Resourceful and creative desserts

I promised the same treatment with a pud.

It's only right that I should make one thing absolutely clear – I hate trifle! For me it's up there with sago and semolina – horrid! I appreciate that trifle has “grown up” since the 1950s – back then it was tinned fruit immersed in jelly from a box, the inevitable Birds Custard topped off with synthetic cream – and decorated with hundreds and thousands – sprinkles I think they are called these days.

If you're like me then this could be the answer :

Sticky Toffee Orange

Make a cake – a cake that will freeze well – a sticky toffee loaf cake

Use as a cake or slice (1.5cm) and cut into small cubes –

place in a sundae dish – warm the cake if you wish

Make a toffee sauce – one that will freeze

Use the sauce warmed to drizzle over the cake or over ice cream

Chop walnuts, add a knob of butter to a frying

pan, sprinkle with sea salt flakes

Use to sprinkle over the cake and toffee sauce or

add to the sauce poured over ice cream

Segment a large navel orange and reserve the juice too

Stand by for the recipes and the photos!

Frittata fotos

Stating the obvious – the onions and the spiced salmon :

Ditto for the relish :

Here's the canapé – serve cold and add relish just before serving

Finally here's the supper with the frittata sat on sautéed veggies and topped with the bazzin' beetroot relish.

So easy … so tasty.

What to serve with …

… the canapé, the lunch or the supper? Easy – beetroot – salmon and beetroot is a marriage made in heaven.

Earlier this year I made a relish to go with burgers – it's perfect with the spiced salmon. For ease, here's the recipe again.

Bazzin' beetroot relish

300g vac pack of organic cooked beetroot

drained and cut into small cubes

1 sharp eating apple, peeled, cored and cut

into small cubes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

75g soft dark brown sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and black pepper

Don't forget to use gloves when prepping your beetroot!

Mix well and place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan – 16cms in diameter. Simmer on a low heat, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool. Box up and fridge until ready to use.

This relish is “your flexible culinary friend”, to coin a phrase – a topping for a canapé, as a cold side for a lunch or warmed to serve with a supper.

Here's what I mean by resourceful and creative

... a canapé that can turn into a lunch or a supper.

Spiced Salmon Frittata

For the spiced salmon marinade :

Marinade

2 x 4oz Salmon fillets

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp powdered star anise or one star anise

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Mix together the marinade, pour over the salmon fillets, turning to coat thoroughly, cover and leave in fridge for an hour or so – preferably in a foil tray – much easier to transfer straight to the oven later.

Pre-heat your oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6. If you've used a foil tray to marinade the salmon then wrap it in foil and bake it for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. When the salmon has cooled flake it into small pieces, ready to add to the frittata.

For the frittata :

5 spring onions, finely chopped

tiny drop of rapeseed oil

100g/4oz mature cheddar cheese, grated

4 large eggs

salt and black pepper

Whisk four eggs in a large mixing bowl, add the cheese and whisk again. Add a touch of salt and plenty of black pepper.

Using a non-stick frying pan – as a guide 28cms/11” in diameter. Heat a tiny drop of rapeseed oil and add the spring onions. Sauté until softened, sprinkle in your salmon pieces including any residual marinade, then pour in the egg and cheese mixture. Cook on your hob for 2/3 minutes to set the bottom. Transfer the pan to the grill - cook for 2/3 minutes REMOVE USING OVEN GLOVES – SEE WARNING!

Words of Warning!

Pre-heat your grill – BEFORE YOU TURN IT ON ENSURE THAT THE FRYING PAN YOU'RE USING WILL SLIDE EASILY INTO THE SPACE LEAVING AT LEAST TWO INCHES GAP BETWEEN THE PAN AND THE GRILL ITSELF, OTHERWISE YOU'LL BURN THE TOP AND THE MIDDLE WON'T BE COOKED.

Using a fish slice gently flatten down the frittata so that you break the top – you may find that the

mixture is still not quite cooked. Place back under the grill for another 2/3

minutes and check – it should be golden brown but if your preference is for a darker colour

carry on to your desired taste.

For a canapé I used a straight sided cutter measuring 6cms/2½” in diameter and you should get 12-14 canapés depending on how careful you are cutting out.

Minimum effort – maximum taste. Can definitely be made ahead as a canapé. A frittata is excellent served cold in whatever guise!

Don't forget to salmon fillets to your freezer shopping list. There are good deals out there – usually individually packaged – in bags of six. You can pull out whatever you need. The bonus is that they don't take up too much space in the freezer.

What to serve with … hmm

Where does the time go?

I can't put it off any longer - if I'm to make life easier for you I have to start writing about Christmas.

It only seems five minutes since last Christmas yet here we are again. The familiar merry-go-round of shopping, cooking and feeding family and friends. Cancel “merry-go-round” since I associate it with being happy and carefree – substitute with hamster wheel!

We are bombarded again with posh catalogues from the supermarkets encouraging us to spend a mortgage on food that in all probability won't get eaten. However, the one good thing about them is that it allows you to peruse in the comfort of your own chair – complete with a glass of something festive and fizzy – anything from Prosecco to lime juice and soda!

I'd venture to suggest that you'll discover that some are considerably cheaper and more reasonable than others – to prove my point, here are three prices ...

… if you want to roast a goose this year

£8.99 per kg (2.2lbs)

£12.00 per kg

£15.00 per kg

taken from three different catalogues – yikes!

What they omit to mention, despite the fact you've done as asked and ordered and paid for your food ahead – to save time – yeah right – is the queue to get into the car park and another to collect your goodies on the day – result – meltdown!

Okey dokey enough grumbling, lets get started. My antidote – be resourceful and creative.

Sort out your freezer so that you've space to refill it.

Family dynamics vary as do the number of friends you'll have passing through. You may not be at home for the holidays but you'll still need to eat when you return home! Liberate yourself – make lists – in fact make several, they'll change your life and save your legs too, not to mention the risk of panic buying – do you really need four boxes of 12 canapés just because it's an offer you can't refuse?! You'll be a much happier person and less likely to bankrupt yourself.

Back to resourceful and creative – my contribution to relieving the pressure is to suggest you have the elements ready to produce different dishes - a starter that can morph into a lunch or a supper – whatever is most appealing.

Hold those thoughts …

P.s. Don't panic I've not forgotten the desserts.

The Italian – stuff you need to know

There's a Two Course Special at £12.95, check it out :

There's a Children's Menu too.

If you're thinking of having a private party The Italian has private dining/function room facilities - it would be the perfect venue.

I think that just about covers it!

Oh, just remembered, an added bonus – we ordered a pizza to take home for Nathan – so everyone was happy. Nothing is too much trouble.

If you want good food in a happy atmosphere go see Julia – you'll be glad you did.

Spoilt for choice

There's all the favourites on the menu, plus a few new dishes too. Old habits die hard as they say – here are our choices :

Tagliatelli

Pasta ribbons cooked in cream, tomato, ham and mushroom sauce – without the ham for me, perfect for the vegetarian!

Pollo Pepe

Chicken breast cooked in a creamy peppercorn sauce.

One word – delicious!

Coming up, stuff you need to know.