John Torode's mussels with clotted cream and Cornish cider
After spending the last two weeks in Cornwall, John Torode makes his way over to the Isles of Scilly, starting with a helicopter journey to St. Mary’s, the largest of the islands.
John then boards a private boat taxi straight to the Isle of St Agnes in search of the most south westerly gin distillery in the UK to find out what makes it so tasty. We finish off with John cooking a moules marinière and making a martini on the beach.
Mussels with clotted cream and Cornish cider
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 Shallots, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
20gm Butter
Glug of vegetable oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1kg Mussels
200ml Cornish cider
50ml clotted cream
Flat leaf parsley, chopped
Method
1. Clean all the mussels, removing all beards and barnacles.
2. In a thick bottomed pan sweat the shallots and garlic in the butter and oil, add a grind of the pepper, Add mussels & the cider or wine if you prefer, and place a lid on the pan. Give the pan a good shuffle and let the mussels steam open, cook for a few minutes
3. Add the clotted cream and give a really good shake, Take out the mussels and boil the sauce rapidly.
4. Strain the sauce over the sea vegetables to cook them and add the chopped parsley, pour all the sauce over the mussels and serve
Classic Gin Martini
Serves 2
Ingredients
30ml Dry Vermouth
100ml Gin
Green Olives
1 tbsp olive brine
Lemon rind
Method
1. Chill two martini glasses well.
2. Take a glass jug or cocktail shaker and half fill with Ice.
3. Add the vermouth and then the gin and stir for 30 seconds
4. Add 1 tbsp of olive brine and strain into the chilled glasses.
5. Garnish with three olives on a stick .
6. If using lemon, take a good size piece of lemon rind and curl it, don’t add the brine and simply strain the mixed martini into the chilled glasses and twist the lemon over to release the oils and drop in the twist.