Birthday Celebrations at Fifteen, Cornwall

It was my birthday on Monday and as we were in Cornwall for the week and just happened to be a couple of miles from Fifteen, we all planned to go for the six course tasting menu. The restaurant is situated in the beautiful Watergate bay, so you can look out onto the beach, the crashing waves and the surfers as you dine.  The evening was rainy and very windy but despite the off season miserable night and it being a little off the beaten track, the restaurant was quite busy. 

The style of the restaurant is quite young and funky but welcoming.  Obviously at night you can't admire the view but the atmosphere was still pretty amazing. We were seated quickly and efficiently and feasted our eyes on the wonderful treats we were about to enjoy.  The tasting menu changes daily to keep up with the seasons and what is available to them on the day. They offer only the tasting menu at night so they always have a limited number of dishes to ensure top quality and service. The six course tasting menu including coffee, fudge and biscotti was £50 per person and an optional wine pairing with each course at £40 per person. We went for the wine pairing. You only live once ;-)

We were quickly seated and offered some beautiful freshly baked bread with fruity extra virgin olive oil to dip it in and a small bowl of huge bright green olives from Puglia. 

We then had the first course which was two spoons, one with candied beets, walnut and cornish blue cheese and one with a tomato and anchovy agro dolce and Cornish red mullet. This was beautiful, especially the mullet and it was all washed down with a glass of champagne. 

For the second course I had Cornish crab on bruschetta with shaved fennel, wild rocket and brown crab aioli. I then had Cornish seaside risotto which had squid and other lovely stuff in it, finished with a pangratatto. This is where everything starts to get a a bit hazy as this was my third glass of wine.  Next I had roasted angus beef which was beautifully moist and delicious, possibly the nicest beef I have ever tasted. 

I finished with a decadent chocolate and hazelnut torte with chocolate sauce and blood orange sorbet. The waiting staff must have overheard it was my birthday because I was presented with this lovely message on my dessert plate.



We then had coffees served with fudge and biscotti and we also ordered a glass of Cognac each to finish off a wonderful meal and an unforgettable experience. 

We enjoyed ourselves so much that we went back for breakfast on the morning of our departure. The views were stunning and the breakfast delicious and it set us up for the long journey back. 

The lunch menu looks pretty good too and is more affordable  for a meal out. Whatever meal you go for, Fifteen is worth every penny.

Jamie's Quesadillas

This recipe is a real favourite of ours for weekend lunches. It is so simple yet delicious and we never seem to tire of it. maybe because they are so versatile and you can put pretty much whatever you like in them. The recipe comes from Jamie's Dinners and is well worth a try. This time I decided to put some prawns into it and a touch of lime to jazz it up a bit.

Ingredients

Pack of flour tortillas

3 Spring onions

1 red (or any other colour you fancy) pepper, finely chopped

1 red or green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

zest of one lime

a small handful of raw prawns

1 clove of garlic finely chopped

1 handful of grated cheddar and 1 of red leicester (again you can experiment with different cheeses)

1 little olive oil for frying

 

Heat a frying pan to a high temperature and add a little olive oil. Throw in the chilli and garlic and stir for a couple of minutes before adding the prawns. Fry until the prawns are pink and completely cooked. Slice the prawns once slightly cooled and add them to all the other ingredients in a bowl. Take a flour tortilla and sprinkle a little of the mixture onto it making sure you don't add too much filling as the cheese will just drip out once cooked. Top with another tortilla and sandwich together. Warm a dry frying pan over a medium heat and put the filled tortilla onto it. Cook for a minute or so until golden on one side and then flip over to do the other side. Once cooked, remove from the pan, slice into triangles and serve with some bought or homemade guacamole.



 

Shortbread with Christmas spice

I made some shortbread and chutney for people to have at Christmas this year. I had had a go at making shortbread before, but it didn't really turn out quite as expected. I found a Jamie Oliver recipe, which he claimed was the best shortbread recipe in the world. Even though I didn't quite buy his bold statement, I do like his easy to follow recipes and thought that I couldn't go far wrong. This was a basic shortbread recipe which I tinkered with slightly (I can never leave things alone) to give it more of a festive edge.

Ingredients:

• 250g plain flour


• 250g unsalted butter


• 125g semolina or cornflour


• 125g golden caster sugar


• Finely grated zest of two oranges


• 1 tsp ground cinnamon


• Seeds from 1/2 vanilla pod (put the pod into a bag of caster sugar to flavour it after use or use in vanilla ice cream)


• More caster sugar and flour for dusting


• 8 inch square tin, greased

Simply cream the butter, sugar and orange zest together until light and fluffy, then sift in the flour and cornflour. Mix together lightly and then bring the mixture together with your hands and pat into a ball. Roll the mixture on a floured surface until it is the right size for the tin and press into the tin. Prick the top all over with a fork and cook at 150 deg centigrade for 50 minutes until slightly golden brown on top.

While the shortbread is cooking mix together a couple of tablespoons of caster sugar with the cinnamon and vanilla seeds. Once the shortbread is cooked sprinkle this over the top (it will give off the most amazing aroma). When the shortbread has cooled a little, cut into squares.