Food & Drink
Recipes from Chris Niven, head chef of the soon to open Marine & Lawn hotel, North Berwick, plus Rose Murray Brown on riesling from Clare Valley
When I was approached to become executive chef of the new Marine & Lawn hotel in North Berwick it was something that I just could not turn down. The restaurant, The Lawn, which will open this summer will have a real focus on Scottish produce.
East Lothian and its surrounding areas offers some of the best ingredients you can source in Scotland so I visited its fishermen, farmers and game dealers for inspiration. The menu is set to feature lobster fresh off the boat from Seacliff Harbour, vegetables grown minutes from our kitchen by Phantassie Organic and game from West Lothian’s Castle Game. The menu will be rooted in Scotland’s rich food heritage, featuring dishes like cranachan, but with a modern touch. The recipes I have provided today are simplified versions of ones on The Lawn’s opening menu.
www.lawnrestaurant.co.uk
Grilled mackerel with carrots and romesco
Try to purchase the mackerel on the day you want to cook it. Ask your fishmonger (I recommend Welch’s) to debone the fish and score the skin. Serves two
For the romesco
85g Parmesan grated
120g hazelnuts
150g roasted piquillo peppers
85g pomace oil
18g sherry vinegar
15g garlic
8g parsley
8g salt
7g smoked paprika
For the cured mackerel and carrot
150g Maldon sea salt
115g sugar
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 mackerel fillets
2 carrots zest from one lime zest from one lemon zest of one orange
1 Blend all the romesco ingredients together until smooth in food processor and set aside for serving.
2 In a blender combine all the curing ingredients except for the mackerel and carrots and blend for 30 seconds. 3 Score the skin side of the mackerel with a knife all the way along the fillet, if your fishmonger hasn’t done so.
4 Place the mackerel fillets flesh-side up onto a tray, then evenly pack the salt mixture onto the flesh and leave to cure for 10 minutes.
5 Wash the salt off the mackerel, pat dry with a clean cloth and put in the fridge until ready to serve.
6 Prepare a bowl of ice water and then bring a pan of water to the boil. Put the carrots into the boiling water and blanch for 3-5 minutes, depending on the size. Then plunge the carrots into the ice water and leave for five minutes and remove from the water. 7 To cook the mackerel, rub the skin side with a little oil and cook under a hot grill for 3-4 minutes.
8 Place the cooked mackerel to one side of the plate with the carrot next to it, then spoon the romesco onto the plate.
Grilled lamb chop with roast garlic and anchovy butter
This is a cracking dish, which works brilliantly with summer vegetables such as asparagus, peas and broad beans.
Serves two
For the lamb
2 x 250g Barnsley lamb chops (we use John Gilmour Butchers, Tranent)
1 sprig of rosemary
1 clove of garlic
100ml rapeseed oil
1 shallot, thinly sliced
For the garlic and anchovy butter 150g soft butter unsalted
25g brown anchovies, finely chopped 1 garlic bulb
10g rosemary, finely chopped
6g sea salt flakes
1 Blend together the oil, garlic and rosemary, then coat each chop with the marinade.
2 Marinate the chops in the fridge for at least 2 hours and remove from the fridge at least 15 minutes before cooking.
3 Wrap the whole bulb of garlic in tinfoil and drizzle with a little olive oil. Roast in oven at 160C for 30 minutes until the garlic is incredibly soft.
4 Let it cool, then cut the bulb in half and squeeze out the garlic.
5 Mix the garlic juice with the remaining ingredients until combined.
6 Cover in clingfilm and roll into a cylinder shape about the size of a 10p, let it set in the fridge until firm.
7 When ready to cook the chops, season them well with salt and cook in a hot pan with a little of the marinade making sure to render the fat down until golden and crisp. When the lamb reaches a core temp
of 52C remove from the pan and allow to rest for at least 8 minutes.
8 To serve, remove clingfilm from the garlic butter and cut into 2mm slices. 9 Garnish with the shallot.
Arran Blue with honey cake
The cake will keep for three days stored in an airtight container or freeze for up to one month. Serves two
2 x 80g portions Arran blue or any good quality blue cheese (remove from fridge at least 20 minutes before serving)
For the honey cake
440g plain flour
5g baking powder
5g bicarb soda
3g salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
235g veg oil
340g honey
300g caster sugar
95g muscovado sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla paste
415g Earl Grey tea
1 Mix all of the dry ingredients together and pass through a fine sieve.
2 Mix all wet ingredients together with a whisk.
3 Mix the wet and dry ingredients together gently, making sure not to over mix.
4 Pour into lined loaf tin and bake at 165C for 40-50 minutes until your cake tester comes out clean.
5 Cool and serve with cheese.