February Archives - Page 3 of 4 - All That I'm Eating

Chocolate Shortbread with Rosemary and Hazelnuts

February 13, 2013 By All That I'm Eating 30 Comments

chocolate rosemary and hazlenut shortbread

A while ago I was having some lunch in a restaurant. For pudding I had some soft, sugar covered dough sticks which were to be dipped in a well known hazelnut chocolate spread. At some point in the kitchen a rogue bit of rosemary had ended up on my dough stick. I imagine there must have been some sort of herb-off going on in the kitchen between the chefs and the remnants of the duel had not been cleared up. Unbeknown to me I submerged it in hazelnutty chocolate and ate it. One of the best accidental mastications I’ve ever made and a combination I have recreated in this shortbread. You will need (for 12 pieces): 170g plain flour 1 tbsp cocoa powder 50g caster sugar 150g butter, softened 35g dark chocolate, chopped 15g hazelnuts 1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Start by chopping the hazelnuts and frying them in a dry pan until lightly toasted. Lightly grease a baking sheet. Chop the chocolate and hazelnuts finely to ensure even distribution in the finished biscuit. Put all the remaining ingredients in a bowl and beat together until they start to form a ball. It will look like a bowl of hopeless crumbs but keep going; it will make a lump eventually. Get your hands in the mix to bring all the mix into one ball. Lightly knead the dough.

Place the dough in the middle of the prepared baking sheet and then roll it out until it is about 20cm in diameter Pinch, crimp or fork the edges of the dough to give it a nice edge. Prick the top with a fork and bake in a preheated oven at 160C for 40-45 minutes or until firm. Mark into wedges while still hot. read more

White Chocolate and Rose Truffles (with a surprise inside)

February 2, 2013 By All That I'm Eating 35 Comments

Last year for Valentine’s Day I posted a three course meal; Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Risotto, Boeuf Bourguignon and Dark Chocolate Tart. They were great together for a lovely meal in but this year I wanted to make something a little romantic and very indulgent. I know Valentine’s recipes will be two a penny at the moment but my truffles are a bit different. Not least because they’re not heart shaped and look rather plain and innocent. Until you bite into one that is. What is that in the middle of the truffle I hear you ask? Well, as love is in the air, it’s a small pink nod to St. Valentine in the form of a pomegranate seed. A nice bit of fresh texture in an otherwise melty, mellow mouthful. It takes barely any effort to put the pomegranate seed inside each one and makes such a difference to the end flavour and texture it is definitely worth it.

You will need (for around 25 truffles):
300g white chocolate
150ml double cream
25g butter
Splash rose extract (preferably not rose water)
1 pomegranate
100g white chocolate – for dipping

Start by chopping the 300g of chocolate into small chunks. Heat the double cream and butter together until hot but not boiling. Pour this over the chocolate and mix well until the chocolate has melted and it’s all nicely combined. Add a drop of rose extract, mix well and then try it to see how floral it tastes. If you’re a bit overenthusiastic with your dripping technique the end result might taste reminiscent of soap. Not really what you’re going for. read more

Spring Green and Bacon Potato Cakes with Cheddar and Chive Sauce

February 27, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 23 Comments

Spring greens offer so much in their name. They suggest that either spring is here or is just around the corner, they have disguised their cabbage relations with their seasonal pseudonym. I happen to think that spring greens also deliver a lot. They look shrivelled and unwelcoming with their leaves closed to the outside world but once you start to snap them off and slice them up they are wonderfully versatile. As a relation to the cabbage, spring greens lend themselves particularly well to a pairing with bacon. Spring greens and bacon are a delectable combination but don’t make for much of a meal on their own. However, when mixed into some mashed potato and smothered in a rich cheese and chive sauce, what a meal it makes.

For the potato cakes:
600g potatoes (Maris Piper are ideal)	£0.54
Milk and butter (for the mash)	£0.20
6 rashers smoked, streaky bacon	£1.50
4-5 big leaves savoy cabbage (or Spring greens)	£0.20
Salt and pepper	£0.02

For the cheese sauce:
25g butter	£0.15
25g plain flour	£0.02
300ml milk	£0.10
75g strong cheddar cheese	£0.85
Small handful fresh chopped chives	£0.40


Total	£3.98

First and foremost make some mashed potato. Maris Pipers I found to be particularly good; they are fluffy enough to make mash like a cloud and yet waxy enough to hold the greens and bacon in. Mash your potatoes as you see fit; add milk, butter, cream and anything you fancy but don’t forget the salt and pepper. While the potatoes are boiling away, slice some bacon and fry in a pan. Snap the leaves of the spring greens off and shred it finely. Add to the bacon and carry on frying until lovely and golden. For two people I used four rashers of bacon and five large spring green leaves. read more

Classic French Onion Soup

February 23, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 19 Comments

For some reason I have a bit of a thing for French food. It’s the food that never fails to put a smile on my face; partly because of the flavours but also because it’s a great excuse to showcase local, British ingredients in different ways. It’s a funny time of year, I feel it’s almost time to crack out a salad but at the same time I still want comfort and warmth. What better than the absolute classic French onion soup?

There’s nothing quite like it, it wraps you up from the inside out but at the same time remains quite clean and almost guilt free. Considering it’s basically boiled onions in beef stock, which doesn’t have quite the same ring to it, it delivers on so many levels. There’s sweetness, depth and texture with every mouthful. There are so many different ways of making French onion soup/onion soup and after looking at several versions I was able to ascertain the most important ingredients are: onions, beef stock, alcohol and Gruyère. I went into soup making with full gusto. read more

Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut Tart with Rhubarb and Blood Orange Compote

February 11, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 23 Comments

You can’t have Valentine’s Day without a little chocolate. This tart is great because you can make it in advance and leave it in the fridge so there is no last minute pudding fretting! It’s beautifully rich and very easy to make; made even easier if you use a food blender for the pastry. If pastry is your nemesis, it used to be mine, I have a previous post that will make you feel much more relaxed about constructing this tart.

Start by making the pastry. Blend 50g cold butter with 100g plain flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add 15g caster sugar and 25g chopped, toasted hazelnuts and then bring the pastry together with one small egg. Persevere it will get there in the end but you can add a little cold water if you think it needs it. Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill in the fridge for half an hour. I would recommend making the pastry when you’re as sure as you can be that the phone won’t ring and the doorbell won’t go because otherwise there’ll be pastry all over the place. read more

Boeuf Bourguignon with Dauphinoise and Purple Sprouting Broccoli

February 9, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 12 Comments

Beautiful, traditional and French; a perfect meal for Valentine’s Day. This one’s a winner because the bottle of wine you need for the boeuf bourguignon you can then drink with the meal or yourself during the preparation as a reward for all your hard work. Being a slow cooking dish means once it’s on the go you don’t need to worry about it and you can get on with other things. If that wasn’t enough, it’s also incredible and actually quite cheap.

Preparing the meat can be as difficult or easy as you like. Valentine’s Day brings out our flirtatious side and, not that I would advocate it of course, projecting a little of this new found eyelash fluttering on your butcher may result in your chosen cut being prepared for you. I’m not sure it would work with your greengrocer though. I used brisket for mine which needed a fair bit of trimming and preparing but I quite like doing that. read more

Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Risotto

February 7, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 21 Comments

This is the first of a three part post for Valentine’s Day. It’s designed to be seasonal, sumptuous, divine and stress free. The quantities are meant for two. The dessert is one that can be prepared in advance and kept in the fridge; the main is meant for long cooking so you have ample time to make the simple starter. All this spare time means you’re not rushing around desperately trying find that Barry White CD at the last minute. After all, it’s your Valentine’s dinner too. read more

Sloe Port – how to use leftover sloes

February 4, 2012 By All That I'm Eating 34 Comments

Luscious sloe gin will inevitably result in spare berries when sloes and gin are separated. There is only so much sloe chocolate you can eat and extra sloe gin you can make. I was informed by a kind friend that sloe port was worth a try but receptacles were thin on the ground. Fortunately my Granny had given me a Rumtopf a while back which was perfect for transforming my gin soaked berries into deep red port. This port takes around four months from start to finish and it really is worth the wait. Depending on when you pick the sloes, make the gin and start the port the whole process can take six months or more but you end up with something rather special.

Top Tips

First and foremost separate the gin from the berries. Not as easy as it sounds; one kilo of sloe berries fills a much larger space than the average sieve provides. I would recommend the bath rather than the kitchen sink to help stop any escaping berries and gin. Once this task has successfully been completed, make the sloe port. When making my sloe gin I ignored the advice to use cheap gin. I’ve tried sloe gin using cheap gin and nicer gin and it does seem to make a difference. I applied the same rule to the port; I used wine I would have been happy to drink.

Variations

Sloe port is a brilliant way to use up leftover sloe berries and makes something a little different. If you want to use the sloe berries another way, you can simply add more gin and sugar and make another batch of sloe gin.

To find out what the sloe port turned out like you can find the taste test here. It also makes a fantastic sloe port jelly to serve with cheese.

After the sloes have been decanted from the port, they can be used again to make some sloe chocolate truffles.

Pin my Sloe Port recipe for later! read more

Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Bacon Pasta

February 23, 2011 By All That I'm Eating 16 Comments

The first of the season purple sprouting broccoli was standing tall and proud at the Farmers’ Market letting us all know that Spring is just around the corner. Everyone

wanted some of this majestic member of the Brassica family. read more

Chicken Liver Pâté

February 16, 2011 By All That I'm Eating 9 Comments

Pesto, hummus and bread are just a few examples of things that if you make yourself, couldn’t be further from the shop bought version. Chicken liver pâté is another. I have long had an affection for this most accepted of offal and I felt it was about time I got myself some to see how a homemade one compares.

I couldn’t have asked for better livers. They were free range, organic and fresh as you could ask for. I never eat supermarket chicken and so the money I would have spent on that I spend on farmers’ market chicken and just eat it less often. read more