Episode 1 Mary Berry's Foolproof Cooking

I'm Mary Berry, and in this series

I'll be sharing some of my best, foolproof secrets with you.

I think it's really important to have a selection of trusted recipes

that you know will never let you down.

No matter what the occasion, I'll show you how to make it simple.

From my delicious ideas for lazy days...

-Here you are, darling, a treat for you.

-Thank you.

I could get quite used to this.

..to easy recipes when time is tight.

And scrumptious goodies to thrill the family.

Oh, thank you very much, a spoon!

Tonight:

It's foolproof recipes for those days

when you want something that's just a little bit special.

It's a real treat.

Mmm!

For me, special days are all about having good friends round

and giving them something that I know they're going to enjoy.

It's time to push the boat out with the very best ingredients

for dishes that feel truly sumptuous.

But it really must be something that I can prepare ahead,

so that I can spend time with them.

A seafood treat that's the height of decadence.

A gorgeous vegetable dish that's bound to impress.

A regal classic that will satisfy the heartiest appetite.

And a stunning pud that will finish things off with great style.

But let's begin with a dinner party favourite.

Salmon is the perfect fish to serve for a special occasion.

I've got them from the centre cut,

and I have taken the skin off those.

So, onto the topping.

Finely chop a handful of chives

and add to a packet of soft cream cheese.

If you pick up low-fat cream cheese, it'll just run off the salmon,

it won't have the favour, and it won't have the texture.

So full-fat.

To pack in more flavour, add some grated Parmesan

and a clove of crushed garlic.

That looks just about right.

Smells beautifully of chives.

Now, we want some black pepper in there.

And some salt.

So we now have the topping ready for the salmon.

So dollop it on.

The idea is to cover the fillet from end to end, fairly evenly.

Liven up the top with a sprinkling of lemon zest and parsley.

Didn't that brighten it up?

And of course, it all adds to the flavour as well.

Finish off with red pepper for a lovely, striking effect.

For perfectly cooked salmon every time,

bake at 180 fan for 15 minutes. But keep an eye on it.

When you see the first little bit of liquid coming out of the fish,

out, it'll be done.

While that salmon's cooking, I'm going to do

a very special accompaniment - spiralised vegetables.

I'm got a spiraliser here, quite a simple one.

Looks a bit like an egg timer, doesn't it?

So, first of all, a courgette.

Push it down and just turn it round,

holding the spiraliser firmly.

So watch, magic.

Do you know, it's a bit like sharpening a pencil, isn't it?

A few carrots add a splash of colour.

Helps to have two weapons to stir it.

And you just turn it like this.

And finally, parsley, lemon juice and zest

to set off the flavour of our fish.

Lift that up - whee! Just like spaghetti!

That's a new, healthy way to do veg.

That looks just about right.

Can you see, at the very front here,

there's just a little bit of liquid coming out.

That's how it should be.

Now, a little juice over the top.

So there you have it -

my beautiful salmon with a nice herb and pepper topping.

I think that's just perfect for a special occasion.

Sometimes, special days require a bit of decadence.

And, for me, there's nothing more indulgent than lobster.

I've travelled to Ventnor on the Isle of Wight to meet Ed Blake,

whose family have been making a living off the shores since the 1830s.

-Hello, all right?

-Hello, Ed?

-Yes, it is.

-You're taking me lobster catching?

-I am, yeah.

-And what a day!

-It is beautiful, isn't it?

-How marvellous.

-Absolutely beautiful.

-Come aboard.

-Can I just take your hand?

-Yep, I'll come this way.

Other leg in.

This is a first for me.

Unfortunately, not for me.

Around 400 lobster pots lie at the bottom of these waters,

-strung together in rows.

-Buoy, just ahead.

Every 24 hours, the fishermen head out to check each one,

hoping their bait has done the trick.

Here we go, the first pot's on its way.

Local laws keep the lobster population in check.

-Here we go, first lobster of the day.

-All right.

This gauge in. See, from behind the eye sockets to the

back of the head, this one is undersized.

It has to be past that?

Yes, the back of the head has to be up to there.

-So that goes back?

-He goes back.

-It's your lucky day!

Why is Ventnor a good place to find lobsters?

Off of here, off of Ventnor, we've got the point of the Isle of Wight.

And there's the headland of Cherbourg, which causes

a pinching in of the land, which accelerates the tide through it.

This means the lobsters have to, A, be strong to fight against

these strong currents, and also have a very good feed supply.

Because the more tide there is, the more nutrients

there is in the water being carried.

So they don't have to move far to get a lot of feed.

-Why, you've got two in here!

-Two in this one.

-That was lucky.

Here we have a buried one.

-You can see the eggs under her tail there.

-Oh, gosh.

-Are they always black?

-They're always black.

On a big lobster, they can have up to a quarter of a million of them.

And that you must definitely put back?

Must definitely put back.

That's our future, that's our stock for the next generation.

So, you must come out in all weathers.

Yes, in fact, the best fishing is when it's really rough.

That gets the nutrients stirred up.

So we're actually praying for wind half the time.

-We haven't had a big lobster yet, so let's look.

-Let's have a look.

Look at that, you just called it. Lovely big lobster.

That's a whopper!

So from the back of the eyes, to there, she's definitely in size.

She hasn't got any eggs, so we're good to keep her.

Good, solid weight of a lobster.

I mean, it is a real beauty, this lovely, shiny black.

-And the rich blues in the tail, look at them.

-Absolutely lovely.

And, of course, when that is cooked, it goes bright red.

This is a real delicacy. It is the king of the sea, really.

It is, there's nothing better.

With our pots checked,

it's time to head back to shore to sample today's catch.

And here in Ventnor, they have a very unique way of serving it.

Here we go.

This is the lobster we caught this morning.

There you go.

Gosh, that's very decadent.

Chips and lobster.

It's a real treat.

You know what?

That was the real taste of the sea.

It is absolutely scrumptious,

and I'm in for my next bite.

Blow the chips!

I might join you.

You've been waiting for that, haven't you?

-Can't beat it, can you?

-You can't beat it.

Well, lobster and chips was a new one on me.

But, if you're preparing a special dinner for friends,

this next recipe might just fit the bill.

Right, first of all, let me make the aioli.

Count out six tablespoons of full-fat mayonnaise.

No need to make your own.

Then I'm going to add some creme fraiche.

Again, full fat, just four tablespoons.

One tablespoon of lemon juice.

Tarragon works beautifully with fish.

I'm adding three sprigs, which you could use dill if you prefer.

The smell coming up from this is absolutely lovely.

Then we'll need a little pepper and salt.

Now, aioli is French mayonnaise with garlic. A lot of garlic.

I've just put one clove of garlic, because I find when you press it,

all that juice comes out, and I think that's plenty.

Don't be tempted to chop it, because you'll get big pieces

in your teeth, and you'll know it for a couple of days.

Right, the next thing is to cook the lobster tails. Here they are.

They take no time to cook, about five minutes.

All I need is boiling, salted water.

That's it.

I want a delicate vegetable alongside,

so tender asparagus is perfect.

They snap just where the tenderness finishes. Just watch.

Like that.

There we are.

The lobster has had its five minutes.

Look at that gorgeous, bright pink. Lovely.

Now, that's too hot for me to handle, so just leave it.

Don't go and run it under cold water,

that'll take some of the lovely, salty flavour away.

So just leave that naturally to get cold.

Get on and do another job. Have you made the beds yet?

Now, don't panic about removing the tail. This method is foolproof.

Don't try and do it cutting the back.

Turn it right over to the softer side, hold the tail,

and put the point of the knife in there,

right in the middle, and cut down.

There we are.

Then we do it from the other end.

Just to where I started before.

Push that down. Once you've got it in like that, then just go...

How about that?

So, once you've done that, it doesn't look so attractive,

but there's a lovely surprise on the other side of the tail,

it's a glorious, bright pink.

Let me show you.

What I'm doing is gently prising it away from the skin.

There we are.

This dish is all about showing off.

So put the two halves back in the opposite shells.

They will fit, trust me!

Take some lamb's lettuce.

I'm going to sit the lobster tail on it,

so it looks as though it's sitting on some rather bright seaweed.

Then, some asparagus.

All that needs is the aioli.

So a nice blob of that.

So there it is - a real treat, pushing the boat out.

Lobster tails with asparagus

and tarragon aioli.

When you're planning a special occasion,

it's important to plan for all tastes.

And this next dish is a lovely, rich way of serving vegetables.

It's colourful, it's tasty, all in one dish, and you can do it ahead.

Let's get going.

I'm using courgette, red pepper and aubergine,

because they roast so well.

Now, I'm going to add about four tablespoonfuls of oil.

Give or take.

You just rub it together,

and eventually it will all get covered in that olive oil.

If you just drizzle the oil, you'll miss bits.

This works every time.

I think that's well and truly mixed.

The secret to this dish is to roast the veg first.

That way all the moisture will be drawn out,

and the dish won't be soggy.

Now, I've set the oven at 200 fan.

And it will take about 25 minutes.

I'm aiming to get them a nice colour and beautifully tender.

All posh vegetables need a posh sauce.

Mine is made with some red onion, two fat cloves of garlic,

and to make it velvety smooth, I'm using passata.

Passata is just sieved tomatoes.

Last few bits - sugar, chopped basil and thyme.

And leave it to simmer for ten minutes.

Now to take out our vegetables.

You'll notice they've really shrunk.

Now it's time to make the layers.

That's it, looks colourful already!

For real richness of flavour,

a generous layer of grated gruyere cheese.

So when that cooks, it all melts,

so you can imagine you have this sort of lovely

stringiness in the middle.

Which adds to the flavour, adds to the style of the dish.

Now that really works out rather well, doesn't it?

That's it.

Finally, for a sense of occasion,

top with generous chunks of tomato wedges.

Once I've done all this, you look at it and you think,

"That's all ready for my special party."

It's all done, all I've got to do is put it in the oven.

It's a lovely feeling to be able to prepare ahead.

Cover it with foil to help it cook evenly and steam the tomatoes.

Then into the oven at 180 fan for around 25 minutes.

That's just like I wanted it to be.

It's bubbling, just at the edge here.

And that cheese will have melted in the middle.

Delicious on its own,

or wonderful for a Sunday lunch with a leg of lamb.

I think that looks most exciting,

far better than the old-fashioned ratatouille.

Some of my most special days are those shared with friends.

I never drink at lunchtime.

But this is an exception.

A chance to share stories and remember the good old days.

The only thing I ever cooked before I married Paddy was lamb chops.

LAUGHTER

Did you woo him on lamb chops?

No, he took me out to dinner all the time.

I've known Mary, must be 53 or four years now.

We did a dish in Housewife magazine, with Chinese food.

Which was fairly new in those days, in the early '60s.

This is Shirley and, very unlike Shirley,

you've just got a cup of coffee or tea in your hand.

Times have certainly changed.

But here at Rules, things have stayed firmly in the past.

It has been going since 1798, and is renowned for a dish which has

remained unchanged for many years -

beef Wellington.

The origin of this dish is unclear.

Some say it was invented in Wellington, New Zealand.

But I like the rumour that it was created in honour of the first

Duke of Wellington, Arthur Wellesley.

It's one of the classic dishes of this country, really, isn't it?

But, it's a bit of a finicky dish to actually make.

And a lot of people don't really, perhaps, have the time or

the expertise or whatever else to stand here and make it.

There's a few processes involved.

It's not something you can just come home, bang, in the oven.

You need to think about it, maybe preplan a wee bit

and be quite organised.

Because we've had it on for so long,

it doesn't actually feature on the menu any more.

Our guests know they simply have to ask for it,

and we're delighted to create that for them.

It is one of those dishes, there's little point in trying to reinvent

the wheel, it works, it's worked that way for hundreds of years.

It's a classic, iconic dish.

When I first made beef Wellington, I suppose in 1966,

it did seem very complicated.

You either had a pate de foie all the way around it,

or you had a sort of mushroom farce.

And then, to crown it all, you had a pancake.

So wrap it in the pancake and then wrap it in puff pastry.

It was a huge palaver.

I would say I'm slightly nervous about cooking

beef Wellington for Mary, to be honest.

If the puff pastry goes soggy, I could be in a lot of trouble here.

I would never dream of doing it.

It's not an expensive piece of meat,

but one doesn't want to ruin it and overcook it,

because there's nothing worse than an overcooked fillet of beef.

It's got to be done carefully.

-ALL GASP

-Wow, look at this!

How beautiful is that?

This is the moment of truth.

Fingers crossed.

It's a very large man-portion.

-Oh, my God!

-It does look perfect.

That is perfection.

Oh, the meat is beautifully pink.

And the crowning glory is the pastry.

If I tap my finger against it, this is crisp as can be.

I'm a very relieved man, Mary. Very relieved man.

What are we waiting for?

Mmm, it is so delicious!

This is the most gorgeous flavour.

And none of us have cooked it.

What a treat.

That really was a stunning beef Wellington.

But if you want to make one at home, my version is far simpler.

And just perfect for that special dinner party.

The first thing you need for beef Wellington is wonderful beef fillet.

Now, I've got one here, and it is the middle cut.

That's important if you want to get every slice cooked the same degree.

It is expensive, but providing you cook it well, it'll be a real treat.

It's essential you take the time to seal the meat first.

That is sizzling.

This will give it a much better flavour later on.

You want to do this fairly evenly,

you don't want just brown on the top and brown underneath.

It's got to be all the way round.

Remember, this is not cooking the beef, this is just browning it.

Roast at 200 fan for 15 minutes, then let it cool,

and pop it into the fridge to chill.

For the topping, I've fried off 350g of mushrooms,

but make sure you drain the moisture.

You don't want a soggy pastry.

And you must let this get cold first,

otherwise it would cook the egg yolk like scrambled egg.

So, in goes the egg yolk.

That helps to bind it.

To give it a deeper flavour,

I'm using grated Parmesan, Dijon mustard and fresh tarragon.

Little pepper and salt.

And then you just mix that all altogether.

It becomes quite firm, can you see that?

So that is my mushroom farce to go on top of the beef.

All we need now is the pastry casing.

And I'm cutting a few corners.

It's pre-bought butter puff pastry.

Life is too short for me to make puff pastry.

At last, it's time to finish the beef Wellington.

For a foolproof result, everything must be stone-cold.

So pile that on like that.

I'm having a nervous moment, I'm just wondering

whether it's going to quite reach.

So, I'm just going to roll that,

just a little, tiny bit longer there, just in case.

Don't want to have to take it off again. That's it.

I'm going to just brush round the outside with the egg.

And that'll make it stick.

Then, I'm going to lift that up in one fell swoop, like that.

And then...

I haven't stretched it. If you stretch it, it'll go back and shrink.

So just press that down like that.

Glaze that with the egg that I've mixed with milk.

Why am I doing that? Because I want the strips to stick.

A touch more egg wash will give a glistening finish.

Bake at 200 fan for 30-35 minutes.

Until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.

Doesn't that look amazing?

There'll be a lot of oohs and ahs at the table when that arrives.

We just pull that away like that,

and you can see, that's a lovely, pink colour.

A side of greens,

and a luxurious tarragon and mushroom sauce

are a perfect marriage.

I think I'll get that in on one go.

Dare I say it, I think that would be my most favourite meat dish

to serve for that very special occasion.

It's always good to end a special meal with a bit of a sparkle.

And this pud is beautifully simple.

Panna cotta simply means "cooked cream".

And it comes from Italy.

If you're in Italy, it's there on every menu.

So that's 900ml of cream.

And then we need to add the sugar, 75g. In that goes.

I'm going to heat it simply enough to be really, really hot

and dissolve that sugar.

For that hint of latte, add equal parts of instant coffee and water.

You could, if you wish, use one shot of espresso coffee

if you prefer. But this, I find, gives a really good flavour.

Now, to make the whole thing set, I need gelatine.

Soften 13g in water and add to the latte mixture.

Don't expect it to be like a thick sauce or anything.

You won't notice any difference in the consistency.

Except that there's no floppy gelatine in there.

That's absolutely ready to go.

That was easy, wasn't it?

Then into the fridge for at least three hours to set.

Right, the next move is the brittle.

It's essential when you're making caramel to dissolve the sugar first.

To be foolproof, don't use a nonstick pan, as the sugar will crystallise.

And now, I can take the spoon out, never stir it again.

Turn up the heat,

and the moment that it turns to a pale straw colour,

off with the heat.

I think that's almost the colour I want.

So I'm going to turn the heat off.

In goes the nuts.

Move it round.

And then pour that.

I'm going to let that get stone-cold, then I'll bang it,

and it'll all crush, and have a beautiful flavour.

Each little piece of nut will be covered in caramel,

and it'll look like a little jewel.

There they are, lined up like soldiers.

It helps to get them out if you just dip them in hot water for a moment.

A secret of getting it dead centre is to wet the plate first.

You'll then be able to move them about.

Doesn't that look amazing?

Lovely shine on it.

You don't want to have the pieces too big, to break their teeth.

Just about right.

I promise you that that is going to bring a sparkle

to the eyes of all your guests and friends.

A perfect ending to that very special meal.

How lovely to be here.

-What a treat!

-What a treat.

-Lovely to be here.

Happy days.

Next time:

It's my foolproof recipes for days when you need something comforting.

Life doesn't get better than that.