Marrow & Herb Salad on Toast

This is based on a favourite from St. John restaurant that I wrote about last time I visited. They way they serve it is to put a roasted bone section full of marrow on a plate with sea salt and parsley salad. This means that you have to dig the marrow out of the bone yourself before smearing it on toast and covering it with the parsley. I figured that would be too much for some of our guests particularly the woman who won’t eat anything that looks back at her.

What I did instead was to add the marrow to the parsley salad and presenting the result on toast as a small amuse geul. I also did not tell people what they where eating. This was certainly particularly important the first time I got her who won’t eat things that look back at her to eat this.

In any case Ingredients for enough to make 20 small toast of Marrow Toasts:

1. 1 whole shin bone of beef. Have the butcher saw the knuckles of each end and the bone into three sections (btw if you want to do the St John version you would not use the knuckles and have the bone cut into about 5 cm sections);
2. 1 large bunch of parsley leaves only – no stalks;
3. Juice of one lemon;
4. Tablespoon salted capers well rinsed - if you can get the very small variety that is best others wise you need to cut them into biggish pieces;
   
5. Tablespoon best quality virgin olive oil;
6. Freshly crushed black pepper;
7. Sea salt to sprinkle on the toast;
8. Dense multigrain bread thinly sliced for toast. I used Poulain which worked a treat.

Roast the shin bone under the grill at 200 degrees for about 10 min or until the marrow starts to run. Then clean all the marrow out from the bone and put in a oven plate. Put back under the grill and leave in for a few minutes or until the marrow is hot through. You know this has happened as the marrow sort of changes colour from raw fat to something that quite disgustingly resembles cartilage.

Meanwhile, combine all the other ingredients in a bowl. When the marrow is ready hack it up into small pieces and combine with the salad. You can also use a bit of the fat that came of the marrow but be careful as it is very potent stuff. Load onto toast, sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

Waterloo Cocktail

Ingredients for 1 serving:

1. 1 Large slice of orange
2. 2 raisins
3. 1 small piece of vanilla
4. 1/4 tsp of grated palm sugar
5. 1 dash of angostura bitter
6. 2 splashes soda water
7. Ice cubes
8. 45 ml cognac

Bash up everything with one splash of soda water. Then add ice, cognac, and another splash of soda water and stir well.Pour through a sieve before serving.

Coquilles St Jacques Nobu Style

This is a classic Nobu recipe. Incredibly easy but tasty.

Ingredients:

1. 1 scallop and coquille per person
2. best butter
3. parmesan
   
4. best soy
5. garlic--pureed
   
6. lemon
   
7. maldon sea salt

Put scallop in shell. Rub tiny bit of garlic on top of scallop. Add a knob of butter and on top sprinkle soy sauce no more than tsp. Sprinkle at least a solid teaspoon of Parmesan.

Put under the grill (at 200 degrees) for no more than 3-4 minutes--depending on how big scallops are. When done, put scallops on a tray of salt so coquilles don't wobble around. Sprinkle of salt and a squeeze of lemon on each scallop.

Beets and Date Caviar

This comes from a Hungarian restaurant and is served as a canapé.

Ingredients:

1. 4 beetroots
2. Cognac
   handful of pitted dates
3. 2 garlic cloves boiled quickly
4. 2 tbsp lemon juice
5. 50 gr fresh walnuts chopped
6. 2 tbsp sour cream
7. salt and pepper, chives

Heat a quarter cup of cognac and pour over dates to soak 30 minutes. Put dates and garlic in blender and chop. Add beets to blender, chop again. The ingredients should have a chopped consistency, not a puree. Transfer to a bowl; add lemon, walnuts, cream, seasoning to taste.

Put on blinis or toast. Followed by a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle chives .