Coming Home: With Over 150 Easy to Make Recipes from Return of the Chef Hardcover - 2005

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Tart

This makes a great vegetarian dish. Serve as a light lunchtime plate on a hot summer's day, accompanied by a cold glass of Chablis.

Serves 4
300g or 1 sheet puff pastry
8 plum tomatoes
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
a little olive oil
salt and freshly milled black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
4 basil leaves
4 teaspoons tapenade
2 x 125g Mozzarella cheeses
40g rocket leaves
1 teaspoon Tarragon Vinaigrette
40g Parmesan chees

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7.

2. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll out the pastry. Cut into four rounds about 12cm in diameter, prick all over with a fork, then place on a baking sheet. Cover with baking parchment and then another baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes until golden brown. Remove and put to one side.

3. Cut four of the tomatoes into quarters, remove the seeds and roughly dice the flesh.

4. Heat a little olive oil in a pan on the stove and soften the shallots and garlic but do not allow them to colour. Add the tomato flesh and cook gently for about 10 minutes until a thick purée is obtained. Season with salt, pepper and the teaspoon of sugar. Remove the pan from the heat. Shred half of the basil and add to the purée.

5. Spread the tapenade over the pastry discs and cover with the tomato purée. Slice the remaining tomatoes and arrange them on top of the purée. Season with salt and black pepper. Shred the remaining basil and sprinkle some over each tart. Place in the oven for 5 minutes to warm through.

6. In the meantime drain the Mozzarella and slice thinly. Turn the grill on full. Remove the tarts from the oven and carefully lay the Mozzarella slices on top.

7. Place the tarts under the grill to melt the cheese but do not brown. When the cheese is hot and bubbling remove from the grill and immediately transfer to warm plates. Top with rocket leaves in the vinaigrette, and Parmesan curls, and serve.


Haddock in Batter

This is delicious served with some Tartare Sauce, home-made chips and a glass of dry white wine or a pint of lager. Fish is always best served straight from the fryer, but, as most people won't have a fryer big enough to contain eight pieces in one go, you may have to fry the fish in batches of four. Keep cooked pieces warm on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper in an oven preheated to 160°C/325°F/Gas 3.

Serves 8
8 x 200g haddock pieces, preferably from a big fish, bones removed, skin on
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and freshly milled black pepper
450g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting
2 eggs
500ml lager
corn oil

1. Feel the top of the fish with your thumb for bones. Remove any you find using fish pliers or eyebrow tweezers. Lay the haddock on a tray, sprinkle each piece with some lemon juice and season with a little salt and pepper.

2. Sift the flour into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack into it the two eggs. Add a little lager and, using a whisk, beat the ingredients together to form a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in the remaining lager, a little at a time, until you achieve the consistency of a Yorkshire pudding batter. If the batter is too thin it will fall off the fish but if it is too thick there will be lumps of uncooked flour.

3. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or large pan until it reaches a temperature of 180°C/350°F, making sure the pan is no more than a third full. Meanwhile, sprinkle a little flour on another tray. Put the haddock flesh side down onto the flour. Sprinkle a little more flour over the skins. Take each piece of fish and pat off the excess flour between your hands. Then, one piece at a time, dip the haddock into the batter, holding it between your forefinger and thumb, and carefully drop it into the hot oil. Fry for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

"... one of the most talented British chefs at the moment."
—Food and Drink, BBC2

"Among the hundreds of recipes are some true gems. The chapter on fish is particularly imaginative; Butterfly Blackened Mackerel with Herb Mayonnaise, Grilled Red Mullet Fillets with Rosemary Cream Sauce and Fillets of Lemon Sole with Cockles and Parsley are all so tempting you'll want to make them right away."
—Waterstones Books Quarterly

"Burton Race is one of Britain's brightest talents."
—The Independent Magazine

John Burton Race was born in Singapore in 1957, the son of a British diplomat, and he spent his formative years travelling the globe, experiencing a multitude of cuisines. His family settled in Hampshire and his journey to create the most beautiful food began then, and encompassed sous chef at Les Manoir Quat' Saisons, Oxford and head chef and manager of Le Petit Blanc, Oxford. In 1986, John opened a restaurant of his own -- L'Ortolan, in Berkshire, gaining and maintaining two Michelin stars from 1986 until 2000. From 2000 until 2003 he ran The Landmark restaurant, in London's Landmark Hotel, and reclaimed not one, but two Michelin stars within the first year of trading.