tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55529034188963490172024-03-13T04:18:07.609+00:00Exploits of a Food NutWelcome to my food world. Here you will find many recipes, the odd disaster and hopefully a little bit of inspiration. EnjoyGaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-29975802073812689122014-10-06T17:22:00.001+01:002014-10-06T17:22:17.603+01:00Toffee Apple and Walnut cake<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3hPx0aPwf-w/VDLBFTQXn9I/AAAAAAAACkw/X6a9fyH8g88/s1600/IMAG1002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3hPx0aPwf-w/VDLBFTQXn9I/AAAAAAAACkw/X6a9fyH8g88/s1600/IMAG1002.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a>For the odd reader that still floats about in cyberspace, you may have noticed that this blog has been on a sort of hiatus for the past few months.<br />
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After the rather hectic last couple of months, things have begun to settle down allowing me to do a bit of baking and attempt to resuscitate this little blog from it's food coma.<br />
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Since I last blogged, I have had a little wander around Europe for a couple of weeks where I ate and drank some very fine things.<br />
I have moved house for the 7th time in 9 years. I have left Lincolnshire to return to Yorkshire after a 3 year absence and last but definitely not least; I have quit one job to begin a new job in another school.<br />
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So quite an eventful few months.<br />
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So to the food, well to quote a little known TV programme; 'Winter is coming' and with it brings all manner of delicious warming bakes.<br />
This one I spotted on the Good Food Calendar which I have finally stuck up 9 months after getting one and it uses the all time classic flavours of toffee and apple. I do recommend Good Food/Olive very highly as all the recipes work due to their triple testing which is more than I can say for some recipe books (looking at you, Heston, you bald git). This one worked perfectly and tastes gorgeous, especially when warmed slightly. I substituted pecans for walnut because pecans are quite expensive and walnuts work just as well for half the price.<br />
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Recipe available here: <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/toffee-apple-pecan-cake">http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/toffee-apple-pecan-cake</a><br />
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Enjoy<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-43353898757330486032014-07-16T20:21:00.002+01:002014-07-16T20:21:29.934+01:00World Cup Food Challenge, Erwtensoep & Poffertjes, Holland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That's all folks, over for another 4 years. You were magnificent Brazil 2014.<br />
<br />
There was the great; Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Deutschland!<br />
The good; So close, Holland.<br />
The bad; Yes England, I'm referring to you<br />
The utter hilarious: The Brazil National Football Team'.<br />
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But as the World Cup ends, so does its food challenge and no matter how late I am to finish up, finish up it must.<br />
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I've moaned about Dutch food before and the final two recipes in this challenge are hardly the most inspiring but Dutch food is hardly going to set the world on fire. I am off to the Netherlands in 3 weeks and I don't hold out much hope of finding much decent Dutch food.<br />
<br />
So to wrap up the challenge I decided to make Erwtensoep (Split Pea Soup) and Poffertjes, which are the Dutch equivalent of our drop scones in the way they are cooked in order to 'puff' them up.however these are proved with yeast which gives them a deeper flavour and well worth giving them ago.<br />
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The soup speaks for itself, a simple vegetable soup made with split peas flavoured with, traditionally, smoked sausage. I made a few tweaks to it by using garden peas to give a fresher flavour and because I couldn't find any split peas, I also swapped the sausage in favour of a few nice butchers sausages.<br />
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<b><u>Erwtensoep</u></b><br />
500g frozen peas<br />
2 small potatoes, cubed<br />
1 onion, diced<br />
2 carrots, diced<br />
2 sticks of celery, diced<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
1 litre of veg stock<br />
4 pork sausages, I used Lincolnshire<br />
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Bake your sausages at 200C on a baking sheet until fully cooked<br />
Fry the onion until soft and golden then add the celery and carrot, fry for a further 5 minutes.<br />
Add the potato, bay leaf and veg stock. season and leave to bubble until all veg is soft.<br />
pour in the peas and bring to the boil.<br />
Blend to your required consistency.<br />
Slice up the cooked sausages<br />
Return to the pan and stir in the sausages.<br />
Serve<br />
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<b><u>Poffertjes</u></b><br />
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Recipe available <a href="http://www.holland.com/us/tourism/interests/food-drinks/dutch-recipes/poffertjes-4.htm">here</a><br />
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Enjoy<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-34694322307630537792014-07-03T19:26:00.000+01:002014-07-03T19:26:00.380+01:00World Cup Food Challenge, Boterkoak, Holland.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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and the Dutch march on......<br />
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But for the love of all that is holy do they leave it to the last minute. it was a tough game to watch, Holland vs Mexico, with the attacking speed of Dutch football being sucked from their very bones, I can barely stand up in 38 degree heat, never mind play football at the highest level for 90 minutes. It's a good job that future World Cups are held in cooler climes......<br />
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but as the Dutch march on, so does the World Cup Food Challenge, I'm down to one team now with the cruel dismissal of the Chilean national side.<br />
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I'm quite lucky having this team left in with their vast culinary history and repertoire, I mean if it was Spain, I would be struggling to find dishes at this point....<br />
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Anyhoo, sarcasm aside, I did find a dish with a glorious name; 'Boterkoak' which literally means: Butter Cake.<br />
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This is essentially the Dutch version of our shortbread only with mooooooooore butter, it is traditionally served in small pieces with coffee, which literally means that the Dutch are wusses and can't handle the butter, bless.<br />
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It is sometimes topped with flaked almonds but I had some Brazil nuts spare and they seemed much more appropriate<br />
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
250g butter<br />
250g caster sugar<br />
250g plain flour<br />
1tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 egg<br />
handful of Brazil nuts, halved<br />
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Weigh the flour and sugar into a bowl.<br />
Melt the butter, gently in a saucepan and add the vanilla extract.<br />
With an electric whisk, whisk the melted butter into the dry mix until fully combined.<br />
Whisk in the egg<br />
Pour the mix into a lined cake tin (20cm) and arrange the Brazil nuts in a pattern of your choice.<br />
Bake for 25 minutes at 175C (fan).<br />
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Enjoy<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-77552096348913586482014-07-03T19:02:00.002+01:002014-07-03T19:02:32.476+01:00World Cup Food Challenge, Chilean Fish Stew, Chile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've seen a few World Cups in my time on this little spinning rock. France 98 was the first proper one, finally being old enough to appreciate the beautiful game and it's highs (Michael Owen vs Argentina) and its lows (Why Beckham, Why?). Since the, like most England supporters the belief has waned and now it's a case of when not if, we get dropped out of a major tournament.<br />
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Since we failed to qualify for Euro 2008, I've enjoyed watching tournaments more when not paying much attention to England and holy hell has Brazil 2014 been an enjoyable tournament. there have been few teams that have not come flying out of the box in terms of goals, attacking football and just sheer brilliance.<br />
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Brazil vs Chile proved no exception, brilliant end to end football from a team highly tipped for the title on their home turf and the underdogs who took the game straight to them. Of course it went to penalties, that stomach churning 10 minutes of impending doom (for England fans anyway) and it just wasn't to be, the underdogs fought bravely but were beaten in the end.<br />
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But their food lives on while their World cup dream dies and my choice for the final Chilean meal was inspired.<br />
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There is always one recipe that stands out during these types of challenges and this Chilean Fish Stew is the one that has stood out by a nautical mile.<br />
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Soft flaky fish in a creamy spicy, tomatoey fish broth made into a filling meal with the addition of new potatoes complimented by fresh herbs, It's heaven in a bowl.<br />
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The original recipe gave measurements in cups, which is the most idiotic measuring system on the planet so instead I just took the ingredients and went with it.<br />
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This recipe traditionally uses Conga eel but any firm white fish will do and feel free to throw in some shellfish as well if you like.<br />
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
400g white fish, in chunks<br />
1 onion, thin slices<br />
2 cloves of garlic<br />
400g cherry tomatoes, chopped<br />
200g new potatoes, halved<br />
1 heaped tsp of hot smoked paprika<br />
1 small bottle of white wine (187ml)<br />
half a litre of fish stock<br />
half a bunch of parsley<br />
salt and pepper<br />
small pot of double cream<br />
handful of fresh coriander<br />
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<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
Fry the onion and garlic together until soft, about 5 minutes.<br />
Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until soft and starting to break down.<br />
Stir in the paprika.<br />
Pour in the wine, stock , potatoes and parsley and simmer for 20 minutes until soft.<br />
Pour in the cream and season to taste.<br />
Add the fish and cook gently for a few minutes until cooked through.<br />
Serve with coriander sprinkled on top.<br />
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Enjoy<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-74685504745595315192014-06-27T13:43:00.003+01:002014-06-27T13:43:45.529+01:00World Cup Food Challenge - Pavlova, Australia<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TBLACaw9NWw/U61mylA4c9I/AAAAAAAACi0/OTYfPjSf0NA/s1600/IMAG0711%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TBLACaw9NWw/U61mylA4c9I/AAAAAAAACi0/OTYfPjSf0NA/s1600/IMAG0711%5B1%5D.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a>Last but not least, the whipping boys of Group B: The Aussies.<br />
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It's a bit unfair to call Australia the whipping boys of the group, considering Spain's performance. As far as I'm concerend they have had a decent tournment considering the group of death they were put in. I had good plans for this country mainly revolving around kangaroo but several things got in the way of me getting hold of some and by then it was too late. However, I have got it in my head and I've found that Leeds Markets stock kangaroo fillets, so they will be cooked and sampled at some point. <br />
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Even though this is World Cup challenge, Wimbleydon, got into the swing of things on Monday and everyones favourite Brit (for now) as got off to a flying start so to incorporate all things Australian and all things British, I decided to make a Pavlova with Strawberries and Cream but.... if you have an aversion to all things Aussie, drop it into a glass and boom, Eton Mess.<br />
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<strong><u>Ingredients</u></strong><br />
4 eggs whites<br />
250g caster sugar<br />
1tsp cornflour<br />
1tsp vanilla extract<br />
1tsp white wine vinegar<br />
<br />
tub of strawberries, chopped into chunks<br />
600ml double cream<br />
2tbsp icing sugar<br />
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<strong><u>Method</u></strong><br />
Seperate the egg whites into a bowl and whisk with an electric hand whisk until stiff peaks form.<br />
Whisk in the caster sugar 50g at a time until fully combined.<br />
Whisk in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and set aside.<br />
Preheat the ovento 120 C (fan) and draw a circle on a sheet of non stick baking paper.<br />
Spoon the meringue onto the circle, with high sides and a well to hold the cream and strawberries.<br />
Bake for 1 hour then switch of the oven and allow the meringue to cool inside.<br />
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to prepare...<br />
Whip the cream until it holds a soft peak and then whisk in the icing sugar, pile high on the meringue and top with lots of strawberries.<br />
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EnjoyGaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-60787830479742521612014-06-27T12:24:00.002+01:002014-06-27T12:24:58.862+01:00World Cup Food Challenge - Churros, Spain. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hWMLZCK55N0/U61UJ-Uo-tI/AAAAAAAACik/H7KQQzGLAAo/s1600/IMAG0710%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hWMLZCK55N0/U61UJ-Uo-tI/AAAAAAAACik/H7KQQzGLAAo/s1600/IMAG0710%5B1%5D.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a>Oh Spain, I had such high hopes for you. My tapas feast for the finale was well underway and then.....and then....you had to get completely hauled over the coals, utterly ripped apart and made to look like a Sunday league team by the magic of RVP and Robben. A staggering performance from the incumbent World and European champions.</div>
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So with my tapas dream turning to ashes, I was left with only one chance to cook from Spain. This was a difficult job with there being no shortage of tasty Spanish food, recipes and ingredients available. Was I to stick with my tapas feast? or choose something else?<br />
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Well it had to be something else, the feast just wouldn't be the same with Spain being <span style="background-color: white;">unceremoniously</span> drop kicked back across the Atlantic, so instead I opted for a recipe that I've always wanted to have a go at but never got round to. Churros.<br />
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For the <span data-dobid="hdw"><span style="background-color: white;">uninitiated,</span></span> Churros are the Spanish (and Mexican) equivalent of a doughnut, only instead of being round and filled with Jam, they are long and thin, coated in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar and then dipped into whatever you fancy. I personally recommend a fruit compote or melted chocolate.<br />
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This recipe is simplicity in itself but.... it is far easier with two people.<br />
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First off, make your dough....<br />
<strong><u>Ingredients</u></strong><br />
250g plain flour<br />
1tsp baking powder<br />
1tsp vanilla extract<br />
50g of butter<br />
350ml water<br />
pinch of salt<br />
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<strong><u>Method</u></strong><br />
Weigh out and seive together the flour and BP into a bowl, make a well in the centre.<br />
Boil the water and pour over the butter and vanilla extract in a measuring jug, stir until fully melted.<br />
Pour into the well and beat with a wooden spoon until a thick smooth dough is formed, allow to rest for 15 minutes.<br />
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Thats the easy part all done. Now...<br />
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Set up two trays, one with 150g of sugar and 2 tsp of cinnamon, mixed together and spread out. the other tray is to be covered with kitchen paper to absorb excess fat.<br />
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Next , fill a pan with about a litre of sunflower oil and slowly bring to about 150C, a piece of bread dropped in should brown within a minute.<br />
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While the oil is heating, transfer the mixture into a piping bag with a medium star nozzle, or a circle one if you don't want ridges.<br />
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Pipe into the oil to the desired length then, preferably with another person, cut off the end of the churro once the desired length as been piped.<br />
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Deep fry until golden brown, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon onto the paper and then roll in the sugar. repeat until all the batter is used.<br />
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EnjoyGaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-14903185728847946512014-06-26T19:01:00.003+01:002014-06-26T19:01:29.397+01:00World Cup Food Challenge - Escabeche, Chile.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
To South America and the next country in Group B; Chile.<br />
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Chile have had a decent start to their world cup campaign, coming second in their group which can be considered a successful outing so far as they weren't the favourites to escape to the last 16 with the European powerhouses of football Spain (ha!) and Holland, taking up residence.<br />
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So what to cook...<br />
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Chilean cuisine has very strong Spanish influences and because of its location of the west side of South America has vast amount of seafood at it disposal. Scouring the internet I stumbled upon a recipe for escabeche, something I've wanted to but never had the opportunity to try.<br />
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Escabeche simply means 'pickled' and consists of fillets of fish, quickly fried or poached then soaked in a pickling liquor to marinade until serving.<br />
<br />
So having decided to give Escabeche a go, I needed a recipe, enter River Cottage with this delicious recipe: <a href="http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/escabeche-of-mackerel-07-11-08">Escabeche of mackerel.</a> The recipe is also available in River Cottage Fish, which you really need to have in your collection.<br />
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I stuck to the recipe instructions with everything apart from the fish, I fancied rainbow trout and after trying it, it works fine.<br />
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The end result was delicious, lightly pickled fish, not to the extent of rollmops, and with a lovely spicing. You can almost feel yourself filling with virtue at the healthy deliciousness of it all. Give it a go.<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-32864365040574919882014-06-26T12:13:00.000+01:002014-06-26T12:13:13.793+01:00World Cup Food Challenge - Appel Taart, Holland.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's hard getting back into this blogging lark after a period of absence, a fairly lengthy period of absence looking back at the date of the last post. I have had stuff to blog, but little time or motivation to do it. I needed a challenge....<br />
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Fortunately the second greatest show on earth, The FIFA World Cup kicked off just under two weeks ago now and a team of crazy bloggers have been rounded up by @ewanmitchell to cook dishes from the all the participating countries, sound familiar? The good news this time, is there is only 32 countries and each blogger is responsible for 4 of them to cook with them through the tournament. <br />
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<em><strong><u>My Teams:</u></strong></em></div>
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<em><strong><u>Group B</u></strong></em></div>
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Australia</div>
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Holland</div>
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Spain</div>
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Chile</div>
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Lets start things off with my team of the tournament and my tip for World Cup glory; The Dutch.</div>
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The Dutch have had a blinding start so far, 3 wins out of 3 and Van Persie and Robben on blistering form. While wondering what to make for this country I was told to give their apple tart a go and they didn't have to tell me twice when it comes to baking or pies.</div>
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It's an interesting recipe this one, a bit of a cross between a pie and cake, with a bread style crust. it's very simple to make, far easier than the English apple tart and taste delicious with slightly tart apple, spicy cinnamon and sweet bread/cake holding it all together.</div>
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<strong><u>Ingredients</u></strong></div>
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175g butter</div>
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175g plain flour</div>
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175g self raising flour</div>
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1 egg</div>
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1tbsp water</div>
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zest of one lemon</div>
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<strong>Filling</strong></div>
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3-4 large slightly tart apples, think Braeburn not Royal Gala, cut into small pieces</div>
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50g sultanas</div>
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1tsp cinnamon</div>
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50g sugar</div>
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juice of one lemon</div>
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2 tbsp Apricot Jam</div>
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<strong><u>Method</u></strong></div>
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Make the filling, add the juice of the lemon to a bowl</div>
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Core the apples and slice into small chunks, add to the lemon and stir to make sure they don't colour.</div>
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Add the remaining ingredients and mix together well, set aside.</div>
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Beat the butter until light and fluffy, add the flours, the egg, water and zest of lemon. mix together to make a soft, not sticky dough.</div>
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Remove a third of the dough and set aside. press the remaining dough into a lined 20cm cake tin, making sure it is even and goes up the sides of the cake tin.</div>
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Fill the tin with the apple mixture.</div>
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With the reserved dough, make a lattice effect over the top of the cake and then place into a preheated oven at 170C for 45-50 minutes until golden on top.</div>
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Melt the jam in a small saucepan and stir until smooth, brush the top of the cake once removed from the oven</div>
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Serve with sweetened cream or vanilla ice cream</div>
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<span class="hps">Genieten!</span></div>
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Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-53231626870617160182014-04-09T16:49:00.001+01:002014-04-09T16:49:34.088+01:00Wild Garlic Quiche<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is the season of Wild Garlic, a lovely food season where people (like me) can pretend to be scouring the wild for their tea and returning home victorious to a well earned pint after a hard day's searching, foraging and gathering.<br />
I may have exaggerated a little there as I am quite fortunate to know of a good stash of wild garlic a mere 2 minutes walk from the OH's flat, but hey when finding food in the wild (local park) it's something to be slightly pleased about.<br />
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Anyway, it's a relatively simple plant to find. It grows like wildfire and it has very nice and edible little white flowers attached to it. It also has a very distinctive strong smell and chances are you will smell it before you see it. There is about a month left of the season so you still have plenty of time to find some.<br />
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As well as obtaining some wild garlic, the kind folks at <a href="http://www.barbers1833.co.uk/">Barber's 1833</a> recently sent me some of their excellent cheddar to sample. Matured for at least 2 years, it is a delicious cheese with a rich taste that only comes from decent cheese that has had time to develop its flavour.<br />
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Pondering what to make with it (before I ate it all) I did think about making a classic rarebit but with spring in the air and the clocks going forward, I only had one option and I had to make the first quiche of the year.<br />
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Using a standard quiche base of eggs cream and milk, I grated a good chunk of cheddar in, alongside sliced up wild garlic leaves. I also added nutmeg to the pastry to liven it up a bit. The end result was delicious, cheesy, creamy quiche with the cheese balancing well with the wild garlic and not getting completely drowned out, a perfect spring time treat.<br />
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
<b><u>Pastry</u></b><br />
200g plain flour<br />
100g butter<br />
1 egg yolk<br />
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg<br />
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<b><u>Filling</u></b><br />
100g Chedder Cheese, grated<br />
8-10 leaves of Wild Garlic, rolled into a cigar then finely sliced<br />
150ml double cream<br />
100ml milk<br />
4 eggs<br />
1 tsp nutmeg<br />
Salt and pepper<br />
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You will need a 20cm fluted, loose based tart tin<br />
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<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
<b>Pastry</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Add the butter to the flour and rub together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">add the water and stir with a knife to combine, then knead together quickly to combine until a soft dough.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Wrap tightly in clingfilm and leave in fridge for at least half n hour.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Get two sheets of cling film, spread one across the work surface, place each mound of dough in the middle and spread the other sheet over the top. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Roll out gently in between the two sheets of cling film (this method stops any excess flour being added to the pastry and drying it out). </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Remove the top layer and using the bottom layer drape the pastry gently into the tin and press gently into all edges. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">With a rolling pin, roll it over the top of the tart tin to take off the edge. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Prick the base with a fork to stop it from rising in the oven. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Return to the fridge. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Preheat the oven to 180C and place a baking tray in the oven to heat up.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Push up the edges of the </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">pastry</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"> slightly to compensate for shrinkage.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Bake blind for 15 minutes then for a further 15 minutes </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">normally</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"> to dry out and bake the base.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Once baked, brush the base with egg white to create a seal.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Lower the oven temperature to 150C</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.479999542236328px;"><b>Filling</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">In a bowl, mix the eggs, milk, cream and nutmeg until fully combined. Season to taste.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Stir in the cheese and wild garlic and pour into the tart casing.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Bake at 150C for 30 - 40 minutes until slightly golden.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18.479999542236328px;">Allow to cool before serving.</span></span></span><br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-75791064780457501732014-04-06T10:22:00.002+01:002014-04-06T16:37:34.265+01:00Amazing Graze<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday was the start of the second annual music and street food festival held in of all places, a church.<br />
Run by the food heroes of <a href="http://www.manjitskitchen.com/">Manjit's Kitchen</a>, Amazing Graze is a collection of great street food, quality beer and an eclectic mix of musical acts, ranging from DJ sets to HipHop to Acapella. It is running today as well so still time to get yourself down there.<br />
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We were there for a good few hours merrily drinking and eating away a pleasant Saturday afternoon (with a brief interlude to shout at a certain horse race results). The street food itself, ranged from the usual pulled pork and paella to something a bit more adventurous from the makers of Leeds finest breakfast, <a href="https://twitter.com/The_Greedy_Pig">The Greedy Pig</a>.<br />
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The Pig, having escaped from their usual little cafe, had on a 6 option tapas menu, using all the parts of an animal that usually get neglected.<br />
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Naturally I had to try them all and between me and the OH we ordered the lot. The OH went for a terrine, meatballs and Ox heart kebab.<br />
I went for the Ox heart kebab, thick chunks of tender spiced heart, griddled to perfection.<br />
Scotch Quail eggs, quail eggs wrapped in sausage meat and liver and finally one of the finest pieces of offal I have ever tried with the Ox Tongue Taco, thinly sliced spiced tongue with salsa, curd cheese and pumpkin seed.<br />
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After a few hours and a few beers, the final tapas arrived with Stu from the cafe in the form of Black Pudding wontons, a product so simple but so good, crispy wonton pastry with a black pudding filling served with sweet and sour onions. Superb.<br />
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Having digested a bit, I decided to opt for a relative newcomer to the street food scene, <a href="https://twitter.com/eehbanhmi">Banh mi Booth</a>, their van is still currently being built but this hasn't affected the food, with them offering an excellent selection of Vietnamese sandwiches (banh mi) and noodle dishes. I went for the pork and received a very large sandwich filled with pork, vegetables, herbs, chillis and a fried egg to put the final nail in the food coma.<br />
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After a few more beers, we decided to call it a day and headed back to town but not before getting an ice cream (caramelised banana sorbet (left) and golden syrup (right)) for the road from the always excellent Gingers Comfort Emporium.<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-18772325324219740532014-03-16T19:13:00.002+00:002014-03-16T19:13:46.890+00:00Flapjack with Dark Chocolate and Raspberry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-63ugYemYwTM/UyX2y04XwpI/AAAAAAAACds/VQpyb8dtDe8/s1600/1394988872756%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-63ugYemYwTM/UyX2y04XwpI/AAAAAAAACds/VQpyb8dtDe8/s1600/1394988872756%5B1%5D.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a> It has been a very busy week at work and is only likely to get busier as it is approaching that delightful time in the academic year known as coursework/exam season. Roll on the 11th June when it will all be over but until then we have to power through. To aid this, I decided to go a bit old school and make a baking classic, a good old flapjack.<br />
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Never underestimate the wonder of a well made flapjack, Golden buttery oats that are sweet, crunchy and chewy that can be eaten on the go or lazily with a cup of tea and your feet up, glorious.<br />
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A good flapjack should consist of 50% porridge oats with the rest made up of equal quantities of proper butter, sticky golden syrup and golden caster sugar. Various dried fruits can be added but these are strictly optional as is my final ingredient.<br />
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Now the flapjack is wonderful on it's own but it's even better with chocolate, but it has to be dark... milk is too sweet and white...well lets not go there.<br />
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I picked up a bar of Divine's Dark Chocolate with Raspberries to go on top, it's a delightful chocolate with little tangy bits of raspberry in it which go really well in cutting through sweet flapjack and bitter chocolate.<br />
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
450g Oats<br />
150g Butter<br />
150g golden caster Sugar<br />
150g Golden syrup<br />
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1 bar of Dark chocolate with raspberries (if using)<br />
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<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
Line your chosen baking tin, I used a 23cm Pie dish, about an inch deep.<br />
Weigh out the oats into a bowl.<br />
Add the butter, sugar and syrup to a pan and then melt and stir gently until fully combined and a lovely golden liquid is created.<br />
Pour in the oats and stir well until all oats are coated.<br />
Pour into the tray and flatten down and smooth over with the back of a spoon.<br />
Bake for 30 minutes at 150C until golden on top<br />
Allow to cool<br />
Melt the chocolate gently in a bowl over a pan of simmering water then drizzle over the flapjack as you see fit.<br />
Serve and enjoy.<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-51381590201668785512014-03-02T18:02:00.001+00:002014-03-02T18:02:50.968+00:00Creme Egg Brownies<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9fPLISVz3mk/UxNx5iDvgtI/AAAAAAAACdA/Umla9ZrfvMk/s1600/1393768164892.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9fPLISVz3mk/UxNx5iDvgtI/AAAAAAAACdA/Umla9ZrfvMk/s1600/1393768164892.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a>I am a broken man this weekend. My very soul has been shattered and my liver has packed its bags and gone on holiday in protest. Yes, I drank a little too much alcohol combined with a lack of food and now I'm suffering for it.<br />
Don't worry though, I am on the mend, assisted by these little beauties, which I made today.<br />
I have been wanting to make creme egg brownies for an age, yes they are all over the place but I worship at the alter of the creme egg and combined with a gooey sticky brownie then its all good my friends.<br />
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The recipe I used is adapted from Lorraine Pascale's Oreo brownies which has served me well in the past, obviously this time I omitted the Oreo's in favour of the creme egg.<br />
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<b><u>Creme egg brownies</u></b><br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
165g Butter<br />
200g Dark Chocolate, broken up.<br />
3 eggs<br />
2 egg yolks<br />
165g light brown soft sugar<br />
2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
2 tbsp plain flour<br />
1 tbsp cocoa powder<br />
pinch of salt<br />
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Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the chocolate, set aside and allow to melt, stirring occasionally until fully combined.<br />
Whisk the eggs with the vanilla until light and fluffy<br />
add the sugar to the side of the bowl in two goes, whisk between each addition.<br />
Pour in the chocolate and fold in gently.<br />
Fold in the flour, salt and cocoa.<br />
Pour into a lined tin, I used a large pie tin but a standard 20cm square baking tin will suffice.<br />
Slice the creme eggs into halves or quarters and arrange over the top.<br />
Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes at 170C (fan)<br />
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Allow to cool slightly then use the baking sheet to lift it out to cool completely.<br />
Serve and enjoy.<br />
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I can already feel my soul healing... until next weekend.<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-48252442591830302262014-02-27T14:46:00.000+00:002014-02-27T17:30:02.236+00:00Edinburgh<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Last week Me and the OH went off on one of our food tours across the country, usually our destination is London but instead to break from tradition we headed North to our second favourite city, Edinburgh. Now when we go on holiday or go anywhere in fact, it is all about where we eat and drink, I tend to plan this very far in advance and then read menus up until the day we go. This post is about what we got up to and the excellent things we had to eat<br />
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<strong><u>The Hanging Bat</u></strong></div>
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A new find and a lovely craft beer and gin bar. Below is the epic beef po'boy sandwich with mac and cheese and burnt beans and chorizo</div>
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<b><u>The Bow bar/Queens Arms</u></b><br />
Two of the finest whisky bars in Edinburgh. Many many whiskies were drunk.</div>
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<strong><u>Bramble Bar</u></strong></div>
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Another new place, cracking well priced cocktail bar in a hidden location. If you find the laundrette, you've found it.</div>
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<b><u>The Dogs</u></b></div>
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This place is amazing, simple food done incredibly well without fuss. plenty of offal for the more adventurous but 'safe options if you ain't, also one of the waiters reminds us of Richard o'Brien from Crystal Maze.</div>
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Devilled Ox liver, onions bacon and mushrooms</div>
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Pork belly with Skirlie (oatmeal, liver and kidney)</div>
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<b><u>The Kitchin</u></b></div>
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A return visit to arguably Scotland's finest restaurant. This wasn't on the original plan having previously visited, but my dad was joining us for the day and there was no where else I'd rather take him. The lunch menu is a bargain, 3 course plus appetiser and bread for £28. I ordered a second pudding because I'm greedy and like puddings.</div>
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Pheasant Jelly with quail egg and Confit pheasant leg</div>
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Bouillabaisse with mussel and cod cheeks</div>
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Ox Leg with cannelloni of ox tongue and vegetables</div>
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1st Pudding - Pistachio Souffle</div>
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2nd pudding - Vanilla cheesecake with Yorkshire rhubarb</div>
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<u><strong>Circle Cafe</strong></u></div>
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Epic breakfast at Circle Cafe</div>
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<strong><u>Under the Stairs</u></strong></div>
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Another 'hidden away bar' serving one of the best meat and cheese boards I've seen.</div>
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<strong><u>Castle Terrace</u></strong></div>
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Our final meal in Edinburgh, the sister restaurant to The Kitchin run by Dominic Jack.</div>
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We were very impressed with this place and it gave me the dish of the week with the absolutely stunning pork dish below, I've never eaten a pork dish as good. This was again £28 for 3 courses.<br />
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Canapes</div>
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Manhattan (not much of a wine drinker, me)</div>
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Tartare of Gurnard with Yorkshire rhubarb</div>
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<strong><u>Selection of Pork with Apple</u></strong></div>
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The selection: Pork fillet, Pork cheek, Breaded trotter, Pork belly, Bacon, Black pudding and Chorzio. Unbelievable value for a set lunch option. I would have happily paid £28 for this alone.</div>
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Creme Brulee</div>
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Mini Cheese course</div>
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Petit Fours</div>
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Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-82984521982799772442014-02-26T19:38:00.000+00:002014-02-26T19:38:33.532+00:00Salted Chocolate Lime Mousse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">One month I will not leave these blogger challenges to the last minute. I have had this recipe picked out since the start of the month with plenty of free weekends to carry it out in a leisurely manner but instead I end up cooking it right before the deadline, I'll never learn.</span><br />
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This month at <a href="http://www.belleaukitchen.com/">Belleau Kitchen HQ</a> our Lord Commander of Random Recipes as teamed up with Choclette over at <a href="http://choclogblog.blogspot.co.uk/">Chocolate Log Blog</a> with the always excellent We Should Cocoa blogger challenge. So as you can probably figure it out, this months challenge is a random chocolate challenge.<br />
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Also, the monthly Tea Time Treats Challenge, hosted by Karen and Janie and in residence this month at Karen's stunning blog; <a href="http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/">Lavender and Lovage</a> has the theme of Chocolate, so I am entering this recipe to that as well. 3 birds with one stone if you will.<br />
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The book I chose is not random but it is a book I have not yet used and it is Our Hugh's River Cottage Fruit Everyday, the follow up to the brilliant Veg Everyday. The recipe I randomly chose was a Salted Chocolate lime mousse.<br />
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I was very pleased to land on this for a few reasons. I have never made a mousse before and I am keen to give it ago and the fact that it was salted chocolate was the other reason.<br />
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Salted chocolate is not a new thing, it's been around awhile but it is a fascinating piece of food science in which the actual salt does not make it salty (unless you pour it on) but instead suppresses the bitter notes of the chocolate and enhances the sweet notes, good eh?<br />
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The recipe itself was very simple but make sure you have three bowls ready as scrambling (not even sorry for that pun) around for a bowl whilst holding an egg yolk is a bit tricky. The end result was a bit unexpected and I think I may have gone wrong at some point, the picture in the book shows a dark chocolate mousse but as you can see, mine looks a bit different. Anybody got any tips?<br />
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The mousse, aesthetic qualities aside, was lovely, light and fluffy, very chocolaty combined with tangy lime. Rich but refreshing in a strange way.<br />
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The recipe is available here on the <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/oct/05/fruit-recipes-hugh-fearnley-whittingstall-book">Guardian website</a>, about halfway down, if you fancy giving it a go.<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-22275546704956407102014-01-30T14:57:00.001+00:002014-01-30T14:57:40.018+00:00Haggis, Neeps and Tatties<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1v9CbOVJjH4/UupnTe7rjJI/AAAAAAAACYQ/8CNyzf2erlg/s1600/1390738581846%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1v9CbOVJjH4/UupnTe7rjJI/AAAAAAAACYQ/8CNyzf2erlg/s1600/1390738581846%5B1%5D.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a>Last Saturday, the 25th January, was the annual Scottish celebration of the poet and master wordsmith Robert 'Rabbie' Burns. Usually this event passes me and the OH by and we barely make any effort to join in the celebrations. It is a pity really considering the festival itself, whilst being a celebration of a Scottish writer, it mainly revolves around food, namely the noble Haggis.<br />
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Now the haggis, has got an interesting reputation, you either love it or you are immediately repulsed by the thought of it, with its use of offal as it's main ingredients. I was once in the latter camp until I tried a bit many years ago now at the Good Food Show and oh was it delicious. <br />
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Fast forward to last week and after seeing some lovely posts on blogs I read namely; <a href="http://www.belleaukitchen.com/2014/01/burns-night-chicken-thighs.html">Belleau Kitchen's Chicken Thighs & Haggis</a> and <a href="http://farmersgirl.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/haggis-neeps-and-tattie-pie-burns-night.html">Janice's at Farmers Girl Kitchen's excellent pie</a>, I was determined to not let it slide by for another year especially as it would get me right in the mood for a trip to Edinburgh in a couple of weeks.<br />
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We couldn't attend a couple of Burns Night events that we wanted to at the weekend due to work and a visit to one of our favourite Leeds Supper clubs on the Saturday night. <br />
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So on Saturday we had a 'little' toast to Robert Burns in North Bar with an excellent pint of Pale Ale from the Scottish brewery, Alchemy. We rounded this off with a wee dram of a very peaty Whisky from Adberg Distillery, which the OH practically downed in an effort 'to get it over and done with'.....<br />
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...and on Sunday, I cooked my very first haggis and served it up in the traditional way with Neeps (what we call swedes, combined with carrots for colour), Tatties and onion gravy.<br />
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A fine way to toast a fine poet if you ask me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.robertburns.org.uk/Assets/Poems_Songs/toahaggis.htm">Address to a Haggis by Robert Burns</a></div>
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Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-85753978473292698812014-01-20T17:14:00.000+00:002014-01-20T17:14:13.011+00:00Sticky Toffee Pudding<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-owxKeMMUMx4/Ut1YRrsF2EI/AAAAAAAACXQ/5uGaakCKyUE/s1600/IMAG0095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-owxKeMMUMx4/Ut1YRrsF2EI/AAAAAAAACXQ/5uGaakCKyUE/s1600/IMAG0095.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a>Sticky toffee pudding has got to be one of the finest puddings known to humankind. Dark, chewy cake, drenched in sticky toffee sauce and lightened with a splash of cream, it's a pudding that has no qualms about it's 'unhealthiness' and as such rewards you with a bowl of pure joy.<br />
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Now you may think that it is as British as it comes, but the original recipe can be traced to Canada who gave it to a chef from Lancashire called Patrica Martin. A chef from my home county of Cumbria then got hold of the recipe and stuck it firmly on the map by serving it at the Sharrow Bay Hotel. Nowadays the unofficial home of the sticky toffee pudding is Cartmel, where the little village shop makes 2000 of the little beauties every week.<br />
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It is essentially a fail safe dessert, it's very rare that somebody around the table will not like it and if they don't like it then there is more for everybody else, win-win in my book. It has made its way on to my Christmas Dinner table and more recently on to the tweet up table of <a href="https://twitter.com/EwanMitchell">@ewanmitchell</a> who invited a few of us round for a meal, of which I was placed in charge of the pudding.<br />
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The recipe I used is a Nigel Slater recipe but it is relatively unchanged from the classic recipe.<br />
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<b><u>Sticky Toffee Pudding</u></b><br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
60g Butter<br />
60g golden caster sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
150g self raising flour<br />
150g dates, stoned and chopped.<br />
250ml hot water<br />
1tsp bicarb.<br />
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<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
<b>Cake</b><br />
Line a 900g loaf tin and preheat the oven to 170C<br />
Place the prepared dates into a bowl and pour of the bicarb and hot water, leave for ten minutes.<br />
Beat the sugar and butter together until fluffy then beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully combined.<br />
Fold in the flour until combined.bat in the date mixture, the mixture will be very runny.<br />
Pour into the loaf tin and bake for about 40 minutes, a skewer should remove clean when cooked.<br />
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<b>Sauce</b><br />
Place the butter and sugar into a pan and melt together, stirring continuously.<br />
Once combined, pour in the cream and simmer very gently for 5 minutes. <br />
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Pour into a serving jug and serve with cream alongside cut up portions of the cake.<br />
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Enjoy.<br />
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I am submitting this for this months Tea Time Treats Challenge by <a href="http://www.lavenderandlovage.com/">Karen</a> and <a href="http://www.whatkatebaked.com/">Kate</a> of which the theme is eggs. This month the challenge is guest hosted by Jane over at <a href="http://www.hedgecombers.com/">her lovely blog.</a><br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-37523229624384762862014-01-15T17:21:00.003+00:002014-01-15T17:21:35.900+00:00Chicken, Mushroom and Noodle Broth - A Random Recipe<br />
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A new year means a new month and with a new month comes many blogger challenges. I have my eye on two this month, Tea Time Treats and of course the usual <a href="http://www.belleaukitchen.com/">Random Recipe Challenge from Belleau Kitchen</a>.<br />
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The Random Recipe challenge this month is Christmas cookbooks. I got one book for Christmas which was a book about cake decorating, not really appropriate for this month with the cake I currently have to make and decorate taking up a lot of time. So I decided to go for the book I treated myself to over the Christmas period which was Nigel Slater's Eat.<br />
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Nigel Slater is not everyone's cup of tea but I like him. His recipes are usually spot on and work every time and they are focused on flavour and not complicated techniques. Eat is no exception, it's a hefty book, with a lovely cloth binding, filled with quick recipes and also suggestions around those recipes all written in an easy going style with no random hard-to-get ingredients. I highly recommend it.<br />
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As usual, I consulted the wise sage that is the random number generator to select my recipe which lead me to page 59, the home of a chicken, asparagus and noodle broth.<br />
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I am not going to post the recipe as it is in the book, I'm just going to tell you how I did it and what I changed.<br />
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<b><u>Chicken, Courgette and Noodle Broth</u></b><br />
Firstly, I seasoned 4 chicken legs with salt and pepper before browning them in oil a deep pan until golden on all sides. I then sliced up some Chestnut mushrooms (about 4 large) and added them to the pan alongside a clove of thinly sliced garlic. I then added a chicken stock pot and 750ml water and left to simmer for 30 minutes. The recipe then states to add asparagus shavings but having checked out the dire specimens in the supermarket I decided to opt for a courgette which I peeled into thin strips using a vegetable peeler. I added these plus 200g of noodles to the pot. I then removed the chicken, shredded it, discarded the bone and stirred it back into the pan and then served.<br />
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The resulting broth was superb. it was akin to having a great big hug in a bowl, defending you from the winter chill. A deep chicken flavour with a undercurrent of garlic, bulked up with meaty chestnut mushrooms and soft noodles, I did feel it lacked just a slight kick of heat and next time I might slice up a mild chilli and add it with the garlic. It was very simple to make and will easily serve 3 people. Another corker from the Random Recipe challenge.<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-92020421715964590702014-01-12T12:03:00.001+00:002014-01-13T19:51:33.398+00:00Sticky Date and Prune Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Tlkgm3TJSY/UtKEI2vMLgI/AAAAAAAACV0/q6yyiKIdFro/s1600/1389518966031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Tlkgm3TJSY/UtKEI2vMLgI/AAAAAAAACV0/q6yyiKIdFro/s1600/1389518966031.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a>According to some scientist types this weekend is the weekend when those resolutions that you were adamant that you would stick to simply fail, fall or die trying.<br />
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Is it any wonder though? It's January, the depths of winter, who really wants to start a new exercise regime or start eating healthily when all you really want to do is watch tely under a duvet on the sofa and eat comfort food.<br />
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Well, if you are one of those many people who have told the New Year resolutions where to go then I have the recipe right here for you. It's a reasonable healthy cake which you can eat guilt-free, a term which I personally hate because cake should always be guilt-free. But if you insist on associating unnecessary emotions on an innocent piece of cake then follow the advice of the great Mary Berry: 'have a smaller slice'.<br />
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This cake is taken from HRH Delia Smith and her very lovely book: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Delias-Cakes-Delia-Smith/dp/1444734814/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389527095&sr=8-1&keywords=delia+cakes">Delia's Cakes</a> and I decided to have a go at it to do something different cake-wise instead of the <a href="http://exploitsofafoodnut.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/the-great-cake-project-2014.html">Great Cake Project 2014</a> plus I can actually eat this one instead of just decorating it.<br />
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It is a cracking cake once cooked and cooled. It is dark, it is dense, it is sticky, it is...in a word... glorious. It's a perfect winter cake and after reading this you definitely go and make it.<br />
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<b><u>Sticky Date and Prune cake</u></b><br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
175g dates, stoned and chopped<br />
125g ready-to-eat prunes, chopped<br />
75g raisins<br />
75g currants<br />
200g butter<br />
300g condensed milk<br />
220g plain flour<br />
pinch of salt<br />
1/2 tsp Bicarb<br />
1 tbsp marmalade<br />
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<b><u>Glaze</u></b><br />
1 1/2 tbsp marmalade +1/2 tbsp water<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
Place everything apart from the dry ingredients and marmalade into a sauce pan.<br />
Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes then place into a large mixing bowl to cool for half n hour<br />
Line a 20cm cake tin and preheat the oven to 170C (fan)<br />
Weigh out the flour and sift with the salt and bicarb.<br />
Once the mixture has cooled, stir in the dry ingredients and marmalade into it until fully combined.<br />
Pour into the tin and smooth with the back of a spoon.<br />
Bake for 1 hour and 50 minutes.<br />
Halfway through, check on it, if the top is getting dark, cover with baking paper for the remaining time.<br />
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then turn out on a cooling rack.<br />
Once the cake is cool, heat the marmalade and water in a small saucepan until smooth then brush over the cake to glaze it.<br />
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Serve and Enjoy<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-38167757271478188662014-01-09T18:03:00.003+00:002014-01-09T18:03:59.107+00:00The Great Cake Project 2014<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eE7zknqxz7Y/Us7gI52ntJI/AAAAAAAACU0/Vi5-t99FxBE/s1600/1389121210824%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eE7zknqxz7Y/Us7gI52ntJI/AAAAAAAACU0/Vi5-t99FxBE/s1600/1389121210824%5B1%5D.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a>Well the title may be a bit grander than necessary for these posts but... it is about cake, in 2014 and it is a project. The grand bit...well we will see in a few weeks.<br />
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Many moons ago, well September, I wandered along to the local university centre (posh term for college) and signed up for an evening cookery course for this academic year. The course itself is about cake decoration and the module we have been working on for the past few months is decoration using Royal Icing such as; coating cakes and various piping techniques such as lettering, crowning and flowers.<br />
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We have just started our first assessed piece, over the next 6 weeks, where we have to design and decorate a cake using the various competencies that we have learned, practiced and raged at for the last few months.<br />
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As part of this we have to reflect on the stages/weeks as we go along. What went well/wrong, needs changed/altered/removed etc...<br />
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So I thought I might as well stick a version of that on here for you lovely people to read and see how I am doing.<br />
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I am currently not sure how the posts will work as it is immensely difficult to explain some of techniques without actually showing you them but we will see how it goes anyway.<br />
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<b><u>Stage 1 - Marzipan</u></b></div>
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One of the first things we learned and surprisingly you don't just roll out a big sheet, plonk it on and smooth it out, it is a little more complex than that...<br />
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1) Firstly, what you do is, roll out a sheet of marzipan, in a circle, wider than the top of your cake. Invert your cake so the completely flat side is on the marzipan and cut out, using a sharp knife, a circle of the top of the cake. Take off the cake and brush with apricot jam then place the circle of marzipan on the top.<br />
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2) To create a perfectly flat side and a level cake, stuff marzipan in the little ridge on the underside of the cake, this secures the cake to the board, makes the side perfectly straight and makes the top of the cake level as well. Once stuffed, trim off any excess so it is even with the cake wall and smooth it round.<br />
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3) Using measuring tape, measure the circumference of your cake. Roll out the marzipan in along thin rectangle to the length you previously measured allowing excess for the top, the marzipan should be about 1/2 cm thick. Brush the cake walls with apricot jam and wrap the marzipan around it. Smooth the sides and make sure the sides seal with the circle of marzipan on the top.</div>
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4) Using a sharp knife, insert it through the excess at the top so the flat of the blade slides along the top of the cake and trim off the excess carefully around the cake. Once trimmed, then smooth down making sure the cake sides and top are sealed. if you look very carefully at the picture below you can see the join mark.<br />
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Leave to dry for a day or two.<br />
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Yes, the cake is off centre but that is deliberate for design purposes. Next week: A Royal Icing coating.Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-8720566216635662432013-12-29T14:01:00.003+00:002013-12-30T00:20:48.919+00:00French Onion Soup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-344GjQ1C4Uw/UsAqvNkl_DI/AAAAAAAACUU/v22QwhYKzLk/s1600/IMAG0079%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-344GjQ1C4Uw/UsAqvNkl_DI/AAAAAAAACUU/v22QwhYKzLk/s400/IMAG0079%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This is my all time favourite soup, I remember my first bowl of it at my uncles house when I was nine, it was superb; dark, rich and incredibly moreish.<br />
It's a classic French dish of sheer simplicity in it's ingredients and techniques but requires care and attention to extract all the glorious flavour out of the humble onion, a vegetable often relegated to what you throw in the pan first.<br />
The usual routine is to slowly saute the onions in a butter and oil, turning them from harsh, ridged eye waterers to a soft, golden, sticky pile of sweetness, true culinary alchemy.<br />
However, <a href="http://www.belleaukitchen.com/2013/10/no-tears-french-onion-soup.html">Dom of Belleau Kitchen made a cracking version</a> a few months back using a slow roasting method which managed to extract the wonder out of the onion without the faff of slicing and stirring beforehand, which I need to try. Either way, whichever technique you use, slowly is the key.<br />
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If I haven't convinced you yet, did I mention it's served with a slice of cheese on toast?<br />
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
about a kilo of white onions, thinly sliced<br />
40g butter<br />
splash of oil<br />
2 tsp of sugar<br />
1.5 litres of beef stock<br />
125ml of white wine.<br />
Salt and Pepper<br />
few slices of a crusty loaf<br />
100g Gruyere cheese<br />
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<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
Melt the butter with the oil in a large saucepan and add the onions.<br />
Over a low to medium heat, slowly fry the onions for at lest 20 minutes until they turn golden and sticky, add the sugar after 15 minutes to aid caramelisation.<br />
Once nicely golden, add the beef stock, seasoning and wine to the pan, add a lid with a small gap and simmer very gently for at the very least an hour.<br />
Slice the bread so it fits in your bowls, under a grill toast one side, turn over then add the cheese and toast again until melted. place on top of the soup in the bowl.<br />
Serve and enjoy.<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-46777045721655042522013-12-29T13:21:00.000+00:002013-12-29T13:21:16.555+00:00Christmas Dinner 2013Merry Christmas everybody, that's another Christmas Dinner over and done with for another year.<div>
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How was yours then? did you opt for Turkey or go with something a bit more interesting? I refuse to have that bird grace my dinner table but we do roast a crown for sandwiches for the next few days.<div>
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Christmas dinner in my house this year was a simple affair, easy recipes that could be made the day before with little effort and would all come together with very little hassle and that would please my incredibly fussy family.</div>
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I am going to blog a few of the recipes but here is few picture I managed to take throughout the day of the end result.</div>
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<u><b>Christmas Dinner 2013</b></u></div>
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<b>Aperitif </b></div>
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<b>Clementine Bellini</b></div>
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<b>Starter </b></div>
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<b>French Onion Soup</b></div>
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<b>Main Course</b></div>
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<b>Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb</b></div>
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<b>Carrots cooked in butter, water, sugar and star anise</b></div>
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<b>Brussels with chestnuts and bacon</b></div>
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<b>Potato Dauphinoise</b></div>
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<b>Roasties</b></div>
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<b>Dessert </b></div>
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<b>Sticky Toffee Pudding</b></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kzP2agAEUVU/UsAdXQQLM6I/AAAAAAAACTg/U1pWH5oewRo/s1600/IMAG0094%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kzP2agAEUVU/UsAdXQQLM6I/AAAAAAAACTg/U1pWH5oewRo/s400/IMAG0094%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3CVTdZfN0Wg/UsAdtF-acKI/AAAAAAAACUI/fvKWdU_vdR0/s1600/IMAG0090%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3CVTdZfN0Wg/UsAdtF-acKI/AAAAAAAACUI/fvKWdU_vdR0/s400/IMAG0090%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Digestif </b></div>
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<b>A well earned dram of Single Malt</b></div>
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Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all.</div>
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Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-39865937124085350922013-11-29T16:28:00.001+00:002013-11-29T16:28:42.344+00:00Chilli Poached Pears - A Random Recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Not often I say this but I miss Summer. Not the heat and the muggy sleepless nights. What I miss is the light.<br />
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Daylight from long before you awaken, all the way until just an hour or so before you head to bed. Currently I get up in the dark, go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. This makes writing a blog fairly tricky, especially if all you have is a slightly dodgy phone camera and an abundance of light bulbs that suck the joy and life out of everything I try and take a picture of and I really dislike blogging with no or bad pictures.<br />
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I may have to get some sort of lightbox or hibernate until spring.<br />
Anyhoo, it's another month and even though I've been absent I had to make a return for <a href="http://www.belleaukitchen.com/">Dom's Random Recipes</a> as it is one blogger challenge that pains me to miss so I have had to make this recipe at work, in order to get a decent picture, good job I work in a kitchen.<br />
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The book I randomly chose is Ramsay's Ultimate Home Cooking and the random page number selected is... *drum roll* 278!!<br />
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Well this recipe is nothing sort of superb, stunning flavours from the Star Anise combined with the saffron and chilli to give a deliciously sticky sauce that smacks you round the face with chilli heat before being washed away by the juicy sweet pear. I'm considering making this for Christmas dinner due to its ease and glorious flavour.<br />
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<b><u>Chilli Poached Pears</u></b><br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
125g Caster Sugar<br />
1 red chilli, halved lengthways<br />
Pinch of saffron (optional)<br />
2 whole star anise<br />
4 conference pears, peeled<br />
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<b>Dust</b><br />
4 star anise<br />
1 tsp ground ginger<br />
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<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
Slice a little bit off the bottom of the pear so it can stand up right.<br />
Place the sugar, chilli, saffron and the star anise into a pan large enough for the pears. Add 500ml of water. Place over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved then add the pears.<br />
Simmer gently for 10 mins until the pears are soft but still holding their shape.<br />
Make the dust by grinding the star anise with a pestle and mortar and then mix in the ginger.<br />
Remove the pears and reduce the liquor for 10-15 minutes until syrupy.<br />
Serve either warm or cold with the syrup poured over the pears and sprinkled with the dust.<br />
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Enjoy<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-8511547689426684452013-10-13T22:31:00.000+01:002013-10-13T22:33:21.261+01:00New York Cheesecake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Start spreading the news....I'm leaving today...I want to be a part of it... New York New York<br />
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Ah New York, a city so good they named it twice and they weren't wrong. It is a truly epic place in all meanings of the word, the buildings, that song, the imagery and of course the food.</div>
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I have been lucky enough to visit twice with a third visit planned for next summer and already my list of things to do increases daily...</div>
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<li>Visit Brooklyn Brewery</li>
<li>Attempt to eat a pastrami sandwich at Katz deli</li>
<li>Visit Momofuku to sample the Pork Buns</li>
<li>Visit a blues bar</li>
<li>Eat more cheesecake</li>
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Oh yes the cheesecake, if you have a food bucket list then eating a piece of New York Cheesecake in New York must surely be on it. It is the dessert that walks up to all diets and tells them where they can shove it, only a little more rudely. A glorious piece of heaven with creamy, soft cheese, the tang of sour cream and lemon and a rich biscuit base, what more could you ask for...well other than a cardiologist?</div>
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It has been on my 'to bake' list for a while but I never got round to it. So with it being the OH's birthday and with the previously mentioned third trip in its early planning/saving stages, I thought why not and got on with making it.<br />
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I used a recipe on the <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2869/new-york-cheesecake">Good Food Website</a> but increased the biscuit base ingredients after reading a few of the comments. I advise you also do so if you make it because it would be a very thin base. just simply double the ingredients stated in the recipe.<br />
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The end result was a delicious cheesecake that definitely reminded me of the Big Apple and it's dairy delights but it wasn't the same, that key element was missing and that is the beautiful city of New York itself...</div>
Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-19943211156666844702013-10-08T16:56:00.000+01:002013-10-08T16:56:10.592+01:00Spiced Apple Tea Loaf - A Random Recipe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BgczOt_zYHo/UlQqbaLY7gI/AAAAAAAACPc/g9Fx5hGKA4Q/s1600/IMAG2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BgczOt_zYHo/UlQqbaLY7gI/AAAAAAAACPc/g9Fx5hGKA4Q/s320/IMAG2018.jpg" width="320" /></a> I am a miserable git on a Monday morning, well I'm a miserable git most of the time, depending on who you speak to, but more so on a Monday morning.<br />
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Standard cures are to be on holiday or failing that; coffee. However, arriving at work this Monday morning, I had a very pleasant surprise awaiting me in the form of a bushel (always wanted to use that word ) load of apples which cheered me up no end.<br />
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Recently I have been formulating a plan for thievery that would make Mr Ocean look like an amateur with my eye being on the rosy red fruit of a glorious apple tree on someones front lawn near my house. However, before I purchased a balaclava and a stepladder, I got wind that a colleague of mine had an apple tree, so I asked for a few with plans to make a pie, I did not expect to end up with half a tree, so I have lots of lovely apple cookery ahead.<br />
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As luck would have it, <a href="http://www.belleaukitchen.com/">Dom's Random Recipe</a> challenge this month is to use local ingredients and randomly pick a recipe based on that. Heading to the Good Food Website, I typed apple into the search bar and used a random number generator to pick a recipe. Number 5 was selected out of 306 which was... a Spiced Apple Tea Loaf.<br />
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Now this here recipe doesn't contain any tea, so how it is a tea loaf is beyond me and saying it goes well with a cup of tea does not make it a tea loaf, but no matter.<br />
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The recipe employs no major different cake making methods but the times stated on the recipe are a bit off. The addition of apple into the mix is going to cause havoc and stop this from being a quick bake. My oven took a further 40 minutes to fully cook it and I am not at all convinced that turning the oven down is a necessary step but I will leave you to judge that with your own ovens. do pu the foil on though because the apples on top do start to sizzle if not.<br />
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The end result is exactly what it says on the tin, A moist spicy apply cake that will go spot on with a nice cup of Rosy Lee. Lovely stuff<br />
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<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
175g light muscavado sugar<br />
175g Butter<br />
3 large eggs<br />
1 eating apple<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
200g mixed dried fruits<br />
85g ground almonds<br />
1 tsp baking powder<br />
175g plain flour<br />
1 tsp cinnamon<br />
1/2 tsp nutmeg<br />
splash of lemon or orange juice<br />
1 tbsp marmalade or apricot jam<br />
<br />
<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.<br />
Beat in the eggs one at a time.<br />
Stir in the dried fruits, vanilla extract and grate in one half of the apple.<br />
Mix the flour, spices, baking powder and a pinch of salt together.<br />
Fold into the batter.<br />
Pour into a lined, 900g loaf tin and level out.<br />
Slice the other half of the apple and dip in the juice, place on top of the cake.<br />
Sprinkle over another tbsp of sugar.<br />
Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes at 180C/160C (fan)<br />
After 45 minutes turn the oven down to 140C/120C (fan) and cover the cake with foil.<br />
Bake for a further 45 minutes.<br />
Leave to cool in the tin.<br />
Serve and Enjoy.<br />
<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552903418896349017.post-19047790506912182622013-10-05T17:46:00.000+01:002013-10-06T16:47:22.520+01:00Treacle Tart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been a bit quiet on the old blogging front recently. All the usual excuses apply here: lack of funds, lack of inspiration and just simply can't be bothered, I'm sure we all go through similar waves when it comes to food but hopefully we all emerge on the other side relatively unscathed. In an effort to get restarted, I have decided to have a go at a few classic bakes and just enjoy baking/cooking them.<br />
<br />
The first one on my 'list' is one I have been wanted to make/try for many a year, to be more precise it was when I was in Year 4 and I was reading a certain book...about a wizard...can't for the life of remember the book's name, think it just faded into history...like a scar over time.<br />
<br />
Anyway, this wizard, whose name escapes me, had a Treacle Tart on his first night at his new digs and every since then I've fancied trying one.<br />
<br />
It is, in my opinion, a weird tart indeed consisting of just syrup (not treacle, which surprised me) breadcrumbs and lemon, but it relatively simple to make. the recipe is based on a Queen Mary Berry recipe which was used in last years Great British Bake Off as a technical challenge. I decided to omit the lattice pastry over the top from this recipe but feel free to have <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/mary_berrys_treacle_tart_28524">a go if you like</a>.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Treacle Tart</u></b><br />
<b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
200g plain flour<br />
100g Butter<br />
2 tbsp water<br />
<br />
400g golden syrup<br />
150g fine, white breadcrumbs<br />
Zest and juice of 2 lemons<br />
<br />
<b><u>Method</u></b><br />
<b><u>Pastry</u></b><br />
Add the butter to the flour and rub together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs<br />
add the water and stir with a knife to combine, then knead together quickly to combine until a soft dough.<br />
Wrap tightly in clingfilm and leave in fridge for at least half n hour.<br />
<br />
Get two sheets of cling film, spread one across the work surface, place each mound of dough in the middle and spread the other sheet over the top.<br />
Roll out gently in between the two sheets of cling film (this method stops any excess flour being added to the pastry and drying it out).<br />
Remove the top layer and using the bottom layer drape the pastry gently into the tin and press gently into all edges.<br />
Prick the base with a fork to stop it from rising in the oven<br />
Return to the fridge.<br />
<br />
Preheat the oven to 180C and place a baking tray in the oven to heat up.<br />
<br />
Melt the syrup in a large pan, do not allow to boil.<br />
Pour in the breadcrumbs and lemon juice/zest and stir to combine.<br />
Add some more breadcrumbs if the mixture is too runny.<br />
Pour into the pastry case and level out.<br />
Stick it in the oven on the tray and bake for about 35 minutes until golden brown and the pastry is golden.<br />
<br />
Leave to firm in the tin and serve warm or cold with whipped cream or cream fraiche.<br />
<br />
So it turns out that treacle tart is, weird ingredients aside, rather nice. Sweet but slightly sour, chewy but crisp. I highly recommend serving with cream fraiche as it cuts through the sweetness making it much more balanced and tasty.<br />
<br />
Give it a go<br />
<br />
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<br />Garyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15462201004054413616noreply@blogger.com3