Life on the ocean waves

After celebrating my birthday on the world's most exclusive cruise ship, I've come down to earth with a thud.

It’s my birthday. Forty-six, if you’re wondering. I’ve spent so much time helping people celebrate their special occasions, I’ve rarely had the opportunity to mark my own. I spent my 40th birthday catering a wedding (80 strangers sang happy birthday to me after the bride’s speech), and the intervening occasions have been spent in a similar fashion. This year is slightly different; I am on the world’s most exclusive cruise ship, eating Malossol caviar, fresh Maine lobster and dry-aged Texas beef and drinking champagne. I feel I’m living the life of a Russian oligarch, and at the same time I’m wondering whether Armani does a nice line in chefs’ tunics, or whether Hugo Boss makes oil-proof footwear for the kitchen.

The five days on board have involved little else than being happily self-absorbed. I’ve also pondered the thread count of my Egyptian cotton sheets and the dress code for dinner, as jeans are unacceptable after 6.00pm. Yesterday I watched the ship’s executive chef demonstrate how to make truffle ravioli using whole fresh truffles, to serve with a madeira sauce. Today, I could play tournament golf on the putting green, but it’s a little too Love Boat for me.

Clearly, there is a price to pay for such excess. Tonight I must cook dinner for all 370 very rich passengers. I’m braced against the kitchen bench because the floor is pitching in the 7m seas and gale-force winds. Forty-five cooks are gathered at the galley windows, watching the Southern Ocean become rougher, and one just apprehensively remarked it’s like The Silence of the Lambs. It’s quite possibly the best birthday I’ve had in years.

Back home and my tarragon is overrunning its little pot. I love its anise-scented leaves and use them to make herb butters or the classic béarnaise sauce. It’s a herb that’s particularly suited to chicken. All this summery dish needs for accompaniment is boiled potatoes tossed in a little butter.

Chicken with Tarragon and Jersey Benne Potatoes

2 onions

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Chop the onions. Melt half the butter in a deep saucepan and add the onion. Cook over a moderate heat until the onions have softened, stirring occasionally. Put the flour in a plastic bag, season with a little salt and pepper, then add the chicken pieces. Shake the bag gently to coat the chicken. Melt the remaining butter in a frying pan, add the chicken, then cook until it has coloured lightly on all sides.

Transfer the chicken to the saucepan containing the onion. Pour the wine into the frying pan and bring to the boil. Stir to loosen any bits of chicken left on the bottom of the pan. Add to the chicken and onion with the stock. Strip the leaves from the tarragon and chop half of it, then stir into the chicken and partially cover with a lid. Simmer gently for 30 minutes over a low heat, stirring occasionally. When the chicken is tender, stir in the cream and remaining tarragon.

While the chicken is cooking, wash the potatoes and place in a deep saucepan. Cover the potatoes with hot tap water and season with salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes through a colander, then return them to the pan and toss in the butter. You may need to season the potatoes again, so give them a quick check. Check the seasoning of the chicken, adding more salt if necessary, then serve with the potatoes.

Serves 4.

The piquant flavour of preserved lemon keeps this salad refreshing. The simple dressing is made by mixing the cooking juices left in the roasting dish with a splash of red wine vinegar.

Roast Fish with Potato and Cucumber Salad, Preserved Lemon and yoghurt

500g new potatoes

4 tbsp yoghurt

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Wash the potatoes then slice into 5mm-thick slices and place in a bowl. Splash with oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Strip the leaves from the thyme, toss through the potatoes and tip into a roasting dish. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes or until tender. Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the vinegar and season with a touch of salt. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and tuck the fish fillets among the potatoes. Spoon some dressing over the fish. Return the pan to the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes.

Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut the flesh into 2cm pieces, place in a bowl, chop the fennel and toss together. Wash the preserved lemon, discard the soft innards, finely chop the skin and add to the other ingredients with some of the oil. Add the potatoes and any pan juices. Mix well, then divide between 4 plates, top with the fish and serve with a tablespoon of yoghurt.

Enough for 4.

THIS lovely dessert cake is quick and easy to make. Its success rests on the quality of the ricotta, so use the freshest you can find. Serve with a sauce made of fresh berries.

Ricotta Cake with Berry Sauce

100g butter

juice of a lemon

Line the bottom of a shallow square (what size) cake tin with baking paper. Coat with non-stick cooking spray. To make the crumb base, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Then crush the biscuits to fine crumbs (in a food processor or by putting them in a plastic bag and hitting them with a rolling pin), then stir the crumbs into the butter. Tip the crumbs into the tin and push them out to line the base and up the sides. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Place the ricotta, mascarpone and icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until thick and smooth. Zest the orange and stir in. Add the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl whisk the cream to soft folds, stopping before it begins to peak, then gently fold into the ricotta mix. Spoon this mixture over the biscuit base, smoothing the top with a knife. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. Turn the cake out, and serve with the berry coulis.

To make the coulis, toss everything into the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Strain through a sieve. Taste, adding more icing sugar if necessary, and chill until needed.

Feeds 8.