Me, My Food and I

Coriander roast chicken and more...

2012-02-20T21:47:00.000Z

Let's start here: this chicken is immensely delicious... seriously...

I was so intrigued several weeks ago when chef Heston Blumenthal shares his techniques to cooking his ultimate roast chicken on the telly. So, yesterday I followed his techniques with my own flavourings at home and the result is absolutely wonderful. The chicken was so, so tender and moist. YUM with capital Y,U and M.

The preparation for my Sunday roast begins the night before: brining the chicken in salty water. I'm not very good at explaining the science, but brining really does keep the moisture in food. It's nothing difficult at all... in fact, hardly any work and 'it will guarantee a juicy and succulent bird every time'.

Heston doesn't truss his chicken and personally I never really bothered as well. I especially dislike when a chicken is so heavily trussed all around that it looks like it's in bondage. Just me?!

Before cooking the chickens (I cooked 2 because my friends and I are greedy) in the oven, I made flavoured butter by mixing soft butter with garlic olive oil, salt, pepper, finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and ground coriander. This green butter is then stuffed between the skin and the breast of the chicken. With more soft butter, rub the skin all over with it. Season the cavity with salt, pepper and thyme, and put in a lemon that's been pierced all over.

Now the chicken is ready for the oven. However, instead of cooking the chicken at high temperature as many recipes for roast chicken call for; Heston cooks his chicken at low 90 C. Yes, the chicken needs three hours in the oven, followed by 30 to 45 minutes resting time and then browning and basting at high temperature. This chicken is definitely worth the wait and effort... Please give this a go.

Perhaps not the traditional trimmings for a Sunday dinner, I served the chicken with pasta salad that's inspired by Ina's orzo with roasted vegetables. The original recipe calls for aubergines, red and yellow peppers and red onions; and to that I added courgettes and artichokes. Another example of "you can't have too much of good things". The rice shaped pasta and roasted vegetables are then tossed in a simple lemon dressing.

On another note, I have joined Twitter (@MichaelToa) and I tweeted for the first time less than 24 hours ago. I'm only few years late to this social media phenomenon... *sigh... I'm not very technical. Anyway.. So, if you have a twitter account, please let me know.

Last, but not least, if you're in the UK, happy Pancake Tuesday in advance! I still have not decided if I'm going to have a sweet or savoury one... I'll decide in the morning.

Spaghetti with Olives

2012-02-15T20:21:00.000Z

One of my friends frequently ask about the lack of entry in this blog. Obviously that's not because I have stopped eating. Believe me. I very often post about the sweet treats I bring to work for Fridays, then followed by the food I had at the weekend when I had more time to cook and messing about in the kitchen. And here's the thing: if I were to blog about the meal I had daily, there would be a lot of repetitions of pasta dishes which include the addictive spaghetti with marmite, pasta puttanesca and linguine with garlic and pancetta... all of which have been featured before. Also, one evening I had a tub of ice cream for dinner and that's probably not worth mentioning, however delicious and satisfying I must confess.

But perhaps another pasta dish which I used have quite often and have not been featured yet is spaghetti with olives. I love this so much, not only because it's delicious (duh!), but incredibly quick to prepare. The longest wait is for the water to boil to cook the pasta.

I still remember having this dish the first time when I was doing my first degree several years ago. The time when I was living in student accommodation and all I had in the fridge that day was a handful of spaghetti, olives and with a little help of chilli flakes, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese, this dish was created.

Start by cooking the spaghetti in plenty of boiling, salted water, according to the packet instruction. I reckon about 150 gr for a single portion. In a wide pan, big enough to toss the spaghetti later, cover the base with good olive oil (though today I use delicious British rapeseed oil) and add to that a pinch of dried chilli flakes and a clove of garlic that's been thinly sliced. As you heat up the pan gently, the chilli and garlic will flavour the oil. Be really careful not to burn the garlic. When they sizzle a bit, add the chopped green olives, as much as you want and I like a lot and stir around. The pasta should be cooked by now. Drain and reserve a ladleful of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta in the oil, adding the reserving cooking liquid if required. Add the juice of half a lemon and toss again. Perhaps a little bit of freshly ground black pepper but no salt as the olives are already quite salty and I will be adding freshly grated Parmesan cheese too. No need to chop, just tear the parsley leaves and enjoy with a glass of well chilled white/rose wine. yum... spaghetti with olives is definitely making a comeback in my life.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

2012-02-12T13:27:00.000Z

On a recent discussion among friends, everyone agreed that they prefer to be given a smaller slice of cake but have the option to have seconds or thirds; rather than one big slab of cake, even though the quantity eaten at the end is the same. I felt the same way. I think there's a just greater satisfaction in being able to eat more.

And you certainly, well, myself and my friends at least, want to eat more of these brownies. They're dark and moist, and when you bite into the peanut butter swirl, you get delicious saltiness against the sweetness.

The recipe for this brownies is from Ina Garten. So if you're familiar with Ina's recipes, you know, this is not diet food. Yes, there are LOADS of butter, chocolate and sugar in this recipe. But do keep in mind that this makes lots of brownies. I cut mine into 30 medium slices, but you could as easily cut it into smaller pieces or bigger if you prefer.

I made a couple of changes to the recipe to suit my liking. One, I swapped the quantity of the milk chocolate and the dark chocolate. I always prefer dark chocolate, but obviously this is to your preference. Two, and I think you'd be grateful for this, I reduced the amount of sugar by nearly half. Because I don't want the delicious bitter taste of the dark chocolate to completely disappear.

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday...

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Recipe by Ina Garten
For list of ingredients and instructions, click here.

Eggplant Timbale

2012-02-06T22:10:00.000Z

I only had myself and my poor time management to blame that I missed the deadline for Random Recipe challenge last month. To avoid any more disappointments, I cooked and ate my entry pretty early this time. It is the challenge's first birthday this month and participants are asked to choose a random recipe from that first random book this time a year ago. Mine was Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by the beautiful Giada De Laurentiis. And the recipe I selected at random is the eggplant (or aubergines if you're in this side of the Atlantic) timbale.

I love aubergines with pasta and this recipe is exactly that, but presented in a form of a pie. The soft crust is made with thinly sliced then grilled aubergines. And the delicious pasta filling is flavoured with a combination of minced beef and pork sausage, tomatoes, onions, Marsala wine, peas, marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

I agree the making of the pie involves some 'faffing around' (yes, 'faffing around' is now a completely legit culinary technical term... in my kitchen, anyway) but rather fun. Though I was a bit nervous myself. How if the pie collapse?! what a disaster... But I held my breath and thankfully, it stood still until me and my friends demolish the whole thing.

Eggplant Timbale
Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis
For list of ingredients and instructions, click here.

Marmalade Cake

2012-02-03T18:23:00.000Z

It's Friday, so you know it's treat day at work. I do do some actual work you know... at times. I don't just bake in case if you're wondering. But I do think a lot about food and my next meal all the time.

Last night I came across this recipe for marmalade cake from the latest issue of Jamie (Oliver) Magazine and because I have most of the ingredients at home I thought I'd give this a go. The only ingredient missing from the original recipe is ground almonds which is a shame because I do like the texture of ground almonds in cakes. I added 1 lemon juice and zest to the cake for two very good reasons: one, it needs using before it gets dry and wrinkly; and two, I think the sharpness of the lemon will balance nicely with the sweetness of the oranges and the marmalade. And I was right. The cake is beautiful. Just the smell of it... yum.

It is soft and sticky when it's still warm, but also delicious at room temperature. It gets a bit stodgy, in a good way if you know what I mean when it cools. But you can always put it in the microwave for a few seconds only if you want to and can be bothered.

Anyway I am glad it's Friday. The wine is chilling and I've been invited to my friend, Adam's for dinner. I heard stuffed peppers with couscous and grilled halloumi, pork and cider hot pot and banoffee pie are on the menu tonight. Bring... it... on! I am starving.

Have a great weekend!

Marmalade Cake
Recipe inspired by Ginny Rolfe

200 gr soft unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the tin
4 tablespoons demerara sugar
200 gr golden caster sugar
6 heaped tablespoons fine cut marmalade
4 eggs
3 Navel oranges
1 lemon
225 self-rising flour
a pinch of salt

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Grease the base and sides of a 23 cm loose-bottomed cake tin. Sprinkle the base with demerara sugar. Slice one of the oranges as thinly as humanly possible and arrange the orange slices on the base of the tin.

Cream the butter and golden sugar until light and fluffy with an electric mixer, followed by 3 tablespoons of the marmalade and mix well. Add the eggs one by one, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Zest and then juice the rest of the oranges and 1 lemon. Add a pinch of salt to the juice and add these to the mixture. Fold in the flour.

Carefully pour the batter into the tin and bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until firm to the touch. I cover the tin halfway through cooking with foil to stop it from getting too brown, but it doesn't really matter to be honest since the top is actually going to be the base.

When the cake is out from the oven, let it sit for a little bit before turning it out from the tin. It's best to do this when the cake is still warm. Just be careful. Prick the top of the cake with wooden skewers. Heat the rest of the marmalade with a little water and pour this on top of the cake. Cut into slices and enjoy with a nice cup of tea.

Carrot Cake with Vanilla Mascarpone Icing

2012-01-31T20:43:00.000Z

...or should I call it 'blackmail cake'. Why you ask? Well, because I have received a blackmail threat from someone. If I don't bake carrot cake, a certain email will be sent to certain someone about a certain discussion that never happened but would still cost me my dignity and reputation. Not that I have any of those left to be honest.

After several weeks of harassment, I finally gave in to the threat and I baked this carrot cake with vanilla mascarpone icing. I absolutely love how light this cake is and I always love a bit of citrus with carrot cake. Though I often go with orange when baking carrot cake, I happened to have some lemons at home and it worked just as delicious, if not more I say. I have tried it with limes too and it's really good.

Instead of the usual super sweet cream cheese frosting, I opted for mascarpone and vanilla seed icing which is utterly delicious. And because mascarpone cheese is less tangy than cream cheese, it doesn't need as much sugar which is always good. But do as you please, obviously.

The blackmailer was well happy and satisfied and now demanded a pecan pie... *sigh...

Carrot Cake with Vanilla Mascarpone Icing
Recipe by Me
Makes 16 slices

For the cake
175 gr golden caster sugar
150 ml olive oil (the regular stuff, not extra virgin)
2 eggs
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200 gr coarsely grated carrots
200 gr self-raising flour
1 tablespoon mixed spice
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

For the icing
250 gr mascarpone
250 ml double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or use the seed from 1 vanilla pod
3 tablespoons icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180 C and lightly grease and line the base of a 23 cm square tin with baking parchment.

In a bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, oil, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth. Add the grated carrots and mix well. Sift the dry ingredients over the bowl and stir together gently. Pour the cake mixture to the tin and spread evenly and then bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until nicely risen, golden and springy to the touch. Remove the cake from the tin and cool on a wire rack.

Make the icing by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Make sure the cake has cooled completely before you begin to ice. Roughly ice the cooled cake, nothing too smooth and cut into slices as you desire.

Marshmallow Brownies

2012-01-21T11:39:00.000Z

I think it's no longer a surprise that on Fridays, I bring sweet treats to work. And yesterday was no exception. I brought in marshmallow brownies which ruined the January diets for some people. I am not apologising because they do have the options not to have them, but honestly, who could resist?! They're just set on top and still squidgy underneath, just like what brownies should be. These brownies are quite rich and I find eating one portion of it with a cup of coffee or teat or whatever you fancy, is just enough to satisfy my sweet craving. Though I bet some people who had two pieces would beg to differ :)

To my surprise yesterday when I presented the brownies to my colleagues, my manager called everyone to her office and I thought we're about to have a meeting. And then I was presented with a home-made card, saying 'thinking of you'. I opened it and it was a thank you card from everyone and a rather beautiful picture of Queen Elisabeth II on a £50 note. I was shocked. I love bringing treats to work but of course, I never expected anyone to pay for it. When I see my friends' face expressions enjoying my home creations and when I hear them making delicious 'hmmm' and 'ahhh' noises, I am already happy and that's enough for me. But this is just a lovely gesture and to that I say Thank You.

Have a great weekend everyone! And if you celebrate Chinese New Year, Gong Xi Fat Choi! Have a wonderful celebration!

Marshmallow Brownies
Recipe by Me
Makes 16 slices

250 gr unsalted butter
200 gr good quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
5 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
150 grams plain four
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
250 grams golden caster sugar
pinch of salt
150 grams mini marshmallow

Preheat the oven to 180 C and line a 30 cm square tin with baking paper. In a heatproof glass or metal bowl, melt the chocolate and butter over a pan of simmering water. Make sure the water does not touch the base of the bowl. Once melted, let cool a little.

In another bowl, beat the eggs with the vanilla. Then measure all the dry ingredients, the flour, cocoa powder, golden caster sugar and pinch of salt. Add the beaten eggs and vanilla to the cooled chocolate and butter mixture, mixing well, then followed by the dry ingredients. Fold most of the mini marshmallows, reserving a handful to sprinkle on top.

Pour the brownie mixture to the tin and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Though I'd suggest to check after 20 minutes as ovens do vary. The top should be set, but underneath still a bit gooey. Allow to cool a little before slicing and eating...

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake

2012-01-17T18:38:00.001Z

If you've been reading this blog for sometime, I'm sure you've heard of my work colleague and dear friend Michelle who is often known as the girl who doesn't eat gluten (and has no dragon tattoo). Michelle comes around quite often to mine for dinner or just a cup of coffee and the best thing about having her around, apart from the wonderful company, is she'll then do all washing up!

Last Friday was her last working day as she got a new job at a different department. I am happy for her for getting the job, but sad at the same time though she's only moving to a different building. On her last day I baked this old-fashioned chocolate cake for her. For obvious reason that Michelle is allergic to gluten, I swapped the all-purpose/plain flour with gluten-free flour and I added a bit more sour cream for extra moisture and it worked fine. Also to really bring out the chocolate flavour, I added a couple teaspoons of instant espresso powder to the batter.

The sugar flower decorations are purely for aesthetic reason and there is no need for them; the cake is lovely as it is, but I just can't help it. In the book, Nigella puts some flowery decorations on the cake and I just had to do the same.

Also not forgetting to mention, this is my entry for this month's Forever Nigella challenge hosted by Maison Cupcake.

Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake
Recipe by Nigella Lawson
For list of ingredients and instructions, click here.

Singapore-style noodles

2012-01-12T23:39:00.000Z

Singapore-style noodles has got to be one of my favourite dishes when eating out at Chinese restaurant or when ordering Chinese take-out (yes, I order take-out sometime. Give me a break...). I don't know if this dish is actually originated from Singapore even though it's called Singapore-style. I've been there several times and never came across it there to be honest.

But never mind, I don't really care what it's called as long as it tastes delicious. I particularly love the addition of curry powder here which also gives the distinctive golden colour to the translucent vermicelli noodles. Some recipes call for ground turmeric, but I definitely prefer curry powder for the flavour.

Like many other stir-fry dishes, I suppose there is also no fixed rule what's in Singapore-style noodles. You can use any vegetables and proteins you like or have in the fridge. This is no doubt quick cooking, though you do need to prepare all the ingredients beforehand. But if I tell you, I bought the vegetables already cleaned, chopped and ready to cook in a bag called 'stir-fry mix', would you think less of me?

There is no exact recipe here because as I said, you can add anything you like but the general idea is: on a very hot wok, add a bit of oil. Groundnut or vegetable oil is fine, but I like to use the garlic infused oil for extra flavour. Then stir fry freshly grated ginger with finely diced fresh red chilli. I then add some chopped bacon, diced chicken breast (or prawns would be lovely too), salt and black pepper and the curry powder, and because I want a lot of flavour, I add a bit of garam masala. Cook for a couple of minutes. I then add the content of my lazy veg bag which includes thinly sliced onions, beansprouts, cabbage, red peppers and carrots. Stir-fry for another minute or so before adding the rice noodles, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Stirring well to combine. If you want to add some beaten eggs at this stage, you may do so if you want to. Season with toasted sesame oil and taste if it needs more seasoning. I like to serve my Singapore-style noodles with some finely chopped fresh coriander. But if you're not a fan of coriander, perhaps some finely sliced spring onions, or simply just eat it as it is.

I admit the photo is not the best... I was starving and it was not the time to fiddle around. However, believe me, it was delicious.

Cappuccino Pavlova

2012-01-04T17:59:00.000Z

I woke up this morning thinking today can't be the 4th already, meaning I have to go back to work. I hope I'm not too late at saying happy new year to all of you. Hope you all had a wonderful celebration with family and friends. My friends and I spent the new year in Edinburgh, Scotland and it was brilliant. We stayed in a beautiful apartment hotel and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with such nice company.

But I was glad to be back home. I love the comfort of my own bed. After days of eating out, I struggled a bit at deciding the first dish to cook in the new year. But at the end I decided to cook the exact same dish I had a year ago: poached chicken with lardons and lentils (find the recipe here). Reason number one, it's delicious, obviously; and reason number two, lentils signify good fortune, wealth and prosperity in some cultures. I had a pretty good year last year and I'm hoping 2012 would be an even better year to all of us.

And of course, I also have to start the new year with something sweet and this cappuccino pavlova is simply divine. I love coffee based desserts anyway, like tiramisu (all time favourite dessert), so this is heaven on a plate, in my mouth and my stomach. The pavlova base here is infused with instant espresso powder and then topped with softly whipped cream and dusting of cocoa powder which gives the pavlova the cappuccino look. I think you'll enjoy this.

Cappuccino Pavlova
Recipe by Nigella Lawson
For list of ingredients and instructions, click here.

Christmas, Me - Unplugged and a Happy New Year

2011-12-29T11:18:00.000Z

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas day with friends and family. I had a great one, surrounded all day with friends and plenty of food and drinks. Cooking for 21 for Christmas Eve's dinner turned out to be rather fun and I am glad everyone enjoyed the meals. There was hardly any leftovers which I always believe is a good sign. I didn't even have a chance to take pictures of the food. I cooked slowly-roasted shoulder of pork with cranberry glaze, potato gratin, roasted Brussels sprouts with balsamic, honey and pomegranate (which you can find here, minus the walnuts) and Christmas rocky road complete with all the trimmings; the plastic trees, reindeer and robin which I bought on-line. The expression 'as camp as Christmas' comes to mind, doesn't it? Well, it is the season after all to super indulge.

On Christmas day, I spent the day with smaller group of friends and we opened our presents, watched Christmas TV (including the Queen's speech) and ate loads. No surprise there I'm sure. For our main, I cooked slow-roasted pork belly which I knew everyone love. This is I think the one dish my friends request the most. The pork rind is flavoured with fennel seeds and after three hours of cooking, it became the crunchiest crackling. Heavenly!

To go alongside the fatty pork belly, I think it's always nice to have something acidic or vinegary to balance the richness of the meat. My favourite is Jamie Oliver's must-try red cabbage braised with apple, bacon and balsamic vinegar (find the recipe, here). I just love this dish. I can actually eat it by itself and if you're lucky enough to have some leftovers, this is I must say, also delicious cold from the fridge.

This holiday season I also managed to convert a couple of friends to like Brussels sprouts. I personally think they're delicious as long as they are properly cooked. Not mushy or watery. Not nice. My favourite is Nigella's Brussels sprouts with chestnuts, pancetta and parsley (find the recipe, here). You've got to try it.

And what is Christmas without some goose fat roast potatoes? They're just out of this world. The secret is, the goose fat must be scorching hot before you roast the potatoes in the oven. Just the thought of these potatoes, makes me salivate.

Of course, I could not let my friends leave without something sweet. And the something sweet we had was Nigella's gleaming maple cheesecake (Nigella Christmas book, p. 74). My friends asked for a second serving of the cheesecake, so this must be pretty good.

Before I set of to Scotland to spend the New Year, recently I was tagged by Victoria at 21st Century Urban Housewife and Little Macaron for a game of Food Bloggers Unplugged... the persona behind the blog... - and I have truly enjoyed reading and knowing more about you. Mainly because I am nosy. Now it's my turn and you can learn a bit more about me :)

1. What, or who, inspired you to start a blog?
To cut a long story, short, I started the blog a couple of years ago in desperation to learn to become a better cook. I can't afford going to culinary school, so I decided to train myself. One evening I was looking through my bookshelf, searching for inspiration and I saw Jamie Oliver's Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook. The next day, I cooked my first recipe from that book, blogged about it then eventually all the recipes. Looking back, it was an incredible experience. I loved every minute of it.

2. Who is your foodie inspiration?
Jamie Oliver. The man is a genius. Also, Nigella Lawson. I worship her.

3. Your greasiest, batter-splattered food/drink book is?
I keep all my cookbooks really clean. I don't or let anyone touch them with greasy hands. But the one book that's pretty worn-out and the only one with scribbles is Jamie Oliver's My Guide to Making You A Better Cook. During my project year, I read the book everyday, whether deciding on my next meal or making notes next to the recipe instructions or highlighting the index of recipes that I've done.

4. Tell us about the best thing you have eaten in another country, where was it, what was it?
When I was in Tokyo, I had this noodles with fragrant, dark (perhaps dashi based) broth and topped with the tenderest and tastiest pork belly and nori. It was simply out of this world. I have had some 'dreams' about this meal.

5. Another food blogger's table you'd like to eat at?
My friend Jenn at Jenn's Food Journey or Elisabeth at Food and Thrift Finds. They're both awesome and I'd love to eat with them. However, they both live across the Atlantic... For someone local, I pick Dom at Belleau Kitchen. I'd eat all of his creations, and we both love pork belly. I am still anxiously waiting for an invite though.

6. What is the one kitchen gadget you would ask Santa for this year (money no object of course)?
This is easy. Kitchen Aid free-standing mixer. I've been begging for this for a while now - but yet again this year, I didn't get it. Boo! Maybe it's time I get it myself.

7. Who taught you how to cook?
My mother. She was a baking and pastry chef and also a private caterer. My childhood was spent following her from one kitchen to another and I loved it. I thoroughly enjoyed just sitting in the corner, watching her assemble all the dishes, whilst waiting for extra food... and there's always extra food. And Jamie Oliver.

8. I'm coming to you for dinner, what is your signature dish?
Rib of beef that's been marinated in lemon, rosemary and garlic then grilled to medium-rare (or however you like it, as long as it's not well-done), served with baked carrots and garlicky roast potatoes. Then we finish the meal with a pavlova or baked chocolate mousse.

9. What is your guilty food pleasure?
I don't feel guilty about eating anything. I only feel guilty if I don't go to the gym and burn off the calories.

10. Reveal something about yourself that others would be surprised to learn?
I'm sure I've mentioned this before but it was quite an achievement, so I'll mention it again. When I was a teenager, I lost a lot of weight, about 30 kg (66 pounds) by avoiding carbohydrates and regular exercise.

I'm sure you're all tired of reading this post now, so that's it. I need to get packing for Scotland. I wish you all a fantastic New Year! See you in 2012!

Merry Christmas everyone...

2011-12-24T16:17:00.000Z

I am so excited for Christmas and I hope you are too. Earlier today I was finally done with my Christmas shopping. I am absolutely terrible at buying presents. I wish my friends would just tell me what they want... within reason, obviously... Oh well, it's too late now. They have no choice but to like what they're getting!

It is now exactly 4.15 PM and I am scheduled for a tea break. I am in the middle of cooking for our annual Christmas Eve's dinner and I must say, I do love this tradition. However, every year the number seems to get bigger and bigger with a record breaking 21 people this year. I've done most of the preparations ahead of time and so lucky to have my friend, Dewi helping with all the last minute peeling and chopping. Whilst I am blogging, she's currently doing all the washing up. Have I mentioned she's a great friend? I'll let her have a break soon. You do know my nick name is slave-driver, right? lol.

Anyway, clock is ticking and I still have some last minute assembling job to do before everyone gets here. So, what I really am trying to say is: have a very Happy Christmas! May your day be filled with joy and laughters with plenty to eat and drink!

The last of the apples...

2011-12-12T23:07:00.000Z

Well, at least for now... The apples are all gone and Janet has also gone on maternity leave. So, no more free home-grown apples for a while I guess. I can tell you that not a single apple is wasted. You've seen all the cakes, and now I'm gonna share what I've done with the rest of the apples.

First, apple blondies. They are Amazing! (I hope you notice the capital A in Amazing!). When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it. The recipe comes via Lucy at The KitchenMaid. I encourage you to make it too. I promise, you won't regret it. The white chocolate I used is infused with vanilla seeds, hence the little black spots on the blondies.

Like Lucy, I threw in the optional dried cranberries as well. And for me it's not just because they are seasonally appropriate, but also I think white chocolate can feel too sickly sweet and the tartness from the dried cranberries create the perfect balance of deliciousness. I must also tell you, the blondies are particularly delicious fridge cold, but Lucy reckons they taste AMAZING (capital A-M-A-Z-I-N-G) frozen. Well, I need to prove it and you know the only way how...

Apple Blondies
Recipe by The Kitchen Maid
For list of ingredients and instructions, click here.

The past few days I have been making my edible gifts (details to come later I'm sure) for Christmas and when my friend Angela at The Good Soup found out that I have loads of apples to use, she suggested I made this apple butter. And so I did. I trust Angela. She's incredible.

Yes, the apple butter takes around 3.5 hours to make, but it's easy. There's nothing much to do but stirring the pot every now and then. During the process, I think you'll also appreciate the wonderful smell of cooking apples with spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice berries and orange rind. Yum. Thanks Angela.

I managed to make several jars of the apple butter and I know they're supposed to be presents, but I make no such promises.

Apple Butter
Recipe by Kim Boyce
For list of ingredients and instructions, click here.

A couple of weeks ago when I was in London, I went window shopping, for food... obviously. I was admiring the beautiful display of cakes and tarts from a small French patisserie and then I saw tarte Normande pommes-poires (French apple and pear tart). It looked and sounded glorious; and I thought, I wonder if I could make this at home. Since I have loads of apples I really hate going to waste.

So, when I got home I put my thinking cap on and I imagined how I'm going to recreate the tart. I never actually taste the tart from the display window, so this is solely my interpretation of the tart. I used store-bought shortcrust pastry for ease, but obviously by any means, make your own. I poached the apples and pears in sugar syrup; and the filling is sort of like an almond custard and also I added little chunks of white chocolate. In the word of Ina Garten, "how bad can that be?". Then it was topped generously with toasted flaked almonds and heavy dusting of icing sugar. I was very happy with the result because it's utterly delicious.

Apple, Pear, Almonds and White Chocolate Tart
Recipe by Me

With the last couple of apples, they are turned into these apple and cinnamon muffins. Well, why not?!

Apple and Cinnamon Muffins
Recipe by Nigella Lawson
Makes 12

2 eating apples
250 grams spelt flour (or use plain flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
125 grams light brown sugar, plus 4 teaspoons for sprinkling
125 ml honey
60 ml runny natural yoghurt
125 ml flavourless vegetable oil
2 eggs
75 grams natural (unblanched) almonds

1 x 12 bun muffin tin

Preheat the oven to 200 C and line your muffin tin with papers. Peel and core the apples, then chop into small dice (about 1 cm, but please don't measure) and put them to once side.

Measure the flour, baking powder and 1 teaspoon of the ground cinnamon into a bowl. Whisk together the 125 grams brown sugar, the honey, yoghurt, vegetable oil and eggs in another bowl or jug.

Chop the almonds roughly and add half of them to the flour mixture, and put the other half into a small bowl with the second teaspoon of ground cinnamon and the 4 extra teaspoons brown sugar. This will make the topping for the muffins.

Now fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Add the chopped apple, and stir to combine but don't over mix. To remind you: a lumpy batter makes for a lighter muffin.

Spoon this bumpy batter into the muffin papers, then sprinkle the rubbly topping mixture over them. Pop the tin into the preheated oven, and bake for about 20 minutes, by which time they will have risen and become golden.

Take the tin out of the oven and let it stand for about 5 minutes before gingerly taking out the muffins and placing them on a wire cooling rack.

Taste of Christmas, Jamie O, Hugh W-F and I am a pig

2011-12-04T16:30:00.000Z

It's a ritual for me that started about 3 years ago that I must visit the Taste of Christmas or as I call it 'Pork Fest 2011' (you'll see why soon) event in London. This time especially is a must visit because my food hero, Jamie Oliver is making an appearance.

I arrived on time but the queue to the theatre where Jamie is going to do his cooking demonstration was already a mile long. I thought no chance I'm getting in now. Arrgh!! Then I suddenly realised that I have a VIP ticket and so I asked one of the staff and it's true, with the VIP ticket I was given priority to the theatre which actually was already packed. I was happy nonetheless.

Opening speech and thank yous to the sponsors of the event by the host and then it's time for Jamie. He cooked goose with Asian spices (think of roast Peking duck) which smelled incredibly delicious. He showed us what to do with the leftovers as well, a wonderful warm goose salad. He was funny and charming. Too bad there was no Q+A session with him or book signing.

After Jamie's cooking demonstration, I waited around for a bit to see of I can catch him but there must be a special hidden passage for him and the security was everywhere. I sadly had to abort plan B and C.

Oh well, by this time I was starving and ready to get me some food. If you've never heard about this event before, it's basically a gathering of restaurants and food producers serving and selling seasonal menus and ingredients. I especially love all the free samples. There are sections for cheeses, chocolates, chutneys, nuts, wines and liqueurs, etc, I'm sure you get the idea.

First on my stop was Jamie Oliver's Fabulous Feast and I had the beautiful Royal Berkshire estate pork shoulder rubbed with roasted fennel and sea salt and smashed apple sauce. Yum! This was so good, the pork was tender and the apple sauce was sweet and tangy. I was only a bit worried about the bread. I find often with sandwiches or burgers, the filling/patty is delicious, but the bread is sometimes disappointing. The bread was pretty good too, so I was well happy.

After this quick bite, I returned to the theatre and guess who's next? It was Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall! I almost didn't recognise him because of his new hair. He was absolutely brilliant! So glad I made it again to this event this year.

After the delicious cooking demonstration which I can only smell but not taste, I need more food, like slow roast free range pork belly with Bramley apple sauce, root vegetable mash and port reduction from Roast, one of my favourite food stalls at Borough Market. Cracking crackling I must say.

With the food, I needed some drinks now, so I went to the drinks section and had samples of wines, bubblies and liqueurs. Every year I seemed to discover something new. A couple years ago I was introduced to Todka, that is toffee flavoured vodka. Delicious just with ice or in espresso martini for Christmas morning or frankly any time. This year, I found Amarula, a creamy caramelly liqueur made from marula fruit. I had to get a bottle. I was definitely in my Christmas spirit.

Whilst walking around, this guy suddenly came up to me with a tray and asked, "would you like to try Pussy?" (yes, you read that right). I was like "eh, what?!" Am I still at the same event? or have I moved to London's Sexpo? (a real event by the way which I've never been). I saw the stall and it's true, it's Pussy natural energy drink. The name no doubt grabs everyone's attention. I had a taste and it's actually quite nice. It's made with grape juice, limes, lychees and also infused with six botanical herbs including ginseng and ginkgo biloba.

Few minutes passed and I was hungry again. I do wonder sometime how and where do I store all these foods. This honey-rhum glazed pot roast of pork from Asia de Cuba restaurant was another excellent dish. It was served with sauteed Shanghai bok choy, fried plantains and enoki mushrooms.

With all these savoury dishes, I think I could just about squeeze one dessert and I had been eyeing the lemon cream by Francesco Mazzei of L'Anima. It's layers of sponge cake soaked in limoncello and lemon cream. It was good, but not tart enough for me. Completely a personal thing, I like my lemon dessert really tangy.

I had a wonderful day and was so full. Until next year I guess. Though I am already in the look for the summer event.

Dutch, Swedish and Irish Apple Cakes

2011-11-29T19:04:00.000Z

I think it's fair to say that when life gives me apples, or actually when Janet gives me apples to be exact... I bake apple cakes; and that's what I've been doing the past few days... testing more apple cake recipes that I've kept over the past few months. Apple overload?! Not yet...

The Dutch apple cake is by far the lightest apple cake yet. And because of its light and fluffy sponge, it's so easy to eat. This is not at all difficult to assemble and lovely to have in the afternoon with a cup of tea. Though as far as I am concerned, any time is good time to eat cake. I did save myself a couple slices, thinking it'll be nice to have in the morning with my coffee. Well, that never happen. That evening, I had my Nigella moment. I strolled to the fridge, looking for something to nibble and I picked up the cake, poured over some cold double cream and ... you know the rest.

Dutch Apple Cake
Recipe by Rachel Allen
For list of ingredients and instructions, click here.

None of my friends questioned about the origin of the Dutch or the Irish apple cakes. But they all asked, what makes this cake Swedish? Well, I don't know to be honest. I just eat. And I did my impression of Swedish accent. Apparently it's not so good . But anyway, this is another easy cake recipe that can be whipped up in no time. It does look like a giant cookie, don't you think? It's buttery and it's crispy around the edges and a little gooey when still warm.

Swedish Apple Cake
Recipe by Allegra McEvedy
For list of ingredients and instructions, click here.

OK, this Irish apple cake is not the prettiest looking cake, it's a bit wonky, but nevertheless it's delicious. I find it somewhat interesting that the batter for the cake begins like making crumble topping and then an egg and few spoonfuls of milk are added to turn in into a thick batter. My favourite bits from the cake are the apples that are poking out from the cake, because they really get sticky and caramelised.

I cannot wait to have the last slice of the cake later this evening.

Irish Apple Cake
Recipe by Diana Henry
For list of ingredients and instructions, click here.

Spiced Apple Cake with Blueberry Compote and Cream

2011-11-21T19:03:00.000Z

Oh yes! It's about time for another apple cake. This morning Janet brought more apples and I think soon I will be able to tick all the apple cake recipes I really want to try. This recipe for spiced apple cake is from my friend Alex at Dear Love Blog. When I saw it, I knew I just had to bake and eat it.

The original recipe calls for blackberry, a classic pairing with apples, but I couldn't find it yesterday... so I substituted with blueberries which worked deliciously as well with apples. As mentioned by Alex, this cake really is the autumnal equivalent of Victoria sponge. I particularly like the pecans in the sponge, giving a nice crunch; and with the sweet blueberry compote and softly whipped cream, utterly delicious.

Spiced Apple Cake with Blackberry Compote and Cream
For list of ingredients, instructions and a stunning picture of the cake, click here.

Hot & Spicy Bloody Mary Soup with Twenty-first Century Ham, Cheese & Chive Bread

2011-11-17T20:44:00.000Z

This month's Random Recipe challenge is in collaboration with No Croutons Required challenge, and it's all about soup. I love a warm bowl of soup for a chilly evening. It's just so nice for this time of year... well, at least for people living in the northern hemisphere.

I really want to cook from the new cookbooks I got for my birthday last month, and the book I selected at random is Lorraine Pascale's Home Cooking Made Easy. Lovely book from my wonderful work colleagues.

The soup I selected is the Hot and Spicy Bloody Mary Soup. I must say, I dislike Bloody Mary cocktail. I'm not keen on salty tomato juice from the carton. But made into soup... it's lovely. One of the rules for this month's challenge is "the soup should be vegetarian or at the very least vegetarian friendly". As you may know, one of the key components of Bloody Mary is Worcestershire sauce which is not vegetarian (it's made with anchovies). So, simply leave it out to make it completely vegetarian. As with the rest of the ingredients, they're all vegetarian friendly, including the vodka, however optional (virgin bloody Mary?), but I think it's compulsory.

Celery batons are the classic accompaniment for Bloody Mary, but they just didn't do it for me. What I want is bread for dunking into the soup. I, then, decided to bake the super easy twenty-first century ham, cheese and chive bread from the same book. If you are a vegetarian, I'm sure you can simply omit the ham. Even if you don't normally bake bread, or nervous about baking bread, I can tell you this is easy. If I can do it, you can too.

Hot & Spicy Bloody Mary Soup
Recipe by Lorraine Pascale
Makes about 1.2 litres, serves 4 - 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced
500 g ripe tomatoes (about 5 vine or plum tomatoes), roughly chopped
1 litre tomato juice
3 squirts of tomato purée
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons soft light brown sugar
50 ml Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending how spicy you like it!)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Several shakes of Tabasco sauce (optional)
Vodka, to taste (optional)
1 stick of celery, trimmed and cut into batons

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the tomatoes, tomato juice and purée, bay leaf, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and finally the cayenne and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil, the reduce the heat a little to let it bubble away for a good 30 minutes to really get the flavours going.

Taste the soup and add more seasoning if needed, so it is just as you like it. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Then, you can either work in batches and blend the soup in a blender; or if you don't have the patience like me, use a hand blender. Add he Tabasco and Vodka, if using, and taste again, adjusting the seasoning if necessary.

Ladle the soup into warmed mugs or bowls and serve with the celery batons or the bread below.

Twenty-first Century Ham, Cheese & Chives Bread
Recipe by Lorraine Pascale
Makes 1 loaf

425 g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
150 g mature Cheddar cheese, grated, plus an extra 10 g grated cheese for sprinkling
1/2 bunch of fresh chives, finely chopped
Few twists of black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika (optional)
1 teaspoon mustard powder (optional)
6 slices of honey roast ham, ripped up into little bits
200 - 225 ml water

Preheat the oven to 200 C. Put all of the ingredients in a bowl except the water and the 10 g of grated cheese and mix together well. Add enough water to make a soft but not sticky dough. Lorraine usually adds 200 ml, but I ended up using 225 ml. Stir it briefly and the get your hands in and squidge it together. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into a ball, flatten the ball slightly, so it cooks more quickly, then slash the loaf three times vertically with a sharp knife. Sprinkle over the remaining grated cheese.

Spray some water into the oven to create a steamy atmosphere, the place the dough on a baking tray and bake for 35 - 45 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and smells cooked.

Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool a little bit (if you can, of course). And enjoy with soft butter or steaming hot bowl of soup.

Apple and Lancashire Cheese Pie

2011-11-14T21:06:00.000Z

I promised to make something savoury with all the apples I got, and I delivered: apple and Lancashire cheese pie (or pasty?). Doesn't that sound delicious already? This is so easy to assemble and it's just perfect for a simple supper or light lunch. If you can't find Lancashire cheese, simply use English mature cheddar cheese. The tartness of the apples, together with the sharpness of the cheese, fragrant shallots and thyme, and waxy potatoes are very satisfying. Serve with peppery salad of rocket and watercress and a dressing made with Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar (or lemon juice), finely minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Yum.

Before I share the recipe, I also want to say a massive Thank You to everyone for your contribution and support towards my dissertation. I've been anxiously waiting for the result and it's finally out and I can reveal to you that I received a first class grade and I've been awarded Master of Arts in Media and Cultural studies with Distinction. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Apple and Lancashire Cheese Pie
Recipe by Anna Jones
Serves 6 - 8

500 g ready-made butter puff pastry
1 vegetable stock cube
300 g waxy potatoes, cut into 5mm discs
4 apples, such as Royal Gala, Golden Russet or Cox, cut into thin discs (no need to core them)
2 shallots, finely sliced
200 g - 250 g Lancashire or sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
1 egg, beaten
Chutney and salad leaves, to serve

Preheat the oven to 190 C. Cut the pastry into 2 pieces, then roll each into a rectangle slightly larger than A4.

Fill a saucepan with boiling water and add the stock cube. Add the potatoes, boil for 3-4 minutes, then drain and allow to steam dry.

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and lay one pastry rectangle on top. Arrange half the potatoes in an even layer over pastry, leaving a 2 cm gap around the edges, and season. Layer over half the apples then scatter over half the shallot, cheese and thyme. Repeat with another layer of potatoes, seasoning, apples, shallot, cheese and thyme.

Brush the edges with a little egg, then lay the second pastry rectangle on top, carefully stretching and moulding it over the filling. Press the edges together with your fingers or a fork.

Score the top of the pie. Brush the pastry with egg and bake for about 30-40 minutes until golden and puffed. Cut into wedges and serve with chutney and salad leaves.

Chicken Pie with Fennel and Tarragon

2011-11-06T13:25:00.000Z

A couple of weeks ago I was helping my friend Michelle moving and I was given the task to assemble the TV stand. Here's something you should know about me: I suck at D.I.Y. True story: I once called an electrician to replace light bulbs... Pathetic, I know. But to be fair, it was halogen bulbs which I had no idea how to replace and since then I learned and now I know what to do.

Back to the TV stand, I followed the instructions word per word and I succeed. I came back to her flat a couple of days ago and the TV stand is still.... standing. So perhaps I am not that bad at D.I.Y... I am just lazy. I think that's the main reason.

In a way, cooking or baking is also a form of D.I.Y and until now, one of the things I am still scared of sometime is pastry. There are days when I get it spot on. And there are plentier days when it ended up in the bin. But I believe practise makes perfect. So, when I was asked to 're-invent' a recipe from bakingmad.com, I immediately turned to the pastry section and I chose to bake a chicken pie.

By 're-invent', I didn't make it completely different to the chicken pie you and I know, I simply want to add more flavours to it. And the flavours I am completely mad about at the moment are fennel and tarragon. I absolutely love it!! To the extend that my shower gel is now also infused with fennel (too much information?!). Both flavour works beautifully.

And for the pastry, I have tried several shortcrust pastry recipe and this is the one that really works for me. The Parmesan cheese is optional, but I really want a flavourful pastry.

Visit bakingmad.com more recipes, baking tips and ideas including bread, cakes, pies and cupcake making.

Now, the door handle also needs fixing... can I be bothered to give it a go, or just call the handyman?

Chicken Pie with Fennel and Tarragon
Serves 2 - 3

For the pastry
225 grams plain flour
100 grams cold butter, diced
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
a pinch of salt

For the filling
Half a chicken, cooked and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil, the regular stuff
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
2 fennel bulbs, chopped
a small bunch of fresh tarragon, finely chopped
65 grams pancetta, cubed
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
100 gr chestnut mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon plain flour
125 ml white wine
250 ml chicken stock
50 ml double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 egg, beaten lightly

Start by making the pastry. Put the flour, butter, salt and Parmesan in a food processor and pulse until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and pulse again until a dough is formed. Squidge the mixture together into a ball, cover with cling and put it in the fridge to rest for minimum of 30 minutes.

Now, make the filling. In a pan, on a medium heat, add the olive oil, butter, onion and fennel with a little sprinkle of salt. Cook until both the onion and fennel become soft, stirring frequently. Add the pancetta and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the finely minced garlic and fresh tarragon leaves; followed by the flour. Cook for a little bit to get rid of the flouriness. Add the wine and the chicken stock. When I say chicken stock, what I really mean is water with once chicken stock cube. But, if you have home-made chicken stock, congratulations, you may use that. Cook until the mixture becomes deliciously creamy. When it comes to a bubble, add the chestnut mushrooms and the double cream, mixing well and turn off the heat. Let it cool a bit.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and let it warm up a little; it will make it easier to roll. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured board, large enough to cover your pie dish. And with the excess, you can make the decorative ornaments for the pastry. Although, obviously there is no need to. I just feel like it.

Taste the filling if it needs more seasoning and adjust to your liking. Then put it in the pie dish. Brush the pastry rim with the beaten egg and place on the pie dish, pressing it down well with the edge of a fork. Brush the pastry with the egg to give it a shiny glaze when it come out of the oven.

Bake the pie for about 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve with peas.

Apple and Honey Cake with Apple Ice Cream

2011-10-31T21:37:00.000Z

Yet another apple cake recipe... I must warn you... there will be plenty more. I hope you're not sick of apples yet. I promise I'm gonna make few savoury dishes with the apples I got from my friend Janet as well, so just wait and see.

But in the meantime, this apple and honey cake is from GOOP by Gwyneth Paltrow which I really enjoy reading. When I saw the recipe for this cake on the newsletter I knew I just have to make it and I'm glad I did. This cake is pretty good. Be sure to use flavourful honey here for more intense honey flavour. The recipe calls for sweet butter which I'm not entirely sure what it is. So I used regular unsalted butter. Also, the recipe did not mention the amount of sugar. I emailed the GOOP team but did not get any reply to this. I used 1/2 a cup of caster sugar and personally I think it's just enough. Remember, there's honey in the cake too.

To go alongside the cake, Nigella's apple ice cream which I absolutely love. It's so easy to make especially if you have an ice cream maker, but you don't have to. I don't. What I also really love is the feeling of smug-ness of making my own ice cream. My friends were so impressed and I love the compliments. Come on, you know you love it too... :)

Apple and Honey Cake
For list of ingredients and ingredients, click here.

Apple Ice Cream
Recipe by Nigella Lawson

1 kg cooking apple
100 grams caster sugar
300 ml single cream
3 egg yolks
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon Calvados (optional)
150 ml double cream

Peel, core and cut up the apples and put them in a pan with 50 grams of the sugar and cook till soft. Let cool and purée in a blender or processor then push through a sieve.

Make the ice cream by heating the single cream, beating the remaining sugar with the yolks, whisking the warm cream till a custard is formed, the adding the flavourings (lemon juice and Calvados, if using). Let cool.

Fold in the cold apple purée, whisk the double cream till thick but still soft and fold that in, too, and freeze. If you've got an ice-cream maker, follow the instructions. If you haven't got one, what you do then is put the ice cream base into a covered container, stick it in the freezer and whip it out every hour for 3 hours as it freezes and give it a good beating, either with an electric whisk, by hand or in the processor. That gets rid of any ice crystals that form and that make the ice cream crunchy rather than smooth.

Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake

2011-10-28T17:50:00.000+01:00

I only know one person who dislikes chocolate... and I can tell you, we are no longer in touch. In this cake there are cocoa powder, chocolate chips, chocolate syrup and shards of chocolate... who says there's anything wrong with excess?

I've baked this cake a couple of times now and it's so easy. Everything is done in a food processor. I do love this kind of baking. This cake is for my friends Deanna and Alison, both chocolate lovers for their birthdays.

The cake is so moist, due to the fact that it is drenched with chocolate syrup after baking. I used all dark chocolates here, my favourite, but obviously suit it to your liking.

Off to watch John Carpenter's The Thing now and I'm sure some baking is in order later (when I'm scared, I have a tendency to bake). Have a great weekend!

Quadruple Chocolate Loaf Cake
Recipe by Nigella Lawson
For list of ingredients and instructions, click here.

Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche and fresh strawberries

Apple Treacle Cake

2011-10-24T19:00:00.000+01:00

When Janet asked me, "Michael, would you like some more apples?", my immediate answer was "Absolutely!". How and why would I refuse, delicious free apples. Plus, I still have a list of apple recipes I want to try. Though I must say, no matter how much I cook, the list isn't getting any smaller. Every time I ticked a recipe off the list, I then found new ones to add to the list...

The original recipe is actually called apple molasses cake, but I don't have molasses. What I do have is black treacle. I don't know if they're the same thing and I was too lazy to google it. I have a feeling they are (they look the same), but maybe I'm completely wrong. All I can tell you, the cake works great with black treacle. As described by Anne, the cake is "stodgy in the best sense, moreish, dark brown with a deep, comforting flavour".

To be honest, I don't really care for the honey-butter icing. But, I'm still going to make it the next time I bake this. However, instead of using it as an icing, it'll be lovely as a spread on the warm slices of apple cake.

Apple Molasses Cake
Recipe by Anna Jones

250 grams flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon ground clove
2 tablespoons molasses
150 grams soft light brown sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
150 ml olive oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cm round piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
3 cooking apples, such as Bramleys, peeled and diced
Butter, for greasing

Honey-butter icing
125 grams butter, at room temperature
5 tablespoons honey
A small handful of almonds, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 180 C. Sift the flour into a bowl with the cinnamon and cloves.

In a separate large bowl, mix the molasses, sugar, eggs and oil. Add the flour mixture, baking powder and soda, then mix. Fold in the ginger and apple.

Butter a standard-sized loaf tin and pour the cake mix in. Smooth the top and bake for about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out clean. If the top looks like it's browning too quickly, cover with foil. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the icing, beat the butter and honey with an electric mixer until fluffy. Lavish it over the cake, sprinkle over the almonds and serve with a cup of tea.

Roasted Tomato Caprese Bruschetta

2011-10-17T23:28:00.000+01:00

I absolutely love tomatoes! But fresh tomatoes are best during the summer months when they're at their sweetest. However, I discovered that if you slow-roast the tomatoes, it will concentrate the flavour and they will have full, rich summer tomato flavour. They became slightly caramelised and utterly delicious.

The inspiration for this bruschetta, obviously comes from Insalata Caprese, a simple salad that celebrates Italy's tricolore flag, made of white buffalo mozzarella, red tomatoes and green basil leaves. Obviously there is nothing wrong with a salad, but I do want some carbohydrates and this salad is just perfect on top of a crusty bread when you want a simple and light but hearty lunch/supper.

The one thing that is slightly different to this Caprese salad is in addition to fresh basil leaves, I also added some fresh tarragon and I hope I have not upset anyone here. I must tell you, the distinctive licorice and anise flavour of fresh tarragon is so delicious with the velvety, milky mozzarella, fragrant basil and sweet, sweet tomatoes. Yum.

This roasted tomato Caprese bruschetta is my entry for a taste of tomatoes competition at lovethegarden.com.

Roasted Tomato Caprese Bruschetta
Serves 2

5 tomatoes
2 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil
a pinch of sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ball of buffalo mozzarella
fresh basil leaves, julienned
fresh tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
2 slices of crusty bread
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 120 C.
Halved the tomatoes lengthwise and de-seed them. When I do this, because I don't like to waste food, I put the seeds in a small bowl and eat it later with a pinch of sugar. My mother used to give me this when I was little. But anyway, arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer; and season with salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar and drizzle with the garlic infused olive oil. And the reason I use garlic infused oil, not fresh garlic is because I don't want the garlic to burn and turn bitter. Roast for an hour and a half until the tomatoes are concentrated and begin to caramelise. Some dark edges are desirable. Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature.

Cut the mozzarella into thin slices. If the slices of the mozzarella are larger than the tomatoes, cut the mozzarella slices in half. Grill/toast 2 slices of crusty bread. Layer the tomatoes alternatively with the mozzarella on top of the bread and scatter with the fresh basil and tarragon. Sprinkle with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil.

Bubble and Squeak with Bacon and Egg

2011-10-16T17:45:00.000+01:00

I have had a wonderful birthday weekend. Thank you again to everyone for the birthday wishes on the blog, facebook, phone calls, text messages and emails. I have just fully recovered from the excessive eating and drinking.

After some very rich dinner and not one, not two, but three birthday cakes... (details to follow I'm sure), I need something completely different and I feel it's the perfect time to cook and eat my entry for this month's Random Recipe challenge. The participants are all paired up to select a random book and a recipe for each other. I got teamed up with the fabulous Victoria of 21st Century Urban Housewive. After several emails, I was assigned to one of my favourite cookbooks (though saying that, I like all my cookbooks, otherwise I wouldn't buy them or ask my friends to get them for me for presents), Economy Gastronomy by Allegra McEvedy and Paul Merrett. Then Victoria gave me page 150 which is this bubble and squeak with bacon and egg.

Bubble and squeak are great to make when you have leftover veg and mashed potato. I love leftovers but rarely have any, so I assembled this from raw ingredients. Earlier in the morning, I roasted the Brussels sprouts, mashed the potatoes and once cooled I put them in the fridge. Then when I'm ready to eat, I have my leftovers. The bubble and squeak will have lots of burnt bits but don't worry, those crispy bits are delicious.

Time for another slice of cake I think...

Bubble and Squeak with Bacon and Egg
Recipe by Paul Merrett
Serves 4

60 g butter
about 20 cooked Brussels sprouts, cut in half
about 8 tablespoons cold mashed potato
4 eggs
4 rashers of bacon

Heat a frying pan and melt half the butter. Toss in the sprouts and cook them until they start to colour on the outside. Be brave at this point and allow them to go a really dark brown - the middles will remain soft and sprout-like.

Add the mash to the frying pan. I find it easiest to do this with my hands - that way you can scatter it across the whole of the pan, which makes the mixing in easier. So, mix the contents of the pan and squelch everything down so it covers the base. Now add the remaining butter by breaking off little pieces and allowing them to melt around the edges of the pan. Don't move the potato and sprout mix. Underneath it is caramelizing, even burning, which is exactly what it should be doing. After about 3 minutes scrape and mix the potato and sprouts. Try to get the burnt bits back into the centre of the mixture, so that you have a fresh surface colouring underneath. Continue to do this until your mix is well coloured and slightly crispy.

At this point fry your eggs in a separate pan and grill your bacon, because you are moments away from serving up a money-saving British classic.

Chocolate Malteser Cake

2011-10-12T21:25:00.000+01:00

Continuing my quest to bake Nigella's chocolate cake hall of fame list... minus Michelle this time because this cake is full of gluten and Michelle is allergic to the substance.

My friend Mark told me that this is the kind of cake that makes you smile. And it's true. It's impossible to eat this cake and not smile... The sponge is moist and the buttercream icing is just divine. It's made of butter (obviously), icing sugar, a little cocoa and Horlicks which gives a comforting and not overpowering malty taste to the icing. And the crown-like chocolate Maltesers do look beautiful...

It's my birthday on Friday and I am having several friends over for dinner. I have planned something special for them... though thinking about it now, I think I must have completely lost the plot. I plan to surprise my friends on my birthday, not the other way around... well, but I don't know. We shall see.

Have a great night/morning/afternoon... wherever you are....

Chocolate Malteser Cake
Recipe by Nigella Lawson
Makes 8 - 10 slices

For the cake
150 grams soft brown sugar
100 grams caster sugar
3 large eggs
175 ml milk
15 grams unsalted butter
2 tablespoons Horlicks powder
175 grams plain flour
25 grams cocoa, sieved
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

For the icing and decoration
250 grams icing sugar
1 teaspoon cocoa
45 grams Horlicks
125 grams soft unsalted butter
2 tablespoons boiling water
2 x 37 grams packets Maltesers

Preheat the oven to 170 C. Butter and line two 20 cm loose-bottomed sandwich cake tins with baking parchment.

Whisk together the sugars and eggs until light and frothy. Measure the dry ingredients in a bowl. Heat the milk, butter and Horlicks powder until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling. Add this to the eggs and fold in the dry ingredients. Divide the cake batter evenly between the two cake tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, by which time the cakes should have risen and will spring back when pressed gently. Let them cool on a rack for 5 - 10 minutes and then turn them out of their tins.

Once the cakes are cold, get on with the icing. Like Nigella, I also used a food processor, so there is not need to sieve the icing sugar. Put the sugar, cocoa and Horlicks powder into the food processor and blitz to remove all lumps. Add the butter and process again. Stop, scrape the sides and start again, pouring the hot water down the funnel with the motor running until you have a smooth buttercream.

Sandwich the cold sponges with half of the buttercream, and then ice the top with the remaining, creating a swirly pattern rather than a smooth surface. Stud the outside edge with Maltesers or which-ever way that pleases you.