At a fabulous supper party at my next-door neighbour, Catherine’s house she proved once again that not only is she stunningly beautiful and talented but also an amazing cook (You’d really have to hate her if she wasn’t a truly lovely person as well – trust me she has it all). She had cooker her mother’s recipe for Canadian butter tarts and I was absolutely blown away by how delicious they were. This is not her exact recipe, but I have tried to emulate hers and have cooked these for our traditional Christmas Eve drinks party tomorrow.
After that has finished, I will have the answer as to whether my guests think they are as good or better than mince pies, that is if they can still string a sentence together which is unlikely if last year was anything to go by. Anyway, here is my recipe for these deliciously simple tarts and yes, I cheated and used ready-made pastry…mea culpa!
Method: Pre-heat the oven to Gas 5, Electric 190/ or 170 Fan. Using a tart cutter,I cut 36 circles and placed in a miniature mince pie tray. Use the remaining pastry to cut small stars, or any other decorations you wish.
To avoid washing -up, I beat the eggs straight in to a non-stick saucepan and then added everything except the pecans. I then mixed throughly and placed over a medium heat, beating all the time until all the butter had melted and the mixture was thick and gooey and just starting to bubble. this can stick easily, so keep on mixing.
I spooned the filling in to the shells and placed starts on top of as many as I could, then placed in the oven for 15 minutes. Leave them in the tin for 5 minutes then remove gently and place on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cold.
I am so delighted to be able to post this recipe today, as it is courtesy of my lovely cousin in Australia, Lauren. Keep ’em coming cuz!
Lauren’s amazing Christmas cranberry bread
you need: 4 egg whites 1/2 cup caster sugar 1 cup plain flour 1 cup natural almonds & 1/2 cup frozen cranberries. Grease 12cmx22cm loaf pan & line with baking paper. beat egg whites til soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar 1 tblsp at a time beating in between adding. Beat ubtil soft & glossy. Fold in flour, almonds til combined. Fold in Cranberries. Spoon into prepared pan & smooth on top. Cook in mod. oven( 180C ) for 40 mins or until golden. Cool in pan turn out when cool & refrigerate til firm. Using a serrated knife cut into 1/2cm slices. Arrange in a single layer over 4 oven trays. Cook 2 trays at a time in a slow oven ( 150C) for 15 mins or until lightly browned. Cool. Bon Appetite ! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Inspired by Richard Burns who cooked an amazing confit of duck for us a few weeks ago, I have been determined to add something difefrent to our Christmas menu this year and decided that a side dish of goose confit was exactly what was needed to enhance our turkey experience.
Challenge One: Where do you find a goose 4 weeks before Christmas? Easy, I thought just nip to Waitrose or one of our lovely local butchers. Wrong! Apparently no-one ever buys a goose unless it’s the week before Christmas, how mad is that? Anyway, eventually a rather lovely organic frozen goose was found in a long-lost corner of Marlow Waitrose freezer department (Well done, Katy intrepid shopper and frozen goose forager!)
Chopping up a rather reluctant and large goose was by no means an easy feat, I felt like I had done several rounds with the goose by the end of it, and I think it was definitely ahead on points. Nevertheless, I ended up with the breast cut in to 4 portions, 2 legs, and 2 thighs. the wings really were a little meat-free to use, so I decided that they would be better used for the stock I planned to make. I looked at many sources for a good recipe and in the end came up with a hybrid of my own. Note of caution, John Torode fans, his recipe for confit states 100g of salt, which is FOUR times what all the other recipes suggest. Be warned!
So here is the concoction I came up with : For the confit: Take the legs, thighs and breast of a goose.For the marinade: 25g of rock salt, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of ground coriander, 4 juniper berries,4 cardamom pods and 6 garlic cloves. 1 small bunch of thyme, rosemary and sage For cooking: 1 head of garlic sliced in half, 2 bayleaves, 10 peppercorns, 2 tins of goose fat. For the sauce: rest of the goose, 1 chopped onion,1 pint of chicken stock, 1/2 glass of dry white wine, 1 tablespoon of butter.
Method: Place the salt, cumin, coriander, juniper berries, cardamom pods and garlic cloves in to a pestle and mortar and grind until the whole spices have been crushed. Place the goose pieces into a large tupperware container, rip up the fresh herbs and then scatter them along with the salt, garlic and spice mixture all over the goose, making sure it is well rubbed in. Place in the fridge for at least 24 hours. The next day, wipe the marinade off with some kitchen towel and place in a heavy casserole dish with a lid and add the halved garlic and the peppercorns and the goosefat. Place in a very low oven, Gas Mark 3, 140 degrees C (fan assisted), 160 degrees if not. I like my mine nearly falling off the bone, so I cooked this goose for nearly three hours, you can cook it for less if you like. Whilst it is hot, pile it into a large kilner jar, or even a pudding basin and make sure the goose pieces are completely covered in the fat. Allow to cool and then place in the fridge, where it will stay good for several weeks. I place any additional goose fat into jam jars to use for my roast potatoes, goose fat can be re-used many times. When you are ready to use your goose, dig out the pieces from the jar and place them in a roasting pan in a hot oven Gas Mark 6, 200 degrees C/180 fan assisted fro 30-4o minutes until the skin is looking crispy and browned. Serve with the reduction below.
Meanwhile the day before, I had placed what was left of the raw goose, including into a roasting pan with the chopped up onions, and had roasted it on Gas Mark 4/electric 180 degrees C/160 fan assisted for 90 minutes. I then placed it in a large saucepan, added the chicken stock and left it to simmer for 2 hours (the smell of the cooking drove Lily, the dog mad, picture above just because she’s so lovely). I then strained it, and have frozen the stock to be reduced with white wine on the day, with a little butter whisked in to it to make a wonderful reduction that will taste amazing with the goose. You can add some cranberry sauce if you’re feeling festive.
Simples! Watch out next week for the lobster ravioli with the champagne pearls…
Okay, it’s about time somebody stood up and said it. Packet bread sauce actually tastes nice. Not wonderful, but nice and in fact, is a whole lot nicer than the ready-made varieties you can buy in the supermarkets at Christmas,which for some reason never, ever taste good. What have they done to them, how can it be so tasteless?
However, home-made bread sauce is the best thing ever and tastes fantastic and is an absolute must, cold in your Christmas sandwich for Boxing Day. (trust me on this, layers of turkey, cold bread sauce, cranberry sauce,stuffing, mayonnaise and a little wholegrain mustard preferably in a crusty white baguette)
Anyway, I digress. My recipe for Bread Sauce is slightly different because I leave the onion in it, I have never understood why you would throw it away, when the flavour of soft, buttery onion is so good. This is easy to prepare in advance and put in the freezer. Just defrost on Christmas Eve, and warm gently on the day adding a little cream and the butter before serving and a little nutmeg if you like the flavour. It really is delicious.
Bread sauce
Ingredients:
1 small or half of a large, mild white onion, finely chopped (don’t even think of using a red onion, it won’t work!), 10 cloves, 10 peppercorns, 1 bayleaf and 2 sprigs of thyme, 500ml full cream milk, 50g butter, 100g of dried white breadcrumbs or cubed, stale white bread, salt and pepper to taste. To serve: 4 tablespoons double cream, 50g butter, fresh grated nutmeg
Method
Add the cloves, peppercorns, bayleaf and thyme to the milk in a non-stick saucepan
Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and cover.
Stand for at least 2 hours or overnight if preferred
Fish out the herbs, cloves and peppercorns
Melt 50g butter in a saucepan and add the finely chopped onion
Sweat the onion gently, until soft and translucent for 5 to 10 minutes – do not allow to brown.
Add the breadcrumbs
Bring to the boil
Simmer for 3-4 minutes
(If you are going to freeze the sauce, leave to cool and do it now)
Add the cream and remaining butter, do not allow to boil – Season and grate fresh nutmeg and serve
Don’t get excited, it’s not that sort of a blog. We are talking about preparing for Christmas Day and today we are making Cranberry Sauce as demonstrated by the lovely Ellie, pictured above.
Christmas is coming and I’m getting fat. Oh dear, why do I always leave the pre-Christmas diet until it’s too late? A subconscious cave woman-type instinct to put on layers of fat in cold weather, I suspect…or am I just incredibly greedy? I’ll leave you to be the judge.
Anyway,as many of you know I love celebrating Christmas and despite the fact that numbers are very reduced for us this year (only 6 vs 28 last time) doesn’t mean that there will be any less celeberation and meticulous project planning. Yes, I know I turn into the Christmas Mumzilla, but it really wouldn’t be the same without me having the occasional strop would it?
So this year’s menu is…fanfare, please.
Kir Royales, made with home-made blackberry brandy
Bloody Mary Capuccinos
Chicken Livers with a garlic, ginger and lime crust in pastry
Lobster Ravioli with Champagne pearls
Sorbet with champagne
Roast turkey with a confit of goose, accompanied by roast potatoes, brussels with chestnuts, red cabbage, peas and all the usual trimmings, stuffing, sausages, bacon rolls, bread sauce and cranberry sauce.
Christmas pudding with custard and cream
Christmas Baked Alaska
Today, however we are starting with Cranberry Sauce. Fresh cranberries are available in the supermarket from about now, and whilst you can buy fresh, cranberry sauce, it is so, so easy to make your own. I always buy them now, make and freeze the sauce; ready to take out on Christmas Eve.
Ingredients:
150g caster sugar, the Juice and zest of 1 lime and 1 orange, made up to 150 ml with water,
300g fresh cranberries.
To serve on the day: zest of 1 orange or lime OPTIONAL: Add: 2 tablespoons of triple sec, 1 tablespoon tequila: for a very grown-up “cosmopolitan meets margarita-style sauce.
METHOD:
Add the sugar, water and orange and lime juice and zest to a saucepan
Over a low heat, gently dissolve the sugar and simmer for 2-3 minutes until it is clear and syrupy
Add the cranberries and bring to the boil – this is the best bit as you can hear the beautiful little red berries popping.
Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes
Remove from the heat, cool and freeze if you wish
Before serving: Add the orange zest and if wanted, the triple sec and vodka
(If you want to make a less alcoholic version but want the flavour, add the booze at the end of the cooking and boil for a further few minutes which will burn off the alcohol but leave the taste)
And that’s it! Watch this space over the next weeks for more Christmas loveliness.
I am very pleased to welcome back one of our favourite teams of guest bloggers, Pete and Lynda Russell have been taking it for the team and putting themselves through the agony of wine tasting in North Sonoma….it’s a tough job, but someone had to do it. Over to you, guys…I’m booking my next California holiday NOW
RRV’s AVA (American Viticultural Area – similar to the French Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system) dates from 1983 when just under 100,000 acres was accorded AVA status. Now with near on 130,000 acres under vines, it’s proximity to the Pacific, the relatively cool climate and the evening fog, plus the river bed location, make it ideal for growing Burgundian grape types such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The reason for our visit? Does the value and quality match that of Burgundy and/or New Zealand? We booked into the “West Sonoma Inn & Spa” for an overnight stay, spotted that “The Restaurant at Applewood” had recently been awarded a Michelin star, and booked there for dinner.
At just around 90 minutes after leaving our home in the East Bay, we found ourselves at the “Hartford Family Winery” on the western reaches of Russian River.
We’d heard that Hartford’s wines were often rated in the 90s (out of 100, the Robert Parker way, see http://www.erobertparker.com/info/legend.asp), and were anxious to try their Burgundian varietals. We had intended to taste at 2 vineyards, this one and “Sbragia” (Ed Sbragia recently retired from Beringer and was responsible for the best Chardonnay we’ve had) way up north in the RRV region, but after an incredible 11 wine taste at Hartford, our palates were too tired for Sbragia. I won’t regale you details of all 11 wines, but here’s the three we bought:
Hartford Court 2008 Stone Cote Chardonnay: This wine had spent 11 months in oak, had that delightful vanilla spiciness on the nose which indicates a Mersault-like Chardonnay. One to cellar for 2 years or so.
Hartford Court 2008 Fog Dance Pinot Noir: Grown in the cool Green valley district, we noted cherry, raspberry and rose like aromas, some tannin in the taste indicates its youth, its all round elegance make this an outstanding, subtle Pinot which will take a few years in the bottle before giving its best, although it’s drinking well now so we’ll probably drink it this Thanksgiving.
Hartford 2007 Russian River Valley Zinfandel: Very different from the big, chewy Zins we have been drinking lately. The cool climate here makes for a longer growing period with less tannin. We thought this very elegant, again cellaring for a couple of years will be beneficial.
A relaxing lunch was now called for, and as chance would have it, the “Korbel Champagne Cellars” tasting room just up the road had a deli/cafe that had been recommended. Pete ordered a salami and brie sandwich washed down with a Mimosa (Buck’s Fizz to you and me), and Lynda chose the pulled pork sandwich and Pomegranite Bellini. Fortified, we ventured into Korbel’s tasting room. Now Korbel have been making sparling wine by the méthode champenoise technique since the mid-1890s, but we’d seen their Brut Rose in supermarkets, and were put of by the price (cheap, around $10 per bottle) and label design, I know, how very silly!
We inserted ourselves into the milling throng, everybody anxious to get their 4 tastes for free, and I must say we were agreeably surprised. We chose to taste the Korbel Natural ($12), Korbel Brut ($10), the Korbel Chardonnay ($10) and the Korbel Extra Dry ($18.50), all champagnes and all very drinkable, especially in Lynda’s new love, champagne cocktails, of which more in a later post! We purchased a bottle of the Chardonnay-based champagne and hi-tailed it to our hotel for a nap before dinner.
Not much to be said for the West Sonoma Inn & Spa, except it was good value and very acceptable for an overnight stay.
Over at The Applewood, Bruce Frieseke, executive chef, is ‘amazed’ at his newly minted Michelin star, he’s off the beaten track, Guerneville is not one of California’s most elegant towns, and a 10-roomed B&B isn’t a natural for Michelin recognition. Apart from a little cock-up with the timing of the starter, we thought it was great and tremendous value. As one would expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant, the food was thoughtfully designed, elegantly presented and left us in no doubt that the kitchen deserved it’s accolade. But the way the menu was presented was an object lesson in how to sell wine. With each dish, the wine list recommended an old world wine bottle, a new world wine bottle and a wine by the glass. We had brought along a bottle of red and a bottle of white since the restaurant allows its clientele to bring its own wines at a cost of $20 corkage/bottle, but we decided to go with the recommended wines by the glass. For starters, Pete’s Croquette of Salt Cod Brandade with Grilled White Shrimp in a Guajillo Chili Broth was very pleasing, the broth adding a piquancy to the flavour with the chewy flesh of the three whole shrimp complementing the softness of the croquette. As we all know, Lynda’s love affair with fungi has still a long way to go, and her Madeira Scented Forest Mushrooms, Soft Cooked Duck Egg and Truffle didn’t disappoint. Lynda’s entree of Braised Short Rib of Beef, Pumpkin Polenta, Cipollini Onion with Parmigiano and Sage looked almost chocolaty on the plate and was rich enough to deserve this description, the polenta acting as a foil for the richness. Pete had to help out, since Lynda couldn’t manage to eat it all. Pete meanwhile decided to see what Wagyu Beef was all about with Grilled Bavette of Wagyu Beef, Chanterelle Mushrooms, Brown Butter Celeriac in a Bone Marrow Bordelaise. The expected ‘liver like’ mouth feel of the beef was there, but the beef was tasty and went perfectly well with the mushrooms, celeriac and sauce. Whilst he wouldn’t fault the kitchen, Pete will stick with rib-eye steak or Prime-Rib in future. He also couldn’t resist the Garden Pear Frangipane Tart with Huckleberries, Crème Anglaise and Mint Whipped Cream, a heavenly concoction which he washed down with a N.V. Chambers Rosewood Muscadelle (Tokay) from Australia, while Lynda made do with a glass of alcoholic raisin juice, a.k.a. El Maestro Sierra Pedro Ximenez from Jerez in Spain.
By now we were feeling no pain, especially since the Applewood was exceedingly good value for a Its Michelin star, and we got back to the West Sonoma Inn & Spa without incident.
So, how did Russian River match up? We loved the quality of the wines at Hartford, definitely up a notch up on New Zealand, and we think better value than Burgundy for an equivalent quality.
Full of anticipation and a case stuffed full of my best LV handbags and fancy shoes, (after all I’d seen Marbella Belles and reckoned I could out-bling the best of them …well, minus the fake boobs, fake tans and liposuction) I was ready for my introduction to the Costa del Sol. Courtesy of the lovely Joyce and Terry (pictured left) we were about to spend the weekend in Puerto Banus, the legendary site of millionaire yacht owners, glitzy night spots and of course, Josh’s stag weekend.
After breakfast at Chez Gerard, T3 (adequate but not brilliant) and an uneventful flight we landed in Malaga in brilliant warm sunshine. I was beginning to see what the Brit’s love affair with the Costa del Sol was all about, and not just for tax evasion purposes (allegedly). After settling in to T&J’s lovely townhouse on the outskirts of Puerto Banus, we headed immediately to their local bar. Starting as we meant to go on, i.e. constant eating and drinking, we ordered a quick pizza to keep us going and I had one of my favourite holiday drinks, a cuba libre (bacardi and coke to you). When it arrived it reminded me of why I love Spain so much, after that measure of bacardi, my cuba was indeed libre…i.e half cut.
We went to the Supermarket to buy essentials like milk, bread and gin on the way home and again I was blown away by how beautifully the Spamish make their Serrano ham. This is just the equivalent of the local Spa shop, and yet look at these beauties.
A short taxi ride in to the port and our evening of glam fun was about to begin. Although out of season and so far less crowded than usual Puerto Banus did live up to its reputation. I was indeed rather entranced by the parade of designer shops and showy, expensive cars that seemed to just drive round endlessly, maybe if I had an Aston Martin I’d do the same? The legendary Sinatra’s bar was some of the best people watching I had enjoyed for a long time as I sipped my obligatory glass of Moet. Wasn’t it sweet that the ancient wrinkled Russian mafia-type in the corner was taking out his grand-daughter for the evening? How kind mother nature had been to the extremely skinny girl with the bee stung lips and a 40G bust? How unfortunate that the group of young blondes at the bar, simpering at the group of OAP golfers appeared to have forgotten their skirts and were only wearing belts? Perhaps it was “Help the aged week” as their lack of skirt length seemed to envigorate the ageing golf-types, – charity begins in Puerto Banus it seems. Okay, cynicism apart, it is terrific fun, go and people watch for yourself!
Our choice of restaurant that evening was amazing, due to the lack of people everyone was trying to entice us in, but we shunned the ever popular Picasso’s and ended up falling for the charms of a simple restaurant on the strip called The Grill del Puerto.They started us off with a loaf of hot bread that they carved at the tableside and we sampled the house red and rose wines, which were actually lovely. Three of us had the local speciality Prawns pil pil, which came swiming in garlicky olive oil. A tad over-cooked , but then the Spanish to have a tendency to overcook their seafood everywhere, alas. Good enough flavours however, and perfect for dunking that lovely hot bread . I had the serrano ham, with some of the sweetest melon I have ever tasted. The highlight of the main courses was Terry’s rabbit stew, which although slighly overcooked, was tender and bursting with flavour. My lamb stew was okay, but maybe could have done with a little longer slow cooking. We finished with the obligatory flan, but were pleased to get a rather lovely apple liquor served with it. Completely clear and ice cold it was very reminiscent of a New York appletini, yum yum! At 18.50 euros a head for the set menu, we thought it a good meal and would go back.
The next day we went to Old Marbella for a wander round, and how beautiful it was. Fabulous little cobbled streets, interesting shops and bags of character. We sat in the glorious sunshine in orange Square and had drinks and a plateful of ham and cheese, to feed my growing protein addiction. We walked down to Marbella beach for lunch at La Red, a half on the beach, half on the shore restaurant that did amazing fish and paella. .The dish of the meal for me was the babysquid in black ink, which once you got over the appearance, were delicious. Do try it if you are there, the stuffing is delicious. This was accompanied by a couple of massive seafood paellas and several bottles of the house wine, it was a wonderful, beachside lunch, to be highly recommended at 20 euros a head.
A stagger back to the house and a lovely siesta and what next? Yes, more eating! Terry and Joyce had booked us in to one of their favourite eating places, The Patio, a traditional Spanish-run restaurant. After a Spanish-style amuse bouche of fish in mayonnaise on some toast, we had some amazing starters. Thin slivers of aubergine, deep fried and drizzled with honey,traditional ham croquettes(served rather bizarrely with crisps!), scallops in a cava sauce and mussels au gratin. These were really good and quantity enough for at least another 8 people, so do go there hungry! My main course was amazing,a slow-cooked oxtail stew, which was flavourful and tender. Don’t have it unless, like me you are not afraid of bones and a very rustic presentation, but honestly , it’s worth it. the others had lamb chops, duck and a very tasty pork fillet with spinach. We followed it with a shared creme brulee which probably wasn’t worth the calories. A really lovely meal, which worked out at about 30 euros per head.
The following day we were leaving to go home, so the choice of final lunch was key. We drove along the coast a little to Alveria and had lunch by the sea at the picturesque Ra-Ma restaurant. A perfect choice for our last, lingering food fest. To start we shared crispy, fresh calamari and the prawn pil pil followed by a huge plate of locally fried fish and the amazing noodle version of the paella, the Fiduela which was heavenly. This is a must to try next time you are in Spain. I will be trying to re-create this recipe, so watch this space.
So, the end of a brilliant weekend, what were the highlights? Tapas in Orange Square? Oxtail stew or the amazing noodle paella, or Terry as the only male salsa dancing with a group of 40,female religious enthusiasts at the Andalucia hotel? Actually, perhaps best not to mention that…viva espana!
I often ask myself whether I am a competitive person, and whilst I would probably answer “No”; everybody who knows and loves me would fall off their chairs laughing and recount many tales of my cheating at Scrabble, Monopoly….oh, the list goes on. All spurious lies of course, they are just bad losers! However, one of my most fun and definitely entertaining current competitive pastimes (rivalled only by The Court Drive Tomato competition) has been the Cooking competition I have been having with two other friends who are no amateurs in the kitchen. The deal is that we take it in turns to host a dinner party every few months, pretend none of us are doing any preparation or work whatsoever, whilst secretly scouring the pages of every cookbook known to man, and then effortlessly (supposedly!) produce a multi-course extravaganza to try and out-
Richard - currently in poll position
do the last chef’s efforts. Generally served with a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders and a well-hidden sense of relief. Well, the stakes ahve indeed been raised as our visit to Richard and Lisa’s was an absolute feast. Check this out….oh dear, my turn soon, where is Delia when you need her??
Richard (and Lisa’s) Hot, smoking dinner party
We started with some of Richard’s delicious smoked trout (recipe to follow) but here are the recipes for the main course and dessert.
Duck 3-ways – Richard’s recipe
Duck cooked three ways
Hot smoked duck breast.
I like to make this in batches and freeze it. It’s great hot or cold with a celeriac remoulade or orange dressed salad. You will need: 6 duck breasts, 1 good pinch of black pepper, 1 good pinch of salt, 2 tbsn of olive oil.
Method.: Light the BBQ. in advance. Rub the oil, salt and pepper into the duck and leave in the fridge covered for 30 mins. After the 30 mins pat dry with some paper and place into a hot smoking pan suspended above some wood chips. Heat on full heat on the bbq for 30 mins. If you are going to eat it cold place in a sealbale plastic bag and immerse immediately into iced water (to stop cooking processes) for at least 10 mins or serve warm as is. Leave them in the bags freeze it. To serve from frozen, defrost naturally, and still in the bag immerse in boiling water for a maximum of 10 mins. Carve it and serve.
Celeriac Remoulade.
This is a basic coleslaw with a difference. It can be made a day in advance but is always better the same day. You will need:1 Celeriac, Mayonnaise (home-made if you’re feeling fancy!), Anchovies (smoked if you can find them), Caper, Dijon Mustard, some Cornichons, Sweet Silverskin Pickled Onions, Salt and Pepper to taste.
Method: Finely chop the capers, anchovies, cornichon, pickled onions. Grate the celeriac and place in a non metal bowl. Combine the mayonnaise and the chopped capers, anchovies, cornichon, pickled onions and dijon mustard. Combine the Celeriac and the mayonnaise mix together. You will note there are no measures in this remoulade recipe. This is because you should taste as you go getting it just right for you. Season with the salt and pepper.
Cured Duck Breast with Pickled Ginger and Chilli Dressing
It is nearly impossible to buy cured duck in the UK but it is so nice and so easy to make.
Salt cure for 6 duck breasts¾ teaspoon freshly ground black peppercorns, ¾ teaspoon of freshly ground coriander seeds., 1 ½ teaspoons of fresh thyme leaves, 3 bay leaves, 75 g salt, 60 g sugar
Method.Combine the pepper, coriander, thyme and bay leaves into a mortar and pestle. Grind them one more time. Then add the salt and the sugar. Now take 6 duck breasts, pat them dry with paper, coat the breasts with the cure and place in a non metallic bowl. Make sure each breast is completely coated and poor any excess cure mixture into the bowl. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge to cure. I like mine quite strong so recently cured them for 26 ½ hours. If you want a more subtle flavour I recommend a minimum of 12 hours. I suggest you read the whole recipe first as if you like a more subtle cure you may want to make the dressing first. After the duck has cured remove from the bowl and wash off all the cure. Place in a glass ovenproof dish with 300 mls of tepid water. Then place in a preheated oven at 160 deg C for 20 mins. Carve lengthways and serve with the dressing. Great hot or cold.
For the Pickled Ginger and Chilli dressing. This makes a tangy dressing that really cuts through the cured duck., 110g fresh Ginger., 1 ½ chillies (not too hot)., 40g sugar, 300 ml white wine vinegar, 6 juniper berries, 1 cinnamon stick.
Method.:Peel the ginger and slice it into matchsticks. Thinly slice the chilli. In a small bowl or jar combine the ginger and chilli with 1 teaspoon of salt and set aside. Pour the vinegar, remaining salt, juniper berries and cinnamon stick into a pan and bring to boil. Once the pan has boiled for 5 mins add the ginger, chilli salt mix you reserved earlier. Turn off the heat and cover allowing to cool. Place on a shelf in the kitchen for 24 hrs.
Confit of Duck.
This is a real winter favourite in my family. Served with either a red wine bean and chorizo stew or with an orange dressed salad. Everyone thinks confit of duck is hard to make. Nothing could be further from the truth! If stored correctly will keep in a shelf in the garage for 3 months or in a fridge for 6 months. It is simply the original fast food, for those days when you don’t want to spend ages in the kitchen. I make mine in batches of 6 in advance, I deliver a roasted duck leg that is tender and moist in 20 mins from the fridge. You will need: 6 duck legs, 40 g of salt flakes, 1 good pinch of freshly ground pepper, 2 tspns fresh thyme leaves, 6 cloves of fresh garlic (crushed), 1 tablespoon of olive oil., 3 x 300 ml tins of goose fat.
Combine the thyme, salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil in a small bowl. Smear the mixture (known as “the cure”) all over the duck legs and place in a non metallic bowl. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 12 hrs. After 12 hrs take the duck legs out of the fridge, preheat the oven to 160 deg C. Place the duck legs into a roasting pan, leave the cure on the duck legs it adds flavour. Here you must be careful, as the more space left in the pan after the duck legs are in it, the more goose fat you will need. Now pour into the pan the goose fat making sure you cover the duck legs. Place in the oven for 1 hr and 15 mins. If you intend to store your confit, have a clean non metallic container with a lid ready. Allow the pan to cool for 5 or 10 mins. Then using tongs remove the duck legs (careful the fat will still be hot) and pack them into the container. I use a tupperware container with a locking lid. Once packed pour the goose fat over the duck legs. Ensure you fully cover the legs in goose fat. Place the lid on the container and store. To warm up simply remove a duck leg and place it on a roasting tray in an oven heated to 150 deg C for 15 mins.
Orange Dressed Salad: A simple salad the cuts through the fat of duck especially confit. It takes 5 mins to make. But the dressing is better made earlier the same day. You will need: 1 bag Watercress, A good pinch of salt, A good pinch of pepper3 oranges., ½ glass of orange juice, Olive oil
Salted Caramel Chocolate Tart -(Serves 8) – Lisa’s recipes
1 x quantity sweet shortcrust pastry, enough for a 23cm diameter, 3cm deep tart tin
For the caramel: 225g caster sugar, 100g cold butter, cubed, 100ml double cream, 1 heaped tsp sea salt flakes
1) Heat the oven to 180dec C (170 fan oven), gas 4. Thoroughly butter a 23cm x 3cm deep tart tin. Roll out the pastry to no more than 5cm thickness, put into the tin, prick the base all over with a fork and put in the freezer for 10mins.
2) Remove the pastry from the freezer, and line with tin foil and baking beans. Blind-bake in the oven for 15-20mins. Take out of the oven, remove the beans and foil, brush the pastry with a little beaten egg, and put back into the oven for another 3-5mins until golden. Remove and set aside.
3) Put the sugar and 75ml water into a pan over a low heat to dissolve. Then add the butter and keep stirring to melt. Once melted turn up the heat, and leave to bubble away for 15-20mins until it has turned to a light toffee colour, stirring occasionally. Mix in the cream and sea salt, and boil for a further 3-5mins until slightly thickened. Allow to cool.
4) Gently melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring now and again. Whisk the sugar, eggs and egg yolks until thick and creamy. Once the chocolate and butter have melted, leave to cool for 1min then add to the sugar and egg mixture, whisking until glossy.
5) Spread the caramel over the pastry base, and carefully spoon over the chocolate mixture, spreading evenly. Bake for 20mins or until almost set but still wobbly. Allow to cool in the tin before serving.
Serve with a berry coulis (I made raspberry and blackberry) and crème fraiche.
To follow with coffee:
Bramble Marshmallows (from “Good Food Magazine) Makes about 50
1) Line a 20x30cm tin with baking parchment. Mix the icing sugar and cornflour together in a bowl and dust some of it onto the parchment. Dissolve the gelatine in 150ml hot water in a heatproof jug.
2) Put the granulated sugar and liquid glucose into a pan with 200ml water, and dissolve. Then turn up the heat and boil until it reaches 125deg C on a sugar thermometer (firm ball stage). While this is boiling, beat the egg whites with an electric whisk until stiff.
3) When the syrup is ready, pour onto the egg whites in a steady stream and continue whisking, and also add the vanilla extract. Continue whisking for around 10mins until the mixture is very thick and glossy.
4) Pour half the mixture into the tin, and scatter the blackberries over. Then add the other half of the mixture and smooth. Cover with clingfilm and leave to set in a cool place for at least 2hrs. Best eaten within 48hrs.
Chocolate & Nut Fudge
Makes about 50
Depending on how rich you want the fudge, alter the ratio of dark:milk chocolate, this ratio is very rich!
250g plain chocolate, finely broken up, 100g milk chocolate, finely broken up, 350g tin condensed milk, 1tsp vanilla extract, Your choice of nuts (I used macadamia)
1) Line a 15x23cm tin with baking parchment. Put the chocolate and condensed milk into a heat-proof bowl and melt slowly over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally.
2) Stir in the vanilla essence and empty into the tin. Level the surface and sprinkle on the chopped nuts, pressing them lightly into the fudge. Cover and chill until firm, around 3hrs. Can be kept for upto 1month.
(N.B. Lisa’s recipes are from the “Good Food Magazine”.
Happy Halloween! Our Guest blogger Ellie is back with a solution as to what to do with all the bits of pumpkin you just hollowed out, whilst making your Happy Halloween Pumpkin lanterns. Katy and I have just finished ours and we are definitely going to try this recipe.
Who's more scary?
SPOOKY SOUP
I always find that carving a Halloween pumpkin is much harder work than I expected (despite insisting upon doing it every year)! Obviously it’s worth it in the name of scaring small children, but after all that knife-wielding exertion, you may need some manner of hearty, autumnal sustenance. What better than a lovely, easy pumpkin-curry soup?
This is such a foolproof recipe, you can pretty much add or take away anything you want, depending on your tastes, and it should turn out pretty well. Make it as hot as you like, or experiment with any herbs you fancy. However, this is a rough guide to making spicy pumpkin soup how I like it. You will need:
The innards of one pumpkin, seeds removed and the skin hopefully now forming a terrifying orange face at your window; flesh chopped into manageable chunks. One onion, chopped. A couple of cloves of garlic, chopped. One chopped up chilli (or more, or none – birds’ eyes are my favourite). A big pinch of dried curry leaves, or a big spoonful of curry powder. Approximately 750mls of vegetable stock – I am lazy so do it from cubes; any kind will do, but I like Kallo Organic best and would use two of them for this recipe. Salt and pepper to taste. A big dollop of double-cream if you’re feeling mildly decadent; half-fat crème fraiche if you’re in-between; or no-fat plain yoghurt if you’re on a diet. I am terminally dull and usually go for the latter, but it’s still really nice! A splash of the oil of your choice.
Heat up your oil in a big pan and throw in the onion, garlic and chilli. Cook until it all starts to soften but not go brown.
Chuck the pumpkin chunks in with it, add all the seasoning, and cook the lot until it’s going a bit golden and gooey (about 5 minutes).
Pour your stock in over the top, bring to the boil, and then simmer over a low heat for maybe 20 minutes, until the pumpkin has gone really soft.
If you have a hand blender (the kitchen gadget of champions, in my humble opinion), then whiz it up in the pan until it’s smooth; otherwise, obviously, you could stick it in a proper blender; if you are not lucky enough to own either of the above, a masher and a lumpy soup will still be tasty.
Dollop in your creamy component of choice, and then give it another whiz and heat it again for another minute or two. Serve with some sort of bread.
I would like to eat this with a cheesy naan, preferably whilst watching a bit of Alfred Hitchcock and wearing a ridiculous costume around the house. I always think it would be really nice with the seeds toasted and scattered on top, but I’ve never quite got round to trying it.
BUT WE DID!…..SO IF YOU WANT TO TOAST YOUR PUMPKIN SEEDS, IT’S VERY SIMPLE:
Take your pumpkin seeds (you can use butternut squash seeds as well, which is also good made in to Ellie’s soup as a pumpkin substitue). I tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon paprika.
Pre-heat your oven to low – Gas Mark 1 120 degrees C for fan assisted, C140 not
Rinse your seeds and then pat them dry with some kitchen roll
Place in a bowl and stir in the oil, salt and pepper and paprika
Line a baking tray with aluminium foil
Spread the seeds out on the tray and place in the oven for around 15-30 minutes until golden brown or until your hear them start to pop
We were going to throw these on the top of the soup, but they were so delicious we ate them straight out of the oven with a glass of wine. Experiment with curry powder, worcester sauce, garlic or chilli oil,
Last Saturday 23rd October, I had the great pleasure of doing a live cooking demonstration for the launch day of Dorset Food Week.
9.30am in Dorchester High Street, there I was trying to beat cold hard butter in to soft brown sugar whilst smiling and attempting to look authorative about all thinks baking. It was at this point, that I began to wonder whether the rather over-enthusiastic approach to the chablis the night before with my lovely cousins had been appropriate? Oh well, cake and hangover – ideal for a Saturday morning! I was ably assisted by Louise, who did a sterling job of battling with noisy generators and cold washing up water. We survived, despite the over-heating oven which helped me to produce “well-caramelised” muffins (a euphemism for slightly burnt!) Thank God I had made some in advance! Anyway, a lovely crowd were very supportive and watched whilst I produce my version of Apple Cake followed by Apple Muffins and a Hot Toffee Apple Pudding, they were definitely put in a better mood after we distributed tasters of our champagne and limoncello cocktail, which despite it being mid-morning got a good reception. Check us out on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iqrDpFg4Vk or the lovely review that Sonia at the Maidenhead Advertiser has written
The Farmer’s market was excellent and touring the stands afterwards I bought some beautiful cheeses and honey, local ham and pates. What a great event, more places should support their local producers like that. Anyway, if you’d like a go at making Dorset Apple Cake…here is the recipe. Muffins and Toffee Apple Pudding to follow later in the week.
This spicy, moist apple cake can be served warm with custard or clotted cream or sliced cold. It is moist and delicious and best eaten within 2 days
Ingredients: 450g/1lb cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced, Juice of 1 lemon, 100g/4ozs unsalted butter, 175g/6ozs dark soft brown sugar, 2 large eggs, beaten, 3 tablespoons of golden syrup, 25 ground almonds , 225g/8ozs plain flour 5ml/1 teaspoon mixed spice, 5ml/1 teaspoon cinnamon, 10ml/2 teaspoons baking powder 3 tablespoons buttermilk or milk. For the topping: 1 tablespoon of clear honey, 1 tablespoon of Demerara sugar
Equipment: Mixing bowl, hand mixer (optional), sieve, 18cm/7inch round cake tin, greaseproof paper
Method
Pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 3/170Cor 150C for a fan oven
Line the bottom of your tin with greaseproof paper and butter the sides
Weigh out your flour, spices and baking powder in to a separate bowl
Peel, core and chop your apples in to small pieces and place in a bowl with the lemon juice – stir thoroughly to make sure all the apples are coated so that they do not go brown – set aside
In your large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar using your hand mixer or by hand until it is fluffy and creamy
Add the eggs gradually, mixing thoroughly as you do so
Add the golden syrup and ground almonds
Place your hand mixer aside and using your sieve, sieve the flour baking powder and spices in to your large mixing bowl
Using a spoon or spatula gently fold the flour in to the mixture
10. Fold in the buttermilk and the apples – DO NOT OVER MIX AS YOU WANT TO KEEP AS MUCH AIR AS POSSIBLE IN THE CAKE
11. Turn the mixture in to your prepared tin and bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours depending on your oven. It should be well risen and firm to the touch
12. Turn out on a rack to cool
13. When the cake is cold, brush it all over with the clear honey and sprinkle with Demerara sugar
OPTION: For a very grown-up version, whilst the cake is still warm, turn it upside down and make some holes in the bottom with a skewer and drizzle amaretto or brandy in to the cake.
Method: Pre-heat the oven to Gas 5, Electric 190/ or 170 Fan. Using a tart cutter,I cut 36 circles and placed in a miniature mince pie tray. Use the remaining pastry to cut small stars, or any other decorations you wish.
saucepan and then added everything except the pecans. I then mixed throughly and placed over a medium heat, beating all the time until all the butter had melted and the mixture was 
thick and gooey and just starting to bubble. this can stick easily, so keep on mixing.
The Bombay Boys 
