What began as a mild cold just before Christmas, has now developed into an extremely uncomfortable chest infection requiring antibiotics and copious amounts of rest, hence my absence from the digital culinary world.
It's at times like these, when I have little or no appetite and even less sensation in my taste buds, that I can truly be thankful that I am ordinarily able to fully enjoy natures greatest gifts while so many are not due illness or other health reasons or even financial constraints.
As ever I will maintain that 'fresh is best' and is always cheaper! and I hope to soon be putting my palate through its paces once more inventing some new recipes and reviving some old classics for the new era.
The way things are going though, by the time I recover, all turkey, duck, goose and the party food and drinks of new years eve, of which I will not be partaking, will be a distant memory and we will all be trying to keep to all the new resolutions of eating a touch lighter and a little bit healthier......so until then my dear friends, I wish you all a most healthful and happy new year......may your pots never burn, may your tables be laden with memorable meals, and your friends and family be ever near........adieu 2015!
Thursday, 31 December 2015
Monday, 21 December 2015
'Charlatans' Christmas Pudding!
Christmas pudding is as much a part of Ireland's culture as bacon and cabbage, and most likely every home will have one in some shape or form for the Christmas season be it a shop bought one or a home-made one prepared early in November and left to 'mature' for the big day.
I'm not sure many people go to the trouble of flaming their puddings these days, too much of a fire hazard probably! but I like to think that in the past it would have been flamed with that old Irish moonshine 'Poitin', rather than brandy, for who among the peasant folk could have afforded brandy!
I usually find myself making puddings from just after Halloween, but there is invariably a phone call or text message in the days leading up to Christmas from some poor soul who has forgotten to put in their order for a proper hand made pudding. When it comes to food I hate to see anyone going without so I came up with the idea for a 'last minute' pudding.
This pudding can be made almost at the last Christmas minute as it just needs to relax for a mere 24 hours before it can be eaten, so yes, technically you could make it on Christmas eve!, perfect for those in desperation if the local stores have run out of the 'good one's' or if you've forgotten to order one!
I think this is a really convenient method of doing a pudding, shop bought mincemeat has the bulk of the fruit and suet required to make a pudding, and because mincemeat has already been 'matured' to gain that traditional flavour, there is no need to mature your pudding! I do advise you to get a good moist mincemeat though, some cheaper versions can be a little dry.
Although you will find this pudding a little less dense than a traditional pudding, everyone seems to love it done this way, some have even said they prefer it! so if you're in a hurry or you just like experimenting, have a go at making this and do let me know how you get on!
I'm not sure many people go to the trouble of flaming their puddings these days, too much of a fire hazard probably! but I like to think that in the past it would have been flamed with that old Irish moonshine 'Poitin', rather than brandy, for who among the peasant folk could have afforded brandy!
I usually find myself making puddings from just after Halloween, but there is invariably a phone call or text message in the days leading up to Christmas from some poor soul who has forgotten to put in their order for a proper hand made pudding. When it comes to food I hate to see anyone going without so I came up with the idea for a 'last minute' pudding.
This pudding can be made almost at the last Christmas minute as it just needs to relax for a mere 24 hours before it can be eaten, so yes, technically you could make it on Christmas eve!, perfect for those in desperation if the local stores have run out of the 'good one's' or if you've forgotten to order one!
I think this is a really convenient method of doing a pudding, shop bought mincemeat has the bulk of the fruit and suet required to make a pudding, and because mincemeat has already been 'matured' to gain that traditional flavour, there is no need to mature your pudding! I do advise you to get a good moist mincemeat though, some cheaper versions can be a little dry.
Although you will find this pudding a little less dense than a traditional pudding, everyone seems to love it done this way, some have even said they prefer it! so if you're in a hurry or you just like experimenting, have a go at making this and do let me know how you get on!
Sunday, 13 December 2015
Crimson Cabbage.......Sorry, No Bacon Allowed
The red cabbage is another of those vegetables that I think are vastly underrated and rarely get a mention.
A member of the brassica family, the red cabbage is delicious eaten raw or cooked, although unlike the more common green cabbage they can be slightly difficult to get hold of on a regular basis.
You can do with a red cabbage pretty much what you would do with any other cabbage, but surprisingly I find that bacon does not really go that well with it, it could be just my taste preferences of course so do try it for yourself, maybe you will love red cabbage & bacon!
Red cabbage lends itself very well to being cooked with sugar and spices, vinegars, wine, dried fruits, or served raw with chilli, lemon, ginger and lime flavours in an Asian styled slaw.
But luckily at this time of year it seems to be readily available in the supermarket, so why not take advantage of what nature gives us. My recipe for 'Crimson Cabbage' is well suited to the season of Christmas, with all it's spices and wine flavours it is a dish that will do justice to roast turkey, duck, goose, or even beef if that's your pleasure. For convenience you can cook this dish a day or two in advance and warm it up when needed, helping you to be that bit more organised for Christmas day! The delightful crimson colour will also look stunning against the vibrant green of sprouts which I DO recommend having with bacon! or chorizo, or pancetta or any cured bacon.......
A member of the brassica family, the red cabbage is delicious eaten raw or cooked, although unlike the more common green cabbage they can be slightly difficult to get hold of on a regular basis.
You can do with a red cabbage pretty much what you would do with any other cabbage, but surprisingly I find that bacon does not really go that well with it, it could be just my taste preferences of course so do try it for yourself, maybe you will love red cabbage & bacon!
Red cabbage lends itself very well to being cooked with sugar and spices, vinegars, wine, dried fruits, or served raw with chilli, lemon, ginger and lime flavours in an Asian styled slaw.
But luckily at this time of year it seems to be readily available in the supermarket, so why not take advantage of what nature gives us. My recipe for 'Crimson Cabbage' is well suited to the season of Christmas, with all it's spices and wine flavours it is a dish that will do justice to roast turkey, duck, goose, or even beef if that's your pleasure. For convenience you can cook this dish a day or two in advance and warm it up when needed, helping you to be that bit more organised for Christmas day! The delightful crimson colour will also look stunning against the vibrant green of sprouts which I DO recommend having with bacon! or chorizo, or pancetta or any cured bacon.......
Saturday, 12 December 2015
I'm dreaming of a white.....Christmassy Chocolate Pie
Christmas pudding is wonderful, and if you haven't made yours yet, never fear, I will have my recipe for a 'no mature' Charlatans Christmas Pudding up shortly!
But after we scoff what will be an overly indulgent Christmas day luncheon, the traditional fruity pudding might be better reserved for Boxing Day when our lunch will be a much simpler affair of a cold turkey, stuffing, pickle and cranberry sandwich.
So unless you are a complete Christmas die hard and simply must have that pudding on the big day, with such a heavy meal to be consummed, it might be a good idea, if you intend to have dessert at all, to plum'p (pardon the pun), for something a touch lighter to follow all that turkey! and a light dessert of cheesecake can fill that need for something sweet, yet won't be too heavy on the stomach.
Cheesecake can be anything you want it to be and the flavour possibilities and combinations are limitless. I have a personal preference for what I would term a 'fresh' cheesecake...ie...one that has not been baked but has been set with the assistance of a fruit inspired gelatine or chocolate.....the texture of a baked cheesecake has never really appealed to me and even when I've baked one myself with careful preparation, I still find the texture to be a bit too heavy and dense for my liking.
This cheesecake is a quick and easy no cook recipe and as I've said, it's more of a pie than a cake. The texture is delicate, smooth, light and creamy with just a tang from the cream cheese and a little festive kick from the whiskey cream liqueur.
Marrying the richness of the white chocolate with the spice of my seasonal cranberry compote gives a little touch of tartness to balance out the sweetness, very refreshing after a full on roast turkey dinner!
You can make this recipe as one large pie or in small individual portions.
I enjoy new ways of presenting dishes and as we are using a whiskey cream liqueur in this recipe why not try making these in a whiskey glass, they are usually quite wide and deep and perfect for this kind of dessert.
So for my White Chocolate Velvet Pie, to feed 6 - 8 people, you will need:
for the base:
200 g plain digestive biscuits
80 g unsalted butter
50 g dark chocolate min 65% cocoa
for the filling:
350 g good quality white chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200 g full fat cream cheese almost at room temperature
80 g castor sugar
1 large measure of Irish whisky cream liqueur.....eg Baileys
80 g castor sugar
1 large measure of Irish whisky cream liqueur.....eg Baileys
200 mls whipping cream
for my Spiced Cranberry Compote: click HERE!
how to: Base
- crush the digestive biscuits by hand or in a blender until you have nice even sized crumbs
- break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a small saucepan, add the butterer and melt very slowly and gently, mix the two together well so it resembles a chocolate sauce then add the biscuit crumbs and stir until the crumbs have absorbed all the liquid
- press the crumbs into the base of your pie tin or glasses, but don't press too firmly as we don't want a hard solid base that may be difficult to break, we want it to be a touch crumbly
- place in the refrigerator to set for at least 20 minutes
filling:
- melt the white chocolate, again very gently, in a bowl over a pan of hot, not boiling! water, make sure the water does not touch the base of the bowl, stir gently while melting, if you melt white chocolate at too high a temperature you may risk it getting grainy......not very nice at all!
- once the chocolate is melted turn the heat off under the pot, we want the chocolate to stay warm
- whip the cream cheese and Baileys together until smooth
- pour your cream into a deep bowl, add the castor sugar and stir to dissolve then whip the cream until it begins to thicken and will form a ribbon when you lift the whisk out, be careful not to over whip, we want our pie to be 'velvety' smooth!
- add the melted white chocolate to the whipped cream, then fold in the cream-cheese/Baileys mixture, mix it all together well but don't over whip
- pour the filling onto your chilled base, return to the refrigerator and leave to set at least 3 hours or preferably over night
To serve you can top each 'pie' with the cranberry compote or serve it on the side, don't forget a bit of extra whipped cream on the side, we're going all out here, it is Christmas after all!
I hope you have a go at this recipe and if you have any Christmas kitchen questions you can fine me on twitter and facebook.
Saturday, 5 December 2015
Roasted red onion, plum tomato & Blacksticks blue cheese tart........try saying that when you've had a few!
I may bore you after a while on the subject of cheese but it's something I can never have enough of!
Blacksticks cheese comes from near an old stomping ground of mine in Lancashire and as you can see it is a most unusual 'blue' cheese as it is orange....and 'blue'.
It is a cheese that is creamy, crumbly, has that perfect blend of blue cheese acidity and um.....stinkiness....I love it!
I love cheese in a hundred different ways but I am particularly partial to the cheesy tart / quiche combination. This dish is great for a dinner party starter, a light lunch or supper and eats just as beautifully cold or hot.
Blacksticks cheese comes from near an old stomping ground of mine in Lancashire and as you can see it is a most unusual 'blue' cheese as it is orange....and 'blue'.
It is a cheese that is creamy, crumbly, has that perfect blend of blue cheese acidity and um.....stinkiness....I love it!
I love cheese in a hundred different ways but I am particularly partial to the cheesy tart / quiche combination. This dish is great for a dinner party starter, a light lunch or supper and eats just as beautifully cold or hot.
you will need:
7-9 inch non stick flan tin
1 sheet of shortcrust pastry.....but feel free to make your own if you have the time
1 large red onion
about 20 baby plum tomatoes
150-200 g Blacksticks blue cheese or other blue cheese
4 eggs
200 mls single cream
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
sea salt / fresh black pepper
olive oil
how to:
- peel, halve and cut the onion into thick slices, place on an oven tray, halve the tomatoes and place on another oven tray, season both with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil
- roast at 180 until the tomatoes begin to wilt and the onions have browned a little
- remove from the oven and set aside
- butter the flan tin then line with shortcrust pastry
- bake the tart case 'blind' by covering with a piece of greaseproof paper weighted down by baking beans or I like to use rice
- bake at 150 c until the pastry is firm but not browned! this will help stop shrinkage during the baking of our tart, stop any fluid leaking out and prevent a soggy bottom......nobody likes soggy bottoms!
- artfully arrange your roasted onions and tomatoes in the tart case, keep a few of the tomato halves back to decorate the top later
- dice the cheese and scatter over the top of the vegetables
- whisk the eggs and cream/milk together well and season liberally, strain through a sieve into a jug
- add the chopped fresh thyme to the egg/cream mixture, stir well then slowly pour the over the vegetables, place a few more tomato halves on top of the egg
- place your tart on a baking sheet and put in a pre heated oven at 160c
- bake for approx 30 minutes or until the egg is set and the top is very lightly browned
how to enjoy:
You can eat the tart straight from the oven or let it cool then refrigerate to eat later.
It is possible to re heat this tart but do it very carefully, we don't want the egg to turn rubbery.
Serve with a nice green salad and some onion chutney for a bit of bite.
You can make this as individual or even little bite size tarts to serve at your Christmas party!
Friday, 4 December 2015
The Office Christmas Party......Is it ever a good idea?
As I sit here in front of a lovely log fire nursing just a teensy glass of red wine, (which I truly deserve after the day I've had!) the wind has begun to hum up the chimney.
Storm Desmond has struck land on the west coast of Ireland and is slowly trailing it's destruction across county Donegal and we are in it's direct path! so the fire is lit, the candles are at the ready and the laptop is fully charged because around here if there's a stiff breeze, the electricity goes out!
As for my day?.......well it was a day of running errands and trying to organise ourselves for Christmas, and, as a special treat, or rather using the excuse of a Christmas 'works' party, I had a little lunch outing at a local hostelry, a place that people have raved to me about saying the quality of the food outweighs the costly prices.
Storm Desmond has struck land on the west coast of Ireland and is slowly trailing it's destruction across county Donegal and we are in it's direct path! so the fire is lit, the candles are at the ready and the laptop is fully charged because around here if there's a stiff breeze, the electricity goes out!
As for my day?.......well it was a day of running errands and trying to organise ourselves for Christmas, and, as a special treat, or rather using the excuse of a Christmas 'works' party, I had a little lunch outing at a local hostelry, a place that people have raved to me about saying the quality of the food outweighs the costly prices.
Sunday, 29 November 2015
Turkey..................Not just for Christmas.
Here in Ireland turkey and Christmas go hand in hand with over 80 % of us enjoying the big bird for the main meal!
In the lead up to Christmas, the supermarket shelves and butchers will have their prize birds on display and it seems, the bigger the bird the better! Do you really need a 15 lb turkey?
But turkey is appearing more regularly and in most grocery outlets and butchers you can buy either whole breasts, the legs of the turkey on their own, turkey breast escalopes and even minced turkey with n'er a Christmas bauble in sight!
Turkey is an excellent source of lean protein and it's mild flavour seems to be liked by pretty much everybody. If anyone hesitates over turkey it's usually because in their experience it is a dry meat, and each Christmas season brings a new battle to keep that turkey moist! But as Christmas is just over three weeks away we'll worry about that problem later!
With turkey products so readily available I have begun adapting some of my beef and pork recipes and substituting the meat for turkey. You do have to be careful though about what you choose to do with it as we want to avoid the dreaded 'dryness'!.....long, slow cooking does not a moist turkey dish make!
This recipe is along the lines of that family favourite, meatloaf.
It is full of flavour and moist! and with those seasonal bacon and sage flavours, Christmas has come early.
In the lead up to Christmas, the supermarket shelves and butchers will have their prize birds on display and it seems, the bigger the bird the better! Do you really need a 15 lb turkey?
But turkey is appearing more regularly and in most grocery outlets and butchers you can buy either whole breasts, the legs of the turkey on their own, turkey breast escalopes and even minced turkey with n'er a Christmas bauble in sight!
Turkey is an excellent source of lean protein and it's mild flavour seems to be liked by pretty much everybody. If anyone hesitates over turkey it's usually because in their experience it is a dry meat, and each Christmas season brings a new battle to keep that turkey moist! But as Christmas is just over three weeks away we'll worry about that problem later!
With turkey products so readily available I have begun adapting some of my beef and pork recipes and substituting the meat for turkey. You do have to be careful though about what you choose to do with it as we want to avoid the dreaded 'dryness'!.....long, slow cooking does not a moist turkey dish make!
This recipe is along the lines of that family favourite, meatloaf.
It is full of flavour and moist! and with those seasonal bacon and sage flavours, Christmas has come early.
Christmas Turkey Meatloaf
you will need: to feed 6 people
500 g minced turkey
100 g white breadcrumbs - fresh, not dried
50 g oatmeal
50 g pistachios
2 medium white onions
2 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 2 teaspoons of dried sage
1 medium egg
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
sea salt & fresh black pepper
1 stalk of celery
1 medium sized carrot
250 g dry cured smoked streaky bacon
How to:
- Peel and finely chop 1 of the onions, if you have a small food processor then puréeing the onions is even better, to make it easier you can add the egg and worcester sauce to the onion then blend
- place the minced turkey in a good deep bowl, add the breadcrumbs, oatmeal, pistachios, sage, onion and egg, and season well with salt and freshly milled black pepper..... mix everything well together.....using your hands is good for this task....if you use a mixer it tends to turn the turkey to a paste which make the loaf very heavy and dense
- shape the turkey mix into an oval shape
- wrap the smoke bacon in layers around the loaf, you can use some wooden cocktail sticks to hold the bacon in place if you need to
- slice the other onion and cut the carrot and celery into thick slices, place these on a shallow roasting tin
- add some water to the tray then place the turkey loaf on the bed of vegetables
- bake in a medium oven about 150 degrees centigrade for approx 1 hour
When finished cooking the bacon will be delightfully crisp and the meat enclosed lovely and moist. You can use the vegetables and roasting juices as the base for a gravy to go with your meatloaf, try adding some cranberry sauce and a dash of port to the juices before thickening into a gravy.
If there are any leftovers, like any meatloaf you can chill it to have in a tasty sandwich later, just don't forget the cranberry!
Marvellous Muffins.............Having your cake and eating it
Baking has been enjoying a renaissance for the last few years. The shelves in my local book store groan under the weight of recipe books and the television is awash with programs dedicated to sweet delights.
Baking at home is a wonderful pastime and a great way to introduce kids to the world of the kitchen. One can enjoy baking too without having to eat it all and believe me baking for your friends or those whom you wish to influence, will notch you up brownie points no end!
Cake and pastry recipes can be very simple or exceedingly complex, and even if what you bake doesn't turn out exactly like the picture in the recipe book, it will usually still taste great........because you made it yourself!
Everybody and anybody seems to love a little bit of cake, including me! but no matter how delicious, it comes with the unfortunate distinction that it is bad for us! due of course to the high levels of fats and sugars associated in the making of it.
But a little of what you fancy does you good, now and then.........just remember that too much of a good thing does no one any good! So, how can you have your cake and eat it?
Baking at home is a wonderful pastime and a great way to introduce kids to the world of the kitchen. One can enjoy baking too without having to eat it all and believe me baking for your friends or those whom you wish to influence, will notch you up brownie points no end!
Cake and pastry recipes can be very simple or exceedingly complex, and even if what you bake doesn't turn out exactly like the picture in the recipe book, it will usually still taste great........because you made it yourself!
Everybody and anybody seems to love a little bit of cake, including me! but no matter how delicious, it comes with the unfortunate distinction that it is bad for us! due of course to the high levels of fats and sugars associated in the making of it.
But a little of what you fancy does you good, now and then.........just remember that too much of a good thing does no one any good! So, how can you have your cake and eat it?
Friday, 27 November 2015
Daube de Lamb or Winter Lamb Stew, Donegal Style
When discussing France and food, it generally brings to mind those foods we most identify with a
country blessed with an abundance of heat and light. The fresh fruits, the crisp salads and faux fillets with the obligatory 'pommes frites', the fresh seafood, the creamy cheese just ripe for the eating, the light as air croissants and crusty baguette, the delectable tarte au citron or chocolate mousse, the crepes hot off the griddle and creamy ice cream in crisp waffle cones, these are the foods of long hot summer days enjoyed on a 2 week annual holiday.......if you are lucky!
Having had the advantage and privilege of being more than a holiday maker in France, I was able to discover another food side to this wonderful country, one that appears when the last bronzed sun worshiper steps onto the plane.
There is a whole menu of cold weather food......cold weather as in the sun is still shining but the temperature is minus 5! or when the psychotic Mistral wind blows for days on end!
So when it's cold outside, just like in Ireland, the natives are drawn to those heart warming dishes of casseroles, thick soups and rich wine soaked stews, best eaten in front of roaring log fires with glass of red wine in hand!
One of my favourite French winter warmers is the famous 'Daube de Boeuf'. A rich Provençal stew with lots of vegetables and beef soaked in copious amounts of red wine, then slowly cooked for hours till it melts in the mouth. Accompanied by our old favourite the boiled potato, and washed down with a few more glasses of wine, you have central heating that will make you sleep like the dead and keep you warm through the coldest of nights!
Sunday, 22 November 2015
Bread & Butter Pudding 'Italian' Style!
At this time of year the wonderful Italian Panettone appears in the shops and people seem to be amazed at the high price commanded for what is basically a loaf of bread with fruit in it.
Panettone is a bread type product, but it is so much more than you imagine, it is rich, sweet and takes an incredible 20 hours or so to make, hence the extortionate price, but as you will agree when you've tried it, there's value in every bite!
Panettone, which is very much like Irish 'Barmbrack' is sweetened with dried fruit, but with a much higher ratio of butter, also it is put through 3 stages of rising which gives the panettone its distinctive fluffy texture. But unlike in Ireland, where we eat our brack with a good cup of tea, the Italians enjoy their panettone with a glass of sweet wine or a strong cup of coffee, preferably espresso.
Although panettone is as easy as making any other enriched type bread, it is time consuming with all the rising required, and with so many wonderful panettone products of a good standard on the market.......why bother!
Saturday, 21 November 2015
Last Christmas I ................ made my cake too late.
If you wish to have a Christmas cake that would make even 'Mary Poppins' proud......that is, a cake that is 'practically perfect in every way', then this weekend or early next week is really that final window of baking opportunity!
Those of us who got ourselves ahead of the game early....and well done to you if you are one of our gang!.....we are now at our last but one 'brandy-fying' hurdle.
This weekend we will be turning our cake and brushing the base with brandy, re-wrapping it and storing it upside down! for the next week.
If you have however been extremely busy, as so many of us are, don't panic! if you can get your cake made by the end of this week then you still have time to let it mature, although I would suggest 1 less dose of brandy!
So if you missed it here's my Countdown to Christmas 'Part I'
If you're not into Christmas cake of any kind then take heart, I will have some delicious festive alternatives for you over the next couple of weeks!
Those of us who got ourselves ahead of the game early....and well done to you if you are one of our gang!.....we are now at our last but one 'brandy-fying' hurdle.
This weekend we will be turning our cake and brushing the base with brandy, re-wrapping it and storing it upside down! for the next week.
If you have however been extremely busy, as so many of us are, don't panic! if you can get your cake made by the end of this week then you still have time to let it mature, although I would suggest 1 less dose of brandy!
So if you missed it here's my Countdown to Christmas 'Part I'
If you're not into Christmas cake of any kind then take heart, I will have some delicious festive alternatives for you over the next couple of weeks!
Friday, 20 November 2015
"Frikadellen"......... pardon my German!
Wandering around a supermarket recently, I spied an unusual item that I hadn't encountered before.
The item in question resembled an extremely overcooked little meat patty almost like a burger, but so great was my curiosity that I couldn't wait to get home and 'Google' it to find out exactly what they were, and as it turns out they were very interesting!
What I had discovered was 'Frikadellen'! What the 'f.... ' is a 'frickadellen'? well the natives of this little island will certainly not be familiar with these things unless they have been to Germany that is! or if they were adventurous enough to buy them!
According to that great oracle 'wikipedia', the 'frickadellen' is a small meat 'dumpling', but rather than having a the round shape of a dumpling it is more like a meat patty really. They are very popular in Germany and in many of those other 'eastern block' countries.
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
Meanwhile back at the Blog!
I have been somewhat quiet for the last few days brought on a by an excess of people and things requiring my attention! Needless to say I will be back shortly with a new recipe!
We were greeted recently by the devastating news of the sad occurrences in Paris, and as a country I consider to be my second home the reports were both shocking and heartbreaking.
I am not going to launch into a political tirade here about who or what is to blame, but it never ceases to amaze me the depths our fellow humans can sink to.
When there is so much beauty in the world and so much to be thankful for, why can there not be more love and tolerance among us?
A willingness to learn and the practice of acceptance of others, regardless of their religious or non religious or political views, is something we should all aspire to.
A wise, great chef once told me that the day I stop learning is the day I should stop being a chef........and thankfully even after thirty years I am still learning.
Almost every week I come across some new foodstuff, a new type of fresh produce, a new method of combining flavours, or a way of cooking something, as in all things in life we should be humble enough to say that we don't know it all, that we are not always right in our version beliefs, and no matter whose side we believe we are on, remember....... there are always two sides to every story.
So to my beloved France....les pensees et les coeurs en sont toujours avec vous
We were greeted recently by the devastating news of the sad occurrences in Paris, and as a country I consider to be my second home the reports were both shocking and heartbreaking.
I am not going to launch into a political tirade here about who or what is to blame, but it never ceases to amaze me the depths our fellow humans can sink to.
When there is so much beauty in the world and so much to be thankful for, why can there not be more love and tolerance among us?
A willingness to learn and the practice of acceptance of others, regardless of their religious or non religious or political views, is something we should all aspire to.
A wise, great chef once told me that the day I stop learning is the day I should stop being a chef........and thankfully even after thirty years I am still learning.
Almost every week I come across some new foodstuff, a new type of fresh produce, a new method of combining flavours, or a way of cooking something, as in all things in life we should be humble enough to say that we don't know it all, that we are not always right in our version beliefs, and no matter whose side we believe we are on, remember....... there are always two sides to every story.
So to my beloved France....les pensees et les coeurs en sont toujours avec vous
Thursday, 12 November 2015
Hot Pot - the King of 'One-Pot' dishes!
One-pot cooking..... how I love it! When you are busy with work and family the aim in the evening is to get dinner or supper, as some call it, on the table with the minimum of fuss and hassle so you can put your feet up and relax afterwards without facing a kitchen bomb-site, and one-pot cooking fulfils all those dreams.
The king of one pot dishes for taste and flavour is the 'Hot Pot'.
Traditionally from the Lancashire/Cumbrian region of the UK where the sheep is 'king of the pasture', the hot pot was an easy dish that could be assembled in the morning and left to slowly cook till evening over an open turf and wood fire.
Pieces of mutton would be layered with onions, carrots and turnips, the 'kitchen garden' vegetables of the region, and topped with layers of potatoes. No liquid would be added, instead the moisture would come from the slow cooking of the vegetables and a tightly sealed pot!
Hot pot was always on the menu in the local hostelries, and the posher inns would even add oysters to the pot!
Today the Lancashire Hot Pot has passed into legend due to that well known long running 'soap opera' and all thanks to Betty!
Sunday, 8 November 2015
Tasty Saturday Tea - Savoury Pork & Apple Puff
I love supporting local artisans and producers. Unlike an impersonal global entity, you can talk to these people face to face and find out exactly what is in their product or where it has been sourced from.
Buying local ensures you are in turn supporting small industry, encouraging the smaller farmer and helping people maintain their jobs.........a winner all round!
My closest butcher is one of those people and goes by the name 'Paul's Butchers', and they are based in the city of Derry with a couple of small outlets in the suburbs, you can find out more about them HERE!
Among their many fabulous hand made products are their award winning 'pork & leek' sausages which if I do say so myself are quite addictive! and I definitely need to practice restraint!
With a high meat content and fab flavour and available as thick or thin, they are great of course for breakfast but come into their own as a great dinner /supper mainstay.
But although I love sausages, a plain grilled sausage with mash potatoes, gravy and veg, or even with beans and mash, a local favourite! it gets a bit boring after a while so I always try and do something inventive that will enhance but not detract from their delicious flavour.
Saturday evenings after a busy week are not the time to be cooking a whole grandiose meal .... that's what Sunday lunch is for! so unless I have friends round for dinner I keep it simple, and light and this savoury pork & apple puff does the trick!
Buying local ensures you are in turn supporting small industry, encouraging the smaller farmer and helping people maintain their jobs.........a winner all round!
My closest butcher is one of those people and goes by the name 'Paul's Butchers', and they are based in the city of Derry with a couple of small outlets in the suburbs, you can find out more about them HERE!
Among their many fabulous hand made products are their award winning 'pork & leek' sausages which if I do say so myself are quite addictive! and I definitely need to practice restraint!
With a high meat content and fab flavour and available as thick or thin, they are great of course for breakfast but come into their own as a great dinner /supper mainstay.
But although I love sausages, a plain grilled sausage with mash potatoes, gravy and veg, or even with beans and mash, a local favourite! it gets a bit boring after a while so I always try and do something inventive that will enhance but not detract from their delicious flavour.
Saturday evenings after a busy week are not the time to be cooking a whole grandiose meal .... that's what Sunday lunch is for! so unless I have friends round for dinner I keep it simple, and light and this savoury pork & apple puff does the trick!
Friday, 6 November 2015
Countdown to Christmas Part II ......... Christmas Cake!
If you missed PART I of the Countdown to Christmas click HERE!
great grandma Anna |
It was the recipe my mother always used that was passed down from my grandmother and which probably came from her mother too.......all in that makes it roughly about 100 years old, times may change yet good recipes seldom do and now all members of the extended family who bake for Christmas use this recipe........it also makes a fine cake for a wedding!
The only change that has been made to the original recipe is the swapping of walnuts for pecans, personally I am not a walnut fan although I do love a good coffee and walnut cake which I will pick the walnuts out of......I like the flavour, just not the actual nut.......which seems strange as pecans are every similar in texture.
Pecans are a firm favourite in our family, that's the american coming out in us I suppose........ we do love a good pecan pie! that's another family recipe that will see the light of day on here too no doubt!
Pecans have come down in price significantly in the last few years, in line with their rise in popularity I'd suppose, and are available even in 'economy' supermarkets.
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
In defence of Parsnips!
A few nights ago, Monday night to be exact,
I must admit to being in moderate shock, but not really surprised, after watching Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's 'War on waste' on BBC 1.
The main subject of the programme was 'parsnips', an everyday run of the mill vegetable, but are you aware that there is a plot against the humble parsnip being perpetrated by the leading supermarkets? no?....well neither did I!
Hugh is leading the campaign within the UK against the unnecessary disposal of literally millions of tonnes of food needlessly dumped each year because the supermarkets claim that we don't want to buy them!
I must admit to being in moderate shock, but not really surprised, after watching Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's 'War on waste' on BBC 1.
The main subject of the programme was 'parsnips', an everyday run of the mill vegetable, but are you aware that there is a plot against the humble parsnip being perpetrated by the leading supermarkets? no?....well neither did I!
Hugh is leading the campaign within the UK against the unnecessary disposal of literally millions of tonnes of food needlessly dumped each year because the supermarkets claim that we don't want to buy them!
In Honour of Marguerite!
Today we are celebrating 100 years of the wonderful Marguerite Patten who sadly passed away only very recently, in June of this year.
An acclaimed food writer and broadcaster, she was the 'celebrity chef' of her era and a saviour to any housewife cooking in the 'modern age' of the 1950's, 60's and 70's.
Marguerite presented her first cookery program live on BBC television in 1947 having previously presented via radio during world war 2 when she worked for the ministry of food. Her radio broadcasts were advice to the war time housewife on how to make the best use of rations!
She also spent some time after the war demonstrating cooking appliances in the world famous London store, Harrods.
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
Countdown to Christmas!........Part I
Now that the season of the witch is at an end we are beginning to think seriously about planning our Christmas!
My good friends Georgina and Rhonda have 'Santa' sorted already for their troop of kids........how wonderfully organised they are, unlike myself.....I have yet to decide what I would like never mind what I intend to give others!......some hints please otherwise stockings may be bare!
But the time has come for making those Christmas cakes and puddings.........yes the next week or so is the time to do it........... good quality booze filled cakes and puddings need time to mature or else you'll be eating a semi-dry confection that tastes like it's just had a glass of brandy thrown over the top of it......and who wants that!
Sunday, 1 November 2015
Meat.......are you dying to afford it?
We are eating too much red meat and increasing our risk of colorectal cancers!
Last week I read this headline and for anyone who had absolutely no dietary or nutritional education, and many people don't, it was a pretty scary statement guaranteed to strike fear into the heart of any serious meat lover!
The national media frenzy that followed the release of this latest bit of health information from the World Health Organization did little to calm the panic!
Few bother to go beyond the sensationalist headlines and do some in depth research for themselves so may have decided to forgo not only red meat but meat altogether, when really the truth of the matter is far from this type of statement!
People do eat eat far too much meat......but more to the point they eat far too much of the processed kind! and when I say 'too much' I don't mean that they are sitting down and pigging out and over-indulging on it day after day....... they are eating it in normal amounts as part of their everyday diets.
But look at it like this, if you have a family or even just yourself to feed, and you only have a certain portion of your income set aside with which to do that, then when you head to the supermarket is it any wonder that you go straight to the product that will give you the best value for your money?
For example.......if you want to buy some ham for sandwiches to take to work or to send with the kids to school, you will buy the packet with the most amount of ham for the cheapest price....it's only common financial sense after all......and who can blame you......you are certainly not going to spend up to 3 times more for maybe only a couple slices of ham just because they are dry cured in a traditional manner, maple glazed and hand carved! And as long as you can buy a packet of 12 processed beef burgers for less than the price of a kilo of lean minced beef it doesn't take a rocket scientist or even a minimal amount of education to figure out what your decision will be!
Friday, 30 October 2015
All Treats, No Tricks.....Happy Halloween! - Ginger butter biscuits
Happy Halloween!
Halloween is one of those days in the year when you can go all out and treat yourself........ and the kids of course!
On Halloween night I always have a steady stream of children calling to the door on the hunt for treats and year after year I will see the same kids coming back looking for certain things.
Rather than trudging round the supermarket and 'pound' shops buying loads of additive filled junk sweets I will make my own Halloween treats.
On the menu will be things I can wrap in small pouches such as bite size toffee apples, assorted fudge, ginger butter cookies, iced spiderweb biscuits, and assorted shortbread ghosts, witches, cats and tombstones, my special 'fudge mallow delight' inspired by Mr Willy Wonka himself and the firm favorite with everyone...... chocolate coated 'krispy' squares.
Sunday, 25 October 2015
Appearing tonight........MEATLOAF!
Meatloaf Monday's!
Meatloaf is very popular around the world........probably as much as that well known singer!With 28 different countries having meatloaf in some shape or form in the top ten of family favourite meals, it comes as no surprise that Ireland is no exception! meatloaf is right up there with stew and bacon and cabbage.
In times gone by meatloaf was usually the preserve of the working poor or servant classes as it was a dish that could be bulked out with other ingredients to make the little bit of meat they could afford, stretch that bit further.
Using the cheapest cuts of meat, which had a high percentage of fat, it was popular to add stale bread, old crackers, oatmeal or other grains along with herbs or spices to make what can be a very tasty, wholesome and surprisingly healthy dish.
Tuesday, 20 October 2015
Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater! - Creamy pumpkin soup
October is Pumpkin time!
There was a time when you would have never seen a fresh pumpkin let alone canned, in this country.
Carved pumpkins or even pumpkin pie were mysterious things only seen on American television shows around Thanksgiving and in those scary horror movies that we would watch on Halloween night........Jason is alive!!!!
As a young child, American cultures and traditions had a big influence on our family as my mother, my uncles and my grandmother were all born and raised in the united states.
Even to this day I can still remember my grandmothers spaghetti and meat sauce, her peanut butter cookies, the roast turkey and her special gravy, unlike anything served up in this country, and the creamed corn and fresh cranberry sauce that always went with it, along with pickled vegetables which we still serve on our Christmas dinner table today!
These were the american tastes and flavours of my childhood, never to be forgotten and impossible to recreate......even if you follow her recipes! But for the last few years the American culture surrounding the pumpkin has become part of popular culture here for the season of Halloween, and you can now find huge palettes parked in the veg sections of supermarkets, deep boxes filled to the brim with pumpkins that will be gone well before Halloween night, but exactly what Irish people are doing with their pumpkins is hard to know.
The tradition of the carved pumpkin lantern has taken off and most houses will have a dismembered pumpkin spookily lit by a tea light sitting in a window or on their fireplace, it's eerie glow casting creepy shadows over the party, or sat on their doorstep where it can greet all the trick or treaters and scare next doors cat away with its horrible misshapen grin! but what happens to the best part of the pumpkin? more often than not it I'd say it ends up in the bin!
Ireland is not known for the eating of pumpkin pie or for the making of pumpkin soup or even just serving the tasty flesh as a roasted vegetable or putting it in a casserole, yes sadly we as a country largely ignore this healthy vegetable! although its seeds are tres chichi! and very good for you.
The pumpkin is a member of the squash family, the winter squash that is, and it is one of the most popular crops in the united states. It is certainly a versatile vegetable and can be boiled, baked, roasted, steamed, deep fried in a light tempura batter, served mashed or puréed and even put in a pie.
Surprisingly pumpkin is very popular in India where it is eaten cooked with butter, sugar and spices in a dish called Kadu Ka Halwa.
In China they actually eat the leaves too serving them up something like we do with cabbage.
But the most popular of all is the 'pumpkin pie', available all year round in any good diner, deli, state or county fair pie competition in the US.
Now I'll be the first to admit that making pumpkin pie is an awful lot of work as it involves getting all the flesh out of the pumpkin, cooking the flesh, then mashing it down and turning it into a purée and having to wait for it to cool before you can use it......far too much messing about, unless you want to go for the canned purée instead which can be a little tasteless! so I prefer to use my pumpkin to make a lovely winter soup or in an Autumn version of 'ratatouille'.
This soup is a lovely blend of the pumpkin with some other vegetables, a little kick from the spices and with a brilliant orange colour!
Some people suggest roasting the pumpkin first but I find it loses that vibrant orange if you do.
I prefer to use sweet potato rather than white potato to give the soup a certain smoothness......much healthier! and low GI too!
It is a big batch but it will keep in the fridge for a few days or you can of course freeze it in portions!
You will need:
olive oil or rapeseed oil
150 peeled sweet potato
1 medium onion
200 g peeled carrots
1/2 leek....white part only
2 stalks of celery
1/2 de-seeded red chilli (optional)
1 level teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 litres of chicken or vegetable stock or you can use water
100 mls crème fraiche or single cream
sea salt, fresh milled black pepper
How to:
- chop the onion, carrot, celery & leek quite small and set aside
- de-seed and finely chop the chilli
- cut your clean pumpkin and sweet potato into small chunks....the smaller the better so it will blend easily later on
- in a heavy bottomed, deep pot, heat a little oil and add the carrot, onion, leek and celery, fry lightly for a minute then cover with a lid and turn the heat down, let the veg cook for another minute
- add the chilli, nutmeg, pumpkin and sweet potato, stir around for another minute then cover again, cook for 5 minutes on medium heat
- while that is cooking you can heat your stock or water a little then add it to the pumpkin
- cook for approx 20-30 minutes at a medium simmer or until all the vegetables are soft, then.....
- turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly before blending with a hand blender or in a food processor.......try to avoid scalds at all costs!
- once blended and lovely and silky smooth you can add the cream or crème fraiche, whisk in well
- check for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste, add a little more nutmeg if you think you need it.......it's all about your own taste preferences at this point!
Serve with some lovely, fresh baked crusty bread,
I like to serve it with large garlicky croutons.
To make a more substantial meal out try adding some whole cooked chickpeas, some diced cooked chicken or what's really delicious is some chopped or shredded smoked ham!
Wednesday, 14 October 2015
I Feel Like Chicken Tonight! - Lemon herb chicken
The 'One pot' dish is the busy family's saviour! Picture this.....you have arrived home from a busy day at work, you've done the school runs or whatever and all you want to do is soak in the bath........the last thing you want now is to start preparing lots of different things to feed the family........sound familiar?.......but stop! don't reach for that frozen ready meal...... the 'one pot dish' is here to save the day!
There are many different things that can be cooked in the one pot (it's really more of a casserole pot I suppose) but chicken is the easiest, and probably the fastest as you can cook it without wasting time on browning the meat like you would do if you were cooking beef, pork or lamb......also the cooking time is much shorter........ enough time for that bath!
There's something about lemon and chicken, they are two flavours that go so well together and the slow cooking of this dish gives the carrots and garlic a delicious sweetness....a great combination with the tartness of the lemon.
I never bother to thicken the lovely broth you get when the dish is finished cooking, you can if you really want to but we're talking about saving time here, so why bother?
You can use an actual whole oven ready chicken for this dish which will of course take slightly longer to cook, or you can use chicken thighs on their own, or with their legs attached......either way, buying ready portioned chicken helps speed things up for you!
you will need: to feed 4 people
500 g chicken thighs (approx 1 big thigh with the leg per person)
3 large cloves of garlic...I like to use the ones that are the size of chestnuts!
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 medium white onion
1 glass dry white wine (optional)
400 g peeled carrots
2 pints cold water
sea salt / fresh black pepper
how to:
- cut carrots into nice thick sticks and place in the casserole pot
- peel the onion and slice into thick rings and place on top of the carrots
- trim any excess skin or fat from the chicken thighs and add them to the pot
- wash the lemon and grate the zest over the top of the chicken
- now slice the lemon into about 7 or 8 slices and add to the pot
- peel and cut the garlic into thick slices and add to the pot
- pour the wine over the chicken, add the cold water, season with salt and pepper and add the sprigs of rosemary, cover with a tight fitting lid
- turn on the oven to 160 degrees.......while the oven is heating go and fill the bath!
- when the bath is filled, place the pot in the oven, pour another glass of white wine and head for the tub
- let the chicken cook for 30 minutes while you unwind........
- after 30 minutes turn the oven up to 200, remove the lid from the pot so the chicken can brown while you dry your hair/set the table or whatever you need to do......the chicken may take about 15 minutes to brown
- remove the pot from the oven, pick out the rosemary sprigs and slices of lemon and dispose of, serve the chicken and vegetables along with some of the broth in deep bowls, enjoy with some floury boiled potatoes on the side if you can be bothered to cook any, or just have some lovely crusty chunks of bread to dip into the broth, I recommend a nice chewy sour-dough or ciabatta!
Tuesday, 13 October 2015
It's Chocolate Week!......Chunky Chocolate Brownies!
Chocolate Is Love!
Chocolate.....is there anything better? probably not!I have yet to meet anyone who does not like chocolate in some shape or form, and nowadays it comes in so many forms!
You can get chocolate bars in milk, dark, plain, white with all sorts of things added like nuts, fruit, Oreos, even jelly beans! chocolate eggs, chips, chunks, powder, spreads and creams are only some of the ways we can enjoy this heavenly luxury.
But there is good chocolate and there is not so good chocolate, and it all comes down to the percentage of cocoa mass in your bar! The higher the cocoa mass, the better the chocolate!
So when it comes to cooking with chocolate I recommend you choose a chocolate with a minimum of 65% cocoa solids.
you can find technical info on chocolate here! if you're interested, but if not, on with the recipe!
I adore a good chocolate brownie and these are so devilishly good I only make them once a year as a special Halloween treat, They are always the first thing to disappear from the Halloween party buffet!
You may like them with cinnamon or you may like them with ginger, but if you want to leave the spice out that's okay too, they are still delicious! Some people insist that a brownie must have walnuts or pistachios, I prefer my brownies nut free!
For my Chunky Chocolate Brownies you will need: this recipe makes approx 12
200 g dark chocolate minimum 65% cocoa
150 g unsalted butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
150 g light soft brown sugar
3 medium eggs
120 g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
30 g dark cocoa powder....not drinking chocolate! ....it's not the same thing.
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or ground ginger
200 g chocolate chips in milk, plain, white or dark
How to:
- pre-heat your oven to 160 degrees centigrade
- butter a deep baking tray or you can use a disposable foil tray which is good for parties!
- break the dark chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat proof bowl with the butter, vanilla
- place over a pan of hot but not boiling water to melt gently, stir as it melts so everything becomes nice and smooth
- take the chocolate mixture off the heat and transfer to a large bowl big enough to hold your brownie batter when everything else has been added
- leave to cool slightly while you do the rest of your preparation
- sieve the flour, baking powder, cocoa and spices and set aside
- whisk the eggs with the brown sugar using a mixer until the mixture begins to thicken and get light in colour
- whisk the egg and sugar mixture into the chocolate....if it looks like it is going to curdle add a few spoonfuls of flour but keep mixing
- when all the eggs have been added you can fold in any remaining flour and mix well to give you a thick batter
- add 100 g of the chocolate chips and stir into your mix
- pour the batter into your buttered dish or foil tray then scatter the rest of the chocolate chips on top
- place your tray on the middle shelf of the oven and bake until the top begins to crack but the centre is still moist
- leave to cool then cover and let them sit overnight to get nice and gooey
The bigger the chocolate chip you can get, the better, but if not then you could always chop up some chocolate from a bar into chunks yourself.
You don't have to eat brownies on their own, you could always have them for dessert! Warm them up a little and top them with some good vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream and a drizzle or drowning of caramel sauce..........divine!
Bagging a Bargain! - make the most of shopping
'Never pass a bargain', that's what I say!
If you are ever wandering around the supermarket or market and you spy a bargain, especially when it's something you know that you use regularly, never pass it by! If you have the ready cash, then what's stopping you.........snap it up!, even if there's just a day or two left on the 'sell by' or 'use by' dates!
People seem to have a fear when it comes to 'sell by' and 'use by' dates, and because they are not sure exactly what they mean, as a country we dump approx 700 euros worth of food per household each year!......crazy isn't it!....... so what are they really about? how can we use them to our advantage? and save ourselves MONEY!
'Sell By' ..... this is more for the convenience of the store for the ordering of their stock and to remind them of when an item should be removed from sale......it's not for the convenience of the customer......so don't worry too much about it.....in fact, ignore it!
'Use By' .....this is the important one for us the shopper!
If we buy something and the 'use by' date is a certain number of days away, then that item is good to use any time up to that date....if it remains unopened! that is the important point!
If you open a 'perishable' item, something like a tub of ready made coleslaw, then the 'use by' date on the packaging goes out the window!.......once you have opened or broken the seal on the packaging you are exposing the food inside to the air and therefore the possibility of bacteria growing or being introduced.......for example......I buy a packet of ham on the 9th of the month, the 'use by' date on the packet is the 25th of that month........this ham will keep perfectly well in the fridge up to the 25th as long as I don't open that packet! ....... If at any time I open that packet of ham before the 25th, then I have about 3-4 days in which to finish the ham or it will not be at it's best or could be going off and have to be dumped......and I hate wasting food!
Even if you haven't opened the packet by the 'use by' date, there is still a chance that the food will still be okay to eat if you open it a day or two after the date, this is very true for vacuum sealed products......you'll never know until you open it....so always open and have a check before feeding it to the bin....or the dog!
When it comes to things like coleslaw or milk they sometimes won't even last to the use by date...... many times I have had milk that was fine the night before the 'use by' date and the next morning it was sour!
When buying dry goods that you may want to store for long periods such as canned items or UHT milk, it does no harm to check the date, they may have been hanging around in a warehouse for a long time or even in smaller stores where stock may not move as quickly, your item could be closer to its 'use by' date than you realise......yes canned foods do last for years, but still, do check!
Now that we know about 'use by' dates and how we interpret them, we can go looking for bargains!
I love having a poke around those 'reduced' items shelves, fridges or baskets in the supermarket or local shops, as Forest Gump always said.....you never know what you're gonna get!! You may come across something you would use frequently or even something you've been dying to try but it may have been out of your budget.
When you do find something, ask yourself......when will I use it?.....how can I use it?.......can it be frozen or bottled?......or how can I cook it and then freeze it?......is it really cheaper?
That last one is the important question!
I had the experience in a supermarket where I found a fridge of whole roasting chickens reduced as there was only 1 day left before its 'use by' date was up......they seemed like a bargain until I rounded the corner and there was more chicken, chicken fillets to be precise... when comparing the price per kilo of each, the chicken fillets worked out cheaper per kilo than the whole chicken on 'offer' and I wasn't paying for bones!
So you do have to be careful......always go shopping with a calculator I say! Someday I hope to walk into the supermarket and see hordes of shoppers all standing with their calculators out whilst doing their shopping!
When should I shop?......Hitting the supermarket at certain times of day can help too!.....early in the morning is good........ when new stock is being put out you may be able to haggle for 'old' stuff, also just before closing time is good too......it's a great time to buy fresh flowers, in-store bakery goods, or fruit and veg that may otherwise end up in the skip!
Just before closing on Christmas Eve or just before a bank holiday or at the end of a bank holiday is good too......most big stores close at 5.30 or 6pm on Christmas eve, if you get there about 20 minutes before closing you can bag some wonderful bargains on fish, meat, fruits and vegetables....anything that is fresh really as they don't want it sitting around until the store opens maybe the day after boxing day.....you can really do well on luxury items such as fresh salmon, goose, turkey, duck, fresh cranberries, fancy desserts, ready made meals suitable for freezing etc. that might be beyond your budget the rest of the year......and FREEZE! FREEZE! FREEZE! I say!
Can I haggle in the supermarket?.......of course you can....if you don't ask, you don't get! and sometimes they would rather take any money than have to record wastage.
Small local stores, farmers markets and roadside sellers are the best places for haggling and you should always try to build up a friendly relationship with stall holders if you see them regularly.......praise of their products sweetens the path to talking them into giving you a bargain!
read more supermarket tips here! So happy bargain hunting..........and don't forget the freezer bags!
If you are ever wandering around the supermarket or market and you spy a bargain, especially when it's something you know that you use regularly, never pass it by! If you have the ready cash, then what's stopping you.........snap it up!, even if there's just a day or two left on the 'sell by' or 'use by' dates!
People seem to have a fear when it comes to 'sell by' and 'use by' dates, and because they are not sure exactly what they mean, as a country we dump approx 700 euros worth of food per household each year!......crazy isn't it!....... so what are they really about? how can we use them to our advantage? and save ourselves MONEY!
'Sell By' ..... this is more for the convenience of the store for the ordering of their stock and to remind them of when an item should be removed from sale......it's not for the convenience of the customer......so don't worry too much about it.....in fact, ignore it!
'Use By' .....this is the important one for us the shopper!
If we buy something and the 'use by' date is a certain number of days away, then that item is good to use any time up to that date....if it remains unopened! that is the important point!
If you open a 'perishable' item, something like a tub of ready made coleslaw, then the 'use by' date on the packaging goes out the window!.......once you have opened or broken the seal on the packaging you are exposing the food inside to the air and therefore the possibility of bacteria growing or being introduced.......for example......I buy a packet of ham on the 9th of the month, the 'use by' date on the packet is the 25th of that month........this ham will keep perfectly well in the fridge up to the 25th as long as I don't open that packet! ....... If at any time I open that packet of ham before the 25th, then I have about 3-4 days in which to finish the ham or it will not be at it's best or could be going off and have to be dumped......and I hate wasting food!
Even if you haven't opened the packet by the 'use by' date, there is still a chance that the food will still be okay to eat if you open it a day or two after the date, this is very true for vacuum sealed products......you'll never know until you open it....so always open and have a check before feeding it to the bin....or the dog!
When it comes to things like coleslaw or milk they sometimes won't even last to the use by date...... many times I have had milk that was fine the night before the 'use by' date and the next morning it was sour!
When buying dry goods that you may want to store for long periods such as canned items or UHT milk, it does no harm to check the date, they may have been hanging around in a warehouse for a long time or even in smaller stores where stock may not move as quickly, your item could be closer to its 'use by' date than you realise......yes canned foods do last for years, but still, do check!
Now that we know about 'use by' dates and how we interpret them, we can go looking for bargains!
I love having a poke around those 'reduced' items shelves, fridges or baskets in the supermarket or local shops, as Forest Gump always said.....you never know what you're gonna get!! You may come across something you would use frequently or even something you've been dying to try but it may have been out of your budget.
When you do find something, ask yourself......when will I use it?.....how can I use it?.......can it be frozen or bottled?......or how can I cook it and then freeze it?......is it really cheaper?
That last one is the important question!
I had the experience in a supermarket where I found a fridge of whole roasting chickens reduced as there was only 1 day left before its 'use by' date was up......they seemed like a bargain until I rounded the corner and there was more chicken, chicken fillets to be precise... when comparing the price per kilo of each, the chicken fillets worked out cheaper per kilo than the whole chicken on 'offer' and I wasn't paying for bones!
So you do have to be careful......always go shopping with a calculator I say! Someday I hope to walk into the supermarket and see hordes of shoppers all standing with their calculators out whilst doing their shopping!
When should I shop?......Hitting the supermarket at certain times of day can help too!.....early in the morning is good........ when new stock is being put out you may be able to haggle for 'old' stuff, also just before closing time is good too......it's a great time to buy fresh flowers, in-store bakery goods, or fruit and veg that may otherwise end up in the skip!
Just before closing on Christmas Eve or just before a bank holiday or at the end of a bank holiday is good too......most big stores close at 5.30 or 6pm on Christmas eve, if you get there about 20 minutes before closing you can bag some wonderful bargains on fish, meat, fruits and vegetables....anything that is fresh really as they don't want it sitting around until the store opens maybe the day after boxing day.....you can really do well on luxury items such as fresh salmon, goose, turkey, duck, fresh cranberries, fancy desserts, ready made meals suitable for freezing etc. that might be beyond your budget the rest of the year......and FREEZE! FREEZE! FREEZE! I say!
Can I haggle in the supermarket?.......of course you can....if you don't ask, you don't get! and sometimes they would rather take any money than have to record wastage.
Small local stores, farmers markets and roadside sellers are the best places for haggling and you should always try to build up a friendly relationship with stall holders if you see them regularly.......praise of their products sweetens the path to talking them into giving you a bargain!
read more supermarket tips here! So happy bargain hunting..........and don't forget the freezer bags!
Sunday, 11 October 2015
The Humble Crumble.......why so difficult?
After almost thirty years as a chef I still find it hard to come to terms with the fact that apple crumble is not considered to be one of the best desserts ever invented........Yes there may be the delicious chocolate fondants, the light as air meringues, the soufflés and mousses with a multitude of flavours and fillings, the cheesecakes, the steamed puddings, the crisp pastry tarts, yet all of them, in my opinion, fall short of the humble crumble.
oh the joy of eating a perfect crumble!.....each spoonful a layer of soft fruit, sweet bicuity crunchy goodness bathed in silky vanilla custard....... a communion of textures and flavours in each mouthful.
Dare I venture to say, that I suspect the reason this dish is treated like a second class citizen, is that my fellow chefs find what should be a simple dish, extremely hard to make.......There, I've said it!
Some may argue and shout indignantly in their denial, but the fact of the matter is, I have only ever had what I consider to be a properly cooked fruit crumble maybe two or three times in my eating and cooking career......cooked by other people that is!
I have had crumbles made with every fruit and topping imaginable, once I even had mango and pineapple with a passion fruit custard and muesli crumble topping, and believe me you don't want to go there!
Getting the fruit base right is the relatively easy part, the topping is another matter, and this seems to cause the greatest difficulty!
I have experienced crumble toppings that have tasted like sawdust....either too much oatmeal or the use of wholemeal flour was to blame, ones that were a buttery flour powder just scattered over the top where someone had forgotten to put in the sugar, ones that came out practically burnt on top and hid a gooey raw dough underneath, and even one delivered to the table uncooked which my brother, who is also a chef, had the displeasure of sending back!
I have had crumbles in small dishes, big dishes, little crock pots, huge show off bowls where a big spoonful has been slopped upside down into a pool of custard, and even glasses where the fruit was at the bottom and the crumble topping, which had been cooked separately, was dusted on top......what madness was this? I asked myself.
When I see a fruit crumble on the menu there is a momentary excitement which quickly changes to doubt.....should I be brave and order my favourite dessert? shall I risk a possible disappointment?
With the parting shot of a bad dessert, the meal you have just eaten regardless of how delicious, fades into dreadful insignificance......my fellow chefs should be aware of this!
A good crumble is a perfect blend of soft fruit, not overly sweetened, with a sweet,crunchy, chewy, biscuity top.
Whether you should cook the fruit or not depends on the type of fruit and its moisture content.
Red fruits such as blackberries or raspberries will leech out a lot of liquid during baking and could cause a soggy crust so there are steps you can take to prevent this...... By mixing a little cornflour with the fruit, any juice that seeps out will thicken and stop the crumble topping getting soggy.
Hard fruits such as apples and pears should be cooked lightly beforehand as you could find the crumble topping is cooked but the fruit beneath is still hard or that the apples or pears have a high
moisture content.
I always partially cook hard fruits before making my crumble.......this way I can see how much water there is in the fruit and how much they need to be sweetened if at all....it is very much hit and miss trying to sweeten raw fruit!
You can pre-cook the fruit by peeling and dicing it into bite size pieces, placing it in a saucepan with a little knob of butter, cover with a lid and cook over a low heat until the fruit begins to soften, if there is a lot of moisture you can then add some cornflour.
When it comes to getting the crumble topping right it all boils down to the correct ratio of dry ingredients to butter......one would never and should never use margarine to make a crumble topping!
For perfect crunch you should always go for the good old fashioned traditional recipe of flour, butter and sugar and leave it at that....yes you could add rolled oats or nuts or even wholemeal flour but you are playing with fire and risking a ruination of your crumble!
How you make the crumble top has a lot to do with it too!
merely rubbing butter into flour and sugar by hand will not guarantee that desirably crisp crunchy texture, it's really about how far that process of 'rubbing in' is taken...... it is somewhere between sandy texture and approaching the formation of a biscuit dough, and the only real way to achieve this is with that trusty kitchen tool.......the hands free mixer!
If there was ever a piece of kitchen equipment I would recommend anyone to invest in, it's the mixer. They come in all shapes and sizes, and budgets!
forget your juicers, your blenders, your smart espresso machines, the hands free mixer is your tool!
It is only with the muscle of electric power that a truly great crumble top can be made.
Once you have weighed your ingredients and put them in the bowl, you begin by mixing on a medium speed with the 'K' hook....yes it looks pretty much like a k!
When the butter has been 'rubbed in' and achieved a sandy texture we need to take it a stage further.
The trick is to keep rubbing it in until it begins to form small lumps, as if we are aiming at making a sweet pastry dough.
Once we have reached this point we have to switch tactics, we want to continue rubbing in but we don't want to form a dough, so we change to the 'whisk' attachment.
As we continue to 'whisk' on a medium speed small little balls almost like minuscule biscuits, begin to form, and when we scatter these over the top of our fruits they will hold their shape during baking, resulting in that all desirable perfectly crunchy, buttery biscuity topping.
Now the only decision........custard? or cream?
You can find my Autumnal Apple & Pear Crumble recipe HERE!
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