Brunch at The Delaunay- A Little Preview

I'm currently sat here, trying my best to compose a veritable symphony of a review for my brunch at The Delaunay. But as progress is a little slow, I thought I would share a few pictures with you of what we had to eat.

This was black and white pudding served with duck eggs on a very dainty thin slice of fried bread. I normally find fried bread too heavy and fatty but this was done with a lot of finesse. 

I also indulged with Sachertorte which rather charmingly had "sacher" piped onto every individual piece. 

There was also Buck Rarebit which is basically, Welsh Rarebit but with poached eggs on top. 

That's just a little look at what it had to offer. Everything just looked so classy and elegant that I had to share some of it with you straight away. Check back for much more in the way of a review and pictures later on. 

My Favourite Cheese- Vacherin du Haut-Doubs/ Le Mont d'Or

I must admit that it does change relatively frequently, but right now, Vacherin du Haut-Doubs is certainly my favourite cheese. If you've not tried this amazing soft, cow's milk cheese before, you really must. And I mean relatively soon.

That's not because I'm some kind of food tyrant. It's because Vacherin du Haut-Doubs is a seasonal cheese and is generally only available in shops in the colder months of the year. A good rule to go by is that it will generally become available when the clocks go back and then disappear all too quickly when they go forward again. Ok, I admit, maybe more sunlight is just about a fair trade-off, but after you've tried it, you'll understand why I'm reluctant to admit it.

The cheese is best when the middle has a slightly melted texture

I suppose you could, very simplistically, compare Vacherin du Haut-Doubs with Brie and Camembert but I'm almost certain that one of the French producers would be positively enraged by such a crude juxtaposition. It's definitely stronger in flavour than Brie whilst at the same time also being creamier and richer too. It has quite a strong aroma too, mixed in with the faint smell of the spruce that the cheese makers wrap around it mainly to keep it in the right shape.

The spruce band that wraps around the cheese

As things stand legally now, in the mass of protections that many food products on the European continent enjoy, this cheese must be made in the mountainous French region of the Franche-Comté. In 1973, Switzerland nabbed the right to call their cheese Vacherin Mont d'Or and so the way to detect which is the French cheese is now that it will be called Vacherin du Haut-Doubs or Le Mont d'Or. In 1983, the Swiss rules changed to allow the use of pasteurised cheese whilst the French will be made with unpasteurised and I think, is all the better for it.

The cheeses are bathed in salt water and put to mature for what is normally 4-6 weeks. This both acts as an antiseptic and as a way to help the flavour mature. You can find this cheese in most specialist cheese shops at this time of year and possibly in larger branches of the more up-market supermarkets. However, I would encourage you to seek it out from a specialist because they will have much better knowledge about how to keep the cheese and mature it properly so you get the best example you can.

You could bake your Vacherin du Haut-Doubs and dip crusty bread into it but I prefer to eat it as I find it (after having let it sit out of the fridge for a while of course). Serve with a lovely glass of Côtes du Jura to keep it regional. You'll be pleased you did.

GastroTom

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Easy Recipe- Mozzarella di Bufala Campana with Roasted Fennel

Ingredients:

Serves 2

250-400g Mozzarella di bufala Campana (depending on appetite)
2-3 bulbs of fennel (depending on size)
Olive oil (extra-virgin for dressing but standard will do for roasting)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Just a quick little something that you can put together in not too long and instantly feel like you've been transported back to the heady days of last summer when the daylight was plentiful, the weather was lovely (sometimes) and everything felt a little bit easier than it does right now, here, in the depths of the ever so dark winter.

I absolutely love Mozzarella and in particular that which comes from the milk di bufala (buffalo, for the non-Italian speakers). The combination of rich creaminess and lactic tanginess combine to create what must surely be one of the greatest cheeses that Man has ever managed to create.

The word mozzarella is applied to what are, in reality, very different types of cheese. Ranging from the bland pre-grated type that you can get for sprinkling on pizzas, to the small milky balls of cows' milk cheese stored in whey, most commonly found in supermarkets. Well, aside from similarities in production, Mozzarella di bufala Campana is a whole different product all together. Well, in my eyes at least.

The Campana part refers to the DOP (controlled denomination) on the product meaning that one can only call and market your product as Mozzarella di bufala Campana if it is made in the Campania region of Italy. With family roots in this very area of Italy (near Napoli to be more precise) I have long been aware of its capacity for amazing food production; this glorious cheese is no exception.

The cheese is made entirely of buffalo milk which is richer than cows' milk and so imparts a more buttery flavour. The mozzarella I bought came in a plait, but it can also be found shaped into balls, cylinders and little bites known as bocconcini. The skin on the outside should be a brilliant white, with the inside always slightly less so. In texture, it's slightly springy but also should have a very "melt in the mouth" quality. Taste wise, the best will be milky as well as having the crucial slightly sour, lactic tang that elevates it to a whole new level of complexity. The cheese is actually created by heating to separate the curd and whey before the curd is then stretched using a process that the Italians call pasta filata. This involves kneading the curds almost like a baker with bread dough until the there is a smooth consistency.

Nothing needs to be done to the mozzarella except to tear it open so that it forms a bed on which to place your fennel. The quality of the mozzarella, of course, dictates the quality of your meal, so really do shop around and try and find a really high-quality one. Try specialist cheese shops or Italian delicatessens. I got mine this time from Lina Stores in Soho.

Remove your mozzarella from the fridge a while before cooking. The best way to enjoy it is roughly at room temperature. Now prepare your fennel bulbs simply by chopping off the stalks at the top and the base at the bottom. Also remove any hard outer layers. Now chop the fennel into the size of pieces you desire. In the picture, I cut quite small pieces but it's easiest to just quarter them . Cover them in olive oil, salt, pepper and a sprinkling of fennel seeds. You could also try adding some finely chopped chilli if you wanted but I didn't want the heat to over power my mozzarella which is really the star of the show.

Place them in a baking tray and into a preheated oven at 200c/400f/ gas mark 6 for about 30 minutes. Cover them with foil for this time before removing it and leaving for another 10-15 minutes. If you're pieces are smaller you should reduce the cooking time accordingly. Try to keep an eye on your fennel because although the roasting really does a lot to sweeten the aniseed flavour, a minute too long and they can over cook and taste burnt and unpleasant.

Once cooked, remove from the pan and sit on top of your cheese before drizzling some extra virgin olive oil on top. Maybe serve with some crusty Italian bread and/or some roquette.

Pretty simple. Pretty delicious.


GastroTom

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