Hot and fruity Cupcakes

Really fancy doing some baking but want to try something different.. Let’s see if it works.. yay it did. I just love making cupcakes, so easy and everyone loves them but at times they can be a bit kiddie.. so let’s try a grown up version. I chose 2 fruits that I love.. strawberries and mangoes. Made up the usual cupcake batter then added small pieces of either strawberries or mangoes in the paper cases then filled by the batter. Once they were cooked they we ended up with little hot puddings.. Sweet and delicious

 

What you need to make 12 cupcakes

·         120g plain flour

·         140g caster sugar

·         120ml milk

·         40g unsalted butter ( leave this to soften at room temperature)

·         1 ½ tsp baking powder

·         ½ tsp vanilla extract

·         1 egg

·         6 strawberries

·         6 mango pieces

 

How to put together

In a mixing bowl put the sugar, flour, baking powder and butter together and mix together until they have all combined. Now add half the milk and mix well. In another bowl whisk together the egg, vanilla and remaining milk. Pour this into the mixing bowl that has the flour and whisk together until this resembles a smooth batter.

Heat the oven on slow heat of gas mark 3 or 160C

Wash and chop both the strawberries and mangoes into small pieces. Keep them separate.

Line a muffin tray with paper cases. Add the strawberries or mango pieces to the bottom of the cases and spoon in the cupcake mixture. Do not overfill the cases. About two thirds full is enough allowing them room to rise. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. You can tell them are cooked when inserting a cocktail stick in the middle of a cake it comes out clean.

 

Lush !!

 

Fish and Chips

I just love fish from the chip shop but here in London I don’t feel the flavours are great .. Until .... I started going to the Midlands.. Birmingham in fact!! Fridays is always take out night. My other half insisted I tried the fish from there and once I did try, yes I was hooked. Such an amazing taste.. Succulent meaty cod in the most perfect batter. Not too oily but mixed to perfection with a touch of sweetness. I look forward to those days when we would go up the motorway and enjoy the loveliest take out option available.. Salivating all the way.. Can this get any better? No but when I visit Leeds, my sis in law has a wonderful fish shop but they mostly use haddock which I find is much more meaty. So I thought let’s give it a try, make this dish at home. To experiment I used 2 cod and 2 haddock fish ... a very easy, quick to put together but very impressive version of the most popular ... fish and chips... of course only a fraction of the price. The beauty of this is that you can add anything in the batter to make it as personal as you wish.

 

Fish - what you need to serve 4

·         2 cod skinless boneless fish

·         2 haddock skinless boneless fish

·         225g plain flour

·         300ml cold beer

·         3tsp baking powder

·         ¼ tsp sugar

·         Salt to taste

 

How to put together

Wash the fish and leave to drain. In the mean time get yourself a large mixing bowl and mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Slowly add the beer little by little until the batter is a thick consistency. Meanwhile fill a wok with enough oil to deep fry the fish and heat. Whilst the oil is heating dip each fish in turn in to the batter, turn the fish and coat again. Once the oil is hot one by one fry the fish gently.. Once the fish is golden on one side turn and fry the other. Cook each fish and drain the oil. Usually a few minutes on each side is enough! Serve with homemade chips, tartar sauce and a wedge of lemon....

Chips - what you need to serve 4
 

·         4 large or 8 small potatoes

 How to put together

Peel and wash the potatoes and once drained slice into chip shape pieces, gently fry in small batches. Once golden turn and fry again. Once the chips are cooked let the oil drip and serve alongside the fish.

Mmmm  !!

Quattro Formaggi e Quattro Funghi

Usually on Tuesdays I make the same old dish, but I am being adventurous today.. I am in the mood for pasta but.. I want new flavours, new tastes..so I thought how about trying different types of mushrooms and different cheeses and see if they  work together. I went for pink and yellow oyster mushrooms, shitake mushrooms, chestnut and white button mushrooms. All these mushrooms have very different flavours, shitake I found quite meaty, oyster quite earthy and light, chestnut and button quite fresh. With the cheeses I tried to choose some cheeses that I have not had the pleasure of cooking with before, so I had gorgonzola, goats cheese, west country cheddar and parmesan. Once again every cheese was so different in taste, gorgonzola was quite strong and defined. It reminded me of blue stilton cheese, the goat’s cheese was soft and quite bland in flavour, both the cheddar and the parmesan are strong powerful cheeses which bring life to any dish. When I put this dish together I found that the delicate flavours of the mushrooms combined with the distinct flavours from the cheese all mixed into the delicate cream... mmm ... just wonderful when the sauce intertwines with the fettuccine. I have to say that I really enjoyed this dish.. tasty and full of wonderful flavours, but it’s quite a heavy dish with all the creaminess so beware not to over load your plate like I did.
 

 

What you need to serve 4

·         4 (approx) pink or yellow or mix them up oyster mushrooms

·         4 (approx) shitake mushrooms

·         4 (approx) chestnut  mushrooms

·         4 (approx) white button mushrooms

·         75g gorgonzola

·         75g goats cheese

·         75g cheddar

·         150g parmasean

·         4 cloves garlic

·         250ml double cream

·         Salt and pepper to season ( according to taste )

·         Pinch of chilli (optional )

·         100ml white wine ( optional )

·         100g fettuccine  per person

 

 

How to put together

Chop the garlic and slice the mushroom, leave to one side. Fill a large saucepan with water and put on the boil, once boiled add the fettuccine and cook according to the packets instructions. In the mean time add some olive oil to a large pan and gently fry the garlic and mushrooms. Once the mushrooms have started to soften reduce the heat. Add the cream and let this simmer. Chop the gorgonzola, goat’s cheese and the cheddar into small cubes. Add this to the cream and let them melt. Season well with salt, pepper and some chilli if you like it hot. Once the pasta is cooked reserve some of the cooking water and drain. Add the fettuccine to the cream and cheese sauce. If the sauce is too thick now add some of the reserved cooking water. (or why not add 100ml of white wine instead of the water to turn this into more of a glitzy dish ). Top with grated parmesan and chopped parsley.

Eat this dish as soon as it is ready to avoid it going too thick !!

Absolutely Fabulous  !!

Lemon and Lime Chicken in a Bag

Roast chicken.. a traditional but easy chicken dish to make . .. A safe bet when inviting guests over for dinner. I don’t know any one that has as a bad word to say about this dish.. But it’s time to make some changes and add some new ingredients to bring this back to life. I call this my lemon and lime chicken as it is cooked with limes and finished with lemons. A very easy dish to make and the flavours are just mouth watering. You are left with the most succulent and juicy pieces of chicken just full of great flavours and tanginess.  I find that chicken when cooked leaves some beautiful juices behind which are to be treasured and used again.

Once ready the chicken is then served on a bed of rice which has stir fried vegetables in it. All those beautiful juices from the limes and the chicken soak in to the rice making it so satisfying.

I could easily eat this dish 3 to 4 times a week !! do you think that’s a bit greedy ?

 

What you need to serve 4

For the chicken

·         8 pieces of chicken thigh pieces  with bone ( I find chicken cooked with bone gives greater flavour than without bone)

·         Lemon Parsley 20g ( this is a fresh bunch available in good supermarkets)

·         2 tbsp sage ( this is in a dry herb form )

·         1 lime cut in to wedges

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         Salt and pepper to season ( according to taste )

·         1 large multipurpose roasting bag (available in good supermarkets)

·         1 tsp plain flour

 

For the rice

• Basmati rice 100g per person

• 1 leek

• 1 red pepper

• 1 green pepper

• 3 spring onions

• 4 mushrooms

• 1 lemon

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Salt and pepper to season

 

How to put together

You can prepare the chicken ahead of time and leave in the roasting bag ready to put in the oven when you are ready.

For the chicken

Wash the chicken and leave to drip. Once dry get yourself a large bowl to marinade the meat. Chop the lemon parsley, then add the parsley, chicken, dry sage, salt, pepper and oil to the bowl and mix until all the herbs are absorbed in to the meat. Leave to one side. Get yourself an oven roasting dish that is large enough for the chicken and put the roasting bag in the tray. Add the plain flour in the bag. This is just to dust the bag before filling with the chicken. Add the marinated chicken. Then add the lime wedges to the bag. Use a tie provided to seal the bag. Lay the bag flat in the tray and cut a small hole in the bag to allow the air to escape.

Heat the oven and cook the chicken on gas mark 4 or 180C for 35 minutes

For the rice

Wash the rice in cold water and boil until cooked (according to the packets instructions). Once cooked drain and leave to one side. Gather all your vegetables from the above list. If you prefer other vegetables feel free to change them. Slice  them all into small but even sized pieces. Add the oil to a pan and fry all the vegetables until slightly soft. I usually cook only for about 5 minutes, as the vegetables will be going in the oven so another chance to cook. We do not want to overcook the vegetables and lose the wonderful goodness they provide. Take off the heat and add the rice to the veg. Add the juice from the 1 lemon, then add the salt and pepper and stir.

Once the chicken has cooked for about 35 minutes remove from the bag. Be careful with the steam that may come from the bag and ensure to keep hold of every last drop of the juices from the chicken.

Put the rice and the stir fried vegetables in the dish you have taken the chicken from and add all the juices from the chicken in to the rice. Do not add the chicken at this stage. Stir evenly re season with salt and pepper if needed, now add the chicken pieces on top of the bed of rice and put back in the oven for all the flavours to coat the rice. 10 minutes should be enough.

Dish up and enjoy every bite

Beautiful !!

Chocolate Brownies with Mascarpone and Vanilla Cream

Friday evening.. it’s been a long week. I have been working all day, just finished cleaning the house, absolutely exhausted now!!  I need something indulgent.. A pick me up. Going through the list of desserts it’s got to be brownies nothing else will do right now!!! I do love brownies.. I find them very satisfying and often a small piece will do but when it gets a bit too chocolaty, I serve the brownie with a spoon of mascarpone vanilla cream. It contrasts very well, the bland but creaminess makes the chocolate less over powering. I have never been a fan of dark chocolate I often find it’s a bit too strong and bitter for my liking that’s why I always use milk chocolate which helps give a softer flavour. This is a great dessert to serve to your chocolate lover friends. This dish gives you nine pieces of brownies or six greedy slices.. Either way you choose  ...

What you need to serve 6

For the brownies

·         125g butter

·         100g milk chocolate ( ensure a good quality)

·         40g cocoa powder

·         32g plain flour

·         1tsp baking powder

·         180g caster sugar

·         2 eggs

 

How to put together

Break the chocolate into pieces. Melt the butter and the chocolate over simmering water on a low heat. Once this has melted remove from the heat. In a separate bowl add the cocoa powder, plain flour, baking powder and sugar then mix together. Once mixed, add to the chocolate mixture and stir. In another bowl whisk the eggs until beaten and add this to the chocolate mixture. Mix until it has smooth consistency.

Heat the oven on slow heat of gas mark 3 or 160C

Line a baking dish with baking paper and carefully tip in the chocolate mixture, ensure it is even and bake in the oven for about 25 – 30 minutes. You know the brownies are ready when the top of the brownie is slightly hard but cracked and the middle is set. Leave on a cooling rack till slightly cooled.

For the mascarpone vanilla cream

·         100g mascarpone

·         100ml double cream

·         1tsp vanilla extract

How to put together

Whisk the mascarpone, cream and vanilla together and add a small spoonful to each serving.

Indulgent  !!

Cauliflower and Potato Gratin

Wondering what to cook?? something to fill the gap on this cold and wet day. So what vegetables should I use? Cauliflower.. its your lucky day .. cauliflower happens to be one of my favourite vegetables and potatoes well they are just any ones best friend making it a great accompaniment to any other vegetable. Now put them together and a match made. So I thought I will put together a gratin, adding some cream and cheese to bring all those flavours together. When I made this dish for the first time I realised that just adding the raw cauliflower and raw potatoes doesn’t let them soften enough, leaving you with a crunchy cauliflower which we definitely don’t want. That is why I think it is best to boil them just to give them a head start. I also feel this helps the sauce go right in to the cauliflower making it even tastier. In a dish like this you have to ensure that you season it enough and lets be generous on the cheese. Now I have decided to eat this as my main dish but when making a main course for a dinner party this dish makes a lovely but different side dish...

 

What you need to serve 4

·         1 large cauliflower

·         4 large potatoes or 8 small ones

·         1 onion

·         4 garlic cloves

·         150ml double cream

·         150ml milk ( I have used full fat )

·         2 tbsp crème fraiche

·         Butter ( to put on top of the breadcrumbs helping them golden )

·         50g breadcrumbs

·         100g grated cheese ( I have used cheddar )

·         Salt and pepper to season ( according to taste )

 

How to put together

Fill a large saucepan with water and put on the boil. In the mean time peel and slice the potatoes, cut the cauliflower in to even size florets. Once the water has come to the boil add both the potatoes and the cauliflower. Let this boil for 3 minutes. Drain and leave to one side. Chop the onion and garlic in to small pieces, in a saucepan add some olive oil and add the chopped onion and garlic. Fry this until it has started to golden. Once it has started to golden add the cream, milk and seasoning, let this simmer just for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

Heat the oven on gas mark 4 or 180C.

In a medium sized roasting dish coat with olive oil then add the cauliflower to the bottom of the tray. Layer with the potatoes allowing them to overlap. Cover the dish with the cream and milk mixture. Then add the crème fraiche and top with breadcrumbs. Cover the breadcrumbs with the grated cheese and butter.

Bake the gratin in the oven for one hour

Just glorious !!

The Veggie Days

So unintentionally Tuesdays has sort of become veggie night in my house ... you may have figured out that I am generally a carnivore I just adore the taste of meat.. The smell the look I’m already tasting it... however I did just become in to this routine where my dish had to contain some element of meat. Then my other half suggested some years back let’s not eat meat on Tuesdays.. To begin with I dreaded Tuesdays and the feeling of not being satisfied at dinner time. Then I thought it’s time to change that !!  

Let’s give those vegetables the respect and care they so deserve... now Tuesdays is my meat off day where I like to experiment with different recipes and mixing vegetables and meat free substitutes. My freezer always contains either soya mince, soya pieces Quorn mince or Quorn pieces (which come in different flavours such as chicken) I often use these substitutes to recreate original meat recipes such as Sheppard’s pie & moussaka ... but over all I find my meat free spaghetti Bolognese hits the spot. So let’s show all the meaties out there how to make a wonderful meal veggie style.

Look out for my first Veggie dish on here .... this weekend!!!!!

Roast Herb Crust Leg of Lamb

I absolutely love anything to do with lamb , the taste is just divine and even with no seasoning at all it just has a wonderful flavour. I always used to make roast leg of lamb the same way, that was to cover it with garlic and rosemary then cook. Recently, I thought be brave, lets experiment with this dish and what a great experiment it turned out to be. The herbs in this dish not only bring out the lamb flavours even more, but it just gives the gravy that added oomph. When thinking about which herbs will work best and compliment the lamb, I wanted to try something that you would not usually associate with this meat. I went with parsley and coriander which are both strong flavours, however they do not overpower this dish.

I like to cook this dish on a slow heat for 3 and a half hours, this just ensures a very soft and succulent piece of meat that melts in the mouth.

To go with this dish, I have kept it simple, just some sautéed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Making the lamb the king of the table !!

 

Here goes

What you need to serve 4 - 6

For the lamb

·         1 whole leg of lamb

·         Parsley 20g ( this is a fresh bunch available in good supermarkets)

·         Coriander 20g ( this is a fresh bunch available in good supermarkets)

·         2 tbsp rosemary ( this is in a dry herb form )

·         4 cloves fresh garlic

·         1 lemon

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         Salt and pepper to season ( according to taste )

·         200ml cold water

 

 

How to put together

Wash the lamb and leave to drip. Once dry, get yourself a large roasting tray enough to fit the lamb. Add the lamb, and using a knife (be careful) cut small incisions all over the lamb. Chop the garlic into small slices and put in to each of the small incisions. In a food processor add the oil, coriander, parsley, then add the rosemary lemon, salt and pepper. Process to a smooth paste consistency.  Coat the lamb with a thick layer.

Add the water to ensure the lamb stays moist, and this will also leave you with some liquid for the gravy.

Heat the oven, cover the tray and cook for 3 and half hours on slow heat on gas mark 3 or 160C. Every one eats lamb differently, some like it pinker, or more well done than others that is personal taste. Cook it less or more as required.

Ensure to baste the meat every half hour where possible, turning the leg at the same time. This just keeps the meat very juicy and moist.

At the bottom of the tray you should be left with some juices, you can add this to a pan with some more water and extra gravy granules. Bring this to the boil to make the most divine gravy. If the gravy is too thin add 1tsp of cornflour, this will help thicken the texture.

If you would like to serve this dish with my sautéed potatoes recipe this is how

What you need to serve 4 - 6

·         5 large white potatoes

·         1 large onion

·         3 cloves fresh garlic

·         2 tbsp olive oil

·         1 tbsp rosemary ( this is in a dry herb form )

·         Salt and pepper to season ( according to taste )

 

Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut in to small chunks. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, and then cook the potatoes for 3 minutes then leave to drain.

Chop the garlic and onion into small pieces. In a frying pan, add the oil then add both the chopped garlic and onions. Fry until they start to golden. Add the potatoes, rosemary, salt and pepper, and fry until potatoes are brown all over. This is usually between 5 and 7 minutes on medium heat. Serve on the side of the lamb and a vegetable of your choice.
 

 

Just wow !!