Delicious Delicious Delicious

Coconut Fantasy Cake

2013-05-16T22:25:00.000+01:00

You'll forgive my somewhat ridiculous naming of this cake, I know. You just have to understand that I was quite literally blown away by how beautifully soft, light and yet rich it was. A true coconut fantasy, and quite possibly the best use for Malibu there is. Aside from this.

I always used to think that I hated coconut. But now I am a man obsessed. This is known by my friends, who use it to lure me into trying new things. Recently, for example, Clare told me about her new morning lover, 'the Summer porridge', Bircher muesli. I feigned a polite, yet vague, interest, knowing that porridge is good in any season, and carried on with my life.

But then I received the following text, late one night:

Just about to prepare my Bircher muesli for the morning. It will contain dessicated coconut.

Let's be clear about this. I paid attention. Leaving for work the next day, I didn't have a chance to follow her lead but I literally cannot wait to get home and try this Bircher stuff out. I'm going to experiment with coconut and raspberry first, but also want to try getting some pineapple or dried mango in there. Delicious.

Now, I'm going to bring it back to this cake.

It is a genoise. I won't be apologising for that but I will be saying that I feel like nobody makes these cakes except for me. Which I do understand when professionals tell you that they whip egg whites, crush garlic to a paste and do all those other laborious kitchen tasks by hand. Do me a favour and ignore them. Make this. Then tell me.

The thing with lots of coconut flavoured cakes is that they contain coconut in the batter. That's lovely, sometimes, but it does lead to rather a heavy cake. If you want the kind of crumb that holds together in feathery, cloud-like perfection, then you need a genoise. Pure and simple.

Want to do that by hand? Thought not.

The recipe for the cake is here. I made up a half batch and baked it in a 6' deep sided cake tin, slicing it when cool into two layers and soaking each one with 2 tbsps Malibu. It's not a strong liqueur and as very sweet, so there's no need to thin it down with sugar syrup.

The icing is special. Follow me.

Coconut Buttercream

You will need:

3 egg yolks
75g caster sugar
85g golden syrup
250g butter, cool, but squishable
3 tbsp Malibu
2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large heatproof bowl, put the egg yolks and beat them on high speed with an electric beater for about a minute, or until slightly thickened.
Put the sugar and syrup into a small saucepan and stir until all the sugar is moistened. Then place on a medium heat, stirring constantly until the edges of the mixture start to bubble. Stop stirring and remove the spoon or spatula you were using from the mixture.
Allow the syrup mixture to reach a full rolling boil. This means that you should see large bubbles over the entire surface, including the centre. It shouldn't take long.
Begin rebeating the yolks again, on medium speed, and immediately pour in half of the syrup. Avoid pouring it directly on the beaters, as it will splash against the side of the bowl. Beat for around 30 seconds then add the remaining syrup in the same way. This time beat the egg yolk mixture until the outside of the bowl is cool to the touch. That will take maybe 10 minutes or so.
Add the butter gradually, on medium speed. Once all the butter has been incorporated, add the Malibu and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Use to frost the cake and decorate with grated coconut, which I buy frozen from my Indian supermarket. You could use dessicated if you prefer, or grate a fresh coconut.

Competition!

2013-05-08T15:57:00.000+01:00

Guys! I'm such a slacker...

I completely and utterly forgot to let you all know that I have been asked to judge a dinner party competition that you can all enter to win cash. It must have been all the lovely Champagne I drank over the weekend for my sister's birthday... (She drank some too, it wasn't just me. Promise.)

The competition is being held by Taylor Wimpey, who admittedly, don't spring to mind when you think of dinner for friends. But reading through the competition details, I can totally see the idea -

'When you move into a new house, naturally you want to show it off to friends and neighbours as soon as possible (once the unpacking's out of the way, anyway). There's no better way to do this than to get everyone round for a dinner party, allowing you to flex your cookery skills and put that new kitchen through its paces - and officially declare your home a place where guests are welcome.

We're asking bloggers to submit a dream dinner party menu, including a starter, main, dessert and an accompanying wine - you can also include a welcome drink of your own invention.'

That is EXACTLY what I wanted to do after we moved into our current home. And we wasted no time in getting people round for full on, three course food marathons. So I can't wait to see what entries we receive.

You know who else is judging? Well, other than someone from TW (only fair that they get a say after all), my fellow judge is none other than Ruth Clemens, of The Pink Whisk.

Amazing. I love her blog. (She probably doesn't even know who I am.)

Full terms and conditions are here. I would say definitely try this one out. There are going to be 3 winners of £100 and 1 grand prize winner will bag £250. Definitely worth a flutter if you ask me!

I'll be back soon with more sugary goodness. Keep it sweet until then!

Crumble Bar Cookies

2013-04-19T13:21:00.000+01:00

Again, we thank Instagram (@peterdelicious) for his kindness.

Yesterday, I got bored and made a coconut genoise cake that was as light and fluffy as a little cirrus cloud, wispy, delicate, perfect. But we have made a silent promise to ourselves around these parts to stop jumping about all over the place and try to post in some sort of order. So you can wait for the Malibu soaked wonder and have bar cookies instead.

When I made the panna cotta I was scared it wouldn't be sweet enough, or to be honest that it wouldn't even set, and since I had planned it to be dessert at Brideshead Club, I knew I needed a fall back option. So I made these.

They're the kind of thing your mum would make with you when you were little. Not fancy, quite unassuming. But oh! So delicious. And the perfect use for that nectarine butter that I know you're all wondering what I've been doing with. (It's been porridge topping, as a general rule.)

You could use jam instead. Or, maybe, a little jam and a layer of fresh raspberries. Do you see what just happened there? I set you an assignment. Hop to it. Report back on Monday with both variations and I shall grade them accordingly.

Crumble Bar Cookies

You will need:

135g flour
100g sugar
70g rolled oats
115g butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
jam or fruit butter

Grease a 20cm square tin. Line it. Grease the lining. You'll want to give up at this point, I know, but persevere. Set the oven to 180°C.
Mix the flour, oats and baking powder together. Rub in the butter until you have a crumble mixture. Add the sugar.
Press 2/3 of this sandy mixture into the tin, forming a base. Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from oven; top with jam or fruit butter (as much or as little as you like) and the remaining crumble. Bake for another 15 minutes.
Cool in the tin. Slice. Eat.
Makes 8 large bars. I like large. You could do 12 or 16 if you prefer.

Panna Cotta

2013-04-11T12:05:00.001+01:00

OK, so here's a common theme in my life: repetitive conversation.

I work in the airline industry. One of the best things about my job is that I work with different crew everyday. I mean, think how great it would be for you, office worker, if you could trade that old sour puss in the cubicle over there for a different colleague every day? It is amazing.

But also, frustrating. You can sometimes find yourself talking about the same stuff everyday. Where you're from, where you live now, what languages you speak... And then you start talking about your personal life. Cats, boyfriends and exes.

But I don't have any of those. So people ask me about my husband. They request to see pictures. I usually say I don't have any (too lazy to find one!), but sometimes I relent, and my soul crumbles a little when I see on their faces that they think I'm the lucky one.

---

They ask how long we've been together and when I tell them (12 years and counting), gasp and ask me what the secret is. Bored with trying to answer that seriously (I rule my house with a grip of iron and he's too scared to leave), my answer is always the same:

"Well, I make a pretty good panna cotta..."

But it dawned on me the other day that I actually had never made a panna cotta, didn't even know how. So I know you'll be pleased to know that my sarcasm has become truth. I do in fact make a pretty good panna cotta.

It took some research. Google will show you that people are quite opinionated about panna cotta and what should or shouldn't go into it, how much gelatine the mixture needs and whether or not the creamy pudding should be served unmoulded or not.

It began to give me a headache, which persisted until I had the wisdom and foresight to think to myself, screw it, I am master of my own destiny. So. This is panna cotta my way. Follow if you wish.

(I stole the buttermilk idea. It was delish.)

Perfect Panna Cotta

You will need:

300ml single cream (or 600ml and don't bother with the next two ingredients)
250ml buttermilk
50ml milk
3 tbsp sugar
1 vanilla pod
2/3 sachet powdered gelatine (I used Dr. Oetker brand and it weighed around 8g)

Scrape the seeds of the vanilla pod into the cream. Heat the cream until just below boiling and then allow to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, put the milk into a large bowl and sprinkle over the gelatine. Leave for 5 minutes.
Whisk the warm milk into the milk and gelatine; add the buttermilk and mix well. Strain into a jug.
Pour into 4 125ml ramekins. Chill until set (around 3 hours). Serve at room temperature. Which I did with rhubarb cooked in a little sugar, orange juice and left to steep with the left over vanilla pod.

Brains S.A. Gold Chutney

2013-04-02T00:21:00.000+01:00

We all run away from the sadness in our lives. Good things come to an end. We're not always ready to face the truth and it can be a bitter shock, discovering that the joys we've held so close to our hearts are no more.

Readers: I have finished the last of the Brains S.A. Gold chutney.

....

Please don't worry. All you need to know is that in time I will heal.

The good news is that, even though I have never mentioned the chutney to you before (despite having made it three times), you can get the recipe in this book.

I can tell you two things. #1 is that I am not going to give any away next time. #2 is that you don't need to use Brains S.A. Gold ale, but that's my local and it's delicious.

Pam says make the chutney in October time, but frankly, you can make it whenever. It's not like swede is seasonal.

Perfect Meringues

2013-03-21T13:05:00.000Z

@peterdelicious on Instagram

It has just occurred to me that I was meant to maintain a steady stream of posting throughout this long trip I've been on this week and I haven't. Long story short, at some point someone must have coughed on me and now I'm sick. So we're lucky I'm doing this, since I haven't accomplished even half of the things on my 'to do while away' list. If I ever catch the person responsible, I am going to make them pay.

Having fulfilled my recent French fantasy (well, one of them... I don't think I've told you of the one involving chilled Mumm, the penthouse suite of the Hotel de Vendome and an unthinkably large portion of fromage blanc au miel de fleurs. I think that's for another time.), I found myself with egg whites on hand.

A familiar drudgery.

I am sick of freezing them because I never seem to come back to the hard little bags of albumen once they have been squirrelled away in the ice box. So I decided to try turning out some of those huge, billowing meringues that you see under cover of glass in all the Parisian bakeries. They are usually expensive, which irks me, because they're made from just egg whites and sugar, and also make me think of Eton Mess which the French probably don't even know about. Shame.

These are what 1950s American teens would call a 'snap'. And they have gooey middles. I feel it important to point that out.

Meringues

You will need:

5 egg whites (125g)
250g caster sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
We're going to go the Swiss meringue route here: dump the sugar and whites into a heatproof bowl and whisk over simmering water until you can no longer feel grains of sugar when you rub a little of the mixture between your fingers. I know this sounds strange, but it works: the sugar will dissolve.
Remove from the heat and beat with an electric mixer (for ease) until cool, around 10 minutes.
Dollop the mixture onto the prepared sheets, put them into the oven and immediately switch it off. Allow the oven to cool fully before removing the meringues. I left them in there over night and they were fine.

Madeleines

2013-03-15T18:27:00.001Z

Just recently, while smoking shisha in St. Germain, I reached a decision.

(Before we go any futher, let us just take a moment to be seduced by the alluringly alliterative nature of that statement. Truly, it puts me in the mood to go and order rillettes de veau in Rio De Janeiro, nibble daintily on a bowl of pilaf in Poznan and sip velveteen Merlot in Marlow.)

I wanted to make something French. Not croissants, because I value my sanity. But something exotically unfamiliar and crowd pleasing to hand round with tea after the coq au vin I was planning.

My ability to make any firm plans being weakened by the heavy scent of apple scented molasses tobacco, the idea lay dormant until I reached my kitchen at home some days later, tired, grouchy and wearing an airline uniform that had taken on the aroma of the passenger cabin of a Boeing 777-300ER.

Ultimately, it came down to the fact that I hadn't used my madeleine tray in years. And let's be realistic, it was never going to be croissants, not least because you don't eat them after coq au vin.

(As if that were the only reason.)

I am 80% pleased with how they turned out. Moist, and good flavour, but I want the hump that you get on a commercially produced madeleine. The hump, but none of the oily synthetic taste. I'm thinking I might try adding baking powder, but a friend tells me I just need to bake the batter in those little scalloped boat tins rather than a flat tray. Will I justify the expense? We shall see.

Madeleines

You will need:

30g melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
75g egg yolks (5 medium)
60g caster sugar
45g plain flour
1 tbsp water

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. The madeleines will be in there for a scant 5 minutes, so make sure it's at temperature as you don't want to leave the batter hanging around.
Put the vanilla, sugar and yolks into a heatproof bowl suspended over simmering water. Whisk gently until the yolks are warm to the touch. Remove from the heat and beat on high speed with an electric mixer until thick and creamy. This will take 9 or 10 minutes. You will be bored.
Add the water. Whisk in.
Sift over the flour and fold in gently. Next fold in the butter.
Grease your madeleine tin and fill each indentation half way with batter; bake for 5 minutes. Cool on a rack.
Serve dusted with icing sugar. Makes 24 2" madeleines.

Gin Parlour @ The Jekyll & Hyde

2013-03-04T14:43:00.000Z

The Angela Langley, one of the best cocktails I have ever tasted (and the source of major drink envy, since I didn't order one)

Eek.

In my desperation to post without having anything to post about, I am doing something that I don't think I've done before: a review of a bar. Well, not a review as such, but a call to attention. I had a great time there; you should go.

I have, on the subject of not posting very often, been trying to come up with a 31 before 31 'bucket list' type thing, which would give me LOADS of material to write about, but thinking of 31 food related things proved exhausting and if I include the non-sugar fuelled items, it just becomes impossible. Maybe I'll do a 32 before 32 after my birthday in June, which gives me a lot more time to focus on item number 9 on the list: 'Have an international smash hit single with my orchestral version of Try Again.' (Call me, Timbo. Let's make it happen.)

Now, to the matter in hand. I went to this amazing gin parlour. In Birmingham! Of all places.

The Jekyll & Hyde is a pub with a twist; it has another venue within. Downstairs they do beers and cocktails, which are lovely, but it's what they have upstairs that is amazing and, as far as this boy is concerned, unique. A juniper room. A botanical paradise! A velvet rope screened parlour dedicated to that most fragrant of hard liquors, gin.

My Gin Sling was good. But I wanted Jude's Angela Langley.

It was ♥love♥ at first sight.

The Jekyll had, when I visited, 84 gins at the bar. I could have stood and gazed at the bottles in awe all night had it not been for the lovely cocktail waitress who saw that we got a table (I don't think they allow standing drinking upstairs, so we were lucky to get in without a reservation.), and seated us.

I won't lie - we didn't know where to begin. The gin menu seems, at first glance, to be an overload of information. There are cocktails, 'flights' (that's bar code for a selection of gins and mixers to play with as you please), notes on tonics and a few flavour profiles of the different gins available.

I thought this was fantastic. Whereas I would have been more than happy to sip Tanqueray Ten and tonic all evening (and did finish with one), it was great to see so many fun and varied ways to enjoy Mother's Ruin being presented.

Service was smooth and the presentation was top notch. I'm afraid I only have a few Instagram shots (@peterdelicious), since I never thought I'd be blogging about the place, but you can see that the drinks look beautiful. When ordering martinis, we were asked which gin we'd like, what proportion and type of vermouth the bartender should use and given a choice of garnishes - olive, lemon, grapefruit, orange and lime.

The Jekyll even makes its own tonic for those who are brave enough. I went for Fever Tree, but next time I'm going to try theirs.

I also loved the fact that this was a place that knew what a Negroni was and even does one that uses half parts of Campari and Aperol. I mean, for me, that's worth an air fare for, so no excuses.

It's not a perfect experience - I don't know how I feel about some of the cocktails coming in tea cups (it feels rather too Shoreditch for me) - but it's definitely a fantastic night out. I say go. Now!

Let us disclose: in the interests of being fair and open, I should say that I visited The Jekyll & Hyde with friends of my own accord. I paid for all drinks myself (well, a 1/3 split). I'm not doing a sponsored review, I just genuinely liked it. So there.

The Jekyll & Hyde
28 Steelhouse Lane,
Birmingham
B4 6BJ

Sugar Free Cake

2013-02-25T08:50:00.000Z

You read that correctly. Sugar free cake.

(And, no, I can't believe I'm writing this either.)

So as not to look like a cheap nightclub DJ who takes requests (though if I were, I would because I am all about you, people, all about you and your pleasure), I won't point out that Ladyy Aradhya hit me up on Facebook the other day asking me for a healthy vegan cake and that's exactly what I'm giving you.

I won't do that. OK?

This is all quite interesting for me actually. People wanting healthy cake, I mean. I have a colleague who has recently given up sugar for one reason or another (she's a vegetarian rather than a vegan, but hey, let's not point fingers), and I thought this was quite the most awful thing. Not because I think people should be eating bucketloads of sugar (though I know it may seem like I do), but because I love to cook, and I know my colleague (let's call her Flora, which isn't her real name, but I like to protect my sources) does as well. Cutting sugar out means that lots of foods are suddenly off the menu, because sugar lurks where you'd least expect to find it. Have a look at some labels. It's actually quite shocking where the stuff shows up.

But let's call a spade a spade: I thought no sugar meant no cake and that made me want to cry.

Turns out I was wrong. Flora brought some banana cake into work, and honest to whoever it is you think I should be honest to, it was delicious. Sweet and moist, with a little hint of spice, I couldn't believe it didn't contain any added sugar.

I demanded the recipe, and since it is not in my nature to leave well alone, have fiddled with it to make something different, removing the butter, milk, nuts and egg and adding cocoa, orange, oil and different dried fruits.

Now. Listen to me for a moment. Do you think you can do that? For here is the thing: all that is required to make a moist, rich and sugar free cake is a few pantry staples, very ripe bananas and slightly below average intelligence. Of course, those with superior intelligence, such as yours and mine, will find it to be advantageous.

Behold the recipe. And thanks Flora for the inspiration.

Sugar Free Cake

You will need:

100g plain flour
1 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 very ripe bananas
zest and juice of 1 orange
80g dried fruit (I used vanilla scented prunes I found in Paris. Just saying.)

This is so simple you could even get a toddler to do it. Pre heat the oven to 180°C (maybe don't let the toddler do that bit) and oil a 6" cake tin. I think that's around 18cm, at a guess. This amount of batter would also make 6 cupcakes and they would need around 18 minutes in the oven.
Mix the dry ingredients (the flour, cocoa, baking powder and cinnamon) together in a bowl. In another bowl, mash the bananas and add everything else. Stir well and fold in the flour mixture.
Pour into the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out without any crumbs.
Invert on a wire rack and cool.

Note: If you aren't vegan, you can replace the orange juice and zest with one extra tsp vanilla and add 3 tbsp milk, along with one egg. I find with banana cakes that egg isn't always necessary. However, I would still use oil and not butter to keep the cake soft.

Comic Relief and Emma Bridgewater

2013-02-21T14:04:00.001Z

Morning latte, which means poor lighting (it being the morning), which means I know you won't mind the poor photo!

I suck at keeping promises.

I promised myself that I wouldn't do very many 'review' type posts. I find them alienating and annoying when I read them on other blogs. I despise the whole 'I got sent this for free and I think you should pay for it' angle. I also find it quite lazy on the part of the blogger (I accept that there are exceptions though, and I have done some reviews that I stand 100% behind, such as these).

Mind you, I also promised myself that I'd stop eating Peanut M&M's for breakfast and that I wouldn't show nudie photos of a certain someone to certain other people, but well... I'm a vow-breaker.

So today, I am doing a review post, but it's for a FANTASTIC cause, a great brand (that I happen to have coveted since time immemorial) and which I do think is of something worth shelling out for.

Is it not adorable that my mug was inspected by Bev? I wonder who she is.

You must all be familiar with Emma Bridgewater. Her ceramics are everywhere. If someone you didn't know very well whispered into your ear, all quiet and mysteriously, 'Polka dotted cream coloured teapot and mug', you'd think, immediately after walking quickly away from them, terrified, of Emma's designs. They're simple and gorgeous. The ultimate in upmarket, department store chic.

Well, she's teamed up with Comic Relief and designed a range of kitchen accessories to raise money for the 2013 campaign. And they are awesome. You can get them exclusively at HomeSense and TK Maxx, and the best bit is that loads of the money goes to Comic Relief. How nice not to have to buy a silly red nose to support such a great cause?

The classic Emma Bridgewater mug, with a twist.

£9.99 with at least £4 going to Comic Relief.

I ♥ these tea towels. Esp. the tarts one.

£4.99 with at least £2 going to Comic Relief.

Apparently this bag is for shopping, but to me it screams 'Knitting Bag'.

You must decide for yourself. Good luck with that.

£9.99, with at least £4 going to Comic Relief.

I find that buying nice mugs and tea towels is something I rarely do for myself. So this campaign is fantastic as it's a perfect way to buy yourself a present (surely the best kind) and do something worthwhile. That's what's known in the industry as a turn out for the books.

Wholemeal Bread

2013-02-18T16:51:00.000Z

No, your eyes do not deceive you. This is not a cake related posting. Please try your best to remain calm.

Several factors have come together at once and convinced me to attempt to bake my own bread. The main two in play are that Percy won't do it anymore and that I was seduced by a packet of flour in a farm shop.

I can rarely resist the lure of a good farm shop, but I always seem lost for what to buy in them (apart from eggs and cheese, obviously). I skip over the cakes, because, well, come on... Why would I of all people buy a cake? I have a reputation to consider.

Then there are the jars of jam and chutney. They look pretty, but I make my own. I stock up on local greens and whatever I think Beyoncé would put in her basket, then ultimately end up by the flours. Then it is time to consider how many varieties Perce will allow me to purchase and how much space there is in the cupboard. This time, there was room for some strong wholemeal. Fate you may say.

For this loaf, I followed the (very) straightforward method and recipe (halved) given in Bread: River Cottage Handbook No. 3and rather than give you a re-hash here, I'll just give you my thoughts on the whole enterprise.

So get ready for them because here they come...

It was a very long winded way to end up with a sandwich. I don't deny that the results were excellent; better than anything I can buy, and I live around the corner from here. (Please don't tell them I said that!!) But, just as when I realised that bought blocks of paneer were actually perfectly acceptable and I didn't need to make my own I pretty much stopped doing so, I feel this bread making may end when I finish the packet of flour. I mean, I embrace home made. Truly I do. Have you seen these? But what next? Am I going to start making my own shoes?

Exactly.

That said, I can see that there's a process involved here that many people will enjoy. It is also cheaper to make your own bread than it is to buy it, although process-led types need no such financial endorsement. Do you think it's cheaper to knit a sweater than it is to buy one? Dream on, dreamer.

If you want to get loafy, you could do a lot worse than starting here. I'll see how the rest of the wholemeal goes before I commit to anything else...

Do you make your own bread?

Cooking With A Professional

2013-02-13T21:16:00.001Z

This dish will change your life.

You'll have to forgive me for not updating this in ages. Honestly, it was on my mind all weekend, but I got sucked in watching The Birds, and, well, also had to get over the stresses of being a designated driver. Eek. Mr. Erratic behind the wheel on a Saturday night. Thankfully nobody died.

By the way, The Birds just ended. No real conclusion. How rubbish is that? I bloody hate Hitchcock sometimes. You know, honestly, I think the only real reason that that film has been so successful over the years is that we're all secretly hankering after Tippi Hedren's beautiful green twin set.

Think about it.

Florence, and also Danny Food Urchin and Claire Things We Make.

Anyway, last Wednesday, yours truly was invited to a day spent cooking with Florence Knight, she of Polpetto, a restaurant that I have so far not been able to eat in. It all took place at an undisclosed location on the District Line (spoiler: it was at East Putney), and I was late. Which was awful. I apologise again.

Not wishing to dwell on such things, I can now move on and tell you that this event was for a selection of UK Food Bloggers (a hat I wear with trepidation, but nonetheless, I do blog about food), and was organised by the terribly generous people at Finish. We'd been road testing their new and improved Finish Quantum dish washer tablets over the last month or so, and they were interested in our opinions. More on that later.

(BTW - without my dishwasher there would be no Delicious Delicious Delicious. For real.)

I was quite taken by the lovely Florence. I've had brief interactions with chefs before (although not at all in the way that that makes it sound) and Florence was different. Articulate, focussed and obviously very passionate about food. We had a chat, as I was chopping onions, about how when she became a Head Chef she felt a real sense of satisfaction at being able to think hard about what it was that she liked about flavours and textures and create dishes that reflect that, and not just take for granted what she'd been told by some other more senior chef. I think I definitely came away from the day realising that to experiment can be a good thing.

But you knew that from my lamingtons.

We made a tiramisu - whipping 6 egg whites by hand (I'll stick to my stand mixer, thanks Flo) - and cooked octopus, simmering it slowly with carrots, parsley and bay, before slicing it into juicy chunks and serving it with chillied potatoes and herbs. We also put together burrata with blood oranges and oregano, which nearly made me pass out with pleasure, and meat balls.

Meat ball rolling was pretty much as it sounds, but the burrata was just... sensational. I'm going to post the recipe below, so get ready to, in the words of Dr. Frank N. Furter, 'give yourself over to absolute pleasure.'

A quick word about the actual Finish product:

I was asked to try out two products which were both new to me. I always buy bulk boxes of Finish Powerball (84 tablets in each box, two at a time: I even give them as housewarming presents. Not joking.), and so had never tried the Finish Quantum Powerball, though had seen it in the shops. The idea was to try this existing product and then trial the new and improved Quantum with Power Gel.

How to say this? I presumed that they would both be exactly the same product, with slightly different packaging.

I gave the Quantum Powerball a thorough trial on cake tins (both my tube pan, which after being used for chiffon cake is a nightmare to clean, and springforms - I know you all hate those bits of cake batter that crust around the joins) and also roasting trays after Sunday lunch.

'Look, Dom, I don't care what Florence says or how many lamingtons you re-invented for my competition, I'm just not beating egg white by hand ever again...'

(Was so nice to meet Dom finally!)

Everything came out sparkling clean. No complaints. I even loved the way it made my kitchen smell while the machine was running - like apples. Green apples, the colour of Tippi's twin set.

But then I tried the new Quantum with Power Gel and I realised that it was a whole new monster.

Admittedly, I didn't try it out on the same cakes and roast dinners. This time I went for scrambled egg pans and left-overnight dishes of tarka dal. Spotless. Glasses were taken out shining from the top rack (I sometimes get a little residue in there which has to be rinsed out, especially when I've made something with lentils). But best of all, everything came out dry and has continued to do so with each load of dishes. I was interested to read Claire of Things We Make's comments and see that she noticed the same thing. I love it - having to dry dishes from the dishwasher is an activity that I loathe and despise in equal measure, so it's fantastic that with Quantum Power Gel I don't need to.

So there you have it. There's definitely something in it. I'll be switching for sure, I just hope they also start making 84 tablet boxes of Quantum!

Thanks to Finish for the samples, for the day with Florence, for having Charlotte take such nice photos for us to use and for bringing burrata to my life.

Burrata with Blood Oranges and Oregano

You will need:

250g burrata
small bunch oregano
extra virgin olive oil
one lemon
one blood orange

Finely chop the oregano leaves. Place them in a small bowl and add the zest and juice of the lemon. Add oil, salt and pepper to taste: you want a thick, green emulsion.
Peel the orange and slice finely.
Tear the burrata into quarters and place onto 4 plates. Garnish with slices of blood orange and the oregano dressing.
Apply to face.

Seville Orange Posset

2013-01-31T13:43:00.000Z

Fresh from our recent experience with Mr. Gosling ("Where my stitches at?"), I hope you are all enjoying the seasonal delights of the Seville orange.

If you didn't find any, or didn't even know they were in season, well, it might be too late for you. If that is the unfortunate case, please make a note for next year.

The Seville orange is prized for a great many culinary reasons, and into these I will not go. Know only that I, as well should you, like to use them in the same way that one would a lemon. This means juiced into salad dressings, sliced in a gin and tonic (don't even get me started on that, it's literally unbearably delicious, and I can bear quite a lot of that sort of thing) and squeezed over grilled fish.

Given their short availability (so annoying - it's like boyfriends and girlfriends: you always want the ones who aren't available), I have stashed some bags of sliced Sevilles in t'freezer and also a few bags of their juice and zest. These precious sachets are expressly for the purposes of posset making.

You see, lemon is all fine and well, but sometimes we need variety. And here it is.

I do feel slightly ghastly to be posting this knowing that the Seville season is basically over now, but ending on a negative note will never do. Let us try for a more positive envoi. Here goes.

I recently made this for dessert when we had some friends over (to watch Brideshead Revisited. Yes, really.). It went over rather well, and then one of them mentioned that we'd given him posset before. Devastated, I sought immediate clarification that we hadn't. (I can't bear the thought of giving people the same thing twice.)

'Oh no,' our guest replied. 'I'm getting confused. That was a meal we once had at Chatsworth.'

Ten out of ten, boys. Ten out of ten.

Seville Orange Posset

You will need:

600ml double cream
130g sugar
3 Seville oranges, juice and grated zest only

This is so simple as to barely require instruction. Heat the cream and sugar together slowly until boiling. Boil for 3 minutes.
Cool.
Add juice and zest, whisk until slightly thickened. Pour into glasses and chill for 4 hours or so. Serves 6 - 8 people.

Seville Orange Marmalade

2013-01-24T09:23:00.002Z

I know that the shreds of orange peel have floated to the top of my jars, but I have taken the decision not to allow myself to spend even a moment worrying about it. Feel free to on my behalf.

I never thought I would become a marmalade maker. It doesn't seem like the sort of thing a man my age should be doing. In fact, I probably wouldn't even be doing it this year if it weren't for the fact that my mother in law really enjoyed the pink grapefruit stuff I made a while back when we opened a jar at Christmas, and well, you know... Anything to keep in the good books!

I feel the same about one of my other newly rediscovered passions. Knitting. They are both very much stay-at-home-to-avoid-the-cold, cozily antiquated activities. Not manly in any sense. Then I read this. (Well, actually I read about it somewhere else, but this was the first result that Google gave me just now...)

Amazing. I'm not alone. Ryan Gosling does it too.

Ryan Gosling.

Which got me wondering. Is he a marmalade maker as well? I mean, isn't that a lovely idea? Just the absolute loveliest.

Imagine. He could come over to my little house in Cardiff and we could admire the Sevilles I'd bought that morning (which if you're quick, and live in Cardiff, you'll still be able to get from the greengrocer on Albany Rd).

A Seville orange. There is not much else to say. It is sliced in two.

After I'd sliced and juiced the fruit ('Quite a dry orange, the Seville, isn't it, Ryan?'), he could de-pith and shred the rind finely ('It sure is. And full of pips.'), keeping the pulp, seeds and discarded pith to tie up in a square of muslin.

For the sake of clarity, I did this myself. Ryan Gosling is obviously more than capable of making marmalade, and probably would come over to do so if I asked him, but this particular batch is all my own work.

We'd laugh about the word 'pith bag' and, clutching warm mugs of freshly ground coffee, put the citrus rinds on a low heat to simmer slowly and soften.

The conversation would draw to a close, leading to a short silence...

Ryan: (looks at Mr. P with questioning eyes) Well, that's going to need to simmer for about two and a half hours. What are we going to do with ourselves for that long?

Mr. P: (knowing glance and deliberate pause) You know exactly what we're going to do, Ryan.

Clutching our yarn bags, we'd run to the sofa and armchair, snuggle up against the cushions and cast on stitches for matching cabled afghans in luxurious, hand spun alpaca.

Of course, this perfect idyll would no doubt sour when Ryan realises that it's his turn to sterilise the jars, but still... *sigh* The beauty of yarn and needles. It makes me want to pack everything in, move to Amsterdam and become one of Stephen West's free-spirited dancer friends.

Meanwhile, since that is never going to happen, here's how to get Sevilley while the season lasts...

Enjoy.

Seville Orange Marmalade

You will need:

750g Seville oranges (see above if you're a local!)

1.5 kg granulated sugar
juice of 2 lemons

Half the oranges. Juice them, and then scrape out the pulp, pips and as much white pith as possible. Reserve this pulpy mess, and tie it up in a piece of muslin. That there is your pith bag. Slice the orange rinds as thinly or thickly as you like. I think very thinly is better, but will allow you the freedom to choose.
Put the juice, rinds, pith bag and 1.9 litres of water into a large (LARGE!) pan, and cook gently for a few hours until the rind is soft. The liquid will have reduced by about a third.
Add the sugar and lemon juice. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Then boil rapidly until the setting point (* see note) has been reached. This took about 20 minutes for me, though start checking at 10.
Turn off the heat. Stir gently for a few minutes, to disperse any bubbles, and pour into hot, sterilised jars (* see note). Seal immediately with new lids. Use within 2 years.

NB: To check for setting point: when you start boiling the marmalade, put a saucer in the freezer to chill. After boiling for the required time, drop small dribbles of the marmalade onto the saucer and wait a moment. If, when you poke the puddle of marmalade with your finger the surface forms a wrinkle, the setting point has been reached.

I re-use jars. This recipe will fill 5-6 regular sized ones. To sterilise them, wash the jars (remove any labels) in hot soapy water, then rinse them. Place right side up on a baking sheet and dry them off in a 100°C oven. I leave them in there at that temperature until I'm ready to fill them. I also sterilise the lids by boiling them for 10 minutes. I buy my lids new. Get them from your local kitchen supply store.

Cocoa Chiffon Cake

2013-01-10T15:47:00.001Z

Is it too late to say 'Happy New Year'? I don't really know what the protocol is for that. I'm sure many would say we are too late into 2013 now, but as someone who still had Christmas decorations up until late last night, I feel safe flying in the face of adversity. I hope it will be joyful and prosperous for each and every one of you.

I trust you all had a wonderful holiday season; I was at home for Christmas (and want to eat that dinner again now!) and away for New Year, which gave me chance to introduce some friends and colleagues to that most frivolous and camp of seasonal drinks, The Snowball. They went down a treat!

This is the time of year when I would normally be faffing around with lamingtons, and although I did consider doing another round of Re-Invention, I have decided against it. Apologies to all, but part of my New Year pledge to myself is to at least try and eat less sugary stuff. Obviously I'll still be baking as much as ever, but I just can't handle adding coconut covered cake cubes to the pile of leftover Christmas cake, cookies and chocolate that we have yet to make a dent in.

Now. A new year means a fresh start. And that means it is time to talk resolutions. I figure that sharing mine might make me more likely to stick to them. Thus, in no particular order of importance:

Make more time for family. I live so far away from them that they probably think I forget about them, even though I don't.
Be nicer to my husband. I don't want to get divorced.
'Date Night' - at least one every time I'm home. If it's good enough for Barack and Michelle...
Not be so obsessed about saving set amounts of my salary each month. I need to enjoy myself as well as take care of the pennies!
Work on the side project I've been procrastinating about for far too long now.
Knit myself a sweater. It is time.

I am sure I'll add to this list, but it seems good enough for now. I was going to add 'Get a decent pepper grinder', but I accomplished that at the end of last year.

I thought it fitting that the first recipe for 2013 should be a special one. And this Cocoa Chiffon is surely that. It's not only Mr. Other P's favourite cake ever, but also one he makes himself. Yeah - you all thought I was the only baker in this house. Well you were wrong! This chiffon was the flavour of the latter part of 2012 in Casa P, and now it can be yours as well. I've served it in the photo with some ice-cream, but what you really want on the side is a generous slick of chilled and creamy peppermint crème anglaise. Fortunately, I am also providing you with the recipe for that. Happy, happy.

Mr. Other P's Cocoa Chiffon Cake

You will need:

50g best quality cocoa powder
175ml boiling water
125ml vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
175g self raising flour
350g caster sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 eggs, separated, plus 4 extra egg whites (keep the yolks for the crème anglaise)
1 tsp cream of tartar (optional)

Heat the oven to 160°C. Have ready a 25cm angel cake tin. Do not grease or line it
In a large bowl, mix the cocoa and boiling water until smooth. Cool slightly and add the vanilla and oil, followed by the egg yolks. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients and tip them into the wet mixture. Beat everything well until you have a thick, smooth batter.
Beat the egg whites until foamy, then add the cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks are formed. Fold this meringue into the chocolate and flour mixture, and transfer to the cake tin.
Bake for 60 minutes, until the cake is well risen and a cocktail stick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Immediately invert the cake, till in its tin, on a wire rack and leave to cool. When it has completely cooled (give it a good hour and a half or so), run a knife round the edge of the pan. Remove the base (you'll need to use your knife here too - chiffon cake sticks to the pan!), turn the cake the right way up and serve in thick slices with the custard sauce below or whatever you like.

Peppermint Crème Anglaise

You will need:

4 egg yolks
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
300ml single cream

Beat the first three ingredients together until smooth. You can add a little extra sugar if you like a very sweet sauce, but for me, this is fine.
Heat the cream in a small pan until it starts to steam and there are small bubbles forming at the edges.Pour a little onto the yolk mixture and beat the mixture with a whisk to temper the egg yolks. Slowly, still beating, add the remaining milk, pour the whole lot back into the pan and heat gently, stirring, for a few minutes. Strain the mixture into a jug and chill until needed.

Last Minute Gift Ideas

2012-12-19T13:49:00.001Z

I'm not going to lie. I am in a state of panic that I haven't quite yet got Christmas in the bag and I have less than 48 hours to get myself ready. (Can one ever be ready for Christmas?)

Since I cannot be the only person in this position, and since I would never suggest anybody attempt a visit to 'the shops' at this late stage, here's a quick selection of ideas should you be needing them. I am doing the biscotti this afternoon, so don't think I'm all mouth and no trousers about this.

My criteria is simple: multiple gifts from one kitchen session, easy-to-grab-from-the-local-shops ingredients and less than an hour to make from start to finish. Hope you are soothed!

This year's biscotti are flavoured with orange and contain hazelnuts and almonds - use whatever nuts you fancy in this recipe, and don't bother with the egg wash. I mean, do you really have time?

Make some jam. Grab a bag of frozen berries from the freezer of the supermarket and some jam sugar, and you're good to go.

Macarons are so much easier than you think. Don't be scared. Not for the faint-hearted, but cheap and impressive.

This gingerbread is the best recipe on my blog for Christmas gift giving. Help yourself. Treacle can be a pain to find - use golden syrup, or at a push, marmalade. You'll just have orange gingerbread instead. Who wouldn't like that?

If you have the power tools (a blender will do), make some peanut butter. I would love a jar of this!

Am I crazy to suggest this ice-cream? Flavoured with spices and brandy, it would be a great Christmas gift. Just package it up in paper cups with lids. Brilliant. No ice-cream maker required.

Have a wonderful Christmas if I don't get to post again beforehand!

OXO Salad Spinner Winner (What a great title!)

2012-12-14T16:41:00.003Z

Now. By my reckoning we had 45 comments for the salad spinner giveaway. I need to think of a new system for this. Writing all the names down is killing me.

Anyhoo, we have a winner: Number 36, who is Laura. She told me, in no uncertain terms that -

My favourite salad would have to be a simple, rocket, Parmesan & balsamic vinegar - oh with a pinch of rock salt.... so simple and delicious!

Now, I disagree. Rock salt can break teeth. But the rest of it sounds great! Laura, please get in touch so I can get your spinner sent out to you.

The rest of you, have a great weekend. I'm off to buy a tree tomorrow!

Pink Grapefruit Marmalade

2012-12-13T13:08:00.004Z

There's a lot of Christmassy stuff happening on the Internet right now. Hoardes of people are posting on Facebook about what they are buying for who, and some of the blogs I follow have posted gift buying guides for the greedy gourmets in your lives.

I'm not dismissing their efforts (who wouldn't want one of these?), and I am NOT deliberately being a bore, but I can't help feeling the need to point out that it does not mean that you have to spend money on over-priced tat to show someone that you love them at this time of year.

Make them something instead.

There's been a rule in my family since time immemorial that we don't buy gifts for everybody. It's a complicated system based on age (as opposed to merit), and since I am now thirty, I don't qualify as a child by any means. Historically, we've never bought gifts for extended family (aunts, uncles etc.), so that puts me in a pickle as an adult, because I'd like to. Cooking is my way of getting around the ban.

I haven't always been successful at making things people actually want. The first batch of chutney I ever made was completely un-delicious (although my family ate it). But I got better. And there are things I've made that some people actually get in touch with me about in early December to see if I'll be doing them again. I might round them up later this week actually, since some of the recipes are on the blog.

That's pain poilâne, btw, and I have a terrible OCD relating to its consumption.

The curved, top crust has to be facing my right and the flat bottom, my left.

This way I can nibble from the top of the loaf to the bottom. Am I making myself at all clear?

This marmalade is a new addition to the hamper hit-parade. I wanted to make some in January with Seville oranges, and add dried cranberries to it, but it never happened. So this is my pink grapefruit version. It's delightfully bitter (Campari Soda alone cannot keep me in this perpetual bad mood), and can be personalised easily. You say you'd prefer thicker shreds? Slice accordingly. Don't like the idea of grapefruit? Use limes (maybe add some ginger!), lemons, oranges or even clementines. Or a mixture.

A pot of marmalade and a loaf of gingerbread is the perfect way to say Happy Christmas. Especially to the people who hated your chutney and ate it anyway.

Pink Grapefruit Marmalade

You will need:

750g pink grapefruit (2 of them)
1.5 kg granulated sugar
juice of 2 lemons

Half the grapefruits. Juice them, and then slice the rinds (literally, the whole thing - everything that's left after juicing) as thinly or thickly as you like. I think very thinly is better, but will allow you the freedom to choose.
Put the juice, rinds and 1.9 litres of water into a large bowl, and leave to soak overnight.
Transfer the grapefruit, water and juice to a large (LARGE!) pan, and cook gently for a few hours until the rind is soft. The liquid will have reduced by about a third.
Add the sugar and lemon juice. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Then boil rapidly until the setting point (* see note) has been reached. This took about 30 minutes for me, though start checking at 15.
Turn off the heat. Stir gently for a few minutes, to disperse any bubbles, and pour into hot, sterilised jars (* see note). Seal immediately with new lids. Use within 2 years.

NB: To check for setting point: when you start boiling the marmalade, put a saucer in the freezer to chill. After boiling for the required time, drop small dribbles of the marmalade onto the saucer and wait a moment. If, when you poke the puddle of marmalade with your finger the surface forms a wrinkle, the setting point has been reached.

I re-use jars. This recipe will fill 6-7 regular sized ones. To sterilise them, wash the jars (remove any labels) in hot soapy water, then rinse them. Place right side up on a baking sheet and dry them off in a 100°C oven. I leave them in there at that temperature until I'm ready to fill them. I also sterilise the lids by boiling them for 10 minutes. I buy my lids new. Get them from your local kitchen supply store.

OXO Salad Spinner Review and Give-Away: Carrot and Peanut Salad

2012-12-10T14:35:00.001Z

I hate this blue-hued photo. But I had to leave the house soon afterwards so we're sticking with it. There's a cake I can post in a few days that will rid the front page of this monstrosity and all will be well at Delicious Delicious Delicious once more.

I look back at this salad series and I think 2 things. The first is that my efforts look pretty half-arsed, which I don't like, because I don't DO half-arsed, I do full-force. The second is that I think it's really obvious from looking at them how I treat a salad. It's rarely the centre of my meal, but then it's not just green leaves at the side of a plate either. I like to load my salads with vegetables and fruit. They're my vehicle for getting 5-a-day.

This one, despite my dislike of the photo, is my absolute favourite. My mum used to make it, but I never tell anyone that because I like them to think it was my idea. If you take this to a friend's BBQ, people you meet for the first time there will come and tell you how amazing you are for thinking it up. I promise. And you don't need to tell them you got the idea from me, since, well, everything tastes better with peanuts. Right? It really COULD be something you just thought of.

You can add ginger too - a little fresh, grated stuff makes all the difference. Literally: it turns it into something quite different. But it's perfect with just these two ingredients, so don't sweat it if you have none in.

RE: the fabulous Give-Away - I'm not home until Wednesday, so take an extension if you like. It's not like you'll turn into a pumpkin if you comment after midnight or anything, is it?

A re-hash of the giveaway rules, because rules control the fun:

Leave a comment on this post letting me know what your favourite salad is. Maybe you hate salad and you want this for someone else. That's fine. I'm not going to judge you.
If you prefer, leave the comment on the Delicious Delicious Delicious Facebook Page. You can like us as well! We'd love it if you did.
Comments will close at midnight on ~~Monday 10 December 2012~~ Wednesday 12 December 2012. Winners will be selected at random shortly after.
Open to all people, everywhere.
Email entries not accepted.

Carrot and Peanut Salad

You will need:

carrots
peanuts

I don't mean to be stupid about this, but well... Peel and chop the carrots. Stir in the nuts. You're done.

OXO Salad Spinner: Review and Give-Away - Beetroot and Grapefruit Salad with Wild Rocket

2012-12-03T11:58:00.000Z

Giving away one of these, blah blah blah.

So many people are anti-grapefruit and even more anti-beetroot that I don't really know if I dare do this. But, well, I have the picture, we ate the salad... It sort of makes sense to continue.

Rocket does fall into both the 'ridiculously overpriced' and 'bagged' categories of the salad world, but despite this, also seems to sit at or near the top of the unspoken hierarchy that exists among leafy greens. I both love and hate it. Love it for it's peppery kick; hate it because it's become so frickin' trendy that it's all the supermarkets will stock anymore. You want radicchio in my area? Chicory? Well, get an allotment, Baby Doll, because The Co-Op's not going to help you.

Rocket always reminds me of when Perce and I were visiting our friends Dorota and Szymon in Poland and they drove us to Hel (all very Chris Rea, I know, but bear with me). They had a, well, a bit of a disagreement on the way over where to stop and eat (so glad it's not just us who argue in front of other people!), and while staring out of the window waiting patiently for them to finish, I noticed that the whole of one side of the peninsula was covered in a thick, green carpet of rocket leaves. I felt quite pleased with myself for identifying it (a hunter gatherer through and through, that's me) but was even more pleased to try the spear-shaped leaves 'in the wild'. They are crazily hot. 'Peppery' doesn't really describe what proper wild rocket tastes like - if you ever see some, make sure to pick a little to make a salad, because it's nothing like cultivated stuff. I know how annoying it is to hear things like that, but I'm just telling you the truth.

A quick note: this salad looks prettier un-tossed, which is why it's not in the photo. But the dressing is what makes it, so don't skip that step.

Beetroot and Grapefruit Salad with Wild Rocket

You will need:

(For 2 people.)

2 hands full of rocket leaves
2 grapefruit (I like pink - don't look so surprised)
2 or 3 small cooked beetroot, chopped into chunks
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Put the rocket and beetroot into a bowl.
Peel and de-segment the grapefruits over another bowl to catch the juice. I cut the fruit away from the membranes too, but you don't have to: just sliced is fine. Add the grapefruit to the bowl of rocket and beetroot.
Make a dressing of oil, the reserved juice and salt and pepper. Make sure to taste it. It should be sharp and not too oily. Add a little lemon juice if your grapefruit are very sweet.
Dress the salad and toss well. Serve immediately.

OXO Salad Spinner: Review and Give-Away - Winter Salad of Red Cabbage and Walnuts

2012-11-28T12:22:00.000Z

Eek. I am so busy that I can't even bear it. However, I promised salad, and you'll damn well get one.

In case you weren't aware from the title, the lovely people at OXO are giving away one of their amazingly fantastic salads spinners. You can read all about that here. But here's the first of my favourite salads to share with you.

I say 'favourite', though this is actually a stripped down version of the one I'd usually make because I didn't have any dried cranberries. Somebody had eaten them all.

I shall save the pointing finger of accusation for later.

I love the idea of a 'Winter' salad. I recognise that on some level using cabbage instead of lettuce takes this mere baby steps away from coleslaw, but as someone who loves to eat that particular plasti-tubbed delight late at night, standing in front of the fridge, I make no apologies. Anyway, the spices in this dressing make it taste completely different to how you might think.

A salad spinner makes cabbage salad a breeze to prepare. I find you can often get grit in between the leaves of red cabbage, despite them being so tightly packed together (like in the insides of leeks - how does it get in there?), and a quick spin does the job of deep cleansing (not just for skin care, folks) nicely.

Obviously add more dressing as you eat. I was in a rush to take a photo!

Oh yeah, one last thing. A re-hash of the giveaway rules:

Leave a comment on this post letting me know what your favourite salad is. Maybe you hate salad and you want this for someone else. That's fine. I'm not going to judge you.
If you prefer, leave the comment on the Delicious Delicious Delicious Facebook Page. You can like us as well! We'd love it if you did.
Comments will close at midnight on Monday 10 December 2012. Winners will be selected at random shortly after.
Open to all people, everywhere.
Email entries not accepted.

Winter Salad of Red Cabbage and Walnuts

You will need:

1/4 red cabbage
1 carrot
a handful of dried cranberries, should you have them
the same of walnuts
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
6 tbsp natural yogurt
salt and pepper

Shred the cabbage and wash. Spin dry.
Peel and chop the carrot - I like mine in big, irregular chunks. Mix with the cabbage.
Toast the walnuts lightly in a dry frying pan. Set aside.
Toast the spices in the same pan; grind them to powder in a pestle and mortar and add to the yogurt. Season with salt and pepper. This is your dressing.
Layer the cabbage and carrots on a dish. Top with walnuts and optional cranberries, and as much or as little dressing as you wish. Serve with hot flat breads (God bless my local Lebanese store!).

OXO Salad Spinner: Review and Give-Away

2012-11-26T08:30:00.000Z

Salad: it's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it.

I might just change your life today. And then you'd forgive the fact that YET AGAIN I have left it far too long without an update.

Earlier this year, I had one of those conversations that start out of nothing with an elderly lady in my local supermarket. Want to know what it was about? Bagged salad.

I hate those stupid packets of pre-washed leaves that seem to spoil as soon as you open them. They are so, so, so ridiculously expensive. Do me a favour and compare the price (do the maths properly and work out the price per hundred grams!) of bagged lettuce or whatever versus its whole, shrink-wrapped cousin next time you're shivering in front of those overly effective chillers. You'll see.

Clearly my old lady friend was thinking the same.

'In my day, ' she said, somewhat gravely, 'we used a salad spinner. These bagged up ones (the salads - she was holding a packet of frisée as it happens) go bad after a day of being open.'

'My mum used to have one of those.' I offered. 'It was day-glo orange plastic and made a growling noise when you turned the handle.'

I couldn't tell if she was listening or not.

We both chose a packet of two Little Gems and went our separate ways. I wondered if she still had a salad spinner and if it was a day-glo orange model, and promptly resolved to steal my mum's cranky old one when I next went home.

As it happens, I forgot to and much time passed. I forgot all about spinners and continued washing my salad and draining it in a colander as usual, not minding the slightly limp leaves that this method produces. After all, I'd been eating salad like that for years (and if I'm honest, I always try and get away with not washing the lettuce anyway. The French always seem to get away without.)

Then, months ago now (I'm a slacker) I had an email from a rep for OXO, asking if I would like to try any of their range of baking products. I use a few already - I love their dough scoopfor portioning cookie dough before baking - and was looking through their range online when I noticed they also made rather funky looking salad spinners.

In a flash of inspiration I asked to give one a trial, thinking that the humble salad could take centre stage on the blog for once. We really can't always have sugar on the front page. It's not a good way to live.

Happily, OXO are letting me give away a brand spanking new Good Grips Salad Spinner(the link is to a slightly different model, the spinner is actually like mine in the pictures) to one lucky reader. We'll get to that later. First, let's check out what's so great about said salad spinners.

Here's the empty spinner. You'll notice straight off that it's not day-glo orange, and I can only apologise to you for that. Please remember that I am not the designer.

You'll also notice that there's no cranky little handle to turn. That's because the OXO spinner is automatic! You just push down on the lid, and your salad will spin away until all the water (or nearly all of it) is no longer clinging to the leaves, but instead collecting at the bottom of the bowl leaving you with dry, crisp salad to dress as you wish.

Look at it go!

The little point of design genius, as far as this salad maker can tell, if the little ridged point in the centre of the bowl. This keeps the leaves in their basket above the water level, so you get dry salad for no effort whatsoever. Amazing. You can also (or at least, I did) dress the leaves and serve the salad right out of the plastic bowl itself.

I noticed that a reviewer on Amazon has said what I am trying to get across in a much more efficient and direct way. Let's enlist the help of our good friends the quotation marks!

"be honest. can you live your life without a salad spinner? you probably can. but should you? no.

so if you're going to get one then this is the one for you. the central button you just push down and it spins your bits inside like there's no tomorrow. no longer do you have to contend with a rotating handle like on old-fashioned salad spinners that tend to fly off your counter and pierce you in the eye.

the oxo rocks."

Indeed.

I know you want one. Here's how (short of just going out and buying your own) you can get it.

I will be posting a mini-series of salads. Most likely there'll be three of them, but heck, I might do more. Simply leave a comment on any of those posts, or this one, telling me what your favourite salad is.

The rules (must have rules) are as follows:

Leave a comment on this post letting me know what your favourite salad is. Maybe you hate salad and you want this for someone else. That's fine. I'm not going to judge you.
If you prefer, leave the comment on the Delicious Delicious Delicious Facebook Page. You can like us as well! We'd love it if you did.
Comments will close at midnight on Monday 10 December 2012. Winners will be selected at random shortly after.
Open to all people, everywhere.
Email entries not accepted.

Chewy Treacle Spice Cookies

2012-11-12T16:25:00.000Z

I'm not suggesting you eat this many cookies at once. Honestly.

I think I remember once reading an article about how Tina Turner starts every day off by chanting and that she thinks that's what keeps her (and her legs) looking young and in tip-top condition. Or maybe that's what she says in What's Love Got To Do With It. I can't be sure.

It's odd what comes to your mind while you sit waiting for your computer's anti-virus to update 'quickly' and 'hassle-free'. (Ha! Whatever. I've been here hours and am sick of restarting...)

That's a harrowing film in some parts by the way. Not Sunday afternoon viewing, that's for sure.

Anyway, the chanting. The chanting is related to today's post. Do me a favour? Repeat after me:

"My mixer is powerful. It must be used with care."

Chant it. Feel it.

It's not just Tina who needs to start the day off right. If you aren't careful, and don't keep the speed low, your stand mixer will chuck sugar all over the place when you start to make these cookies. If you're not actually using a mixer, well, you can skip the chant if you wish. You'll be just fine, although your elbows won't thank you.

It came upon me, last week, as I put together the little menu at the side over there to help visitors to this site better find what they are looking for (in the middle of a sleepless night, without the heating on - I hope someone actually uses the thing!), that we don't have enough cookie recipes around here. Keen to put this right, I'm offering these in some ways seasonal treats. They were born out of a cupboard clear out, but I am beginning to think they might be the best cookies I've ever made.

I wanted to make a treacle toffee flavoured biscuit. I missed Bonfire Night this year, and thus got no toffees. I'm not going to lie, the first week of November was as a result tinged with a certain melancholy, but I managed, luckily, to pull myself together, put on my best heels and find for myself the happiness I was seeking in the bottom of my mixing bowl.

The answer is always in baking, my people. Always.

Just treacle, though, seemed a little dull as far as flavour was concerned. I know there will be those of you who are waiting for me to say that I added chocolate to the mix, and will be upset that I didn't. But I say to thee, and not for the first time, that chocolate is over-rated; I find it difficult to get excited about.

Spice though, drives me wild. There's a moment in the making of this cookie dough (when you add the dry ingredients at the end) that scents the air so strongly with the fragrance of brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves that it is just... Indecent. I nearly passed out.

I've had these knocking around in the tin for a week now (the recipe makes around 30 cookies) and can confirm that not only do they keep very well, they actually improve with age. So I'd say you need to plan your cookie craving about three to four days in advance.

That will be all. Thank you.

Chewy Treacle Spice Cookies

You will need:

125g butter
200g granulated sugar (plus a little extra for later, around 50g will do)
120g soft dark brown sugar
2 eggs
150g treacle
250g self raising flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a large bowl, and use a wooden spoon - I'll award you 5 old skool cool points accordingly), put the butter and sugars. Mix on low speed until smooth. There's a lot of sugar so it won't turn creamy, but you do want everything to cohere.
Add the eggs and treacle; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes or until thoroughly combined.
Mix the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and add them, a scoop at a time, to the treacle mixture, beating on low speed the whole time.
The dough will be very soft. Chill in the fridge for an hour (or overnight, or for up to three days, if you'd rather spread the process over several days) to firm slightly.
Pre-heat the oven to 160°C and line two baking trays with parchment. Form balls of dough about the size of a golf ball and roll in the extra granulated sugar (you could add a little cocoa to it if you wanted a gentle chocolate flavour as well as the spice); bake well spaced apart on the baking sheets for 16 minutes or until the centres are set. Cool completely on the baking trays.
Store airtight. Will keep for up to a week, no problem.

Adagio Tea Set Winners

2012-11-08T12:13:00.001Z

I am pleased to be able to announce that we have winners to announce.

I realised halfway through this whole tea shizzle that I didn't really consider the best way to get you all to comment. It would have been MUCH easier for me if I had said that you could all leave me a message in the same place. But no. I stupidly wrote three posts and accepted Facebook entries as well. I am a fool.

So here's what I've just done. I made myself a hot Ribena, slapped on some Leona Lewis (I sing along to try and widen my vocal range!), sat down and copied out the names of all the commenters. From all 4 (!) locations. I only wrote your name down once if you left several comments; it felt too mean to discount people entirely since my instructions perhaps weren't that clear.

Whatever.

Witness the list!

Enter Random.org and my screen grabs. Took me ages to figure out how to get those. You can tell I haven't worked in an office for years, can't you?

Our first winning comment came from Commenter #8, Mr. Rolfe, who said:

'I would like a taste of Ti Kaun Yin. As one of China's most beloved oolongs, her intriguing lingering floral aroma is enough to make anyone scream "Ooooh Darjeeling!" :)'

Well, quite, Mr. Rolfe. Quite.

Next up is #18, World In A Cup, who commented:

'When I first moved to England I thought I'd hit the jackpot: a tea-lover moving to the promised land of tea -- it was a match made in heaven! That is, until I set out to re-stock my tea cupboard (OHYES I have one of those!) and was sorely disappointed... The tea bag is ubiquitous! It's an abomination! Loose leaf tea is the only way to go. So, rather than getting lost on the fashionable streets of London trying to ferret out the very best of loose-leaf tea the capital has to offer, I settled on the easy option: every time I go home to my frost-nipped Sweden, I bring pound after pound of the most beautifully scented loose leaf tea with me. (For survival purposes only, of course)

I'd love to try the White Blueberry, since white teas otherwise tend to be sold in an unadulterated state. I'm ready for some excitement! (And I would love to see the look on my family's faces when I tell them this Christmas that I won't be filling my suitcase up with tea... I have been made fun of long enough!)'

I want to visit Sweden - if there's a space in your suitcase that won't be getting filled with tea, let me know. I'll hop in!

#46, Katerina Kigitzi, is next:

'I love them (from Greece)'

And then we have #41, Ondrej Srb:

'I would love to try some of the green tea but what I'm really after is the teapot LOL.'

It's a great pot! You're going to love it.

Our final winner is Lily Beltain, who was #25 on my list:

'I've never had White tea, but it looks quite exciting. I've just started buying proper tea after finally getting around to procuring a teapot! One of my earliest tea memories was making my Mother her daily cup of Earl Grey, but misunderstanding the instructions, and putting 3 teaspoons of tea-leaves into her mug rather than the pot! At least she pretended to drink it :D'

I've never tried white tea either, but it's on my list! Let me know how it goes.

Congratulations guys, and get in touch with your delivery details so I can pass them on to Adagio. Thanks to all who entered, and to Adagio for their kind offer to provide tea not just for review but also to give away to you lot!

Review and Give-Away: Adagio Tea Sets

2012-11-02T18:51:00.001Z

Golden Monkey

Today, we continue The Adagio Trilogy. Reflecting on what has past, I feel sad that this is coming to an end; one wonders how Francis Ford-Coppola felt after The Godfather Part III.

Incidentally, I don't really like those films. I know many of you will be shocked, and perhaps even take offence, but I can't help you. People regularly slate Pretty Woman and I have to deal with it.

Today's tea, I confess, was selected by yours truly as a sample because of its name. I adore it; tell me you don't feel the same.

I was initially thinking that the 'Golden Monkey' may have been harvested by long-fingered primates, like those oolong teas you sometimes read about, but apparently all that stuff is poppycock. Shame. I rather like the idea.

This is a black tea from China, and has a great scent. I get a definite cocoa fragrance, and whereas I personally wouldn't add milk to it, I can see that it would taste great with a little added.

The liquor (had to get that word in one of these posts somewhere!) is a deep, rusty brown, and tastes good and strong. A small mug of this in the afternoon has made a fantastic pick me up over the last three days and I suspect it will do the same tomorrow as well.

I wanted just to point out (since I forgot to in my last posts) another great feature of Adagio's website: the cost per cup information. I doubt many people can visualise what 85g of Golden Monkey tea looks like. Thanks to the clear pricing, you can easily see that it would make 38 cups, at a cost of 32 pence each. That might sound treaty, but there are so many teas to choose from that I think most people would find something unique and to their taste without too much fuss. The Earl Grey Bravo, for example, is only 11 pence a cup. When you think about how much you pay for teas in chain coffee stores, it's actually quite shocking. Treat yourself at home instead, I say.

Adagio are kindly giving away 5 starter sets comprising of 4 teas (details below), a glass mug and an ingenuiTEA teapot to 5 lucky readers. The teas that are up for grabs are:

Black: Earl Grey Bravo, Assam Melody, Mango, Chocolate

Green: Citron Green, Dragonwell, Apricot Green, Jasmine Yin Hao

Herbal: Fruit Medley, Yerba Mate, Rooibos Vanilla, Lemon Grass

Oolong: Ti Kuan Yin, Wuyi Ensemble, Ooooh Darjeeling, Peach Oolong

White: White Blueberry, Silver Needle, White Peach, White Tropics

If you do the maths, you can see this is a serious haul, equal to £50 per set. For your chance to win, here's what you need to do:

Leave a comment on this post letting me know which tea you'd most like to try and why. Don't think you need to write an essay. This is just fun! I like silly answers just as much as serious ones.
If you prefer, leave the comment on the Delicious Delicious Delicious Facebook Page. You can like us as well! That's fine too.
Comments will close at midnight on Monday 5 November 2012. Winners will be selected at random shortly after.
Open to all people, everywhere.
Email entries not accepted. Nor are multiple entries. But you can ask friends or colleagues to enter on your behalf if you like.