Ballathie Food in Scottish Field
Transcript of Ballathie Food in Scottish Field
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The shore thingBallathie House hotels Scott Scorer reveals what happens when an ambitiousyoung head chef changes things around at one of the countrys top fishing hotels
WORDS RICHARD BATH IMAGES ANGUS BLACKBURN
So, what does an ambitious young chef do
when he is invited to take the reins at one
of the countrys most venerable and best-
loved fishing hotels? Thats right, he changes
around the food offering and creates a funkynew menu even though he knows it may well
scare Ballathie Houses fishing bufties straight
out of their tweeds and twinsets..
I was really worried when I decided to
completely overhaul the menu and make it
more antsy-fancy, laughs head chef Scott
Scorer. Weve gone more upmarket, with more
local and foraged ingredients from the estate,
and a more contemporary presentation. I didnt
know how the long-time regulars and a lot
of people have been coming here every year for
the past thirty or forty years would react.He neednt have fretted. he made the changes
as soon as he joined Ballathie from Gleneagles
eighteen months ago, and not only did the regu-
lars accept the need for change, they completely
embraced it. I was amazed at just how receptive
people were, says Storer. They were very posi-
tive and surprisingly curious: people would be
asking me how I did this or that all the time I
think weve got a lot of serious part-time cookson our hands.
Although Storer doesnt fish (owner John
Milligan took him out a couple of times, but
while he enjoyed not catching anything, he
says he just doesnt have the time to spare), he
knows that Ballathies position on the banks of
the Tay means that anglers are a fact of his life,
as is finding interesting things to do with those
salmon which arent dispatched to the nearby
Dunkeld Smokehouse.
There are some things that will never change
at a hotel like this, he says, but weve alsoshown that our customers genuinely appreci-
ate a bit of innovation and that they like to see
things change a little as long at they feel that
the change is for the better.
FOOD & DRINK
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I decided to completelyoverhaul the menu andmake it all antsy-fancy
Image: Scott Storer on the banks of the River Tay
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Confit sea trout, braised babyfennel and pea mousse with alemon dressing
Confit sea trout
1 side of sea trout (cut into 100g portions)
250ml confit oil
2 coriander seeds
Method: Gently warm the oil and coriander
seeds to around 50C. Place a portion of the
sea trout in the oil and leave for approximately 7
minutes. Remove the sea trout from the oil and
place on a kitchen cloth to drain.
Pea mousse
2 gelatine leaves
600g petit pois
200ml double cream
pinch of saltpinch of sugar
Method: Place the gelatine leaves in cold
water to soften. Blanch the peas in salted water
then remove. Reserve 150ml of the blanching
water and place the gelatine leaves in this until
dissolved. Place the peas in a food processor and
blitz. Add the water/gelatine until the pea mixture
is smooth. Place in a tray and leave to cool to
room temperature. Semi-whip the cream, then
add to the pea mixture, folding through. Season
and place in a shallow tray. Cover in cling film and
place in the fridge.
Fennel
200ml oil
5 baby fennel
zest of a lemon and an orange
peppercorns
Method:Pour the oil into a tray, add the fennel
and cover in tin foil. Place in an oven preheated to
130C for 15 minutes.
Lemon dressing
4 lemons
100g sugar
200ml lemon juice50ml white wine vinegar
50ml rapeseed oil
2g xanthum gum
Method:Peel the lemons, then blanch and
refresh the peel three times. Boil the sugar, lemon
Add threedots of lemon
dressing, three
dots of avrugacaviaranda quenelle
of the peamousse
Above: Confit trout with
a light pea mousse makes
a mouthwatering starter.
Right: Earthy flavours ofbeetroot, black pudding
and venison dominate in
this autumnal main course.
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juice, vinegar and peel and reduce by half. Whisk
in the oil and add the xanthium gum.
Beetroot pure
400g cooked beetroot
50ml water
50ml oil
Method:Place the ingredients in a food
processor and blend until smooth.
To finish and serve:Place a spoonful of the
beetroot pure on the plate and use the spoon tomake a drag up to the centre. Place the fennel in
the centre of the plate with the sea trout on top.
Add three dots of lemon dressing, three dots of
avruga caviar, a quenelle of the pea mousse and
finish with pea friss and sorrel cress.
Roast loin of venison, smokedvenison croquettes, Stornowayblack pudding and poached pear
Roast loin of venison
1 striploin of venison (cut into 150g portions)
10g butter
5ml oil
sprig of thyme
salt and pepper
Method:Preheat the oven to 180C. Heat a
large, heavy-based frying pan until hot. Place the
venison in this and sear for a couple of minutes.
Turn over to sear the other side, then sear the
ends. Place the venison in a roasting tin in the
preheated oven for about 10 minutes for rare
meat. Leave it a bit longer for medium-rare or
medium. Remove from the oven and allow to rest
for five minutes. This will ensure succulent meat.
Celeriac pure
1 onion
50g butter
clove of garlic
sprig of thyme1 celeriac
860ml chicken stock
100ml double cream
Method: Finely dice the onion, then sweat it in
the butter in a pan with the chopped garlic and
thyme. Add the diced celeriac and chicken stock
and boil until the celeriac is soft to the touch.
Place the mixture in a food processor and blend
until smooth adding a little more stock if required.
Add the cream.
Potato croquettes
400g potato
10g butter
2g nutmeg
120ml milk
150g smoked venison
160g breadcrumbs
150g plain flour
2 eggs
Method: Peel and boil the potatoes, then drain.
Let the potatoes sit for a couple of minutes to
allow any excess water to evaporate. Mash the
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potatoes adding salt, nutmeg and butter, slowly
add the milk. Keep mashing until the mixture is
smooth and creamy (but not too wet). Add one
egg yolk and the smoked venison. Form intocroquettes and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Beat the remaining egg and a half. Remove the
croquettes from the fridge and dip each in the egg
and then flour and breadcrumb mix. They are now
ready to deep-fry when youre ready to eat.
Beetroot and Chantenay carrots
1kg raw beetroot
500g chantenay carrots
Method: Oven roast the beetroot on a salted
tray covered in foil for approximately 2 hours
(170C). Peel and set aside ready to assemble.
Boil the carrots in salted water until tender. Drain
and allow to cool.Sour cherry gel
1kg frozen sour cherries
1 litre of water
50g caster sugar
juice of a lemon
12g agar agar powder
Method:Add the cherries, water, sugar and
lemon juice to a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce
the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to infuse for
a further 30 minutes. Strain the liquid through
a fine sieve, then place in a pan. Add the agar
agar powder and heat through until the powder
has dissolved. Place in a container and allowto set in the fridge. Once set, tip the jelly into a
food processor and blitz until smooth. Place in a
squeezy bottle ready for finishing and serving.
Stornoway black pudding bonbons
100g Stornoway black pudding
pear
1 tsp Lea & Perrins
50g flat-leaf parsley
Method:Grate the black pudding and the
pear, then add a teaspoon of Lea & Perrins. Mix
together and form into small balls. Refrigerate.
Blitz the parsley with some breadcrumbs and use
this to coat the bonbons.Poached pear
1 pear
200g sugar
juice of 2 lemons
cinnamon stick
4 cloves
Method:Put all the ingredients in a saucepan
with 750ml of water, set over a medium heat. Peel
the pear, remove the core with a melon baller and
place the pear into the liquid until tender.
To finish and serve:Warm the pure and
vegetables and season with salt. Deep fry the
croquettes and bonbons. Place the pure on
either side of the plate and assemble the otheringredients in the centre of the pure. Gently
warm the poached pear, cut into quarters. Slice
the venison into medallions and place on top
of the other ingredients. Finish with two edible
flowers and jus.
Gently roast the pine kernels
then add the cinnamonsugarand cook until golden
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FIELDFACTSBallathie House Hotel,
Kinclaven, Stanley,Perthshire,
PH16 5LG
Tel: 01250 883268
www.ballathiehousehotel.com
Scottish gooseberry vanillapanna cotta
We serve the panna cotta in little individual jars
youll need one for each guest.
Gooseberries
240g Scottish gooseberries
57g sugar50ml sparkling water
vanilla pod
Method: Place all of the ingredients in a vac pac
bag and sous vide at 61C for 20 minutes. Cool
rapidly.
Gooseberry jelly
500ml gooseberry liquid (from sous vide)
5 leaves of softened gelatine
Method:Add the gelatine to the liquid and allow
it to dissolve. Pour 20ml of the liquid into each jar
and add a few chopped cooked gooseberries.
Refrigerate.
Vanilla panna cotta
225g caster sugar4 sheets softened gelatine leaves
1 vanilla pod
1 pints double cream
335ml milk
Method:Place the sugar, vanilla, cream and
milk in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from
the heat and add the softened gelatine. Return
the pan to a gentle heat until the gelatine has
dissolved. Cool over ice, gradually stirring until the
mixture starts to thicken. Once cold, pour on top
of the gooseberry jelly in the jars.
Pine nut crumble
700g pine kernels150g cinnamon sugar
350g icing sugar
pinch of salt
Method: Gently pan roast the pine kernels,
taking care not to let them burn. Add the
cinnamon sugar, icing sugar and a pinch of salt
and cook until golden in colour. Allow to cool,
then place in a food processor and blitz until the
mixture resembles a crumble.
To finish and serve:Place three gooseberries
on each plate, with the crumble pine kernel
mixture in the centre. Place a quenelle of good
quality vanilla ice-cream on top of the crumble.
Serve the jar of gooseberry panna cotta on theside. We also serve this dish with a homemade
light pistachio sponge, made from nuts, eggs and
caster sugar.
Left: A neat jar of panna cotta accompanies this delicate
dish of gooseberry and pine nut crumble.
Wine expert David Austin
of Reubens Wine Store in
Dunfermline selects threewines to accompany Scott
Scorers dishes.
SAUVIGNON DE ST BRIS FELIX & FILS
2011, 10.99
The delicacy and subtlety of
this dish is the key to balancing
a wine with it. However, with
fennel and pea you have some
punchy flavours. If youre a fan
of Sauvignon Blanc but cant
seem to tear yourself away from
Marlborough or Sancerre its time
you had a look at this curio from
central France. Its produced in
the Yonne district and manages
to bridge the gap between in style
between Chablis and the Loire. Its dry, slightly
earthy minerality make it ideal for the trout and
its crisp acidity and underlying citrus flavours
allow it to combine perfectly with the fennel,
pea mouse and lemon dressing
LE COTEAUX COTES DU
RHONE VILLAGES 2010,
9.99
In the Rhone Valley they makewines with a robust, full bodied
nature ideal for game. There are
many great wines of the Rhone
that carry equally great price tags
so finding one that offers value
and style is a must. Cote Du
Rhone Villages from the southern
half of the region is the perfect match and the
2010 vintage is reckoned to be the best yet.
The Grenache gives the full ripe dark berried
fruit that works well in contrast with the black
pudding and the muscular Syrah adds the spine
that supports the fulsome venison.
THE STUMP JUMP STICKY,
DARENBERG 37.5CL 2010,
7.99
Moving away from France this
Aussie Sticky is just the ticket. Its
made from Chardonnay, Riesling,
Semillon and Pinot Gris fruit from
the Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale.
A real mix but somehow it works.
There is just enough richness from
the Chardonnay and acidity from
the other grapes to match the
gooseberry and cut through theemulsion of the panna cotta.
Wineto dine
Reubens Wine Store, 14 New Row, Dunfermline,
01383 731475, www.reubenswinestore.com
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