Pork with lemon and mushrooms

A new recipe

PORK WITH LEMONS AND MUSHROOMS
PORK FILLET (WHOLE)
CHESTNUT MUSHROOMS
1 SMALL RED CHILLI (MEDIUM STRENGTH) CHOPPED AND SEEDED
1 COX APPLE (OR SIM)
1 MEDIUM CARROT
1 LEMON
1 TBS LEMON JUICE
5 CLOVES OF GARLIC
4 BAY LEAVES
CHOPPED SAGE (IDEALLY FRESH BUT DRIED WILL SERVE)
NUTMEG
HALF A BOTTLE LIGHT RED WINE
OLIVE OIL
¼ PT DOUBLE CREAM
1 TSP DEMERARA SUGAR
Pre-heat the oven to 130. Chop the fillet into good size chunks – A medium fillet should make six to eight medaillons. Heat the oil and bay leaves in a heavy iron casserole on a high heat. Sear the outside of the pork until brown and grind some fresh pepper over while cooking. Grate the zest of the lemon over the cooking meat. When the meat is browned season with salt, remove from the pan and place on plate to rest.
Brown the chestnut mushrooms (whole not chopped) with the sage. Once the mushrooms are browned squeeze the lemon juice and pour over. Add the pork and the red wine and the lemon skin cut into quarters and gently stir the ingredients together. Cover the casserole with the lid and place in the oven.
Peel and half the garlic cloves lengthways. Fry the garlic and the chilli in a pan till the garlic is just starting to brown. Add the two tbs of lemon juice. After the meat has cooked for approximately twenty minutes add the garlic and chilli mix and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes
Peel and core the apple and chop into small slices (not too thin). Clean and chop the carrot into medium thickness slices. Fry apple and carrot in a teaspoon of olive oil. Grate a small amount of fresh nutmeg over them and after approximately five minutes of cooking add a good dash of lemon juice and a teaspoon of Demerara sugar. Cover with a frying screen and cook for a further two minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and add the carrot and apple. Return the casserole to the oven for a further 15 minutes. After that time check the meat is tender – One should be able to cut it with a fork but it should retain its shape.
Remove the bay leaves and lemon skins and stir in the cream before serving. Serve with boiled or steamed rice and a green salad. Sebastian Petit 17-02-2012

Dabbous

After reading Raymond Blanc's recommendation I thought Dabbous was probably worth a try! And it proved to be true - Friendly and helpful staff got immediate brownie points for sorting out the booking cock-up which a certain booking website had perpetrated (they had booked me on the wrong night). They found me a table and promised not to rush me through.

Trying a new restaurant it seems to me one is duty bound to go for the tasting menu. I have reproduced the menu below with a few comments on each course


TASTING MENU


Salad of fennel, lemon balm
and pickled rose petals

A lovely fresh opener with the subtle flavours expertly complementing each other



Steak Tartare with cigar oil and turnip

Beautifully tender steak set off by the unusual flavour of the oil. I would never have guessed it was flavoured with cigar but it was certainly a fascinating taste


Coddled free range hen egg with
woodland mushrooms and smoked butter

The rich creaminess of the coddled egg spiked with the earthy spice of the filed mushrooms - Gorgeous!


Roast king crab with warm buttermilk and hispi cabbage

Lovely meaty, flavoursome crab offset by the sharp bitterness of the cabbage and a smooth creamy sauce. I'm not usually a big fan of crabmeat but this was perfection


Barbecued iberico pork, savoury acorn praline,
turnip tops, homemade apple vinegar


Iberico pork is everywhere at the moment but this was a very strong course - Tender, well flavoured and the soft flesh set against the crunch of acorns and the twist of the apple vinegar

Artisanal cheese from the British Isles, baked apple
and toasted sourdough (£9 supplement)

The only slight disappointment - The bread was one-side toasted but had gone slightly damp and the cheeses, apart from the Brie type one were rather run of the mill.


Cucumber and borage flower
in a chilled lemon verbena infusion


This was back on course with a delightful fresh kick

Chocolate and virgin hazelnut oil ganache,
basil moss, sheeps’ milk ice cream

This really was pretty amazing. I would never have thought of combining basil and chocolate but it was a triumphant success. A tantalising combination of texture and flavour and a great finish to the meal

£49, for the whole table only

Very impressed overall with Dabbous - It has a friendly vibe far removed from the temple to food type establishments but the food is top level. I will certainly be going back. Thanks once again to the lovely staff.

Company at the Crucible

A very brief word on the last night of the superb production of "Company" at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. A jaw droppingly good night at the theatre with a central performance by Daniel Evans which equalled Adrian Lester's Bobby in the never to be forgotten Donmar production. If this production doesn't transfer to London there is no justice - Listen up Cameron Mac!

L'Enclume and Roganic

I was fortunate enough, in the dying months of the year, to eat at both of chef Simon Rogan's establishments. First, in the first week of November, I stayed a weekend at L'Enclume in the blissful Lake District village of Cartmel. In the unseasonal dazzling sunshine the Lake District appeared even more magical than usual and with the rooms reminding one more of a well heeled French family home than a hotel the signs for an enjoyable weekend were good. Even so the plentiful breakfast did not fully presage the dazzling evening meal on the Sunday night. I have rarely experienced such an adventurous yet wholly successful tasting menu. Presentation was also on an exquisite level accompanied by knowledgeable, attentive but never overweening service. A truly memorable evening - If only it was closer to London!
And, as luck would have it, Chef Rogan has indeed opened a pop-up London establishment in Marylebone with a similarly exceptional menu, staff and presentation. Roganic is a "toe-in-the-water" exercise which, with any luck, heralds a permanent Rogan outpost in the capital! go to either (or preferably both!) of these wonderful restaurants)
http://www.lenclume.co.uk/
Roganic, 19 Blandford Street, London W1U 3DH (020-7486 0380)

Madama Butterfly - ROH

The Elixir of Love - ENO

Christian Gerhaher - Wigmore Hall

Click on title for my review of the extraordinary Christian Gerhaher's Schwanengesang at the Wig

The Marriage of Figaro - ENO

Dmitri Hvorostovsky - Barbican

Click on...oh, you know!

Anna Caterina Antonacci - Wigmore Hall

Click on title for review

La Traviata - Royal Opera

Click on title for Traviata review 2nd January 2012

Catching Up!

I have been quite extraordinarily dilatory over recent months. Mainly this has been down to a particularly heavy duty and stressful new job. However I'll try to add links to my reviews since in case you haven't read them. And I promise to try to do better in the New Year..