Raymond Blanc shows off more of his secrets

In the book of the same name (available at Brasserie Blanc, £16) he lets us into a few more secrets. The recipes here will be on the menu at Brasserie Blanc, which has a restaurant in Leeds, in April.

Raymond has also designed a special dish for Yorkshire rhubarb for you to try at home.

Squid Salad with Char Grilled Courgettes

Serves 4

2 large courgettes, extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper, 4 squid 340g, 1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped, 15g ginger peeled and finely chopped, a handful of fresh coriander coarsely chopped, lemon juice, 1 jar sun dried tomatoes, 80g roquette salad leaves, fennel bulb finely sliced, parmesan shavings, balsamic vinegar dressing.

First prepare the squid. With a sharp knife make an incision lengthways and lay the squid flat on a board.

With the back of a knife scrape the inside flesh removing any sinews, then score the inside flesh in a criss-cross pattern, ensuring you do not cut all the way through and then cut into 5cm square pieces .Wash and drain the squid segments. Mix with the olive oil, salt and pepper, chilli, ginger and coriander and leave to marinate for two hours. When ready to cook, pan fry for one minute, the squid will start to curl up as it cooks, it is ready when it colours slightly on the scored side. Remove the squid from the heat and keep it in the pan, season with salt and lemon juice.

Cut each courgettes six slices lengthways, you can try using a potato peeler, to create lovely ribbons of courgette. Season these with salt and pepper and a dash of olive oil and place on a hot griddle pan for one minute of each side. The courgette should char slightly, to give a rustic effect and flavour.

Place three slices of sun-dried tomatoes around the outside of the plate. Add the courgettes pieces between the tomato slices and then add the squid into the spaces in between. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar dressing to roquette and fennel salad. Place the salad in the centre, on top of all the other items and finish with parmesan shavings.

Herby Lamb Rack

Serves 4

2 lamb racks, (8 bones each) salt and pepper, Dijon mustard, unsalted butter, cherry tomatoes. Provencal Breadcrumbs: 50g dry breadcrumbs,1 clove of garlic, a good handful flat leaf parsley, leaves from 2 sprigs thyme and leaves from 1 small rosemary sprig, finely chopped, pinch salt and pepper, 30ml extra virgin olive oil.

With a sharp knife, score the skin into a diamond pattern 5mm apart, try not to cut through into the flesh. Add butter to a frying pan and when hot sear the racks flesh side down for two minutes until golden. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Place the lamb rack, skin side down into a roasting tin and place in the oven to continue to cook for 10/12 minutes at 200C for a medium pink finish.

When ready lift, out of the oven and let the rack rest for several minutes in the meat juices. Make the breadcrumbs by placing all ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor and blend until finely chopped and mixed together. On a low setting add slowly the olive oil until the mixture looks moist but not sticky. Turn the mixture out onto a plate.

Coat the meat side of the lamb rack with the mustard and roll in the breadcrumbs.

Put the rack with the herbs back into the roasting tray with the juices and add the cherry tomatoes. Put back in the oven for a further five minutes to crisp the herb coating. Remove from the oven and cut each rack in half. Place on the plate and drizzle with meat juices. Serve with creamy mash or new potatoes roasted in rosemary and sea salt, green beans and roasted baby cherry tomatoes.

Raymond’s Rhubarb and Custard

Serves 4

100ml whipping cream, 100ml whole milk, 25g caster sugar, 1 vanilla pod, 5 large free-range egg yolks, 300g Yorkshire rhubarb, 50g caster sugar, honeycomb (preferably homemade).

Cut the vanilla pod open, scrape out the seeds and add these to the milk and cream in a saucepan. Add the sugar to the mixture, stirring constantly to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to the boil and then turn off the heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Gradually whisk the milk and cream into the egg mixture. Return it to the stove and slowly turn up the heat, keep whisking or it will split.

When the mixture starts to thicken remove from the stove immediately. Using a hand blender, whisk the mixture until it starts to cool down, then leave until cold.

Pre-heat the oven to 140C. Wash and cut the rhubarb into 3cm lengths then marinade in the sugar for two hours.

Place the rhubarb into a baking tray one layer deep, cover with tinfoil and bake for 14 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Place the cooked rhubarb into a martini or wine glass. Fill on top with the custard to completely fill the glass.

Finish with a sprinkle of finely chopped honeycomb or to really impress your friends and family, you could “brulee” the top by using a tablespoon of caster sugar and, with a chef’s blowtorch, melt the sugar topping until it becomes caramel, then leave to set hard for a classic brulee crunch.

Honeycomb

15g clear honey, 25g sugar liquid glucose (available from specialist stores), 65g caster sugar, 15ml water, 7g bicarbonate of soda.

Using a deep, thick-bottomed saucepan, mix the honey, sugars and water together. Cook until the mixture turns a caramel colour.

Add the bicarbonate of soda to it (the caramel will foam vigorously at this stage and double in size).

Pour onto a non-stick tray or lined baking tray with parchment paper and allow it to cool, then this will be ready to break up into bite-size pieces. You can store in an airtight container until required.