Rhodes - New British Classics

Contents

The indomitable Gary Rhodes is back with his most ambitious collection of recipes yet. Famed for his mouth-watering variations on traditional British favourites, Gary sets out on a quest to modernise and enhance many classic dishes, updating them for the new millennium with a host of new and exciting ideas. Recipes will include dazzling new versions of such favourites as Steak and Kidney Pie, Prawn Cocktail, and Cauliflower Cheese, as well as new dishes which take their inspiration from the best traditions of British food, such as Roast Parsnip Soup glazed with Parmesan and Chive Cream, Seared Cured Salmon Cutlets with Leeks, Bacon and a Cider Vinegar Dressing, and Chicken Fillet Steaks with Chestnut Mushrooms, Sage and Lemon Sauce. As ever, Gary lives up to his reputation for creating delectable cakes and desserts with sensational ideas such as Chocolate Treacle Sandwich, Cranberry and Walnut Tart, and Iced Vanilla Parfait with Nutmeg Clotted Cream and Caramelised Apples. In a series of special features spread through the book, Gary looks at the social and culinary traditions that have shaped British food. Features include such institutions as: The Great British Breakfast, Afternoon Tea, and Christmas.

Gary Rhodes is one of Britains best-loved chefs. He has numerous awards to his name, including the prestigious CATEY Special Award, the catering industrys equivalent to an Oscar, for helping to revive British cookery and for his total dedication to the industry. The new presenter on BBCs long-running Masterchef series, Gary has also presented seven other television series. He has written nine cookery books as well, including, most recently, the bestselling At the Table. Gary runs two Michelin-starred restaurants in London, city rhodes and Rhodes in the Square, and two brasseries, Rhodes & Co, in Manchester and Edinburgh.

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

Version 1.0

Epub ISBN 9781448142033

www.randomhouse.co.uk

This book is published to accompany the television series entitled New British Classics, first broadcast in 1999.

The series was produced by BBC Features and Events.

Executive Producer: Nick Vaughan-Barratt

Producer: Mandy Cooper

Published by BBC Worldwide Ltd,

Woodlands, 80 Wood Lane, London W12 0TT

First published 1999

Reprinted 1999 (twice), 2000 (five times)

First published in paperback 2001

Reprinted 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008

Copyright Gary Rhodes 1999

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Photographs by San Irvine copyright BBC Worldwide Ltd

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Recipe for mincemeat in Home-made Mincemeat and Mince Pies taken from Delia Smiths Christmas and reproduced by kind permission of Delia Smith.

ISBN 978 0 563 55100 3 (hardback)

ISBN 978 0 563 53411 2 (paperback)

This book is the biggest collection of recipes that I have written and put together. Its almost impossible to compile such a repertoire without the support and help of others, so I would like to take this opportunity to express my dearest thanks to all, including those not mentioned by name here.

A very special thank you to Sue Fleming for the many hours it took accumulating the vast quantity of research information required. Id like to thank Borra Garson, Lissanne Kenyon, Gardner Merchant, my team at city rhodes restaurant, in particular Wayne Tapsfield and Michael Bedford, and the BBC books team: Nicky Copeland, Khadija Manjlai, Andrew Barron, Sarah Miles and Charlotte Lochhead. Another big thank you to the best home economist in the business Jo Pratt, San Irvine for the beautiful photography, Nick Vaughan-Barratt, Mandy Cooper and the rest of the BBC television crew for the many exciting weeks of filming the New British Classics series.

And, of course, my wife and sons Jennie, Samuel and George whove put up with me for yet another year and will, I hope, for many more to come.

Thank you simple words that mean so much.

British cookery has gone through many changes, with different approaches to ingredients resulting in varied tastes and styles. Twenty-five years ago, the UK had a poor reputation throughout the culinary world and little respect. But then an innovative influence, nouvelle cuisine, burst onto the scene, affecting restaurants and home kitchens alike. We did not fully understand its style, but it gave us light at the end of the tunnel, inspiring us to find our place in the world of culinary excellence.

It turned out to be a long journey, but we did not lose direction. Two brothers were responsible for this, showing us that classical methods and long-held traditions are the bedrock of new ideas. They showed how to work with tastes, not overwork them, creating complements rather than conflicts.

The brothers have an aura about them: they have given me nothing but inspiration, and continue to do so. I would like to dedicate New British Classics to the Roux brothers, Albert and Michel, who, for me, are the godfathers of the culinary world.

Thank you.

The discovery of a new dish is more beneficial to humanity than the discovery of a new star.
Brillat Savarin

NEW BRITISH CLASSICS is a book of culinary stories and recipes feeding us with information of the past, carrying many flavours that have survived, with many others re-born. British cookery, as most of you know, is a long-held passion of mine. While other cuisines have had a large influence on its development, its worldwide culinary reputation has always been less esteemed than that of France and Italy. I have never quite understood how and why this was until I started to research this book. Yes, I had heard various views and held many of my own, but the origins and progress of cookery in the UK is more complicated and fascinating than one imagines, and deserves exploration. In each chapter I have outlined the history of the recipes included. I have also interspersed the chapters with features on ingredients, foods and food occasions (afternoon tea, for instance) that I think are particularly, sometimes even uniquely, British.

So, how did the history of cooking start? The first few lines from The Invention of Cuisine by Carol Musk set the scene.

Imagine a thin woman
before bread was invented,
playing a harp of wheat in the field.
There is a stone, and behind her
the bones of the last killed,
The black bird on her shoulder
That a century later
Will fly with trained and murderous intent.

They are not very hungry
because cuisine has not yet been invented.
nor has falconry,
nor the science of imagination.

All they have is the pure impulse to eat.

Out of the need to eat for survival came the instinct to put foodstuffs together and cook them for variety and taste an impulse that developed in most countries at the same time.