KitchenLab

Warm & Delightful Chai Tea

2013-04-09T21:19:00.000+01:00

I haven't entered a Starbucks in many years, because I love where I live, and I believe in local economies. And I think their coffee is gross.

Something that wasn't gross, however, was their Chai Tea Lattes. Do they still do those? They made it from a pre-made, boxed syrup that they diluted with steamed milk. It always seemed like calories dipped in chemicals and coated in a heart attack. But dang, did it taste amazing.

I spied a recent post on Bon Appetempt that made a very simple chai tea using only cardamom pods for spice, but I wanted something bolder, bigger, with more spices and complexity.

I bashed up some spices and these were the casualties. The smell knocked me right on the nose and said "yes, you are doing a good job." The sun even came out a little (only a little, this is Scotland, after all) and gifted me with a very pretty light for photos. I could tell I was onto something.

Homemade Chai Tea
Serves 2

1 small cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 green cardamom pods
6-8 whole cloves
3 bags of black tea

Bash all the spices in a mortar & pestle.

Simply toss it all in a teapot. Add boiling water. Go away for 10 minutes.

Then warm up some milk. Pour into your mugs. Don't forget your strainer. Add a little sugar. The end. Amazing.
_____________________________________________________________________

In other news, my friend Allison has given me a blogger award. An award with strings attached. How could you?! I thought we were friends!! The catch is -- I have to tell you a little more about myself. Actually, I have to tell you SEVEN little more things. So, here we go.

1. I have attended 6 different colleges/universities in my academic pursuits.
2. There are unfinished crochet projects hidden in at least 3 places in our flat.
3. I used to be a somewhat good flautist.
4. I have performed a vivisection on a frog. That's like a dissection, except the frog is still alive.
5. I make all of the cards I give to my boyfriend using Photoshop, because I am a secret design junkie, and I love that man beyond description -- so cards from the store (from someone else's ideas) will never do.
6. I designed and ran my first scientific experiment when I was seven years old. When my dad caught me, I got in trouble. I am a scientist today because I am still intensely curious about the world and how it works.
7. I have a teeny tiny Etsy shop for selling some of my crafty wares, with a terribly similar logo to the one on this blog!

Lastly, well, you all know the blogs I read (there's a list of them on the right-hand sidebar). Here are a few non-foodie blogs that I like.

{Design Blogs}

{Science}

Evolutionary Psychology (a free academic journal)

Gifts From Our Kitchen

2012-12-20T13:06:00.000+00:00

Well, this year was a big one.

One of the biggest things that happened in 2012? --- My boyfriend and I decided to live together. That's a very big thing. This is our first Christmas together in the home we share, and I'm really excited!

My own family is a continent away - but I have him, and his family, and more people than I could ever imagine I'd have in my life to give Christmas presents to. Many of them, I've never even met before. So, what do you give to people you don't know? FOOD. Give them food! Everybody likes food.

We've decided on three jarred foods to give in Christmas hampers this year. All are tried and tested recipes that we absolutely love. Along with other yummy edibles, like oatcakes, shortbread, and some whisky from our friends at the Benromach Distillery, we have packaged up tons of my Chilli + Apple Jam, and two new recipes as well: an UNBELIEVABLE Caramelised Balsamic Red Onion Chutney, and a completely out-of-this-world Salted Caramel Sauce. With hand-written labels, these make the most adorable, homey, happy gifts!

They're all SO easy to make! If you're struggling for last-minute gifts, put these in your top 3! Particularly the salted caramel sauce, which is pretty quick and hassle-free.

Are you wondering how to make your labels stick like that? It's so easy. Just write them out on paper, brush the back with milk (!!) and let dry. It works just like glue, but comes off easily when you wet them with water. This is a far better method than using glue or stickers, and using a brown recycled-paper envelope really adds to the homespun feel of the jars.

Chilli + Apple Jam
makes 1 jar, plus a little more, depending on your jar size!

4 large-ish apples, any kind will do (I use Bramley or Granny Smith)
6 red chillies (2 de-seeded, chop the rest with seeds & ribs included)
150g (3/4 cup) sugar

Roughly chop up the apples (no need to peel or core) and place in a saucepan with some water. Simmer gently until the apples are completely cooked through, adding more water if needed. The water will boil off when you're not looking, and it's ok to add more. Bear in mind that you're looking for about a cup of liquid in the end.

Allow the mixture to cool completely, then strain out solids using a mesh strainer or cheesecloth. At this point you should have about 1 cup of liquid. ***

Place juice in saucepan with minced chillies and sugar. Heat over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Crank up the heat to high and boil away until it starts to turn jammy. Test a few drops on a chilled plate to see if the jam has firmed up enough. Bottle and you're done!

Caramelised Balsamic Red Onion Chutney
from Fraser Doherty at The Guardian and the SuperJam Cookbook.
makes 4-6 jars

8 red onions
1 red chilli
2 bay leaves
25ml olive oil
200g brown sugar
150ml balsamic vinegar
150ml red wine vinegar

Cut your onions and chilli into short, thin slices and put them into a pan with the bay leaves and oil. Cook gently over a low heat for about 20 minutes.

Once the onions are dark and sticky, add the sugar and the vinegars and simmer for 30 minutes or so, until the chutney is thick and dark.

Pour the chutney into hot, sterilised jars and let it cool. Ideally, you should leave it for a month or more before you eat it, to mature in flavour.

Salted Caramel Sauce with Fleur de Sel
from Lick My Spoon

makes 1.5 cups

1 cup sugar
85g (6T) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/2 cup single cream
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt (use Fleur de Sel if you're feeling fancy!)

Heat sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to help the sugar dissolve, but stop stirring when the sugar comes to a boil. Swirl if you like - basically you don't want to disturb the mixture while it's caramelising.

When the liquid sugar hits a dark amber color, add all the butter to the pan. The mixture will foam up and thicken. Whisk until the butter has melted. Once the butter has melted, remove from heat and add the cream. The mixture will foam up again - keep whisking and get those lumps out. Add the salt and whisk some more - you should have a very smooth, silky sauce with no lumps or salty grains left visible. Whisk and whisk some more, especially if you're using a coarse sea salt like fleur de sel or maldon. The sauce will thicken as it cools, so don't worry if you think it's too thin at this point.

Pour into sterilised glass jars, and you're done! The sauce may separate a little - just advise recipients to give it a stir before using.

Keshke Salad - Wheat, Courgette and Walnuts

2012-07-03T18:01:00.000+01:00

I just love middle-eastern food. It seems kind of weird to be saying that as a formerly-Midwestern farm girl who grew up on corn and potatoes and cows (usually our own). But I feel as though it's a remarkably well-rounded diet, where whole grains and legumes play key roles, and meat features much less heavily than in western diets.

Bf and I are on a bit of a health kick lately, and I'm trying to make meals for us that are less oily, buttery, carby, cheesy. Maybe coming home with a 5kg sack of dried chickpeas, and another of cracked bulgur wheat, was not what he had in mind. But when he asks me to health-it-up in the kitchen, well, this is what he gets. Instead of rice or potatoes, we'll have this - which pulls carb-duty while being much higher in protein (whole grains, broad beans, walnuts) and vitamins (pretty much everything in there). The unrefined grains will keep us fuller for longer, too, so we are less prone to snacking.

This salad is really tasty, simple, and the textures really work lovely together - a crunch of toasted walnut, slightly bitter, is met with a fresh green broad bean, and pulled together with just a touch of creaminess from the yogurt. Gorgeous. This isn't the first time I've made it, and it certainly won't be the last!

Keshke Salad

adapted from Taste of Beirut

1/2 cup of cracked wheat (bulgur wheat)

a handful of fava beans (broad beans) - I used frozen

1 small courgette (zucchini), diced

some chopped chives (I used dried, for shame!)

one big spoonful of full-fat greek yogurt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon of ground cumin

sea salt to taste

juice of half a lemon

handful chopped walnuts, toasted

Wheat: place in a glass bowl and pour over plenty of boiling water. Cover with a towel and let sit 15-30 minutes until soft. Drain in a seive and return to bowl.

Fava: boil in water for 1-2 minutes, drain and run cold water over. When cooled, peel the beans by nicking the end with your fingernails, and squeeze the other end of the bean to pop it out of its thick skin. Add these to the bowl of wheat.

Courgette: dice and saute in olive oil over medium-high heat. Let it get brown, but be careful to not overcook it. Soggy is no good! Add this to the bowl.

Toast the chopped walnuts in the same pan and add these, along with remaining ingredients. Give it a good toss and check your seasoning.

Eat it up! Will serve 2 as a side dish, or 1 hungry girl for a solo, one-bowl lunch.

[I forgot to add chopped parsley and tahini to the dish, which the original recipe includes. I have them both in my fridge, and I'm gutted that I forgot about them - I will definitely include them next time!]

Feta Bruchetta! (I know you want to say it out loud)

2012-06-30T17:53:00.000+01:00

I've been spending a lot of time away from home lately, to the recent extreme of being in my own place just two nights a week. This is not a complaint. Just so we're on the record. No complaints here!

When I come home from my days upon days away, my fridge is empty. My milk is sour. I've been living out of my freezer, mostly, and what few random groceries I bring back with me. So, meals made from just a few ingredients are the way forward, since I am only ever here for a few days anyway - no need to stock the fridge when I'm off again so quickly. This is one such success, simple and so pretty to look at. And tasty, too! That's the trifecta we're after, for real.

Feta Bruchetta
This is more of a rough guide than a recipe, because that's the nature of making bruchetta. Try other herbs and flavour combinations, such as oregano, feta and lemon for a more Greek spin, or harissa, feta and pine nuts for something more Moroccan.

Crusty bread
Plum tomatoes, chopped
Feta cheese, crumbled
Basil leaves, torn
sea salt
pepper
olive oil
balsamic syrup

Assemble tomatoes, cheese and basil on toast and top with salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and a few drops of balsamic syrup. Toast under the grill/broiler at 200C for about 15 minutes, until cheese has browned. Gobble it up!

White Bean & Basil Spread on Garlic Toasts

2012-04-29T14:22:00.001+01:00

Meet my seriously delicious lunch.

This is a very easy recipe for a nice white bean spread. Just a few ingredients come together beautifully. My favourite recipes are the easy ones, where simple, wholesome foods really get a chance to shine. No fuss, no fancy foods - just really good, yummy, healthy stuff.

I had a really nice garlic loaf from the bakery, and the pairing was fantastic. Recommend!

Perfect.

White Bean & Basil Spread on Garlic Toasts
Inspired by love & lemons, a newly-discovered gem

one cup dried butter beans, soaked overnight and cooked (alternatively, one can will do)
2-3 tablespoons good olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
torn basil leaves, however much you prefer
1-3 tablespoons water, to thin the mixture
1 clove smoked garlic (regular garlic is fine, too)
a pinch of sea salt of choice (I used fleur de sel)
scant 1/2 teaspoon honey
freshly cracked mixed peppercorns
4 pieces toasted garlic bread

Purée all ingredients in a food processor or using a stick blender. Put on toasted garlic bread and finish with a touch more fleur de sel, cracked pepper, and olive oil.

Makes about a cup of spread, enough for two people as a starter or light lunch (two small-ish toasts each).

Lemon, Courgette & Pea Risotto

2012-04-28T14:35:00.000+01:00

It's still pretty cold in Scotland. Spring is here, apparently, as evidenced by baby animals of all sorts. They're cute. I want to steal them. Boyfriend says that keeping a little lamb as a pet is not a good idea. He's probably right, but I think he's underestimating their cuteness factor.

Despite the birdies, and the longer days, and the lamb-stealing desire that is deep in my soul, it doesn't feel like spring. It's cold and rainy and I still have to wear my winter coat. What's up with that, Scotland?

Another thing that this supposed-Springtime has brought is a glut of delicious veggies. This time of year is a favourite of mine because I get to stop eating the same old blah winter stuff. My palette just starts to crave really fresh, bright flavours.

So today, a lazy(ish) Saturday, I made this risotto to celebrate Spring. The sun even popped out for a while while I was in the kitchen - hopefully a sign of amazing things to come.

Lemon Risotto with Courgette, Green Peas & Basil

adapted from Love & Lemons

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 large onion, chopped

big pinch of sea salt (I used Maldon)

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

juice of 1 small lemon

750ml (3 cups+) veggie stock

1/2 cup peas, frozen is fine

1 medium-sized courgette (zucchini), quartered and choppped

1 egg yolk, beaten

salt & pepper

shaved parmesan or pecorino

8 basil leaves, chiffonade

Put veggie stock in a pan on the stove and keep warm.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat butter, oil, onion, garlic, and a bit of salt. Cook until onion is soft, 4-5 minutes.

Add rice, stir together, and let the rice toast for about 1 minute.

Add white wine and half the lemon juice and let it cook, stirring for about 2 minutes until the wine is somewhat evaporated.

Add stock, one ladle full at a time, stirring continuously. When stock becomes mostly cooked down, add the next ladle full. This process should take about 20 minutes. Add more stock or water if necessary. During the last few minutes of this process, add in courgettes and peas.

Remove pan from heat. Mix in remaining lemon juice, beaten egg yolk, and cheese. Taste and adjust seasonings (I found it best to add more salt here). Add more hot stock or water, if necessary, to reach your desired consistency.

Plate and garnish with basil, grated cheese, and some freshly cracked pepper.

Serves 2 as a main dish.

Perfect Carrot & Coriander Soup

2012-02-21T22:05:00.000+00:00

My dad says that I "attack life."

For my 16th birthday, I got a puppy. He was this really happy, sweet little dog that was full of kindness and excitement. That is, however, until he would smell some kind of chaseable/eatable animal, whereupon he instantly turned into a hunting machine. He'd dive into a river chasing a beaver into it's den, dig up the earth persuing a rabbit down it's hole, and torment raccoons who were twice his size. He dreamed big. He'd go running off after something, and we'd shout to call him back to us - to protect him. But the switch had flipped in his brain and he was no longer our sweet little pup. He was a predator on the attack. He was fearless and absolutely insane when it came to getting what he wanted. Dad says that this is what I am like.

I can't really argue with his logic.

I've been off on my own trail lately. My goals have grown and changed with time -- but mostly just grown ever bigger. First it was my MSc, then PhD, and I've become rather used to my personal goals increasing at an alarmingly exponential rate. The last time I told my dad about everything I'd been up to recently, he laughed HARD. I could hear the smile and sparkle in his eyes as he asked me, "Jeez, Kristen, who ever made you think you could have it all?" I laughed, too, but more softly than he. "Um, you did, don't you remember?" We laughed a moment more and then changed the subject, since this was the closest thing we've had to a serious conversation in about 10 years, and it was all getting just a little too awkward.

So, because life keeps getting bigger and busier, and because I might not actually know how to slow down, it's easy for me to forget how passionate I am about cooking my own food. I have a job which requires not just my working hours (there are 20 of these in a day, right?), but also a good heaping of stress and tears and possibly also my soul - and sometimes I just plain forget to eat. Then, I look up and realise it's 4pm and there's a hole in my stomach because I haven't eaten since the previous evening. I just get a bagel out of the freezer and go to town since it's the fastest thing to do, and if I try to stand in front of the stove and cook something, I'll likely fall over and burn my face on the skillet on my way to the floor.

The solution? Soup. Soup is fast and low-maintenance. Soup is healthy. It'll feed my brain and keep me from passing out during my workaholic benders.

I was reminded of why I love to cook with my first bite of this soup. Delicious, comforting, easy and nutritious - these are some adjectives that describe this stuff. Another one: balanced. All the flavours are just right, and while carrot & coriander soup is a classic, it's not boring. It's incredibly far elevated above the stuff you've eaten from a can. It actually made me feel good to eat it. I even slowed down for a while, stopped working, and savoured it.

I have great things in my life, and I am a thankful lady. I wouldn't trade any of it... I can't help it, I just WANT IT ALL. Totally do-able.

Carrot & Coriander Soup
Adapted from Delia

25g butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
900g chopped carrots
700ml vegetable stock
sea salt (I used Maldon) + pepper to taste
chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
greek yogurt or crème fraîche for serving

Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and coriander, cook until foamy and fragrant. Add carrots and cook in the butter mixture until they are beginning to soften. Add stock and 2 big pinches of salt. Simmer until carrots are cooked through, 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and purée with hand blender - I like to leave some chunks but you can do this to whatever consistency you prefer. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Mix chopped coriander into soup, leaving some aside for garnish. Serve with a spoonful of greek yogurt or crème fraîche and the reserved coriander.

Individual Chocolate Soufflés for two!

2012-02-15T19:22:00.000+00:00

Valentine's Day is over. Did you survive? Whether you have a valentine or not; whether you got mushy and romantic or bitter and cynical - I hope you at least ate some chocolate.

Me and bf had a great night. We stayed in and had a lovely meal without having to dodge wedding proposals at the table next to us. Because there was no table next to us. There was only us, dining slowly, for hours on end. It was kind of perfect.

Once we finished our meal proper, we made dessert. That's we, as in, we made dessert together, the pair of us. It was easy. It was delicious. And it was SO MUCH FUN!

And yes, those are heart-shaped ramekins. Cue eyerolls right about now.

I know it's late for Valentine's Day. But maybe you're waiting for the weekend to celebrate? If so, consider making these soufflés for you and your love. Even make them together. Steal a kiss while they're in the oven. Definitely do that.

Rich Chocolate Soufflés
Recipe by Gordon Ramsay
This recipe actually makes 3 soufflés, which is really perfect. After all, who wouldn't like a bit with coffee in the morning?

10 g unsalted butter for greasing dishes

Crème pâtissière:
10 g cornflour
100 ml whole milk
100 g dark chocolate 70% cocoa solids, chopped
2 egg yolks

Egg white mixture:
3 egg whites
75 g caster sugar

Preheat oven to 180°C/gas 4/350°F

Coat 3 small-medium ramekins (8cm in width, 4-5cm in height) with the softened butter & set aside.

Make the crème pâtissière:
Slake the cornflour with a little of the milk, then gradually add the rest of the milk until you have a smooth mixture. Pour into a small saucepan, and slowly bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Boil for 30 seconds then off the heat, add the chocolate and whisk until smooth. Beat in the egg yolks until smooth before transferring to a bowl to cool.

Make the egg white mixture:
With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually start to add in the sugar, whisking well in between each addition. Once all the sugar has been added, continue to whisk until you have a thick and glossy mixture.

Add one third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and mix well. Now add in the remaining egg white and gently fold into the mix. Do not over work the mixture as it will become too hard and stiff.

Divide the mixture between the ramekins, filling each completely full. Bake for 6-15 minutes, depending on the size of your ramekins. The souffles are done when they are well risen and have a slightly wobbly centre. Serve with pouring cream, custard, or vanilla ice cream.

Almond & Orange Shortbread Bars

2011-12-22T22:13:00.000+00:00

Christmas is here, people.

The stockings are hung, the gifts are wrapped, and everything seems to be enveloped in a soft, warm glow. It's a damn good thing Christmas doesn't last all year or else we'd all get fat and drunk and never accomplish anything. But jeez, what a fab time of year it is.

Giving cookies is a holiday tradition, and I just love sharing my favourite things with my favourite people. I have my standard, go-to treats like buckeyes and these cranberry-studded oatmeal gems. This year, I tried something new, and it's delightful. If you got some of these chocolate-dipped shortbreads, you are not on the naughty list. Just so you know.

Adding a unique flair to this shortbread is an ingredient of my own concoction. Allow me to introduce to you: roasted orange peel.

After making roasted lemon peel for this bread, I was inspired to try other citrus. If using an orange for anything else, simply cut away the very outside layer of peel, leaving all of the white pith behind. Let it sit out for a couple of days to dry out. Then roast it in the oven (I typically do this while preheating the oven for something else). Grind it to a powder -- this takes some muscle if working with a pestle and mortar, but it's worth it. The scent alone is worth the effort, warm and earthy, knee-buckling and exotic. It tastes like what I imagine caramelised oranges taste like.

I had a bunch of this powder sitting around, waiting for the perfect thing to add it to. I'd often open the little container and give it a whiff, savouring that beautiful scent. I'm pretty sure I forced my boyfriend to smell it when we first started dating - he probably thought I was insane.

I wanted a recipe where it could really shine, and not get lost among other prominent flavours. It marries beautifully with the almond and fresh orange in these shortbreads, and I couldn't be happier. Simply replace it with fresh orange zest if you don't want to go to the effort of making roasted peel.

Almond Shortbread Bars

adapted from The Guardian

170g butter
50g light brown sugar

50g caster (granulated) sugar
100g ground almonds
200g plain flour
1 tsp fresh orange zest
1 tsp roasted orange zest

Melted chocolate - I use a mixture of milk and dark choc, plus a little vegetable shortening so I don't have to temper it. Plus a pinch of sea salt.

Chopped nuts - I used pistachios and almonds. Do what you want!

Set the oven at 160C/gas mark 3.

Cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Stir the nuts, flour and zest into the mixture. Knead a little with hands to make sure the mixture is uniform. Divide dough in two, flatten into disks, wrap and refrigerate 20 mins.

Roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 1cm thickness, cut into 1"x2.5" bars. Prick with the tines of a fork and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about 13 minutes, until the edges turn golden.

Dip in melted chocolate and sprinkle with chopped nuts of your choosing.

Brussels Sprouts Hash with Gruyère

2011-12-20T14:03:00.000+00:00

There is no light in my flat. The sun literally never shines into my windows. The shortest days of the year are here, and the sun doesn't get high enough in the sky to crest over the hill I live on and illuminate my living room. The good news is that I've been so busy in the last few months that I didn't even notice that the sun was setting at 3:30 until two days ago. So, I haven't had a chance to get depressed about it, and in one (short) day, the days will begin to grow longer again, spring will come, and I'll have enough sunlight in my flat to take decent photos. Then, before I know it, we'll all be wearing skirts and sandals and getting some serious freckles. Being crazy-ass busy is the only way to get through the winter, in my mind. All of this has nothing to do with the recipe - I just thought you should know.

People generally don't like brussels sprouts. I didn't like them for years, until I decided that I should. As a vegetarian in an omnivore's world, I don't really have license to push many veggies aside. I've tried various methods over the years, but never hit on anything spectacular - until now. This is so good.

The trick is to never, ever boil those suckers. Don't even think about it. Get them nice and browned. Crispy. Delicious all over.

Another trick: don't miss the vinegar. You need a little acidity to break through the strong flavours here. I wanted to use lemon juice, but I discovered too late that I was actually out of lemons. White wine vinegar does the job nicely. It really brightens everything up and rounds out the flavour profile.

Brussels Sprouts Hash with Gruyère
original recipe by me!

250g brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
3T olive oil
1 medium potato
small knob of butter (about 1.5T)
1 small leek (or half of a normal-sized leek)
splash white wine vinegar (about 1 tea)
25g Gruyère, grated
sea salt and pepper to taste

Sauté brussels sprouts in olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, tossing occasionally to brown on all sides. Season with salt and add diced potato. You'll think the sprouts might be burning, but it's ok. They need to get really brown. Don't stress.

Once potatoes have begun to brown, add butter and chopped leek. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Cook until potatoes are done and leeks have begun to brown. Add a splash of white wine vinegar, toss to incorporate. Grate over gruyere and allow to melt in the skillet, serve immediately.

Serves 2 as a side (or 1 as a main - this was totally my whole lunch).

Moravian Spice Cookies

2011-12-15T11:02:00.000+00:00

Christmas is coming. Time to bake cookies! It might be more of an American tradition to bake loads of cookies around the holidays, but my mates over here don't seem to mind.

Might I suggest some soft oatmeal cookies with fresh cranberries? Or, perhaps, some homemade oreos? Snickerdoodles?

This Moravian spice cookie is amazing, like super-thin-snappy-wafers-of-awesomeness. The flavours are strong and perfect at this time of year. It's not easy to find molasses in Britain, so I've used black treacle, which might make them even better. They're crispy and crunchy, and amazing when eaten with coffee and vanilla ice cream.

What are your favourite Christmas cookie recipes?

Moravian Spice Cookies
modified from Gourmet
This makes a ton of cookies, over 100, if cut in 2-inch rounds.

1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup black treacle (traditionally, molasses is used, but good luck finding that outside America)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda (bicarbonate)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pulse shortening, brown sugar, and treacle in a food processor until smooth. I don't have a food processor, so I used a spoon. It wasn't fun.

Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Add to processor and blend just until combined.

Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead briefly, allowing dough to absorb a little more flour if sticky. Divide dough in half and form each half into a ball. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 day.

Preheat oven to 170°C/325°F with rack in middle. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out a bit of dough, 1/2 or 1/3 of a ball, on a piece of foil until very thin (less than 1/16 inch thick). Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and stick in the freezer for 2 minutes. This will allow you to get the thin, sticky discs off the foil with ease and without allowing them to become misshapen. Arrange about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets.

Bake cookies 10 minutes (or less if your oven is fan-assisted, like mine -- they took 4 minutes). Let stand 1 minute on sheet, then loosen with spatula and transfer to cooling rack. If first batch isn’t crisp, bake 1 minute more (on baking sheet), minute-by-minute until they are crisp. Careful not to burn, since they are dark cookies it's hard to tell so watch closely.

Re-roll scraps and repeat until you have enough cookies to feed an army.

Baby Greens Salad with Orange & Fennel

2011-12-06T21:49:00.001+00:00

So, it's winter again.

I know this because I had to switch back to my lighter foundation. Also, it's snowing. Brrr. I just want eat potatoes and cheese and hot sauce. Am I the only person who does this in the winter?

Soooo [subject change] we just got through Thanksgiving, and I was lucky enough to host a meal for my friends. I introduced 9 of my favourite people to traditional American things like pumpkin pie, cornbread, green bean casserole, and sweet potato soufflé. The dinner was quite a success in the end, but DANG. I'm ready to not do that again for another whole year.

But this salad? I made it again almost immediately. I served it as part of my first course, and it wasn't the biggest hit of the day - but I could hardly expect it to be, since it sat on a plate next to homemade herbed cheese (recipe soon!). But it stuck with me. The flavours (and colours!) were crisp and bright and intense. It was the perfect way to get a bit of a detox after the big holiday/before the next big holiday. And it makes me feel just a little less guilty about my potatoes-with-cheese-and-hot-sauce habit.

Baby Greens Salad with Orange & Fennel
from Shutterbean, with a few small changes -- for example, I found the dressing lacked something. Doubling the sugar fixed it beautifully.

90g mixed baby leaves (such as red chard, rocket, spinach)
1 orange, segmented - Don't know how to segment an orange? Here's a video.
abt 1/2 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced

Dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon orange juice (from your segmented orange)
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
salt & pepper to taste

Assemble salad. Mix up dressing. Pour dressing over salad. Eat it up. The end.

Serves 2.

Chickpea & Cardamom Rice with Carrots and Za'atar Oil

2011-11-01T09:14:00.000+00:00

Busy, busy.

I know we're all busy, and I usually shy away from using it as an excuse. After all, we make time for the things we care about. But really. There's *normal* busy, and then there's or busyy, or bizzy, or bizzay. I've been bizzay. Truefact.

One of the million things I've done recently is move into a new flat. It took me ages to settle in. Between other things keeping me occupied (wedding festivities, research, teaching, friends, dating), I haven't really had a moment to spare. I'm not complaining - I have a very full life, and I wouldn't trade any bit of it! But, I lived in my flat for three whole weeks before it felt like home. And until I settled in here, my kitchen mojo was nowhere to be found. I ate cheese and crackers for lunch the entire first week. It felt like I was cooking and eating in a stranger's house - except that all my stuff was here. Weird.

Finally, finally. A good meal. I'm back, baby!

This, incidentally, is a great meal if you're busy. It's got it all - carbs to keep you going, protein in those pulses, vitamins in the carrots, and some healthy fat in the yogurt. It's a one-dish, working lunch kind of thing. It's food that works just as hard as you do.

I found za'atar, after a long search, at a local foodie deli here in town. Za'atar features in Middle Eastern cooking, and it's a blend of sumac, thyme and sesame seeds. It's amazing. It tastes really earthy, with a sweet-salty combination that makes me very happy. I imagine it could take just about anything up a notch.

Chickpea & Cardamom Rice with Carrots and Za'atar Oil

250g white basmati rice
some olive oil to sauté
1/2 small onion, sliced
vegetable stock
2 medium carrots, grated
8 cardamom pods
200g cooked chickpeas
2 tea za'atar
2 tablespoons olive oil
full-fat greek yogurt, for serving

Place uncooked rice in a sieve and rinse until water runs clear; set aside to drain. Saute onion in a little olive oil, about 2 tablespoons, until beginning to soften. Add rice and continue to cook, stirring, until rice has begun to gain a little colour. Meanwhile, smash cardamom pods in a mortar and pestle, remove seeds and discard pods. Add vegetable stock to the pot along with grated carrots and cardamom seeds. Steam/cook until rice is done. Set aside to steam an additional 10 minutes before continuing.

While rice is steaming, prepare za'atar oil by mixing za'atar with 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Add cooked chickpeas to the rice and toss together. Serve with a dollop of greek yogurt, drizzle za'atar oil over top.

The end. Serves 4.

Plum Frangipane Tart in a Spelt Crust

2011-09-11T09:28:00.000+01:00

I've lived in Britain now for two years. Two years! I can hardly explain how quickly it's gone by, how different my life is, or how much I love it here.

I'm still an American, though, and my foray into British food has been slow-coming. First was a world of curries, which I've only just begun to understand (and love passionately). Puddings were even slower to get on my good side. Maybe it's because the word "pudding", to an American, means something different than it does here, where the word is used as a generic term for what I would call dessert. I'll never forget ordering a "chocolate pudding" in the first few days after I moved to England... which came to me as a piece of soggy chocolate cake. This is the traditional, accurate usage of pudding, a steamed or boiled cake, and I still haven't tasted one I like.

I'm so familiar with American baking that British flavours and styles took a lot longer for me to get my head around. I'm proud to say that I've finally scratched the surface with this plum tart! While I have a suspicion that the tart itself might be Italian (or French?) in origin, to me it is a standard British dessert (ahem, pudding).

Oh, success, I love you!

I decided to use a spelt crust instead of a plain crust, for no other reason than that I love spelt. It has a rich, nutty quality that is so flavourful, and I think it adds a nice touch to this tart. Also, this isn't your typical pastry crust method, and is a favourite of mine because it's so easy! The filling is almond-y and rich and beautiful. Yum.

Spelt Crust
adapted from David Lebovitz
90g (6.5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used sunflower)
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
75g plain/AP flour (just over 1/2 cup)
75g wholegrain spelt flour (just over 1/2 cup)

Frangipane Filling

adapted from Gordon Ramsay
6-8 Victoria plums, stoned and sliced into quarters.
120g unsalted butter (8.5 tablespoons), softened to room temperature
120g ground almonds (4.25 oz)
120g caster sugar (just over .5 US cup)
20g plain flour (1/8 US cup)
2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur (DiSaronno)
1 medium free-range egg (if using a large egg, add 5g weight to each ingredient)

Preheat the oven to 210ºC (410ºF)

Combine the butter, oil, water, sugar, and salt in a glass oven-proof bowl (e.g. Pyrex)

Place the bowl in the oven for 15 minutes, until the butter is bubbling and starts to brown just around the edges.

Remove from oven and add the flour quickly, stir it fast until it comes together and forms a ball which pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Transfer the dough to a 9-inch (23 cm) tart mold with a removable bottom and spread it a bit with a spatula. Allow to cool a bit before handling.

Pat it into the shell with the heel of your and, and use your fingers to press it up the sides of the tart mold. Reserve a small piece of dough for patching any cracks.

Prick the dough all over with the tines of a fork, then bake the tart shell in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the dough is golden brown. I didn't feel the need to use pie weights, and it was just fine. While crust is baking, prepare filling.

Place all filling ingredients together in a bowl (except plums) and blend together using an electric mixer. Stop when mixture is just uniform -- don't overwork it.

Remove tart shell from the oven and if there are any sizable cracks, use the bits of reserved dough to fill in and patch them. Put back in the oven for 5 minutes if you've patched anything.

Turn the oven down to 150ºC (300ºF). Let the shell cool before filling.

Spread frangipane mixture into the baked tart shell and smooth with the back of a spatula. Arrange sliced plums on top of the mixture, skin-side up, pressing down gently so that they are embedded in the frangipane. Sprinkle top with granulated or caster sugar.

Bake 30-35 minutes until golden, and the middle is just-set. Cool 10 minutes in the tart ring, then remove ring and slice at will!

Butter & Garlic Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes

2011-09-07T19:16:00.000+01:00

This is real life.

I got home from the office today and just stared into the refrigerator. Do you do this, too? I love cooking, but every day is not a masterpiece kind of day. Today especially. After staring into the fridge for a while, I gave up on that and then started staring into cupboards. Braindead.

Usually I know exactly what to make. Usually I think about it the whole way home, and stride into the kitchen with purpose. Not today.

Brain-dead me ended up making a super-easy pasta dish.. And it was amazing! After the first bite, I said, out loud, "why haven't I eaten this before?" This is nothing new. I didn't hit upon some long-forgotten secret. This is easy stuff. Because this is real life.

Cooking the tomatoes in the skillet (instead of just adding them raw) concentrates their flavour. They lose some water and become something really wonderful. If you wanted to, you could roast them in the oven instead, but why dirty another pan? Why turn on another appliance? There's no need for all of that. One tomato-ey bite lifted the fog from my brain and I was suddenly back among the living.

For the pasta, I used the angel hair variety. Next time, I want penne. Anything will do! Get crazy and try bowtie pasta. Yeah, do that!

Butter & Garlic Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes

knob butter
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
8-10 cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced (not too small - I occasionally like a bigger chunk)
sea salt
pepper
pasta of your choosing, cooked al dente
handful black olives

Saute onion in butter until it begins to brown. Quarter tomatoes and add to the pan, then add garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste, then stir in cooked pasta once tomatoes are shriveled. Top with black olives. Eat up!

Serves 2

Simple Courgette & Basil Pesto Gratin

2011-08-30T09:30:00.001+01:00

Courgettes (zucchinis), for me, are another favourite summer food. An unsung hero, really, and a master of versatility. You can bake them into cakes and bread. You can batter and fry them. You can toss them in couscous or quinoa. I've even been known to slice them thinly and eat them raw, with a tiny dab of greek yogurt and a sprinkle of salt on each one. And then, there's this:

I love dishes that make a vegetable the star of the show, and this gratin transforms the courgette to a diva with the most comfortable ease. Tossed with a little basil pesto, speckled with a light-flavoured cheese and topped with glorious, crispy breadcrumbs, this gratin is all I ever wanted. The cheese I had on hand today was wensleydale, but feta, gruyère, or even a mild cheddar would make excellent additions, too.

Courgette & Basil Pesto Gratin

2 medium courgettes
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
100g cheese, cut in small bits (I used Wensleydale)
small knob butter
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 heaping tablespoon basil pesto

Thinly slice courgettes and toss in a big bowl with salt, rest for 30 min to draw out excess water. Drain using a colander, pressing down a bit to extract as much water as possible.
Heat oven to 190C. Put the butter in a glass baking dish and melt in the oven until it starts to brown. Pour over breadcrumbs and toss.
Place courgette slices in a bowl with wensleydale & pesto. Toss. Put in glass dish (same one) and top with breadcrumbs. Bake 20 minutes, being careful not to overcook the courgettes to a mush.

The end.

Roasted Tomato Bread, and a sandwich

2011-08-28T10:02:00.001+01:00

I suck at baking bread. It's really not my strong suit. I'm good at quick breads, but yeast, oh crap. We're not friends. But surprise of surprises, I made a loaf that wasn't too dense, too dry or too wet. Victory is finally mine!

I have such a passion for the tomato, and since the good stuff only comes around once a year, I just buy and buy and buy them whenever I see them! My kitchen is experiencing a tomato explosion, so I'm looking for new ways to enjoy my favourite fruit. Enter: tomato bread. Oh my. It warms my heart.

After I made a whole bunch of salsa, I had a big bowl of tomato guts that I didn't really want to throw out. I figured there had to be a good use for them. For sure I could use them as the liquid in a bread, right?? It worked! I added a few roasted tomatoes because I wanted some additional tomato flavour in the loaf. It was an all-day-long adventure, but totally worth it. If you don't want to use tomato guts, just scale back the flour a bit in the recipe. Easy stuff.

The bread is really nice and so good for sandwiches! I coated some tofu slices in plain breadcrumbs using a vegan egg substitute of cornflour* + neutral oil + a splash of water. This totally worked and is my new favourite stick-breadcrumbs-to-stuff-without-wasting-an-egg trick. I pan-fried the tofu with a little olive oil, then stuck it in a sandwich with a sliced tomato, cream cheese (not vegan, oops) and wholegrain mustard. Perfect!

*note to American readers: "Cornflour" is the British term for "cornstarch". Same thing, different name.

Roasted Tomato Bread
I was inspired by this recipe, but ultimately adapted a sandwich bread recipe from Scraping The Skillet instead.

175ml (3/4 cup) water
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 cup white bread flour
1/2 cup malted brown flour

3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup white bread flour
3/4 cup malted brown flour
3 roasted tomatoes + leftover tomato juice/guts/seeds (I had about 1/3 cup)

Stir together first 6 ingredients and allow to ferment at room temp for 3-4 hours. While you're waiting, roast your tomatoes in a little olive oil.

Stir down (air will come out) and add remaining ingredients.

Knead 5 minutes on floured worksurface. My dough was really sticky so I added more white flour as needed. Allow to rest 5 minutes. Knead 5 minutes more (I forgot this part, oops. Still good!).

Place in oiled bowl, turn over to coat, cover with tea towel and rest in warm place for 1 hour to rise. Dough should double in size.

Remove from bowl, push air out and flatten into a rectangular shape. Fold in thirds, pinch ends together, and place in bread tin (or on a baking sheet) seam-side down. Allow to rise for another 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Bake at 175C (350F) for 45-50 minutes, until a tap on the top sounds hollow.

Creamed Corn is Amazing

2011-08-26T15:08:00.000+01:00

Yep, another Mexican-ish thing. I need help.... can't stop..... actually if you try to get me to stop, I'll probably cut off your hand and try to make fajitas out of it. That's how hooked I am on Mexican right now.

So, I'm moving into a new flat soon, and I've got a confession to make, besides of course my addiction to green hot sauce and tomatoes and tortillas. I'm a food hoarder. Wait, "hoarder" seems like a bad word. Collector, maybe? I'm a food collector. My pantry is exploding. Please don't look in my freezer. The thing is, I don't eat a lot of food. I'm just one small person. But, I grew up on a farm, where I learned to put some of the year's bounty away for the inevitable lean years. I'm also hooked on cool ingredients for cooking and baking, and every time I see something new and exciting, I just can't help myself. I also don't want to go to the grocery store every time I get a craving for... well, anything, and I like being able to make a nice cake at a moment's notice if I have friends pop round for a chat and a cup of tea. These things combined mean that if the apocalypse does come, then I am totally set. (Sorry, Harold Camping, I didn't die a horrible death like you hoped I would, jerkface.)

With my move impending (4 weeks!) I am determined to eat the contents of my freezer. Today's mission: use that bag of frozen corn I bought three months ago and never opened.

This is amazing even using frozen corn. We really don't have good fresh sweet corn in Britain, compared to what I'm used to as an Ohio farm girl. So frozen is the way to go. If you have fresh... I'm so jealous.

Creamed Corn with Lime & Chilli

adapted from Shutterbean

abt 500g corn

knob of butter

50g cream cheese (about 1/4 of one of those little packages)

30-40 ml whole milk

juice of 1/2 lime

cayenne pepper to taste

salt to taste

Sauté corn in the butter in a big skillet over medium heat. Let it get a little brown. Yum.

Remove from heat and put the corn in a big bowl. Add in milk, cream cheese, lime juice and cayenne pepper. Toss toss toss.

Using a handheld stick blender, pulse a few times to break up some kernels. Don't overdo it because it's all about texture here - I left lots of kernels whole while blasting the crap out of others, and it was perfect. This step also gets some starch out of the corn and will thicken the milky stuff. Mix it up some more and season with salt to your own taste.

Pineapple & Lime Paletas

2011-08-23T20:38:00.000+01:00

Do you know what paletas are?

They are sort of the same thing as popsicles. They're Mexican summertime treats, made with full-on, unabashed, refreshing fruits. They're nothing like the fake-flavoured, fake-coloured things I grew up on. Nono, these are way fantastic-er than that.

When I was in college, my marketing professor had a guest lecturer in from a local Nashville business called Las Paletas. Her place was famous (infamous?) for not having any signage, and I guess it worked, because everyone wanted to know where the secret popsicle shop was. The product really had to be awesome, since having a brick-and-mortar where you sell only popsicles and manage to make a profit, sign or no-sign, is quite an impressive feat.

After our class, we were led us on a caravan to the upstart little shop, where we sampled flavours inspired by her childhood in Guadalajara, Mexico. It was like being shown through a secret passageway into a world of flavour which my young heart had not yet dared to imagine. I tried hibiscus for the first time in my life that day. It was like nothing I'd ever tasted before... sweet and piquant and addictive. I've never forgotten it.

I wonder if she ever got a sign for her place.... a quick google search tells me the place was still open as of last year, but their website sadly appears defunct. Though, I did find this blog post which includes a couple of nice photos (particularly of the menu, which I would love to devour in its entirety). There also seems to be an internet rumour that she and her sister were challenged to a Bobby Flay throwdown, and beat the crap out of him. Awesome.

I'm now looking forward to next summer, so I can try my hand at more flavours, like cucumber-chilli, pineapple-chilli, and chilli-chocolate (can you sense a theme here?)... in the mean time, I've got a freezer full of these pineapple-lime treats left over from this summer's festivities, and I intend to eat them no matter how cold it gets, because they are delicious.

Pineapple & Lime Paletas
adapted from Bon Appétit

3/4 cup sugar
2 cups pineapple - I used canned pineapple (in juice) and included the juice. I know, tinned?... don't judge.
Juice of 1/2 lime

Bring sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Chill syrup until cold, about 1 hour.

Purée syrup and pineapple in a food processor until smooth. Stir in lime juice and divide among molds. Freeze until firm.

Sweet & Smoky: Chipotle-Pineapple Tomato Salsa

2011-08-21T00:12:00.002+01:00

Every now and then, I go through a Mexican phase that lasts about a week. It's all I can think about eating. Does this happen to you?

The Mexican phase I'm in currently has gone on now for no less than three weeks. This is one hell of a bender. I'm going through so much hot sauce that I've decided to make my own. But that's a story for another day.

While living in Nashville during undergrad, one of my favourite places to eat was a local staple called Baja Burrito. Having just booked a flight home with a Nashville reunion on the agenda, I started fantasizing about all the places I want to eat, and this one floated into my top 3 (along with Solario, a fancy Mexican restaurant run by a good friend of mine, and Las Americas Taquería, a very un-fancy Salvadoran pupusería attached to a bodega).

I fondly recall Baja Burrito's seasonal fruit salsas, which are so refreshing and un-ordinary -- wintertime gave us a cranberry salsa, while summer greeted us with a cheery pineapple version. I realised with horror that I am travelling in the winter, and thus, will miss out on the pineapple salsa, by far my favourite of the two. I had to have it - like, now - and we happen to be in the middle of tomato season, so, I made some. They don't use chipotle chilli and I don't claim to know their salsa recipe (oh, if I did!!), but this is darn good in its own right. It's got a great balance of sweet + heat, with smoky chipotle chilli, brown sugar and lime juice in there for good measure. I'm in love.

You know you want to make this now, in the middle of the tomato glut, and give it to people for Christmas. If it lasts that long. I jarred up a bunch of it, and it's seriously cute with hand-written labels. I ended up making this recipe twice because it was so good the first time!

Chipotle-Pineapple Tomato Salsa
adapted from myrecipes.com

1/2 large white onion, small dice
250g (1/2 lb) pineapple, small dice
300g (2/3 lb) tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
120 ml (1/2 cup) pineapple juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chilli (this could get hot -- use your own judgement)
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice (about half of one lime)
1/4 teaspoon salt
handful chopped coriander leaves

De-seed and chop tomatoes, set aside.

Sauté onion and pineapple over medium heat until browned - this could take a while, but be patient.

Add tomato and garlic and let go for a minute or two, then add pineapple juice, brown sugar, vinegar and chilli powder. Heat through and let simmer for about 5 minutes - more than this and the tomatoes will start to break down, and you'll be left with an unattractive goopy mess instead of a nice, fresh, chunky salsa.

Remove from heat and stir in coriander, lime juice, and salt. Purée (just a little) with a hand blender, to smooth out the salsa while still leaving plenty of chunks. At this point, I jarred the salsa for later use. Serve chilled or at room temp.

Makes two 300g jars.

Guacahummus = Guacamole + Hummus = Delicious

2011-08-19T11:33:00.003+01:00

I saw this all of two days ago on Shutterbean's blog and absolutely had to make it, post haste! It reminded me instantly of the Guacamame (guacamole-edamame dip) of my beloved Trader Joe's. Can't we please get TJ's in the UK?

I already had all these ingredients on hand... so my brain was already halfway to this guacamole + hummus marriage. All it took was a little nudge.

The verdict? It tastes like guacamole, with the texture of hummus. It's awesome. I ate half of it for lunch and the other half for dinner. Yes, it's the only thing I ate all day. Please don't judge. And it was dead easy. I just threw all the ingredients in a bowl and whirred it around with my hand blender. Am I the only person who finds food processors entirely too inconvenient? Really, why do I want to take it apart after every use and clean all those little parts? No thanks. Stick blenders are the way forward.

I'll have to introduce this to the ladies soon. Each Friday night ("wine night"), us girls get together and drink wine and giggle and eat grown-up foods like hummus and crudités and olives. This is the perfect thing to share with them. You should make it for your friends, too!

Guacamole Hummus (Guacahummus?)
adapted from Shutterbean

two big handfuls fresh coriander leaves, chopped fine
1 garlic clove
abt 100g dry / 225g soaked, cooked & drained (or one 15-oz can, drained & rinsed)
1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt

Soak chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight in cold water with a little bicarb in the water. Drain and rinse, then boil in fresh water, again with a little bicarb, for about 40 minutes or until fully cooked and soft. (Adding the bicarb helps those pesky outer skins break down and makes your hummus nice and smooth.) Drain and allow to cool.

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and puree with a hand blender, or use a food processor. Season to taste with salt - you might need more than you'd think. Don't be shy.

The end. Easy!

Chipotle Sweet Potato Soup

2011-08-15T16:10:00.003+01:00

Well, that's it... summer is over in Scotland. We had a good run. The days are getting shorter, it's raining more, and my freckles are disappearing. I had to switch back to my lighter foundation today and put the heavy duvet back on the bed. I must admit, I'm a little sad... I'm having a hard time letting go.

This soup is like summer and autumn rolled into one - hearty and filling and warm, yet sprightly and exciting and fun. Just perfect for these cold and rainy days when I'm refusing to knock on the heating, because holy smokes, it's still August after all.

The colours are amazing, especially against the grey hue of the day. Beware - it's got one hell of a kick - which means it's right up my alley, but others might find it a little overwhelming. If that's the case, scale back on the chillis and you'll be fine. If heat's not your thing, but you still want that lovely bright green, crunchy garnish, you might use some diced green bell pepper in its place.

Chipotle Sweet Potato & Yogurt Soup
adapted from dairygoodness.ca

1 knob butter
1 large sweet potato, peeled & diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon cumin
700ml veg stock
1 teaspoon dried chipotle chilli flakes, or 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
100g greek yoghurt
sea salt to taste
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 green jalapeño chilli, very thinly sliced

Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add sweet potato and onion, and cook until onion goes soft, about 10 minutes.

Add stock and chilli flakes, simmer about 20 minutes to allow potatoes to cook completely and chilli to infuse and soften.

Remove from heat and puree until smooth with hand blender. Pass through a fine seive to remove any chunks. If soup is too thick, thin with water or milk to desired consistency. Stir in greek yoghurt and season to taste with sea salt.

Serve hot, topped with chopped tomato and green chilli.

Blueberry Buckle: a true story about the best cake I ever made

2011-08-11T11:05:00.001+01:00

I am reminiscing. I found these pictures on my hard drive and remembered a moment... so, if you would, humour me?

I've been baking since I was very little. My first scar, still visible, just above my belly button, was obtained by anxiously leaning over a baking sheet. I have no idea how old I was. Clearly, I was young enough to run around the house with my shirt off and not raise any eyebrows.

My mother, bless her, does not share my passion for the kitchen. As soon as she figured out that I could make my own food, she happily scaled back her efforts and let me pitch in. I remember cooking my first family dinner at around age 7. Sure, it was a box of Hamburger Helper... but to me, it was a big deal.

I always felt a little sorry for my dad, having a wife who didn't really like to cook or bake. Grandma was always baking cookies and cakes and pies and doughnuts, and I imagined my grandpa really liked that. So, when she died, I took over those duties for my family. It was never a conscious effort - it was just something I did because I wanted to do it.

Then, more than 10 years later, after college and career and a good bit of growing up, my parents came to visit me in Atlanta. They were helping me pack up my life and move it into a storage unit, so I could embark on this crazy dream of mine in Europe. The last thing I ever baked in my oven in my apartment in Atlanta was this blueberry buckle, which we ate while having coffee and packing and moving and painting. When it was all said and done, we stood outside my apartment, now empty and white-again, my father holding tupperware which contained the leftovers of this cake. He said, plainly, that it was the best thing I'd ever made (though, to be fair, my father says everything plainly, to avoid the awkwardness of being misunderstood). It felt like quite an accomplishment, and the moment was a little emotional for me -- but that might have had more to do with my impending terrifying/exciting/omg-what-am-I-doing move to another continent than it did with this cake. But this will always be that cake, my farewell to Atlanta cake... the best cake I ever made.

Oh, right, I haven't actually described the cake! If you have a bunch of blueberries, you should definitely make it. It's really fluffy, lightly ginger-spiced, with a softly delicate crumb. The top is crunchy and differently-spiced than the cake (nutmeg, ooh!), which is super cool. It's awesome. Trust my daddy when he says so.

Blueberry Buckle!
recipe by Alton Brown

For the cake:
Nonstick cooking spray
255g cake flour, approximately 2 cups
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
55g (2 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
150g sugar, approximately 3/4 cup
1 large egg
120ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
425g (15 ounces) fresh whole blueberries, approximately 3 cups

For the topping:
100g sugar, approximately 1/2 cup
45g ounces cake flour, approximately 1/3 cup
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
55g (2 oz) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F.

Grease a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Set aside.

Beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Add the egg and beat until well incorporated, approximately 30 seconds. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated and then add 1/3 of the milk and beat until incorporated. Repeat, alternating flour and milk until everything has combined. Gently stir in the blueberries and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients using a fork to combine. Continue until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes or until golden in color. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Tomato Tart with Chèvre and Honey (Tomato Tart No. 2)

2011-08-07T15:35:00.005+01:00

This is another tomato tart. This is my rainy Sunday paradise.

Tomato Tart No. 1 was a cheddar-y, onion-y variation on David Lebovitz's recipe, which was awesome and decadent in its own right. The one I made today is more true to the original, with goat's cheese and honey, and I'm so glad I tried it! It's so fresh and delightful, and I wish I had company to share it with... actually maybe they'd better stay away, because I am still in my jammies.

There might be no better way to spend a rainy Sunday morning than rolling out handmade dough as the rain pelts your kitchen window. Not to get too poetic or anything.

The trick here, I think, is good tomatoes. Don't try this with crap ones. Don't try anything with them, actually. It's ok to be a tomato snob.

Now, I'm not usually a honey snob, but I recently was gifted some microclimate honey from a beekeeper friend of mine, and wow. Just, wow. I can't believe how good it is, and I have a hard time describing it. It doesn't really seem as sweet as 'regular' honey, the flavour is just more complex and wholesome. I am really, intensely in love with it.

If you can find local honey, I say, grab yourself some - just don't waste it on tea or honey mustard dressing. Save it for special things... like a warm buttered scone, or a tart like this one.

Tomato Tart with Chèvre and Honey
adapted from David Lebovitz

200g flour
80g butter, cold
1/2 tea salt
1 egg
2-3 tablespoons cold water

6 medium tomatoes (abt 320g)
small log goat's cheese
honey
sea salt (I used fleur de sel)

Whisk together flour and salt. Shred cold butter on a box grater (large holes) into the flour. Toss to coat butter in flour mixture, then rub together using hands until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg with water, then add to flour mixture using a butter knife. Finish with hands, adding more cold water if dough does not come together.

Turn out dough onto a floured surface and roll out to about 1/2-cm thickness. Transfer to tart pan, pressing into sides of pan with fingers. Dimple bottom with your fingers and trim excess dough from the edges of the pan.

Preheat oven to 220C (400F).

Spread a layer of dijon mustard on the dough. Don't be shy, cover the whole thing. Then, layer on thickly-sliced tomatoes. Top with goat's cheese. Drizzle generously with honey and finish with sea salt.

Bake tart in oven for about 30 minutes, until top of tart is browned. Tent with foil if the top browns before the dough and tomatoes are cooked. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then carefully remove from tin and serve.

Israeli Couscous with Charred Veg & Other Stuff

2011-08-03T15:27:00.007+01:00

I'm so going to win Summer this year. Yesss.

It's paradise here. We're having lots of barbecues. The scenery is breathtaking...

...and a cute baby bunny is chewing on stuff outside my window. Does life get any better?

So I guess it's time for summer food. Yes!! Are you ready for this?! For some reason, it feels like all the rest of the year is a warm-up for glorious summer, where we pull out all the stops. We have more veg in the shops, more sunshine, tinier clothes, more work, more friends, more travelling, more parties... and we'd better balance it all. My favourite thing about summer is that it's kind of like getting to the Olympics. The Olympics of life.

Yeah, bring it, Summer! I'm gonna suck all the life right out of you! (Some of you might be discovering, at this very minute, that I have a competitive side. Sorry 'bout that.)

Take this to your barbecues, because while meat-wrapped-in-bread takes centre stage at these things, it really does need supporting acts. I've never had Israeli couscous before, but have long been entranced by its sheer size (say what you will about me for that, go ahead).

Um, anyway... it's also known as "pearl couscous" or, as I found it rather uncreatively labelled in my local deli, "giant couscous." I got very excited and started talking very quickly to my cheese-tasting companion, "OMG Israeli couscous, I've been looking for this for ages!" The cheesemonger behind the deli counter must have thought me strange, a weird American girl in Scotland freaking out over Israeli couscous.

Little does he know, that's kind of my "normal".

I decided to make it as I normally make couscous (the normal-sized kind), in a nice salad with sauteed veg, lots of fresh coriander, lemon juice, goats cheese and pistachios. It's a winner, for sure!

Israeli Couscous with Charred Veg & Other Stuff
original recipe by me!

100g (uncooked) Israeli couscous
veg stock
handful frozen broad beans
1 yellow pepper
1/2 yellow onion
1 small courgette
2 tablespoons olive oil

handful fresh coriander - chop stems finely, in addition to leaves
lemon juice - a good couple of squeezes from 1/2 a lemon
sea salt to taste (I used fleur de sel)
small handful pistachios
1/2 small log goats cheese

Get some stock boiling in a saucepan and add your couscous. Set your frozen broad beans in a sieve and place over top of boiling water, and cover with lid of saucepan. Let go for 10 minutes or so until couscous is cooked. Run beans under cold water and set aside for shelling. Drain in a sieve (the same sieve, even) or fine colander and set aside to cool down.

Meanwhile, chop up the pepper and onion and sauté them in olive oil over medium-ish heat. After they've softened a little, turn up the heat some and add chopped courgette to the pan. Don't stir too frequently or they won't char properly.

While that's going, shell your broad beans into a large bowl. Add couscous to the broad beans. When the veg is finished, add that in as well and let cool for a little while, maybe 20 minutes.

In the mean time, chop up your coriander. The stems should be chopped really finely but the leaves can be a bit bigger if you like. Chop pistachios as well.

When everything's cooled, add coriander and pistachios to the big salad bowl and give it a good mix. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add salt to taste. Just before serving, add crumbled goats cheese.

The end! Mmm, delicious!

Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side.