Series look at the past masters of culinary arts
To accompany the new series, the Masterchef Cookbook includes some of the top recipes from contestants from the series over the years, including the celebrity and professional versions of the BBC programme.
The book features 250 of the best recipes, along with comments and tips from the show's presenters, Greg Wallace and John Torode. So if you fancy yourself as a bit of a masterchef, why not give these recipes a go.
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Hide AdCarpaccio of venison with watercress salad and a raspberry vinaigrette
Angela Kenny administrator turned chef and 2009 semi-finalist.
1 tbsp dried thyme, finely chopped
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
30g (1oz) raspberries
200g (7oz) loin of venison
1tbs olive oil
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
90ml (3fl oz) olive oil
85g (3oz) watercress
Preheat a frying pan until hot. Season the thyme with salt and pepper and spread on a plate.
Rub the venison with some of the olive oil and roll it in the herb mixture. Place the venison in the hot drying pan and sear all the edges. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for about 30 minutes.
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Hide AdMeanwhile, make the vinaigrette by pureing the raspberries with a hand blender and pass through a sieve to remove any pips. Mix the raspberry pure with the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Thinly slice the venison, arrange on a serving plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the watercress in the centre and drizzle the dressing over the top.
Roast cod with clams and bacon mash, creamy shallot sauce and spinach
Sarah Whittle detective sergeant and 2008 semi-finalist.
Serves 4
4 thick cod fillets
sea salt and white pepper
75g unsalted butter
2 tbsp rapeseed oil7
50g (1lb 10oz) baby spinach
Bacon Mash
6 rashers smoked dry-cure streaky bacon, rind removed
1.5kg (3lb 3oz) Maris Piper potatoes cut into 3in pieces
50g unsalted butter
Shallot sauce
1kg venus or palourde clams
large glass of dry white wine
2 shallots or 1 small onion, very finely chopped
300ml (10fl oz) double cream
1 heaped tbsp thyme leaves
juice of lemon
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F/Gas 4). Put the bacon on a non-stick baking tray in the oven for about 10 minutes until crisp. Cool and crumble, reserving a few rashers for garnish. Boil the potatoes for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain, return to the pan, add the butter and mash well. Season with pepper and stir in the bacon.
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Hide AdTo make the sauce, put the clams in a large pan with the wine and half the shallots. Cook, covered, over a high heat, shaking from time to time, for about 4 to 5 minutes until the clams have opened –
discard any that haven't. Drain into a colander over a bowl to catch the juice. Reserve 12 of the clams in their shells for garnish and shell the rest.
Pour the clam juice into a pan and add the remaining shallot. Simmer for 10 minutes until reduced slightly, then add the cream. Simmer for a further 5 minutes then, if you wish to, blend until smooth using a hand blender.
Add the thyme and clam meat and check the seasoning, adding a little lemon juice. Keep the sauce warm.
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Hide AdTo cook the cod, coat the skin side with seasoned flour. Put 50g butter and the oil in a non-stick ovenproof frying pan over medium heat until frothing. Put the fish in, skin-side down, and cook until the fish turns white halfway up its sides.
Baste with the oil and butter once, then put it in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes or until opaque. In the meantime, heat the remaining butter and add the washed spinach. Cook until wilted, then season and drain it.
To serve, spoon mash on each plate. Top with 3 clams in their shells, spinach, a piece of cod, and bacon. Pour the sauce around and on top.
Sticky toffee pudding
Wendi Peters actress and 2009 celebrity finalist.
Serves 4
85g sugared, stoned chopped dates
85g light soft brown sugar
45g unsalted butter
1 egg
115g plain flour
1tsp bicarbonate soda
1tbsp vanilla extract
For the toffee sauce
150g Demerara sugar
85g (3oz) unsalted butter,
4 tbsp double cream
Preheat the oven to 180C (350F/Gas 4). Butter a 16x12cm ovenproof dish. Put the dates into a bowl and pour over just enough boiling water to cover them.
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Hide AdIn a separate bowl, cream together the soft brown sugar and the butter. Beat the egg into the creamed mixture with some of the flour
before adding the rest of
the flour.
Add the bicarbonate of soda and vanilla extract to the dates and then stir into the creamed mixture until well mixed.
Pour into the ovenproof dish and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until well risen and a cake skewer, when inserted, comes out clean.
Just before the pudding is cooked, make the toffee sauce.
Preheat the grill to hot. Put the demerara sugar, butter, and cream into a saucepan and heat gently.
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Hide AdLet simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the pudding from the oven, pour over half the sauce and place under the grill until it bubbles.
Serve the pudding while hot with the remaining sauce poured over the top or alongside as an accompaniment.
n The Masterchef Cookbook is pub-lished by DK (20). To order a copy from the Yorkshire Post Bookshop, call free on 0800 0153232
or go online at www.yorkshirepostbook
shop.co.uk P&P is 2.75.