Starter: mussels with cider, creme fraiche and spring onions
Normans and Bretons are blessed with great shellfish and apples, and the latter, fermented into cider, make a great match for mussels, both for cooking and for drinking alongside. The gentle tannins of a good French ‘brut’ (dry) cider are the key to success here. When buying mussels, they should have a fresh, briny aroma, be glistening and firmly closed; there will inevitably be the odd broken or open one, which you must throw away. Preparation beyond that is simple: just tug out the “beard” (the little hairy tuft or strands that stick out of the shell). A large pan with a close-fitting lid is also essential here..
Prep 10 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4 (or 2 as a main, with frîtes)
4-6 spring onions, trimmed and cut in half widthways, to separate white and green parts
50g unsalted butter
Salt and black pepper
350ml Breton or Normandy ‘brut’ cider
2kg mussels, cleaned
100g creme fraiche
2 tbsp chopped parsley leaves
1 loaf sourdough bread
Cut the spring onion whites at an angle, and finely chop the green pieces, much as you would chives.
In a large casserole or saucepan, melt the butter and add the sliced spring onion whites. Season generously with pepper and cook over a gentle heat for two minutes, or until soft. Add the cider, bring to a boil and cook for two minutes more.
Stir in the mussels and creme fraiche, and seal the pot with the lid. Cook for three to five minutes, giving the pan a good rattle every minute. After three minutes, check regularly – when all the mussels have popped open and look bright and juicy, turn off the heat (don’t leave them too long, as they’re prone to shrivelling, and discard any that stay shut).
While the mussels are cooking, cut four thick slices from the loaf and toast them.
Using a slotted spoon, lift the mussels from the pan into two large bowls. Bring the cooking liquor to a boil, add the chopped spring onion greens and parsley, and cook for 30 seconds. If you prefer a creamier mussel liquor, whisk in some more creme fraiche. Pour the liquor over the mussels and serve straight away with the toast
Main course: roast partridge and spiced blackberries
Partridges need gentle cooking, otherwise they can go a little dry. Many a wild bird will have fed on blackberries from the hedgerows during the late summer months, so they make a natural pairing.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4
For the blackberries
1 tsp redcurrant jelly
200ml red wine
6 crushed juniper berries
1 pinch chilli flakes
1 pinch ground cinnamon
2 small shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2 dssp balsamic vinegar
1 grating orange zest
1 grating lemon zest
1 pinch sea salt
200g blackberries
For the partridges
1 x 250g packet soft unsalted butter
4 partridges (or other small game birds, such as wild duck or pheasant, in which case you may need only 2 birds, depending on size; out of game season, use quail or guinea fowl)
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
50ml cognac
First make the spiced berries. Put everything bar the blackberries in a saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook for five minutes, until the liquid has reduced by half. Put the fruit in a small bowl, then pour on the hot liquid, cover and leave to cool (you can make them a day ahead, and store in the fridge, in which case take them out an hour or so before cooking, and put in a warmish spot, so they are just above room temperature when served).
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/gas 5. Rub butter all over the partridges and season very generously. Put the birds in an ovenproof pan that you can later use on the hob, pop them in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, until just cooked through (or a bit longer, if you prefer them well done). Transfer the pot to the hob on a medium heat, so the butter starts to bubble, then add another tablespoon of butter and the thyme. When the butter just starts to take on a delicate, nut-brown colour, turn off the heat and pour in the cognac – you can flambé it, if you wish, but it’s fine just to leave it to bubble until the spluttering subsides. Lift out the partridges and put in a warm place to rest for 15 minutes.
Tip any resting juices into the butter pan and give it a last little burst of heat. Put the partridges on individual plates and spoon over the pan juices. Garnish with the spiced blackberries, and serve with some creamed cabbage alongside.
Side dish: Creamed savoy cabbage with juniper and smoked bacon
Prep 5 min
Cook 15 min
Serves 4
1 savoy cabbage
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp finely chopped shallot
10 juniper berries, crushed
4 rashers heavily smoked streaky bacon (should you be blessed with a local Polish supermarket, use the darkest, blackest smoked bacon they have)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or grated
100ml white wine
300ml double cream
Quarter the cabbage, remove the dense core and cut the leaves as finely as you can.
In a large, wide saucepan, melt the butter over a very gentle heat, then add the chopped shallots and juniper, and cook to soften the onions – about two minutes.
Cut the bacon into the thinnest of strips, like little wisps. Stir these into the pan and cook gently for a further minute. Now add the garlic and, 30 seconds later, the wine, and bring to a boil. Add the cabbage, plenty of freshly ground black pepper and a little sea salt. On a high heat, stir constantly until the cabbage collapses into the pan. When it has all softened – after about three to five minutes – add the cream and cook vigorously, stirring, until the cream has reduced and coated the cabbage. Adjust the seasoning to taste, and serve.
Dessert: poire belle hélène
I adore this pudding however it is served: it can be fancy, with fanned poached pears draped over vanilla ice-cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce; but it’s equally enjoyable – and a little more straightforward – served sundae-style in a large tumbler-type glass. A firm, not-quite-ripe pear is vital – a william, conference or comice would be ideal. If you don’t make vanilla-ice cream, it’s just a case of using your preferred brand.
Prep 5 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4
For the pears
1 litre water
275g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
2 strips orange zest
4 firm pears
Vanilla ice-cream, to serve
For the chocolate sauce
75g water
75g caster sugar
150g 70% dark chocolate
Start with the pears. In a saucepan, warm the water with the sugar, vanilla and orange zest, and stir occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Peel the pears, immerse them in the poaching liquid and simmer very gently until cooked through – about 25 minutes. (You could also peel, core and quarter the pears, in which case the cooking time will reduce; this also makes it easier to check that they’re cooked through.) Turn off the heat, leave the pears to cool in the syrup, until cold, then refrigerate until needed.
Now for the sauce. Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Break the chocolate into small pieces. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the chocolate and stir until it dissolves and you’re left with a glossy sauce. Keep warm.
To serve, put a good-sized scoop of vanilla ice-cream in a tumbler or bowl. Slice or dice the poached pears (removing the core first if poached whole), and add to the tumbler. Finally spoon over the warm chocolate sauce and serve without delay.
