Celebrated chef and restaurateur Mark Hix has come out with his new book, Mark Hix: The Collection where we can enjoy nine chapters of classic food recipes with his contemporary touch.
If the book doesn't satisfy your appetite, make sure not to miss The Collection exhibition taking place at the Cock 'n' Bull Gallery. (until 9 November)
Here are a few of his selected recipes with prawns, scallops and strawberry-sparkling wine jelly (easy on the waistline too...)
Which one of these would you try? Tell us in the comments below.
Scallops With Black Pudding And Jerusalem Artichoke Puree (serves 4)
300g Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and halved
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
80g butter
150g good-quality black pudding
1 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed or vegetable oil
12 medium scallops, cleaned and trimmed
a handful of flat-leaf parsley
- Cook the artichokes in a pan of lightly salted water for 8-10 minutes or until tender. Drain well and whiz in a blender or food processor to a puree.
- Return to a clean pan and place over a low heat. Warm the puree for a few minutes, stirring so it doesn’t stick, until it has reduced slightly to a spoonable consistency; it shouldn’t be wet and sloppy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir in about 30g of the butter; keep warm.
- Cut the black pudding into small nuggets and set aside ready to cook. Rub a non-stick heavy-based frying pan with the tiniest amount of oil (too much will make the scallops boil rather than fry). Heat until almost smoking, then add the scallops and cook over a medium-high heat for 1 minute on each side. Immediately remove from the pan to avoid overcooking and place on a plate; keep warm.
- Lower the heat and add the black pudding, parsley and rest of the butter to the empty scallop pan. Cook gently for 2-3 minutes to warm through, stirring every so often.
- To serve, spoon the Jerusalem artichoke puree onto warm serving plates, place the scallops on top, then spoon the butter and black pudding over.
Pan-fried Dabs With Prawns (serves 4)
200-250g prawns, cooked and peeled, shells reserved
8 dabs, fins trimmed and dark skin removed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
plain flour, for dusting
2-3 tbsp vegetable or cold-pressed rapeseed oil
150g unsalted butter
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
juice of 1 lemon
- Place the prawn shells in a saucepan and add enough water to just cover them. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced right down, then strain through a fine sieve into a bowl; set aside.
- Season the dabs and lightly flour them. Heat the oil in two large frying pan (or use one pan and cook them in two batches). Add the dabs to the pan(s) and fry over a medium heat for about 2-3 minutes on each side until they begin to colour. Add half the butter and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
- Add the prawn stock to the empty fish pan with the peeled prawns, then add the rest of the butter and the parsley. Season lightly and keep on a low heat for a minute, then add the lemon juice.
- Arrange the dabs on warm plates and spoon the prawns and butter over them. Serve at once.
Strawberry And Sparkling Wine Jelly (serves 4)
12g leaf gelatine (4 sheets)
700ml fine-quality sparkling wine, such as Nyetimber, Chapel Down, Prosecco or Champagne
50g caster sugar
120g strawberries, hulled
thick Jersey cream, to serve
- Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes to soften. Meanwhile, pour 200ml of the sparkling wine into a saucepan, add the sugar and bring to the boil over a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally to encourage the sugar to dissolve. Take off the heat.
- Squeeze the gelatine to remove the excess water, then add to the wine syrup and stir until fully dissolved. Now stir in the rest of the wine. Leave to cool until barely warm, but don’t allow to set.
- Divide half of the strawberries between individual jelly moulds or attractive Martini glasses, then carefully pour in half of the cooled jelly, ensuring the berries are evenly distributed. Place in the fridge for an hour or so until set. Keep the rest of the jelly at room temperature, making sure it does not set.
- Once the jellies have set, arrange the rest of the strawberries on top and pour on the rest of the jelly. (Setting the jelly in two stages allows the berries to stay suspended so that they don’t float to the surface.) Return the jellies to the fridge to set.
- To serve, briefly dip the pudding moulds, if using, in hot water, then invert onto serving plates and shake gently to turn out. Or set the Martini glasses on plates. Serve with thick Jersey cream.
Mark Hix, The Collection, photographs by Jason Lowe, £25, Quadrille Publishing.