Stephen Crane, Head Chef at Ockenden Manor, shares his delicious recipe
Nestled in the West Sussex countryside, Ockenden Manor, the tranquil Elizabethan manor house, has an excellent Michelin-starred restaurant. Under the expert guidance of Head Chef, Stephen Crane, the Restaurant at Ockenden Manor offers a superb fine dining experience with stunning views across the South Downs National Park. The expertly devised menu incorporates the freshest ingredients, sourced locally in Sussex wherever possible.
Stephen was born in Sussex and lives in Balcombe. He became interested in food at school when he realised he wasn’t any good at football. His interest grew and he became an apprentice before joining London’s Halcyon Hotel, where he met Martin Hadden, executive chef of Historic Sussex Hotels. Stephen followed Martin to Historic Sussex Hotels, first to The Spread Eagle and then to Ockenden Manor.
Today, the Restaurant at Ockenden Manor is one of only three restaurants to hold a Michelin star in West Sussex. It is the perfect setting for Stephen’s menu that cleverly mixes innovation and tradition.
www.hshotels.co.uk; 01444 416111.
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The dish
Sweet Pastry
5oz butter
2oz sugar
8oz plain Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Egg
***
1 Cream together the butter and sugar. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt and egg and then add this to the creamed mixture. Leave to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2 Line a flan dish and place the rolled out, chilled pastry into the dish. Bake blind for 1 hour at 170c, egg wash twice. The pastry should be golden brown.
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Lemon Cream
250g sugar
200g of lemon (the zest of three lemons and the juice of four lemons)
700ml double cream
9 eggs
***
1 Take out two pans. In the first pan combine the sugar, lemon zest and juice. In the second pan, heat the double cream. Bring both pans to the boil at the same time.
2 In a bowl, beat together the nine eggs, adding the lemon mix and then the cream mix on top of the beaten egg. Continue whisking throughout.
3 Pass the mixture through a sieve, skim the top from the solution and fill up the tart case.
4 Cook at 110c for 40–50 minutes, the consistency should be like jelly. Allow to cool out of the fridge before serving with blackcurrant sorbet.
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The bottle
Sweet Dessert Wine:
Chile : La Playa, Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 £28 per ½ Bottle
