Celebration Trifle

This was my solution to our Christmas Lunch dessert dilemma, easy to transport and make in advance.  I 'poshed' it up in a number of ways with what turned out to be great success, it really is delicious!

For the 'champagne' jelly:

300mls of pink cava or prosecco
4 leaves gelatine
100 mls water
1 tbsp caster sugar

10/12 cherries, halved
4  rectangular almond sponge fingers or biscuits

• Soak the gelatine leaves in the cava/prosecco
• Slowly bring the 100mls water to boil in a small pot with the caster sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar before it boils, simmer for 5 mins to make a slightly syrupy liquid.
• Remove the gelatine leaves, squeeze out any liquid then add to the pot and whisk into the syrupy liquid to dissolve.
• Add contents of the pot into the cava/prosecco and mix together.  Pour into the bowl you are using for the trifle, cool and place in the fridge to set.
• After a half hour and when just starting to set take a punnet of 250/300g cherries and drop some halved cherries into the jelly, they should not sink to the bottom but be suspended in the jelly.  Push the almond sponges or biscuits into the jelly in the shape of a star.  Return to fridge to set fully.

As it sets prepare the rest of the cherries:

• Half the rest of the cherries and place in a shallow pot or frying pan with 2 tbsp caster sugar
• Over a low heat warm the cherries and melt the sugar
• When slightly softened turn up the heat and tip the pan over the gas flame (or use a gas lighter if you dont have a gas hob) and add a tbsp of amaretto - it should catch fire, the alcohol will burn off and flambe the cherries.  Remove from the heat and cool.

With the jelly in the fridge and the boozy cherries cooling you can make the custard and the amaretti crumble:

• In a bowl blend together  3 egg yolks, 1 tbsp caster sugar and a tsp cornflour
• Scrape seeds from one vanilla pod
• Gently heat 10 fl oz of double cream in a pot until just before boiling point
• Pour the cream over the egg mixture, whisking as you go until all combined.
• Return the mixture to the pot and gently heat until it starts to thicken, whisking.
• Add the vanilla seeds.
• A thick consistency is needed, then remove from heat and cool quickly, stirring now and then to ensure lumps dont form.
• As it cools crush 6/8 amaretti biscuits to a fine crumb and set aside.

When the jelly is totally set and the cherries and custard cool you can begin to assemble it:

layer the custard over the jelly

spoon over the boozy cherries

cover with the amaretti biscuit crumb

Return to the fridge to keep cool.  The prep the double cream topping:

• 10fl oz double cream - whisked to medium consistency.
• 3/4 of the cream is smoothed over the trifle in a single layer and the remainder is piped decoratively around the outside of the trifle.

To finish:

• Spun sugar -  to make spun sugar take a shallow frying pan or pot and add around 150g of caster sugar
• Heat very gently, do not stir!
• As the sugar melts and begins to turn into a golden brown caramel the pan can be tipped or shaken to incorporate any unmelted sugar
• When golden brown remove from heat
• Place a large sheet of baking parchment in front of you
• You will also need a knife sharpening steel or the handle of a long wooden spoon, plus an ordinary spoon
• Dip the small spoon into the caramel and flick it backwards and forwards over the steel or spoon handle (held up at shoulder height over the parchment) until strands form
• Gently gather the strands and shape as desired
• Alternatively pour the caramel onto the parchment in a large pool and once set break it into shards to decorate



a fine dessert and delicious to eat

• Fine grated  dark chocolate would also be a good alternative to spun sugar ;-))

councilflat Christmas!

28th Dec.  Wet.  Windy.  Post festive slump well underway.  New year resolution is to update this blog at least three times a month...I spent most of Dec too busy actually doing the cooking to blog about the cooking!

Here is a wee taste of what I was up to...

First task was to get my christmas cake underway, its a looooong recipe so I won't post it here but happy to send on to anyone who wants it - its a lighter cake with hints of honey, saffron and amaretto instead of brandy...

my variation of an old bbc good food mag recipe and doesnt require a month of feeding, just as well as I made two of these babies on the 14th Dec!

pretty traditional approach, lots of thick marzipan underneath

not too shabby, if I say so myself!

Next job was to get festive on all my jars of chutneys, jams and jellies, ready for christmas hampers and gifts for family and friends...



only another 80 jars to go....





Moving swiftly on my daughter decided to get in on the act and at the last possible moment wanted to give home made gifts....a quick but effective solution were these pretty peppermint creams, deceptively simple and given a sophisticated edge by dipping in dark chocolate and sprinkled with gold stars.  She quickly had enough to fill 5 of these pretty little boxes which we lined with tissue and florists celophane and then decorated in a simple but quite classy way...voila!  The total cost for ingredients and the boxes to make 40 peppermint creams was easily less than a fiver...



By now it was the final week of Dec and one of my last tasks was to make something for our staff Xmas lunch....what could be more festive than a yule log?  This was to be my first attempt at a swiss roll sponge so decided to play it safe and followed the Paul Hollywood recipe from the Dec Good Food mag.  All went to plan and although the sponge did crack I just used extra buttercream to even it out.  I used a jar of morello cherries in syrup from Lidl instead of raspberries for the filling and added a touch of amaretto to the cream.  The result was pretty spectacular if I say so myself....although a LOT of work went into it...

With the end in sight I put together christmas hampers for family members, choc full of chutneys, jams, home made christmas cake and other foody goodies picked up along the way...

So, at last!  Christmas lunch at my mums was a chance to relax and enjoy the fabulous top end turkey with all the trimmings that she prepares so well.  I supplied starter and dessert, a simple beetroot and grilled goats cheese salad and my posh version of a trifle which was deeelicious...the recipe for which I will post later.

So, happy New Year, happy eating and good health to everyone, Cheers!

Big Apple Foodie Bites!

Just returned from a five day trip to the city that never sleeps (and always eats!).  Unsurprisingly I spent most of my trip thinking about, if not actually consuming food, and what great food it was!

Day one and drinks in the gloriously art deco salon/bar of our hotel at Washington Square were quickly followed by beer and pizza from John's - a Greenwich village institution.  This particularly fine example had sausage, peppers and extra anchovies...

Day two and we headed to Brooklyn, coffee from one of the many cute cafes in Park Slope warmed us as we wandered through Prospect Park and down to Brooklyn Heights, catching Jason Bateman filming scenes for a new movie as we passed through!  Had a great steak sandwich and salad at a warehouse bar/restaurant called Superfine, one of the first to move into the area now known as DUMBO.  Dinner plans involved trying to score a table at one of those 'word of mouth' places that is apparently a nightmare to get into (no reservations) but a dream once you are in...and sure enough Bianca's in NOHO was full to bursting when we arrived at 7pm.  The manager quickly despatched us next door to a hip bar called Von where we waited until he showed up 40 mins later with a table for us.  The atmosphere was buzzing and staff were efficient but very friendly.  A huge portion of Frito Misto, shrimp, squid, octopus and courgette fried in a light batter was delicious if not the best looking dish...

Meanwhile my lasagna was filled with a rich ragu and LOTS of top quality parmigiana cheese...

Bianca's was not fine dining, it was top quality italian home cooking and it deserves the attention it gets at home and from visitors.  Magic.  Finished off the night (literally) by meeting an old college friend at her bar on the lower east side, a cool rock bar-come cafe-come gig venue...many vodka, lemon and ginger cocktails were consumed...

Day three and feeling slightly delicate we headed out for a late brunch, not straying too far from the Village.  The resulting effort was disappointing, a soul food cafe/bar called the Pink Teacup was underwhelming in every sense - a tiny portion of (not very nice) crab cakes and coleslaw from a budget supermarket tub.  Just as well we didnt eat too much as our evening plans involved a table, booked in advance, at the French Culinary Institute, a premier training ground for the next Iron Chef or michelin star wannabe.  The food is cooked and also served by the students and at $47 for a four course fine dining experience is possibly New Yorks best kept secret.  Matching wines at $30 were expertly chosen.  The portions were on the large side, my starter of butternut quash soup with confit quail was enourmous, as was my fish dish of poached halibut with oysters and watercress...

A main of pork loin stuffed with olives and walnuts in a huckleberry jus was delicious but just too much.  Full to bursting I managed a few mouthfuls of my banana cream pie only to be suprised by a trio of mini desserts presented to me at the table with a birthday candle (how did they know?)...I had a nibble of each and all were delicious, epecially the little pot of custard with the shortbread spoon, a cute touch.

Day four and off we waddled uptown , a stone heavier, to the Bouchon Bakery for a delicious almond and raspberry croissant and a peak at all those macarons lined up like soldiers, not to mention a sneaky look upstairs at Per Se, one of the top restaurants and top prices too, a squint at the lunch menu revealed a $295 price tag per person, ouch!!!   Then for some shopping and something I was looking forward to, lunch at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station only to find it was closed (it was Sunday d'oh!).  Deflated, another poor lunch effort was had at one of the stalls in the dining concourse of the station, only made better by a coconut cream cupcake from the Magnolia Bakery stand next door.  That night we were uptown to see NYC Ballet's The Nutcracker so we returned to a BBQ place we had been to before, tried and tested and rather spookily they led us to the exact table as our last visit!

Day five and I was depressed at the thought of heading home.  A really great lunch was needed.  For months I had fantasised about David Changs buns...but didnt think we had a chance of getting into one of his Momofuku establishments, being as they are THE place to eat in New York.  But my college friend suggested Monday lunch would be our best chance so we wandered over to the Noodle Bar on 1st Ave and although busy we were quickly accomodated, sitting up at the counter as the kitchen and waiting staff whizzed around in front of us.  The Noodle Bar has the most informal vibe of all his restaurants, with options ranging from snacks at the counter to full meals.  The pork buns were quickly delivered and all I can say is that they were one of the best things I've eaten in recent years, the pork was meltingly soft with a subtle sweetness that I couldnt put my finger on...a large bowl of Momofuku ramen followed, the broth rich from the pork belly and shoulder with kimchi, spring onions and a wobbly poached egg.  Outstanding.  Greedy for more we also shared a special from the board, fried oysters and brisket hash on a bed of grilled potato salad with pickled cucumber.  This dish looked like a work of art and was more delicate in flavour than the ramen, but again the brisket melted in the mouth leaving its pleasantly fatty, sweet flavour behind.

Momofuku Ramen

Pork Buns

Fried Oysters and Brisket

This was undoubtedly the highlight for me, fine dining is all well and good but this is simply the kind of food and style of eating that we are crying out for here in the UK, in my opinion.  Someone should get onto that...

A final foodie highlight, birthday dollars were only ever going to be spent on one thing, oh KitchenAid, oh KitchenAid, how lovely are your pricetags...$299!!!  ok, so I need a voltage adaptor and they are ugly but I don't care...

Squash and Green Lentil Stew

I love watching Nigel Slater's TV programmes, he uses so few ingredients but manages to turn out a real feast for the eyes and I'm sure, the tastebuds.  I could vaguely recollect him doing something with pumpkin and lentils last week and was thus inspired to do something similar when I picked up these little chaps at the Lidl close to my office...for the grand sum of £1.22!!!








First of all a teaspoon each of cumin, coriander and black mustard seeds were dry roasted then ground up in the pestle and mortar.  A glug of oil was added to my cast iron heavy casserole dish and two roughly chopped onions and three mashed cloves of garlic were gently fried, along with the ground spices for about 5 mins.  I found a couple of bacon rachers hanging around in the fridge so they were soon chopped up into small pieces and added to the pot.  Some small carrots and a couple of mushrooms (quartered) soon followed and the veg was given a few minutes to cook down with the bacon and spices.

One mugful ( it SHOULD be considered a valid measurement...) of green lentils was thoroughly washed in cold water then added to the pot.  A pint of hot chicken stock was added, with a pinch of salt and pepper and the pot brought to a simmer, lid on and cooked gently on a low heat for 30 mins.

Meanwhile two of the squash were peeled, seeds removed and roughly diced into larg-ish chunks.  While the lentils and veg were stewing nicely I knocked up a soda bread - see previous recipe, although Ive noticed that buttermilk is appearing in the supermarket now in 250 ml cartons - if using one of these use 350g of flour mix instead of the 500g I previously recommended - it makes a smaller loaf but just as good, if not even better.

Preheat the oven to gas 6, when the stew has been simmering for 30 mins add the squash, a little water if becoming too thick and pop into the oven at the same time as the soda bread for another 25-30 mins.  The squash will cook quickly and the stew will be thick and delicious.  Chuck on some parsley and even a dollop of creme fraiche (I didnt have any) and there it is, a great tasy supper.

Biscuits Ahoy!

In the middle of a totally frantic work week I somehow heard my voice saying YES to a request for some home baking for the office Wear It Pink coffee morning...  I simply didnt have time for cake making and baking so rustled up these biscuits instead...the viennese whirls are shamelessly copied from Holly aka Great British Bake Off but I filled them with a nice rasberry buttercream icing instead of patisserie cream...

 and these coconut macaroons were well received by coeliac colleagues as no flour is involved...

They were easily outshone by a cake baking colleague who pitched up with a full cupcake stand of goodies and an amazing coconut and lime sponge cake...the recipe for which I now have tucked away in a safe place...thanks Laurie!

Pics from the BBC Good Food Show

Masterchef Challenge

Incredible cakes

Nick Nairn looks bored...

Perfect Saturday!

Off to the Good Food Show first of all then a cheeky cocktail at the Rogano before heading to Gandolfi Fish tonight for dinner....my idea of a perfect Saturday!

Pear and Almond Tart

Having been away last weekend at the Chester Marathon and busy the weekend before I've missed having time to just potter around in the kitchen...weekdays are fine but the focus is on getting food on the table without too many bells and whistles.  So despite a Friday night of drinking, catching up with friends and more drinking I was up and in the kitchen bright as a daisy...

Pastry is not my friend.  Previous attempts range from okay to inedible.  But with a foolproof (ha!) recipe from an Angela Boggiano book and plenty of time to analyse every instruction I turned out a very nice sweet shortcrust pastry case.  My very good friend Marion had recently inherited a bag of windfall pears and kindly passed them on...most are destined for chutney but yesterday I sacrificed some to the tart.  I won't give the pastry recipe as there are plenty of good ones out there and acceptable shop bought versions - here is how I made the tart though...

• Blind bake the pastry case if home made for 12-15 mins until very slightly golden then cool and egg wash the base and sides
• Meanwhile peel and quarter 2 small pears and poach in a stock syrup for around 10 mins or until soft but not mushy (a simple stock syrup is a half sugar/water ratio dissolved over a gentle heat - you can add a vanilla pod, cinammon stick etc)
• Remove the pears and cool them.  Take each quarter, start 1cm down from the top and cut 3 or 4 slices lengthways to the bottom, push gently into a fan shape
• For the frangipane-esque filling: 125g of soft butter is beaten until pale and smooth then add the following: 200g ground almonds, 75g caster sugar, 1 egg, and a generous tbsp of amaretto if you have it, or almond essence if not!  Finally add the zest and juice of half a lemon and beat it all to a pulp.
• Cover the bottom of the pastry case with a thin layer of jam (I had pear and ginger) then spread on the frangipane mix.  Arrange the pears on the top, pushing down slightly into the mix.
• Bake for around 30 mins at Gas 4 or until the top seems spongy when pressed.

This turned out rather nice as you can see:

We had a big slice still slightly warm with a dollop of cream!

Soda bread recipe

soda bread doesnt last long in our flat...

I've slowly been going off commercial bread, even seemingly good quality stuff seems stodgy and unappetizing these days.  I briefly entertained the idea of trying to get a sourdough starter on the go and then 3 seconds later came to my senses, thats a committment I'm not quite ready to make.  Soda bread ticks all the boxes, its easy peasy, yeast free therefore quick to make and bake and is very tasty - the teenager now insists I make it every other day.  The best bit is that you can vary it to your own taste, here is my personal take on it:

200g plain flour
200g brown flour
100g porridge oats (you could just use 500g of flour if you like)
2tsp bicarb of soda
1tsp salt
1 tbsp runny honey (optional but nice!)
350 ml buttermilk ( live yoghurt with a splash of lemon juice is an alternative)

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl or pulse in a processor.  Make a well in the centre and mix in the honey  then the buttermilk. Bring the dough together (it shouldnt be too sticky) then turn out onto a floured surface.  Knead it but not for long, its really just about getting it a little smoother and into a ball shape.   Put it onto a baking tray, flatten it down a bit then score deeply with a cross shape.  Bake at gas 6 for around 40 mins.  The bread is ready when the bottom of the bread sounds hollow and empty when tapped with your hand.  Eat when its nice and warm.  I sometimes knock this up as soon as I get home from work so that its ready along with whatever is for dinner.

The Three Chimneys, Skye

Our annual trip to Glenelg saw us make an impromptu lunch visit back to the Three Chimneys on Skye...its only a ferry ride and 40 mile drive so practically on the doorstep...hahaha!  No photos but I can say that, whilst still outstanding by many restaurants standards we weren't quite as 'wowed' this time around. 
Terrible weather and therefore driving conditions meant we arrived 10 mins late for which I immediately apologised, however I was a little taken aback to be told once seated that we were being given our menus straight away due to our 'late arrival'.

I started with a wonderful dish of ox tongue and blade of black isle beef with a simple salad, Gary had a trout mousse with smoked salmon and a beetroot salsa of sorts.  Both were fantastic.  My main of crown of grouse with their trademark tattie scones, bacon and a damson jus didn't quite hit the mark and I'm not exactly sure why.  The grouse, whilst cooked pink and seemingly perfect was tough and not easy to eat, although the flavour was there.  Garys shellfish platter was worth every penny of the £10 supplement, huge scallops, oysters, langoustines and smoked mussels and cute little winkles in a shot glass.  I sneaked an oyster whilst he wasn't looking...  I opted for the trademark marmalade steamed pudding with drambuie custard and Gary had an iced parfait with fennel brittle which he said lacked flavour but was perfectly nice, nice, nice, nice.

Overall, still a great experience and a lovely treat, worth the effort so if you havent been you should go!

Lemon Curd Stacks

First go at lemon curd was a surprising success, I hadn't even bothered to sterilise a jar such was my lack of faith.  In the end we just scoffed the whole lot in a variety of guises including these quite delicious sweet pastry, cream and lemon curd stacks...yum

Cauli and cheese soup with pancetta and chives

Quick and easy supper soup taken up a notch by addition of a few strips of crispy pancetta and scattering of chives...yum

From this...to this!



From this...

To this!

Christmas-a-comin...

No surprise that I decided to get on with this blog as the corner turned on summer (what little there was of it up here in Scotland) as I love autumn, summer may be all BBQs and al fresco dining but what use is that when you live on the 4th floor of an old Glasgow tenement?   No, give me soups, stews and hearty pies any day...

A very generous man I work with, lets call him Peter for that is his name, brought me a Lidl bag stuffed full of apples from the tree in his garden a fortnight ago.  Not a 3p Lidl bag either, an extra large 10p bag.  To date Ive turned those apples into 11 jars of chutney, 7 jars of savoury jellies, 9 jars of jam of various flavours and Ive still got some strained apple juice lying dormant in the freezer just waiting on a call up.  On top of that I was lucky enough to happen on some wild damsons on a trip up north last week, quick as a flash they were transformed into wild damson and cassis jam and quite spectacular it is too!

I make a lot of chutney, jams etc so Ive invested in a proper maslin pan, jam funnel, muslin jelly bag and proper thermometer.  I buy my jars online but sometimes I recycle old jars and just buy new lids (this is essential).  I will post the recipes for all of the above goodies in the next few days or so.

Talking Mince

Late home the last few nights so we have been eating quick and easy, last night a speedy leek and potato soup was whipped up as a perfect post-run supper.  Had no firm ideas for the next few nights either so I took some mince out of the freezer before bed and this morning I knocked up a couple of options using what was hanging around in the fridge..I hate waste!  Total prep time was about 10 mins and cooking time approx 40 mins.

Make-do Chilli
200g lean mince                      4 chestnut mushrooms sliced
2 crushed garlic cloves           1 carrot chopped very small
1/2 onion chopped                  3 large tomatoes chopped                        
1/2 leek chopped                    1 can red kidney beans

2 dried chillies chopped very fine, salt, pepper to taste and some water.

1. Browned the mince then add the onions, chilli and garlic, cook down for a few mins
2. In went the carrots, mushrooms and leek, cook down another few mins
3. Added the chopped tomatoes and the can of kidney beans, loosen with a little water.
4. Checked throughout and season to taste.
5. Left to simmer for around 40 mins.

Cooled quickly and into fridge for later.  Rice or some baked potatoes will round it off.

Make-do Pasta Ragu
Same method, same core ingredients but omitted the chillies and the kidney beans.  Instead added a few sprigs of rosemary and instead of plain water use around 200 mls of veg or chicken stock.

So, two pots on the go, two meals cooked, cooled and ready for eating later all before 10am!  Not bad at all!

Welcome!

It will get better, I promise...

So, whats this all about?  Im a busy working woman in my, alas, late thirties, with a daughter, cat and partner all wanting feeding (not always in that order) and to put it simply, I love cooking.  I didn't always love it, it has sneaked up on me over the last few years and now I'm told Im quite good at it!  I'm a practical woman so weeknights I do simple, made-from-scratch family meals and then at weekends I go a bit mad trying out this and that. 

I don't have a fancy kitchen with triple ovens, belfast sink or Kitchen Aid (although I have placed an order to Santa for that); I've got a small galley kitchen in my cosy wee Housing Association flat near the centre of Glasgow, with the basics covered and not much more!  I save where I can and invest a little more in good quality stuff where it matters.  Making something out of nothing is a bit of a speciality of mine, basically I try to do great things with modest means. 

I will post recipes, experiments and musings on a fairly regular basis, so feel free to pop by for a cuppa sometime...