Carrots and Beremeal

Method:

Beremeal crackers

– Place the egg yolks and sugar in an upright mixer (or use an electric whisk) and whip together for 5minutes until light and fluffy. Add the butter, a spoon at a time until well combined.

– Gently fold the rest of the ingredients in.

– Place the dough between two sheets of baking parchment on a baking tray and roll out evenly.

– Place the baking sheet in the oven at 180°C (no fan) for 20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 80°C to let the crackers dry out and crisp up for a further 30 minutes.

– Allow to cool then break into a few shards. Blend some in a spice grinder to a fine powder.

Salt baked carrots  

– Toast the beremeal in a 180°C oven for 12 – 15 minutes until golden and toasty!

– Once cool, place the beremeal in a large bowl with 500 rock salt and add 250 – 300ml water to form a dough. Divide the dough into two equal balls.

– Roll each ball out on a piece of parchment, to around 3cm in depth.

–  Lay 3 large purple carrots on 1 side of the dough and fold the other half over.  crimp the edges to seal a tight parcel and place on a parchment lined  baking tray.

– Repeat the process with three  large orange carrots and the other rolled out dough.

– Bake the carrots at 200°C for 15 minutes then turn the oven down to 160°C and cook for a further 15 minutes.

– To test whether the carrots are cooked, pierce with a skewer; It should be quite soft yet retain a slight bite when pierced. Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes.

– Crack open the dough, and remove and wipe the carrots wiht a damp cloth to remove any doughy residue.

– Punch out rings of carrot with a pastry ring and cut the discs in half to reveal crescents of bright, perfectly cooked and seasoned carrots……..hopefully!

Fresh cheese (paneer)

– Bring the milk to a boil in a large pan with the salt.

– When the milk is just up to the boil add the other ingredients and whisk thoroughly; it should immediately curdle and seperate into curds and whey. Turn the heat off and leave to stand for 2 minutes.

– Line a large colander set over a large bowl with a double layer of damp muslin cloth.

– Pour the contents of the pan into the muslin. Discard the whey and rinse the curds of fresh cheese with plenty of cold water. Gently squeeze any excess moisture out of the cheese. Place the cheese flat in the cloth and place in the bottom of the colander.

– Fill a bowl with fresh cold water and place on top of the fresh cheese and press for 1 hour.

– Remove the cheese from the muslin, place in a tub and cover with cling film to ready to serve.

Pickled chantennays – 

– prepare the chantenays;  top, tail, scrub and rinsed in cold water.

– Blanch the carrots in boiling salted water for two minutes. Remove and place in a pickling jar or screw top jam jars ready for the pickling syrup.

– Bring all the pickling ingredients up to boil and pour straight onto the cooked chantenays. Seal the jars and leave for at least 24 hours. These will keep indefinately and the pickling syrup is useful for most veg –  sliced beetroots, cauliflower florets, shallot rings etc.

Buttermilk and rapeseed oil sorbet – 

– Combine the cream, glucose, milk powder, caster sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring up to the boil.

– Pour the mix straight into an upright blender. Add the zest of half a lemon and a pinch of citric acid. Start the blender and turn up to a medium speed. Pour in the buttermilk and then the extra virgin rapeseed oil in a slow,  steady stream to emulsify. Pass through a fine sieve and churn in an icecream machine before freezing.