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Chocolate beetroot cake, a strange combination?
2008-05-03 21:45:00
For anyone who has seen The Vicar of Dibley this recipe might remind you of Mrs Cropley, the character famous for her "interesting" recipes, Lard and fish paste pancake anyone?Well when I first heard of putting beetroot in a chocolate cake I must admit Mrs Cropley came to mind!That was a long time ago and ever since I first heard of chocolate beetroot cake, strange though it sounds I've been intrigued. There are quite a few recipes around so obviously there are a few people out there who think it's a good idea, rather than just one mad cook!Anyway I finally got my chance to try it this week when we received three beetroot in our veg box.The result was surprisingly good, it was very moist and certainly not disgusting, we ate the whole thing pretty quickly! Unlike in carrot cake however where there is no carroty taste at all, there was a definite hint of beetroot in the background, I think I might try this cake again substituting carrots for the beetroot as they have a milder flavo...
More About: Cake , Chocolate , Beetroot , Strange , Combination

Gruesome Grey Mullet
2008-05-01 22:24:00
Although this picture looks a bit gruesome, like a fish spewing it's lemony guts, it is in fact a stuffed Grey mullet.Right now my culinary challenge is to expand my fishy horizons, there are so many fantastic looking fish out there that I have never tried So when I saw this Grey Mullet , even though I had never cooked or eaten one before I decided to buy it.I was however assuming there would be plenty of information about it on the internet, as it turns out there isn't!So I did what I do with a lot of fish, stuffed it with sliced lemon, parsley onion and butter and roasted it in the oven wrapped in foil.It tasted great, I think this fish is highly underrated, it's a bit like Sea Bass and Silver Bream, oily and mild in flavour, well worth trying if you get the chance.While I was looking at the fish stall I saw they were selling Catfish and a strange looking fish called a Garfish. If anyone knows what to do with them I'd love to know!

Cheerful tray-baked chicken
2008-04-29 23:05:00
I love how bright and colourful this dish is, it looks fantastic and best of all it's really easy. As it's finally warming up a bit now (at last!) I felt like cooking something summery, I had some chicken in the fridge, yet more leftover pesto which seems to keep appearing! and some really good bacon. after a quick trip to the shops i also had a good selection of Mediterranean vegetables: an aubergine, courgette's, tomatoes, mushrooms and olives.All I did was rub pesto over the chicken and wrap it in bacon. I chopped the vegetables tossed them in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, white wine, a few herbs, salt and pepper. whacked them in a baking tray, put the chicken on top and into the oven on quite high until it was nicely cooked. I basted everything every now and then to stop it going dry and it came out great and so simple. I served my chicken with couscous and poured the juices from the tray over the top.This is such a good way to cook and has endless variations, it would be gre...
More About: Baked , Italian , Chicken , Tray

Eating well on a budget... Spanish style Pork hock and beans
2008-04-23 00:09:00
After spending far too much money recently my bank balance is not looking all that healthy! So in an attempt to budget I set out to cook the cheapest meal I could without cutting down on the quality. The answer revealed itself while I was wandering around Leicester Fish market (which also has several butchers), when I laid my eyes upon some Pork Hocks for the bargain price of 99p! I have cooked with these before and have been pleasantly surprised, not only by how much meat is on them but by how tender and succulent it is. This piece of meat is often used for soups and stocks but I have found their to be plenty of meat for three of us. The hock is a cut taken from just above the trotter and below the shoulder. Like most of the cheap cuts of meat it requires long slow cooking. It is ideal for stews and casseroles as it adds beautiful richness and depth of flavour. with that in mind I set about making a Spanish style casserole. In Spain white beans are a very common ingredient, t...
More About: Beans , Style , Budget

Great Cooks Blogroll
2008-04-15 23:37:00
I am really pleased to have joined the Great Cooks Blogroll , this has been created by Jill from Simple Daily recipes and is a great way for food bloggers to come together and share recipes and ideas.You can see a list of member sites on the left of this page, I do hope you will visit some of them, their are some excellent blogs out there.If you have a food blog and would like to join click here.

English Tea, Bakewell tarts and chocolate muffins
2008-04-14 18:06:00
I have just read an article from the BBC that a new guide states that in England afternoon tea is "enacted daily" apparently at 4:00 we all stop, get out the tea pot, delicate sandwiches and fruit cake!I'm sure anyone who is English will find this amusing, as obviously the author of this guide has never been to England, or at least not in the last century. As an Englishman I would like to make it clear that this is nonsense, I and no one I have ever met does this. However last Saturday for the first time ever we had tea...A traditional English tea refers to a meal rather than the drink, although a proper tea pot is essential. It traditionally involves delicate finger food such as cucumber, salmon or ham sandwiches, small cakes often feature as do larger cakes such as Victoria sponge or a fruit cake. Scones are also very popular and are usually served with jam and clotted cream. Although very unusual in homes now, afternoon tea is still a feature in grand hotels such as The Ritz.For...
More About: Muffins , Chocolate , Tarts

Choux buns with raspberries and cream
2008-03-27 22:50:00
So today I decided to attempt something that I've wanted to for a while but, I was kind of scared of thinking it would be way too complicated.Today I made Choux pastry and it was amazingly easy, I am really pleased to have finally taught myself this kind of pastry work as their is so much I can make now. Eclairs, Profiteroles and ...Choux buns with raspberries and cream!! That is what I made today, with some bargain raspberries from Leicester market, I thought after an overdose of chocolate from Easter a light fruit dessert would be nice.Choux pastry is a very light pastry quite unlike any other. It is made by boiling water and butter together in a saucepan then beating in flour and, when its cooled eggs. The high water content of the dough is what causes it to rise as there is a lot of steam created inside the dough when it is cooked. The pastry is usually baked but can be fried and in Austria is sometimes boiled to make Marillenknödel a kind of sweet dumpling.I made my pastry int...
More About: Cream

Simnel cake
2008-03-24 09:47:00
As it's Easter I decided to make a traditional Simnel cake.A Simnel cake is a light fruit cake which has a layer of marzipan in the centre and also on the top, the top is also decorated with eleven balls of marzipan around the edge which symbolise the true Apostles of Jesus. Judas is omitted. This cake is traditionally made at Easter time in Britain and Ireland, although it is not really that common any more which I think is a shame. Originally the cake was made by girls to bring home to their Mothers on Mother's Day. The name Simnel is thought to be derived from the word Simila, which is the fine wheat flour from which they are made.Their are several different versions of the cake but the most common and the version I have made is the Shrewsbury cake, some other versions use a raising agent or leave the marzipan out from the centre. I have also seen some which add chunks of marzipan mixed into the batter.We ate ours after a fantastic Easter lunch of roast Lamb and I was very plea...
More About: Cake

Dark chocolate truffles
2008-03-14 22:26:00
I have just finished reading The Great Chocolate Book by David Lebovitz, the book lives up to it's title, it is a great book and it's by one of my favourite Bloggers too.The book tells you everything you could ever want to know about chocolate, from how it's made to where to buy the best. There's even a section on the health benefits if you want an excuse to eat more! Included in the book are 30 recipes which are all very tempting. I am looking forward to making the Black bottom cupcakes very soon.This time I chose truffles, and it was a very good decision! They're a doddle to make but look professional. I added a generous slug of whisky to mine and coated them in Lindt 85% for a serious cocoa hit, they were than rolled in cocoa powder. The result? seriously good truffles, especially if you like chocolate dark. you could change the recipe to milk or even white chocolate for a milder flavour. The whisky could be replaced by any number of things, I'm thinking orange zest. I migh...
More About: Dark , Truffles , Dark Chocolate

Thyme, oregano and citrus-roasted chicken
2008-03-11 21:08:00
Another chicken recipe for you and it's another from Diana Henry as well! After the amazing success of the Roast Chicken With Picada recipe I splurged and bought the book, Crazy Water, Pickled Lemons. The book is a collection of recipes from the middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean, such as Khoresh, a stew from Persia that uses oranges and fruit to flavour it, or how about the unusual but delicious sounding stuffed figs with chocolate.There are some fantastic pictures in there as well as brilliant ideas, I can't wait to try the orange cake made with whole pureed oranges.What caught my eye when I first opened the book though was Thyme, oregano and citrus-roasted poussins.The stunning colours in the picture made it jump out and I just had to try it. The recipe is simple to follow and is a bit different to how I normally cook, it does call for Poussins but i used chicken legs it it came out great.The chicken is marinated in a mixture of orange and lime zest, as well as th...
More About: Citrus , Oregano

The Foodie Blogroll
2008-03-11 20:36:00
Good news! I have been listed on The Foodie BlogRoll, this brilliant site is the idea of Jenn of The Leftover Queen.It is a list of over 1000 foodie Blogs from all over the world, if you like food then there are some brilliant Blogs listed here. Take a look and see what you find, you can also register your own Blog and join us!
More About: Blogroll

Catalan chicken with picada
2008-03-03 21:52:00
This is an amazing chicken dish which you really should try. The recipe came from Diana Henry on Market Kitchen which is a daily program on UKTVFood.This recipe in it's simplest form is just a chicken stew but it has a twist and that is the "Picada". A Picada is a Catalan method of thickening stews and soups by using ground bread, nuts and sometimes biscuits. Herbs and garlic can also be added, this is then mixed with olive oil and a little wine to form a not very appetising (think gruel) but fantastic tasting paste. when added to soups or stews it thickens them as well as adding wonderful flavour and texture.This is a revelation to me and one that I will definitely be experimenting with, I'm thinking lamb tagine... Diana Henry's Picada recipe1 sweet biscuit, (such as Rich Tea)25g country bread25g pine nuts75ml dry white wine3 tbsp extra virgin olive oilFor the picada: grind the biscuit, bread and pine nuts in a mortar and pestle, or in a food processor, gradually adding the whit...
More About: Chicken

Mmmm... Mango
2008-02-22 22:13:00
Every two weeks we receive an organic fruit and veg box from the nice people at River Nene Organics, we always get an interesting selection of top quality ingredients as well as a newsletter and recipe card. The nice thing about a veg box is that it encourages me to use things I wouldn't normally use. This week we received a large Mango , I have never done anything other than eat these raw before, and delicious as they are I thought I would think of something to do with this one.After some thought I had my idea...Mango Upside Down Cake It was a simple idea but it turned out to be a delicious one. First I peeled and sliced my mango and layed it neatly around the base of a greased springform tin.Then I made a caramel by heating a drop of water with sugar in a saucepan and boiling until a golden caramel had formed, to this I added a knob of butter.The caramel was poured all over the mango in the tin.And finally I poured a basic spong mix over the top this was made with equal weights of...

Rocky road - Cycling food
2008-02-19 23:07:00
I had to get back to Uni for lectures on monday, and as it's me I cycle there! Not that theres any alternative without a car.Anyway I decided to make something to fuel my trip and after a lot of my usual indecision settled on Rocky road cake.Rocky road cake isn't really a cake at all but, is simply a mixture of chocolate, marshmallows, fruit and nuts.The ingredients can vary according to taste but chocolate and marshmallows are both essential.My version had raisins, chopped hazlenuts and walnuts which I toasted in a dry frying pan, (peanuts are more traditional but I had none) glace cherries and obviously chocolate and marshmallows.As the chocolate is the base for this it is essential that you use a good quality chocolate, dark milk or even white could be used although white chocolate would be very sweet. I'm a dark chcolate person so I used Cote d'or.Rocky Road (I havn't given quantities, I just mixed in what looked right)ChocolateNuts of your choiceMarshmallows (the small ones...
More About: Food , Cycling

Strawberry and Blueberry tart
2008-02-15 19:59:00
I don't know about you but I am bored of winter food, and winter in general come to think of it. Last night we were out for a bring and share dinner, and this gave me a good oppurtunity to make something a bit more "summery", I decided to make a pudding. As we had some pastry at home I decided I would make a fruit tart. The filling is a mixture of cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla and gelatine (to make sure it set). For the fruit topping I went to Leicester market to see what looked good and found some nice strawberries and blueberries. So I set to work, first I rolled out the pastry and lined a pastry tart dish, I then blind baked it, left it to cool, spread a thin layer of dark chocolate across the bottom and poured in my filling. When everything had set I decorated it with halved strawberries and blueberries and drizzled it with more chocolate.As you can see from the picture it looks really good which is exactly what I was aiming for, I wanted something that would stand out and...
More About: Strawberry , Tart

Chocolate and cherry scones
2008-02-12 21:34:00
I've felt like making (and eating) scones for a while now, and by coincidence there was a really interesting recipe in a new book I have just bought. "The great book of chocolate" by David Lebovitz, the book is brilliant, I have found it really interesting as it contains far more than just a regular cookbook, although there are planty of great recipes, in fact more than half is about chocolate, from it's history to how it's made and even health benefits.There are 30 recipes in the back and these scones are one of them.I have had cherry scones before but never with chocolate in which I thought was a really good idea, the recipe also calls for orange zest which I didn't have so I used orange oil instead. (I recomend buying some citrus oils to keep in the cupboard for when you have no oranges or lemons in the house, they're just as good in my opinion).The recipe is very easy to follow although this book is american and I did have to find out what cake flour was, apparently a good ...
More About: Chocolate , Scones , Cherry

Pizza
2008-02-08 17:47:00
Yesterday I made pizza from scratch, making my own dough and sauce. Below is a picture of the finished Pizza . The pizza was olive and anchovy with mozzarella, I know there are a lot of people who won't like the sound of that topping, but it was good, very good! The anchovies add a good burst of flavour and saltiness to the bland cheese and the sauce was just the right sweetness. I made the base from three parts strong white bread flour and one part Polenta/yellow cornflour this is recomended in Jamie Oliver's book "Jamies Italy" (fantastic book) as it gives a more authentic Italian crispy base. I was aiming for a good thin crispy base like a real Italian pizza not a thick doughy base which i'm not that keen on. I served my pizza with home made lemon and rosemary potato wedges and peas.RecipeSauce:5 Shallots or an onion1 tin of chopped tomatoesA clove of Garlic2 Teaspoons of sugarred wine vinegarfresh basilsaltBase:2oz/50g Yellow cornflour6oz/150g white bread flour1 packet o...

Walking in Derbyshire
2008-02-02 21:20:00
A strange day today, no bike rides at all, I did however go on a walk in derbyshire, and their was proper snow, Hoorah!! we walked from Matlock to bonsal and back. We had a really good walk in perfect conditions. Although we did get off to an interesting start after Dad almost crashed the car skidding on the ice across the car park, everyone thought that was funny!This picture is from the very start of the walk, it shows the view over Matlock from just up the hill.The very nice village of Bonsal close by.The walk lasted around four hours and was very enjoyable.
More About: Walking

Cupcakes for my first post
2008-02-01 21:44:00
Well this is my first post and I thought I would show some pictures of "king cupcakes" that I made yesterday, the pictures are from my fancy new camera A FujiFilm A820 if you really care that I blew my money on this morning!! It was a bargain though.These are peanut butter and banana cakes with peanut butter icing, I stuck a wanut on top because I didn't have any peanuts, Oh and I love walnuts! They taste delicious, you get a good mix of peanut and banana flavour, as well as being very moist.These are really easy to make, I recommend them highly.The recipe was found at the Culinary in the Desert blog Here http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/2005/0 5/king-cupcakes.html
More About: Post , First Post