I was utterly smitten by Tim Burtons dark adaption of Alice in Wonderland with the fabulous Helen Bonham-Carter as the Queen of Hearts. I saw it last night in 3D, and decided as I left the cinema that tea and tarts would be my Sunday treat. Armed with heart tart molds, a heart cookie cutter and pots of home-made strawberry and blueberry jam that I got for christmas, it was super easy. See the film and then create your own confection.

The Queen of hearts herself

As well as the tarts, I made heart cookies, cutting a mini heart in one of the pair, I baked them and then glued them together with jam, baking them briefly again to really glue them together. I baked the mini cutouts too! Hearts galore!

Heart mania – the combinations are endless!

And I stacked the leftovers and drizzled jam over them and baked the stack. Madness!

JAM TARTS RECIPE

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
150g plain flour
Pinch of salt
75g unsalted butter
3 tablespoons caster sugar
1 egg yolk
Cold water
Jam (strawberry, raspberry or apricot work well)

• Sift the flour and salt into the bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and drop them in.

• With your fingers, rub the butter into the flour. You will end up with a breadcrumb-like consistency.
• Add the caster sugar and egg yolk and mix to a stiff consistency, using the wooden spoon. You will need to add a little cold water (try a tablespoon at a time) to make it stick together in a lump. Too much water will make it too sticky so add it gradually and work it through, thoroughly. Three tablespoons should be more than enough.
• Knead the pastry gently for a few minutes then leave in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest. Turn on the oven (190C / gas mark 5 / 375F) to pre-heat.
• Sprinkle a little flour onto the pastry board or worktop. Put your lump of dough on it and roll out the dough to about 3mm thick. Make sure the thickness is even all the way across.
• Drape the dough over the buttered tart tins or any other tins you have. Gently squeeze to the sides and take a knife around the edge, trimming off the excess. I dry baked these little forms for 10 minutes with tiny pebbles in them to keep their shape. Apparently you can use dry beans too. After they have semi baked,  pick out the pebbles obviously! a
• Fill the forms with jam. Use any you like but the lower the sugar in it the better. It will hold its shape and not go as runny. Up to 40% sugar max. I like my jam to have big lumps in it too, but some people prefer jelly like jam.
• If you have any dough left over, gather the bits up and roll them out flat again. Cut the playing card shapes of clubs, hearts, diamonds and spades out of this dough, either freehand with the table knife or make a template out of cardboard. Make sure they are small enough to fit on top of the tarts.
• Place the dough shapes on top of the jam and put them in the top half of the oven for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
• Leave to cool before eating – the jam gets VERY hot.

And watch out for anyone trying to steal them!

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It all started out just fine. The miracle of a sunny Saturday, and Sacha and I went for a stroll from the V&A  (Go see ‘Decode- Digital design sensations‘) down Walton St to our favorite administrator of Guinness, the Enterprise.  You enter  through these massive velvet curtains into what looks like a manor house library, greeted by a chap who behaves more like a butler than a waiter. The Guinness is poured to perfection, thick, jetblack and creamy, and all food is served superfresh, and perfect…

Sacha had the classic Caeser with the most oozy eggs I’ve seen. The anchovies were super fresh and delicious.

I had the Moules with garlic, wine, parsley and cream. Super plump, they popped in my mouth.

A side order of frites was essential for submerging into the creamy sauce. So there goes the diet I plan to start. Not.

And to make matters worse, high on Nitrogen bubbly Guinness there was no holding me back. I ordered the Fig & frangipane tart, honeycomb ice cream & cream anglaise. I asked for two spoons to share with S and proceeded to eat the lot. Hell yeah!

So, if you find yourself tired of walking, wanting to avoid the Saturday morning shopping and tourist crowds of Knightsbridge, go forth to the Enterprise, make like a local, and spend the afternoon basking in its warmth.

The Enterprise
35 Walton Street
London
SW3 2HU

E: enterprise@christophersgrill.com
T: 020 7584 3148

Directions
The Enterprise is located on Walton Street, just round the corner from Harrods and Beauchamp Place and a 5 minute walk from both the Kings Road and the Fulham Road. The nearest tube station is South Kensington. Turn left to exit the station and left again onto Pelham Street. At the top of Pelham Street, turn left and then immediately right onto Draycott Avenue. Walton Street is on your left. Walk along Walton Street and The Enterprise will be on your right.

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Ah… feeling really nostalgic this week. Remembering the amazing evening that was New years eve on Sydney harbour with Sophie, Bob and about 10 mates. It was stunning,  because of the natural beauty of the location, the amazing fireworks, but also, because if there is one thing Australians do really well, it’s incinerate meat in any location… even off the back of a boat.

After many hours working our way from Balmain yacht club down to the Opera house, and even more time mooring the boat in a perfect location with a perfect view of the imminent fireworks display over the city, we finally were ready to commence drinking and lighting the bbq. Amazingly every boat was following this yearly ritual and the smell of grilled meat permeated the harbour. We had marinated shashlicks grilled to perfection, green and potato salad, loads of cheese and lashings of wine and champagne.

By the time the 9 pm fireworks started we were fully satiated,  high on champagne and the anticipation of the main event.

What a main event it was too! Spectacular and never ending. Surely the greatest fireworks display in the world.

At 2am we commenced the trip back under the bridge, back to balmain, dropping guests off on the way.
By 3am we were back and by 4am fully charged on the visual feast I struggled to sleep.
I really hope to be their guest again any year they’ll have me! Thanks Sophe and Bob. Wild night!

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Princess Lottie made this gorgeous chocolate log filled with fresh cream and served sprinkled with raspberries. And just because Waynsee likes them we had dragon fruit halves served on the side. It was spectacular! If we hadn’t eaten so much before I’d have had another slice! See the recipe and make it! Yummy!

one slice of the log, one nibble and moments later, it was demolished!

These dragon fruit halves were stunning to look at and sweet and fresh with the log.

RECIPE

Serves 8 – at a push!

Ingredients
200g (7oz) Green & Blacks plain chocolate, broken into pieces
150g (5oz) caster sugar
5 medium eggs, separated
2 tbsp icing sugar
100g (4oz) Green & Blacks white chocolate, broken into pieces
284ml (10fl oz) carton double cream
Fresh raspberries and chocolate curls if you like, for decoration

Method
1. Melt the plain chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl for 3 to 4 mins until very thick. Fold in the chocolate.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Beat 2tbsp egg whites into the plain chocolate mixture, then fold in remainder.

3. Pour the mixture into a 33 x 23cm (13 x 9in) Swiss roll tin lined with baking parchment. Bake at 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4) for 15 to 20 mins until risen and just firm to the touch.

4. Sift the icing sugar on to a large sheet of greaseproof paper. Turn out the roulade on to the paper and cover with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave to cool.

5. Melt the white chocolate in a pan over simmering water. Cool for 5 mins. Whip the cream until peaking, then fold in the melted chocolate.

6. Remove the tea towel from the roulade. Trim all around the sponge sides for easier rolling and to prevent major cracking. Spread the sponge with white chocolate cream. Using the greaseproof paper as a guide, roll up the roulade from one short end.

7. Decorate with chocolate curls and raspberries.

Recipe adapted from Mary Berry.

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A quick lunch at Zizzi on Sunday turns into a long afternoon nap on the sofa.

Of course, the pork meatball spaghetti might have had some influence…

these olives and the breadsticks below were just unnecessary, but in for a penny, in for a pound.

the oven baked assortment of breads dipped in olive oil and balsamic added just that extra bit of carbs to ensure a sleepy sunday afternoon.

Who’d have thought, Zizzi the Italian food chain is pretty damn good. washed down with their house Montepulciano, I was awash with joy on another drab London Sunday!

Zizzi Notting Hill Gate

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Ahhh…reminiscing I am, over Princess Lotties superb Christmas 3 bird roast, aptly named a ‘Partpheasen’, being a partridge in a pheasant in a chook, with layers of a superb sausage stuffing.  All accompanied by perfect roast vegetables.

Yes it was Christmas, and yes it was months ago and yes I made myself ill eating so much of it, but with the weather just as wintery now as then, surely there is still a need for meaty festiveness. Does it need to be Christmas? How about celebrating a birthday, or how about a dinner party? Or how about celebrating just having survived this long grim winter.  Just think about it is all I’m saying…

…Accompanied by a pile of fresh roast honey parsnip , fennel, and spuds. Spesh!

A huge plate piled high with lush Partpheasen, veg and gravy mmmm…. what a christmas it was.

PARTPHEASEN

Ingredients

2.5k Organic Free range chicken
Pheasant
Partridge
500g of your favourite sausages
250g cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
200g dried cranberries soaked overnight
2 leeks chopped, sweated in butter and allowed to cool
1 tsp ground mace
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
15g fresh thyme
Salt
Black pepper
500g good smoked streaky bacon, rind removed
To roast: three large carrots, two medium onions – peeled

Kit

Needle and butcher’s thread – this is a shiny, food safe cotton which slides easily (regular string will probably work but it will make the job tougher)

Prep

• Can all be done at least a day in advance
1. Ask your butcher to bone all three birds. Leave the leg and wing bones intact on the chicken, remove all bones from the pheasant and partridge.

2. Separate one sausage and reserve then remove the skins from the rest. Put the sausage meat in a bowl and add the chestnuts, cranberries and leeks. Mix in the mace, allspice, nutmeg and thyme leaves. Cover and put aside.

Assembly

• Preheat the oven to 180°C
3. Lay the chicken skin side down on the bench. If you wish you can put a clean tea towel underneath to help with handling later on. Grind on some salt and pepper then smear the stuffing onto the chicken, stopping just short of the edge.

4. Lay the pheasant on top, skin side down. Again grind on some salt and pepper. Smear on the stuffing

5. Lay the partridge on top, skin side down and top with the reserved sausage.

6. Wrap the partridge tight around the sausage and pull up the edges of the pheasant around the stuffing and the partridge. You can temporarily skewer the roll closed if it helps. Using the tea towel if necessary, pull the chicken and stuffing up around the pheasant. Don’t worry if the edges don’t meet exactly.

7. Use about 150cm of thread. Make the first stitch at the vent end of the central line. Only pull half the thread through and don’t fix the end. Take large stitches, about 3cm apart, and at least 2cm back into the skin on each side and work toward the head end. Leave the stitches loose at first. When you get to the head end, tuck in the flap and stitch tightly across the neck hole.

8. Using both hands, massage the bird vigorously to redistribute the stuffing into the shape you want. Starting at the head end, pull each stitch individually tighter as you work the stuffing into place. Thread the needle back onto the tail end of the thread and pull it tight. Stitch across the vent end and tie off.

9. Use your choice of stock veg to make a trivet in a big roasting tin. Place the bird on top, sutures down, season, drape bacon over the breast and top with a tent of foil.

Cooking

• Timings are for combined birds weighing 1.8kg – you may need to cover with foil until the last hour if you dare to cook a heavier version.
10. Place in the oven; chances are you won’t have much choice of shelf but near the middle if you do. Roast for 20 minutes per 500g plus an extra 40 minutes. After half an hour drain off fat and juices with a bulb baster or a small ladle. Put these in a glass bowl and allow to separate.

11. Using the bulb baster, extract the juices from beneath the fat you’ve drawn off and put them in a small pan. Add about half the quantity of either verjuice, orange juice, soy sauce, port or the cranberry soaking liquid and reduce to about half. Begin basting the bird at 15 min intervals with this glaze. Remove the foil for the last half hour. (We didn’t use foil at all due to the light weight of our bird).

12. The only safe measure to ensure the meat is cooked is to use a probe thermometer which should read 70°C “at the thickest part of the meat” – a truly ridiculous suggestion when you’re dealing with a solid poultry log as thick as your thigh.

13. Allow at least half an hour rest under a/the foil tent before even considering cutting. It will easily stay servably warm for an hour and will only improve so here’s another place you can gain a bit of flexibility in scheduling.

14. Slice across the middle to gasps of admiration and serve it forth

Recipe adapted from Tim Hayward.

The fabulous Princess Lottie in action, complete with festive chrimbo cracker crown.

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Hungry carnivores, blood-thirsty vampires listen up. Go no further than the superb Taqueria, the best little Mexican cafe in Notting Hill, London. You’re currently drooling over a Chorizo Mexicano, house made Mexican chorizo, diced onion, and coriander on 3 small tortillas, with a red salsa on the side. Superb! Oh, but there’s more. The Vampiro, the Carnitas, the Camarón al mojo de aj….

So close you’re wondering what this is right?  It’s the decadent ‘Vampiro’. A sumptuous toasted open tortilla, with cheese, char grilled skirt steak and Vampiro salsa.

Camarón al mojo de ajo garlicky char-grilled prawns with chile chipotle, coriander, avocado mash on 3 small tortillas. The prawns are super fresh and have a perfect chargrilliness.

Carnitas shredded slow cooked pork, green salsa, pickled jalapeño, diced onion, coriander on 3 small tortillas. This pork melts in your mouth. Whatever you do, order this!

Aguacate diced avocado, lime, salt, diced onion, coriander. The creamy, freshness of this side dish makes the meatfest  feel worthy. A must. The great thing about this place is, that they always find you a table, no matter how busy, making taqueria on of my favourite pitstops. Go eat.

Taquería

139-143 Westbourne Grove, London W11 2RS.

Ph 0207 229 4734

OPENING HOURS:
Monday to Thursday 12:00pm to 11:00pm
Friday from 12:00pm to 11:30pm
Saturday from 10:00am to 11:30pm
Sunday from 12:00pm to 10:30pm.

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1: Roadkill crow

This cake would be perfect at a roadkill restaurant or for a halloween party. I especially like the subtle use of blood, it is just enough to know that the bird is not sleeping (well – that and its broken neck).
I’ve had a hard week and it’s affected my taste. Enjoy more sick cakes at your peril…

2: The divorce cake
I have one thing to say: where was this cake when I had my divorce party? I might have added the subtle touch of a  knife to the brides intent grip. It’s the groom who gets it and that’s what counts. Nice.

3: Kitty litter cake
WTF?? Seriously this is insane. Kitty litter is something smelly, that you would prefer not to think about when considering a kitten in your life. What occasion do you need this cake for? Kitty birthday? Toilet training celebration? Please advise.

4: Carrie Cake
Beautiful yes? An alternative prom – coming of age cake? See the movie and say no more….

5: Severed handy work…

The most amazing effort went into this highly detailed, graphic cake, You can see how it was prepared here

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Big Dave our creative partner is munching his way through hundreds of sprouts this Chrimbo in the name of charity. I was tasked with making one of Daves many sprout meals, each needing to include 50 sprouts to get him ingesting loads. A soup seemed like a good idea and hopefully this brussel sprout soup with caramelised onions will do the trick! With just two bowls full, he’ll have eaten 50 sprouts. Amazing! Learn more at the site

Brussels sprout and caramelised onion soup

Ingredients

450g/1 lb onions, sliced
30g/1oz butter
1 tbsp caster sugar
450g/1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 generous sprig of thyme
1.15 litres/2 pints chicken or vegetable stock
salt
freshly ground black pepper

To serve

soured cream, créme fraiche or Greek yoghurt
paprika or cayenne pepper

Method

1. Put the onions into a pan with the butter, cover and sweat over a gentle heat for about 30-40 minutes until the onions are very tender and soft.
2. Sprinkle over the sugar and cook, uncovered, for another 10-15 minutes until the onions are lightly coloured and look a little like jam.
3. Add the sprouts and thyme and stir around.
4. Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for about ten minutes until the sprouts are just tender.
5. Cool slightly, remove the thyme sprig, then liquidise in two batches.
6. Reheat gently if necessary and adjust seasoning.
7. Serve piping hot with a spoonful of créme fraiche or yoghurt in each bowl and a light dusting of paprika or cayenne.

the onions caramelising

50 washed sprouts trimmed, and halved , added to the onions with a big sprig of thyme.

Chicken stock added, brought to the boil, seasoned and blended. I left half the soup chunky for texture.

You can keep up to date with Dave’s antics and the rest of the Karma Kooks trying to make his life a little bit more bearable here.

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I served this mousse at Simone’s christmas lunch and it out chocolated all the girls. Intense!
For the ultimate chocolate sensation, this is best made with dark chocolate containing at least 70 per cent cocoa solids. Good with biscotti, shortbread, or a little whipped cream.

RECIPE

• 150g 70 Per Cent Dark Chocolate, (100g broken up, 50g extra grated or curled to serve)
• a generous swig of brandy
• 1 tbsp Milk
• 2 Eggs, separated
• 35g Caster Sugar
• 150ml Double Cream

1. Place the chocolate, brandy and milk in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. When the chocolate has melted, stir until combined, remove from the heat, and allow to cool slightly.
2. Place the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until thick and creamy. Then whisk in the chocolate mixture.
3. Whip the cream in a bowl until stiff. Gently fold in the chocolate mixture until combined, taking care not to over mix. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, and gently fold into the chocolate mixture.
4. Spoon into individual dishes and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. If you like the mousse soft, take it out of the refrigerator and let it warm to room temperature before serving. Decorate with grated chocolate or chocolate curls, if liked

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When the girls came over on satuday afternoon, I didn’t want to fuss. So the better the ingredients the simpler the recipe can be. Waitrose blinis in the oven for a few minutes, topped with organic smoked salmon,  creme fraiche, chopped chives and some black caviar. Fast and easy and so delicious with Cava! Is there anything better?

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Mmmm…this saturday afteroon roast was dead easy! And it was perfect as part of a goodbye early christmas lunch for my dear friend Simone, off to South Africa for 3 months. My roast chicken is a cross between my Polish Grans garlic chicken, marinated for 24 hours, crossed with a classic roast chicken stuffed with lemons, rosemary balsamic and olive oil by Donna Hay. It takes 2 hours to roast as it was a 2 kilo chook and I threw tons of baby spuds, carrots, whole garlic cloves, sweet potato and parsnip in to boot. Delish!

Recipe
Diana’s roast chicken

make a marinade of a few sprigs of rosemary chopped
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of balsamic
1/4 cup of lemon juice

Crush 4-5 garlic cloves together with a teaspoon of salt and black pepper.
Rub it into the inside and outside of the chicken. That’s what my gran always did!

Now fill the carcass with half the marinade and a big half a lemon to seal it.

Then, slit the skin between the breast and leg and stuff  a few spoons of the marinade under the skin of the bird. Rub the rest all over the chicken already covered in the garlic mix. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight.

To roast:
Heat the oven to 200C and  then start roasting for an hour. baste after 20 minutes.
After an hour, throw all your veg into the pan and the rest is easy. Sip wine, baste when you feel like you should.

To serve:
Let the chicken rest for a few minutes.
Chop into 6-8 pieces, serve on a big plate surrounded by roast veg and garnish with the juices.

Serve with a mixed peppery salad.

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Adventures with Chocolate: 80 sensational recipes is chocolate genius Paul A. Young’s first foray into cook-books, and, like his wonderful shops in London, it’s playful, inspiring, delicious and surprising. Cory Doctorow writes…

‘Young’s gifted touch with truffles, brownies and drinking chocolate have made his Islington store a favourite in London. And here are all of Paul’s secrets, laid bare in a superbly designed and printed book whose pornographically chocolated pages make you want to surreptitiously taste them (I tasted them. Tasted like clay-coated heavy paper stock). Paul’s recipes are easy to follow and are equal parts inspirational (he makes it clear enough that even ham-fisted me believes that I can make them) and aspirational (in reality, it’s a lot more likely that I’ll just pop in on the Camden Passage shop and buy another box). And his essay on how he became a chocolatier, as well as his essays on buying and preparing chocolate, are sensational.’

And apparently the entire first run of Adventures with Chocolate has already sold out, but the second printing is due in less than a week, and should arrive in time for Christmas.

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Laduree? Bah! Indulge yourself in a taste of French cafe culture with this famous Parisian tea room delicacy. And as Princess Lottie shows us, it can be done simply and to perfection. Devour at your leisure, or share if you’re feeling generous. I wouldn’t!

Makes about 20

110g icing sugar
50g ground almonds
12g cocoa powder
2 free-range egg whites (60g)
40g caster sugar

Ganache filling
65g white chocolate (Green & Blacks)
50ml double cream

1. Start by making the ganache filling. Chop up the chocolate into tiny pieces and place in a heatproof bowl. Pour the cream into a small saucepan and bring to the boil, watching it carefully. As soon as it boils, pour it over the chocolate and stir gently with a rubber spatula until you get a smooth mix (if the chocolate doesn’t melt easily, help it by placing the bowl over a pot of simmering water and stirring).

2. Place a sheet of cling film over the surface of the ganache and leave to set somewhere cool for a couple of hours. Don’t put it in the fridge. It should not get too hard, as you need to spoon or pipe it between the macaroons.

3. Heat up the oven to 170C. Using a fine sieve, sift the icing sugar, cocoa powder and ground almonds into a clean, dry bowl.

4. Place the egg whites and caster sugar in the bowl of a freestanding electric mixer and start whisking on full speed until the whites have formed a thick, aerated meringue, firm but not too dry. Remove the bowl from the machine, take a third of the meringue and fold it gently into the sifted almond and sugar mix. Once incorporated, add another third of the meringue and continue similarly until all the meringue has been added and the mix appears smooth and glossy.

5. Take a sheet of baking parchment and ‘glue’ it on to a baking sheet by dotting the tray in a few places with a tiny amount of the macaroon mix. Now you need to use the mix to create uniform shallow discs, about the size of a two-pound coin.

6. To assist you, draw little circles on the paper, spaced well apart. This will guide you in achieving consistently sized macaroons, Then either pipe or spoon little blobs of the macaroon mix on to the lined tray. Alternatively, take a bowl of icing sugar, dip your fingers in it and shape the macaroons with your hands.
Now hold the tray firmly and tap its underside vigorously This should help to spread and smooth out the biscuits. Leave the macaroons out and uncovered for 15 minutes before baking.

7. To bake, place the macaroons in the preheated oven and leave for about 12 minutes. They might take longer, depending on your oven. The macaroons are ready when they come freely off the paper when lifted with a palette knife. Remove from the oven as soon as they reach this stage, so that you don’t overbake them, and leave aside to cool down completely.

8. To assemble the macaroons, use a small spoon or a piping bag to deposit a pea-sized amount of the filling on the flat side of half the biscuits. Sandwich them with the other half, squeezing them together gently. Leave at room temperature to set within a couple of hours, or chill them to hasten the process. Just remember not to serve your macaroons cold from the fridge.

Recipe adapted from Ottolenghi.

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We’ve been meaning to try this one for a while but we’ve been waiting for the right occasion. No vegetarians or ‘I only eat fish’ people, just meat lovers welcome on this particular occasion.
2(or 3)? kilos of pork shoulder slow roasted in the oven for 8 hours. Enough to make your flat smell like a carvery, but definitely worth it as the meat tenderly falls off the bone, and the crunch of crackling makes your mouth water as you’re serving up.
Mmmm… Suggestion for the next day – have a light salad! No meat, but maybe some fish though.

Serves 4 to 6
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 6 hours

Ingredients
2kg bone-in shoulder of pork, skin on
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 red onions, halved
2 carrots, peeled and halved lengthways
2 sticks of celery, halved
1 bulb of garlic, skin on, broken into cloves
6-8 fresh bay leaves
600ml water or vegetable stock

Preheat your oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7.

Place your pork on a clean work surface, skin-side up. Get yourself a small sharp knife and make scores about a centimetre apart through the skin into the fat, but not so deep that you cut into the meat. If the joint is tied, try not to cut through the string. Rub salt right into all the scores you’ve just made, pulling the skin apart a little if you need to.

Brush any excess salt off the surface then turn it over. Season the underside of the meat with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Place your pork, skin side-up, in a roasting tray and pop in the preheated oven. Roast for 30 minutes, until the skin of the pork has started to puff up and you can see it turning into crackling. At this point, turn the heat down to 170°C/325 F/gas3, cover the pork snugly with a double layer of tin foil, pop back in the oven and roast for a further 4 and a half hours.

Take out of the oven take the foil off, and baste the meat with the fat in the bottom of the tray. Carefully lift the pork up and transfer to a chopping board. Spoon all but a couple of tablespoons of fat out (save it for roast potatoes!)

Add all the veg, garlic and bay leaves to the tray and stir them into the fat. Place the pork back on top of everything and return to the ove sithout the foil to roast for another hour. By this time the meat should be meltingly soft and tender.

Carefully move the meat to a serving dish, cover again with tin foil and leave to rest while you make your gravy. Spoon away any fat in the tray, then add the water or stock and place the tray on the hob. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to scrape up all those lovely sticky tasty bits on the bottom of the tray. When you’ve got a nice, dark gravy,pour it through a sieve into a bowl or gravy boat, using your spoon to really push all the goodness of the veg through the sieve. Add a little more salt and pepper if it needs it.

Serve the pork and crackling with your jug of gravy and some lovely roast potatoes (As a treat you can try roasting them in the fat you spooned out of your roasting tray. Some stewed red cabbage and a dollop of apple sauce will finish this off perfectly).

Recipe from Jamie Oliver.

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Since Princess Lottie  joined an online cooking challenge (bit like a book club), she’s been presented with numerous recipes and dishes to make each month. One such challenge was to produce the national Vietnamese treasure of Pho. Being of Vietnamese origin, her husband Wayne, naturally wanted to partake, and do it the long way. I, on the other hand wont do it, but I will eat it with. Anyone recommend the best pho in London? Otherwise read on to make your own.

When cooking a dish like this there is only one option with the broth – and that’s to make it yourself from scratch. Though it may take a few hours its definitely worth it. You can also keep it to use for other dishes. And as the broth simmered away, the wafts and smells only reminded me of Mama Hue’s kitchen. Though I must confess, my creation of this dish doesn’t even come close to good old Mama’s.

Serves 8

THE BROTH
2 onions, halved
4″ nub of ginger, halved lengthwise
5-6 lbs of good beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle
1 lb of beef meat – chuck, brisket, rump, cut into large slices [optional]
6 quarts of water
1 package of Pho Spices [1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbl coriander seeds, 1 tbl fennel seeds, 5 star anise, 1 cardamom pod, 6 whole cloves - in mesh bag]
1 1/2 tbl salt
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 inch chunk of yellow rock sugar (about 1 oz) – or 1oz of regular sugar

THE BOWLS
2 lbs rice noodles (dried or fresh)
cooked beef from the broth
1/2 lb flank, london broil, sirloin or eye of round, sliced as thin as possible.
big handful of each: mint, cilantro, basil
2 limes, cut into wedges
2-3 chili peppers, sliced
2 big handfuls of bean sprouts
Hoisin sauce
Cock sauce (Sriracha)

Char: Turn your broiler on high and move rack to the highest spot. Place ginger and onions on baking sheet. Brush just a bit of cooking oil on the cut side of each. Broil on high until ginger and onions begin to char. Turn over and continue to char. This should take a total of 10-15 minutes.

Parboil the bones: Fill large pot (12-qt capacity) with cool water. Boil water, and then add the bones, keeping the heat on high. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones and rinse out the pot. Refill pot with bones and 6 qts of cool water. Bring to boil over high heat and lower to simmer. Using a ladle or a fine mesh strainer, remove any scum that rises to the top.

Boil broth: Add ginger, onion, spice packet, beef, sugar, fish sauce, salt and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the beef meat and set aside (you’ll be eating this meat later in the bowls) Continue simmering for another 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and return the broth to the pot. Taste broth and adjust seasoning – if you want a little more flavor, add a few dashes more of fish sauce, large pinch of salt and a small nugget of rock sugar (or large pinch of regular sugar).

Prepare noodles & meat: Slice your flank/london broil/sirloin as thin as possible – try freezing for 15 minutes prior to slicing to make it easier. Remember the cooked beef meat that was part of your broth? Cut or shred the meat and set aside. Arrange all other ingredients on a platter for the table. Your guests will “assemble” their own bowls. Follow the directions on your package of noodles – there are many different sizes and widths of rice noodles, so make sure you read the directions. For some fresh rice noodles, just a quick 5 second blanch in hot water is all that’s needed. The package that I purchased (above) – needed about 45 seconds in boiling water.

Ladling: Bring your broth back to a boil. Line up your soup bowls next to the stove. Fill each bowl with rice noodles, shredded cooked beef and raw meat slices. As soon as the broth comes back to a boil, ladle into each bowl. the hot broth will cook your raw beef slices. Serve immediately. Guests can garnish their own bowls as they wish.

Recipe from Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen

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Wont forget my first jet lagged morning in New York. Hungry as hell I stomped towards Soho in need of the Apple shop and sustenance.  Fanelli’s menu in  the window  was a beacon of caffeine, eggs and home fries. Service was prompt and the coffee was bottomless. Maybe not the best ever, but who cares when the space is this gorgeous and my appetite this big. Been there? What you think?

11 am, the place was empty. By 12 it was heaving!

“Can I top that up for you?” Oh yes you can…the American bottomless cup served with a smile, so plain so simple, so perfect.

Fanelli Cafe
94 Prince St, New York City, NY
Phone 212/226-9412

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So I’m in the kitchen at  Karmarama, the ad agency I work at. I’m digging around for a jar of marmite or some other toast topping platitude , when David, our creative director, walks in and draws my attention to a humble jar of jam in the cupboard. Turns out he makes it and it has the nicest label ever. Super delicious, rich plum flavour with a serious hint of cinammon to make it just that bit spesh. So, what a cool surprise -  a creative director who home makes jam from plums in his Dalston garden. Love it! Not really sold anywhere yet, but will let you know more as soon as it’s on the shelves somewhere.

“The label I designed myself and Bette and Bosco are my two kids, pictured below, eating nutella straight from the pot, (not home made). I also make a blend of Victoria and Green plum jam, have a few pots left, also just made  a huge batch (50 jars) of apple, plum ginger and onion chutney with peaches, YES I got twenty massive peaches this year. That’s still brewing  and will be ready soon.

Greengage jam
I got the recipe off the Waitrose website, And used greengages from the tree at the end of my garden smack bang in the middle of De Beauvoir, which is the poncey name for Dalston. There are no chemicals or any other nasty stuff.

1.5 kg greengages
1.5 kg granulated or caster sugar
2 vanilla pods
15g unsalted butter
I halved the amount of sugar in the recipe because the fruit is naturally very sweet and instead of vanilla I added cinnamon.”

Betty and Bosco

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Walking through New York on a cool Autumn Saturday afternoon, there are plenty of street food markets that reflect the colour and flavour of the season. After brunch at the Breslin Bar and Grill in the new Ace Hotel, we went for a stroll downtown, and came across these dudes spit roasting this unlucky organic lamb. Rubbed down with delicious herbs and spices, lamby was succulent and spicy, and perhaps the best I have ever nibbled on. The boys responsible for this cremation save the head for themselves though, it’s their favourite part. You’ll always find them there on Saturdays.

This farmer had the most amazing array of beautiful pumpkins and squash. With Halloween a week away, I guess he was doing a roaring trade.

The most stunning Autumn radishes I have ever seen. Super huge, crunchy and beautifully sharp.

Staying in a hotel room has its issues, namely where do you boil this georgous fresh corn?Would have loved to taste it! Stunning size and freshness.

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A Cannoli on steroids? Yes indeed, this is the NY version of my favourite Italian crispy, creamy pastry. Yes it was delicious…but not like the original Italian inspiration for this evolved New York variety.

Anders and I were on a stroll one day, he on his way to his Chinese masseur right by little Italy. I was on my way to Canal St for a camera case. On our way we stopped for a Cannoli on Mulberry St. I wish I could tell you the name of the cafe, but there were so many and we wandered from window to window, admiring their beauty. Finally we agreed on tasting the wares at a cafe claiming to have ‘the best Cannoli in the world’ hell that sounded suitably cocky. We sat with double espressos out of mismatched gelati coloured cups, Anders with the chocolate coated variety, and I with my classic cannoli. It was crispy and light on the outside, but what was with the filling? So much ricotta, so heavy, and chocoloate chips?? Not like the ones in Rome, Sicily, or Melbourne Australia, where Brunettis in Carlton have the lightest most heavenly variety. This was as intense and ballsy as a New Yorker. Heavy and  sustaining for hours. Not my ideal, but truly a great New York experience. Make them yourself. I will. Anyone know the name of the cafe that claims to have the best in the world on Mulberry St?

CANNOLI WITH RICOTTA FILLING

1 1/3 c. flour
1 tbsp. shortening
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
Wine, sweet or dry

RICOTTA FILLING

1 lb. ricotta
2 tsp. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tbsp. candied orange peel, cut fine
1 jigger creme de cocoa or other liqueur
2 tbsp. sugar

CANNOLI: Mix flour, shortening, salt, and sugar. Add enough wine to make a stiff but workable dough. Roll into ball; let stand for 1 hour. Roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 5 inch squares. Place cannoli tube across the corners of the square. (Cannoli tube should be 8 inches long and 1 inch in diameter). First fold one corner around the tube, then the other and press together. Fry in deep fat, one at a time, until dark golden brown. Remove cannoli carefully and let cool before filling.

RICOTTA FILLING: Cream ricotta well, add chocolate chips, orange peel, creme de cocoa, and sugar; mix very well. Fill puffs with filling. Makes 12.

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