Potted Shrimp Crumpets

Cornerstone, Hackney Wick, London

 

Cornerstone is the creation of Tom Brown, who previously worked in restaurants owned by Rick Stein and Nathan Outlaw. The Hackney Wick eatery is named after Tom’s favourite Arctic Monkeys’ song.

It recently featured on high-end concierge service, Ten’s top five dishes in London that drove people’s decisions on where to eat - they picked Cornerstone specifically for its magnificent potted shrimp crumpets!

You'll see that the Cornerstone recipe for crumpets is quite different from ours. What would the world be like if we were all the same?!

Preparation: 30 minutes Serves: 8 crumpets
Cooking: 20 minutes Hot-buttered
Ingredients Quantity (metric) Quantity (imperial)
The Crumpets
Bread flour 125 g 4.4 oz
Caster sugar 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp
Dried yeast 7 g 0.25 oz
Bicarbonate of soda 1/4 tsp 1/4 tsp
Water - tepid 150 ml 5.25 floz
The Shrimps
Brown shrimps 250 g 8.8 oz
Unsalted butter 250 g 8.8 oz
Cayenne pepper Pinch Pinch
Nutmeg 1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp
Mace 1/2 tsp 1/2 tsp
Smoked paprika Pinch Pinch
Lemon (zest and juice) 1 1
Gherkins (large) 2 2
Kohlrabi (medium) 1/2 1/2
Parsley (chopped) Handful Handful

METHOD

      The crumpets

      1. Mix everything together in a bowl and whisk smooth.
      2. Cover and leave to stand somewhere warm for 15 minutes for the yeast to develop and the mix rises and bubbles.
      3. Grease eight 90mm tart hoops and place in a large frying pan or a flat griddle plate and put on a low heat.
      4. 3/4 fill the rings with the crumpet mix and cook for around 10-12 minutes until the top has a skin on it and the mix is almost cooked through.
      5. Carefully flip each crumpet and finish cooking for 3-4 minutes until lightly golden-brown.
      6. Leave on a wire to cool.

      The shrimps

      1. Gently toast the cayenne, nutmeg and mace in a dry pan until aromatic, being careful not to burn them.
      2. Add the butter and lemon zest and melt them, leave to one side to infuse.
      3. Shred the gherkins and kohlrabi on a mandolin or alternatively a coarse grater, into a bowl. Stir in the parsley, mix well and set aside.
      4. Bring the butter mix back up to the boil and add the lemon juice and shrimps.

      To finish

      1. Toast the crumpets until crispy and golden under a hot grill.
      2. Spoon on the shrimps, with as much butter as possible.
      3. Top with some of the kohlrabi mix and enjoy.

Cornerstone, 3 Prince Edward Road, Hackney Wick, E9 5LX https://www.cornerstonehackney.com/