FLOWER POT KITCHEN: BEAUTIFUL GLORIOUS SMOKED HADDOCK & FRESH PRAWN MORNAY FISH PIE WITH A PUFF PASTRY TOP

18 Jan 2012

BEAUTIFUL GLORIOUS SMOKED HADDOCK & FRESH PRAWN MORNAY FISH PIE WITH A PUFF PASTRY TOP

PAN FRIED PRAWN SHELLS IN OOIL & BUTTER WITH ONION, LEEK & GARLIC, MAKING DEEP BASE FLAVOURS FOR THE STOCK

POACHING LIQUOR READY FOR THE FISH

BEAUTIFUL ROUX COOKING OUT THE FLOUR

GLOSSY BECHAMEL SAUCE MADE NOW READY FOR THE MORNAY

RAW PEELED TIGER PRAWNS, POACHED SALMON, UN-DYED OAK SMOKED HADDOCK & COD FILLET

PERFECT MOLLET EGGS

INGREDIENTS

Un-dyed smoked haddock

Cod fillet

Poached salmon

Raw shell on prawns (shelled)

1 shallot fine diced

1 half a leek fine sliced

1 garlic fine diced

100g mature cheddar grated

ooil & butter

3 just set boiled eggs

600ml milk

50g butter

50g plain flour

1 knob of concentrated chicken jelly stock

1 tin sweetcorn

Salt, black & white pepper

1 pack puff pastry

1 beaten egg wash

TO MAKE THE STOCK POACHING LIQUID

Take the prawn shells and gently pan fry in the ooil and butter with the shallots, leeks & garlic for 5 minutes. Add the milk and bring up to a very low simmer for 5 minutes, gently add all the raw fish and poach, the fish will only take approx 3 minutes to cook, don't be tempted to stir the stock, as the fish will flake up too fine. Once cooked remove the fish with a slotted spoon and place on a warm plate in a warm oven, just to keep the fish warm while you make the roux.

THE ROUX SAUCE

Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and stir well, cook out the flour for 5 minutes gently. Start adding the poaching stock a ladle at a time, stirring well, once you have a medium thick sauce, very gently simmer on for approx 10 minutes, taste and season with salt and pepper, add the poached fish & poached salmon and leave to tick over gently warming the fish up to 75 degrees. Meanwhile cut the puff pastry into four and roll out to a A5 size, score the edges and brush with egg wash and bake for 10 minutes at 190 degrees.

Boil the eggs for 6 minutes adding the eggs to the pan when it is at a simmer to boiling and as soon as the timer beeps do not take your time immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking process, peel and slice into quarters.

Heat the sweetcorn in a pan with a knob of butter and some pepper, then when ready serve the fish pie mix on a plate, add four quarters of the boiled eggs and top with the puff pastry lid, and a side of buttery peppery sweetcorn.

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LIFE MY PASSION

Welcome to my daily life of cooking, one winters day many years ago my family and I were all inspired by a back to back rainy day of River Cottage this got us to stop talking about and start actually doing, suddenly three weeks later eight vegetable beds were dug, greenhouse erected and our first vegetables were propagating, this was the start to raising and growing our own food, our fabulous son Oscar changed our path in life which lead us to sell our small thriving restaurant of 10 yrs and to start our new life (Terrifying!) a life of the self sufficient in touch with nature and seasons, taking a step back and looking forward to a slower change of pace and making the most of every moment.

My passion for cooking was stronger than ever and having time at home with Oscar I found I had a new direction and I was no longer striving for perfection, I was suddenly very passionate for the enjoyment of the other side of food, something I had not realised, being the Chef/Cook and every other duty of your own small restaurant made me see that I never actually took time to cook what I wanted!

So there I was muddy boots and hands digging deep in more than one sense and I found myself transported back in time to where everyone grew some of their own food, it is a wonderful world with a real sense of achievement and loss, Slugs Snails and Caterpillars! But thats another story! Childhood memories of summers when I lived with my grand parents reminded me of so much that I had learnt about the make do and mend generation that I had forgotten.

Now as a family we love our free wild food days where we gather what nature has provided, have gone from being mini mini garden urban small holders, who did raised pigs at home because we could not wait to find land and supporting ourselves from our garden to now owning a very small farm that allows us to grow more vegetables for the whole of our family and neighbours, raise our own gorgeous Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, (Sausages!) and pets! Dorset Down sheep, chickens for eggs and pet goats! Suddenly having large quantities of produce started to wake up the Cook in me!

The Cook was awake that part of me that wants to cook for the masses and I found myself setting up Flowerpot Kitchen, a Farmers Market Stall, I wanted to use our honest raised meats and make old fashioned pork pies, rabbit pies and game pies from the local game keeper along with old fashioned techniques and the best hot water crust pastry. This in turn grew to a small cottage industry from home weekly supplying three farm shops and a deli along with also attending three farmers markets A few years later there came a time when my son Oscar's health changed and it was an easy decision to stop.

I still hold the occasional pop up 40 seater restaurant or gourmet lunch which we do for local charities for the love of sharing food and to remind that Cook in me why I love our go slower self sufficient life!

So here I am sitting amoung the vegetables watching the chickens loving that every season nature teaches me something new and that nature is in charge! She has taught me to just go with it and grow. Give it a try from a tray of salad on your windowsill to a few tomato plants it all counts.