06/10/2012 Saturday Kitchen

Good morning. There's a feast of world- class cooking coming right

up. This is Saturday Kitchen Live! Welcome to the show. There's an

international flavour to the food in the kitchen today. First, the

award-winning chef who's been making award-winning Indian food at

his restaurant Cafe Spice Namaste for 17 years. It's Cyrus Todiwala.

Next is a woman whose bestselling cookbooks and hit tv shows have

made her a household name back in her native New Zealand. She's

making her debut on British television this morning. It's

Annabel Langbein. Good morning to you both. So Cyrus what are you

cooking? What I am cooking is in keeping with this week, National

Egg Week, and not to forget the butter. So I am doing parsee

coddled egg and potato with spicy cod salad.

That's it. Served with a ginger relish.

And the bread and the butter! Extra butter on the bread! What are you

cooking for us today? I am going to demystify mayonnaise. Then I will

make prawn toast and seared beef salad and a delicious beef and

vegetable salad. Sounds good to me. So, two very

different culinary styles on display today and we've got more

fantastic foodie films from the BBC archives for you too. Today's brand

new Saturday Kitchen episodes are from Rick Stein, Great British Menu

and Rachel Khoo. Now, our special guest is a star on both sides of

the Atlantic having first appeared here with Ricky Gervais in the

ground-breaking BBC comedy, Extras, before heading to Hollywood to star

in the huge smash hit show, Ugly Betty. She's back home again and

we're pleased to welcome her to Saturday Kitchen, Ashley Jensen.

Great to have you on the show. Welcome to the UK. How long were

you abroad? I was there for six years in Hollywood.

You have not lost the Scottish accent.

The character was supposed to have an American accent? It was. They

listened to me in both accents and thought it funnier in the Scottish

accents. I suppose to an American, that is funny.

Now you are here for a new play, you are about to star in that?

are here in the Harold Pinter Theatre. It is a comedy, but with

little pockets of darkness in it. We will talk about that a little At

the end of today's programme I'll cook either food heaven or food

hell for Ashley. It'll either be something based on your favourite

ingredient - food heaven, or your nightmare ingredient - food hell.

It's up to our chefs and a few of our viewers to decide which one you

get. So, what ingredient would your idea of food heaven be? I love hal

bullet. I always choose it if it is on the menu -- halibut.

My food hell is a food that is overrated, monkfish.

That is the chefs that have made it out to be more than it is. It used

to be skampy, but it is better with the breadcrumbs.

It's either halibut or monkfish for Ashley. For her food heaven I'm

going to combine the halibut with another of Ashley's favourite

things and perhaps the most luxurious ingredient of all,

truffles. The fish is pan fried in butter then served with some

sauteed black cabbage and a freshly made hollandaise sauce. It's

finished with truffle infused poached egg and a generous shaving

of more truffle on the top. Or Ashley could be having her food

hell, monkfish and a fishy version of a French classic, a monkish

blanquette. The fish is gently poached in fish stock then set

aside whilst enrich the sauce with egg yolks, cream, mushrooms, onions

and tarragon. The fish is returned to the sauce then served with piped

duchess potatoes. The way you describe it all is sounds appealing.

It doesn't taste like monkfish with all of the tarragon in it! Well

you'll have to wait until the end of the show to find out which one

Ashley gets. If you would like to call us just call this number: We

can put your questions live to us later on. If I get to speak to you,

I will be asking if Ashley should be facing food heaven or food hell.

. Right, cooking first is a man celebrating a culinary milestone.

Are you into Indian food? I love any food.

This man has been going 17 years, and he is only 35! His restaurant,

Cafe Spice Namaste, has been serving award-winning food for a

magnificent 17 years! So, on the menu today? It is parsee coddled

egg and potato with spicy cod salad. Of course we need the rice salad

Of course we need the rice salad with it. I have this lovely piece

of sustainable fish, line-caught cod. So we are going to do the cod.

So this is like a masala, is it? This one, that is like a connedment,

but this one is caught on a boat called the Charisma. I took it off

the fisherman himself. It is fantastic. So it is good to know

where your fish comes from. You are into sustainability? Very

much so. You look at everything when it

comes to food? Very much so. The more British the merer for me.

But this recipe is your mother's? It is very much mum's. Most women

in our community do make this. But Indian men are spoiled by their

mother 's, unfortunately. It is the same in the UK.

I still believe that mum's is better than mine. I still like to

believe that too. My mother's roast potatoes, you

can't beat them. That is because she puts in extra butter for you.

The goose was fed on butter! eat the potatos after they've been

dripped in butter. That is the key. Nothing better than that.

So, the garlic? The cumin is in the pan with butter and oil. A little

bit of oil to prevent the butter from browning.

There is a lot of ginger going in here? That is for the cod, the

salad. It gives a nice little flavour to it. We don't want to

overcook it. We want it nice and fresh. Of

course, the good old green chilli. What about Indian food in New

Zealand. I have never been to New Zealand. I can't believe you have

never been to New Zealand. We have to get you out. Indian food is very

popular. We have lots of Indians coming from Fiji. So you can go to

huge markets and buy all sorts of spices and interesting Indian

vegetables. There is a real sense of a global pantry in New Zealand.

So the cooking resolves around the fresh ingredients, that are

flavoured in lots of different ways. What about in LA, was there a lot

of Indian cooking in LA? Not much, but I did seek out a couple. I had

a really good curry in there. I think in New Zealand you could do

with a few more Indians there! think we could. Especially if they

cook like you! So, that is the potatoes, the onions and the cumin

and spices. It is covered with cling film instead of a lid?

needed a glass lid, but at home we don't show it on camera. So that is

fine. Now I have a batch here that I cooked before we started. So the

potato is perfectly done. I put up the heat so it drys out a bit.

I need some Indian MSG! Fresh coriander.

This is so popular in the UK, coriander. It is a testament to how

popular the Indian cuisine is. It is now the number one herb that

is grown in the UK. It has beaten parsley. What people don't know,

that coriander went from the West to the East, it never came from the

East to the West, but it became more popular in the East. So there

we go, James. A little bit of a dent in the bottom.

It is an ingredient you either love or hate.

Love! Some people don't. The Europeans, many of them do not love

.Your Mother will be watching, I've been told you have to put in the

spring onions, you forgot. Yes, I did! So, your mother does

know best. She would not forget this.

You can have as many CBEs, OBEs, how many professorships have you

got? I have one professorship, one doctorate.

What are you, an MBE? OBE? MBE, whatever you want to call it! Now,

I will put in the spring onions, then on goes the cling film again.

Tell us about the fish, you mentioned the boat? It is because

it is cod, there is a little scare on cod, that cod is depleting

wildly. It is becoming almost extinct. So people like me who are

conscious about that, almost stopped using cod in the restaurant.

The other day I had, we went to a session at billings gates fish

market. These people came and draeted to us about their fishing.

-- demonstrated about their fishing. It is caught on a boat called

Charisma. It is in the Barent's Sea. What they do is put long lines in

the boat. The boat has a hole in the bottom. The lines are put

through with the hooks on it at the bottom. They are line-caught. So

they never get small fish. Apparently there is enough cod

there for us to keep on enjoying. Then the fish are sold in Grimsby.

Grimsby! You haven't been to Grimsby?! No, I have not been. I

have heard things about Grimsby! It is grim! No, it's not! It's in

Yorkshire. No, its not. It is like Monaco! It is the English Monaco!

I'm a Yorkshireman! That's why I mentioned it, we have wide

reactions here. .It Is a different climate! Oh, it

is on the same planet! Most people think I'm on a different planet.

The same place as Brian Turner. He comes from Yorkshire! He will be on

the phone! I would love to see him with aman gun in his hand.

He will not be on the phone, he will be too busy with the Racing

Post! If you would like to ask a question, call this number:

Right, the cod is in there. Now, fresh mint in the salad.

Right we have about a minute left. Fantastic.

Salad... Now you are into your chutneys and pickles.

Very much so, sir. What is the latest one? The one we

have got is something that I had to get rid of, they grew too big.

Because of the excess rainful, it is pears and Braeburn ap.les go --

grow big. So they were not selling in the supermarket. I told him to

send me some, that I would make chutney and pickle. I said send me

what you feel like. The next thing I know, the delivery boy calls me,

how many boxes have you ordered? There were 2,000 kilos! They were

dumped in the back! He said to give you whatever I wanted, but I was

not thinking of 2,000 kilos! That's what I got! Right, are we ready?

ared, sir. Hopefully, ready all round. The egg is just a little

soft. So, you could do this with pears if

you have many of them! I have plenty if you come to the

restaurant you are being served pear and apple chutney and pickle

for the next one-and-a-half years! A little olive oil there? Yes, a

touch of olive oil and seasoning, it should be enough.

I hope that the bread is well buttered, sir.

It is on the plate, perfect. You do the eggs.

That salad is fantastic. That is the warm salad of the cod.

The bread and butter. A beautiful egg.

Is this the pear chutney? That is mint and mango. Not the pear,

unfortunately. So, tell us what that is again?

That is parsee coddled egg and potato with spicy cod salad.

The man is a genius. The man is a genius.

We are in heaven. He is off with it straight away.

Right, over here you get to dive in. Have a seat.

The smell is delicious. Look at that

Look at thatment That is like my perfect idea of a perfect breakfast.

You don't get that in LA. They have a cup of wheat grass.

Some do, but not me. You can use any fish? Yes, you can

use salmon. The salmon we get is from Wester Ross.

Now we need wine. We sent Susie Barrie to Bedfordshire. What did

she choose to go with Cyrus Todiwala's seriously good eggs?

This week I'm in Luton in the Mossman Collection, one of the

largest collections of carriages in the UK. Now it is time to hot-foot

it into the town to find some delicious wines to go with this

morning's recipes. Off we go! Cyrus has set me a task this week. There

are two distinct elements to the dish but also thrown in green

chilli and eggs, but take a step back and imagine we are matching

the potato and eggs, I suggest that we go for a refreshing IPA beer,

but I have the Codsall yad to think about. So I am looking for a white

wine that is aromatic and fruity, but has the weight to stand up to

the potato and the eggs. Here it is, the Elegant Frog Viognier 2011 from

the South of France. Elegant Frog Viognier 2011 is a

great variety that is less well known than Chardonnay or sauve nan

blank. It tends to be lower in acidity with flavours of apricot,

white peach and ginger. When it is really good it has a lovely, mouth-

coating texture. That is great. It is so aromatic. It is fragrant

and fruity. Picking up on the spiced cod, as well as allowing the

fresh flavour of the lime, ginger and mint to come through, but this

is a wine with weight, and it has texture. That is just what we need

it compliment the parsee potatoes and the eggs.

.You have tested my wine-matching abilities this week, but we can

safely say that an elegant frog has saved the day.

It has. The girls are happy. Not that we get offered any! We have a

bottle though of Elegant Frog. We are OK. What do you reckon?

very happy! What makes this special for me, the frog is my favourite

creature. So it is even more special. It goes fantastic.

Yes, absolutely. It is underrated compared to sauve nan blank.

But it is superment It is amazing, the combination. Ashley is so

engrowsed in the food. She has not tasted the wine. I was worrying

about the fact that I have have a show this afternoon. Coming up,

Annabel has a great recipe to show us. Remind us what it is again?

am going to show you a way to make mayonnaise like you never have seen

before. I am doing a prawn toast and seared beef salad.

Sounds good to me. First, let's head to Spain for a catch-up with

Rick Stein. He has a lunch date in Catalonia today.

In Spain, rock and roll stars are now the new chefs.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 112 seconds

This is called faves a la Catalana -- So this is a typical Catalan

Absolutely typical. Typical mainly in the country

So you used to be a rock 'n' roll drummer. Why you... I used to.

You used to.

Ah...because I don't know, it's a mystery. Passion.

I mean, cooking is an artistic thing.

He bought the new season's garlic from the market that morning

and he uses the green stem as well as the bulb.

Now, this is the ham bone. OK.

When you finish it in the Iberican ham, we put this.

Now, fresh broad beans, this is the centre piece of his dish.

So what's that, is that going in now? The secret, the secret.

And what is it? Er, this is Aniseed. Oh, yeah.

That's a new one on me. And now chicken stock.

How long are you going to cook it for then? Er, 25, 30 minutes. OK.

And this and leave it on minimum, minimum fire - chup, chup, chup -

for 25 minutes. 10 minutes before, we put the sausage, then finished.

Great.

Chup, chup, chup.

Antonio, while we weren't looking,

puts in a couple of thin slices of belly pork

and now the black pudding - the morcilla -

and he cooks it for a further 10 minutes.

Finally it's time, thank goodness, for lunch.

Oh, that's so good! Superb, Antonio, absolutely superb.

< Are you just saying that?

No, I'm not just saying that. It's really good.

Nice, tasty and natural.

Very natural. I mean, this is a star dish. Love it.

MUSIC: "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"by The Beatles

Well, as the song says, life goes on

and Antonio can invite me for lunch- anytime he wants.

He's such good news.

One of the many delights of this trip,

was cooking here in a converted farmhouse in Andalucia,

surrounded by olive groves with the plumpest olives I've ever seen.

And here, I'll be cooking dishes I've discovered on my travels

in various restaurants and bars along the way.

This is a great Catalan dish.

Meatballs in a rich sauce with cuttlefish and prawns.

I'm making the meatballs, mixing in onion, garlic, parsley,

a touch of nutmeg, and seasoning it- with salt and pepper.

To bind it, I'm going to use some bread soaked in milk.

So this is one of the dishes that the Catalonians call mar y muntanya,

which just means sea and mountains,- and it's just a mixture of meat -

in this case, veal and pork meatballs -

and cuttlefish and prawns.

I sometimes wonder if that, to me rather coarse, term

surf and turf originated in something like this.

And this is quite an important process in this dish

because I'm colouring them. They'll look better.

I could just drop them into the sauce nearer the end

but giving them a bit of a caramelisation

makes the dish look much better and- also I like tossing the meatballs.

As I'm in Spain, I'm finishing this off in a cazuela,

an earthenware dish to be found, I would guess,

in every Spanish kitchen.

I've chopped the cuttlefish into rough chunks

and they just need to be tossed very quickly in hot oil.

You don't want to cook them through. Season them like so.

I think this type of dish must have originated

simply by what people happen to have on that day.

A little bit of fish, some meat and- hey presto, put it all in one pot.

Now, a sprinkling of peas.

It would be really good to say it's- the first day of the new season

but, alas, these are frozen. Nothing wrong with frozen, though.

Next, chicken stock. Let that simmer while I make this.

It's something that will thicken the sauce

and give it a real Catalan flavour.

So in a mortar - again extremely common in a Spanish kitchen -

I start with a handful of toasted almonds.

Toasted because they give out more flavour.

And then garlic and oil to turn it into a paste.

Croutons come next, crisp and golden with olive oil.

What I'm making here is called a picada

and you add it at the end of a lot of savoury dishes

and, basically, it thickens up the sauce.

But it just gives it a real explosion of flavour

because we've got in here almonds, garlic,

parsley, lots of olive oil, which just goes in at the last minute,

as I said, thickens it and just tastes really good.

So, now a fist full of parsley.

I've noticed over here they often grate a tomato right at the end.

I think this is a good idea because you get this fresh acidity,

whereas tinned tomatoes tend to be a bit sweet.

So all you need to do now is to stir that in with the meatballs,

cuttlefish and prawns, and cook for- another 10 minutes or so

until the sauce is thick and the meatballs are cooked through.

Then serve.

Over here, it's a dish offered in a tapas bar, a transport cafe

or, indeed, a very posh restaurant.

And that's Spain in a cazuela.

$:/ENDFEED.

$:/STARTFEED.

$:/STARTFEED.

Thank

Thank you,

Thank you, Roman

Thank you, Roman Catholic. Now, I have had a -- Turks Rick. Now, we

have a masterclass on how to make pizza base. I had a special letter

from Niraj Fatania. He has a from Niraj Fatania. He has a

problem. So, let's get this one in. We slide that in there, that will

take about six minutes, now, on with the pizza dough. The secret

with this is double zero flour. I have it here. If you can get it,

semolina flour as well. The double zero flour is fine. I

have 800 grams of that in there. Then 200 grams of semolina flour.

So the combination of the two. The best pizza dough I have tasted was

in Naples, of course. That was wonderful. They make is like a sour

dough. They make it the day before. So I have yeast, it is fresh yeast,

sugar, that causes the yeast to rise as well as the warmth. Also

some salt. We basically get this going first of all and add about

600 mills of water. You can do this out of cold water.

I was taught in naipls with a guy called Franco, in a fantastic place,

he looked like he had been around the Mafia for a few years. Would

sit in this restaurant and make pizza. All he did was sit in the

middle of the restaurant by the pizza station with a cigarette in

his mouth, reading the Italian version of the Racing Post. He

would make the pizza and sit back down again. The little guys would

come along with the pizza shovels and pop them in the oven, but the

secret with the dough, you work this dough together and it is the

teex tower. You want to like bread dough.

As it starts to come together... What is double zero flour? It is

fine flour. Pasta flour. It is very, very fine.

You can bring this together. Do it by hand. This is the dough. It is

soft. It is sticky. We leave that ideally, you leave it

in the fridge. This is what you end up with. This is how it rises up.

Treat it like a bread dough. Knock is back to knock the air out of it.

You can prove it in the fridge. Then we can make the pizza using

tinned tomatos. Tinned tomatos, not fresh.

In Naples you have the mountains, the volcanic mountain, the

mozzarella is produced one side and these tomatos produced the other

side. They are very sweet. Normally when you talk about pizza,

you cook the tomatos down, but they use these tinned tomatos.

Now, enough about pizzas what about you? First of all, congratulations,

what is career so far? It has been great.

It has been a mix and a match. Some hugely popular shows that you have

been a part of? It is only in the last couple of years, when I took

time out to have a think when I had my little boy. That I was in a

really successful American show, and then I did another one and I

thought that this was OK. That I did pretty well.

In Scotland it was City Lights when we first saw you.

That is going back a wee while. Was it 21? Something like that, yes.

Then you had the cameo role with Ricky Gervais in the Office?

didn't. That is not actually me. It is not you? No! Somebody has

that wrong somewhere. It is written down somewhere that I am the person

that does the voicover on it. But it is not me.

.I Got the Grimsby fact wrong too. But I had never metricy until I did

the audition with him and had to read with him. He was the first

famous person I met. I was slightly shy with him, but now I know him.

It was one of those things I read the script. My husband read it with

me. He said that he had conversations with me like this,

that if I didn't get the job, there was something wrong in the world.

So, you were famous with that in the pink beret.

And how did you go about getting the Ugly Betty show? Well, it was a

BBC and a HBO co-production. So BBC had some say in it. It was a huge

success in America. I happened to be on holiday. I got an agent.

Things escalated. Before I knew it I was on this American show that

was the pilot. Then the pilot was picked up. You do this thing called

pilot season where you literally go and meet for lots of jobs, I was

very lucky, the pilot was picked up it went to a series. Then it was

incredibly popular and in Britain as well.

In America, there are a lot of channels, is it one of those things

you don't know if it will hit? Absolutely.

There are so many shows that are made in pilot season and even more

scripts that are submitted. The pilots are made, and often the

pilots are not picked up. They don't see the light of day.

Often, a series will be picked up, do three or four episodes and the

men in suits say that the series is not working and tell everyone to go

home. That is the end of that. They take it off air as quick?

Very different to what you are doing at the theatre? That's right.

There is comedy there with Rob Bridon? I am doing a Chorus of

Disapproval in the West End. I have not done theatre for 11 years. It

is where I started. Mostly theatre with tiny bits of telly, the TV

began to outweigh the theatre. 11 years, I have done it, but being in

America, doing American comedy. I wanted to come back to Britain and

do something that was very British. So the West End, doing a play with

Sir Trevor Nunn. Alan ache born. -- Ackyburn.

Now, I am adding on the toppings, so there is the tomato, the cheese,

pecorino and mozzarella. Peanut oil... Really? Yes, it really works.

Then some salt. You throw that in the oven on the

pizza stove and hopefully, here, I have your Margarita pizza.

Look at that! Oh! That looks amazing.

It is perfect for a matinee that you are doing today.

Yes. Drizzle that over the top. It is

very hot. Will wait a wee while, but I will

have to try it. This is a recipe from a restaurant

called San Michelle. They do two different types of pizza, one with

or without cheese. That is it.

Italians are like that. I love two pasta dishes, one with lemon and

another with truffle. Well, if there is a skill or a tip

you would like me to demonstrate on the show, or you have a problem

with a much-needed technique, give us a call or drop us a line.

Right, what are we cooking for Ashley at the end of the show? It

could be halibut. The fish is pan- fried with butter. Topped off with

truffle. With so-calledade cabbage, finished off with a hollandaise

sauce. Or it could be food hell. Monkfish in a classic French dish,

a blanquette. This is fish that is poached in fish stock. The sauce is

enriched with cream, mushrooms, onions and tarragon, served with

Duchess potatoes on the side. Some of the viewers get to decide

Ashley's feat, but you have to wait until the end of the show to see

the result. Right, it is the Great British Menu. It is the brilliant

Phil Howard. He has taken on Marcus McGuinness for a place in the final.

Marcus, are you serving a starter size portion today? That is harsh.

Just a question. Amongst a range of unusual

ingredients, Marcus is using strongly flavoured lamb's liver in

the parfait. And making a malt loaf, but Marcus is using flower power in

malt-loaf The dish is decorated

That way, please. Will the judges think that Marcus's-

malt loaf and rose geranium reaches Olympian heights?

That's ridiculous. I know.

What appears to have happened is this little quenelle

of chicken or duck liver parfait seems to have slid down

before coming to a stop!

The thing that slightly annoys me about this,

you get this tiny, little garnish of dried bread,

when in fact you've got quite a big...

Lump of pate. Yeah.

You think, "How am I going to eat this?"

All those flavours are delicious. I'm not quite sure they go together.

Anyway, let's have a look at this. Now...ah!

It's lamb's liver. Lamb's liver!

I have never ever come across that before. That explains why it's so powerful.

I think it's style over content.

It's like a sort of adventure for the palate.

But I'm not really enjoying it, I'm just interested in eating it

because it's so extraordinary.

So Marcus's bold attempt to steal an early lead hasn't come off.

Can the seasoned campaigner Phil seize the initiative?

His salad with goat's milk puree, pickled asparagus

and quail's eggs came joint first with Marcus's starter in the week.

To meet the brief, Phil gave it a few twists,

like celeriac wrapped in gold leaf,- so they looked like medals.

Having prepared the salad, Phil's adding another modern touch

with a watercress bavois, which is like a savoury mousse.

There are egg-filled pastry Olympic torches, too,

to be served on the side.

The main part of the salad is a medley of top-quality ingredients,

carefully arranged to look relaxed and free form.

There we go. Thank you.

But the pressure of the competition- has got to Phil.

He left part of his dish in the fridge.

I find my watercress bavois, which is irritating.

And, yes, it's there to bring some richness,

but it's not critical, but irritating.

There it is...in all its glory.

Will Phil's omission affect the balance of the dish?

And is a salad with gold medallions- and torches

the innovative Olympic starter the judges are looking for?

It's quite big for a first course.

Except it's all veg. And a little quail's egg.

What's in the parcel, that's what I want to know?

It is delicious. Oh, celeriac, or something.

Where is the creative vision here?It's an extraordinarily dull dish.

That's good. Yeah, it's fine, but it's a canape.

You know, it's nothing special.

I'm enjoying it very much but it isn't rocking my world.

I think the gold leaf thing is absolutely awful.

It's like, you know, it's a bit like- bling on a salad.

And it's to start off a banquet,

This

This is

This is a

This is a tough act, but Marcus is kched. Marcus is not negligenting

the presentation, as he puts on the coconut oil. He knows that first

impressions can make a big impressions can make a big

difference. Has Marcus found a winning formula

by turning down the elder flower fish sauce? This is more like it. I

mean that is just a beautiful thing. Isn't it pretty? I think that the

glow of pea, that is delicious. Right, will I will be controversial.

I think that this is a potentially delicious dish, ruined by

inattention to detail. The fish sauce is almost disgusting.

The fish tastes good. The veggie bits are beautiful. I like the pea

puree. The only thing that is wrong with it is the sauce. This dish is

like someone running up for the pole vault and soaring underneath

the bar. I think that the chef tried hard to

be innovative. I think if the sauce was humming, all of the ingredients

world work well. .I Agree.

So, Marcus' fish course has put a cat among the pigeons. Can Phil

spring into the lead with a complex mackerel and shellfish dish that

earned him nine points in the heats? He has mackerel and samphire,

followed by mackerel parcels. Topped with tempura mussels and

finished with a veloufe. 2.00Pm for the soup. Thank you very

much. Will the judges think that humble

Cornish mackerel can be an Olympic winner? I think it looks good. It

is exciting. It is drawing me in. The soup is delicious. A beautiful

balance much richness and intensity. I think that the soup is a triumph.

The mac receipt tartare is fabulous. I really like the potato salad.

This is a thing of great beauty. Fabulous. The simple skill. This is

a master at work. A radical thing about this is

taking mackerel and elevating it to a place right at the top table of

food Many of the people at the dinner will not have tasted this

food. That is key for me, making sure that the people are amazed by

the gastronomy of Britain. This the gastronomy of Britain. This

dish does that. High praise indeed. Well deserved

for Phil's fish dish. We will see if it is enough to book his place

in the final later on. Still to come, Rachel Khoo is

enjoying more classic Parisian food. Talking into -- tucking into fine

French cheese before making a dish using the ingredients in a lighter

version. And the chefs go head-to-head in

the kitchen challenge. Who will make a rabid Eg- it? And will

Ashley be facing food heaven? The halibut. Or the food hell with a

classic French blanquette and cavelonero.

Now, cooking next, it is Annabel Langbein. You have travelled a long

way to be here today, so what are you cooking for us? I have this

beautiful piece of sirloin. I am going to cook that and make a yummy

salad. I am going make prawn toast salad. I am going make prawn toast

and demystify mayonnaise. .So, the veg, we have pumpkin here,

aubergine and peppers. The thing that I love about this.

This is a male on a plate. You can use any vegetables that you like

and are in season. Sell me New Zealand it is a place I

have never been. So tell me about New Zealand?

apart from being the most beautiful place in the world. It is

incredibly beautiful. It grows the most amazing food. This is

pomegranate molasses here. We have such fresh food. Whether it

is a piece of beef or vegetables. You produce your own food? We grow

everything that we eat. You can actually turn it into so

many different flavours. We don't have a long-time tradition of

cooking. We don't have the history that the Italians or the French do.

So we have taken a wee bit of a magpie approach.

So, including this. What are you putting on here?

is pomegranate molasses and cumin salt and pepper and coriander here.

It is such a lovely thing it means that your everyday meals can

tasting it. -- interesting. You are not using fancy techniques but

working with the freshest things that you have got and making

interesting flavours around it. Where did your love of food come

from? My mother came out and said that I came out of the womb with a

wooden spoon. I used to live in the bush. I would jump from a

helicopter, I would do live deer recoveris..., I would get these

live deer for farming. You could do it in a Land Rover in

Yorkshire! I would come home with a brace of have been -- birds or a

deer. I would come out of the bush or the sea, and I would be making a

lobster therm dor, it has more calories than you need for a week,

but I knew that I had it in me to cook. I had my first business

living in Brazil. I was making coisants, that is how I figured out

what I wanted to do. So you have travelled as well?

I love to travel. What are you doing here? You could

marinade it, but I am going to cook it straight away. The molasses,

because it is sweet, it caramelises quickly. So browning it, do it very

quickly. How long will this go in the oven

for? 15 minutes. You can do it with any kind of meat. It is just adding

in the flavours. Nour, the mayonnaise.

I bet you have never made it like this before.

You use whole eggs? Yes, but I put everything in at once.

What do you want on here? A little bit of olive oil and cumin. Salt

and pepper. I like the idea of keeping the flavours rolling

through. You use so many different

influences, you mentioned that in the beginning. That you take the

influences in New Zealand cooking from everywhere? Yes, but the basis

of that is to use whatever is fresh and in season.

So the vegetables are in the oven? Yep. Get that in. I made a new TV

series. I cooked that on the back of my truck.

On the back of your truck? Yes, that is my new favourite kitchen.

There is no underbench cover. So, you cook live? I do cook live.

I gave myself a whacking great burn the other day.

Is it as popular there as it is over here? There is not many who

live in New Zealand, but there are a lot of people that watch your

show? The show has gone to 83 countries. That is exciting. So,

food is a really, really big part of New Zealand life.

I think it was because we were so cut off for so long. OK. Ph.D and

button management needed! That one. So you have thrown it all in

together? Absolutely everything. This is miraculous. When I learned

to make mayonnaise. It would take forever. With this it just happens

like that. I suppose you are using the whole

eggs that combine it It works with the egg yolk as well? Yes.

If you want... Look at that. It is a frugal lifestyle! Resourceful,

I'm a cook! You know what I love about this? The fact that you have

that, if you wanted to you can put capers in there and make a sauce

for the fish. We are making prawn toasts.

Now I put a wee bit of that mayonnaise in there. You can leave

the prawns whole or chop them up. The thing that make it is

interesting is sesame oil. When you make prawn toast or eat it in a

Chinese restaurant it is really greasy.

It is deep-fried and done with prawns and egg whites.

Here, you pop the prawns copped up roughly on top.

You mix them into the sesame mayonnaise and then we shall put it

on the bread. Yum. Cos your cook books here are

in the UK? Yes, I have a lovely book called the Freerange Cook.

Everything in the book, everything that I do, we grow from our garden.

So can you do me a favour? Can you crush that with a wee bit of salt.

Then I find you get a smoother flavour in it. Oh, you are good. I

do like someone doing all of this stuff.

Yes it is great! So that goes on top of the bread. My mother would

do this with mushrooms so the mayonnaise forms the sauce. You

would not believe it works, but the bread comes out crunch you.

You are going to bake them? Yes, so it is light.

The mayonnaise has the flavour of the sesame, so it is slightly Asian.

You could change it and use coriander, paprika, chilli. It is a

useful base. That is what I like, you can work out from the basic

things. While I am doing this, all of

today's recipes including this one are on the website, go to

bbc.co.uk/saturdaykitchen. I will be sharing favourites bits of

Saturday Kitchen on Best Bites, tomorrow morning at 10.00am on BBC

Two. So we have made a puree out of this.

Now sesame seeds. I love them. Black and white ones. Pop them in

the oven. So... The trick with the meat, it

is so important to rest it. I will change the board.

Turn it over for me. Thank you. Now change the knife.

You want a dressing to go with this, so that is the garlic.

You might want a little bit of yoghurt to thin that down. I cook

this with the cap on. Oh, my God that is beautiful. Look at that

meat. If that was me at home, I would put that in bread and butter.

I started off my cooking days with a Michelin blip. I ate and got up

to 95 kilos. I did a course on nutrition it was

like this I pif any when you realised that everything that was

making you fat was the fat in your diet! -- epiphany.

Now, a dressing, add a little water to that to thin it down.

Now I need the roast veggies and to pile them on top of the meat. I

love meals like this. You can make a meal in one. There is no last-

minute fuss or bother. The veggies and meat can be at room temperature.

Pile it on if you are a vegetarian just have it like that, but with

the meat on there, yum! It looks so good.

The prawn toasts there. Put this on top.

The thing that makes this so yummy, apart from this. I will thin that a

bit more. You want it to be a drizzling consistency.

Just drizzle that over. And there is ducka there. It is

fabulous made with hazelnuts, almonds, cumin seed coriander seed,

salt, bake it in the oven and then process it.

That sounds good to me. You are definitely coming back again. All

you did was egg and potatoes. Tell us what that is again.

That is a prawn toast and seared beef salad.

beef salad. Dinner for one! Don't forget the

ducka. I don't know where you will start

on this one. You were a vegetarian! Dive into

that. Have a seat.

Unusual doing them in the oven, but it keeps them nice and light.

A new way of making mayonnaise. What was this ducka? You roast

hazelnuts and almonds. Then I put them in a food processor and toast

cumin seeds and coriander seeds and sesame seeds and put it all in the

blender and pulse it. Right, let's go back to Luton to

see what Susie has chosen to go with Annabel's fabulous feast!

Having travelled halfway around the world to bring us her colourful,

seasonal food, Annabel deserves something special to drink with it.

We have a lot happening on the plate here. The surfturf feel of

the recipe would suit a rosaway wine. Something like this South

African Shiraz rosaway, but the combination of the spicy beef and

the autumnal weather is leading me to a soft, juicy red wine. For

Annabel I can't resist choosing a New Zealand wine. It is a Nelson, a

Pinot Noir 2010. The ideal style of wine for every element of Annabel's

dish. Noir's home from home is burgundy in France, but it is

produced so well in New Zealand it has become the country's signature

grape variety it is so scented, full of blackberry and spice. What

we are looking for with Annabel's dish is a wine fruity enough to

match the flavour of the spices, the meat and the pomegranate. We

need the soft tannins in the wine, that will work perfectly with the

male. Dl is a touch of oak -- there is a touch of oak ageing, and that

works well with the vegetables, with the aubergine and it will not

overwhelm the prawn toasts and the fact that this is a salad. Annabel

you have come a long way and brought a huge smile to our faces

with your colourful beef salad. In return, here is a taste for you of

home while you all tuck in. There is enough of it for us.

What do you think of the wine? spoiled to have gorgeous New

Zealand Pinoit. I have a real New Zealand Pinoit pal at -- pallet. I

love it. Right it is time to find out who

made it through to the final of the Great British Menu. Have a look at

Great British Menu. Have a look at this.

The arena is set for the big event. The main course. Phil is going

first with roast lamb. Serbed with a lamb pie and vegetables. The only

real invasion is mint sauce in a sphere of jelly it collapsed when

left in the oven for too long. He lays the vegetables with the

marsh and tops with pea and mint jelly.

No mistakes this time, but will Phil's modern touches persuade the

judges that this is a 21st cenry More belly flop than genius.

Now, confident in his ability, Marcus has strained every sinew to

master his cheap cut of beef. It looks better. It eats better.

Very good. It is like a completely different

beef. Not good for me, but good for you. It makes me happy. Very happy.

The height of Marcus's volting ambition is to wow the judges with

something unusual. Beef tendons cooked until they are soft like

bone marrow, but it is the judges who Marcus is trying to impress.

Calm and measured as always, he plates up the beef blade and hits

the pass. Thank you very much.

Can Marcus carve a commanding lead with his adventurous beef and

beetroot dish. Fillet of beef. Five different

types of beetroot. I think that the dish is a tragedy. The beef is

shocking. You can't taste the beef. .I am upset here. Let's have a look

at that card. I need to be put out of my misery here. Showcasing

rarely used beef tendons. I love marrow, so I will have a go.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 112 seconds

It is a brave chef that sends a souffle out to the judge's chamber.

But it looks beautiful. It is perfect. You cannot fault it, but

you cannot possibly say that it is suitable for such an important

occasion. Simply because absolutely no invasion here whatsoever.

But it is also a big technical problem of trying to get souffles

of this perfection out in front of 100 people at once. If challenged.

Chef would say he has been innovative. He has the Olympic

torch of a cone with the ice-cream inside. That is where the invasion

begins and ends. It is ice-cream. It is a dish of wonderful quiet

pleasures but not of the fireworks and razzamatazz that we need with

general excitement of the Olympic Games.

Phil's made his last throw. Marcus will need to surpass him to

have a chance at a place in the final. Radical to the end, his

desert features asparagus, goat's Kurd and black olives. More

asparagus mixed with white chocolate and salt is sieved over

liquid nitrogen. This is state-of- the-art modern cookery. Marcus

really believes in it. It is time to plate up. Marcus has conjured up

his modern magic in a last thrust to reach the finals.

Now to the lap of the Gods, once again.

Will Marcus' revolutionary desert run Olympic rings around Phil's

souffle? Asparagus as a pudding. That is a first. It is. Is this

cheese? Almost impossible to tell.Tonight Even start, Matthew.

Come on! This is just absolutely terrible! I think it is a cheese

and a pudding course rolled into one. If you put it all together, it

tastes delicious. The bits are there, they just need

to be pulled together. With the cooking over, the chefs

are left to reflect on their performance. While the judges

deliberate over the results. Heads or tails? Heads I win.

Yep? I'm off to the Olympics! Enough chat. Matthew have you made

up your mind? Yes, Prue, I have. I sure have.

Let's call in the chefs. For Phil and Marcus, the long wait

is over. Welcome, chefs. We have had a

pretty heated debate. We have not always agreed about every dish, but

it is not about the individual dishes, but it is about the menus.

We have to choose by the menu. Matthew, have you made up your

mind? I have, Prue, it is menu A for me.

It is also menu A for me. I have menu A, so we have a

straight winner, but you don't know nor do we know who cooked menu A,

so let's find out. So the chef going forward to represent London

and the south-east in the Great British Menu finals is... Phil

Howard! Congratulations! Well done, Howard! Congratulations! Well done,

my friend. Well done. And t he will be on the show in a

few weeks it is time to answer some of your foodie questions and

callers help us to decide if Ashley is facing food heaven or food hell.

First it is Robert from Glasgow. Glasgow is definitely in Scotland!

It is. Good morning. We have a fellow Scot on the programme today.

Great. What would you like to ask? I have

pork cheeks from the butcher. I would like a suggestion as to what

to do with them. Pork cheeks? Cook them long and

slow with a Asian hint. So tomato sauce, garlic, ginger, star anise,

sugar, vinegar. About three-and-a- half hours, four hours at 150. They

will melt in the mouth. Braised, that is fantastic.

What dish would you like to see at the end of the show? Food heaven.

There it is. Dominic from Grimsby. I knew you would be calling! Right,

what is your question for us? Cheese bread. The best way to make

a nice cheese bread. When I make it turns out dense and heavy.

Firstly it is the dough. You have to ensure that there is liquid in

it. With the home-made breads, there is not enough wick which had

in it. Here, there is some left. You take the bread, once it is

proved. You knock it back, that is when you start to add the cheese to

it, prove it again and bake it in a really, really hot oven. That is

the key. Very quickly in the hot oven. Once it is proved, knock it

back. Then followed in the cheese. Don't use cheese that is dry. What

dish would you like to see, food heaven or food hell? Food heaven,

please. And Edward from Bristol.

Which is in Essex, just joking! I will get into trouble! What

question do you have for us? would like to ask Cyrus, how do you

make a dan sack? It is purely with lamb. We don't believe in chicken,

veg, prawns, but dan sack is a Sunday roast for the Parsee

community. It is long and tedious, so the best recipe is in my book,

sir. I can't help it. His recipes are usually about five

pages, but it is worth it. What dish would you like to see, food

heaven or food hell? I would like to see food heaven for Ashley,

please. And Linda. What is your question?

would like to know how to cook red cabbage as a vegetable. I grow lots

of red cabbage. It is beautiful. I saute it with butter. Then I like

to add ginger, currents and orange juice it does not need it cook for

long it is a great combination of flavours.

It is great raw in salads. What dish would you like to see, food

heaven or food hell? It is food heaven, please.

It is looking good for you. Steve, what would you like to ask

us? I have a couple of cases of baked beans. I was wondering what

could be done with this hum pbl vegetable apart from warming it

through and put it on toast. If it doesn't include Marmite it is even

better. Baked beans. They are a fantastic

thing. Add butter in a pan. Finally mince ginger, garlic, green chilli

and cumin. Throw in the beans with crisp.y toast. You will love it. A

fried egg on top. Even better. What dish would you like to see,

food heaven or food hell? The fell efell, please.

Well, the usual rules apply. Let's get down to business. It is the

omelette challenge. With a new board. Gennaro Contaldo has been

leading it for a number of years now.

We have new stoves, pans. The pans are too small.

The record is 20 seconds. Are you ready? Don't tell me that.

Let's put the clocks on the screens. The best that you can.

This is the key, how quick they can get it cooked.

She has definitely been practising over here.

There we go! You have definitely been practising! What is good about

this, though, they are actually cooked.

They may not look cooked. They look delicious. I like them

like that They look like mine! That is

brilliant. I can mainly taste the butter in it.

You like the butter in it! An bell, you did it n quicker than a lot of

people on our board. You did it in 27.56 seconds. That puts you in

fourth place. That is pretty good.

Cyrus, you did it... The usual time. You were in fourth place. He has

just beaten you there. He sits fourth.

A respectable time. Now, will Ashley get food heaven it

is looking good so far. Halibut. Or food hell, monkfish

with Duchess potatoes. These two will find out later what they are

going to decide, but here is cues Rachel Khoo.

She is off to a cheese shop. One of the great things about

living in Paris is being able to go to the specialised cheese shops

where they only sell cheese. To feed the addiction of cheese,

there are over had00 cheese shops Young mild cheeses here gain

flavour, consistency and colour. Ageing this cheese for ten days

give it is a stronger flavour, that is just right for my recipe.

Thank you very much. Goodbye! Tartiflette is a dish

created in the 1980s, by the Reblochon, which is a smelly French

cheese. You need half a kilo of waxy potatoes.

I will make my potatoes into match sticks. I find that the potatoes

sliced on a mandolin make the best- shaped nests.

Finally chop an on ion. Whack them in the pan.

Garlic. This is smelly work this. Smelly

onions, smelly garlic, but it makes for an extra tasty dish. Which will

throw in a bay leaf too. While it starts to cook I will cut

up my lardon. While that is sizzling away, I will

cut up my stinky Reblochon cheese. That is squashy in the middle. Yum.

You will need 250 grams of the cheese that comes from the apts. If

you don't like Reblochon you can use a brie or a camembert. That is

the cheese done. I will now throw in 100 mls of dry white wine. Cook

that until there is a stable spoon of liquid left. The wine is reduced.

I will add the potatoes. Pour it into the bowl.

OK. Throw in the cheese. Look at all of that cheese! You

only live once! That's what they say. Give it a stir. Grab your tin.

The tins are already buttered, so load up each section.

Overfill it it shrinks a little bit. It may not be the pressest of

dishes, but when it tastes this good. Who cares.

In the oven they go. I will clean After 15 minutes they will be

cooked. It smells certainly cheesey now!

Let's have a look. Oh, it is bubbling away. They look amazing.

Yummy. Good stuff. Right I will scoop one out.

This is like heaven on a plate. You have the Reblochon cheese that

is melted. The smoky bacon flavour, the crunchy potato on the top but

it is soft and cooked in the middle. Delicious. What these little tarts

lack in looks they make up for in taste. A delicious springtime lunch.

Now a summary twist on a French winter classic.

I have come up with this light, this quick version that you can do

with all of the flavours of a cassoulet but with none of the

hassle. I will start off by making the soup base. You need three pints

of water in a pot. I'm going to add sun dried tomatoes.

That will give it a rich flavour. Then 30 grams of dried ceps.

Mushrooms are not traditional in the cassoulet, but adding them give

as real depth of flavour. One of my favourite ingredients, lovely smoky

bacon. On the hob it goes. While it is simmering I will start on the

little dumplings. I need duck and Toulouse sausage.

The two very important ingredients in cassoulet.

I am going to make meatballs and this Toulouse sausage packs a punch.

The pork is minced in bigger bits than in other sausages. I cut up

the duck into smaller bits making it easier to blend.

I add a clove of garlic. Half of an onion roughly chopped and black

pepper. I will not add salt. I think there is enough in there with

think there is enough in there with the sausage.

Wow! OK! I think it is done. Once your mix is ready, get it on

to a plate ready to shape into the meatballs.

You want to make them a bill smaller than a golf ball.

Those are my meatballs done. Let's have a look and see how the soup is

doing. Crazy bubbling away there. I will

take out all of the bits. These ingredients have done their job now.

Infusing the broth with all of their delicious flavours. Then I

need tomato piece and a teaspoon of brown sugar. Two carrots... While

that simmers away I am going to get a big pan and I'm not going to put

oil in the pan. The meatballs are fatty already. Let's put one in to

test it. It is sizzling. That means it is hot enough. Let's put the

meatballs in here. Use a big frying pan. Try not to overcrowd it.

Then add tinned beans such as haricot. Now, to bring it all

together. Put your meatballs in a bowl.

Then add some of your delicious tomato soup.

Look at that lovely colour. The carrots in orange and the rich red

colour. Finish it off with a nice sprig of parsley.

Let's have a little taste. Let's have a little taste.

Hmm, really, really yummy. Right it is that time of the show

to find out if we are facing food heaven or food hell. Food heaven is

the lovely piece of halibut with black cabbage. A little truffle

there. Truffle and eggs with hollandaise sauce. Or it could be

monkfish with a classic blanquette, normally done with veal or chicken.

There is tarragon. What do you think they have

decided? I don't know. You are lucky. It is 6-1.

You are lucky. It is 6-1. Fantastic.

We are going to cook the halibut first of all. Annabel if you can do

me the poached egg. That would be great. Let's get the fish on and

gently cook that. I am using the skin on the underside.

So I get the moment of truth of opening the egg truffle container.

The reason for the eggs it absorbs the flavour of the egg.

That is amazing. So you can make truffled scrambled

eggs but not putting any truffle in. It is incredible to think that

little ball that looks like charcoal is worth a fortune. I know.

I can pop that into my back pocket! That has a little salt on the fish.

The butter is melting. The hollandaise, normally when you get

a black truffle like that, these are grown all over the world, but

put them in a jar with rice at the bottom then the eggs on the top of

the rice and then you can make trough theed scrambled eggs with

the rice and then the rice for risotto, you don't actually need to

use any of the truffle. So, you tell us b now about the

cavelonero. This is black cabbage. This is wonderful stuff.

It is so good for you. Yes it is.

It is delicious. So a little bit of vinegar going in

the hollandaise. The difference between hollandaise and mayonnaise

is... Well, I use the egg yolks for this one, but we use butter and not

oil. That is the main different types. The fish is going to cook

like that. I will use the skin to protect it. Halibut can be

expensive. It can be huge as well. Some can be the size of this table,

but it is a fantastic fish. We have to be careful with it.

So don't overcook it. So the skin helps to protect the fish.

Now we pour this in. Cyrus for Edward who called earlier, you

mention the dansak. You have 30 seconds. What is it mainly? It is

lamb cooked with six different kinds of lentils with lots of

vegetables thrown inside as well. So if you cooked a perfect dansak

you need the lentils to add. Lots of vegetables like aubergine,

tomatoes, fresh spinach. On yons etc inside l inside. Then -- onions

etc inside. Then we put in the lentils, cook them with the

vegetable. Puree them. Then cook the lamb separately and

blend them both together. What are the main three spices?

Cumin, coriander, chilli. Garlic and ginger are very important.

Actually, dansak is, like I said it is a Sunday roast, but it is

something that our people brought from Persia. Would you put saffron

in there too? No. It is like a dhal. Served with a star anise-flavoured

rice. What kind of lentils do you use?

know two in English. The pink lentils, the mung beans, the white

lentil. Edward, I did tell you would not

get it all in time. I'm encouraging him.

Split yellow peas. Chickpeas too. Soak them all overnight. Wash them,

soak them. Drain off the liquid and then cook them off with all of the

vegetables. How do you like your eggs done? That is lovely. Mine

would not look like that. Is it the vinegar? It helps. You can cook

them all ahead of time. So, what did you do, a little bit

of salt and vinegar. Make a whirlpool? You need really fresh

eggs then it clings. Three to four minutes.

So a great dansak not only takes eight hours to cook, but eight

hours to explain. Yes, but it is so satisfying.

Right I have the hollandaise done. The cavelonero is there for you sir.

.He Cooks with a lot of butter! love butter. We have such fabulous

butter in this country, so why shouldn't we eat it.

I have the halibut on there. Lemon juice as well.

That looks good. Gorgeous. So we have that. A little bit of

lemon juice. I'm travelling with the egg.

The egg on there. Now it is just to assemble this.

That is a nice wee plate. You take the vegetables, then the

fish and peel off the skin it protects it.

The egg is popped on there. That is perfect.

And ready with the trough until a second.

A little bit of water in here. Look at that truffle. I love them.

The hollandaise sauce over the top and the final bit, the freshly

shaved truffle. James, what is this awe about?

has been sent in by somebody for Egg Week.

And to go with this Susie has a brilliant wine. A DMZ Chardonnay

2011. �7.99 from South Africa. It is another great wine that we have

got. Dive into the food. Ladies, forks, knives, spoons,

butter, everything! It looks butter, everything! It looks

amazing. That's all from us today on

Saturday Kitchen Live. Thanks to Cyrus Todiwala, Annabel Langbein

and Ashley Jensen. Cheers to Susie Barrie for the wine choices. All of

today's recipes are on the website. Go to: bbc.co.uk/saturdaykitchen