30 April 2012

Sesame seared Pollack fillet, Saute potatoes, spiced vegetable bhaji.



Another great dinner at home working with pollack, a beautiful fish with similarities to cod, both in flavour and texture, but more sustainable. I tried out a recipe, shallow frying it in sesame seeds until browned off on all sides. Served with saute potatoes and spiced vegetable bhajis, it went down a treat., giving me inspiration for future recipes. By coating the pollack in sesame seeds, this dish had added texture and flavour, also protecting the outside of the fish during cooking. A sesame coating can work equally well with plenty of other fish and also chicken or vegetables.










23 April 2012

Seared salmon, lemon and black pepper butter

Crushed potatoes, Asparagus spears, Chantenay carrots, Spring greens,

Dinner at home tonight was simple and elegant cooking, showing off  quality ingredients. No fancy stuff, just everything cooked in two little frying pans with a little seasoning to bring out the natural flavours. Salmon, lemon and black pepper cannot fail to wow the taste buds. 







22 April 2012

Trio of roast duck at home

We had friends for Sunday lunch and I always love to put the effort in, even when out of the work environment! We enjoyed trio of roast duck, with seared breast, confit of duck shank and a little crispy parcel with the thigh meat. Accompanied with crispy roast Maris piper potatoeswith thyme and sage, tender stem broccoli, roast carrots and parsnips.




Fun cooking with Chef Richard and sous Chef Sue



I spent my Friday night round friends having fun in the kitchen. We had a bag of goodies which we utilised to create a winning menu amongst friends. I had great fun working alongside Richard and we revolved the evening into a cooking lesson combined with a little dinner party.

King prawns, chilli, garlic, fresh coriander, lime juice
Salmon: garlic, chilli, fresh coriander, lime, soy
Broccoli and vegetable stir fry, garlic, chilli and soy
Teppanyaki fillet of beef
Teppanyaki beef fillet
Teppanyaki fillet of beef
My beautiful wife
Tuna Maki, pickled ginger, wasabi, soy
Plating the dessert
Tropical fruit sushi, crushed meringue, raspberry creme fraiche, 
My Birthday cake


15 April 2012

Wedding tasting

I have catered for many weddings over the years and have always believed that they deserve a little extra special bit of love and care when considering the menu. Since creating ChefGary, I have catered for different styles of weddings with BBQ, Buffet, and Sit down menus. I offer great versatility in  my services, suiting many budgets and requirements. I recently did a wedding tasting for a three course sit down menu and took a few photos of the food.












8 April 2012

BBQ Tandoori Shoulder of British Pork


I had my first BBQ of the season with members of my close family for Easter and used my charcoal BBQ to roast a whole Pork Shoulder. I made an aromatic Tandoori style marinade which combined delicate spices and yoghurt that both tenderised and added flavour before cooking. Taking three hours on a slow burning charcoal, the whole joint cooked through beautifully. I made a spicy coconut curry sauce, some Asian style coleslaw and fresh bread to accompany a great simple BBQ meal.















4 April 2012

Lunch with my beautiful Grandma





My Grandma is a massive inspiration to me when it comes to cooking. She makes the best of British classics and I remember back when I was a little boy and I had my first true experience of eating  fresh vegetables in a delicious beef stew she had made for all the family. My Grandma loves to cook all the British favourites and to this day, I really enjoy a traditional stew with tender diced British beef, fresh carrots, parsnips, leeks and potatoes in a thick natural gravy with herbed dumplings, bringing back fond memories of eating round at Grandmas. Now approaching ninety, it is amazing how much she still does for herself in the kitchen, making her own fresh bread, plum, fig and apricot jams, marmalades and onion, tomato and apple chutneys. 

I had a few days off work and thought it would be a great treat to cook lunch for my lovely Grandma as she definitely deserves to be served on now and again. Last time I cooked lunch for us, we enjoyed Shepherds pie, followed by Creme brulee. For today's lunch, we indulged in some pan roasted pork chops, sea salt crackling, caramelised apples, onion gravy, potatoes and peas. 



1 April 2012

Private Dinner Party, David and Sharon Leach




I attain so much pleasure from cooking great food at Private Dinner Parties and it is all the more rewarding when it is for previous clients. I catered for David's Birthday BBQ back in July of last year and it was great to be invited back to cook for them again in their lovely house, near Bournemouth. Sharon and David chose a great menu to enjoy with friends and I was really passionate about producing some delicious plates of food from some great quality ingredients.

David and Sharon were great hosts and made me feel very welcome as they did on my previous visit. As I was setting up, their friends arrived to the pleasant surprise of me cooking their dinner in the relaxed environment and comfort of David and Sharon's home. It was to be a great evening, with brilliant feed back and compliments on the food and friendly chat between all.


Menu


Pre starter:

Crispy duck and noodle pancake rolls, sweet chilli sauce,


To Start:

Tempura King prawns, fresh mango, chilli, coriander, lime,
Granary flat bread, olive oil, fresh coriander,

Main-Course:

Beef fillet Wellington, Parma ham, wild mushroom pate, puff pastry, red wine gravy.
Or
Sea bass fillet, roasted Mediterranean vegetables, lemon butter sauce,

Baby roast potatoes, rosemary and garlic, 
Glazed baby carrots, asparagus spears, green beans, sugar snap peas, 


To Finish:

Trio of desserts,
Strawberry and vanilla cheesecake, tuille biscuit,
Chocolate and cinnamon tarte, sweet pastry,
Cradamom and vanilla crème brulee, honeycomb.