Halloumi – seasoning and dips to go with

This is where you make it your own.

Seasonings and rubs can be whatever you want them to be and it might be a good idea initially to try a “ready to use” product – there are so many to choose from :

Hot and spicy

BBQ

Smokey steak

Cajun

Za'atar

Sumac

Ras el hanout

Jamaican Jerk

Chinese 5 Spice

Fajita

Spanish

Italian

Piri Piri

If you can't find a seasoning or rub that you like then make your own – a couple of ideas

are on their way.

Dips for me are equally if not more important and can depend entirely on your mood at the time. Will it be Thousand Island, sweet chilli, mayo, garlic and chive with lemon and sour cream, guacamole, hummous, salsa – a little bit of what you fancy does you good.

Anyway, enough waffling, here they are :

Interested – I was - it was definitely worth the experiment!

A bit of fun ...

...and a fab snack

This is not rocket science - just a bit of fun should you fancy a snack that won't take all day to produce and is delicious - here are halloumi fries which I know you can buy but you've still got to fry them in any event so why not have a go.

Basic recipe :

500g Halloumi cheese

85g plain flour

1 tbsp seasoning of your choice

vegetable or rapeseed oil for frying

Before you gasp in horror at the thought of deep frying – worry not – use a wok. I appreciate it's still frying but come on we all deserve a treat now and again.

I used a small wok 28cms in diameter. I used rapeseed oil (Canola USA) - just enough to cover the base of the wok - 13cms in diameter.

As a guide – 225g of Halloumi will give you 18 or so strips 1.5cms cut lengthways. For the coating, combine the flour and seasoning in a box with a lid – secure the lid and give it a good shake.

Once you have opened the cheese pat it dry with kitchen roll – cut into strips, pat again and then coat in the seasoned flour. Heat the oil to 190c – test with a small piece of bread. Fry in batches, turning, for 3 minutes, set aside and keep warm.

I think you'll like this – even if you're not that keen on squeaky cheese!

Pets – Hints and Tips

Take your egg whites from the freezer and fridge. On the day you're planning to create take them out of the fridge and to allow to reach room temperature. Here's the science bit – egg whites that have been frozen are better for meringues because the albumen has broken down.

Meringues cook differently depending on the oven used. An electric/fan oven gives dry heat and so cooks and dries out more quickly. A gas oven gives moist heat and so you'll need to cook the meringues longer.

I always use a glass mixing bowl when making meringues and although I think my bowl is squeaky clean I do agree with the lemon juice “wipe” mentioned.

This is hardly a complicated recipe but, if you're feeling inclined but not likely to have a go cos it's too much work – do your “mise en place” (weighing out) ahead – whenever you've five minutes.

Don't forget to “glue” your baking parchment with a blob of meringue in each corner – you'll be very pleased you did and your parchment won't be carried off by a sudden gust of wind and leave you – shall we say “cross”.

If you want to dry out your meringues so that they'll last longer and you're fortunate enough to have an Aga the warming oven is perfect. Not so posh – an airing cupboard is another perfect location for drying out meringues and for proving bread too. So much so that when we changed our system and the hot water tanks were removed from the airing cupboard I had a small radiator fitted and hey presto – my own kitchen extension!

Could I just point out – not wishing to be a spoilsport – that the pets may be fat free but they are definitely not sugar free.

I'm sorry we're coming to the end of the road testing – only one more pick to go - we'll just have to find another book to explore!

8 down 1 to go – the Pets Photos

or should it be “fart fotos” - I'm so sorry.

Usually photos that appear in fancy cook books bear no resemblance to reality – in this case - dare I say it - they were even better!

Of all the recipes in The Little Book of Chocolat that we've road tested I think this is both the easiest and has the “wow factor” - not that I'm that bothered about the “wow” but it has to be said if you're wanting an impressive dessert for a supper/dinner “do” this is the one for you. It's easy, can be made ahead and served with whatever takes your fancy.

The test run was served with apricots in liqueur and was a roaring success.

As you would expect hints and tips on the pets up next.

8 down 1 to go

Cast your mind back to 7 down … I mentioned separating your egg whites into two boxes - two in one and the remaining four in another and all you needed to remember was to freeze them.

Here's why - the penultimate choice from The Little Book of Chocolat, Pets D'Ange.

“Meringues have existed under various names since the seventeenth century. In the Loire region of France they are still sometimes known as pets or pets d'ange (angel farts) for their fluffy, cloud-like consistency. They are doubly angelic for being entirely fat-free – even a tiny trace of fat can cause the beaten egg whites to collapse. For this reason, my grandmother always wiped the mixing bowl with a piece of lemon before adding the egg whites – although her explanation was more fanciful: she said that the lemon juice was to squirt into the Devil's eye, to keep him out of the cooking … “

Defrost the box containing 4 whites and lets have a go :

Pets D'Ange

Takes 4 hours/serves 6

4 large egg whites

200g unrefined caster sugar

10g cocoa powder

Pre-heat oven to 120fan/140c/Gas 1. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

Whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk until stiff and standing in peaks. Add half the sugar, whisk again, then add the remaining sugar and whisk once more. Sieve in the cocoa powder and stir just once with a metal spoon to create a marbled effect – it should not be too evenly blended.

Spoon out on to the baking sheet into six large meringues. Place in the middle of the oven and cook for 3 hours for gooey, soft middles or, if you want the meringues dry all the way through, switch off the oven when cooked and leave them in overnight to dry out. Serve on their own or with whipped cream and seasonal berries.

Looking good …

Crumble photos and hints and tips too

Here are the cherries and conserve mixed

and with the crumble topping, ready for the oven

and fresh from the oven

As a guide the ramekins measure 9cms x 5cms.

If you decide to make your own crumble then anytime will do - then freeze it – preferably in portions that are practical for you – you can always take out two bags if you need to!

The crumble recipe given makes a shed load so you'll have loads left over – you've guessed it – freeze it. You can always halve the recipe if you don't want to bother.

Serve with whatever is your guilty pleasure – custard, cream or ice cream – or all three!

In the style of … the muddle

or, as it is now known, “the muddle principle”.

It is so cold and miserable at the moment, even by February standards, we still need comforting treats.

To cheer you up after a cold journey home from a days toil, here's another contender for your dessert store cupboard, which as you know includes your store cupboard extension, the freezer. Check out “Frazzled” and “Stock the store cupboard” for reference. I mentioned then that frozen cherries are an essential part of your freezer store cupboard – here's an emergency dessert using them.

This has to be the fastest crumble ever.

Cheery Cherry Crumble

Makes 6 individual ramekins

500g Dark Sweet Cherries – defrosted

370g jar of Black Cherry Conserve

Add the conserve to the cherries and mix together

Top with crumble of your choice

Bake in a pre-heated oven – 170fan/190c/Gas 5

for 25 minutes

You don't even need to make the crumble topping – you can buy it ready-made with a decent shelf life and keep it in your store cupboard. A step too far for me – my favourite crumble recipe is one of Nigella's and at the risk of repeating myself but to save you time, here it is again :

150g unsalted butter, diced

250g self-raising flour

150g demerara sugar

200g pecans finely chopped

Using a large mixing bowl, rub the butter into the flour – you can use a mixer if you want but I don't think it's worth the washing up – by the time you've arranged the equipment you could have rubbed the butter into the flour! Mix in the sugar and the pecans. I blitz the pecans – I like the nuts to be of a similar size and it's quicker – personal choice as always.

An added bonus – the cherries count as one of your five a day.

I'm doing my best!