Ballathie Food in Scottish Field

7/27/2019 Ballathie Food in Scottish Field

1/6

The shore thingBallathie House hotels Scott Scorer reveals what happens when an ambitiousyoung head chef changes things around at one of the countrys top fishing hotels

WORDS RICHARD BATH IMAGES ANGUS BLACKBURN

So, what does an ambitious young chef do

when he is invited to take the reins at one

of the countrys most venerable and best-

loved fishing hotels? Thats right, he changes

around the food offering and creates a funkynew menu even though he knows it may well

scare Ballathie Houses fishing bufties straight

out of their tweeds and twinsets..

I was really worried when I decided to

completely overhaul the menu and make it

more antsy-fancy, laughs head chef Scott

Scorer. Weve gone more upmarket, with more

local and foraged ingredients from the estate,

and a more contemporary presentation. I didnt

know how the long-time regulars and a lot

of people have been coming here every year for

the past thirty or forty years would react.He neednt have fretted. he made the changes

as soon as he joined Ballathie from Gleneagles

eighteen months ago, and not only did the regu-

lars accept the need for change, they completely

embraced it. I was amazed at just how receptive

people were, says Storer. They were very posi-

tive and surprisingly curious: people would be

asking me how I did this or that all the time I

think weve got a lot of serious part-time cookson our hands.

Although Storer doesnt fish (owner John

Milligan took him out a couple of times, but

while he enjoyed not catching anything, he

says he just doesnt have the time to spare), he

knows that Ballathies position on the banks of

the Tay means that anglers are a fact of his life,

as is finding interesting things to do with those

salmon which arent dispatched to the nearby

Dunkeld Smokehouse.

There are some things that will never change

at a hotel like this, he says, but weve alsoshown that our customers genuinely appreci-

ate a bit of innovation and that they like to see

things change a little as long at they feel that

the change is for the better.

FOOD & DRINK

130 WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK


2/6

I decided to completelyoverhaul the menu andmake it all antsy-fancy

Image: Scott Storer on the banks of the River Tay

BALLATHIE HOUSE HOTEL

WWW.SCOTTISHFIELD.CO.UK 131


3/6

Confit sea trout, braised babyfennel and pea mousse with alemon dressing

Confit sea trout

1 side of sea trout (cut into 100g portions)

250ml confit oil

2 coriander seeds

Method: Gently warm the oil and coriander

seeds to around 50C. Place a portion of the

sea trout in the oil and leave for approximately 7

minutes. Remove the sea trout from the oil and

place on a kitchen cloth to drain.

Pea mousse

2 gelatine leaves

600g petit pois

200ml double cream

pinch of saltpinch of sugar

Method: Place the gelatine leaves in cold

water to soften. Blanch the peas in salted water

then remove. Reserve 150ml of the blanching

water and place the gelatine leaves in this until

dissolved. Place the peas in a food processor and

blitz. Add the water/gelatine until the pea mixture

is smooth. Place in a tray and leave to cool to

room temperature. Semi-whip the cream, then

add to the pea mixture, folding through. Season

and place in a shallow tray. Cover in cling film and

place in the fridge.

Fennel

200ml oil

5 baby fennel

zest of a lemon and an orange

peppercorns

Method:Pour the oil into a tray, add the fennel

and cover in tin foil. Place in an oven preheated to

130C for 15 minutes.

Lemon dressing

4 lemons

100g sugar

200ml lemon juice50ml white wine vinegar

50ml rapeseed oil

2g xanthum gum

Method:Peel the lemons, then blanch and

refresh the peel three times. Boil the sugar, lemon

Add threedots of lemon

dressing, three

dots of avrugacaviaranda quenelle

of the peamousse

Above: Confit trout with

a light pea mousse makes

a mouthwatering starter.

Right: Earthy flavours ofbeetroot, black pudding

and venison dominate in

this autumnal main course.


FOOD & DRINK


4/6

juice, vinegar and peel and reduce by half. Whisk

in the oil and add the xanthium gum.

Beetroot pure

400g cooked beetroot

50ml water

50ml oil

Method:Place the ingredients in a food

processor and blend until smooth.

To finish and serve:Place a spoonful of the

beetroot pure on the plate and use the spoon tomake a drag up to the centre. Place the fennel in

the centre of the plate with the sea trout on top.

Add three dots of lemon dressing, three dots of

avruga caviar, a quenelle of the pea mousse and

finish with pea friss and sorrel cress.

Roast loin of venison, smokedvenison croquettes, Stornowayblack pudding and poached pear

Roast loin of venison

1 striploin of venison (cut into 150g portions)

10g butter

5ml oil

sprig of thyme

salt and pepper

Method:Preheat the oven to 180C. Heat a

large, heavy-based frying pan until hot. Place the

venison in this and sear for a couple of minutes.

Turn over to sear the other side, then sear the

ends. Place the venison in a roasting tin in the

preheated oven for about 10 minutes for rare

meat. Leave it a bit longer for medium-rare or

medium. Remove from the oven and allow to rest

for five minutes. This will ensure succulent meat.

Celeriac pure

1 onion

50g butter

clove of garlic

sprig of thyme1 celeriac

860ml chicken stock

100ml double cream

Method: Finely dice the onion, then sweat it in

the butter in a pan with the chopped garlic and

thyme. Add the diced celeriac and chicken stock

and boil until the celeriac is soft to the touch.

Place the mixture in a food processor and blend

until smooth adding a little more stock if required.

Add the cream.

Potato croquettes

400g potato

10g butter

2g nutmeg

120ml milk

150g smoked venison

160g breadcrumbs

150g plain flour

2 eggs

Method: Peel and boil the potatoes, then drain.

Let the potatoes sit for a couple of minutes to

allow any excess water to evaporate. Mash the




5/6

potatoes adding salt, nutmeg and butter, slowly

add the milk. Keep mashing until the mixture is

smooth and creamy (but not too wet). Add one

egg yolk and the smoked venison. Form intocroquettes and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Beat the remaining egg and a half. Remove the

croquettes from the fridge and dip each in the egg

and then flour and breadcrumb mix. They are now

ready to deep-fry when youre ready to eat.

Beetroot and Chantenay carrots

1kg raw beetroot

500g chantenay carrots

Method: Oven roast the beetroot on a salted

tray covered in foil for approximately 2 hours

(170C). Peel and set aside ready to assemble.

Boil the carrots in salted water until tender. Drain

and allow to cool.Sour cherry gel

1kg frozen sour cherries

1 litre of water

50g caster sugar

juice of a lemon

12g agar agar powder

Method:Add the cherries, water, sugar and

lemon juice to a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce

the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and allow to infuse for

a further 30 minutes. Strain the liquid through

a fine sieve, then place in a pan. Add the agar

agar powder and heat through until the powder

has dissolved. Place in a container and allowto set in the fridge. Once set, tip the jelly into a

food processor and blitz until smooth. Place in a

squeezy bottle ready for finishing and serving.

Stornoway black pudding bonbons

100g Stornoway black pudding

pear

1 tsp Lea & Perrins

50g flat-leaf parsley

Method:Grate the black pudding and the

pear, then add a teaspoon of Lea & Perrins. Mix

together and form into small balls. Refrigerate.

Blitz the parsley with some breadcrumbs and use

this to coat the bonbons.Poached pear

1 pear

200g sugar

juice of 2 lemons

cinnamon stick

4 cloves

Method:Put all the ingredients in a saucepan

with 750ml of water, set over a medium heat. Peel

the pear, remove the core with a melon baller and

place the pear into the liquid until tender.

To finish and serve:Warm the pure and

vegetables and season with salt. Deep fry the

croquettes and bonbons. Place the pure on

either side of the plate and assemble the otheringredients in the centre of the pure. Gently

warm the poached pear, cut into quarters. Slice

the venison into medallions and place on top

of the other ingredients. Finish with two edible

flowers and jus.

Gently roast the pine kernels

then add the cinnamonsugarand cook until golden


FOOD & DRINK


6/6

FIELDFACTSBallathie House Hotel,

Kinclaven, Stanley,Perthshire,

PH16 5LG

Tel: 01250 883268

www.ballathiehousehotel.com

Scottish gooseberry vanillapanna cotta

We serve the panna cotta in little individual jars

youll need one for each guest.

Gooseberries

240g Scottish gooseberries

57g sugar50ml sparkling water

vanilla pod

Method: Place all of the ingredients in a vac pac

bag and sous vide at 61C for 20 minutes. Cool

rapidly.

Gooseberry jelly

500ml gooseberry liquid (from sous vide)

5 leaves of softened gelatine

Method:Add the gelatine to the liquid and allow

it to dissolve. Pour 20ml of the liquid into each jar

and add a few chopped cooked gooseberries.

Refrigerate.

Vanilla panna cotta

225g caster sugar4 sheets softened gelatine leaves

1 vanilla pod

1 pints double cream

335ml milk

Method:Place the sugar, vanilla, cream and

milk in a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from

the heat and add the softened gelatine. Return

the pan to a gentle heat until the gelatine has

dissolved. Cool over ice, gradually stirring until the

mixture starts to thicken. Once cold, pour on top

of the gooseberry jelly in the jars.

Pine nut crumble

700g pine kernels150g cinnamon sugar

350g icing sugar

pinch of salt

Method: Gently pan roast the pine kernels,

taking care not to let them burn. Add the

cinnamon sugar, icing sugar and a pinch of salt

and cook until golden in colour. Allow to cool,

then place in a food processor and blitz until the

mixture resembles a crumble.

To finish and serve:Place three gooseberries

on each plate, with the crumble pine kernel

mixture in the centre. Place a quenelle of good

quality vanilla ice-cream on top of the crumble.

Serve the jar of gooseberry panna cotta on theside. We also serve this dish with a homemade

light pistachio sponge, made from nuts, eggs and

caster sugar.

Left: A neat jar of panna cotta accompanies this delicate

dish of gooseberry and pine nut crumble.

Wine expert David Austin

of Reubens Wine Store in

Dunfermline selects threewines to accompany Scott

Scorers dishes.

SAUVIGNON DE ST BRIS FELIX & FILS

2011, 10.99

The delicacy and subtlety of

this dish is the key to balancing

a wine with it. However, with

fennel and pea you have some

punchy flavours. If youre a fan

of Sauvignon Blanc but cant

seem to tear yourself away from

Marlborough or Sancerre its time

you had a look at this curio from

central France. Its produced in

the Yonne district and manages

to bridge the gap between in style

between Chablis and the Loire. Its dry, slightly

earthy minerality make it ideal for the trout and

its crisp acidity and underlying citrus flavours

allow it to combine perfectly with the fennel,

pea mouse and lemon dressing

LE COTEAUX COTES DU

RHONE VILLAGES 2010,

9.99

In the Rhone Valley they makewines with a robust, full bodied

nature ideal for game. There are

many great wines of the Rhone

that carry equally great price tags

so finding one that offers value

and style is a must. Cote Du

Rhone Villages from the southern

half of the region is the perfect match and the

2010 vintage is reckoned to be the best yet.

The Grenache gives the full ripe dark berried

fruit that works well in contrast with the black

pudding and the muscular Syrah adds the spine

that supports the fulsome venison.

THE STUMP JUMP STICKY,

DARENBERG 37.5CL 2010,

7.99

Moving away from France this

Aussie Sticky is just the ticket. Its

made from Chardonnay, Riesling,

Semillon and Pinot Gris fruit from

the Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale.

A real mix but somehow it works.

There is just enough richness from

the Chardonnay and acidity from

the other grapes to match the

gooseberry and cut through theemulsion of the panna cotta.

Wineto dine

Reubens Wine Store, 14 New Row, Dunfermline,

01383 731475, www.reubenswinestore.com



Documents

Ballathie Food in Scottish Field