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For
food lovers it's compulsive TV viewing - watching Britain's best
chefs competing in BBC 2's hit series, Great British Menu. Now,
instead of touring the country seeking out the ultimate culinary
experiences, you have the unique opportunity to sample the best, in
one place, on one special night - with the proceeds going to
Hospitality Action, the industry's own charity.
On
May 18, the seven 2008 Great British Menu finalists will be creating
a six - course dinner fit to impress even the most seasoned gourmand
at a prestigious London venue - and you're invited to attend.
Between
them, the seven master chefs boast several Michelin stars,
outstanding Good Food Guide reports and numerous accolades and
titles. They are Jason Atherton, of Maze, London; Nigel Haworth, of
Northcote Manor, Lancashire; Chris Horridge, of Cliveden House,
Berkshire; Tom Kitchin, The Kitchin, Edinburgh; Danny Millar, Balloo
House, Killinchy, NI; Glynn Purnell, Purnell's, Birmingham, and
Stephen Terry, The Hardwick, Abergavenny, Wales.
The
champagne reception and dinner for 300 guests and celebrity VIPs
will be held at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square. Tickets,
including champagne, dinner and wine, are £120. Profits from the
event will be donated to Hospitality Action, the charity which
supports catering industry workers in need.
During
the evening there will be an auction, where guests will be able to
bid for one of the seven chefs to cook a meal in their home. There
will also be a raffle, with prizes to suit the most discerning gourmet.
Jason
Atherton's British recipes
Cup
of tea with brioche sugar lumps and tea sorbet
Jason
Atherton
Serves
4
Ingredients
For
the tea sorbet
750ml/1
pint water
350g/12oz
invert sugar (available commercially and online)
50g/2oz
glucose
1
lemon, juice only
25g/1oz
loose leaf tea
For
the Earl Grey anglaise
1
litre/1 pint 15fl oz double cream
1
litre/1 pint 15fl oz whole milk
3
tbsp Earl Grey leaf tea
400g/14oz
free-range egg yolks
400g/14oz
caster sugar
3
leaves gelatine, soaked in water
For
the tea jelly
500ml/17½fl
oz boiling water
3
tea bags (English breakfast tea)
3½
gelatine leaves
For
the sugar lumps
1
ready-made brioche
vanilla
sugar (available from supermarkets, or make your own by placing
used, dry vanilla pods into a tub of caster sugar an leave for a week
to infuse)
Method
1.
For the tea sorbet, place the water, invert sugar, glucose and the
lemon juice into a clean pan over a high heat and bring to the boil,
stirring until the sugar has dissoved.
2.
Place the tea leaves into a heatproof jug and pour the sugar and
lemon solution over. Leave to infuse for 1½ minutes, then pass
through a sieve and leave to cool.
3.
Transfer the cooled tea mixture to an ice cream machine and churn
according to manufacturer's instructions.
4.
Preheat the oven to 180C/360F/Gas 4.
5.
For the Earl Gray anglaise, place the cream, milk and tea leaves
into a pan over a low heat and gently warm through (but do not boil).
6.
Place the sugar and egg yolks into a bowl and whisk until pale and fluffy.
7.
Add the egg and sugar mixture to the warm milk and cream and, using
a sugar thermometer, heat to 85C/185F, then pass through a sieve into
a bowl.
8.
Squeeze any excess water from the gelatine and add to the custard,
stirring to dissolve. Transfer the custard to small dariole moulds
set over a bowl of ice and leave to set.
9.
For the tea jelly, place the boiling water and teabags into a teapot
or heatproof jug and leave to infuse for one minute.
10.
Squeeze any excess water from the gelatine and add to the tea,
stirring to dissolve. Pour into dariole moulds and leave to cool and set.
11.
For the sugar lumps, cut the brioche into small cubes and roll in
the vanilla sugar to coat. Place onto a baking tray and place into
the oven to bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden-brown.
12.
To serve, turn out each set Earl Grey tea anglaise onto a plate.
Turn out a tea jelly onto each plate and add a spoonful of tea sorbet
alongside. Add the sugar lumps to the side of each plate and serve.
Cider
'n' Black
Jason
Atherton
Ingredients
4
blackberries
10ml
gomme syrup, or sugar syrup (see cook's note below)
40
ml vodka,
10ml
blackberry liqueur
10ml
lime juice
30ml
apple juice
rock
ice cubes, for serving
cider,
to top up
1
slice apple
Method
1.
Muddle (this means to crush) 3 of the blackberries with the gomme
syrup in a cocktail shaker.
2.
Add the vodka, blackberry liqueur, lime juice and apple juice and
shake well.
3.
Pour into a large cocktail glass filled with rock ice and top up
with cider.
4.
Decorate with an apple slice and the remaining blackberry.
Cook's
note: Gomme syrup is a sugar and
water mixture, like sugar syrup, but it has the added ingredient gum
arabic, which acts as an emulsifier, preventing the sugar from
crystallising and adding a smooth texture. It is available from
liquor shops - or you can substitute sugar syrup.
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