At chef Ben Tunnicliffe’s maritime inn next to Newlyn Harbour, the chalkboard menu evolves subtly every day, following the ebb and flow of ingredients brought in by the tides and seasons.
Words by Lucy Studeley | Images by Betty Paton
Seared scallops, broad beans, mint and vermouth
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3 large scallops per person (cleaned)
Approx 1-1.5kg broad beans
300ml vermouth
300ml reduced fish stock
200ml double cream
12 large mint leaves (finely shredded)
A little vegetable oil
Method
Remove the broad beans from their pods and blanch for about 30 seconds in salted, boiling water until tender. Drain and refresh in iced water, then remove the outer shell from the beans if you feel it necessary (if they’re young and fresh, you probably don’t need to bother). Set aside in the fridge until required.
Reduce the vermouth by boiling to approx. 50ml, then add the reduced fish stock and cream and reduce to the consistency of a thin sauce (don’t reduce it too much as it will set in the fridge - you can always reduce a little more while the scallops are cooking). Set aside to cool, then refrigerate until required.
When ready to eat, put your creamy sauce in a suitable sized pan to reheat, and gently warm to a simmer – you might want to thicken it slightly more at this stage by cooking for a little longer.
Heat one or two frying pans, giving enough space for all of the scallops. Lightly oil with your chosen cooking oil and add your scallops one at a time neatly on their flat sides. Cook for 45 seconds to a minute until a lovely golden brown, then turn them over, season with salt and pepper and cook to your desired degree. If they are super fresh, then always undercook slightly!
While the scallops are cooking, add your shelled broad beans to the sauce to warn them through. Add the finely shredded mint leaves, and adjust seasoning if necessary.
To plate, pour the beans and sauce into four bowls and put three cooked scallops in each.
Serve with fresh, crusty bread and a nice glass of white wine.
Turbot, braised gem lettuce, peas, pancetta, girolles & tarragon
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 portions of skinless Turbot
2 little gem lettuce
200ml reduced chicken stock
1 shallot, finely diced
200ml dry white wine
1 tsp caster sugar
50ml white wine vinegar
4 tbsp pancetta lardons
8 tbsp cooked and refreshed peas
150g girolles (chestnut or closed cup mushrooms will work if girolles not available)
1 tsp finely shredded tarragon leaves
30g cold diced butter
A little cooking oil
Method
Remove any loose leaves from the outside of the little gem – these can be used for something else. Cut the little gem in half lengthways and set aside.
Clean the girolles or whichever mushrooms you’re using with a damp cloth. If necessary, cut the mushrooms into smaller pieces. Sauté in a hot pan and season, then put onto a suitable sized tray to cool. Slow cook your pancetta lardons in a frying pan until crispy – drain away the fat.
To make the sauce, sweat the diced shallots until soft but not browned. Add the caster sugar and allow to caramelise a little. Add the white wine vinegar and reduce until all gone, then add the white wine and reduce by approximately 90%. Add 150ml of the chicken stock, retaining the rest for later and reduce to your preferred sauce consistency. Set aside.
When ready to serve:
Heat the oven to 180˚C. Heat a frying pan for the little gem and another for the Turbot. Add a little oil to the one for the gem, and put it into the pan flat side down. Allow to colour. Add approx. 100ml of water and the remaining 50ml of reduced chicken stock, season and braise in the oven in the frying pan for around 3 minutes until tender.
Meanwhile, put the 4 pieces of Turbot into a hot pan with a splash of cooking oil, and cook for a few mins until golden. Turnover and finish cooking. If you have a temperature probe, I would recommend taking the fish off the heat when its core is about 52˚C as the residual heat will continue to cook the fish. All fresh fish is much better if slightly undercooked!
While the Turbot is cooking reheat the sauce and add the lardons and girolles. Stir in the cold diced butter, stirring until melted and emulsified into the sauce. Add the peas and tarragon and leave on a gentle heat for a minute or so to warm through the peas.
To plate, put each portion of Turbot onto a warm plate, place the gem lettuce beside it, and spoon the sauce over.
Eton Tidy
You can of course just make meringue (or buy them) and mix with whipped cream and strawberries to make the classic Eton Mess. However, if you fancy a bit of fun and have the time, then make this Eton Tidy as described below. You’ll need to plan ahead, preparing your jelly and meringues the day before.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the Strawberry Jelly :
1kg strawberries
400g caster sugar
For the meringues:
100g egg whites
200g caster sugar
For the cream:
100g pastry cream (crème pâtissière)
100g mascarpone
200ml double cream (whipped)
For the strawberry coulis:
A couple of punnets of local strawberries
Approx. 1 tbsp icing sugar
A few drops Cointreau (optional)
Zest and juice of ½ an orange
Method
For the strawberry Jelly:
Remove the green tops from the strawberries and toss them in the caster sugar in a stainless-steel bowl, then cover with cling film and set over a pan of gently simmering water. After a couple of hours, you’ll have what looks like tinned strawberries in a beautiful strawberry liquor.
Strain gently and cool the liquid.
In a saucepan, add 0.6 of a gram of Agar Agar to the cold liquid and whisk, bring slowly to the boil and simmer gently for a few minutes. Pour into a suitably sized tub/tray that is at least 2cm deep and lined with three layers of cling film. Leave to set and then cut into cubes.
For the meringues:
Preheat the oven to 70˚C. Put the egg whites into a clean mixing bowl with a small pinch of salt and whisk, until soft peaks form – you could do this by hand or with a machine. Add the sugar a bit at a time whilst whisking until all the sugar has been used and the meringue is thick and glossy. At this stage we pipe them into little log shapes (little finger-sized) and oven dry at 70˚C for about three hours. Once cooled they can be stored in an airtight container for a few days comfortably.
For the cream:
Beat the pastry cream with a whisk until smooth, then beat in the mascarpone with a whisk. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mix. Put into a piping bag and pop in the fridge until needed.
For the strawberry coulis:
To make the strawberry coulis, puree about half your strawberries (reserving the rest for plating) with the Cointreau, orange zest and juice and icing sugar. Chop the remaining strawberries into halves or quarters depending on size, and toss in the coulis just before serving.
To combine…
Pipe or spoon 4 or 5 piles of cream mixture onto a plate, lean meringues up against each dollop of cream, and arrange some of the strawberries in the coulis mixture randomly around the plate, interspersed with cubes of strawberry jelly.