Main: Creamy fish pie (Jean Edge)

Published: Friday, 12 October 2007, 12:37PM

INGREDIENTS
• 1 carrot
• 1 stick of celery
• 450 ml full cream milk
• 8-10 black peppercorns
• 1 lemon
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small onion
• Whole nutmeg

• 150g salmon
• 150g cod fillet
• 150g naturally smoked haddock fillet

• 2 large free-range eggs
• 500g potatoes (good for mashing)
• 125g butter, some for mash and the remainder for the sauce.
• 150 ml double cream, some for the mash and the remainder for the sauce
• 50g plain flour
• Dijon mustard, to taste
• White pepper
• Bunch of parsley (with stalks)
• 12 raw tiger prawns, peeled and cleaned.
• 100g Strong cheddar cheese
• Salt, to season

• To serve
• 8 cherry tomatoes on the vine.
• Bag of spinach

Jean made no changes to the recipe for the Friday final.

METHOD
1. Start by making the poaching liquor. Chop the carrot and celery and place in a pan with the milk, peppercorns, onion, lemon zest and bay leaf and grated nutmeg.
2. Add all the fish except the prawns and cook gently for 10 minutes.
3. In another pan, hard boil the eggs the allow to cool.
4. Turn the heat off the poaching pan, put on the lid and leave until the fish is cool enough to handle the flake.
5. Sieve the poaching milk and reserve.
6. In another pan, boil the potatoes until cooked the drain and mash with butter and cream.
7. To make the sauce, melt the butter, add the flour and cook out for 3-4 minutes.
8. Gradually add the remaining cream, poaching milk then the mustard, white pepper to taste and parsley. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
9. Peel the boiled eggs.
10. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the flaked fish and the prawns.
11. Place the fish and sauce in an oven proof dish or individual oven proof dishes with the hard boiled eggs. Pipe or spoon the mashed potato on top and top with grated cheese.
12. Bake the dish for 20 to 25 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown.
13. Take the fish pie out of the oven and leave to rest.
14. Place the tomatoes on a roasting tray with a drizzle of olive oil and roast for 15 minutes.
15. Finally, wilt the spinach in a pan for a minute just before serving.
Serve the pies in their dishes or place a hearty spoonful on a plate and serve with the wilted spinach and roasted vine tomatoes on the side.