DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS: H. FORMAN AND SON

You have to hand it to the boy HS, even while whizzing around North America on a secret squirrel mission he still manages to put on a not-too-shabby DWDH. He needed help of course and right away, upfront and without further ado I’d like to say none of this would have been possible without assistance from Mathilde and also the good folk at H. Forman, in particular, Nicola who in addition to everything else packed all the goody bags.

This DWDH also comes just after the publication of HS’s new book Eating For Britain (the perfect gift for a loved one) which champions the great food that we produce around these islands and some of which we got to try at Forman’s.

Despite being a typically cold and grey Bank Holiday the sun came out and when I arrived people were already getting stuck into cocktails made with the new Beefeater Summer Edition Gin which was light and delicate – perfect for a summer G&T.

After an introduction to the evening by MD of Forman’s Lance, who is the 4th generation in the family to head the firm, we watched Darren Matson in a demonstration of Salmon carving. Now DH are always going on about jamón and the skill of the cortadores but Darren Matson showed that a good smoked salmon slicer is up there with the best. Indeed, Darren holds the world record for salmon slicing. In a bizarre twist his identical twin had also turned up to work on the door.

Then we got to taste what H.Forman are all about. Salmon. There was a selection of Vintage Russian Royal Fillet, Wild Salmon, Gravad Lax and London Cure served with a selection of the traditional accompaniments. All lovely stuff, although I always prefer the Wild stuff, served au naturel. Apparently many countries prefer the fattier farmed salmon but as Lance said it’s not really about one type being better than another but about the styles being different to one another. Obviously the drink to have with salmon is a sparkling white and Nyetimber Classic Cuvee 1995 did a perfect job.

Next up for the main course were huge Porchettas from Pugh’s Piglets. The skin had been removed and roasted separately in a large sheet. Very clever that. I was gabbing too much and didn’t notice we had some crackling left but another table did and weren’t slow in nabbing it. I must be getting slow in my old age that would never have happened ten years ago. A little shot of Kingston Black ciderrrrrr and several glasses of Ortega 2007 – a lovely wine I’d had at Eddie Gilbert’s in Ramsgate – helped it all down.

And still the food kept coming, I really liked my glazed Apple Tart but combining it with big spoonfuls of a crusted Roddas Clotted cream took it to another level. A little glass of Shipwreck from the Somerset Cider Brandy Company acted as a little tru normand before the next course.

In the English manner we had the cheese course last and luckily Srdja Mastilovic of Neal’s Yard Dairy was there to tell us all about the varieties on the Cheeseboard. I’m very old and my memory isn’t what it is (sad I know) so I’m not 100% certain about what the cheeses we had but I think they were Berk well, Stichelton, Tymsboro and Gorwydd Caerphilly. Feel free to post a comment to correct me and tell me about what a silly sod I am.

To go with the cheeses were the rather toothsome Peter’s Yard Crispbreads, some good homemade chutney and probably my favourite drink of the evening, a glass of the fabulous Worthington White Shield IPA, a beer that’s been around longer than me (no sniggering).

Last but not least a strange contraption dispensed coffee to go with our chocolates who were from, I believe, Paul Wayne Gregory.

All great stuff and well up there with previous DWDHs. And If anyone was wondering who the old guy who stood up at the end and mumbled a few things before shaking his head and shuffling off was, that was me, HP.

Anyway, big thanks for everybody who turned up and I hope you enjoyed yourselves. If you’ve got a blog or similar and you feel the love please write about it. Big boos for the no-shows who didn’t contact us. We know where you live.

Also lots of thanks go to the following, incredibly generous companies who contributed to the legendary Dos Hermanos goodie bags (apologies if I’ve missed anybody out):


Forman and Field

Fudge Kitchen

Georgie Porgie Puddings

Kelly’s of Cornwall

Marmite

Paddy and Scotts

Peter’s Yard

Rude Health

Simply Real Sausages

Warburton’s Snacks

The pictures of Lance Forman and Nicola and the rather unfortunate pictures of me (it was a bad angle honestly…actually with me they’re all bad angles) were kindly donated by Magnus Hultberg

Happy Eating Folks!

COMPETITION: WIN A PLACE AT THE NEXT DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS @ H.FORMAN & SON

The next DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS will take place at H.Forman & Sons on Monday 31st May 2010.

The event also marks the publication date of my new book EATING FOR BRITAIN. So, we have decided to make this a 'Best of British" meal and from what we have planned so far, it promises to be one of the best events yet.

Thanks to the good people of Forman's (especially the delightful Nicola Swift) we have an amazing menu planned and the goody bags are already looking as if they will be rather splendid.

Unsurprisingly, the demand for tickets was higher than ever with over 500 requests and all the tickets were snaffled up very quickly.

However, Forman's would like to offer two lucky readers of Dos Hermanos the chance to come along as their guest for the evening and, to sweeten the deal, I will also add a signed copy of the book to the goody bags of the winners.

All you have to do to win this great prize is answer the following question.

WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE CURE USED BY H.FORMAN & SON FOR THEIR SMOKED SALMON?

Please answer by e-mailing

info@formanandfield.com AND copying in doshermanos@doshermanos.co.uk

The competition closes on MONDAY MAY 3rd. We cannot enter into any correspondence about this competition, but the winners, whose names will be selected at random from the correct entries, will be contacted shortly afterwards by H.Forman.

Good luck and see you on the 31st May

DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS @ H.FORMAN & SON

I am delighted to announce the next DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS

DATE:
MONDAY 31st MAY 2010

TIME:
7-7.30pm

LOCATION:
FORMAN’S RESTAURANT
STOUR ROAD
FISH ISLAND
LONDON
E3 2NH

http://www.formans.co.uk/restaurant

PRICE
£40pp All inclusive

For those of you who don’t know, H Forman & Son produce some of the very best smoked salmon in the world and have been doing so for a century or more. They also run Forman & Field (http://www.formanandfield.com/) a mail order business which sells food from some of the very best producers in the United Kingdom.

So, this meal, to be held in their stunning dining room, overlooking the new Olympic stadium, promises to bring us the very “Best of Britain”. Quite appropriate as It will also be held on the same day as the publication of my new book EATING FOR BRITAIN.

There will be room for 50 people and, not only will we have the opportunity to eat some amazing food, but also to tour the impressive smoking facility of H.Forman & Sons and hear from some of their fantastic suppliers who will be providing ingredients for our meal. Everyone who attends will also, of course, leave with the now famous DINE WITH DOS HERMANOS goody bags, filled with all kinds of wonderful things.

It promises to be a great occasion and I hope some of you will want to join us.

Unfortunately, at the recent event at Indian Zing, we had a number of no-shows, particularly annoying as we had such a long waiting list. So, I am afraid from now on I will be taking deposits through a secure website (to be announced) All deposits will be returned if you cancel up to one week before the event. After that, they will be retained. So there.

Please message me via Facebook or through the contact page on here if you would like to come. As before, I will draw names out of a hat, sometime in Mid March, and inform the lucky people soon after.

FORMAN’S RESTAURANT: SMOKIN’

The Olympics will be in London in three years time. Wooo-hooo. Or rather who gives a toss ? Really. In my view £9 billion is just a little too much to pay for the pleasure of watching millions of Parisians suddenly realise they’d lost out to Perfidious Albion.

The location of the Olympic Stadium has also had a knock-on effect on the many local businesses including the venerable Forman’s, a company which specialises in Smoked Fish, which was forced to relocate. The new building, Forman’s Fish Island is as close as you can get to the Olympic Stadium with out actually getting a ticket to watch drug-enhanced US sprinters winning all the medals and in keeping with its Forman’s fishy links has been built in the shape of a “Darne” of Salmon. There are also lots of other fish related details and Salmon pink surfaces abound.

As well as a Smokery the company has put aside one floor for art exhibitions – the area is becoming a bit of a magnet for struggling artists priced out of Hoxton – and also a small occasional restaurant which will be catering for the many corporate liggers that will be coming here over the next few years and Dos Hermanos, of course.

The menu has a slightly old-fashioned, or more accurately, classic feel about it which is unsurprising given that Executive Chef Lloyd Hardwick has previously worked for such luminaries as the Roux Brothers and Michel Bourdin. Not necessarily a bad thing, in this case it equates to more modern tropes like schmears and espumas being jettisoned in favour of proper sauces. Given how rare these are nowadays this is No Bad Thing.

Smoked Salmon was served with all the trimmings. The fish is prepared using the London Cure that Forman’s specialise in. The process like most worthwhile things in this country, was imported by immigrants - specifically Eastern European – and comprises curing the fish in just rock salt with a light smoking afterwards producing a more subtle and less fatty result than you’d normally find.

Terrines were nicely done but as usual even more time at room temperature would have benefited them and though I liked the Caraway bread, which came with some light and silky Salmon Mousse, some toast would have been even better.

Forman’s also supply fish to restaurants so it was no surprise that both my Wild Seabass and HS’s Monkfish were excellent. The latter came wrapped in a sliver of air-dried ham with a little chiffonade of cabbage on the side.

I’d forgotten how an empathic sauce could really add another dimension as the beurre blanc did here. It was light but added a richness that really lifted the whole dish. When the requested spoon proved inadequate HS resorted to fingers to ensure none was wasted. Which tells you all you need to know really.

Meanwhile across the table I was making similar squiggles in the remains of my sauce – this time a vanilla-based one – which had been carefully napped over my Seabass and some iridescent Spinach.

I’d have liked the skin of the Seabass to be a bit crisper and perhaps the roasted garlic could have done with a blanching to smooth its hard edges but otherwise it was a dish that made me wonder why I don’t choose fish more often (Answer. It’s either not fresh enough or cooked poorly. The margin for error is much greater with meat).

Puds don’t hold much interest for me unless they begin with the letters I and C but the two deconstructions we had were pleasant enough. Of the two I preferred HS’s Walnut Whip – a little in-joke referencing something Ken Livingstone said about the cost of the Olympics – with a nice parfait and some little chocolate bombe things.

Mine was a deconstructed “East End Mess” although the reference flew like Tessa Sanderson’s javelin, right over my head. Puns aside, they both had the qualities I value in desserts being light and not too sweet.

With a bottle of Sparkling Chapel Down Rose the bill was well north of a ton but the blow was softened somewhat by the quality of the ingredients and the fine cooking although dodging the hoodies and pitbulls on the way home was chucked in for nowt.

Anyway, back to those 2012 London Olympics. I now think those French weren’t really crying into their mouchoirs but using them to stifle the giggles brought on by the knowledge that they’d managed to land Les Rosbifs with what is potentially a huge L'Eléphant Blanc. Two words for you: “The” and “Dome”.