Competition and Tips Ask the Chef

Photo: mark greenaway.Get some cookery tips from top Chef and win a meal at Room Restaurant, Glasgow

This is your chance to 'Ask the Chef' and seek some expert advice regarding those questions you have about cooking.

For example you may want to know:
how to produce chocolate fondant that stays gooey in the middle?
or

how to stop your souffl?s collapsing during cooking?

Mark Greenaway, award winning chef at Room Restaurant, will answer one hand picked question every month; his answer will appear on the site so we will all benefit from his cooking tips.

In addition the person with the winning question will win a complimentary weekend brunch for 2 (to the value £30.00)

All the have to do is to post your question on the site by completing the comments box at the bottom of the page: Good luck!

See Mark's tips, February, 2006.

See Mark's tips, December 2005.

Ask the Chef, Mark's Tips - March, 2006

Melanie's question wins the prize for March, 2006.

1. Hi, thank you for your time to answer my question. I make rolled cordon Bleu with provolone, fresh spinach and sliced sausage in the centre, I roll them with egg and then coat them with breadcrumbs, I try to make sure the cordon bleu is thoroughly Coated with egg and breadcrumbs at each end, but after I fry Them I loose most of the cheese, do you have any suggestions on how I can keep the cheese intact while frying? Thanks So much for your time....Melanie
Melanie | Sat Feb 25 2006

There may be a few things you could be doing wrong here Melanie (but don't give up) 1, you need to roll it in flour first then egg wash then breadcrumbs (the flour dries the meat and this allows the egg and breadcrumbs to stick 2, you may be overcooking the meat causing the cheese to bubble inside, it then needs to escape because it expands and looks for the easiest way out, which is normally at the ends, let me know how you get on and if it works any better

2 My daughter will only eat cheese! She won't try anything. Any tips on getting her to eat things!
Sam | Wed Mar 01 2006

Hi Sam I really don't know the answer to this one, does your daughter like just raw cheese or could you possibly try to disguise things with cheese sauce or grated melted cheese over wholemeal base pizza my little sister used to only eat chicken and I mean only chicken no gravy no roast potatoes no nothing hopefully you're daughter will grow out it as my little sister did all you can do in the mean time is educate and hopefully her taste buds will change

3 I tasted a delicious plum sauce served with pork in Tenerife but have not been able to locate an equivalent recipe at home - can you recommend a good one?
A. Muir | Wed Mar 01 2006

You could go down 1 or 2 roads here
1, buy a really good version from marks and Spencer's or Selfridges 2, make one here is my recipe for plum sauce simple yet extremely tasty with roast pork (don't forget about the crackling)

400g plum flesh skin on stone removed
1 stick of cinnamon
2 star anise
25g unsalted butter
200mls chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste _ white onion

Sweat onion butter and star anise in medium sized pan add the fresh plums and cinnamon stick finally add the chicken stock, simmer for approx 10 minutes and season to taste, remove and discard cinnamon stick and star anise Blend with a hand blender or food processor pass through a fine sieve and serve either hot or cold it's totally up to you

4. I've invited my friends who are vegetarians over for dinner. Can you Recommend something simple but tasty to cook for them?
Debbie Gillespie | Wed Mar 01 2006

Vegetarian food is always such an easy thing to do but a lot of people are scared or put off for one reason or another (I don't know why) I suggest potato gnocchi it is such an easy dish to make and you can add a variety of different sauces (maybe even a little flaked smoked chicken for the meat eaters)

Home made potato gnocchi
1.2k potato (boiled dried off in a warm pan and mashed
4 egg yolks
250g finely grated parmesan
350g plain flour

Warm potato back up in thick base pan and add flour followed by parmesan followed by egg yolks mix well until all comes together lightly flour a work surface and roll (sausage shape not with rolling pin ) out gnocchi to about 1inch thick then cut into 11/2inch long . Poach in boiling water until it floats then refresh in ice water. To finish dry off the gnocchi and pan sear in a hot pan with a touch of olive oil so it colours on 2 sides and crispens up slightly, Finish with desired sauce such as coriander and cashew nut pesto or wild mushrooms and baby spinach really its up to you .. Hope this helps.

5. How do I make Jamaican Gingerbread the way you buy it in Scotland, I am in the USA.
Henry Newbigging | Tue Feb 14 2006

Well Henry hope this does the trick let me know how you get on as I haven't used this recipe in year

This should make one loaf tin
8oz butter
8oz soft brown sugar
8oz black treacle
12oz plain flour
3 teaspoons dried ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
2 eggs _ pint milk

Add butter treacle and sugar to a pan and melt Add eggs and then add ginger flour and cinnamon Heat up milk to blood heat and add bicarbonate of soda add to butter mix and bake at gas 2 for 1 _ hours and turn out and cool on a wire rack . Slice into nice thick slices and smear with butter mmm... enjoy

6. I would love your recipe for chocolate tart i brought my wife in last week and she loved it; I know chefs don't normally give out their secrets, but maybe just this once. My wife would love me forever
John m | Sat Feb 11 2006

Well John I am glad you're wife liked it I will give you the recipe for the chocolate filling, all you will have to do is either make a 8inch shallow sweet pastry tart case or buy one or a good baker's shop should be able to supply you with one of these at not too much expense;

400g good quality dark chocolate
220g butter
15g caster sugar
2 eggs 2 yolks

Melt butter and chocolate over a Bain Marie of hot water whip egg yolks and caster sugar until white and fluffy Gently fold together and pour in to tart case cook at 180degrees for 7 minutes and chill for about 1 hour before serving, (make sure tart is at room temperature before serving as it will set in the fridge) ..Ps.. this means you have to come back to Room for dinner - you owe me .

February's winning question is:
My wife and i are dieting so can you tell us how to thicken gravy or sauces without using flour or cream or butter ? Thankyou
Derek | Thu Jan 19 2006

Derek win's a complimentary brunch for two at Room

December's winning question is:

I am honey roasting a ham for christmas and my husband is allergic to cloves. Could you please advise alternatives for decoration?- Julie-ann
You can see Mark's advice below.

For example you may want to know:
how to produce chocolate fondant that stays gooey in the middle?
or

how to stop your souffl?s collapsing during cooking?

Mark Greenaway, award winning chef at Room Restaurant, will answer one hand picked question every month; his answer will appear on the site so we will all benefit from his cooking tips.

In addition the person with the winning question will win a complimentary weekend brunch for 2 (to the value £30.00)

All the have to do is to post your question on the site by completing the comments box below: Good luck!

Mark, provides some more tips - February, 2006.

Question

My wife and i are dieting so can you tell us how to thicken gravy or sauces without using flour or cream or butter ? Thankyou
Derek | Thu Jan 19 2006

Answer

Hi Derek when you are making a chicken, beef or lamb stock reducing it is the best possible way to thicken it the natural gelatine in the bones will do the job for you . You are left with a very rich and clear but full boded sauce (in the restaurant we call this jus with a little addition of red wine) or if you do not have time for this you could try a little bit of corn flour or arrowroot.

Question

hi there i would like to know the best way to cook salmon every time i do it it seams to over cook and the skin is soggy .....pleas help... john | Sun Jan 01 2006

Answer

Well john this can be achieved by starting off with either a non stick pan or at the restaurant we use cast iron pans. Allow about 140g of good quality salmon per person. And is better done on a gas cooker firstly you must pre heat your oven to 220 degrees

1, bring your pan up to a very high heat with a touch of olive oil
2, place salmon in pan skin side down and turn the heat down to its lowest setting
3, leave for approx three minutes and put whole pan in the oven for about 4 minutes
4, pull the pan out of the oven and add a knob of butter a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice
5, turn the salmon over and leave to rest for a further 2 minutes
6, enjoy

Mark Greenaway provides the answers to your cooking questions: (12th December, 2005)

1. I would like to know the best way to poach an egg? - every time I do it, it turns out very stringy, or mis-shapen. David.

Answer: Poaching eggs are simple as long as you have a few key factors right

1, fresh eggs (always take them from the back of the shelf in the supermarket, that?s where they stack them for stock rotation so they can get rid of the older ones first

2, simmering water with a touch of white wine vinegar (about 10 parts water to one part vinegar)

3, crack you're egg firstly into a tea cup to make sure there is no shell and no blood clots

4, gently swirl you're water and then slide you're egg into it leave simmering for approx 2 minutes.

5, lift out with a slotted spoon and drain off on a clean kitchen cloth before serving

What are the best potatoes to use when making roast potatoes? - Val.

Answer - There are a few different potatoes you can use at this time of year. The ones that I would suggest are:

1,chippers (wrights) grown in Cambridgeshire on dark soil they are then stored at 8 degrees after lifting to maintain starch and sugar levels this creates the perfect golden colour and light and fluffy texture 2, eweford (maris pipers ) are from east Lothian they are grown on silt land and are ideal for boiling and mashing they have a slightly waxy texture and slightly creamier colour

I am honey roasting a ham for christmas and my husband is allergic to cloves. Could you please advise alternatives for decoration?- Julie-ann

Answer - Honey roast ham at Christmas is a fantastic idea as there is so much versatility with the left overs

My recipe for honey roast is:
200g honey
200g brown sugar
70g wholegrain mustard
40g French mustard
10 star anise
40g pink peppercorns

1, Mix all ingredients together except star anise and pink peppercorns and pour over the ham

2, Place ham in a deep roasting tray with about 1 litre of water (the water stops the honey mix burning while keeping the ham moist

3, Baste every 10-15 minutes

4, when really lovely and deep golden brown pull out of the oven and place star anise and pink peppercorns on for decoration

5, Leave to cool slightly and serve