Thomasina dazzles in the Marquee
Thomasina Miers, the winner of Masterchef 2005, cooked up a storm during her two part demonstration at the Chester Food & Drink Festival.
The Taste Marquee was packed for Thomasina’s festive stuffed leg of lamb with a Middle Eastern theme that included pistacchio nuts, carrots, onions and basmati rice, flavoured with cinnemon, cardiman and saffron.
Thomasina, who grew up in Knutsford, Cheshire, said: “There is a real food revolution going on in Chester and across the North of England. It’s great to be in Chester, where the people, like me, are passionate about their food and drink. There is an explosion of food going on here. Food is so important and can alter the way we feel. Eating is such a fun, pleasurable thing.”
In Thomasina’s second session, she cooked a goat’s cheese starter and a decadent chocolate Easter ice cream cake for dessert. (full recipes below)
Stephen Wundke, chairman of the Chester Food & Drink Festival, said: “Thomasin used flavours and fresh ingredients from the local producers stalls. The number one reason for short stay holidays in Chester is food and drink. The Festival is about getting people excited about the food and drink revolution that is happening in and around Chester.”
Chester Food & Drink Festival is on over the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend.
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RECIPES:
Baked new season’s garlic
8 heads new season’s fresh garlic (or normal bulbs of garlic if cannot get fresh) 200ml extra virgin olive oil thyme sprigs rosemary 4 bay leaves 1 lemon 200g soft goat’s cheese 100ml double cream a sprinkle of chilli flakes salt and pepper 1 loaf of sourdough bread 1 bag of rocket leaves
Pre-heat oven to 180C
Slice off the tops of the garlic. Arrange in a small baking dish with the thyme, rosemary and bay leaves tucked in around the cloves. Cut the lemon into wedges, and squeeze 2 of them over the garlic, tucking the rest in around the garlic too. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 35-40 minutes until the garlic is soft and creamy and not burnt.
Meanwhile beat the goats’ cheese and cream together to get a smooth cream cheese. Season with salt and pepper and the chilli flakes.
Serve 2 heads of garlic per person with slices of sourdough toast, a pile of rocket salad and dollops of the cheese on each plate.
Stuffed Easter Leg of Lamb
For the marinade
1 leg of lamb, trimmed of fat 3 carrots, cut into 2 cm chunks 3 sticks celery, cut into 2 cm chunks 3 red onions, 2 cut into chunks, 1 finely chopped 80g unsalted butter 1 cinnamon stick 5 whole green cardamom pods, cracked 3 black peppercorns 200g basmati rice 4 tbsp pistachio nuts, toasted and roughly chopped 1 good pinch saffron 75g raisins 1 preserved lemon 350ml red wine 300ml chicken or lamb stock
Pre-heat the oven to 160C
Bone out the leg of lamb, leaving a cavity for your stuffing. Melt 1tbsp of the butter and brown the leg well on all sides. Set aside. Brown the carrot, celery and onion. Set aside with the lamb
Pour about 2 tbsps of boiling water over the saffron and leave to infuse for 5 minutes. In the lamb pan melt the remaining butter and add the cardamom, peppercorns, and cinnamon stick and cook on a moderate heat for 5 minutes to release the flavours. Add the nuts and rice and stir to coat the rice. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes before seasoning with salt and pepper. Pour over enough boiling water to cover the rice by 1cm and simmer for 5 minutes. Drizzle over the saffron water and cover with a circle of greaseproof paper. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes until the rice is cooked. Remove the pulp from the preserved lemon and chop the skin. Stir into the rice with the onion and raisins. Stuff into the lamb.
Put the vegetables and lamb into a casserole dish and pour over the stock and wine. Bake in the oven for 2½ to 3 hours, until the lamb is soft and tender.
For the preserved lemons
7 unwaxed lemons coarse sea salt 1 tsp coriander seeds 2 bay leaves 2 peppercorns
Cut the lemons lengthways in quarters leaving the end attached. Sprinkle each lemon with some salt and then squeeze it shut. Put the lemons into a sterilised jar and weigh them down with a heavy object. Set aside for 24 hours for the juices to run out. Take out the weight and add the spices to the jar. Completely cover the lemons with more lemon juice and seal. Set aside in a cool place for a month.
For the Chocolate Easter Cake
300g dark chocolate (min. 70% cocoa solids) 300g unsalted butter 300g castor sugar 150g plain flour good pinch salt good pinch cinnamon 4-5 eggs
For the topping
1 small pack Cadbury’s mini eggs 2 Cadbury’s flakes 1 packet rolos ½ pint double cream 2 large Mars Bars 150ml milk knob of butter
Pre-heat the oven to 165C
Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or over a bain-marie, taking care not to burn the chocolate. Stir in the castor sugar until the crystals have melted. Sift together the flour, salt and cinnamon and mix into the chocolate. Whisk the eggs and beat into the cake mixture, a little at a time. Pour the cake mixture out into 2 greased cake tins and bake for 40-50 minutes. A metal skewer should come out clean when the cake is cooked, unless you like it gooey, in which case take it out sooner.
Cut the Mars Bars into chunks and in a small saucepan, melt the chocolate with the milk and butter, stirring to combine the ingredients.
Sandwich the two cakes with the double cream and pour over the chocolate sauce. Leave to cool and set for 10 minutes and then decorate with the flakes, rolos and mini-eggs. Devour.
PHOTOS (300dpi plus), FULL BIOGRAPHIES, PRESS OFFICE & REGULAR UPDATES at http://www.marketingprojects.co.uk/news.asp?clientid=2 linking from the Festival web site at www.chesterfoodanddrink.com
Background
Chester’s Food and Drink Fringe Festival will take place around the City from April 12 to 22 2006 involving special offers for accommodation and eating out to excite the whole family. There has been the famous Cheese Rolling ceremony on 15th March and there will be the Bottle Cap Mosaic World Record Attempt on 3rd April and the Ale Assize around the City on 22nd April.
Nearly 100 producers and exhibitors now completely fill the taste marquee. Each will be bringing their own skills and produce from Cheshire, nearby counties and around the world to be part of the Festival.
There are to be seminars and competitions in micro brewing, wines, sausages and cheeses and the opportunity to taste local paté, black pudding, bread, cereals, oils, pies, meat, fish, cheeses, chocolates, liqueurs and even a juice bar.
The prestigious gala dinner and awards ceremony takes place on Tuesday 18th April. Entries for the award categories are already being received.
Festival brochures are now available across the city. Phone 01244 351609 for more details.
Press Contacts: Jane Harrad-Roberts Mob: 07785 395705 Phil Brotherhood Mob: 0788 44 93370 MARKETING PROJECTS : Tel: 01244 330000 Email: foodies@marketingprojects.co.uk
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