The famous James Bond Martini and its perfect pairing.
Looking to serve up sophistication this festive period? Try my crispy fried olives with an ice cold vesper martini.
This is the first of a series of recipes I created last year on my YouTube channel which I am now sharing again. Like every French person, I love apéritif. It’s an easy way to mark the day with a moment to relax, or celebrate, be with friends or family, just simple moments of joy and sharing. The aim of this series is to match a drink and nibble together so they can bring out the best in each other.
The martini is fresh with a slight bitterness which matches perfectly with the olive. The subtle fruitiness of the Lillet, highlights the citrus notes to cut through the saltiness of the anchovy and olives. And the dryness of the drink is perfect to cut through the fattiness of these crispy snacks.
Ingredients (serves 2):
Vesper Martini (my version - not as dry):
3 shots London dry gin
3 shots Lillet Blanc
1 shot Vodka
2 Lemon twists
Fried Breaded Olives:
1 tin Anchovy stuffed olives
1 egg
50g flour
100g breadcrumbs
1/2 lemon, zested
1 L vegetable oil
Method:
Put the flour on a large plate.
Crack the egg into a shallow bowl. Add 1 Tbs olive brine and whisk until homogeneous.
Put the breadcrumbs onto another large plate, add the lemon zest and stir until evenly distributed.
Strain the olives, then it's time to bread them. This process is called 'panure à l'anglaise' which means 'english style breading'. Dedicate one of your hands to touching dry things and the other to wet. Add the olives to the flour with your 'wet' hand, then stir them with your 'dry' hand until evenly coated. Transfer them to the egg bowl using your 'dry' hand and stir them with your 'wet' hand until coated. Finally transfer to the breadcrumbs with your 'wet' hand and coat in breadcrumbs with your 'dry' hand. Repeat the process until all the olives are breaded.
Pour the vegetable oil into a large saucepan and warm up on medium heat. If you have a thermometer, oil should be 180°C, otherwise drop a breadcrumb into it and if it starts to bubble immediately then the oil is ready.
Fry the olives in the oil until they are lightly brown all over.
Remove the olives onto kitchen paper and salt while they're hot.
Add ice and water to martini glasses.
Peel the lemon into 2 strips.
Measure out the martini ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake until the shaker is too cold to touch.
Remove the ice and water from the glasses and strain the martini into them.
Twist the lemon over the martinis and garnish.
Enjoy a sip of Vesper Martini followed by the crispy fried olives. Bon appétit!
Recipe Video:
More Photos:
