What's On the Menu Today?

Tuesday 2nd June 2009

What’s on the menu today?…

Well today kicked off with a 6am start! Up bright and early as I’m doing a photo shoot for OK Magazine (Australia). The sun is shining in LA. It’s a perfect 78ºF (which is about 26ºC back home!)… sorry to rub it in! The theme for the shoot is an 'At Home' feature. So basically it will be shots of me sitting around in my home in Hollywood. All pretty straight forward and lots of fun.

The feature will also include an extract from my new cookbook, RELAXED COOKING WITH CURTIS STONE, which I’ve just launched in Australia and the US. It’s been a long day…. but shoots are always a long day… they’re always lots of fun but also lots of standing around, setting up shots, styling, prepping and smiling for the camera! … But it’s always great to see the end result and work with lots of talented and interesting people.

Tonight I’m going to have a quiet night in and cook dinner for two of my favourite people who also happen to work with me here in LA. It’s a warm summer’s night and I feel like fish and chips. They just don’t do fish and chips in the states like they do back home and I have so many fond memories as a kid having Friday night fish and chips with my dad and brother. So, even though it’s only Tuesday, I’m going to do a Beer Battered Cod with Homemade Chips and Tartare Sauce with a Cucumber and Dill side salad… and possibly a nice chilled glass of white wine!

I’ve listed the recipes for you below.

Enjoy and bon appétit!

Beer Battered Cod with Homemade Chips and Tartar Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Fish and Homemade Chips:

15 ounces lager, lukewarm

1 teaspoon dry active yeast

Pinch of sugar

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour, plus more for dredging

4 large russet potatoes, peeled

Canola oil, for deep-frying

4 6-ounce skinless cod filets

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lemon wedges, to serve

Tartar Sauce:

2 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 cup canola oil

1/4 cup finely chopped cornichons or dill pickles

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped capers

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon (about) water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

To prepare the batter:

Whisk the beer, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl to blend then set it aside in a warm place until the yeast dissolves, about 15 minutes.

Gradually whisk in the flour to form a thick batter. Bubbles in the batter should fall slowly from your finger.

Cover the batter with a wet tea towel and set aside until larger bubbles form, about 45 minutes.

To prepare the chips:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.

Cut the potatoes into 5-inch-long by 1/2-inch-thick sticks. Cook the potatoes in the boiling water for 5 minutes.

Drain and allow the potatoes to cool completely on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

To make the tartar sauce:

Blend the egg yolks, mustard, and vinegar in a food processor.

With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the oil through the feed tube until the mixture has thickened to a mayonnaise-like consistency.

Transfer the mayonnaise to a bowl, then stir in the cornichons, parsley, capers, lemon juice, and enough water to thin the sauce to the desired consistency.

Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until serving.

To fry the chips:

Fill a clean large wide wok or pot about halfway with oil.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 375°F / 190°C on a deep-fry thermometer.

Adjust the heat as needed to maintain this temperature.

Season the cod with salt and pepper and dredge the cod in the flour to coat lightly.

Working in batches, dip the cod into the batter to coat and then gently lower it into the oil.

Fry until the cod is golden brown, about 4 minutes.

Using a slotted skimmer, remove the cod from the oil and place it onto a baking sheet lined with a rack to drain the excess oil.

Return the oil to 375°F / 190°C.

Working in 3 batches, fry the potatoes in the oil until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes.

Using the slotted skimmer, transfer the chips to the baking sheet lined with a rack to drain.

Season the fish and chips with salt while they are still hot.

Arrange the fish on plates with the chips and serve with the tartar sauce and lemon wedges.

Cucumber and Dill Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/4 cup/60 ml fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons/about 5 g finely chopped fresh dill

5 tablespoons/75 ml extra-virgin olive oil

2 English hothouse cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly crosswise

Sea salt Method:

Place the lemon juice and dill in a medium sized bowl and gently whisk to blend while slowly adding the olive oil.

Add the cucumber to the dressing and toss to coat.

Season the salad to taste with salt.

Divide the salad among 4 serving bowls and serve immediately.

Read the next article in the series here >