Friday 28 March 2014

Flemish Apple Tart

I can't remember where I got this recipe from. It's definitely from "home" and if you look closely at the photo you'll notice there are no apples in this tart. That's because I'm still trying to clear out the larder and needed a recipe, in which I could use two small cans of peach halves that wasn't too similar to last week's pear and chocolate cake. This custard tart seemed a good candidate and it worked rather well. In fact, I think this recipe lends itself to be used with all sorts of fresh and tinned fruit. I think fresh peaches or apricots are going to be gorgeous but before they're in season I want to try out morello cherries. Just remember that tinned fruit needs to be well drained and, if necessary, patted dry. The latter definitely applies to morello cherries.

Here's the original recipe.

Shortcrust Pastry:
250 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
120 g soft butter
1 Egg
80 g sugar
2 tbsp milk (if the pastry is too dry)

Filling:
500 g of apples
fresh lemon juice (only use with apples or fresh pears)
1 tsp cinnamon (do not use with other fruit)

Custard Topping:
250 ml milk
50 g sugar
2 eggs
40 g vanilla custard powder
250 ml whipping cream
160 g butter

First, make the shortcrust pastry and line a greased 28 cm spring tin or silicon mold forming a 2 cm rim.

Next, cut the apples into cubes, drizzle with lemon juice, distribute evenly over the pastry and sprinkle with the cinnamon.

Then make the custard topping by mixing the milk, sugar, eggs and custard powder. Gently heat the cream and butter until the butter has melted. Stir in the mixed ingredients and while stirring continuously bring to the boil to thicken the custard. Pour the custard over the apples.

Bake at 190-200° C/gas mark 5 for 50-60 minutes.






Friday 21 March 2014

Pistacchio and Herb Risotto


I've used chopped pistacchios with rice before but what gave me the idea for this risotto was a small bottle of pistacchio oil we bought a while ago but hadn't actually tried.

(Serves 2)

200 g arborio rice
1 banana shallot
1 garlic clove
1/2 celery stick
150 ml dry white wine
1 l vegetable stock (mine was homemade without salt)
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
40 g parmesan, plus some extra for serving
10 g butter
2 small handfuls of shelled, roasted and salted pistacchios
2 handfuls of freshly chopped herbs (mine was a mixture of flat leaf parsley, basil and Dill)
pistacchio oil to serve

1. Make the stock and keep hot on a low heat. Grate the parmesan. Shell and coarsely chop the pistacchios.

2. Finley chop the onion, garlic and sellerie. Sauté in olive oil for approx. 5 minutes.

3. Add the rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes while stirring continuously until the rice becomes slightly transparent. Now, add the wine. Stir over a medium heat until the wine has been absorbed, season with salt, then add the first ladle of stock. Keep stirring until the liquid has been absorbed. Keep repeating this until the rice is al dente. This takes 15-20 minutes.

5. Remove the risotto from the heat, season with pepper. Stir in the parmesan and butter. Cover and leave to rest for about 2 minutes. Mix in the chopped herbs and pistacchios keeping a tablespoon back to sprinkle over the plate before serving. Check the seasoning. Transfer to plates, sprinkle with the remaining pistacchios, drizzle with a little pistacchio oil and optionally add some freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Pear and Chocolate Tart

I'm currently trying to use up some foods that have been languishing in the cupboards for far too long. When I came across two large cans of Williams pears I knew immediately what to do with the first one.

I've had this recipe for more than 30 years and though I can't remember when I last baked this tarte I do remember that it's a cracker. I don't think we used chocolate with 70% cocoa solids then but that's what I'm using all the time now. The same goes for the sugar, I never use white sugar anymore.

150 g butter
150 g unrefined, soft brown sugar
3 eggs
300 g flour
1 1/2 packet/21 g baking powder
125 ml milk

100 g crumbled chocolate (70%)
1 tbsp cocoa
2 tbsp oat flakes
1 tbsp rum (single malt whisky works, too)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch of nutmeg

500 g pears (peeled, cored and halved) or 1 large tin of Williams pears (drained and if necessary patted dry)

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy, then add the eggs. Next, mix the flour and baking powder, add gradually before adding the milk. Lastly mix in the remaining ingredients.

Divide the mixture in two and spread one half into a greased spring tin or silicon mould (26 cm). Place the pear halves on top and spread the other half of the cake mix on top.

Bake for 60 minutes at 175° C - 200° C/gas mark 5.

If you don't have much time, use muffin casings and a muffin tin instead and bake for 20-30 minutes. Makes 12 muffin-shaped cakes.

Serving suggestion: Topped with cinnamon flavoured pear compote and whipped double cream

Variation:


Use 150 g fresh or frozen raspberries. Pour all the batter into a baking tin/silicon mould, scatter the raspberries evenly over the top and gently push them into the batter. Great in summer.



Variation 2: 1 jar of morello cherries, drained and patted dry/150g frozen morello cherries. Double the amount of cocoa.

Sunday 16 March 2014

Beetroot risotto


I had this in a gastropub a couple of weeks ago. It was okay but not great. There was too much beetroot and the beetroot chunks were far too big. It also lacked the characterstic creaminess of a classic risotto. Still, I liked the idea and set upon creating my own version.

(Serves 2)

200 g arborio rice
100 g pancetta
1 banana shallot
1 garlic clove
1/2 celery stick
1 raw beetroot
150 ml dry white wine
1 l vegetable stock
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
40 g parmesan, plus some extra for serving
10 g butter

1. Make the stock and keep hot on a low heat. (My stock was homemade and had a hint of fresh chili in it, which gave the risotto a lovely heat.) Grate the parmesan. Peel and coarsely great the beetroot. Slice the pancetta.

2. Heat a frying pan and sauté the pancetta until golden, add the grated beetroot and sauté until it is al dente. Season with a little salt and pepper, then set aside.


3. Finley chop the onion, garlic and sellerie. Sauté in olive oil for approx. 5 minutes.

4. Add the rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes  while stirring continuously until the rice becomes slightly transparent. Now, add the wine. Stir over a medium heat until the wine has been absorbed, season with salt, then add the first ladle of stock. Keep stirring until the liquid has been absorbed. Keep repeating this until the rice is al dente. This takes 15-20 minutes.

5. Remove the risotto from the heat, season with pepper and salt and check the seasoning. Add the parmesan and butter. Cover and leave to rest for about 2 minutes. Mix in the beetroot and pancetta. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.

Friday 14 March 2014

Red Wine and Dark Chocolate Risotto

I made this risotto only once about a year ago and I'm not sure why as it's really, really, REALLY tasty. And I'm no chocaholic. In fact, I hardly eat chocolate at all. It resulted from a chat with a friend who made her own version that same weekend. We both served it with venison and green beans, in my case venison steaks and pan-fried green beans as shown on the photo.


150 g arborio rice
1 small red onion
1 garlic clove
1/2 celery stick
150 ml full bodied red wine
750 ml vegetable or beef stock
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
sea salt
30 g parmesan
20 g chocolate with at least 70% cocoa solids
10 g butter (optional)
dried chilis or chili flakes to taste

To serve: chili flakes, grated chocolate and freshly grated parmesan


1. Make the stock and keep hot on a low heat. Grate the parmesan. Coarsely great the chocolate. Grind the whole chilis with a mortar and pestle.

2. Finley chop the onion, garlic and sellerie. Sauté in olive oil for approx. 5 minutes.

3. Add the rice and stirring sauté for 2-3 minutes until the rice becomes slightly transparent. Now, add the wine. Stir over a medium heat until the wine has been absorbed, then add the first ladle of stock. Keep stirring until the liquid has been absorbed. Keep repeating this until the rice is al dente. This takes 15-20 minutes.

4. Remove the risotto from the heat, season with pepper and salt and check the seasoning. Add the parmesan and a little olive oil or butter if used. Cover and leave to rest for about 2 minutes. Lastly, stir in the chocolate and chili. Taste to see if it's hot enough. If necessary add more chili. Serve immediately.

If you're serving this with (venison) steaks and green beans, it helps to have a second pair of hands as you can't stir the risotto and pan-fry the meat and beans at the same time. The second person should make those while you're moving onto step 4. Serve the steaks with some garlic butter.

Beetroot Salad

I love fresh beetroot in all colours and in a variety of recipes. This is a new one but it's becoming a firm favourite. It's just a shame that the red beetroot stains everything. So make sure you wear vinyl gloves. On the other hand, the intense colour is great for colouring Easter eggs.

Raw beetroot has quite a strong, earthy flavour that's not to everybody's taste. But you can also make this salad with cooked beetroot. I just don't think it's as nice. ;)

1 bunch beetroot, approx. 500 g
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Peel and grate the beetroot, finely or coarsely depending on your preference. Make the dressing and mix with the beetroot. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes before serving.

Apple, Carrot and Celeriac Soup

Earlier this week, I felt like trying out some new stuff. The result was this soup and a salad made with apples, carrots and celeriac.



1/2 celeriac
6-7 carrots
2-3 Braeburn apples
750 g potatoes
1 onion
1 red chili
2-3 garlic cloves
1.5 l stock
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Ras el Hanout
Olive oil
1 tin of coconut milk or 250 ml single cream

Peel the celeriac, potatoes and carrots and cut into small cubes. Quarter the apples, core and cut into large cubes. Chop the onion, garlic and (optionally deseeded) chilli, then sauté in olive oil for 3-4 min. Add the Garam Masala and Ras el Hanout and sauté for a further minute. Add the vegetables, mix well and pour in the stock. Season with pepper and salt. Cook on a highish simmer until the vegetables are tender. Lastly, pour in the coconut milk/cream. Blend the soup and check the seasoning. Optionally serve with a tablespoon of freshly grated apple.

Apple, Carrot and Celeriac Salad

With the weather being so springlike, I decided to make a refreshing salad combining root vegetables and summery flavours. That same day, I also made a soup of celeriac, carrots and apples.


1/2 celeriac
3-4 carrots
2 Braeburn apples
herb salt
white peper
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp elderflower flavoured olive oil
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Peel the celeriac and carrots. Quarter and core the unpeeled apples. Prepare the dressing. Grate the vegetables and fruit finely or coarsely depending on your preference and pour the dressing over immediately to prevent the celeriac and apples from oxidising. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving.