whatkimcookednext

Dorset Food Week kicks off with Apple Cake and a hangover

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

http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/leisure/article-18428-watch-tv-contestant-launches-own-food-blog/

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.

Kim’s Dorset Apple Cake

(recipes also available on http://www.whatkimcookednext.com/)

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.

Sardine ice cream with your pint? What has Heston Blumenthal done to the Crown Inn, Bray?

Last weekend we decided to visit the Crown Inn at Hestonville, sorry I mean Bray. We went with a sense of trepidation and curiosity, as the Crown has been one of our favourite pubs over the last 20 years. A beautiful, old fashioned Engish country pub dating back to the 17th century, with roaring fires, steak and ale pie and friendly bar staff. The menu in the little restaurant hadn’t varied once over those twenty years and filet steak “Zrazzy Nelson” and their moules frites were always a delight. BUT time marches on and things progress. I do have to agree with the locals that it was a shame that it wasn’t taken over by someone new, but we decided to investigate anyway.

Certainly, Heston hasn’t changed any of the decor, I was very pleased to see the original black and white photos still on the wall (the one of the young man in uniform and his dog is my favourite) and the ambience felt exactly the same. None of the original staff appear to have been retained, but the people who helped us were very friendly and efficient and handled what was clearly a busy, fully booked Saturday evening very professionally and with a sense of humour. What has changed however, is that everyone seemed to be there to eat; there were very few casual drinkers who had just dropped in for a pint. Whilst it worked to our advantage on that particualr night, they do now allow you to book tables in the bar, which is not a policy I favour. This meant we did see quite a few hapless souls being turfed off table after table as they despertaely tried to find somewhere to sit. So really, it is essential to ring in advance ( 01628 621936).

The menu was simple, but good and not a hint of sardine ice cream, but basic pub food. We chose the potted duck to start and it was tasty and delicious, a little like a lovely, rich rillette. When it arrived I thought it looked small, but in fact the size was about right.

One of the main reasons we had come, was that we had been told that they were serving Hetson’s perfect burger (Remember him trying to create this on telly? check it out on youtube). However we were soon told that it was not in fact that recipe, but just his version of an ordinary pub burger. This was disappointing .

It was however a perfectly okay burger and everyone agreed that it was nice but not amazing. Surprisingly, they did not ask us how we would like the burger cooked, and this was a problem for Josh who likes his meat incinerated as it was served quite rare in the middle. To be fair, the rest of us loved it cooked this way.

Josh also requested some jalapenos, which they did not have, but after all, it was an English pub and not a Mexican restaurant, so that was no big suprise. The French fries were nice, thin and crispy .

I had the steak with a bone marrow sauce, which is delicious and rich and cooked to perfection. For dessert we had the banana Eton mess, lemon curd pudding and sticky toffee pudding. I don’t have photos of this unfortunately, but Louise did say it was the nicest sticky toffee pudding she had ever had and my taste of the banana Eton Mess was sublime.

We ended up paying about £35 per head including tip, which is more than enough for a pub meal, but the food was very good and we would go back. It is a shame that it’s not really the sort of place I’d just drop in for a gin and tonic, maybe in the summer when you can sit in the garden I might try it. I do respect the fact that they are trying to keep it a simple pub and as I say, the staff were charming and luckily, there wasn’t even a hint of snail porridge.

Rice, rice baby….with an apology to David Bowie and Vanilla Ice (oh, Jedward, what have you done?)

Why do I feel the urge to sing “Under pressure” really loudly. Jedward, oh Jedward what have you done to me? Okay so I know they’re not really saying “rice”, and my apologies to Vanilla Ice and of course, the amazing David Bowie.

When was the last time you made real Rice Pudding? No, not the canned Ambrosia type, but proper, proper Rice Pudding? many peple never do, because they think it’s incredibly complicated, but trust me it’s very, very simple and tastes completely different to the canned variety. (I do have to admit there is a secret place in my heart for canned rice pudding). the home-made variety is as wicked or as angelic as you want it to be (single cream instead of milk is wicked and I love golden syrup on it!). Ellie has become a great afficionado of the home-made variety and to follow is her recipe. She and I both agree that the lovely, browned skin on the top is the best bit..but that’s just us!

ELLIE’S RICE PUDDING

“So, this is such an easy and obvious recipe that it’s almost a non-recipe, really. However, it’s worth a mention just as an oft-forgotten classic, and as a very simple route to a nice bowl of autumnal comfort. This will serve 4 as a substantial pudding, or 2 greedy people for a weirdly lovely weekend lunch, that will mean maybe a little soup for supper (but that may just be me).

You will need: 100 grams of pudding rice (note from Kim: Don’t try this with any other type of rice) 50 grams of caster sugar, 700 litres of the milk of your choice (I actually use skimmed – it still turns out quite creamy enough and makes this a fairly low-calorie treat – but anything you like will do; I think soy milk might be nice in this but I haven’t tried it), A little bit of butter for greasing

Optional extras for a bit of flavour – a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon works well, a bit of vanilla, a squeeze of lemon, whatever.

Method: Switch your oven on to Gas Mark #2/150C or 130C Fan assisted. Grease a medium-sized oven-proof dish. Mix together the rice and sugar, along with anything else you’re chucking in to the mix, and put into the greased dish.

Pour the milk over the top and give it all a good stir. Stick in the oven for around two hours, until it has a good skin on the top (the best bit, in my humble opinion) but still gives a good wobble when you give the dish a little shake.

Eat hot from the dish or cold later (the latter being particularly good with a swirl of jam), or better yet hot for pudding and cold for breakfast the next morning.”

I’ve gone all Calamity Jane…whipcrack away!Our guest blogger Pete is back at the Whiptail Grill, Zion

“Calamity Jane” was one of my favourite movies. I remember vividly going to see it as a small child with my Aunty Lesley, who had a soft spot for Doris Day, as do I. In fact on a recent trip to Carmel, we visited her doggie-friendly hotel (The Cypress Inn) for cocktail hour. Do go along if you’re ever there, as the entertainment of all the different sizes and breed of dogs, not to mention the owners is unmissable.

Anyway, I am very excited that that our favourite Californian guest blogger Pete Russell has done a brilliant food review for us, the title of which made me want to crack my whip and sing “Secret Love”. I really should get out more….anyway, this is definitely on my hit list of places to visit.

HATHAWAY HAS A WAY AT THE WHIPTAIL GRILL

John Hathaway is an adrenaline junkie, he drives his motorbike at 180mph, throws himself out of planes, and owns the Whiptail Grll in Springdale Utah. But with 2 years of 90 hour weeks, he hired a couple of helps, taught one to cook, the other to prep and washup, and took over as maitre D’, or waiter!

Lynda and I happened across it one wet Tuesday evening after a very wet drive from Gallup NM on our way to Zion National Park. Most reviews were good, but these didn’t prepare us for the treats to come. We nearly didn’t get to eat there at all, as it was full when we arrived, but happily, as we turned dejectedly to go, a couple paid their bill and left, and we gladly took their places. Whiptail is set in what once was a gas station, and has 4 tables inside, and 10 tables outside, on this Tues, only inside was appealing.

We selected chips, salsa and guacamole to share as an appetizer, washed down with a Dos Equis Amber and the house Pinot Grigio, and very good and freshly made and prepared as it was, it didn’t herald what was to come. John explained his specials, a blackened Ahi Tuna, and a Peruvian chili rubbed rib-eye steak with an avocado compound butter. Pete chose the rib-eye and Lynda chose the Chipotle Chicken Enchilada from the regular menu.

John’s approach to alcohol is nothing if not eclectic, he lists some American and Mexican beers, and 4 beers from a local brewery, but only mentions that wines are available by asking the server. When asked, he said he had a Pinot Grigio, a Chardonnay, a Riesling (one glass left), a Pinot Noir and a Cab Sauv., not at all impressive.

However, when the mains arrived, along with 2 glasses of Ravenswood Cab Sauv, any misgivings were banished. Lynda’s enchiladas were subtly spiced, elegantly presented with chipotle marinated chicken, onions, green chilies, in a roasted tomatillo green chilli sauce and topped with cheese and salsa fresca. This was the best enchilada we had ever tasted, and we are no strangers to Mexican cuisine.

Pete’s juicy rib-eye was cooked to medium rare with the Peruvian chili rub gently tickling the spice meter and the avocado butter providing a complimentary creamy finish. Both mains were accompanied with black beans and a baby green salad with either a home made roasted red pepper or a chipotle dressing, we had one of each, both were excellent in their own way, but we couldn’t decide which was better.

We were discussing whether we had room for dessert when John delivered his signature dessert to our table, a habanero spiced chocolate and peanut butter creme brulee, and with a cheery “the faster you eat it the hotter it gets”, he disappeared to the kitchen. This was memorable, and nothing short of heavenly. The habanero gently clutched the back of the throat while the chocolate and thankfully almost non-existant peanut butter creamed the tongue and cheeks.

If and when you visit Zion, do give John’s Whiptail Grill an visit, you won’t be disappointed.

I want to visit now, Pete that looks amazing. Incidentally, people… any great mexican recipes are always welcomed! Send them in.

I love chicken pie almost as much as I love Lucy

Actually, I really do love Lucy – Lucille Ball, that is, who I think was one of the most talented and wonderful comediennes who ever lived. I mean who could watch the “Vitameatavegamin” scene without falling over laughing? (Go check it out on Youtube if you’ve never seen it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrjWtPhO54s). One of my greatest sadnesses is that she and Desi Arnaz split up, but he did die in her arms…oh dear, enough of that or I may have to go and have a little sob…

Anyway, what a girl needs to cheer her up is a chicken pot pie. By a pot pie, I mean one that only has a top and no bottom (does that make sense?), which means it’s really easy to do. It is the perfect thing to make if you have leftover chicken, but is so good that it is worth cooking some chicken just so that you can make it. Anyway, this can be as easy or as difficult as you like depending on whether you rush out and buy some ready-made pastry or you indulge yourself in the recipe below, that was taught to me by Alain Roux at ‘The Waterside Inn’ and is flaky cholestrol heaven! Rough Puff pastry is the slightly less complicated little brother of Puff pastry and although it does seem like a real bother to make is a million times worth it once you’ve tasted it. I like to make double quantities and then keep half in the freezer for future use.

Ingredients

2 cups of cooked, diced chicken, 4 leeks, sliced, 1/2 glass dry white wine: For the sauce: 1/2 pint milk, 1 bayleaf, 3 peppercorns, tablespoon of butter, tablespoon of cornflour, salt and pepper to taste. For the Rough Puff Pastry: Either buy a really good qualityready-made butter puff pastry or take 250g of butter, cubed and very cold, 250g of plain flour and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 125ml ice cold water.

Method

First if you are going to make the rough puff yourself do it a couple of hours or even days in advance!

*On a clean surface place the flour in a mound. Make a well in the middle and add the butter and the salt.
*With your fingertips, squeeze the butter and salt roughly in to the flour, until the mixture feels grainy but there are still small pieces of butter in it, it should look quite rough.
*Gradually add the iced water and mix with your fingers until it is all incorporated and forms a ball.
*Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Flour the worksurface and roll out to approx 20 x 10 cms, fold it into 3 and then turn it round one quarter.
Roll the pastry to the same shape and fold in three again.
Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Take it out of the fridge and place back on the floured surface and repeat your last process i.e. rolling, turning a quarter twice.
Wrap it up in clingfilm again and place back in the fridge for a final 30 minutes and it is ready to use.

Meanwhile, place the chopped leeks in a small saucepan and add the white wine, place over a low heat for about 5 minutes until the leeks are soft and cooked and have incorporated most of the white wine. In another non-stick saucepan, add the butter and the cornflour and place over a low heat. Mix continuously until the butter and flour are well blended (this is called making a roux). Add the milk little by little stirring thoroughly until well blended each time and then when all the milk has been added, place the peppercorns and the bayleaf and stir until it gently comes to the boil. the sauce should then have a thick, smooth consistency. If it is too thin, add a little more cornflour mixed with cold milk until it is nice and thick. Season with salt and pepper to your own preference. Take off the heat and add the leeks and the chicken to the white sauce. I often throw in a handful of frozen peas or diced cooked carrot at this stage.

You are now ready to assemble your pie! Place the chicken and leek mixture at the bottom of your pie dish. Roll out your pastry so that there is enough to cover the whole dish then make a few small incisions in the middle for the steam to escape. use extra pastry to make a double border round the outside, or pretty shapes – whatever you like! Brush all over with a little milk or egg yolk and place in the oven, Gas Mark 4, Fan assisted 160 degrees, non-fan 180 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until the pastry is risen and golden. This is lovely served with plain, mashed potato.

Enjoy and do use this pastry for any other savoury pies such as steak and ale.

Ginger Spice…and I don’t mean Geri Halliwell

No, I am talking about the most luscious, moist ginger cake you have had in a long time, worthy of being either in an Enid Blighton novel (spiffing cake!) or served at the Ritz with afternoon tea. Not that I really have anything against Geri Halliwell, although that exercise video….

Anyway, we recently visted our lovely friends Tanya and Al and their even lovelier daughters Savannah and Imogen for the weekend and had only been in their house for five minutes before being given a large slice of this delicious cake. So this is Tanya’s recipe, which really does deserve to be tried and it is a really easy one, which makes it even better.

Sassy and Immy’s Lovely Ginger Cake

You will need 10 oz self raising flour, 7 oz soft brown sugar, 1 egg, 4oz unsalted butter, 3 teaspoons ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 1 tablespoon dark treacle, 2 tablespoons golden syrup (Tanya had actually run out of Golden syrup so used maple syrup instead which she thought made it even moister) 1 cup boiled milk

Method: Place all ingredients into a mixing bowl, except milk. Bring milk to the boil then pour over other ingredients and stir well until evenly mixed. (I would be tempted to place all the ingredients except the milk in a food processor and mix them first and then add the hot milk)

Pour into a loaf tin lined with baking parchment (Lakeland do some great, loaf tin shaped paper cases that are perfect for these cakes) and bake in the oven 130 degrees C (fan oven), 150 for a non-fan oven or Gas Mark 2 for 1 hr. Allow cake to cool in tin before turning out.

Icing is nice on this cake, and a simple glace icing is perfect. Take 4 to 6 ozs of Fondant Icing Sugar, and add a very small amount of cold water a teaspoonful at a time until a really thick glossy mixture is formed, then pour on the cake. Do not let it get too thin or it will not set. You could use lemon juice instead of water to make the icing, if you wished as lemon and ginger do taste lovely together.

Send me more cake recipes like these! I love them and they deserve to be shared

Does cup size really matter? It does when it’s brown sugar

Regretfully, it does and I don’t mean the difference between A, B, C or heaven help us, DD.

They say that we are two countries divided by the same language and this piece is all about giving you the information you need to use American recipes and get them right! It sounds so blinking sensible doesn’t it? Just use 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of sugar, but if you don’t live in the USA and you don’t have access to cup measures, just how big can cup size be?

Has it occurred to you that in fact 1 cup of caster sugar is not actually the same weight as 1 cup of soft brown sugar? No, it didn’t occur to me either which is probably why I have had some spectacular disasters using American cookbooks. Also, what on earth is a stick of butter? More and more confusing..

So here is my handy guide for conversion…

American	Imperial	Metric
1 cup flour 1 cup caster/ granulated sugar 1 cup soft brown sugar 1 cup butter/margarine/lard 1 cup sultanas/raisins 1 cup currants 1 cup ground almonds 1 cup golden syrup 1 cup uncooked rice 1 cup grated cheese 1 stick butter	5oz 8oz 6oz 8oz 7oz 5oz 4oz 12oz 7oz 4oz 4oz	150g 225g 175g 225g 200g 150g 110g 350g 200g 110g 110g

I really hope this helps, just to really confuse you, don’t forget a pint isn’t always a pint! In British, Australian and often Canadian recipes you’ll see an imperial pint listed as 20 fluid ounces. American and some Canadian recipes use the the American pint measurement, which is 16 fluid ounces.

Oh dear, you say tomato and I say…tomato??

Mushroom Soup for the soul…

It’s raining, it’s gloomy and even worse…it’s cold! I need cheering up! They say chicken soup is good for the soul, I am sure a lot of things are good for the soul, but forget about meditation and living an exemplary life,I am going to go along with the humble mushroom, those fabulous versatile little fungi.

This soup can be as simple as you like, after all you know that I believe strongly that there is a place in society for Campbells (aka Batchelors) Condensed Mushroom soup,as it does make the base for a quick sauce, but why not make your own? It’s so easy!

You can do the quick simple version OR you can make it fancier and put foamed cream and truffle oil on top and serve it with a herb and garlic bruschetta for a dinner party. Anyway, here is the basic recipe.

You will need: 500g of mixed mushrooms – any type you want-washed and sliced, 100g of butter divided in to two 50g portions, 1 large or 2 small mild, white onions (Don’t use red onions, they go a sludgey grey colour), chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, crushed. 1 litre of strong chicken stock (use vegetable stock if you prefer, or if this is for a dinner party, substitute a quarter of the stock with white wine.) 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh thyme, 1 bayleaf, 4 tablespoons of double cream, salt and pepper to taste.

Method: Place 50g of the butter, the chopped onion, bayleaf, thyme and garlic in to a large saucepan and cook on a low heat for 5 to 10 minutes until they are soft and translucent looking but do not let them start to go brown…this is called sweating! Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for a further 20 minutes. Take out a few of the chopped mushrooms and place on one side to use as a garnish. Then either place the mixture in to a food processor and blend or use one of those lovely hand held blenders straight in to the saucepan to liquidise your soup. Taste and season according to your preferences. At this point, you can place it in the fridge and heat it up later if you want to, or freeze it. When you’re ready to serve, heat it until boiling, then whisk the remaining 50g of butter in to the soup, remove from the heat and place in to bowls, add a small amount of cream on top of each bowl and some of the reserved mushrooms.

(If you don’t want your arteries to fur up instantly, omit the additional butter and cream and use low-fat creme fraiche instead.)

If you are serving this for a dinner party, I like to foam the cream using my espresso machine and serve the soup in capuccino cups, then add a few drops of truffle oil on top of the hot cream foam and a few chopped chives or parsley.

If you want to serve your lovely soup with some bruschetta, mix some softened butter with crushed garlic and chopped fresh herbs (a little bit of chopped red chilli is nice, too). Take a part baked baguette and slice thinly. Spread the butter mixture on top of the baguette and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes at the recommended heat, or until the bruschetta are crispy and browned.

Going Japanese, I think I’m going Japanese, I really thinks so…

I don’t know, a hint of tempura and I’m already binding my feet and looking for the nearest tea ceremony. I did go to a Tea Ceremony in Kyoto many years ago, and I’d love to say it was an uplifting experience, but actually I ended up with a very numb backside from sitting for three hours whilst waiting for the amazingly beautiful tea hostess to get the inspiration for our ceremony. Basically, you all sit there, admittedly in stunning surroundings, quietly contemplating (yes, for 3 hours!) until she suddently shrieks the word that enters her head, in this case it was “spring”. Maybe I’m just not enough in tune with the world of meditation, but I have to admit, that when they then poured my my cup of what looked like and tasted like mouldy grass cuttings, I was extremely glad it was all over. Oh well.

Anyway, a quickie for the weekend, make tempura. It’s fun and it’s very easy, but it is better if you have got a deep fat fryer…go out and buy one…you’ll be triple frying chips and Mars bars in no time at all. So for a prawn tempura, you will need some lovely big, raw prawns, de-veined but with the tails left on. 2 egg whites, 25g cornflour and 50ml of soda water. You can fry these in a saucepan filled with oil, but make sure the temperature is at least 180 degrees. I used chilli jelly as a dipping sauce.

Method: In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.Then in a separate bowl mix together the cornflour and soda water. Fold in the egg whites gently, so as not to beat out all the air. Dip the prawns into the mix, making sure they are thoroughly coated, the lumpier it looks, the better. Deep-fry the prawns for one to two minutes until golden, drain quickly on kitchen paper and serve immediately. I am experimenting at the moment with adding turmeric to the mixture and serving with a more curry-like dipping sauce, and even more excitingly with substituting champagne for soda water. watch this space, I’ll let you know the outcome!

Cream cheese and chilli jam

We had the neighbours round yesterday and to start with, I put out a big plate of tortilla chips and a load of dips, including hummus, salsa, guacamole and cream cheese with chilli jam. Here is a fact, the cream cheese dip with chilli jam always goes completely in the first half hour irrespective of how much you put out. It’s as if there is something secretly addictive in it that makes you actually incapable of only having one dip in it.

The best thing about it, is that it really is the easiest dip in the world to make and th recipe was given to me by the lovely Joyce and there’s a woman who knows a thing or two, about good, simple cooking.

Go for it.

JOYCE’S LOVELY CREAM CHEESE CHILLI DIP

All you will need is 1 packet of cream cheese, I used philadelphia, but you could in fact use a block of any good, really creamy cheese.

1 small jar of either sweet chilli dipping sauce, or my own lovely home made chilli jam (recipe below or buy it, up to you!).

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh mint and

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil and

a large bag of plain tortilla chips.

Method: All you do is turn out the cheese on to a large plate, place the majority of the chopped herbs on the top (Joyce adds chopped red pepper, too), leaving a little for decoration on the side. Spoon the chilli jam over the top of the cheese and serve. that’s it – pure genius, Joyce.

This is what it will look like VERY quickly.

Quick recap on the Chilli Jam recipe…(loosely based on Nigella’s)

150g fresh red chillies with seeds removed
150g red peppers, seeds removed ( I like to use green and yellow as well for a rainbow effect)
1kg jam sugar
400ml cider vinegar
200ml apple juice

Method

Place the cut-up chillies into a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Add the red pepper and pulse again until they are chopped in to small pieces
Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar and apple juice over a very low heat with as little stirring as possible
Scrape the chilli-pepper mixture out of the bowl and add to the pan. Bring the pan to the boil, then leave it to bubble gently for 10 minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and allow it cool for about 30 to 40 minutes
Ladle into clean, sterilised jars.