Jeg og Erik startet det nye året med et helt fantastisk måltid i London. Etter en heftig nyttårsfeiring på en spansk bar med elleville spanjoler, masse cava og GT smakte det veldig godt med en tre-retters gourmetlunsj før vi tok flyet hjem igjen til Oslo.
Stjernekokk Jason Atherton (har jobbet for både Ferran Adria og Gordon Ramsey) som er kjent fra kule restauranter som bl.a Pollen Street Social, driver Berners tavern i gamle Berners Hotel (nå London Edition hotel). Jeg har bodd på Berners Hotel for 15 år siden. Det var da jeg var så heldig å se Joe Strummer live på Astoria. En helt legendarisk konsert. Nok om det. Berners Tavern er en fantastisk restaurant med engelske retter av ypperste kvalitet. Dette er kanskje et av de aller beste måltidene jeg har spist i London noen gang. Absolutt alle smakene satt som et skudd, servicen var upåklagelig og interiøret er helt fantastisk. Restauranten mottok forrsten prisen ‘Interior Design of the Year Award’ i 2014.
Jeg leste en anmeldelse om dette stedet før jeg dro til London og anmelderen sa at dette er et sted du ikke vil gå fra når du først har kommet dit. Det stemmer. Det var tungt å forlate stedet etter en fantastisk tre-retter. Du sitter godt og du spiser godt. Det koster litt, men det er til de grader verdt det.
Oppskriften på desserten som Erik spiste får du her:
CARAMALISED APPLE ÉCLAIR WITH CALVADOS CREAM AND SALTED CARAMEL ICE CREAM (oppskrift hentet fra hjemmesiden til restauranten)
Éclair:
500ml water
225g unsalted butter
10g sea salt
275g plain flour, sifted
9 medium eggs, beaten
Salted Caramel Ice Cream:
250g caster sugar
35ml boiling water
235ml whipping cream
470g whole milk
100g pasteurized egg yolks (about 5 large)
5g Maldon sea salt
Cider Jelly:
6 leaves of gelatine
450ml cider
50ml calvados
130g caster sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Caramel apples:
750g granulated sugar
1.5 litres water
25ml calvados
4-6 apples
Cinnamon Crumble:
125g unsalted butter, softened
175g light brown sugar
140g ground almonds
115g plain flour
15g ground cinnamon
Calvados Cream:
2 gelatine leaves
300g double cream
50g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped
150g mascarpone
15g Calvados
To serve:
cocoa nibs, to garnish
HOW TO MAKE
Salted Caramel Ice Cream
First, make the salted caramel ice cream. Place 100g of the sugar into a heavy saucepan set over high heat. As the sugar begins to melt around the edges, tip and swirl the pan to encourage the sugar to melt evenly. Once all the sugar has melted into a golden brown caramel, take the pan off the heat. Standing back as the caramel will spit and splutter, pour the boiling water into the pan. Add the whipping cream then return the pan to low heat and stir to dissolve any caramel that has hardened upon contact with the water.
Put 50g of sugar into another saucepan and pour in the milk. Stir over high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Just before the sugary milk begins to boil, take the pan off the heat. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the remaining 100g of sugar with the egg yolks. Whisking continuously, trickle in the hot milk into the sugary yolks until fully incorporated. Strain the combined mixture through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens to a light custard that thinly coats the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the caramel and sea salt. Leave to cool completely, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Once cooled, transfer the custard to the bowl of an ice cream machine and churn until almost frozen. Transfer the ice cream mixture to a freezer proof container and freeze until set.
Cider Jelly
For the cider jelly, soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes. Put the cider, calvados and sugar into a saucepan and stir over high heat until the sugar has dissolved. Boil the mixture for a couple of minutes, then remove the pan from heat. Squeeze out the excess water from the gelatine leaves and add them to the pan. Stir until the gelatine has dissolved then add the lemon juice. Pour the mixture onto a baking tray lined with silicone paper. Leave to cool completely then chill until set. Cut into small cubes when you ready to plate.
Caramel Apples
Next, make the caramel apples. Put the sugar into a dry saucepan set over high heat. As the sugar begins to melt around the edges, tip the pan from side to side to encourage the rest of the sugar to melt. Once the sugar begins to caramelise to a golden brown colour, take the pan off the heat and carefully pour in the calvados. Gradually add the water then return the pan to the heat and stir to dissolve any hardened caramel. Peel and cut the apples into thin wedges and add them to the caramel sauce. Partially cover the pan with a lid and gently cook the apples for 15-25 minutes until they are tender. Remove from the heat and allow the apples to cool completely in the caramel sauce.
Cinnamon Crumble
For the cinnamon crumble, cream together the butter and sugar using an electric beater. Add the remaining dry ingredients and beat on low speed until well combined. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 2mm thickness. Cut into 3x10mm rectangles and transfer to one or two baking sheets. Chill for at least 20 minutes or until ready to use.
Éclairs
To make the éclairs, preheat the oven to 190°C/Gas 5 and line a couple of baking sheets with silicone or baking parchment. Put the water, butter and salt into a saucepan and bring to the boil. As soon as the mixture begins to boil, tip in the sifted flour and beat with a wooden spoon to combine. When the dough starts to leave the sides of the pan, transfer it to the bowl of a stand alone beater. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then with the beater on low speed gradually add the beaten eggs until you get a smooth, dropping consistency. (You may not need all the eggs). When ready, spoon the dough into a piping bag fitted with a 1.5-2cm round tip. Pipe the éclairs onto the prepared baking sheets, each about 15cm long, leaving space between each one to allow for expansion. Lay a cinnamon crumble rectangle on top of each éclair. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 160°C/Gas 2 and bake for another 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the éclairs to a wire rack and leave to cool. To ensure the éclairs remain crisp, make a hole at the base of each éclair to allow the steam inside to escape as it cools.
Calvados Cream
For the calvados cream, soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes. Put the cream, sugar and vanilla pod and seeds into a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once it begins to scald, take the pan off the heat. Squeeze out the excess water from the gelatine and add to the warm mixture. Stir until the gelatine has melted. Add the mascarpone and calvados and stir well. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl. Leave to cool, stirring occasionally. Chill the mixture for an hour in the fridge then whisk it with an electric beater until light and smooth. Spoon into a piping bag set with a 1cm fluted nozzle.
To assemble, split each éclair in half then place the bottom half on each serving plate. Arrange the caramel apple slices on top then pipe over the calvados cream. Sandwich with the top half of the éclair then arrange a few cider jelly cubes on top. Put a neat teaspoonful of cocoa nibs alongside the assembled éclair then rest a scoop of salted caramel ice cream on top. Serve at once.
