Recipe: Savoury bread and butter pudding with bacon chunks and cheddar cheese

It's pudding time children

Whilst everyone has been tossing pancakes we had a moment when we realised we had no unfrozen food at home.  On closer examination it turned out we had half a loaf of focaccia that Keith had made on the weekend, plus a few other essentials one tends to have knocking around the fridge; cheese, tomatoes, mushrooms and smoked gammon. In true Lent “clear your cupboards out for fasting style” we threw together a savoury bread and butter pudding.

We ate the bread and butter pudding straight from the oven.  The bacon chunks, textures of soft and crusty cheesey bread makes this superb comfort food.  It is also an extremely thrifty meal. 

Ingredients

• Thick Bread slices to fill your chosen dish, buttered on both side.  We used focaccia and buttered with olive oil spread
• Smoked Pork Loin, cut into chunks and roasted for 15 minutes
• 1 Shallot, finely chopped
• Button mushrooms, a generous handful, sliced
• 2 Eggs
• 250ml milk
• 100g of cheddar cheese, grated. We used half fat
• Baby plum tomatoes, cut in slices lengthways
• Sprigs of rosemary
• Pepper to season

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4 or 180C
2. Layer the bread sliced in your dish
3. Place the mushrooms, gammon, and shallots within the slices
4. Beat the eggs until frothy
5. Add the milk and beat for a further 30 seconds.  Season with pepper
6. Add the cheese and a few sprigs of rosemary
7. Pour the egg mixture over your bread
8. Dot the tomatoes and whole sprigs of rosemary in the dish
9. Place in the oven for 25 minutes or until crusty and golden 

Serve with a side salad or soup. 

Review: Brightwell Vineyard Tasting Evening at Artisan & Vine

Blue moon, keep shining bright-well Blue moon, keep on shining bright

For a number of years we have kept a keen eye on English wines. We had first encountered an English sparkling wine three years ago at Aubergine in Kensington, as it was served as their House Champagne, and we fell in love with the light refreshing flavour.

In recent months we have been eager to learn more and researched English wine tastings.  Artisan and Vine in Clapham happened to be hosting and promoting a series of English vineyard nights over the coming months. As North Londoners with full time jobs, a mid-week trek to Clapham in South London was daunting, but we can confirm it was well worth the schlep.  The evening that we chose was dedicated to Brightwell Vineyards in Oxford, who own fourteen acres of land and produce thirty thousand bottles per year.

We began the evening with a sparkling Chardonnay (Blanc de Blancs).  We were immediately surprised by the unexpected light, but acidic flavour. Very quickly we realised we had to adjust our expectations. The sparking wine had a hint of green apples and vanilla, but very dry.  There were nibbles of focaccia and green olives laid out on the table, but in the home we would have paired this with shellfish, perhaps oysters.  

I have to say we were on an excellent table of wine lovers; a couple who own a pub and another who were in year two of owning a vineyard.  We were set for a great night.

The starter consisted of golden beetroot and goat's curd, sprinkled with pine-nuts, served with a perfectly chilled glass of the Crispin.  In our opinion, this was probably the best of all the courses as every aspect clicked.  The Crispin is similar to an easy drinking Pinot Grigio.  It is made partly from Reichensteiner (no, it's not a heavy metal band) which is a hybrid of a number of grapes developed form Reisling.  Despite its acidity there was a softness to this wine with the salad.  Golden beetroot is having a revival at the moment and it brought an appealing sweet freshness to the dish, whilst the curd and pine nuts cut through the acid to balance the entire course.

The fish course was squid served with fregola and blood orange, paired with a 2009 Oxford Flint.  The Oxford Flint is a hybrid of Huxelrebe and Chardonnay grapes and is described by Brightwell as being in the style of a Loire Valley wine. It has also won the International Wine & Spirit Competition Bronze Medal 2010 and the Decanter Bronze 2007.  The marinated squid and sweet, but tangy blood orange were excellent with the crisp dry Oxford Flint.  The meatiness of the squid was perfect with the Chardonnay elements of the wine.  We also loved the scattered bean-like fregola, which added another dimension to the dish. Our only complaints was that the squid was slightly too tough.  Overall there was a lovely melange of flavours, well matched to the Oxford Flint.

Brightwell's red wine is the Oxford Regatta, which was accompanying Suffolk salt-march lamb, spiny artichoke and sorrel.  I think it is best to talk about the wine first as it sets the scene for the rest of the course.  The Oxford Regatta was likened to a Pinot Noir. The aroma of the red wine on the nose was slightly mildewy and of course it had a knock on effect on our palate.  There was a bitter foxiness which lingered unpleasantly.  We were having a laugh on our table and concluded that we needed more alcohol, so after a democratic vote bought another bottle of wine.   We chose a Bajondillo which was superb (c.£20).  On the the nose was a beautiful waft of caramel and it tasted buttery, fruity and was simply delicious.  Yes, we had been naughty, but as you can imagine, like a giant magnifying glass this held up every flaw in the Oxford Regatta.  It was obvious the grapes in the Regatta had not seen enough sunshine to impart body into the wine.  The Regatta had been soaked in oak for seven months in an attempt to beef out the wine, but there is an unfortunate obvious question;  Why bother struggling through a bottle of English red wine, when there are obvious other great wines in the world. Up until now, the chef had done a great job in creating the perfect dishes with the wines.  I think he must have struggled here.  Lamb was probably the lightest meat the chef could have prepared, but probably the most ideal pairing should have been a meaty white fish.  He had also opted for light seasoning maybe in an attempt to not strangle the wine.  There were to many compromises made in the food. I am not going to comment further on this dish, as I do not blame the chef for falling down at this hurdle.  A carpenter is only as good as his tools.

For dessert we had the Oxford Rosé, served with white chocolate and fennel seed panna cotta, and poached rhubarb.   The rosé had a beautiful bubble gum colour.  It had a lively, subtle berry finish, again with the light acidic edge which was becoming a recogniseable trait of the English wines.  It immediately conjured images of strawberry desserts at summer barbecues. The rich white chocolate panna cotta dessert with its soft peak texture was very enjoyable. The liquorice fennel was very subtle.  Fennel appears to be en vogue at the moment, especially in desserts.  It worked well with the chocolate and fleshy, juicy rhubarb. 

We had an entertaining, interesting and fun-filled evening courtesy of Artisan and Vine.  We believe that the series of wine events they have undertaken is very ambitious and we commend them for their efforts.  Four courses with wine pairings and an aperitif for £29.95 was a bargain, but each glass was only half full.  I would rather have had a full glass with each course and paid £50.  Fifty millilitres was not enough to see us through the course and the wait to the next dish.  Artisan and Vine is one of those wine bars you wish was in your neighbourhood.  It is refreshingly elegant, adventurous, with an excellent wine list and fun.  If we could steal it and move it to North London, we would in a flash.

Find out more about Artisan & Vine's Best of English Meet the Winemaker Series

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Recipe: Hare Pie - in Honour of British Pie Week 2011

Hare today, gone tomorrow

It is British Pie Week 2011 folks (7th to 13th March) and we decided to commemorate this event by baking a succulent hare pie cooked with garlic, bouquet garni, bacon lardons, onion and a glass of brandy.

Hare, like most game, can be a tricky to cook well, as wild animals are less sedentary than farm livestock and therefore carry more muscle. For this reason, the tenderising process is of the utmost importance to prevent the meat from becoming tough and chewy.

Of course, you can obviously buy pre-made pastry in the shops if you are short on time.

We served the hare pie with roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

Ingredients

For the filling

• 900g Hare meat, diced
• 150g Bacon lardons
• 2 medium onions
• 1 glass brandy
• 3 cloves garlic
• A bouquet garni of 2 bay leaves, 3 sprigs of thyme and a sprig of rosemary
• 400ml boiling water
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Salt and black pepper

For the pastry

• 200g butter, cut into 1cm cubes and stored in the freezer for a couple of hours before using
• 200g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp ice cold water
• 1 egg, beaten

Method

1. Add some seasoning to the flour and coat the hare meat with the flour in a bowl.
2. Heat a pot to a medium to high heat, add the oil and then the meat and cook for two minutes until it has browned.
3. Add the lardons and cook for a further minute then remove from the heat.
4. Add the onions, garlic, bouquet garni, brandy and water.
5. Return the pot to the heat and bring to a gentle boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce to a gentle simmer and place a lid on the pot and leave for an hour.
6. Whilst it is simmering, tip the flour for the pastry onto a clean dry work surface and add the butter to it.
7. Using a fork, “cut in” the butter into the flour until it is mixed together and there are no pieces larger than a pea. Be careful not to touch dough with your hands as the key is keeping the butter cold.
8. Collect the flour and butter mixture together and form a well in the middle. Add the water 1 tbsp at a time and mix to form a dough.
9. Carefully bring it together with your hands into a ball and try not to knead it or hold it more than you need to. Wrap in cling film and place into the fridge for 30 minutes.
10. Remove the pie filling from the heat and use a colander to drain the excess liquid into a saucepan. Heat the liquid on a gentle simmer until it has reduced by half.
11. Take the pastry from the fridge and roll it to about 3/4cm thick. Line the bottom of an oven proof dish with the rolled pastry.
12. Cut the excess from the edge, collect together and leave to one side as this will form the top of the pie.
13. Add the meat mixture to the dish and pour over half of the reduced cooking liquid.
14. Roll the remainder of the pastry and place on top of the meat. Use a knife to cut a couple of slits for the steam to vent as it cooks in the oven. Crimp the edges to form a seal and brush over with the egg wash.
15. Place into a preheated oven at 200C/350F for 20 minutes until the crust is golden.

Wine Paring

St Hallett Gamekeeper's Reserve 2009 Barossa Valley, South Australia (£8.54 from Waitrose) The spicy nature of the Shiraz combined with the ripe fruitiness of the Grenache and Touriga grapes provide a perfect blend for the rich flavour of the hare.

I'll stop rabbiting on now and allow you to enjoy the pie!

Recipe: Kitchari - Healing Comfort Food from India

So mish-mash you slash and go go go

During the rule of Queen Victoria and era of the British Empire, it was customary for colonials returning from India to have kedgeree for breakfast. Kedgeree is a curry flavoured rice with smoked fish, boiled eggs and butter. We were curious about the roots of this strange morning meal and discovered that in India, they have been tucking into something similar for centuries. The origins of kedgeree lie in a rice dish boiled with beans or lentils with added left overs and scraps. Translation from Hindi of kitchari literally means “mish-mash”, describing the rather random nature of the recipe. An Indian friend once described how their mother would cook kitchari when they were ill, as the lentils have a cleansing effect on the body, the rice would provide energy and the spices and subtle heat makes it comforting.

We were not ill, but felt like having a warming dinner as it was a cold outside. I've cooked kedgeree as a relatively quick to whip up post-gym brunch in the past but on this occasion I wanted to explore its roots.

Traditionally, kitchari would be served on its own, but we accompanied it with Atul Kochar's Tandoori chicken and a cucumber raita.

Ingredients

• 50g basmati rice
• 50g split red lentils
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves
• 2 cardamom pods
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped leaf coriander
• 750ml vegetable stock

Method

1. Combine the rice and lentils in a large bow and wash together. Leave to soak for 20 minutes.
2. After 15 minutes, heat oil on a low to medium heat in a large pan and add the onion and garlic.
3. Drain the water from the rice and lentils and add to the onions and stir
4. Add the bay leaf, salt and spices and cook for a further minute.
5. Add the hot stock, and turn down to a low heat. Place a lid on the pan and leave it for 12 minutes.
6. When cooked the water should been absorbed and the rice should be slightly moist and sticky.
7. Sprinkle over with fresh chopped coriander before serving.

Wine Paring

Errazuriz Estate Shiraz 2009 Aconcagua Valley, Chile (£8.06 from Waitrose Wines) For the best results when pairing this type of food with wine, the fragrant and more mellow red fruit flavors and soft tannins will sit alongside the spices without competing. Syrah ticks all these boxes and is a top choice of red for Indian food. Chile is the new dark secret in being able to deliver world class quality wines and you can pick them up at great prices online and from the supermarket.

Recipe: Hazelnut and Chocolate Chip Blondies

You were requisitioned blondie

I had heard Keith muttering something about blondies.  As a brunette, I took slight offence and had not paid attention to him, until I heard Keith say something about pecans. It then occurred to me he was not talking about his hair colour preferences.  Instead, he had wanted to bake the above cake as a dessert treat. 

The blondie is similar to a brownie, but with a dominant flavour of vanilla and caramelised sugars, instead of chocolate.  You can substitute the hazelnuts for pecan, macadamias or walnuts.  In fact most nuts would do.  Chocolate drops will do also instead of the broken up bar, but we recommend using good quality chocolate of at least 70% cocoa.

Ingredients

• 100g Unsalted butter
• 200g drak brown sugar
• 200g plain white flour
• Good pinch of salt
• 2 medium sized eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 tsp baking soda
• 1 vanilla pod
• 50g hazelnuts roughly chopped
• 50g chocolate (70% cocoa) smashed into small pieces

 Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C or gas mark 5 (adjust for fan assisted ovens)
2. Cream the butter together with the sugar in a mixing bowl
3. Add the eggs and mix together until you get an even consistency
4. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and sift into the mixing bowl
5. Split the vanilla pod and extract the seeds into the mixture
6. Give the mixture a good stir until all the ingredients are combined and you have a thick cookie dough like paste
7. Stir in the chocolate pieces and hazelnuts
8. Line a 6x8 inch tin with greaseproof paper with a couple of centimetres protruding over each end
9. Transfer the blondie mix onto the paper and spread as evenly as you can. It should be about 1.5cm to 2cm thick
10. Place into the middle shelf of the oven for 18 minutes
11. Remove from the tin and lay to rest on a rack until it has sufficiently cooled.

This recipe makes about 6 blondies. We served them with a couple of small scoops of vanilla ice cream.

The blondies were so good I had to force myself to leave the kitchen to stop picking at them.  Truly divine!

Review: Nopi, Yotam Ottolenghi's Adventure into combining Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine with a European twist

No-pi in the sky

Nopi is the new buzz of Soho and the brain child of Ramael Scully, head chef, and Sarit Packer and Yotam Ottolenghi, executive chefs. The modern decor of Nopi with shiny brass fittings, marble and white washed walls and open kitchen (in the basement), befits the brasserie's eclectic feel.  The Nopi headline is that it “tyically” specialises in bringing together Middle East and Asian cuisine in a casual, but stylish brasserie ambience. The dishes are mezes style (small plates) priced between £8 and £12. The restaurant recommends three dishes per person. We chose:

• Seared scallops, pickled daikon, green apple (£12)
• Grilled sea bream, fresh coconut, mint and peanut salad (£9)
• Burrata, blood orange, coriander seeds (£7)
• Raw brussels sprouts, oyster mushrooms, quail eggs (£9)
• Ossobuco, sage and parmesan polenta (£12)
• Brasied lamb meatballs, yoghurt sauce, pomegranate seeds (£9)

The perfectly cooked cushions of scallops were considerable in size and served with a crunchy salad of bitter radish, peppery daikon, tart apple and topped with sweet chilli jam. We chose an Austrian Grüner Veltliner, Laurenz V 2009 (£7.25 per glass) to accompany the seafood dishes. It was a perfect choice. The refreshing and mild hints of grass and spritz of lemon suited the light, delicate scallops and salad, but was also complimentary with the spiciness of the jam.

The succulent grilled sea bream was beautifully fluffy yet firm. It would have been amazing had it been served on its own.  The coconut in the salad was a little too subtle, but the crunch of peanuts (in a spicy brittle) and heat of the chillies saved it from blandness.  The real crowd pleaser are the mint leaves, which are a stroke of genius.  Bravo!  Again, the Grüner Veltliner in its satisfying, versatile white wine capacity, was a formidable accompaniment to the meatiness of the sea bream. 

The ball of Burrata (mozzarella and cream) had a satin, soft texture and as you can image was amazingly creamy. The crisp breads were subtly spicy and the sweetness of the blood orange was just the right tone.  Too much citrus and tart and it would have overwhelmed the rich cheese.  The drizzle of olive oil and smattering of coriander seeds were the final elements which tied the dish together. Heaped on a the crisp bread with a leaf of watercress you had no idea where it would take you, but it worked.

At this point we were scratching our heads (in a metaphorical, not unhygienic kind of way).  What the hell were we eating?  Italian, Japanese, Asian. The list went on.  We were having a confused moment from the eclectic dishes. We felt we should take issue, but every plate we had tasted to far was fun and interesting.  We were enjoying the taste sensation surprises. We noticed there were no salt or pepper mills on the table.  It pleased us.  It meant that Ottolenghi had wanted the dishes to taste just as presented, seasoning and all.  In addition, when the plates were presented to us the waitress advised against trying the ingredients on their own.  Rather, she suggested that to make the dish “pop” we should try a soupcon of each element of the dish.  Her advice was well received. 

Next up were the brussel sprouts.  You may not believe that we readily chose this, but we did.  We love brussels and Heston's method of cooking them involved shredding so we thought why not?  Continuing the head scratching and gormless looks of disbeliefs, the dish consisted of meaty oyster mushrooms, rich beads of poached quail egg and shavings of nutty Spanish manchego cheese.  It has never occurred to us to eat raw brussels, but the salads composition was very smart and came together like the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra playing Metallica.  Again, it just worked, incongruous warts and all. 

We had problems choosing our wines as the range of flavours of our dishes meant that it was hard to pair accurately.  In the end we settled for an Italian Monte di Grazia, Campania 2007 (£39). This thrilling wine is made from old vines, so as you can imagine was very robust.  The aroma was astonishing; caramalised sugared cream. On the palate one could taste minerals, leather but also plums and dark berries.  We figured that even if it did not pair well with our choices, it would at least be delicious. 

Ossobuco, a braised veal dish with vegetables was the penultimate of the tapas dishes. The veal was tender and soft in a warming subtle spiced sage coating.  The polenta had a citrus zing along with the flavoursome parmesan.  Last but not least were the lamb meatballs, which were imbued with cinnamon, cumin, pinenuts and sprinkled generously with droplets of ruby pomegranate seeds.  The spiced yoghurt coating itself caused a division in the ranks.  Keith loved it, whilst I thought it tasted cheap.  For me, the spice did not infuse with the yoghurt, but sat on it, rather than in it.  It is a shame really, as this meat balls look mouth watering. I think the solution is as simple as the chefs blending the spices into the yoghurt better.

For desserts we chose churros, fennel sugar and hot chocolate.  The churros were slightly overcooked.  They should be crispy on the outside with a light fluffiness on the inside.  Nonetheless, we had great fun dunking into the pot of velvet chocolate and then dipping in the fennel. I am fussy about fennel, mainly as I do not enjoy liquorice, but the flavours themselves came together very well.  If they can perfect the doughnut cooking process, they will be on to a winner.

The other dessert we chose was chocolate, peanut brittle, mace and crème fraiche.  If menus were advertisements, then there would have been several complaints to the British Advertising Commission.  The chocolate was actually a cakey dark chocolate mousse, which was fine, but nowhere on the menu was the word “mousse” used.  We also expected chunks of peanut brittle, but instead it had been beaten within an inch of its life. The crème fraiche was unoffensive but did not add anything to the dish.  Together, it was a little disappointing after the ingenuity of the mains.

Nopi is amongst one of the most interesting restaurants we have been to in a while. We are not sure for how much longer they can continue selling it as “typically” Middle East meets Asia, as there are many other strong regional influences on each of the plates.  Each dish was an experimental delight and we love to see Chefs break the rules and succeed.  This was not a food scientist moment, rather the musings of a cupid chef who encourages foods of all genres to indulge in each other.  The service was slow to commence, but our waitress was polite, friendly and well versed in selling the dishes. By the way, enjoy the toilets, they are hauntingly strange in a Japanese horror film way, but again it is all fun, fun, fun– and it will put a smile on your face.

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Recipe: Steamed Kahlua Soufflé with Hot Chocolate Sauce

But sure as cream and Kahlua scream

There are times when entertaining, when you have to take a risk in order to make your guests very pleased with you.  Creating a soufflé is one of the moments which can earn you deep admiration.

You may not be a fan of coffee, but this pudding has a very subtle flavour and the light, bubbly texture means it is simply heavenly. The warm, velvet chocolate sauce adds a welcomed enveloping rich contrast.

It is best to serve the Soufflés as soon as they have finished cooking.  Timing is essential, so serve your cheese course first which will allow you enough time to put together your dessert.  The chocolate sauce can be made in advance and heated just prior to serving.  You can prepare the soufflés up to the point when you need to add the egg whites. 

Makes 6:

Ingredients for the Soufflés:

• 2 tbsp medium ground coffee
• 6 tbsp water, boiling
• 285ml double cream (We used light)
• 6 tbsp white breadcrumbs
• 4 eggs, separated
• 50g soft brown sugar
• 3 tbsp Kahlua

Ingredients for the Chocolate Sauce:

• 6 tbsp water, tepid
• 6 tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp Kahlua
• 120g plain chocolate, grated

Method for the Soufflés:

1. Mix coffee with water and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. 
2. Strain coffee through a fine sieve.
3. Pre-heat your oven to 180C (350F) or Gas Mark 4 
4. Grease 6 200ml capacity ramekin dishes.
5. Whip the cream in a large mixing bowl until it can hold its shape.
6. Beat in the strained coffee, breadcrumbs, egg yolks, brown sugar and Kahlua.
7. Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff.
8. Lightly fold them in your coffee mixture.
9. Carefully spoon into your ramekin dishes.
10. Stand them in a roasting tin with enough hot water to come halfway up their sides.
11. Cook for 20–25 minutes until just set and springy to the touch.

Method for the Chocolate Sauce:

1. Mix the water and sugar in a pan and stir over a gentle heat until dissolved.
2. Boil for one minute.
3. Remove from heat and add chocolate and Kahlua.
4. Stir on the head for a further 30 seconds until the chocolate has dissolved.
5. Remove from the heat

Serve the Kahlua Soufflés on warm plates, trickled with chocolate sauce. 

I wish we had not needed to photograph our ramekins as our soufflés did not rise as much as we would have liked.  They were delicious though and will be worth another attempt in the future.