Salted Caramel Tarte Tatin

I’m doing dessert this Xmas for the family and I wanted to try something I had never made before and non-traditional. This recipe is courtesy of delicious magazine – the October issue claiming that it’s the best pudding in the world caught my eye. Normally I am not a dessert person, preferring options like cheese to end a meal, but the picture on the front cover made me salivate and I wanted to have a go. Often with dessert recipes I find they never turn out as well as I would hope for but this one worked and I am going to practice making it a few more times to get it absolutely perfect by December!

So here’s what you need:

8 Braeburn apples – peeled, cored and cut in half

200g of golden caster sugar

50g of unsalted butter

½ tsp of flaky sea salt

375 block all-butter puff pastry

Plain flour for dusting

You also need a flat based [about 20cm wide] oven proof frying pan with a handle

The recipe called for all butter puff pastry but I couldn’t find it in the supermarket so I got some puff pastry mix that had to be kneaded with water, folded and rolled out on a clean surface dusted with flour. I managed to follow the instructions and make the pastry but I will try the all butter puff pastry next time. I also only had caster sugar in the house so it wasn’t as golden as it could have been!

So here’s what you do:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C [fan]

Put the sugar in the pan on a low heat with a couple of tablespoons of water and stir to dissolve

Then put the heat up and bubble for 5 minutes and watch it like a hawk as it will turn golden quite quickly – swirl the pan around but don’t stir. Be very careful as the sugar is extremely hot like lava!

Go as dark as you can with the caramel without burning the sugar, before you take it off the heat

Pop the butter in and let it fizzle and melt then sprinkle over the salt

Place the apples cut side up in the pan snugly and fill in any gaps with any extra bits of apple you have

Place the pan back on the heat on low for another 5 minutes

Then remove it from the heat and allow the apples to cool completely

Meanwhile make the pastry or roll it out

Gently place over the pan and trim off the excess before tucking in the edges

Pop it in the oven for 30min and check to see if the crust have risen and turned golden

Rest the pan but drain off the excess liquid carefully into a small pan

Reduce the syrup down to a sticky consistency

Very carefully place a plate over the pan and invert over the sink away from you

Once the tart is turned out, dribble over the syrup and allow to rest

I think my tart turned out pretty similar to the picture in the magazine - it certainly tasted fantastic and was gone within minutes. I will be tweaking the recipe every time I practice - maybe with cinnamon next time and caramelising everything a bit more!

Cornish Hake & Samphire

Cornish Hake with a white bean sauce, potatoes and samphire

Cornish hake in white bean sauce and a side of samphire

Hake is very popular in Spain and after watching an old episode of Rick Steins Spanish tours, I got an idea to adapt the recipe for our Cornish Hake – which is a fab meaty fish with a great light texture. You can find it at supermarket fish counters and they are best on the bone for better flavour.

I was excited to be able to serve this dish up with a side of samphire which is also known as sea asparagus. I've had it in restaurants before and it has a lovely crunch and is as salty as the sea, so you don't need any seasoning for it and it goes very well with all kinds of fish. It can be eaten raw or fried or sauteed with some garlic. I was really pleased to find this being sold at the local supermarket and jumped at the chance to include it to this meal. Nutritionally it aids digestion, it is a diuretic and contains minerals, iodine and vitamins A, C and D. However if you can't find samphire you could always substitute it with a side of good old English asparagus if it is in season or justsome trusty green beans.

Ingredients:

Hake steaks on the bone : ask the fishmonger to scale them. Score them on both sides when you get them home, ready for cooking

For the White bean sauce:

Olive oil [about 2 tablespoons]

1 large onion – peeled and sliced finely
Sea salt and black pepper for seasoning
2 cloves of garlic – peeled and sliced into rounds
½ a lemon for juice
2 or 3 anchovies – finely chopped [canned anchovies in olive oil]
Can of white beans – Cannellini/Butter beans: drained and washed in cold water
½ litre of hot chicken stock with a sprinkle of saffron threads in: make out of stock cube and boiling water or even better if you have some home made stuff

Garnish: chopped up parsley and grated lemon zest

Samphire – washed and drained

Boiled new potatoes – get these on the boil as you cook the fish

Get everything prepared and ready including the hot stock then start the on the sauce for the fish:

 

Cornish Hake scored on each side

 

Lemon, Garlic slices, chopped parsley, lemon zest and chopped up anchovies

Soften the onions in olive oil

 

1.       Fry the onions in a little olive oil [about 2 tablespoons]

2.       When they are soft add a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper

3.       Add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes  

4.       Add the chopped up anchovies and turn the heat right down- allow them to melt away   

        gently into the onions

5.       Squeeze in some lemon juice

6.       Add the fish on the onions and chuck in the beans

7.       Top with the saffron and hot chicken stock so that the fish has enough liquid to poach in but

        don't drown them

8.       Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on [you may have to adjust the time depending on the

        size of your steaks

9.       Then turn the fish over and sprinkle with parsley and lemon zest

10.   Switch the cooker off and keep the fish covered for another 5 minutes before checking with

        a knife to see if it cooked through. If it isn’t then continue to cook for another 5min on low

        heat. It all depends on the thickness of your fish steaks. If it looks and feels cooked and

        opaque all the way to the bone then take off the heat and set aside. It’s better to slightly

        undercook the fish and allow it to continue gently poaching in its own hot liquid, off the

        heat.

11.   Now get a wok/frying pan really hot – pop in some olive oil and throw the samphire in

        quickly and turn over as fast as you can for just a minute or two and take off the heat

12.   Taste the fish for seasoning and adjust before serving up!

 

Baba Ghanoush = Aubergine Mash

Lamb and Baba Ghanoush with green beans

Side orders. What do you always go for? Potatoes? Carrots? Peas? Beans?  I can always go for green beans and peas - they are my favourites. I sometimes jazz them up with spices or a bit of fried onions, garlic and chicken stock if I get fed up just steaming/boiling them.

However, if you’ve got a really nice piece of protein that is the star of the show you sometimes need a more interesting entourage that will make it shine even brighter. This week I have been loving aubergines and so here is a great meal idea to share with you all:

Lamb steaks with Aubergine mash and green beans

Lamb steaks [bone in]: marinade in Salt, Freshly ground black pepper, rosemary, crushed garlic and fresh thyme [set aside for however long you have before you cook them – overnight is best but a couple of hours will also do! They should be at room temperature before cooking]

Green beans to steam

Ingredients for Babaganoush [i.e. Aubergine mash]:

1 Fat Aubergine [pricked with a fork all over]

1 clove of garlic peeled and crushed
½ tablespoon of tahini paste
2 tablespoons of plain fat free yogurt
Olive oil [about 1 tablespoon]

Garnishes: Squeeze of Lemon
Pinch of Sea salt
Pinch of Black pepper
Pinch of Smoked paprika
Handful of Pine nuts [dry roasted in a pan]
Parsley [finely chopped]

Aubergine mash goes brilliantly with lamb. This recipe is easily tweaked to your own taste and dead easy to make. Aubergines are spongy inside and full of water. They tend to soak up gallons of oil if you fry them and can take ages in the oven. The easiest way to cook them and soften them without using any fat at all is to actually stick the whole thing in a microwave.

1.       Pre heat the fan oven to 200 degrees C for the lamb

2.      Prick the skin of the Aubergine with a fork all over. Place in a dish and whack it in the microwave for 10min on the highest setting. Check after 5 minutes then after 10 minutes. When its deflated and soft when prodded with a knife, it’s done. If not, then stick it back in for another 5 minutes. Be careful with the steam coming off the aubergine – it will be scalding. Pop it on a chopping board and slice open. When you can handle it – hold the top with one hand, and scrape the innards out with a spoon. Discard the purple skin. Using a knife and fork chop the hot flesh into bits and then leave to cool a little.

 

 

3. While it’s resting, get a clean bowl and pop in your crushed garlic, a pinch of salt, squeeze of lemon juice and the Tahini and the yogurt. Remember tahini is very rich so a little goes a long way. Mix everything up and taste – if its needs tweaking do so now and keep checking the seasoning. You can add more tahini or yogurt as you see fit. With the seasoning Aubergine can take a lot of salt but do it in small increments to get the right balance.

 

 

4. Once you are happy with the dressing, slide the aubergine flesh into the bowl and drizzle on some olive oil [about a tablespoon]. Fold everything together and taste to check the seasoning and adjust accordingly. 

5.Now for the garnishes. I love a texture contrast with dry roasted pine nuts. I also like a sprinkle of smoked paprika but you can leave this out if you like. Drizzle over some olive oil before you dish up and don't forget the parsley!

This dip is great at parties with crudités. But it’s luxurious enough to be served as a side for my lamb.

As for my lamb steaks which were bathed in garlic, fresh thyme, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper for about 2 hours - they were roasted in the oven and finished off under the grill. The left over babaganoush was still delicious the next day- cold and smeared over toast for breakfast!

5. Set the babaganoush aside. Pop the lamb steaks in the oven and turn down the heat to 160 degrees; Leave them in to roast for 10 – 15min then finish under a hot grill for another 5 minutes and then leave to rest. My steaks ended up medium. If you want them to be pinker then reduce the cooking time and keep checking them so they don’t over cook.

6. When the lamb is resting steam the green beans till al dente

7. Serve up with all the elements and a good pinot noir.


 

Outstanding Ox cheeks in Oxford

Braised ox cheek with pot roasted vegetables, mousseline potato and bone marrow

On route to Oxford for a mini away break we stopped off for lunch at a Michelin star restaurant called Sir Charles Napier, in the heart of leafy Oxfordshire. The unassuming exterior of this place in the middle of nowhere masks a gorgeous cosy interior and a lucious garden out the back. Strewn through the premises are large sculptures of animals made by Michael Cooper - slightly alarming but all in good fun. It was sunny but cold when we arrived so sadly, sitting outside was not an option. In the back room with the sun shining in and only one other table occupied for lunch we had a pretty intimate dining experience which will not be forgotten.

 

 

My starter of Game terrine was served with a very tidy salad and Hubby had Crab with quails eggs encased in a potato cup. The presentation, taste and textures were outstanding. The level of detail put into each dish explains why they have a Michelin star and have been allowed to keep it for 2013! Within that salad of radishes and beetroot chutney there was a small quinelle of foie gras parfait which went so well with the terrine, that it brought a tear of joy to my eyes. Hubby's main of Ox cheeks had extra details like apple jelly squares and bone marrow.

 

 



The Ox cheek main was so tender it must have been braised for days! However my main course was by far the best out of the two. I ordered the Cannon of lamb and promptly forgot about the bits and pieces it was meant to come with. When it arrived I was delighted to receive not only a fan of tender lamb on a bed of kale but also some sweetbreads AND a side order of lamby hotpot. The lamb was of course local - so local I believe it was from the next field! I was delighted to get an individual pot of perfectly sliced coins of potatoes hiding soft mouth melting cubes of lamb. It was divine. It was sublime. It was .. is making my mouth water right now!

 

Canon of lamb, devilled sweetbreads on a bed of kale and puree of celeriac and cauliflower, topped with pea shoots

 

lamb hot pot with red cabbage as a side order

 

After such a satisfying main there was no room for dessert as far as I was concerned but Hubs went for a sticky toffee pudding with a twist. I decided to check out the cheese board just to have a nosy but once it arrived I couldn't resist! This was one of the best cheese boards I have seen in a while. The only other comparable one I have come across is the one in Chez Bruce in Wandsworth!

Sticky toffee pudding and banana mille feuille with passion fruit sorbet

 

I failed to memorise any of the names of the cheeses I picked - 2 were from England and one from Spain, all were spectacular with the fig jam. This was followed by coffee and truffles filled with salted caramel [!!!] and subsequently resulted in me needing a 2 hour nap in the car on route to Oxford itself. I also failed to buy the chef a drink for such a sumptuous feast. I think I may have to return next summer so we can sit outside to enjoy the garden for an al fresco lunch and buy the kitchen staff some well deserved 'thank you' drinks. Find an excuse to go. Even if you are not heading to Oxford, make a detour. It's worth it!

Donostia: San Sebastian Foodie Fantasy realised

Standard ceiling view in any bar in San Seb

Racion Jamon Iberico

 

For years I have raved on about tapas culture and loving the Spanish way of life: the art of spending time over food, friends and conversation. Many people I know, have recommended that I go to San Sebastian as a foodie destination to experience the best tapas in Northern Spain. People from this region or those who have been lucky enough to visit the area, go misty eyed and look far off into the distant horizon whilst drooling and sighing as they try and explain the delights of the food there.

Coming back to London this year, I have noticed the rise of many Spanish restaurants, delis, tapas or pintxos bars & it has taken off like no other. I realised I was now hankering for a taste of the real deal on our doorstep. The old world of wines and the food of the European sun. So this year I finally got round to going to this fabled city of the Basque country.

I warn you - it's not the easiest place to get to due to lack of direct flights and it's tricky trying to coordinate coaches/trains from the nearest big cities like Bilbao. However once you get there, it's a haven for beach lovers [La Concha is one of the most beautiful in the World] and for those who love nothing more than eating and drinking the night away! I recommend that you fly direct from Gatwick to Biarritz airport in the South of France. Then you take a coach into Spain or take a bus to the train station and then take the train to Donostia with one change over - both routes are about the same length in time and a fun adventure and quite cheap.

Once you get there [coach station/train station] you can walk everywhere - its not a massive city. The old town of Donostia [Basque name for San Seb] has cobbled streets lined with little restaurants/pubs that have an enormous array of pintxos [Basque name for Tapas; pronounced Pinch-os] laid out on the bars. Its a stones throw from the old port and La Concha beach and really fun to wonder around and get lost in.

The idea is that you graze from bar to bar sampling different morsels of food and wine - my idea of heaven! Once you stop at one, you choose a small plate and one or two different items displayed on the bar and order a drink. You then collect the cocktail sticks that hold the canapes together and hand them in at the end to your bar man or just indicate as to what you have consumed and they will rely on your honesty to get you the correct bill.

This slow nibbling on different dishes at each bar means you don't get drunk too quickly and you can try different beverages. Cider is very popular as is a hideous concoction of red wine and coca-cola called Kalimotxo [pronounced Kali-mocho]. Better to try the local wines - this region is where Rioja hails from and is the best I have ever tasted. The best white wine was Aura Verdejo Rueda which met with local approval when chosen by a tourist like me!

The food is good local ingredients put together simply and without fuss. Nothing too spicy and not a vegetable in sight [other than for decoration]. Lots of the pintxos are bread based or deep fried - so you really have to look around for healthy options i.e. grilled seafood and skewers, salads, etc. Half the fun is to find out what the locals are going for and then hang around till you can squeeze up to the bar and choose the same!

Pickled Anchovies

Pimentos Padron : Deep fried salted mild peppers

 

A glass of vino plus a few plates of pintxos in each bar is about 10 euros or under depending on how much you drink/eat. It is such a sociable way of wondering the streets in the warm summer nights. The whole town was busy and bustling and very family friendly! People tended to go from bar to bar until 11 or midnight then head off to various late night venues to carry on or home to sleep it off before hitting the beach again the next day! Every bar specialised in their own signature pinxtos. My favourite was Bar Egosari serving a huge variety of skewers that were grilled for you as you waited!

Skewers ready for the grill

 

 

Grilled Squid

One bar [Ganbara] provided a display of huge tomatoes straight out of someones garden that tasted of sunshine and heaven on a plate. I have never tasted tomatoes so good! Just with a drizzle of Spanish olive oil and a crunch of sea salt, it was simple and sublime. All the juices were eagerly mopped up with bread and the customers munching on this ensalada de tomata were all nodding approval at each other without being able to speak. Divine! Why is it that tomatoes on holiday have that flavour like no other? Nothing back in the UK tastes anything like my memories - so simple yet delicious, just a bit of bread and tomato - thats it! I went back for it practically everynight!

Tomatoes with Olive oil = BEST PINTXOS!

Another favourite that had to be searched for was Albondigas ie meatballs. Most bars do a spread of cold pintxos on bread out the front but some hidden gems have these simmering terracota pots at the end of the bar/kitchen - you really have to elbow the oldies out of the way to get to them and demand your portion! Any bar that has hoards of elderly local Spainards is bound to have a speciality that the tourists are missing out on!

Albondigas = Meatballs

Skewers of Pickled chillies,prawns,peppers, anochovies and pickled onions and gerkins

Octopus and peppers and onions


 

All these pintxos can in my opinion be put together very easily for a party at home. Nothing really requires that much cooking - just skewers/cocktail sticks, good ingredients & the imagination to put them together. I missed green stuff though. There was none on the menus. Not a cucumber in sight. No green beans or peas. Don't get me wrong I am very much the carnivore but I think veg can make dishes more ineteresting and give variety in textures. By the end of the week I was craving veg and I wanted to sit down for a meal rather than standing around in bars. So we found some amazing restaurants to go to on the port. Lots of fresh seafood cooked just in a little olive oil and garlic - it was delightful and just what you want from a seaside holiday. However again no veg in sight or on the menu [even though the markets in town did have loads of veg stall - I wonder where they all go?].

I also found the fact that they serve bread with everything made me feel a little too bloated by the end of the week - freshly made bread is hard to resist at the best of times let alone on holiday! Breakfast was also tricky as they tend to do none at all, very sugary pastries or again bread based options. The best one I found and had everyday [and now won't need to have again for a year] was Potato Tortillas. Every bar had a fresh one laid out by 10am in the morning so coffee and a slice of this savoury delight kept me going till pintxos time!

Overall I highly recommend Donostia for a long weekend of bar hopping and eating delicious tapas and lying on the beach. And in terms of things to do there is plenty of art and culture like the Guggenheim Museum and Gallery in Bilbao which is only 40min away on a coach as well as plenty of night life and music! You may then want to come home and go on a carb free diet of spicy vegetarian food - Just kidding !!!

Tea Time Treats

Sweet Balls of Nuts

Not so long ago I came across a recipe for what was named Tahini Balls and it spiked my interest, as it did not involve any cooking. I am pretty rubbish at making desserts and I always get a bit put off by the quantity of butter and sugar that gets put in. I also like rustic cooking without exact measures, so baking is out, as you really have to be precise for perfect result.

I made a batch and discovered that these balls were the perfect partner to a cup of tea/coffee and also as an after dinner sweet treat. Being bite sized portions also means you can have one or two and meet your sugar cravings but not go overboard and feel guilty. Sometimes a tea time treat involves cakes or biscuits or some other sugary naughtiness which are bad for your teeth and for your waistline. These options have never really appealed to me as I don't have a sweet tooth. I sometimes crave dark chocolate but I invariably feel a little queasy after consuming even the smallest amount as it's so rich! So I decided to experiment and come up with my own version of this recipe, to maximise the health factor and reduce the sugar aspect.

A batch of these balls will take very little time to make, if you have the ingredients in stock and they store very well in the fridge. Just one with a cup of comforting tea will sort you out with a zing of energy and as long as you brush all the stickiness off your nashers, they won't damage your teeth....

Ingredients:

Sticky dates [stoned]
Cranberries [dried]
Agave Syrup *
Tahini paste [sesame seed paste]**
Ground Almonds
Roasted/toasted chopped hazelnuts/almond or any other nut of your choice
Dessicated unsweetened coconut / Sesame seed for the coating

You can vary the quantities you put into the mix but essentially the sticky dates, the syrup and the paste will be the binding agents that hold the dry ingredients together.

Just chop up half a block of sticky dates into small bits as well as the cranberries. Bung them into a bowl then add a handful of the nuts. Mix in 2 large tablespoons of agave syrup and then the tahini paste. Mix this sticky mess and slowly add a couple of tablespoons of ground almonds at a time until the mixture is dry enough to handle and roll into balls.

Now wash your hands! Then put out a bowl with clean cold water in it - this is to wet your hands from time to time [this will stop everything sticking to your hands in between rolling the balls out]. Put out another bowl with the coconut or sesame seeds, to roll the balls in and coat.

Take a teaspoon of the mixture at a time in the palm of your hands and roll in a circular motion into a ball and drop onto the coconut/sesame seeds - shake the bowl around to evenly coat the balls then place in a clean container.

Coconut and Sesame balls

I think the dates and the tahini paste are the main ingredients for these balls and everything else can be varied according to your taste. I've tried these with dried cranberries, dried blueberries, dried chopped up apricots and a variety of different nuts.

*I think that the agave syrup is the best option as a sweetener instead of honey or sugar as it is a low GI natural sweetener. It comes from the sap of a plant and it is essentially fructose [the sugars from fruits and honey]and dextrose and these are less cariogenic than sucrose i.e. not as bad for your teeth! You can but it from health food stores and most supermarkets these days. It goes a long way as you need less of it than normal sugar or honey as it is much sweeter. I sometimes pop in a tiny teaspoon into tomato based sauces to cut through the tartness. You can drizzle it over porridge or use an an sweet alternative in any dessert recipe.

** Tahini paste is made from sesame paste and is very high in calcium and most of the B vitamins. It has the consistency of peanut butter and a distinct flavour. It is also very high in calories so should be consumed in small amounts. It is used with chick peas to make hummous and is great in salad dressings or mixed with yogurt as a dip.

In terms of the dried sticky fruits or any sticky sweet treats like these - remember that the length of time that sugars are stuck to your teeth make a huge difference in the amount of damage they do as does the frequency of their consumption. So don't eat them intermittently throughout the day and don't forget to brush your teeth! The texture and consistency of sugars that you eat makes a difference to getting holes in your teeth. For example - did you know that crisps can some times do more damage as the starch from potatoes sticks to teeth and if they remain there for a while they can ferment into sugars that cause cavities. These balls are definitely a better option than crisps, cakes or biscuits for your tea time needs.