Chocolate Mousse

180g caster sugar
125g(4-5) egg whites
250g dark chocolate
300 ml whipping cream

Decorate
50ml whipped cream

1. Put the egg whites into a free standing mixer and whip up a little bit. Add the sugar in one go and whip until you have stiff peaks.
2. Whip the cream.
3. Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water, take off the heat and place in an ice bath. Keep stirring until the chocolate start cooling down a bit, you'll feel it getting a little bit thicker (about 25-30C).
4. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate. Once incorporated add the rest gradually.
5. Add the whipped cream.
6. Divide the mousse into martini glasses or any other glasses.
7. Cover the glasses with cling film and refridgerate for an hour.
8. Serve up with a rosette of whipped cream.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup with honey and chiliflakes

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 stick of celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
1/2 chili, deseeded and finely chopped
1kg butternnut squash or another sort of pumpkin, chopped
1l chicken stock
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp cream, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Garniture
Chili flakes
Parlsey, finely chopped

1. Pour a couple of tbsp of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the chopped onion and saute for a couple of min on low heat. Add the chopped celery, carrot, garlic, chili and rosemary. Cook without coloring for 10 min.
2. Add the pumpkin, stir around and cover all the vegetables with the chicken stock. Cover the saucapan with a lid and bring to boil.
3. Turn down the heat and cook for about 20-30 min until the butternut squash is soft.
4. Puree everything and put back in the saucepan.
5. Season with salt, pepper and honey.
6. Add the cream just before serving.
7. Serve in a large bowl or in a hollowed out pumpkin.
8. Sprinkle with chili flakes chopped parsley and a drizzle of cream.

Serve with small croutons or my witches fingers for a halloween feel.

Home made Pizza

 

The clue to making the best home made pizzas is the "pizza stone". You can purchase one in most kitchen appliance shops or places like john lewis etc. It will cost you around £10 but it is definately worth the purchase.

It is so much easier to make pizza then anyone could imagine and it is so much fun. Its a great thing to make on a saturday night with friends. 

Pizza Dough:
1 kg flour, type 00
650ml water, lukewarm
15g dry yeast
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar

Tomato Sauce:
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 banana shallot, chopped
handful of basil, chopped roughly
2x 400g tinned plum tomatoes
400ml tomato passata
salt and pepper

Toppings:
To bake: Mozzarella cheese, buffalo mozzarella, chorizo, sliced mushrooms, olives, ham, basil leaves
Fresh to put on once pizza is baked: parma ham, rocket, basil leaves, olive oil

Making the pasta dough:
1. Sift the flour into a large bowl or onto a cleaned surface.
2. Put the yeast in a bowl with the luke warm water, olive oil and sugar. It is really important that the water is luke warm, around 37C, anything much above will kill the yeast and water not warm enough won't provide the right environment for the yeast to be activated and grow.
3. Leave this for a couple of min to allow it to react. You'll see it frothing up a bit.
4. Make a well in the flour and pour the liquid in.
5. Using a fork start incorporating the liquid into the flour with circular movements.

6. Once all flour has been mixed in starting working the dough with you hands or place it in a free standing mixer with the dough attachment. Work until it doesn't stock anymore and you are left with a shiny, smooth dough.
7. Put in a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and put in a warm place to prove for about one hour, until it's twice the size.
8. Now heat up the oven to maximum temperature and put you granite block or pizza stone in as well.

In the meantime make the tomato sauce:
1. Pour a couple of generous glugs of olive oil into a saucepan on medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and chopped shallots and saute for a few minutes.
3. Pour in the tomatoes, passata and chopped basil. Bring to boil and then take it off the heat and sieve the sauce, pressing out as much sauce as possible into a new saucepan.
4. Put the strained sauce back on the heat and bring to boil. Reduce the sauce for about 10 min until you reach the right consistency. You want it to cover the back of the spoon.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Leave aside to cool until you need to use it.

Finish the dough:
1. Remove your dough from the bowl and put on a lightly flour dusted surface.
2. Now you will have to 'knock the dough back', meaning you have to work it for another 5 min to get the air out.
3. Divide the dough into equal sized balls, i usually manage to make around 8-10 pizzas from this size of the dough.
4. Dust the ones you are not using with some flour and cover with a cloth.
5. If you dont want to use the dough immediately, you can cover it with cling film and leave in the fridge.
6. Roll your dough ball out to about 0.5cm thick on a floured surface.
7. Ideally you want it to rest for 10-15 min before putting in the oven.

In the meantime you can prepare all your ingredients so that they are handy.

8. Take the trey with the pizza stone on out of the oven. Please use the right protection for your hands at it will be very hot, and please, please do NOT touch the stone.
9. Slide the pizza dough over on the stone and you will see it starting to bubble up from the heat, all good!
10. Quickly put some tomato sauce all over the pizza and add your desired toppings, such as some mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, ham, chorizo, olives and sprinkle with a few basil leaves and/or oregano.
11. Bake in the oven for a few minute, you'll see it starting to get golden, this will take probably about 5 min, not much longer.
12. Slice using a pizza slicer on the stone and serve. If you want to use any of the cold toppings add just before serving.
Yum!

Buy the pizza stone online on http://www.decuisine.co.uk/cookshop/kitchen_tools_gadgets/pizzastone-set.html?ref=GA_PIZZASTONE&kw=pizza%20stone&gclid=CNecltPT8KQCFdD-2Aod8WXG1w

Stockholm

Stockholm is one of the most beautiful, forgotten cities in Europe. Built on 14 islands, connected by hundreds of bridges, with an archipelago of islands surrounding it. Full of beautiful people, stunning architecture, cosy cafes on every corner, so clean You'll find it a challenge to find a chewing gum on the street. I believe, not to be biased, that all in all it is the most beautiful city in Europe. 

Compared to London, for example, which only has one, okey, maybe two seasons a year, sweden has four wonderfully colorful seasons. Spring, with early snowdrops pushing through the melting snow, transforming to yellow fields of tussilagos and the blond, beautiful swedes crawling out of their hiding during the cold, white winter. Summers spent out in the sun, buzzing on a boat from one little island with the traditional red house with a swedish flag to another in the archipelago...and autumn, with blinding red, orange and yellow colors as far as the eye can see. 

Do i sound pathetically enthusiastic? 

Places to visit in Stockholm:


Where to eat and drink:

Cafe Saturnus

A super cosy cafe renowned in stockholm for its tear and share "kanelbullar"(cinnamon buns) and huge coffees... definately a place worth paying a visit. 

http://www.cafesaturnus.se/ 

 Papa Italiano on Riddargatan

Probably the trendiest place right now if you wanna mingle with stockholm elite and spot a celebrity. Very small and cosy venue in the heart of stureplan, tasty, rich italian food served on the biggest plates you've ever seen and smily good looking italian waiters, yes, waiters(!). Get a table at the bar, if you can!

http://www.italiano.se/papa/index.html

Teatergrillen
One of the restaurants owned by a swedish group of guys that also run Riche and Sturehof. One of the hottest places in Stockholm at the moment, good scandi food but prepare to spend a few hours there as i think they might be catching the fish in malaren while you wait.
http://www.teatergrillen.se/

Where to go and what to see:

Saluhallarna

http://www.saluhallen.com/

For people that do not know swedish food, you have to visit this place. To me, a food and cookoholic, this is what a toy store is to a child. I absolutely love this place. Love it, love it. Every stall knows me by know because i spend my days there, jumping food stands like a bee jumps flowers in spring. You can find local specialties such as all kinds of herring, local fish, smoked deer and elk meat which is sooo good. Amazing breads, cakes. You can pop by and buy the best ingredients to cook a meal at home or sit down in one of the restaurants.

Its in this beautiful, old building, been around for more than a century and is well known for hosting the best suppliers. A place you can not miss out on if you visit stockholm.

Skansen

On the island of djurgarden, in the very heart of stockholm, you can find skansen, which is an open air museum and zoo, containing a wide range of scandinavian animals including the wolf, brown bear, lynx and moose. Don't underestimate the size of this place, you can easily spend half a day walking around. It will give you a great insight of the swedes love of outdoor.

http://www.skansen.se/

Rosendals Gardens

At the far end of the islands of djurgarden is the rosendals tradgard. 

http://www.rosendalstradgard.se/section.php?id=0000000073

Where to stay:

Story Hotel and Restaurant, Bar

Best Whisky Sours in the world

A super trendy hotel in the heart of stureplan, located at the beginning of riddargatan. Stone throw away from riche and all the restaurants and shopping. 

It has a New York feel about it, hence i love it. Very cool restaurant and bar downstairs, jam packed with stockholms coolest people.

http://www.storyhotels.com/

Lydmar Hotel

Located right next to the grand hotel, overlooking the water and old town, 2 min walking distance from NK, the HN of stockholm, this is the right now hottest boutique hotel in stockholm.

The hotels entrance is disguised so the hotel is not a place you walk by, it is a destination.

Cool art decorate the walls, buzzing restaurant where you are sure to bump into a celebrity,  super friendly staff, spacious rooms. 

My favorite hotel in town. 

www.lydmar.com/

Going out at night:

Rose Bar

Cafe Opera

Swedish Almond Cake - Toscakaka

One of my absolute favorite cakes when i was a child, simply delicious. A light, fluffy sponge with a delicious crispy almond glaze, perfect to serve with afternoon tea or coffee.

Base:
100g butter, melted
3 eggs
150g caster sugar
200g flour

Glacage:
200g flaked almonds
150g butter
125g sugar
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp milk

1. Set the oven to 175C
2. Butter a round springform baking tin with a removable base.
3. Melt the butter and let it cool down slightly.
4. Put the eggs and the sugar in a free standing electric mixer or put it in a large bowl and use a hand mixer, whisk it all together until you have a fluffy, almost white mix.
5. Add the cooled butter and flour at the end.
6. Transfer the mix into the form and bake in the lower part of the oven for 20 min.
7. In the meantime make the almond glacage.
8. Place all the ingredients for the glacage in a saucepan on very low heat. Do not bring it to boil as it will cause it to split.

9. Take the cake out of the oven and spread the glacage on top.

10. Put back in the oven and bake for another 15-20 min until golden.
11. Let it cool in the tin and store covered so it doesn't dry out.

Grilled tuna steak with avocado salsa

I love a well cooked(pink) tuna steak with a salad. This meal takes 10 min to put together and is packed with goodness. If you want a meal thats a bit more filling serve it with a bowl of sticky rice on the side. 

Serves 2

2 tuna steaks

olive oil

salt and pepper

Marinade (optional)

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp soya

1tsp honey

1/2 lime, juice

Avocado Salsa

2 avocado, roughly chopped into small chunks

1 spring onion, finely sliced

handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered

handful of coriander, finely chopped

1/2 lime, juice

salt and pepper

Garniture

Coriander sprigs

Wedge of lime

1. Marinade the steaks for an hour at least. 

2. If you don't have time to marinade, which is fine, rub the steaks in olive oil and season with salt and pepper just before grilling.

3. Make the salsa by mixing all the ingredients. 

4. Heat up a riddled pan(preferably) to maximum heat. Grill the tuna steaks for about 1-2 min on each side. You want it to be pink ideally, which is about 1 min each side, but you can cook it to your liking. For well done, grill at least 3 min each side. 

5. Serve the salsa on the plate beside the tuna steak and decorate with a sprig of coriander and lemon wedge. 

Super Vegeterian Salad with avocado, beans and cottage cheese

I know this seems like a plate of randomly chosen ingredients just chucked in together...it's because that's pretty much what it is. I used random ingredients that i had in the fridge, you can easily substitute or add some, its just a matter of getting the right balance of flavors, a good dressing and it becomes a bowl of goodness for your mind, body and soul. Filled with antioxidants and vitamins, a perfect raw lunch salad to share with your friends. 

Serves 2

200g baby spinach leaves or any other leaves you have

6 strawberries

A handful of blueberries

100g red kidney beans

50g Mangetout

1 avocado

100g cottage cheese

Sprouts

Seeds to sprinkle on

2 branches of red currants

Yoghurt and chives dressing:

1/2 garlic clove, crushed

100 ml natural yoghurt

2 tbsp olive oil

squeeze of lemon juice to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

bunch of chives, finely chopped

1. Make dressing by placing the crushed garlic in a bowl and adding the yoghurt. Mix then in the olive oil, season to taste with salt, pepper and add a squeeze of lemon. Add chopped chives at the end. 

2. Arrange all the ingredients for the salad roughly on the plate. I prefer not to mix it, just serving the salad at the bottom, cottage cheese in the centre and the avocado, mangetout, beans and fruit scattered around. Decorate with some sprouts, red currants and sprinkle with seeds of your choice. 

3. Serve the dressing on the side.

Thyme scented warm goat cheese salad

Thyme Scented warm goat cheese and honey salad with spinach and a walnut and grapefruit glaze

This is a typical autumn salad that warms the heart and tummy. If you don't feel like grapefruit and walnut in the salad, which is delicious, you can make it with honey glazed figs and toasted pecans, toasted beet root and walnuts, pear... a combination of any sweet or sour fruit or vegetable with earthy nuts is a marriage from heaven with goat cheese. 

Serves 2

100g soft goats cheese
3 tbsp honey
300g spinach salad leaves, washed
1 grapefruit
50g walnuts, roasted
6 slices of baguette
a small bunch of thyme, leaves picked

Dressing:
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp walnut oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp grapefruit juice
1 tsp honey
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp cream
salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Peel the grapefruit and cut out the segments with a knife.

3. Place the soft goat cheese in a bowl and stir in 1/2 of the honey. Spread it out on the baguette slices. 

4. Place them on a trey and sprinkle some thyme leaves on top of the cheese spread and drizzle with the rest of the honey. 

(trick: to avoid scrubbing the trey after, cover it with some kitchen foil and place the toasties on top)

5. Bake in the oven for 10-15 min until golden. 

6. In the meantime make the dressing by putting the mustard and honey in a bowl. Add the pressed garlic and season with salt and pepper. Whisk in the grapefruit juice. 

7. Whisk in the olive oil, a little at the time. Your dressing should start thickening up. Add the walnut olive oil at the end, still whisking. You should end up with a glossy glaze. Add a dash of cream at the very end. 

8. Place the spinach, walnuts and grapefruit segments in a large bowl. Mix delicately with your hands not to break or bruise the leaves. 

9. Serve in a large bowl, place the toasties on top and drizzle with some dressing. 

Trick:

Pasta with Tomato and Basil Sauce

With simple, basic sauces such as the tomato and basil sauce it's all, ALL about the ingredients. You want to use those tomatoes which are too soft, the ones that have lied in your vegetable bowl or fridge drawer a few days too long. For any sauces or soups these are the best so never discard of them, just learn how to make use of them. This is a delicious super quick recipe, perfect for an easy dinner in front of the TV or lunch. 

Serves 2

200g pasta, cooked al dente

Tomato and Basil Sauce:

2tbsp olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

6 large, soft wine tomatoes, skin removed and blanched

50g tinned tomatoes, chopped up

1 tbsp tomato puree

pinch of sugar

10g butter

salt and pepper

handful of basil leaves

Cook the pasta in salted water according to instructions on packaging. Make sure it is cooked al dente. 

Making the sauce:

1. Blanch, deseed and chop the tomatoes.(detailed description below)

2. Put the olive oil into a saucepan on medium heat and add the chopped shallots and sweat for a few minutes. 

2. Add the garlic and after about 30 sec add the chopped tomatoes. 

3. Stir around and let cook for 3 min and then add the tinned tomatoes, tomato puree and pinch of sugar.

4. Cook for 5-10 min, season with salt and pepper and a knob of butter. It gives it a lovely shine and rich but still fresh flavor. Add the chopped basil just before serving. 

5. Put in the cooked pasta into the sauce, stir around making sure all the pasta is coated with sauce and serve up on plates, decoration with a basil sprig. 

Blanching and deseeding tomatoes:

1. Start off by bringing a saucepan of water to boil.

2. Make a cross with a knife on the top of the tomatoes.

3. Put them into the boiling water for 10 seconds. 

4. Now remove them a transfer to ice water. This process is called blanching. 

5. Now peel off the skin and remove the core. Cut the tomatoes into quarters.

6. Remove the seeds and you'll be left with tomato "petals".

7. Chop them quite roughly but still into rather small pieces.

Wild mushrooms tartine with thyme creme fraiche

As i like cooking with seasonal ingredients, wild mushrooms are a great and available right now. Their season is quite short so make sure you get some before they disappear on us again. They can be prepared in so many different ways - on toasts, in sallads, soups, pasta sauces, risottos... the possibilities are unlimited. They are unfortunately not that easy to get hold of, at least not a larger range of them. I found the best choice to be at the borough market in south london, which is open from thursday to sunday. All the big chefs go there to get there produce and inspiration. I make sure i go there at least once i week and i absolutely love it. If you however aren't planning a trip downtown, and wild mushrooms are not a motivation enough, you can get some in some larger department stores such as harrods or selfridges and possibly at whole foods. 

Wild mushroom tartine with thyme creme fraiche

Serves 4


2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
300g wild mushrooms ( combine as many as you can find - girolles, trumpets, oyster mushrooms, chantarelles, pied bleu, chestnut mushrooms)
bunch of parsley, finely chopped 
25g butter
salt and pepper to season
8 slices of sourdough bread (pain de campagne)
100ml creme fraiche
3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked

1. Preheat the grill or oven to maximum heat.
2. Prepare the mushrooms by cleaning quickly under cold water and cutting where necessary. You want to end up with different sizes and textures so don't worry too much about it all being perfect.
Also make sure to dry out the mushrooms properly as they will otherwise cook in the pan.  
3. It is very important to divide the mushrooms into different groups depending on the texture. I usually use the foot of the mushroom as a guide line. The thicker the foot the longer it will need to be in the pan. (Divided them into groups below)

4. Mix the thyme leaves with creme fraiche and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
5. Slice the bread and drizzle with olive oil and toast them in the oven until golden brown.
6. Now heat up a pan to maximum heat, drizzle with some olive oil and sautee the mushrooms in batches until nice and golden. Do not overcrowd the pan. 

7. Once all the "groups" of mushrooms have been done, melt the butter in the pan and add the crushed garlic and all the mushrooms for another 30 seconds to just reheat them. Add the chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Serve immediately on a hot toast and finish off with a spoon of thyme creme fraiche on top.  

Cep mushrooms - thick foot

Girolles and black trumpets

Mini guideline
Thick foot - longest cooking time (about 90-120 sec)- Ceps, chestnut, brown, button, pied bleu
Medium foot (60-90 sec)- girolles
Soft - short cooking time (30 sec) - black trumpet, oyster, chantarelles

 

Best tiramisu

If there's one dessert that always goes down well on a dinner party its tiramisu. Its light, creamy, sweet but not sickening. Can be made really quickly, be prepared ahead and made to look gorgeous...Just a spoonful with an espresso...mmm..yum!

To me...the tiramisu is all about the cream...i love a fluffy, airy, smooth and sweet cream....

So my challenge today was to make the best tiramisu cream!

There are thousands of methods out there... do i only use whipped cream with mascarpone? eggs? egg yolks? do i add egg whites? milk?

I looked through books, surfed online, from michelin star chef recipes to anonymous blogs and picked 5 that were different, set up my kitchen and the challenge started!:)

I ended up making up my own recipe which is just delicious!

Tiramisu

8 eggs

200g sugar

vanilla pod

600g mascarpone cheese

200ml whipping cream

savoiradi biscuits

4 shots of espresso,or a large cup of strong coffee

amaretto, kahlua, rum or a liquer of choice

cocoa powder

1.     Separate the eggs and put the egg yolks and sugar in a heat-proof bowl and beat until mixed. Score the vanilla bean in half, and with a knife, gently remove the beans and add to the egg yolk mix. Bring a pot with some water to simmer and put the bowl with egg yolk mix on top. Never allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water as too much heat will scramble the egg yolks. Beat with an electric whisk until the mixture is pale, fluffy and 3 times the size. This took me about 10 min.

2.     Put the mascarpone cheese in a separate bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth.

3.     Fold the mascarpone in to the egg yolk mix, a little at the time, carefully smoothening out any lumps, creating a smooth, wonderful cream.

4.     Whip the cream, but remember not to overbeat. You want a smooth whipped cream that will blend well with the rest. Add to egg yolk and mascarpone mix.

5.     Whisk the egg whites until stiff and smooth. Fold a little at the time, until you get a consistency you like. I probably used half of mine. The rest of the egg whites you can either throw away make some meringues for example!

6.     That’s your cream done. Cover with cling film and store in the fridge until use.

7.     Make your coffee and let it cool down (you can put in a couple of ice cubes to cool it down). Use 2 tsp of cocoa and add hot water to make a cup of hot chocolate. Let cool down as well.

8.     Pour the chilled coffee/hot chocolate in to a shallow bowl and add the desired alcohol/s… I used a mix of amaretto and chocolate liquor because i love the hint of the almond flavor mixed with coffee and chocolate.

9.     To prepare the dessert, choose your choice of glasses or a large form, put a layer of the chilled cream in at the bottom, arrange some soaked biscuits on top continue as many layers as you wish but making sure the last one consists of cream. Sprinkle with cocoa powder or grated chocolate flakes and serve.

Honestly there are so many different to serve tiramisu, in a large trey as described above and then just cutting into portion sizes, making individual squares, serving in a martini glass... I will present you with some presentation options but it simply depends what occasion you are making it for. 

Bon appetite!!!

Girls dinner party...

Girly dinner at home - a bunch of stunning girls, drinking martinis and champagne, getting ready together to hit town... to me it also means new recipes to be invented and my girlfriends being my guinea pigs.

So 24 hours earlier i start marinating and cooking so that on the evening itself i can have a drink and enjoy myself as well and not spend the whole evening cooking in the kitchen whilst my girlies will be sipping on fab cocktails...

I wanted to make something relatively healthy, carb free ( the carbs will be consumed in the form of a liquid) and appealing to the eye. It is important to analyze the audience and design a menu accordingly. 

I want all senses to be awakened...

So i decided to create a slightly far eastern and fusion inspired menu starting with a confit duck salad, with coriander, watermelon and cashew nuts; for main miso marinated black cod and steamed pak choy with a sesame dressing and for the daring i made my infamous oreo cookie cheesecake. Ideally i wanted to make a white chocolate and ginger cheesecake, but just when i started making the filling i realized i had run out of stem ginger, an obviously vital ingredient, hence decided to improvise and make something out of what i found in the cupboards! Oreo cookies:)

To complement these dishes i stirred up some Jasmine Cosmopolitans! yum!

The best thing about this menu, excluding the fact that its delicious, that seemed to be the common consensus, is that i prepared most of it the day before, so on the actual evening i spent hardly any time cooking. There's not fuss about cooking the steaks to everyones liking, here you put all the marinated fish in the oven together for 20 min whilst you enjoy a cocktail, salad is prepared ahead and so is the cheesecake. Super easy. Your only job is to present it on the plate pretty much.

Pick: Steamed Edamame beans with maldon salt
Starter: Confit duck salad with coriander, watermelon and roasted cashew nuts
Main: Miso Black Cod - http://thejussichef.blogspot.com/2010/10/miso-black-cod.html
Dessert: Oreo cookie cheesecake with a forest fruit coulis - http://thejussichef.blogspot.com/2010/10/oreo-american-cheesecake.html

Making Beurre Blanc

Beurre Blanc is a classic french sauce, literally translated from French as "white butter". A rich, hot butter sauce made with a reduction of vinegar and/or white wine and shallots into which cold butter is blended off the heat to prevent separation.

The traditional sauce has just some lemon juice and salt added to it at the end, however an endless range of derivatives can be prepared by varying the ingredients in the reduction or altering the garnish ingredients.

To give you some examples:

Beurre Nantais- adding cream

Beurre Rouge -  using red wine vinegar instead of white

Beurre Blanc Citron - using lemon (or another acid like orange) instead of wine.

Adding herbs such as mint, chives, tarragon, depending on ehat you are serving it with or with a pinch of saffron for a rich, flavorsome sauce.

It pairs beautifully with white fish, salmon, shellfish, asparagus...

Ingredients for a classic Beurre Blanc:

100ml dry white wine

30ml white wine vinegar

1 shallot, chopped

250g butter

lemon juice, to taste

salt

1. Place the white wine, white wine vinegar and shallots in a saucepan on high heat. Reduce until you are only left with 30ml of liquid in the pan (about a tbsp to give you an idea).

2. Once the wine and vinegar liquid has reduced start to whisk in the diced butter over low heat, making sure that the butter emulsifies rather then just melts. 

3. Add more butter once each piece has been incorporated. Continue until you have a smooth, glossy beurre blanc.

4. Add salt and a squeeze of lemon to taste.

5. Pass it through a fine sieve to remove the shallots.

6. Keep your beurre blanc at room temperature until you need it.

7. Keep your beurre blanc at room temperature until you need it.