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Chocolate, Beetroot, Vanilla & Black Pepper Cupcakes (Prepped!)

A little while ago I posted about my adventures in recipe testing, which involved making and tasting some amazing pancakes for a wonderful foodie, Vanessa Kimbell, who is currently writing her first cookery book, Prepped! (Check out my new pink badge to the right, too!)

It was a great privilege for me, as a newbie food blogger, to join Team Prepped! – Vanessa’s brigade of on-line recipe testers. I was even more delighted this weekend about testing another one of Vanessa’s inspired recipes, Chocolate, Vanilla and Black Pepper Cupcakes.

My initial impression of the recipe was that it involved some pretty unique flavour combinations. Though I have to say, having been introduced to many of Vanessa’s recipes to date via the wonderful online community of food bloggers, I wouldn’t expect anything less.

These cupcakes were a real treat for me to try, since I love baking cupcakes and the more cakes for me to try the better.  Vanessa’s recipe called for cocoa (the chocolate element) with a whipped cream, vanilla and black pepper filling.  Vanessa also had one more trick up her sleeve, grated, cooked beetroot in the cake mix to give it some extra oomph. I have to say, this was a first for me, but I’m willing to try anything (within reason!)

And so, with an open mind, I set about testing the recipe. There was no butter or margarine involved (which surely has to be a good thing?) Instead, the recipe calls for rapeseed oil  (otherwise known as the British alternative to olive oil) which happens to be lower in saturated fats than olive oil or sunflower oil.

Cocoa, beetroot, rapeseed oil…were these cupcakes starting to sound healthy?!

The mixture came together very easily and Vanessa’s recipe was spot-on, except for the fact that I added a little more prep time owing to the fact that you have to drain and grate the cooked beetroot.

I used a re-usable piping bag to fill my cupcake cases, a little tip I picked up on a cupcake course, as you end up with a more even batch of cupcakes. You could also use an ice-cream scoop for the same purpose. I filled my cases two-thirds full and found that the mixture was enough to make 18 good-sized cupcakes.

The only down-side I found with this recipe is that you can’t really lick the bowl. Somehow, and strangely, it was the bicarbonate of soda I could taste rather than the beetroot and I found the raw mixture to be a bit irony. That being said, licking the bowl, whilst a cook’s perk, is not the final product, so I remained of an open mind.

After twenty minutes, I took out a perfectly risen, rich and deep in colour, bouncy batch of chocolate cupcakes. Each one was a little thing of beauty and they smelt divine. I couldn’t wait to try them and devoured one as soon as I could get it out of its case without burning my fingers.  It was, without any doubt, delicious – crumbly, moist, chocolaty, almost melt-in-the-mouth and that was before the cream-fest!

To fill them, Vanessa instructed me to cut a piece out of the centre of each cupcake and fill it with the whipped cream, vanilla and black pepper mixture. This was really easy to do although again I added a little extra prep time in case you have to whisk by hand.  The whipped cream filling made a lovely alternative the plumes of smoke that mixing huge quantities of icing sugar and butter so often produces in my kitchen.

I would say that the vanilla and black pepper provided a lovely background flavour, nothing too overpowering. I think I could have gone for a few more twists of the pepper grinder.  The beetroot in the cake mix, to my taste, could hardly, if at all, be detected (not even by my husband, who has a particularly acute radar and total aversion for ‘earthy beetroot’ content in any food.)

The very best thing about these cupcakes is that they seemed to get better by the hour (yes, I was sampling them by the hour) and the next day they were as good if not better having been kept in a airtight contained. I was surprised that there were any left, but they were still amazing on Sunday, particularly for breakfast.

Try them! I urge you, you’ll be converted.  Plus, if you ignore the whipped cream filling, they ARE healthy!

Thank you, Vanessa, for letting me test this recipe for you, it was a delight.  I can’t wait for Prepped! to be published, not least because the book has been written specifically with the ‘time-short foodie’ in mind (which is definitely me!) but more so because if the posts by fellow Team Prepped! members are anything to go by, Vanessa’s book is going to be full to the brim with tasty, imaginative and creatively influenced recipes THAT WORK!

Chocolate, Vanilla & Black Pepper Cupcakes

Printed with permission of Vanessa Kimbell
Prep time 25 minutes for the cakes & 15 minutes for decoration
Cooking time 20 minutes
Suitable for freezing? Yes, before decorating
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
225g self-raising flour
75g cocoa powder
280g caster sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 eggs
150ml rapeseed oil
300g cooked beetroot, grated and drained
For the Filling
450mlm fresh double cream
4 tbs icing sugar
About 20 grinds of fine Black pepper or a level tsp
2tsp vanilla essence
To decorate about 25g of chocolate shavings
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 170˚C/gas mark 4.
2 Sift all the dry ingredients for the cake into a bowl.
3 In a separate bowl place the 3 eggs and whisk.  Add the oil and beetroot.
4 Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix well.
5 Line a muffin tin and divide the mixture among 18 large cupcake papers/muffin paper cases. Bake for 20 minutes, or until they have risen and spring back into shape if touched.
6 Leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
7 Whip the cream, icing sugar, vanilla essence and black pepper together until thick – careful not to over do the pepper, I suggest grinding some in then tasting until you are happy with the balance.
8. Gently cut a piece out of the centre of each cupcake to make a ‘hat’, then slice in half.  Fill the hole with the cream and pop the top back on the make wings.
9 Scatter with chocolate shavings and serve. If you are not eating straight away these will keep in an airtight container until the use by date of your cream.
Vanessa is at the final editing-stages of her book “Prepped!: Gorgeous Food without the Slog – a Multi-tasking Masterpiece for Time-short Foodies” which is due to be published in May 2011 and is available now for pre-order on Amazon Prepped!

Easy Macaroni Cheese with Baby Leeks

It’s Meat Free Monday again which means I have a really lovely, easy recipe to share.  This one is great for a quick kids’ tea as it really should take less than twenty minutes from chopping to serving. We really love macaroni cheese, it is lovely and warming and cheese melting under the grill really makes the house smell yummy!

Although making a roux (flour and butter based white sauce) isn’t difficult, even an expert roux-maker can have issues with lumps so I make a really easy alternative with cream, crème fraîche and cheese.  You can use half-fat versions if you prefer. I also add a touch of Dijon mustard and an egg yolk, just for flavour.

This is a really versatile sauce and can be added to any pasta dish (try adding chopped smoked or poached salmon, chopped bacon and peas or chopped left-over chicken for a non-Meat Free Monday alternative) or just make a veggie version, as I have, adding any vegetables you like.  You can also skip the pasta altogether and just use it as a sauce for pouring over cauliflower or broccoli.

I have used baby leeks this week, which are in season and make a more colourful alternative to onions.  They also have a much subtler and sweeter flavour, don’t make your eyes water and are a great source of Vitamin C as well as iron and fibre. Go for small or medium sized leeks, as the larger ones can be a bit woody.  You can remove the outer layer if you need to and give them a good wash removing and grit.

Easy Macaroni Cheese with Baby Leeks

Ingredients

250 g macaroni pasta
One tablespoon olive or rapeseed oil
6 or 7 baby leeks or 3 medium-sized leeks

200 ml double cream
50 g crème fraîche
75 g grated Gruyère cheese
1 free-range, organic egg yolk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

75 g grated cheddar for the topping

Salt & Pepper

Method

Pre-heat your grill.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.  Add your macaroni or other shaped pasta to the pan, stir and cook according to the packet instructions (firmer/al dente is best)

Finely chop your leeks, add a tablespoon of olive or rapeseed oil to a frying pan and gently fry your leeks for a few minutes until they soften.

Pour the cream and crème fraîche into a pan and gently bring to the boil. Once it is very gently bubbling, add the grated Gruyère cheese and mix well. (For extra flavour you could add some extra cheddar too)

Add the Dijon mustard and mix again. Take off the heat and add your egg yolk. Season with salt and pepper and stir again keeping it off the heat.

Drain your pasta and add it to the pan of cheese sauce, tip in the cooked baby leeks. Mix well until all the pasta is coated.

Sprinkle over the cheddar cheese (or use more Gruyèreor any firm cheese) and place it under the hot grill just until the cheese starts bubbling and melting.

Serve and eat as soon as possible.

Happy New Year – “Enough is as good as a feast”

The same thing happens every year, we get through Christmas and a little bit of guilt kicks in for having over-indulged.  Whether it was too many mince pies, the Christmas pud, the Brandy Sauce, the cheeseboard, the alcohol, the box of chocs under the tree x 6, the lifetime-on-the-hips Christmas Tiramisu, there is no doubt that all the ‘added extras’ that come along with Christmas seem to make the year end on a heavy note.   Thank goodness then, for the New Year, which marks a brand new start and a chance for us to renew our healthy eating vows – for another year.

Watching Mary Poppins with the children over Christmas, I was reminded of a wonderful saying within the film: “Enough is as good as a feast.”  Oh, how I love Mary Poppins.  The original Supernanny.  Sensible, firm but kind, gets the job done but is a lot of fun.  How I would love to be able to click my fingers and tidy up mess, or take out a tape measure reading my height as “practically perfect in every way.” I digress.  My point is that Mary Poppins is the epitome of self-control and discipline.  You wouldn’t catch her sneaking into the fridge late at night to stuff a mouthful of chocolate Christmas tree cake in her mouth.

 And so again, I, along with many others, join the millions of people around the world in making my New Year’s resolutions.  An attempt to improve ourselves, to better ourselves, to strive to greater goals and ambitions. 

 Making resolutions is actually a tradition that dates back all the way to 153 BC.   The Romans named the first month of the year Janus, after the Roman god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances.  Janus was depicted with two faces, one of the front of his head and one on the back, so that one could always look back at the old year and the other could look forward to the new. 

 Although the date for New Year hasn’t always been on January 1 and is only observed on this date now by those following the modern Gregorian calendar, New Year’s celebrations across every culture, whatever the date, have a common theme: it is time for change.

Will we achieve our goals?  According to research by Quirkology men are more likely to succeed when asked to engage in goal setting.  Women are more successful when they share their resolutions with friends and family and are encouraged.  The biggest pitfall, it seems, is making too many resolutions or trying to achieve too much.   Re-visiting past resolutions sets us up for frustration and disappointment, whilst failing to plan ahead and being too spontaneous also sets us up for failure.

 A good way forward is to approach an old problem a new way.  For example, instead of resolving to lose weight, we could try making a commitment to exercise more.  Rather than giving up chocolate or cake, we could resolve to eat more fruit, or to eat fruit every day for breakfast or as a snack. 

 What about resolutions that benefit others? We could plant a garden and involve our children with our tasks, this way we rely less on commercial produce and clock up less food miles.  Or if this is too much, we could try and shop more locally, to help our local economy and local food producers. 

 We could chose a new charity to support, donate our baked cakes to a local home or hospice, or resolve to fill each and every charity bag popped through out door with clothes we no longer need or want.  Slowly, but surely, new (and hopefully healthier) habits will form.  Persistence is key.  There is no value in excess, as Mary Poppins points out to the children wishing to play for longer.

 The aim then, is to change for good, rather than change for a week or two.  Since the focus of my blog is food (and it seems it is an occupational hazard to gain weight whilst food blogging) I’m going to have to turn Fabulicious Food into Healthilicious Food in order to succeed whilst reminding myself daily of my new Mary Poppins mantra.  Instead of my old thinking, which tended to be: “A little of what you fancy does you good,” my new ‘Mary Poppins’ way of thinking will be that a little less of what I fancy will do me even more good, as will a little more exercise. There. Easy. Ish.  Perhaps with a spoonful of sugar?!

 What are your goals? What are the secrets of your success? Share your tips with me in the comments box and let’s crack these old habits together!

Radio Show Write-Up

I am very pleased to report that yesterday’s stint on Nick Coffer’s Weekend Kitchen at BBC Three Counties Radio was a great success!  It was a truly exciting experience for me, quite unlike anything I have ever done before.  It was such fun to meet the host Nick Coffer from My Daddy Cooks as well as television presenter, food writer and cookery book author Lotte Duncan.

We spent two hours eating, drinking and chatting our way through the show.  The food, which included Lotte’s Macaroni Cheese (her mum’s recipe) along with her Nutty Tart to follow, as well as my own Polish meatballs and “Szarotka” Polish apple cake (my mum’s recipe) was washed down perfectly with Neil Irvine’s selection of wines from No.2 Pound Street.

We fought over the crispy bits from Lotte’s scrumptious Macaroni cheese which was laced with Worcestershire sauce, whole grain mustard and bound in a Gruyere and cheddar sauce.  Lotte’s Nutty Tart, made with pecans and almonds nestled in thick maple and golden syrup on a crisp pastry base was gooey, sweet but perfectly crunchy on top. Nick described it as being “smooth with nutty textures” as Lotte explained that the inspiration behind it was a cross between a traditional British treacle tart and an American pecan tart, suitable for any dinner party or gathering. Both recipes are from her new book, Lotte’s Country Kitchen.

My own offerings seemed to also go down very well (huge sigh of relief!)  The Polish meatballs were described by Nick as being “really, really tasty” and Lotte as being “unctuous, moist and flavoursome.” The apple cake was also enjoyed by everyone, all the flavours came through; almond, vanilla, cinnamon, against tart Bramleys on a crumbly shortcrust-style cake base and topping. All our plates were wiped clean leaving very little to take home…a sure sign of great food enjoyed by all.

It was also really interesting to see how a real live radio station works. It’s been a dream of mine ever since being a huge fan of Frasier!  As we joined Nick in his studio, we sat  poised, headphones in place, microphones ready to pick up every sound.  It was a bit nerve-wracking but Nick was the perfect host, chatting away about our dishes which ran alongside the theme of  food from our childhood.

With his new producer Nadine, Nick expertly manned the decks, reading out Tweets and text messages from callers and playing a few songs we had each chosen.  Everyone was so welcoming and friendly that the two hours passed by super quickly.  I could easily have done it all over again as soon as it had finished!

The show is available on BBC iPlayer for a week, after which it will be replaced by next week’s show.  There is also a fact sheet which you can download from the BBC Three Counties Website with all the yummy recipes on it.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Nick Coffer for very kindly inviting me on his show as his “home cook” guest as well as to Nadine and everyone at BBC Three Counties for making us all feel so welcome.

Tomorrow, I will be writing up my Polish apple cake recipe for my blog, along with step-by-step photos for a Monday afternoon teatime treat!

Radio Show Guest!

I’m getting very, very excited as tomorrow I am going to be a guest on a two-hour Food and Wine show on BBC Three Counties Radio.  The show (or rather two-hour lunch and chat) is called Nick Coffer’s Weekend Kitchen.  As well as presenting this fabulous show every Saturday afternoon, Nick and his son Archie have a video blog called My Daddy Cooks. Nick and Archie have also written a cook book due to be published in Spring.

During the show Nick will be bringing in one of his own recipes, as well as talking to his cheffy guest, television presenter and cookery book author Lotte Duncan.  Lotte will also be bringing along two dishes for us all to try from her new book Lotte’s Country Kitchen.

As the theme for this week’s show is “Tastes of your childhood” I (home cook guest) will be taking along two Polish-inspired dishes – Meat Balls (Kotlety Mielone) served with a wild mushroom sauce over noodles and a lovely traditional Polish Apple cake called ‘Szartolka.’  Thank you Mama for the recipes!

We will also be joined by a local wine expert, hoping to bring the flavours of all our dishes out perfectly! Since listeners will only be hear, not taste, our job will be to let you know how yummy (and easy-to-make) these recipes really are!

All the recipes discussed will be available on a Fact Sheet and you can listen to the show live or can find it on iPlayer for 7 days following the show.

Tune in here to listen from 12pm-2pm Saturday lunchtime – Live Link

Homemade Polish ‘poured’ noodles

It’s Monday again, and I’ve been experimenting once more in the kitchen with a meat-free recipe for Polish noodles or Kluski.

In Poland, (along with many other Eastern European nations) dumplings are a traditional dish and they can take many forms. Pierogi are the most popular in Poland.  They are hand made, little pockets of dough filled with either cream cheese and potato, cabbage, wild mushrooms, meat or even fruit.

There are also smaller gnocchi-type dumplings known as Leniwe which means “lazy” (because they are not filled) and then there are Kluski (a more generic term) which are simple and plain also unfilled noodles.

Whichever form they take, the dumplings are usually made with flour, egg and water and are dropped into a pan of boiling hot water until they float up to the top.

Polish dumplings are much lighter than a traditional British dumpling which are usually made with suet and cooked in a stew.  I would probably compare the Pierogi or filled dumplings to dim sum or gyoza. They are wonderful with a little melted butter or, once cooked, they can be pan-fried to crisp them up a little.

Speaking to my mum on the phone, she told me (albeit very quietly since she’s lost her voice!) the noodles or dumplings that I attempted were called “kluski lane.”  Literally translated, this means “poured noodles” since the batter is quite runny and you pour it through a sieve (or according to Mama a funnel works too) to achieve short pasta-type bits. Anyway, they were good and they tasted just as I remember them tasting at home.

My first batch were pan-fried with some lightly sweated onion and garlic, mushrooms and parsley.  The second lot went into some clear stock soup, which the children loved! Don’t forget to add some salt to your boiling water!!

A great Meat Free Monday recipe!

Here’s how you make them:

Polish ‘Kluski Lane’ or Poured Noodles

Ingredients:
2 eggs
200 ml water
1 teaspoon salt plus 1 teaspoon for the water
400g plain flour (or use spelt flour or wheat free flour)
Melted butter, to serve

Method:

Beat the eggs with the water and salt. Add a small amount of flour to thicken it up slightly and then add the rest of the flour.

Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon or whisk until the dough is smooth. (It will be quite runny.)

Place a large pan of water on to boil and add your teaspoon of salt. Once it is bubbling place a sieve or a colander (not too fine) over the pan of water and slowly pour a small amount of the batter through the sieve into the water.

Alternatively, take a teaspoon, dip it in the hot water, scoop a small amount of batter and drop them into the water.  This will take a bit longer to do but you will have bigger shaped pieces (see photo below)

Either way, leave them to boil gently and wait until they rise to the top of the water. This means they are ready.

You will probably have enough batter to make quite a few batches.

Take out the first batch with a slotted spoon or drain them into a colander.

Once they are cooked, you can then pan-fry them gently with butter, or add mushrooms, garlic and herbs or drop them into a stock-based soup, either vegetable (for Meat Free Monday) chicken or pork.
A clear stock soup with teaspoon dropped Kluski

Easy Entertaining – Nigella Style

This post is inspired by two things.  Firstly, a lovely long leisurely lunch on Saturday with good friends who came down to visit us from Bournemouth.  Secondly, by a fantastic new blogging event hosted by Sarah at Maison Cupcake. Here’s why:  

Entertaining – you never want it to be stressful.  My first tip is to call upon a trusted virtual kitchen companion to make your life easier.  In my case, it is usually one of two people. Nigella Lawson, whom I love for the fact that her recipes are down-to-earth, do-able and always tasty. Or, Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa) an American cook who offers effortless dishes with easy-to-follow recipes and great flavours.

This time, I was swayed by Nigella and in particular by her comprehensive new book Nigella Kitchen.  Her most recent book really raises the bar for cookery books this year. She has already sold over 400,000 copies and its easy to see why.  It is huge. Nigella herself calls it a “comfort chronicle”‘ and it really is just that. 

The one thing you can always be sure of with a Nigella book is good value. It may be pricey (RRP £26) but she doesn’t short change you on recipes.  There are plenty of ideas for almost every occasion, 190 in total in the compendium, with 60 express recipes at 30 minutes or under. 

Four our lazy luncheon, I decided to cook Nigella’s Butternut, rocket and pine nut salad (page 94).  The butternut squash was coated in olive oil, turmeric and ginger (I added cumin) and roasted in the oven.  A dressing is made with golden sultanas (I didn’t have any so omitted these) and sherry vinegar, poured over the warm squash and tossed with the rocket leaves and toasted pine nuts.  

I served the butternut salad alongside a platter of well-seasoned, sliced grilled steak (Nigella suggests her Indian-rubbed lamb chops) a creamy roll of local goat’s cheese (which complemented the squash and steak perfectly) and some oven baked bread. My guest’s plates were all left empty, which I can only take as a good sign. 

The real star of the show was pudding.  In fact, it wasn’t just pudding, it was Nigella’s Marmalade pudding cake (page 269).  This happened to be the very first recipe I was drawn to when opening her new book on Christmas Day and one which I couldn’t wait to make.  (Click on the link to find the recipe or visit http://www.nigella.com/)

 

Aside from the fact that it was explode-in-the-mouth sensational, it was by far, the easiest cake I have ever made.  It was so easy that I wonder whether it has actually made my beloved KitchenAid mixer redundant…

 All the ingredients are literally measured out and thrown into a food processor (my three-year old helped me with this.)  A couple of blitzes later and your have your batter ready to scoop out straight into a dish and into the oven for 30-40 minutes. 

 With my ingredients set out at room temperature, I was able to make the pudding just before serving the main and stick it in the oven (already hot from having roasted the butternut squash).  By the time we had finished eating, we had a steaming hot, soft, perfectly risen sponge pudding. 

 Just before serving, you make a speedy glaze, a couple of spoons of marmalade mixed with some water mixed together over heat. Poured over the top, with gleaming shards of orange peel (I used medium cut marmalade)  and your pudding is transformed into a golden, shining, delectable pud.  All it needed was big serving bowls, a steaming jug of custard and a slightly smaller pot of double cream for good measure.

 

If you don’t have a food processor, Nigella gives instructions for the creaming method, which just takes slightly longer to make. The pudding served four of us and there was enough left-over for both the kids to have pudding for two days afterwards.  I add, that there was only some pudding remaining because we were all so full.

 

 If I were to make it again, I wouldn’t change a thing as far as the method.  For a flavour variation though, I may try it with lemon curd and lemon peel to see what happens!

 

It has definitely become my favourite pud of all time. Since both recipes worked a treat and didn’t let me down in front of an audience, I am entering this post into this month’s blogging event, “Forever Nigella” hosted by Sarah at Maison Cupcake – to share the love and hopefully encourage everyone out there to make it!

Sarah’s theme is “Seasonal Sensations” and on the basis that the vibrant citrus smell of the Marmalade pudding cake, which filled my kitchen on Saturday reminded me so much of clementines at Christmas, I hope it makes my post a worthy contender.  Although the butternut squash is a lovely winter seasonal vegetable too…

Lovely Lentils & Homemade Labneh

So, we are a week into the new diet ‘Healthy Eating Plan’ following the Christmas and New Year binge and things are going well.  To keep myself focused, I’ve been experimenting in the kitchen, rather than taking part in the usual daily snack-athon.

This week, I’ve made a healthy Middle Eastern dish called Lebneh, which is a soft cheese made from yoghurt. I made mine with some of the fat-free natural pro-biotic yoghurt sitting in my fridge. Much too sour (for my taste) to eat on its own.  However, straining it (which removes the whey) turns into a lovely and much more indulgent cream cheese, which can then be used as a dip (for crudites or wholemeal pitta) or can be used as a topping (see second recipe below.)

To make it, mix 500g natural yoghurt with one teaspoon of salt. Place the yoghurt over a paper towel or cloth in a sieve over a bowl. Leave in the fridge overnight, loosely covered with a lid or clingfilm. Some recipes suggest forming a tight bundle with the cloth and tying it with string.


The next day, the liquid should have separated from the cheese into the bowl.  Remove the cheese from the sieve, discard the liquid and place in a clean bowl. Stir in a tablespoon of olive oil if you like and flavour with nuts, herbs or spices. I used lemon olive oil and a sprinkle of parsley. Chopped cucumber, pistachios, pine nuts all work well too.

Next, I turned my hand to lentils and made a Butternut, Lentil and Chickpea Stew (which we had with brown rice). This was a really hearty meal, so much so, that I didn’t miss the meat at all.  It actually made me think about eating less meat, and in doing so, I stumbled across a few campaigns suggesting that if we ate less meat, even just one day per week, we would be helping the climate, saving money, reducing environmental impact and be healthier – all in one easy go!

I’m sure there are plenty of authentic recipes for chickpea curries or for Dhal which you could try, but here is what I threw together in my pressure cooker (times for stove top are included too).



Butternut, Lentil & Chickpea Stew


Ingredients


1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion (white or red, finely chopped)

2 cm piece fresh ginger (minced)

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

300 g red lentils (dry, uncooked)

1 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds or powder

1 tsp ground tumeric

1 tsp garam masala

1 butternut squash (peeled, de-seeded, cubed)

2 carrots (grated)


1 tin tomatoes

600 ml vegetable stock


Optional (add ten minutes before the end)


1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1 can green lentils (drained and rinsed)

1 bag fresh spinach (washed)


Method


Prepare the onion, carrots and butternut squash as above.  Mince the ginger, finely chop the garlic.


Add one tablespoon olive oil to a large pan. Gently fry the onion for a few minutes then add the ginger and garlic to the pan. Coat well with the olive oil, make sure the heat is not too hot.


Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds or powder, tumeric and garam masala to the pan. Mix well.


Add the butternut squash and grated carrot and stir around.


Add a coupe of handfuls of red lentils, stir again and pour in the tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock over the top. All of the ingredients should be covered, if not, add some water.


Cover and simmer for around 45 minutes (15 minutes in a pressure cooker)


The butternut squash should be really soft, almost blending into the liquid.  The lentils should be cooked through.


Next, add in your tin of chickpeas and any other tinned lentils/beans you like.  Cook for another ten minutes.


Finally, add the spinach and mix into the stew until wilted.


Check the seasoning and serve.

For more information on being ‘meat free’ and for some lovely recipes ideas, see Meat Free Monday (Paul McCartney’s campaign) or Meat Free Mondays another site dedicated to helping us have at least one day a week totally free of meat.

Book Review: In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

“Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants”

 This is not a new book, published in 2008, but nevertheless it is a good one.  I usually read it in January, to help me a long a bit with my healthy start to the year.  It reminds me of things that I already know, but often forget.  It makes me want to eat healthier food.  And that, can only be a good thing!

 Michael Pollan, an American writer, opens his book with a few short words of advice: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.” Sounds simple, and according to his beliefs, it really is.  These seven words, are in his view, more or less, “the short answer to the supposedly incredibly complicated and confusing question of what we humans should eat in order to be maximally healthy.” 

 As well as being crammed with facts and information, In Defence of Food offers the reader an Eater’s Manifesto as well as balanced dietary lessons to help us re-gain a simple but enjoyable relationship with food.  Packaged food is out, real food is in.  Pollan warns that our industrialised, modern, Western diet is literally killing us.

 We are faced with an epidemic of chronic diseases – obesity, diabetes, heart disease and several types of cancer – and as cultural and traditional eating habits fade, the modern, processed diet is taking hold. 

 Far from banning food, such as meat, Pollan tells us to eat, but not too much.  We should also cut out constant snacking, the “fourth daily eating occasion” that we seem to have added to breakfast, lunch and dinner.  We should eat at a table and not alone. We should avoid eating in the car (American gas stations now make more money selling food than gasoline, but we should consider what kind of food this is.)  We should cook and, if we can, plant a garden.  We should pay more for better quality food (as the French do) and eat less of it. 

 Despite the fact that obesity rates in Europe are rapidly catching up with America, Pollen believes that a traditional diet, whether it is Greek, Italian, French or better still, Asian, is far superior and better for our health. 

 Pollen says “That food and eating stand in need of a defense might seem counterintuitive at a time when “overnutrition” is emerging as a more serious threat to public health than undernutrition.  But I contend that most of what we’re consuming today is no longer, strictly speaking, food at all, and how we’re consuming it – in the car, in front of the TV, and, increasingly alone – is not really eating, at least not in the sense that civilization has long understood the term.”

 Simple lessons, for a better way of life.  Food for thought. I read, and re-read In Defense of Food.  It is certainly a book that convinces you to start thinking and can help us kick into touch those difficult-to-break habits.   

 Which books do you enjoy reading to help you kick-start new habits?  Leave a comment in the box to let me know.

Christmas Tiramisu Trifle

There’s something about Christmas that makes me want to eat cinnamon and ginger and basically anything sweet.  This week, I happened to be looking for some inspiration for a dish that I could take along to a pot-luck ‘Crimble’ party.

I have a huge trifle bowl from Pampered Chef, which rarely makes an appearance, but I decided that whatever came along with me to the party, this bowl would be filled with something very tasty indeed.

Torn between making a Tiramisu or a trifle, I let the ingredients in my cupboard dictate. I didn’t have any savoiardi/sponge finger biscuits, but what I did have was a couple of packets of ginger snap biscuits (the ones you would usually dunk in a cup of tea or coffee) and a dark and sultry bottle of Tia Maria on my shelf and so my little brain began to tick.

It’s always a little bit dangerous to try and mess around with a classic, particularly an Italian institution such as Tiramisu.  A quick search on the Internet (to see whether I was really crazy) revealed some interesting variations.  There was a Nigella version which called for Baileys Irish Cream and in her new book, Kitchen, she uses Frangelico, a hazelnut liqueur. 

What really grabbed my attention was an Italian menu I came across offering a “Tiramisu di Natale” for dessert.   It was described as being made with ginger biscuits, pears and liqueur.  It didn’t say which liqueur and in fact, the truly authentic Italian version would call for Marsala, a sweet wine, a bit like a sweet sherry.  Sadly, the menu was old, so I couldn’t call for a recipe. 

Undeterred, I set aboutmaking my own creation. I didn’t use pears (since my friend Chris is fruit-averse) but I’m sure the recipe would work really well with either poached pears or else tinned pears chopped up and added to each layer. You could also try using Ginger Cake instead of biscuits and perhaps Ginger Wine instead of Tia Maria.

My monstrous creation could easily serve 8-10 people, if not more.  Having been chilled in the fridge overnight, on the pot-luck evening it served myself, Monika and Chris with a smidgen left over for our hubbies.  We were firmly in the “lifetime on the hips” territory but it was well worth it.  We promised Chris we’d join her running club in the New Year to compensate!

Please give this one a go over Christmas, or serve it at a New year’s Eve party and let me know how you get on. It may not be authentic in terms of its ingredients, but it is made to a traditional method shown to me by my Italian brother-in-law, Alberto, many years ago. It is also light set, rather than being firm, since it has half the amount of Mascarpone and uses double cream, but its gooey nature truly means it melts in your mouth with an explosion of Christmassy flavour.

You won’t be disappointed!

PS Since this recipe calls for raw eggs and liqueuer it is unfortunately not suitable for kiddies or pregnant ladies.



Christmas Tiramisu with Ginger Biscuits, Cinnamon & Tia Maria


Ingredients:


6 large free-range eggs – yolks and whites separated

200g caster sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon powder

250g tub Mascarpone (Italian cream cheese)

250 ml double cream

250ml espresso coffee

250 ml Tia Maria (or other liqueur of your choice)

2 packets Ginger Snap Biscuits or Ginger Cake

100 g Grated White chocolate for sprinkling on top

and/or edible glitter from a cake shop


You will also need four large bowls and a large trifle dish or bowl


The ingredients will combine better at room temperature.


Method:


In your first bowl, whisk the eggs yolks and caster sugar together with an electric whisk for around 7 minutes until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add your tablespoon of cinnamon and mix again.  Then add in the tub of Mascarpone and mix until there are no lumps. 


In your second bowl, whip the double cream until it is quite firm but not over-whipped – around the soft peak stage.  Fold your whipped cream into the egg and Mascaprone mixture. 


In your third bowl and with a clean whisk, beat your egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.  With a metal spoon, fold the egg whites into your egg, Mascarpone and cream mixture.


Now you are ready to assemble.


In your fourth bowl, combine the espresso coffee and Tia Maria (the coffee can be slightly warm).


Spoon a small amount of your creamy mixture into the bottom of your trifle bowl.


Dip your ginger biscuits or cake into the coffee and liqueur mixture and arrange on top of the creamy mixture to make your first layer.  It is better to soak a few biscuits at a time as you need them otherwise they will go too soggy to handle.


Then spoon some more creamy mixture on top and repeat the process of layering.  If you are using fruit, spoon this on top of the biscuits or cake.


Keep layering until you have used all the mixture. Since I was using a glass trifle bowl. I layered some of the biscuits around the edge of the bowl rather than flat so that you can seem them.  If you run out of coffee and liqueur mixture make up a bit more – it really depends on how much of the liquid your biscuits are soaking up!


Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 24 hours.  This will set the mixture slightly but it will still be quite loose so it is better to serve this in a bowl.


Grate some white chocolate over the top and dust with edible glitter for a real ‘Chistmassy’ finish.


Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and thank you so much for reading my blog! There are lot’s more recipes and posts planned for the New Year.

 

 
 

An Audience With Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir Aux Quatre Saisons

A cold blustery night in November.  The log fire burned brightly from inside a solid stone fireplace decorated with tea lights.  Ruinart champagne flowed generously.   As we awaited the arrival of our host for the evening, Chef-Patron of the two-starred Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, there was anticipation and a sense that we were guests who had gathered to toast a newly married couple.  But there was no grand entrance, instead Raymond slipped in quietly alone and mingled.  Every sentence embellished with his passion for food and his desire to educate and communicate. Our evening with Raymond was a Christmas present and we had waited a long time for it to arrive!

The wood-panelled private dining room seated no more than fifty with an intimate and inviting feeling.  The tables were cleanly laid with freshly polished silver, deep shades of purple thistles and gleaming candelabras clutching warm flames.  An extra place was set at each table, in some cultures a custom for the uninvited guest, but tonight for Raymond who would take each of his courses seated amongst his “friends.”

Raymond set his own scene for the evening; “I do not give speeches, I ramble.”  A little self-critical perhaps since his stories were well-told, animated, warm and humorous.  As Raymond jumped like a grasshopper from one story to the next, we sipped a mellow French 2008 Permiere Cru Grésigny from Bourgone.  Raymond delved into rich descriptions of his childhood, his influences, his Maman, Grand Mère, restoring Le Manoir and the challenges he has faced.  Despite a few “senior moments” as one brave staff-member joked, Raymond clearly had his audience engrossed.

Having warmed us up a little, we were served with a quail egg, spinach, Parmesan and truffle ravioli in a poultry jus and meuniere butter – a brown butter sauce with lemon.  We moved onto a terrine of winter game, Madeira jelly, pickled beetroot salad and a hazelnut vinaigrette.  This dish demonstrated an attentive eye for detail and the importance of presenting a clean plate balanced with flavours as well as textures.

More stories ensued; Raymond’s pursuit of his passion, his exile from France after a maddened encounter with a tempestuous chef, his escape to England and his introduction to British cuisine – “square fish, cardboard chips and a plastic tomato” on board the ferry.  In extreme contrast, we were served a fish course of Confit de Cabillaud; lightly salted wild line-caught cod, Jabugo ham, toasted garlic and soubise sauce – a delicately flavoured shallot sauce.  “Ask most three-Michelin starred chefs where their Dover Sole comes from and they will tell you Dover!” quipped Raymond, before coming to join our table for the conscientiously sourced Cornish cod.     

As Raymond was seated on of our fellow guests asked Raymond how many evenings such as this one he hosted a year. He replied: “Very few.”  We were a privileged bunch indeed!  As we ate the delectable fish course, Raymond  shared with us his memories of a visit to Le Manoir by the Queen Mother, who impressed him by insisting on meeting and speaking to all two hundred staff members individually.  A truly humble woman, in his opinion, which was only strengthened by the fact that she sang La Marseillaise word-perfectly.

We moved effortlessly onto the most substantial course of the evening, Shropshire venison, braised chesnuts, a bitter-sweet sauce aigre doux.  The meat was deep pink and tender, the accompaniments were wintry and warm, one or two deep-red cranberries adding a touch of colour and tang.  The dish was paired perfectly with a 2005 St Julien Chateau Moulin Riche from Bordeaux, complimenting the hearty yet subtle tones of the rare roasted loin and a mellow celeriac puree.

As the evening gathered pace, guests began to relax more and the atmosphere became livelier.   Sweetness followed in the form of a syrupy dessert wine, Charles Hours Jurançon Uroulat 2009 alongside a kaffir lime leaf and coconut tapioca with a passion fruit and banana sorbet.  I will erase from my memory the fact that one guest announced in an inspired move that the dessert reminded him of “frog spawn.”  It was cold, yes, but brilliantly balanced.  Seedless passion fruit carried pearls of tapioca infused with the kaffir lime. The small shot-glass of flavour succeeded in taking me away, if only for a brief moment, from the coldness of Britain to a more exotic location, leaving me wanting more.

The six courses concluded with a very satisfying seasonal pear Almondine, topped with a caramel croustillant and ginger sauce, adorned with a crisp thin slice of pear and a touch of gold leaf.  Coffee and beautifully made individual Chocolats du Manoir along with a few slugs of home-brewed Cassis finished off the evening respectably.

An explosion of flavours, interjected by an array of colourful stories, accented with great praise and admiration of the British and of his love for his second-home county of Oxford.  Raymond clearly values his staff members and his gratitude for their faithful application of the Raymond Blanc “ideal” was evident.

There is plenty more to come from this gutsy, self-taught, Frenchman, who craves knowledge, adores fishing (though time barely permits him to indulge his hobbies) and whose passion for good food is infectious and certainly inspirational.  A 2,000-tree orchard restoring rare species of apples, quince and pear to Britain, a valley of mushrooms resembling Machu Pichu and more television work. 

As the evening drew to a close, Raymond took questions from his audience, my question relating to his thoughts on the blanket ban on mushroom picking in Epping Forest.  This led to a very animated answer gaving us an insight into his passion for foraging, Raymond having collected mushrooms that morning on a local farm.

Raymond also introduced his Executive Chef, Gary Jones and his team, who really had delivered a faultless meal.  He went on to good-heartedly sign a few books, my own copy of his memoir “A Taste of my Life” now carrying the inscription: “To Renatka, Hope this little book will make you smile like tonight!” And smile indeed I did, all the way home.

Getting up close and personal with Raymond!

An Audience with Raymond Blanc was perhaps the most perfect present for a Fabulicious foodie!

Related Posts:

Cookery School Review: Le Manoir Aux Quatre Saisons – Blanc Vite

Joining team Prepped! and recipe testing for Vanessa Kimbell

Yesterday I had a wonderful conversation (split into two by my Blackberry deciding to die mid-sentence) with the hugely talented multi-tasking foodie Vanessa Kimble.

Vanessa is a foodie blogger and is writing a cookbook, called Prepped! which is due to be published in May 2011.

I often come across people who talk about following their dreams, of all the things they’d love to do, but rarely do you meet/speak to someone who is actually doing it.

Here’s where Vanessa Kimbell is a true inspiration.  She’s a mum-of-three, who gave up a high-powered day job to pursue her dream of writing a cook book.  She has a book deal and is currently in the throes of putting together a glorious collection of recipes designed for the ‘Time Short Foodie.’

Vanessa’s ‘About Me’ section is about as impressive as it gets.  She is a trained chef, has a collection of over 400 cook books (just a few more than me!) speaks fluent French, has worked in lots of cool places and is well, a bit of a culinary genius, in my view.  I won’t give too much away, suffice to say I am hugely looking forward to the launch of her book.  I wish her the very best of luck and I am very privileged to be joining her team of food-blogging recipe testers.

All I need now is a huge jar of vanilla sugar and I’ll be away with my first recipe!

Vanessa Kimbell Author of Prepped!

Related Posts

Vanessa Kimbell tells us how to be Prepped!

Prepped! Tomato and Garlic Pasta and the launch

Vanilla and Black Pepper Cupcakes (Recipe Testing)

Make Ahead Pancake Mix (Recipe Testing)

 

 

Cookery Book Review: Fay’s Family Food by Fay Ripley

I’m not too sure how I stumbled across Fay’s Family Food.  It was probably a very frustrated search for recipes that would work for the whole family.  With a toddler and a weaned one-year old ready to tuck into proper food I was keen to start cooking food we could all eat.  More than this, I was keen to avoid the slippery slope of spending all day trying to get or keep food down my two children, only to head back into the kitchen to cook adult food once they were asleep.

Enter Fay Ripley, an actress best known for her role in Cold Feet, who happens to have found herself in exactly the same situation as me.  

 

First off, I was pleased to see that there was no gimmicky food, just nice-looking recipes, many of which involved some kind of bung-in-the-oven principle.

Another plus is that at the bottom of most recipes, Fay suggests ways of adapting the recipe for babies, kids and sometimes how to add a bit of kick for the adults.  For example, for the Mini Tuna Burgers she says:

Babies: Great finger food, freeze them raw

You: Yours can be served without the bun on a fresh green salad dressed with lemon and oil, if you prefer. Try adding a teaspoon of wasabi paste to your mayo!

Simple enough suggestions, but always handy to have good ideas pointed out to you rather than resorting to the default-option of reaching for a jar or getting stuck into a fussy-eater rut of fish fingers and chips or ham sandwiches.

We began with trying Chicken Souvlaki with Peach Salsa.  This is a really yummy but simple kebab-type recipe which involved leaving the chicken to marinate in olive oil, sweet smoked paprika and fresh thyme leaves.  Once cooked the chicken came out golden, succulent and tasty.  My kids found the peach salsa quite fun since they wouldn’t normally eat fruit with their chicken (double bonus).  As Fay says, “It’s on a stick, so the kids will automatically love it.”  We agreed!

Since the cold and blustery nights have set in, I have also tried a couple of winter warmers.  The One-Pot Chicken with Lemon and Thyme Rice has become a real family favourite (see below) as has the Orange and Ginger Casserole which works particularly well in my pressure cooker (once you get over the scary sounds-like-its-about-to-blow-up noise!)

My favourite recipe in this book has to be the Baked Spaghetti Carbonara.  It deviates from a classic carbonara in that it introduces asparagus to lovely pancetta.   Although I used lean bacon instead of pancetta since I felt compelled to compensate somehow for the carton of single cream.  It is also baked in the oven with fresh breadcrumbs on top, giving it added texture.  I actually made this in a tiny kitchen caravan in Wales when we had visitors to stay and it was a real winner for the adults and the kids alike.

For Friday nights (peak take away delivery night in our house) there is also a gratifying recipe for a Chinese take out; Sticky Ginger Chicken and Chinese Roast Brocolli.  I found it so quick and tasty that I could almost have deleted that speed dial to The Lucky Wok.  Much less salt in involved and no grease on the plates.  There is also a Tandoori takeaway recipe if Indian floats your boat.

The book is divided into uncomplicated sections, such as Breakfast (I am converted to Parker’s chese on toast which adds pesto) No Meat, Don’t Panic and Don’t Panic Puddings.  My favourite section is called ‘It’s my party party and I’ll eat sugar if I want to’ – probably because I have an insatiable sweet tooth.  In it I found a sticky yet light chocolate and pear upside-down cake, a simple but deeply satisfying chocolate torte, great standy-by creamy lemon pots and a charming ‘Good afternoon’ apple cake all of which really hit the spot nicely, thank you.  I made the apple cake with Bramleys from my garden which made a delightful afternoon treat. 

For any aspiring Dad cooks, I would suggest Dan’s bung-it-in-the-oven Bolognese or Bob’s Bay Bird both of which are straight-forward but impressive dishes that children will love.

All in all, Fay’s Family Food did not disappoint me.  It has made me cook food that we can all eat and many of the recipes are super-quick to prepare which is an added bonus.  I really liked Fay’s down-to-earth style and surprisingly, all the recipes I have tried turn out looking exactly as they do in the photos!

Other cookery book reviews by Ren Behan

Leon 3 – Baking & Puddings – Great for family puddings and easy baking with many gluten free recipes

My Daddy Cooks – Easy, family cooking with or without kids!

Prepped! – Great for people who like to batch cook/multi cook for the whole family

 

Cookery Scool Review: Le Manoir Aux Quatre Saisons (Blanc Vite)

So, my event-of-the-year is fast approaching, although it is actually last year’s Christmas present from the lovely Rich and Anna. It is an invitation for hubby and I to attend an Evening with Raymond Blanc at the luxurious Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons.  I’ve waited almost a whole year, still in the same level of shock as when I opened the envelope on Christmas Day.  With just two weeks to go, I am now actually tempted to make a little Raymond Blanc advent calendar for this very special occasion.

Monsieur Blanc is my culinary hero.  His passion for food is infectious and he seeks out only the best.  A day at his cookery school at Le Manoir in Oxford last year confirmed this.  There was an amazing buzz about the whole place despite the fact that he was out filming that day.  His influence is always present.  He is mysteriously all-seeing and all-knowing despite his physical whereabouts. 

As a cookery school student for the day, one of the things that struck me was that Raymond keeps no secrets.   In his kitchen, provenance is king and he is happy to shout about it from the rooftops.   The provenance of every single piece of fish or meat sourced is documented and cataloged.  In most cases, even the animal’s mother is listed and named (obviously not in the case of fish!)  Many fruits and vegetables, if not sourced locally, are grown at Le Manoir’s most beautiful gardens, meaning that seasonal produce is in abundance and is most often used.   In his pursuit of the freshest and best Raymond works through hundreds of tastings of fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry to develop and source only the best breeds possible. 

Happily cruising along at the cookery school, having picked some of our own ingredients from Le Manoir’s abundant garden, we were shown how to cook (and in some cases left to cook ourselves) an amazing array of fabulicious and visually stunning dishes.   They included New Season Asparagus with Poached Egg, Shetland Organic Salmon with Spring Vegetables and Chevril Jus, Sauteed Squid with Chickpeas and Pak-Choi, finishing off with Crepes and a tantalising Caramelised Banana and Semolina Souffle.  And yes, I have since managed to recreate some of the recipes myself at home, so no Michelin stars required to cook them.   

The highlight of the day?  As though cooking and eating all of this amazing food wasn’t enough, was Raymond himself arriving back at Le Manoir after a busy day of filming for the BBC’s The Restaurant.  Dressed in a pristine designer suit (which subsequently got splashed with olive oil)  Raymond walked straight into the cookery school kitchen.  Brushing aside Vladimir Niza, the tutor, Raymond promptly began finely chopping his parsley to personally demonstrate his Lamb’s Liver with Persillade recipe.  

 As we tasted the lamb’s liver, which incidentally was truly delicious, Raymond insisted that a portion of our next dish, Spaghetti with Vongole, be brought straight up to his office.  So technically, I can say I cooked for Raymond Blanc, right?  With a warm “Thank you and good bye” as if speaking to old friends, Raymond left as quickly as he had entered, leaving a tiny bit of his passion for food behind.  Just enough to make me desperate to go back again.  

 And so, back to my two-week countdown.  Perhaps I can fill my Raymond Blanc advent calendar with Valhrhona Chocolate, which happens to be the chocolate that Raymond proudly uses at Le Manoir.  I am bursting with anticipation at the thought of actually eating at Le Manoir, sipping Ruinart champagne and listening to my hero giving us a Taste of his Life.  I can hardly contain myself! 

 How about you? Is there a chef who fills you with awe? Have you met them and what did you think?

 

Raymond Cooking complete with expensive oil spray on sleeve!

 

How does your garden grow?!

Related Posts:

An Audience with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir Aux Quatre Saisons

Hello World!

Hello everyone.  Thank you for visiting my Fabulicious Food blog.  Fabulicious is my way of describing really good food that’s both fabulous and delicious! And I’m always on the hunt for Fabulicious food.

I’m new to the blogging community but since everybody seems to be blogging about something I have decided to join in, hike up my creativity levels and indulge my passion for food.

My blog is about good food, new food trends, eating out, eating in and about all my foodie adventures.  I’m also a foodie mum so there will also be posts about kids and food with great recipes to entice your kids and turn them into food-lovers.

You can read all about me in the appropriately named ‘About me’ section.  I won’t bore you with it again here. 

I would love to hear from you too so please feel free to comment on a post or contact me direct.