Andrew Moss, chef patron of the North Port Restaurant in Perth, talks festive flavours and Christmas cooking with Caroline Lindsay
Q Favourite desert island food and why?
A Mayonnaise. But it has to be Hellmann’s! I would eat it out of the jar if it was socially acceptable.
Q Favourite TV chef and why?
A Probably Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. He is a chef who champions the raw ingredient, keeps dishes simple and makes the most out of the raw product.
Q Favourite cook book and why?
A Either Relae, A Book Of Ideas by Christian Puglisi or La Grenouillère by Alexandre Gauthier. Both are full of absolutely beautiful food photography and show how simplicity and respecting the ingredientsare key to making delicious plates of food.
Q Favourite ingredient and why?
A I love using oats in dishes. Not only are they a key part in haggis, which is a favourite of mine, they can be used in a lot of dishes both sweet and savoury. We have made quite a desserts with them including ice creams, parfaits and custards.
Q Most hated ingredient and why?
A Cheap truffle oil which has never seen a truffle in its life! This stuff is artificially produced and you can taste and smell the difference.
Q Perfect dinner guest and why?
A All we aim to do in the restaurant is to have happy guests so the perfect guest for me is just someone who enjoys and gets excited about good food.
Q Favourite kitchen gadget and why?
A I don’t tend to use a lot of gadgets in the kitchen. If anything, probably a chargrill. We use it for a lot of things other than just meat – vegetables and even fruit can taste amazing when grilled.
Q Favourite music to cook to this time of year and why?
A I don’t tend to listen to Christmas music but if I had to choose one track it would be Christmas In Hollis by Run-DMC.
Q Perfect menu?
A My mum’s leek and potato soup, my partner Karen’s fish pie and my granny’s Swiss roll.
Q Favourite country for food and why?
A Scotland. We are one of the best countries in the world for produce. Meat, fish, shellfish, game, vegetables and fruit, we have it all right on our doorstep.
Q Favourite chef, alive or dead and why?
A It would have to be Rene Redzepi, a Danish chef and co-owner of the two-Michelin star restaurant Noma in Copenhagen. No one can deny the massive influence he has had on cooking. He has encouraged chefs all around the world to use what is on your doorstep rather than importing produce from all around the world. It is something I have always been taught from day one as a chef and still follow to this day.
Q What do you like about cooking during the festive season?
A We always have a cloutie dumpling on as a dessert on our festive menu which I enjoy making. The recipe has been tweaked for about 15 years now and is pretty special.
Q Salt or pepper and why?
A Definitely salt. Without it the world would be a very bland place.
Q Favourite Christmas herb and why?
A Stuffing is one of my favourite parts of a Christmas meal and it wouldn’t be right without sage.
Q Favourite Christmas spice and why?
A I wouldn’t say that I am a fan of the usual Christmas spices like cinnamon and cloves but one spice that I love to use at this time of year is juniper. It is great to use with game meat like venison.
Q Favourite way to cook the humble potato at Christmas?
A It has to be a roast potato. Done right they are the perfect accompaniment to a Christmas dinner.
Q Favourite go-to recipe if you’re in a hurry?
A It would have to be macaroni cheese. It is simple and delicious.
Q Favourite naughty nibble during the festive season?
A Every year I attempt to eat my body weight in cheese. The smellier and runnier the better.
Q Favourite health food?
A Sea buckthorn. It is a tree that grows on the coast. The berries are bright orange and have an almost tropical fruit flavour. It is full of of vitamins, antioxidants, amino and fatty acids and minerals. And most of all it is delicious.
Q Ideal picnic dish?
A You cannot have a picnic without a sandwich so it would definitely be that. Ham, cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise and a wee touch of mustard for me.
Q Ideal BBQ food?
A Baby gem lettuce. I find so often that BBQs are protein heavy. Baby gem works really well when charred on a grill.
Q Are you critical of the food when you’re dining out?
A Yes, but when you’re working in this industry, who isn’t?
Q Do you tip in restaurants?
A Always. In most restaurants tips are split between all members of staff so even if the food has been great but the service not so, or vice versa, I would hope all the team will benefit from a tip.
Q Top tip for failsafe cooking?
A If in doubt, add butter and salt.
Q Worst cooking sin in your opinion?
A Pepper. In my opinion it should never be used as a seasoning but so often it is and doesn’t complement a lot of ingredients.
Salt baked celeriac, juniper milk, smoked bacon and hazelnuts
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 celeriac
350g table salt
150g plain flour
6 egg whites
For the juniper milk
6 Juniper berries
10ml gin
500ml whole milk
1 rennet tablet dissoved in small amount of water or 25ml lemon juice
For the smoked bacon and hazelnuts:
4 rashers smoked streaky bacon, cooked crips and then finely chopped
50g skinless hazelnuts, roasted in hot oven for 4-5 mins, and chopped finely
To season: splash rapeseed oil
Splash elderflower or cider vinegar
To garnish: finely chopped celery leaves
Directions
Wash and dry the celeriac making sure all the dirt is removed. Mix together the salt, flour and egg whites to form a paste.
Place the celeriac and a baking tray and cover with the salt crust.
Bake at around 180C for approximately an hour.
The cooking of the celeriac will depend on the size. The easiest way to check is to use a fine knife or metal skewer to check how soft it is inside.
Allow the celeriac to cool completely the remove the crust. Wipe off all remnants of the crust from the celeriac with a damp cloth.
Slice the celeriac finely with either a mandolin or sharp knife.
To make the juniper milk: lightly toast the juniper berries in a pot. Add the gin and reduce to a syrup. Add the milk and heat to 37C.
Add the rennet of lemon juice, stir thoroughly and take the pot off the heat. Allow to stand until the curds start to form at the top of the pot.
Strain through muslin and hang overnight to allow as much of the whey to drain off as possible. Season with salt.
To serve, spoon some of the milk curd into the bottom of a bowl.
Toss some of the sliced celeriac in some rapeseed oil and a touch of vinegar. Warm some of the bacon slightly and sprinkle on the top along with some of the hazelnuts.
Garnish with some finely chopped celery leaf.
www.thenorthport.co.uk
