Perfect Sunday Supper (or Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday...)

I think it was the second homemade Damson Gin last night that was the catalyst for needing comfort food today.  It wasn’t a heavy night for a Burns night celebration but it was a good fun evening with friends.  So after a slow start and a busy day, a little bit of something nourishing, gorgeous to taste and very importantly easy to prepare was necessary.  So here it is, simply perfect slow cooked Lamb Shanks in Red Wine, Balsamic and Honey with caramelised Onions and Pancetta, perfect with the family or for supper with friends.

Lamb Shanks with Balsamic and Honey

Serves 2 – multiply up for more

2 Lamb Shanks

1 Red Onion (thinly sliced)

2 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)

1 tbsp Balsamic reduction

1 glass Red Wine

1 tbsp Runny Honey

300ml Chicken Stock

1 stick of Celery (cut into 2” chunks)

1 tbsp Tomato Puree

1 Sprig of Rosemary

Splash of Olive Oil

Knob of Butter

Sprinkling of Plain Flour

Salt and Pepper

Dust the lamb shanks with seasoned flour and set aside.

Melt half of the olive oil and butter in a sauté pan (big enough to take the shanks in a few minutes) and sauté the onions, celery, rosemary and pancetta.  Leave on a low heat so they do not brown but start to caramelise.  This will take around 10 minutes.  Take off the heat and place in the slow cooker.

Return the pan to the cooker and with a little more olive oil and butter brown the lamb shanks on all sides, place these into the slow cooker with the onion mixture. 

Once again return the sauté pan to the heat and pour in the balsamic, red wine and honey and let it come to the boil.  Add the chicken stock and stir to combine.  When it reaches boiling point again pour over the lamb shanks, season (you can always adjust this later so don’t be too generous at this stage) and cook on the high setting for 1 hour, turn down to a low setting for a further 5 hours.  During the cooking time, spoon the sauce over the lamb a couple of times.

When the lamb is cooked and falling off the bone, remove the lamb from the slow cooker and set aside keeping it warm.  Pour the juices from the slow cooker into a saucepan and boil (this will take 10-15 minutes) to reduce down to a syrup consistency, pour over the lamb shanks.

Serve piled up with potatoes and cabbage.  Don't worry about plating it up as you would for a Michelin Star restaurant, this is good rustic food that tastes devine.  Anyway this is supper not Masterchef!

A Bit of a Tart

Stilton, Onion and Potato Tart with a Walnut Crust, Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Seasoned Leaves and Balsamic Syrup

After a lovely Sunday lunch at the local pub last night I needed just a small plateful of something to sustain me until the morning.  As the remainder of the stilton was threatening to walk out of the pantry and into the kitchen all by itself it is so ripe, the answer was a small piece of tart with a little of the green stuff.  Its very easy and does the job perfectly.

100g stilton cheese plus a little more to crumble on top before baking

25g gruyere cheese grated

150g creme fraiche

2 onions finely sliced

50g butter

2 small potatoes - chopped small

drizzle of olive oil

a few chives

2 very large eggs or 3 large

salt and pepper

For the walnut pastry

200g plain flour

pinch of salt

100g butter

handful of walnuts

water or egg yolk to bind (depending on how rich you want your pastry)

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.  

First of all make the pastry as it needs to rest in the fridge prior to baking.  In a food processor or by hand combine the flour and butter until consistency of fine breadcrumbs is achieved.  Add the walnuts and blitz again until they are chopped into the flour mixture.  Add the salt and the egg yolk or water (enough to combine to a dough).  Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for half an hour (more if you want to make it in advance).

Prepare the filling by whisking the eggs in a bowl and leave to one side.  In a deep saute pan, fry the potatoes and onions for 10 minutes in the butter and olive oil until almost cooked.  Add the remaining ingredients and heat through until almost to boiling point and the stilton has melted into the mixture.  Season and then remove from the heat and set aside to cool down.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and roll out and line your flan dish.  Blind bake in the oven for 15 minutes then remove the baking beans (or rice whatever you use) and baking parchment, brush with a little of the egg mixture and return to the oven for 5 minutes.

Combine the eggs to the onion and potato mixture and pour into the flan dish.  Crumble over the remaining stilton and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until just cooked.

Serve with slow roasted tomato halves, some rocket seasoned with olive oil and a balsamic drizzle.

Nice Ice

I honestly believe that it is at this time of year that I genuinely regress into my childhood.  I am the sort of person who insists everyone has a stocking on Christmas morning, the decorating of the tree is a family affair and had I not been initiated into the adult truth regarding the big guy with the white beard and stomach made out of chocolate muffins, I would still like to believe he squeezes his way into our chimney each year at the stroke of midnight on Christmas Eve to bestow his generosity regardless of whether I have been good or bad.

So with all that going on and the accompanying white stuff threatening to once again litter our pavements I have had a bizarre craving to find the ultimate ice cream.  Strange I know but I never pretended to be ordinary.  So in the spirit of pure indulgence during this Christmas period I have been playing around with flavours to tempt my pallet and inspire images of 1950's ice cream parlours but perhaps on a more adult theme.  To be truthful it should be said that out of the five I messed around with some worked better than others.  I give you my four favourites. 

One is slightly unusual and reminds me of childhood purple violets, one is very grown up and was born out of having a cold and two are quite simply wonderful and perhaps just a little bit decadent...

Ice Cream - Basic recipe

300ml single cream or milk

300ml double cream

4 egg yolks
75g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

Heat milk and vanilla up to boiling point. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes then remove the pod, split open and scrape out the seeds stirring them back into the milk mixture.

Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick.  Whisk into the vanilla milk mixture.  Over a low heat simmer to a custard (it will be ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon).  You must do this over a low heat and keep an eye on it or it will split changing the consistency of the ice cream from one of creamy loveliness to something rather grainy.

Whisk the double cream until turning thick and then fold this into the custard mixture.

Place into the ice cream maker and churn as per your machines instructions.  If you don't have a machine then pour into a shallow dish and freeze covered stirring every half hour until frozen.

Flavour Variations:

White Chocolate Lemon Cheesecake

200g white chocolate

Zest and juice of 2 lemons

350ml double cream

250g full fat cream cheese

75g caster sugar

4 egg yolks

Bring sugar, cream cheese, lemon zest and double cream to the boil and leave to infuse.  Whisk the egg yolks and add to the cream mixture with the lemon juice.  Gently heat over a low simmer until custard consistency is achieved.  Pour into the ice cream machine for required time or freeze in shallow dish.

Hazelnut, Fudge and White Chocolate

200g white chocolate

100g hazelnuts (chopped but not fine grain)

100g fudge pieces

Use basic ice cream recipe as above.  Add chocolate once custard mixture is achieved and stir to melt, add hazelnuts and fudge pieces and continue as per instructions.

Lavender and Honey

Replace sugar with Lavender sugar or add 1 dsp lavender flowers to milk along with 2 tablespoons of runny honey.  Continue as per basic ice cream mixture.

Whiskey and Ginger

2 pieces of stem ginger (chopped into pieces)

3-4 tbsp whiskey (more or less depending on how strong you want it)

Use basic ice cream recipe as above.  Place the ginger and whiskey in the milk prior to bringing to the boil.  Leave to infuse for 10 minutes then strain the milk discarding the ginger.  
Continue as per instructions.

Anyone For Drinkies?

After the detritus of Christmas wrapping paper has taken hold throughout the house, the next challenge is one of New Year celebrations. 

It is during this time we honour the ‘must get together’ conversations that have so far been tethered to the recesses of our minds in favour of a bottle of red and a roaring fire as the cold winter nights roll in.  Our hopes of such casually uttered mutterings being quickly forgotten are dashed along with the promised ‘non-drop’ needles on the Christmas tree.

But now with the imminent trip into the loft space in the vain attempt to find misplaced stockings and hastily wrapped baubles it is time to put on our party faces and expand our domestic goddess status to one of gracious host or hostess for the final few weeks of the year.

During the season where everyone seems to be in high spirits and the strain of throwing a party seems far less painful than normal, most of us will be contemplating some sort of soiree.

The question is how to do this with minimal fuss and effort.  Not because you’re lazy but just because you would like to enjoy the event too.  How do you create an easy and relaxed atmosphere where everyone enjoys themselves and no one (aka you) is left in the kitchen with the feeling of witnessing a great party with your nose pressed against the window viewing it from the outside?

The trick is to remember that less is often more.  But the little you do should be simple and fabulous!

• Do it in one take.  Try and get everyone together at once.  Overall less time consuming leaving you the remaining free weekends to accept everyone else’s invitations in return.
• To create a good impression you do not need to do masses of gourmet food with silver service and a resident butler.  Keep it simple by serving interesting canapés to eat rather than the full works.  Remember to focus on interesting rather than normal – anyone can do normal and if you wanted to be dull you wouldn’t be doing this at all.  Serve around 6-7 canapés per person with drinks and see if you can rope the kids in to help serve.  It’s a great way of making them feel like part of the party should it be possible to prise them away from the game console long enough to make the negotiation viable. 
• Serve a selection of drinks of just the right quantity to have everyone relaxed and enjoying themselves without the need to pour them messily into a taxi several hours later.  Wines, beers and soft drinks are perfectly acceptable should you not wish to break out the malt.
• Sound effects have a dual purpose.  The right music can help create the party atmosphere and has the added benefit of noise creation should the conversation wane at any time (unlikely but better to be prepared).  It’s probably best not to raid the teenagers’ iPod mix or play anything too highbrow for fear of creating entirely the wrong ambience.  Go for something generically easy on the ear and remember the volume control; it is supposed to be background noise rather than a disco or the Royal Albert Hall.
• Dress to Suit Yourself.  Most people like to dress up around Christmas time.  The ladies will likely put on newly purchased party frocks in order to get maximum return before the Christmas munchies have taken hold and the dress shrinks before their eyes.  Most men seem happy to either take consultation from their partners or at the very least throw on a good shirt with a pair of less worn jeans.  The point is people should be comfortable.
• Decorate.  We are not talking re-modelling the kitchen or painting the downstairs loo but a few choice Christmas decorations or seasonal flowers dotted around.  They remind everyone why they are there and promote a happy, seasonal feel.
• Give people a time-frame.  Don’t be afraid to invite people round for just a couple of hours.  The purpose is not to give them a weekend-break but to catch up with friends in a great atmosphere– after all it’s always best to leave people wanting more.
• And finally... stay calm and relax.  People will feed off your mood.  It’s a party not a judgement and your friends should be coming to see you not test your culinary or hostess skills.

Here are a few canapé ideas which can be made in advance, look gorgeous and can be creatively positioned on platters just before your guests arrive.  They also have the added benefit of creating the somewhat false impression of you slaving in the kitchen for hours for their benefit... how perfect. 

Serve 6-7 bite size canapés per person with drinks.

Burgundy Shallot Tatins

Caramelise halved shallots in a little butter, sugar and fresh thyme on a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and a golden syrupy consistency is achieved. 

Add half a glass of red wine – preferably Burgundy or something equally robust – and cook until the shallots can be easily pierced with a sharp knife (this will take around 15 minutes). 

Place in the bottom of some mini muffin tins along with the juices. 

Lay a round of puff pastry (cheat and use ready-made for this dish).  Brush with egg wash and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until risen and golden. 

Invert the tin immediately to avoid the caramel from sticking to the tin.

Medjool Dates stuffed with Stilton Mousse and Caramelised Walnuts

Take some large juicy Medjool dates and slice down the middle, but not through, removing the stones. 

Combine equal ingredients of Stilton cheese with Mascarpone and mix until smooth and creamy in texture. 

Melt a knob of butter with a couple of tablespoons of honey in a saucepan and coat the Walnuts.  Place on a non-stick mat and bake in the oven for 5-6 minutes until nicely caramelised.  Remove from oven and leave a few minutes before moving them.

Pipe the mousse into the recently vacated middle of the dates and top with a piece of caramelised walnut.

Black Forest and White Chocolate Cups

Brush the inside of paper muffin cases with melted dark or milk chocolate.  Repeat 2-3 times to ensure you get a decent coating and will enable the paper case to be removed when set.

Macerate some fresh cherries (cans or jars work fine too but ensure they are drained) in some kirsch for a couple of hours (be generous... it is a celebration).

Whisk up equal quantities or double cream with melted chocolate. 

Place some cherries in the bottom of the chocolate cups, pipe the white chocolate cream on top and decorate with milk chocolate shavings. 

Share them if you are feeling generous or simply indulge yourself.    

The Dark Side... and yet delicious

Today I find myself preparing for the onslaught that is the curse of the Christmas pounds.  By this, I mean one caused by too many glasses of Champagne and the Christmas meat-fest.  Make no mistake I know when to stop, it’s just that sometimes I decide not to.

So for the next couple of days we are heading to the dark side and going healthy.  This, for me, means fish and Thai flavours. 

For supper tonight it’s a fish dish.  Although not completely virtuous it does have a lot less fat than some other dishes.  It also makes a very good starter and would provide the perfect stress free ‘wow’ for those celebration dinners coming up.

Think creamy Prawn Mousse with a Salmon confit marinated in citrus fruits and pink peppercorns and finished with Dijon Mustard and Dill.  Serve with Cucumber salad, a few leaves and some fresh Brown Bread.  Not only gorgeous but positively healthy with all that Omega 3!

And for lunch tomorrow (and if I am lucky the next day too) it is a seriously good Thai Noodle Salad with Chicken and Prawns. 

Prawn Mousse and Confit of Salmon (serves 4 supper or 6 for a starter)

Marinated Salmon

Olive Oil (enough to have 3" in your chosen pan)

Zest of 1 Lime and 1 Lemon

½ Echalion or Banana Shallot (finely diced)

1 tsp Pink Peppercorns

1 tsp fresh ground Sea Salt

1 tsp Caster Sugar

½ kg Fresh Salmon Fillet (skinned and pin boned)

Large handful of Dill

3 tbsp Dijon Mustard

Combine the zest of the lemon and lime, the shallot, the peppercorns, salt, a sprig of dill and the sugar together press onto the salmon.  Leave to marinade in the fridge for at least 4-5 hours.  Wash off the marinade and pat dry. 

Heat the olive oil in a pan until finger touch warm.  Place the salmon in the olive oil, remove from the heat and leave to sit in the oil for 15 minutes.  Gently remove from the pan, drain and remove oil with a kitchen towel.  Using a pastry brush (or something similar) brush over the mustard and sprinkle over the dill pressing onto the salmon.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 

When ready to serve, slice the salmon.

Prawn Mousse

300g Large Prawns (I like the meatiness of the Tiger Prawns but smaller ones work well too)

250g Mascarpone Cream

1 dsp Horseradish Cream

1 tbsp Dill

Squeeze of Lemon Juice and Black Pepper

In a food processor, combine the prawns, mascarpone, horseradish cream, dill, lemon juice and black pepper and blend to combine until smooth.  Season to taste and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Cucumber Salad

½ Cucumber, deseeded and thinly sliced

50g Caster Sugar

3 tbsp Chardonnay Wine Vinegar

125 ml Water

In a saucepan, heat up the 3 tbsp of wine vinegar, the sugar and water until the sugar has dissolved.  Pour over the cucumber and stir to combine.  Place in a plastic container and refrigerate until ready to use.  Drain before serving.

Lay all the wonderful dishes you have just made on a platter alongside some brown bread and butter and let everyone help themselves.

And now for lunch...

Chicken and Prawn Thai Noodle Salad

For the Salad

180g Ramen Noodles

4 tbsp Sesame Oil

150g Spouting Broccoli

50g Cashew Nuts

¼ Cucumber (halved, deseeded and sliced)

4 Spring Onions cut into 1cm pieces

150g Asparagus

2 Chicken Thighs (cut into 1 cm slices)

150g Tiger King Prawns

Small bunch of Coriander and Flat Leaf Parsley (roughly chopped)

1/2 inch fresh Ginger finely chopped

2 clove Garlic finely chopped

½ tsp dried Chilli Flakes (more depending on how spicy you like it)

For the Dressing

2 tablespoons Lime Juice

2 tablespoons Asian Fish Sauce (Nam Pla)

4 tablespoons Sesame oil

2 teaspoons White Sugar

First of all combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well.

Pour the sesame oil in a sauté pan and add the chicken, cook for a few minutes turning to get all sides lightly browned.  Add the ginger and garlic and continue to cook for a couple of minutes then add the broccoli, asparagus, cucumber, spring onions and chilli flakes.  Continue to cook for a few more minutes and then add the prawns and cashew nuts.

Pour in the dressing and heat through to dissolve the sugar.

Meanwhile, place the ramen noodles in boiling water and simmer for 4 minutes.  Drain and mix into the other ingredients.  Leave for a few minutes until its cool enough to combine with your hands, add the chopped parsley and coriander and gently combine the salad and noodles with your fingertips.

Season to taste with pepper (you will probably not need salt due to the Nam Pla).  

At this point you can either eat it hot or place in the refrigerator to eat cold as a salad later. 

The flavours intensify and continue to infuse as it sits.  The best thing is that it will be perfectly happy in the fridge for a couple of days meaning it just gets better as you continue to dip in!