I’m a big fan of Great British Menu and love to watch real working chefs and pros sweating and creating to challenge each other. Who are more competitive than top-flight chefs? Real gems come out of it and I’m sure bookings are a dead cert to increase for everyone involved.
This week Michael Smith made an inviting (if not entirely appropriate for this year’s sharing banquet theme) salmon kedgeree which inspired me to have one myself. I winged it, adding what felt right and what I was in the mood for. It usually features boiled eggs but they don’t really do it for me so I’ve gone for scrambled here. Fresh, spicy and filling – what more could you want?
Coley kedgeree (serves 1):
1 frozen coley steak
1 tablespoon madras powder
2 handfuls Basmati rice
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon nigella seeds
1 egg
Splash of cream
Large handful chopped fresh coriander
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Mix the madras with a pinch of salt on a square of foil. Rub the fish into the powder all over and then wrap the parcel up and bake for 20 minutes, or until flaky.
Get a large pan of water on to boil and add the rice and turmeric. Boil for 12 minutes or so until tender, then drain and keep warm while you get on with everything else.
Beat the egg with a pinch of salt and the cream. In a frying pan toast the seeds over a medium heat. When they start to smoke add the drained rice and egg. Keep everything moving around to break the egg up.
The fish should be done now so get it out of the oven and flake into the rice. When the egg is set to your liking take off the heat, stir through the coriander and serve.
After sampling some beautiful desserts in Mallorca recently, I really fancied recreating some of them. One on the hitlist was creme caramel, so I gave it a go. I used this recipe of James Martin’s, and didn’t change a thing.
It turned out brilliantly! I was sure it would be lumpy and gnarly, but the mixture was smooth, the caramel golden and the whole thing sweet and jelly-like. I was gobsmacked!
Creme caramel (serves 4):
4 eggs
1 egg yolk
120 g caster sugar
500 ml milk
1 drops vanilla essence
For the caramel:
150 g caster sugar
50 ml water
Preheat the oven to 140°C/gas 1.
Whisk the whole eggs, egg yolk and sugar together in a bowl, then mix in the milk and vanilla essence. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean bowl.
To make the caramel, boil the sugar and water together in a small pan without stirring until the syrup thickens and caramelises, turning golden brown.
Pour the hot caramel into 4 dariole moulds.
Pour the egg mixture into each caramel-filled moulds. Place the darioles in a roasting tray and pour hot water in around the moulds until it reaches half-way up the side of the moulds.
Bake the crème caramels in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
To serve, turn out the moulds on to serving plates.
Just a quick, cheap and cheerful dinner. A simple and humble cheddar frittata with leftover spaghetti, plus a punchy salad on the side (gleefully stolen from Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals). The dressing is dynamite, really sweetly acidic with a lemony punch.
Cheddar frittata with zingy balsamic rocket salad (serves 2):
For the frittata:
4 eggs
100g cheddar
150g spaghetti
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
For the salad:
2 slices pancetta
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
½ a lemon
Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking once it’s done. Get the grill on hot and a frying pan over a medium heat.
Whisk the eggs briskly in a large bowl, with salt, pepper and the paprika. Stir in the cheese and add to a large frying pan. After a minute or so add the spaghetti.
Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the egg has set around the sides, then transfer to under the grill until the top has browned and set in the middle.
While the omelette cooks get the pancetta into an empty frying pan and the squashed, unpeeled clove of garlic. Once the pancetta’s cooked on one side flip over and add the fennel seeds. Push everything to one side of the pan and tip it slightly. All the fat should run to this side, into which you should add the balsamic vinegar and a twist of pepper. After a minute add the squeezed lemon then pour the lot on to the salad leaves.
Toss the salad well and serve with a wedge of frittata.
Apologies for the dishevelled appearance in the photo, sadly the decent ones went immediately!
I have attempted macarons before; often problem-laden and unpredictable. The worst part was trying to let them set to achieve the mythical ‘foot’; the gluey bit on the bottom that forms that crusty ring. So when I was invited to a pre-launch macaron class at the Waitrose Cookery School I jumped at the chance.
The training kitchens, situated in Goldhurst Terrace, London, are immaculate. Warm, open and inviting, it’s difficult not to feel completely welcome and at ease. Lots of bright lighting and muted wood tones give a relaxing feel to the lobby, giving way to the pristine whites of the actual cooking area. There’s also a TV studio-style lecture theatre.
James Campbell piping like a ninja
Headed up by Gordon McDermott the brigade are full to the brim with chefs fresh from Michelin-starred kitchens to train and teach. Our main chef-tutor for the evening was James Campbell, a confident and engaging Scot of undoubted skill. He took us through the recipe effortlessly before dispatching us to give it a whirl. Paired with the affable Craig of London Food Detective, we set to with jolly expensive food mixers and brand-new ovens to macaron like we had never macaron before. We had a whale of a time.
We made a few mistakes, in timings and piping, but then where better to make a mistake than under the guidance of someone who use to churn out 300 desserts a night for Gary Rhodes? James pointed out the errors of our ways and set us on the right path. His techniques in instructing me how to pipe were fascinating and obvious at the same time. It’s those pro tips that you only get from doing the job for years at a professional level that makes it all worthwhile. We’d made some cracking (no pun intended) bitter orange macarons. There was also some cocktail instruction going on but I had to get our confections out of the oven! Some mulled wine macarons were also passed around and they were sensational. Filled with a boozy buttercream and a hit of syrupy reduced mulled wine, they are sure to be a hit this Winter.
If you’re considering a cookery class, or looking for a gift for the foodie in your life, try the Waitrose Cookery School. The facilities and tuition are top-notch. As a former trainer myself, I can spot a decent coach and everyone there was great.
For these chocolate and caramel macarons (known as Makka-Pakka-Roons in our house for their beige colouring) I adapted a recipe James provided. And how delightful they were. Crisp shells with chewy interiors, and sweet gooey fillings, these were a real hit. The key trick is to make them with an Italian meringue, that is made with a syrup rather than adding caster sugar while whisking. This means you don’t have to leave them to sit which is the real trick to awesome macarons.
Chocolate and caramel macarons (makes about 30):
For the meringue:
4 egg whites
187g caster sugar
75ml water
162g ground almonds
25g cocoa powder
187g icing sugar
For the chocolate:
160g double cream
200g dark chocolate
40g butter
For the caramel:
300g sugar
75ml water
250g cream
25g butter
Preheat the oven to 140°C.
Get the caster sugar and water in a pan and heat it up. It needs to reach 114°C.
While the syrup heats, whisk the egg whites gently in a mixer. When the syrup is the right temperature slowly trickle it into the eggs so it is incorporated gently and without hitting the whisk if possible. Turn it up to max and let it whisk for 5 minutes until thick, glossy and that you-can-hold-it-over-your-headness.
While that whisks, mix the almonds, cocoa and icing sugar together and then mix in the egg whites. It will be a really tough paste.
Mix the egg white into the paste a third at a time. Try not to whack the hell out of it. Spoon it into a piping bag and line a tray with baking parchment (stick it down with a dab of meringue mix if you like).
Pipe the mix on to the tray, leaving a gap between each one. When piping, keep the bag at 2cm over the tray and squeeze gently until you have s mall blob about 4cm in diameter on the tray. To prevent the meringue getting a wispy ‘nipple’ on top, pull away from the tray with a swirl and a flick. This needs practice!
Bake in the oven for exactly 12 minutes. While that happens, make the fillings.
For the chocolate, bring the cream to the simmer and add the chocolate. When melted add the butter, stir and allow to cool.
For the caramel, melt the sugar and water together until golden, then slowly add the cream. When that’s blended add the butter, stir and allow to cool.
When the meringues have cooled for a few minutes, pull the parchment up and peel the macaron away from the paper. Pipe some chocolate ganache around the rim and drop a few spots of caramel in the middle. Sandwich together and watch them disappear.
