Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many

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Lee made his bones under Simon Hopkinson and Alastair Little, among the architects of the renaissance in modern British cooking. Alongside contemporaries such as Fergus Henderson, of St John, Lee takes as much credit as anyone for the extraordinary flourishing in our national cuisine over the past few decades. Lee’s father was an artist at the Scottish media company D.C. Thompson. ‘He was quite senior,’ says Lee, ‘so he could work at home. There were drawing boards everywhere, stuff scattered all over the place. It was part of daily life.’ The influence of these creative surroundings can be felt not just in Lee’s plates of food, but also in the way he designs the whole experience of eating – from a small vase of delicately arranged flowers to the right cutlery and beautiful glasses. ‘The devil’s in the detail,’ says Lee. In 2012, after eighteen years at the Blueprint Café, Jeremy was offered a new head chef role at the iconic Quo Vadis hotel in Soho. It had just been bought by Sam and Eddie Hart, the restaurateurs behind Barrafina. ‘Eddie and Sam wanted to turn Quo Vadis into a celebration of British produce, and when they approached me to become head chef I realised that you only get one chance to work in a building so grand and iconic,’ says Jeremy. ‘I couldn’t say no. When ready to bake, roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. Lift it up and swiftly drape the pastry on the tart tin, pressing gently until fitted snugly within. Refrigerate.

It’s been a great adventure, but I underestimated entirely what it would take,” he admits. The pressures of writing daily menus and working in a busy kitchen meant that structuring a whole book seemed overwhelming. Lee hastens to add that at least it didn’t take 20 years to put together, like Alan Davidson’s Oxford Companion to Food. It's time for another review from our series of Home Cooking Cookbooks. Jeremy Lee Cooking cookbook is the first book from one of the UK's most treasured chefs. To serve, gently press down around the edge of the custard, then run a sharp knife around it. Put a deep plate on top of the mould, and in one fluid motion, swiftly flip the creme caramel. Wait for the plop, shaking a little if necessary before lifting the mould.

It's not going to be a destination restaurant, just a bloody good pub” - Tom Kerridge on The Butcher's Tap Chelsea I have often thought about a copper mould for making this lovely dish, as pleasing to look at as it is to eat. A wider, shallower cake shaped and cooked in a cast-iron skillet or frying pan is as delicious as those cooked in hatted moulds. Founded in 1926, Quo Vadis is named after the Latin phrase Quo vadis? (where are you going?) and has cemented itself as one of Soho’s most beloved culinary institutions. It has had various owners over the years – including a partnership between Marco Pierre White and Damien Hirst from 1996-2007 – but the restaurant is now in the hands of Sam and Eddie Hart, who are behind the immensely successful Barrafina. It seems almost redundant to point it out, so obvious is it, but I’ll say it anyway: Cooking by Jeremy Lee is the cookbook of the year. If you know anyone at all who loves spending time in the kitchen, buy them this book.

When Jeremy Lee received the very first copy of his new cookbook from his publishers, he immediately threw it in a drawer, then cycled from his home in east London to get on with his day at Soho’s Quo Vadis, where he is chef-patron. The book, Cooking: Simply And Well, For One or Many, was the result of many years of work, on and off, and he wasn’t quite ready to face its reality.

In a large bowl, beat together the whole eggs, then add the egg yolks. Slowly pour the milk on to the eggs, stirring gently with a wooden spoon, keeping any froth to a minimum. Let it stand for while, then pour the warm custard through a fine sieve. Spoon away any foam sitting on the surface. Decorate with golden sugared almonds and candied mint leaves, if using, and serve. 2 Little chocolate turnovers Place on the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. Lift the lid and remove the foil. Press the cake down lightly with the bottom of a frying pan, then cook for a further 30 minutes, until the edges of the cake have coloured deep gold. The sliced potatoes require clarified butter, which is easy enough to make. Melt some butter in a saucepan over a moderate heat and spoon away any foam or whey that rises. Carefully ladle the butter through muslin into a bowl, leaving behind the white solids.