People have been flocking to Donald Trump’s estate at Balmedie, not just for golf but to sample the fabulous food on offer within MacLeod House Restaurant.
Creating the mouth-watering dishes on the menu is award-winning Scottish chef Paul Whitecross, who previously owned a restaurant in Inverness and still has family living in the Highlands and Moray.
Having cooked for some of Hollywood’s top stars he’s now created three fabulous dishes for YL readers…
GOATS’ CHEESE SALAD, BEETROOT, APPLE, HAZELNUT AND BALSAMIC
SERVES 4
Goats’ cheese and beetroot have become a classic partnership. For this salad I have deconstructed the combination creating a mousse with beetroot variations, serving it with hazelnuts and fresh green apple.
200g goats’ cheese
50g mascarpone cheese
Salt and white pepper
1 small purple beetroot cooked and cut into 8 discs
1 small candied beetroot cooked and cut into 8 discs
1 small golden beetroot cooked and cut into 8 discs
1 large candied beetroot roasted and marinated in olive oil, balsamic and lemon
Handful of micro cress or salad leaves
30ml balsamic reduction
20 hazelnuts peeled and cut in half
1/4 Granny Smith apple cut into small wedges
50ml rapeseed oil
To make the goats’ cheese mousse, roughly break up the cheese and place in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the mascarpone and season to taste.
To serve, pipe the cheese between the discs of beetroot alternating colours until 8 stacks are complete.
Drizzle the balsamic on a serving plate and arrange the beetroot towers on top. Dress the hazelnuts and salad leaves in a little rapeseed oil and season with salt and pepper.
Spoon around the hazelnuts, apple wedges and top the beet towers with the salad.
ROASTED LOIN OF VENISON WITH PEARL BARLEY, WILD MUSHROOMS AND AUTUMNAL VEGETABLES
SERVES 4
This is a perfect dish for the autumn/winter months. Highland venison should be sought out for its rich, marbled quality.
The pairing of game with pearl barley and autumn vegetables is a perfect match with the earthy celeriac puree. The recipe can easily be adapted and other vegetables used and paired with the dish to suit you.
600g Venison loin (bone removed)
Cavolo nero (black cabbage)
1 stick salsify cut into 8 barrels
6 baby candied beets – cooked and peeled
2 Banana shallots cut in half
20g wild mushrooms (cooked)
4 baby carrots cooked and cut in half lengthways
Pearl barley:
100g Pearl barley
50g finely diced carrot
50g finely diced onion
1 garlic clove (minced)
1tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
1/4 crushed juniper berry
200ml red wine
500ml brown chicken stock
Salt and white pepper
60g unsalted butter
Venison sauce:
1 litre brown chicken stock
1/2 carrot, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 leek, diced
2 Juniper berries
1 bay leaf
50ml sherry vinegar
1tsp redcurrant jelly
200ml port reduced to 30ml
750ml red wine
Venison bones if available
2tbsp vegetable oil
Celeriac cream:
1/2 head celeriac cut into medium cubes
Chicken stock to cover
150ml double cream
1 sprig thyme
1/2 clove garlic (bruised)
Salt and white pepper
To make the celeriac cream, combine the celeriac, garlic, thyme and add enough chicken stock to cover and place over a high heat. Cook until tender, strain off the liquid.
Return the celeriac to the heat and cover with the cream and simmer until thickens. Remove from the heat and liquidise until smooth, pass through a sieve and season to taste.
For the barley place in a pan 30g butter, vegetables and pearl barley and sweat off on a low heat for about five minutes.
Add the red wine and reduce until evaporated, add the chicken stock, thyme and Juniper and cook until the barley is soft.
At this point the stock should be reduced and coating the barley. Add the remainder of the butter and adjust the seasoning.
To make the venison sauce, place a large pan on the heat, add the vegetable oil, once hot add the vegetables and cook until dark brown.
Deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar and reduce until dry.
Add the red wine, bay leaf, thyme and reduce by half, then add the chicken stock and venison bones and simmer, reduce to a syrupy consistency. Finally add the port, jelly and juniper, infuse for 20 minutes, strain and adjust seasoning.
To cook the venison heat a frying pan with the oil until smoking, add the venison loin, season with salt and pepper and sear on all sides and cook for approximately five minutes basting with a little butter.
Remove and allow to rest for 10/12 minutes then cut into eight medallions.
To present the dish, swipe celeriac puree onto the plates. On one side, pile a little of the pearl barley, arrange the vegetables over the plate, then place one venison medallion on top of the pearl barley and the other opposite (as illustrated), spoon the sauce around.
LEMONADE PARFAIT WITH BLUEBERRIES, MELON AND CUCUMBER
SERVES 4
This is actually a very simple, refreshing recipe. If lemonade flavouring is unavailable a simple lemon parfait can be used instead.
A good tip is to freeze the cucumber before making the granita and gazpacho as this intensifies the flavour.
Lemonade Parfait
(You will need to start this the day before)
85ml stock syrup
4 egg yolks
75g caster sugar
10ml lemon juice
1g gelatin
Lemonade flavouring to taste
Cucumber Granita
85ml stock syrup
85ml water
80g cucumber
Lemon Tuile (optional)
50g caster sugar
40ml glucose
5g butter
40g ground almonds
1g lemon rind
Cucumber Gazpacho
1/2 cucumber
200ml stock syrup
1/4 cucumber peeled and diced into cubes (Brunoises)
Plus you’ll need:
24 small Blueberries
24 Ogen melon balls small (we call solferino)
24 Canteloupe melon balls small
12 small mint leaves
For the parfait, soak the gelatin in cold water. Place the egg yolks in a bowl and whisk.
Add the sugar to a pan with just enough water to coat the sugar, pour in the lemon juice and cook to a temperature of 118°c.
Pour the hot lemon syrup over the yolks and continue to whisk until cold.
Warm 10ml of the cream and add the drained gelatine, stirring until fully incorporated.
Whisk the rest of the cream to soft peaks and fold into the yolks, add the optional lemonade flavouring drops and pour into moulds.
To make the granita, freeze the cucumber then place all the ingredients into a blender and blitz until pureed. Pass through a fine sieve onto a shallow tray and freeze, whisking every so often to avoid clumps forming.
To make the gazpacho freeze the cucumber, then blend with the stock syrup and sieve to remove pulp chill remaining liquid ready for use.
For the tuile, dissolve the sugar in water and glucose, and then cook to 150°C, add the butter, nuts and lemon rind.
Allow to cool on a silicone baking mat then blitz in a food processor to form a powder.
Spread the powder thinly on a tray and bake at 180°c/gas mark 6 until this combines and melts together. Allow to cool then break into shards.
To serve, place the parfait in the centre of a plate, spoon the blueberries and melon around the parfait, place the granita and shards on top of the parfait. Then pour around the cucumber gazpacho at the table.