As Chef Russell Brown celebrates ten years at his Sienna Restaurant in Dorchester, he remains the only Michelin starred chef in the County of Dorset. His star was first awarded in 2010 – the only Michelin star in Dorset for twenty years. Sienna is also the smallest starred restaurant in the Michelin Guide, with just 15 covers.
Just months after opening Sienna, Russell had earned 2 AA Rosettes and in 2007 he won 3 AA Rosettes. He was made a Fellow of the Masterchefs of Great Britain in 2008. Chef Russell retained both his Michelin Star and his 3 AA Rosettes in both 2011 and 2012.
Russell Brown found his vocation at the ripe old age of 27. His first full-time cooking job was as a commis chef at the Alverton Manor Hotel in Truro. There he worked under Head Chef Colin Gilbert and was soon chef de partie on the sauce section.
“This is a great industry but you do need real passion to succeed and I think enjoying the actual craft of what we do is vital. I try to teach chefs how every little job has an effect on the final plate of food, whether that’s picking the spinach or scrubbing mussels.”
Russell’s first Head Chef job was in Dorset, at the Yalbury Cottage Hotel near Dorchester where he was awarded 2 AA Rosettes. Russell then moved to the Horn of Plenty in Devon, working for Peter Gorton.
In April 2003, Russell and his wife Elena opened their own restaurant, Sienna, back in Dorset.
Russell’s food takes its lead from the seasons, utilising the best produce available, much of it from the South West region. Concise menus and great attention to detail, from the canapés and breads right through to the petit fours, are the hallmarks of his cooking. A three choice lunch menu, five choice dinner menu and a seven course tasting menu make up the offer.
Chargrilled veal rump with white bean casserole and pickled carrots
You will need:
Serves 4
• 4 x120g portions of English Rose veal, from a rump that has been seam-butchered and cut into chunks.
Casserole
• 1 shallot sliced
• 1 clove garlic sliced
• 75ml white wine
• 200ml fresh vegetable stock
• 250g cooked white beans (beans sold in jars are ideal)
• 50ml light olive oil, preferably Arbequina
• 1tbs chopped flat parsley
Pickled Carrots
• 2 large carrots cut into a fine julienne app 8cm long
• Juice of ½ orange
• 40gm cava vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 40gm fresh vegetable stock
• 1gm Maldon sea salt
• 2gm mustard seeds
• 10gm caster sugar
• 20gm light olive oil, preferably Arbequina
Sauce
• 200gm veal trimmings
• 100ml red wine
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 20gm butter for cooking veal
Method
Sauce
In a heavy based pan with a drop of olive oil, colour the veal trimmings, taking them as dark as possible without burning. Keep scraping up the caramelised bits from the bottom of the pan to prevent burning. Deglaze with the red wine, again scraping the bottom of the pan well. Allow the wine to reduce to a syrup and then add the thyme. Cover with water and bring to a simmer. Skim well and cook for one hour. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan, pressing well on the solids. Reduce to around 100ml of liquid. Season to taste and if necessary thicken lightly with corn flour.
Casserole
Sweat the shallot and garlic in olive oil until softened but not coloured. A pinch of salt will help. Add the wine and reduce to a syrup, add the veg stock and reduce by a third. Add the cooked beans and warm through. Season with Maldon salt and fresh ground black pepper Finish with the olive oil.
Pickled Carrots
Toast the mustard seeds in a dry pan until they start to pop, then add the orange juice, stock and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and add the salt and sugar. Add the carrot julienne and bring to the boil. Immediately remove from the heat. Stir in the olive oil and allow to cool. The sauce, casserole and carrots can all be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to three days.
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