A Birthday Treat …

… out for lunch with our great friends Shirley and John to VesuviO – part of The Sharnbrook Hotel, Park Lane, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire MK44 1LX. Yippee – no cooking tonight!

It went something like, Special Garlic Mushrooms for two, Antipasto Misto and a garlic pizza bread with cheese. The guys scrutinised the wine list and after much deliberation decided to indulge and ordered a carafe of the red house wine and a glass of prosecco for Shirley.

Our mains were Branzino Al Forno – oven baked seabass fillets over lyonnaise potatoes with roasted Mediterranean vegetables and sugo pomodoro x 2, Salmone Al Forno – oven baked fillet of salmon over a bed of asparagus tips in a garlic butter and white wine served with sauté potatoes and finally an 8oz fillet steak served with seasonable vegetables.

It looked good when served. Sadly what followed wasn't.

Round one - when I lifted my salmon fillet to get to the asparagus tips it was not good news. The tips were inedible, to use the word “soft” would be kind. I'm not generally a complainer but I couldn't hide them so I asked the waitress to bring me a side plate and asked her to wait whilst I removed the tips and asked her to return them and bring me carrots instead. I can't help but be embarrassed although I'm not really sure why!

Round two - by this time my husband had tucked into his fillet steak – it looked charred on arrival but I'm sat across the table so really couldn't see too closely. My only observation would be that it looked too big for a fillet. The first half of the steak was well done and only in the middle was it vaguely pink so definitely not medium. This is not going well.

Round three – after much persuasion he sent the steak back – I should mention here that John used to be a butcher and “knows his onions”.

Round four – out came the chef carrying a tea plate with another raw “fillet” steak. No thank you that does not look like fillet. The chef was not pleased and returned to the kitchen.

Round five – back came the chef carrying what was left of the whole “fillet”. I've never seen a fillet of beef so large – it looked like it came from a woolly mammoth. The fillet still had its outer plastic wrapping which had been peeled back in order to cut the steaks. I can't say for certain that it had been frozen but that would be my guess. By now we were definitely losing the will and the chef was clearly unhappy that we'd had the affront to criticise the fillet. At £23.95 you bet!

Needless to say the only person who ordered dessert was my husband who was hungry.

In fairness the seabass was excellent and the wine too.

I'm not sure that a birthday lunch costing £103.25 was a good deal or not – it would have been £127.20 had we paid for the steak.

I don't think we'll be rushing back!

P.s. I should never have said “yippee – no cooking tonight”.

Sweet week - The lemon curd dilemma …

… by which I mean do you make your own or do you buy it? Me – both.

Over the years I've stood diligently stirring until the mixture thickens. Then came the microwave oven – hurray!

I like to think of the following recipe as a sort of “half way house”. Like most of us these days it's really a time management issue.

Making Microwave Lemon Curd

115g/4oz butter, cubed

Finely grated rind and juice

of three large lemons**

225g/8oz caster sugar

3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

Put the butter, lemon rind and juice in a large microwave-proof bowl. Cook on high for 3 minutes.

Add the sugar to the bowl and stir for 1 minute until it has almost dissolved. Return to the microwave and cook on 100% power for 2 minutes, stirring every 1 minute.

Beat the eggs and the yolk together, then whisk into the lemon mixture, a little at a time.

Cook on medium (40% power), for 10-12 minutes, whisking every 2 minutes, until the curd thickens.

Ladle into hot sterilized jars, cover and seal. When cool, store in the refrigerator. Use within 2 months.

N.B. Microwaves vary.

This recipe is based on an 800 watt version. For microwaves with a different wattage, adjust cooking times as follows, 900 watt – subtract 10 seconds per minute. 850 watt, subtract 5 seconds per minute. 750 watt, add 5 seconds per minute. 700 watt, add 10 seconds per minute.

**If you don't have fresh lemons you can use lemon juice and omit the rind. As a guide for juice 4 tbsp of juice is equivalent to 1 and a half lemons.

However, if you are going to buy lemon curd – try Marks & Spencer Sicilian - £2 for 325g. Hand on heart it's the best I've ever used and a jar is a permanent fixture in my pantry. It's expensive but worth every cent. Those of you who have been following the blog will know I don't recommend you spend your hard earned dosh on a product unless it delivers.

P.s. It's also great spread on toast!

Sweet week - Pudding or cake?

Here's the solution – one recipe and you can choose whether you make individual sponge puddings or muffin size cakes. Here's Sutherland or Castle Puddings.

Most of us have heard of pound cake – in other words recipes using equal weights of ingredients. The first mention I can find is in “Eliza Acton – Modern Cookery for Private Families” - first published in 1845 and includes this recipe.

More recently it's mentioned in “Pride and Pudding – The History of British Puddings ...” by Regula Ysewijn.

Castle Puddings

butter for greasing

200g softened unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

4 large eggs

200g self raising flour

1.5 tsps baking powder

zest of 1 small lemon

jar of lemon curd

Pre-heat oven to 160fan/180c/Gas 4.

I used dariole moulds measuring 6cms x 6cms and made 12 individual puddings. You could use muffin tins for a smaller cake.

Grease your moulds – I find that using a disposable glove works well – you don't finish up with butter everywhere. You'll need a disc of baking paper for each of the bases. This is a bit fiddly but worth the effort – can be done in advance. Alternatively if you are a jam maker and have a supply of the greaseproof discs you could adapt to suit your moulds.

Using your electric mixer whisk together the butter and sugar until pale and creamy – whisk thoroughly. Add the zest of lemon and then the eggs, one at a time, mix well. Fold in the flour.

Place one teaspoon of lemon curd into each dariole mould before adding your mixture to 2/3^rd full.

Place the puddings in a deep baking dish. TAKE CARE – pour hot water into the dish halfway up the sides of the puddings. Cover with foil and bake in the centre of the oven for 50 minutes – check after 40 with your tester – it should come out clean.

Allow the puddings to cool. You can freeze them. If you want to microwave them then after defrosting you'll need to remove from the dariole moulds.

Serve with whatever ticks your box – custard or ice cream will do very nicely. Regula Ysewijn's suggestion is clotted cream!

P.s. My personal tip – if you decide to make muffin size cakes then use muffin cases – you don't have to butter them, just place the lemon curd into the case and add the mixture. When cooked and cooled just peel back the case and tip upside down onto your serving plate – no lemon curd will be wasted, left in the bottom of the muffin tin – a lemon upside down cake.

A little something to lighten the gloomy, depressing days of winter!

Sweet week - Hats off …

… to “delicious.” magazine January 2017.

I mentioned Waitrose Food January 2017 previously - now it's the turn of “delicious”.

On catching up with my reading I came across their suggestion for an easy treat, which I also made for class.

Malteser Brownies

200g unsalted butter

200g dark chocolate – 70% cocoa solids or as

near to as possible

3 large eggs

200g golden caster sugar

50g plain flour

100g Maltesers

Extra Maltesers, crushed to decorate

Heat the oven 170c/150fan/Gas 3.5. Line a 20x20cm brownie tin with non stick paper. Put the butter and chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water – make sure the bowl isn't touching the water!

Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl combine eggs and caster sugar. When the chocolate mixture has melted stir it into the egg mixture and add the flour and Maltesers. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 40 minutes until the top has developed a crust but the mixture still wobbles slightly. Leave to cool in the tin, then chill for 4 hours. Slice into squares and serve topped with the crushed Maltesers.

Makes 16. Can be made 24hrs in advance and kept in the fridge, unsliced.

Alternatively cool and wrap in cling film and freeze for up to 2 months.

Here are the photos :

By the way – a few seconds on medium in a microwave will give you a warm gooey squidgy brownie – serve with ice cream – bang goes the diet – cut the brownies into small, almost bite size pieces – it might help!

Congrats delicious magazine!

Sweet week … Grandad Jack's tea loaf

My mate Shirl recently made a tea loaf which was delish. Shirl's tea loaf triggered a memory.

Many moons ago I used to cook for my Grandad and take him ready-meals when I went to visit. He was old school and, apart from a shot of whisky in his tea (he swore it was medicinal – he may have had a point – I never remember a doctor visiting) he loved fruit cake.

So, here's the tea loaf I used to make for him :

Grandad Jack's Tea Loaf

450g/1lb mixed fruit placed in large mixing bowl

soak in a mug of tea overnight – one teabag

the next day, add :

2 mugs of self raising flour

1 mug of soft light brown sugar

2 large eggs – beaten

mix thoroughly

Optional – 225g glacé cherries – add after mixing

Pre-heat oven 140fan/160c/Gas 3.

Bake for 2 hours – turn the tea loaves after 1 hour. Test with a skewer or cake tester which should be clean when removed.

I'm going to state the obvious – this is not a high falutin fancy bake – it does what it says on the loaf tin – tip it all in, mix well and hey presto. However choose the correct size mug – I can hear you - “a mug is a mug is a mug” err, no – have a look at your mug mountain. For the avoidance of doubt the measurements of the one I used are 9cms ish high and 8cms diameter. Even though you are using a mug and not scales, it's still a measure so make a note of the particular one you choose.

You'll get enough mixture for 2 x 1lb cakes. Treat yourself to cake liners – for two reasons – your tins will last longer and, more to the point, you get a professional looking loaf.

 

You could be really decadent and add butter. These tea loaves freeze well too.

I've made them forever. You might have noticed that there's no fat so if you're on a low fat diet it could be a winner – don't forget though it does contain sugar so don't think of it as a green light to stuff the lot - nice try!

P.s. If you don't like ordinary tea bags you could use a herbal alternative – any fruit variety would work well.

Revisited …

… the orzotto which I mentioned in July last year.

You may remember that orzo is actually pasta - despite it looking exactly like arborio rice. The difference though, is that orzotto does not involve masses of time and effort to produce, so is perfect for a mid week supper. The original version did not include white wine or parmesan cheese so here's the revised, richer version.

Orzotto - revisited

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

260g orzo pasta

425ml chicken stock (or vegetable)

75ml dry white wine

2 tbsps lemon juice

200g frozen petit pois

2 tbsp fresh pesto

bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

75g parmesan cheese, grated

salt and black pepper

extra pesto and slices of lemon to serve

extra grated parmesan to serve

Heat the oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat and fry the onion for 2/3 minutes. Add the dry white wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in orzo and cook for 1-2 minutes and then add the stock all at once. Simmer and stir occasionally for 7/8 minutes until nearly cooked. Stir in the lemon juice and the frozen peas. Simmer for a minute and then add the parmesan cheese and continue to summer for 2 minutes until the peas are cooked then add the pesto and the parsley.

Season to taste and serve with extra pesto, a squeeze of lemon and parmesan cheese to sprinkle.

Here are a couple of additions – add prawns, obviously defrosted.

You know how I'm always banging on about slow cooking a whole chicken – here's where it comes into its own. I slow cook and freeze a chicken, divided into portions as required - breasts, legs, wings etc., and the stock too. I cannot tell you how useful this is.

On class night I served the orzotto topped with slices of slow cooked chicken breast. How difficult is it to pull a chicken breast (or two) out of the freezer mid week?

It's just the job any time but is particularly comforting at this miserable time of year.

I'm sure a risotto purist wouldn't be terribly complimentary and be able to tell the difference but mid week - with little or not time to cook - who cares.

By popular request …

… came the next appetiser Parmesan biscuits which I've served a time or two for friends – these biscuits are perfect to serve with drinks. It also seemed like a good idea to include the biscuits since when making the dough it does look like a little piece of magic!

Parmesan biscuits

Makes 25-30

100g cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

100g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

pinch salt

pinch cayenne pepper

1 heaped tsp mustard powder

50g finely grated mature cheddar cheese

50g finely grated parmesan, plus extra to decorate

1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 180c/160fan/Gas 4.

Place the butter and flour into a food processor with the salt, cayenne, mustard powder and cheeses. Process together then pulse the mixture in short spurts until you notice the mixture coming together. It will eventually bind without the need for egg or water. Tip the mixture onto a sheet of cling film and use the cling film to bring it together into a round. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Leaving longer will do no harm.

Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the pastry thinly. Cut out the biscuits in shapes to suit the occasion. Lay them on a greased or non stick baking tray – 2cm apart. You'll need two trays.

Brush the surface with egg and sprinkle over a little of the finely grated parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Use a palette knife to ease the biscuits off the tray and place on a rack to cool. They will keep for a few days – good luck with that!

Thank you Simon Hopkinson – you're a genius!

It does exactly what is says on the tin and here's what they look like :

I promise you you'll never make cheese straws again – not that there is anything at all wrong with cheese straws, she says, hurriedly. These biscuits are just beyond delicious but the “parmesan on the top of the biscuit” is they are so easy to make – sorry for the bad, bad pun but “cherry on the top” didn't work somehow!