Hurrah! Tartare

I'm definitely not a vegetarian, I don't know whether you've noticed. I categorically think that if you order the vegetarian option in a restaurant you are mad. An aubergine is an excellent accompaniment but is not a main course. This is not to say I dislike vegetables and fruit, I love them, but keep mine on the side please.

So as I spent the last half hour at work not thinking enough about what I needed to do tomorrow and mainly thinking about dinner, I think that is fairly standard, I was faced with a conundrum, I wanted salad and something fresh but I knew that leaves alone wouldn't cut it.

I debated fish but I knew the brilliant fiishmonger in Brixton Village was closed and M&S Brixton never has anything aside from haddock. I thought about being lazy and just adding some fried chorizo or bacon to the salad but thought that was far too lazy for my one meal at home from Monday - Friday. Then I remembered a conversation I had with the madly wonderful Cuban-German next to me at work about the menu at The Ivy earlier in the day and the idea of Steak Tartare jumped into my head.

Now I know people are squeamish about eating totally raw meat, I get it, some people are odd and like their meat well done (waste of money, doesn't taste of anything). However, I order my steak raaaaare and I love the flavour of beef, therefore for something fun and tasty for the evening steak tartare could very well hit the spot.

Steak Tartare always sounds a bit fancy, at least I think so, but it is actually super easy to make, it all depends on how you like it to taste. Therefore get all your bits and bobs ready and just mix until it tastes as you like it.

Steak Tartare
For 1

1 fillet steak (don't scrimp here) very very finely chopped into 1/2cm squares
1 spring onion very finely chopped
Olive Oil, drizzle
1 egg yolk
2 cornichons chopped
1/2 tsp capers, chopped
Salt and Pepper
Tabasco
Worcestershire Sauce

1. Take the steak out of the packet and allow to stand at room temp for 10 mins.
2. Put the steak, olive oil, pinch of salt and 2 turns of pepper in a bowl and mix together.
3. Add the other ingredients bit by bit to taste, add more salt and pepper if needed, at the last moment add the egg yolk and mix together. Press into a circle and place on the plate.

Serve with simple salad and dressing, thin french fries if you want a heavier meal.

Hurrah! Tartare!

(I did say it was easy)

Bruxelles - Ooh Moules

One of my loveliest and tiniest friends has recently (and cruelly) abandoned me to move to Brussels for 6 months as part of her life as a hot-shot lawyer. At least apparently she is a lawyer, I haven't seen her doing anything particularly lawyery or wear a wig, apparently solicitors don't do that, I'm not sure they are real lawyers. Despite being unsure of her career the pangs became too strong and I had to go and visit her, she is too adorable not to miss after 2 months.

So I started my journey by running away from work early on a Friday and made my way to St Pancras station. I felt rather glamourous for some reason (I'm not entirely sure why) so decided to treat myself and have lunch at the St Pancras Grand Oyster Bar. It was fab, they had a brilliant deal for 6 rock oysters and a glass of Muscadet for £15. I am in no way rich but i LOVE oysters and I LOVE white wine (they don't even have to be together) so having a combo of the 2 for a reasonable sum was brill. Here is a rather gloomy blackberry pic of my oysters, it by no means does them justice.

I know many people are a bit squeamish about oysters, they do look a bit like someone has picked their nose and put it in a shell, but they are wonderful. I just couldnt' love them more. Many people are religious about how they have them, squeeze of lemon/ shallot vineagar/ tabasco/ all 3 together, but I like a bit of mix and match personally. I adore shallot vineagar, even more so when it comes in a huge and unglamourous bucket at the oyster stall in Borough Market, but I'm also partial to a wee squeeze of lemon and drop of tabasco - as long as I get my slippery friends I'm happy.

So I hopped on the eurostar, had a snooze and woke up in Brussels. After arriving a the lil'one's rather lovely apartment (grrrr lawyers) we ordered in some sushi, not very Belgian I admit but it was actually the best sushi I've ever had delivered, I definitely recommend it for people who want sushi in Brussels - Sushi Shop, Ave Louise, Ixelles.

We woke up to a gloriously sunny morning and obv being in Brussels a priority was to find some moules frites pronto, preferably at some restaurant that was perfectly tacky and "traditional". So off we plodded into the centre-ville, via a very good icecream stand with delicious salted caramel icecream. I absolutely love Medieval History, having studied it for 4 years, so was in history junkie heaven seeing the merchant guild buildings in the Grande Place, but we were on a mission so I knew not to push my luck and ask to go to the Museum of Brussels. So off we went to the fab Chez Leon, 18 Rue de Bouchers, for some Belgian fare. Unlike the two freaks I have for friends I did not have a salad but went for the hearty moules, frites and beer menu - all for a very reasonable 13Euro.

What is most interesting about the moules in this instance was that the sauce was not your typical French white wine, cream and garlic but with celery and onion - the real Belgian way. I have to say I quite liked it! If you want to try this at home you just need to do the following:

Ingredients for 4 people include:
2 kilos of Zealand mussels
2 onions
2 branches of celery
butter, water, salt and pepper
Instructions :
- Thoroughly wash and brush the mussels.
- Chop onions and celery into small cubes.
- Take a casserole dish or stewing pot.
- Put butter and vegetables in the pot and cook for 3 minutes. Add water.
- Bring to the boil and keep boiling on a high flame.
- Throw in the mussels, put the lid on. Allow to cook for 7 minutes exactly.
- Season to taste. Eat with frites or fresh bread



However, Belgium is much more than a moules production line my friends, much much more. For there are sweets to be had. First stop - nougat. Salted caramel flavour of course:

Then onto Pierre Marcolini, the chocolateur du jour. I have to admit that I am not a chocoholic, I leave that to my sister and father, but I do enjoy the taste of brilliant blended and crafted chocolate and Pierre Marcolini's wafer thin treats did just that. They also come in pretty boxes that make you feel smart, that always helps. Another attraction of his choccies was that they were some of the only ones in Brussels not to be shaped like Manneken Pis., phew! I returned to London with a tray of his Saveurs du Monde - Epices. Each tiny square was flavoured perfectly with different spices. The Scot says that Cardamon were her fave, and I could agree with her but the saffron was truly delicious. Either way I was happy.

 So with my appetite sated I ended my Belgian weekend very content. Next time I definitely want to go to Bruges and go beer tasting - not that I particularly love beer but if there is anywhere to try to, it is Bruges.

Come back to London soon please Popsicle!... and bring some samouri sauce with you.

Happy Hallowe'en! and more autumn fun

So as you may have gathered by now I love autumn... a lot. Mainly because the fatty inside me loves hearty traditional food and also because nothing says themed cooking like a hallowe'en / bonfire night extravaganza. There have been a lot of articles on how you should be careful about not eating too much sugar around this time of year, etc etc etc blah blah blah. The great debate being taken up by the LA Times here, I would like to know how their children react to being banned from eating sweets. I completely ignored all these helpful healthy tips as everybody knows that hallowe'en snacks don't count. Obv.

 So I made a suitably cosy and throughly soul warming Sunday meal, drawing on the best of traditional British autumn fare and extremely sugary seasonal pudding. Steak and Offal Pie followed by toffee apple and pear crumble. The very best of nursery food and both extremely simple to cook - hurrah!

Steak and Offal Pie
Serves 4 - a twist on the normal steak and kidney pie

Ingredients:
500g chuck steak diced (or beef shin)
200g rump/ribeye steak
200g lamb/pork/veal kidney
1 lamb heart
2 onions roughly diced
2 cloves garlic
30g plain flour (Doves gluten free plain flour is very good)
Salt and Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce to taste
Tabasco to taste
125ml red wine
750ml pints beef stock
1 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Thyme
Vegetable Oil
Puff pastry to measure dish
1 egg - beaten

1. In a casserole brown the beef in the oil and then set aside
2. In the same pan brown the offal and add the onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes until it starts to soften.
3. Add the beef back into the mix and dust the flour over until it coats everything. Add the red wine, simmer for 3 minutes, add the beef stock, simmer gently for 1 1/2 hrs over a low/medium heat. Add the herbs 1/2 way through and top up the stock if you need. At the end add the tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.
4. Remove the mixture and place into a deep baking dish, allow it to cool slightly.
5. Preheat the oven to 200deg Celcius.
6. Roll out your pastry and place over the top of the sidh using a rolling pin to hold it. Pinch in around the edges and brush the beaten egg over the top.
7. Cook for 35 minutes in the oven until the pastry is puffed and deep brown on top.

Serve immediately with seasonal veg.

Toffee apple and pear crumble
Serves 4-6 : for those who don't like calories look away now!
Inspired by Sophie Dahl, which is a little wrong as she is stick thin, she must have never eaten this... ever.

(pre topping pic!)

Ingredients:
4 large seasonal apples, peeled, cores out and chopped into small chunks
4 large pears, peeled, pips out and cut into 8ths
Handlful of dates roughly chopped (stones out)
200g butter (unsalted) 1/2 in small cubes, slightly soft
6 very heaped tbsp brown sugar
250g plain flour (more may be needed)
1 tsp cinnamon powder

1. melt half the butter in a pan, mix in 2 heaped tbsp sugar. Once this is dissolved add the apples, pears and dates. Simmer together for 10-15 minutes until it is all soft but not mushy.
2. Place in a shallow pie dish and allow to slightly cool.
3. In a mixing bowl rub the flour and butter together between your fingers until it becomes like bread crumbs, add the flour bit by bit without measuring too accurately, you will see when it is right. Add the sugar and cinnamon along with this mixture.
4. Preheat the oven to 180DC
5. Top the apple/pear/date/cholesterol mixture with a deep layer of crumble mixture, pressing it compact as you go.
6. Pop in the oven for 25- 30 minutes.

Stand for 5 minutes or so to make sure nobody burns their tongue. Either serve onto plates with custard/cream/ice cream (I recommend ginger), or give everyone a spoon and share out of the dish. Delish!

Stay posted for toffee apples, toffee apple muffins and general bonfire night fare (may include more toffee apple themed things, I must stop!)

Oh the glorious Shire!

I seem to have got myself somewhat of a backlog of things to write about. The day job having taken over my life I haven't had much of a chance to remember what I've been doing outside the office - such is life I guess. However on a rare day that I was allowed away from my computer I managed to escape home to my parents house in Yorkshire for the weekend and it was glorious.

I know, being British, that all I should care about is chasing summer and then moaning about the lack of it for the rest of the year. However, I defy anyone who has lived in Yorkshire, or in fact anyone who has been there in autumn when it isn't raining constantly (which is rare, I give you that) not to be in love with autumn. The garden is overflowing with delicious veg and fruit, my god, the fruit.

I am a bit of a geek and love nothing more than taking a stroll through Mum's immaculate vegetable garden and the orchard. It does look fantastic, not just because I want to eat everything in it but also because there is something very comforting and quite beautiful about it. Maybe it reminds me of reading Beatrix Potter.

This is not the only thing I am jealous of my mother for though. She actually gets to eat these delicacies, every day, it doesn't seem fair. The kitchen is brimming with delicious things I want to cook with or eat. Also, just to rub salt in the wound, she seems to display all these things in a way that makes them look like something out of Country Life's lifestyle section. It would be vomit-inducing if it were not for the fact that I genuinely would rather like my kitchen to look like that. Don't get me wrong ours is lovely, for London, but I don't go around with pears displayed in quaint pots.

So, my jealously put aside I decided to actually enjoy the weekend. And what says countryside like an enforced walk up a ridiculously steep hill? So off I dragged (or by the end, off they dragged me) up the old drovers road that starts near Olstead to John Bunting's chapel. If you've ever done this walk you will know that it is not for the faint hearted. As I lied steadily to Bianca that each steep bit was the last and she screamed at me that I had lost all credibility and that she "didn't even believe that it was downhill on the way back" anymore, I questioned whether this was a wise call, but we made it in the end.

However, the real reason for this gruelling stomp up the hill was to justify a trip to the North's latest Michelin Star pub - The Black Swan, at Oldstead. I cannot recommend anywhere more. It may have been the extreme hunger after the trek but I think it genuinely was as good as I remember. I should have more pictures but the food was so tasty that I forgot. I had the most delicious game terrine to start, with some very fancy raisins (at least they must be, they were named after something other then Sun Maid), the chutney to accompany it was also perfectly both sweet and tangy. The next course was a knockout, shin of beef with creamed potatoes, spinach and mushroom puree. I'm sure it was much more complicated than that but it was truly delicious. We had a long discussion about the value of cuts of beef that need to be slow cooked. Everyone was a fan of a still mooing steak but this shin was just so rich in taste and so succulent in texture that all of us were convinced of its superiority. The pudding really knocked us back and sent us into a food induced stupor. I had a special gluten free Chocolate Delice with peanut crisp - WOW. So rich but so amazing.

Yep, it was that good.

But the really amazing thing was the price, £25 a head for the 3 course lunch menu. How crazy is that?! I could not recommend this place (maybe not the walk) more.

Oh I do love yorkshire.

Comfort Chicken

OK, I know every single person who has ever written about food has talked about the comfort factor of delicious roast chicken. There is a reason, sometimes you just need it. However, what they fail to mention everytime is the horrific dry, slightly sticky, flavourless, bland chicken shaped white meat that you are often given, usually in sub-par pubs or restaurants, but more worryingly by people you know and like. There is nothing more upsetting and off putting than bad roast chicken. I actually went through a few years where I thought I didn't really like roast chicken as a result of these catastrophes. Panic not, I have seen the light.

I would love to have the time to be like the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, she loves and understands chickens to a level I couldn't imagine. She may be ever so slightly eccentric but it is fabulous. Read her book Counting My Chickens it is so enjoyable. I just love her. Her other fabulous book is her cook book "The Chatsworth Cook Book",  bear in mind that this is a woman who has not cooked since the war, and doesn't hide it. It simply contains her favourite "receipts" by those who have cooked for her, and they are delicious. It was this woman's love and appreciation of the chicken that got me back into the delight of eating roast chicken. Sadly to be truly like her you can't shop in Tesco for your chicken as they certainly don't tell you what breed they are etc. However, I live in Brixton, and Tesco will do well for me in comparison to the boiling chickens I see at every butcher on Electric Avenue, heads still on.

My mother has gone utterly chicken mad and so I can't write about chickens without showing a picture of our chickens in Yorkshire, they are rather fabulous.

So yesterday was a lovely relaxed Sunday, I woke up not particularly hungover, which is always a bonus on the weekend. However I just felt like haveing something comforting and soothing. The night before I had chatted to significant other no 2 (the Scot still ranks no 1 for now), he was out in Afghanistan with a stinking cold and sounded like he was already asleep on the phone, poor thing. That made me a little glum and because he couldn't have comforting roast chicken I thought I would have some for myself. It completely hit the spot. I'm actually amazed I didn't eat the whole chicken myself.

Cooking a chicken isn't that hard, the only thing that I have found when it comes to cooking the meat is LISTEN TO DELIA. Let the chicken rest after cooking for 20 minutes under some tin foil, it makes all the difference. Otherwise you just need to cook for 20 minutes at 220 Celcius, then turn down to 180 DC and cook for 20 minutes per 500g. It's more about what you do to flavour the bird that makes it. So this is what I did yesterday, I'm still thinking of the gravy now.

Roast Chicken with Lemon, Orange, Thyme and Tarragon


Ingredients;
1 chicken - size dependent on how many you are feeding
1 lemon
1 large orange
good bunch of fresh tarragon
2 tsp fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic
50g butter
4 slices streaky bacon
drizzle Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

For gravy:
small glass red wine
250ml chicken stock
2 tbsp cornflour

1. Cut the lemon in half, squeeze out all the juice over the chicken and into the roasting tin. Put half inside the bird.

2. Cut the orange in half, squeeze the juice of half over the bird, cut the other half into slices and sit the bird on top of them
3. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top of the chicken, season with salt and pepper and put the bacon over the top.
4. Finely chop all the herbs and roughly chop the garlic. Mix together with the butter (slightly soft) and place well in the cavity of the bird.
5. Put in the oven and cook for the appropriate time (see above), every 20 minutes spoon a little of the juices over the bird.
6. When cooking time is up, tip the bird, by inserting the wooden spoon into the cavity, and collect all the juices in the roasting tin.
7. Let the bird rest for 20 minutes under foil.

Then make the gravy
1. In the roasting tin scrape all the bits stuck to the bottom so they become part of the mixture.
2. Spoon off most of the fat.
3. Over a very low heat whisk the mixture together, gradually adding in the wine and chicken stock.
4. Lightly sprinkle in the cornflour and whisk so it is smooth.

I love chicken with Redcurrant jelly, homemade of course! My sister is obsessed with bread sauce. However you like it I can promise that eating this will make you a little bit happier!

Just an electric grill, toaster and microwave - work lunch

So for those of you who like fad diets or are French, you will know that today is the dreaded standard "protein only thursday", worshipped all over the world by successful Dukan dieters. I have to say that I really really love meat, in fact, all protein really. The Scot looks at me like some strange alien as I suggest adding T.O.F.U. (It is a dirty word apparently) to dishes. Now, unlike, the Atkins diet you can't just gorge yourself on bacon, which would be my idae of heaven, you have to have low fat protein... hmmmm.

So faced with such strict rules I thought about how I could make a pure protein lunch (aside from onions and herbs, they let you have them) for Elena and I at work today that wasn't just a packet of 80% water ham and some cottage cheese. There was a further spanner in the works when it came to this, the only cooking utensils in the office are a George Forman grill, a toaster, a microwave and a kettle. This is not the place to whip up your greatest culinary feat.

So I had a think and found the following to be tasty and makeable between the grill and microwave, I'm rather proud actually.

Lunch for 2
2x cuts of raw turkey breast
1x pack cooked king prawns
bunch spring onions
1 chilli
1 clove garlic
1 lemon's worth of juice
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
dollop of Total 0% Greek yoghurt
Some cheat's Cajun seasoning
10 basil leaves
couple of sprigs of mint

1. scatter the cajun seasoning over the turkey steaks and grill them for 5 minutes. At the same time put the prawns in a bowl with the chilli and garlic and a good twist or two of black pepper, microwave for 1 minute.
2. Chop up the spring onions into small slices and tear the herbs and put in a big bowl.
3. Cut up the turkey into bits and put in the bowl with the herbs, onion and add the prawns. Toss together.
4. Juice the lemon and swirl in the dijon mustard, add a touch of sweetner if you want. Mix in with everything else.
5. pop in a bowl with a dollop of the yoghurt.


Now this isn't reinventing the wheel, or even something I would give to friends for dinner at home, but when you are faced with a pack of ham and yet another tub of cottage cheese on a Thursday you'll understand!

mmmmmmmm salad... really?!

I have to say I never thought I would write something about salad. The Scot and I are both on the same page when it comes to eating leaves, they are an excellent thing to have with a real meal but certainly not one themself... or so I thought. In the bizarrely unseasonal summer that we experienced over the weekend I actually found myself craving the watery crunch of a refreshing crisp lettuce.

Aside from rocket, watercress and lambs lettuce I am of the opinion that you can leave your soft frilly salad leaves, they add very little to the dining experience apart from awkward situations when you can't quite get the whole thing into your mouth, you smear salad dressing all over your face and get tickled by a stray strand. I love a good bit of crunch and flavour, although don't mention the I.C.E.B.E.R.G. word near me, it isn't salad, it is water - green, solid water. When I was at university the only place I would eat salad was the incredible Alpha Bar in Oxford's Covered Market, mainly because you could have something that you could argue was healthy but without a leaf in sight. However, I digress.

On Saturday I had a lovely lunch of a crispy, zingy, meaty, salty, salady goodness. I've became slightly obsessed with pomergranate (predominantly as a homemade mojito ingredient) so had to include it. So here is my try at a non-boring chicken salad. Apparently it is going to be frost and snow this weekend so I'll be reverting to shepherds pie in no time.

Chicken, feta and pommergranate salad

For 2.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts shin off
Olive Oil
thyme
sage
paprika
salt & pepper

1 organic Romaine lettuce
handful rocket
handful of cubed feta
seeds of 1/2 pomergranate
15 fresh anchovies (not tinned, ick)

dressing
juice 1 lemon
glug olive oil
tbsp cider vineagar
tbsp condensed milk
salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. mix the marinade for the chicken together and cover the chicken for 30 minutes
2. Put the chicken breast under a pre heated grill for 5 or six minutes each side
3. Chop up the chicken breast into strips and plonk on top of shredded lettuce and rocket
4. Scatter the anchovies, feta and pomergranate over the top
5. Mix the dressing up in a jar and pour over




At the end of the day it is still a salad but for a salad it tasted good!

Come dine with mallowstreet!

In the spirit of healthy colleague competitiveness a few of us in the office embarked upon the ultimate office challenge of doing our own version of Come Dine with Me. Over the weeks leading up to it there was a lot of fighting talk and worried faces, possibly because you know that at some point soon your colleagues are coming to your house and you might have to actually clean your bedroom.

The bar was raised very high for the first installment, where 4 of us nervously trekked out to Wanstead (an area our Director had previously had no knowledge of) to be greeted by our colleague's immaculate and very grown up house. I was terrified, her garden actually had grass and it had been mowed. This is before we even entered. I have to admit that cooking is kind of my thing, aside from tapestry and knitting but I'm not actually that good at those, it is what I do to relax and I love it. So I have to admit to a certain level of jealousy as Jules brought out her delicious 3 courses with home grown salad. How could I compete?!

So last night I stuck to my favourite foods, resisted attempts to pretend I was Heston, and did things that I could cook well in advance and I knew tasted yummy. In doing this I think I finally hit my dinner party stride. I managed to avoid my usual error of having a main that you have to concentrate for, as usually by that point I'm at least 3 glasses of wine in and just want to chat. Last night I didn't have to really think about a thing. It paid off. My favourite food critic was there, our Cuban events coordinator, and when she said my started "erupted" I knew something had gone well.

More than anything though it was just wonderful to sit round in the garden, in late September no less, eat food and drink plenty of wine with fun people. Oh, and they loved the bunting... or had at least been forewarned to comment upon it. Well done them!

I said I would share some of my recipes for them so this may be a slightly long post. All feed 4 people at least.

Starter - Squid and Chorizo Stew

2 large squid, cleaned with tentacles, cut into rings
1 large chorizo sausage (I get mine at Continental Delicatessan in Brixton) cut into 1/2cm slices
1 medium Spanish Onion
2 cloves garlic
1 Red Pepper
6 ripe large tomatoes
1/3 bottle rioja
Turmeric
Chilli flakes
Marjoram
Sage

1. In heavy cast iron casserole (or big pan) fry off the onions and garlic for 3 minutes over a medium/high heat. Add chorizo and fry for a further 5 minutes on medium heat, add the chopped red pepper half way through.
2. Add 1 heaped tsp turmeric mix it around so it coats everything then pour in the wine. Leave to simmer softly as you add all the squid.
3. Chop the tomatoes up roughly, place in a seive with some salt to get rid off excess liquid and then add to the pan with a couple of pinches of dried chilli, depending on how spicy you like it.
4. Cover with a lid and turn the heat to low, after 1 hr add the marjoram and sage and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 30 minutes on a very low heat.

Serve with crostini or fresh bread.

Main - Duck with Mummy's beans and fennel

For the duck see earlier post - Duck Delicious Duck!

Mummy's beans -
300g dried cannelini beans (soaked overnight)
1/2 bottle dry white wine
3 cloves garlic
2 eschallions roughly chopped
150g lardons/pancetta cubes
1 medium tomato
vegetable bouillion stuck 1 1/2 pints
Olive oil
juice of one lemon
Sage
Thyme

1. In a large pan fry off the onion, lardons and 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped.
2. Drain the beans and put them in the pan with the white wine, simmer for 15 minutes, add the stock.
3. Leave to cook, simmering on a low heat with the lid on for 2 hours, check every now and then that you have enough liquid.
4. Once the beans are soft and tender give them a glug of olive oil, pour over the lemon juice, the herbs and the last clove of garlic (crushed). Mix it all together and take if off the heat. after 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper and serve.
It is also delicious cold as a salad the next day.

Pudding - White Chocolate and Pomergranate Panna Cotta

5 leaves gelatine

300ml whole milk

300ml double cream

50g caster sugar

2 vanilla pod (split lengthways)

170g white chocolate

200ml coconut milk

1.       1. Soak gelatine in ice cold water for 10 mins

2.       2. Place milk, cream sugar canilla pod and seeds into saucepan and heat gently until simmering. Remove from heat when sugar dissolved

3.       3. Put chocolate and coconut milk into a bowl over pan of simmering water then sieve other mixture into this bowl and stir until smooth

4.       4. Squeeze excess water from gelatine at to mixture and whisk until complete smooth.

5.       5. Put on mould and leave in fridge to set, after 15 minutes scatter the pommergranate seeds on top. Leave to set for another few hours.

SeServe with poached pear and raspberry and black pepper sauce

4 4 medium pears peeled

1 bottle robust and fruity red wine

75g caster sugar

2 Star Anise

1 stick cinnamon

8 cloves

5 Allspice berries

100g raspberries

1. put the wine and spices in a pan with the sugar and bring to a boil.

2. add the pears and make sure they are covered, simmer on a low heat for 2 hours or so until tender.

3. remove the pears and reduce the remaining liquid, add the fresh berries and 2 turns of black pepper, mix until the berries fall apart and then serve.

Duck Delicious Duck!

I love love love eating duck. Yes it is not the healthiest of meats but it is truly delicious and is such a warming treat that it can't be too wrong. I'm in an office surrounded by very healthy, low fat, Dukan dieting girls and I am truly jealous of their ability to resist the temptations of beautiful crisp duck fat, if only I could. Last night I made a "spare" duck leg incase the Scot came home and in the end just ate the skin and fat off it as well as my own. Terrible gluttony but each time I looked at it I couldn't resist, it was just sat there, tempting me.

Anyway I thought I would share my recipe for a cheat's confit-tasting duck with Szechuan pepper and lime, truly tasty I think.

For 4 - takes just over an hour

Ingredients:
4 duck legs
tablespoon of Szechuan peppercorns
plenty of Rock Salt (very important it isn't sea salt)
Fresh Rosemary sprig
1 garlic clove
pinch chilli flakes
1 tsp grated lime zest

For the sauce:
500ml chicken stock
2 limes, juice and zest
2 chopped and seeded chilli
ground szechuan pepper
1 tbsp pommergranate seeds
50g butter
2 large fresh sage leaves

Instructions:

Pre heat oven to 190 degrees C / Gas mark 5

1. Get the Salt, Szechuan Pepper, rosemary, garlic, chilli flakes and lime zest and bash them all together in a pestle and mortar. Rub this into the flesh side of the duck leg and sprinkle over the skin.

2. Get frying pan with a little Olive Oil to a high heat and sear the duck legs. 2 minutes on the fleshy side and 2 minutes on the skin. Push then leg around so all the skin gets lightly seared. Remove from the pan and then place, skin side up, on a wire rack in a roasting tray. Tip: I just use the grill tray and put foil underneath as it then is so much easier to clean..

3. Put legs in the oven for about 40 minutes. Just check to see how the skin is crisping up. For the last 15 minutes or so I just put the heat up to 220 degrees/ Gas Mark 7. You'll know it is done when the skin is lovely and golden crisp.

4. As you turn the heat up start making the sauce. Chop the chilli and flash fry with the szechuan pepper. Then add the chicken stock and simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced slightly (lose around 1/2 liquid. Then add the lime juice and zest and stir in. After than add the butter in little chunks and stir in with a whisk. Tear up the sage and add, turn down the heat to a slow simmer until your duck is ready. At the last moment stir in the pommergranate for a bit of oomph.

Then just pop the duck on the plate and drizzle the sauce over. Last night I found this went really well with sticky rice, just remember to soak the glutinous rice in advance and start to steam it for 20 minutes just before you make the sauce.

Enjoy!

Musings on bunting

This seems a somewhat random way to start a blog, I'm fairly certain the average person has not spent considerable time thinking about bunting. At least, if they have, they should be slightly worried about themselves; unless they run some sort of bunting company. Sadly in our household bunting has become something of a matter of pride and competition.

On moving into our new and rather glorious flat with its wonderous luxury of a garden, a great deal of debate was held between my best friend/housemate (currently to be referred to as "the Scot") and I about what type of bunting should go up in our garden to make it seem fun and festive. Also to detract that aside from being named a garden it is mainly a big space of concrete slabs, but to us it is heaven. Sadly this is the kind of thing two girls think about, more than "do we have a dishwasher", or debating whether our bedrooms are fairly sized, no, the correct bunting was what we spent our time researching. Looking back this seems ever so slightly irresponsible. However, it turns out that this is incredibly important as we have competition in the form of our upstairs neightbour who has some rather envious floral fabric bunting mocking us from her balcony. We were not to be outdone, instead we spent valuable hours, the Scot in particular, looking into the matter. I have to say we've come up trumps and have the perfect balance of floral whimsy without it becoming a cacophony of colour and clashing.

All in all I am quite proud and regularly take friends on tours of the garden and not only make them admire my wonderful (if slightly dead) herbs and lavender pots and floral tablecloth (all-weather) but to gaze in awe and respect of our seriously superior bunting. As I sat in the Trinity Arms in Brixton yesterday enjoying the sunshine the Scot and I looked around at their plain white bunting with a sense of superiority and pride at our own efforts in our garden. What are best friends for if not shared interests after all?

To many this may seem to be truly ridiculous but for those 5 minutes as we sat with a nice cold glass of cider we were proud.