bd081561

Black Garlic Stuffed Potatoes

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 20:30:55 GMT

Ingredients:

500g charlotte potatoes
50g butter or olive oil
A few chives finely chopped
1 spring onion finely chopped 2 tsp black garlic paste
1 tbl spoon chopped parsley Salt & pepper
Smoked paprika to garnish 30g grated cheddar - optional

Method:

Place the potatoes in a large pan of salted water and cook until tender. Refresh under cold runing water until cool enough to handle then cut in half lengthways.
Scoop out the flesh with a teaspoon and place the skins on a greased roasting tray.
Melt 20bg of the butter and brush onto the skins, add some salt and pepper and place in a pre heated oven at 180c until the skins are crisp and brown.
In a mixing bowl combine the potato with the remaining butter or oil and the black garlic paste and spring onions. Mix in half the chives and parsley and season to taste. Warm in a microwave oven.
Fill the skins with the potato and black garlic mixture, sprinke on some grated cheddar cheese if desired and the remaining chopped herbs and a dusting of paprika.

Steamed Aromatic Seabass

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:25:46 GMT

The freshest meal for a summer day...

Ingredients:
2 sea bass fillets skin off each cut into two pieces or any firm white fish 1 lime cut into 6 wedges - keep 2 for garnish
1/2 red onion finely sliced
2cm piece of ginger very finely sliced
1 stalk of lemon grass or wedge of lemon
4 lime leaves or bay
4/5 cloves black garlic
1 small red chilli cut in half
3 stalks of coriander
Togarashi powder to garnish

Metho d:
In a wok or large pan bring 1/2 litre of water to the boil. Add half of all the ingredients except the togarashi powder to the pan and simmer gently for five minutes until an aromatic sream is released.

Next, place a bamboo steamer on the pan and line some parchment in the centre leaving space for the steam to enter around the sides.
Arrange the sea bass fillets and remaining ingredients on the parchment cover and steam for 15-20 minutes or until the fillets break apart easily.

You can strain the aromatic water for steaming and use for cooking noodles, broccoli, pak choi etc.

Arrange the fillets with your chosen accompaniments, sprinkle on the togarashi, coriander and a wedge of lime.

Black Garlic Hummus

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:23:49 GMT

A delicious twist on a classic...

Ingredients:
1 400g tin chickpeas - warmed 1 tbl spoon extra virgin olive oil 1 tbl spoon tahini
juice of 1 lemon
pinch of salt
2 tspn black garlic paste ground cumin to garnish

Metho d:
Drain & rinse a tin of chickpeas then transfer to a bowl and microwave until warm.
Pour into a food processor, add the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and salt.
Blitz until smooth then back into the bowl, stir in the black garlic paste and allow to rest for an hour at room temperature adjust the seasoning if required then garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of ground cumin.

Black Garlic Chocolate Delice with Cherry and Fig Compote

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:20:31 GMT

Something interesting for those who want to get creative...

For the chocolate sponge:

125g self raising flour

125g caster sugar

125g soft butter

1 tbl spoon cocoa

2 medium eggs

2 tsp black garlic paste

Method:

In a large mixing bowl combine the butter and sugar and beat to a pale smooth consistency.

Whisk in the eggs one at a time until fully mixed then stir in the Black Garlic paste.

Next, sift in the flour and cocoa and fold in with a metal spoon until fully mixed.

Line a large ( ) baking tray with greaseproof paper and pour in the cake mixture filling to the edges.

Place in the middle shelf of a 180C pre-heated oven and bake until a skewer comes out dry.

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

For the Chocolate Mousse:

125g 70% chocolate

10g salted butter

2 medium eggs

100ml whipping cream

25g caster sugar

Method:

Break rhe chocolate into a bain marie with the butter - melt gently and stir.

Separate the eggs, add half the sugar to the whites and whisk until stiff peaks are formed -refrigerate.

Beat the yolks with the other half of the sugar until smooth and pale.

Whisk the cream until stiff but do not over work.

Add the melted butter and chocolate mixture to the beaten egg yolks and mix gently together.

Next, fold in a quarter of the egg white using a metal spoon until incorporated then add in the remaining whites.

Fold in the whipped cream and chill the mousse over night.

For the cherry and fig compote:

100g dark pitted cherries

2 ripe figs - cut into quarters then cut across to form eight small triangles per fig

1tsp black garlick paste

15g sugar

1tbl spoon honey

1tbl spoon water

Method:

In a heavy based pan combine all ingredients ang gently heat until the fruit is soft with a syrupy liquid. Add more water if neccessary. Allow to cool.

To Assemble:

Using a biscuit cutter cut out two discs of sponge per portion - these should be around 1.5cm thick. You can trim down your sponge if too thick or they will flatten the mousse. If too thin simply use three discs per portion.

On a cool plate place a dot of mousse in the middle and a disc of sponge on top. Then, using your biscuit cutter fill with mousse - you may find it easier to use a piping bag. Place the second disc on top of the mousse and repeat.

Spoon on some of the compote on the top layer of mousse and on the plate around the delice.

Finish with some grated chocolate and a decorative cherry.

Mushroom & asparagus risotto

Wed, 24 May 2023 18:21:36 GMT

Mushroom asparagus risotto with black garlic... Delicious!

Serves 2

Ready in 30 mins

Ingredients :

For the mushrooms :
300g button or chestnut mushrooms -quartered 25g butter
1 tbl spoon olive oil
2 tspn black garlic paste
salt & pepper
1 tbl spoon chopped parsley

For the Risotto :
125g arborio rice
2tbl spoon olive oil
2 banana shallots or 1/2 onion finely chopped 50ml white wine

2 cloves black g arlic - sliced
500ml vegetable stock - warm
6 asparagus spears - cut into 1cm pieces 20g parmesan - grated
salt & pepper

Method :
Heat a heavy based pan with the olive oil and butter and add the quartered mushrooms
Stir and allow to cook gently until the mushrooms are soft and dark
Add the black garlic paste and the seasoning - stir well and finish with the parsley Remove from the pan and set aside
Wash the pan from the mushrooms and place on a low heat then add the olive oil
Add the risotto to the warm oil and stir whilst turning the heat to medium, this will cause the rice to crack slightly in order to release the starch required for a creamy risotto. Take care not to brown the rice at this point.
Next, add the chopped shallots and turn the heat back down to low. Add the wine and allow to reduce to almost gone - keep stirring!
Now start adding the warm stock a little at a time whilst continuously stirring the rice, the mixture should be simmering constantly.
Keep adding the stock until around a quarter remains add the asparagus then check the rice by placing a few grains in your mouth - they should be soft but not mushy.
Once the rice is done add the sliced black garlic, the grated parmesan and the mushrooms and stir together.
Garnish with optional parmesan shavings and chopped chives check for seasoning and adjust.

... And enjoy!

Boozy Coffee Creme Brûlée

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 16:01:17 GMT

A fun twist on a classic...

Boozy, coffee creme brulee

So I decided I needed a creme brûlée this weekend so I thought what

flavour can I use? That of course is the beauty of creme brûlée….The

world is your oyster when it comes to flavours, I was very tempted by

rhubarb as of course its in season at the moment and I must confess

that I stewed the rhubarb in vanilla and sugar with the express purpose

of popping the sweet flavoursome fruit into the bottom of the wobbly

custard but last second I thought this should be used for compote for

thick Greek yoghurt-wonderful! So anyway……Brulee flavour in the end

was coffee, frangelico (hazelnut liquor) and dark chocolate !!

Once the crunchy topping is done I”ll serve them with chocolate

shortbreads…..craving complete.

Have a go, they are very easy!

Ingredients

3 large eggs

150g golden castor sugar

500ml double cream

1 vanilla pod

20ml frangelico

30 ml espresso

2 squares of very dark chocolate

25g of castor sugar for blow torching

Method

In a bowl add the eggs and the sugar and whisk together well.

Now in a saucepan add the cream, vanilla, coffee, frangelico, and

chocolate and warm the cream slowly just a gentle simmer.

After 10 minutes simmering take from the heat and pour very slowly

whisking continuously over the egg mixture. Now pour back in the pan

and using a spatula stirring continuously back on a very low heat, we

are looking to cook the custard, but slowly, at least 10 minutes slow

stirring, I use this time to drink a coffee and stir into space!

Once thickened and off the heat I then pour through a sieve and into a

jug and pour this into your selected ramekins or dishes.

Leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours until set completely.

Just before serving sprinkle over the castor sugar and blow torch until

caramelised and crunchy. If you don’t have a blow torch use the grill but

keep a careful eye them.

Easy Christmas Pannettone Dessert

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 23:22:03 GMT

The festive period is nearly upon us!

I personally can’t wait as I relish the extra chance for cooking and making things that are a little more extravagant for family and friends. Of course this can start well in advance from making the Christmas cake or Christmas Pudding.

In reality though I also love some hacks and easy options as you know....why not? A stressed, hot and sweaty cook on Christmas Day is entirely not necessary!

NOTE: Keep vegetables simple but with flavoured butters for instance, I cook my veg al dente the day before, re-fresh in cold water and simply warm the next day through the oven whilst the turkey is resting (a good 20 minutes btw!) Gravy can be made in advance and re heated, roast potatoes par cooked ready simply to pop in the oven on the day.....and so on, don’t be overwhelmed, sit down write a list and work out what you can do early and what needs doing on the day....it really works.

So that brings me to my easy festive dessert, I feel some desserts can be a little heavy after a giant Christmas dinner so this is a light throw together pannetone sundae!

Ingredients:

Makes 4 or 2 depending on your glass size!
Pannet t one (Leftovers are great for this)
2 satsumas peeled and segmented
2 figs quartered
50g black cherries stoned
1 tbsp honey
A splash of port
A tbsp of vanilla custard - I use a ready made one for ease and they are delicious but by all means make your own.
Ice cream - your choice of flavour A good scoop for each 125ml double cream whipped
Dark chocolate chopped for decoration
A black cherry for decoration

Recipe:

In a small saucepan add the fruit, honey, a splash of water and the port and simmer until the fruit is just soft, leave to cool for 15 minutes.
In a glass or decorative bowl add some torn pannetone (christmas pudding works well if you have leftovers)
N ow evenly add the fruit over the top with some of the liquid so it soaks into the pannatone.
Now the custard, then the ice cream and then very grandly add the whipped cream with a flurry of dark chocolate and a cherry or two on top.

Enjoy straight away.

French Onion Soup

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 12:44:26 GMT

One of my favourite soups in the whole world is French onion, it really is like a hug! Apart from the eye watering process of slicing the onions it’s a really easy reci pe, topped with a fat crouton of melting cheese, I highly recommend you give it a whirl!

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp of olive oil
3 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
3 large onions halved and thinly sliced 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp of flour
180ml of white wine
1 tsp of sugar
800ml of rich beef stock

4 thick slices of bread Cheese of your choice

Method

In a heavy based pan and on a low heat add the oil, butter, thyme and bay, now add the onions, give them a good stir and leave them to cook slowly, this is very important and patience is key! It will take about 20-30 minutes to cook them to soft and caramel coloured and this process makes them sweet and delicious.
At that point add the flour and stir well, add the wine, sugar and stock and leave to simmer and thicken, another 10/15 minutes.

Now pop the soup in a bowl, switch on the grill. Toast the bread for the top, top with lots of cheese and pop under the grill until bubbling. Eat immediately!

Tom Yum Soup

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 23:41:00 GMT

This is a real favourite of mine, I crave it every now and again.

It really is so worth making it yourself, its freshness is really part of the dish, sour and spicy with the hint of coconut it really lifts the spirits, perfect for an Autumn weekend dish or a cosy weekday supper.

I ngredients

750ml good quality vegetable stock
2 stems of lemongrass-bashed to release the flavour
2 kaffir lime leaves
1 red chilli sliced
2 garlic cloves sliced thinly
1 red onion sliced
100g of oyster mushrooms whole
2 ripe vine tomatoes cut into wedges
1 tsp of sugar
3 tbsp of fish sauce
The juice of 2 fresh limes
1 can of coconut milk
500g of tiger prawns-shell off
A big handful of chopped coriander to finish

Method

In a large saucepan add the stock and bring to a simmer, add the lemongrass, lime leaves, chilli, garlic and the sliced red onion.
Simmer for 15 minutes to release the delicate flavours.
Now add the oyster mushrooms, tomatoes, sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and coconut milk and cook for a further 10 minutes.
L astly just before serving add the prawns, cook for 1 minute and add the coriander and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Pineapple Rum Cake

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 14:42:52 GMT

This is a recent discovery for me thanks to my good friend Jo.

Naturally I tried it as a drink first - ginger ale and fresh mint were the add ons and I must say delicious…..I’m not a rum fan generally but this was good! So of course that got the cogs turning on a recipe, and a real favourite is pineapple upside down cake!

A retro classic that I think has stood the test if time in its tastiness and look. In fact I’m thinking of bringing back many retro dishes, they have a huge place in my heart!

So the difference with this recipe is the caramelising off the pineapple before popping in the cake tin, normally I would just put this in raw, but we are going to inject lot’s of flavour using the rum and some butter.

You can use fresh or canned pineapple-both work well and I’m not snobby about canned fruit-canned anything actually, it all has some real benefits.

Serves 6-8

Prep time 20 mins

Cook time 45 mins

Ingredients

100ml pineapple rum- we used Red Leg Pineapple rum

25g butter

25g soft brown sugar

8 rings of pineapple

8 maraschino cherries

125g self raising flour

125g soft butter

4 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

75g castor sugar

75g soft brown sugar

Method

Pre heat oven to 170c

Line and grease your preferred baking tin.

In a saucepan melt the butter and sugar, pour in the rum and let bubble for a minute. Pop in the pineapple and let cook on a medium heat to just soften and take on a more caramelised colour. Pop to one side whilst we make the cake mixture.
In a large bowl add the flour, marge, sugar, eggs and baking powder. Mix well with electric beaters or a stand mixer.
Now in your lined tin lay down the pineapple rings to cover the bottom of the tin, pop the cherries into the holes. Now pour over the cake batter. Pop this into the oven for 30 minutes, check using a prong, you can always pop it back in for 5 minutes if needed.
Once cooked let it rest for a couple of minutes then turn out onto a plate and let cool.

Enjoy warm or cold!

Chicken Stock And Amazing Chicken Soup!

Mon, 24 May 2021 20:32:02 GMT

Hands up who has a whole roast chicken and then uses the carcasse for a stock after, I really hope it’s everyone but sadly I don’t think everyone does.

Honestly it is absolutely worth doing and one of my favourite things to make in the kitchen, this then opens you up to a wonderful world of chicken broth-the healer, comforter, warmer, and goodness giver (I’m a real fan - you may have guessed!)

Very easy to do and it goes in the freezer ready to use whenever you want to use some, soups, sauces etc. If you make a soup that can be frozen as well.

My favourite thing to make is a chicken noodle soup and this is a fantastic use up as well, look in the vegetable drawer and see what needs using up, you can use, rice, pasta, noodles, lentils-the list goes on. I like to add Asian flavourings, Moroccan flavourings or just a really plain flavour combination all this adds up the perfect soup.

To make a stock.

Once you have eaten the chicken after a roast strip off any meat that’s left on the bones, this is perfect for the soup, now place the carcasse in a large pan and cover with cold water, add any onion peelings, carrot ends, herb stalks etc this all adds to flavour and it also uses things up.

Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer, leave this for an hour to get all the goodness out.

Strain the liquid and leave to cool thoroughly, pop into individual tubs to freeze or pour straight back into a pan to make a soup.

Give it a try, you won’t regret it!

Harrogate Blue And Wild Garlic Scones

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 12:56:57 GMT

I love Yorkshire Blue and Harrogate Blue cheese, it’s a local treasure in my mind, if you come across it I would absolutely recommend trying it. It’s gentle blue flavour and creaminess make it perfect for most things.

This got me thinking of a recipe for this lovely ingredient, and I have an abundance of wild garlic pesto at the moment so I decided to try some scones-savoury scones-delicious! I’m going to serve mine with a herby cream cheese.

The cheese on the top cooks beautifully and I would say these are a cross between a scone and cheese straw! You can of course use any variety of pesto you wish for this recipe. Brilliant hot or cold.

Makes 8

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook time 12-15 minutes

Ingredients

300g self raising flour
A pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tsp baking powder
50g butter or marge
2 tbsp of wild garlic pesto (see m y other recipe )
150g Yorkshire Blue grated (keep a little back for the tops)
80 mls milk (keep a little for brushing the tops)
A handful of grated parmesan

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 220c.
Line and grease a tray ready for the scones.
In a bowl , add the flour, salt, cayenne,, baking powder, marge and pesto and mix quickly, just enough to incorporate the everything with out overworking the mixture, just before it’s completely mixed through add the Yorkshire blue-remember to keep some back for the tops!
Mix again and turn onto a floured surface, I pat out the mixture with my hands to an inch thick, using a cutter cut out the scones and lay on the baking sheet.
Brush on some milk on top of the scones and sprinkle over the remaining Yorkshire blue and the parmesan, if you have any pesto left drizzle the on as well.
Pop in the oven for 12-15 minutes. They should be well risen and golden on top.
Serve hot or cold with herby cream cheese or just butter-the choice is yours!

Wild Garlic Frittata

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 12:43:50 GMT

Another recipe using one of my favourite Spring ingredients….wild garlic!

A frittata is a fantastic recipe for lazy brunches over the weekend but equally as good cold for an easy weekday lunch.

I’m using lovely green veggies for mine but you could add some crisp bacon pieces or chicken would be really tasty too.

Wild garlic can be bought in certain shops but I would suggest for ultimate satisfaction is to forage for it, it grows near water and believe me you can’t miss the smell as you approach it, I will add a picture to the blog so you can see what your looking for.

Serves 4-5

Prep time 15 minutes

Cook time 20 minutes

Ingredients

A splash of rapeseed oil
1 onion finely diced
1 garlic clove finely chopped
6 pieces of Tenderstem halved
A handful of green beans halved
6 eggs beaten
A pinch of salt and pepper
50g wild garlic-well washed
1 pack of feta crumbled

Method

Pre heat the oven to 180c
In an oven proof frying pan warm the oil and add the onion and garlic and cook on a low heat to soften.
Now add the Tenderstem and green beans, soften for a couple of minutes.
Add the salt and pepper to the beaten egg, mix well and pour over the veggies, now lay on the wild garlic leaves.
Using a fork just gently combine the wild garlic through the egg mix.
Crumble over the feta cheese and pop the pan in the oven for 15 minutes.
Remove and just let it rest for 5 minutes before serving, you can turn it out of the pan or cut slices straight from the pan-depends on your patience to eat!

Enjoy!

Wild Garlic & Pesto Pasta

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 19:25:57 GMT

It’s one of my favourite times of the year when the promise of Spring is coming!

Time for wild garlic! One of the best ingredients to forage for and make another favourite of mine every year.

The whole house looks forward to it!

The shot I’m putting alongside this is a simple pesto spaghetti, a really easy supper that takes as long as the spaghetti takes to cook.

The pesto keeps in the fridge for 3 weeks (if it lasts that long) Here’s the recipe…….

Ingredients

100g Wild garlic
20g Fresh basil
1 Clove of garlic
20g Parmesan-grated
30g Walnuts
A pinch of salt
150ml Olive oil

Method

Pop everything into a blender and who until just smooth
Check your happy with the seasoning, add more if needed and blend again
Pop into a container and keep in the fridge until needed!

Early Salad

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 19:20:19 GMT

I feel like I get to the early part of the year and I’m starting to crave some lighter foods, I’m probably starting to feel excited about the prospect of Spring! Starting to plan what I’m going to grow brings this feeling on even more.

The thought of sitting in the sunshine amongst flowers and veggies with a chilled glass of something is almost too much to bear! At this time of year we don’t quite have the full fruit and salad choices but we do have some really beautiful produce to turn our attention to.

The beauty of a salad is that we can add really anything we like to it, I particularly like to add lots of different textures…..enter walnuts! These little beauties add a lot to a winter salad, they are also high in Omega 3 so a good boost for our bodies at this time of year. Now for the crunch, radicchio, this slightly bitter winter leaf is brilliant for this salad as it with stands big flavours. There are some more additions, sweet seasonal pears and some creamy blue cheese (for any blue cheese haters use your preferred cheese!)

So give this a try for a change up during the week and whilst eating it dream of sunny afternoons!

I ngredients

1 Raddicio torn
1 handful of walnuts roughly chopped
100g of creamy blue cheese crumbled
2 seasonal pears sliced
A drizzle of olive oil and some balsamic

Arrange all of these on a large plate and drizzle with the dressing and dig in!

Guylien: Chocolate, Caramel & Hazelnut Ice Cream Bites

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 13:00:32 GMT

This is a really easy and delicious recipe, simple to do and pre made means it can be used for get togethers all year round or if you simply fancy a treat! You do need a shaped silicone mould, I’m using squares for mine.

Makes 12
Prep time 30/35 minutes
Freezing time 3 hours

I ngredients

350g Dark chocolate
12 tsp Chocolate & Hazelnut spread
1 2 tsp of a good quality vanilla ice cream
100g Chopped hazelnuts (some extra for decorating)
12 tsp Caramel sauce
12 Guylian sea shell and seahorse chocolates to decorate
150g of white chocolate
20g freeze dried powdered strawberry (optional)

Method

Break the dark chocolate into pieces and melt over a Bain Marie, once melted drizzle it into the silicone moulds to line them, you can use a pastry brush to get into the corners and get even coverage.

Pop in the fridge to set.

Now take the vanilla ice cream out the freezer and soften a little, now add a teaspoon of caramel sauce into the chocolate case, a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts, once the ice cream is softened pop a spoonful into the chocolate case, and finally a teaspoon of chocolate & hazelnut spread on the top, pop these in the freezer to set for 10 minutes.

Now using the remaining melted chocolate(melt again if necessary) cover over the top to seal them in. Put this into the freezer for at least 3 hours.

When you are ready to use them take them out and carefully pop them out the moulds, place on a plate, you can pop these in the freezer whilst you melt some white chocolate in the microwave, just 40-50 seconds and stir well.

Now drizzle the chocolate over the top of each ice cream square and pop a Guylian seashore and shell on top of each square and a final sprinkle of chopped hazelnut and freeze dried strawberries.
Enjoy immediately or freeze again until needed.