If you’ve already eaten at Eslington Villa, you’ll know how good our food is and might be tempted to recreate one of our dishes at home.
Every month a new recipe for a dish from our current menu will appear here on the website. You can also access an archive of recipes – the perfect resource for dinner party menu planning!
Classic French Onion Soup with Gruyere Croutons
Ingredients
75g butter
750g onions very finely sliced
1tsp caster sugar
150ml white wine
1.5ltr chicken stock
salt & pepper
thick slices baguette
freshly grated gruyere cheese
Method
In a large saucepan melt butter, add onions, sprinkle with sugar and saute for about 5 mins until onions begin to caramelize, turn heat down as low as possible and cook for about 20 mins until onions are soft and deep nutty brown.
Add white wine and reduce by half then pour in chicken stock and stir, bring to the boil, lower heat and simmer for about 30 mins.
For the croutons, cut baguette diagonally, drizzle with olive oil and bake until golden brown, sprinkle with gruyere cheese and grill, place on top of soup.
Rice Pudding Creme Brulee with Horlicks Ice cream
Ingredients
1/2ltr double cream
8 egg yolk
150g sugar
1 vanilla pod split
150g short grain rice
600ml milk
600ml double cream
75g caster sugar
35g unsalted butter
Method
In a pan gently heat cream with half the sugar and vanilla and mix the other half of sugar to egg yolks, gently add this mixture to cream in pan and cook over a low heat until the consistency of the mixture will coat the back of a spoon, allow to cool.
Wash the rice, place in a pan with milk, cream and sugar and bring to the boil, add butter and simmer until cooked, allow to cool.
Mix both the creme brulee mixture and rice together and place in poyts, chill.
Add sugar to top and grill until the top is brown and crispy.
Slow cooked chicken & ham terrine
Serves 10
300g pork belly, roughly diced
600g chicken breast, finely chopped or minced
3 chicken breasts, skin off, roughly chopped
3 medium gammon steaks, skin off and sliced
2 large white onions, finely chopped
300ml white wine
3tbsp chopped herbs – sage, tarragon, parsley and chives
12 slices of streaky bacon
3 free range egg yolks
Pre heat your oven to 140 degrees Celsius/ Gas mark 1
Method
Place the chopped onions in a pan and cover with the white wine. Bring to the boil and then simmer and reduce until onions are tender and the mixture is almost dry. Set aside and allow to cool down thoroughly.
In a bowl, mix all the chopped meats, herbs, cooled onions, beaten egg yolks and season generously with black pepper and a couple of pinches of salt.
Line the terrine mould with a double layer of cling film. Place the streaky bacon in a layer, overlapping and covering the inside of the mould.
Place the mixture inside and push down firmly to fill all corners. Wrap any bacon left hanging over the top of the terrine. Bang the terrine firmly on the bench to release any air.
Cover the top with cling film and foil. Place in a roasting tray filled halfway with water and place in your pre heated oven. Cook for between 1-2 hours until the terrine is piping hot in the centre – check by using a metal skewer every 15 minutes once the terrine has been in for an hour.
Take out and leave on a rack, lightly weighed down, until cooled. Turn out and serve sliced at room temperature with dressed leaves and cornichons.
Duck – two ways!
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 duck breasts
2 duck legs
1kg duck fat
4 tbsp sea salt
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1tbsp chopped fresh thyme
250g butter
6 large potatoes
500g swede
4 sticks of salsify
lemon juice
1 bag of baby spinach
chicken stock
6 banana shallots, finely sliced
200g button mushrooms, sliced
1 measure of port
½ bottle red wine
2 litres of brown chicken or veal stock
knob of butter
Method
24 hours before the meal, mix the salt, garlic and thyme together. In a shallow dish, scatter this over the duck legs and place in a fridge over night.
The next day, wash duck legs thoroughly and pat dry. Place in an ovenproof dish with the melted duck fat and put in a pre-heated oven at 140 degrees C/ gas mark 1 for 2 ½ hours. Take out of the fat and allow to cool.
Trim the ends of all potatoes and then with a small metal pastry cutter, cut cylindrical shapes out of each potato.
Thinly slice the butter and line the bottom of a pan. Place the potatoes on top and cover with the chicken stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 mins until the stock evaporates and caramelises the potatoes.
In a heavy bottomed pan, melt the butter and add the shallots and mushrooms, sweat down and colour a little. Add the port and red wine and reduce until almost dry. Add the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for 30 minutes or until a sauce consistency is reached.
Peel and chop the swede into inch dice and boil until tender. Drain and place in a food processor with seasoning and blend until smooth. Add a little butter. Wash and peel the salsify in lemon water. Blanch in boiling water for two minutes and refresh in cold water. Cut into strips and then set aside to sauté just prior to serving.
Cut the duck legs in half and place on a non-stick tray skin side down and put in a pre heated oven – 180 degrees Celsius / gas mark 4 – for 15-20 minutes until crisp. Heat a frying pan and place duck breasts skin side down and cook for 2 minutes each side then place in oven for 5 minutes, remove and allow to rest. Cut each breast in two diagonally into equal portions.
Wilt spinach in a pan, remove excess water and lightly season and add some butter. On each plate serve half a duck leg and breast, with the salsify, spinach, potatoes and red wine sauce.
White chocolate fondant with dark chocolate centre
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
250g white chocolate buttons
250g unsalted butter
5 medium egg yolks
5 medium eggs
125g caster sugar
145g plain flour
200g dark chocolate buttons
20ml Grand Marnier or good quality whisky
180ml double cream, chilled
200ml water
200g of dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
a small punnet of raspberries
Method
Make the chocolate sauce by placing the 200g chocolate, broken into pieces, into a bowl. Pour over 200ml boiling water and place bowl over another bowl containing iced water. Whisk until it resembles whipped double cream.
Put a non-stick pan on a low heat until warm then remove, add the dark chocolate buttons and stir with a wooden spoon and slowly melt the chocolate, add the Grand Marnier and chilled double cream. Continue stirring until it starts to form ribbons. Pour into an ice cube tray and freeze for at least 2 hours.
Grease and flour the dariole moulds. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees C/ gas mark 4. Melt together the white chocolate and the butter in a bowl over hot water. When melted and glossy, remove from the heat and allow to cool a little.
Whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar until trebled in volume. Carefully fold in the sifted flour. Make sure the mixture is well combined and then add the white chocolate mix to the egg and flour mix. Evenly fill the moulds until almost full and chill in the fridge for an hour.
Push a chocolate ice cube into the centre of each dessert and place the moulds on an oven tray and bake for 11 minutes. Turn out of the moulds and serve straight away with the sauce and a garnish of raspberries.
