Strawberry Panna cotta Tart

Every once in a while I like to shop unprepared, rather than planning a meal before you venture to the market it can be very inspiring to let the produce speak for itself. When your feel inspired by certain ingredients it is effortless to put a dish together. 

Like most brits I have been a little fed up  by the ridiculous weather we have been having, snow at easter is never fun, usually around this time of the year spring has officially sprung and we are usually enjoying what the season has to offer, because the weather has been bitter I think that comforting warming food has been on the agenda. Fortunately at my local market they had manage to source some superb French strawberries, I teamed this with a local Yorkshire Lemon curd and homemade butter to make a tart to get rid of the winter blues. 

Rather than filling the pastry case with pastry cream I thought it would be better to fill it with a soft set panna cotta that is flavoured with the lemon curd, lemon brings out the sweetness in strawberries and will cut through the richness of the cream. This was a total experiment that I think really worked, my son absolutely adored it.

You will need:
For the pastry:

85g of butter
85g of caster sugar
2 tsp of vegetable oil
200g of plain flour
2 egg yolks
the zest of one lemon
a pinch of maldon salt
40ml of lemon juice 

Firstly blend the vegetable oil and the flour together until it looks like damp sand, the oil will prevent the butter from being absorbed by the flour, if it stays in small lumps it will result in a very short and flaky pastry. Add the Sugar and butter and continue to mix (this can be done in a food processor on pulse). Add the yolks, zest, salt and juice and mix until it only just comes together, wrap and chill the pastry for at least half an hour. Butter a 20cm loose bottomed tart tin ready for the pastry.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees c.
Roll out the pastry until it is 3mm thick, lay this onto the tart tin and lift the pastry to let it fall into the corners, this will ensure that the pastry will not shrink too much. Do not trim the edges until the pastry is cooked. Place a layer of grease proof or foil onto the pastry and place either baking beans or coins onto the grease proof to ensure that the pastry will remain flat. 

Cook in the oven for 15 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Whisk an egg yolk up and brush the cooked pastry all over with it, this will ensure that the tart shell will not leak. Return the yolk washed pastry back to the oven for a few minutes, then trim the edges with a knife.


For the filling:
400ml of double cream
100ml of soy milk
4 tbsp of great lemon curd
the zest of one lemon
2 vanilla pods split and the seeds scraped out
2 tbsp of vanilla sugar
2 tbsp of caster sugar
a pinch of maldon salt
3 gelatin leaves

In a saucepan add all the ingredients apart from the gelatin leaves. Allow all the flavour to cook for 15 minutes on a very low heat, this ensures that the flavours will infuse into the cream. Meanwhile soak the gelatin leaves in cold water until they become soft, drain the leaves , remove the cream from the heat and stir the leaves into the cream, stir until they dissolve. Sieve the cream into the tart tin and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. Top with strawberries or any other berries you you like and brush with warmed apricot jam. 

The ultimate salted Caramel Sauce from food glorious food

The Ultimate Salted Caramel

Every week I volunteer at a community centre and teach people how to cook, or cook for a crowd of thirty who turn up to watch the local skiffle band called Route 66, it is one of my favourite things to do, I actually think I get more from it than the people I'm teaching or cooking for. What is fantastic is that the band consist of both able and disabled individuals who have either mental or physical disabilities, watching the band perform is amazing, it's very apparent to those who watch them that the community centre and the band is their world.

 Last summer we were contacted by ITV (an English television channel) who had seen the recipes and images of the cookery classes and the music from the band and had asked us if we would like to apply to be on a new television show called Food Glorious Food, the premise is that each person or group cook one dish and one dish only, that dish is then judged and if you are successful you could walk away with the grand prize of £20,000 and your dish on the shelves of Marks and Spencer. I was asked by the band members Route 66 to come up with a pudding that could represent the band, and symbolise the Anglo American music. My Idea was to cook a classic bread and butter pudding and add blueberries and bourbon to give it an American Route 66 twist. 

 We managed to get through the rounds to compete in the semi final, unfortunately that is where the journey ended, we did make it through to the final 24 in the country, had the recipe published and received some amazing compliments from the judges, one of which was from Stacey Stewart, who said that my pudding was better than Nigella Lawson and she is the queen of bread and butter pudding, and also the Salted caramel was the best that she had ever tasted, and faultlessly outstanding by Tom Parker Bowles (praise indeed). So here is my confession, I hate bread and butter pudding, and although the pudding was somewhat successful I could not get on with it. I don't think is tasted bad it just wasn't my thing and it's hard to believe in something you do not believe in yourself. The pudding has now been published and will hopefully bring the community centre the much needed publicity they deserve, but the accompaniment of the salted caramel sauce was never published, so the secret of "best salted caramel sauce" stays with me, until now. I happen to think that the sauce made the pudding and I know I make a killer caramel, this goes with all puddings and vamps up plain ice cream, it's that good you could bathe in it!! Bit sticky though!

You will need:

100g of good butter

200g caster sugar

4 tbsp of golden syrup

150ml extra thick double cream

2 tsp maldon sea salt

4 1/2 tsp of good bourbon

1 tbsp vanilla paste with seeds

Heres the science, melt the sugar and butter together in a pan until it begins to caramelize and turn golden, add the golden syrup and swirl the pan until the sugar is fully melted (do not stir it you will create sugar crystals). When the sugar and golden syrup is a toffee brown add the cream and stir like crazy, add the salt and vanilla and cook and stir until combined. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the bourbon immediately, you do not want to cook it as it will burn the alcohol off and defeats the object of the bourbon flavour. Allow to cook to thicken and serve on everything.

Tosca Kaka

 Tosca Kaka is another classic from the Swedish Bageriet, and a childhood classic for me. It consists of a light fluffy vanilla sponge topped with caramelised flaked almonds that sets to create a crunchy topping. Most Tosca cakes are usually served as is, but my mother would always dip the edges in chocolate which is shamefully good. I have to admit that when I was younger I would often bite off the chocolate and almonds and leave the cake, it was my moment to experience a true sugar rush without getting into trouble for it. 

Bizarrely my mother would never allow me to have sweets or too much chocolate, it was a once weekly ration for me, though she did not mind me eating the odd cake, as long as it was Swedish and baked by her of course. I think that baking is truly a skill and lightness of touch is a natural gift, my mother has this in spades full, despite my mothers clapped out oven that always cooked quicker on one side than the other she always managed to turn out the most spectacular cakes, as light as a cloud. I hope I did her cake justice, the best part about this cake is that it is eaten with your hands, there is no side that does not stick to your fingers, what's not to like about chocolaty caramely nutty fingers? No manners required for a Tosca cake!!

You will need:

for the cake

100g of cooled melted butter

150g of caster sugar

3 eggs

175g of self raising flour

60ml of double cream

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp of vanilla extract

For the topping:

150g of caster sugar

100g of butter

2 tbsp of plain flour

2 tbsp of milk

100g of flaked almonds

100g of milk or dark chocolate melted

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees c and butter and line a 9 inch spring form cake pan. In a bowl whisk the eggs and the sugar until they are voluminous and are at ribbon stage (they leave a trail when you hold up the whisk) fold in half the sifted flour and baking powder, then the butter, vanilla and double cream and then the other half of the flour and baking powder, mix until just combined as you do not want to over work the batter. Decant the batter into the lined baking tin and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.

In a small saucepan add all the topping ingredients apart from the chocolate and cook on a low heat until the mixture becomes thick and all the ingredients have cohered together. Remove the cake from the oven, working quickly and lightly spread the almond mixture on the top of the cake and return back to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until the topping in brown and toasted. 

Remove from the oven and leave the cake to cool entirely. Remove the cake from the pan and using a pastry brush paint the edges with the melted chocolate, you may have to go over it a few times. If you wish you can drizzle melted chocolate over the top too for extra chocolaty flavour.

Dan Dan Noodle

I know that Dandan noodle or Dandan Mian may sound like a made up dish to most but I can assure you that it truly does exist. The name Dandan refers to the carrying pole that the street vendors used who sold the dish, it consists of a spicy broth, noodles, pickled spicy  cabbage, mince meat (either pork or beef) and copious amounts of chilli oil. 

 What makes this Noodle soup so deliciously addictive is the use of Sichuan pepper corns, indicative to the regional cuisine of the Sichuan province. Although it is called Sichuan pepper, technically it is a dried berry and is often teamed with fiery chillies. Sichuan peppercorns have a mouth numbing, tingling quality that is said to reduce the heat of the chilli. I'm not sure that it entirely true but I know that as far as asian noodle soups go this is by far the most delicious, trust me I eat a lot of noodle based broths. 

Pickled cabbage

 This is also my husbands favourite, he is a noodle junkie, this was the perfect fix. If you love the fire of chilli this will be just what the doctor ordered.

You will need:(for the meat)
250g of beef or pork mince (I chose pork)
1 tbsp of chinese sesame paste (totally different to tahini)
1 tbsp of shaoxing rice wine
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
1 tbsp of black rice vinegar
1 tsp of chilli bean paste
2 tsp of salt
1 tsp of crushed white pepper
1 tsp of white sugar
2 tsp of Sichuan pepper corns finely ground
50g of chopped fresh ginger
50g of chopped garlic
1 tbsp of sesame oil
50g of preserved spicy chinese cabbage

Add all the above ingredients together in a bowl  and mix well until combined, fry the meat in a frying pan until cooked through and set aside for later.

For the broth:
2 pints of chicken stock
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp of black rice vinegar
1 tbsp of chilli bean paste
2 tsp of sesame paste
2 tsp of Maldon salt (maldon is mild salt, taste your stock first before adding the salt)
4 tbsp of chilli oil

Other Items you will need:
200g of wheat noodles
four handfuls of bean sprouts
fresh corriander
chinese chives or spring onion

Place all of these ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. In a separate pan cook 200g of wheat noodles, once cooked drain and distribute between four bowls, top with the minced meat mixture and then ladle over the broth, top with a handful of bean sprouts and chopped coriander leaves.

It went down well with hubby

Beef Pho

 Beef Pho (pronounced Fur) is undeniably the national dish of Vietnam, it consists of a beef broth heavily flavoured in cinnamon, star anise, cloves and various herbs. Pho derives from the french dish Pot-au-feu that similarly is a beef broth based dish. Pho itself is a delicious dish but the accompaniments skyrocket this humble dish into the gastronomic atmosphere. Before I travel to a country I like to research the country in depth, culinary speaking of course, so that I know what is authentic, and I know where is the best places to find these dishes, this may have landed me in trouble a few times, and yes I have had food poisoning more times than I care to remember but I would not change my ethos, no pain to gain right? Pho Came as a total surprise to me because at face value it is noodles in what looks like beef stock with a few slices of beef to go with, but it is so much more than that, the beef broth itself packs such a huge flavour punch that it makes eating healthily seem like a glutenous binge. 

 The beauty about South East Asian food is that they always serve their meals with an insane amount of condiments so that you can adapt your food to your palate, in Vietnam they raise the bar on its neighbouring countries by serving a huge bowl full of fresh herbs to add into your Pho, making it taste like a really good noodle soup on steroids. I know that not everybody has the time to make the beef broth as it is a long drawn out process so I have come up with a way simplify the Pho without compromising on flavour, it is addictive I assure you.

You will need:
1000ml of water
2 beef stock cubes (know stock pots)
200g of steak (flat iron or denver works well)
1 large cassia stick
4 whole star anise
4 cloves
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp of dark soy
3 tbsp of sugar
5 crushed white peppercorns
2 tsp of maldon salt
1 clove of sliced garlic
125g of pho noodles white are rice stick noodles
a small handful of bean sprouts per bowl of soup
fresh herbs such as coriander, mint, dill and Thai sweet basil
lime wedges
Finely sliced white onion
dried crushed birds eye chillies
a small amount of sugar on the side as a condiment
fresh birds eye chillies steeped in fish sauce

Firstly place the noodles in a bowl  and cover them with boiling water, set aside to soften.
Bring the water and stock cubes to the boil, add the cassia, star anise, cloves, sesame oil, soy, sugar, garlic, salt and peppercorns. 
Turn down to a slow simmer for at least fifteen minutes so that the flavours can infuse. 
 Finely slice your steak. Drain the noodles and divide the noodles between four bowls, place a few slices of the steak on top because the  hot stock will cook it. Ladle over the hot stock so that the meat is submerged, top with the onion, bean sprouts and fresh herbs and chili if you wish. Be warned the broth is very hot!!

Keralan Fish Moilee

 I can almost taste this curry as I am writing about it, I can smell the hot Keralan Air that I smelt the night I tasted Moilee. Prior to my taste sensation I had signed myself up rather foolishly to cruise along the Keralan backwaters in a "Luxury Yacht" which turned out to be an evening of hell, but thats another tale..When the bamboo dingy complete with drunken captain finally docked I could not wait to get the heck out of there and make my way to varkarla, a hippy hide away where the entire community exist on the cliff edge right next to a stunning beach abundant with the most sublime seafood, each night the days catch would be laid out to entice customers into their restaurants.

I ended up becoming great friends with some of the locals, one of which was a young chef who was half Moroccan half indian but had a huge passion for Italian food, he was possibly Jamie Oliver's biggest fan, I have to say that he was extremely talented, he cooked for me on two occasions, the deal was that I would try his Italian food (reluctantly as I all I wanted to eat was authentic Indian food) and he would cook me an authentic Keralan dish, He actually made amazing italian food but his Keralan food was astonishing, I didn't know what I would be having at the time but I will never forget Fish Moilee, it encompasses everything that is regional to Kerala, fresh coconut and amazing fish, what's not to love?

You will need:

8 green birds eye chillies sliced in half

1 1/2 tsp of mustard seed

2 tbsp of coconut oil

1/2 sliced red onion

30 curry leaves

2 inch stick of cassia bark

4 cloves

1 tsp of fennel seed

8 cardamon pods

50g of garlic pounded in a pestle and mortar

50g of ginger pounded in a pestle and mortar

1 tsp of cumin powder

1 tsp of turmeric

50ml of water

100g of chopped fresh tomatoes

350ml of coconut milk

2 tbsp of sugar

1 1/2 tbsp of maldon salt

250g of white firm fish cut into inch thick cubes

50g of toasted cashew nuts

the juice of a quarter of a lemon

small handful of coriander

1 tsp of white vinegar

Start by melting the coconut oil and frying the onions, mustard seed, fennel seed, cassia bark, cardamon pods and curry leaves for five minutes until they pop, add the cumin powder,turmeric and the garlic and ginger pastes and sliced green chillies, fry for a couple of minutes before adding the water and chopped tomatoes. Pour in the coconut milk and add the sugar, salt, vinegar, lemon juice and then add the fish, cook on a low heat for 5 minutes and the garnish with coriander and the toasted cashews and serve with rice.