Crêpe suzette flambé au Grand Manier for a hen party near Burford, Oxfordshire

"We were after a sophisticated hen party...." said the organiser as we were setting up "...no naked men or willy straws, so this is perfect!"

We laughed. In 8 years we've seen it all. And more! Being more down to earth we can handle - no problem!

The hen had specifically requested crêpe suzette flambé au Grand Manier - always a first time! Actually always wanted to try it. Used this recipe for the pancakes & sauce (always so well tried & tested) and we put it all together at the house before serving the starter. When the recipe says 'a little extra Grand Marnier, for flaming' I took a little to mean a lot. Why do things by halves? It helped that the kitchen and dining room were combined so they didn't have far to go to the table & stay alight. I also added candied orange zest on top.

The ones we served didn't have quite so much sauce as the lake above - it had taken a couple of times to grab a pic of the Grand Manier alight (why I'm a chef not a food photographer).....

Pancakes heating in the sauce
"They look a bit... orange" said Shannon who was waitressing. I rather thought that was the point.

Previous posts - other pancake ideas

Eton mess sourdough pancakes

Blueberry pancakes with banana jam

Gingerbread pancakes with  grilled mango

Original french style crepe and American style pancake recipes

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Birthday meal cooked near Burford, Oxfordshire

Chocolate and almond torte with white chocolate ganache and berries - birthday cake aka torte becomes dessert to serve at the table family style

Served this up last night at Field House near Burford - love doing parties at this house. They only have an aga and the kitchen is more of kitchen-sitting room with 180 degree views of the countryside - great relaxed feel. Seriously chocolatey! I'd had quite an audience watching me prepare - five of them aged between 4 and 7 - most put out that I was cooking for their parents & grandparents rather than them. Next time guys!

Orzo risotto with grilled prawns and scallops & courgette carpaccio - lucky they were plain white plates or the pattern would have eaten too - went down rather well!

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Ballottine of duck with cumberland sauce as served near Chipping Norton

The ballottine of duck quickly became my favourite dish to cook. Luckily it also seems to be everyone's favourite dish to order - I cooked and served it on two consecutive evenings this week first in Enstone between Chipping Norton and Woodstock, Oxfordshire on Wednesday, then in Bourton on the Water (The Venice of the Cotswolds) on Thursday where I will be cooking on Christmas Day too.
This (left) is the bistro version with grilled vegetables and new potatoes in chive butter.

The duck came from Madgetts Farm via Home Farm which cuts down my food miles even more, and along with the duck from the Smallholding in Chadbury is the best duck you will ever taste. You just couldn't get the same results with a supermarket bird. And the smell of it roasting always gets the guests in the mood for food.

For the Cumberland sauce once you have boned the duck you roast the bones and make a duck stock (same way as the chicken stock for the coq au vin - more info there). I take that to the venue and then finish it there with port (plenty of), julienne of orange and lemon that has been brought to the boil 3 times (removes the bitterness), the juice of the orange & lemon, julienne of fresh ginger, redcurrant jelly, and at the last minute, the best part - the roasting juices from the duck when is has been cooked and rested.

P.S.

I almost posted photos of my new 'interesting' shaped hen party bread rolls the other night, but stopped myself just in time while I still had a bit of credibility. But if you're planning a hen party they're available! There's another stag party shape too......



Related posts:

What does ballottine mean / How to bone chicken & duck
How to bone a turkey
1001 Kitchen Tips # 49 - Chicken and duck stock - save the livers

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