Simply Raymond Blanc episode 4: From his Oxfordshire kitchen, Raymond Blanc shares his favourite French Classics, with a twist. Jean-Christophe Novelli surprises Raymond with a visit.
The chef shares his favourite classic French dishes, from steak and red wine jus, to a heritage salad with tomatoes and mozzarella straight from his gardens. He also receives an unexpected visit from Jean-Christophe Novelli, who prepares him a delicious Mouclade Des Boucholeurs.
The chef reflects on how the British food scene has changed since he first came to the UK over 30 years ago. He whips up a pea soup, stuffed peppers, and his own take on brown sauce. He is joined by Paul Ainsworth, who prepares an alternative cheese board.
It’s been a while since the Michelin-starred chef patron of Le Manoir has been on TV but he returns this morning to share what he describes as delicious, unfussy recipes made from easily available ingredients and using basic equipment. So, no cheffy flourishes, sous vide baths or aerators. Although he does have the advantage of being able to utilise Le Manoir’s fabulous kitchen garden instead of relying on the local supermarket.
The chef shares a collection of simple, rustic recipes that can be put together easily, as well as revealing the workings of the world-famous Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons where he is Chef Patron and which provides much of the fruit and vegetables that go into his dishes. In the first episode, he is joined by Angela Hartnett, who will be cooking cep tagliatelle. Other recipes include meringue with blackcurrant coulis and a heritage salad with beetroot straight from Raymond’s gardens.
Simply Raymond Blanc episode 3
Tomato Salad with Mozzarella & Tomato Soup
Slice all the tomatoes into bite sized wedges and mix together in a large bowl. Add the sliced onions, garlic and basil and toss together in the bowl. Season the tomatoes and onions with a pinch of salt, pepper, white wine vinegar and olive oil. Leave for 5 minutes to marinade and exchange flavours.
Arrange the tomatoes on a large serving plate, finish by scattering over the mozzarella cheese and dried kalamata olives.
Finely dice the onion and coarsely chop the peeled garlic. Coarsely chop the large tomatoes. Simply remove the stems of the cherry tomatoes and leave the tomatoes whole. Coarsely chop the basil and sage, and put
all of these to one side. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.
Add the onion, garlic, sage and rosemary (and marjoram, if using). Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomato purée, stir, cover with the lid and continue to cook for 3–4 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the chopped tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil and water. Cover with the lid again and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.
Pass the liquid through a moulin-légumes or food mill (or purée in a liquidiser) into a clean saucepan. Stir in the extra-virgin olive oil. At this stage you can either chill the soup and serve it within a couple of days or freeze it. Or serve it straight away, adding the optional garnish – a spoonful of crème fraîche or cream for richness and croutons or a drizzle of olive oil and a few basil leaves.
