Chefs Corner

Chefs Corner – English Apples

BY Steve Walpole

Apples are very versatile – different varieties, colours and textures. They can be used in a variety of different ways as well as in a packed lunch.

If you have good quality apples then it’s not just your usual tart tatins and chutneys. I find they work really well in a savoury dishes – in salads. They work really well with scallops, for example, because of their sweetness and acidity. Crab and apple is just amazing.

If you want a bit of sharpness in a salad that you wouldn’t necessarily get from an onion or something similar then apple is a way that you could bring the flavour out.

Apple could bring to life a curry – like the old fashioned Coronation Chicken. The classic for that is apple and sultana. Why not turn that on it on the head and do a Coronation Chicken salad without the mayo? Instead of a mayonnaise lightly dust the chicken with the curry spices then a little mixed salad, apple, spring onion and few golden sultanas. Then make a little toasted almond dressing with lime juice and wholegrain mustard. Your alternative Coronation Chicken. Or how about pan fried scallops with bacon and cauliflower puree?

Bramleys hold up on cookery. They are nice to add to a dressing or desserts. You can make classic apple sauces and purees but you can slightly sour them in a pickling liquor so you are getting ultra tartness.

If you had a bit of seared seabass, then serve with macerated fennel in a honey and mustard dressing . With this, a sour Bramley apple dressing would work a treat. I would pickle the apple – heat white wine vinegar or cider vinegar with half the weight of sugar. Then add half a diced Bramley apple. Pickle it then remove the fruit from the liquid and reduce it down further and then add a bit of avocado oil for a bit of green colour and fruit. I would add some basil, too. So this would be sour apple and basil dressing on top of the fish.

Steven Walpole is a leading chef and food consultant, working with a wide range of clients developing menus, recipes and other products. See www.stevewalpoleltd.com for more detail. ____________________________________________________________ Steve's CV includes stints at some of London’s best eating establishments including Browns Hotel, Home House, City Rhodes, Quaglinos, The Four Seasons, The Lanesborough, The Intercontinental, Le Champenois, Lloyds of London, The Boulestein and the Waterside Restaurant at Bray. He has been a finalist and medal winner in countless competitions including UK Parade de Chefs Olympia, Toque d’Or, Roux brother’s scholarship, Nestle Grand Prix Masterclass, Academy of Culinary Arts. Born in Essex, Steven has been passionate about cooking since he started a Saturday job in a local restaurant at the age of 15 – a whole host of college qualifications, diplomas and awards followed in rapid succession and he became a full time lecturer at the famed Westminster College in London. In 2000 Steven was the highest performing candidate in the Kitchen category at the Academy of Culinary Arts Awards and in 2003 came second at the grand final in one of the most prestigious competitions on the competition circuit – the Roux Scholarship Finals making him the youngest ever lecturer to do so. He is considered to be one of the finest young chefs in the country. Having co-presented a 10 part television series (Kids Fit Squad) with Jane Wake (fitness guru Celebrity Fit Club) for Discovery Health, Steven appeared at The Vitality Show and also at The Homes Show at Excel in London. Steven also lectures on childhood obesity, and healthy eating for children is a subject that he is passionate about. He ran a Junior Chefs Academy for children at Westminster College and held nationwide workshops teaching children how to cook. He is chef consultant to the charity HOPE (www.hopeuk.info) producing healthy recipes and inspiring children and adults to get into a healthy eating scheme and well balanced diet and worked recently with Weight Watchers UK. He is a member of the Academy of Culinary Arts. Steven has appeared at food festivals worldwide including Karachi, Pakistan and the Gourmet Food Festival in Johanesburg and Capetown, South Africa and he is part of www.celebritychefsuk.com. Looking good is equally as important and Steven regularly trains in a gym; his other interests include extreme sports and he recently participated in a parachute jump for charity – an experience he can’t wait to repeat!

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