Some Exciting News... and a Picture

First, my news.

A few weeks back, I went to the Aldeburgh Food Festival to look around- saw some great chefs like Galton Blackiston and Valentine Warner. I also met the editor of the Sufffolk Magazine. I introduced myself and she offered me my own monthly article in the magazine! So my recipe's will now be published in our local magazine once a month, with the first installment in the November edition which should be released at the end of October.

Also, a picture of the Crumble in my last post, but this one is an apple crumble.

Comfort for the Cold

Here comes the cold weather again! We've all noticed the slight edge to the air recently. Autumn. Soon, the blanket of brown leaves will be on the ground again and it will be time for wellies and raincoats. But of course, the perfect remedy for cold weather is comfort food. Going out, walking the dog and coming back to a roast dinner or a steaming bowl of stew really cheers you up. A flask of warm soup keeps you going through a football match and even just a piece of warm, buttered toast makes you happy after being out in the cold.

Roast Chicken

I reckon a roast chicken, fresh out of the oven on a Sunday afternoon has to be one of my ultimate comfort foods- at any time of the year! Slow roasting is great for chicken because it keeps the moisture in and guarantees it's tender. You can chuck in vegetables to roast along side the chicken for some lovely roasted veg which will also help make a fantastic tasting gravy at the bottom of the pan. I like to use some Mediterranean flavours in this dish, which livens up your roast with some extra flavours, such as lemon, garlic and parsley.

Ingredients:                                            
1.6kg Chicken
1 Lemon
1tsp Black Peppercorns
Sea Salt
200ml Chicken Stock
100ml White Wine
2tbsp Parsley, coarsely chopped
150g Small Shallots, halved
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled
2 Large Carrots, cut into sticks
3 Sticks of Celery, cut into sticks
100g Cherry Tomatoes

Start by heating an oven to 150'c/gas 2. Take a large, deep sided roasting tin and lay your chicken in the centre. Prick your lemon all over with a fork and stuff in the cavity of the chicken. This will release its flavour as it cooks. Around the bird, arrange the carrots, celery, garlic and shallots. Sprinkle over the peppercorns and a little sea salt over the skin of the chicken, along with the parsley. Finally, pour in the wine and the stock, cover with foil and place in the pre-heated oven. Roast this for 1 1/2 hours. After 1 1/2 hours, remove the foil and through in the cherry tomatoes to the pan. Place back in the oven. Turn up the heat to 170'c/Gas 3, and continue to roast for a further 40 minutes. It will be ready when the chicken has a lovely golden, crispy skin, and the vegetables will be slightly crispy on the outside, and deliciously soft inside.Prick with a knife to see if the juices run clear, which indicates whether it is cooked. Remove from the oven and wrap the chicken in foil, keeping the veg warm. Leave to rest for 20 minutes. Serve with the vegetables and any pan juices.

Mussels with Cider and Smokey Bacon

A warm fish broth is perfect to warm you up from the inside on a cold night.  Currently, it is the perfect season for mussels to be at their best. They should be cooked within the day you buy them to ensure they are still alive.  Before cooking, wash the mussels under a cold tap and pull out the fibrous "beards" from the opening in the shell, discarding any mussels that wont close when lightly squeezed. I am cooking the mussels in cider and smokey bacon, both of which are lovely local favourites of ours here in Suffolk. The salty flavour from the bacon really highlights the fishy taste of the sea from the mussels, which is nicely complemented with the cider which is sweet.

Ingredients:
1kg Fresh Mussels
Large Knob of Butter
50g Smoked Suffolk Bacon, cut into cubes about fingernail sized
2 Shallots, finely chopped
1tbsp Parsley, coarsely copped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
200ml Dry Cider
2tbsp Creme Fraiche

In a large, deep bottomed saucepan (big enough to fit all the mussels, but still with space above them) and heat the butter. Fry the bacon for about 4 minutes or until crisp. Now, add the shallots, garlic and parsley and fry for 3 minutes, until the shallots and garlic are soft. Place the mussels in the pan, above your bacon and shallots, and pour over your cider. Cover, and turn the  heat to a gentle simmer. Leave your mussels to steam for 10-15 minutes. When the mussels are all open, spoon them into separate bowls or a serving dish. Bring to the boil the sauce that's left behind in the pan and add the creme fraiche. Stir to make the sauce creamy and pour over the mussels. Serve with crusty bread or chips (or both!)

Apple, Blackberry and Elderberry Crumble

The smell of a crumble baking in the oven is a truly glorious thing indeed. Cutting open a thick, crunchy crust, going through the soft middle and into the soft, stewed fruit beneath leaves you salivating, so of course, the classic crumble has to appear on my list list of comfort food. Apples, blackberries and elderberries can all be foraged for in woodlands and hedgerows this time of year, especially blackberries which are in abundance. Elderberries are a somewhat lesser used fruit and grow in bundles with purple/red stems and feathery green leaves. They are very delicate black berries which must be cooked before eating as raw they contain a poison which, when eaten in large quantities, can upset your stomach. Of course, before foraging for fruits you are unaccustomed to, you must make sure you do your research first to know what you are picking!

Ingredients:
300g Plain Flour
150g Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes
3tbsp Rolled Porridge Oats
75g White Caster Sugar
75g Soft Brown Sugar
1tsp Orange Zest, finely grated

3 Large Cooking Apples, peeled and diced
100g Blackberries, washed
3tbsp Elderberries, stalked and washed
2tbsp Soft Brown Sugar
2tbsp Water
1tsp Cinnamon

Pre-heat an oven to 180'c/Gas 4. In a large mixing bowl, rub together the flour and butter into fine breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugars, oats and orange zest. Set aside. In a saucepan, heat the apples, 2tbsp brown sugar, water and cinnamon. Stew the apples on a gentle heat for 5 minutes, just to soften the apples. Now, in a large, deep baking dish, mix together the apples, blackberries and elderberries. Tip the crumble topping over the fruit and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden and crispy. Try serve warm with custard or ice cream.

Quick and Easy Chinese: Part 2

The second half of my Chinese posts, today the recipes are; Black Bean Vegetable Stir Fry and Fried Rice.

Black Beans can be bought dried or canned and fermented in liquid. Personally, I prefer dried beans. Soak them overnight and juust roughly chop them. This keeps the beans firm, as canned beans mush too much for me when they're cooked. This dish goes nicely with the Goo Moo Gai Pan featured in my last post, as well as my next recipe.

Ingredients:
1 Large Green Pepper, sliced
2 Pak Choys, shreded
100g Baby Sweetcorn
100g Beansprouts
3tbsp Black Beans, soaked overnight (if dried) and roughly chopped
2tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
1tbsp Cornflour
5tbsp Water
3tbsp Spring Onions, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 small peice of ginger, finely chopped
 Oil for frying

First, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a small pan. Now, fry the spring onions, ginger and garlic until softened. Add in your black beans and fry for about 1 minute. Add in your soy sauce, water and cornflour and stir thoroughly to avoid clumping and simmer 2minutes or so until the sauce becomes thick and gloopy. Remove from the heat and set aside for later.
To start on your veg, heat 2tbsp of oil in a large deep frying pan or wok. Stir fry your vegetables until softened and then pour in your pre-made sauce and continue to fry for about 3 minutes. Serve.

Fried Rice is a very popular Chinese takeaway dish, but can be made just as well in your own kitchen. Its a very versatile dish as you can add your own ingredients like ham, prawns, sweetcorn etc.

Ingredients:
600g Cooked White Rice
100g Frozen Peas
1 Large Egg
3tbsp Spring Onion, chopped
3tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
Oil for Frying

In a large frying pan, heat about 4 tablespoons of oil. Crack in the egg and beat vigorously until cooked (should look like broken up scrambled egg.) Now, add the rice and stir fry for a minute to cook the rice through (unless you enjoy E-Coli??!) Tip in the peas and spring onions and fry for around 5 minutes until the rice is golden brown and slightly crisp. Lastly, stir in the soy sauce and serve.

Quick and Easy Chinese: Part 1

At present, my household is without an oven as it is broken and the repair man is on holiday until next tuesday. So, we are having to rely on just the grill and hob.

Chinese food is the perfect cuisine in this instance, as it mainly relies on working with the hob. The dishes im featuring in these posts are Goo Moo Gai Pan and my Black Bean Vegetable Stir Fry.

Goo Moo Gai Pan

Goo Moo Gai Pan is a traditional Cantonese dish from western China. It literaly means Sliced Chicken and Mushrooms. It is a very simple dish and is the perfect thing for a Saturday night infront of X Factor as it is quick and easy to make, as well being filling and warming. Basicaly the equivalent to an English Stew, but alot quicker.

Traditionaly, Goo Moo Gai Pan is made with (hmph.) sliced chicken and mushrooms. Button mushrooms are usually used kept whole, but ordinary closed cups will do nicely just halved. You could also add in vegetables like brocoli (as I do) or cabbage, sliced carrots etc. Anyway! On with the recipe!

Ingredients:

4 Large Chicken Breasts, sliced
150g Button Mushrooms
A Head of Brocoli, cut into florets
2tbsp Cornflour
75ml Chicken Stock
2tbsp Soy Sauce
1tbsp Oyster Sauce
1tbsp Oil for frying, preferably ground nut oil

First, heat the oil in a wok and then gently fry the mushrooms and brocoli until softened. Remove them from the wok and set aside whilst you stir fry the chicken in the same way until cooked. Whilst the chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce. Mix the cornflour into the stock, stiring vigorously as to avoid lumps, then add the soy sauce and the oyster sauce. Set aside.
When the chicken is cooked, add in the vegetables and then pour in the sauce. Coat the stir fry in the sauce and it should thicken. The cornflour will make it go thick and gloopey, as well as making it glossy and sticky, as you would get in any good chinese restuarant. Simmer until the sauce is heated through and thick and glossy.

Eat warm with rice or noodles. Will serve 4 polite eaters and 3 impolite ones.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where i will be showing how to make a Black Bean Vegetable Stir Fry and Fried Rice.

update

just a quick update and a picture.
i have been rather busy for the pastfew weeks with exams which i reckon ive done quite well in so apologies for neglecting the blog a bit!
right, so these are my up coming posts which i will be putting up shortly:

Fish Pie
Spaghetti Carbonara
A Variety of Cakes (Carrot, Lemon Drizzle etc)

So watch the space for those.

a few weeks agon i put up the recipe for a pavlova. Here is a picture of the Meringue Nests you can make from the same mix, just cook them on a pre-heated oven of 150'c for 15minutes and then turn the temp down to 100'c for another 30 minutes. Alow to cool completely and then you have mini pavlovas!

May

well it's just turned into may, and ive had a sudden spree of planting up the garden: so far ive put in my runner beans, strawberries, tomatoes, leeks and potatoes. However, there was a slight frost on the ground the other morning so ill have to keep an eye on that!

also, ive had confirmation that i'm going to be doing cooking demonstrations at the Suffolk Show in June- the theme is home grown and seasonal, much like Aldeburgh was. So ill be coupling this with my own vegetables, and the ever growing school alottment which ive been helping out on the last couple of months. To go with this theme, i was planning on doing something like a seasonal vegetable curry- as i only have a hob- or a steak and peppercorn sauce.

anyway, recipe im doing today is a Summer Berry Pavlova. Meringue is often thought of as a hard dessert to pull-off, but really, it isnt- it just takes alot of time to prepare. It's a good dessert to make for a party as it can be prepared the night/ morning before then just topped with fresh fruit and cream 5 minutes before serving.

So, start by heating an oven to 180'c/ Gas 4. Whisk the egg white- using an electric beater if your lazy like me- until they form soft peaks. When peaked, sprinkle over a tablespoon of sugar one at a time and beat till it is absorbed into the egg whites. This is where most people most people will go wrong with meringues as the sugar has to be completely absorbed before another tablespoon- you must whisk the eggs  back into peaks before you add more sugar aswell. After all of the sugar has been mixed in, the mixture should be stiff and shiny. Whisk into stiff peaks- the meringue mix should be stiff enough to turn upside down without falling out of the bowl. Now, sprinkle over the cornflour and whisk in. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spoon the meringue mix ontop in a circle about 20cm in diameter. Put the pavlova in the oven and turn the heat down to 100'c. Bake for 1 hour and then turn off the oven and open the door slightly. Allow the oven to cool completely and then remove the pavlova. Spoon the cream over the pavlova and then arrange the fruit on top.

Ingredients-
4 egg whites
230g White Caster Sugar
1 tsp Cornflour
300ml Whipped Double Cream
100g Mixed berries (like strawberries, blueberries, rasperies etc) 

Food For the Holiday

Unfortunatley, this post marks the end of the Easter Holidays and the arrival of school next tuesday. Not particuarly looking forward to going back as it means exams ( I've spent.... some.... of my holidays revising), but hopefully, I'll also find out what subjects I've been given for GCSE. I'm hoping I'll get my first four options- Geography, History, French and Food Tech (obviously!) but it won't be so bad if I get my fifth as that is PE.

Anyway, as it's Easter Weekend we're planning a big family gathering so that means FOOD! And lots of it as there's about twenty of us! So we're all brining our own bits and peices- salad, cakes, sandwiches etc. For my contribution it's an Apple and Frangipane Tart and The Perfect Roast Beef.

It's prime picknicking season- the weather is warm, and there arent too many wasps around yet, so get out there and make the most of the countryside and the weather!

Anyway, for the the Apple and Frangipane Tart, pre-heat an oven to 170'/ Gas 4 and beat together the butter and the sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs in one by one to keep the mixture light. Here, mix in the vanilla extract and the lemon zest. Finaly, gently fold in the ground almonds bit by bit. You dont want to drop all the almonds on top at once because this will push the air out of the mixture. Once mixed, pour the mixture into your tart case and set aside. Carefully peel and core the apple and slice it thinly into cresent shapes. I prefer cresent shaped slices as you can fan them out across the tart. Lay these slices ontop of the frangipane and brush the jam over the top. Bake in an oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the frangipane is puffy and cooked through. Serve hot or cold.

One pre-prepared pastry case, measuring about 25cm in diameter
100g Un-salted Butter, softened
100g Caster Sugar
2 large Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
1tsp Grated Lemon Zest
1 Large Cooking Apple
1tbsp Abricot Jam, melted

Now, onto the beef. This recipe is great cold, hence why I'm taking it to a picknick. I always feel that managing to cook beef perfectly is a real challenge, just to get it cooked- that lovely pink colour so it pulls apart with ease- rather than being gray and like a block of wood. So for my Roast Beef, start by pre-heating an oven to 200'/ Gas 6. In a small bowl, combine the mustard powder and water to form a smooth paste. Smear this over the beef and set aside. In a large frying pan, or flame proof roasting tin, heat the oil and seal the beef on high heat. When the beef is sealed, remove from the frying pan and roast it in the oven for 1 hour, or until it is cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and rest for 20 minutes under foil, carve and serve hot or cold.

1.5 Kilo Joint of Rib Beef
3tbsp English Mustard Powder
3tbsp Cold Water
3tbsp Vegatable Oil