With a rare quiet Saturday, I decided to try a couple of recipes that I’m hoping to use for a dinner party in a few weeks time.

Oysters

Oysters are great because they are quick to prepare, delicious, and help cleanse the palate. On a multi-course menu it gives you a little more time to prepare.

Sous Vide Lyonnaise
I’ve been looking for a way to show off what sous vide can do to my friends. This is what I came up with, a classical combination of poached egg, bacon, frisée and croutons.

I like the way that it looks like a nest, with the egg nestling in the middle – people wonder whether you’ve served them a hard boiled egg or a raw one. They don’t expect to break it and have a perfectly poached egg slide out, silky smooth and rich.

Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Onions purée
This dish is all about showing off amazing quality steak. It’s not fancy or clever, and its not meant to be, all I’m trying to do is showcase how much good carefully raised, well aged beef can be. The onion purée provides a great umami hit that helps cut the richness of the potato. Given time I’d like to try making a thick mushroom ketchup too.

Marmalade Pudding
This is one of my favourite desserts. Based on a Hawksmoor recipe, itself taken from a restaurant in Skye, it’s both modern and traditional. It was also supposed to be several small individual puddings until I couldn’t find the basins. I was sure I had them. Luckily it worked great on a larger scale. I’ll post my recipe up in a few days, but until then here’s lots of cool photos.

I completely forgot to get the ice cream out of the freezer so it could soften. It’s led to a quick head scratch and a light bulb moment. I have a pretty solid melon baller, so out it came. I quite like the result!