Miss Friday's Feast

Autumn: the perfect season – and Jamie’s PBJ Brownies

2014-10-12T18:49:00.000+01:00

Call me barmy, but autumn is definitely my favourite season; the sound of the rain lashing down on the window pane whist the day creeps into night, the crisp golden leaves blowing in the wind. There is something quite wonderful about this moody weather when you are tucked up in bed with the feather duvet wrapped around you, heating on and a lovely cuppa in hand. Utter bliss.

The colours of autumn really are magical, rusty orange leaves, plump pumpkins and nutty brown pine cones, in contrast to the cold weather it makes me feel all warm inside. Should the beautiful colours not be enough to make you feel warmed through, pulling on your thick woolly tights, hats and gloves will surely do the trick.

As the autumn gets into full swing I've many projects up my sleeve, some crafts for the kids, calving pumpkins and baking cookies for bonfire night, we will explore Bluebell Woods, which is a beautiful woodland close to our home (albeit the bluebells will be long gone), but in their place we will discover acorns, berries and squirrels jollying about. I had an idea for autumn leaf collages; they can stick the leaves together and pop them into frames for their bedroom wall, what could be better than displaying the beautiful crimson and golden leaves to mark the turning of the seasons?

But, undoubtedly, the thing I love most about this time of year is the food. Country casseroles and puffed up pies with thick bubbling gravy; what’s not to love? Richard bought me a copy of Jamie’s Comfort Food for my Birthday – perfect for this weather. Not so perfect for my Slimming World... but a few recipes here and there surely couldn't hurt. I made Jamie’s PBJ brownies – and they are delicious... recipe below.

The other, perhaps more obvious reason, I love the autumn is that we inevitably start to see the supermarket shelves fill with mince pies and advent calendars. I smile to myself every time I hear someone groan that it’s only October and why do the supermarkets feel the need to bring Christmas to us so early. I can’t help it, I love it. It’s the anticipation of it all. I love to shop for presents, I love to wrap them and I love to set about making something delicious and festive in the kitchen.

This year I’d like to do lots of baking – sausage rolls, mince pies and many other delicious treats to offer friends and family over the festive season, not to mention the mulled wine! Anyhow – enough about Christmas for the time being, here is the PBJ Brownie recipe... I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Why I’ve Joined Slimming World

2014-10-03T20:00:00.000+01:00

I've decided that enough is enough, my poor waistline can no longer cope with all the indulgence I can’t seem to help myself from eating. I've always loved food, but since starting this blog that love of food has turned into an obsession, mostly an unhealthy one. It’s true, I love butter... but it’s time I had a break from cakes and creamy pasta dishes. I've gained a stone in weight since I moved in with my boyfriend a year ago – that’s contentment for you, but I'm not happy that my jeans are tight and I feel sluggish and lethargic sometimes.

I’d been thinking about joining Slimming World for a while, so I finally got round to making the plunge. I was very nervous walking into that village hall full of slimming ladies, who all seemed to know each other. The ‘newbie’ feeling, we've all had it at one point or another, but it doesn't get any easier does it? That feeling that everyone is staring at you. But, honestly the group is so lovely, the ladies are so welcoming and two weeks in I already feel completely at ease.

I’d built up an idea in my head that slimming or dieting was going to be so difficult, but the SW plan makes it feel fuss free and like you are not depriving yourself of the foods you love, just cutting down and making healthier more informed choices. Never in my life have I felt the need to diet before, but at 10st 1.5lbs and only 5ft 2inches tall it’s quite necessary. My BMI suggests that I'm verging on being overweight, a scary thought! All in all, I have 1st 1.5lbs to loose, which is pretty much 10% of my body weight!

I made the rather silly decision to start SW the week of my Birthday, so as anticipated I didn't do so well the first week, I over indulged on fish and chips and far too much alcohol. I went to the group weigh in fearing the worst – but I’d actually lost 1lb. Harrah! Okay, so it’s only 1 measly pound, but a loss is a loss, and I’ll take that! This week I've been much better than last so I'm hoping I’ll have lost a bit more.

I won’t bore you with the ins and outs, but essentially SW is about food optimising, having lots of healthy foods like fruit, vegetables and lean meats, potatoes, rice and pasta. Yes pasta! And cutting back on your wheat (bread) and dairy (milk and cheese), then there are your syns, the things like chocolate and wine, which you can have, but in moderation.

Being the avid cook that I am, I've purchased a few of the recipe books to ensure I stay on track and find it easy to make the right choices. So far I've cooked a whole host of dishes that have been very delicious. Trust me I was surprised, who knew curry without cream and spag bol without parmesan could taste so good. To show you just how delicious the SW meals are I've decided to share this recipe with you, I'm sure they won’t mind (after all it’s good publicity for them)!

The following recipe is from the SW A Taste of Asia book and it got huge thumbs up from the boyfriend, who was more than sceptical about a ‘healthy’ version of a special fried rice. “It’s better than take-away” he confessed!

Egg Fried Rice

Suitable for vegetarians

Serves: 4

Cook time: Ready in 20 minutes

Total time: Less than 30 Minutes

Syns per serving (on Extra Easy Plan): FREE

Ingredients

Low calorie cooking spray
350g cooked and cooled long-grain or jasmine/Thai fragrant rice
200g frozen peas
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large British Lion eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp light soy sauce
400g fresh bean sprouts, rinsed
6 spring onions, very finely sliced

Method

Spray a wok or large frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and place over a high heat. When it is almost at smoking point, add the cooked rice and stir-fry for about 3 minutes.
Add the peas, stir-fry for 5 minutes and season well. Add the beaten eggs and stir-fry for another minute.
Stir in the soy sauce, bean sprouts and most of the spring onion and cook for 2 minutes or until the eggs have set.
Scatter over the remaining spring onions to serve.

Chinese Lemon Chicken

Serves: 4

Cook time: Ready in 30 minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Syns per serving (on Extra Easy Plan): 2 syns

Ingredients

Low calorie cooking spray
1 egg white
2 level tbsp cornflour
450g skinless chicken breast fillets, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely grated zest and juice of 3 large lemons
175ml chicken stock
1 tsp sweetener
3 tbsp light soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Shredded spring onions and red chilli to garnish

Method

Mix the egg white and 1 tbsp of the cornflour together in a ceramic bowl and season well. Add the chicken and stir to mix well. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Spray a wok or frying pan with low calorie cooking spray and heat until smoking. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chicken – stir quickly to stop it from sticking. Return to the heat and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken turns white (do not overcook it or it will be tough). Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Wipe the wok with kitchen paper and re-spray with low calorie cooking spray.
Mix the remaining cornflour with the lemon zest, juice, stock, sweetener, soy sauce, garlic and red chilli. Add to the wok and bring to the boil, stirring continuously.
Simmer gently for a few moments then return the chicken to the pan. Stir and cook over a medium heat for about 6 minutes, making sure the chicken is coated in the sauce.
Garnish with the spring onions and red chilli before serving.

Fetê du Port, Nice

2014-10-01T14:43:00.001+01:00

I’ve already told you lots about my impromptu foodie trip to Nice ‘Food in the French Riviera’– arranged by Your Nice Apartment, but there was so much to tell you, I couldn't possibly explain it all in one post. Today I want to tell you all about the Fetê du Port and famous Chef’s Village (Village des Chefs).

The Fetê du Port is an annual event in the Port of Nice; it happens every September and is well worth a visit. If you are planning a trip to Nice, make sure it coincides with this date, it’s a real party atmosphere and the locals love it. We were advised to get there early as it is so popular, so feeling pleased that we’d listened to this advice, we queued for the Chef’s Village early and were among the first to sample the delicious food on offer. From foie gras to orange and truffle polenta; the food really was to die for. The local paper reported that the turnout was around 40,000, so considering we were among the first 80 people to get stuck in I thought this was great!

Bringing together various top chefs from around Nice and the south of France, you can imagine the standard of food on offer. But, it wasn't just the food that was so exciting, the fete has many other stalls with drinks (wine in particular) and crafts on offer. There is music and a procession with brightly coloured fancy dress outfits, it’s a real show!

So firstly the food pictures, I've added a caption to each explaining what the dish was and what Chef/Restaurant made it. They really did taste as good as they looked. I particularly liked the rich red wine beef stew with orange polenta and shaved truffle.

Beef Stew with Orange Zest Creamy Polenta and Truffles
Christian et Thomas Millo, Auberge de la Madone

Looking back at this picture is making me remember just how delicious this taster was!

Rabbit Stuffed with Foie Gras, Nicoise Vegetables and Sweet Spices
Marc Laville, Nice Art Bistrot

If you've never had foie gras you really must try it (just put your guilty conscience aside)

I think you'll agree that the images speak for themselves, the food was divine. But aside from the food there was plenty more to enjoy at the Fetê du Port...

40,000 people turned out!

Wonderful Parade

Marching Band

Chefs Village

If you missed my last post ‘Food in the French Riviera’you must check it out for details of the gorgeous apartment we stayed in and the wonderful food tour of Nice that we were lucky enough to be sent on.

Review & Giveaway - Nib Nibs

2014-09-23T09:40:00.000+01:00

Hand crafted in their North Yorkshire bakery - beautifully presented and reassuringly local.

Who doesn't love a giveaway? It's been a long time since Miss Friday offered a givaway to readers, too long in fact, slaps self on wrist. I shall make more of a concious effort to offer my lovely readers a freebie every now and then. So what's up for grabs? Nib Nibs snack pots - they are premium baked British nibbles - cheese straw bites and nuts. Perfect for those moments when you are oh so peckish. Personally I'm not a huge fan of cheesey snacks and nuts, but my other half devoured the nuts.

This giveaway is open to UK residents only. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waitrose Mini Lavender & Lemon Drizzle Cakes

2014-09-17T13:02:00.000+01:00

Calling all cake lovers - this is a must try recipe from Waitrose. I was working for my cousin on Sunday in his butchers and delicatessen when a customer came in to buy mini loaf cases. They are such a cute product, I asked her what she planned on making - lavender and lemon drizzle cakes she said. Don't they sound delicious! So I decided to copy her -and just look at these little beauties - they taste delicious too!

Recipe makes: 10

Ingredients:

250g caster sugar
4 medium Waitrose British Blacktail Free Range Eggs, beaten
4 tbsp semi skimmed milk
300g self-raising flour
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
150g granulated sugar
1½ tsp Bart Lavender
250g butter, softened

Method:

Preheat oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Arrange 10 Waitrose Cooks’ Homebaking Mini Loaf Cases on a baking tray.
Cream together the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and milk and fold in the flour. When it is completely incorporated, stir in the lemon zest.
Spoon the mixture into the cases. Bake in the oven for 20–25 minutes until risen, golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cakes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly. Meanwhile, make the topping: blitz 1 tbsp of the granulated sugar with the lavender until finely ground, then stir in the remaining sugar. Stir in the lemon juice and spoon over the warm cakes. Leave to cool completely before serving.

Food in the French Riviera

2014-09-12T18:29:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday I had a sharp hit of reality as I sat down to eat my M&S lunch... I was no longer in the sun soaked French Riviera enjoying the most delicious Niçoise dishes and sipping local wine or vin as the French call it. Boy I have the holiday blues!

Feeling sorry for myself aside, I've so many exciting things to tell you about my foodie trip in Nice. From moules mariniere lovingly cooked by my boyfriend in our beautiful French apartment to foie gras eaten at the famous Chef’s village at the Fête du Port – I don’t quite think I've eaten so much delicious food in the space of five days before - my waistline is suffering somewhat.

The best foodie picture I took - just look at those colours!

Complimentary Champagne from Your Nice Apartment

If you haven’t read my previous post and you are wondering what all this is about I was recently presented with an all too exciting opportunity by Your Nice Apartment to explore the wonderful food on offer in Nice. As well as the renowned annual Fête du Port, Richard and I were sent on a Pure Nice Food Tour where we experienced some of the finest local cuisine and learnt about the history of food and wine in Nice. What more could a foodie want?

The wonderful Fête du Port - other review to follow...

Given that I discovered so many wonderful foodie things to blog about in the Côte d’Azur I’m going to split this into a few posts. So, this post will give you the low down on the apartment, the neighbourhood (the Old Town) and the types of restaurants and bars you’ll expect to find in and around the beautiful Old Town of Nice and my humble opinion of them all.

Of course we took up recommendations from the wonderfully detailed guide books we were given, but we also sought out a few other places we generally liked the look of. Subsequently, we actually found the most magnificent restaurant that wasn’t listed in the books we were given – it was a real gem, and it was just outside the apartment.

Our stunning little apartment was located on Rue de la Préfecture, one of the main streets that runs right though the centre of the Old Town. The beautifully bright pastel buildings with their ancient shutters tower above the old maze like pathways casting a wonderfully cooling shade. The bustling streets of the Old Town littered with artisan shops and restaurants are the absolute contrast to the gorgeous promenade and beach just a two minute walk away. The city couldn’t be a more captivating and exciting place to discover.

Beautiful bright pastel buildings - opposite our apartment

Your Nice Apartment

Our apartment ‘Anna’ was a stunning little one bed on the first floor of an old French apartment block. Entering through the main door straight off the busy street is a welcome serene feeling as you climb the cool marble steps. Through the old heavy apartment door you’ll find a surprisingly spacious one bed holiday let, perfect for a couple enjoying a long weekend in the city. The folks at Your Nice Apartment really have thought of everything to make your stay as homely as possible, but with delightful added extras. We enjoyed a complimentary bottle of Champagne which was the perfect way to start our foodie trip in France.

'Anna' - Your Nice Apartment

The apartment was stocked with tea and coffee, milk, fluffy towels and lovely little toiletries to make our stay that little more comfortable. There were two fans and an air conditioning unit to keep the apartment nice and cool - a washing machine/tumble dryer and an all important hair dryer and iron. After all, no one wants a creased dress in Nice!

At the risk of this sounding like a hard sell, if you are considering a break in the sun drenched French Riviera then check these guys out. They specialise in stylish apartments and luxury villas in and around Nice – the pictures speak for themselves.

Distillere Ideale, 24 Rue de la Préfecture

Given that this brasserie was just across from our apartment block it was an obvious choice for a daily tipple. But, it was the popularity of this authentic little place that attracted us. Anywhere that is that busy all the time must be good right? They have happy hour between 6pm and 8pm every day, offering local wine for €2.50, much cheaper than anywhere else in Nice. It has a typical French brasserie feel, complete with an old copper brewery. With small outdoor tables lining the perimeter of the building it’s the perfect place to enjoy the cool shady cobbled street and escape the sun for a while.

The waiter in the picture is Thomas, the best waiter in Nice (or so we decided).

Richard enjoying a beer at the Distillere Ideale

The best waiter in town - Thomas

La Plassa, 1 Rue Place Vieille

This restaurant was the shining star of this week for me. Located just behind our apartment – we’d seen that it was a fairly busy place, and as a general rule we all know somewhere that’s that busy all the time has to be good. It was - delicious in fact. It’s located in a beautiful little square in the Old Town. Earlier in the day I’d been explaining to Rich about the best steak I’d ever eaten (in Paris), this place changed my mind! We both ordered the Cote du Boeuf which only cost us €18 each – we couldn’t believe how cheap this was for Nice. We had wine and coffee and our whole bill was only €56. The pictures speak for themselves.

Cote du Boeuf at La Plassa - the 'new' best steak I've ever eaten!

De Gesu, 1 Place du Jesus

Tucked away in a small square in the heart of the Old Town, this place was recommended to us by our food tour guide Gustav. “It’s where the locals eat” he said. “It’s cheap”. Who were we to argue? We headed off to get a table. We waited a while because they were so busy. Again, a great sign. The food was mainly Italian (being so close to the border this is common place in Nice) and it was indeed cheap. Rich had a calzone and I had one of my old favourites, spaghetti carbonara. The food was nice, I wasn’t blown away and I was slightly baffled that my carbonara had cream in it!!! Very odd! All-in-all this place offers a great location, friendly service, a limited but cheap menu and nice food.

Du Gesu - where the locals eat.

The Fish Market on Place St François

We bought some mussels here, they even threw in the parsley (a simple gesture, but one you don’t get at home) – the simple things keep me happy.

Beautiful fish market - not to be missed!

The Town of Villefranche and the best beaches

The town is accessible by bus from Place Garibaldi, or the Port across from the church (bus number 100). We ate wonderful pizza at the La Tavola restaurant on Rue du Poilu in Villefranche. Remember, being that close to Italy pizza is a popular choice at restaurants. One of my favourite dishes is spaghetti puttanseca – imagine my surprise when I realised they were serving puttanseca pizza! The beaches here are wonderful, but so busy – I’d get there early to find a good spot on the beach.

Blue Whales, 1 Rue Mascoinat

A late night bar in the Old Town – when there is nowhere else open this place will be. Mix with the locals and enjoy the live music (mainly from English musicians). This place is responsible for my hangover on the way home!

3 Minute Beef Noodles

2014-08-26T19:00:00.000+01:00

I'm certain I'm not the only one who often has leftover roast beef knocking about in the fridge from Sunday. There are only so many roast beef sandwiches one can eat - and nine times out of ten the meat ends up in the bin. I can’t stand throwing food away, so last week I decided to reinvent my leftovers into these delicious 3 minute beef noodles.

Considering they really only take 3 minutes to cook they are packed with pungent Asian flavours that are truly delicious. The recipe is just perfect for a Monday (or indeed a Tuesday following Bank Holiday) when you can’t be bothered to slave away cooking dinner.

Ingredients:

1 nest medium egg noodles
2-3 slices leftover rare roast beef
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp freshly chopped coriander

Cooking Directions:

Add the nest of noodles to boiling water and cook for 3 minutes, or according to the packet instructions. Meanwhile mix together the sweet chilli, soy, vinegar and honey in a bowl.
Drain the noodles and add the beef. Return the noodles to the saucepan and add the sauce mixture, heat over a medium heat, stirring to combine for a further 30 seconds. Top with the chopped coriander and serve.

Basic White Bread (and poppy seed loaf)

2014-08-26T09:43:00.000+01:00

Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 4 hours (inc rising time)
Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients:

700g strong white flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp caster sugar
1 1/2 tsp easy-bake dried yeast
25g cold butter, cubed
450ml warm water
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp milk

Cooking Directions:

Sift the flour, salt, sugar and yeast into a large bowl, then using your index and middle finger and thumbs rub in the cold butter until you have a bread crumb consistency.
Make a well in the centre of the flour and slowly pour in the water forming a sticky dough, continue until you have used all of the water. The dough will feel really sticky, but don't panic, this is normal.
Lightly flour the work surface and begin to knead the dough until smooth and elastic. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling film and pop in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. I use the airing cupboard and normally leave it for around 2 hours.
Once the dough has risen to double the size, knock it back by punching down the dough to deflate it. Remove it from the bowl and knead vigorously for a couple of minutes.
Shape the dough to the desired shape and size and place in a lightly oiled loaf tin if using. Leave covered by a tea towel for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size. This second rising shouldn't take as long as the first.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 230⁰C.
Brush the loaves with milk and scatter over the poppy seeds.
Bake the loaves for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200⁰C and bake for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the bread has risen and is golden brown on top.
The bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Turn out and cool on a wire rack.

Ever had a baking disaster?

I can’t believe it’s that time of year again already. The Great British Bake Off is in full swing and the hunt for Brittan’s next best amateur baker is on. There is something quite magnificent about a group of people who share a passion for baking coming together under one roof (or marquee as it were) and battling it out to be crowned The UK’s Best Amateur Baker. It’s TV gold. From builders to actresses, designers and students, this year’s line up is as diverse as ever.

So, having been inspired to get baking, I set about making some bread in the hopes of producing a light and delicious loaf, only to find it had a disastrous outcome. I realised that I’d forgotten the salt in the first batch of dough I made, so that ended up in the bin. Then for my second attempt, the bread didn’t rise particularly well to start with, but I persevered. It looked and smelled wonderful – just like a freshly home baked loaf should – but let me tell you – it was the densest loaf ever. I was the laughing stock of my household for a week. I’d used a pot of yeast that had been open and lurking around in the cupboard for who knows how long, it was over a year passed its use by date and as I’ve learnt yeast won’t work if it’s stale.

My partner joked that it’s a known fact that men are better bakers than women. No I thought, I’m not standing for this – says who? Okay, so my first two attempts were rubbish, but it was the yeast’s fault, not mine. Anyhow this failure and his comment spurred me on to ensuring bread success. I stuck with it and made another loaf (using freshly bought yeast) and I cracked it.

There’s nothing more satisfying that admiring a gorgeous loaf of bread you made, well I guess there is – smothering it with butter and eating it!

Having ruined various batches of dough, but actually managing to master the technique of bread making – even if it did take a while, I feel compelled to share with you my top tips and tricks to bread success:

Use the freshest ingredients, yeast that’s been sitting about for ages simply won’t work.

Knead, knead, knead – and then knead some more – if you’ve got the ratio of flour and water right your dough will start out really sticky. The more you knead it the more elastic and smooth it will become - really put some elbow grease into it.

Be patient – something Paul Hollywood advised on last week’s programme. Leave the bread to rise, just leave it until it’s doubled in size.

Master the basic white loaf before you experiment with other flours, flavours of toppings – don’t run before you can walk. It took me three attempts to even get the basics right.

So, if you’ve been thinking about baking for a while, now’s the time to dust off your apron and get stuck in. The Great British Bake Off is such a source of inspiration. I’ll be fixed to the TV every Wednesday at 8pm over the coming weeks to see what showstopper and signature bakes look good enough for me to replicate. I’ve earmarked Luis or Martha for winner.

Bread Baking Techniques

Kneading, proving and knocking back – what’s it all about?

If you’re a novice baker like me, you might well find all these terms very confusing.

It’s all very well someone telling you to ‘knock back your dough’ – but if you haven’t the foggiest idea what they are talking about it can all be very baffling.

My advice is to get yourself a good reference guide, such a decent baking book and spend some time doing your homework. If you get to grips with these terms before you set about making the bread you should have a decent head start.

Start with a simple recipe, such as a basic white loaf and learn the techniques before you attempt to use other flours or flavours. For instance, some wholemeal or rye flours take more kneading than others. There I go, doing exactly what I didn’t want to do – assuming you know what these terms mean.

I wanted to give you a brief overview of a few of the basic bread making terms, but I’m certainly no expert and I won’t pretend my advice is worth noting, so I’ll leave it to the experts.

The following techniques are taken from Paul Hollywood's website

Mixing

Always put the flour in your bowl first, then add the salt and the yeast to opposite sides of the bowl. This is important as the salt can kill the yeast. Next add fat if you are using and then add three-quarters of the water. Then using your hands, ‘scrunch’ all the ingredients together, incorporating all the flour and adding more water until you have a soft dough. This can be very messy, sticky and wet. However, it will all come together when you start the kneading process.

Kneading

The kneading process helps work the gluten in the flour to create a smooth, elastic dough. When kneading, you need to stretch the dough out and then fold it back on itself and flatten it, and then repeat the process, making sure you turn the dough round between stretches. It can take between 5 and 10 minutes until the consistency of the dough changes and it becomes smoother and more elastic. Eventually, it will begin to hold together in ball and develop a soft skin.

Rising

Put the kneaded dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film or a clean tea towel to protect it from draughts that might cause a skin to form. Leave it anywhere in the kitchen. The dough needs to rise until it is at least doubles in size. When it is fully grown it will start to develop crease marks on top and it may start to collapse on itself. Do not leave it any longer than this. You can let the dough rise for a second time at this point if you wish.

Knocking back the dough

After rising, the dough needs to be ‘knocked back’. This process makes it easier to handle and shape and helps create a uniform texture to the dough. Take the dough out of the bowl and put it on a lightly floured surface and fold it repeatedly in on itself using the heels of your hands, until it is smooth and all the air is knocked out of it.

Shaping the dough

You can experiment with different shapes, choosing anything from a simple round loaf to a decorative plait.

Proving

During this final stage, the shaped bread is left to rise before it can be baked. Covering the dough during this stage with a plastic bag helps prevent the dough from forming a skin. You can tell when the dough is ready by gently pressing it and seeing if it springs back. If the dough starts to crease and slump slightly, it has over-proved. If this is the case, knock it back and shape the dough again, and let it prove once more.

Baking and cooling

When your bread is ready, it should be a good brown colour with a crisp crust. To check if it’s ready, take it out of the oven and tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow, it’s ready; if it doesn’t, put it back and check again in 5 minutes. After baking your bread, it should be allowed to cool completely on a wire rack before eating. Whilst it cools it will let out all its steam and finish cooking.

English Muffins with Hot Oak Smoked Salmon and Poached Egg

2014-08-20T20:37:00.000+01:00

Breakfast is always a carnival in my house, at weekends anyway. There’s always plenty choice, from bacon and eggs, to tea and toast – we start the day the right way – with full bellies. From the moment I open my eyes in the morning I’m ready to eat and love creating a bustle in the kitchen at this time of day.

When Richard’s kids are here for the weekend they love soft boiled eggs with soldiers and bacon sandwiches. Max likes Rich to make him pizza toast, with basil – yes, he is quite particular about it. If there is no basil he doesn’t want it. I love that they enjoy their food so it’s no fuss to get different pots and pans out for everyone.

If we are not having breakfast in our kitchen we pop across the road to the local cafe – they serve up huge breakfasts, the kind you need with a fuzzy head. The liver and bacon breakfast is my fav with a huge mug of tea.

I found some hot oak smoked salmon lurking about in the fridge the other morning so I decided to have it for breakfast. This one couldn’t be simpler. Toast and butter an English muffin, top with the salmon and a poached egg, sprinkle with chopped parsley and tuck in.

It’s the simple things in life that make me happiest, sitting down at the kitchen counter on a sunny morning with a delicious treat for breakfast and a deadly silence in the house because everyone else is sleeping, utter bliss.

I’d love to hear your favourite breakfast recipes, am I missing out on the best breakfast?

My Foodie Tour of Nice

2014-08-16T15:58:00.000+01:00

Image used from http://misadventureswithandi.com

Becoming a food blogger was probably one of the best personal decisions I’ve made. It’s enabled me to become a better cook, experiment with food and flavours and delve further into the online world of culinary expertise. Blogging has become a profound hobby, one which has blossomed immensely over time.

It allows me to share my passion for food and offer my recipes and advice to others. It’s also presented me with various opportunities, such as food competitions, product and equipment reviews. All of which I have a genuine desire to be involved with; why would I not want to try the latest product on the market or test culinary treats?

I’ve recently been presented with the best opportunity yet, a foodie trip to Nice in France. Imagine my surprise. So in anticipation of my trip I wanted to share with you what I’ll be doing on my trip and where I’ll be staying.

The trip will comprise of a 4 night stay in a beautiful apartment in the traditional centre of Nice, close to the market square and surrounded by restaurants and shops. I’ll be there over the first weekend in September, which happens to coincide with the Fete du Port, with its amazing 'Chefs Village' –which I’m told is a must for all foodies.

Every year in September, the Port of Nice Festival is organised by the French Riviera Chamber of Commerce, and offers thousands of people an opportunity to enjoy specialty foods, entertainment and concerts - the perfect opportunity to taste French and local cuisine.

As if that didn’t sound brilliant enough, I’ll also be embarking on a gourmet walking tour - Pure Nice Food Tour organised by Your Nice Apartment. On the tour, I’ll get to taste local specialities and get a feel for the flavour of Niçois cuisine, whilst learning about the unique history and culture of Nice. During the tour we will sample: the ultralight and delicious orange blossom fougasse sickly sweet candied fruit. Socca, the only true Niçois fast food Tourte aux Blettes les Petits Farcies—literally "the little stuffed ones" Pissaladière—there is no such thing as too much onion! Swiss chard in a way you'd never imagine it, the humble side of Riviera wine, the health benefits of Mediterranean cuisine, local art at Gallery Lyl plus various surprises.

I promise to take plenty of pictures and blog about the food tour and the festival upon my return...

Butternut Squash & Feta Quinoa Salad

2014-08-15T13:13:00.000+01:00

When I've nothing scrumptious left over from dinner the night before, or simply don’t have time to make lunch I pop to the supermarket in search of a ready-made salad or sandwich. Let’s face it, from time to time most of us end up eating packaged flavourless and quite often disappointing lunches we've grabbed on the way into the office. However, a few weeks back I was pleasantly surprised by a Tesco packaged salad – it was utterly delicious, but at £3 a pop it’s a little over-priced.

I decided I’d have a go at making it myself – and it was just as good. I didn't follow the ingredients list exactly; as you well know these supermarkets love an ingredients list that’s as long as your arm. But, I ensured all of the big flavours were captured and it really was great.

The best thing about this salad is that its part of the Tesco Healthy Living range, so we know it’s good for us. I made a big bowl as a side dish for our barbecue and everyone loved it. This salad is so easy to prepare, the only cooking involved is the roasted vegetables. I bought the bulgur wheat and quinoa already cooked, so it’s really just a case of assembling the ingredients. What could be easier than that?

Cooked Bulgur Wheat and Quinoa (I used a mixed bag)

500g butternut squash (about half a large squash), cubed

Pack of feta cheese, cubed

100g cooked soya beans

1 can chickpeas, drained

Half a red pepper, diced

Half a yellow pepper, diced

Two handfuls of raw spinach, finely sliced

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

150g low fat natural yoghurt

Bunch of mint, finely chopped

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start by placing the peppers and butternut squash onto a baking tray. Drizzle with oil and season. Place in the centre of a pre-heated oven on 180⁰C for 30-35 minutes.

Meanwhile re-heat the bulgur wheat and quinoa and place in a large bowl. Add the soya beans, chickpeas, spinach, red onion and half of the mint – season well and mix to combine. Once the peppers and squash have cooled add them to the bowl too. Top with the feta and mix carefully to ensure you don’t break the feta up. The salad is now ready to serve.

To make the dressing, mix the yoghurt, lemon zest, juice and remaining mint in a smaller bowl. Serve this on the side.

Hasselback Potatoes – the best way to cook spuds

2014-08-14T10:29:00.000+01:00

I adore hasselback potatoes, there is something quite fun about the look of them, plus they are super tasty.

I first discovered the hasselback potato about two years ago, a Nigella recipe I believe. I thought they were wonderful, light and fluffy on the inside and a skin that gets so crispy and delicious – just like a baked potato. They are perfect served with steak, they make a nice change from chips and I guess they are a little healthier too. I believe these little fanned spuds are named so after a Swedish Restaurant ‘Hasselbacken’ in Stockholm, where they were first served.

Don’t they just look wonderful?

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

Knob of butter

Medium sized Maris Piper potatoes (as many or as little as you like)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly chopped rosemary

Freshly chopped thyme

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Wash and dry the potatoes.

Pop each potato onto a slightly curved wooden spoon, using a sharp knife cut through the potato every few millimetres, making sure not to cut all the way down and through the potato. The wooden spoon will prevent that from happening, the knife cannot cut any further then the upward-facing curves of the spoon.

Place the potatoes into an oven proof dish and drizzle with some olive oil and a little butter if you like. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and add a generous sprinkling of freshly chopped rosemary and thyme.

Put the pan into the oven and bake the potatoes for 40 minutes, giving them a shake after about 20 minutes. The little potato fans will pop open during cooking.

These are great served with meat or fish, or as a snack with some sour cream and chives.

Jamie Oliver’s Steamed Asian Chicken & Cabbage Parcels

2014-07-28T18:05:00.000+01:00

I have a slight obsession with recipe books; in fact I’m running out of space for them in my kitchen. I’ve discovered that the only place to buy them is a charity shop. Indeed, all of the charity shops in my town sell 3 books for £1 –even large hardback recipe books. I’ve recently found various Jamie Oliver books lurking amongst the shelves. Why someone would get rid of a Jamie book is beyond me. I’ve always found his recipes to be so inspirational. I love the different elements he brings to them, nothing is served without an accompanying salad or side dish, and it’s really creative.

This recipe is from Jamie’s Kitchen – one of his earlier books – I can tell this by the young, fresh faced lad with a cheeky grin on the cover (sorry Jamie). The book is brimming with recipes that look delicious; I can’t wait to test more of them.

This recipe really appealed to me, those of you who read my blog often enough will know this is because of the pungent Asian flavours. I love the idea of little parcels that can be dipped in the sweet chilli sauce – for me that is food that is fun – and totally delicious.

A Totally Delicious Asian Treat

Ingredients:

1 medium savoy or Chinese cabbage

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled

6 spring onions, white and light green parts, roughly chopped

1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves

1 to 2 fresh small red chillies

1 tablespoon fish sauce

4 trimmed boneless skinless chicken thighs, roughly chopped

1 small can water chestnuts, drained

2 tablespoons juice and 2 teaspoons grated zest from 2 limes

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Serve with either sweet chilli sauce or soy for dipping

Method:

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Remove and discard the tough outer leaves of the cabbage, then slice off the root end and separate the leaves. Plunge them into the boiling salted water to blanch for 2 minutes, then remove to a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and set aside. Pour out all but a couple inches of water in the bottom of the pot and place a steamer on top of the pot.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the garlic, ginger, spring onions, coriander, red chillies, fish sauce, and a 1/4 teaspoon of salt until everything is minced. Add the chicken, water chestnuts, lime zest and juice, and sesame oil. Process until completely pureed; the result will be a kind of meat paste.

Lay out the leaves of cabbage on a chopping board and place a small amount (2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture onto the root end of a cabbage leaf. Fold the leaf over once to enclose the chicken, fold both sides in, then roll it once again so that the seam side is down. Repeat with the remaining cabbage leaves and chicken.

Bring the water in the bottom of the steaming pot to a boil, then place the parcels seam side down into the basket. Cover and steam until the chicken is cooked through, 6-8 minutes depending on their size.

Serve with the dipping sauce and the toasted sesame seeds scatted on top.

Fruit Purée Ice Lollies

2014-07-14T12:37:00.000+01:00

Despite the fact that it’s July, the weather seems to have been rather horrid. The past couple of days we've seen torrential downpours and intolerable sticky humid nights. Typically, the few sunny days we have had have been during the week when most of us work. Nevertheless, it is July; it is summer, even if the weather is hell bent on convincing us otherwise. Having said that, this week is set to be the hottest of the year so far...

Remember those plastic ice lolly moulds you had as a kid? Yep - you know the ones I mean, almost everyone has one of these lurking somewhere at the back of a cupboard or drawer. Perhaps it's lost at the back of the ice box in the fridge? If you've got one - find it. If you've never owned one - buy one and get making these delicious fruit purée lollies.

Today's recipe is ice lollies of course, or popsicles if you are from across the pond. Not just any old ice lollies either – healthy fruit purée lollies to help keep your bikini body in shape. These fresh and fruity lollies couldn't be easier to make and you really can pick which ever fruits you like. I choose Mango and Raspberry. You do need to add a little sugar to the raspberries as they can be quite sharp, add sugar and taste to ensure you get the balance right. You can also add a little fresh orange juice to the raspberries to dilute the tart flavour.

These lollies are simply delicious and so refreshing on hot and sunny day – the kids love them too. They will keep in the freezer for a good few months. Next I'm going to try coconut and raspberry lollies with natural yoghurt and coconut milk for a creamier lolly.

Is it just me, or are Mangos slippery little blighters? I still can’t cut one without a struggle, so hats off you if you've mastered it. Mangos have a flat long pit in the centre, the trick is to try and cut around this, a good guide for cutting them can be found here.

Mango & Raspberry Ice Lollies

1 mango, diced

1 punnet of raspberries

3 tspb of sugar

Place the mango into a large glass jug and blend into a purée using a stick blender. Do the same with the raspberries, except this time add the sugar as you blend.

Pour the mango purée into the ice lolly mould, making sure you leave room at the top for the raspberry purée . Place the mould into the freezer for 1 hour, remove the mould and add the raspberry purée – place the full moulds into the freezer and leave for at least 4 hours.

Miss Friday's 100th Blog Post

2014-07-04T08:57:00.000+01:00

This marks my 100^th post on Miss Friday’s Feast. Yes, really. Hurrah for me right? So, what does one post to mark such a milestone? The truth is this post would have come a week earlier had I been able to make my mind up. My top hundred favourite foods, my top 10 or most popular blog posts from the past, a celebration recipe...? The possibilities are endless.

I’ve decided to post a collection of pictures to give you an insight into a few of the things I’ve been up to lately. I’ve been so busy I just have to share it all with you. I managed to blag myself hospitality tickets to the Taste of London show with work, which as you can imaging was immense. Free champagne, spending money and all that delicious food, what’s not to love? That’s not even the best part, I was lucky enough to meet one of the most successful celebrity chefs – Michel Roux Jr, and had my photograph taken with him as he signed me one of his recipe books. That certainly topped my week, my month in fact.

As if that wasn’t enough excitement for one month, my dear friend Lee finished making me a new shelf/cupboard to house my recipe books, and it’s just about the most beautiful shelf I’ve ever seen. We sat down and discussed what storage I needed and what type of design I wanted. You can’t beat a beautiful bespoke piece of furniture, look how pretty she is!

So what else has been happening? Well, I ran the Pretty Muddy race and raised £198 for Cancer Research. It was such a fun day and all for a very good cause. There is still time to raise money, so if you’re feeling generous and would like to sponsor me, even £1, you can do so by clicking this link. Your support is really appreciated.

I’ve been writing Miss Friday’s Feast for almost two years now and every post has been a pleasure to plan, develop, cook, photograph, write and share with you lovely people. I’ve always taken an interest in food, but this blog has allowed me to develop that interest into a real passion. I’ve loved sharing my recipes and listening to the wonderful feedback. Knowing that people are genuinely interested and sometimes impressed by the recipes you share really does make all the difference. Which brings me on nicely to saying thank you to my readers, without you writing this blog wouldn’t be worthwhile. Don’t get me wrong there were a few hairy moments in the beginning where I thought I was the only one reading it. But, over the past (nearly) two years I’ve seen my audience grow, which makes me very happy indeed.

Writing this blog has seen me through some pretty crappy times, when I just wanted to bury my head and stay locked in the house, my blog was always there waiting to be written. Even when things were back on track and I rarely felt I had time to write, when I eventually did, here it was still waiting, just like my readers for which I am eternally grateful.

Tuscan Inspired Ragú - #TuscanyNowCookOff

2014-06-23T17:29:00.000+01:00

Being a food blogger often presents you with opportunities to review products and enter competitions, and when such a task presents itself I'm only too happy to get involved. Having said that, I've come to adopt rather a casual approach to cooking. The thought of making everything over fussy and complicated doesn't fill me with glee; in fact it makes me anxious at times. How can a self confessed foodie say this? Well, I've tried cooking many recipes and many variations of the same recipe and more often than not I find that simple is best. As long as you are not compromising on flavour and satisfaction, why wouldn't you choose the easier recipe? Not only does it save you hours slaving in the kitchen, but quite often it saves you money too.

It’s not to say that I don’t like taking the time to cook up something delicious and spend a little cash being indulgent with food, especially where a competition is concerned, but sometimes I prefer recipes that are undemanding - especially on a Monday. Recently, I've become a slave to the clock, work has been busy and my social life, not that I'm complaining, seems to have flourished. All in all, it’s left me feeling exhausted and in need of the sort of food that can replace a loving embrace, if you get where I'm going with that - comfort food.

So the easy part is that I've made this recipe before and you can batch cook the ragú and freeze it for days when you feel like this, making it an incredibly quick supper.

Although we've been lucky enough to have a gloriously sunny weekend, today has been all too gloomy and overcast for my liking. Incidentally, as I write, it has just beginning to rain. And, it’s weather like this that brings me back to the thought of comfort food. Today that comfort is in the form of a delicious rich Tuscan inspired ragú.

Ragú is perfect for this lazy approach to cooking, aside from chopping a few ingredients, you pop everything into a big pot and leave the hob to do the hard work. Apart from a little stirring here and there it’s effortless. Serve it up with some delicious toasted ciabatta, rubbed with a little garlic. Top it off with some sweet cherry tomatoes, basil leaves and a few shavings of parmesan and you’ll be in comfort food heaven. Once you've poured yourself a glass of red wine that is.

And, as I finish this post the rain is lashing down on my window whilst I scoff down my delicious fuss free supper.

I was recently contacted by Tuscany Now asking if I would like to contribute to their Cook-Off Competition #TuscanyNowCookOff. This recipe is perfect as it’s a Tuscan inspired creation that is simply delicious.

Recipe makes a large batch for freezing

250g Beef mince

250g lamb mince

200g Chicken livers, finely chopped

5 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil (such as De Cecco Il Classico)

800g chopped tomatoes

5 tbsp tomato purée

200ml of red wine

Salt and black pepper

Handful of freshly chopped basil

10 vine tomatoes, halved

4 tbsp parmesan shavings

A combination of the following ingredients finely chopped is what the Italian’s call Soffritto, which forms the basis of many authentic Italian meals:

2 Red onions

2 Carrots

2 Celery sticks

1 sprig of rosemary (optional in most Soffritto recipes)

2 bay leaves (optional in most Soffritto recipes)

Start by heating the oil in a pan and gently frying the red onion, carrots and celery. Add the rosemary and bay leaves. Cook until golden, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the rosemary and bay leaves and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Add the meats to the pan and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes. Once browned add the wine and stir well. Cook until the wine and fat from the meats has evaporated.

Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and season to taste.

Serve with toasted ciabatta, topped with a generous spoonful or ragú, a few chopped vine tomatoes, freshly chopped basil and parmesan shavings.

Many Foodie Endeavours

2014-06-16T21:58:00.000+01:00

Yet again, time slips away from me. How is it possible that seven weeks have passed me by without a single blog post? Now, although I've not managed to get round to blogging any recipes, many foodie endeavours have presented themselves to me over the past few weeks. I wanted to take this opportunity to share a few pictures with you, which might explain what on earth I've been up to.

I've written and had my first recipe published in the Local Network Magazine, which you can read here. Hurrah for me! I've also just submitted the July article, which will be published any day now. I've been in consultation with the magazine about doing some freelance copy editing for them. I proof read for a living, so this opportunity is quite apt. As you can image, I'm feeling rather busy at the minute.

I embarked on a two week healthy eating pre-holiday style diet, which went fairly successfully, until my uncle invited us over for a pasta making party. Yep, you heard right, pasta making party! Everyone got stuck in and we ended up with about seven different pasta dishes, so we had a little of everything. I've been camping in Mersea, which to my delight gave me the perfect opportunity to check out the Oyster Bar for some... yep you guessed it oysters, and lobster. And, of course, I've been on holiday to Tenerife for a week, which obviously bought many delicious delights. All in all, not a bad few weeks really!

On top of all of this, I've had a couple of delicious picnics and beer festivals to see in the summer in proper British style. So, having given you all of my excuses as to why I've been too busy for the world of blogging, I thought it best to share with you some pictures from the last few weeks...

Pasta Puttanesca

2014-04-23T19:50:00.001+01:00

Being an avid foodie, it’s almost impossible for me to pick a favourite dish, but there are a few that are certainly up there and this pasta dish certainly deserves a place in my top 5 meals. My friend Emily and I just adore this dish, mainly for its pungent delicious flavour, but also because there are few things more comforting that a big bowl of pasta. I've posted a puttanesca recipe before, but this is a variation on the last recipe, I wanted to create a super quick version of my favourite pasta dish that is just as delicious.

If you've never tried puttanesca, I’ll warn you, it’s instantly addictive, and will most likely become a real go to meal when you’re having a busy week. You can almost make the entire meal from your store cupboard ingredients, all except the lemon juice, parsley and red chilli. Of course you could use chilli flakes, and bottled lemon juice, but the fresh parsley is a must. A word of warning, don’t add any salt to the dish, the anchovies provide all the saltiness you need.

Traditionally, you would use spaghetti in this dish, but any pasta you have knocking about is fine, and to be honest fusilli worked really well here, and for a speedy supper it’s easier to eat – that is simply my inner greed. My boyfriend always comments on how quickly I eat my meals.

Ingredients:

250g fusilli pasta

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 can of anchovies

3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

1 red chilli roughly chopped

2 tbsp capers

Juice of half a lemon

Handful of freshly chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

Method:

Start by cooking the pasta according to the packet instructions.

Meanwhile, add the anchovies to a hot pan, with the oil that they are in, using a wooden spoon break them up; the heat will turn them into a paste. Add the garlic and chilli, cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes, capers and half of the parsley to the pan. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and mix well to combine, allow this to simmer over a medium heat until the pasta is cooked.

Drain the pasta; add to the pan with a good pinch of freshly ground black pepper. Serve in warmed bowls with a sprinkling of parsley and parmesan.

Tefal OptiGrill Review

2014-04-22T14:07:00.000+01:00

Move over George Forman, there's a new kid on the block; The Tefal OptiGrill and its one mean grilling machine. I was rather excited that the lovely people at Tefal sent me one to try out last week. The poor old George Forman grill has been tossed into the trash to make way for our shiny new kitchen gadget, but to be fair; it was getting a little old and tatty.

The OpitGrill features an automatic sensor to precisely measure the cooking process and a thickness measurement to adapt to the thickness of the meat or fish you are grilling, sounds great right? It also features a colour LED screen that indicates whether your meat is rare, medium or well-done – I think this is simply great, no more guess work with your steak.

With six automatic programmes you can have the perfect grilled fish, bacon, chicken, burgers and sausages every time and other features include a manual option if you are cooking vegetables, defrost and keep warm options. Obviously, I wasted no time in putting it through its paces and grilled just about everything in sight.

The OptiGrill is a stylish kitchen gadget; it’s mainly brushed stainless, with black detailing. The automatic programme panel and controls are easy to understand and the changing light makes the grill easy to use.

So far, I have tried steak, bacon and chicken, all of which were a success. The chicken was superb, I wrapped the breasts in cling film and bashed them with a rolling pin to flatten ‘escalope’ them and rubbed them with a Cajun spice mix before grilling them. The result was a super tasty, perfectly cooked chicken breast that was also a very healthy way of cooking it. The steak was slightly more difficult to get right, but only because I cooked four steaks, which were all different in size and thickness, which I think, confused the OptiGrill. Next time I’ll ensure the meat is all the same size and I'm sure the results would be much better. I'm keen to try fish, vegetables and toasted sandwiches in the grill too.

The OptiGrill is certainly not a small piece of kitchen equipment. It’s rather large and bulky, but if you have a spare cupboard it can be popped away. I do find it takes up quite a bit of space on the worktop, but seeing as it cooks so well I can overlook this. It also feels very durable and hardwearing. The retail price is £149 which, if I'm completely honest, is slightly expensive for a glorified George Forman grill. Don’t get me wrong, it is an intelligent piece of equipment, that undoubtedly has more features but I probably wouldn't pay over £100 for it.

Despite the objectionable price tag, the grill really does have some great features, such as the removable plates; you can completely remove them from the grill and wash them separately from the machine, which of course makes cleaning it a lot easier. We all know just how horrid these things are to clean. The plates are also dishwasher safe, which I'm sure, if you have a dishwasher, is great. Overall, I was impressed with the features of the Tefal OptiGrill and would recommend it to anyone that loves a kitchen gadget.

Steak with Gruyere and Chive Croquette Potatoes, Red Cabbage and a Mustard Sauce with Shiitake Mushrooms

2014-04-07T13:53:00.000+01:00

This recipe is my entry for the Maille Culinary Challenge. I was invited to participate in the challenge to create a mouth-watering recipe including at least one Maille product. They were kind enough to send me two of their delicious products free of charge and I was able to pick from a rather extensive list including many delicious ingredients. Rather than just including one of the ingredients, I decided to use both; I figured this would ensure I really thought hard about a recipe with different components. I quite often create recipes with one star piece, either the meat or fish and the sides will be fairly simple - such is my style of cooking. However, seeing as this was a culinary challenge it was only right that I challenged myself and created a dish where each element bought something special to the recipe. I chose the following ingredients:

Aceto Balasmico Di Modene (lgp) Balsamic Glaze –250ml

Mustard with WhiteWine, Celeriac and Black Truffle – 110g

The red cabbage worked beautifully with the balsamic glaze; it brought an intense sweetness to the dish that truly was delicious, whilst the mustard has a woody earthy flavour that compliments the shitake mushrooms wonderfully.

Fingers crossed my recipe goes down well. The first prize for the Maille Culinary Challenge is a “Food Lover London Tour” worth £390, and two runners up will receive a luxury Maille Gift Box with accessories valued at £150. Yes please!

Serves 4

Ingredients

* Half a red cabbage, finely sliced

* Half a red onion, finely sliced

* 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

* 6 tbsp butter

* 2 tbsp Maille Balsamic Vinegar Glaze

* 2 tbsp water

* Salt and freshly ground black pepper

* 4 large potatoes

* 2 tbsp chives, snipped

* 90g Gruyere cheese, grated

* Pinch white pepper

* 100g plain flour

* 1 egg, lightly beaten

* 50g golden breadcrumbs (preferably not fresh)

* 1 litre of vegetable oil

* 100g fresh shiitake mushrooms

* 2 tbsp Maille Mustard with white wine, celeriac and black truffle

* 200ml double cream

* 4 Sirloin Steaks

Method

Start by finely slicing the red cabbage and red onion. Place in a saucepan with 2 tbsp of butter, the garlic, balsamic glaze and water; season with salt and pepper and cook on a medium heat for about 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes, boil for 25-30 minutes, until soft. Remove from the heat and drain well, return the potatoes to the pan. Add 2 tbsp butter, chives, cheese, white pepper and a splash of cream, roughly mash. Don’t worry if they are a little lumpy, a bit of texture works well in the croquettes. Allow the mashed potato to cool slightly.

Whilst the mash is cooling, line up three bowls, fill one with the flour, one with the egg and a tbsp of water and the other with the bread crumbs. Take a small amount of the mashed potato in your hands and roll into a small ball, slightly smaller than a golf ball, roll in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then roll the ball in the egg and finally the bread crumbs. Place aside and repeat until you have used all of the mash, set these aside while you prepare the sauce.

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan. Slice the shiitake mushrooms, place in a pan with the remaining butter and season, fry on a medium heat for 5 minutes, once softened add the mustard and cream; heat through while you cook the steak and fry the croquettes as below.

Season the steak and fry in a little oil for the desired length of time, depending on how you like your steak cooked. I had fairly thick Sirloin that I like rare, so I fried for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Once cooked, set the steak aside and allow to rest. This is very important as it lets the fibres in the meat relax and allows the juices to flow, meaning you’ll end up with a much tastier steak.

Fry the croquettes in batches for about 30 seconds, they will brown very quickly. Remove from the oil and place on kitchen towel to drain off any excess oil.

Slice and serve the steak, topped with the mustard sauce and some snipped chives, three croquettes and some red cabbage.

Halloumi Salad

2014-03-27T13:21:00.000+00:00

This vibrant salad is bursting with flavours; the peppery salad leaves and red onion are delicious with the cool herby yoghurt and salty halloumi. I'm going to be honest, I quite often find salads the most boring thing to eat, but a well thought out salad with balanced flavours is actually quite a delicious little dinner.

I'm trying my hardest to be good at the moment, and failing quite miserably for the most part. You may or may not have seen my previous post on indulgent chocolate buttons. I'm constantly torn between my love of food and not wanting to be fat, a battle I fear I’ll always face. But, when I am disciplined enough to be healthy, I feel quite chuffed with myself, especially when a healthy dinner turns out to be so tasty. So, if you are like me and practically turn your nose up at the thought of having a salad for dinner, just give this a go, it’s truly delicious.

It’s hard to beat grilled halloumi, but if you’re not a fan feta would work well too; essentially, it’s the salty element of this salad that I love the most. Even my meat eating carnivore of a boyfriend was happy to have a supper without meat, for once! This dish would make a wonderful side for a BBQ too now that we are coming into Spring.

* 250g Halloumi

* 100g Watercress, spinach and rocket salad

* 225g vine tomatoes

* 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

* 50g croutons (either bought or homemade)

* 150g low fat natural yoghurt

* Handful chopped basil

* Handful chopped dill

Preheat the oven to 160⁰C.

Mix the chopped basil and dill into the yoghurt and set aside.

Remove the tomatoes from the vine, cut in half and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the tomatoes for about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, assemble the salad; place the salad leaves, red onion and croutons in a large salad bowl, top with the roasted tomatoes and yoghurt dressing.

Place a griddle over the heat and add the halloumi and fry for about 4-5 minutes on each side ensure both sides are lightly browned. Pop the halloumi on top of the salad and serve immediately.

Indulgent Chocolate Buttons

2014-03-18T19:12:00.002+00:00

Every now and again you come up with a recipe that is just spectacular, and this one is. Giant chocolate buttons encrusted with delicious dried fruit and crunchy nuts, utterly delicious! I started out thinking I’d make some chocolate bark, but changed my mind and thought giant button shaped treats would be much more decadent. I'm visiting a friend on Thursday for dinner, so I'm planning on taking a few as a gift, they’ll make the perfect after dinner treat. These would also be lovely for a Mother’s Day gift, there is surely nothing better than a homemade edible treat?

You don’t have to stick to the same ingredients I've used, you really can pick any combination of dried fruit and nuts to suit your taste, just make sure the flavours complement each other. I think the salty pistachios and cashews work beautifully with the sticky sweet cranberries and apricots. You could also try using different chocolate, white, plain, milk or dark would all be equally delicious.

I used a combination of 70% dark chocolate and milk chocolate. I love the bitterness and depth of flavour you get from dark chocolate, but combined with the milk you get a slightly more subtle flavour that would suit most pallets. Use the very best chocolate you can afford, trust me it’s worth splashing out a little. The taste of these little jewel embellished treats is only going to be as good as the quality of chocolate you use.

I'm looking forward to experimenting with various flavour combinations; I think hazelnut or honeycomb would be delicious. We have the children over the weekend so I'm guessing they will jump at the chance of making a batch of these chocolate buttons, perhaps with popping candy, marshmallows or Smarties. I’d recommend using milk chocolate for the little ones as dark would be too bitter.

* 150g Green & Black's 70% dark chocolate

* 200g Green & Black's milk chocolate

* Handful of shelled pistachios

* Handful of salted cashew nuts

* Handful of dried cranberries

* Handful of dried apricots, roughly chopped

* Baking parchment paper

Start by placing a saucepan of water (about 200ml) on the hob; position a glass bowl on top of the saucepan, ensuring that the glass does not touch the water. Heat water until just boiling, and then turn it right down to a simmer.

Break the chocolate into individual squares and place into the bowl, stir constantly with a spatula, if you continue mixing the chocolate will melt evenly and become liquefied and silky smooth. One the chocolate has melted completely, remove from the heat and place to one side.

Lay out a large section of baking parchment paper and roughly stencil out circles, to your desired size. I found a small drinking glass was the perfect size to draw around. Spoon the chocolate mixture onto the drawn circles and scatter with the fruit and nuts, ensuring that each chocolate button has a couple of pieces of each.

Leave the chocolate buttons on the counter for a couple of hours, at which point they should be hard and dry. Peel them carefully from the parchment paper and place into containers and refrigerate.

These buttons are best eaten cold straight from the fridge and washed down with a nice cup of tea.

Crispy Duck Pancakes

2014-03-05T13:30:00.000+00:00

Who doesn't love crispy duck pancakes? Drizzled with sweet, sticky plum sauce I just can’t get enough of them, especially when the duck is extra crispy. Quite often Rich and I order them from our local Chinese takeaway, not bothering to attempt them at home, until now anyway.

But, having found three duck legs reduced to just £2 at the supermarket I couldn't resist picking them up. I'm fortunate in the respect that I live next door to a co-operative supermarket; which can be super useful when you run out of something, or forget to pick something up. But, perhaps what I love best about it is that it’s great for bagging a bargain; I normally pop across at the end of the day when they are reducing everything and see what cheap treats I can pick up. So, this time it was duck legs, and we knew exactly what we wanted to do with them; attempt, for the first time, crispy duck pancakes.

There is a certain technique to ensuring the meat is super tender, but the skin is super crispy. It wasn't without a bit of re-search that we realised steaming the duck first helps to keep it really moist, then deep frying it crisps up the skin so nicely. I’ll take no credit for this particular recipe as it was Richard’s wonderful dish and he really did do a splendid job.

1 ½ pints of vegetable oil

10 pancakes

2 duck legs

1 tsp Chinese five spice

1 tsp Szechuan pepper corns

Bunch of spring onions

Cucumber

Plum sauce

Start by rubbing the duck legs with the five spice and peppercorns, then place them in a steamer over boiling water. Steam the legs for about 40 minutes, until the meat is really tender and cooked through.

Remove the duck legs from the steamer and set aside on kitchen paper to absorb any excess water. Heat a pan of vegetable oil on the hob and carefully place the duck legs in and fry for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oil and place them onto the kitchen paper for a second time to drain the excess oil. Shred the meat from the bone and place in a warmed dish to serve.

Serve with steamed pancakes, chopped spring onions and cucumber and plum sauce.

Homemade Hummus

2014-03-03T15:13:00.000+00:00

There is something about this pale, thick and delicious Middle Eastern dip that I just adore. Of course I'm a fan of the store bought stuff, but nothing beats making your own, and when you realise just how simple it is you’ll mostly make it yourself in future. You can experiment with the recipe and make various flavour fusions. I've stuck to a plain hummus this time, but you could try lime and coriander, lemon and garlic or sun-dried tomato. The possibilities are endless.

Hummus is perfect served with bread sticks, raw vegetables or toasted pita bread, simply brush the pita bread with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toast under the grill for about 5 minutes - the pita comes out so crispy and delicious.

Ingredients:

1 can of chickpeas, drained

3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Method:

Place the chickpeas in a blender (keep a few aside) and add the lemon juice, sesame oil and garlic. With the blender on full, slowly pour in the EVOO until you have the right consistency. You want the hummus to be thick, but not so thick that it’s a solid lump when you stir it.

Season to taste a serve in a bowl drizzled with a little of the EVOO and a few of the whole chickpeas for decoration.

Lemon Cupcakes

2014-02-17T20:45:00.000+00:00

I had a rather eventful Saturday, baking batches of cupcakes for a charity fundraising night at my local pub. Having agreed to bake around 70 cupcakes, I was delighted that my friend Sam had offered to help me, she wanted to brush up on her baking skills and I was only too happy to share the load. We decided upon three kinds of cupcakes, lemon, chocolate and coconut and raspberry. The recipes for the coconut and raspberry and chocolate ones have featured on my blog before and can be found by clicking on the links below, so I thought I’d share the lemon cupcake recipe, which comes courtesy of Mary Berry.

The charity night was in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and we raised a wonderful £647 from the door entry, raffle and cupcakes which I think is just wonderful for a small local pub. This is the first time I've put my cooking skills to use supporting a charity event, and it felt great to help raise money and the feedback was really positive. I’ll certainly volunteer in future to bake for any other events.

Lemon Cupcakes

Ingredients:

125 g soft butter
125 g self-raising flour
125 g caster sugar
2 tbsp milk
2 large eggs
Finely grated zest of 1 small lemon

For the lemon icing:

125 g soft unsalted butter
250 g icing sugar, sifted
Juice of 1 small lemon
Edible silver balls or glitter to decorate
Deep 12-hole muffin tin and 12 paper cases

Makes: 12

Method:

Line the muffin tin with the paper cases. Put all the cake ingredients into a bowl, and beat with an electric whisk until evenly combined and smooth.

Divide the mixture among the paper cases. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C/gas mark 4 for 20–25 minutes until well risen and light golden brown. Transfer the cakes in their cases to a wire rack, and leave to cool.

Make the icing: put the butter and half of the icing sugar into a bowl, and beat with an electric whisk until evenly combined and smooth. Add the lemon juice and the remaining icing sugar, and beat again until light and fluffy.

Spread the icing over the cold cup cakes, and decorate with silver balls or glitter.

Raspberry & Coconut Cupcakes

Click here for the recipe

Chocolate Cupcakes

Click here for the recipe