A romantic meal for two
Moules marniere
Valentine’s Day is here again and what better way to someone’s heart than via their belly.
This week we have a complete three course menu that is easy to prepare.
When organising a dinner party always do as much preparation as you can in advance so you can enjoy yourself when your guests arrive. Stockman’s beef is the Brand of beef we use at the Bridge House. It is supplied by Dunbia in Kilbeggan who in turn source it from local farmers.
Moules Mariniere
Shellfish which are all invertebrates are split into two main groups; Crustaceans have tough outer shells that act as armour and also have flexible joints to allow quick movement, examples being lobster, crab or prawns. Molluscs have either an external hinged double shell examples being Mussel, scallop or clam or a single spiral shell example being cockles or winkles.
Mussels are a beautiful tasty fish with a soft texture and are a good source of carbohydrates and protein.
Ingredients for Two Portions
1kg Mussels
25g Shallots
1tbsp Chopped parsley
50ml White wine
50ml Fish Stock
25g Butter
20g Flour
Seasoning
Method
Scrape mussels well to remove barnacles, weed and beard Wash well in water
Take a thick bottomed pan and add the shallot, parsley, fish stock and the cleaned mussels.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook over a high heat until shells open.
Drain off all the cooking liquor in a colander set over a clean bowl to retain the cooking juices.
Strain the juices through a muslin cloth to eliminate any sand or grit.
Carefully check the mussels and discard any that have not opened.
Place in a dish and cover to keep warm.
Make a roux from the flour and butter, pour over the cooking liquor and stir continuously to avoid lumps.
Correct the seasoning.
Place mussels in a bowl and pour over the sauce.
Garnish with chopped parsley.
Bridge House Seared Stockman’s Rib-Eye Steak with Caramelised red onion and rocket salad
Ingredients. Serves Two
2x200g Stockman’s Rib-Eye steaks
100g Rocket leaves
50g Grated fresh parmesan cheese
50g Red onion compote (See Separate recipe)
Olive oil
Salt and crushed mixed pepper
Pink peppercorns
Balsamic syrup
Sea Salt
Method
Season the steaks with salt and crushed pepper
Brush with a little olive oil
Heat a large searing pan until very hot
Place steaks on the searing pan to mark in a criss-cross style.
Cook the steaks for about five minutes on each side until they are medium.
Mix the rocket with some balsamic, olive oil and parmesan cheese.
To serve
Assemble the dish by placing the red onion compote on the centre of the plate
Place the steak on top and finish by placing some rocket salad on the steak
Garnish plate with some balsamic syrup, crushed peppercorns, sea salt and pink peppercorns.
Tia Maria and Chocolate cream
Ingredients for Two portions
50g Dark Chocolate broken into squares
150ml Double cream
2tbsp. Tia Maria
1 orange cut in segments
Cocoa Powder for dusting
Method
Place the chocolate into a bowl
Mix the cream with the Tia Maria and place 120ml of it into a small pot.
Bring up to the boil and remove from the heat and pour onto the chocolate
Stir with a wooden spoon until chocolate melts
Place the orange segments into two cocktail glasses
Pour mixture into the glasses
Whip the remaining cream and pour onto the chocolate mixture
Place into fridge to set for at least one hour
Meanwhile cut out a heart shape out of a piece of thin cardboard to fit on top of the cream
Place the paper on top of the each cream and dust with cocoa to form a lovely heart shape.
Enjoy !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the rest of your special evening
with Bridge House Hotel Award Winning chef Paddy Kennedy
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Tuesday 22 May 2012
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