Boo - my birthday is finally over. Three months and sixteen days after the actual day my final treat took place on Saturday - but this time Debrah came with me.
We went to Corrigans in Mayfair for a wine and food matching day and this wasn't just any old wine and food matching - it was wine and food of the highest order. The food had been billed as tapas to go with the wines but the reality was a full-on Michelin starred lunch - ten beautifully prepared different foods starting with four appetisers, three meaty middle courses and then, unusually, a fish main course followed by cheese and dessert.
We ate really well. There were also lots of ideas to take away and think about for use at 42rvh. I anticipate some kitchen practice sessions in the next week or so.
The wines were not to be ignored either and there were some interesting pairings too.
I had never before had a wine from Canada but there was a delicious buttery chardonnay that, if I hadn't known where the wine was from, I would have guessed Burgundy.
There was also a delicious Languedoc red from Domaine d'Aupilhac which I shall seek out as well as some champagne, sherry, an albarino from Spain, a sauternes, a pinot noir and a sauvignon blanc from New Zealand and a red dessert wine from Maury, Mas Amiel, which is just the best thing to eat with chocolate fondant.
My fabulous wife told everyone present that the chocolate fondant wasn't as good as mine, which was very sweet of her, but actually she was right - maybe it had been sitting around for a few minutes which is a nightmare for a fondant.
The session was hosted by the restaurant's general manager, Dawid Koegenlenberg, also known as Inspector Grape on his personal web wine blog which is well worth checking out - inspectorgrape.wordpress.com
I firmly believe that a fabulous long lunch is such a civilised way to eat and drink and much healthier for you than a very long and late dinner. After lunch there is always time to relax and digest before bed - which is just about all we managed last Saturday slumped on the sofa in front of X-Factor and Match of the Day.
All in all it is a top day out, highly recommended and very good value for money for the quality of the food and wine that is served.
For those that are interested here is the full offering;
Starters
Rock Oyster Vietnamese
Champagne NV Veuve Fourny et Fils 1er Cru Blanc de Blanc
Crispy Olive filled with organic Goats Cheese & spicy harissa
Manzanilla San Leon, Sanlucar de Barrameda
Mackerel Tartare & Beetroot Foam
2008 Terras Gauda O Rosal, Rias Baixas - Galicia
Foie Gras Mousse soaked in Pedro Ximenez & Chutney
2001 Chateau Filhot - Sauternes
Middle Courses
Chicken Liver Parfait & Toasted Brioche
2008 Kerner, Weingut Eisacktaler - Alto Adige
Game Pie with roast fillet of Hare
2006 Montpeyroux les Truffieres, Domaine D'Aupilhac - Languedoc
Butter Poached Pheasant, Red Cabbage & Coleslaw
2007 Delta Pinot Noir, Hatters Hill, Marlborough - New Zealand
Main Course
Monkfish en croute, Bearnaise sauce, Green beans & Ratte potatoes
2005 Chardonnay Le Clos Jourdanne, Niagara - Canada
Cheese
Cashel Blue
2004 Pacherenc de Vic Bilh, Alain Brumont - SW France
Ragstone Goats Cheese
2008 Staete Landt Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough - New Zealand
Dessert
Chocolate Fondant with orange, Yoghurt foam and clementine
2007 Maury Vintage, Mas Amiel - Languedoc
Showing posts with label Corrigans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Corrigans. Show all posts
Monday, 7 December 2009
Monday, 30 November 2009
Cooking with a star
Part three of my belated birthday treat was a trip to Corrigan's restaurant on Upper Grosvenor Street in London's Mayfair for a masterclass with the man himself, Mr Richard Corrigan.
I have attended one other cooking masterclass in my life, a day with Jean-Christophe Novelli, which was a gift from my colleagues when I left advertising some four years ago. That day was much more of a cookery demonstration - lots of techniques, lots of tasting but no real hands on time and it took place at his home in Hertfordshire, not in his restaurant.
Saturday's class took place in the kitchens of the restaurant - fifteen of us split into groups working with the restaurant chefs and Corrigan flitting between to make sure we all got a piece of him. It was very much a hands-on experience in a professional kitchen, which is what made it all the better. We were also cooking our own lunch - well up to a point obviously.
My group started with the first course, which appropriately enough for someone with a holiday business in the Languedoc, was a chicken liver and foie gras terrine with caramelised mustard fruits - and yes I will be replicating it when I get back there. We moved onto the fish course - dover sole on a curried pumpkin broth - where I got the chance to do some fish filleting although there was nothing they could teach me about cooking with pumpkin and we finished on the bakery section where we completed the christmas pudding souffle mix for dessert and put together the petit fours.
Despite my flippant comment about the pumpkin - I learned an enormous amount. Just watching the chefs operate was an education - the head chef was on top of at least fifteen different things that were going on whilst simultaneously giving his time to the group of four 'tourists' in his care.
Everything was also done on a scale that I had never witnessed or contemplated before. My largest pan at home was small compared to anything in that kitchen. The ovens and fridges and machines were all awesome to behold and there was very little space to operate in, even allowing for the people that wouldn't normally have been there.
Sadly, we only managed three rotations and didn't get onto the meat course, which was a pity and with such a large group it was inevitable that we couldn't all get to do everything - but that is exactly what I wanted to do. I would happily have stayed in the kitchen all day and helped to produce every aspect of every dish if I could.
As it was we were ushered out to the private dining room where a six course lunch with wines was lavished upon us. What a shame that Debrah hadn't booked to join me for the lunch because lots of other partners did come along.
It was what I would call a proper lunch which didn't wind up until about five o'clock, by which time the front of house staff were in full flow in the restaurant and all the chefs had retreated to the kitchen to prepare for the 160 covers they were expecting that evening.
It was a great experience but actually it so very nearly didn't happen. I had called to confirm at the start of last week only to be told that they hadn't received the booking form and that the course was full. You can imagine my disappointment and Debrah's anger. Then out of the blue on Friday, they called to say that I could go because another participant had dropped out due to illness - hurrah.
Sat talking to my fellow food enthusiasts over lunch it became clear that the event management company employed by Corrigans was less than organised and that we weren't the only ones that suffered, including the restaurant themselves - there were after all 17 attendees when the maximum should have been 15.
Thankfully, I got there by the skin of my teeth and am very very glad that I did.
This is what we helped to make and ate for lunch afterwards
Chicken Liver Parfait & Mustard Fruits
2007 Etna Bianco di Casale, Sicily
Clare Island Smoked Salmon, Mozzarella, capers & golden raisins
2007 Assyntiko cuvée 15, Santorini, Greece
Steamed fillet of Dover Sole, Pumpkin & Ginger Velouté
2005 Riesling Wein Von Steirm, Neumayer, Austria
Butter Poached Bronze Turkey & Roast Leg with bread sauce
2006 Savigney-les-Beaune, Jean Feiny
Christmas Pudding Soufflé
2005 Riesling Auslese, Hans Lang, Germany
Stilton soaked in Banyuls with Irish Soda Bread
2001 Chateau Filhot, Sauternes
I have attended one other cooking masterclass in my life, a day with Jean-Christophe Novelli, which was a gift from my colleagues when I left advertising some four years ago. That day was much more of a cookery demonstration - lots of techniques, lots of tasting but no real hands on time and it took place at his home in Hertfordshire, not in his restaurant.
Saturday's class took place in the kitchens of the restaurant - fifteen of us split into groups working with the restaurant chefs and Corrigan flitting between to make sure we all got a piece of him. It was very much a hands-on experience in a professional kitchen, which is what made it all the better. We were also cooking our own lunch - well up to a point obviously.
My group started with the first course, which appropriately enough for someone with a holiday business in the Languedoc, was a chicken liver and foie gras terrine with caramelised mustard fruits - and yes I will be replicating it when I get back there. We moved onto the fish course - dover sole on a curried pumpkin broth - where I got the chance to do some fish filleting although there was nothing they could teach me about cooking with pumpkin and we finished on the bakery section where we completed the christmas pudding souffle mix for dessert and put together the petit fours.
Despite my flippant comment about the pumpkin - I learned an enormous amount. Just watching the chefs operate was an education - the head chef was on top of at least fifteen different things that were going on whilst simultaneously giving his time to the group of four 'tourists' in his care.
Everything was also done on a scale that I had never witnessed or contemplated before. My largest pan at home was small compared to anything in that kitchen. The ovens and fridges and machines were all awesome to behold and there was very little space to operate in, even allowing for the people that wouldn't normally have been there.
Sadly, we only managed three rotations and didn't get onto the meat course, which was a pity and with such a large group it was inevitable that we couldn't all get to do everything - but that is exactly what I wanted to do. I would happily have stayed in the kitchen all day and helped to produce every aspect of every dish if I could.
As it was we were ushered out to the private dining room where a six course lunch with wines was lavished upon us. What a shame that Debrah hadn't booked to join me for the lunch because lots of other partners did come along.
It was what I would call a proper lunch which didn't wind up until about five o'clock, by which time the front of house staff were in full flow in the restaurant and all the chefs had retreated to the kitchen to prepare for the 160 covers they were expecting that evening.
It was a great experience but actually it so very nearly didn't happen. I had called to confirm at the start of last week only to be told that they hadn't received the booking form and that the course was full. You can imagine my disappointment and Debrah's anger. Then out of the blue on Friday, they called to say that I could go because another participant had dropped out due to illness - hurrah.
Sat talking to my fellow food enthusiasts over lunch it became clear that the event management company employed by Corrigans was less than organised and that we weren't the only ones that suffered, including the restaurant themselves - there were after all 17 attendees when the maximum should have been 15.
Thankfully, I got there by the skin of my teeth and am very very glad that I did.
This is what we helped to make and ate for lunch afterwards
Chicken Liver Parfait & Mustard Fruits
2007 Etna Bianco di Casale, Sicily
Clare Island Smoked Salmon, Mozzarella, capers & golden raisins
2007 Assyntiko cuvée 15, Santorini, Greece
Steamed fillet of Dover Sole, Pumpkin & Ginger Velouté
2005 Riesling Wein Von Steirm, Neumayer, Austria
Butter Poached Bronze Turkey & Roast Leg with bread sauce
2006 Savigney-les-Beaune, Jean Feiny
Christmas Pudding Soufflé
2005 Riesling Auslese, Hans Lang, Germany
Stilton soaked in Banyuls with Irish Soda Bread
2001 Chateau Filhot, Sauternes
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