Born in North Wales in 1965, Bryn Terfel entered London’s Guildhall School of Music in 1984, studying first with Arthur Reckless and later with Rudolf Piernay. In 1988 he won the Kathleen Ferrier Memorial Scholarship and the following year graduated from the Guildhall, receiving the school’s Gold Medal. Shortly after that he represented Wales in the “Singer of the World” Competition in Cardiff and launched his career by winning the lieder prize. (Deutsche Grammophon)
Bryn Terfel’s signature roles include Figaro in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and the title role in Verdi’s Falstaff. In 2004 he made his debut as Wotan in Wagner’s Ring Cycle at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to rave reviews from the music press, including “In his first Wotan, Bryn Terfel fulfils his destiny as an operatic singer” (Rupert Christiansen, Daily Telegraph).
“A born communicator who loves words as much as music, he has reached out to audiences way beyond the rarefied temples of opera house and recital hall . . .” (Time, London)
Loch Fyne Beer Battered Mussels
This is a quick, easy and great starter, but works equally well as a snack – serve with a cold beer.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:
- FOR THE DIPPING SAUCES
- 150ml /5 fl.oz mayonnaise – either home-made or good shop bought
- 100ml / 3 1/2 fl.ozcreme fraiche
- 3 tbsp coarse-grained mustard
- 1 tsp runny honey
- 3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro/ coriander
- Juice 1 lime
- 1/2 red chilli, de-seeded and finely minced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- FOR THE MUSSELS
- 1kg/ 2 1/4 lbs mussels, scrubbed & de-bearded
- 300ml/ 10 fl.oz very cold beer or lager
- 225g / 8oz self raising flour
- Sea salt & ground black pepper
- Sunflower or peanut oil for deep frying
- 25g/ 1 oz cornstarch/cornflour
Preparation:
- First make the dipping sauces: mix together the mayonnaise and creme fraiche. Divide this mixture between two bowls.
- To one, mix in the coarse-grained mustard and honey. To the other, add the coriander, lime, chilli and garlic. Taste both for seasoning. Set aside.
- Place the mussels in a large, lidded saucepan with a few tablespoons of water.
- Steam over a high heat until the mussels have opened. Discard any that remain closed. Drain in a colander, then pick the meat from the shells, set aside.
- Sift the self-raising flour into a large bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. Start whisking in the beer until you have a batter the consistency of single cream.
- Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer or large pan. Be careful not to fill more than one third full. Heat to 180c or until a cube of bread sizzles and turns golden in 30 seconds.
- Meanwhile, dry the mussels carefully on kitchen towel then dredge with sifted cornflour. Shake off the excess cornflour then dip into the beer batter allowing the excess batter to drip off.
- Fry in batches of around 10 until golden brown (about 1-2 minutes). Transfer with a slotted spoon to crumpled paper towels to drain.
- Serve immediately with dipping sauces.
Recipe courtesy of Loch Fyne
Sounds good!