A delicious crab starter

By Head Chef Tony Carr

Tian of Crab

We are blessed with an abundant supply of fish and shellfish here in Devon and crab has to be one of

the most tasty shellfish you can find – the flavour of fresh crab is unique and quite wonderful.

While it is delicious served simply in its shell with a salad and brown bread and butter, it also works well with some added zing! This tian of crab makes an impressive dinner party starter, and this recipe is enough for six portions.

Ingredients:

700gm fresh quality white crab meat

150gm brown crab meat

1 tsp tomato ketchup

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 tsp English mustard

3 gelatine leaves

Juice of one lemon

1 slice brown bread, crusts removed

50 ml vegetable oil

50ml olive pil

Salt and pepper

Method:

Put the brown crab meat with the tomato ketchup, Worcesterhsire Sauce and mustard into a blender and liquidise until smooth.

Soak the leaf gelatine in cold water until softened, then squeeze out excess water and dissolve in half the lemon juice in a saucepan over a low heat. Once dissolved, remove from the heat, pass through a sieve and add to the blender, along with the brown bread, broken into pieces. Process the mixture again and season with salt and pepper. Continue blending, slowly, and gradually pour in the two types of oil. When the mixture is smooth, scoop it out into a suitable container and refrigerate for at least four hours.

When you are ready to serve, simply mix the white crab meat with the remaining lemon juice, season with salt and pepper. Allow just over 100gm of crab meat per person and press it into a 2.5” ring. Then spread the brown crab mixture on top. Gently remove the ring, pressing down on the crab to prevent it lifting with the ring.

Serve with brown bread and butter.

White Chocolate Panna Cotta

By Head Chef Tony Carr

Panna Cotta is a delicious dessert. Its texture is wonderfully smooth and light, so you’ll always have room for it at the end of a meal, and yet it’s flavour can be rich. This version, with white chocolate, is the smoothest of the smooth and tastes divine!

Ingredients:

• 180ml milk
• 95ml double cream
• 80g sugar
• 125g white chocolate
• 3 gelatine leaves
• 1 vanilla pod
• 500ml cold water

Method:

1. Pour the milk, the cream and the seeds from inside the vanilla pod into a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat and add the white chocolate stirring until dissolved.
2. Soak the gelatine leaves in 500ml of cold water. Once soft, (about 10 mins) remove the sheets and squeeze out any excess water. Add to the chocolate mixture and stir until dissolved.
3. Next, pass the whole mixture through a sieve and pour into six ramekins. Put in the fridge for at least four hours to chill and set. 
4. Carefully release the panna cotta from the ramekins by dipping them in hot water for 5 seconds, invert onto a plate and decorate with edible flowers such as violas or pansies.

Leek & Potato Soup with Devon Blue Cheese

Leek & Potato Soup with Devon Blue Cheese

By Head Chef Tony Carr.

This is a rich, creamy and warming soup, perfect for this time of year. It makes a lovely lunch with some crusty bread, or a starter for a dinner party. In the pub, we serve it with our homemade cheese straws!

To make enough soup for six people:

Ingredients

• 4 leeks - outer leaf removed, sliced lengthways and chopped into 2cm pieces and thoroughly washed
• 2 white onions - peeled, root removed and diced
• 3 sticks of celery chopped into 2cm pieces and washed
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 125, unsalted butter
• 4 small potatoes - (Marfonas are best) peeled and washed and roughly diced into 2cm cubes
• Salt and pepper
• 125ml double cream

Method

1. Melt the butter in a suitably sized saucepan.
2. Add the leeks, onions, celery and garlic and sweat all together over a medium heat until softened but not coloured.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. After 6-8 minutes, add 3 litres of cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the diced potatoes, bring back to the boil and then allow to a simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and puré in a liquidise or pass through a sieve.
7. Return to the saucepan and bring back to the boil.
8. Add 125ml of double cream and check the seasoning.
9. Serve with Devon Blue cheese crumbled liberally on top!