The Melon Ball

EL CELLER DE CAN ROCA KNOCKS NOMA OFF WORLD’S BEST RESTAURANT PERCH

Spanish restaurant El Cellar de Can Roca has been named the world’s best restaurant, launching a million misspellings and new bookings for the Girona-based diner.

Head chef Joan Roca has tipped Danish restaurant Noma from its position at the top of the tree. Noma head chef Rene Redzepi appeared to have cemented three in a row with a year of innovation in Copenhagen.

However, El Cellar has been lurking in the top 50 for the past eight years, and moving to new premises in 2007 helped Roca up his game.

Brothers Joan and Jusep grew up in their mother’s restaurant in the working class Taiala suburb of Girona, and they’re developed a style fusing these traditions with modern sous vide techniques that has taken them to the top. Located near El Bulli, it’s seen as the successor to the great experimental Catalan restaurant.

Spain continues a strong presence overall in fact, with San Sebastian’s Mugaritz at number four, and Arzak at no eight.

The Modena restaurant Osteria Francescana comes in third. Chef Massimo Bottura has taken the culinary heritage of the Emilia-Romagna region, and run with it. And as his foie gras covered in hare blood shows, that’s an understatement

The decline of The Fat Duck continues. Named the best restaurant in the world in 2005, it now languishes at 33, the victim perhaps of Heston Blummenthal’s growing empire and television work.

London outpost Dinner instead now represents Heston’s best cooking according to World’s 50 Best judges, cementing its position this year in the list at seventh. Surely chefs there will have to adapt a barely unchanging menu, however, to keep critics happy.

And with Brett Graham’s The Ledbury in 13th the only other British showing in the top 50, it’s a particularly weak year for London and the country as a whole.

The Top 10

1. El Cellar de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
2. Noma, Copenhagen, Denmark
3. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
4. Mugaritz, San Sebastian, Spain
5. Eleven Madison Park, New York, USA
6. D.O.M. Sao Paulo, Brazil
7. Dinner, London, UK
8. Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain
9. Steirereck, Vienna, Austria
10. Vendôme, Bergisch Gladback, Germany

FINDING ALEXANDERS: IT’S MORE LUCK THAN TECHNIQUE!

The Alexander is a tall, thin plant with fronds that look like cow parsley. But whereas cow parsley is everywhere, easy to find, this variation on a wild plant theme most definitely isn’t – as what follows shows. In fact I’d almost given up hope of finding these naughty critters.

But – and this is the back-to-front way my cooking sometimes goes – some monkfish liver caught my eye early Saturday morning at Fin and Flounder on Broadway Market. I’d been trying to hunt these down for ever as well.

And seeing as Mark Hix combines the liver with Alexanders in a recipe I decided to track down the plant itself.

The question is, they’re known for growing on the coasts of Kent and East Sussex. But I wasn’t going to head down on the off chance from London. So where else to go?

Googling using the Latin name for Alexanders, Smyrnium Olusatrum was a good start. This told me that there were ‘seven’ examples of the plant growing on nearby Hampstead Heath. Surely I could find one of these patches of growth? Well, maybe I could.

So off I set with my two girls to the Heath, a short drive from N8. Well, we walked for an hour and a half at least, alongside many a hedgerow where they’re supposed to grow, up a hill and dale and though woods, past large, barking dogs that frightened the younger one.

She fell over in a muddy stream, the older one got her boot stuck.

And we headed back to the car, slightly downcast at not being able to track down these blighters.

But then for some reason we went into a small walled area right by the entrance, near the car. After playing catch for a while together, we decided to head out by a different gate. AND THERE THEY WERE!

A small, innocent-looking patch by the hedge, grouped together, just begging to be picked.

Bingo! I didn’t want to demolish the plant, even though in my excitement it was tempting. So we just took a few stalks so that the pale yellow flowers would continue to adorn the verge.

So for future reference, what was special about this plot where they were growing? Well, it was a hedge, yes – you’re always told to look in hedges. The bank was steep, a beech tree grew nearby. But that was about it really. Apologies that I can’t give any more help to future searches!

But it was more than enough for some light Sunday cooking. So, thank you nature! And more on the recipe I used them in will follow…

Master and Servant brings St John style rather than black rubber to Hoxton

We’d heard a few good things about this five-week old restaurant in Shoreditch with former St John hotel head chef Luke Cleghorn at the helm. Well, Dabbous was booked; Bocca Di Lupo only had space at the bar. This was our next option, and having worked at St John Bread & Wine myself, it seemed like a good one.

Despite the annoying/playful take on the S&M name this down-to-earth small diner has brick walls and bistro-style wood chairs rather than chainmail and body spikes. Or at least it’s as down-to-earth as anywhere can be on Hoxton Square.

A loud Scottish woman behind us was bellowing about how she had to leave her man; kids in orange trousers and massive blue trainers sloped by. But we dived into a fine pair of starters with gusto.

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Cracking open the half crab, cooked on the open grill, revealed pink-white flesh inside the slightly charred shell. Memo to self: grilling keeps the flavour far better than poaching.

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Back fat was sliced paper-thin on top of sour dough. Now I know why the chef has done this, because it looks beautiful. Luke and his staff cure the meat themselves, rubbing in salt and herbs over the course of three months. But all this work, plus the surely delicious flavour, was lost amidst strong toasted bread. Thicker slices required!

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A piece of lemon sole was complemented by some delicious cured cucumber in dill.

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But the real standout was the main course ox cheek with celeriac. Cooked for 24 hours, thick strands fell away with the brush of a fork, yielding rich, salty flavour. And the spaghetti-like strands of vegetable that sat alongside were a step up again, the earthy flavour in an inspired pairing with fennel seed, tarragon and horseradish additions. Knock out!

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Onto puddings and a rhubarb posset with spiced biscuit captured some of the sour-sweet flavour but not enough. Also people tend to overcook biscuits, says Mary Berry, and this was the case here – just.

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But peanut butter ice cream combined soft richness with crunchy peanut pieces in a masterpiece of contrasts.

Service: eager, friendly, knowledgeable and considerate. Overall, Master & Servant gets a 7.5 out of 10, one of my best scores since I started blogging reviews. And by the end even our Scottish neighbour had been silenced!

CLAUDIA RODEN PROVIDES NORTH LONDON MOTHER’S DAY FEASTING

I’m still cooking my way through Claudia Roden’s The Food of Italy, and here’s last night’s dinner using some of her fine creations – making it a special day for the missus. Hopefully the children will soon be doing this!

First up was dressed crab, popular in Venice. This particular example comes from a supplier who buys his crabs from the boats in Brighton, and takes them up to Stoke Newington’s organic farmers’ market.

I cooked it slightly less than usual – eight minutes – and although this led to the flesh being harder to prise out of the claws, it was really soft and melting. A little too much water got into the dark meat, but it was still rich and well-flavoured.

Yes it takes a while to get the flesh out, but the key is a rolling pin or hammer, a knife and a skewer – and some patience.

Next up was veal that I bought from the raw milk stall at the market from the East Sussex farm Hook and Son. I flattened the escalopes with a meat hammer and rolling pin, dusted in flour, egg and breadcrumbs, fried for a minute or so at a high heat. Then I placed Parma ham, grated Parmesan and some cream on top, grilled for a minute or so and scattered on parsley. Very, very tasty.

The Parma ham came from La Fromagerie and was slightly too thick - you need a thin setting for this recipe. It was also on the expensive side, but very good.

Then to finish, I made her version of spiced quince, putting the core and peel in a pot with the chunks of flesh, adding cinnamon, clove, lemon peel and juice, sugar, wine and water, then simmering for an hour and a half. Quinces ended their growing season in December, but are still just about storing okay.

More recipes and insights from The Food of Italy will be on their way…

APPLE FRITTERS WITH HOXTON STOUT BATTER It’s been a terrible last six months for apple farmers, and they’re getting even worse with the season at an end. So why not make the most of a bad run with this method? It’s a version of apple fritters courtesy of the wonderful British Regional Food by Mark Hix, using the deliciously smoky Hoxton Stout in place of Guinness. Ingredients: 150ml stout 110g self raising flour + a little for dusting 1 tbsp caster sugar Vegetable oil for deep frying 4 or 5 well flavoured eating apples Caster sugar for dusting Thick cream to serve •Whisk the stout into the flour to form a thick batter, add the sugar and leave to stand for 1 hour (crucial tip – you need the thickness to cling to the apples). •Pre-heat about 8cm of oil to 160-180C in a large heavy based pan. •Dust the slices of apple in flour and shake off the excess, then dip 4 or 5 slices at a time into the batter, shake off any excess then drop them into the hot fat. After a minute or so, turn them with a slotted spoon so they cook evenly. •When they are golden all over remove them from the oil and drain on kitchen paper. •Dust with caster sugar and serve with thick cream. And very tasty they were too!

APPLE FRITTERS WITH HOXTON STOUT BATTER

It’s been a terrible last six months for apple farmers, and they’re getting even worse with the season at an end. So why not make the most of a bad run with this method? It’s a version of apple fritters courtesy of the wonderful British Regional Food by Mark Hix, using the deliciously smoky Hoxton Stout in place of Guinness.

Ingredients:

150ml stout
110g self raising flour + a little for dusting
1 tbsp caster sugar
Vegetable oil for deep frying
4 or 5 well flavoured eating apples
Caster sugar for dusting
Thick cream to serve

•Whisk the stout into the flour to form a thick batter, add the sugar and leave to stand for 1 hour (crucial tip – you need the thickness to cling to the apples).
•Pre-heat about 8cm of oil to 160-180C in a large heavy based pan.
•Dust the slices of apple in flour and shake off the excess, then dip 4 or 5 slices at a time into the batter, shake off any excess then drop them into the hot fat. After a minute or so, turn them with a slotted spoon so they cook evenly.
•When they are golden all over remove them from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.
•Dust with caster sugar and serve with thick cream.

And very tasty they were too!

MAKING CLAUDIA RODEN’S RAVIOLI WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Here I am making some pasta at the weekend.
I’m using a Claudia Roden recipe with a filling of spinach and ricotta (recipe below). Now I have my reservations about dear Claudia (of which more later) but this is a cracking recipe if you live with a vegetarian.
The pasta is also, I admit, courtesy of Jamie. It is by far and away the best I have come across. The use of semolina flour and a slight amount of 00 is the secret. The machine is a small Imperia.
Some tips? Don’t use water to wet the edges of the ravioli - you end up with an almighty mess. What else? Do kneed the pasta until it’s a lovely smooth ball. And if you’re going to keep it, then plenty of flour underneath please. Also, you never need as much filling as they suggest. So:
Filling (from The Food of Italy): 700g spinach leaves; half onion, chopped; 15g butter; 2 tbsp Parmesan; half tsp nutmeg freshly grated; 300g ricotta
Pasta (from The Naked Chef): 175g semolina flour, 75g Tipo 00 flour, 1 whole egg, 6 egg yolks

JAMIE WINS OUT v DAN LEPARD AND HUGH FEARNLEY IN THE CHRISTMAS CAKE STAKES The Christmas cake is up and running! A little burnt because it’s a Smeg oven in our new house and there are some familiarity issues. But after two and a half hours of slow baking, it’s now packed away happily for the big day. We’ll revisit with some feeding of the Calvados from time to time. But essentially it’s on the path to maturation for those crucial six weeks. The choice of recipe was the most interesting part of the whole operation. I assumed Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s version would be the best, because he performs well on trad English food and his Simnel cake is a cracker. But there was not enough zip in the mixture. It looked like one his mum had made for years. Plus I’m never a fan of ‘mixed spice’ as it tends to sit around in cupboards for years before applying a dusty texture. Dan Lepard seemed the best next stop, with his extreme baking skills. But I’ve noticed that he seems to be getting ever more elaborate and doing the ‘fancy icing’ thing. Not at all the right thing for a hearty cake such as this. So – and some people won’t like this – I went for Jamie. He really does understand aspects of the cooking process, and this version combines named spices rather than the generic ‘mixed’, soaking the dried fruit overnight with a good quantity of alcohol, and some careful wrapping and unwrapping of the cake post-baking. As usual it showed that he had tried and tested his recipe a number of times and it wasn’t just banged out for the publishers to hit a deadline – as with a few I could care to mention. And so far so good, although the wrapping business has led to a slight crack in one part. Fingers crossed the Calvados heals it!

JAMIE WINS OUT v DAN LEPARD AND HUGH FEARNLEY IN THE CHRISTMAS CAKE STAKES

The Christmas cake is up and running!

A little burnt because it’s a Smeg oven in our new house and there are some familiarity issues. But after two and a half hours of slow baking, it’s now packed away happily for the big day.

We’ll revisit with some feeding of the Calvados from time to time. But essentially it’s on the path to maturation for those crucial six weeks.

The choice of recipe was the most interesting part of the whole operation. I assumed Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s version would be the best, because he performs well on trad English food and his Simnel cake is a cracker.

But there was not enough zip in the mixture. It looked like one his mum had made for years. Plus I’m never a fan of ‘mixed spice’ as it tends to sit around in cupboards for years before applying a dusty texture.

Dan Lepard seemed the best next stop, with his extreme baking skills. But I’ve noticed that he seems to be getting ever more elaborate and doing the ‘fancy icing’ thing. Not at all the right thing for a hearty cake such as this.

So – and some people won’t like this – I went for Jamie. He really does understand aspects of the cooking process, and this version combines named spices rather than the generic ‘mixed’, soaking the dried fruit overnight with a good quantity of alcohol, and some careful wrapping and unwrapping of the cake post-baking.

As usual it showed that he had tried and tested his recipe a number of times and it wasn’t just banged out for the publishers to hit a deadline – as with a few I could care to mention.

And so far so good, although the wrapping business has led to a slight crack in one part. Fingers crossed the Calvados heals it!

AND THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF WINNER IS…THE BBC FOR TAKING CAKES SERIOUSLY So John took the main prize in the Great British Bake off, surprising most who have taken even a passing interest in the show, and proving one in the eye for his mum who said, “he never wins anything”. Brendan had appeared a shoe-in a few weeks ago, but then James came up on the rails and appeared the likely winner after the semi-final, before messing up two of his three attempts last night, with the ultimate sin of a soggy bottom in his pithivier. Even then, on the basis of his consistency over the course of the programme you thought Brendan had to take it, but perhaps his Disney-style house cake from an earlier round was still fresh in Paul Hollywood’s memory. Despite a slightly strange look in her eye when she mentioned John’s inability to triumph at anything in his life so far, his mum was in tears as the result was announced at the set-piece unveiling, a British fete-style gathering of folk roped in, with the customary downpour from the early summer filming. And I have to admit I shed one as well – and I’m not quite sure why. There is something  moving about this show which could be down to the fact I’m into cooking myself. Or it could be the judges: Mary Berry is wonderful, a counterpoint to Paul Hollywood’s accurate but harsh pronouncements. Presenters Su Pollard and Mel Giedroyc stop just short of being annoying. But there’s something else. I’m not normally a fan of Brian Sewell in the Standard. However his description of the appeal of GBBO is perfect: “…it is that rare thing, a perfectly balanced programme in which the presenters are retiring and sympathetic, allowing the limelight to fall wholly on judges who really know their subject and on competitors content to suffer their judgment.” All too true and one of a number of reasons I grew to love it. It’s not quite the done masculine thing, even though the final was for the first time, all-male, but hey I’m not ashamed. What else do I like? The competitors who don’t hate one another like they do in the Apprentice. Also the technical brilliance via the once-weekly challenges. The mini-documentary on the Fraisier cake was fascinating, along with the story of Soyer, the French patissiere who came to London and literally cooked on gas despite it being the early 19th century. The viewing figures, at 5.5m for the semi-final, show I’m not alone, and that the BBC have a surprise hit on their hands. And although numbers aren’t in for the last episode, there were plenty who were switching over from the football to take a peek if Twitter is anything to go by. Apparently the BBC plan a Christmas Great British Bake Off, and one for Comic Relief. And all I can say to that is, ‘yes please, but just don’t do a celebrity version.’

AND THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE OFF WINNER IS…THE BBC FOR TAKING CAKES SERIOUSLY

So John took the main prize in the Great British Bake off, surprising most who have taken even a passing interest in the show, and proving one in the eye for his mum who said, “he never wins anything”.

Brendan had appeared a shoe-in a few weeks ago, but then James came up on the rails and appeared the likely winner after the semi-final, before messing up two of his three attempts last night, with the ultimate sin of a soggy bottom in his pithivier.

Even then, on the basis of his consistency over the course of the programme you thought Brendan had to take it, but perhaps his Disney-style house cake from an earlier round was still fresh in Paul Hollywood’s memory.

Despite a slightly strange look in her eye when she mentioned John’s inability to triumph at anything in his life so far, his mum was in tears as the result was announced at the set-piece unveiling, a British fete-style gathering of folk roped in, with the customary downpour from the early summer filming.

And I have to admit I shed one as well – and I’m not quite sure why. There is something  moving about this show which could be down to the fact I’m into cooking myself.

Or it could be the judges: Mary Berry is wonderful, a counterpoint to Paul Hollywood’s accurate but harsh pronouncements. Presenters Su Pollard and Mel Giedroyc stop just short of being annoying.

But there’s something else. I’m not normally a fan of Brian Sewell in the Standard. However his description of the appeal of GBBO is perfect:

“…it is that rare thing, a perfectly balanced programme in which the presenters are retiring and sympathetic, allowing the limelight to fall wholly on judges who really know their subject and on competitors content to suffer their judgment.”

All too true and one of a number of reasons I grew to love it. It’s not quite the done masculine thing, even though the final was for the first time, all-male, but hey I’m not ashamed. What else do I like? The competitors who don’t hate one another like they do in the Apprentice.

Also the technical brilliance via the once-weekly challenges. The mini-documentary on the Fraisier cake was fascinating, along with the story of Soyer, the French patissiere who came to London and literally cooked on gas despite it being the early 19th century.

The viewing figures, at 5.5m for the semi-final, show I’m not alone, and that the BBC have a surprise hit on their hands. And although numbers aren’t in for the last episode, there were plenty who were switching over from the football to take a peek if Twitter is anything to go by.

Apparently the BBC plan a Christmas Great British Bake Off, and one for Comic Relief. And all I can say to that is, ‘yes please, but just don’t do a celebrity version.’

EWELEAZE FARM ISN’T ONLY FOR CAMPING – JUST CHECK OUT THE FOOD!

I’m really keen to mention Eweleaze Farm, to which we recently took our VW camper. It’s a great site with wonderful views across the Dorset cliffs and English Channel.

There are plenty of large fields, and a private beach to which you can drop down for a swim – although don’t forget the flip flops as it’s large pebbles rather than sand.

But my interest was more piqued by the outstanding shop and bakery on-site, with many products Soil Association-certified.

Not only were the buildings well-designed, mostly solid wood beams and plaster and plenty of seating. There’s also Woolsery goats cheese from nearby Sydling, cheddar from the other side of Weymouth, and supplies from Dorset Charcuterie. My only issue is with the juice, which is bought in from Tesco.

They also take the meat from their herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle, and a flock of Soay Cross Dorset sheep. But annoyingly, a lot of it is frozen.

The bakery is traditional English-style, ie not sourdough but the squidgy white kind. So we’re not talking the highest baking skills, but with the bread ovens rolling away and loaves continually coming out of a morning it was impressive – and delicious.

Park yourself with the baking smells wafting past on one of the many benches and you get the local farm animals wandering around too – hens, goats and even a pig, who lies around not much bothered by all the energetic kids and parents in hot pursuit.

It’s only open in August so book early and enjoy the drive there through winding lanes and rolling hills. Then watch out for a steep drop into the campsite – hearts in mouths in our 1973 Westfalia. But remember not to bring any food!