Meet Ross Cochrane, head chef at The Courtyard and a man with a passion for fine food, great ingredients and Scooby Snacks…
Tell us how you came to be a chef…
When I left school, I worked in construction but I could never foresee a career in it, so I got a commis chef job and got hooked.
Describe your style of cooking…
I love Italian food and culture, so I try and blend my Scottish/classic roots with Italian flavours and a modern touch.
What’s your guilty pleasure when it comes to food?
Oh dear. In the kitchen, we have something called a Scooby Snack. It consists of a least six ingredients from crisps to yesterday’s ragu all jammed in a toasted ciabatta!
What are the main influences on your cooking?
After working for 14 months and going to college I met and worked with a chef called Reuben Gauld. He took me under his wing and was a huge inspiration for my career. Now I look at chefs like Daniel Watkins and Sat Bains, but I really admire Marco Pierre White. He’s incredible.
Ross’s Pan Seared Bream, Beetroot Risotto, Scottish Chanterelles, Goats Cheese & Truffle oil, Summer Salad
Ingredients per person:
> 6-8 oz fillet of bream, trimmed and scored. You can ask your fishmonger to do this for you.
> 100ml beetroot juice
> 100g risotto rice and 20g butter
> Handful of nice chanterelles, cleaned. Any wild mushrooms will do if you can’t find chanterelles.
> 20g goat’s cheese
> Tablespoon of truffle oil
> 10g mixed micro herbs
Method:
Make your risotto according to your preference, adding the beetroot juice and butter and stirring to mix. Once cooked, leave to the side.
Season the fish. Put some butter or oil in a frying pan and sear the fish skin side down until crisp and the flesh is 70% cooked. Turn the fish and add a knob of butter and squeeze of lemon juice then remove it from the pan.
Add the mushrooms to the pan, sauté for a couple of minutes, season well and add truffle oil. Plate the risotto, crumble the goat’s cheese over the top, add the fish and garnish with the microherbs, scatter the mushrooms on the side.
Enjoy with a crisp white wine and some crusty bread that has been warmed in the oven.