bénédictine liqueur

Many years ago my brother and I worked together at bar that had a selection of spirits that I am pretty sure came from the owners kitchen in the eighties. This included a bottle of Bénédictine Liqueur. The only person to have sold any of this, in a good seven years, was my brother to the wife of a vicar that visited. I'm not sure if it's making a comeback but this cocktail looks pretty yummy. Anything with that tastes like turkish delight is top in my book.

Tempura time

Fingers crossed summer might actually be breaking through this never ending winter. I am ready to say goodbye to soups and stews along with my coats and tights. While I am hoping this will make my current gluten-free diet a lot easier as I won't be craving carbs on cold days sometimes I still need a fix. Today was tempura (with gluten-free flour). It couldn't be much easier or quicker especially if you lazily used pre-prepped stir fry veggies like me.

All you need to do is mix equal quantities of flour (regular plain or otherwise) and cornflour, about 4 tablespoons of each with a pinch of baking powder, an egg yolk and enough cold fizzy water until you have a light batter (that should coat the back of a spoon). Pop in you veggies and carefully deep fry in batches in a flavourless oil. 

Cucumber crisps and Avril Lavigne

As I said in my last post we got to try some crazy foods in China, without doubt toffee potatoes went down best with the group. These are, quite simply, boiled potatoes dipped in caramelised sugar served hot with a little bowl of cold water to dip them into to set the sugar and stop you burning your mouth before you eat them. Hot pot was another winner, but for me it was an all together far too stressful way to eat, you really have to put aside any politeness and grab the food you want else all you end up with over boiled cabbage. However, at one hot pot restaurant in Beijing we did get to see some fantastic noodle making, and they were delicious.

We also went north of Beijing to the Inner Mongolian Plateau and it was here we had what was possibly the strangest food stuff of the trip, mare's milk and honey cheese tubes.

I won't be trying to find these in London.

  
Now, cucumber crisps went down far better and surprisingly refreshing.

And it wouldn't have been the same without an unexpected celebrity endorsement. 

China

I have just got back from a trip to China, I will get around to posting all the crazy food when the jet lag has passed. In the mean time... 

An intelligent man knows a tomato is a fruit. A wise man knows not to put them in a fruit salad.

China proved this to be entirely incorrect. Watermelon + tomatoes = yum 

happy easter

Got to love a day when you can eat chocolate for every meal. Happy Easter.

halloumi

Many moons ago my mother and I went on a holiday to Cyprus. The holiday turned out to be a bit of a disaster. Due to a lack of any pots and pans in our apartment we ended up going to a little restaurant almost everyday. Sitting outside on bright red plastic garden furniture the owner would bring us piles of fried halloumi. All crispy, salty and a little bit squeaky, it turned out to be a highlight of the trip and eating it now always reminds of the sunshine.

lime curd

A recipe for spring, although all hopes that spring has sprung seem to have fizzled away this week. However, despite the snow, hail and rain that has blown over London today there has been a hint of warmth in the air and the sun has found its way through the cloud. 

I made this as a dinner party gift (I'm not one to stick with a bottle of wine) after a friend bought a waffle maker and thought it would be the perfect accompaniment. Really easy and a great way to use up left over eggs. Makes one jar full (orignal recipe from the marvellous Nigella).

Melt 75 grams of unsalted butter in a small pan then mix in 3 eggs, 75 grams of caster sugar, 125 ml of lime juice (I used 5 limes) and the zest of one lime. Whisk to a custard over a low heat, it just takes a few minutes so don't ignore it and make a cup of tea or you may be left with a rather zesty omelette. Leave to cool slightly before putting in your jar or on a cake or on a spoon and in your tummy.

sunday lunch

Sunday calls for lots of yummy roasted food with plenty of left overs for the day after. So this weekend I made Provencal chicken. Delicious and so very easy. 

To make lightly oil a biggish roasting dish and pop in some chicken thighs and drumsticks for how ever many people you want to feed. Then add a roughly chopped red onion, a pack of cherry tomatoes, some black olives, a few sprigs of fresh thyme and a sliced lemon. Give it a good mix and season (be careful with the salt if your olives are quite salty). They add a mugful of chicken stock and put in a hot oven (around 220 degrees Celsius) and roast for about 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the skin in crispy. Would be lovely served with mashed potatoes or, as in my case, some crunchy bread.  

(I completely forgot to take a picture of this when it was cooked, far too busy eating)

cookie fail

What could be better than a cookie recipe that only needs two ingredients? 

I've seen this recipe for a two ingredient cookie knocking around the internet for a while now and after a morning in the library and little food in the house thought it sounded great. All it calls for is a cup of quick oats and two over ripe mashed bananas, which you mix together with any additions you fancy (I added some chocolate and nuts, already doubtful it would taste nice) and bake for 15 minutes. 

Whey they came out the oven they looked and smelt good. They did not taste it. I'm not quite sure what went wrong (if it could with so little to really get wrong) but they were oddly chewy and dry and generally unpleasant in both taste and texture. I wouldn't try this one at home. 

braised chicken and kale

This seems like the perfect recipe for today. It's freezing and windy and kind of snowing (but definately not in a nice festive way). The kind of day when you never really want to get further than the kettle and your duvet becomes a perfectly acceptable item of clothing. But if you do have to go outside then stop by the supermarket and yet the ingredients for this deliciously warming dish from the Google Cafeteria.

1. Sprinkle four chicken legs or drumsticks with a tablespoon of paprika and season with salt and pepper. Heat some oil in a large pot and add the chicken skin side down and cook, turning occasionally, until nicely browned all over, about ten mins and then pop on a plate.

2. Put one sliced onion and six sliced garlic gloves in the pan and soften for ten minutes before returning the chicken to the pot and adding 500 ml of good chicken stock, 250 ml of white wine, a sprig each of rosemary and thyme then bring to the boil and cover. Reduce the heat and simmer for thirty to fourty minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

3. Add a big bunch of kale to the pot and wilt for around five minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

I wish I was eating this right now.

bread. toast. bread.

This is for my housemate Kait.

The volume of toast consumed in my household could easily be measured by loaves per person per week (or how a whole shelf in our fridge seems to be dedicated to butter). It is often seen as the perfect substitute to cooking an actual meal, not only for breakfast but also lunch and dinner and anytime in between. After watching the wonderful Sophie Dahl's documentary on Mrs Beeton (here) it turns out it also works as a sandwich filling.

Recipe

1. Toast a thin slice of bread.
2. Butter two slices of (untoasted) bread and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Place the toast between the two slices of bread-and-butter to form a sandwich

happy shrove tuesday

One of my all time favourite food holidays today and I just wish I had the time to make this crepe cake but sadly the library and my darned thesis proposal were calling so had my pancakes last night (filled with homemade nutella and banana, yum). Now just to decide what to give up for lent. Since I was little I have always given up chocolate, which means I get no chocolate on my birthday but was considering something different this year, I was contemplating cheese but I just don't think I have the will power.

world peace cookies

How can you resist a recipe with a name like this. A few years ago I, along with my brother, gave up all grains and started a paleo diet. While my brother is still going strong I got back on the wagon many moons ago. A life without bread and pasta I could live with but sometimes life just calls for cake and biscuits and the gluten-free alternatives just aren't the same. 

This recipe makes an ultra-rich, dark and intense shortbread-like biscuit rather than an American-style chewy cookie but completely delicious nonetheless. Perfect for those moments when you need something sweet. I made these for a present but we'll see how many leave the house.

Begin by sifting 160 grams of plain flour, a quarter of a teaspoon of baking powder and 45 grams of cocoa into a larger bowl. Next beat 155 grams of room temperature (very important!) butter until fluffy and add 145 grams light muscovado sugar and 50 grams of golden caster sugar along with a splash (a teaspoon or so) of vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Whisk for a further two minutes before mixing into the flour mixture. As the butter is the only fat here, it needs to be soft to ensure all the ingredients are combined. Finally mix in 100 grams of dark chocolates chips, you might need to get your hands in to ensure the dough comes together. Divide the dough in two and wrap each bit in cling film, rolling it up to make a cylinder. Chill for three hours (and up to three days). 

When you're ready to bake, cut the dough into 1 cm rounds and place on a line baking sheet. Pop them in a oven pre-heated to 165 degrees celsius for 11 to 12 minutes. Cool and enjoy as they are or make an ice cream sandwich using vanilla ice cream and my home made nutella.

gianduja (or homemade nutella)

Everyone loves Nutella. 

A couple of good friends of mine have just moved house and I promised to bring them copious amounts of Nutella as a housewarming gift. I decided to try and make it instead after seeing a couple of recipes online. I based mine on one from bon appetit, although there were a couple of negative comments from other cooks I found I didn't have the same issues.  The result was a slightly chunky, extremely rich and completley delicious but very thick spread. Totally worth the time it takes.

1. Start by roasting around 140 grams of blanched hazelnuts in a medium oven for 15 minutes. You can use hazelnuts with the skin on but will have to peel them when they come out the oven and this takes forever. Once they're roasted pop them in a blender with a couple of tablespoons of golden caster sugar. Then blend for a couple of minutes until you get a peanut-butter-like paste.

2. Next melt 225g of good quality chocolate (here I used a mixture of dark and milk chocolate) in a bain marie. Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and add two tablespoons of butter. Then whisk in 120 ml of double cream, a pinch of salt and the hazelnut mixture. Finally pour into clean, jars and leave to set.

3. These volumes make roughly two jam jars worth and will keep in the fridge for 4 weeks (the mixture becomes very solid in the fridge so bring to room temperature before you use it).

4. ENJOY.

it's not hummus

I saw this recipe for chickpea soup a few days ago but was somewhat hesitant to make it, as while Moroccan-type spice chickpea soups are quite common this is extremely simple and contains nothing much other than chickpeas.

Don't get me wrong, I love hummus. However, was slightly concerned it would taste like a watery-hummus. Interest won and I'm glad it did. A lovely creamy, warming soup served with broccoli cooked al dente (to add a bit of bite), I also topped the soup with some crispy, fried pancetta to add another texture and a bit of saltiness. 

BACON JAM

Bacon. Coffee. On toast? THIS would make breakfast wonderful.

eggwatchers

If, like me, you never quite know how long to boil an egg for to achieve your desired consistency. Or, like my brother, just wing it and hope for the best and inevitably get bored waiting and end up with an undercooked white then eggwatchers is for you. It not only provides the perfect cooking time for your egg, taking into account the size of the egg and it's temperature, using super cute images to illustrate your choices but will then play a viral video of an appropriate length to keep you entertained while your egg cooks. Eggcellent.

gyoza gyoza gyoza

I have some extended family from Japan and have been lucky to grow up eating some yummy Japanese food. Dumplings have always been a favourite and whenever I go to an Oriental supermarket I always stock up on hundreds of gyoza wrappers for the freezer. Once you get the knack of folding them, they are extremely easy and quick to make. Here's my recipe for fried pork gyoza (or potstickers) but you can put pretty much whatever mince and vegetables you want in them.

Start with some pork mince. I won't both with volumes here, just try and aim for a 1:1 ratio of meat to vegetables. Then finely chop your vegetables, here I like to use leeks, spring onions, garlic and ginger but cabbage or pak choi works well too. Mix this with the mince well, use your hands to make sure the mince is broken up. Then season the mix using soy sauce and a drop of sesame oil. Cover and leave for an hour or two.

Next it's time to make the gyoza. Start my popping a dumpling wrapper in the palm of your hand and place a scant spoon of the meat mixture in the centre. Try not to overfill them. Use your finger and a touch of water to moisten the edge of half of the wrapper before folding it in half lightly. Then seal the gyoza by pleating the moistened edge of the wrapper and press firmly to the other side so it's looks like an open fan. Or little wrappers of goodness, as my housemate called them. This takes practice to achieve a neat dumpling.

To cook the gyoza you can simply boil them for a few minutes in a large pan of water or put them in a hot, oiled pan with the flat side facing down. Fry them until the undersides become crispy before adding water to the pan so the gyoza are half submerged. Place a lid on the pan and cook for a further 4 minutes or until the water has all gone. Remove the lid and cook a little longer to ensure a crispy base. You don't want a soggy bottom. Serve with the crispy side facing up and something to dip them in.

Oishii.

pak choi

I have a habit of going through vegetable trends and pak choi is currently in vogue with me. Simply cooked in the oven with some oil and soy sauce. 

punchfork love

Punchfork is, hands down, my favourite website to go find new recipes. I have been raving about it for a while now, as my probably-rather-bored-of-it-by-now friends will, I'm sure, agree. Such a simple layout and a great place for inspiration when you can't decide what to eat. A little while ago they announced the site had been acquired by Pinterest and would eventually be integrated within the Pinterest site. The date has now been set and with only 40 days left of beautiful and varied recipes, go check it out before it's too late.

arancini

The new year always seems to be full of what's 'going to be big in the coming months' lists and I'm going to get my two cents in now with arancini. These are little fried balls of risotto, rolled in breadcrumbs and filled with something yummy, in my case, mozzarella. What's not to love. Crispy panko breadcrumbs. Silky risotto. Metled cheese. Perfect for a rainy day and to help mend a broken heart. And if you're anything like me, making the correct volume of risotto is a complete mystery and this is the perfect use for leftovers. It's one of those dishes that once you get it in your head you won't stop thinking about until you get to eat it.

Begin with some cold risotto. I've made mushroom and pancetta, it needs to be quite thick so it holds together when you roll it up. It's best to get all your ingredients ready beforehand as it all gets rather messy. So beat an egg in a small bowl, rip up some mozzarella into little bits (smoked mozzarella works great) and pop some panko breadcrumbs in another bowl.

Next wet your hands, pick up a small amount of your cold risotto and flatten in your palm. Put a little mozzarella in the centre and roll up the ball adding more risotto if you need to. 

They should be about the size of ping pong balls. Roll in the egg and then breadcrumbs. Continue until all the rice as been used. Once all the arancini have been made you just need to shallow fry them in small batches. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of rocket.

blondies

I've been a little behind on the blondie front. 

An old housemate of mine used to rave about them but I must admit I have never made them myself. So on an extremely cold afternoon when a trip to the supermarket seems like far too much effort and a baking-based break from school work is all I need, a slightly sparse cupboard led me to blondies. The recipe itself couldn't be much easier, I have based mine on the one by smittenkitten and adapted it to suit my cupboard contents.

Finally, due to a lack of hindsight, I did not have a suitable square baking tin and baked them in cupcake wrappers instead. So reduced the cooking time slightly to ensure they still had the yummy, squishy interior of a good brownie.

Begin by melting 115 grams of butter on a low heating before removing from the hob and mix in 220 grams of light brown muscodvado sugar.

Next, beat in a large organic egg and a splash of vanilla extract before adding 125 grams of flour (whatever you have) and a pince of salt.

Now, you can bake them just like this or add some extra bits. I went for banana and nutella but anything goes. I simply mixed in a small, very ripe mashed banana and a big tablespoon of nutella, try to make sure you don't over mix the nutella and try and leave it a little marbled. 

Fill 12 cupcake wrappers (or a greased 8x8 tin) with the mixture and bake at 180C for 15 to 20 minutes. Leave to cool on a rack, if you can resist them warm straight out the oven. 

Enjoy.