Recipes: Chef Alan Clarke of Meldrum House shares how to make passionfruit and meringue tart, halibut and more

Here are some recipes for chorizo crusted halibut with risotto, a tomato, pesto goats cheese and honey loaf, and a passionfruit meringue.

Alan Clarke, the executive chef at Meldrum HouseCountry Hotel and Golf Course, has shared his recipes for these dishes.

Read on to find out exactly how he makes these appetising meals cone to life.

Heritage tomato, pesto, goats cheese and honey loaf

Heritage tomatoes:

100g mixed coloured tomatoes, cut into halves, lightly oiled and seasoned with rock salt & cracked black pepper

Goats cheese

• 50g Goats cheese
• 20g Philadelphia cheese

Mix well until incorporated.

Pesto (no nuts):

• 150ml olive oil
• 20ml white wine vinegar
• 1 x small onion, peeled and diced
• 1 small garlic clove
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 25g basil leaves
• 25g spinach leaves
• 100g grated parmesan

In a food processor, combine garlic and onion pulse until well chopped.

Add the basil / spinach and pulse until combined.

With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until combined. Add the Parmesan cheese. For a smoother pesto, add more olive oil.

Sun blush tomato puree:

• 100g sun blush tomatoes
• 50ml olive oil
• Splash of vinegar
• Salt and cracked black pepper

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth.

You can utilise whatever loaf you have, (we make a goat’s cheese and honey loaf in house for this dish) lightly fry in a pan with a drizzle of oil or stick it in the toaster.

You can assemble how ever you wish, the more the merrier.

Finish off with a drizzle of honey and freshly grated parmesan, serve warm and enjoy.

Chorizo crusted halibut, pea and leek risotto and sauce Jacqueline

Risotto:

• 250g arborio rice
• 1 x small onion peeled and diced
• ¼ leek, stripped washed and finely sliced
• 2 x cloves of garlic, crushed & pasted
• 500ml light chicken stock
• 50g peas
• 25g washed & chopped spinach
• 50g diced butter

Lightly oil a medium sized saucepan, place on a medium heat, add onion, leek & garlic, fully cook out with no colour, add chicken stock and rice, cook on a medium heat for 10 – 12 minutes stirring occasionally.

Once the rice has softened and the majority of the liquid has evaporated add the spinach, peas & diced butter.

Allow to cool slightly then add the pea puree, enough to bind and change the colour of the risotto to a vibrant green colour.

Pea puree:

• 300g frozen peas
• 50g butter
• 3g rock salt

Begin by bringing 500ml of water to a rolling boil, add the butter, add the peas and allow to cook until softened, 3-4 minutes.

Strain the peas from the liquid and add to a blender, slowly incorporate the liquid to allow it to become smooth, check seasoning, add more salt if required. Puree should be back of the spoon consistency & be smooth.

Sauce Jacqueline:

• 100g peeled and diced carrots
• 1 x bulb of fennel
• 2 x small onion
• 250g butter
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves
• 200ml orange juice
• 200ml water
• 100ml white wine

Add all of the ingredients to a medium sized saucepan and allow to simmer for 45 minutes, once the vegetables have softened, strain it and the mix to a blender (discard the cinnamon, star anise & cloves) slowly blend the mix, whilst gently adding some of the cooking liquid, blend until smooth, check seasoning, add salt if required.

Chorizo oil:

• 100ml Olive oil
• 150g diced chorizo

Pre heat oven to 200c, rub oil all over the chorizo and heavily roast for 8 – 12 minutes, add the mix to a strainer and set aside the ‘chorizo oil’ for cooking the halibut. You can utilise the roasted chorizo for plating.

Halibut ‘chorizo crust’:

• 1 x 170g skinned & square cut halibut portion, lightly salted
• 1 x slice of white loaf

Pre heat oven to 180c. Put the halibut on top of the bread, cut to the size of the halibut portion, removing the crusts.

Lightly oil a frying pan and season with rock salt, add to a medium heat, add the halibut/bread, bread side down in the pan, cook slowly and allow the edges of the bread to colour, keep an eye on this as it will be fast.

Flip the fish over, add a small knob of butter, dress the halibut in the chorizo oil (don’t be shy) baste the fish. Put the suitable oven safe frying pan into the oven for 7-8 minutes until the fish reaches a core temperature of 50c.

Once cooked, get ready for plating.

Recipe for passionfruit and meringue tart

Sweet pastry:

• 500g plain flour
• 250g unsalted butter
• 100g sugar
• 2 eggs

Put everything in a food processor and blitz until it comes together, do not over work.

Cling film and but into a fridge for a couple hours to rest. Once rested roll out pastry to the thickness of a pound coin, drape over the pastry case and gently push into the edges.

Use a fork gently to press holes into the bottom of the case. Lay out 2 layers of cling film and put into the raw pastry case, fill to the rim with baking beans, rice of lentils then fold over excess cling film to seal.

But into a pre heated oven at 160 degrees for 20 minutes, removed the baking beans and bake for a further 15 minutes, brush the case with egg yolk and put back into the oven for 2 minutes, repeat this step 2 more times.

Allow to cool and trim off excess pastry from around the rim of the case.

Tart filling:

• 180ml passionfruit puree
• 300g caster sugar
• 11 eggs
• 330ml double cream

Whisk all ingredients together then gently and slowly pour into your tart case.

Bake low and slow in an oven at 140 degrees until the mix has a slight wobble in the middle.

Allow to cool.

Italian meringue:

• 750g caster sugar
• 150ml water
• 300g egg whites

Put the egg whites in a mixer and whisk until it resembles shaving foam, turn the mixer off. Put the water and sugar in a pan and boil to 121 degrees.

Start the mixer back up on a low speed and once the sugar mix is up to temperature, slowly pour into the egg whites.

Once it is completely poured in turn the speed up to max on the mixer.

Keep mixing until the bottom of the mixing bowl is cold. Scoop into piping bags. Keep Italian meringue in the freezer until needed.

To serve:

Cut the tart into 8 equal slices, pipe the Italian meringue on top and toast with a blow torch.

Drizzle over fresh passionfruit seeds for garnish.