Chocolate Mousse with Honeycomb and Sea Salt

I’ve always loved chocolate, who doesn’t? But I LOVE the dark stuff, just a little bit of insanely tasty chocolate. I’ve never been one for milk chocolate or overly sweet bars but a small taste of dark chocolate is irresistible. I’ve always got a few types at home hidden away somewhere to satisfy that craving. 

At one point, a few years ago, I almost changed what I was doing career-wise to become a chocolatier at the thought of tempering chocolate all day, filling moulds and flavouring ganaches. In the end I decided against it but as you can probably guess it fuelled an already ridiculous passion for chocolate. It’s also one of those things that I like playing around with in the kitchen because it’s not easy - it’s more of a challenge; it can be super tricky, it can burn easily, it can split but there’s something about that that I love. Luckily this recipe isn’t like that, it’s actually really easy, it’s just got quite a few steps to it. Follow the steps and it’s worth the effort. Trust me. This is a great dessert to have ready for a barbecue or big event as you can do this the day before just have it ready to serve from the fridge. You could do it in individual pots but I really like serving it as a blob of hole-y mousse on a plate. Mmmmm.

The honeycomb is also really easy and actually really quick! (I say it’s quick but you have to leave it for about an hour before it’s ready to use as it takes time to cool) It’s also really cool when you add the bicarbonate of soda as it froths and bubbles. Definitely get the children to watch but be careful as it’s super hot!

Ingredients -

Chocolate Mousse -

• 110g Dark Chocolate (at least 75%), broken into small pieces
• 40g Butter
• 3 Eggs Yolks
• 100g Caster Sugar
• 75ml Water
• 100ml Double Cream
• 90g Egg Whites (2 large or 3 small eggs)
• Sea salt to serve (I use Maldon)

Honeycomb -

• Butter, for greasing
• 200g Caster Sugar
• 5 tbsp Golden Syrup
• 2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

Method -

Chocolate Mousse -

• Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and then set aside, stirring occasionally
• Dissolve the sugar in the water in a heavy based saucepan over a low heat, when dissolved increase the heat and bring the syrup to the boil.
• Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl until pale and creamy
• Boil the syrup until it reaches 120 degrees C on a sugar thermometer
• With the whisk on fast slowly trickle the hot syrup onto the beaten egg yolks
• Keep whisking until the mixture is thick, smooth and has increased in volume
• Whisk until the bowl no longer feels hot and then set aside, this is called a Pate à Bombe
• Whip the cream to soft peaks in a separate bowl
• Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks in another bowl
• Fold the chocolate mixture into the pate à bomb (sugar syrup and egg yolk mix), then fold in the whipped cream and lastly the whisked egg whites
• Transfer into a container for the fridge, it’s best left for a few hours in the fridge before serving

Honeycomb -

• Grease a 20cm tin with the butter
• Put the caster sugar and syrup into a heavy bottomed pan and dissolve on a low heat
• When dissolved increase the heat and bubble until you have an amber coloured liquid
• Quickly turn off the heat, add the bicarbonate of soda and beat with a wooden spoon until the bicarb has been fully incorporated and the mixture is bubbling
• Transfer the mixture into the tin and leave to cool before using (this will probably take 1 - 1 1/2 hours)

When you come to serve simply put a spoonful of mousse on a plate and then add crushed honeycomb and sea salt!

Both of these can be kept for a while and so it's a really good one to prepare hours before and will certainly impress your guests

Enjoy

x

The Pig Dig

There was a series on last year called ‘Chef’s Table’, I’m sure some of you have been watching it but if you’ve not watched it - WATCH IT! As it happens tonight unveiled the second series which I’m very excited about and after reading this you should all be going home and watching avidly. The last series featured 6 inspirational chefs and their stories. They all inspired me in different ways but the one that left a lasting impression was the story of Francis Mallmann who [abbreviated bio] after much acclaim in Paris went back to his roots and started cooking in his own native way in Patagonia cooking outside by fire - he uses pits to cook animals overnight and throws breads directly on coals. Basically the most manly way of cooking humanly possible! This obviously made my ears perk up and my saliva glands work overtime and so I decided that I should try it out. Cooking how we used to cook food thousands of years ago is no easy feat.

One cold night last halloween we embarked on a pit roast of half a pig in a friends garden in Arsenal, London. The results were truely incredible, so much so that we’ve done it again since and plan to do a few more as events in and around London. If you fancy running an event with us I’d be very interested to hear from you but this post wasn’t about selling myself so I’ll stop there. The pork was the juiciest I have ever eaten (no moisture is lost whatsoever in the cooking process as the pork is starved of oxygen) and the combination we eventually came up with of pork, tarragon and blood orange in a toasted brioche bun is D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S!

So in a very abbreviated step by step here we go:

• Get a pig / half a pig / piece of pig
• Dig a pit 1 foot wider on all sides than your pig (or piece of pig) and about 5 foot deep. This is by far the worst bit about the entire cooking process as it’s back breaking work. Be sure to get a few of you ready to dig and have a digging party before the event.
• Light a fire
• Keep fire going until you have 3 feet of red hot embers (this will take at least a few hours)
• Season your pig. We seasoned with salt, thyme, rosemary and garlic.
• Wrap the pig in tin foil
• Wrap this in hessian sacks
• Wrap this in chicken wire
• Throw on embers
• Cover with a lid (we used a piece of corrugated iron)
• Cover with soil to seal all air gaps
• Leave for as long as you think it needs (we did half a pig for 18 hours and a large pork shoulder for 11 hours, both were delicious)
• Eat with mates and lagers and music, in a ideal situation on a glorious summers day!

To serve -

Toast a brioche bun and then pile on the meat, extra salt and pepper if needed, a good amount of tarragon and a few blood orange segments. Heaven.

Pasta perfection is my new Mecca!

When I was at University I wasn’t actually into pasta that much, the pasta and pesto staple diet of many students wasn’t part of my repertoire. I’m not really sure why I was like that, I probably thought I’d be being a bit lazy so instead favoured a more complicated alternative. Fast forward 10 years and now I have fallen in love with a good bowl of humble pasta. I’ve been trying to perfect all the old classics that I feel an old Italian Grandmother would pass down to her children, keeping it simple but all about the fresh ingredients. It literally has become a bit of an obsession, one of my cupboards is just full of different types of pasta! It’s ridiculous 

I recently shot a pasta called ‘Pastificio Di Martino' for Pulp Magazine (Click here for picture1, and picture 2) and starting divulging into the history of it. With over 100 years of manufacturing experience and pasta still being dried on special racks in the street it really is an incredible pasta and a tastes delicious. Pasta might be quick to make but the same amount of time and passion has gone into it as any other classic dish! The Pastificio pasta didn’t last long in my kitchen but it helped me to perfect some recipes that I’m going to share with you

I can’t call these recipes my own but they’re definitely worth trying to perfect, they’re both heavily based on recipes from ‘The Geometry of Pasta’ which is well worth a read and will help you on road to pasta perfection. 

Cacio e Pepe (Cheese and pepper) is a delicious simple pasta and Spaghetti alla Vongole (Spaghetti and clams) done right is near perfection.  These are both perfect for a summer dinner in the garden sipping a glass of fresh Vinho Verde. If there’s two pieces of advise I’d give you it’s to spend a bit more money on the pasta (don’t buy 79p pasta as it’ll always taste like 79p pasta) and also add a good amount of salt to the cooking liquid (12g salt per litre) as pasta is made un-seasoned.

CACIO E PEPE

Ingredients (for 2 people) - 

• 200g Bucatini pasta
• 2 tsp Black Pepper
• 100g grated Pecorino Romano 
• 4 tbsp Olive Oil
• Reserved pasta water

Method - 

• Boil the pasta until just before cooked
• In a separate frying pan heat the olive oil and add half the pepper
• After a few seconds add 4 tbsp reserved pasta water
• Add the pasta and sauté for a few seconds until there is no loose water
• Take the pan off the heat and add the cheese. Keep turning the pasta until the cheese is mixed through and melting into the pasta
• Serve with the remaining pepper

This pasta is so delicious and fresh and all the flavours should marry together perfectly. The liquid that comes out of the clams when cooking adds a taste of the sea which is so fresh it’s addictive. If you’re ever trying to impress someone with a pasta dish this is the one to do it with!

SPAGHETTI ALLA VONGOLE

Ingredients -

• 200g Spaghetti
• 6 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 500g Clams
• 2 large cloves garlic
• Chilli flakes / 1 dried chilli chopped into flakes
• 1 handful chopped Parsley
• 4 tbsp White Wine

Method -

• Put the pasta on to cook
• While the pasta is cooking heat a wide frying pan over a high heat
• When smoking hot add the oil and then quickly add the garlic, chilli and clams
• Fry for a few moments (20 seconds, until the garlic starts to colour) and then add the parsley and the wine
• When the majority of the clams have opened add the drained pasta and cook together until the rest of the clams have opened. The sauce should be half oil, half water
• Serve immediately

Do you like Pina Coladas? Or getting caught in the rain?

Forget about the rain but hopefully this will change your mind about the cocktail! I recently went on a 3 week trip around Cuba and whilst the food wasn’t as incredible as I thought it was going to be the cocktails were great. We travelled from East to West, North to South and feel like a saw a good amount of the country to comment on its current state. I think a lot of negative opinions are being said about what’s currently happening to Cuba, but from speaking with the locals I feel that it’s only going to help them, they’re looking forward to seeing change and with it is only going to come positives. There is already loads of work going on in Havana, installing new drainage systems, making better roads and I feel that it’s very single minded to say that it’s going to destroy the country. I’m sure it will keep its cultural heritage and I’m definitely sure those old American cars will not be replaced. Aside from the politics of the country it's such a beautiful country and is the nearest to paradise I've ever been!

I used to be a bar tender and cocktail shaker (I’d love to say mixologist but don’t think I was inventive enough) so I have a huge love for good drinks and spirits. As we arrived into Havana on the first night the first thing we did was to throw down our bags at our ‘Casa Particular’ and then head out for a drink…or two…. “Dos cerveza y dos mojitos por favor?” Without realising that the cocktails are about double strength things quickly became blurry from there!

After a week or so sampling all the drinks I realised that I actually have a new found love for Pina Coladas. I know what you’re thinking, however, if it’s made properly it is actually a great drink and perfect for an on-the-beach post-swim pick me up so without further ado here’s my recipe for Pina Coladas. After trying this recipe you’ll change your mind about the frowned upon classic. “Do you like Pina Coladas?” I sure do! (Please enjoy while singing along, responsibly…obviously…) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLom-87AmO8

PINA COLADA

This recipe is different to a lot you’ll find on the internet, in Cuba I found the drink was way more creamy and less pineapple-y. In my opinion it’s this overly sweet pineapple-y drink that people don’t like and so give this a go and you’ll be sure to love it!

Ingredients - 

50ml white rum

50ml coconut cream

25ml Pineapple Juice

2 teaspoons sugar syrup

Method - 

• Along with a handful of ice throw all the ingredients in a blender and blend well
• Serve with a slice of pineapple and as many cocktails add ons as you can get your hands on (I was a bit gutted I couldn’t find those little monkeys that hang off your glass!)

Photography...

Shamless plug - Some of my photography is now up on The Cuckoos Nest site. Please check it out and let me know what you think at http://www.cuckoosnestclothing.com/ - The first 6 images that appear are mine. If you want to see more check over at my site at www.robertbillington.com

Here's a little preview -

Tomorrow I'm going to be making corn dogs and I'll be sure to share the recipe with you! We're going to have an American evening and eat corn dogs and burgers and watch something like American Pie (hope this doesn't offend any Americans out there...)

Apple Cake

As usual the gap between blog posts has become even bigger, big apologies but I've had a word with myself and I'm going to try and get more done as I've always got loads to say!

I've recently been busy shooting and am working on my own shoots which is great. I've been doing bits of food photography and fashion photography, weird combination? I don't think so...food is the new fashion right? Anyway if you're interested in seeing what I've been up to then check out my usual website www.robertbillington.com and if you're interested in working with me then get in touch.

The other week I ended up with some spare apples that weren't looking that great anymore but were nowhere near going off so I decided to make a cake with them. Usually you'd use baking apples but this was a case of using the old apples so they were actually Braeburn apples - they didn't crumble and actually made a beautiful cake. If you use baking apples throw a bit extra sugar over them. It's well easy to make and you've probably got all the ingredients in your cupboard!

Fact about apple cake - I travelled around Poland a few years ago and there's a cocktail they have called a szarlotka (pronounced: sharlotka) which is simply Zubrowka vodka and apple juice but szarlotka also means 'apple cake' and so many times we were served a drink when we wanted cake and visa versa. Note to self - if you ever go to Poland be sure to order both Szarlotka's!

Enjoy!

Rob

APPLE CAKE

Ingredients –

2 eggs

175 g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

85 g butter

75 ml milk

125 g plain flour

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

2 Braeburn apples, cored and thinly sliced

Method –

-       Preheat the oven to 200C. Prepare a 9in cake tin by putting parchment on the bottom, brushing with butter and then sprinkling first with caster sugar and then with flour. (Tip any excess sugar and flour out in between each step)

-       Arrange the apple slices in a concentric circles until the bottom of the tin is covered, don’t keep stacking up loads of apples as the cake will become too wet and will take longer to bake.

-       Using an electric whisk, whisk the eggs, caster sugar and vanilla extract in a large bowl until the mixture is thick and leaves a trail for a few seconds when the whisks are lifted (obviously turn the whisk off when you do this). It should take about 5 minutes

-       Melt the butter in a saucepan with the milk, then pour onto the eggs, whisking all the time. Sift in the flour and baking powder and fold carefully into the batter so that there are no lumps of flour. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.

-       Bake for 15 minutes on 200 degrees

-       Reduce heat to 180 degrees and bake for a further 20-25 minutes

Let the cake cool slightly before taking out of the tin and then while it’s still warm make sure you have the first slice as it’ll get eaten very quickly (I’d intended on taking a full cake shot but couldn’t resist eating some

Hope you're all well and I'll be sure post soon

Rob

x

Pies pies pies - My Beef and Ale Pie

I've been busy as always working on a few things recently - we've done a few more videos which will be online soon and I've also started throwing together ideas for a recipe book. It's not going to be a traditional recipe book but will hopefully fuse together my love of photography and food. I'll keep you informed of how I'm getting on and when I've figured out the format you'll be the first to have a little sneak preview..

So here's the next video of our Master Baker series which you can watch here, this time I chose to make a good old beef and ale pie. It's a classic for a reason. A great pie for all occasions! The pastry turned out a bit 'rougher' than expected but, for me, a pie should never be too fussy - it's about the flavour right?

I hope you enjoy the video as much as I enjoyed making it!

Pickled Herring

I only started making pickled herrings when I came to London, in fact I don’t think I’d eaten them before then. I first had them in a pop up restaurant on the top of a dis-used carpark and immediately after finishing them went straight up to the chef and had a long conversation about pickling. There’s something great about food taking about a week to make, something oldy-worldy – a similar feeling to opening jams from years before or eating Christmas pudding in June.

This is a really easy recipe and works every time, if you can't get herring then it works really well with any oily fish such as mackerel or sardines which are available throughout the year. There’s nothing to be scared about with pickling – it’s simple and easy but seems to be becoming a lost art. I say re-use those old jars and stock up your cupboard!

PICKLED HERRING

Ingredients -

8 herrings, filleted

200g course sea salt

500g sugar

350ml white wine vinegar

110ml water

8 whole peppercorns

3 bay leaves

6 large spring onions

10 thin slices of lemon peal

Method -

-       Mix the salt and 300g sugar together. In a plastic box layer the herring fillets sprinkling the sugar/salt mixture between each layer

-       Leave in the fridge for 24 hours, this will lead to a firmer and tastier fish.

-       After 24 hours rinse the fillets and discard the sugar and salt

-       In a pan heat up the rest of the sugar along with the white wine vinegar and water until the sugar is disolved. Set this aside to cool

-       In your pickling jar layer the herring fillets along with the spices, onions and peel and then cover with the cooled sugar solution

-       Leave for at least a week before eating but they will last for a few weeks after