STARTER – Morston Crab Salad

MORSTON CRAB SALAD
(serves four)

 INGREDIENTS

4 dressed crabs (white and dark meat separated and kept in separate bowls)
2 avocados 1 red chilli (finely chopped)
1 tbsp chopped coriander
juices of 2 limes
a good slug of olive oil
half a celeriac bulb (peeled and grated)
1 tsp Pommery mustard
2 tbsps mayonnaise
salt and pepper
a splash of Tabasco, Worcester sauce and lemon juice

METHOD

Chop the avocado
Firstly peel and chop the avocado into a bowl; then add the juice of the limes, followed by the coriander, and finally the chopped chilli. Season to taste and mix well. Add a good slug of olive oil and set aside.

Add to celeriac
Then in another bowl add to the grated celeriac, the mayonnaise and mustard again, season to taste, mix well and add a little olive oil if you feel necessary. Finally, with the crab, take the dark meat and season; then add a splash of tabasco, lemon juice and Worcester sauce and mix well. For the white meat, all I do is add a little lemon juice, salt and pepper and a touch of olive oil, and taste.

Layer the salad
Now place a plain round cutter about three inches (7.5cm) in diameter in the middle of the plate, and into the bottom of the cutter. Put on a good dollop of the dark meat, using the back of a spoon to flatten the crab to make it level; then, on top of this, place a dollop of the avocado mix and again flatten. Then the celeriac, and finally, on the top, the white crab meat. Now carefully lift off the cutter to reveal the wonderful layered salad.

Wrap into balls
Now, using perforated clingfilm about 10 inches (25cms) square, place a good dollop of chicken mousse in the middle, bring the four corners together and wrap up tightly tying a knot in the end, and making a tight ball.

Garnish and serve
Finally garnish the dressed lettuce and serve, maybe with a large glass of Chardonnay.

VEGETARIAN – Pastry layers with wild mushrooms, Norfolk asparagus and blue cheese dressing

 Pastry layers with wild mushrooms, Norfolk asparagus and blue cheese dressing

 

Ingredients
For the pastry
110g/4oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
175g/6oz mature cheddar, finely grated
110g/4oz salted butter
pinch cayenne pepper
1 free-range egg yolk

For the blue cheese dressing
1 tsp runny honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ tbsp red wine vinegar
150ml/5fl oz groundnut or extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1 shallot, very finely chopped
50g/2oz firm Binham Blue cheese, or other blue cheese, crumbled

For the asparagus and wild mushrooms
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
225g/9oz mixed wild mushrooms, such as pied de mouton, chanterelles, trompettes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped parsley
16 asparagus spears, trimmed to about 7.5cm/3in long
young salad leaves, to garnish

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

2. To make the pastry, place all the pastry ingredients except the egg yolk in a food processor. Blitz quickly to combine. Add the egg yolk and process again until the pastry comes together in a dough. Divide the dough in half, shape into two balls and wrap individually in cling film. Leave to rest in the fridge for an hour.

3. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm/one-eighth in. Using a palette knife, cut the pastry into 12 neat rectangles, 7.5cm/3in long and 5cm/2in wide, re-rolling any trimmings.

4. Transfer the rectangles to a baking tray lined with baking parchment, leaving a little space between them. Cover the biscuits with another sheet of baking parchment and place another baking tray on top to hold down the pastry. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp. Leave the biscuits to cool on the baking tray, then transfer to a wire rack.

5. To make the dressing, whisk the honey, mustard and a good pinch each of salt and freshly ground black pepper in a bowl, then whisk in the vinegar. Slowly pour in the oil and the lemon juice, whisking constantly. Check the seasoning and add the shallot and crumbled blue cheese. (This vinaigrette will keep in a covered jar in the fridge for several weeks.)

6. For the wild mushrooms, heat a frying pan and quickly fry the shallots and garlic in the oil until soft, then add the wild mushrooms and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Continue cooking over a high heat until the mushrooms soften. Transfer to a bowl and add the chopped parsley. Leave to cool.

7. Cook the asparagus in a pan of boiling water until just tender. Drain and refresh under cold running water.

8. To serve, lay a pastry biscuit on each plate. Spoon some mushrooms along the pastry and top with two asparagus spears. Cover with another pastry layer and add the remaining mushrooms and asparagus. Put the final pastry layer on top. Spoon the dressing around and garnish with young salad leaves.