With all its complex flavours and use of different botanicals, gin makes for a perfect cooking ingredient and the popularity of using it to enhance dishes is on the rise. The fabulous Lisa Bennison, Product & Innovation Manager at Bettys, has created some delicious recipes using our London Dry and Gooseberry Gin as the key ingredient.
Tea Smoked Salmon, with Gooseberry Gin Picked Cucumber, Fennel, Watercress and Micro herb Salad (serves 2)
Ingredients
For the gin cured salmon:
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp course sea salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 lime zested
- Few drops begamont (optional)
- 10ml Slingsby Gooseberry Gin
- 2 x 100g salmon
- 200g dried rice
- 25g Lapsang Souchong Tea
For the pickled cucumber:
- 3 capers (finely chopped)
- ½ a cucumber
- 30ml Slingsby Gooseberry Gin
- 10 rice wine vinegar
- Pinch of salt
- 10ml elderflower cordial
- Micro herbs/watercress
- Sprig of tarragon
- Fennel finely sliced 1/8
- 2-4 thin slices mixed grain bread
- Drizzle of oil
Method
For the Gin Cured Salmon:
- In a small pan toast the spices and place into a pestle and mortar and grind down to a fine dust , add the sugar and lime zest
- Reserve 1-2 tsp of the cure rub for seasoning and skin
- Rub the skinned salmon with a little gin and bergermont oil and a drizzle of rapeseed oil
- Dust with the spice mixture
- Place the salmon into a plastic bag and allow to infuse the flavours for approximately 2 hours, ideally over night, in the fridge
- Rub the skin in the same way, place on a baking tray lined with parchmet paper and place a second piece of paper and a second tray top with a weight. Place into a preheated oven 175 for 10 minutes or until golden in colour
For the pickled cucumber:
- Peel the skin off the cucumber, cut into ¼ and remove the seed pod. Dice then add the gin, rice wine vinegar, elderflower cordial, capers and salt and leave for 2 hours or overnight. Keep chilled until required
- Just before serving add the fennel and tarragon
For the Bettys Crumb:
- Firstly, pre-heat the oven to 180˚c (fan assisted)
- Cut the bread using a serrated knife, slicing as thinly as you can
- Place the bread on a baking tray with parchment paper underneath, add a drizzle of oil then place another piece of parchment paper on top, followed by another baking tray with a weight on top to sandwich the bread
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until crunchy and golden brown, leave to cool
To cook and serve:
- Place the rice and Lapsang Souchong tea in a heavy base deep roasting tray and lay the cured salmon on a cooling wire place on the top of the tray
- Create a foil dome lid ensuring the salmon is covered and the foil covers the lip of the tray to keep all the smoke in
- Turn on a medium ring for 6-8 minutes then switch off and leave for 20-30 minutes
- Once cool, place into the fridge or serve warm (2 days shelf life)
- Prepare a serving plate with a few broken pieces of Bettys crumb and the Gin pickled cucumber, fennel and add a drizzle of the gin dressing from the cucumber salad over the watercress and herb salad
- Flake pieces of the salmon then drizzle the gin dressing over. Finish with shards of the spiced crispy salmon skin
Slingsby Gin and Pink Grapefruit Cakes (makes 6-9)
Special equipment
- 9x Fancier mould or 6x individual loaf tins
Ingredients
For the cakes:
- 100g butter, softened
- 2 x 50g caster sugar
- 1 pink grapefruit – zest of half and 25ml of juice
- 25ml Slingsby London Dry Gin
- 2 eggs, separated
- 50g ground almonds
- 50g plain flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
For the drizzle:
- ½ pink grapefruit peel
- Remaining pink grapefruit juice
- 50g caster sugar
- 50ml Slingsby London Dry Gin
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 crushed juniper berries
- Extra caster sugar for frosting
Method
For the cakes:
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (fan assisted)
- Brush the moulds with a little oil and set aside
- Separate the eggs, placing the whites in a clean, dry, metal bowl and whisk to firm peak stage. Gradually whisk in one measure of 50g caster sugar and keep whisking until and the meringue is shiny. Store to one side
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and a measure of 50g caster sugar until light and creamy using an electric whisk. Add the zest of ½ pink grapefruit and beat together
- Gradually whisk in the egg yolks a little at a time. Fold in the ground almonds, baking powder and flour with a large metal spoon
- Pour in the 25ml of gin and 25ml of the squeezed pink grapefruit and continue to fold until smooth
- Then gently fold the meringue into the cake mix
- Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared cake tins and bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean
- While the cake bakes prepare the drizzle
For the Drizzle:
- Cut the pink grapefruit peel into thin strips and place the peel with remaining grapefruit juice and a 50g measure caster sugar, bay leaves and juniper berries into a heavy based pan
- Warm over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer for a few minutes or until you have a syrupy consistency
- Remove from the heat add the gin
- Place the cakes onto a cooling wire. Prick the warm sponge all over with a skewer, remove the bay leaves and juniper berries and then drizzle half the syrup over each of the sponge cakes
- Add a little extra caster sugar to remaining syrup and peel to create a frosted sugar glaze spoon over the cakes with a few strips of grapefruit
Join Lisa at award-winning Bettys Cookery School in Harrogate. Whether you're a beginner, or an aspiring chef, it's easy to find a course that's just right for you from their wide range of courses. Visit bettyscookeryschool.co.uk