poached and will require searing. Searing is important when cooking meat because of the Maillard Reaction (the browning of meat) as it adds considerable flavour to cooked meat. More about the Maillard Reaction here.

One drawback of sous-vide cooking is therefore the need to sear meat before serving. Other snags which you should be aware of before making a purchase are the need to buy a vacuum sealer (£99) and vacuum pouches, the fact that two dishes cannot be cooked simultaneously if they require different temperatures, and the lengthy cooking times which require forward planning.

So, if sous-vide is so  successful as a method of cooking, why have we not been using it for years?  In fact, this technique has been used for many years in professional kitchens, by the likes of Thomas Keller, Heston Blumenthal and Ferran Adria.  It is only now that a domestic appliance (Sous Vide Supreme) is available that sous-vide cooking is accessible at home.  

The machines come in two sizes - standard and demi.  The standard version retails at £349 in John Lewis (£370 in Amazon) and the Sous-vide Vacuum Sealer will set you back £99.95 also from John Lewis.

I have been using my standard Sous-Vide Supreme device (SVS 10LS) to cook some of the dishes at my Japanese Supper Club for a number of weeks now and was very impressed by how easy it is to use and how consistently good the results were.

One of the dishes I made was Onsen Tamago (Japanese Hot-Spring Poached Egg). Onsens are popular throughout Japan as a family day out but in Kyushu Island, which has a great density of onsens, a whole cuisine has been created around cooking fish, vegetables and egg using the natural steam from the springs. 

Jigoku-Mushi is the method of cooking food by geothermal steam which has been traditional in the region for over 400 years. It was in Kyushu Island that I first came across onsen tamago (reviewed here), and I was thrilled to be able to cook this dish at my Japanese Supper Club using my Sous-Vide Supreme.

The beauty of cooking eggs using the Sous-Vide Supreme is that rather than getting a runny yolk, the final result is luscious, creamy yolk like nothing I have experienced before! Compared with conventional egg poaching (a nightmare even for the most experienced cooks), with Sous-Vide Supreme, my poached eggs are perfectly cooked every time, even when I am catering for more than 20 people.

Poached Egg vs Sous-Vide Egg

To sous-vide an egg, set the water temperature to 64C and poach between 45 and 90 minutes. As the eggs have their own protective shell, they do not require to be vacuum packed.

Sous-Vide egg has a creamy and luscious yolk like extra-thick double cream!

And traditionally poached egg.... in comparison.....

....has a runny yolk..... and is not nearly as exciting as the one on the right (Sous-Vide Egg)

Traditionally poached egg vs Sous-Vide egg

In a small bowl, place a 1cm slice of silken tofu, wide enough to accommodate the sous-vide egg. Gently shell the egg and place it over the tofu. Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of ponzu dressing over it (or simply soy sauce), and top with some katsuoboshi flakes if available. Sprinkle a little chopped chives and black sesame seeds on top and serve immediately. It couldn't be simpler. I love the combination of extra soft tofu and creamy duck egg yolk and it goes down a storm with my guests.

Tamago Onsen (Sous-Vide Duck Egg with Silken Tofu, Katsuoboshi Flakes and Ponzu Dressing) 

In the following weeks, I will be using my Sous-Vide Supreme for other Japanese dishes and will be posting my findings here.

Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake with Whisky Prunes and the Ultimate Green Tea Ice Cream

I have been serving this deliciously rich, gooey and flourless dark chocolate cake with a quenelle of green tea ice cream at my supper club, and have received so many requests for the recipe I decided to post it here.

My recently acquired Cuisinart ice cream machine has also inspired me to make more ice cream at home.  I would not attempt this recipe without it, Cuisinart's ice cream maker has opened up a whole new world of dessert possibilities for me and is one of my most prized kitchen appliances right now.

Green tea and dark chocolate is a wonderful (and classic) combination. Both cake and ice cream can be made days before being served, which make them an ideal dessert for a large number of people or for entertaining at home.

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Whisky Prunes

Ingredients:

• 280g good quality dark chocolate (at least 55% cocoa solids)
• 140g unsalted butter
• 6 tbsp whisky
• 5 large eggs, separated
• 140g caster sugar
• 20 ready-to-eat prunes
• Icing sugar for dusting

You will also need a 9 inch (23cm) springform cake tin, greased, and lined with baking parchment.

Method:

1. The prunes will need to be soaked preferably overnight in whisky. Before soaking, place them in a saucepan with 275ml water or until they are completely covered, bring them to a simmering point, and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Pour the prunes and their cooking liqueur into a bowl and stir in 4 tablespoons of whisky while they are still warm. Leave to cool, cover the bowl with cling film and chill in the fridge overnight (or for a few hours if you forget to start a day earlier!)

2. When you are ready to make the cake, pre-heat the oven to 170C. Start by breaking the dark chocolate into small pieces into a bowl, add the butter, and melt them over Bain-Marie with some simmering water, it will only take a few minutes (place some kitchen paper in the water to stop the bowl having direct contact with the heat and burning the chocolate!). Stir it to a smooth, glossy mixture. Off the heat, add 2 tablespoons of whisky, mix well and leave to cool.

3. In a large bowl, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Using an electric hand whisk, whisk the yolks and sugar for a few minutes until the mixture has partially whitened and once the whisk is lifted, leaves a ribbon-like trail, known in patisserie making as "ribbon-stage".

4. Cut the soaked prunes in half, combine them with the whisked egg mixture and the melted chocolate.

5. In another large bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks (use the electric hand whisk for this but ensure that it is completely clean and with no trace of water or yolks or else your egg whites will not form soft peaks!). Fold it into the chocolate mix.

6. Spoon this mixture into the prepared tin and bake the cake in the centre of the pre-heated (170C) oven for about 30 minutes or until the centre feels springy to the touch. Allow the cake to cool in the tin (it will deflate quite a bit so don't be alarmed). When it is completely cool, cover the tin in cling film and chill for several hours (or it can be made and chilled 2 or 3 days ahead if more convenient).

7. Cut the cake into small slices as it is very rich, and serve it dusted with icing sugar and a quenelle of green tea ice cream (recipe below).

The Ultimate Green Tea Ice Cream

I have tried many recipes for green tea ice cream but the one below is in my opinion the ultimate recipe. Recipes vary tremendously when it comes to the proportion of full fat milk and cream (some say a 5:1 ratio is ideal) but I found equal measures of cream and milk will deliver a deliciously smooth and velvety ice cream that is just right.

My Cuisinart ice cream maker (Ice Cream Professional) is a fantastic piece of kit. It is easy to use (and to clean) and having an in-built freezer, it will also churn the liquid-base mixture into ready-to-serve, firm ice cream in as little as 45 minutes. Cuisinart's Ice Cream Professional is definitely a cut-above anything else I have used in the past, and its sleek design is also the most appealing.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 pint double cream
• 1 pint full fat milk
• 2 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 300g caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons green tea powder (known as "matcha" - available in Japanese food stores)

Method:

1. The base of most ice creams is crème anglaise or light custard. Unlike the more traditional crème anglaise flavoured with vanilla pod, this ice cream base will be flavoured with green tea powder. Dissolve the green tea powder in a cup with a few tablespoons of water until smooth. I find a mini whisk like those used for cocktails works better at this than a spoon (green tea powder is a nightmare to get smooth).

2. In a pan, heat the milk and cream until it starts steaming, this will be around 65°C. Add the green tea mixture to the hot cream, whisking well to ensure that there are no lumps.

3. As the cream and milk mix is being heated, whisk the 2 eggs and 3 egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until the mixture is whitened (or "blanched" as it is known in patisserie). 

4. Pour 1/3 of the heated cream into the blanched egg yolks, mix well until completely combined. Pour this into the pan with the remaining cream & milk mixture and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly with a marise (heat-resistant spatula), scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir for about 5 minutes. The desired consistency is "coating consistency" or in other words, when a line remains clear as it is drawn on the back of the spatula. A word of warning - do not overheat the custard - egg yolks will coagulate at 65C, so to stop your crème anglaise from curdling, do not take it over that temperature. The high amount of sugar in this recipe will also help to stabilise the custard and stop it from curdling, but temperature control is essential when making crème anglaise.

5. Let the mixture cool down by placing it in an ice-bath. Pour the green tea custard into the ice-cream maker and churn until frozen, if using a Cuisinart's Professional Ice Cream machine, this will take a mere 45 minutes from room temperature. Place it in an airtight container and freeze until required. Partially thaw it for about 15-20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

London’s Best Cookery Schools – Feng Sushi

Sushi Masterclass with Silla Bjerrum

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Recipe for Salmon in White Miso & Sweet Potatoes

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WIN Silla’s Simple Japanese Cookbook!

Silla Bjerrum is Danish by birth but has lived in the UK since the early 90s. During her university years in London, when she planned to be an academic, Silla took up a job as a kitchen helper at a friend's Japanese cafe to make ends meet, and fell completely in love with the cuisine.

Five years later and by then a fully trained sushi chef, Silla opened her first Feng Sushi restaurant in Borough Market with co-founder Jeremy Rose in 1999. She travelled to Japan to hone her sushi-making skills, and was the first woman in the UK to be invited to the prestigious 7 Samurai Sushi Competition in 2008. In addition to running her own Feng Sushi School and running her 6 Feng Sushi branches across London, she regularly teaches at Leith's, Divertimenti and Billingsgate's The Seafood Training School.

I have been a great fan of Silla's cooking for years now having used her "Simple Japanese Cookbook" on many occasions, and so I was thrilled to be invited to one of the sushi classes taught by Silla Bjerrum herself.

Over a few hours, Silla taught us how to prepare and roll a variety of different sushi - it was fascinating to see how she made it look so completely effortless to feed a group 6 hungry students while teaching/entertaining us all at the same time. Under Silla's instruction we learnt and rolled some utterly scrumptious sushi including:


Cucumber maki, and avocado maki with pickled ginger;

Crab and avocado inside-out (iso) maki;

Hand-dived scallop iso maki;

Prawn tempura temaki (hand-rolled) and;

Salmon nigiri.

We were also given a demonstration on how to fillet, marinate and cut mackerel sashimi . Silla used a mixture of sea salt, sushi seasoning (rice wine vinegar and mirin) and soya sauce to marinate the mackerel which gave it a firmer texture and agreeably tart flavour.

We also learnt how to cut salmon sashimi from a salmon block or steaks. The salmon had a buttery texture, yet was ultra-light and very delicious.  Silla's secret is to marinate the salmon in sake to tenderise it and slightly cure it.

I was very impressed by Silla's commitment to sustainable fishing and by the quality of the ingredients used - no crabsticks in sight as Feng Sushi bans them in its kitchens opting for real crab meat, line-caught mackerel, sustainable salmon, and hand-dived scallops. Feng Sushi does not sell blue fin tuna and sources its fish and other produce locally whenever possible from green and ethical suppliers.

A sushi-making course at Feng Sushi costs £150 and takes place on a single day for about 4 and a half hours. You will learn about the Japanese ingredients used in the making of sushi and where to source them, how to prepare sushi rice, and roll a variety of maki and nigiri sushi. The course fee includes a sushi making kit, a copy of the Feng Sushi Cookbook, and enough sushi to take home to feed you and a friend. To learn more about Feng Sushi classes click here.

At the end of the class, Silla gave me a copy of her book "Simple Japanese" - this a book I already have and thoroughly enjoy. One of the recipes which I really like and have cooked on a number of occasions is the grilled miso salmon with sweet potato. I have reproduced Silla's recipe below for you to try at home.

Miso and Poppy Seed Salmon with Rustic Sweet Potatoes

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

200g white miso paste

2 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp sake

400g salmon fillets

2 large sweet potatoes

2 lemons

100ml olive oil

2 tbsp poppy seeds

salt and pepper

100g baby spinach leaves (or your preferred green leaves - rocket, watercress)

extra virgin olive oil for drizzing

Method

1. Place the miso paste, caster sugar, mirin and sake in a saucepan over a medium heat and stir constantly until the ingredients have all melted. Set aside to cool.

2. Cut the salmon into 2cm cubes and place in a plastic or glass container. Pour the cooled miso mixture and marinate in the fridge for 2-3 days.

3. On the day of serving, preheat the oven to 250°C/Gas 9. Cut the sweet potatoes into 2cm cubes and place on a baking tray. Squeeze the juice from the lemons and combine with the olive oil, poppy seeds and some salt and pepper. Pour this dressing over the sweet potatoes then, for extra flavour, add the lemon skins to the baking tray. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.

4. Take the salmon from the fridge and rinse off the marinade (I remove the excess marinade with my hands and then kitchen paper but do not rinse the fish). Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and place the fish on it. When the sweet potatoes have been cooking for 20 minutes, place the tray of fish in the oven, turn it down to 220°C/Gas 7 and continue cooking.

5. Divide the baby spinach or other green leaves among serving bowls. When the potatoes and salmon are cooked, remove from the oven and discard the lemon skins. Gently mix the fish and sweet potatoes together and place on top of the spinach. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and serve as a main course.

I would like to give this new copy to a reader of The London Foodie so that you can try this recipe for yourself! I would also be interested to hear your feedback on this Japanese cookery book.

For a chance to win a copy of Simple Japanese by Silla Bjerrum, all you need to do is leave a comment with your NAME and E-MAIL address in this post (luizharaAThotmailDOTcom). The winner will be randomly selected  on the 20th May at 7:00pm and his/her name will be published here.


The winner of this competition who was randomly selected by random.org is entrant number 1! Congratulations Kay! I will be in touch to arrange delivery of Silla's cookbook to you.