As celebrity chef shutters his famous restaurants to fans’ heartbreak, here’s 3 of his easiest & most delicious recipes
NEWS of his restaurant closure has left fans devastated.
With Michael Caines announcing he’s selling Mickeys Beach Bar and Restaurant in Exmouth, which he opened in 2001.
The beachfront eatery offered coffee, drinks, afternoon tea and casual dining with views of Torquay to Berry Head.
Responding to the news, one fan wrote on Facebook: “A sad reflection of Exmouth, falling further into poverty.”
As another said: “Well! We didn’t see that coming!…”
However, for those missing Michael’s food, there are countless recipes online that they can try to recreate the delicious offerings at home.
Here’s five of Michael’s quickest, easiest and most delicious recipes.
Bubble and squeak
Ingredients:
- 50g unsalted butter
- 100g Onions chopped
- 200g roast potatoes cut into a large dice
- 250g Left over vegetables chopped into an even dice
- 1 tsp sage chopped fine
- 1 tsp Oregano chopped fine
- 300g cold potato puree
- 100g White turkey meat chopped into a small dice
- 100g Brown turkey meat chopped into a small dice
- Plain four
Method:
Sweat the onions in the butter, with a pinch of salt
Then add the herbs and sweat a further two minutes
Now add the vegetables and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Remove and transfer into a bowl, leave to cool, then add the chopped potatoes and potato puree.
Season with salt and pepper and mix together well.
Shape into a ball and then pat down to a cake. Place onto a tray lined with parchment and leave to set in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Remove and place into the flour and then pat off the excess flour.
Fry in a frying pan with a little vegetable oil. Colour one side, flip and place into an oven at 180°c for five minutes.
A poached egg makes the perfect addition to top the bubble and squeak patty.
Why is Michael Caines shutting his restaurant?
Mickeys Beach Bar and Restaurant in Exmouth opened in April 2021 but after dinner on Wednesday night, it closed for good.
Customers on Google Reviews described it as having “a lovely atmosphere”, with “great views”, “seamless” service and “delicious” food.
Not only this, but Cafe Patisserie Glacerie – owned by Michael Caines and Sylvian Peltier – will close too.
In a statement Michael said: “On behalf of all the team we would like to thank our customers and suppliers for your support, we have thoroughly enjoyed serving each and every one of you and making Mickeys and the Café a special place to meet by the sea.
“I would also like to thank my team for their unwavering support and dedication, despite the challenging times we have had, I am proud of what we have been able to create.
“We are however delighted to announce the sale of the business to another local business operator who shares a similar passion, for fun relaxed dining.”
Curried root vegetable soup
Ingredients:
- 150g onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 150g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp of Madras curried powder
- ½ tsp of cumin seed
- 300ml Turkey stock
- 500ml Water
- 1 bouquet garni (thyme, bay leaf, parsley stalks, celery stalk wrapped in leek)
Method:
First make a stock from an onion, a few carrots, a stick or two of celery and the turkey carcass. Let simmer for an hour or two until the stock is rich and flavourful.
Sauté a chopped onion and garlic, add a good tablespoon of Madras curry powder and some powdered cumin to taste then add the chopped root vegetables, whatever you have left over: swedes, parsnips, pumpkin or squash, turnip, carrots.
If you don’t have enough, simply dice up a few more of whatever is at hand, then top up with sufficient turkey stock.
Cook until all the vegetables are soft, then purée with a stick blender.
Rice pudding with rhubarb compote
Ingredients for the rice pudding:
- 200g pudding rice
- 1.2 litres of milk
- 1 vanilla pod, halved
- 200g caster sugar
- 100g clotted cream
Ingredients for the rhubarb compôte:
- 100g butter
- 750g rhubarb, washed and chopped
- 100g sugar
- 1 vanilla pod, halved
Method:
For the rice pudding, bring a pan of water to the boil. Place the pudding rice into the pan and cook for three minutes before draining and rinsing with cold water.
Place the rice, milk, vanilla pod and sugar into a clean pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the rice is cooked, stir in the clotted cream and leave to cool.
For the rhubarb compôte, melt the butter in a stainless steel pan before adding the chopped rhubarb, sugar and vanilla pod. Gently cook the rhubarb to a purée, stirring occasionally.
Remove the vanilla pod from the purée, scraping the remaining vanilla seeds into the rhubarb before placing the purée into a blender. Blend the mix thoroughly before passing through a fine sieve. Return the purée to a pan and keep warm.
To serve, place a large spoon of the rice pudding into the middle of a large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the rice and spoon in some of the rhubarb compôte.