Allan Pickett, former chef patron of the critically acclaimed Piquet and now currently executive chef at the helm of Swan, Shakespeare’s Globe on London’s Bankside has combined his classical French training, under the Galvin and Roux brothers, with a superb knowledge of British ingredients and suppliers, to create the restaurant’s modern British menu. His career has seen him work with some of the UKs finest chefs, notably spending several years at various Roux restaurants, before he met Jeff Galvin at Chez Nico in 1997. He followed Jeff to Orrery, as a senior sous chef at the Michelin-starred Marylebone restaurant. Allan continued his career at restaurants such as L’Escargot under Marco Pierre White, Galvin Bistrot de Luxe and Plateau, where he led the kitchen for over four years.
Allan has very kindly allowed Hospitality & Catering News into his recipe for set buttermilk cream, poached early Kent strawberries dessert
Set buttermilk cream, poached Kentish strawberries
Serves 4
Set buttermilk cream:
- 400ml double cream
- 250ml buttermilk
- 1 vanilla pods or 1 teaspoon of essence with seeds
- 4 leaves of bronze gelatine
- 130g sugar
- ½ bunch of mint
Poached strawberries:
- 16 good sized strawberries, hulled and cut in half.
- 300ml of water
- 100g sugar
- 1 cardamom pod
- 1 vanilla pod
To Serve:
4 small dishes or moulds
Method:
- Place the cream, milk, sugar & vanilla in a saucepan and bring to the boil
- Add the soaked gelatin and remove from heat and stir to dissolve
- Pass through a fine chinois and leave to cool until almost set, then pour into your dishes or moulds
- Place in the fridge for 5-6 hours
For the strawberries:
- Place sugar, water, cardamom and vanilla in a saucepan and bring to the boil
- Add the halved strawberries and remove from the heat
- Leave to cool
- Reduce half of the poaching liquid and cool
To serve:
- Demould the cream and place into your serving bowl. Divide the poached strawberries into the bowls and arrange them nicely, then spoon over your reduced poaching liquid and garnish with mint