Let the sauce begin …

What?! Tartare Sauce?! Yep – it's not exclusively served with fish.

First up an explanation. Tartare sauce is an emulsion sauce, that is to say it's made by mixing two ingredients that don't easily comply which is why they can split and spoil. There are hot and cold emulsion sauces. For those out there who have struggled with a Hollandaise Sauce you'll know what I mean about splitting and spoiling. It's fair to say therefore that emulsion sauces are by their nature tricky.

A smidge of culinary history. Back in the 1950s a classic tartare sauce was made with mayonnaise, adding capers and gherkins, followed by hard boiled egg yolks and the white of a boiled egg, shredded and herbs such as chives and parsley too.

You could of course resort to a shop bought jar. It's my experience that they are either too sloppy or too vinegary. Solution – make your own, here's my fast-ish recipe.

If you want to make your own mayo, use the Stick Blender recipe – here it is for ease of reference :

Stick blender mayonnaise

1 egg

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

pinch of salt

juice of half a lemon – 2 tbsp

350ml of grapeseed oil

Break an egg into the stick blender jug. It's important that the yolk doesn't break. Add the mustard, salt and lemon.

Add the grapeseed oil again being careful not to break the yolk. Insert the stick blender, be sure that the blades completely cover the yolk.

Blend – after a couple of seconds you'll see white ribbons rising through the oil. Slowly pull the blender up through the oil so it amalgamates and push down again to incorporate all the oil.

Use two heaped tablespoons of mayo, then add :

1 tsp of capers – finely chopped

1 tsp of cornichons – finely chopped

1 tsp of black olives – pitted, sliced and finely chopped

optional drizzle of double cream

celery salt and white pepper

Stick Blender Mayo is not as stiff as shop bought since it does not contain preservatives so the consistency should be spot on – if you think it's too stiff for your taste then add a drizzle of double cream.

The Stick Blender Mayo recipe includes lemon juice and Dijon mustard, an excellent “good to go” base. All that's needed is extra seasonings – celery salt and white pepper and finally incorporate the capers, cornichons and black olives - you're done!

An added bonus - you get 425g from a batch of mayonnaise and it will keep in the fridge for 3 days, so loads left over for other stuff!

A couple of photos …

Finally, the Spiced, Sliced Halloumi!

I make no apology for repeating the Spiced Halloumi recipe, it's much easier when you've got all the elements for an idea at your fingertips!

Spiced Halloumi

Serves 4

225g/8oz Halloumi sliced into 4 pieces

45g/2oz plain flour mix with

1 tbsp of seasoning of your choice

Rapeseed oil for shallow frying

The 225g pack will give you four portions, sliced lengthways – 8x7cms/3x3½ inches approximately. Open the pack and discard the liquid, pat the cheese dry with kitchen roll and then slice into four. Pat each slice dry, then box and fridge ready for cooking.

The seasoning for the Halloumi is your choice – a good quality shop bought version is fine and on that note here are a couple of suggestions :

the Chip Seasoning is suitable for vegetarians,

it is mild in flavour, a blend of paprika, onion & garlic

Old Bay is “bolder” in flavour but does not blow

your head off!

Both seasonings are versatile and excellent store

cupboard additions to zhuzh your veggies, particularly

over roasted new potatoes or wedges

Next up – another mushroom deal …

Tartare Sauce – faster and the building of the burger!

I appreciate that not everyone wants to make their own mayo, which is just fine – use a good quality brand – two heaped tablespoons as mentioned previously – you'll need to add lemon juice and Dijon mustard and I'd suggest you begin with 1 teaspoon of each. You may need a little more – it's a matter of personal taste, together with a little celery salt and white pepper. All that remains is to add your capers, cornichons and black olives! Don't forget a drizzle of double cream to loosen the consistency.

A note of caution with seasonings, as I'm fond of saying, add gradually and taste as you go, you can always add a little more, you can't take it back!

If you'd like a vegan version, use a vegan mayo and a vegan plant alternative to double cream.

Now for the burger!

A few of my favourite ingredients :

Brioche buns – warmed in the oven or toasted

Spiced Halloumi – shallow fried in a drop of rapeseed oil

Roasted sliced onions – made ahead

Sliced avocado

shredded lettuce

sliced beef tomatoes

This is just my take on a burger stack, filled with stuff I love – it's whatever floats your own boat – I'd probably include beetroot too in some form – either sliced and added to the stack or a relish on the side.

It's important how the burger is assembled – a brioche bun, split and warmed – or toasted if you prefer – a generous spread of dressing on each side, add the avocado, lettuce and tomato to the bottom half, add spiced Halloumi to the top, add another spread of dressing and fold together!

This is not set in stone – it's just an example of what you could “build”, the world is your “Big Veg”.

I'm thinking that by calling this “burger dressing” a version of tartare sauce everyone will have the thought of scampi and chips in their heads! It began life as an homage to the dressing in the Big Mac and so I think it deserves a name of its own so, I name this sauce Quasi-T - it seems appropriate since its meaning is partly or almost a tartare sauce!

Finally the Spiced, Sliced Halloumi …

Tartare Sauce photos!

 

Here are the capers, cornichons and

black olives, finely chopped – whilst it's not

compulsory, it's worth taking the time to achieve

as fine a result as you can

ta dah! Here's the sauce, now all you need

is ideas for creating your own version of

the “Big Mac” - could this be a “Big Veg”?!

Coming up, an even faster recipe just in case you don't want to make your own mayo!

Tartare Sauce and a burger …

… not a combination that immediately springs to mind I know – bear with me!

I don't normally crave “fast food” but I confess that for some while I have been dreaming of a burger.

If you live in a village the “fast food” options are limited and because we don't have any fast food outlets the nearest are in the next village which, I think you'll agree, rather contradicts the “fast” element since you have to get in your car to go get it, kinda defeating the object.

When the time comes to go get the food I've lost the will – taking into account the drive, the queue to pick up the food and drive home I could have made it myself.

I decided I'd create my own burger, making sure I had the ingredients in the store cupboard and added any I needed to my shopping list.

What has tartare sauce got to do with a burger? This might seem a convoluted train of thought but, think of the famous Big Mac – I remember vividly indulging many years ago and the stand-out element I remember most of all is the dressing – it wasn't mayo, nor Thousand Island or any other you could name – it was the dressing that belongs to the Big Mac.

Here's my veggie homage to the Big Mac with my tartare sauce as the dressing but before I begin, here's what I call a useless bit of information – the Big Mac was first introduced in the UK in 1974 – gulp – that's 47 years ago – enough said!

A dressing on a burger is not just important – it's vital - which brings me to tartare sauce or rather my version of it – it's a sauce that is almost exclusively associated with fish. Shop bought versions vary with most being either too sloppy or too vinegary – solution – make your own! What follows gives a fast recipe using ready-made good quality mayo and then a fastish version making your own mayo.

Here comes the recipe, followed by ideas for variations and the building of the burger!

The Cauliflower Bake photo-guide

Here comes the photo-guide :

the cauliflower florets, onions and garlic in the baking tray,

sprinkled with paprika, coriander and celery salt –

drizzled with rapeseed oil

“gloved-up” and tossed until coated, ready to bake

in the oven for 30 minutes – turn after 15 minutes

the first bake -

fresh out of the oven – don't forget to test a floret

with a paring knife – it should pass through, but firmly –

the veggies will be “twice-baked”, adding the remaining

ingredients later to complete the dish, so set

aside until ready to finish off

gloved up again, add the potatoes and combine, pour

in the double cream and top with the grated cheese,

sprinkle generously with freshly ground black pepper,

ready to bake

here it is - dive in!

Even though I say so myself this bake is delicious – it's all the more satisfying too since other than the cauliflower the remainder of the ingredients are foraged from your fridge stash and staples!

Let the Cauliflower bake begin …

… by roasting the cauliflower and everything else!

Pre-heat oven to 180fan/200c/Gas 6

Place your cauliflower florets, onions and garlic into the baking tray. Sprinkle over the paprika, coriander and celery salt – drizzle over with rapeseed oil and then “glove-up” and toss until everything is coated.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes – turn after 15 minutes. At the end of the baking time test a floret with a paring knife – it should pass through, but firmly – bear in mind that the veggies will be “twice-baked”, adding the cooked jacket potatoes, cream and cheese later to complete the dish so there should be “give” in the cauliflower florets.

Add the potatoes and combine, add the double cream, then the grated cheese and sprinkle generously with freshly ground black pepper.

Pre-heat your oven 200fan/220c/Gas 7

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve in warm bowls.

Roasting onions produces a sweet delicious result and is perfect in this recipe.

There is no downside here – if you're a veggie then your meal is ready – go rustic French and eat it scooping the bake onto chunks of freshly baked bread with a side of roasted beetroot if the mood takes.

If you're not a veggie you have the perfect “roast side” to serve with your meat, chicken or fish.

You could roast any veggies that you have stashed in your fridge – a stray carrot an odd parsnip, that quarter of butternut squash you didn't know what to do with – all you have to remember is to keep your veggies of a similar size and that root veggies roasted from raw take longer to roast than cauliflower does.

Photo-guide up next!