12th April 2013
Winter 2009 - Fishing or flavour
Capturing the true flavour of the sea is no easy task but Major International enlisted the help of Michelin starred chef Nathan Outlaw to enhance its new seafood glace and jus.
Chef endorsement carries a heavy responsibility so when chefs put their names to a product they have to be pretty sure of its credentials.
In the case of Michelin starred chef Nathan Outlaw, who has transformed the restaurant scene in Cornwall, he was sure about the products Major International is set to launch into the foodservice sector. Major, a long standing business partner of the Guild, is launching shellfish jus and shellfish glace in January 2010 endorsed by Outlaw, who worked alongside the company to develop them.
Outlaw, who has headed the Nathan Outlaw Seafood & Grill at the St Enodoc Hotel at Rock since June, recently closed his Michelin starred Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Fowey’s Marina Villa Hotel to relocate to St Enodoc full time to establish a fine dining restaurant.
While there is a fair share of boutique hotels in Rock and the surrounding area, the privately owned St Enodoc is a 20 room hotel with a luxurious but informal appeal. It is therefore no surprise to learn it was renowned interior designer Emily Todhunter who was commissioned to create a hotel that was “unlike any other in north Cornwall”. Currently the food is served in an informal and approachable way to attract local people and weekenders.
Major’s managing director David Bryant says he first came across Outlaw when he dined at the latter’s restaurant, the Black Pig in Rock, which he says was the start of a professional relationship all about seafood.
Bryant loved the food Outlaw produced and when the latter heard about Major’s plans for creating a seafood product he wanted to get involved.
Outlaw says: “Major’s approach is based on using the finest ingredients and this guarantees a great flavour every time. I challenged David and the team to come up with a product that matched the stock I make and I can honestly say their shellfish stock base is as good as mine.”
Outlaw’s input into the recipe development has been invaluable, says Bryant. “Nathan has an exceptional sixth sense for creating a perfect balance of flavours. He has worked alongside our development team to create two
excellent bases that capture all the seafood flavours of stock made in the traditional way – something professional chefs so often do not have time to do in today’s busy kitchens.”
The flavours of crab, shrimps, lobster and mussels are as close as possible to a kitchen made product, says the company, and is easy to use by sprinkling into any white sauce to add body and flavour. It recommends the bases for enhancing chowders, fish pies and soups, risottos and sauces. A 500g bottle will yield up to 20 litres of stock.
Major’s own award winning executive development chef Brian Eastment adds: “Chefs using the stocks are not afraid to season their finished dishes because like own made stocks the salt levels are low and possibly the lowest in the industry. As water based products, the jus and the glace will not separate when alcohol or cream is added.”
In October Outlaw and his head chef Peter Biggs produced a menu that included two dishes using the bases especially for Major’s customers in the south west.
Crab soup with tarragon oil had an intense fish flavour with sweetness thanks to the glace, while a shellfish pie was filled with a mix of fish – lobster, salmon, white and brown crab meat, cod and prawns, and topped with creamy mashed potato.
Outlaw says he would use the shellfish bases in his Seafood & Grill but would continue to make stock from scratch for fine dining. But, with the latter being a new feature at St Enodoc, it’s safe to say more food development is in the pipeline for 2010.
In the case of Michelin starred chef Nathan Outlaw, who has transformed the restaurant scene in Cornwall, he was sure about the products Major International is set to launch into the foodservice sector. Major, a long standing business partner of the Guild, is launching shellfish jus and shellfish glace in January 2010 endorsed by Outlaw, who worked alongside the company to develop them.
Outlaw, who has headed the Nathan Outlaw Seafood & Grill at the St Enodoc Hotel at Rock since June, recently closed his Michelin starred Restaurant Nathan Outlaw in Fowey’s Marina Villa Hotel to relocate to St Enodoc full time to establish a fine dining restaurant.
While there is a fair share of boutique hotels in Rock and the surrounding area, the privately owned St Enodoc is a 20 room hotel with a luxurious but informal appeal. It is therefore no surprise to learn it was renowned interior designer Emily Todhunter who was commissioned to create a hotel that was “unlike any other in north Cornwall”. Currently the food is served in an informal and approachable way to attract local people and weekenders.
Major’s managing director David Bryant says he first came across Outlaw when he dined at the latter’s restaurant, the Black Pig in Rock, which he says was the start of a professional relationship all about seafood.
Bryant loved the food Outlaw produced and when the latter heard about Major’s plans for creating a seafood product he wanted to get involved.
Outlaw says: “Major’s approach is based on using the finest ingredients and this guarantees a great flavour every time. I challenged David and the team to come up with a product that matched the stock I make and I can honestly say their shellfish stock base is as good as mine.”
Outlaw’s input into the recipe development has been invaluable, says Bryant. “Nathan has an exceptional sixth sense for creating a perfect balance of flavours. He has worked alongside our development team to create two
excellent bases that capture all the seafood flavours of stock made in the traditional way – something professional chefs so often do not have time to do in today’s busy kitchens.”
The flavours of crab, shrimps, lobster and mussels are as close as possible to a kitchen made product, says the company, and is easy to use by sprinkling into any white sauce to add body and flavour. It recommends the bases for enhancing chowders, fish pies and soups, risottos and sauces. A 500g bottle will yield up to 20 litres of stock.
Major’s own award winning executive development chef Brian Eastment adds: “Chefs using the stocks are not afraid to season their finished dishes because like own made stocks the salt levels are low and possibly the lowest in the industry. As water based products, the jus and the glace will not separate when alcohol or cream is added.”
In October Outlaw and his head chef Peter Biggs produced a menu that included two dishes using the bases especially for Major’s customers in the south west.
Crab soup with tarragon oil had an intense fish flavour with sweetness thanks to the glace, while a shellfish pie was filled with a mix of fish – lobster, salmon, white and brown crab meat, cod and prawns, and topped with creamy mashed potato.
Outlaw says he would use the shellfish bases in his Seafood & Grill but would continue to make stock from scratch for fine dining. But, with the latter being a new feature at St Enodoc, it’s safe to say more food development is in the pipeline for 2010.