Tom Kitchin

November 23, 2012 1 Michelin Star

Tom Kitchin, Edinburgh

We met Tom Kitchin at the Cube pop-up earlier in the year, and were seriously impressed by both the simplicity of his dishes, and the complexity of his flavours. Tom has years of classical training, and brings those skills to bear on the excellent seasonal produce close to his restaurant in Leith. Indeed such is the pride in the provenance of produce that diners are presented with a little map of Scotland detailing exactly where ingredients have been sourced…

We were in Scotland to shoot, and really wanted to take our American chums to Tom’s – they’re massive game fans, foodies and have travelled extensively in Scotland. I was travelling with my guns, and Kristen had nearly not been allowed on her flight, so by the time we met up in the bright glass-ceilinged bar we were all a little delirious with relief. Fortunately the manager, Holly Napoli took us under her wing, soothed our ruffled feathers and provided refreshment. We all chose the game tasting menu – it seemed the most appropriate selection given our trip – though I couldn’t help eyeing up all the gorgeous dishes of spoots being delivered around the restaurant – they were one of the highlights of our Cube dinner.

We began with a perfect pheasant consommé, clear, scented, highly flavoured, savoury and light. It’s impossible to describe the flavour, but there was a very slight nod to ‘stuffing’, so that the consommé immediately made me think of Willy Wonka – you’re given one thing, but it tastes of a whole meal – utterly delicious! It was dressed with a disk of pheasant, grapes, apple shards, a celeriac cream, and a crisp shard of pancetta. The fruit provided a bright and fresh note, with just a touch of acidity, and the bacon a little salty hit… A very lovely umami combination which I couldn’t help thinking would make the perfect starter on Christmas Day.

Then a venison carpaccio – the venison from the Wilton estate in Midlothian. The meat was clean, tender, full of flavour, and served with cubes of apple and croutons for texture and contrast, micro herbs, toasted pumpkin seeds, autumn vegetables, hazelnuts and a light, bright herb cream. Again an excellent combination of textures, flavours, and actually, temperatures.

In a nod to his mentor, Pierre Koffman, the next dish was a game pithivier. I’ve had Mr Koffman’s pithivier, and this was just as delicious. The filling included venison, mallard, and woodcock, and was served with a game jus, caramelised quince, and a quince puree. The pastry was perfectly crisp, and gave way to a dense, meaty filling – the not too-sweet quince acted as a perfect foil for the rich meat.

The next dish of mallard left us all pretty speechless. The meat was barely cooked, and served on top of a endive tart. My views on endive vary according to the dish, but here the caramelised bitter-sweet endive perfectly, perfectly complimented the duck, with its sweet beetroot and sour orange sauce. Again a dish had a foot in each sensory camp – bitter, sweet, sour, savoury, and a tiny hit of salt – the assembly of the dish undertaken with complete precision and balance. Kristen, who’s father is a massive hunter, kept saying that she wished she’d grown up eating game this way – apparently everything in her childhood had to be crumbed and fried – even elk… The mind boggles…

The most challenging dish for me was definitelty the woodcock, though I have eaten it before. I shot my first woodcock last year in Scotland, and the chef had pan-fried it (and a couple of others) for us all, very much like pigeon. In my conversations with Tom I’d promised to take on the full, traditional dish. The innards are chopped and served on a slice of toast, with the breast barely cooked on top – the head is then served on top of this, and the diner is invited to scoop out the brain. It’s accompanied by a celeriac puree and root vegetables. All of this was utterly delicious, but far more challenging for me personally was the salmis sauce – the remaining body parts are effectively crushed to make the sauce – a sauce so intensely meaty that I found it a little overwhelming. Having said that – the others absolutely loved it. And in case you’re wondering, the brain pops right out, like a miniature human brain, intact and exactly as you would imagine. The flavour and texture are quite creamy, and you’re encouraged to eat that piece first, so that you can appreciate the flavour – do give it a go!

Our final meat dish was a hare à la Royale – served with pumpkin puree, parsnip chips, chanterelles, salsify, wild watercress and pumpkin. The meat is slowly cooked in jus and enriched with foie gras, blood and truffles, and is topped with a loin of hare. The whole dish is incredibly rich, but is very much the climax of the meaty menu.

The palate cleanser of an Earl Grey sorbet is a welcome transition out of the main courses and into dessert – light, delicate, and fragrant, with a tiny piece of confit orange peel providing a little sweet and sour.

Dessert was an entirely unexpected pumpkin cheesecake, spiked with cinammon, and served with toasted pumpkin seeds, candied pecans, and a chocolate sorbet. Many years ago the 11yo had convinced me to make her a pumpkin pie, and it was so revolting that I’ve not eaten a pumpkin dessert since. With the slightly sour edge to the filling, and the fragrant cinnamon, this was absolutely delicious. Kristen is bringing me her favourite pumpkin puree from the US for our shooting rematch in a fortnight – so I’ll definitely be making this as a tribute dish.

The cooking at Tom Kitchin’s is very accomplished, grown-up and complete – ingredients are allowed to shine, and are treated with respect. The staff are charming, very well informed about the dishes, and attentive. This is undoubtedly one of the most memorable meals we’ve eaten, and we can’t wait to return.

The Kitchin: 78 Commercial Quay, Leith EH6 6LX (0131) 555 1755

September 3, 2012 Fish

Halibut, with Salsa Verde and a Citrus Dressing…

I have finally found a decent fish supplier – hurrah! Despite the fact that I live less than three miles from a harbour, it’s almost impossible to buy fish locally. I think most of it seems to disappears straight out of the town. I was bemoaning this fact to Matthew at the michelin starred Montagu Arms, and he introduced me to their suppliers – Premier Fish… A quick look on their web site sent me into small ecstasies – there’s brill, turbot, halibut, lobster, prawns, clams, anything you can think of – fabulous. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to do something “big”, so, meet my chum, the 3kg halibut, dubbed Herbert by the 11 year old.

Halibut is a pretty high end fish – it’s delicate yet meaty, a stunning white colour, with an open texture. It can handle pretty robust flavours, and when I spotted a recipe by Tom Kitchin which included salsa verde a citrus dressing, and olives, I knew I had to make it. I’m a huge fan of Tom’s. He’s worked with and for Pierre Koffmann, and a number of other excellent chefs. As a punter, it’s always fabulous when you find a chef who’s palate matches your own personal preferences, and Tom inspires me utterly. Some flavours are understated, others are incredibly bold – but always the produce is allowed to shine through to show respect to the ingredients… That’s my kind of chef!

The joy of a restaurant recipe is that you tend to find the chef has broken the dish down into stages, many of which can be completed in advance. In this case the salsa verde, citrus dressing and vegetables can all be prepped earlier in the day. The fish itself requires no more than 6 minutes cooking in total, so it’s perfectly viable to do that bit of the dish at the last moment.

Now of course it isn’t necessary for you to buy a whole halibut, heaven forbid! I bought one because I really wanted to fillet it :0) Filleting a big fish is hilarious – it’s practically wrestling – but if you’re interested in having a go, there are several excellent videos on YouTube – just make sure you choose the right fish. Oh, and another fishy point, farmed halibut will have a mottled underbelly, where wild will have a white belly…

Ingredients
Salsa Verde
2 tablespoons chopped basil
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon mint
3 tablespoons capers
4 anchovy fillets
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
150ml olive oil
4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 lemon, zest and juice
(You might need a tiny bit of sugar to balance the acidity)

Citrus Dressing
4 lemons, segments and zest
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil

Vegetables
6-8 new potatoes (I used fir, didn’t have any new to hand)
vegetable oil
100g fresh samphire (didn’t have any)
12 olives, pitted and chopped (we both used black)
300g baby spinach
2 tablespoons chopped chivesFish
2 x 200g halibut fillets

To Serve
chervil and dill
micro leaves if you have them
diced croutons made with 2 slices of white bread

Method (in advance)

To prepare the salsa verde, blend everything together until smooth, then set aside in the fridge
For the dressing, toss everything together and set aside
Cut the bread into small dice, and fry in oilive oil until golden
Boil the potatoes until cooked, and cut into slicesWhen ready to serveFry the potato slices in vegetable oil until crisp and golden brown
Add the samphire, and chopped olives, then the baby spinach, shallots and chives
Pat the halibut fillets dry, and sason well with salt.
Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil over a medium head, and add the fish.
Cook until they are golden on both sides, turning once.
This will take around three minutes per side. Allow the fish to rest for 3 or 4 minutes

To plate

Put a pool of salsa verde onto each plate
Top with the vegetable mix, then the halibut
Spoon the dressing over the halibut, and add some croutons
Garnish with the herbs (and micro-leaves, if you have them)

The salsa verde and citrus dressing don’t clash – there are so many other big flavours that they work together well. The last time I had something similar, it was actually a rabbit dish, cooked by an Observer food editor twenty years ago, and had the same earthy and bright notes… I know they sound completely different, but they strike the same note within my palate. Hubby and the 11yo had cleared their plates before I’d even finished photographing mine – and wanted to know when I could make it again! Another victory for the lovely Mr Kitchin.

You can find this recipe in Tom’s first book, and don’t forget his second is due out imminently! >

December 24, 2011 Journal

The Soufflé Project

Recently the lovely Tony Fleming, Head Chef at No.1 Aldwych, entered a dessert into the Best British Dish – a blackberry soufflé with a blackberry and elderflower granita.

I adore soufflés – I usually order it if I see one on the menu – and find it a very good way of comparing chefs. Technique is rarely the issue, but even in Michelin starred restaurants you find the most extraordinary combination of ingredients. As a result, some soufflés are simply tasteless and mediocre, some are rather nasty, and some absolutely sing.

After the show Tony and I had a rolling conversation conversation about soufflés and compared notes. Tony worked with Marco Pierre White, and I confessed that MPW’s Raspberry Soufflé was one of my top two soufflé recipes, both to make at home, and to eat at the restaurant (in this case Mirabelle).

My other favourite is Pierre Koffmann’s Pistachio Soufflé, which is just the most delicious thing imaginable. They’re both quite different – one is light and delicate, the other is heavily scented and packs a real flavour punch… We discussed the various merits of soufflé recipes, and which chef favoured which combination – Tony has his Blackberry Soufflé on the menu, Le Gavroche has Passion Fruit, The Waterside Inn, a Rhubarb one, Tom Kitchin has a Gingerbread Soufflé, Andre Garrett has Banana, and Alan Murchison has a Dutch Mistress goats cheese soufflé… So many Michelin starred restaurants, so many soufflés!

And so my Soufflé Project was born! I’m going to work my way through all the best soufflé recipes I can find, photograph them, rate the recipes, and the results. Where possible, I will also eat the same dish in the relevant restaurant to see how the home versions compare…

I hope we can get to my favourite soufflé recipes. There will be complicated soufflés, simple ones, iced ones, hot ones, perhaps even savoury ones… Enough to offer a soufflé recipe at all levels. I hope you’ll be able to try some of these for yourselves…

Let the soufflé making begin…