RICE CUSTARD PUDDDING

I made this for my dad after watching a Michelin Star chef do it for his restaurant and why yes this has taking rice pudding to a whole other level it is not your traditional rice pudding and scare blue!  There was not skin!  

This is much richer and more of a creme englaise custard rice pudding, in its own right a gorgeous pudding but the main reason is that the skin is missing, and I know for some of you traditionalist this is a big part of your rice pudding, this I will work on, yuk! from my dad’s point of view it is the best bit and essential.  But with all that said, my family still gobbled it all down with delight.

Ingredients

(serves 2)

90g pudding rice

90g sugar

250ml double cream

250ml full fat milk

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

5 egg yolks

Wash the rice several times and place in a pan with the cream and milk, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for approx 20 minutes until the rice is cooked, meanwhile place the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla paste in a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy.

Take two ladles of the rice milk from the cooker and add to the egg yolks mixture, whisk quickly to incorporate, add the rest of the rice milk and mix well, add everything back to the saucepan and cook gently for a further 2 minutes and then serve.  If you want a hint of skin place the rice pudding under the grill for a couple of minutes, this will not give you that traditional thick baked skin but might be a compromise.

HOMEMADE HOT PIRI PIRI SAUCE

Homemade Piri Piri Sauce

This fabulous hot sauce is a great favourite of mine, I like to marinate chicken in this sauce and will serve it as Piri Piri chicken burgers, roast Piri Piri chicken, which is great in salads, tacos and wraps.

Homemade Piri Piri Sauce

2 red peppers roasted 

1 red onion charred

4 cloves garlic chopped

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 lemon zested

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 

1 habanero or scotch bonnet chilli (more for hotter)

1 tsp smoked sweet paprika

11/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp Himalayan sea salt 

1 tsp black pepper

1 bay leaf

Finishing ingredients 

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 lemon zested 

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 

1/2 cup olive oil

Roast the peppers and onions on a plancher flat top or skillet, charring all over, deseed the peppers, in a blender purée the charred peppers and onion, add the garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, apple cider vinegar, habanero, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper, purée to a smooth sauce.  Pour the puréed sauce in to a saucepan add the bay leaf and gently simmer for half an hour, remove from the heat and leave to cool, transfer the sauce back to the blender, add the remaining finishing ingredients the lemon juice, lemon zest, apple cider vinegar, purée and finally drizzle in the olive oil while the blender is still running.  That's it, adjust the seasoning if needed and keep any left over in the fridge.

MOTHERS DAY CHEF’S BREAKFAST EGGS BENEDICT

A chefs breakfast for my mum on Mother’s Day, I love being a executive chef as I know what needs to be done and I got to instruct (boss)! my dad around the kitchen making this perfect eggs benedict for my Mum, with eggs from our legbar hens, home cured ham from our own pigs, spinach from the garden and homemade butter my mum makes this is a truly special breakfast.

Ingredients 

(serves 2)

The Hollandaise Sauce

3 egg yolks

1/2 a lemon juice

200g hot melted salted butter

1 pinch black pepper

1 tbsp finely chopped chives

The Benedict

2 English muffins toasted

4 tbsp butter

100g spinach

2 slices top quality ham

4 poached eggs

50ml white wine vinegar

This is a cooking all at the same time breakfast, so you need octopus arms, it comes together fast so be ready to serve.  Bring two saucepans full of water to a rolling boil, place 50 ml white wine vinegar in one and the other one of the saucepans needs to double as a double boiler for cooking the hollandaise sauce, place a third saucepan on a medium heat and add the butter to melt and stay hot.

Crack the eggs individually in to small bowls you can poach the eggs first and then 30 seconds before serving drop them back in to the hot water off the heat to warm back up, this really helps lower the pressure on bringing this whole dish together at once.  To poach the eggs whisk the water creating a vortex in the centre gently slip one egg in count to 30 then slip the second egg in poach the eggs for two minutes, remove and place on a plate to one side.

To make the hollandaise place the egg yolks in a glass bowl with the lemon juice, place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk the egg yolks keep whisking for about 30 seconds the egg yolks will fluff up and thicken, remove the bowl from the heat and slowly whisk in the butter this is now done, leave to one side.

Place 2 tbsp of butter back in to the saucepan, place on a medium heat, add the spinach and stir this will only take one minute to welt.  Place the muffins under the grill to toast, butter generously and place on your plates, top with the spinach and ham, meanwhile place the poached eggs back in to the hot water off the heat and place the hollandaise back over the double boiler for 30 seconds whisking all the time, take the hollandaise off, season with black pepper, take the poached eggs and place on top of the ham on the muffins and spoon over the warm hollandaise sauce, sprinkle with chives and that’s it, enjoy this breakfast of chefs.