Three French-inspired recipes to cosy up your winter cooking

From a rich Café de Paris butter elevating perfectly seared onglet steak to a decadent crab and Lincolnshire Poacher croque monsieur, these recipes from Elliot Hashtroudi, head chef at French-inspired Camille, promise to make your kitchen the cosiest spot this season. Known for its dedication to sustainability, Camille’s menu champions nose-to-tail and root-to-tip cooking, with an emphasis on impeccable produce and less celebrated ingredients. It’s a philosophy that Hashtroudi brings to life with inventive dishes rooted in regional French traditions, reimagined with a British twist.

For those who prefer to stay warm at home, Hashtroudi has shared three indulgent winter recipes that channel the soul of Camille. There’s a robust onglet steak paired with fragrant Café de Paris butter – its golden richness spiked with curry powder and anchovies – served alongside the peppery crunch of spoonwort or watercress. For something decadent, try the Dorset crab and Lincolnshire Poacher croque, an elevated take on the croque monsieur that combines zesty crab with Britain’s answer to Comté cheese. And finally, a bowl of mussels with smoked bacon and fennel, swimming in an anise-laced broth that evokes the flavours of Marseille – perfect for soaking up with fresh bread.

“Butchered from the diaphragm, onglet has a unique flavour and open texture. Often neglected or reserved for butchers themselves, onglet is a cut not to be missed. A heavy sear to form a crust, served rare to medium rare, and slicing the onglet across the grain are essentials for this Camille classic. “Café de Paris butter is fragrant, unctuous and undeniably moreish!. “Spoonwort grows on salt marshes and flourishes in the winter; by spring it produces wonderful white flowers. These succulent leaves share a similar flavour to horseradish and have peppery notes while also being rich in vitamins. This unmistakably pleasant pungency of the cruciferous species can be foraged widely across Britain.”.

Note: It’s just as important to bring the onglet out of the fridge to reach room temperature just before cooking as it is to give it a nice long rest. Serves: 2. Total time: 30 mins. Ingredients:. 1 grass fed, 28-day aged onglet (trimmed of excess fat and connective tissue that divides the cut. These can be rendered down to cook with or saved for stocks). For the side salad:. 200g spoonwort (or watercress if not available), washed.

100ml extra virgin olive oil. 25ml chardonnay vinegar. For the Café de Paris butter (this will keep for 7 days; serve 250g for 2 people):. 500g unsalted butter (room temp). 2 tbsp curry powder. 1 tbsp sweet smoked paprika. ½ tsp cayenne pepper. 1 lemon, zested. 6 Ortiz anchovies. 200ml ketchup. 100ml Dijon mustard. 20ml Worcestershire sauce. 2 tbsp double cream. 25ml brandy. 25ml calvados. 3 garlic cloves, minced. ½ bunch flat leaf parsley.

½ bunch chives. ½ bunch tarragon. 100g capers. Method:. 1. Begin by taking the onglet out of the fridge, pat dry the meat and allow it to come to room temperature while you make the butter. 2. To make the butter, finely chop the herbs and place into a food processor. Blitz these for 30 seconds and then add all the “wet” ingredients to the processor (including the zest and garlic but not the capers). 3. Now, add the dry ingredients and spices. Then add the butter and season with salt. The butter should emulsify and form all as one. It should be bold both in colour and flavour. Allow the curry powder to be certainly present but not overpowering. Finish it by stirring in the capers.

4. For the onglet, oil the steaks and liberally season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. 5. Heat a cast iron pan until smoking hot. Add the onglet to the dry pan and resist the urge to turn the steaks or move them. Allow to cook for 2 minutes and then turn over. 6. Once both sides have had 2 minute and a crust has formed, you may begin turning the onglet more frequently (where necessary) and for a cooking time of 6-9 minutes depending on preference. Add a small knob of butter to the pan and butter baste the onglet.

7. Remove the onglet from the pan and allow it rest for 8 minutes. 8. While the onglet rests, melt slowly 250g of Café de Paris butter on a low heat. Be aware that a high heat will split the butter, if this happens add a dash of cold water to emulsify it again. 9. Dress the spoonwort in the simple mixture of chardonnay vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. 10. To serve, pour the Café de Paris butter onto a platter first. Then slice the rested onglet against the grain and place onto of the butter. Bundle the aromatic spoonwort to the side of the plate. Finish both the onglet and spoonwort with sea salt flakes.