Dessert island
Steven Doherty doesn't believe in signature dishes. He argues that in his kitchen all dishes are given equal care, and that none is singled out for preferential treatment.
It is an approach that has worked well for him. Doherty's way of working helped Le Gavroche keep hold of its third Michelin star - which was won in 1982 but lost in 1993 - during his tenure as head chef at the Roux brothers' restaurant from 1984 to 1990. And it is a strategy that he has maintained since leaving London and opening the much-fêted Punchbowl Inn in Crosthwaite, Cumbria, in 1993, followed four years later by the Spread Eagle in Sawley, Lancashire. Both these pub-restaurants offer, in Doherty's words, "sophisticated pub food".
But it is the puddings that are often singled out for praise. The recently published Good Pub Guide 2000 describes the puddings at the Spread Eagle as "beautiful". Doherty has a more modest description: "They are just very straightforward and functional; they work together and are very practical". And they sell well.
The à la carte, daily changing lunch and specials menus, which are served throughout the bar and the more formal eating area, feature eight puddings, including lemon crème brûlée with sesame and poppy seed tuiles, chocolate brownies with toffee sauce and a dollop of vanilla cream, a range of tartes tatins served with hot raspberry sauce, and poached peach in Champagne. Home-made ice-creams, such as honey or praline, are also popular, as are the selection of sorbets and cheese.
The range of puddings enjoyed by the 100-or-so diners who visit the 70-seat establishment every day is generous for a pub, admits Doherty. But with the Spread Eagle's reputation for excellent food and Doherty's Mastercraftsman of Great Britain status, he has been able to attract a brigade of six, including a dedicated pastry chef - a luxury few pubs enjoy.
All puddings are priced between £3.40 and £4.25, depending on the work involved in preparing the dish. "If we did a chocolate dessert for two or made an individual tart, then obviously the price would be nearer £4.25," he says. While these are at the top end of pub pudding prices, they are worlds away from Doherty's old haunt, Le Gavroche, where the average cost of, say, rum baba with pineapple syrup or raspberries sandwiched in sablé biscuits is an eye-popping £19.
Ingredients are used strictly according to the seasons, says Doherty, so that produce is used at its best and purchasing costs are kept down. The summer months bring an abundance of home-grown berries that are transformed into the likes of a feuilleté of summer berries with vanilla cream, raspberry sorbet and strawberry sauce.
Delicately perfumed white peaches from south-west France, one of Doherty's favourite fruits, are also available in the summer months. He transforms them into his poached peach in Champagne dessert. A light incision is made round the skin of four very ripe peaches, which are then plunged into boiling water, refreshed in cold water, then peeled. They are poached in 500ml of dry Champagne, 350ml of sorbet syrup and a small vanilla pod, and the dish is served with a peach sorbet and a raspberry fool. "Apricot or passion fruit would work too," says Doherty, "but they are quite strong and might detract from the peach sorbet."
The autumn and winter months bring heartier desserts such as tarte tatin, an old favourite of Le Gavroche, made with either pears or apples. Also extremely popular are chocolate brownies with bitter chocolate, toasted hazelnuts and white chocolate buttons, served with toffee sauce, or sticky toffee pudding served with double cream or a ginger ice-cream.
The advantage of these hearty puddings is that they last well, usually keeping for a couple of days. Even the lemon crème brûlée with sesame and poppy seed tuiles will taste fresh 48 hours after being made, says Doherty.
Another lemon dessert is about as close to a signature dish as Doherty is likely to get. During his 12 years with the Roux brothers, and specifically in the Gavroche kitchen, he was involved in developing the classic Roux lemon tart. The Spread Eagle's version has now become so popular that customers want it to be on the menu constantly, not just as a special.
Doherty won't give in. "I am reluctant to put it on the menu, because it should be baked fresh every day, and that isn't always possible to achieve. One rule I live by is that every pudding, whether served in a pub or top-class restaurant, should be served at its best. If I can't achieve that then I won't sell it."
More recipes
If you would like the recipes for Steven Doherty's apple and pear tartes tatins, or his chocolate brownies with toffee sauce and vanilla cream, please write to Rachelle Breaden, Caterer & Hotelkeeper, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS, or fax your request on 020 8652 8397.
