Michelin-starred chef Paul Ainsworth unveils his take on a gourmet afternoon tea, with a tasting menu that can be recreated at home with friends and family.
Words by Hannah Tapping
Cheddar cheese, caramelised Cornish cider apples, cinnamon and Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream served on a cheese scone
Serves 4
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For the toffee apples:
100g muscovado or soft dark brown sugar
40g salted butter, cubed
80ml apple juice
1 small sprig of thyme
1 small cinnamon stick
3 Pink Lady apples, peeled, cored and halved for poaching
For the Bramley apple sauce:
50g muscovado sugar
2 large Bramley apples
1 pinch of cinnamon
1 lemon, juice only
For the cheese scones:
170g Greek Yogurt
60g Buttermilk
4 egg yolks (retaining 1 tbsp for glazing)
20g malt extract
25g self-raising flour (plus extra for dusting)
85g Spelt Flour (or Emmer or Khorasan flour)
1tsp table salt
7g baking powder
75g unsalted butter, diced
30g grated cheddar
50g Grana Padano or Parmesan, grated
To finish:
A pinch of flakey Cornish sea salt
1 sprig thyme leaves, picked
227g tub of Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream
Small pinch of cinnamon
200g piece of your favourite mature cheddar
Method
Preheat your oven to 160°C.
To prepare the toffee apples, place a large heavy-based, oven-proof frying pan over medium/high heat and melt the sugar with the apple juice until bubbling. Carefully whisk in the butter until emulsified before adding the thyme and cinnamon stick.
Place the halved apples in the pan and using a spoon, turn them all over to coat in the caramel. Put the pan into the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes until tender. You can test this with a skewer or the tip of a small knife. When the apples are cooked, remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
For the Bramley apple sauce, first peel your apples, remove the cores and slice them thinly. Heat a large heavy-based pan over medium/high heat and add the sugar. When the sugar is bubbling add the apples and cinnamon, followed immediately by the lemon juice.
Cook the apples uncovered for 10-15 minutes until totally soft, lightly caramelised you’ll have a thick purée-like consistency. At this stage, you can blend the apples in the pan with a hand-held blender- although this is not necessary. Leave finished purée to cool to room temperature.
To make the cheese scones preheat your oven to 180°C. Combine the yoghurt, buttermilk, egg yolks and malt in a jug, mix well and store in the fridge.
Combine the two flours, salt, baking powder, butter and cheeses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix on slow speed for 10-15 minutes until you achieve a breadcrumb-like texture. Alternatively, mixing by hand will be just as effective. Then pour the yoghurt mix slowly from the jug into the dry ingredients. When you have a rough dough, tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring the dough together by hand.
Next, roll out your dough into a round 2cm high slab, slide this onto a tray, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 15- 20 minutes. Remove the scone dough from the fridge and using a knife cut out your scones into fingers measuring 3 cm squared by 8 cm long. Flour well before cutting out each one and press in a straight downward motion. Make sure all your scones are presented with the smoothest side facing up and well-spaced as they will expand as they cook. Next carefully brush the top of each scone with egg yolk. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and risen. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
To assemble the dish, warm the scones and the toffee apples for 2-3 minutes in the oven. Remove from the oven and make sure all your apples are round side up (this is what would have been the skin side). Spread a thick layer of the Bramley puree on each scone finger.
Follow this by cutting the apples into quarters and arranging 3 pieces of apple on top, glazing with a spoonful of the caramel from the pan. Season the top of the apples with a little pinch of Cornish sea salt and the picked thyme leaves. Top each one with a teaspoon of Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream, then season each dollop of cream with a pinch of ground cinnamon.
Serve alongside your favourite mature cheddar allowing your guests to cut off a piece of cheese and eat with the toffee apple scone. The contrast of sweet and savoury is amazing.
Cornish gin and beetroot-cured chalk stream trout, dill and lemon, Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream, served on a chive and spring onion scone
Serves 4
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 20 minutes (plus 12 hours curing time)
Ingredients:
For the trout (cure the trout the day before):
100g beetroot (raw or cooked)
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
100g Cornish sea salt
60g unrefined caster sugar
50ml Paul Ainsworth’s Daring Gin (or similar)
1 lemon, zest only
1 small bunch of dill (reserve 1 sprig for garnishing the dish)
1 side of chalk stream trout, skin removed
50ml extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for brushing and dressing the scones)
For the chive scones:
170g Greek yogurt
60g buttermilk
4 egg yolks (retaining 1 tbsp for glazing)
20g malt extract
250g self-raising flour (plus extra for dusting)
85g spelt flour (or Emmer or Khorasan flour)
1 tsp table salt
11/2 tsp baking powder
50g grated Grana Padano or Parmesan
30g grated cheddar
75g unsalted butter, diced
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
1 bunch of spring onions, finely chopped (reserve the best one for garnishing the dish)
To finish:
1 lemon, zest only
1 tsp cayenne pepper
A few sprigs of dill
227g of Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream
Method
Cure the trout (this can be done up to 5 days in advance). Peel the beetroot and place it in a food processor. Next place a frying pan over medium heat and toast the coriander, fennel and whole black peppercorns until fragrant and aromatic - this will only take a few minutes. Add the toasted spices to the processor with the beetroot, Cornish sea salt, sugar, gin, lemon zest and dill then blend until you get a smooth paste.
Then place your trout in a suitably sized dish and rub this paste all over the trout and cover with cling film. Place in the fridge to cure for 12 hours.
Remove the cured trout from the fridge and rinse in cold water to remove the excess cure, herbs and spices. Pat dry with clean kitchen paper, cover with cling film and reserve in the fridge until you need it.
For the chive scones, preheat your oven to 180°C. Combine the Greek yoghurt, buttermilk, egg yolks and malt extract together in a jug, mix well and store in the fridge.
Combine the two flours, salt, baking powder and two cheeses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Add the butter and mix on a slow speed for 10-15 minutes until you achieve a breadcrumb-like texture. Alternatively, mixing by hand will be just as effective.
Add the chopped chives and spring onions to the buttermilk mix, and with the mixer on low speed pour the entire contents of the jug into the dry ingredients. Stop the machine when you have a rough dough then tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring the dough together by hand. Next roll out your dough into a round 2 cm high slab. Slide your dough onto a tray, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 15- 20 minutes.
Remove the scone dough from the fridge and using a 50mm round cutter cut out your scones. Flour well before cutting out each one and press the cutter in a straight downward motion. Tap out firmly and confidently onto the baking sheet. Make sure all your scones are presented with the smoothest side facing up and are well spaced.
Next, carefully brush the top of each scone with the remaining egg yolk. Bake in your pre-heated oven for 12-14 minutes until golden brown and risen. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
To assemble the dish, pre-heat your grill on its highest setting.
Slice the trout into 1⁄2cm slices with a sharp knife. Brush each slice with some extra virgin olive oil and “season” with lemon zest. Cut each scone in half and toast under the pre-heated grill. Arrange 4–5 slices of sliced trout on each toasted scone half, then add a teaspoonful of Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream on top. Season the clotted cream with a small pinch of cayenne pepper. Slice the reserved spring onion very thinly at a 45-degree angle and separate the rings. Arrange a few rings on each dish, then finish each topped scone with a few sprigs of dill and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Slow-cooked BBQ beef short-rib, horseradish, Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream and watercress, served on a caramelised onion scone with roast beef gravy
Serves 4
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
For the short rib (this can be done the day before and warmed to serve):
1 whole boneless short rib of beef
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large carrot
2 sticks of celery
1 large Spanish onion
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 bottle of red wine
1 litre beef stock
1 small bunch of thyme (1 sprig reserved to finish the dish)
1 bay leaf
For the caramelised onions:
6 large Spanish onions
Pinch of salt
100g salted butter
50ml sherry vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
For the scones:
170g Greek yogurt
60g buttermilk
4 egg yolks (retaining 1 tbsp for glazing)
20g malt extract
250g self-raising flour (plus extra for dusting)
85g Spelt Flour (or Emmer or Khorosan flour)
1 tsp table salt
11⁄2 tsp baking powder
50g Grana Padano or Parmesan, grated
30g grated cheddar
75g unsalted butter, diced
100g caramelised onions
For the Marmite butter:
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp Marmite
To finish:
1 sprig thyme
1 small bunch watercress
227g tub of Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream
1 thumb-sized piece fresh horseradish, peeled
Method
Preheat your oven to 160°C. To braise the short rib, heat a large heavy-based, ovenproof pan over medium high heat. Season the short rib generously with salt and freshly ground pepper then carefully add the vegetable oil to the pan until gently smoking. Caramelise the beef all over on all sides, carefully turning with tongs.
While the beef is caramelising, prepare the carrot, celery and onion by peeling and chopping into thumb-sized pieces. When the beef is evenly coloured all over, remove from the pan onto a tray. Carefully tip the used oil out of the pan and wipe the pan clean with some kitchen paper. Return the pan to the heat and add a teaspoon of vegetable oil. Add the vegetables to the pan and colour deeply without burning. When the vegetables are beautifully roasted add the tomato puree, immediately followed by the red wine. Reduce the wine by half then add the beef stock.
Carefully return the short rib to the pan followed by the thyme and bay leaf. The beef should be covered by stock. If you need to, top up the pan with boiling water. Cover the pan with a lid or some tin foil and place in the oven.
Braise for 2-3 hours until the beef is just tender. Test this with a metal skewer or small knife; it should be tender but not falling apart. Remove the beef from the pan using a slotted spoon or sturdy spatula, cool to room temperature then refrigerate to set for easier portioning. Pass the braising liquid through a sieve into a clean saucepan then place over a medium heat and reduce until you have an intense sauce consistency. When the beef is chilled and firm, using a serrated knife carve the beef into 1.5 cm thick slices.
To make the caramelised onions, peel the onions and slice them in half. Thinly slice the onions and transfer them to a large bowl. Season well with salt and mix well to separate all the slices. Add the butter to a large heavy-based pan, and heat on medium heat until bubbling but without colour at this stage.
Add all the onions to the pan, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on without browning. The sliced onions will become soft and sweet and have released all their moisture. Remove the lid and continue cooking, stirring regularly until the onions are deeply caramelised. When you have achieved a uniform, deep colour, you will have some lovely sticky caramelised onions stuck on the bottom of the pan, don’t worry, this is exactly what you’re looking for. At this stage add the vinegar and scrape the bottom of the pan. Remove the onions from the pan and separate out 100g for the scones. The remaining onions can be reheated in a small pan or microwave to assemble the dish later.
For the caramelised onion scones, combine the Greek yoghurt, buttermilk, egg yoks and malt in a jug. Mix well and store in the refrigerator. Combine the two flours, salt, baking powder and cheeses in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle. Add the butter and mix on slow speed for 10-15 minutes until you achieve a breadcrumb-like texture. Alternatively, mixing by hand will be just as effective. Add the caramelised onions to the yoghurt mix and mix well, then pour slowly from the jug into the dry ingredients. When you have a rough dough tip out onto a lightly floured work surface and bring the dough together by hand.
Next roll out your dough into a round 3cm high slab, slide this onto a tray, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 15- 20 minutes. Remove the scone dough from the fridge and using 60mm round cutter cut out your scones. Flour well before cutting out each one by pressing in a straight downward motion. Tap out firmly and confidently onto the baking sheet.
Make sure all your scones are presented with the smoothest side facing up and are well-spaced as they will expand to about twice their original volume as they cook. Next carefully brush the top of each scone with egg yolk. Bake for 13-14 minutes until golden brown and risen. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. To make the Marmite butter, whisk together the unsalted butter and marmite and keep at room temperature.
To assemble the dish, preheat your grill to its highest setting. First warm the sliced beef in the sauce using a saucepan over medium heat. Slice the scones in half and grill until beautifully toasted. Brush generously with the marmite butter all over. Arrange three slices of beef on top of each scone half. Add a few leaves of thyme and some small sprigs of watercress on each.
Top each beef scone with a teaspoon of Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream and generously grate over the horseradish to your liking. For the final touch spoon over some of the remaining beef sauce.