IN SEASON
Seasonal chef
WE FIND OUT HOW HEAD CHEF PETER ALCROFT WORKS SEASONAL PRODUCE INTO THE MENU AT THE DART MARINA’S RIVER RESTAURANT
PAN FRIED SEA BREAM, ROSTI POTATO, ASPARAGUS, PURPLE SPROUTING, SAUCE VIERGE
have a very close relationship with all our suppliers and talk to them on a weekly if not daily basis. They also email me with a list of what is good and what to avoid. We try to use as much of the food that is in season as possible and by its very nature it comes around at the same time each year. All the chefs here are particularly looking forward to the fi rst of the Eng- lish Asparagus.
I Seasonality means everything to
me. We have so many great producers here in the South West and to use their produce when it is at its very best is an honour. From game in the winter months to juicy strawberries in the summer, it governs the dishes that go on the menu. Our guests don’t want to be eating a very heavy plate of braised beef when we are in the middle of summer!
I change the menu four times a year
to refl ect the change in the seasons. I also make small changes, for ex- ample if one of our fi sh suppliers has some really great fi sh in. March is a bit of a transitional month, most of the game has gone and spring has only just started. For me it is the start of the seasonal year and the fi rst thing I think about is rhubarb. Then in April it will be asparagus and the year goes on from there. So we will defi nitely be using rhubarb in March along with purple sprouting broccoli, blood oranges, lemon sole, red mullet and if we are lucky some suckling lamb (but we might have to wait until April for that and asparagus).
❤ 4 fi llets sea bream (ask the fi shmon- ger to scale and pin bone them)
❤ 2 bunches British asparagus (optional, depending on the season)
❤ 800g purple sprouting ❤ 1 bunch spring onions ❤ 4 rosti potatoes (see below) ❤ sauce vierge (see below)
1 Peel the asparagus, top and tail the spring onion and trim the purple sprout- ing. To cook the vegetables bring a large saucepan of salted water to a rapid boil. Drop in the vegetables and cook for 4-5 minutes.
2 For the sea bream, heat a little olive oil in a non-stick pan. Score the skin of the sea bream and season the fl esh with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3 Place the fi sh, skin-side down, into the hot oil. Cook the sea bream for 4-6 minutes on the skin-side according to the thickness of the fi sh. Turn the fi sh onto its fl esh side briefl y to fi nish cooking it.
4 Reheat the Rosti and gently warm the sauce. Plate as picture garnish with baby basil leaves.
Rosti Potato ❤ 2 large fl oury potatoes ❤ 2-3 tbsp. clarifi ed butter or duck fat ❤ 2-3 tbsp. sunfl ower oil ❤ Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 For the Rosti, grate the potatoes coarsely into a clean tea towel. Fold the towel around the potato to form a ball and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible. Season the potato with black pepper and salt, then divide into four
22 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER equal portions.
2 Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and add two tablespoons of the clari- fi ed butter or duck fat and the sunfl ower oil. Place a metal chef’s ring inside the frying pan and carefully fi ll with the one portion of grated potato. Using the back of a spoon gently push down to make a
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