Royal banquet competition result...
So finally the winner of the Waitrose Duchy Organic competition to create a meal fit for a prince has been announced and...........nope, sadly it's not me. Congratulations to Guy, who received the most votes out of the final three. It's an amazing opportunity for such a young chef and I hope he enjoyed the banquet at Dumfries House. Myself and the other finalist both received two wonderful hampers from Waitrose full of Duchy products which was a lovely and unexpected surprise and I've had a lot of fun in the lead up to the announcement, with an interview on BBC Radio, an appearance in the local paper plus an invite to be a judge on a food panel (more of that in a future post). Getting so close has opened a few new doors and you won't have seen the last of me yet!
A number of people have asked me for my recipe, so here you are, my dish for a royal banquet. It's a special occasion meal but simple enough to prepare, the main difficulty is the timing. If you do make it, I'd love to know what you think, send me an email or leave a comment.
Seared fillet of beef, celeriac mash, roast beetroot, pickled blackberries, nasturtium leaves, red wine jus and toasted oaten crumb
Serves 4-6
Pickled blackberries*
250g fresh blackberries
250ml apple cider vinegar
100ml warm water
1 tbsp clear acacia honey
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp juniper berries
5 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 scented geranium leaf (optional)
Roast beetroot
6 medium raw beetroot, peeled and quartered
splash of olive oil
fresh thyme
sea salt & black pepper
Celeriac mash
1-2 celeriac, peeled and chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled but left whole
568ml whole milk
1 tbsp double cream
1 tbsp salted butter
Generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper
1 whole beef fillet, approximately 1kg (remove from the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking)
splash of olive oil
1 dsp Dijon mustard
250ml good quality red wine
sea salt
black pepper
75g Waitrose Duchy oaten biscuits (savoury, not sweet), bashed into coarse crumbs
Fresh nasturtium leaves
First, start by pickling the blackberries. Mix together the vinegar, honey, warm water and salt until the everything has dissolved. Fill a clean, sterilised jam jar with the blackberries, juniper berries, peppercorns, bay leaf and geranium leaf (if using) and top up with the vinegar mixture until the berries are covered. Shake gently and leave at room temperature for an hour or two.
Heat your oven to 190℃ and place a roasting tin in the oven to warm up. Drizzle the quartered beetroot with olive oil, thyme leaves and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 40-45 minutes until soft and a little charred on the edges. Whilst the beef is cooking, you will need to turn up the oven, so keep the beetroot warm wrapped in some foil.
When the beetroot has been roasting for at least 20 minutes, place the chopped celeriac and whole garlic cloves in a pan and cover with the milk. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes or until soft. Drain, reserving the liquid and blend in the pan with a stick blender, adding a little of the cooking liquid to get a soft puree. Stir in the butter, cream, a generous grinding of fresh nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm.
Turn up your oven to max (220-240℃) and put a large pan on the hob on high heat. Season the beef fillet with plenty of sea salt and pepper. Put a splash of olive oil in the pan, allow it to sizzle and then sear the beef for about 4 minutes each side. Transfer the seared fillet to a roasting tin and roast for 15 minutes**, then remove from the oven, double wrap in foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 20-30 minutes. Mix a dessert spoon of Dijon mustard in the fat left in the pan after searing the beef and add the wine, simmer until it has reduced by half and season to taste.
Toast the biscuit crumbs in a dry pan until they smell fragrant and toasty.
Plate up on warmed plates, first some mash and beetroot, then layer on thick slices of beef fillet, some of the red wine jus and top with a few pickled blackberries. Add nasturtium leaves for a little spicy green colour and a sprinkle of toasted oaten crumb.
*leftover pickled blackberries will keep in the fridge for a month and are also lovely with ice-cream
**my timings are for rare, cook a little longer if you don't like your beef pink
A number of people have asked me for my recipe, so here you are, my dish for a royal banquet. It's a special occasion meal but simple enough to prepare, the main difficulty is the timing. If you do make it, I'd love to know what you think, send me an email or leave a comment.
Seared fillet of beef, celeriac mash, roast beetroot, pickled blackberries, nasturtium leaves, red wine jus and toasted oaten crumb
Serves 4-6
Pickled blackberries*
250g fresh blackberries
250ml apple cider vinegar
100ml warm water
1 tbsp clear acacia honey
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp juniper berries
5 peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1 scented geranium leaf (optional)
Roast beetroot
6 medium raw beetroot, peeled and quartered
splash of olive oil
fresh thyme
sea salt & black pepper
Celeriac mash
1-2 celeriac, peeled and chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled but left whole
568ml whole milk
1 tbsp double cream
1 tbsp salted butter
Generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Salt & pepper
1 whole beef fillet, approximately 1kg (remove from the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking)
splash of olive oil
1 dsp Dijon mustard
250ml good quality red wine
sea salt
black pepper
75g Waitrose Duchy oaten biscuits (savoury, not sweet), bashed into coarse crumbs
Fresh nasturtium leaves
First, start by pickling the blackberries. Mix together the vinegar, honey, warm water and salt until the everything has dissolved. Fill a clean, sterilised jam jar with the blackberries, juniper berries, peppercorns, bay leaf and geranium leaf (if using) and top up with the vinegar mixture until the berries are covered. Shake gently and leave at room temperature for an hour or two.
Heat your oven to 190℃ and place a roasting tin in the oven to warm up. Drizzle the quartered beetroot with olive oil, thyme leaves and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Roast for 40-45 minutes until soft and a little charred on the edges. Whilst the beef is cooking, you will need to turn up the oven, so keep the beetroot warm wrapped in some foil.
When the beetroot has been roasting for at least 20 minutes, place the chopped celeriac and whole garlic cloves in a pan and cover with the milk. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes or until soft. Drain, reserving the liquid and blend in the pan with a stick blender, adding a little of the cooking liquid to get a soft puree. Stir in the butter, cream, a generous grinding of fresh nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and keep warm.
Turn up your oven to max (220-240℃) and put a large pan on the hob on high heat. Season the beef fillet with plenty of sea salt and pepper. Put a splash of olive oil in the pan, allow it to sizzle and then sear the beef for about 4 minutes each side. Transfer the seared fillet to a roasting tin and roast for 15 minutes**, then remove from the oven, double wrap in foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 20-30 minutes. Mix a dessert spoon of Dijon mustard in the fat left in the pan after searing the beef and add the wine, simmer until it has reduced by half and season to taste.
Toast the biscuit crumbs in a dry pan until they smell fragrant and toasty.
Plate up on warmed plates, first some mash and beetroot, then layer on thick slices of beef fillet, some of the red wine jus and top with a few pickled blackberries. Add nasturtium leaves for a little spicy green colour and a sprinkle of toasted oaten crumb.
*leftover pickled blackberries will keep in the fridge for a month and are also lovely with ice-cream
**my timings are for rare, cook a little longer if you don't like your beef pink
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