Simple recipes and perfect dinner party food
This tempting collection of recipes has been designed by two star Michelin chef Shane Osborn so now you can experience a little French gastronomy at home.
For more impressive recipes, Starters has some fantastic, versatile ideas for light dishes and mezze style dining with a contemporary twist.
If you really don't feel like cooking yourself, you can always consider our At your place service.
Chilled Pumpkin and Ginger Soup with Crystallised Ginger
(Serves 6)Prep time: 15mins
Cooking time: 1hr 15mins
900g Pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped
50ml Dry white wine
1L Chicken stock
75ml Double cream
100g Unsalted butter
20g Ginger peeled and roughly sliced
70g sugar
10g Salt
40g piece Ginger, peeled and cut into match size strips
2tbsp Icing sugar
Deep fat fryer
Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan, and sweat the chopped pumpkin, 20g ginger, sugar and salt on a low heat for about 45 minutes stirring occasionally, ensure lid is tight fitting. Remove the lid and reduce the liquid until almost dry, add the white wine and reduce by 2/3's, add the chicken stock and the cream and cook for ten minutes. Put the soup in to the blender and blend until smooth, pass through a fine sieve and allow to cool and chill.
To crystallize the ginger
Cover the fine strips of ginger in the icing sugar and allow to infuse 45 minutes. Stir from time to time. Rinse the ginger in a strainer with cold water until all the sugar is washed away and dry thoroughly on kitchen paper. Heat a small pan of oil to 150C. When hot fry the ginger for 10 seconds, remove immediately to kitchen paper. Dust lightly with icing sugar.
To serve: Ladle the chilled soup into chilled bowls and garnished with the crystallised ginger.
Variations: Serve as a canapé in shot glass or small coffee cup. The soup can also be served hot.
Jersey Royal and Asparagus Salad
(serves 4)16 Jersey royals
16 spears of asparagus
2 cloves of garlic
Chicken or vegetable stock
knob of butter
Bunch of chervil
Tarragon
Vinaigrette
25ml Balsamic vinegar (5-8 year old)
75ml virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Mix all together and season to taste
Simmer the potatoes in the stock with tarragon, garlic and butter until tender (best if left to cool in cooking juice overnight). Blanche the asparagus in boiling salted water for 3-4 minutes and cool in iced water.
To serve: Arrange and spoon over vinaigrette.
Pepper seared tuna, chive crushed potatoes, black olive & cabernet sauvignon vinaigrette
300g fresh tuna
8 new potatoes
2 banana shallots finely diced
1 punnet mustard cress
100mls cabernet sauvignon vinegar or red wine vinegar
50gr crushed black pepper
50gr black olives
1 bunch chopped chives
100 gr butter (melted)
Salt, Pepper
Cover the potatoes with salted water and simmer until cooked (Approx 30 mins). Peel potatoes whilst warm then crush with a fork and add butter and half of the chives, set aside.
Season the tuna with salt and then press into the crushed black pepper. Heat a non-stick pan until very hot, add 2 tbs olive oil and cook for 10 seconds on each side. Allow to cool.
Mix chopped black olives, remaining olive oil, shallot vinegar marinade and the remaining chives.
To serve
Spoon potato in centre, top with tuna, spoon over black olive mix and finish with a good pinch of mustard cress.
Fromage Frais Mousse with Raspberries & Lemon Verbena Granite
(Serves 6 to 8)
Fromage Frais Mousse
2 punnets of fresh raspberries
2 leaves gelatine soaked in cold water
100g double cream
2 eggs
75g caster sugar
180g fromage frais
Lemon zest
Boil the cream and add the gelatine. Whisk the egg yolks and fromage blanc together - add to the cream. Whisk the whites together with the sugar to a soft peak. Fold into fromage frais mix when cooled. Pour into glasses and allow to set for 30 minutes.
Lemon Verbena Granite
500 mls water
250g caster sugar
50mls dry white wine
1 lemon juice
30 leaves of lemon verbena
Place all the ingredients except the verbena leaves in a pan and bring to simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add the leaves, cover and infuse for one hour. Sieve on to a tray and freeze.When rock hard remove and grate with a cheese grater and put back into freezer until needed.
To serve
Place the raspberries around the top of the mousse and then spoon over the frozen granite.
Also see: "Starters"