Quince Cheese

Ingredients

1.3kg/3lb quince - weight after
washed peeled & cored
1 vanilla pod split lengthways
2 strips lemon peel, no pith
3 tbsp lemon juice
granulated sugar - in equal weight
of the cooked quince mixture
 

Method

Roughly chop the quince pieces, place in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add the vanilla pod and lemon peel and bring to the boil.
Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until tender - about 30-40 minutes. Strain the water and discard the vanilla pod. Purée the quince along with the lemon peel in a food processor until smooth.
Now measure the quince mixture.
Whatever weight you have in mixture, you will need the equal quantity of sugar.
Return the quince mixture to the pan, heat to medium-low and add the sugar. Stir until completely dissolved and add the lemon juice. Cook over a low heat for around one to one and a half hours, stirring regularly.
The quince paste will become very thick and will take on a deep orange colour.
(If some of the mixture sticks to the bottom of the pan, don't stir this as you will end up with dark lumps.)
The quince cheese can now either be poured into moulds or jars and sealed with food-grade paraffin wax or if you would prefer a firmer block, line a deep sided baking tray with greaseproof paper, pour in the mixture and put it in a very low temperature oven (125°C) for about an hour to allow to slightly dry out.
Serve with a plate of your favourite cheeses.

Thai Beef Salad with Nam jim

Serves 4

Ingredients

for the nam jim :

1 bunch fresh coriander
thumb of ginger, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 medium chillies, sliced & deseeded
2 limes, zest & juice
2 tbsp nam pla - fish sauce
50g brown sugar
500g trimmed sirloin steak

for the salad :

2 spring onions, sliced
1/3 cucumber, sliced
handful of mint leaves
2 little gem lettuce
50g chopped unsalted peanuts
you will need a food blender or
pestle & mortar

Method

To make the nam jim, pick the leaves from the stalks of the coriander and reserve for the salad. Place the stalks in a blender along with the ginger, garlic, one of the chillies, lime zest and juice, fish sauce and the brown sugar.
Blitz until well combined but not too smooth.
Trim any fat from the beef and place in a shallow bowl with half of the nam jim, coating the beef well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat a dry griddle pan until smoking hot.
Take the steak from the marinade and cook on the hot pan, approximately two minutes on each side. Rest the steak for a few minutes then cut into thin slices. Put the salad ingredients in a large bowl, add the beef and toss together. Drizzle over the remaining nam jim, combine and finally add the chopped peanuts. Thai beef salad for four.

Padrón Peppers

Serves 2

Ingredients

200g bag Padrón peppers
olive oil
flaked sea salt

Method

Heat a dry frying pan to medium.
Meanwhile, lightly coat the peppers with oil.
Put them in the pan and cook until they blister - about two to three minutes, shaking the pan once or twice.
Transfer them to a bowl and scatter with the flaked sea salt...and remember as it says on the pack, 1 in 30 has a kick!

Blackberry Upside-down Cake

Serves 8

Ingredients

for the cake mix:
125g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of fine salt
100g ground almonds
125g unsalted butter
200g soft brown sugar
3 medium eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
125ml whole milk
for the fruit mix:
50g unsalted butter
50g soft brown sugar
400g blackberries

you will need 26cm flame proof & oven proof pan
or similar size cake tin

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
Sieve the flour into a bowl along with the baking powder and salt. Add the ground almonds and mix through. In a separate bowl cream together the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract.
Now add a little of the flour and mix in followed by half of the milk. Alternate until all the flour and milk is beaten in and combined.
For the fruit mixture, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring for about a minute. Remove from the heat and add the blackberries in one layer.
Cram them all together as they will shrink a little when cooking. Spoon the cake mixture over the berries and spread evenly.
Bake until golden brown. Around 40-50 minutes.
Leave to cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and carefully invert the cake onto a large plate.
Serve with your favourite cream.
If using a cake tin, line with greaseproof paper, add the cooked fruit mixture from the pan and follow the recipe above.

Lemon Soufflé Ice Cream

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

3 large eggs
220g caster sugar
grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
285ml double cream

you will need a container for freezing

Method

Separate the eggs and place the yolks, sugar, lemon zest and strained juice in a basin and whisk over a bain-marie until thick and mousse like. Remove from the heat and keep whisking until the bowl is cold. Half whip the cream and gently stir into the lemon mixture. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold in. Pour into your container and freeze.
Twenty minutes before serving, place into the fridge to soften slightly to make scooping easier.
 
thanks to Nicola Diggins, food stylist for this recipe

Two Summer Salsas

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

for a tomato salsa:

6 large tomatoes, deseeded and diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
a handful of basil leaves, chopped
a handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt & pepper

for an avocado salsa:

3 ripe avocados
1 red chilli, finely diced
1/2 red onion, finely diced
juice of 1 - 2 limes
a large handful of coriander, chopped
salt & pepper

Method

To make the tomato salsa, put the diced tomatoes in a bowl along with the red onion and garlic. Add the lime juice, olive oil and balsamic and finally the herbs. Stir through and season to taste.
Put the bowl to one side to allow the flavours to infuse.
To make the avocado salsa, spoon the avocados into a separate bowl. Add the chilli, diced red onion and lime juice. Mash the mixture with a fork leaving a little bit of texture. Spoon through the chopped coriander and season.
Two quick and easy salsa recipes for a Summer menu.

Hollandaise Sauce

Serves 4 - 6

Ingredients

4 large free-range egg yolks
250g cold un-salted butter, diced
1/4 lemon

Method

Put the yolks, butter and two tbsp of water in a heavy based pan and heat very gently, whisking all the time. As the butter melts, the sauce will begin to thicken. Don't be tempted to hurry things along by turning up the heat, the sides of the pan should be cool enough to touch at all times.
Once the butter has melted, turn up the heat to medium-low and whisk vigorously until it thickens: if it begins to steam, take it off the heat, but do not, under any circumstances, cease whisking.
When the sauce is thickened to your taste, stir in one tbsp of lemon juice and season. Taste and adjust if necessary...you may want a little more lemon juice. Serve immediately.
taken from Felicity Cloake: How to make perfect hollandaise sauce.

Sorrel Sauce for Salmon

Serves 2 generously

Ingredients

1 shallot, finely sliced
5 tbsp dry vermouth
5 tbsp white wine
150ml double cream
75g sorrel leaves, stalk and central vein removed and finely sliced

Method

Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Add the shallot, vermouth and white wine and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until the volume has reduced by half.
Pour in the double cream and continue to simmer for a further 2-3 minutes until the sauce has slightly thickened. Season, remove from the heat and stir in the sorrel.
Serve over grilled salmon steaks or fillets of lemon sole with new potatoes and green beans.

Biscuits for Easter

Makes about 18-20 biscuits

Ingredients

175g butter
225g caster sugar
2 egg yolks
375g self raising flour, sifted
2 tsp mixed spice
175g currants
30g mixed peel
You will need
an 8-10cm pastry cutter

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C.
In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon. Beat in the egg yolks then work in the flour, mixed spice, currants and mixed peel. Add a splash of milk if the mixture is too dry.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough to around 4mm thick and cut out approx 18 biscuits.
Place them on a lined baking sheet with plenty of space between them and bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.
Dust with caster sugar and leave to cool.

thanks to Nicola Diggins, food stylist for this recipe

Eggy Cinnamon Toast

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 large egg
3 tbsp milk
a dash of vanilla extract
5 slices fruit bread
knob of butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil
3 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Beat together the egg, milk and vanilla extract and tip into a large shallow dish.
Heat the butter and oil in a non-stick frying pan. Dip a slice of bread in the egg mixture and coat both sides well.  Immediately place it in the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side to a golden brown. Repeat this process with all five slices. Mix together the caster sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over the toasts and serve warm.

Roast Tomato & Red Pepper Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

1kg selection of ripe tomatoes, quarter the
larger ones & leave cherry tomatoes whole
3 red peppers, seeded & quartered
2 medium red onions, peeled & quartered
4 garlic cloves, whole with skins on
1 red chilli, diced - optional
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sundried tomato purée
500ml vegetable stock
salt & pepper

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Add the tomatoes to a baking tray along with the peppers, onions, garlic and chilli. Spoon over the balsamic vinegar and olive oil and coat the vegetables. Drizzle with the tomato purée and roast in the oven for 30 minutes. In a separate pan, bring the stock to the boil. When the vegetables are ready, take out the garlic cloves and squeeze them into the stock discarding the skins. Add the rest of the vegetables in batches and purée with a hand blender keeping a little bit of chunky texture. Season if needed - you could add a few drops of tabasco for extra heat.
Serve with toasted bread...and maybe add some pan fried slices of chorizo.

Rum Baba

Makes 8-10 cakes

Ingredients

for the dough:

225g strong plain flour
pinch of salt
1 tsp sugar
5g fast acting yeast
100g melted butter at room temp
3 medium eggs
60ml milk
extra butter for greasing

for the syrup:

500ml water
250g sugar
zest of 1 orange & 1 lemon
1 vanilla pod, cut down its length
200ml dark rum
thick double cream to serve

you will need 8-10 rum baba moulds

Method

To prepare the dough, sieve together the flour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the dried yeast and make a well in the centre. In a separate bowl whisk together the butter, eggs and milk and gradually add to the flour, mixing with a wooden spoon.
Beat the mixture until completely smooth, elastic and free of any lumps - about 6 - 8 minutes of vigorous exercise.
Butter the moulds and spoon in enough dough to half fill them - it may be easier to fill them with a piping bag. Cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to prove until the dough reaches the top of the moulds - about an hour in a warm place.
Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 180°C and make the syrup.
In a heavy based saucepan combine the water, sugar, zest, vanilla pod and rum. Heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil then simmer until it has thickened to a syrup - about 15 - 20 minutes.
When the mixture has risen bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the moulds, leave them to cool a little but while still warm, immerse in the hot syrup - for no more than 15 seconds each -  to soak up the rum liquid.  
Cool completely and chill the syrup.
When ready to serve, plate each Rum Baba, spoon over a little syrup and serve with extra thick double cream...and if you feel like it, pour over an extra cap of your favourite vintage rum.
 

Beef and Chorizo Sauce for Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
200g chorizo sausage, sliced & halved
1 red pepper, cut into strips
500g beef mince
2 cloves garlic, crushed
250ml beef stock
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
handful of thyme leaves
salt & pepper

500g rigatoni pasta and
grated parmesan to serve

Method

Heat the oil in a large deep sided pan over a high heat. Add the chorizo and red pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the beef mince and garlic to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until cooked through.
Return the chorizo and red peppers to the pan and add the stock, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and thyme. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Taste to season and serve over the cooked rigatoni with grated parmesan.

Not Strictly Pan Haggerty

Serves 6

Ingredients

900g maincrop potatoes
50g unsalted butter plus more for brushing
2 medium onions, diced
salt & pepper
150g gruyère, emmental
or mature cheddar, grated
you will need a 25cm oven proof pan

Method

Pan Haggerty is a traditional dish from the north east made with sliced potatoes, onions and cheddar cheese and can also include bacon or corned beef in a more hearty version. Here the potatoes are mashed with emmental or gruyère so...not strictly Pan Haggerty but hopefully just as good.
Heat the oven to 200°C. Boil and mash the potatoes, leaving them a little bit lumpy to crisp up in places.
Melt half the butter in the pan and sweat the onions over a gentle heat until just coloured. Combine them with the potatoes.
Heat the rest of the butter in the pan, add half the mash and season. Sprinkle over the grated cheese and then add the remaining potato mixture. Season again and press it all down lightly.
Cook gently on the hob for 10 minutes.
Brush the surface of the mash with a little extra butter. Transfer to the oven for around 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through and the top is golden brown.

Burnt Aubergine with Garlic, Lemon & Pomegranate

Ingredients

4 large aubergines - 1.5kg before cooking
2 garlic cloves, crushed
grated zest of 1 lemon & 2 tbsp lemon juice
5 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tbsp mint, chopped
seeds of 1/2 large pomegranate - approx 80g
salt & black pepper

Method

Line the base of a gas hob with foil, keeping only the burners exposed. Place the aubergines directly on the four separate moderate flames and roast for 15-18 minutes, turning occasionally until the skin is burnt and flaky and the flesh is soft. It would be wise to pierce the skin in places to allow the steam to escape...and avoid an aubergine explosion.
Allow to cool enough to handle then cut an opening along each aubergine and scoop out the soft flesh. Discard the skin and drain the flesh in a colander for at least an hour to get rid of as much water as possible.
Place the aubergines in a bowl and add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, 1/2 a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Stir and allow the aubergine to marinade at room temperature for at least an hour.
When ready to serve, mix in most of the herbs and taste for seasoning. Pile high on a serving plate, scatter on the pomegranate seeds and garnish with the remaining herbs.

taken from JERUSALEM  ottolenghi / tamimi

Gooseberry & Mint Lemonade

Ingredients

250g caster or granulated sugar
3 large lemons
350g gooseberries topped, tailed & halved
mint leaves from 3 sprigs
ice & sparkling water to serve
plus extra lemons & mint leaves

Method

Gently melt the sugar in a large pan with 250ml of water. Meanwhile, using a vegetable peeler, pare away a few long strips of lemon zest. Squeeze the juice to give about 100ml.
Add the zest, juice, gooseberries and mint leaves to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 5 - 10 minutes until the gooseberries are very soft then mash with a potato masher and leave to cool.
Strain through a sieve, pressing the flesh well to extract the juices then chill thoroughly.
To serve, dilute four tablespoons of lemonade base with 100ml of sparkling water adding ice and extra lemon and mint.

recipe taken from GoodFood June 2014

Strawberry Jam

Makes approx 2-3 jars

Ingredients

1 vanilla pod
1kg ripe strawberries, washed and tops removed
500g high pectin sugar

Method

Before you start, sterilize the jars.
Either, immerse the jars and lids in a large pan of boiling water and gently simmer for 10 minutes or place them on a baking tray in the oven and heat at 100°C for the same time.
Halve the vanilla pods lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Put the seeds in a saucepan with the strawberries and the sugar. Slice up some of the larger strawberries but keep all of the small ones whole for texture. Place the pan on a medium heat, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Skim off any foam, and leave to cool for a while. After about 15 minutes, divide the jam between the sterilized jars. Leave to cool completely and seal. Now for the scones...
 
taken from Jamie Oliver

Harissa Potatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
750g new potatoes, halved
5 garlic cloves, sliced
1 tbsp harissa
1 tsp ground cumin
chicken stock or vegetable stock
juice of 1 lemon
large handful coriander leaves, chopped
you will need a lidded saucepan.

Method

Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onions for 2 minutes on a moderate heat. Add the potatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes stirring regularly. Spoon in the garlic, harissa and cumin and mix well. Now pour in enough stock to cover about 2/3 of the potatoes. Simmer gently for 20 minutes with the lid on. Uncover and continue simmering until the potatoes are cooked through and the stock has thickened - about another 20 minutes.
Stir through the lemon juice and coriander and serve.

Seville Orange Cake with a Citrus Syrup

Serves 12

Ingredients

150g breadcrumbs
200g ground almonds
400g caster sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 lemon
4 Seville oranges
8 eggs
400ml sunflower oil
6 bruised cardamom pods

you will need a 22cm springform
cake tin

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.
In a mixing bowl combine the breadcrumbs, ground almonds, 300g of the caster sugar and the baking powder. Grate the zest of the lemon and two of the oranges and add to the dry ingredients.
Break in the eggs and gradually add the
sunflower oil, mixing well with a wooden spoon.
Line the cake tin with baking parchment and grease thoroughly. Pour in the cake mixture and bake for around 50 minutes.
Test the cake at this stage with a skewer and give it a little longer if not quite ready.
Meanwhile, make the syrup.
Squeeze the juice from the lemon and the four oranges. Put the juice, the rest of the sugar and cardamom pods in a pan. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes.
When the cake is ready, pierce it randomly with a knife and spoon in the syrup allowing it to soak through and absorb into the cake.
Serve with Crème fraîche.

Plum & Marzipan Tart Tatin

Serves 6

Ingredients

25g butter
25g golden caster sugar
800g firm plums, halved & stoned
100g golden marzipan
40g ground almonds
500g puff pastry

you will need a 28cm oven proof pan 

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
Melt the butter in the pan over a medium heat on the hob. Spoon in the sugar and one tablespoon of water and cook for a few minutes, stirring until the mixture is lightly browned. Remove from the heat and put in the plums, cut side up.
Cut the marzipan into as many pieces as you have plum halves and put a chunk in the hole of each plum. Sprinkle a small pile of ground almonds over each plum half.
Roll out the pastry and trim to 3cm larger than the pan all round. Lift the pastry onto the pan and tuck it down between the plums and the inside of the pan. Chill the tart in the fridge ready for baking - this can be done upto 24hrs ahead.
Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the pastry has risen and is crisp & golden. Cool for 10 minutes then place a large flat plate with a rim over the pan. Now, invert the tart onto the plate being very careful not to spill any liquid...or burn your hands.
Serve warm with cream.
 

taken from Mary Cadogan BBC Good Food