Thursday, 2 January 2014
A letter from the Prime Minister
Lovely start to the year, hand written letter from DC looking forward to trying our malt...
Friday, 6 December 2013
Cooking with apple brandy - Chicken Chasseur
Hunter's Chicken might be a bit old fashioned for a lot of people, but I think its a delicious dish and ideal for the damp chilly times of year. Alcohol is used sparingly in this dish - normally some calvados and white wine.
Take your whole chicken and de-bone. I give the wings to the dogs. The carcass goes to stock. Plain flour the legs and breasts. Hot pan, olive oil, brown the chicken.
Meanwhile, finely chop a shallot and one red pepper. In a hot pan cook with a little olive oil until the shallot bits are transparent. Add two tbsps of apple brandy and reduce to a syrup, then add a finger of Dr J's Gin and reduce to a syrup. Take off the heat of your chicken bits aren't brown next.
When the chicken is browned add it to the shallots etc, mix through, had a handful of finely chopped tarragon, a chicken stock cub (crumbled) and 500ml of passata. Cook on a low heat for 10 minutes and serve with sauteed spuds and steam seasonal veg'. Lovely.
Take your whole chicken and de-bone. I give the wings to the dogs. The carcass goes to stock. Plain flour the legs and breasts. Hot pan, olive oil, brown the chicken.
Meanwhile, finely chop a shallot and one red pepper. In a hot pan cook with a little olive oil until the shallot bits are transparent. Add two tbsps of apple brandy and reduce to a syrup, then add a finger of Dr J's Gin and reduce to a syrup. Take off the heat of your chicken bits aren't brown next.
When the chicken is browned add it to the shallots etc, mix through, had a handful of finely chopped tarragon, a chicken stock cub (crumbled) and 500ml of passata. Cook on a low heat for 10 minutes and serve with sauteed spuds and steam seasonal veg'. Lovely.
Monday, 25 November 2013
Apple Brandy is here!
Good morning!We have just completed the first batch of this year's apple brandy.
Last year's was a true delight and, I must say, I had more than a little trepidation that with year to year crop variations we might not fly so high. That said, this years crops - as I am sure you will know - have been quite incredible - with so many varieties we were able to refine even on last year's.
Distilled five times. The breadth of apple notes, with layers from caramelised apple tart through to fresh crisp skins punching through a golden rounded finish. A true delight!
I was a little decadent yesterday with my sauce for my belly of pork: 500ml cider, reduced to syrup, 500ml cox apple juice, reduced to a syrup, 250ml double cream, thicken, 50ml of apple brandy, vapour off and finished with some pork juices.... well that puts me into a middle-distance trance!
If you fancy a super smooth treat its here.
Cheers!
J
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Christmas Spirit is here!
It is fast approaching that time of year again. Personally I love it. Seasonality is often forgotten and comes with so many delights - our Christmas Spirit is one of them!
It starts life as our Old Salt Rum, made from black-strap molasses, fermented for about 12 days and distilled twice in our 200L copper pot stills; discarding the heads and tails as we go.
Next we infuse with raisins, sultanas, freshly split Indian vanilla pods, freshly pared citrus zests, star anise, cardamom and pixie dust. Leave for a good old while and then bottle.
Its a superb sip, complex, layered and fun; tastes pretty much like a liquid Christmas Pud. I enjoy it on its own, but naturally goes well with pud or cheese course. No finer thing to crack open on the day!
Apple brandy in a couple of days - yippee!
Friday, 5 July 2013
Old Salt Rum smoked Salmon
As the garden party season swings into high summer time for the essential hot smoked salmon.
Kicked off with 3kg of salmon fillet (serves 10) from the superb Colin at Fish in Newmarket.
My cure - 250ml Old Salt Rum, 1kg of Rock Salt and 300g of dark molasses. Smear the fillets in the mix and leave covered in the fridge for 24 hours.
Next on our cheap BBQ waited until the char' was white and flame less. Dipped a couple of good slabs of apple wood in water and placed on the cinders. Then cover loosely with foil to allow the smoke the circulate. I placed the salmon on a disposable aluminium tray I had pierced lots of holes in with a knife.
Smelt fantastic. The damp generates lots of smoke! So beware! Two hours did the job, with lots of checking to make sure there was lots of smoke, but no flames!
Looks superb and smells better. Avoided a sneaky pick for breakfast. Roll on this evening!
Kicked off with 3kg of salmon fillet (serves 10) from the superb Colin at Fish in Newmarket.
My cure - 250ml Old Salt Rum, 1kg of Rock Salt and 300g of dark molasses. Smear the fillets in the mix and leave covered in the fridge for 24 hours.
Smelt fantastic. The damp generates lots of smoke! So beware! Two hours did the job, with lots of checking to make sure there was lots of smoke, but no flames!
Looks superb and smells better. Avoided a sneaky pick for breakfast. Roll on this evening!
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Cooking with Dr J's Gin
Cooking is one of my passions.
This is a quick-ish little number that is delish. Pan-seared chicken breast with a Dr J's Gin, leak, mushroom, blue cheese and tarragon sauce, served with new potatoes and whatever good veg you have to hand.
The sauce takes about 30 mins so kick off with that.
Sauce: hot pan add good butter - 2 tbsp - two thinly sliced field mushrooms and a thinly sliced stalk of a leak plus a good grind of fresh black pepper. Cook until the leak is nearly transparent and has unravelled. Next in goes a third to half a bottle of Dr J's Gin, reduce to a syrup. Add a pint of chicken stock, reduce to a third. Add a heap tsp of Dijon mustard, stir and add 50g of your favourite blue cheese. Cropwell is always good. Stir and add 200ml of double cream. Bring to a simmer. Take off the heat. Sprinkle on a tbsp of finely chopped tarragon and cover. Warm through again prior to serving.
Make a paste for the chicken breasts: in a m&p grind up 1 heap tsp of fennel and half a chicken stock cube. Empty into a bowl, add 1 tsp of honey, 1 tbsp of olive oil and a 1/2 tsp of finely chopped rosemary. Blend together and coat the chicken breasts with this.
In a hot pan sear skin side down for 90 seconds, flip over and place the pan in the medium oven for 12 minutes. Leave the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Damn delish.
This is a quick-ish little number that is delish. Pan-seared chicken breast with a Dr J's Gin, leak, mushroom, blue cheese and tarragon sauce, served with new potatoes and whatever good veg you have to hand.
The sauce takes about 30 mins so kick off with that.
Sauce: hot pan add good butter - 2 tbsp - two thinly sliced field mushrooms and a thinly sliced stalk of a leak plus a good grind of fresh black pepper. Cook until the leak is nearly transparent and has unravelled. Next in goes a third to half a bottle of Dr J's Gin, reduce to a syrup. Add a pint of chicken stock, reduce to a third. Add a heap tsp of Dijon mustard, stir and add 50g of your favourite blue cheese. Cropwell is always good. Stir and add 200ml of double cream. Bring to a simmer. Take off the heat. Sprinkle on a tbsp of finely chopped tarragon and cover. Warm through again prior to serving.
Make a paste for the chicken breasts: in a m&p grind up 1 heap tsp of fennel and half a chicken stock cube. Empty into a bowl, add 1 tsp of honey, 1 tbsp of olive oil and a 1/2 tsp of finely chopped rosemary. Blend together and coat the chicken breasts with this.
In a hot pan sear skin side down for 90 seconds, flip over and place the pan in the medium oven for 12 minutes. Leave the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Damn delish.
Thursday, 20 June 2013
Apple port
Well it has been full on. Never a bad thing to have to contend with. So a big excuse me, going to make a special effort to keep blogging!
One idea we have recently been working on is an apple port - probably cause all sorts of issues with EC naming, but it helps communicate what it is. To all you port aficionados out there the aim was to make something similar, but using the delish English apple in its many guises.
Port - wine fortified with brandy and some spices. So apple port - take a good still cider and fortify with our five times distilled apple brandy. The result: something superb, midway between a sherry and a port. A little more work and we hope to have it on sale in July. Ideal as either an aperitif or a digestif.
Take a leaf out of Marco Pierre Whites books I recently used it to make a spectacular sauce for belly of pork: 500ml of apple port, reduce to a syrup, not a caramel, 500ml of fresh apple juice, reduce to a syrup, double cream to thicken to taste, 50ml of apple brandy, juices from the pork belly, thicken slightly and serve over the sliced rested pork belly.... mmmm, wrong time of day to be recalling that!
One idea we have recently been working on is an apple port - probably cause all sorts of issues with EC naming, but it helps communicate what it is. To all you port aficionados out there the aim was to make something similar, but using the delish English apple in its many guises.
Port - wine fortified with brandy and some spices. So apple port - take a good still cider and fortify with our five times distilled apple brandy. The result: something superb, midway between a sherry and a port. A little more work and we hope to have it on sale in July. Ideal as either an aperitif or a digestif.
Take a leaf out of Marco Pierre Whites books I recently used it to make a spectacular sauce for belly of pork: 500ml of apple port, reduce to a syrup, not a caramel, 500ml of fresh apple juice, reduce to a syrup, double cream to thicken to taste, 50ml of apple brandy, juices from the pork belly, thicken slightly and serve over the sliced rested pork belly.... mmmm, wrong time of day to be recalling that!
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