feeding the lions

2011-04-26T14:21:00.000+01:00

An antidote to chocolate brownies. Gateau Breton; a traditional cake from Brittany. I haven't yet made it in the original form - with buckwheat or sarrasin, a nutty low-gluten grain - but i shall. With such few ingredients it is best to use the best .. the flavour of good butter with shine.

Vanilla and sweet butter, with a dense bite (imagine a soft shortbread) and a sophisticated melt in the mouth texture (imagine butterscotch melting in your mouth).

I like Nigella Lawson's version (of course) but there are many more versions on the 'net.

25cm spring form cake tin, well greased.

225g plain flour - ideally 00 grade pasta flour - sieved
250g caster sugar - preferably from your store of vanilla sugar.
250g unsalted butter
6 large egg yolks
A glaze of a teaspoon of egg yolk from the 6, and a tablespoon of water (or milk)

Preheat oven to 190C.

If you have a mixer; add the sieved flour, sugar, butter and eggs and mix with a dough hook until combined into a bright yellow dough.

If you have no mixer; Make a mound of the sieved flour on a worktop, make a well in it and add the sugar, butter and eggs. Knead to mix.

Scoop the dough into the tin and smooth the top with a floured hand. Expect the dough to be very sticky. Brush the gateau with the glaze and mark a lattice design on top.

Bake for 15 mins, then turn the oven down to 180C (350f) and give it another 25 minutes or so until it's golden on top and firm to the touch. Let cool completely before turning out and slicing randomly into diamond shaped tokens.

2011-02-23T23:06:00.001Z

Nigel Slater's Best Brownies. Heaven in a tin. The fudgy moist centre is the aim.

300g caster sugar

250g butter

250g chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

3 large eggs plus 1 extra yolk

50g gluten free flour (60g plain wheat flour)

60g cocoa powder

½ tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 180ºC and line a baking tin with greaseproof paper.

Mix the sugar and butter into a fluffy pale cloud. Set aside 50g of the chocolate (chop it up into gravel-sized pieces) and melt the rest - 20 seconds at time in the microwave, stirring after each blast. Meanwhile sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder with a pinch of salt.

Mix the beaten eggs into the sugar and butter fluff, a quarter at a time. Beat fast in between additions. Add the melted chocolate and the broken up chocolate (i used white chocolate in this version) then fold in the flour/cocoa and baking powder mixture as gently as possible.

Put the mixture into the cake tin and put it into the oven for 25 minutes. The surface should have crusted over, but with a wobble underneath. Check with a skewer - if too much mixture clings then put it back for 3 more minutes, but no longer.

2011-02-20T23:09:00.000Z

I made 2 batches of chocolate brownies at the beginning of the week, which left one egg white per batch languishing in my fridge. These are worth making even if you don't need to use up leftovers - add the extra yoke to your frittata or scrambled egg instead.

2 egg whites (unbeaten), 175g icing sugar, 30g of cocoa and 200g ground almonds, mixed together with a fork. Pinch and roll into walnut-sized balls (keep fingers wet), bake at 200ºC for exactly 11 minutes. They will harden as they cool, but you want to keep the moist chewy centre. Try and stop eating them, if you can.

2011-02-15T23:11:00.000Z

Chicken Stew, my version of Nigel Slater's Chicken stew and mash, Kitchen Diaries.

Chicken thighs, 8

Olive oil - 50ml, plus extra

Balsamic vinegar - 50ml

garlic - 4 cloves, peeled

Dried herbs - an Italian mix

bay leaves - 4 or 5

pared rind of a small orange

leeks - 3 or 4, thickly sliced

Put the chicken in a bowl (not plastic). Pour over the olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, tuck in the bay leaves and garlic cloves, a scatter of dried herbs, salt and pepper and the orange rind. Leave overnight or for at least four or five hours.

Set the oven at 200ºC. Heat enough oil in a shallow pan. Shaking each piece of chicken (the marinade will spit in the hot pan), fry each piece until golden brown on each side. Transfer to a casserole dish with a lid. In the same pan, fry the leeks over a low heat until they soften - not too hot or they will colour too much and become bitter. Add the garlic, the marinade, the rest of the balsamic and a litre of water. Bring to a boil and pour over the chicken, with the bay and orange rind.

Put in the oven for 2 hours, checking partway through that there is enough water to cover the chicken. Add salt, pepper or a little balsamic if you wish. Serve with mashed potato.

2011-01-23T23:12:00.000Z

I needed something low stress for supper tonight, but i didn't expect anything so pretty (or quite as delicious). If you're going to make it, use buffalo mozzarella, so exquisitely soft and creamy. The children asked for second helpings.

6 eggs beaten, a packet of mozzarella and mortadella, chopped. A little grated parmesan, chopped parsley. Beat. Heat butter in a 25cm pan with handle until it sizzles. Cook egg mix for 5 minutes without stirring. Finish under a hot grill.

2011-01-20T23:14:00.000Z

I knew it would not be long before i returned to the Queen of Baking:

Nigella's Chocolate Expresso Cake

150g dark chocolate

150g butter

6 eggs

250g caster sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

75g plain flour

5 teaspoons instant expresso powder

4 tablespoons Tia Maria

Melt the chocolate and butter together (I use the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds or so) and leave to cool slightly.

Beat eggs, caster sugar and vanilla until thick and mousse-like and doubled (at least) in volume.

Gently fold in flour (I used gluten-free, and you wouldn't know it from the outcome) and instant expresso powder and then the melted chocolate and butter. Pour in to a 23cm springform tin (buttered and lined) and bake at 180ºC for a mere 35 minutes until the top is just firm. Immediately pour over the Tia Maria and allow to cool totally before taking out of the tin. The centre will sink and dimple, but this is a good sign that the moist brownie texture is safe.

If you have the inclination, or the occasion, whip a little double cream with a slug of bailey's cream to serve alongside; rich, sweet with a hint of liqueur to heighten the hit of mocha. For a glamorous sight, pile the cream into the centre of the cake before slicing carefully.

2010-12-22T22:18:00.002Z

Hot sake prawns. As made by Nigella. I added a few buckwheat noodles to my dish. As nigella says; 'speedy salvation'.

2010-11-08T20:42:00.000Z

The best recipe for Patatas Bravas, also found here

900g firm flesh potato ((i used Wilja)

5 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon tomato puree

2 large garlic cloves

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt

Preheat the oven to 180ºC
Steam potatoes over boiling water for 5 minutes until barely tender.
Drain and spread out to dry on a clean tea towel for a few moments, then put into a large bowl.

Combine the remaining ingredients, pour over the potatoes and toss gently to coat.
Put the potato cubes in a roasting tin, spreading them out in a single layer (you don't want them to steam).
Roast in the preheated oven, tossing now and then, for 25 minutes until slightly blackened around the edges.

2010-11-02T20:45:00.000Z

Adapted from Tamasin Day Lewis' Kitchen Classics; my gluten free cake version of a sticky toffee pudding (nut free too!)

55g unsalted butter
200g light soft sugar

Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed pan. As it is almost completely melted, add the sugar and hover over a low heat, stirring briskly, until the sugar dissolves into the butter. Leave off the heat for a minute or two.

1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg, beaten

Add the essence and the egg, stir. The mixture will immediately loosen in the pan.

Stir in a sifted mix of:

100g gluten free flour
1 level teaspoon baking powder
a pinch of sea salt

and finally add:

120g pitted dates, scissored into half

Line a small loaf pan (i use a 900g tin, but a smaller pan will give you a thicker brownie) and carefully dollop in the mixture. Bake for 25 minutes, but check at 20 mins .. a skewer will be barely clean but the top should look crisp. Leave for at least 10 minutes to cool before removing from the tin and slicing, greedily.

2010-10-25T20:45:00.000+01:00

Another loaf cake. My kitchen doesn't feel right without a frilled and fragrant gentle brick of cake on the window sill. This is a prime candidate for frequent revisiting. My first attempt was with standard flour, but I will try it with gluten-free flour without hesitation.

Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake

150g soft unsalted butter
30ml golden syrup
175g dark muscovado sugar

I have a handy scale which measures ml so i can pour sticky syrup directly into the beating bowl, otherwise use 2x 15ml spoonfuls. Beat the soft butter with the syrup and sugar - a good 5 minutes, until you have a consistent and appealing coffee-coloured batter.

try resisting dipping a finger ...

150g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
25g cocoa powder, sifted
2 eggs

Mix dry ingredients together and beat 1 tablespoon into the butter cream, then beat in one egg. Add 2 more tablespoons of the flour mix and beat again before adding the second egg.

zest of 2 medium oranges, juice of 1 orange

Keeping the paddle moving, add the zest of the oranges and then the juice, slowly.

Pour and scrape the batter into the tin and bake for 45 minutes. It may need 5 minutes less or more .. do check. A cake tester should not be totally clean. Leave in the tin to cool slightly.

The flavour is, as Nigella says, more of warm spice than citrus.

utterly moist

2010-10-14T20:20:00.002+01:00

It is a crumble, the best crust for a dish of cooked bramleys and blackberries, and doesn't seem to care that i used gluten-free flour.

100g flour

75g butter

50g sugar

Whizz in a food processor for a few seconds to make a crumb. Scatter over your choice of fruit and bake in a medium hot oven until crisp, about 25 minutes.

I prefer mine served warm, with hot custard.

2010-10-10T22:43:00.000+01:00

A fine piece of belly pork.

I sliced the fat with a sharp blade, rubbed salt pepper and lemon thyme into the creases. 30 minutes at 230ºC, then an hour or so at 180º. It didn't need an extra blast at the heat, the crackling was done to perfection.

2010-09-18T13:04:00.001+01:00

It is the Bramley season. I like mine stewed slowly with a little sugar and a generous amount of raisins (the apple with shrink, the raisins multiply while it cooks). I lubricate the pan with a glug of green ginger wine and add two large knobs of fresh ginger (unpeeled) for flavour. Remove the raw ginger before serving warm, with cream.

2010-09-02T18:34:00.001+01:00

Yes, this is more banana than courgette, but it must be the healthiest cake ever betwixt my lips. Gluten free, fat free. I used tight little currants instead of the suggested nuts. Very light to eat, excellent not-to-sweet fuel for breakfast, and keeps well too.

Cinnamon Banana Bread, by Harry Eastwood (recipe also found here)

Use a barrel grater .. it is the only reasonable way of getting finely grated vegetables without destroying your knuckles and your sense of humour. I always bake this sort of damp cake in a paper case to avoid the extra work of greasing the tin.

2010-08-11T17:17:00.001+01:00

Coconut, lime and blueberry slice, from Harry Eastwood's Red Velvet & Chocolate Heartache.

This is a courgette cake, and, as i have an excess of the green truncheons, i was determined to make something more than just endless griddling (with mint, delicious).

It has a 'pastry' base of coconut mixed with sugar and butter. Unnecessary, probably. I didn't crisp the base quite enough .. coconut burns so quickly, i was over cautious.

2 eggs, sugar, a LARGE courgette very finely grated (a minute in a barrel grater, no sweat), zest and juice of 2 limes, gluten free flour and baking powder, salt and a generous cup of frozen blueberries.

Again, i didn't give it quite long enough in the oven (although a deal more than the recipe states). The flavour was fabulous - lime and blueberries are perfect companions - i think the sponge will probably stand alone from the coconut base and that is how i will try it next time. It is worth another attempt.

2010-08-01T22:24:00.000+01:00

Peanut noodle salad: I like to make up a generous amount of the dressing, keep it in the fridge for 3 or 4 days for dipping into.

6 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
¼ cup chicken broth or water
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 or 2 tablespoons soy sauce
1½ tablespoons palm sugar (or agave syrup)
(1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil - optional, but preferable. I leave it out at home because of allergies)
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all the ingredients briskly. Taste and adjust for personal preference - it might need more sweet or sour, depending on your brand of peanut butter and soy, and which type of sugar you use. Palm sugar is fudgy sweet and dissolves well, hence i used agave syrup as a replacement.

brown rice and wakame noodles, cooked and refreshed
2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded
1 large red sweet pepper, thinly sliced
2 chopped scallions
a handful of bean sprouts or half a chopped cucumber

Add peanut sauce to taste, garnish with chopped fresh coriander and chopped salted peanuts

2010-07-30T15:31:00.001+01:00

They look classier over at Bakerella's beautiful blog, but i chose to shorten the process for almost immediate satisfaction.

1 cup peanut butter
½ cup sugar
1 egg
approximately 18 chips of chocolate

Preheat oven to 325ºF/ 160ºC
Mix peanut butter, sugar and egg until well blended.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Pinch into 18 pieces and roll mixture into small balls.
Place on cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
Place a chip of chocolate in the centre of each cookie ball and flatten with a fork to make a criss-cross pattern.
Bake 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet and then cool completely on a wire rack.

2010-07-07T12:09:00.001+01:00

Happy Birthday Baby Boy

Being a single parent (or at least, the only parent at home) brings an extra responsibility on birthdays and christmases. I have felt anxious about this one in particular - his first in double figures, the significant 10.

I've been a mum for a decade, and i still feel like a total novice.

2010-07-03T13:33:00.000+01:00

Rhubarb & Fresh Ginger Crumble Cake, Adapted from Tamasin Day Lewis' Kitchen Classics.

Crumble

110g plain flour

4 tablespoons light muscovado sugar

85g unsalted butter

Pulse the ingredients together briefly until they stick together in a gravelly fashion.

Fruit

750g rhubarb, cut into 1cm chunks

2 tablespoons vanilla caster sugar

1 inch (thumb knuckle size) of dried ginger root, finely grated.

Toss the rhubarb, sugar and ginger pulp together. Use ground ginger if you wish - a teaspoon or so - but the dried root, with its papery skin which i don't bother to peel, has a particular fresh flavour that works best.

Cake

170g softened, unsalted butter

170g vanilla caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

170g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tablespoon milk

Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and adding a spoon of sifted flour if the mixture looks like curdling. Sift in the rest of the flour and baking powder, folding carefully and firmly. Fold in the milk.

Scrape the mixture into a 25cm springform cake tin, base lined with baking parchment. Pile the rhubarb on the batter, then sprinkle the crumble over the top. Bake for an hour at 190ºC.

The crumble will be golden, crunchy and smelling of sweet butter.

Leave to cool for 15 minutes and eat warm with cream, although just as delicious cold, later.

2010-06-19T12:28:00.000+01:00

gluten-free hazelnut chocolate biscotti .. work in progress.

2010-05-27T16:29:00.001+01:00

A mexican ragu (via Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Meat Book). Olives and raisins and all things nice. Try it as a refreshing change to a tomato-rich herby bolognese.

250g minced beef
250g minced pork
1 tablespoon wine or cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 finely chopped onion
1 finely chopped red pepper
1 or 2 fresh chillies
50g raisins
50g stoned green olives (pimento-stuffed for preference), finely chopped
250ml beef stock
135ml chopped tomatoes or a tube of tomato puree

Put the meats in a large bowl and season with the vinegar, salt, sugar and pepper, mixing well together. Leave to stand.

Heat the oil in a large pan and sweat the onion, garlic, red (or orange) pepper and chilli for about 10 minutes until the onion is soft and lightly browned.

Add the meat to the pan and cook hard until well browned all over.

Add the rest of the ingredients (and 50g flaked almonds, if you wish) and mix well. Bring to a very gentle simmer and cook, partly covered, for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if mixture is looking dry, but don't let it be too saucy.

Be sure to make enough that you have some to put aside for a day or so and gently reheat. Serve with whatever you fancy .. soft tortillas, guacamole, salsa, sour cream and grated cheese or rice, or potatoes or pasta or bread and butter; it is all good.

2010-05-17T15:31:00.001+01:00

I made these: Bittersweet Biscotti (or so i named them) with walnut, spice & white chocolate. They are gluten-free, which makes them a little crumbly but the chilli hit is slow and luscious in combination with the darkest, bitterest chocolate that i had in the cupboard.

The original recipe came from here, but i adjusted with a little less gluten-free flour, walnuts instead of almonds and a majority of dark 70% chocolate, with white chocolate chips for contrast.

Oh, and i also made this: Rick Stein's Fennel Sausages with lemony potatoes and bay. Delicious.

2010-04-01T18:54:00.000+01:00

This is easy, quick and deeply satisfying.

It is not baking, but it might be alchemy.

Line a deep baking tray (26 x 31 x 2.5 cm) with baking parchment.

Melt 200g good dark chocolate and 100g unsalted butter in a large bowl over gently simmering water, stirring until combined.

Fold in 350g condensed milk and 250g grated coconut

(gently toasted in a large dry pan) and 200g glace cherries, chopped.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tray and spread into an even layer.

Chill in the 'fridge for 4-5 hours, then cut into small squares.

Store in the fridge between nibbling.

2010-03-15T20:48:00.000Z

... as easy as pie.

Eat hot, warm or cold as a stolen slice straight from the fridge. This is comfort food that is easy on effort, so very simple, and fills little and big tummies equally happily. I added sharks to my pie crust; a pie without frivolous embellishment is somehow naked.

Sophie Grigson's Sausage and Apple Pie

Take a 450g packet of ready-made puff pastry (if you will. Make your own if you have the urge). Cut the block in half and roll one piece to generously line a shallow 9 inch pie plate.

Take a quantity of good sausage meat (a 450g packet of fat sausages cut from their skins is an excellent choice) and spread evenly across the pastry sheet. Season with pepper, nutmeg andfresh chopped sage (3 or 4 leaves). Peel, core and slice 2 large eating apples and arrange the slices evenly across the sausage meat. Season again with pepper and nutmeg.

Roll out the remaining pastry to form the lid. Beat an egg yolk with a tablespoon of cold water and brush the edges of the pie pastry with the egg wash and lay the lid on top. Press the edges together to seal, and trim the excess. Make a hole in the centre of the lid to let the steam out, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Put a baking tray in the oven and preheat the oven to 220ºC.

Brush the pastry with the egg wash (after adding fish or otherwise-shaped motifs) just before popping in the oven on top of the baking tray so the base gets an instant blast of heat. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 180ºC and cook for another 30-40 minutes until the apple is tender.

2010-03-13T20:41:00.001Z

I liked this. I LOVE potato dauphinoise and jansson's temptation but all that cream .. oh la la .. it is not good for my butt. I needed an alternative and this works well. It looks great too (i forgot to take the final photo) and tastes wonderful at room temperature, with ham.

Thinly slice 3 large baking potatoes (about 900g) - thin as you can, with a sharp knife or a mandolin grater. Put the slices in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

Stir in 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped, then add 115g grated Gruyere cheese. Turn to coat as evenly as possible.

Layer the potatoes in to a generously buttered shallow gratin dish. Pour over approx 400ml chicken stock, just to cover the surface. Dot the top generously with butter and bake at 190ºC for an hour or so.

Hot, bubbly golden goodness (you'll have to imagine that part).

2010-02-18T20:41:00.000Z

In my previous life we would drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel to the Italian border seeking pizza for lunch. But, before pizza, we would stop for morning coffee. There is an alpine village at the far end of the tunnel with little coffee shops which serves the best. hot. chocolate. ever. I have sought such delicacies ever since, with no satisfaction.

I now know what i was drinking (spooning) in that den of sweet decadence; Budino di cioccolato (as found in Nigella Lawson's Express).

250ml full-fat milk
125ml double cream
60g caster sugar
1 x 15ml tablespoon cornflour
35g cocoa powder
2 x 15ml tablespoons boiling water
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
60g dark chocolate

Put the kettle on, and warm the milk and cream in a saucepan (or in the microwave).

Put the sugar and cornflour into another saucepan and sieve in the cocoa powder. Add the 2 tablespoons of boiling water and whisk to a paste.

Whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time, followed by the warmed milk and cream, then the vanilla extract.

Scrape down the sides of the pan and put it on a lowish heat, cooking and whisking until the mixture thickens to a mayonnaise consistency. Nigella reckons about 4 minutes .. if, like me, your heat is too low it will take longer. I slowly increased the heat until the mixture swelled.

Take off the heat and whisk in the finely chopped chocolate, before pouring into 4 small glasses or cups.

Serve straight from the pan to warm the cockles of your heart.

Alternatively, cover the tops of the cups, allowing the cling film to rest on the surface to stop a skin forming, and refrigerate. Take out of the fridge a little before serving (with cream, perhaps).

Or with macaroons, if you fancy (and a good use of the 2 spare egg whites).

My poison leg is slowly repairing. I was shocked today at how weak my balance is on that side of my body (thanks for asking xx).

2010-02-12T21:09:00.000Z

Sitting on my big leather sofa, watching daytime TV and trying not to think about the evil bacteria which is climbing up my leg. It started with a small cut on the bottom of my foot, and now i have a black toe and hot, red lumps in my calf.

I can't stand up, so i can't cook, but i can still talk cake. Cheesecake. Cool and creamy. Soft, sweet and tart. And very simple. Beat and spread. A little like making a sandwich.

Blitz 125g (gluten-free) digestive biscuits to crumbs, add 75g soft butter and whiz to make the mixture clump. Press into a 20cm springform tin and smooth with the back of a large spoon to form a slight rise at the outside edge.

Beat together 300g cream cheese, 60g icing sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and half a teaspoon lemon juice.

Lightly whip 250ml double cream and fold into the cream cheese mixture.

Ladle the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base and smooth with the back of the large spoon. Chill in a fridge for 3 hours or overnight.

Carefully, gingerly, remove cheesecake from the tin (i recommend leaving it on the base to serve). Spread a jar of St Dalfour Rhapsodie de Fruit Black Cherry Spread (or similar; any conserve with no added sugar should be fine) over the top.

2010-02-07T11:41:00.003Z

It looks very plain - even with a gold candle stuck in the middle of it - but the aroma (citrus cocoa) and the dark, glossy sheen is sophisticated and tempting. Eat with a fork, with perhaps a little cream added for glamour. Perfect for serving at the end of a meal; moist with a lightness from the copious fruit. Almost one of your 5-a-day.

Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Orange Cake

Start the day before, simmering 2 whole oranges in water for 2 hours. Painless.

The next day pulse the entire oranges (removing any obvious pips), and beat with eggs, sugar, cocoa and almond meal.

It doesn't get any easier.

6 large eggs in a bowl.

Add 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder, half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda, 200g ground almonds, 250g caster sugar and 50g cocoa.

Take the two boiled, drained and cooled oranges, cut in half and remove any pips. Pulse in a blender to a grainy pulp - you need about 375g, but i didn't measure mine and it worked perfectly regardless. Add orange to the other ingredients and beat together to a thick batter with flecks of orange. Pour in to a 20cm springform cake tin, base lined. Bake at 180ºC for 45 minutes, cover with a layer of foil and continue cooking for about 15 minutes or so. Allow to fully cool in the tin.

Yes, this was all that was left when i finally got around to taking a photo ..

2010-02-01T14:14:00.000Z

For late-night pudding or with morning coffee, spread with cream cheese or plain; however you like it, eat this.

Nigella Lawson's Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

225g soft unsalted butter
375g dark muscovado sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
100g best chocolate, melted
200g plain flour
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
250ml boiling water

Preheat the oven to 190ºC, put in a baking sheet to catch the drips (it will drip, if not flood) and line a loaf tin (23 x 13 x 7cm).

I find muscovado sugar can have persistent lumps - beat it first to break it up well. Then add butter and cream well, followed by eggs and vanilla.

I love to see beaten butter.

Fold in the melted and slightly cooled chocolate - don't over beat, then gently fold in the flour, to which you have added the bicarb, alternately spoon by spoon, with the boiling water until you have a smooth and loose batter.

Pour the mocca river into the lined tin and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the oven down to 170ºC and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. It may need a little longer if the batter still wobbles in the tin. Check with a skewer but it should be squidgy inside.

Allow to cool completely before turning out of the tin. It will have sunk slightly in the middle.

2010-01-09T22:58:00.001Z

A cake! How long has it been since I baked a cake? too long .. and this week is not getting me any closer as it is too cold in my kitchen to spend time there for long. I have no heating and naked windows (i like the view from my sink) but in this weather i am retreating to the inner house instead. I've been making lots of quick soup instead.

This is one i made a few weeks ago. I want to make it again, soon. Very soon. It is a rich almond torte, reminisent of marzipan and egg custard, with a delicately light crumb. I served mine with a raspberry coulis (frozen berries, heated gently and blended with a little icing sugar) but Nigella recommends fresh mango and lime. I can't wait to try this with a ripe and fragrant alphonso.

Nigella Lawson's White Chocolate Almond Cake

175g white chocolate
150g soft butter
100g caster sugar
6 large eggs, separated
150g ground almonds
a drop of almond extract

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Grease (with almond oil or butter) and line a 23cm springform tin.

Melt the chocolate very gently - it needs a careful touch and will just collapse rather than turn molten as dark chocolate does. Set aside.

Beat the butter until very soft, add 50g of sugar and beat again, adding egg yolks one by one. Continue beating and add the cooled chocolate, then the almonds and extract, mixing well.

In a clean bowl beat the 6 egg whites until peaks form, then add remaining 50g sugar and whip until glossy and firm.

Add a spoonful of white fluff to the cake mix, fold carefully to lighten the batter and then add the rest of the egg white in 3 or 4 spoonfuls, with careful but firm foldings.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cooked through. Be careful .. check after 20 minutes and cover with foil so the top doesn't go too brown. It may only need 35 minutes cook time - mine didn't need any longer. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the tin.

2009-12-23T21:34:00.000Z

Late at night, drunk, and i ran out of dark chocolate, so the latest log has a white chocolate buttercream. Lush.

2009-12-21T22:36:00.001Z

My new Kenwood mixer makes the best buttercream, effortless beating butter to a light cloud of fluff. Mix with melted chocolate for a denser, richer cocoa hit. The sponge is almost a soft meringue, sweet and moist. I want to try this next with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream and the same of raspberry jam as the interior swirl for a fancy effect beneath the chocolate frosting.

Recipe here

2009-12-13T23:22:00.000Z

Have you ever wondered what to do with lamb breast? They sit there on the shelf, so very very cheaply, little rolled blankets of fat and sweet meat (at least, i imagine lamb as always sweet), mysterious in their trusses and, well, cheapness.

Place rolled meat of a breast in an ovenproof dish (cut to fit, if necessary) with 2 sliced carrots, 2 sliced onions, a sprig of rosemary and a little dried thyme. Go for a snug fit. Pour over a glass of white wine and a glass of water. It is quite possible that i used a cup of chicken stock instead, depending on what i had in the fridge. Season, cover with lid or a close cap of foil and bake in a low oven (140ºC) for 3 hours, basting every 45 minutes, until meat is tender.

It smells very good at this point.

Leave to cool, removing any ribs still attached. Unroll and unfold the leaves of meat and press between two chopping boards, weighted by plates or tins. Don't be overly concerned by the fat in evidence - it will be cooked off again, under a hot grill. Leave overnight in the fridge.

To serve: slice the meat into double-finger width, single-finger length pieces. Brush with a little mustard (dijon or english), dip into beaten egg (you will need 2 eggs) and press firmly into a plate of dried breadcrumbs. This is messy, but relatively quick, and, as most of the work was done yesterday, it still seems like a very quick supper dish.

Arrange on a wire rack in a roasting pan, brush with melted butter if you wish for crispy brown crumb. I didn't bother with this adding-butter stage, feeling that there was quite enough fat in the dish already, so my fingers weren't evenly toasted, but i suspect just as delicious. Put dish in a moderate over for 15 minutes, (180ºC), then toast under a super hot grill until suitably blackened, to taste, turning once.

Serve with tartare sauce and mashed potato. And perhaps green beans.

2009-11-14T13:39:00.000Z

"Com'on boys" i said, dragging them, whinging, from sacrosanct afternoon play time and persuading them to don shoes and coats for a trip to the supermarket.

"I need to buy a new iron" i explain, to the grumbles.

"I know" says the eldest, unable to resist showing off his ultimate knowledge. "The old iron probably broke when it fell of the table".

"Ahh" i say, with new understanding.

Buttery, lemon-scented Maderia Cake. It won't knock your socks off, but will melt your heart.

400g soft butter
400g caster sugar
7 eggs
450g self-raising flour
4 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Line a 23cm round tin (or 20 cm square tin) with greased, greaseproof paper - base and sides. Pre-heat oven to 160ºC.

2. Place all ingredients in a large bow and beat well until creamy.

3. Pour into the tin, level the surface.

4. Bake until firm to the touch and pulling away from the sides of the tin - about 1 3/4 - 2 hours. Cool in the tin for a short while and remove to a wire rack. Slaver with butter icing or fondant. Will keep well for a week or more, if iced.

2009-10-26T22:20:00.001Z

The only cooking reference i have for these are some brief notes copied from a book read at a friend's kitchen table - i don't remember which book, or even the name of the cupcakes. I changed the principle flavour from orange to lemon, and swopped a flaked almond topping for a juicier icing.

2 eggs
90g caster sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
80g gluten-free flour
80g ground almonds

Heat oven to 170ºC.

Whisk the eggs and sugar for 15 minutes (seriously), until thick and foamy.

Add the zest, ground almonds and flour and blend briefly.

Spoon into paper cases, and bake for 22 minutes precisely.

For the icing i added 2 heaped tablespoons of Very Ginger Curd to a batch of plain buttercream. The flavour is citrus with small delicate flashes of heat from stem ginger. The entire batch lasted about 20 minutes from oven to belly.

2009-09-30T20:17:00.001+01:00

Red Velvet Cupcakes from The Hummingbird Cookbook, via Joythebaker

These have a good cocoa hit, but with a marvelous light moist texture from the buttermilk. Sweet, soft and subtle .. unlike the colour which can vary from crimson to terracotta. I like the contrast between earthy chocolate and so intense, so white icing.

i have rewritten the recipe with (my) english measurements, or follow the link to Joy's place for more details.

60g unsalted butter, soft
170g vanilla caster sugar
1 egg
2.5 tablespoons cocoa powder
red food colouring - at your own discretion
.5 teaspoon vanilla extract
135g plain four
.5 teaspoon salt

Beat together the butter and sugar, until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat rapidly to incorporate. I love how all my cake batters shout the strong bright yellow of my local lady hens.

In a small bowl, mix together the cocoa, vanilla and 3 tablespoons of water. Add a dollop of red colour paste and blend to make a rich mud.

Add the paste to the batter, mix well to distrubute the colour evenly.

Add half the buttermilk, beat at slow speed. The add half the flour and mix to combine. Repeat with the remaining buttermilk and flour, beating until smooth.

Add the baking soda and vinegar and beat for a couple of minutes.

Spoon into 12 cupcake cases, bake at 170ºC for 20-25 minutes until springy and pulled away from the edges of the paper. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, and remove to a cooling rack.

Ice at your leisure, eat quickly before someone else does.

45g soft butter
230g icing sugar, sifted
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
150g cream cheese

Beat the butter until creamy, add icing sugar and beat, slowly at first, then at a high speed until well blended. Add the cinnamon and icing sugar and beat again, but only until just smooth.

2009-09-20T11:58:00.001+01:00

These pictures are not the prettiest, but the result is superb. It is another make-in-a-pan (my favourite kind... i am fundamentally lazy about creaming butter with sugar) cake stuffed with sticky fruit and syrupy stem ginger, keeps well (at least a week) and needs no fancy filling or icing to look spectacular. Lighter than a traditional fruit cake but reeling with healthy fibre it makes an excellent alternative to a (boring but well-intentioned) sponge cake. For a birthday boy i covered this one in chocolate ganache, but a simple dusting of icing sugar would suffice.

Sticky Date Cake (from Fantastic Party Cakes by Mich Turner)

200g dates, stoned
200g unsalted butter
300g dark muscovado sugar
2 eggs
50g chopped stem ginger
grated zest of a lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g bramley apples, grated
200g self raising flour

Preheat oven to 160ºC. Lightly grease a Kugelhopf tin (ideally 20cm, although i only have a 22cm tin, which worked well)

Place the dates in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Melt the butter and sugar together in a saucepan and allow to cool slightly.

Beat the eggs, ginger, lemon zest and vanilla extract into the butter and sugar. Drain the dates and chop finely. Add to the saucepan and mix well.

Stir in the apple and flour, then spoon into the tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes until well risen. A skewer inserted will come out clean-ish.

Leave to cool in the tin.

For the chocolate ganache:

175g dark chocolate, broken into pieces, in a clean dry bowl.
125g fresh double cream

Heat the cream to the boil and pour over the chocolate pieces, stirring until the ganache is smooth and glossy. Pour slowly over the cake, using a flat knife to spread the thick tide of chocolate into every corner.

2009-09-15T13:56:00.001+01:00

250g ready-to-eat dried apricots
25g blanched almonds
1 tablespoon runny honey
2 large oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Use a small sharp knife to make a slit in each apricot, push an almond inside as a replacement stone. Put the apricots in to a small pan with the honey and a few thin strips of orange peel, and the juice of the two oranges. Add a teaspoon of vanilla essence (i found a bottle with vanilla seeds, which adds a delicate speckle to the gold).

Allow to simmer very gently for 30 minutes, by which time the apricots will be fat, soft and very juicy. Allow to cool. Perfect served cold from the fridge, with cream.

2009-09-06T23:07:00.000+01:00

The days are getting cooler, and my cooking is changing, along with the colour of the trees outside my bedroom window, and the pattern of my days. Less time, but perhaps better times.

I like one pot meals, particularly when the ingredient list is gloriously short. I used 2 shanks for me and the 2 children, but generally allow a shank per adult. Original recipe from Lindsey Bareham's Just One Pot.

2 (or 4) lamb shanks
garlic cloves, unpeeled (2 per shank)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions
thyme
4 medium potatoes
3 carrots

Make a deep slash in the meaty part of a lamb shank with a thin-bladed knife, and stuff with a garlic clove. Repeat with remaining cloves. Heat the oil in a sturdy pan, and brown the shanks briskly on all surfaces.

Peel, halve and thinly slice the onions. Remove shanks from the pan to a plate and add onions to cook in the oil. Season with salt and pepper, stir briefly, cover and leave to colour for 5 minutes. Replace shanks and a good pinch of dried thyme (or fresh). Add 450ml of boiling water and bring to a boil.

Peel and halve the potatoes, tuck in around the shanks. Allow to simmer, over a low heat, covered, for about an hour, longer if necessary, if the shanks are big and meaty. A half hour into the cooking i added 3 large, peeled and sliced carrots.

2009-08-26T18:50:00.003+01:00

Just like Bakerella, my cooking-for-pleasure tends to be chocolate heavy but recently i have begun to indulge a lemon leaning. It is not enough that i have the easiest lemon maderia, or a perfect damp Lemon & Almond but my new ultimate has to be these Lemon Slices. Reminiscent of dense lemon curd under a sweet, fragile crust of sugar on a barely-there pastry they will satisfy any citrus craving, at least until you need another bite.

I am rewriting the recipe here with UK measurements, but the original recipe, additional notes and delicious photos can be found here.

225g cold unsalted butter
200g plain flour
130g icing sugar

Add the butter, cut into small chunks, to the flour, sifted with the icing sugar. Using the back of a fork, a pastry cutter or the tips of your fingers (cool under a cold tap first) rub butter into the dry ingredients until you have a soft gravel. Press into a greased and floured tin. I used 2 small ones, but, after the success of this batch, i went and bought a 9"x13" specifically for the next time (soon). I have also read a tip to add finely grated lemon zest to the crumb, for extra zing.

Bake at 180ºC for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Meanwhile:

345g caster sugar
30g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 slightly beaten eggs
1/2 cup of lemon juice

Put the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix briefly. Add the beaten eggs and lemon juice and combine well. Easy. Pour into the just-baked pastry case and put back into the hot oven for 25 minutes until puffed and golden.

Leave to cool completely and refrigerate to store. Once cold, shower with a little extra icing sugar. Best eaten 10 minutes out of the fridge - still cold and exceeding unctuous.

2009-08-23T09:39:00.000+01:00

Blueberry Muffins; buttery and moist with the added intrigue of cinnamon to the sweet berries.

Stir together 315g plain flour, 155g caster sugar (i used vanilla sugar), 2½ teaspoons of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder.

In another bowl whisk 250ml milk, 125g melted, unsalted butter and 2 large eggs.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix with a large metal spoon until barely blended. Add a generous cup (125g) frozen blueberries and stir to distribute. Divide between 12 muffin cases and bake in a preheated oven at 200ºC for 20 minutes until risen and golden. Enjoy fresh.

2009-08-21T09:40:00.000+01:00

I took my children to a spired city today, to seek fossils. They skipped through the end-of-day commuters with skinny skeins of arms waving in the ochre light, their ubiquitous plastic sandals telegraphing their displacement despite their urban camouflage of check shirts and flapping shorts.

Even a small, green city such as this seems alien to me now. I wonder whether i am burying us, living in this tiny village.

2009-08-01T22:40:00.001+01:00

I first saw these cute litle gems on the delightful Bakerella blog and could not resist making a version. They are less about the baking, which is very simple, and all about the building. Start with lots of queen cakes (see previous post) and a couple of chocolate brownie tray bakes (seriously, use a decent packet mix, no-one will notice).

Make the brownies the day before, allow to cool. When ready to assemble, cut out circles using a cutter to match the diameter of your queen cakes.

Bake the queen cakes in paper cases (to keep the sides pale and bun-coloured), leave to cool and carefully peel of the paper wrappings.

I used a standard 12 bun tray with fairy cake cases but i should have used a muffin tray with large muffin cases which would allow for square-sided buns and a better profile. Next time.

I cut the narrow bottoms off my fairy cakes and used one cake for the bottom bun, one for top. With a less angular cake, cut them in half to make the top and bottom. However, as a bonus, i did end up with a big pile of delicious sponge circles, which i have frozen and will use for trifles.

The fun part: colour a batch of butter icing (or tinned frosting .. one tin of Betty Crocker frosting will be sufficient for 40 sauced burgers, with another tin for the yellow cheese) with a little poppy red food colouring and a tiny touch of purple colour to make a deep ketchup red. Scoop into a plastic food bag, snip off one corner and pipe a circle of red on the base bun. The weight of the brownie will spread the ketchup outwards in an authentic squidge.

The combination of dense chewy chocolate cake and light, sweet fluffy sponge is irresistable.

I used Marigold colour with another batch of frosting to make a subtle cheesy imitation, which i piped in a looser squiggle around the top of the burger pattie. Do you think it needs green lettuce? It has been done.

For the final touch, with a small brush dipped into water dampen the top of each bun. Scatter across a dusting of poppy seeds (or sesame for the non-allergic) - the seeds will stick attractively.

2009-07-31T15:16:00.003+01:00

Notes on Buttercream:

Beat 250g softened, unsalted butter for 2 minutes. Sieve in 500g icing sugar and pulse briefly. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and beat on full speed until very light and fluffy.

Orange: add the grated zest of 2 oranges and 4 tablespoon of juice.

Lemon Curd: stir 275g of lemon curd in to 750g of buttercream. (Try orange curd too). This is a good alternative to fresh cream for filling a vanilla cake which is to be covered in chocolate or marzipan/icing.

Expresso: pour 2ooml freshly boiled water on to 100g of fresh ground coffee and allow to steep for 5 mins. Strain and leave to cool slightly. Stir into a quantity of buttercream to taste.

Chocolate ganache: heat 125g fresh double cream to the boil and pour over 175g dark chocolate, broken into pieces. Stir with a wooden spoon until chocolate is melted to a glossy puddle. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before beating into 750g buttercream. Will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge.

2009-07-30T13:02:00.001+01:00

It is such a luxury (not in price, but opportunity) to bake with fresh-laid, local and personalised eggs. Thank you Fluffy, Bobby ..

The average cupcake is a disappointing morsel; with a dry crumb and unappealing blandness they are rarely edible except for the sweet icing (what do i know? .. i can't even eat them, but my nose tells me they are only worth eating when very, very fresh and even then they are just a bland mouthful of flour and air).

My preferred version is one i found from Mary Berry, an old-fashioned cake queen (in the nicest possible sense). I bought one of her cake books for 10p when my little one was first born and we were living out of suitcases for a few months, and had no vast cook book selection to trawl through. It was a bargain, full of classic baking gems from my childhood.

Her recipe for Queen Cakes uses an extra egg, which makes all the difference - richer-tasting, and they last better. Time to bake the day before and ice for a party the next day, still moist and fresh.

100g soft butter (or margarine)
100g caster sugar (use vanilla sugar if you have it - makes a world of difference)
100g self-raising flour
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon of baking powder

Beat all the ingredients together vigorously.

Divide into 12 paper cases (in a bun tin) and bake for 15 minutes at 200ºC until puffed and golden. Lift out and cool on a wire rack.

While i will often use margarine in the cakes, butter icing deserves the real thing:

175g soft butter
350g icing sugar

Blitz in a food processor, adding a few drops of hot water to get an easy piping consistency. Spoon into a plastic food bag and snip a tiny piece out of one corner to squeeze out relaxed ribbons of sweetness.

A touch of Leaf Green colouring and a few drops of peppermint essence,

with milk chocolate buttons for cool contrast.

Marigold colouring and sugared gems for bright sunflower cakes.

2009-07-22T22:02:00.001+01:00

These are beautiful cookies; not only in the intense chocolate bite, the soft, chewy texture and the bounty of added dried fruit and yet more chocolate but their tops crackle like interesting pottery, glossy with a fragile carapace that tempts to be broken further.

Thank you to Joy the Baker for the recipe and suggestions. I have rewritten the recipe here with UK imperial measurements as converted from the original US version.

Simplicity itself: melt 8oz good chocolate and 1.5 oz butter, carefully (i use a microwave).

In a big bowl beat together 3 large eggs and 8oz caster sugar, then add the melted and slightly cooled chocolate and butter mix followed by 1 teaspoon expresso coffee powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 4oz plain flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt.

Stir in some additional goodies, for example: white chocolate chunks (i used about 100g) the same of dark chocolate chunks and a cup of cranberries.

Using 2 rounded teaspoons, drop small balls of the rich truffle dough onto a baking sheet. Allow room to spread. Bake at 170ºC for 10-11 minutes. I used a timer, and was careful not to over bake - as soon as the tops crackle then they are ready. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy.
.

2009-07-20T23:01:00.001+01:00

Half a ripe cantaloupe melon, cubed, half a cup of iced water, a large pinch of ground coriander:

blend, drink.

2009-07-13T14:49:00.002+01:00

Browsing in my local bookshop in the few minutes before it shut tonight i found a Tamasin Day-Lewis cook book that i didn't already have on my bookshelf. Her cooking style suits me; sophisticated enough to be a challenge but never fiddly, it is the sort of food i would like to put on my table every day.

I particularly like Tamasin's use of more unorthodox vegetables. I am not silly enough to try the curried cream of artichoke soup (well, maybe), but the spicy celeriac and coconut milk soup is high on my list to try, along with celeriac, thyme and potato gratin, once the winter vegetables start appearing in my veg box.

My reminder list, for slightly cooler evenings:

Sweet-sour roasted parsnips with sweet potatoes.
Veal ragu
Parsley and horseradish dumplings
Beef Daube, flavoured with Rum

For some time, very soon:

Summer Lemon and Raspberry cake
Blondie (date brownies)
A gluten-free almond and blood orange cake
Lemon Devil's Food cake.

First of all i am set to try an alternative to my poached ham; a Baked Gammon with Parsley Sauce, for the boys' supper tomorrow.

I also browsed some unknown cook names, and spotted an idea i have to try: Rocky Road made with turkish delight and pistachios.

The Juiciest Meatballs

500g minced pork, a little finely chopped bacon, a crushed garlic clove, grated zest of a lemon and a handful of torn basil leaves; blend with your fingers and roll into walnut-sized balls. Flatten slightly as you cook them briskly in a pan with a little heated oil. Make sure they colour well to a crisp and caramelised finish - cook for 2 or 3 minutes on each side and check one to see they are juicy but not pink.

2009-07-10T07:05:00.001+01:00

The original dish was a leg of lamb, studded with anchovies, rosemary and garlic, which i happened to cook on the hottest day of spring - far too hot for the 3 of us to make much of a dent in the juicy pink meat, so i sliced it off the bone and froze it for another day.

My Shepherd's Pie: finely chopped leftover roast lamb, with diced carrots and onion, a small spring cabbage, sliced, a bulb of fresh garlic, some fresh chicken stock and an indecent amount of brown sauce (to your taste). I added a couple of teaspoons of caraway seeds too, and left to bubble gently for 45 minutes. Peas would have been good, too.

A blanket of mashed potato, creamy with butter and a little milk, with grated cheddar on the top, under a hot grill for 10 minutes.

2009-07-08T16:43:00.001+01:00

I have been a baking dervish this last week, exhorting the village hens to greater effort.

Things change, and i will eventually catch up.

I wonder how much i shall miss the era of preschool. I don't suppose i will regret the passing of the diabolical call "wipe my botty, mummy", usually heard at high pitch, at meal times.

Nigella Lawson's Marshmallow Crispy Squares

I have eaten these made with additional caramel sweets, melted into a toffee mess, but these are lighter, if no less sweet, and perhaps kinder on the teeth (but only slightly).

Melt 45g of butter in a heavy saucepan over a low heat. Add 300g of marshmallows and allow to dissolve completely while stirring gently.

Take off the heat and add 180g puffed rice (gluten-free by preference). The mix will be very sticky and stringy, like hot candy-floss.

Spoon into a lightly greased tin (i used a 22cm round cake pan). A silicone baking sheet (or greased grease-proof paper) placed over the top to press your hand against is the simplest way of flattening the sticky rice, either wise your hand and/or implement will be glued to the top of the cake.

When throughly flattened, add sprinkles or a little edible glitter. Allow to cool in the fridge and cut into shapes - either long, elegant triangles for indulgent solo eating, or small bite-sized chunks for party grazing.

This cake is particularly enjoyed by men, i find, despite the fairy pinkness.

2009-07-03T23:15:00.001+01:00

Sometimes, the desire to cook with a single particular ingredient becomes overriding, and then google is my special friend. It is how i found this delightful recipe, to satisfy caramel cravings .. Buttery Golden Syrup Cake by The Caked Crusader.

The dark molasses sugar (barbados) is the key to the exceedingly moist and dense crumb, and the intense fudge flavour. I can't do justice to the perfection of the heady, sweet aroma of hot syrup that pervades the kitchen, and the plate.

In a mixer, blend a packet of soft unsalted butter (250g), and 220g of dark muscovado sugar until smooth and creamy. I find that muscovado sugar can be awkward to blend thoroughly, but break up the sugar before adding to the bowl, and any persistent lumps are easily crushed with a wooden spoon. The occasional unblended lump will merely sink to the bottom of the cake for an extra fudgy hit.

Add 2 eggs and a tablespoon of Tate & Lyle golden syrup, beat well. Gently add 225g of self-raising flour, pulsing until blended, and finally pour in 125ml milk and beat until just amalgamated.

Spoon the toffee batter into a 18" cake tin and bake for 50 minutes at 180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Leave for 10 minutes and then remove to a wire tray to cool completely.

Next time i would add some lemon rind, and serve with clotted cream (and i will need guest testers).

2009-06-29T19:38:00.005+01:00

The children and i eat a great deal of gluten-free meals together but sometimes they need a dish that will stick to their ribs. Even in the summer they will eat Toad in the Hole (adapted from Nigel Slater's Real Food); a dish of perfectly puffed, crispy batter above dense, satisfactory pancake, studded with pork and herb sausages. I don't have to cook potatoes to go along side - they will fill up on a glory of stodge.

Mix 2 eggs, 125g plain flour, 1 tablespoon grain mustard, 150ml milk and 150ml water with a whisk or wand blender until the consistency of double cream. Leave (to allow the gluten in the flour to swell) for about 15 minutes.

Heat 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil (goose fat or lard is preferable, if to hand) in a oven proof pan. Add 6/8 sausages and allow to brown for 10 minutes in a very hot oven (220ºC). When the fat is smoking pour the batter around the sausages in the pan and put straight back in the oven for 25 minutes 'til golden brown.

For mummy, a quick and simple salad; a fistful of green beans cooked as you like them and drained well. Finely chop half a garlic clove and 3 fresh mint leaves. Add to a bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and mix until well combined. Put beans in the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Crumble 70g of firm goat's cheese over the beans, and add 2 tablespoons of pine kernels (first toasted in a dry frying pan).

From Buonissimo! by Gino D'Acampo.

2009-06-27T21:46:00.002+01:00

Off to a summer party, armed with cider, cheese and Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Mint Cookies, still ever-so-slightly warm. I made this in my electric mixer, quickly and simply. They smell divine as they cook and are a perfect after-supper sweet mint treat for grown-ups and children alike.

100g soft butter and 150g light brown sugar, creamed together.

Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1 egg.

Using the mixer on pulse, beat in 150g plain flour, 35g cocoa powder and a 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder.

Finely chop 200g dark chocolate and fold into batter.

Using a dessertspoon, scoop spoonfuls of dough onto a lined baking sheet leaving a little space for expansion. Bake in an oven for 12 minutes at 180ºc, remove and allow to sit for 2 minutes before moving cookies to a cooling rack.

Glaze: 75g icing sugar, 15ml cocoa (sieved), 30ml boiling water (you may need a little more) and 1/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract, warmed in a saucepan until blended.

(sorry - no photos of this stage as i was otherwise distracted at the time)

Drizzle glaze over the cookies as they cool.

US quantities and official method here.

2009-06-20T13:15:00.001+01:00

A simple yet delicious burger*

500g minced beef (or lamb/pork)
2 roasted red peppers (i keep a jar in the fridge), finely chopped
chilli flakes to taste
1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup
4 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Put all the ingredients in a large bowl, season with pepper and mix to combine (i always use my hands). Divide into four balls and shape into 3 inch thick burgers.

Heat a little oil in a pan and cook burgers for 6 minutes on each side for medium rare beef, or 8 minutes for well-done pork

A good minced beef burger is a robust dish and doesn't need bulking out with binding agents or fillers to ruin the light texture. The roasted peppers keep these patties wonderfully moist, with a touch of sweet and heat. I prefer not to add uncooked onion or pepper to my burgers - use either or both if you wish but i recommend cooking until onion is soft and pale before adding to the meat.

*Adapted from Gino D'Acampo's Buonissimo!

2009-06-18T07:10:00.000+01:00

I can't fully describe the satisfaction of having a batch of home cooked baked beans filling the kitchen full of savoury bliss with almost no effort on my part. I was driven to regular stir (and test) the transforming stew and can testify that the sweet herb/pork/tomato combination is irresistible, the anchovy is negligible but adds an level of intensity, and the final amount is never quite enough. I don't suppose that leaving out the pork would diminish the overall moreish effect - add some dijion mustard instead, perhaps.

Exceedingly simple, they keep for several days in the fridge, although my first batch was eaten for supper (with cold ham) and the remainder devoured for the following breakfast (with hot toast) with relish by children who usually refuse the tinned variety.

I tried a variation from here combined with this which works well.

Soak 375g of haricot (or cannellini, or navy) beans overnight in plenty of cold water, drain.

Chop and cook in a little olive oil: one onion, a large carrot, a celery stick, a large sweet pepper, and a small fresh chilli until onion is soft. Add 4 rashers of chopped bacon (or 100g pancetta, if you insist) and cook until slightly crisp. Add 2 cloves of garlic, crushed, 2 anchovy fillets, chopped, and a pinch each of dried thyme and oregano. Cook and stir for a minute.

Add 2 x 400g chopped tomatoes and the drained beans and sufficient water to cover all the ingredients. Bring to a simmer, then transfer the pan to an oven at 180ºC and bake for 3 hours until beans are tender. Stir hourly and add extra water if needed.

A drizzle of maple syrup and chopped parsley to serve is an extra flourish that you may or may not consider necessary. Don't add salt until the dish is about to be served.

2009-06-15T14:40:00.003+01:00

A repeat of last week's succulent lemon cake, but replacing the 50g of plain flour with 4 dessertspoons of gluten-free flour, one spoonful added after each egg is beaten into the batter. The mix may curdle very slightly, but don't add extra flour - gluten flour requires more moisture than wheat flour. I also replaced the almond extract with the same amount of lemon extract, for the extra citrus hit.

Leaving the cake for two days, wrapped in foil and out of sight, was a true test of my restraint but worth the frustration. Once revealed, the crumb was meltingly soft and moist with a rounded hit of lemon; sweet yet sharp and refreshing.

The cake keeps superbly well for at least *counts fingers* 4 days, and probably a little longer.

2009-06-13T22:12:00.002+01:00

Rocky Road, adapted from Nigella Lawson's Nigella Express

I use a mix of 100g marshmallows (large ones, cut in half), 100g glace cherries, 100g nuts (walnuts or pecans) and a handful of dried fruit or perhaps some crystallized ginger (a total of about 350g). Use whatever you wish - substitute crushed biscuits for the nuts if preferred.

Add to a mix of 300g good dark chocolate, 125g butter and 45ml golden syrup which has been slowly melted in a heavy saucepan.

Stir ingredients together carefully, and pour into a tin (i use a 20 inch round cake tin) lined with cling film. Shake to distribute molten goo and refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight.

Dust with a little icing sugar to serve.

2009-06-12T06:23:00.000+01:00

A platter of summer vegetables (carrots, fennel, butternut squash, turnips, peppers), whole garlic cloves and fresh basil, a big glug of olive oil.

Half an hour in a hot oven and the edges of the vegetables are soft and charred.

A kilo of unsmoked gammon, poached for an hour in pineapple juice.
Leave to cool in the stock.
If serving hot, drizzle with maple syrup with a dusting of english mustard powder.

Bake in the oven (with tray of vegetables underneath) until glaze is dark and smokily caramelized; approximately 40 minutes at 180ºC.

2009-06-10T14:05:00.000+01:00

Nigella Lawson's Damp Lemon and Almond Cake
Cream together 225g soft, unsalted butter and 225g caster sugar until white and creamy. Beat in 4 eggs, one at a time, adding a quarter portion of 50g of plain flour after each egg addition.

Gently stir in 225g ground almonds, 1/2 teaspoon almond essence, lemon zest and juice of 2 lemons.

Don't do what i did, which is use my handy strip zester rather than a microplanner, otherwise you risk the criticism that the cake is 'not lemony enough'.

Use either a 21cm springform cake, or a loaf tin, lined, and bake at 180ºC. After half an hour cover the cake with foil to stop the top darkening too much. Check with a cake skewer after an hour - it should not be clean, but without buttery batter clinging to the wire. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire tray to cool completely.

Wrap well in foil and leave for 2 days, during which it will become more fragrant .. dust with icing sugar before serving.

2009-06-09T15:21:00.001+01:00

For supper i have the remains of yesterday's roast chicken which became a paella with plenty of green pepper, fine beans and chorizo sausage. i used the dark, sticky gravy saved from the roasting pan for stock - the stripped chicken carcass simmered to make another stock for tomorrow.

2009-06-05T01:09:00.000+01:00

Last night's supper, eaten with jersey royal potatoes and buttered marrow.

2009-06-01T21:19:00.000+01:00

When I saw this recipe on Joy The Baker.com for Lemon Cloud Tea Cookies on the eve of a child-free weekend, i had to attempt a wheat free version.

Love these blue eggs. It is all mixed in one bowl, simply and quickly. I replaced the wheat flour and corn flour combined with a slightly smaller volume of gluten-free flour, but added some extra flour after the first tray of cookies, to stiffen the mixture.

Batch 1: the mixture was too soft and the biscuits spread out very flat, but were fragrant and slightly cakey while warm. The children eat the whole tray.

Batch 2: a stiffer batter, which just holds the pattern of the fork tines once baked. Gluten-free cookies can often be dry with an unappealing mouth-feel, but the texture of these biscuits lends themselves to the slightly gritty feel of rice flour - bite through the crisp shell and the texture is just light, lemony crumb that dissolves on your tongue. Make them small enough that you feel justified in having yet another.

2009-05-26T21:21:00.000+01:00

An afternoon spent frolicking with the children among statues. I was fascinated by the variety of lichen on display; a blossoming beauty spot on the face of a serene and sad beauty, the flat poisonous yellow stain compared to the bristling fur on the dwarf and his weapon, and the green gloss of crinkly, velvety curls across the bosom of the queen.

I am in a room full of sweetly ticking clocks, all perfectly synchronised, their full variety of chimes dancing and interleaving at the hour of 10 o'clock. I don't feel so alone with the patter of rhythmic clicks as a background accompaniment, although it makes me realise that i miss listening to the beat of another's heart at this late hour.

2009-05-22T21:23:00.000+01:00

Is there anything better than curling up on the sofa watching food porn, one small child in my lap, another tucked in behind my shoulder, munching on peanut butter and chocolate chunk cookies, enveloped in the aroma of sweet butter, salty nut and clean hamster? Probably the best, and most useful hour, i spent this week. The cookies were just a bonus.

Bill Granger's Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2009-05-17T19:15:00.000+01:00

Russian tea biscuits:
Cream 225g unsalted butter with 5ml of vanilla extract until soft and smooth. Add 50g icing sugar and 250g plain flour through a sieve. Stir until just combined into a heavy dough. Add 120g chopped walnuts, stir*

Spoon the dough into small balls, place on a silicone baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes at 180ºC until barely tinged with colour. Leave to cool and roll in icing sugar, twice if you wish.

*The second time i made these i ground the walnuts first, into a heavy dust. The biscuits were smoother in texture and appearance, lighter to the bite and slightly less crumbly.

Be warned - these cookies collapse into your mouth with a puff of sweet icing sugar and are quite addictive. I will try the same recipe with pecans, and perhaps almonds too; they are light, very buttery and the delicate flavour of nut shines. Apparently they keep well in a tin.

2009-04-25T19:19:00.000+01:00

This recipe is totally rubbish, frankly. I only noticed it because i adore these iconic ~~cookies~~ nibbles (it is illegal to refer to Anzacs as cookies!) and this particular version does not include coconut, which, on reflection was probably a typo. Have you ever heard of anzac biscuits without coconut? Exactly my point.

My son can not eat coconut, so i was easily seduced into trying something new for him. It was apparent fairly early that the ingredients were not doing what they should, so i winged it. If you want that burnt-sugar hit, a deep full-throated caramel crunch with a hint of chewy oat .. well, my version worked. I'll be making them again, for sure.

Heat oven to 160ºC.

In a pan, gently melt 125g of butter with 2 tablespoons of golden syrup. Leave to cool slightly and add 170g of porridge oats, 100g self raising flour, 125g caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.

Take a teaspoon of mixture and roll into a ball, place on a silicone bake tray, flatten slightly with a fork. Repeat, but do not underestimate how these biscuits spread. Bake for 10 minutes until golden brown. If, like mine, your biscuits spread into each other, divide with the blunt edge of a baking slice while they are still soft and pliable. Allow to cool completely on a rack before eating, if you can.

My children are elsewhere for the weekend, the house is silent and still. The playroom looks oddly paralysed, as if held in suspension until they return. I indulge myself in solitude, in pleasures, in thought and deeds which are purely for myself. I feel myself expanding into this vacuum, and may not leave this private haven for the duration.

**update** If you don't recognise the date/name; it is Anzac Day today, which is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I and also to commemorate the soldiers who fought in France and Belgium. Anzac Day is also observed in the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tonga.

The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, whose soldiers were known as Anzacs. The ingredients for these sturdy biscuits do not spoil easily so they kept well during naval transportation to loved ones who were fighting abroad.

2009-04-22T21:26:00.000+01:00

A simple marinade for chicken (adapted from Nigella Lawson's Buttermilk Roast Chicken):

Into a plastic bag pour 300ml buttermilk with 30ml olive oil, 2 crushed cloves of garlic, a big pinch of salt, lots of ground pepper, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Add approximately 500g of chicken - breasts, thighs or drumsticks - and massage gently. Leave overnight or for a few hours in the fridge, or for an hour or so at room temperature just before cooking. Shake of excess marinade, drizzle with a little extra oil and roast in a hot oven. Serve with coleslaw and a new potato salad.

2009-04-19T19:31:00.000+01:00

Dusting bookshelves this morning i noticed that my husband is removing cookbooks. There are odd gaps in lines that used to be packed tight; the bookshelves bulged fit to burst with 500 volumes, but now spines sag crookedly. This dissolving of the household is inevitable, but i am determined not to fight over possessions, particularly when books are so replaceable. It does, however, encourage me to explore some of the titles that i don't usually pick up.

It is hard to read these books and see my husband's writing - he always made notes about recipes in the margin of books, and often added whether i enjoyed the dish.

I found a little volume of Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking ("a plump wife and a big barn never did any man harm"), full of recipes which are characteristically short and often sweet. There is a recipe for Rivel (crumb) pie, with 3 simple ingredients of flour, sugar and fat, also Sand Tarts and Flannel Cakes. I am tempted to try Spaetzle, which i recognise from my time as a swiss housewife.

From Lindsey Bareham's Just One Pot; Aromatic lamb curry with spinach (with personal adjustments).

For a marinade; 5 tablespoons of plain yoghurt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and 3 cloves of garlic and a finger of fresh ginger (5cm), peeled and finely chopped. Add 500g of diced lamb steak and stir.

Peel and chop a large onion. Cook on a high heat for a couple of minutes, then sprinkle with a little salt, another 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1 tsp of ground coriander, a big pinch of chilli powder, a bay leaf, 4 cloves, seeds from 4 cardamon pods. Stir well and cook gently for 10 minutes.

Increase the heat, add the meat and marinade. Cook briskly to brown the meat; the sauce will thicken. Sprinkle with a pinch of sweet paprika and add a tin of chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 30 minutes. Just before serving add a bunch of chopped and blanched spinach and heat.

2009-04-15T19:33:00.000+01:00

There are countless recipes for fish stew, but this was my version from last night. It filled the house with a perfect combination of sweet tomato and the sun-drenched aroma of dried herbs to drive off the chill of a wet spring evening.

A large, solid pot, a little heated oil. Two fat leeks and a green pepper, sliced, 2 diced courgette and a couple of large garlic cloves, crushed: soften gently without colouring. When the vegetables are sweetly melting together add a tin of chopped tomatoes and an extra half pint of water, a bay leaf, a little dried thyme, fennel seeds (i was generous), and a few strands of saffron (first moistened in a ladle of the liquid). I would have added a curl of orange peel, if i had had one to hand.

Then peel and slice 4 potatoes into 1cm thick rounds, add to the pot with extra water to fully cover. Simmer until potato is almost cooked, then add fillets of firm, white fish .. maybe some shellfish if you have some to hand. It will take only a couple more minutes on the heat to finish off.

*

Today i tackled some *husband* jobs - clearing the shed of broken toys and cobwebs, cutting grass, taking rubbish to the tip. My 8 year old showed me how to empty the grass cuttings from the lawnmower; we made a good team.

Next i shall start with the power tools.

2009-04-07T19:34:00.000+01:00

I didn't make a birthday cake; i have so little time/privacy for thought or deed at the moment, and extra baking is not on the agenda.

Slices of chocolate sponge on the bottom of the dish, a sprinkling of port, then some raspberries and cherries. A raspberry jelly poured over and allowed to set. A layer of barely warm custard on top, then, the following day, a blanket of fragile and light whipped cream. The strawberries i rescued from the breakfast table, and the pale green squiggles are strips of candied angelica. I have always enjoyed the fresh green flavour, whether as the sweet treat on top of a cake, or as the sticky green liquor in the Chartreuse Barrel from the selection of my mother's favourite Terry's Old Gold Chocolates.

2009-03-22T18:22:00.000Z

I have been wittering (twittering) about scones and the regional (south west England) cream teas this week, so, for Mothering Sunday, i see a perfect excuse for posting gratuitous bake and cream photos.

I don't often make scones. Although they are delicious, in a soft, well-padded and comfortable way, they don't keep well, and are best eaten within hours of baking, preferably while still with a breath of oven heat. A warm scone is hard to resist, even when i know the consequences of succumbing to a bite of wheat product, and my children can not eat a whole batch like they could fresh muffins, so i prefer to keep temptations out of my olfactory range. However, i had a big project this week which involved making several batches, and my scone-making pleasures have been thoroughly indulged.

They can be made from scratch within 20 minutes and eaten with either butter and jam, or the stupendous traditional baked cornish cream, they make a fabulous treat. I found a slight variation on the basic recipe of flour, fat, a little sugar, egg and milk which worked extremely well. Adding dried fruit is also an option.

I was taught that the secret to making light scones is a light hand .. and to be distracted.

Golden Scones (from Mary Berry's Fast Cakes)

Using fingertips (and a dirty mind) rub small pieces of soft butter (50g) into 225g self raising flour and 1 tablespoon of baking powder, then add 25g of soft brown sugar.

Crack an egg into a measuring jug, add a tablespoon of golden syrup and beat with a fork to amalgamate. Top to the 150ml measure with milk, and beat once more. Add liquid to flour and mix to a soft dough. Knead briefly on a floured surface, roll out to half an inch thickness.

Using a fluted shape cutter (i like my square cutter in particular) cut 10 - 12 scones, place on a large baking sheet and brush with a little milk. Bake for barely 8 minutes @ 220° until golden brown.

Eat within 24 hours, or freeze straight away and refresh in a warm oven. A perfectly risen scone will have a natural fissure across the width; split, add a dollop of thick, crusted cream and a spoonful of a friend's home grown raspberry jam.

2009-03-04T21:28:00.000Z

Nigella Lawson's Jam Doughnut Muffins

Simplicity itself, beat liquid ingredients (milk, oil and egg, vanilla extract) together in a jug. Add to flour and caster sugar in a generous mixing bowl. I was rather disappointed with the unappetising batter, but these cakes proved to be so much more than the sum of modest parts.

I use a broad rubber spatula to mix wet and dry ingredients; you need a sure hand, but be very restrained. As soon as the flour is seen to be incorporated, ignoring flecks of raw flour or lumps, stop mixing otherwise your muffins will be tough.

A small spoonful of batter in 12 muffins cases (i could not resist these pale and pretty silicone ones), then a teaspoon of jam, and the remaining batter on top. 20 minutes later they emerge from a hot oven smelling sweet but still fairly unassuming.

The final step is a reduced version of nigella's excessiveness. Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter with the same of caster sugar, and, using a pastry brush, coat the top of each muffin with the granular syrup.

I had to physically hold my children back from the tray while they were too hot to eat, and the whole batch was eaten in less than the time we had taken to make and bake them.

Next i shall try these with a variety of fillings; perhaps lemon curd for Famulus, and i imagine a dark grape jam would work superbly. My son suggests nutella, while i am tempted by my kiwi and gooseberry jam which i usually add to my morning yoghurt. I think we will try a mixed batch tomorrow afternoon. Suggestions welcome.

2009-02-27T21:31:00.000Z

Nigella Lawson's quadruple chocolate cake

I haven't made this cake in an age, which is a shame; a dense yet soft sponge of bitter cocoa with dark chocolate fragments, sticky, sweet mocha syrup and, if you can bear it, flakes of chocolate on top. It is also one of those marvelous creations made in the food processor .. a few pulses of the button and perfect chocolate batter appears as if by magic. It appeals to my perversity that it is finished with boiling water (or substitute a freshly made expresso for super excess).

Flour, sugar, eggs, a little sour cream, vanilla essence, butter: pulse together, then, with motor running, freshly boiled water is slowly added to make a silky custard. Chocolate shrapnel (milk or plain is your choice) is added, and the mix ladled into a loaf tin.

One hour later (although five minutes less will keep the cake extravegantly moist) and the cake is puffed and crisply crusted, with bubbles of molten chocolate oozing outwards.

Meanwhile boil water, cocoa and sugar rapidly (i added a little Tia Maria for the coffee aroma) for a good 5 minutes to make an unctuous syrup. Pour over the hot cake, punching tiny holes with a cake tester to encourage rivulets of syrup into the middle of the loaf. A crumbled Flake bar or chocolate shavings will stick to the syrup, if you dare.

2009-02-20T21:37:00.000Z

You are at home with just a few roots vegetables and some feta in the fridge; do not despair. This is a favourite dish of mine and beautifully simple to put together, even while chatting enthusiastically with a friend. Just remember to switch on the oven if you want lunch to be on time ..

Peter Gordon's potato, celeriac and leek gratin with sage and feta. It uses the excellent celeriac root, which i love for its delicate aniseed flavour, and the whole dish is cooked to succulent, salty, creamy goodness with just the addition of a little boiling water - no heavy cream overload.

If, however, you have forgotten to turn the oven on .. try Peter Gordon's curried pumpkin and swede soup with feta and caramelized red onion (also from his book Vegetables) instead for a quick alternative, or for supper later. I have been eating bowlfuls, and varieties of, all week, and can't get enough of the cheerful heat and comforting silky texture.

If i am in a hurry i forgo the garnish (try a spritz of balsamic vinegar instead) and blitz to a puree rather than letting the vegetables disintegrate to a melting softness. In extremis, (like tonight, arriving home cold and tired to a half-full tureen) i added a spoonful of cottage cheese instead of feta.

Tonight will, most probably, be the last night that a child of mine will sleep in the wooden cot upstairs. My youngest is suddenly too long, his toes absurdly tucked into the end of the bed with the blankets. Tomorrow i must move him to the bottom bunk under his brother; a nursery no longer.

2009-01-10T19:00:00.000Z

A chopped onion browned sweetly sticky in a pan, then added to a bowl of ground lamb, plenty of chopped mint and parsley and ground pepper. I always add a grated apple to my burgers because i can't use breadcrumbs for bulk, and also because the fruit adds sweetness and moisture (and the pectin helps to keep their shape although i also added an egg today). I might have added pinenuts, too, if i had thought about it at the time.

I use my fingers to mix and squidge, and then little patties are dropped back into the shiny pan that the onions were softened in. Briefly browned, then the whole pan goes into a hot oven for 10 minutes to finish them off. Served with new potatoes and green beans.

2009-01-07T18:56:00.000Z

When in doubt, bake a cake.

I wanted to do something that would keep my hands occupied, so i chose a recipe which needed old fashioned creaming; butter and sugar beaten to a gentle cream colour, then garlands of lemon rind, 3 eggs and a mix of flours added, slowly. Finally, vaguely following Nigella's suggestion, i added an extra lemon's worth of juice and some chopped dried bing cherries.

A maderia cake; i cut it while still warm, feeding children after school, and the soft crumb fell into big chunks. It is the perfect texture; light but with enough moisture to keep the bite succulent in your mouth. Not too sweet, a good hit of lemon and those huge dark fruits buried like rubies in sand.

I would serve a slice with a glass of Tokay that i brought back from a Margaret River winery, if you were here.

2009-01-01T21:35:00.000Z

A brief summary of Nigella Lawson's Buche de Noel:

Whisk 6 egg whites until they froth thickly, whisk again with 50g of caster sugar until glossy.

Whisk the egg yolks with 100g of caster sugar until thick and foamy, fold in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 50g sieved cocoa. Carefully amalgamate .. one large spoonful of the whipped whites into the custard froth to ease the mix, and gradually add the rest with a firm but slow hand.

Carefully pour mix into a lined swiss roll tin .. do not bang tin, or you might lose the air. Bake for 20 minutes at 180ºc. I immediately remove from the tin (turn upside down on to a clean tea towel, and peel off the greaseproof paper) and leave to cool a little. Slice off the sides and ends (good to nibble on), spread with a little warmed raspberry jam.

I use this, sliced thickly and soaked in liqueur, for the base of a trifle made with red berries and lashings of custard, but will also cover in buttercream (175g chocolate, 250g icing sugar, 225g butter, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract thoroughly beaten) for a heart-stopping extravaganza of sugar and fat.

2008-11-16T13:04:00.000Z

Try these: caramel ripple brownies. A combination of dense, bittersweet chocolate brownie rippled with veins of sweet vanilla-scented baked cheesecake.

This is one of those useful recipes which uses only a small amount of flour and converts superbly to gluten-free. I swapped 50g of plain flour with 40g of all-purpose gluten free flour (i like Dove Farm's version), and there was no difference from the straight version i had previously made. A small piece is all you need as it is stunningly intense, although it worked very well as the second course of a lazy lunch, following this glorious gratin by Peter Gordon.

As much as i adore potato dauphinoise, i can't contemplate eating much of the rich cream bake. As an alternative, i prefer a gratin made with layers of potato, celeriac and leek with a salty note of feta and sage, cooked with only a small amount of water in a carefully sealed parcel. Light, and gloriously moreish without that sinking feeling.

2008-11-11T13:01:00.000Z

Nigella Lawson's spanish macaroons; ground almonds, egg whites and a generous grating of orange zest. Oh, and don't forget the sugar (which i did, but fortunately i whipped them out of the oven in time, and remixed and rerolled .. yes, it is a very obliging recipe).

I made a large batch of these for a party; they have a satisfying crunch on the outside, chewy and moist in the middle. Any remaining will be frozen as they defrost quickly (with no ill-effect) for emergency snacking.

2008-11-04T18:47:00.000Z

Probably the best chocolate cookie recipe ever created.

Eggs and sugar whisked to a thick foam consume an obscene amount of melted dark chocolate and butter. Gently folded together, the pretty marbled effect becomes a dense earthy batter which solidifies into a divinely scented truffled cookie dough, and 12 minutes later, out of my oven come these perfect crackled moist biscuits.

2008-10-25T18:52:00.000+01:00

Lemon-scented maderia cake, perfectly risen with a slight bounce at the press of a fingertip. Tonight i am icing it .. life is too short for fiddling with fondant, but i am not incapable of slavering the top with a blanket of coloured sugar, a toy and some sweets.

At some point i shall have to slice it horizontally and layer with butter icing. Or maybe jam. Or chocolate ganache.

2008-10-17T20:43:00.000+01:00

cheese stuffed tortellini, with bacon strips and Matt's homemade tomato sauce, plenty of parmesan and a knob of butter.

pudding was a mix of chocolate raisins, mandarin and a biscuit.

2008-10-16T20:46:00.000+01:00

Large tin of French Cassolet, baked in a dish with a hat of sliced potato. Carrots and peas.

Angel delight with a cinnamon biscuit.

2008-10-14T16:46:00.000+01:00

special request: oven chips and 2 fried eggs, with baked beans. Jelly and fruit with chocolate sprinkles for pudding.

2008-10-13T19:17:00.000+01:00

spaghetti with grated carrot, butter, parmesan and big flakes of smoked mackeral. A large belgian caramel waffle for pudding.

2008-10-12T19:19:00.000+01:00

macdonalds ... but we had had BBQ steak, sausages, chicken with peas, carrots and brocolli and oven chips mid afternoon with grandpa and grandma. Chocolate Truffle cake and blueberry ice cream for pudding

2008-10-11T19:21:00.000+01:00

homemade meatballs (beef, apple and carrot) with spaghetti and parmesan. Chocolate truffle cake for pudding.

2008-10-10T16:48:00.000+01:00

Nigella Lawson's beef with anchovy casserole, mashed potato. Chocolate trifle for pudding

2008-10-06T07:58:00.000+01:00

Roast Pork, roast potatoes, carrots, leeks, brocolli and apple sauce with
lashings of gravy.

Chocolate Truffle cake

2008-09-19T02:30:00.000+01:00

fish fillets poached in milk, with bay and peppercorns, then placed under a grill with a breadcrumb and parmesan hat. Roast marrow with oregano and coriander (yum) and long grain rain (cooked in milk/water poaching liquid from fish).

2008-09-18T02:30:00.000+01:00

paella made with .. celery, onion, green peppers, roast aubergine, black forest ham and yesterday's leftover chicken.

cold crumble and hot custard for pudding.

2008-09-16T17:41:00.000+01:00

Roast chicken with roast potatoes and parsnips, carrots.

Blackberry and apple crumble for pudding

2008-09-16T02:30:00.000+01:00

Oven chips, hot dogs, corn on the cob, and a fried egg on top. yogurts for pudding.

2008-09-15T02:30:00.000+01:00

Fish cakes made from leftover mash potato, a tin of tuna and some sweetcorn, served with baked beans.

2008-09-14T02:30:00.000+01:00

Afternoon tea with Uncle Ted: sandwiches, home cooked crisps, tomatoes and cucumber sticks, followed by Birthday Cheesecake (lemon and orange baked cheesecake)

2008-09-13T02:30:00.000+01:00

Nigella Lawson's Beef with anchovies and thyme, mashed potato, savoy cabbage and carrots.

Gluten free brownies with chocolate angel delight, cream and raspberries.

Yes, a special tea time today.

2008-09-11T20:36:00.000+01:00

Risi e Bisi, but made with asparagus, not peas. (sophie grigson)

no pudding today - they had chocolate earlier.

2008-09-10T18:21:00.000+01:00

Pasta bows with a sauce of chopped onion, bacon, a large plum tomato and some juice, and a tin of flaked tuna, with added sweetcorn. Lots of parmesan.

yoghurts.

2008-09-10T02:30:00.000+01:00

Sausages (Farmer black's gluten-free), roasted with 2 large overblown courgettes, carrots, green beans, mashed potato.

can't remember whether we had pudding.

2008-09-09T02:20:00.000+01:00

Swimming night, so needed to be quick and filling.

Oven chips, bacon and a fried egg, baked beans. Sweetcorn nobs with butter.

Raspberry angel delight