Duck 'Sandwich' with Cumbrian Ewe's Milk Cheese
On 29th and 30th September 2012, the Taste Cumbria Food Festival will see Cockermouth's shops, restaurants, hotels and pubs join forces in the weekend-long Cumbrian culinary celebrations.
The festival will showcase produce from over 100 regional producers, improving visitors' access to and awareness of Cumbrian food heroes and food culture.
This year's festival is set to be the third and biggest festival yet and a number of famous names and chefs, including James Martin, Simon Rimmer and Simon Rogan, will be sharing their talents and secrets with festival visitors.
Duck 'sandwich' with Cumbrian ewe's milk cheese
Ingredients
(serves 6):
- 1 red onion - sliced
- 3 Cumbrian duck breasts
- 175g ewe's milk cheese - thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp chilli sauce
Salad:
- half red cabbage, sliced
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 100g toasted peanuts
- half head celeriac, grated
- 125g mayo
- Tbsp curry paste, let down with hot water
Procedure
- Criss cross the duck skin, then cut each breast in half across the middle.
- Lay 3 pieces skin side down on a board.
- Lay onion, cheese and chilli sauce on top.
- Cover with the other pieces, skin side up.
- Tie with soaked cooking twine, then griddle (or bbq) over medium heat for 6 - 8 minutes, turning every now and again.
- For the salad, beat the mayo and curry together, mix with everything else.
- Serve with crusty French bread.
Morecambe Bay Shrimp Trifle
Ingredients
- 750g Morecambe Bay shrimps
- 50g Butter
- Juice 1 lemon
Tomato sauce
- 1 Finely chopped shallot
- 450g Skinned tomatoes
- 1 Sliced garlic clove
- Handful of basil
- 50ml Olive oil
Avocado custard:
- 200g Mayonnaise
- 100g Yoghurt
- 1 Avocado
- Juice 1 lime
- 4 Salted anchovies
Procedure
- For the tomato sauce, gently fry the shallot and garlic for 3-4 minutes, chop and add the tomatoes, add salt and cook for 15 minutes to break down the tomatoes.
- Add the basil and cool completely.
- For the avocado custard, blend everything together.
- Fry the shrimps in butter, drain and toss in the lemon juice.
- Assemble in glasses by layering up the shrimps, custard and tomato sauce, finishing with a layer of shrimps.
- Serve cold.
Cumbrian salt-marsh lamb loin with feta parcel
Ingredients
(serves 4):
- 2 x 225g Cumbrian salt-marsh lamb loin cannons
- 4 Sheets filo pastry
- 150g Melted butte
- 1 Caramelised onion
- 200g Crumbled greek feta
- 100g Lightly crushed pistachios
- 100g Finely shredded spinach
- 1 tbs Shredded mint
- Oil and butter to fry
- Cinnamon and tomato sauce to serve
Procedure
- Rub oil on the loin, season well and fry for about 6-8 mins on all sides, baste with butter and rest for 5 minutes.
- Combine the feta, onion, pistachios and spinach and mix well.
- Cut the filo into pieces about 6"X4", lay some mix in the middle, brush with butter, roll up, butter and bake at 200c for 20 minutes.
- Serve with watercress, sauce and slices of lamb.
Simon Rimmer, North West food hero and chef presenter of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch, will be presenting a food demonstration packed full of flavour, sharing advice on how to create exciting dishes using the region's diverse produce.
A popular TV personality, he captured the public's interest during his weekly role on BBC 2’s Something for the Weekend. Aside from his hectic filming schedule, Simon is chef patron of two award winning restaurants in Manchester, Greens and Earle. 
Simon will be presenting three demonstrations on Saturday 29th September, tempting the audience’s taste buds with Cumbrian delicacies, such as Morecambe Bay shrimp trifle, Cumbrian salt marsh lamb loin with feta parcel, duck sandwich with Cumbrian ewe’s milk cheese and Lyth Valley damson and pear tarte tatin.
Mary Houston, Food Tourism Coordinator, Taste Cumbria, says:
It is a great recognition for Cumbria’s producers and growers that such renowned chefs are coming to our county to showcase and celebrate our fantastic food and drink offering. Tickets for the cookery demonstrations are selling like hotcakes, with festival goers equally excited to see what our celeb chefs will do.
The festival, supported by DEFRA, draws funds from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) to ensure the continued regeneration of Cumbria. Tickets are available from the Taste Cumbria website at www.tastecumbria.com.