Cookery Classes
Christopher with Rory Bremnar
Christopher has many years of experience of demonstrating and teaching from Telford college to Edinburgh School of food and wine. Classes for children to “find your way round the kitchen” for men.
As the chef behind the exclusive classes at Myres castle voted one of the top ten things to do in by Scotland on Sunday and one of the top two cookery experiences in the Sunday Times. Christopher now offers bespoke classes to suit you.
Choose between coming to Upper Largo or your own kitchen, One off classes for specific needs such as bread baking ideas with shellfish or game or short courses for young people off to college or university and fending for themselves for the first time.
“ It is essential that young people learn the simple skills of choosing raw food and cooking simple healthy meals, much cheaper than take aways”!
Christopher Has recently created a class at St Andrews University for foreign language students taking them through a cultural experience as well as learning how to use local Scottish Ingredients
Call now for a chat and discuss requirements
PIED DE COCHON ST MENEHOULD
This is a rather special recipe for me as of course eagle eyed readers will
have realised that my name is the same as the word for a pigs foot. I first
ate pigs trotters when I went to work in the Hotel Anthon in Obersteinbach
in the Alsace and on my way to the hotel, I stayed the night at the local
hotel in the eponymous town. There I found the local speciality was this
dish. It was delicious and you could eat the whole thing bones and all.
Thirty years later I returned with my son on a trip and we stayed in the
same hotel where current Chef Matthieu Fourreau is still preparing the same
dish. He was good enough to share the recipe with me, the secret is in the
vinegar! This helps to break down the bones in the trotters so you can eat
everything and the luscious meat makes a rich accompanying sauce.
Ingredients
4 front pigs feet tied in pairs head to toe
200ml white wine
200 ml wine vinegar
salt and pepper
6 cloves
2 bay leaves
sprig marjoram
4tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
½ tsp ginger
2 cloves garlic crushed
Method
Place the trotters in an ovenable pan which can be covered.
Put all the ingredients in with them and then top up with water, to just
cover. Bring to the boil and cover and simmer very gently for 8 hours
topping up with water as necessary. You can also cook them in a slow oven
for the same time. When cooked, cool slightly then place a plate on top to
press the trotters close together so when they cool they keep their shape.
Leave to cool completely.
They will set in a wonderful jelly, remove them and remove the string and
carefully separate them.
Sprinkle with bread crumbs and either microwave to heat through (Matthieu's
method) or heat through in a medium oven and then brown quickly under a hot
grill. Serve with a little of the strained boiled juices.
You will find that all the little bones have broken down to a mere crunch so
you get the various textures as well as great flavour.
Either that or go to the Hotel Le Cheval Rouge St Menehould.
Pigs trotters with mushrooms wild garlic and cream
Cook the pigs Trotters as in the first part of the Pied de Cochon St
Menehould
Meat from two trotters
One onion peeled and chopped
50g button mushrooms quartered
stock
hand full of wild garlic leaves, washed and shredded
4 tblsp double cream
Remove the meat from the trotters and cut into small pieces, set aside
In a pan fry the onions in a little oil 'til soft then add the mushrooms and
cook for a further 2 minutes, add the chopped meat and stir to heat through.
Add 4 tbls stock and simmer add the cream and the wild garlic, simmer until
lightly thickened serve with pasta shells or rice or mashed potato
RECIPE FOR FILLET OF HADDOCK WITH SMOKED WILD BOAR BACON AND PUY LENTILS
For 4
Ingredients
4 fillets of haddock approx 150g Iain Spink
4 rashers smoked wild boar bacon Andrew Johnson
400g Puy lentils
chopped small onion
splash white wine or water
tsp vegetable oil
Method
Rinse the puy lentils in cold water, then place in a pan and cover with cold
water an inch above the lentils, bring to a simmer for 15 minutes, drain and
set aside.
Cut the bacon into small lardons and fry in a pan with the oil, for a few
minutes. Lower the heat and place the fillets of haddock on top and allow to
cook gently for 5 minutes until just cooked. Remove fish and keep warm, stir
the cooked lentils into the bacon and add the wine and bubble up, allow to
cook for a few moments adding water if it gets dry. Check for seasoning and
then serve on plates placing the fish on top.
PHEASANT BREASTS WITH APPLE AND MOSTARDA
Ingredients
2 pheasant breasts
tsp sunflower oil
1 Bramley apple ( or other cooker)
2 tsp Mostarda
Method
Take a pan which will fit the pheasant breasts and heat over a medium heat with the oil. When hot place the breasts skin side down and cook for a few minutes to lightly brown. Turn them over and reduce the heat and cook for another few minutes.
Peel and core the apple and cut into small chunks, then add to the pan and stir in to absorb the pheasant juices. When the pheasant is just cooked, remove from the pan and set aside in a warm place. Stir the Mostarda into the apple and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the pheasant.
Good with braised red cabbage
PHEASANT LEGS WITH BARLEY AND PARSNIPS
Ingredients
Two pheasant legs cut into thighs and drumsticks
2 tsp olive oil
half a peeled chopped onion
2 tblsp barley
tblsp red wine (optional)
2 medium parsnips peeled and chopped to a dice
Method
heat a liddable pan and add the oil, when hot brown the legs on both sides, takes about 5 minutes. Lower heat and add the chopped onion, stir in to colour lightly, add the barley and stir in. Pour over the wine and then add water to just come half way up the meat. Cover and either simmer gently or place in a medium oven for an hour.
Remove lid and add water if it looks dry. Stir in the parsnips and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
Fife free range chicken drumsticks with cashew nuts and turmeric
1 tblsp olive oil
4 chicken drumsticks or thighs
1 chilli seeded and chopped
1 stick celery chopped
2 leeks chopped
50 g cashew nuts
tsp turmeric
200 ml stock or water
Heat a pan (which has a lid and can go in the oven), add the olive oil, dry
the drumsticks and brown lightly in the hot oil. About 5 minutes
Remove the drumsticks and add the cashew nuts stirring to brown lightly,
then lower the heat and add the leek, celery and chilli stir around for a
few minutes to absorb the juices.
Stir in the turmeric and mix well then return the drumsticks and pour on the
stock or water. Season with a little salt and a few grinds of black pepper,
bring to the boil and place in a medium oven for half an hour, turn the
chicken over once during the cooking.
When cooked, check for "doneness" by pushing a skewer to the bone ( of a
drumstick!)if the juices run clear then its cooked. Allow to boil for a few
minutes and stir the mixture to thicken slightly.
Serve with rice
Break into small florets like cauliflower and simmer in salted water for 7 minutes until it is just cooked but still with a little crunch, drain and season with fresh ground black pepper and grate some Anster cheese on top, or make a cheese sauce
Savoury apple sauce
Melt a little butter in a sauce pan and add some chopped cooking apple such as Bramley and cook over a low flame until it softens in to a sauce. Add a tsp of whole grain mustard to it and stir in , serve with Puddledub black pudding or sausages or pork chops
Smokie Broth
Great first course before haggis on Burns night
Ask Ian to leave the bones in as he is preparing the smokie for you, use these with the skin from the fish to make a basic stock to add flavour to your soup.
1 leek
2 potatoes washed and peeled
2 Jerusalem artichokes scrubbed
a little butter
make your stock first by putting the bones and skin into a pan and covering with cold water. Add a few stalks of parsley and the trimmings from the leek. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes, strain
Cut all the vegetables into a dice, and rinse the leek to clean off any mud
In a 1 litre size pan add a little butter and sweat the leeks until soft, then add the potatoes and artichoke and stir to coat with the butter. Add the reserved stock and cook until the vegetables are almost soft, its quite nice with a little bite. Season with some black pepper and a little salt if necessary, top up with milk and add the flaked smokie flesh to the pan heat through and add lots of chopped fresh parsley.
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