By eating the food of a place we become part of it.

These Holiskes would make my Jewish Grandmother proud.

Really busy getting everything together for my next culinary adventure at Dan Cruickshank’s house in Spitalfields.

Today I am making the Pheasant Terrine with Calvados and sauteed Apples. It smells delicious.

here a little taster:

 

The culinary evocation of 15 Elder Street, Spitalfields
A gastrogeographical journey in 7 courses
Tonight we dine with the ghosts hidden in the layers of history.
By eating the food of this place we connect with it on the most intimate level.
We become part of it.

Roman Spitalfields
A Raw Estuary Oyster served with pickled Shallots, Ale and Pepper
Dickens’ Sam Weller remarks, ‘Poverty and oysters always seem to go together’.
Hungry Spitalfields
A Dish of Nothing
A large disaster cemetery was built at the end of the road in 1120.

Ambergris and Angelica Root incense is lit.
Monastic Spitalfields
Warm Winter Pears and Goatscurd with local Honey from Steve Benbow.
He used to sell his honey in Spitalfields Market,
where in 1197 St. Mary’s Priory is built.
Pears picked fresh from the orchard. We sit in the prior’s orchard garden.
Tudor Spitalfields
Freshly Shot Pheasant Terrine with Calvados and Apple
served with freshly baked St. John’s bread.
The Honourable Artillery Company take over much of the ground. Mind the lead shots.
Huguenot Spitalfields
Burgundy braised Beef Cheeks with Baby Leeks and Horseradish Cream
1727. The House was built. French calvanistic culture takes hold. Silk weaving is the main industry.
Unfold your napkin with drawings by Marenka Gabeler, the current female inhabitant of the house.

A Menorah is lit.
Jewish Spitalfields
Geshmack Holishkes are served
Just as the Eskimos have nurmerous words for snow so do the Jews of eastern europe for stuffed cabbage …
Interlude Vesta Tilly. The greatest male impersonator of the Music Halls.
Who is believed to be related to the former inhabitants and may have stayed here.
Blitz Spitalfields
Beetroot Cake served with German late Harvest Riesling Icewine “ frozen while still on the vine.”
The Ministry of Food’s leaflet No. 40 “use the sweetness of beetroot to make a pudding with little sugar”.
Dan’s Spitalfields
A glass of Single Malt Whisky served by Dan Cruickshank
Raise a glass to Dan Cruickshank,the current inhabitant of the house.

a little culinary history devised by Caroline Hobkinson
London, Spitalfields 30th of January 2012

 

I was very honoured to be invited to participate at Glenfiddich’s One Day You Will  First Ever Pioneering Summit up in beautiful Scotland, particularly at this time of year.

They asked me to choreograph an entire Eating Experience for both nights of the summit. A challenge that I happily accepted.

These are some impressions of the Initiation Dinner.

The most tender venison I’ve ever tasted – it should be – it’s from the “valley of the deers” -Glenfiddich in Gaelic. Eaten with Wooden sticks – one end had two prongs hand carved into them like a chipfork.

Initiation Dinner Tuesday 18th October 2011

Menu

Find yourself.

Break your bread and eat it. Leave yourself behind.

Put on a mask. Become someone new.

Introduction from Caroline Hobkinson.
—
Wild Mushroom and Whiskey Soup
served in test tubes Warm yourself with a secret portion.

—

Smoked Herring served on lemon grass skewers Add old tradition to new flavours

—
Hendricks,Tonic and Cucumber sorbet popsicle

clean your palate

—

Saddle of venison

meet the mythical creature with candied and golden beetroot, purple and white carrot, onion squash and curly kale
Dig up the past and discover new flavours
Extend your arms with the branched of trees and devour for the mythical creature.

—-

Apple Butterscotch pies with a candied apple give in to tempation

—–

Tiny deep fried mars bars in fleur de Sell batter – served as petit fours. Shed new light on myths

and this was the Gala Dinner

The deconstructed Scotch Quails Egg with the “Cutlery Disc”

The conventional cutlery outline was laser cut into the giant cracker.

The inspiring mixologist Eben Klemm with his reversed cocktail using liquid nitrogen- it became stronger as you drunk it.

Diners attacking the iced creature with warm treacle served in test tubes.

Pioneering is seeing the magic in the humble everyday – in this case floating bread rolls.

The Haggis was “piped in ” by a real bag piper and addressed by a woman ( very unusual) with a Robert Burns poem.

( He wrote an entire hymn to the dish !)

You are part of a ritualist eating performance

Cocktail by Eben Klemm

Eat floating bread rolls suspended by thin air. Inject with Cream Cheese. Inspect Whiskey marinated Salmon.

—————-
A manifesto of new eating experiences by Caroline Hobkinson.

Deconstruct everyday rituals. Force yourself to reassess. Look at the familiar in a new light and find new solutions.
————–

Blindfold yourself.
2 flavours are paired specifically to complement 2 fragrances
to complement the fragrance of fresh mint:
Petit pois on a crusty bread
are placed into your mouth
to complement the fragrance of fresh rosemary:
Roast squash on a crusty bread
is placed into your mouth
See again.
—————
The Sound of a back pipe carries a Haggis
The Haggis is served as part of a deconstructed Scotch Egg.
Haggis on a bed of breadcrumbs with quails egg
Look at customs of the past which give our culture the rich flavour of today.
Eat with cracker bread disks with fork and knife laser cut onto them.

—————

Clean your palate with Hendrick’s and Tonic
——————
Tinned Fresh Sea Trout
Things aren’t what they seem to be.
Bite into soft apples of the earth from branches of trees DIg up buried treasures and get inspired by the humble everyday
Baked potatoes served on two pronged chip forks carved into twigs
——————–
Sponge cake and whiskey & raisin ice cream Melt the ice with your own warm golden treacle.

Me with the wonderful and very down to earth Peter Gordon, great-greatgrandson of William Grant who pioneered Single malt Scotch Whisky. It was such a wonderful thing to spend some time at this traditional distillery with so many people so passionate about pioneering – it gave me a real taste for whisky though.

Masonic Banquet of the elect 20
Code of conduct and substances
Guillotine shot
You are part of a ritualist eating performance
You are blindfolded
A candle is lit
The scent unfolds
3 amuse bouche are paired specifically to complement the 3 different notes of the scent
to complement the head note of lavender, marjoram, laurel
an amuse bouche of
Purple potato mousse on truffle oil
is placed into your mouth
to complement the heart note of thyme, rosemary
an amuse bouche of
Courgette roulade, aubergine and tomato
is placed into your mouth
to complement the bottom note of juniper, sage, pine, hay
an amuse bouche of
Saddle of venison, red wine juice, seared mushrooms
is placed into your mouth
Your blindfolds are removed
Eat the floating Campaillou bread Rolls without using your hands
Add the secret wood smoked oil
Receive Tiger prawns marinated in lemon, chilli and gin directly into your mouth
Suck Frozen Champagne and Pomegranate popsicles on iron skewers to cleanse your palette
Your hands are washed
The arrival of the beasts. Winged suckling pigs
Extend your arms with the branches of trees and bite into steamed apples
Reach for the spirit
Your hands are washed
Crack the egg and lick the Praline Milk Chocolate out of the shell
Eat the Eye of Providence
Take from the rich fruitcake in the divine form and devour it
The end of the ritual is marked by the extinguishing of the flames.

20 strangers will come together for one night at a secret masonic temple.

They will share a secret dinner inspired by the ritual and symbolism of Freemasonry.

When they leave they will remain strangers to each other.

Each sworn never to speak about the meal they have experienced…

http://www.franklintill.com/secretsensorysuppers/

A sensual night of taste & touch

held at a secet masonic temple at the Andaz Hotel

21/09/2011

http://www.franklintill.com/2011/08/franklintill-presents-secret-sensory-suppers/

*Free of forks, knifes, spoons, plates, glasses or other conventional culinary instruments

You are part of an experimental eating performance

Manual

Sourdough rolls suspended from the ceiling. Syringes filled with elderflower vinegar, roast hay oil and fresh mascarpone

Inject the floating sourdough rolls with the filled syringes and eat mid air.

***

Cured and cold-smoked mackerel sticks accompanied by a communal chalice holding tomato and sherry gazpacho

Receive the cured mackerel directly into your mouth from your assistant.

Take it and eat. Take the cup and drink from it.

***

Pork rillettes, Jersey Royals, pickled asparagus, rhubarb compote

Extend your arms with the branches of trees and reach for rilettes, jersey royals, pickled asparagus and rhubarb compote.

***

Strawberry in jelly on strawberry caviar

Suck the jelly and caviar straight out of the Petri dish.

***

Fresh mint globe.

Pop the ballon and smash the fresh mint globe with a hammer. Eat.

The meal is accompanied by wine and water. Imbibe via thin transparent tubes supplied.

you can book tickets for the public night here:

http://blanchandshockfooddesign.blogspot.com/

A bit of work in progress of my cutlery implosion – I love working with metal. Very proud to have invented a fork/toothpick combo en route…