Aidan Brooks: Trainee Chef: Coming Soon, To A Bramble Near Me

Sunday, 8 July 2007

Coming Soon, To A Bramble Near Me

Just in case anyone doesn't know what these are, I've provided a few recipe links below.

Just some of the masses of blackberries that grow in my garden each summer

Last year they were fully ripened by the middle of July. This year it's been a case of rain, rain and rain since early June, so ripening has been delayed. But they're coming - yum yum!

Marion Blackberry Shortcake
Blackberry Pie
Blackberry Muffins
Apple-Blackberry Dumplings
Blackberry Jam
Blackberry Ice Cream
Bread Pudding with Blackberry Sauce
Blackberry Almond Tart
Watermelon with Blackberry-Balsamic Syrup, Petit Basil & Grana Padano
Blackberry Semifreddo
Blackberry-Thyme Margarita
Blackberry Clafouti

Oh dear - as usual the list is dominated by sweet dessert recipes. I will make amends, though. In a few days I'll post a recipe showing you how to use fruit to make a great sauce for savoury dishes.

1 comment:

ros said...: I used to love picking blackberries by the river when I lived in Leamington but, unsuprisingly, there aren't that many growing wild around Hammersmith!

I kept meaning to try out venison shanks (or maybe duck legs) with blackberries but I haven't got round to it. I look forward to seeing what your recipe is.; 7/09/2007 05:03:00 pm

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Welcome

I'm Aidan "Trig" Brooks, a 22-yr-old from Hackney in London's East End. I left Westminster Kingsway College with a Professional Chef Diploma in summer

2007 and moved to Spain, where I trained in Barcelona at Carles Abellan's Comerç 24 (which won its first Michelin star) and Martín Beresategui's Lasarte (which won its second Michelin star) and was chef de partie and later Pastry Chef to Paco Morales at the amazing hotel restaurant Ferrero in the Valèncian mountains. This Spring I returned to London as part of the team of celebrated Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes, opening East End restaurant Viajante. I'm still working with food, but taking a break from fine dining. Passionately pursuing my life-long ambition to become a top-class chef and, one day, a world-famous restaurateur.

Independence and code of ethics

What's in season in the UK?

Here is this week's UK seasonal food item, courtesy of eat the seasons. This week's seasonal food item is monkfish. This resident of the deep is often described as the ugliest fish in the oceans, though from looking at the beautiful picture below it's hard to see why. Actually, monkfish isn't a fish, but a generic name given to fish from several different genus. The most common is the anglerfish, but the generic term can also refer to angel sharks and sea monks. Whichever variety we are talking about, they should be considered a special treat as all are listed as being unsustainably fished at present. Monkfish has a firm but succulent texture and a slightly sweet flavour and is often compared with seafoods such as lobster and scallops, with which it pairs well to make some luxurious dishes. Monkfish has long featured in Iberian regional dishes, but was almost unknown in the UK until recent years. It now appears on many restaurant menus and is highly sought after by fishing vessels in the waters around SW. England, W. Ireland and W. Scotland. Monkfish is low in calories and a good source of protein. It contains useful amounts of vitamin B3 (aids proper functioning of the metabolic system), potassium (controls the balance of fluids) and selenium (an antioxidant that also helps the immune system). The flesh is sufficiently strong to stand its own against otherwise dominant flavours such as the chorizo, saffron and pimentón typically used with it in Spanish dishes.