Martin - James French Adventure: In the Footsteps of Floyd, Jamess New Recipes for Classic French Dishes

Dedicated to Keith Floyd Publishing director: Sarah Lavelle
Commissioning editor: Lisa Pendreigh
Project editor: Alison Cowan
Creative director: Helen Lewis
Art direction and design: Smith & Gilmour
Photography: Peter Cassidy
Food preparation and styling:
James Martin, Sam Head and Chris Start
Props stylist: Iris Bromet
Home economists: Sam Head and Louise Pickford
Production: Emily Noto and Vincent Smith The publishers would like to thank Gill and Jon at Sytch Farm Studios for the generous loan of props for the photography. First published in 2017 by Quadrille Publishing
Pentagon House, 5254 Southwark Street, London SE1 1UN Quadrille Publishing is an imprint of Hardie Grant
www.hardiegrant.com.au
www.quadrille.co.uk | www.quadrille.com Text 2017 James Martin
Photography 2017 Peter Cassidy
Design and layout 2017 Quadrille Publishing The rights of the author have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. Cataloguing in Publication Data: a catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. eISBN: 978 1 78713 024 1 Why France, you might ask, and why now? Well, its been over thirty-five years since I went there as a young chef and, in a way, I owe it all to France.

I mean, it was those early trips that set the course of my career from the unforgettable taste of my first croissant to seeing a steak cooked blue, not burnt to a cinder. Back then it wasnt easy training as a chef in France, but I was there for a reason, and I could put up with the nineteen-hour days peeling veg in the kitchen of a Michelin two-starred restaurant, and head chefs giving me grief, as long as I got to learn about food. For me, its always been about the food; everything else comes second. While Id wanted to go back for a long time to see what had changed, and to taste again the food that had changed me ultimately what triggered this TV series and book was a phone call from Keith Floyds daughter, Poppy. She wanted to know if Id be interested in her dads old car, his much-loved Citron 2CV. My answer was never really in any doubt, and seventy-two hours later a battered and bruised 2CV was in my garage.

Even better, it had been left untouched and smelt like a spit bucket at Oddbins, a heady combination of musk and good Burgundy. Best of all, it now took pride of place in my garage, providing the inspiration for a very special road trip. Like most people, I first came across Keith Floyd on TV. But it wasnt long before our paths crossed in real life. While I was at catering college, he came to host a gourmet evening for a hundred and fifty people, and I was one of the students in the kitchen. I remember he was supposed to stand up between courses to announce each dish but, Keith being Keith, right at the beginning of the meal he strode up to the lectern, uttered a few words to introduce all of us eager young cooks to the room and then promptly fell off the stage! Now, as a TV chef myself, Ive been lucky enough to cook with some of the best chefs in the world, but if you asked me to name the greatest of all the TV chefs, Id have to say Keith Floyd.

For me, the three-minute clip of him battling the elements on the deck of a fishing trawler has never been beaten: it was all done in one take, and he nearly swore three times. Its still one of the best TV cookery moments ever, and one I find myself watching time and time again. Having been in this game for more than twenty years now, I know how difficult it can be, and how easy he made it all look. He never pretended to be anything other than what he was: a man with a passion for food and for life, and with a talent that was enjoyed by so many. Some thirty years since Floyd on France first screened, the chance to follow in his footsteps, and to return to the places that have shaped my own life and career, was too good to resist. I hope this book will give you a small taste of what I learnt and the things I discovered on my French adventure, and that youll enjoy the trip as much as I did.

One things for sure, it wont be another thirty-odd years before I head back.

COMT CHOUX PUFFS This amazing cheese cellar in the Jura mountains was stacked floor to ceiling with huge wheels of Comt and theres now one with my name on it that Ill be going back to collect when it matures in around three years time. MAKES TWENTY 115g butter 200g plain flour 1 teaspoon caster sugar pinch of salt 4 eggs 200g Comt cheese, grated 1 teaspoon paprika Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Heat the butter with 250ml water in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add the flour, sugar and salt all at once and, using a wooden spoon, beat well until smooth.

Continue to cook for 12 minutes, still stirring, until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly for a minute or two, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Stir in the cheese and paprika. Set aside to cool, then spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a medium-sized plain nozzle. Pipe 5cm rounds onto the prepared baking tray, spacing them well apart. Bake for 20 minutes until puffed up, golden and crispy.

Serve warm with drinks. SPICY WALNUTS SERVES FOUR 125g butter 150g brown sugar 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 300g walnut halves 1 egg white Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Line a baking tray with baking parchment. Place the butter and sugar in a frying pan and heat gently until the butter has melted. Increase the heat and cook, stirring, for 34 minutes until the sugar has dissolved to make a caramel. Stir in the cayenne pepper, then fold in the walnuts.

Remove from the heat. Whisk the egg white to stiff peaks, then fold gently into the walnut mixture until the nuts are evenly coated. Transfer the walnuts to the prepared baking tray and cook for 1520 minutes, stirring every 68 minutes, until the nuts are golden and crisp. Leave to cool before serving with drinks, on a cheeseboard or to add crunch to salads.

PISTOU SOUP Fresh, simple and tasty, this soup can be made with any vegetables you like just be careful not to overcook them, so they retain their colour. SERVES SIX TO EIGHT 10 plum tomatoes 100g frozen broad beans 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 leek, cut into small dice 1 medium carrot, cut into small dice 1 courgette, cut into small dice 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice 75g green beans, topped and tailed and cut into 3cm lengths 75g spaghetti 100g frozen peas 400g tin haricot beans, drained and rinsed 200g bacon lardons sea salt and freshly ground black pepper For the pistou 60g basil leaves 1 garlic clove, peeled but left whole 75g freshly grated Parmesan 100ml extra virgin olive oil Cut a small cross into the base of each tomato and place in a heatproof bowl.