31 January 2012

Caramalized red onion, fig and goats cheese tartin

Tarte tatin is a great French pastry dish, cooked with the pastry on the top to prevent it going soggy, reversing for presentation. Although usually best known as a dessert, such as apple tarte tatin, I decided to go for a savoury option with goats cheese, caramelized red onion, figs, balsamic and fresh basil. It really was a delight with the sweetness from the figs working well with the salty goats cheese. I served it with avocado, cherry tomato and mixed leaf salad which was perfect for a light dinner but would also have worked equally well as a great starter.



29 January 2012

PRIVATE DINNER PARTY, Noel and Michelle Reidy, Jan 2012


I have now catered for two dinner parties for Noel and his wife Michelle,  in Grayshott, near Petersfield. They are holding a Dinner club at their beautiful little coffee shop for 20 people on the last Saturday in each month. Working together with Noel, I will be putting up a four course menu with coffee and mints to follow. For a fantastic introductory price of just £26.95 per head to include a glass of wine on arrival, this is a must for all fans of good food, served in a great relaxed atmosphere. Noel and Michelle have a personal little family business and use their daughter Ellie to help out in the kitchen and front of house. The evening went really well, catering to full capacity and we are sure to continue to hold the club, with a new exciting menu coming out each month.


Menu

Canapes:

Smoked salmon and cream cheese roulade, lemon, cracked black pepper, rocket,
x x x
Warmed goats cheese, wrapped in Parma ham,
x x x
Blush tomato, mozzarella, avocado, fresh basil, puff pastry.


To Begin:

Seared carpacio of Yellow fin tuna, 
Roasted sesame, soy, pickled ginger, lime juice, wasabi creme fraiche, 


To Savour:

Pan roasted pork tenderloin, slow roast pork belly, sea salt crackling,
Dijon mash, fresh carrots and green beans, Cider and apple gravy.


To Delight:

Vanilla and honeycomb brulee, vanilla tuille.








“Our reception canapés represented a mixture of tasteful delights which appealed to all our diners. The Tuna Carpaccio was exceptionally well complemented by the crème fraiche and soy sauce and served as an excellent appetizer to the trio of pork cuts, delicious seasonal vegetables and cider & apple gravy, followed by the velvety smooth vanilla crème brulee with a delicious tuile biscuit" Noel Reidy


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26 January 2012

Lamb and chorizo casserole,

Garlic, shallots, chilli, paprika, coriander and tomatoes.




I love working in my kitchen at home which is where I spend the majority of my cooking time. I am lucky enough to have a beautiful wife that is my biggest fan and I practise a lot of dishes out for our dinners, experimenting with different flavours and ingredients. I have vast experience working in some great little bistro pubs and class restaurants but have mostly been self taught for the past few years. Cooking has always been my biggest passion and it has grown tenfold since cooking for friends and sharing my skills with those that are close to me and really appreciate it. Tonight's dinner was with braised lamb and went down especially well, providing a warming dinner that suited the cold weather in January.

Lamb has such a beautiful flavour, holding up well when cooked with other strong flavoured ingredients. I love making use of all the cuts in a variety of cooking styles and I used some diced leg for tonight's dinner, which I casseroled with chorizo, mixed spices, carrots and potatoes, adding some green vegetable towards the end of cooking. The lamb held up beautifully with the chorizo and spices, making a great dinner for my wife and I to enjoy. 




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22 January 2012

Roasted vegetable pizza, peppers, aubergine, blush tomato, fresh basil, mozzarella.


Commonly known as a traditional Italian food, pizza didn't actually arrive in Italy until the 16th century, with the addition of tomatoes to leavened flat bread. Flavoured flat breads, including onions, garlic and herbs have dated back to over 3000 years ago to the ancient Greeks, The Middle East and Mediterranean cuisine. Now an immensely popular food all over the world, there is so much versatility, with different types of dough to many variants of sauces and toppings. Margherita, (dating back to 1889, created to honour the Italian Queen Margherita, was the first recipe to add cheese,  using tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to represent the colours of the Italian flag)  With more exotic and modern additions now appearing on menus, such as: Chicken Tikka, baked beans, lobster, Cajun pork, crispy duck, spinach and poached egg, you can see that the versatility is endless.

I was round friends last night with my lovely wife and we all fancied to have some pizza. I knocked up some granary dough to use as a base and with two vegetarians amongst us, it was an easy decision not to use meat,  selecting some delicious Mediterranean vegetables that I roasted off for the topping. Rather than a traditional tomato sauce, I spread the dough with some red pesto to give a great intense flavour. I  recently borrowed a great little camera lens from my good friend Jules for my Nikon 7000 and I thought it would make a great opportunity to give it a test run. (See my photos below)

I served freshly baked cheesy garlic bread, Avocado, cherry tomato and watercress salad with balsamic dressing and Cajun potato wedges alongside. A great treat to a Saturday night in left us all full and with a few slices left over to enjoy the next day. 





18 January 2012

Spiced scallop and King prawn platter.



Seared scallop - Laksa spices, - Potato, carrot and parsnip rosti.
x x x x x
Scallop sashimi, red chilli, spring onion, lime and pickled ginger – Sesame fried scallop roe.
x x x x x
King prawn wonton - Laksa curry spices - Sweet chilli sauce -Garlic and ginger fried bok choy,
x x x x x
King prawn, spring onion, chilli and coriander fritter – Laksa curry and coconut yoghurt.


I love cooking with South East Asian spices and I fancied making some little canape style dishes to enjoy at home with my lovely wife. Laksa is a curried soup, originating from Malaysia and Singapore and there are many different variations of this traditionally street food style dish. The most popular are the curried coconut soup with noodles and also a tamarind based broth. Both are usually with seafood.

I have played around with the laksa spices and incorperated them into some delicious canape style dishes with scallops and king prawns. They were really delicious and the flavour from the laksa spices really brought out the best of the seafood that I used.


14 January 2012

PRIVATE DINNER PARTY, Eleanor Willcox



I really do enjoy catering for Private Dinner Parties and I get passionate about them from the very first moment, starting with the initial confirmation of the date, right up until I get to prepare, cook and serve the food.  It gives me a great buzz when  I am in full swing, cooking away in the kitchen and it makes it all the more rewarding when I get such brilliant feedback as I did tonight. When I finish cooking for the evening, I always find it further rewarding to update my blog with a small write up, including some photos that I have taken from the Dinner Party.

My latest Dinner party was for Eleanor Willcox near Fleet, Hampshire, who was celebrating her Birthday with close friends and family. After exchanging a few emails and a telephone conversation to finalise Eleanor's menu, I was confident in some great choices that I would put together to ensure a fantastic evening, deserving of a Birthday celebration.

I arrived to a lovely converted bungalow with a beautiful spacious kitchen, giving me plenty of room to unpack and set up. Eleanor had gone to a lot of trouble organising her evening, even making up little menu cards for the table which were very elegant and looked really great. I usually supply napkins but there were some pretty little "Ladies shoes" already done so I just finished off the table with my cutlery. Everything went really well, from starter to dessert and I enjoyed meeting a fantastic bunch of people who really appreciated my food. Eleanor and Kevin were brilliant hosts and I was made to feel very welcome. It was  a pleasure cooking for everyone and I am sure I will do again in the future.





Menu


To begin:


Platter of:
Parma ham, rocket leaves and parmesan shavings, 
Dijon mustard, honey and sesame glazed pork chipolatas, 
Sizzling chorizo and red peppers,  
Marinated green olives, blush tomato and fresh basil,
 Freshly made cheddar, blush tomato and spring onion loaf, olive oil and balsamic.


Main-course:

Beef fillet Wellington, wrapped with chicken liver pate, Parma ham and puff pastry, red wine gravy.
Rosemary roasted baby potatoes, glazed carrots and parsnips, steamed broccoli.


To finish:

Trio of desserts:
Chocolate orange cheese cake,
Lemon crème brulee, honeycomb,
Raspberry cheese cake, fresh raspberries.








"Thank you so much for the fine feast that you put together for my birthday. Kevin has said that it was the best meal that he has ever eaten. We were very impressed with the quality of the ingredients that you used as well as the presentation and how delicious it all was. You have been brilliant throughout - I had a few guests who either had food allergies or were fussy eaters, but every time I spoke to you, you put me at ease and found alternatives - you are extremely knowledgeable and very professional in your field. 

Thanks once again for your part in making my birthday perfect" Eleanor and Kevin Willcox


7 January 2012

PRIVATE DINNER PARTY, Margaret Brown


I love all aspects of cooking and it is really rewarding when I get such positive feed back as I did from my latest dinner party, even more so when it involves my utmost favourite styles, creating a variety of amazing curries from different parts of Asia. I love to make everything from scratch, utilising the best quality ingredients to make my own curry pastes and sauces and I now make a lot of my curries from taste and experience. I gained a lot of my initial love for them when I visited Asia on my travels as a younger chef and from many books and television series, particularly from Ricky Stein who has had amazing experiences around Asia. 

We started the evening off with some light canapes that were enjoyed with a few drinks in the lounge area whilst I made the samosas and bhajis. These followed shortly afterwards which were thoroughly enjoyed before I dished up the curries. We had versatility in strengths of sauces, with the mild green Thai curry to the spicier beef Ran dang which is definitely one of my favourites. The butternut squash curry was inspired from North India with Kashmiri chillis and whole coriander and cumin seeds in the recipe. I also did a medium Sri Lankan style King prawn curry with ground spices, turmeric, ginger, dried lime and coconut milk, finished with  toasted cashew nuts. I also made fresh chapati dough and added sliced garlic, fresh coriander, cumin seeds and dried coconut for added texture and flavour.


The brulees were a great way to finish off the meal, and then coffee and petit fours were served in the lounge area.

I really enjoyed the whole evening and Margaret was a complete star, helping me in the kitchen when I was busy.



Menu


Canapes:

Char grilled asparagus spears, Parma ham, garlic and basil mayonnaise,
x x x
Crispy duck pan cake rolls, Sweet chilli sauce,
x x x
Tempura King prawns, mango mayonnaise,


To Begin:

Poppadoms,
x x x
Spiced potato samosas,
x x x
Crispy onion and coriander bhajis,
x x x
Diced red onion, cucumber, tomato, fresh coriander, lime,
Mango chutney, 
Fig and ginger chutney, 
Coconut yoghurt.


Main Course:


Beef Ran dang: 
Malaysian curry with red chilli, ginger, lemongrass, coriander , tamarind, coconut milk.
x x x
King prawn Sri Lankan curry: 
Ground coriander, garlic, cardamom, turmeric, green chilli, dried lime, coconut, cashew nuts.
x x x 
Thai chicken green curry:  
Green chilli, fresh coriander, galangal, lemongrass, Kaffir lime, coconut milk.
x x x
Butternut squash and spinach curry: 
Fresh chilli, garlic, ginger, coriander and cumin seeds, fenugreek, tomato, fresh coriander.
x x x
Cardamom and cinnamon rice
x x x
Garlic and coconut chapatis, Coriander naan bread.


To Finish:

Duo of creme brulee

Vanilla and honeycomb, vanilla and chocolate tuille,
White chocolate and raspberry.


Petit fours

Chocolate coated strawberries, 
Chocolate and orange truffles, sesame seeds.













"Thank you so much for all your efforts this evening.  The meal was fantastic and everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Thank you again for a wonderful evening and see you soon" 
Margaret Bathurst Brown


"Thanks for a tremendous dinner last night.  Every course was spot on and I would be hard pressed to find a  favourite, they were all so good from the canapés through to the main meal.  It made a great evening and a wonderful way to say goodbye to Margaret.  
I’d love to have the recipe for the beef curry, if possible as that was exceptionally tasty" 
Brandon Ashton


"Just wanted to congratulate you on the wonderful dinner that you cooked for us on Friday.  Everything you gave us was absolutely delicious and it was a real treat to be able to relax and enjoy it.  Thank you for making our farewell for Margaret so memorable" 
Penny Charles

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1 January 2012

PRIVATE DINNER PARTY, Sharon and James Sothcott



I cooked for Sharon and some of her friends for a "Girls night in" a few weeks ago and it was great to be asked back to cater for Sharon and James together for New years eve. Also attending were Jules and Sue Porter who recommended me to cook for Sharon the first time round. Jules and Sue did the photography for our wedding, making a lasting impression as such a great friendly couple, taking fantastic quality modern photographs and producing the most amazing job of our album that we have stayed friends since then. 

I have been looking forwards to cooking tonight for a good while as we came up with a very special menu, including six courses, with my utmost favourite of fillet of beef Wellington appearing as the star main-course.





Menu


Canapes:
Caramelised figs, Dolcalatte, balsamic, cinnamon,
Goats cheese, blush tomato, olives, filo pastry,
Crispy duck spring roll, sticky sweet chilli sauce.


x x x 

Cream of parsnip and apple soup, parsnip crisps.


x x x 

Grilled asparagus spears, Parma ham, Bearnaise sauce.


x x x

Saute King prawns, chorizo, chilli and garlic butter.


x x x 

Raspberry and pink champagne sorbet.


x x x

Fillet of beef Wellington, red wine gravy.
Dauphinoise potatoes, roasted chantaney carrots, winter greens.


x x x

Chocolate and cinnamon tarte, fresh raspberries, raspberry coulis.












I arrived just before 6:00p.m with my lovely wife to set up with James and Sharon greeting us very warmly and we were all looking forwards to the evening. As I had cooked for Sharon before, I was familiar with the kitchen and got things organised fairly quickly with the help of my wife. I cater for most Dinner parties on my own so it was great to have the extra hand. Canapes went out about 7:00p.m, which went down very well and we were in good stead for the remaining courses.

The whole evening went exceptionally well, with lots of great feed back from the guests. The whole group had a fantastic atmosphere and everyone was in the party mood. Karen and I joined the table for a celebration drink and it was really brilliant to be involved with the evening as much as we were.  After the dinner was finished we stayed on afterwards and it was a brilliant way to see the new year in. I look forwards to cooking for James and Sharon again as I had such  a rewarding night.


"It was an amazing night Gary and Karen, what a great team you are, the food was the best yet and I predict not the last time we all get together, top night with great food and beautifully presented. Thank you" Jules and Sue Porter


"It was a top evening thanks, everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The food was amazing and everyone is raving about it" James Sothcott 




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