Do you know what’s the perfect season to enjoy sea buckthorn berries or when you should add cobnuts to your dishes? What time is best to enjoy fresh figs and when you should make the most of the unusual flavour of the Japanese yuzu? In short, is it fruit or false?
Caviar is a delicacy that has been enjoyed for centuries. The caviar world possesses a certain mystifying quality which can sometimes be a bit intimidating for the uninitiated. We often encounter customers who are eager to embark on their own caviar journey, but are simply unsure of where to start.
This feature aims to help you navigate the caviar world with confidence. Caviar is a term that refers to the lightly-salted eggs of sturgeon, an ancient scaleless family of fish. Within this there are three main species that are most commonly used to produce caviar: beluga, oscietra and sevruga. Salmon roe and tobiko are not true caviars, but they are often referred to as ‘alternative caviars’.
Blood oranges are true treasures of the citrus fruit family. Sadly, they have a short season, starting in January and lasting until March, making them a highly prized winter wonder. I am a big fan of these blush beauties and their delicious crimson juice. With a touch of ginger and a splash of gin this blood orange martini is the perfect aperitif.
Cookbooks offer everyone something different. Some people look to them for guidance, others use them for inspiration and some simply enjoy looking at the pictures and reading through the tit-bits of prose. At Fine Food Specialist we frequently discuss how we use our cookbooks and in the Content Team we often excitedly recommend our favourites to each other while enjoying leftovers for lunch.
My favourite egg is a poached quail’s egg. Nothing beats that sensationally creamy and rich egg yolk that bursts in your mouth without all the dripping mess. These quail’s egg canapés are a great crowd pleaser and make for a delicious pre-dinner nibble. They are so easy to assemble and can be ready in no time at all. Why not serve them alongside our Scotch Quail’s Eggs or Beetroot Pickled Quail’s Eggs for a fun and delicious plates of canapés?
Pickling is an amazing preservation method that not only extends the life of your food, but also transforms its flavours, giving it an interesting and tasty edge. These are our affectionately named 'Pickled Pink' quail's eggs. In this recipe I have used beetroot as a way of transforming the pickling liquid into a deep pink, almost purple dye, creating deliciously quirky and eye-catching eggs.
Miso is a traditional Japanese ingredient made from soy beans, salt and usually a fermented grain such as white rice, brown rice or barley. It was first seen as a luxury food, eaten solely by Buddhist monks and nobles, but by the sixteenth century it had become a common food item. Furthermore, by the seventeenth century miso had begun to be produced on an industrial scale.
Drogo Montagu is the founder of Fine Food Specialist. Since its origin in 2010 the company has grown into the online destination for quality produce and hard-to-find ingredients. Drogo worked as a professional chef and has a wealth of knowledge on interesting ingredients and cooking techniques, which he is always willing to share.
