FLOWER POT KITCHEN: CANAPES: BLACK PUDDING SCOTCH EGG, SCALLOP & PRAWN MORNAY, FOUR CHEESE FONDUE & 1970'S PATE & BUTTERED GARLIC MUSHROOMS

8 Jan 2012

CANAPES: BLACK PUDDING SCOTCH EGG, SCALLOP & PRAWN MORNAY, FOUR CHEESE FONDUE & 1970'S PATE & BUTTERED GARLIC MUSHROOMS

CANAPES FOR CHRISTMAS DAY

BLACK PUDDING, PORK & SAGE SAUSAGE MEAT PANKO BREADED

QUAIL'S SCOTCH EGG

KING SCALLOPS & PRAWNS PAN FRIED IN GARLIC BUTTER, SET IN A FOUR CHEESE MORNAY, PANKO BREAD CRUMBS & FRIED

FOUR CHEESE FONDUE MORNAY PANKO BREADED BALLS

FOR MY MUM, PORK PATE, GARLIC BUTTER MUSHROOMS IN PANKO BREAD CRUMBS

COATING THE MIXTURES
Each ball is coated in beaten egg and then rolled in Japanese panko bread crumbs, these are the best as they are very dry and crispy, which also means they don't absorb much fat and leave a really crisp canape.

TO FRY
Heat oil to 180 degrees and gently fry for 3 - 4 minutes until light golden in colour, drain and serve.

BLACK PUDDING & QUAIL'S EGG
2/3 black pudding
1/3 pork sausage meat
Quails egg just boiled
Season with celery salt

Break up the black pudding and mix roughly into the sausage meat, season lightly. Boil the quails eggs, for approx 2-3 minutes so that they are just set, place in cold water to loosen the shells, then once cooled peel and season with celery salt. Take a ball of the meat mix and flatten slightly in the palm of your hand, place the quail's egg into the centre and mould the meat mix around the egg encasing it completely, dip in the beaten egg & panko bread crumbs.

SCALLOP & PRAWN MORNAY
Pan fry gently the pancetta, leave to cool meanwhile poach the scallops and prawns in a court bouillon till just cooked, take out and dice finely and mix with the pancetta.

COURT BOUILLON
250ml white wine
1 shallot sliced
1 carrot diced
1 bay leaf
4 whole black peppercorns
To make the court bouillon put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, strain the bouillon and return to the pan.

FOUR CHEESE FONDUE SAUCE
50g butter
3 tbsp flour
300ml milk
125g gruyere grated
100g emmental grated
100g cheddar
50g parmesan

Melt the butter gently and stir in the flour making a roux, cook on gently for a few minutes. Add the milk a ladle at a time stirring well once all the milk has been absorbed cook on gently for approx 15 minutes, stirring regularly, add all the cheese and stir in well till melted, taste and season accordingly, this mornay should be very thick. Leave to cool and then mix some in with the prawns and scallops and roll into balls ready to coat.

FOUR CHEESE FONDUE BALLS

Take the cheese mornay and roll into balls and coat in the panko breadcrumbs.

BUTTER MUSHROOMS & PATE
50g Chicken livers
1 garlic fine chopped
1 shallot fine diced
Dash of ooil & butter
50ml Cognac
100ml double cream
Pinch of mace
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 sprig of thyme
Salt & pepper if needed

Pan fry the garlic, shallots & chicken livers in the butter & ooil gently till pink add the Cognac and reduce by a third. Take off the heat and blitz, add the cream, herbs & seasoning then puree to a smooth pate, taste and adjust the seasoning to taste.

BUTTER GARLIC MUSHROOMS
4 mushrooms diced finely
25g butter
Dash ooil
2 cloves garlic fine diced

Melt the ooil & butter, pan fry the garlic and mushrooms till the garlic has a nutty brown chewy texture and the mushrooms are soft. Leave to cool and then mix in with the pate, roll into balls and coat in the breadcrumbs.

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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.