The picturesque village of Gullane is known to be a golf haven – it’s also becoming a popular spot for foodies thanks to chef, Derek Johnstone, who was the inaugural winner of MasterChef: The Professionals.
He won the first series in 2008, and went on to take a job with Michel Roux Jr at Le Gavroche restaurant in London.
He’s now head chef at The Golf Inn, Gullane’s traditional village inn offering spectacular food.
Derek uses his experience to create an array of delicious, affordable menus that make the most of the wonderful, locally-sourced Scottish produce across the seasons so that, throughout the year, you can enjoy a wonderful seasonal taste of Scotland.
His mouth-watering three-course dinner can be created at home but be warned, your guests will want to be asked back again!
CONNAGE CROWDIE CHEESE MOUSSE WITH PICKLED HEIRLOOM BEETROOTS AND SHAVED WALNUTS
SERVES 4
180g crowdie cheese
240ml semi-skimmed milk
480ml double cream
2 gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water
60g mixed leaves (I like to use red vein sorrel, rocket and Mizuna leaves)
20g walnuts, finely grated
A pinch of salt
For the pickled beetroot:
500g mixed beetroots
250ml white wine vinegar
125g caster sugar
5 coriander seeds, crushed
1 star anise
1 chilli
10g honey
For the Parmesan crisp:
100g Parmesan cheese, grated
15g plain flour
Warm the milk and cream until it reaches 85°C. Add the crowdie cheese and mix until it’s fully incorporated. Add the bloomed gelatine and continue to mix until it’s dissolved. Season with salt to taste and transfer into a suitable container and refrigerate until set, this should take around 40 minutes.
To make the pickled beetroot, wash the beetroots and transfer to a pan full of lightly salted cold water. Bring to the boil and cook until tender. Leave to cool in the water. Peel the beetroots and cut into 1cm squares. Refrigerate the beetroot squares until required and put the beetroot trimmings to one side. Place the vinegar, sugar, coriander seeds, star anise, chilli and honey in a thick-based pan and bring to the boil. Allow to infuse and cool. Pour it through a fine strainer and put to one side. To make the beetroot puree, place the beetroot trimmings in a liquidiser and pulse until smooth. Add a pinch of salt and place in the fridge until needed.
Mix the Parmesan cheese with the flour and spread the mixture on to a non-stick baking tray. Cook in a preheated oven at 150°C for 15 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool and snap into small shards.
To serve, put a dollop of the beetroot puree on a plate and top with a quenelle of mousse. Dip the cubed beetroot into the pickling liquor and arrange on the plate with mixed leaves, walnut shavings and Parmesan shards.
SELECTION OF SCOTTISH MARKET FISH WITH SAFFRON NEW POTATOES AND LIGHT LOBSTER SAUCE
SERVES 4
4 scallops, shucked
2 sea bass fillets, scaled and pin boned
100g Shetland mussels, cleaned
15ml Rapeseed oil
120g new season potatoes, peeled and washed
A pinch of salt
A pinch of saffron
For the lobster bisque:
600g lobster, crushed and roasted
45g carrots, peeled and diced
45g banana shallots, peeled and diced
30g leeks, washed and finely sliced
45g unsalted butter
100ml whisky
600ml water
600ml double cream
120g chopped tomatoes
A pinch of cayenne pepper
A pinch of salt
Roughly chop the cooked lobster and leave to drain. Gently heat the butter, carrots, shallots and leeks until softened. Add the lobster and cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Deglaze the pan with whisky and add the water and tomatoes. Cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes then add the cream and cayenne pepper and simmer for a further five minutes.
Blend the sauce using a food processor and strain it through a fine chinois. Whilst skimming the surface of the sauce, bring it back to the boil and keep it on the heat until it reaches a coating consistency. Check the seasoning, leave the cool and refrigerate until needed. This will last up to three days in the fridge.
Place the new potatoes in cold salted water and add the saffron. Boil for 15 minutes or until tender. Keep warm in the cooking water until required.
Pour the lobster bisque into a pan and gently heat until it reaches boiling point. Meanwhile, in a thick-based non-stick frying pan, add a splash of the rapeseed oil. Once it’s piping hot, add the seasoned sea bass skin side down and fry gently. Keep the fish like this for four minutes then turn it over for the last minute of cooking. Remove and keep warm. Place the mussels into the boiling lobster bisque. Once the shells have opened up remove the mussels from the sauce and keep warm.
Finally, cook the scallops. This should take around two minutes per side. The scallops should be golden brown on both sides and around 45°C in the centre. To serve, arrange the scallops, sea bass and mussels in a deep bowl, surrounded by new potatoes and a generous helping of the warm lobster bisque.
DALMORE WHISKY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE PANNA COTTA WITH ALMOND FINANCIER AND BLACK ISLE RASPBERRIES
Serves 4
750ml double cream
250ml semi-skimmed milk
200g white chocolate
5 gelatine leaves, softened
100g caster sugar
75ml Dalmore whisky
4 round tuile biscuits
9 fresh raspberries
A handful of fresh mint
For the financier sponge:
90g egg whites (approximately 3 eggs)
90g caster sugar
40g plain flour
40g ground almonds
90g unsalted butter
For the raspberry coulis:
100g raspberries
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
50g icing sugar
For the raspberry sorbet:
500ml water
240g caster sugar
120g liquid glucose
7g ice cream stabilizer
To make the panna cotta, heat the milk and cream in a thick-based pan until it reaches 85°C. Add the white chocolate, sugar and Dalmore whisky. Once the chocolate has melted add the softened gelatine and stir until it’s dissolved. Pour the mixture into four non-stick bowls and refrigerate for 40 minutes or until set.
To make the raspberry coulis, place the vanilla seeds, raspberries and icing sugar into a liquidiser. Blitz until smooth then pass through a fine strainer. Refrigerate until needed. Measure 200ml of the puree and keep it separate in the fridge for garnishing the plates later. Use the remaining puree for the sorbet.
To make the sorbet, gently heat the water, sugar and liquid glucose until it reaches 40°C. Add the stabilizer and bring to the boil to create an emulsion. Cook for 3-4 minutes then remove from the heat. Add the raspberry puree and allow to cool. Churn in an ice cream machine for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the financier sponge. Place the butter in a thick-based pan and gently heat until you have achieved a nutty brown colour. Allow the butter to cool and pass through a fine strainer. Put to one side. Sieve the flour in a large bowl and add the egg whites, sugar and ground almonds. Mix until you have formed a smooth paste then gradually incorporate the cooled butter. Line a baking tin with butter and flour and half fill it with the mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for about 12 minutes. Place on a wire rack, allow to cool and cut into four pieces.
To serve, spread a thin layer of the raspberry coulis in the middle of the dish. Top with the panna cotta, the financier sponge and a spoonful of the raspberry sorbet. Decorate with a tuile biscuit, raspberries and fresh mint.
The Golf Inn, Gullane. Phone 01620 843259 or visit www.golfinn.co.uk