Bream with Quineoa and Lemon Butter Sauce, Red Wine and Elderflower Gel, Roaster Butternut Squash, Garlic Puree, Roasted baby Turnips and baby Leeks
By Nikolas Facey, Head Chef at Bistro Montparnasse, Winner of the Best Restaurant Portsmouth, 2010
RECIPE (SERVES 4)
Fillet of bream, quineoa and lemon butter sauce (red wine & elderflower gel, roasted butternut squash, garlic puree, roasted baby turnips and baby leeks)
This recipe can alternatively be done with Haddock, Red mullet or Sea bass if preferred.
BREAM
4 X fillets of bream 40Z PER PORTION
Ask your fishmonger to scale fillet and pin bone for you to achieve perfect results.
LEMON CONFIT
25g caster sugar
Zest and juice of one lemon
25g water
Zest and juice one lemon and place in saucepan with the sugar and water. Simmer gently for 30 minutes until the mixture has thickened and resembles a marmalade consistency. Mix in with the quineoa.
LEMON BUTTER SAUCE
1 lemon zest and juice
½ small onion finely chopped
50ml white wine
5g butter
25ml water
100g butter for finishing sauce
Finely chop the onion and sweat in the 5g butter without colour for 5 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Finally add the lemon zest, juice and water and slowly reduce for fifteen minutes or until the onion and become almost pulp like.
Pass through a fine sieve with a small ladle or spoon ensuring you push thoroughly . In a separate pan add the passed lemon sauce and warm slowly as you whisk in the remaining butter a little at a time. You want the sharpness there but not the harshness of the lemon itself. Season and keep warm.
QUINEOA
50g chickpeas cooked
50g Quineoa
100g water
10g cardamom seeds
10g cumin seeds
Place the quineoa and the water into a pan and slowly bring to the boil, once gently boiling reduce heat and cook for ten minutes. Meanwhile toast the cumin and coriander seeds lightly in a dry pan to release the flavour , do not burn! When the ten minutes has passed remove the pan from the heat and cover tightly with cling film and set aside to cool. When cool stir the quineoa with a fork to break up the grains. Add the toasted spices, chickpeas and the lemon confit. Season and keep warm.
The following are for restaurant presentation so if you really want to impress your guests you can add these garnishes;
GARLIC PUREE
1 bulb garlic
1/4pint semi skimmed milk
1.5g agar agar ( a vegetarian friendly setting agent made with seaweed and available from all quality health food shops and supermarkets)
Place the milk and garlic into a pan and simmer gently for 5 minutes. When the milk comes up to the boil remove from the heat and cover set aside to infuse till cold. When the milk is cold strain and add seasoning and the agar agar whisk briefly and set aside for exactly fifteen minutes. When the fifteen minutes has elapsed bring to the boil whisking continuously until the milk comes to the boil. Remove straight away and chill using an ice bath ( container of ice to reduce temperature ) keeping it in the saucepan. When fully set , using a blender add the set puree into a blender with a little milk to make a paste. Blend, pass and season.
RED WINE ELDERFLOWER JELLY
50ml good red wine
Sugar to taste
50ml elderflower cordial
1g agar agar
Place the sugar, elderflower and red wine into a pan and reduce by half. Cool quickly using an ice bath. Add the agar agar and leave for 15minutes, then blend & pass through a sieve.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH
1 medium butternut squash
25g unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
Cut pound sized discs from the thinner end of the squash ( three per portion ). Using a small cutter cut smaller discs from within each slice. Lay on a roasting tray with the butter and salt and pepper and roast in the oven( gas mark 4/180`c) for 20 minutes.
BABY LEEKS AND TURNIPS
2 baby leeks
3 baby turnips
Cut the root off the leeks and each outer layer. Cut each leek into four 1 cm batons. Place a pan of water on the heat and bring to the boil adding a pinch of salt. Place the baby turnips into the water and cook for five minutes. Just before the turnips are cooked add the baby leeks. Remove from the water and refresh into ice cold water .Take the turnips and scrape the outer purple skin off and cut into quarters.
TO ASSEMBLE
Season the bream. Pan fry skin side down in oil for 2 minutes in a hot pan. Turn over and cook for a further minute until the fish is just ever so slightly cooked and springs back a little when you push it with your finger. Rest fish for a couple of minutes.
Present the fish on a mound of the quineoa & lemon confit mix & drizzle the warm lemon butter sauce on the plate. Arrange any other garnishes for impact.
Pour yourself a large glass of Chablis & relax!
HEAD CHEF’S HISTORY
Nikolas Facey attended Southdowns College, Purbrook from when he left school at the age of sixteen. During his time there he achieved his nvq 3 in food and hospitality. His previous employment has seen him work in many established restaurants, Fat Olives in Emsworth ( 2 Rosette and in the Michelin guide), the Hambrough Hotel on the Isle of Wight ( 3 rosettes and 1 Michelin star), Ox pasture hall in North Yorkshire ( 2 rosettes and listed in Michelin guide and also had a work placement at the famous Gidleigh park with Michael Caines. He is recently married with two stepchildren.
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