Cheese and Garlic Pasta Sauce on Smoked River Cobbler

Cheese and Garlic Pasta Sauce on Smoked River Cobbler

I loved this pasta sauce so much that I had the leftovers the next day straight from the fridge cold and enjoyed it just as much. I’ve added a little mustard to the ingredients of this sauce because there is something that I love about cheese and mustard, I think they go together really well. When you next have cheese on toast spread a little mustard on the toast before the cheese goes on and you will see what I mean.

For two servings you will need;

2 – Fillets of Smoked River Cobbler

 

For the sauce;

100 Gm – Pasta of your choice

50 Gm – Grated Cheese

125 Ml – Milk

½ teaspoon – Italian Seasoning

1 ½ teaspoon – Vegita (or 1 – vegetable stock cube)

2 Cloves – Garlic

½ teaspoon – Mustard

1 teaspoon – Corn Flour

50 Ml – Water

Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 10 minutes and then drain,

leave to cool for a few minutes then pour the milk in and heat gently while adding the cheese stirring until the cheese has melted.

Then add the rest of the ingredients except the corn flour and water and keep stirring, taste and season to your liking. 

Now mix the corn flour with the water until it is smooth and add it to the sauce stirring until it thickens, simmer for about 5 minutes and your done.

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The Artist Tony Rose

Crushed Coconut Melon with Grape and Rum Sauce

Crushed Coconut Melon with Grape and Rum Sauce

You will need a really ripe honeydew melon for this, ideally it should feel quite soft to the touch on the outside so that when you slice it in half it will be really juicy.

On a hot day this is a very light refreshing dish, the gentle taste of the melon and coconut cream covered with the sharp sweet taste of the grape and rum sauce.

You should prepare the sauce on the day before because it is best refrigerated overnight

For 4 servings you will need;

1 – Ripe Honeydew Melon

80 ml – Coconut Cream

Multiple Scoops - Vanilla Ice Cream

 

For the Sauce;

350 gm – Green Seedless Grapes

150 ml – Water

25 ml - Honey

1 desert spoon – Soft Brown Sugar

¼ tsp – Cinnamon

1 tsp – Vanilla Extract

50 ml – Rum

Put the grapes and the water in a pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

Let it cool down for a while and then liquidise the mixture.

Now press it through a sieve into the pan so that you have a smooth liquid with no bits of grape skin.

Bring it to a simmer on a medium heat; add the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer for another 15 minutes to reduce it a little. Let it cool down and put it in the fridge, preferably overnight.

To prepare this desert the next day is quite simple.

Slice the melon in half and scoop out the seeds, scoop out all the melon from one half (saving the empty skin) and mash it up in a bowl with the coconut cream.

Put it in a sieve over a container to let the juice run out, you can save that for a rum shot to go with the desert.

Scoop the flesh from the other half in neat pieces with a desert spoon (also keeping the empty skin).

Cut both empty shells in half and each one load with equal amounts of the pulp, cover with melon pieces and a scoop or two of vanilla ice cream, pour over the sauce and serve.

 

What a delight. 

The Artist Tony Rose

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4 Steps to Make a Good Sauce

How to Make a Good Sauce

When I first started cooking seriously quite a few years ago I decided to progress from Spaghetti Bolognese, Chilli Con Carne and all the other concoctions that we in the UK used to cook quite badly in the 70s and 80s. Not that I don’t cook them now, I just cook them properly with care and attention and with a lot more knowledge.

I remember about 10 years ago the current Mrs Rose at that time said to me “Tony I love your cooking but you really need to get a grip with your sauces they are not the best”. That was when I decided to “get a grip” with my sauce skills, and now that I have I am going to share it with you.  

 I always make a sauce in 4 stages

1.         The solids IE mushroom, onion, chillies, herbs and spices etc.
2.        The thickener IE plain flour, corn flour etc.
3.        The wine, water or stock
4.        The cream, milk or more water or stock

That goes for gravy as well, because after all gravy is a sauce.

Some people complain about lumps in their sauce, there is only one reason for that; too much liquid at the beginning.

I perfected the art of sauce making purely because I am in the main a wet food man, rarely do I eat food without a cold or hot sauce, burgers and bacon sandwiches with ketchup, fish with white wine sauce and so on.

Let me take you through the process of one of my all time favourite sauces White Wine Garlic and Fennel Sauce.

I invented this sauce to go with one of my favourite types of fish River Cobbler I love fennel and I think that it compliments fish very well.

First of all take the solids; Fennel seeds (crushed to release the flavour) parsley and garlic, fry them for a few minutes in a little olive oil.

Then add 1½ desert spoons of plain flour and make a paste.

Then add about 50ml of white wine and mix to a paste.

Then add cream and mix well.

All this is happening on a medium heat and at this point you need to be tasting and seasoning and also adding stock or water to adjust the thickness to your preference.

That’s it, it’s done, there is nothing complicated about making a sauce.

Here are some more sauces that you can try; 

How to make The Best Gravy

Marsala Sauce

Creamy Lemon and White Wine Sauce

Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce

Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce

The Artist Tony Rose
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Flaked Salmon with Fresh Lemon Thyme Sauce

Flaked Salmon with Fresh Lemon Thyme Sauce

There are lots of different flavours of thyme and my favourite is fresh lemon thyme

(thymus citriodorus) because of it’s gorgeous fresh aroma. This is a very simple sauce to go with a very simple dish, it doesn’t overpower anything it‘s just a lovely creamy accompaniment.

For 2 servings you will need;

2 – Salmon Fillets

 

For the Sauce;

25 ml – White Wine

A small bunch of Fresh Lemon Thyme (just use the  leaves)

100 ml – Double Cream

½ - an Onion (grated)

50 gm – Butter

1 dsp – Plain Flour

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste.

Melt the butter in a pan on a medium heat and add the onion and thyme, cook on a medium heat for about five minutes then add the flour and stir well then add the white wine and stir into a paste.

Leave the paste to simmer for about 5 minutes stirring all the time, keep stirring while you add the cream.

Add a little water to get it to the consistency of your liking, now you need to taste and season.

Take the sauce off the heat and poach the salmon in water 10 minutes on a medium heat should be enough, put the sauce back on the heat just before the salmon is done.

When the salmon is cooked through, drain and put it on a plate and flake it off the skin with a fork discarding the skin.

Return to the sauce for the finishing touches, you will probably need to add a little more water and seasoning. Remember it’s all about your personal taste so get the consistency and seasoning right at this point.

Give it a final stir and pour over your salmon

I had mine with sweet potato mash

The Artist Tony Rose

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Chicken Liver Pate with Red Wine and Brandy

Chicken Liver Pate with Red Wine and Brandy

I’m a great lover of chicken livers they are a good source of iron, what a great summer lunch served with lots of wholemeal toast

Also a very tasty starter to get your juices flowing, and so easy to make.              

If you have never made pate before follow this recipe and find out how easy it is to creat something with real taste.

You will need;

300 grams – Chicken Livers

1 – Onion (finely chopped)

2 – Cloves Garlic (finely chopped)

Fresh Parsley (chopped)

75 grams – Butter

1 teaspoon – Mustard

1 teaspoon – Ground Ginger

75 ml – Double Cream

25 ml – Brandy

25 ml – Red Wine

Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

You can play around with different herbs with this recipe, it’s very versatile.

Melt 25 grams of the butter in a frying pan on a medium heat; add the onion and garlic to it any fry on a medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes until softened.

Now add the livers, mustard, ginger, brandy and wine. Cook on a medium heat, add the parsley and leave on a medium heat until it is cooked down and the liver is cooked through then add the cream and stir in.

After a further 5 minutes take off the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes, then transfer along with another 25 grams of the butter to a liquidiser and blend according to whether you want a smooth pate or a course one.

After you have blended transfer to ramekins and press down quite firmly. Take the last 25 grams of butter and gently melt in a pan then pour a thin layer over the top to cover, then refrigerate overnight.

Just add wholemeal bread or rolls..............Wonderful!

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The Artist Tony Rose

Honey Roasted Crispy Poussin Chicken

Honey Roasted Crispy Poussin Chicken

The poussin chicken (sometimes called spring chicken) 

Smoked River Cobbler Salad

is my favourite chicken, tender, moist and very tasty.

This lovely honey roast coating that I have developed 

is very much after the style of the coating that you 

would put on Chinese crispy duck. It’s very simple 

to do and the result is amazing, you can serve this 

delightful dish hot or cold.

I've based this recipe on two servings with a 450Gm 

poussin chicken.

You will need;

1 – Poussin Chicken

For the Coating;

40 Ml – Honey

20 Ml – Light Soy Sauce

20 Ml – Water

Plunge the chicken into a pan of boiling water, and boil for about 3 minutes. Mix the honey, soy sauce and water together.

After 3 minutes of boiling drain the chicken and pat it dry, then while the skin is still warm coat it with the honey mixture and leave for about an hour.

Save what is left of the mixture to drizzle over before serving.

After an hour has passed preheat your oven to 200c, place the chicken on a rack over an ovenproof tray or dish and put in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes take it out of the oven, it should be dark brown in colour. 

Check to make sure it is cooked through, cut it in half down the middle of the breast and leave it to cool if you are serving with salad or serve immediately with vegetables of your choice.

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