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In the Bag: Cooking the Month of July
2007-07-11 21:11:00
It's that time again the monthly 'In the Bag' event! We have a vegetarian bag for you this month, which contains:AuberginesPeppersBasilAll you need to do is come up with a dish using these ingredients and follow the entry details below.Entry DetailsSend an email with ?In the Bag in the subject line to asliceofcherrypie@yahoo.co.uk by Saturday 28th July with the following information:? your name? the name of your blog? a link to your post? the name of your dish? a picture of your dishRulesHere's a reminder of the rules - remember the objective is to have fun whilst highlighting seasonal food:1. Entries must use (or attempt to use) all of the ingredients "in the bag" for that particular month. The dish should be based around the seasonal ingredient, rather then just including it as an afterthought.2. Participants can include any "extra" ingredients that they see fit.3. Entries should include a link back to the host for that month, and the post should be tagged "in the bag" and "it...
More About: Cooking , Seasonal , Month , Cookin

Crab and Avocado Linguini
2007-07-09 19:12:00
So many recipes use only the white meat from a crab and shamelessly disregard the brown, but this one makes good use of both so it?s perfect for those times when you buy a dressed crab on impulse and don?t know what to do with it (or is it just me that does that?).Combine the brown meat from a prepared crab with ½ a mashed avocado and the juice of half a lemon. Season well then fill the crab shell with the mixture.Meanwhile cook a little linguini in salted water and put it on top of the shell. Finally sprinkle the white crab meat on top.Variation: You could, if you wanted, mix the crab and avocado mixture in with the linguini before filling the shell with it. You could also serve it on a plate rather than in the shell, if you wanted to use more linguini, but I think this is quite cute for a starter.
More About: Fish , Pasta , Crab , Guin

Chorizo and Canellini Bean Soup
2007-07-07 22:41:00
Chorizo is a spicy Spanish sausage made with paprika and garlic and packed full of flavour. It?s great in casseroles and soups like this one. Chorizo soupServes 2-4Ingredients1 chorizo sausage1 tin of canallini beans1 leek1 onion1 stick of celery1 tin of tomatoes500ml ? 1 litre of Vegetable stock (depending on how thin or thick you want the soup)Slice the chorizo into bite sized pieces and fry in a little olive oil for a few minutes. Remove from the pan.Finely chop the vegetables then add them to the pan and fry until softened in the olive oil that will now be coloured and flavoured with the chorizo.Put the chorizo back in the pan with the vegetables and add the tomatoes, beans and stock. Season well then bring to the boil and simmer until the soup thickens to the consistency you like.
More About: Bean , Soup , Cane

In the Bag: Cooking the Month of June - The Roundup
2007-07-05 21:43:00
Check out June 's roundup over at Cherry's English Kitchen!
More About: Cooking , Roundup , Seasonal , Round

Borough Market: Want to see More?
2007-07-01 10:35:00
Remember my post on the fabulous gastro tour of Borough Market that I was invited to by Trusted Places? Well here is a great video of the tour so you can see it for yourself, along with links to posts about the tour from my fellow bloggers so you can see it through their eyes (and their cameras!). Enjoy! Click To Play Other Posts about the Tour:Aidan BrooksJam FacedThe Kitchen PantryTrusted PlacesSize More
More About: Borough Market

In the Bag: Cooking the Month of June
2007-06-30 16:16:00
Mmm?mmm?mmm. I enjoyed this month?s challenge, with succulent British lamb, new potatoes and broad beans, all in season now.This is my entry for the event, hosted this month by the lovely Cherry? roasted leg of lamb, minted new potatoes and broad bean puree.The potatoes were boiled with a few sprigs of fresh mint and the puree was made by boiling the beans just for a few minutes then blending them with salt, pepper and lemon olive oil. Even Rob liked it, and he?s not a bean lover.
More About: Cooking , Vegetables , June , Seasonal , Lamb

The Taste of Summer
2007-06-24 18:46:00
Rain is lashing down on this grey and miserable day in June but as far as my taste buds are concerned it?s a gloriously hot summer?s day. I?m eating ripe English strawberries; the epitome of the British summer. Think of English strawberries and you?ll think of strawberries and cream, Wimbledon, Eton mess, strawberry jam.We may have a love-hate relationship with the British weather, but our climate is perfect for growing soft fruits and this is what makes our strawberries taste so good. Up there with asparagus, they put Britain on the culinary map. They are at their best when they come into season in June and through July, and they tell us summer has arrived - even if the weather doesn?t.There are a few things you should not do to strawberries, to avoid spoiling their taste. As with mushrooms they should not be washed as they are porous and will absorb the water - so it?s best to buy organic - and they should be served at room temperature, not chilled.Most often you will see strawber...
More About: Summer , Fruit , Seasonal , Taste

A Food-lover?s Feast
2007-06-23 22:35:00
Spanish ham carved from the bone this afternoon, ciabatta, parmesan cheese, comté cheese and oak-smoked tomatoes; all from Borough Market, along with sugar snap peas, olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping, a few other cheeses and a bottle of chilled Pinot Grigio to wash it all down.
More About: Food , Lover , Feast

Mushroom and New Potato Salad
2007-06-22 19:09:00
The white wine, butter and garlic in this dish bring the mushrooms alive while the white truffle oil deepens and intensifies their flavour.Never wash mushrooms as they are porous and will absorb the water. Just wipe them with a cloth to remove any dirt.Boil some new potatoes in salted water. When they are cooked through drain and allow them to cool slightly before slicing and laying them on a bed of salad leaves. Sprinkle the potatoes with sea salt.Next melt a knob of butter in a frying pan then sauté a selection of good mushrooms, roughly chopped with little ones left whole, with a sliced garlic clove for about 5 minutes. Add a slosh of white wine and reduce down until it disappears completely. Season right at the end ? if you add salt at the beginning it will draw out the juices from the mushrooms, which you don?t want.Top the salad with the mushrooms and drizzle over some white truffle oil.
More About: Vegetables , Salad , Mushroom , Potato , Mush

A Gastro Tour of Borough Market
2007-06-20 20:15:00
Last Friday afternoon I took the tube from work to London Bridge to take a ?Gastro Tour ? of London?s famous Borough Mark et . The tour had been arranged by Walid from Trusted Places and was led by Celia Brooks Brown, who runs these tours on a regular basis. Walid had kindly invited me along with several other food bloggers and a few food journalists from the Guardian and Waitrose Illustrated. I?d never met another food blogger before and it was wonderful to meet like minded people, as passionate about food as I am, who I?d talked to via email and through comments on our blogs but never met.The tour itself started with a history of the market and then we were led around it, meeting various stall holders and tasting fabulous wares as we went. We got to try wheat grass ? one small shot of which contains the same amount of vitamins as a week?s worth of fruit and veg, the amazing parmesan cheese from The Parmesan Cheese Company ? the owners of which had made it their lifetime?s work to fin...
More About: Borough Market

Super Pomegranate Juice!
2007-06-18 22:30:00
Not only are pomegranates beautiful and sweet, but with their juice is bursting with antioxidants and vitamins they are hailed as one of the ?superfoods?. Studies show that pomegranate juice helps to combat prostrate cancer, decreases the risk of heart disease and is better for you than red wine, orange juice and green tea. Of course, with claims like this it's widely popular and has a cult celebrity following. And in addition to the fantastic health benefits, the juice is light, refreshing and could be quite addictive - particularly if served over ice through the long, hot summer days.
More About: Drink , Fruit , Pomegranate , Super , Grana

Asparagus, Avocado and Parma Ham Salad
2007-06-17 21:46:00
Simplicity at its best.
More About: Vegetables , Parma , Salad , Asparagus , Spar

Summer Roast Poussin
2007-06-15 21:55:00
This is a colourful and flavoursome dish, and I expect it would go nicely with a leafy green salad on the side, or perhaps some asparagus. The tomatoes burst during cooking and the juice seeps from the lemons, mixing together at the bottom of the roasting tray with juices from the birds to form a tangy sauce. You can squeeze the rest of the juice from the lemons over the poussins.Ingredients2 poussins1 red pepper1 yellow pepper1 red onion1 lemonA handful of cherry tomatoesSpanish smoked paprikaOlive oilSea salt and pepperChop the peppers and onion into bite sized pieces and cut the lemon into eights. Put these into the dish with the tomatoes and poussins and sprinkle over some sea salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast for 40-50 minutes until the poussins are cooked through.Serves 2
More About: Summer , Chicken

Burning the Charcoal
2007-06-12 20:44:00
OK, you?re just going to have to bear with me on the barbeque posts. It?s early summer, we?ve got a long way to go yet, and I have to warn you now ? there are going to be a lot of them. I?m sure I?m not alone, no scrap that, I know I?m not alone in loving a barbeque in the summer months. Really, what?s not to love? That smell; the fresh air; the relaxed; party atmosphere; the easy cooking with big rewards.The weather was rather temperamental in London town today. I walked to the station feeling hot in the muggy air, despite the early hour, but then by the time I got into town I was feeling decidedly chilly, wishing I?d brought a jacket. By mid afternoon the weather had turned again and I walked back to my office from a meeting with the sun beating down on my back. I had to cool off with a Starbucks frappuccino ? had to, you understand.My journey home on the train was unbearably hot and uncomfortable, and when Rob picked me up from the station and suggested barbequing the chicken we ...
More About: Burning , Barbecue , Charcoal , Arco , Char

Delectable Posts
2007-06-11 19:51:00
More gorgeous posts to devour from my fellow food bloggers:Almond Pavlova with the Season's First Cherries from Becks & PoshBaked, Not fried from Milk and CookiesHerbal Flavors-Part 1: Lemon Balm Honey.html from Cafe LynneluBanana Jam from Abstract GourmetWhite Bean Salad from 101 Cookbooks
More About: Posts

Beef Strogonoff
2007-06-10 20:08:00
How?s this for a quick, easy and quite spectacular mid-week meal?I?ve been dying to try beef stroganoff for ages and I wasn?t disappointed; I can see this becoming a regular in my kitchen. Not only is it very tasty, but it is so quick and just needs a little chopping, stirring and some boiling of rice. It would be a great way to feed a crowd when you?ve been at work all day and want something good, filling and effortless.I loosely followed this recipe, but my measurements were no more accurate than: a couple of fillet steaks, a good sprinkle of paprika then another sprinkle at the end, a small tub of sour cream, a handful of button mushrooms, an onion, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper and a little flat leafed parsley. I?d imagine this is a forgiving dish ? just don?t overcook the steak, it only needs a quick flash fry over a high heat.
More About: Beef

Butternut Squash, Potato and Pork Cheesy Bake
2007-06-09 20:42:00
This was something I threw together last night. I started with the chops which I'd bought at the butchers earlier, then looked in the fridge to see what I could team them with for a one-pot roast. As is often the case with this type of ?throw it together? cooking, you can come up with a real gem of a dish without any effort at all. The butternut squash was really good with the pork - definitely a combination I recommend - and Rob loved the melted cheese over everything.Quantities really aren?t important here; use however much potatoes, squash and pork chops you want. Simply peel some potatoes and butternut squash, cut them into similar sizes chunks then put them into a baking tray with some pork chops. Sprinkle over a little fresh thyme, olive oil, sea salt and pepper.Roast at 200c for about 40-45 minutes, turning the chops and vegetables half way through. Once everything is cooked through, sprinkle some mature cheddar cheese over the pork and vegetables and pop the tray back in th...
More About: Potato , Pork , Squash , Butter , Butt

In the Bag: Cooking the Month of June
2007-06-08 20:42:00
It?s time for the second ?In the Bag? event, run by myself, Cherry and Scott! This month Cherry is hosting the event and our chosen ingredients are:LambBroad BeansBaby or New Season PotatoesGet yourself over to Cherry's English Kitchen to find out more!
More About: Cooking , June , Month , Cookin , Mont

Ice Cream Shots
2007-06-05 21:17:00
The best thing about the training course I'm on this week? The little ice creams we got during our afternoon break today. How cute are they? They tasted great too.
More About: Ice Cream , Shots , Hots , Cream

Grilling in the Sunshine
2007-06-03 22:17:00
Hey the sun?s out - party time!Clear blue skies and bright sunshine on a weekend call for lighting the barbeque, marinating the meat and chilling the beers. Petrol stations stock up on charcoal, shop shelves clear of sausages, burger buns and salads, and that distinct smell of char-grilling comes from gardens all over the country. We go crazy for barbeques in this country because when the weather is good you have to seize the moment - before the skies cloud over and rain comes ? they?re relaxed, they?re fun, they?re a great way of cooking for friends, and the food tastes so damn good!Rob and I make a good team when it comes to barbeques. Like many men, he?s in his element when it comes to setting the charcoal alight and throwing on the meat. He?s quite happy at his post manning the grilling station with a beer in the hand whilst I happily marinade, chop and assemble salads.It?s been a beautiful day today and I?ve spent most of it in the garden in my shorts. The barbeque came out jus...
More About: Sunshine , Grilling , Shin , Grill

Stop the Clock
2007-06-02 16:01:00
In this fast-paced, high-technology world it?s sometimes nice to slow everything down and go back to basics. The convenience foods and flamboyant dishes on restaurant menus are part of the norm nowadays and sometimes it?s nice to strip all that away and return to a simpler, slower pace, even if it?s just once in a while. At its most basic, cooking is a natural survival instinct: the hunting; the gathering; the lighting of the fire. That survival instinct has evolved ? it?s had to ? and it now often tells us to grab food on the go, eat for fuel ? to keep us going rather than for pleasure. Yesterday I watched the talk Clotilde gave at Google and she mentioned this when talking about the differences between the French and American take on food. She said in France it is very unusual to see someone eating out on the street whilst walking; generally the French take the time to sit down and eat properly and really enjoy the process of cooking and eating. Unfortunately the reality, certainl...
More About: Clock , Thoughts , Stop , Lock

Another Slice of Pie?
2007-06-01 13:33:00
Each month Delicious magazine interviews a food blogger in their ?Foodie File? section. I buy the magazine each month and this is the first section I turn to, excited to see which of my fellow bloggers is featured this month. I?m delighted that, for the July edition - which is out now - the featured blogger was myself! I feel very privileged to be in such good company - previous bloggers who have been interviewed include Sam from Becks & Posh and Aun from Chubby Hubby.I?d like to extend a very warm welcome to new readers who have found 'A Slice of Cherry Pie' through Delicious magazine. If you scroll down the left-hand side of the blog you can view the archives, posts by category, search the blog and take a look through some specially selected highlights. I hope you enjoy reading the blog as much as I enjoy writing it.

An Exciting Delivery
2007-05-30 20:30:00
My very own copy of Clotilde Dusoulier's first book 'Chocolate & Zucchini' based, of course, on her blog of the same name arrived for me at last yesterday. I've had the book on order for some time and have been eagerly awaiting its delivery. As I've mentioned before, I adore cook books and a new one always excites me, but it's a thrill to hold in my hands a fellow blogger's first ever book.Clotilde, many, many congratulations, it's a remarkable achievement and I can't wait to settle down to read it from cover to cover.
More About: Books , Elive , Liver , Deli , Delivery

In the Bag: Cooking the Month of May - The Round Up
2007-05-28 18:19:00
Well, May is almost over and this month's ?In the Bag? event has closed. For this very first month Cherry, Scott and I challenged you to cook a dish using the 3 seasonal ingredients we had chosen - Asparagus, Sea Trout and Spring Onions.The first entry was this stunning 'Sea Trout Koulibiac with Asparagus', created by Achilleas from Ala Grecque:Susan of Porcini Chronicles gave us 'Trota al Cartoccio con Risotto di Asparagi (Trout Baked in Parchment with Asparagus Risotto)', which was, fantastically, baked in a bag!Marona from El Tiempo de la Marmota took us in an entirely different direction with this Deep Fried Trout with Asparagus-Spring Onion Dip:This 'Baked Sea Trout with Creamy Asparagus Sauce served with Bashed Potatoes and Spring Onions' came from Amanda of Little Foodies:Lorraine from Italian Foodies went with a delicious 'Risotto con punte di asparagi':Joanna of Joanna's Food made this ">'Simple Seasonal Supper':This 'Sea trout with asparagus n spring onions'...
More About: Cooking , Round Up , Round , Month

Classic Combinations
2007-05-24 22:20:00
There is a very good reason why some things are partnered together again and again - quite simply, they work. Vodka and tonic, the little black dress and high heels.....chicken and avocado.So little goes into this salad, yet the flavours are incredible; they marry together so well. The creaminess of the avocado and roasted chicken, the sea salt which the avocado really needs, the lemon and olive oil bringing everything together on the background of salad leaves. It?s quite amazing how something so simple can be so spectacular.Chicken Avocado Salad Scatter chunks or slices of roast chicken on a bed of salad leaves. Halve an avocado, remove the stone and cut each half into three before removing the skin with a knife. Add the avocado slices to the salad. Drizzle over some freshly squeezed lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil then finally sprinkle over some sea salt.
More About: Classic , Combination , Class

Patience is a Virtue
2007-05-22 21:19:00
Risotto doesn?t take long to make, but it?s not a no-effort meal. It does require something from you. It needs nursing, watching over and gentle encouragement. But this loving care rewards you ten-fold. The homely, satisfying plate of food you get is the culinary equivalent of a big hug. Even more so if you?ve made your own stock to feed the little grains of rice.I?ve waited a long time for the roast chicken and spring onion risotto I?ve just eaten; since Sunday, to be exact. That?s when I roasted the chicken which was destined to become this dish, after it had given up its breast meat to a Sunday dinner. I knew then that I would make a roast chicken risotto in the week. The legs remained untouched so they would provide the meat and the bare bones the stock. Today I worked from home so at lunchtime I pulled the leftover meat from the bird and put the remains in my large stock pot, along with the usual stock ingredients. There it simmered slowly during the afternoon, making me hungri...
More About: Patience , Chicken , Virt , Virtue

Take 3 Seasonal Ingredients?
2007-05-21 22:01:00
Even though I?m hosting this month?s ?In the Bag? event I couldn?t let it pass me by without entering myself. I hope you?re enjoying it, I certainly am and I?m seeing some very inventive dishes being entered. But then, how can you not enjoy such fabulous seasonal ingredients as these? We?re in asparagus season after all, and asparagus is arguably one of the very best of the British crops. We also have crisp, fresh spring onions in this month?s bag along with beautiful pink sea trout.I?ve combined these wonderful ingredients here in a creamy, lemony fish pie topped with spring onion mash and parmesan cheese.Sea Trout tastes like a slightly milder, lighter version of salmon, so the lemon is a natural partner and the light green spring onion and asparagus adds texture and freshness. The asparagus cooks perfectly from raw in this pie, with a good bite to it ? so long as you don?t chop it too small; keep it bite-sized. This is quite a light, fresh-tasting fish pie, despite the cream. I t...
More About: Seasonal , Ingredients , Seas , Sona , Ingredient

Mediterranean-Influenced Chicken and a Seasonal Gem
2007-05-20 22:25:00
We had my favourite for dinner today - roast chicken - but I fancied something different to my usual full roast chicken dinner or roast chicken with salad. As it?s been a lovely, warm, day today I thought I?d go for a Mediterranea n influence with smoked paprika and roasted cherry tomatoes, which turned out to be a fabulous combination. The tomatoes are actually fundamental, adding juicy moisture to a dish that could otherwise be a little on the dry side with no sauce or gravy, and complimenting the very subtle paprika in the chicken.I picked up some Jersey Royal new potatoes today so served those with the chicken too. They are in season now and are an absolute must-buy. These creamy, nutty-flavoured waxy potatoes are grown, as the name suggests, on the island of Jersey, and are considered by many to be the cream of the crop of new potatoes. With one bite you can taste why.Lemon and Smoked Paprika Roast Chicken 1 free range chicken1 lemon25g butterA bunch of cherry tomatoes on the vin...
More About: Vegetables , Seasonal , Influence

Love Is?..Breakfast in Bed
2007-05-19 21:42:00
Often it?s the simple things that leave us feeling truly loved. A small but selfless act with a lot of love and thought behind it can say more than the most extravagant of gestures such as bouquets of flowers and champagne (although I?d like to add at this point that we love those too so keep them coming!).Brea kfast in bed is one of those acts of love I?m talking about. It doesn?t have to be fancy, a cup of tea, a thick slice of buttered toast and a kiss on the nose is perfect and, I promise you, will leave your loved one feeling wonderful, looked after and very, very loved. How about surprising that special someone tomorrow morning?
More About: Love , Fast

Cold Outside, Hot Inside!
2007-05-14 22:28:00
As you probably know by now, I love my creature comforts. When it?s cold and drizzly I want to come home to a warm house, a hot bath, soft blankets and comfort food. And today was one of those days.As the weather has turned rather Autumnal so has my cooking. Gone are the light fish dishes and long forgotten are the salads. As suddenly as the turning of the weather I?m craving pies, roast dinners and mashed potato. The chicken legs in the fridge were destined for one thing and one thing only today; stew.I wanted a particularly comforting and warming stew so I opted for sweetness provided by spring carrots, sweet potato and Madeira and, to balance this out, I thought I'd add a little heat in the form of dried chilli flakes, thyme and lots of black pepper. Except I added more than 'a little heat'. I didn?t measure the chilli flakes but lobbed in what I thought was about a teaspoon. This was far too hot for me and left me doing a goldfish impression as I tried to get some cool air in...
More About: Cold , Chicken , Inside , Outside , Side