July 30th, 2010
Although Scottish raspberries are in abundance at the moment, raspberries are grown all over the world and actually come in all different colours from black orange, yellow, purple and white and of course red, the colour we are all most familiar with.
In Scotland the main raspberry regions for growing are Perthshire and Fife where the rainfall is lower than experienced here in the west. During the summer months from mid July to the end of August, they are abundant and relatively cheap to buy compared to those grown in Europe and sold in supermarkets throughout the rest of the year.
At Knockderry House we use raspberries all summer in pavlovas, fruit gratins, summer puddings and of course the prolific Scottish dessert, Cranachan. Cranachan is a traditional Scottish sweet dessert recipe served with raspberries. It is also spelt Crannachan and traditionally served in Scotland at the New Year and at some Burns Night Suppers.
Raspberry and Whisky Cranachan
Ingredients
50g pinhead oatmeal
25g soft brown sugar
300ml double cream
200g raspberries and extra to decorate
2 tblsps of your favourite whisky
3 tblsps of honey
Method
Toast the pin head oatmeal mixed with the soft brown sugar under a grill until golden brown, being careful not to let it burn. Allow the mixture to cool completely before peeling from the tray and breaking into chunks. Softly whip the cream and warm the honey, adding the whisky. Toss the raspberries into the honey mixture. Layer the ingredients in a tall glass, starting with oatmeal and ending with cream and top with raspberries, a drizzle of honey.
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July 29th, 2010
This October we are holding a Wine Lovers Dinner Night, in conjunction with The Sovereign Order of St John to help raise money for a variety of charities in our local community.
The evening will consist of a delicious 5 course dinner and matched wines for the evening. Mike Cottom of Inverarity Vaults will provide tasting notes throughout the meal with our Head Chef Johnny Aitken providing some background provenance to the meal. In addition, it is planned to hold a group blind tasting for a prize draw.
The Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller, is one of the oldest orders of chivalry, with a history dating back to the Knights Templar. Its purpose is to develop an international Christian ecumenical and chivalrous membership and, in accordance with its traditions, the Order has a special interest in work for the sick, the handicapped and the poor. The motto of the Order is Pro fide, Pro Utilitate Hominum – “For Faith, for Service to Humanity”.
To this end the Knights and Dames of the Order undertake a wide range of charitable activities in and for their communities.
To purchase tickets and reserve a table for the event please call Knockderry House Hotel on 01436 842284 and ask for details about the Autumn Wine Lovers Dinner Night.
Tags: Knights Hospitaller, Sovereign Order of St John, Wine Lovers Dinner Night
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June 10th, 2010
Samphire is a vegetable has become very fashionable of late, and here at Knockderry House we are often asked where it comes from and how our guests can purchase some for themselves. We use samphire as an accompaniment to many of our fish dishes at this time of year. It is a delicious vegetable which grows in abundance in many of our coastal areas of Scotland. We get our samphire from our local fishmonger – in Helensburgh – but there are a variety of specialist suppliers too.
Samphire comes in two varieties, marsh and rock, and both are currently in season until September. Marsh samphire, which is found in coastal estuaries such as the Moray Firth, has a similar appearance to small cacti, and is sometimes referred to as “poor man’s asparagus“. Rock samphire has close ties with parsley and fennel and is less common.
It is really easy to cook – just boil or steam it for 3 or 4 minutes then season and serve with melted butter and lemon wedges. However, you can pickle it, even eat it raw in salads or cooked in a variety of dishes. Being a coastal plant, it does go particularly well with fish or as part of a dish such as seafood risotto.
Tags: asparagus, marsh samphire, poor man's asparagus, rock samphire, samphire
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June 1st, 2010
Late last year, the BBC approached Knockderry House to be the location for a documentary on the ‘Lives of the Glasgow Boys’ to tie in with the wonderful exhibition that is currently running at Kelvingrove Art Gallery, in Glasgow.
The documentary is presented by Muriel Gray who tells the story of the Glasgow Boys, a group of late 19th century painters who put Glasgow on the art world map. The film is focuses mainly on just four of the Boys – John Lavery, James Guthrie, George Henry and EA Hornel – and Gray examines their masterpieces in detail and charts their shifting friendships.
Knockderry House circa 1901 as it was at the time of the Glasgow Boys
Muriel travels throughout Scotland and northern France to uncover the sources of their inspiration and show just how radical their paintings were and visits many of the locations of their paintings including Helensburgh.
Lavery lived in Helensburgh for a while and painted a number of paintings of the town. Guthrie too was well known in the town as he was often a guest of one of his patrons and dentist, who lived there. As a footnote Guthrie’s son – Guthrie Jnr has some extremely fine stained glass in Knockderry’s Dining Room.
The documentary will be shown on Thursday 3rd June 2010 at 9pm on BBC Two (Scotland only). A BBC webpage has further details on The Glasgow Boys.
Tags: Art, BBC, EA Hornel, George Henry, Glasgow, Glasgow Boys, Helensburgh, James Guthrie, John Lavery, Kelvingrove Art Gallery
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March 30th, 2010
So many of us seem to have pretty poor memories of eating this vegetable as a child, which is really why I look to champion it here. No doubt the over-cooked flaccid vegetable we were offered is to blame and a great shame too as this delicious winter vegetable can not only taste wonderful but looks magnificent on the plate. It is easy to prepare and seems to be a made in heaven partner for almost any fish or meat dish, or simply served with lemon hollandaise and a poached duck egg.
The broccoli is a member of the cruciferous or brassicaceae family –also known as the cabbage family. But the name comes from the Italian word ‘brocco’ meaning branch or arm. Marcus Gavinus Apicius, a Roman gourmand and lover of luxury, in particular luxurious foods such as figs, shrimps and foie gras, mentions purple sprouting broccoli in his writings and it was the Romans that initially cultivated the purple sprouting variety in this country, but it has only risen to prominence in the UK in the last 30 yrs.
A freshly picked bunch of purple sprouting broccoli (left).
Purple sprouting broccoli comes in to season in late February to early mid April and is first to herald in the new season vegetables. It is especially good when young and tender. Look for the darkly coloured specimens with crisp stalks no bigger than 1 cm in diameter which snap cleanly when broken and avoid bent broccoli.
Steaming or stir frying are the best cooking methods for this beauty as it keeps its sharp green and purple pigments intact and also locks in all the vegetable’s goodness and nutrients.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Lemony Hollandaise and Poached Duck Egg
(Lemony Hollandaise – please note this recipe contains raw eggs)
1. Place the egg yolks in a small metal bowl and season them with a pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Whisk thoroughly for about 1 minute and add the lemon juice and white wine vinegar.
3. Melt butter in a pan over a gentle heat – careful not to let it brown.
4. When the butter is foaming, take it off the heat and whilst vigorously whisking, pour the liquid butter on to the egg yolks in a thin slow, steady trickle. The slower the better. It might be easier to use a jug rather than the saucepan and you should end up with a lovely, smooth, thick, buttery sauce.
5. Grate some lemon zest into the sauce.
Steam the broccoli in a steaming pan for about 2-3 minutes or until tender but not flaccid. Poach the duck’s egg in boiling water. Place the broccoli on the centre of the plate with the soft poached egg on top and spoon the hollandaise sauce generously over the egg and broccoli. Add a touch of seasoning and serve.
Tags: broccoli, hollandaise, poached duck egg, purple sprouting broccoli
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March 16th, 2010
Ramsons, also known as Buckrams, Bear’s Garlic or more commonly known as Wild Garlic (Allium Ursinum) is a wild relative of the chive, and a favourite of the wild boar and brown bear. As foraging chefs we use large quantities at this time of year, often taking time out of a busy day to go out and collect as much as we can!
Here at Knockderry House we have a plentiful supply on the grounds as it likes to grow in a woodland environment among bluebells, and is identifiable by its garlic-like smell and long lush leaves, which are similar in appearance to those of Lily of the Valley. It grows from late winter and throughout Spring and towards the end of the season it bursts into bloom with white flowers. Our first sighting this year was early March which was a little later than previous years due to the harsh winter, so it was very exciting to see those little buds poking up through the soil.
A hand-picked bowl of wild garlic leaves (right).
Cooking with Wild Garlic
Wild garlic is used for its leaves rather than its bulb. You can eat the the bulbs, along with the flowers, but they are much smaller in quantity and have a much more delicate flavour. The flowers are edible and are extremely good in salads or as a garnish and fill the air with that delicious garlic-like scent. We use both flower and leaf in our kitchen. The leaf is very versatile as they can be used as a salad, dried for flavouring, used in soups or even in lieu of basil in pesto. The stems can be pickled or salted and eaten with cheese or put through a salad.
Foraging for wild garlic in our surrounding woodland is fairly straight forward. It is found in semi-shaded, moist conditions and if you’re unsure about identifying it, the smell is the ultimate clarification as its odour is unmistakably garlic! Wild garlic is a fantastic and somewhat essential Spring ingredient of the Scottish chef’s larder, so get out there and get picking.
Garlic Soup
Ingredients
50g unsalted butter
100g white onions peeled and roughly chopped
200g floury potatoes peeled and roughly chopped
300 ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
1 bunch of fresh wild garlic
2 tbsp double cream
Method
1. Over a medium heat melt butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.
2. Add the chopped onions and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Sweat the onions until they are soft but not discoloured.
4. Add the stock to the potatoes and onions until a little at a time until it has all been taken up.
5. Bring the pan to a boil, reduce the heat and cook until the potatoes and onions are tender.
6. Stir in the wild garlic leaves and cook for 1 more minute. Add the double cream (or crème fraiche if you prefer) and stir.
7. Blend to a smooth consistency using a hand held blender or a food processor and season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Serve the soup in bowls with croutons and a little parmesan cheese or make a pesto replacing the basil with wild garlic and drizzle over the top.
Tags: allium ursinum, bear's garlic, buckrams, garlic soup, ramsons, wild garlic
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March 8th, 2010
Like your wife’s birthday and ‘the anniversary’, Mother’s Day is one of those dates that for a truly peaceful life is best not forgotten. So even though it is a busy time for us at Knockderry House with many families taking their mums out for a lovely lunch to say thank you, we all make sure that we have the flowers organised well in advance. But what is the history behind the tradition?
Many see it as a recent rather commercialised festival imported from the United States, where the tradition to celebrate Mother’s Day has become the most popular day of the year to dine whilst telephone companies record their highest traffic.
However, it is a tradition that can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans who celebrated with a Spring festival dedicated to Cybele, a mother goddess, presumably including a trip to the Coliseum to watch a few guys who’d forgotten their anniversary, Valentine’s Day, the birthday and Mother’s Day (The Grand Slam) being thrown to the lions or in later days being dragged round IKEA behind a chariot – TWICE!
Even early Christians, the ones who remembered, celebrated a Mother’s Day of sorts during Lent in honour of the Virgin Mary; eventually, the holiday was expanded to include all mothers. Some however, believe that Mother’s Day was so named as people returned to their home or “mother” church at least once a year. The same opportunities for holidays did not exist as they do now, but like today, children often worked away from home so this became a time for family reunions.
It was therefore, the reference to the “Mother” church which led to the term ‘Mothering Sunday’ which in turn led to the tradition of children, visiting their mother and family with gifts and a special fruit cake or fruit-filled pastry called a simnel.
These days, Mother’s Day is celebrated all over the world and although for many the church connection has been lost, it is still a special day on which to say thanks to our mums and the chance to express both love and thanks for all that they have given us. As long as you remember of course……otherwise it’s off to the Coliseum or even worse…..
From all at Knockderry House, we wish you a Happy Mothers Day.
Tags: Cybele, Mother's Day, Mothering Sunday
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February 9th, 2010
With Valentine’s Day fast approaching we thought we might take a peek at the relationship between food and love and specifically the aphrodisiacs properties in food.
Throughout the ages there has been a belief that certain foods increase sexual desire. The word “aphrodisiac” comes from Aphrodite; the Greek Goddess of Love and in ancient times a distinction was made between a substance that increased fertility versus one that simply increased the sex drive.
The key issue in early times was nutrition. Food was not as readily available as it is today so undernourishment created a loss of libido as well as a reduction in fertility rates. Substances found in Mother Nature’s garden that represented seeds such as bulbs, eggs, and snails were therefore considered to have sexual powers whilst other types of food were considered stimulating by their physical resemblance to the sexual parts of the body!
Most of us have heard of the potential aphrodisiac qualities of powdered rhino horn gaining its reputation from the aggressive qualities of the animal source. These days however, we can look closer to home and be totally ethical in relation to aphrodisiacs.
There is an abundance of aphrodisiac food available, and at Knockderry House Hotel on Valentine’s Day we combine many of these to produce a sensual menu to evoke the senses and ignite the desires.
Aphrodisiac foods include bananas, chocolate, carrots, fennel, garlic, pineapple, raspberries, strawberries, truffles and vanilla however, here are some ingredients that you may not have considered.
Seen as a symbol of fertility throughout the ages, the almond has an aroma that is thought to induce passion in the female. Meanwhile, the Aztecs called the avocado tree “Ahucauatl” which translated, literally means ‘testicle tree’. The ancients likened the fruit hanging in pairs to the males anatomy. Caffeine is a well known stimulant and serving small amounts over ice cream will stimulate both the body and mind. Oysters, of course have been well documented as an aphrodisiac by the Romans, and Casanova was reported to indulge in a few before his famous rampages. They contain a high concentration of zinc that is good for sperm production. And figs were traditionally thought of as a sexual stimulant. A man breaking open a fig and eating it in front of his lover was seen as a powerfully erotic act.
So this Valentine’s Day take your beloved out for a romantic meal and enjoy the food of love. Happy Valentines Day!
Tags: almond, aphrodisiac, aphrodite, avocado, caffeine, figs, love, oysters, Valentine's
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January 28th, 2010
A winter wonderland was the setting for our first wedding of the year. Ben and Annie Hobley were married on the 10 of January by a local minister in the lovely surroundings of the hotel overlooking a wintry Loch Long. As they took their vows, the snow began to fall gently on the frosty ground and the landscape began to transform providing a unique backdrop to a very special day.
The perfect setting for a Scottish wedding
The wedding was relatively small with the guests primarily made up of close family, very close friends and various children, the smaller of whom looked like winter fairies in their dresses.
The bride and groom clearly enjoyed their moment. Despite the chilly temperatures they braved the weather to ensure there were some magical photographs taken out in the hotel’s grounds in the falling snow. This was very special intimate day which despite the weather was full of warmth.
The happy couple together in the grounds of Knockderry House
‘what a wonderful location, excellent food and it was real joy to be looked after by staff who without exception were unfailingly friendly, courteous, efficient and for them nothing was too much trouble to make our stay a very special event.’ – Jim and Sue Hobley, Jan 2010
Tags: loch long, snow, wedding
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January 18th, 2010
Haggis is as synonymous with Scotland as Braveheart and Irn Bru, but is it truly Scottish? The auld alliance may be the key to that question. The French court would serve a similar dish of innards and gizzards inside a stomach lining, in fact nearly every European country from the Romanian tuba to the Spanish pig fest have all used bits and pieces and the stomach as a vessel.
So why did someone decide to boil up sheep guts, mince it and mix it with oatmeal and thyme? Out of necessity, I suppose. As long as there has been cooks, they have challenged culinary boundaries. The ingredients include the lamb pluck (the heart lungs and liver), oatmeal, thyme and onions. These ingredients were most readily available in Scotland and an obvious choice.
As time passed, spices were added to th mix, such as ginger, pimento, nutmeg and of course black pepper which gives haggis it’s heat. There are countless wonderful recipes to produce our Scottish icon that we call Haggis. At the Knockderry, we prepare our haggis weekly using the pluck of Cairngorm mountain lamb, pinhead oatmeal from Alford and thyme from the hotel’s garden.
Haggis is especially significant at this time of year as January 25th draws upon us. Robert Burns immortalised the chieftain of the pudding race in his fantastic poem ‘Address to a Haggis’ which is recited at Burns Suppers around the end of January all over the world.
Tags: burns supper, haggis, robert burns
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