FEBRUARY NEWS
February looks like being all about simple, easy dining. It’s a month for catching up on culture and being entertained at the theatre, cinema, opera and concerts. Eating tends to be an afterthought and is often squeezed into intervals, or pockets of time before or after. This demands practical dishes that are unpretentious and satisfying - enter the tasting plate.
Our Berwyn Bites menu features a selection of our tasting plates, perfect for sharing with friends and colleagues - so perfect in fact that we have been asked to create a special selection for theatre-goers at the Old Vic to graze on. This relaxed, pick-and-mix approach to eating is one of our favourites and has inspired flavour collections from around the globe: from distinctly British cheeseboards with homemade chutney, to Iberian boards brimming with sublime hams and caperberries, to smoked and cured fish, rabbit terrines and herb frittatas with white bean puree.
February is also the month when any excuse to celebrate is welcomed. For a recent birthday held at Wilton’s Music Hall, we supplied an enormous, curlicue-iced cake, in keeping with the historical ambience of the oldest music hall in the world, and as a nod to the trend towards traditional food styling. One more opportunity to celebrate this month is Valentine’s Day, an occasion to indulge in all manner of uplifting delicacies in the name of love. We’ll try to avoid dwelling on this one, but remember it doesn’t matter what whets your appetite so long as you eat at home.
BLACK GOLD
Forgive the slightly predictable inclusion of fresh black Périgord truffles but they are coming to the end of their season, are at their peak right now and are a culinary symbol of romance.
This has been a bumper year for these precious little gems. Notoriously elusive, they are choosy about the company they keep, developing exclusively in the presence of majestic oaks. The delicate perfume of truffles is like nothing else and will elevate good, simple dishes to something sublime. Black truffle is the perfect way to indulge oneself in this bleakest of months.
Their price reflects all the above and we are insisting you use fresh black truffle but it will be a remarkably profound cooking experience and an unforgettably luxurious eating one.
Our favourite three ways with fresh black truffle are:
Duck egg omelette with black truffle
The simplicity of this dish starts with an almost magical transformation. Store the eggs and the fresh truffle in an airtight container. The truffle will subtly infuse the eggs with its distinctive perfume - let them stay together for a day or two. If the truffle is really fresh the aroma imparted through the eggshells is sufficient to flavour the omelette. If not, you will need to add a little chopped truffle once you have beaten the eggs. Allow to infuse for five minutes and pour into a buttered pan. Gently encourage the omelette to texturise, season lightly and fold in half. Serve with a bitter leaf salad and a glass of Morey Saint Denis.
Hot truffled camembert
This is a sensational marriage, creamy and deeply aromatic.
Just slice the camembert in half horizontally, shave some ultra thin slices of truffle on to the cut side of one of the halves and put the other half back on top. Leave to infuse for 24 hours. Put in its wooden box and heat in the oven for ten minutes at 220C / GM7. Serve with toasted walnut bread and a glass of Sauternes.
Black truffle risotto
The flavour of truffles is reminiscent of woody, bosky places and adds sophistication to a silky risotto. This Italian dish allows the truffle flavour to triumph by using few and unadorned accompanying ingredients. Fry butter, add shallot. Once golden add the rice, carnaroli or arborio, wait, add white wine, and a few thyme leaves, then the best quality chicken stock you can find. Stir until just cooked. Take off the heat, stir in freshly grated parmesan, finely chopped truffle and a knob of butter, and allow to sit for a few minutes before plating. Shave a few fresh truffle slices over the risotto and serve with a glass of Barolo Bussia.
If you don’t trust yourself in the kitchen with such an exquisite and powerful companion put yourself in the hands of professionals and book in for Caffe Caldesi’s Truffle evening.
GO GREEN
In February, our seasonal, local foods are at their most limited and, apart from roots that have been around since autumn, the only highlights are dark green leaves. The varieties around right now range from curly kale, to sprout tops by way of savoy cabbage, black kale and purple sprouting broccoli. All greens are good for us but kale is especially high in beta carotene and has a formidable reputation as a cancer inhibitor. It is also utterly delicious, takes minutes to cook and can be found everywhere from the greengrocer to the supermarket to the local market.
It takes minimum time and preparation to turn this stunning leaf into a rich and comforting supper: take inspiration from the Irish and mash steamed potatoes, with butter, a little milk, nutmeg and curly kale leaves for classic colcannon or think Italy with lightly steamed black kale, angel hair pasta, garlic breadcrumbs and chilli. A little later in the month, celebrate the star of February and stir-fry sprout tops with new season purple sprouting broccoli, lemon zest and toasted hazelnuts, and serve with fresh goats curd.
GOOD MORNING
Foods, seasonal and otherwise, to keep your spirits lifted while waiting out winter are an essential. Continue your healthy resolutions and until spring has sprung try to start your day with a proper breakfast. A nutritious, stress-busting breakfast that will see you smiling all day can be anything from poached eggs on wholegrain toast to a banana bran muffin with flaxseed.
Oats are also a good start to the day but an alternative porridge made with quinoa (whole or flaked) is packed with iron and will give you even more energy. Cook the quinoa with water or milk and stir in some plump dried apricots (also rich in iron) or Muscat raisins for natural sweetness. Sprinkle with pumpkin or sesame seeds, for iron, zinc, calcium and magnesium, and add some fresh ground cinnamon. The seeds give texture and the cinnamon speeds up the metabolism. And if your sweet tooth still isn’t satisfied, drizzle with anti-oxidant-packed maple syrup.
PRODUCT OF THE MONTH
At Trealy Farm, they’re taking the Europeans on and winning with their own-recipe, British reared and produced charcuterie. Using exclusively locally raised, traditional breed, free range animals and drawing on their extensive research in Italy, Spain, Germany and France, they are creating sublime salami, sausages and cured meats. Preservatives are kept to an absolute minimum and no artificial flavourings, colourings or emulsifiers are used in the process, ensuring perfect texture and true flavours. Their hot smoked Bath Chaps are made with rare breed pork from Trealy Farm and have a succulent flavour that reflects the attention to detail in their small batch process. Try them on toast with celeriac remoulade and picked cucumber or serve hot in a warm salad of sprout tops, fennel and chilli flakes.
