Possibly the largest wine tasting Brighton has seen?

Butlers Wine Cellars is organising a mammoth South African wine tasting  next month. Around 13 wine makers are taking part in the event at All Saints Church, Hove on Monday, 3 June from 6 - 8 pm. This means there will be a wide variety of wines available to taste.

Tickets for the events cost £5 and should be booked through one of the Butlers Wine Cellars’ shops in Brighton at either Queen's Park Road (01273 698724) or St George's Road (01273 621638).

BFS to share expertise at Glynde Food Festival

Brighton Food Society founders, Andy Lynes and Patrick McGuigan, will be sharing their knowledge with visitors at the Glynde Food & English Wine Festival. They will host two of the How to... sessions on 14 July. The first session will demonstrate how cheese can be paired with beer. They will also be running a separate Q & A session on how to be successful food writer.

The seventh Glynde Food & English Wine Festival will be held from 13-14 July 2013. This year’s line up for the Chef Demo Stage includes John Torode, Valentine Warner, Dhruv Baker, Lisa Faulkner, local chef Matt Gillan (South Lodge Hotel) and 2012 Great British Bake Off Winner John Whaite.

There will also be cooking masterclasses available and a specific area for children where they can participate in craft activities, cookery classes and get to know some of the local farm animals

For further details on the event and to purchase tickets please visit the festival website  www.glyndefoodfestival.co.uk.

The Firsts of April

The tell tale signs are all there. Resplendent daffodils nod their approval and boots have been ditched in favour of flip flops as Brighton basks in glorious sunshine. Spring has finally arrived.

As well as the first serious sunshine April has heralded some new foodie events for Brighton this month.

Brighton Farmers' Market
(Courtesy of comfortablyhungry.com)

Brighton Farmers' Market
(Courtesy of comfortablyhungry.com)

After much lobbying by the Brighton and Hove Food Festival they finally succeeded in getting their farmers market off the ground on 20 April. It will be held in the Old Stein on the third Saturday of the month with lots of local produce on offer. You can read more about it here.

Pat McGuigan contemplates what to eat
at the Brighton Street Diner (Courtesy of lewesfoodie.com)

The Brighton Street Diner (Courtesy of lewesfoodie.com)

The Brighthelm garden was the location for the inaugural Street Food Market on 26 April. Come rain or shine (and in typical British weather fashion it did both on that day) the market will be there every Friday between 11am and 3pm. It’s a great chance to sample delicious food largely from local traders like the ever popular Trolls Pantry. Take a look at The Lewes Foodie’s pictures to whet your appetite.

Let’s hope the good weather continues and these new events thrive.

Joe Lutrario’s Seagull Sliders

Joe made these delicious sliders for our Beyond the Pier event last month.

Hawksmoor Brioche Buns 

(makes 8 large 200g buns or around 15 slider-style buns)

• 50g Custard Powder
• 550ml milk
• 25g unsalted butter
• 2 tsp sugar
• 750g strong white flour
• 1 sachet of instant dry yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• A beaten egg for glazing

Method

1. Whisk the custard powder into the milk and pour into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and sugar until melted, then pour into a mixing bowl and leave until barely warm. Add the flour, yeast and salt, mix well and leave for 10 minutes. On a lightly oiled surface, lightly knead the dough until smooth, then return it to the bowl and leave covered for an hour and a half.
2. Divide the dough into pieces (200g for larger buns or 90g for sliders) and using a little flour, shape them into balls. Place them on a lined baking tray and flatten slightly with a rolling pin. Cover and leave to rise for about an hour or until they have doubled in size.
3. Finally, brush the buns with beaten egg and bake at 190 for about 20 minutes until lightly golden.

Pickled cucumbers

• 225ml hot water
• 125ml rice wine vinegar
• 6 tbs sugar
• 2 tsp sea salt
• Bunch of dill, chopped
• 4 sticks of lemongrass, bruised
• 3 cucumbers

Method

1. Make the pickling liquor by combining the first four ingredients. Leave or leave until the sugar and salt is fully dissolved.
2. Meanwhile, peel the cucumber. Combine the picking liquor, cucumber and dill and lemongrass in a shallow container. You may need to cut the cucumber into smaller sections depending on the dimensions of the container. Refrigerate. The pickles will be ready to use in about 48 hours.

Assembling the burgers

• Brioche buns
• Sliced pickled cucumbers
• Roast chicken
• Finely sliced tomatoes
• Finely sliced red onion
• Mayonaise
• Good quality ketchup

Method

Toast the buns and spread one half with mayo and the other with ketchup. Layer in the rest of the ingredients and secure the buns with skewers.

Beachcomber Bisque

B

Sam Bilton’s Prawn Bisque Sauce

Makes between 300 - 400ml (enough for 4 - 6 servings)

This sauce is wonderful with any pan fried white fish such as plaice or sea bass. It also works well with the smoked potato and seaweed rosti Sam served with the plaice at Beyond the Pier. The recipe for the rostis is on Sam’s blog www.comfortablyhungry.com.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 600g raw prawns (with heads and shells)
• 50g unsalted butter
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, unpeeled and crushed
• bouquet garni (sprig of thyme, a few sprigs of parsley and a bay leaf)
• 3 tbsp brandy
• 150ml white wine
• ½ tbsp tomato puree 
• 500ml hot fish stock
• 75ml creme fraiche
• salt, pepper and lemon juice to season
• Snipped chives to garnish

Method

1. Peel and devein the prawns reserving the shells. Rinse the prawns briefly in cold water to ensure all the entrails have been removed. Place the shelled prawns in the fridge until required.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large lidded frying pan or saucepan over a medium high heat. Sauté the prawn shells until they have taken on some colour. Remove from the pan and reduce the heat slightly. Melt the butter then add the shallots, garlic and bouquet garni. Cook until the shallots are tender but not coloured. Add the brandy and cook for a short time before igniting.
3. Stir to extinguish the flames them add the tomato purée. Cook for a minute or two before adding the prawn shells and white wine. Boil rapidly until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the fish stock and continue to boil rapidly until the liquid has reduced by half again.
4. Remove the bouquet garni and place the sauce into a blender or food processor (you will need to do this in batches). Blend then strain through chinois or a fine sieve into a clean saucepan.
5. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer then whisk in the creme fraiche.  Bring the sauce back up to a gentle simmer.
6. To cook the shelled prawns, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan. Saute until pink and no longer translucent. Place some of the cooked prawns on a plate a douse with the hot bisque sauce. Serve immediately sprinkled with snipped chives.

Becci Edmondson's Canapés

Devilled crab croutes

Adapted from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Makes 35-40

Ingredients

• Loaf  thinly sliced white bread
• Cucumber
• 100ml sherry
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 heaped tsp redcurrant jelly
• 1 heaped tsp English mustard
• 200ml double cream
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 cooked devon crabs (about 1-1.5kg), clawmeat
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Using a small round cutter, punch out rounds of bread. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the croutes begin to crisp and turn slightly golden. Remove from the oven and put to one side.
2. Slice the cucumber thinly and punch out rounds the same size or slightly smaller than the bread croutes. Put these to one side too, ready for assembling the canapés later.
3. Now to make the devilled crab. Put a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Pour in the sherry and bring to the boil for a few seconds. Add the vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and let them come to the boil too.
4. Stir in the redcurrant jelly, mustard and cayenne pepper. Finally add the cream and bring to a simmer. Cook for a couple of minutes until the sauce just starts to thicken.
5. Remove from the heat and fold the crabmeat into the sauce. Season well with black pepper and sea salt.
6. When you’re ready to serve the canapés (not more than 30 minutes before), assemble by placing a cucumber round on the bread croute and then spoon on a teaspoon of the devilled crab. Garnish with a twist of pepper and serve.

Hot smoked salmon blinis with wasabi crème fraiche

Makes 35-40

Follow Delia Smith’s recipe (http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/main-ingredient/fish-and-seafood/salmon/buckwheat-blinis-with-smoked-salmon-creme-fraiche-and-dill.html) to make buckwheat blinis. However, to make smaller daintier blinis like ours (around an inch or so in diameter), use a tablespoon of batter for each blini.

Ingredients

• 200g hot smoked salmon, flaked
• 100ml crème fraiche
• 3 tsp wasabi paste
• Dill for garnish
• Black pepper

Method

Add the wasabi paste to the crème fraiche and mix well. Taste and add more wasabi paste if needed as all wasabi pastes vary in strength.
To assemble the canapés (not more than 30 minutes before you want to serve them), spoon a dollop of crème fraiche on to each blini and then top with the hot smoked salmon. Garnish with a sprig of dill and a twist of black pepper. Serve.

Fennel marinated feta skewers

Makes 20

Ingredients

• 200g feta, cut into 20 cubes
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 10 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
• 20 kalamata olives, pitted
• 20 wooden skewers

Method

1. Toast the seeds in a dry frying-pan for a few minutes until aromatic and starting to colour ever so slightly. Pour into a flat dish, mix with a few glugs of olive oil along with a little sea salt and black pepper. Add the feta squares and mix well. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Put the tomato halves on a baking tray, cut side up. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes so they are lightly roasted, but still holding their shape. Put to one side until ready to assemble.
3. Just before you want to serve the canapés, thread 1 olive and 1 tomato half on to the skewer, before finishing with a feta square at the bottom. Serve at room temperature.

Take a look at Becci's account of the evening at Feed & Gastro.

Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside!

“Does anyone have any inflatables?” said the e-mail. A strange request for a Saturday night but being familiar with Brighton I have come to realise that anything goes.

It would transpire the inflatables were to play an integral part in the transformation of the Brighthelm cafe for the second Brighton Food Society dinner. Under the watchful eye of interior designer Pearl Maddox, Patrick McGuigan and Euan MacDonald created beach themed surroundings (minus the sand of course) to welcome our guests to our Beyond the Pier event.

Amid all the huffing and puffing in the cafe came a stream of food for the kitchen. First the fish kindly supplied by Seafish. Plaice fillets had been caught by a Mozart loving fisherman on his boat Amadeus. The crevettes snuggled in their icy bed smelled just like the sea as only wonderfully fresh seafood can. Joe Lutrario arrived laden with naked fowl with their prehistoric looking feet intact. Becci Edmondson and Andy Lynes would follow soon after to join the kitchen crew. Now all we had to do was make the food taste as good as the cafe looked.

As always the day passed with alarming speed as the four of us avidly chopped, whipped, sautéed and sieved. Suddenly, people were arriving to enjoy a glass of complimentary Classic Cuvée from Nyetimber. Becci’s canapés which included devilishly spicey crab crostini and hot smoked salmon blinis went down a storm.

 

Meanwhile, the Brookland White chickens were stubbornly taking their time to cook apparently oblivious to the fact they were to be the main element of the starter. When they finally emerged from the oven their crisp, golden skin had protected the succulent meat underneath. Neatly sandwiched in a brioche roll expertly crafted by Joe the sliced chicken tasted slightly gamey as you often dream chicken should taste but so rarely does.

Joe and Andy stepped up to the mark to deftly cook the fish while I plated smoked potato and ‘seaweed’ rostis and buttered samphire. The delicate plaice fillets were bathed in the coral bisque sauce which had caused me much anguish before the event. Was all the peeling, pounding and sieving worth the effort? Apparently so, as praise filtered into the kitchen from the dining room. There was high praise too for Andy’s vegetarian orzo stuffed tomato served with a piquant tartare style sauce.

A brief respite in the kitchen followed as the Paxton and Whitfield cheese course was ferried to the tables by our front of house team led by Becky Paskin. The lucky diners were given a glass of Barbeito Boal Reserva Madeira courtesy of Butlers Wine Cellar. Andy’s sticky toffee apple pudding was up next with Rodda’s clotted cream. His rich caramel sauce had people positively swooning. Matthew Drennan’s ‘beach biscuit’ petit fours (ever so cute mini bourbons, hob nobs and jammie dodgers), which made their way into the goody bags, proved an excellent way to round off our seaside themed evening.

For the ‘chefs’ the end of the evening arrived before it seemed it had started. The inflatable turtle, ray and beach balls were deflated but we were still buzzing from the experience and looking forward to the next Brighton Food Society event. 

By Sam Bilton

Recipes from the event will follow soon!

With special thanks to:

Brighton Food and DrinkFestival

The Brighthelm Centre - a community space with meeting and performance rooms for hire

Interior designer Pearl Maddox: email: pearlmaddoxinteriors (at) gmail.com tel: 07716 114 995

Nyetimber sparkling wine

Seafish, which supports the seafood industry in the UK

Henry Butler from the Butler's Wine Cellar

Brookland White chicken

Paxton & Whitfield

Rodda's clotted cream

Matthew Drennan from Flour Town

Goody bag treats included:

Tribute ale from St Austells

Cornish Yarg from Lynher Dairies

Luscombe soft drinks