Winning ways with signature dishes

Colin McGurran may have cooked for the Royal family, but he is now turning his attention to providing fine dining closer to home.

Colin, chef patron of Winteringham Fields, in Lincolnshire, is gaining many accolades for his restaurant with rooms.

He is an experimental but classically trained chef with international Michelin experience.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In taking over ownership of award-winning Winteringham Fields from Annie and Germain Schwab, Colin has ensured the quality of the cuisine. Here he shows how to recreate some of his signature dishes.

Lobster risotto

Serves 6

3 live lobsters (if live unavailable use frozen and prepare according to instructions)

Morel mushrooms

For the risotto:

300g risotto rice

600ml lobster stock

100ml Madeira

1 pinch Cayenne pepper

1 small shallot finely chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato pure

Bouquet garni

Salt & pepper

50ml olive oil

For the lobster bisque:

1 shallot

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp tomato pure

2 pinches Cayenne pepper

1 litre lobster stock

200ml Madeira

200ml double cream

Salt & pepper

Bouquet garni

Blanch live lobster in boiling water for two minutes. Leave to cool in cold running water.

Twist the body away from the tail and remove the two large front claws. Half the tail lengthways, cracking through the shell with a large, sharp knife. Crack the top of each claw, hitting it hard with the back of a knife, twist the knife and the shell should crack in half. Tapping the shell gently should bring the meat cleanly out. Remove everything from within the head and body shell.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Simmer lobster bones (excluding the claws) from lobster, with 1.6 litres of good fish stock for an hour and use for the risotto and bisque.

For the risotto, heat a wide pan until very hot. Add the shallots and garlic and sweat for three minutes. Add the cayenne pepper and tomato pure and sweat for a further two minutes.

Add the risotto rice and garni. Add the Madeira and reduce until all absorbed into the rice. Add all the stock together and simmer the rice ensuring it is all submerged to cook at a consistent level for 10 minutes. Try not to stir the rice too much as it can become stodgy, instead stir the rice from time to time ensuring the pan is clean from rice on the sides as this will not cook the same. The rice should now be opaque with a slight bite. It should have swelled by two-thirds and the liquid will be thick but still able to pour.

For the bisque, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a pan until very hot and add the shallot and garlic and sweat for three minutes with the Cayenne pepper. Add the tomato pure and cook for a further three minutes before adding the bouquet garni.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Add the Madeira and reduce until the mixture is a paste. Add the stock and reduce by half. Add the double cream and reduce until there is just 500ml of liquid left. Remove the bouquet garni and blitz the liquid in a food processor for two minutes. Season to taste.

Heat oil in pan until hot and saut the lobster shell side down for one minute. Add the claws, a good handful of morel mushrooms and butter to pan and baste for one minute more. Add four tablespoons of the bisque to the risotto before plating.

Place risotto in the middle of the plate in a small circle and put lobster on top. Decorate it with morels and other claw meat. Foam lobster bisque with a hand-held blender and spoon over the foam. Finish with small basil shoots.

Chocolate feutille

Nut dacquoise:

250g hazelnuts

250g icing sugar

220g egg white

60g sugar (caster)

Blitz nuts in a food processor until small, then add icing sugar.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Whisk the egg white to a stiff peak then add sugar at the end. Fold the egg white mix into the nuts. Spread into large trays with greaseproof paper and bake in the oven for eight minutes at 200C

Praline feuilletine:

1,200g praline

600g feuilletine

300g white chocolate

Melt the praline in a bain marie until warm with the chocolate. Fold in the feuilletine.

Chocolate mousse:

800g paradise ganache

700g double cream, whipped

Get the ganache to 35C and fold it into the double cream.

Paradise ganache:

1kg dark chocolate

160ml double cream

120g caster sugar

500g cocoa powder

1.5ml water

Boil 90ml of the cream and add the chocolate, stir until melted. In a separate pan, put the rest of the cream, sugar, water and cocoa powder and bring to boil.

To finish, mix equal quantities of each part together, this mix is best kept for one day in the fridge before use.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bringing it all together to create the feuilletine, you will need a metal mould with no bottom and roughly one inch in height. Place this on a large tray with greaseproof paper. Cut the dacquoise into the shape of the mould to cover the bottom. Next, lay in the feuilletine to come half-way up the mould and then add the mousse to reach the top. Put in the freezer for 2 hours. Gently remove it from the mould and portion.

For the glaze:

Warm through some of the paradise ganache and spread it over the feuilletine portions.

Vanilla ice cream:

1.5l milk

500g double cream

300g egg yolk

300g sugar

3 vanilla pods, seeded

Heat milk and cream with vanilla. Whisk egg yolk and sugar. Pour the milk and cream into the yolk slowly. Add everything into a pan, bring to 85C and then freeze, stirring frequently. To serve, place feuilletine on to plate and scoop ice cream into the top.

n www.winteringhamfields. com

Related topics: