3 dinner-date recipes by The Table’s Alex Sanchez

Dessert: Japanese cheesecake, malta orange, black sesame ice cream

For Cheesecake Base:
100g Unsalted butter
600g Cream Cheese, cubed
200g Milk
60g Lime juice
180g Egg yolks
120g Flour
40g Corn flour
8g Salt

Method:

1) Line 230cm X 22cm baking trays with butter paper.

2) Melt butter, cream cheese and milk over a double boiler until smooth. Once smooth, take off the heat and allow to come to room temperature.

3) Fill a large sauce pan with water and allow water to boil. This is for the water bath used during the baking of the cheesecake.

4) Whisk lime juice with egg yolks and set aside.

5) Add the cream cheese mixture to the egg yolk mixture and whisk till smooth. Now slowly whisk in the flour, corn flour, and salt. Set aside.

For Meringue:
280g Castor sugar
600g egg whites
1/4 tsp Lime juice

Method:

1) Whisk egg whites till foamy

2) Add in the sugar gradually, whisk till dissolved

3) Add in the lime juice and whisk for half a minute to soft peaks

4) Lastly, fold in 1/3rd of meringue into the cheesecake mixture, then 1/3rd again, and lastly the remaining meringue

5) Pour into two baking trays and bake at 140˚ C for a total of 40 minutes in a water bath.  Rotate the trays at the half way mark

6) Remove from the oven and leave in the water bath until the cheesecake comes to room temperature

7) Refrigerate. Once cooled, slice with a warm knife

8) Serve with accompaniments of your choice

Main: Norwegian salmon, puy lentils, confit pork belly, basil aïoli, parsley and fennel

For the Lentils:
200g Green Lentils, cooked
100g Confit Pork Belly or Bacon, cubed
80g Carrot Brunoise, blanched
80g Leeks Brunoise, blanched
80g Celery Brunoise, blanched
Salt to taste
10ml Sherry Vinegar
25g Unsalted Butter

Method:

1) Render the pork belly or bacon in a pan and add the lentils as well as the vegetable brunoise.

2) Season with salt and finish with sherry vinegar and butter.

To Finish:
4 pieces of salmon (140g per portion)
250g Basil Mayo
40g Fennel, shaved into ice water
5g Parsley Leaves, whole
Olive oil to taste
Salt to taste

Method:

1) Take out the salmon from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking.

2) Season the fish with salt.

3) Add oil on the grill and place the salmon on the grill, cooking on a medium heat till golden.

4) Turnover and cook till golden.

5) Place on a resting tray and finish in the oven if needed. Cook till medium rare.

6) Allow to rest for a couple of minutes.

To Plate:

1) Place the lentil ragout in the middle of the plate.

2) Place the salmon on top of the ragout.

3) Dress shaved fennel and parsley leaves with olive oil and salt and place over the salmon.

4) Spoon the basil mayo on one side of the fish.

Appetiser: House-made hummus, grilled whole wheat flatbread, vegetable crudité, harissa, ras el hanout

For Ras-el-Hanout Spice Mix:
4g Ground coriander seeds
2g Ground black pepper corns
2g Ground white peppercorns
2g Ground fennel seeds
1g Ground cloves
2g Ground caraway seeds

Roast and grind the above ingredients to a fine powder

3g Ground ginger
2g Ground cardamom
5g Ground cinnamon
0.5g Ground nutmeg
4g Turmeric powder
2g Paprika powder

Mix the above ingredients with the ground spices.

For Hummus:
500g Chickpeas
62g Tahini
15g Lemon juice
8g Garlic
1 pinch Ground cumin
Salt to taste

Method:

1) Soak the chick peas overnight with baking soda and boil until mushy

2) Grate garlic with a micro grater, sprinkle with salt, wrap in muslin cloth, and hang overnight.

3) Puree the chickpeas and mix with tahini, hung garlic and cumin

4) Add lemon juice and salt to taste. Pass through a fine sieve.

5) Keep refrigerated covered with baking paper on top.

Other ingredients:

Small round radish
Green beans
Romanesco or Broccoli
Snow Peas
Baby carrots
Harissa
Ras el Hanout spice
Olive oil

Method:

1) Cut the round radish into half or quarters (depending on the size)

2) Top and tail green beans and snow peas and cut long on a bias

3) Cut the romanesco or the broccoli into florets.

4) Peel and cut the baby carrots in half lengthwise

5) All the above ingredients are to be left raw

To plate:

1) Spoon hummus onto a plate and spread evenly.

2) Drop a little harissa on the hummus.

3) Plate the raw crudités on the hummus, along with any peppery greens like arugula or watercress.

4) Drizzle with olive oil.

5) Dust the Ras el Hanout spice mix through a sieve over the vegetables and serve