Mo Bro Chefs Menu #2: Mussels Cooked in Beer & Chilli Jam, Turf Roasted Beef Fillet & Crêpes Suzette

Mo Bro Chefs Menu #2: Mussels Cooked in Beer & Chilli Jam, Turf Roasted Beef Fillet & Crêpes Suzette

31 October, 2012
by: Spoonfed Food And Drink

This Movember dinner party menu might warrant a trip to the garden centre but we promise it will be worth your while.

Starter: Mussels Cooked in Beer with Chilli Jam

By Anthony Power
Moustache Chef, London

This could be one of the easiest dishes to cook for a group of hungry Mo Bros & Mo Sistas. Make a double batch of the chilli jam recipe, freeze 50g portions and you’ll be packing some serious heat whenever the need arises – it goes with just about anything. Although, before you go nuts adding it to dishes, it’s a good idea to try a little of the chilli jam to test the heat – you don’t want to destroy your mates.

INGREDIENTS (serving 6) 

Chilli Jam:
1 Spanish onion, diced
2 red peppers, diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
3 red chillies, whole
200g cherry tomatoes
50g brown sugar
100ml fish sauce
25ml olive oil

Mussels: 
2kg fresh mussels, cleaned
1 bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
200ml coconut cream
1 bottle of good quality lager beer
125g chilli jam
2 limes cut into quarters

METHOD

For the chilli jam:
• Heat the oil in a wok or large saucepan and sauté the red peppers and onions until they are quite dark in colour.
• Add the garlic and chillies and sauté for a further 10 minutes.
• Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add the sugar and fish sauce, lower the temperature and cook for 10 minutes.
• Remove from heat, transfer to a blender and blitz to a smooth purée – refrigerate until needed. This can be frozen in ice cube trays and added to other curries and stir fries whenever you need a little extra kick to a dish.

For the mussels:
• Heat a little oil in a wok or large saucepan until smoking hot.
• Add the chilli jam and cook for a few minutes to release all the aromas and flavour.
• Pour the bottle of beer into the wok and bring to a boil.
• Add the mussels, stir and cover with a lid – this will steam the mussels. After a few minutes check the mussels – they should have all opened.
• Add the coconut cream, stir and bring to the boil.
• Sprinkle the coriander over the top and serve in the wok in the middle of the table. Remember the side bowls, lime wedges and lots of napkins.

Main Course: Turf Roasted Organic Beef Fillet

By Evan Doyle
The Stawberry Tree and BrookLodge Hotel, Wicklow, Ireland

INGREDIENTS, serving 6-8

1kg organic beef fillet
80g Brook Lodge organic steak rub
2kg moistened flaked turf
50ml organic rapeseed oil

Cooking with peat will give you a wonderful, earthy and slightly smoky taste that really suits the beef. What you also get is pink, juicy roasted meat that allows you to brag about bringing true ‘terroir’ to the kitchen.

If you’re lucky enough to live in Wales, Scotland or Ireland you should be able to readily find peat. For the adventurous Mo Bro who resides in urban cities, head to a garden centre where you can buy bags of peat – just make sure that it is ‘pure’ peat and is 100% organic and free from additives, growth enhancers and chemicals…just like your Mo.

METHOD

• Cut the beef fillet into two 500g pieces, rub in the BrookLodge steak rub and put to one side. Heat a large frying pan with the rapeseed oil and seal the beef on all sides to a nice brown colour.
• In a large roasting tray, place enough of the moistened turf (about 2cm) to line the bottom of the dish. On top, place both pieces of beef lengthways and cover with the rest of the turf, patting and pressing to form the shape of the meat. Preheat the oven to 220°C and roast for 20-25 minutes.

TO SERVE

When cooked, take out of the turf and rub with some paper towel to take off most of the excess turf, carve and serve.

Dessert : Crêpes Suzette

By Duncan Maguire
Ukiyo Bar and Restaurant, Dublin

INGREDIENTS, serving 6

125g plain flour
15g caster sugar
A pinch of salt
2 medium free-range eggs
300ml milk
50ml water
25g butter, melted

METHOD

• For the crêpes, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, eggs and a third of the milk in a bowl to a smooth batter. Gradually stir in the rest of the milk and the water. Leave the batter to rest in a warm place for about an hour.
• Brush a small 18-20cm frying pan with a little of the butter and place over a medium heat. Add a ladleful of the batter and tilt the pan to cover the base thinly; cook the crêpe for a minute on each side.
• Transfer the crêpe to a plate and repeat, stacking the crêpes between sheets of greaseproof paper, until all of the batter has been used up.

INGREDIENTS TO SERVE

12 warm crêpes
100g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
Juice of 1 mandarin
50ml of curaçao
Sugar
Cointreau

METHOD

In a bowl, cream the butter with a spatula then beat in the sugar, mandarin juice and curaçao. Spread the mixture over the crêpes, fold into quarters and return to a frying pan. Sprinkle with some sugar, liberally douse in Cointreau and flambé with a blowtorch, being careful not to singe your moustache. Place on a serving dish and serve warm.

All recipes feature in the Movember cookbook Bring It On Home. Register at Movember.com

Click here to see last week's Mo Bro Chefs Menu #1: Spiced Crab, Beef Bourgignon & Coffee Bean Panna Cotta

Spoonfed Food And Drink