Gougères: A recipe for the perfect chic little nibble at your next summer party

June 13, 2014June 25, 2014Leave a comment

I’d heard of gougères before I made them, but I could never really understand why people raved about them so much. Basically, these are cheese puffs, made from the same kind of pastry usually used for patisserie like eclairs or choux buns – except this is a savoury version. They’re just cheesy, pastry bites – but in this case, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Trust me when I tell you that these will be devoured in short order at your next party – and they’re so chic you can even serve them for something formal as well as a BBQ!

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Boxing Day Ideas for Turkey Leftovers!

December 26, 2012December 26, 20121 Comment

This is a flashback post that some of you might have already seen at Thanksgiving – but I thought it was worth a repeat for all the UK-based readers who will be up to their eyeballs in turkey this Christmas! Here are some great recipes using leftover turkey that taste so delicious you’ll want to cook extra next year!

What to do with left over turkey at Thanksgiving

November 23, 2012November 23, 2012Leave a comment

Leftovers at Thanksgiving can be so much more than a simple rehash of that Turkey Day meal (although, let’s face it, that’d be pretty darn delicious anyway!). Try these recipes for delicious leftovers – I promise you, none of them will feel like second-best meals! In fact, you might be tempted to roast another turkey (or chicken) just to make some more!

What to do with leftover chicken and turkey: simple yet elegant chicken or turkey soup

November 22, 2012November 22, 20121 Comment

Eating turkey soup might seem like a chore, but with a few simple steps, you can create a dish with beautiful presentation that anyone would be thrilled to eat after some Black Friday shopping!

Simply make your turkey or chicken soup using a carcass, covered with cold water. Add in extras like peppercorns, herbs (woody or hardy herbs like sage, rosemary and thyme are best), onions and carrots, and allow the stock for simmer for as long as you can – all day if possible. Top up as needed. When you’re ready, drain away everything except the stock, then add to a clean pan and bring to a boil. Simmer until the stock is a tasty soup – you may need to reduce down to a half of the original volume.

To give this dish pretty presentation, fill a bowl with shredded turkey or chicken, and thin cut, cooked vegetables (you can cook them in the broth while its reducing) cut into shapes. Add a sprig of rosemary – this will scent the broth as well as being a pretty garnish. If you really want to impress, serve the bowls as pictured above, then pour the turkey stock from a beautiful presentation jug right at the dinner table!

What to do with leftover chicken and turkey: hot and numbing chicken salad recipe

November 18, 2012November 18, 20121 Comment

If you feel like you need an unusual recipe for leftover turkey this Thanksgiving or Christmas, look no further! This recipe is from the excellent Sichuan Cookery by Fuchsia Dunlop, which has about four or five easy and tasty recipes for cooked chicken at the front. This hot and numbing chicken mixes spicy chilli oil and toasted, ground sichuan pepper together with soy sauce and sugar to create a really delicious cold dish.

INGREDIENTS

300g left over cold cooked turkey or chicken, white or dark meat
Bunch spring onions
4 tsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2-4 tbsp chilli oil (depending on how spicy you like it – best to start small and add more later!)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
Cucumber, to serve

METHOD

Dry roast the peppercorns in a frying pan, then grind them to produce 1/2 tsp of ground spice.
Cut the chicken in slices, and cut the cucumber and spring onions into elegant diagonals.
Create the dressing by dissolving the sugar in the soy sauce, then adding in the chilli and sesame seed oil.
Arrange the chicken and spring onions on a plate, then sprinkle over the Sichuan pepper.
Drizzle over the sauce, and tuck in!

Serve with salad, or white rice.

Hunger Games: Plum Stew for Katniss – An Alternative!

September 7, 2012November 12, 2012Leave a comment

I loved reading the Hunger Games – I think if you’re a foodie, you’ll really enjoy the descriptions that author Suzanne Collins put into her books. One of the dishes that stands out is the lamb stew that Katniss enjoys so much from the Capitol, and I’ve seen loads of recipes online which replicate it. However, I’m not a huge fan of sweet and savoury mixed together – unless there’s a whole bunch of spice added in! With that in mind, I really wanted to try a tagine version of this, since lamb and prunes is a fairly common combination. But then I was flicking through 50 Great Curries of India by Camellia Panjabi, and found a plum and lamb curry! Now, this is made with fresh plums, not dried, but the flavour is so delicious that I don’t think anyone will be complaining about accuracy! Here is the recipe, which I have adapted slightly to reduce the calories. The original called for more oil, more lamb, and more plums – I think it would be better with less, hence my changes.

This stew is spicy and rich, and the sharp, sour taste of the plums really balances against the savouriness of the lamb. You can eat this with rice, or naan bread if you prefer. I’m planning on serving this at a Hunger Games-themed party I’m having next month, but you don’t really need an excuse to eat this – it’s great, and not too high in calories, either! Just make sure that you go easy on the oil, and that the lamb is very lean and trimmed of all excess fat.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 x 1/2 inch ginger, peeled and chopped
3 cloves
4 green cardamoms
1 inch piece cinnamon
3 green chillies, finely chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
500g lean stewing lamb
1 tsp salt
3/4 to 1 cup finely chopped ripe plums with skin on
3 tbsp coriander leaves
225ml lamb stock

METHOD

Heat oil in a deep pan and add the onions, frying until they’re golden brown – around 10-15 mins. Add the garlic, ginger, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, and green chillies. After one minute, add in the turmeric, coriander and chilli powder, and stir well.
Add the lamb to your spiced, aromatic mixture, and fry for five minutes. Then, cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the lamb is semi-dry. Stir well to make sure everything is coated and beginning to go golden brown.
Add the plums and stir. Follow with 2 tbsp of coriander leaves, and the lamb stock, then simmer on low for 30 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with additional coriander, and serve with rice.

You can freeze this recipe, which serves four! The calories work out at 312 per serving.

Courtyard Deli, Falmouth

September 5, 2012September 5, 2012Leave a comment

One of my favourite places when I went to Cornwall this year was the Courtyard Deli in Falmouth. A hidden gem, this gorgeous deli provided me with two of my favourite meals on holiday. (Who am I kidding, I didn’t eat anything that wasn’t amazing on holiday this year!). One was a lovely picnic, which I’ll discuss in a later post, and the other was a lovely tapas meal that we enjoyed on our final evening.

The deli is off the main road in Falmouth, but is easy enough to spot thanks to this cool little sign. Once you turn up the narrow alleyway, you’ll be greeted by a pretty sight:

Inside, it’s just as beautiful, because there are shelves stacked with all manner of amazingly gorgeous foodstuffs. Check out those delicious bowls of juicy olives! I promise, I did not steal any of them…

The Deli does tapas three nights a week, and it was incredibly quiet when we went on the Friday night – so quiet we were the only ones there for most of the time. Usually, this would be a sign of bad food, but I am pleased to report that this was certainly not the case! They definitely deserve to have people knocking the door down to get in, so if you’re local to the area, make sure to plan a visit, you won’t be disappointed!

As my husband is a massive carnivore, we decided to start off with a meat sharing platter. To be honest, I thought this would be a little bit boring – I do love cured meats, but it’s very simple to make something like that yourself, and to be honest, I wasn’t expecting much. So, I was pretty pleased when it arrived, and was utterly delicious! The potatoes were waxy and fresh, and the chorizo was a real standout – juicy, tender, salty and crisp. I’d never enjoyed chorizo as much as I enjoyed this simple, fried offering, and I’m a pretty big chorizo fan anyway! I also had some garlic prawns, because I made a pledge to myself I would eat seafood every day while in Cornwall. I love seafood but my husband hates it, so I never really get to eat it that often. Hooray for holidays! Om nom nom – this was halloumi cheese and strawberries – a weird combo that tasted oh so right! The salty, squeaky cheese went perfectly with the soft, sweet strawberries. I’ll have to try this at home!