20 June 2011

FATHERS DAY BBQ

We had a family get together for Fathers day and I was in charge of doing the cooking. I had a fab time preparing everything from great quality fresh ingredients and it was another great day with ChefGary's BBQ food .


Fathers Day BBQ Menu

Peppered British rump steak
x x x
Tikka marinated chicken breast, coconut yoghurt
x x x
Chinese 5 spice marinated chicken breast, sweet chilli sauce
x x x
Chiili and basil burgers
x x x
British pork and leek sausages
x x x
Pork belly chops, smokey BBQ sauce
x x x
Char-grilled red, yellow and green peppers
x x x
Mixed tossed salad,  French bread, tortilla wraps
x x x
Blushed tomato hummus, Guacamole, ChefGary's special BBQ sauce.

ChefGary

Stage one

Cooking away

5-spice chicken, 

Peppered British rump steak

Tikka marinated chicken

ChefGary at work

Dad, Paul and little Ben

ChefGary, Bethany and Ben

Brothers: Robbie, ChefGary, Paul, Dad and Ben
Mum, ChefGary, Robbie, Paul.


18 June 2011

WEDDING FOR ANDY AND ISSY FELTHAM

NorthBrook Park
Andy and Issy are great friends that I have known for a few years whom I met through my wife. They are a lovely couple and their engagement was imminent, their wedding date following shortly after. They chose a lovely setting for their wedding at Northbrook Park in Alton. With beautiful buildings, magnificent gardens and grounds, plenty of greenery and trees, it is a perfect setting for any Wedding. Northbrook Park will organise most of your day, but will forward all your catering requirements to a third party. This is where I was able to offer my services for Andy's and Issy's Wedding day.
I worked very closely with Andy and Issy to plan a fantastic menu, incorporating plenty of tasting sessions so that we could create the perfect menu to suit such a grand occasion. As well as building a menu, I also organised  the hiring of equipment that would be needed to produce the chosen menu. I recruited all the Chefs which I have worked closely with during my restaurant years and I sourced the waiting staff through Platinum recruitment. Their staff were very professional, polite and hard working and I will definitely use their services again. I also organised the hiring of laundry through Hampshire linen and helped out where I could to make their day all the more special. Their Wedding day took a lot of planning from their side and it is too easy to take for granted all the effort it takes to organise a wedding. There was great source of help through a lot of close family members, making their wedding ceremony a great celebration of their day.
The photographers were Julian and Sue Porter, whom we had at our own Wedding nearly four years ago. They helped make Andy and Issy's day really special as they did for us back then. We have an amazing album that we are really proud of and Andy and Issy still have the pleasure to come of building a great album together from all the amazing photos that Julian and Sue took on the day. Julian and Sue are a great couple that we have stayed friends with and they were kind enough to take some amazing photos of the food on the day which have far exceeded my expectations and really do my food the justice it deserves!


Wedding banquet room
Watermelon swan (More fruit carvings)
Apple bird
Table decoration
Wedding breakfast menu for Andy and Issy Feltham
Canapes
x x x
Crayfish tails, spiced cocktail sauce, wholemeal crouton,
Bruschetta, tomato, onion and basil salsa,
Chicken liver parfait, granary toast, caramelized red onion chutney,
Crispy duck and vegetarian spring rolls, sticky sweet chilli dipping sauce,

Starter
x x x
Parma ham, rocket leaves, shaved parmesan,
Chorizo, thinly sliced red chilli and spring onion,
Home cured bresaola, red wine, sea salt and spices,
Mozzarella, blush tomatoes, olive oil and cracked black pepper,
Tiger loaf, Spring onion, cheese and tomato bread,
Lime and coriander hummus, tomato salsa,
Olive oil and balsamic, butter.

Main-course
x x x
Organic chicken  breast,
 Stuffed with blush tomato, fresh basil and mozzarella, wrapped in Parma ham and puff pastry,
or
Mediterranean cous cous,
Wrapped in puff pastry, roasted cherry tomato sauce,
Served with new season potatoes in fresh herbed olive oil,
Panache of spring green vegetables and carrots.

Trio of Desserts
x x x
Strawberry and white chocolate cheesecake,
Vanilla brulee, honeycomb topping,
Chocolate orange brownie with fresh raspberries.

Coffee and petit fours
x x x 
Mini Baileys and chocolate bar,
Caramel and chocolate shortbread,
Fudge squares, 
Mini raspberry doughnuts.


Evening buffet,
x x x
Crispy smoked bacon rashers, served in baguettes, ciabatta bread and granary baps.
ChefGary's hand cut chips.

Food photo gallery
Crayfish and prawn cocoktail
Chicken liver parfait, caramelized red onion chutney
Crispy duck spring rolls, sweet chilli sauce
Bruschetta, tomato, onion and fresh basil
Platter of cured meats
Chorizo, sliced red chilli and spring onion
Parma ham. parmesan shavings and rocket salad
Stuffed chicken breast in puff pastry
Stuffed chicken breast in puff pastry

Trio of desserts (More desserts)
ChefGary @ work!


All photography by Julian and Sue Porter
Weddings
Julian's blog
ChefGary

13 June 2011

BAKED WHOLE MACKEREL

Filleted and stuffed with chilli, garlic, ginger and onion.

Mackerel is a great fish to cook with and is definitely one of my favourites. It is a naturally oily fish so is full of omega 3 fatty acids which are great for helping maintain your cholesterol levels. It has great flavour so can take on lots of spice and other added ingredients when cooking and is also great value for money. I filleted two fish for tea as my wife isn't too keen on the bones and I placed the whole fillets back together with a chilli, ginger and garlic butter stuffed inside. I cooked up some potato rostis which are another favourite of mine, along with some crispy chorizo slices and a fresh rocket, watercress and tomato salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Baked mackerel, chilli, garlic and chilli butter. crispy potato rosti and chorizo slices. 

Rocket, watercress, cherry tomato and onion salad, olive oil and balsamic



4 June 2011

DINNER PARTY WITH JULES AND SUE

I love having friends for dinner and this weekend we had the pleasure of Julian and Sue's company. I have cooked for Jules and Sue when they have hosted dinner parties on a professional level and we have also dined together as friends. We had a great relaxing evening together as on this occasion it was a get together of friends and we enjoyed the food and company immensely. Jules was kind enough to bring his camera and take a few professional shots of our dinner and post me the finished shots which I have used in this post.




MENU

Mixed canapes to start:

Prawns in spiced Maryrose sauce with crisp crouton,
x x x
Smoked salmon nigiri with wasabi, pickled ginger and soy sauce,
x x x
Vegetable crudites with cheese and spring onion dip.



Main-course:

Roast loin of pork, rolled in freshly ground Chinese five spice.
Served on wok fried vegetables and noodles, soy and sweet chilli sauce.
Roasted sweet potatoes with cumin, coriander seed and chilli.



Dessert:

Chocolate orange cheesecake, oat biscuit, ginger and coconut base,
Raspberry coulis.
x x x
Strawberry and elderflower jellies.



Roast loin of pork in 5 spice, (Shot by Chefgary)
Roasted spiced sweet potatoes (Shot by Jules)

Roast loin of pork, wok fried noodles, (Shot by Jules)


Chocolate orange cheesecake (Shot by Jules)




30 May 2011

DINNER PARTY, Carl and Lucy

Our good friends Carl and Lucy came by for dinner and I created a few dishes for us to dine on. We had a great evening, enjoying the food and company.


Menu

To start:

Prawn canapes with spiced tomato mayonnaise. 
x x x 
Prawn canapes with olive oil, balsamic and cracked black pepper.
x x x
Crudites with roasted red pepper and chilli hummus.

Main-course

Crispy beef strips, sweet chilli sauce.
x x x
Stir fried vegetables and noodles.
x x x
ChefGary's special hand cut chips.
x x x
Flat breads with garlic and coriander.

Dessert

Trio of desserts:
Chocolate orange cheesecake, ginger shortbread base.
x x x
Vanilla and cardamom brulee.
x x x
Strawberry and elderflower jelly.

Assorted prawn canapes

Stirfried noodles and vegetables with fresh ginger and soy


Hand cut chips

Crispy sweet chilli beef, noodles, hand cut chips 
Chocolate cheesecake, vanilla brulee, strawberry and elderflower jelly.


WEDDING FUNCTION AT THE PAVILLION

I catered for a large wedding this weekend and served a very traditional menu of three courses. I had great pleasure preparing and then serving all the food  for 140 guests and it made all the hard work worthwhile when I had so much brilliant and positive feedback from the guests. I can cater for any numbers from 6 to 200 and always put so much effort and care into my work, which is why I always achieve the best results.


Menu


To start

Traditional Prawn cocktail, Maryrose sauce, buttered granary bread.


Main-course

Roast topside of British beef, served medium.
Crispy roast potatoes, honey roasted parsnips, glazed carrots, steamed savoy cabbage, 
Yorkshire pudding, red wine and rosemary gravy.

Dessert

Marbled chocolate orange cheesecake, raspberry coulis.



Prawn cocktail

Roast beef, crispy roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding.
Sliced topside of British Beef

Yorkshire puddings
Marbled chocolate orange cheesecake, raspberry coulis.

23 May 2011

AGED SIRLOIN STEAK

Saute potatoes in butter with smoked garlic and tarragon,
Avocado, cherry tomato and red onion salad, balsamic and olive oil.


We don't eat too much red meat at home but now and again we will indulge in a great bit of British sirloin or ribeye. I get all my meat from Tim Mead meats in North Baddesly, whom I have known for many years. He supplies me with all the meat for my summer functions, BBQs and weddings. Depending on the cut of meat, I enjoy my steak cooked anywhere between blue and medium rare. We enjoyed our steak tonight quite simply with some saute potatoes and a light salad of avocado, tomato and red onion, dressed with virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 




CHEFGARY

7 May 2011

HOT FORK BUFFETS


Start off your party with some delicious Canapes

Hot buffets are great for many occasions. I have served them at Birthdays, Christenings, Weddings and also for large groups that just want to celebrate their Lunch or Dinner Party with a professional touch by having ChefGary do the catering. Below are some menus choices for hot buffets that I can cater for. All are suitable for larger parties with a relaxed atmosphere. Depending on choices, they can be served with potato or rice dishes, freshly made bread and salad. I can also design a bespoke menu to suit your specific tastes and requirements.




Hot Main Choices:
From £20 per head  (Minimum 50 persons)

Beef Dishes:
Beef Stroganoff; Tender beef strips, paprika, Dijon mustard, garlic, shallots, tomato and cream sauce.
Chilli Beef: Diced shoulder: Braised with red and green chillies, onions, garlic, cumin, tomatoes and kidney beans.
Beef Bourgignon; Slow braised diced English beef, shallots, diced bacon, red wine gravy.
Beef Madras; Hot Indian curry with chilli, crushed cumin seed, garlic, fresh coriander, 
Beef Randang: Malaysian curry with red chilli, ginger, lemongrass, coriander , coconut milk.

Pork Dishes:
Hungarian Pork Goulash; Free range pork shoulder, slow braised with shallots, peppers, paprika, garlic & tomatoes.
Pork belly casserole, Braised with bacon, chorizo, white beans, onions, garlic, tomatoes and white wine.
Balinese pork curry: Chilli, roasted sesame, turmeric, nutmeg, ginger, chilli, lemongrass, shrimp paste, cashew nuts, lime, coconut.
Slow roasted Jamaican Pork Shoulder, Mixed spice, Scotch bonnet Chillies, Garlic, Coriander, honey,

Lamb Dishes:
Lamb Stew; Slow cooked with onions, swede, carrots, parsnips, herbed dumplings.
Lamb curry: Chilli, coriander, cardamom, cloves, ground almonds, lemon and yoghurt.
Spicy rRed Lamb curry: Red chilli, paprika, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, fresh coriander and yoghurt.
Moroccan Spiced Lamb Tagine: Ground coriander seed, turmeric, garlic, paprika, tomatoes, toasted almonds, fresh coriander.
Lamb, Spinach and Chickpea Curry: Green chilli, cardamom, garlic, ginger, cumin and fresh corander.

Chicken Dishes:

Beer Braised boneless Chicken thighs: Chilli, lime, soy and garlic, spring onion.
Chicken Coq au vin: Tender diced chicken thighs, shallots, garlic, mushroom, red wine gravy.
Chicken Chasseur: Tender breast, shallots, white wine, mushrooms and tarragon.
Green Thai chicken curry; Green chilli, fresh coriander, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, coconut cream.
Sri Lankan Chicken Curry: Toasted spices, chilli, cardamom, ginger, lemon grass, kaffir lime and coconut cream.
Slow Braised Chicken and Chorizo stew: Chickpeas, chilli, paprika, garlic, tomatoes and fresh basil.
Teryaki Chicken: Soy sauce, honey, mirin wine, oriental vegetables.
Mild Yellow Thai Chicken curry: Shallots, garlic, turmeric, coconut milk and kaffir lime.
Red Thai chicken curry: Coconut milk, red chilli, butternut squash and spinach.

Fish/Shell fish Dishes:

Salmon & King Prawns; Cream of tarragon and white wine sauce.
Red Thai Fish curry; White fish and king prawns, red chilli, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, coconut milk.
Sri Lankan Fish curry: Chili,: Fenugreek, curry leaves, coconut milk, garnished with tomato and coriander.
Cambodian King prawn and scallops curry: Tamarind, turmeric, black peppercorns, sliced fresh red chillies, coconut.
King prawn and white fish Thai curry: Tamarind, green chilli, kaffir lime, curry leaf, coconut milk and toasted cashew nuts.
King Prawns and Salmon: Coconut cream, ground spices, lemon, fresh coriander

King Prawn, Monkfish, Cod and Salmon "Pie" Creamd sweet potato topping, parmesan and breadcrumbs, 

Vegetarian Dishes:
Butternut squash and puy lentil curry; Finished with coconut and fresh coriander.
Mushroom and Asparagus; Cream of wholegrain mustard and white wine sauce.
Roasted butternut squash and spinach curry: Red chilli, galangal lemongrass and coconut milk.
Aubergine and tomato curry: Fresh chilli, coriander and cumin seeds, fenugreek, curry leaves.
Sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry: Toasted spices, green chilli, ginger, coconut milk. .
Curried lentils, spinach and potatoes: Chilli, coriander, shallots, dried spices, garlic, ginger and curry leaf.
Roasted vegetable lasagne: Garlic, peppers, courgettes, aubergines, tomatoes, fresh basil, mozzarella.


1 May 2011

BARBECUE SEASON IS HERE

Many of us have already had their first BBQ of the year and are well into the swing of things when it comes to getting ready for the warmer weather. We have had a fantastic April with plenty of sun which always helps to get the feeling of the spring season on its way. I am getting ready to host a lot of BBQ functions for Birthdays, Weddings and other celebration get togethers, so when we were round friends this bank holiday weekend and we decided to have our first BBQ of the year, I thought it would be a great opportunity to get into the BBQ frame of mind . I love cooking outdoors and like to provide something different from the norm when it comes to delivering a BBQ.

For our BBQ menu we went to the local butchers where we were staying near Manchester and picked up a leg of lamb, some chicken legs, pork sausages and some lean minced beef. I went to work in the kitchen to get everything marinating to help tenderise the meat and add extra flavour. I boned the leg of lamb before butterflying and marinating in a BBQ rub from smoked paprika, ground cumin, coriander and dark brown sugar. I separated the chicken legs into drumsticks and thighs and made two different marinades. I also made fresh burgers from the mince, various salsas and salads.



BBQ MENU

Leg of lamb, Smoked paprika and BBQ marinade,
x x x 
Chicken thighs, Chilli, garlic, ginger, lime and mango,
x x x
Chicken drumsticks, Honey mustard and soy,
x x x
Ground beef burgers, Garlic, chilli, onion and basil,
x x x
British pork sausages, Cracked black pepper,
x x x 
Warmed pitta bread, Moroccan hummus,
x x x 
Chilli and lime salsa, Fresh basil and coriander,
x x x 
Jersey royal potato salad, Lemon and black pepper mayonnaise, spring onions,
x x x 
Tossed salad, Cucumber ribbons, red peppers, celery, stuffed olives, spring onion.




Tomato, pepper, chilli and lime salsa.

Mixed salad.

All the meat on.

Marinated thighs and drumsticks.
BBQ leg of lamb.

BBQ leg of lamb.

We enjoyed the BBQ at the beginning of the evening and had plenty of drinks to wash all the food down. It was great to catch up with friends and a relaxed atmosphere of a BBQ is a fantastic way to do that.



Recipe for my chilli and lime salsa.

Ingredients:
200 grams mixed tomatoes, (red cherry, golden baby plum, yellow cherry) diced.
2 spring onions, finely diced.
1/2 red pepper, finely diced.
1/2 green pepper, finely diced.
2 to 4 red chillies, finely diced, seeds removed.
Small bunch of fresh basil and coriander, finely shredded.
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil.
Juice of 1 to 2 limes.
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar.

Method:
1) Simply mix all ingredients together and set aside until ready to use.

ChefGary's Tips:
This salsa works great to add spice to any BBQ meat or fish. Also works great with toasted bruschetta as a great pre-starter or side dish. Add a finely diced whole mango to add a beautiful sweetness and exotic taste to your salsa.

The most common mistake of BBQ cooking is attempting to cook at too high a temperature. 
If using gas, have on the lowest setting and be patient. Don't turn your food over too soon. 
If using charcoal, you should wait at least one hour before you begin cooking.