The Murder Below Deck Recipe Collection

Here, beautifully photographed by Angela Nilsen, are the recipes from Paul Delamare’s adventure aboard a superyacht.

MUSHROOM AND ONION MARMALADE TARTLETS

If you can only buy thick sliced bread, roll it slightly thinner with a rolling pin before using. You will need a 12-hole tartlet tin, with holes just over 6 cm in diameter.

Makes 12 canapé-size tartlets

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon sugar

250 g mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thinly

1 garlic clove, crushed

2–3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme

12 slices of thin sliced white sandwich bread

butter, for spreading

100 g of grated gruyère or cheddar, for sprinkling

Heat the oil in a generous frying pan, add the onion and fry over moderate heat for 7–8 minutes, till softened and golden. Stir in the sugar and some seasoning, turn up the heat and add the mushrooms. Sizzle for five minutes, stirring occasionally, till you have driven off any moisture and the mushrooms are golden. Stir in the garlic for a further minute, till fragrant, then turn off the heat and stir in most of the thyme (save some for sprinkling). Mixture can be refrigerated at this point, in which case give it a good stir before using.

To make the tartlet bases, cut 7–8 cm circles out of the bread using a cookie cutter or glass. Butter one side and stick buttered side down into the tartlet tin.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 7. Divide the mushroom mixture between the tartlets and top with a sprinkle of cheese. Don’t be too tidy about this – any cheese on the tin will form a lacy edge to the tartlets. Bake for 10–15 minutes till golden and bubbling. Sprinkle with reserved thyme and serve.

MAC & CHEESE SURF AND TURF

You can add another cheese instead of the processed cheese, if you prefer, but Dairylea Cheese Slices contain sodium citrate, which will give the dish its characteristic gloss and creaminess.

Serves 6

250 g dried macaroni, or elbow macaroni

6 rashers of bacon, any kind

a little vegetable oil

50 g butter

40 g flour

700 ml milk

200 g cheddar, grated

100 g (5 slices) Dairylea processed cheese slices (see above)

50 g (6 tablespoons) grated Parmesan

1 teaspoon dried fines herbes

grated zest of half a lemon

½ tsp dry mustard powder

½ tsp onion powder or granules

pinch of chilli flakes or ground cayenne pepper

300–350 g shelled, cooked king prawns[FC1] [OM2] 

FOR THE TOPPING

280 g jar of chargrilled red peppers, drained and sliced

50 g panko or fresh breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Cook the pasta in a medium pan of boiling salted water according to packet directions (typically 8–10 minutes). Drain and sloosh under running water, then shake or stir occasionally as it dries, so it doesn’t stick together.

In the same pan (no need to wash) fry the bacon in a little oil (halve the slices if they don’t fit, and fry in two batches if necessary) till brown and crisp, then remove to a plate or board lined with kitchen paper and snip the bacon into strips.

In the same pan (no need to wash) add butter, flour and milk and bring to the boil, whisking constantly with a wire whisk until thickened and smooth. Simmer for 3–4 minutes, stirring often, until smooth. You will seem to have a lot of sauce, but this is correct. Stir in the remaining ingredients, except prawns, and taste for seasoning, then stir in the bacon and pasta.

Spoon half into a 30cm × 20cm baking dish about 6 cm deep (or equivalent, about 2.25 l capacity), add the prawns and herbs in a layer, then the remaining pasta mixture. Top with the sliced peppers, arranged in diagonal lines. Mix the breadcrumbs and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan and sprinkle this on top. Put in the oven at 180°C/160°C fan for 20–30 minutes, till piping hot and bubbling round the edges; there’s no need to preheat the oven but it will save you five minutes if you do. If you wish, toast under the grill for an additional 3–4 minutes, to brown the top. Allow to cool for five minutes before serving.

SALAD DELAMARE

Serves 6 as a side, or 4 as a light main course

2 small crisp lettuces, or mixture of crisp leaves and chicory

FOR THE CROUTONS

1 tablespoon rapeseed oil

4 rashers smoked streaky (or other) bacon

25 g butter

3 slices white bread (about 35 g each), crusts removed, cut into cubes

1 large garlic clove, papery skin removed

FOR THE DRESSING

5 anchovy fillets in oil, drained

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

4 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce

zest and juice of a quarter lemon (2–3 teaspoons juice)

150 ml rapeseed oil

TO FINISH

60 g grated parmesan

Tear the lettuce into bite-size pieces in a salad bowl and refrigerate till ready to serve.

Heat the 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a medium frying pan. Add the bacon and cook until golden and crisp, then remove from pan with a slotted spoon to a kitchen paper-lined board (leaving juices and oil in the pan), slice thinly and set aside.

Add the butter to the pan, allow to melt then stir in the bread cubes and garlic. Bread varies, so if the cubes look dry, add more oil and/or butter, so that they are just saturated. I like to cook croutons low and slow, shaking and turning often, till just golden and crisp; adjust your heat accordingly and keep an eye on them. When done, set aside (leave them in the pan) and remove the garlic.

For the dressing, finely chop the softened garlic with the anchovies, or put them both through a garlic press (anchovies stick in some presses, but not in my Kuhn Rikon version). Transfer to a large jar or bowl.

Using a mini whisk or fork, whisk in the mayo, mustard, Worcestershire and lemon. Now start adding the oil: at first, add it slowly – literally, a drop at a time. After about a quarter of oil is in, start adding small glugs and watch it emulsify. When half is in, you’ll find you can finish by adding it in a thin steady stream. Taste for seasoning – it should be assertive. If it is sharp or rough, a pinch of salt will soften it. The dressing can be made in advance.

When ready to serve, toss the leaves with the bacon bits and the parmesan. Pour over most of the dressing and tumble the leaves till glossy and coated; add more if necessary (or refrigerate for another time). Serve scattered with croutons.

GÂTEAU REINE DE SABA

Serves 8

FOR THE MERINGUE

3 egg whites

pinch of salt

¼ tsp cream of tartar

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 teaspoon white wine or cider vinegar

FOR THE CAKE

120 g dark chocolate, broken finely or chopped

25 g ground almonds

40 g plain flour

20 g cornflour

120 g butter, softened

150 g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon almond extract

3 egg yolks

2 tablespoons rum, brandy or coffee

FOR THE GLAZE

100 g dark chocolate, broken finely or chopped

25–50 g butter

1 tablespoon rum, brandy or coffee

flaked almonds, well toasted, to decorate (optional)

Butter a 20 cm loose-bottomed cake tin, about 4–5cm deep, and line base with a disc of baking paper.

Melt the 120 g chocolate for the cake in a bowl over hot water, or 2–3 minutes in the microwave. Leave to cool.

For the meringue, put the whites, salt and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer, or use an electric hand whisk. Whisk till beginning to stiffen, then add the sugar in two goes. When the mixture is stiff and meringue-like, beat in the vinegar and set aside. If you are using a stand mixer and have a spare bowl, use it now, otherwise transfer the beaten whites to a fresh bowl, and rinse the bowl ready for the chocolate mixture.

For the cake, mix the ground almonds, flour and cornflour in a small bowl. Cream the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extracts using stand or electric hand mixer, until light and creamy, then beat in the yolks, followed by the cooled chocolate and rum.

Gently fold in a third of the meringue mixture using a large metal spoon, then half the flour mixture, then repeat, finishing with remaining meringue mixture. There should be no lumps of egg white or flour visible. Spoon the mixture into the tin and lightly spread it out to the edges.

Bake in a 180°C/160°C fan oven. There is no need to preheat – in which case it will take 25–28 minutes; if you do preheat, it will take 22–25 minutes. Rotate at half time if necessary. The cake is cooked when a toothpick inserted about 5  cm from the edge comes out clean, with a few crumbs attached. The centre of the cake should feel slightly soft to the touch but not liquid.

Run a palette knife round the edge of the cake, then allow to cool for ten minutes. Invert onto a rack, discard baking paper and leave to cool completely – about an hour. You can make a day ahead and wrap if convenient.

Melt the chocolate for the glaze with 25g of the butter and rum (as before) till smooth. Chocolate varies, so if it’s too thick to pour melt in an extra 25 g butter. Put the cake (still inverted) on a rack with a sheet of baking paper underneath and pour the glaze over it, smoothing top and sides. Decorate with almonds if you wish.

When set, remove to a cake plate. If you refrigerate this, the finish will go dull, so best kept in a container at room temperature and served within a day or two.

VANILLEKIPFERL

You can substitute finely chopped almonds for the chopped hazelnuts, if you prefer. I prefer toasted nuts, but for a paler biscuit, you can leave them untoasted.

I don’t normally bother to preheat my oven – it’s a waste of energy – but the timing here is critical, so turn the oven on while you shape the cookies.

Makes 24 small biscuits

70 g finely chopped toasted hazelnuts

70 g ground almonds

¼ teaspoon salt

140 g plain flour

110 g best quality unsalted butter [OM8] (for instance, Lescure or Beurre d’Isigny), softened

35 g caster sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

seeds scraped from 1 vanilla pod

sifted icing sugar, for dusting

Mix the nuts, flour and salt in a small bowl.

In a stand mixer, or using an electric hand whisk, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla extract until pale and whippy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Beat in the vanilla seeds then add the flour and nut mixture and beat until the mixture just comes together.

Handling the dough lightly, remove from the bowl, weigh and divide into two equal pieces. Roll each portion between your fingers into an even cylinder 24 cm long, then slice into 12 discs, to form 24 cookies in total. (Each disc will weigh about 17.5 g.)

Turn the oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Take the first disc and shape it into a sausage, 7–8 cm in length, tapering slightly at each end (but not too much or the tips will scorch in the oven). Curve it into a semi-circle then place on the baking tray. Don’t worry if it crumbles – just smooth it together. Repeat with the remaining discs, arranging them 3 cm apart, though these are not cookies which rise very much.

When you’ve shaped all the cookies, bake for 16–19 minutes, rotating the sheets at half time if necessary, until the cookies are still pale, but just beginning to show signs of going golden. Cool on the trays for 3 minutes.

Wait till the cookies are completely cool then tumble in sifted icing sugar to cover completely. Stash in an airtight box for up to a week, redusting with icing sugar if necessary.