The very short asparagus season is in full swing at the moment. This delicious vegetable (or is it a herb?) has a very short season of between 6 and 8 weeks. It is normally available in the UK from the beginning of May, but this year the season was a couple of weeks early due to the warm and dry weather we had in March/April.

Asparagus is best cooked fresh, and the quicker the cooking the better – my preferred method is to coat it in a little olive oil and sea salt, then put it on a hot BBQ grill for a couple of minutes on each side – you want it to be still firm in texture.

If asparagus is left for any time after being picked, the sugars in the stem turn to starch from the cut end. This results in ‘stringy’ asparagus, so before you cook the asparagus it is best to snap the cut end off – it will only snap where there is still sugar in the stem. Don’t throw away the ‘rubbery’ ends that snapped off, save them up to make a delicious soup:

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

• a couple of handfulls of asparagus, plus any asparagus ‘ends’ that you have saved
• a leek
• olive oil
• 1-2 litres of vegetable stock
• 1-2 tbsp thick double cream

Method

1. heat a saucepan with a little olive oil in the bottom
2. finely chop the leek and add to the pan
3. chop all the asparagus in to 1″ (2-3cm) long pieces and add to the pan, and retain the ‘heads’ for adding at the end
4. saute the leek/asparagus for 5-7 minutes
5. add the vegetable stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes
6. liquidise the mixture and return to the pan
7. add the double cream and asparagus heads retained earlier
8. simmer for a couple of minutes and serve with crusty bread
9. The soup may be chilled or frozen for eating later

Asparagus on the BBQ

Simmer the leeks and asparagus

Liquidise and return to the pan

Cream of Asparagus Soup done

This year I am hoping for a good, fizzy variety…

Ingredients

• 24 – 40 Elderflower heads, in full bloom
• 700g Sugar
• 4l Hot Water
• 4 whole Lemons, juice and zest
• 2 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
• 1 pinch dried yeast (you may not need this)

Method

1. Put the hot water and sugar into a large container (a spotlessly clean bucket is good) and stir until the sugar dissolves, then top up with cold water so you have 6 litres of liquid in total.
2. Add the lemon juice and zest, the vinegar and the flower heads and stir gently.
3. Cover with clean muslin and leave to ferment in a cool, airy place for a couple of days. Take a look at the brew at this point, and if it’s not becoming a little foamy and obviously beginning to ferment, add a pinch of yeast.
4. Leave the mixture to ferment, again covered with muslin, for a further four days. Strain the liquid through a sieve lined with muslin and decant into sterilised strong glass bottles with champagne stoppers (available from home-brewing suppliers) or Grolsch-style stoppers, or sterilised screw-top plastic bottles (a good deal of pressure can build up inside as the fermenting brew produces carbon dioxide, so strong bottles and seals are essential).
5. Seal and leave to ferment in the bottles for a further eight days before serving, chilled. The champagne should keep in the bottles for several months. Store in a cool, dry place.

Elderflower champagne fermenting

The elderflower season is pretty short, and elderflower cordial is an easy recipe to allow you to savour the great elderflower aroma later in the year. If you are planning to keep this cordial for any length of time you will (a) need a lot of willpower, and (b) ensure that you add the Tartaric Acid.

Ingredients

• 20-30 Freshly picked Heads of Elderflower
• 3-5 Lemons, juiced
• Zest of 1 Orange
• Up to 1.5kg Granulated Sugar
• Tartaric Acid (optional, but required if you want the cordial to keep for more than a few weeks)
• Zest of 2 Lemons

Method

1. Inspect the heads carefully and remove any insects (don’t wash them).
2. Place flower heads and all zest in a large bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover them completely (about 1.5 – 2 litres). Cover and leave overnight to infuse.
3. Strain through a piece of muslin, measure the liquid, and pour into a saucepan.
4. For every 500ml of liquid add 350g sugar, 50ml lemon juice and a heaped teaspoon of tartaric acid if you are using it
5. Heat gently to dissolve sugar then simmer for a couple of minutes and skim off any scum.
6. Let the cordial cool, then strain once again through muslin, cotton or a jelly bag.
7. Pour cordial into sterilised bottles.
8. The cordial will keep for several weeks (or longer if you’ve included tartaric acid). Pour into plastic bottles and freeze if you really want to make it last.
9. To serve, dilute to taste with ice-cold water – at least 5:1 water to cordial.

Everything seems to be early this year, and the Elder bushes coming in to bloom are no exception! Elderflowers have a glorious aromatic quality and make great cordials, sorbets and champagne (more of that in a later post…)

I picked up a large bag of lemons at Bicester street market yesterday in preparation for making one of my favourite sorbets – elderflower (although you could leave the elderflowers out and call it lemon sorbet if you wished!)

This is easiest to make if you own an ice cream maker – luckily I have a Gaggia Gelatiera which does all the hard work for me. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, simply follow the extra instructions I have put at the end.

Ingredients

• 8-10 Elderflower sprays* (remove as much of the green as possible with some scissors and make sure that there are no insects clinging on, but DON’T wash the flowers as you will loose the fragrance)
• 225g Caster Sugar
• 600ml Water
• 3 or 4 Lemons, Zest and Juice

*Elderflowers should be picked on a sunny day, when the flowers are in full bloom. Try to avoid flowers that are ‘over’ or not quite in full bloom.

Method

1. Dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to the boil. Boil hard for seven minutes to get a light syrup.
2. Remove from the heat and add the elderflowers and the juice/zest of the lemons.
3. Cover the saucepan with a lid and leave the flowers to infuse until the syrup is cool, then strain.
4. Pour the remaining liquid into your ice cream machine and leave until you have a sorbet.

Alternative method if you don’t have an ice cream machine

• Follow steps 1 to 3 as above.
• Pour liquid in to a freezeable container and freeze until slushy.
• Whisk thoroughly to disperse any ice crystals.
• Part freeze again.
• Whisk again.
• Freeze until firm.

Elderflower sorbet in the Gelatiera

Now that English strawberries are starting to appear in the supermarkets and grocers, it is time to make my favourite Muffins! Along with all muffin recipes, there are a couple of tricks to make them foolproof ~ It is important to measure the baking powder accurately, and even more importantly: once you mix the dry and wet ingredients together, the quicker you are at getting them muffins in the oven, the better they will turn out!

Ingredients

• 320 g Plain Flour
• 185 g Caster Sugar
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 2 Free Range Eggs
• 60 g Butter, melted and cooled
• 250 ml milk
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract/Essence
• 170 g White Chocolate Chips (I like to use those made by Hotel Chocolat)
• 120 g Chopped Fresh Strawberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Fit paper liners into a Muffin Tray (to make 12 standard muffins.)
2. Sift the flour, sugar and baking powder into a large bowl and mix well.
3. In another bowl beat the eggs, butter, milk and vanilla until blended.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the flour/sugar/baking powder mix, and combine quickly (it doesn’t matter if it is lumpy or has dry bits…)
5. Gently fold in the chocolate and strawberries.
6. Fill the prepared muffin cases about three-quarters full, and place in the oven.
7. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the muffins are coloured on the top. Resist the temptation to open the oven for the first 15 minutes.
8. When cooked, transfer to a wire rack for cooling.

This is the first post from a guest author: Jason Ayres.

I have known Jason since I moved to Bicester, he has a local Karaoke & Disco Business and loves his food nearly as much as I do!

Earlier this year he asked me a question: “I like cold roast beef – such as you would buy sliced off a deli. However, no matter what I do I cannot achieve this effect with my left over roast. Whether I slice it after cooking, or keep as a joint, wrap up and slice the next day (as I would a ham), the effect is always the same. My gorgeous Sunday joint becomes dry and chewy, any sinewy bits not in evidence at Sunday lumch suddenly appear too. It’s absolutely useless for sandwiches. It’s impossible to slice to the thinness I require which may be part of the problem.”

My response was that I thought Deli Beef was cooked in a Sous Vide which would give the required properties but would be useless as a roast…

As a result of my response Jason came up with this wonderful method (which I have yet to try, but he seems to produce on a regular basis judging by his FaceBook statuses…)

Deli style beef for Sandwiches

Over the years I have tended to cook my own joints of various meats and slice them as it is far healthier and cheaper than buying supermarket pre-packaged sliced meats. Buying loose from a deli is also very expensive.

Whilst having no problems with hams etc, the one meat that gave me headaches was beef. Although it is possible to cook a lovely moist Sunday roast, once you slice this up and put it in the fridge it goes dry and hard – completely unsuitable for sandwiches, and completely unlike what you would expect from a deli or pre-packaged.

Loathe to spend £2.49 on a flimsy 100g packet with 3 thin slices in, I began experimenting with other ways to cook the beef to create the desired effect. The following recipe is the result. I hope you enjoy.

The only specialist equipment you need for this is a slow cooker., which has a minimum (keep warm) setting.

Firstly, you need to choose a joint of meat. The first thing to note here is there is absolutely no point in purchasing expensive premium cuts from the butcher or supermarket “Finest” lines. The method I outline tenderises the meat so well you can use any cheap cut including brisket. Myself I prefer topside, so in this instance I have used a cheap Tesco Value joint (costing £3.77). See picture. You also want to try and get a joint with added basting fat if possible, as this will gently soak into the joint keeping it moist.

You also need to buy some bacofoil oven bags. As the joint is wrapped in one of these to keep in the juices.

Season the joint, place in the bag, with the air holes uppermost and place in the slow cooker. Don’t turn on yet.

The next thing to do is fill the kettle and boil it – then pour this into the slow cooker. You need to immerse the joint as far as possible – at least 90%. You might need to boil the kettle twice. Once in, put the lid on, and turn the cooker to its keep warm setting.

Over the next hour or two the water will gradually cool down, settling down to a point where it is still hot but you can dip a finger in without scalding it. The beef will cook gently in the bag, with the fat melting, but at a temperature where the juices won’t flow out of the joint.

How long you cook it is up to you. For a small joint such as the one pictured, 6 hours is enough to create a medium to well done finish. If you prefer it rarer, then 4 hours should suffice. I have cooked a larger joint for 10 hours and it has come out fairly well done but with still a hint of pink in the middle.

After you take it out leave the joint to cool for a while, then put it away, still wrapped in a container in the fridge until the next day. Then you can take it out. Unlike roasted joint, any fat around the outside should still be white as opposed to clear, thanks to the low temperatures of cooking. You can then slice it – I have my own slicer, which cuts lovely smooth thin slices but you can cut just as well with a knife.

You then have your finished product. You can keep this in the fridge for 3 to 4 days,  and it will stay as moist and as tender as when it was sliced.

Deli beef ingredients

In the slow cooker

Slicing

Ingredients

for the cake:

• 110 g Butter
• 110 g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
• 3 free range Eggs, beaten
• 150 g Plain Flour
• pinch of Salt
• 1/2 tsp Ground Mixed Spice
• 350 g Mixed Raisins, Currants and Sultanas
• 55 g Mixed Peel
• 1/2 Lemon, grated zest only
• 1-2 tbsp Apricot Jam

for the Marzipan

• 125 g Caster Sugar
• 125 g Ground Almonds
• 1 free range Egg, beaten
• 1/2 tsp Almond Essence

Method

Marzipan

1. Place the sugar and ground almonds in a bowl.
2. Add enough beaten egg to achieve a fairly soft consistency.
3. Add the almond essence and knead until paste is smooth and pliable.
4. Roll out a third of the paste to make a circle 18cm (7″) diameter, reserve the rest for the top and to make the marzipan balls.

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 140°C/275°F.
2. Grease and line an 18cm (7″) round cake tin.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy
4. Gradually beat in the eggs until well mixed, and then sift in the flour, salt and mixed spice.
5. Add dried fruit, lemon zest and mixed peel, and mix well.
6. Put half the mixture into the cake tin, smooth the top and cover with the circle of marzipan.
7. Add the rest of the mixture and smooth the top, leaving a slight dip in the centre to allow for rising, so you end up with a level top. Bake for 1½ hours, then remove from oven to cool.

To decorate

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
2. Brush top of cake with the apricot jam.
3. Divide the remaining marzipan into two. Roll out a circle to cover the top of the cake and make eleven balls with the other half. Place the circle on top, then place the balls around the edge.
4. Put in the oven for approx. 10 minutes or long enough for the marzipan to brown.

Cream the butter and sugar

Butter and sugar creamed

Gradually beat in the eggs

Sift in flour, salt and mixed spice

Add dried fruit

Put half mixture in tin

Cover with marzipan

Add rest of mixture

If you are ever caught short for a dessert, this is a very quick and simple recipe that you can try. It only takes 3 or 4 minutes to make, and is great with ice cream or by itself.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp plain flour
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 medium egg
• 3 tbsp milk
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2-3 tbsp chocolate chips
• ½ tsp vanilla essence

Method

1. Add all the dry ingredients (except chocolate chips) to your coffee mug and mix with a teaspoon. n.b. your coffee mug must be microwaveable
2. Add the egg and mix
3. Add the milk, oil and vanilla essence and mix again. The mixture will be very runny, don’t worry about this
4. Add the chocolate chips (you don’t have to add these if you want a slightly less fattening cake)
5. Put the mug in the microwave and cook for 2½ minutes on full power (Category E/1000W, adjust time if your microwave is more/less powerful)
6. Eat straight from the mug with a long handled spoon

Hints

• If your first attempt is ‘rubbery’ then you have put it in the microwave for too long
• The coffee cup should be quite large as the cake will rise very quickly
• depending on the consistency of your mix the chocolate chips may sink to the bottom – don’t worry though…

If you have a little bit of time on your hands and fancy a great, creamy, fish dish then you can’t beat this fish pie recipe. It has smoked and unsmoked fish along with prawns and anything else that you would like to add. If you have some fresh parsley in the garden you can add that too! This recipe will easily serve four people with fresh minted garden peas.

Ingredients

• 5-600 g of white fish (haddock, cod, pollack etc.)
• 150-200 g of undyed smoked haddock
• 100-200 g cooked peeled prawns
• 750 ml semi-skimmed milk
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 bay leaf
• peppercorns
• fresh parsley
• 1 kg potatoes (floury are better, something like Desirée)
• 150 g salted butter
• 75 g plain flour
• salt and pepper to season

Method

1. Roughly chop the onion, carrot and celery. Put in a saucepan with the fish fillets, milk, bayleaf, peppercorns and a few stalks of parsley.
2. Put on a low heat and warm up slowly. As soon as the milk starts to bubble, turn off the heat and put a lid on the saucepan.
3. Peel the potatoes and boil in a saucepan with a tsp of salt until they are tender. Then drain them and masg in the pan with a little of the butter (c. 50 g)
4. Put a large sieve over a bowl and pour in the fish/milk/veg mixture.
5. Add a little of the ‘fishy’ milk to the mashed potato. Season if you think it needs it.
6. Remove the veg, parsley, bayleaf and peppercorns from the fish and discard. Carefully remove the skin and any bones you find from the fish and place it in a bowl (the larger the chunks of fish the better!)
7. Put the remaining butter in a clean saucepan and melt it slowly. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to make a ‘roux.’ Cook for a few minutes before adding the ‘fishy’ milk a bit at a time making sure to whisk continuously. You should end up with a creamy sauce which you can leave to simmer gently for a few minutes.
8. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the fish and prawns. Chop up the parsley if you have any and add this in. Season to taste.
9. Pour the fish mixture in to a greased pie dish and spread the mash over the top carefully.
10. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 200C for 20 – 30 minutes.

fish pie ingredients

poaching the fish

ready for the oven

Apologies for the lack of posts, but with the snow, holidays and work I haven’t had time to upload anything recently. I have a large back log of articles so hopefully I will manage to get one up every week from now on.

My Grandmother always made the best marmalade – I don’t think that I ever helped her make it, and the recipe I use is not her’s but at this time of year when the Seville Oranges are in season there is nothing better to do with them than make marmalade.

Ingredients

• 1.5kg Seville oranges
• 2 lemons
• 2.5l cold water
• 2kg granulated sugar (approx)

You will also need:

• a preserving pan
• muslin
• string
• sterilised jars with screw top lids

Method

1. Peel the oranges, leaving as much pith on the fruit as possible
2. Squeeze the fruit, retaining the juice and squeezed oranges
3. Scrape as much of the white pith off the peel as you can (I use a tea spoon to do this)
4. Chop the peel into c. 3mm strips
5. Place all the leftover fruit and pith in to pieces of muslin and tie up to form bags
6. Put the juice, peel and muslin bags into a preserving pan. Add the cold water to the pan. Heat the pan until everything is boiling, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours or until the peel is soft.
7. Remove the muslin bag(s) and squeeze any liquid back in to the pan. Measure the contents of the pan and add 450g sugar for every 500ml of liquid.
8. Gently heat for 15-20 minutes until the sugar is all dissolved. Increase the heat and boil rapidly until setting point is reached.
9. Test that the marmalade has reached setting point by letting some cool on a wooden spoon then try to pour it off the spoon. If the marmalade forms a ‘curtain’ setting point has been reached.
10. Skim any scum from the surface (you can dissolve it back in to the marmalade by adding a little butter but this results in a cloudy marmalade.) Leave the marmalade to cool for 10-15 minutes then pack into warm sterilised jars. Seal the jars whilst the marmalade is still warm.

Tips

• Don’t over boil the marmalade as it can be too solid once set
• When peeling the oranges try to keep the pieces as big as possible – it makes it easier to ‘de-pith’ and chop afterwards
• Your pan should be very large as when boiling rapidly the mixture can bubble up
• The above ingredients should make about 5 or 6 1lb jars depending on the amount of juice in the oranges, I often make a double batch but for that you need a very large pan!

Oranges and Lemons

Juice, pith and peel

Peel de-pithed

Ready for the pan

Simmering away

Squeezing out the muslin bags

Sugar

On the boil

Testing for set

Bottling

Completed Marmalade