What’s your favourite ingredient?
Flour is one of the most important ingredients as it is so versatility in everything we cook in the kitchen, but we are more and more conscious of guests own allergies and dietaries, that we always have to have something else in our back pocket.
I have always loved bread: it has been part of my world as far back as I can remember, from soft squidgy bread to hard crusty rolls and to sourdough. I have been very fortunate to have made bread under the guidance of some excellent teachers such as Pierre Koffmann, Richard Hart, Emmanuel Hadjiandreou and Michael James, all amazing bakers.
The one thing that I have always loved making the most with flour is bread, particularly sourdough. There is something truly comforting, rhythmic, almost hypnotic about making sourdough. You never become a complete master at it , as you are always learning no matter what.
An amazing thick skinned Amalfi lemon is not only beautiful to look at but full of flavour. Whether using the ski or juice into a sauce, vinaigrette or onto a piece of cooked fish can make a huge difference using the very best lemon. , or adding a little micro-planed lemon zest can also add a little extra citrus taste. Use the very best lemons you can find as it will give better flavour all round.
Scallops hand dived also are one of the tastiest shellfish species, they are sweet, juicy and they can handle a multiple number of flavours, from acidic, sweet, salty and savoury. They taste great grilled, poached, barbecued, or blow torched and even raw. I like them cooked simply just over hot coals, cooked in the ½ shell, with little olive oil, Maldon salt, butter, lemon zest, picked thyme, razor blade sliced garlic. Place a tsp of butter in the bottom of the shell, place the scallop on top, drizzle in a good olive oil, mircro-plane the lemon over, picked thyme leaves and garlic. Place onto the fire, making sure the butter goes nut brown only, then baste the scallop for 3-4 minutes. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.
What’s the first thing you steal from the EDITION mini bar?
There is a super tasty snack that I tried recently from the Edition Tokyo minibar, which was these freeze-dried truffle chips, which were unusual but rather Moorish. I don’t have a sweet tooth; however these were rather good I have to say!