Caramel Cabinet Pudding

I make this every year around this time, ostensibly to hoover up all the remaining dried fruit left over from Christmas, but it is so delicious in its own right.  It is like bread and butter pud, but made with Madeira cake instead of bread.  I line the base of the dish with some caramel - a couple of tablespoons of sugar heated over a high flame until it darkens, melts and liquifies into lovely caramel.  Then I build layers of cubed Madeira cake, raisins and sultanas soaked in Marsala wine, and chopped mixed peel.  Then a couple of eggs beaten with half a pint of creamy milk, a tablespoon of sugar and some vanilla are poured over.  The whole thing is steamed for an hour and a half or baked, covered, in a bain marie, and then inverted so the lovely dark caramel top is uppermost.  Spoon any caramel juices from the base of the dish around the pud as you serve, with some chilled cream if liked.......who am I kidding, if liked?  As if...........this will serve four or possibly 6 after a big meal, so not as wicked as you'd think.

Slow Roast Duck Legs with Orange Sauce

I love duck, and the legs are really the best bit.  So we roasted four today, long and slow.  Two were eaten with a sauce made from the roasting juices deglazed with some Vouvray white wine, the juice and zest of a Seville orange and a dash of honey.  A creamy sweet parsnip puree went deliciously with it, along with some dark, bitter steamed kale.  The remaining two legs will be shredded and added to a stirfry tomorrow with Hoisin sauce, broccoli and spring onions.  Yum!

Tuna Caper Pate

Bit quiet on the blogosphere for the last week, as I wasn't well, but am fighting fit again, so today saw a bit of a cooking marathon.  This is a great storecupboard standby and great to top crostini or sippets of toast to accompany drinks, which is what we did before dinner.  So simple as well.  Simply blitz a tin of drained tuna (or a really good jar - go for the best you can afford, line caught of course!) with a couple of tablespoons of low-fat mayo, a couple of piquant little piquillo peppers from a jar, a finely chopped shallot, some lemon juice to taste and a handful of chopped flat-leafed parsley.  Stir in some salted capers - rinsed well - and pack into a bowl.  Will keep for a day or two and leftovers are great in sandwiches.

Blood Orange and Campari Jellies with Sliced Oranges

I've made this dessert many times, and it is great if you are looking to avoid dairy or carbs but still want a delicious, refreshing end to a meal.  Of course, fresh orange juice and Campari make a sublime drink over ice, and go perfectly together in a dessert too.  I use this recipe from the brilliant 'Taste' site in Australia - the only difference being that I substitute leaf gelatine - about 3 leaves - for the powdered, as I find it dissolves much better.  I also leave the pink grapefruit out, as I like the purity of the oranges.  But I have made it with just pink grapefruit juice instead of the orange, and in that case I would use slices or 'fillets' of the fresh fruit to accompany it.  They are setting in the fridge right now, and I am trying to resist just chugging them down!  picture courtesy of www.taste.com.au

Roast Vegetable Toad-in-the-Hole with Red Onion and Redcurrant Gravy

This recipe arrived with the Riverford Seasons Veg box yesterday and I knew we had to have it - as well as using up a lot of leftover root veg, it was a great meat-free main course.  For 2, simply roast some root veg, about a kilo in total - I used carrot, parsnip and swede, and also added a leek, an onion, a big mushroom, and the remains of a red pepper and some butternut squash.  About 40 minutes in a hot oven with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and fresh thyme.  Pour over a batter made with 75g plain flour, 1 large egg, 100ml of milk and 25ml of water.  Season well and pour the batter over and around the roasted veg, and bake for 30 minutes until puffed and crisp.  I served this with an onion gravy made by slowly sauteeing a large sliced red onion in a little oil, with a teaspoon of sugar.  When soft, add a teaspoon of flour, then stir in about 250ml of veg stock.  Bring to the boil, add a splash of soy sauce, some red wine if you have it, and a good teaspoon of redcurrant jelly.  Serve with the toad. 

Jerusalem Artichoke and Watercress Soup

Both the main ingredients for this soup turned up in the Riverford Seasons box, and were perfect together in a classic cream soup.  Made the usual way - an onion softened in a little butter along with a couple of handfuls of peeled Jerusalem artichokes, chopped small.  Whilst they are softening, remove the leaves from a big bunch or bag of watercress, and add the chopped watercress stalks to the softened artichokes and onions.  Just cover with some vegetable stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Chuck in the watercress leaves, and allow to soften in the hot soup for just a minute, then blend it all together until smooth, using a hand blender if possible.  If liked, stir in some single or double cream, but the artichokes are creamy enough not to need it.  Just lovely.  Any leftovers will lose the bright, vivid green, but will still taste delicious.

Gruyere Cheese Straws

We had a small quantity of puff pastry, about a third of a rolled sheet, sitting in the fridge, so I rolled it out thinly, covered it with grated Gruyere and quite a bit of cayenne pepper, then folded it in half and rolled it out agai.  I then cut strips, twisted them into little corkscrews, and baked at about 180C for 10-12 minutes, until crisp and cheesy.  Delicious with the cocktails.

Nigella's Marmalade Pudding Cake

Having said last week that although I make marmalade every year, I don't really eat the stuff except in puddings, I thought I'd better make one.  This is quite simple - a rich sponge flavoured with fresh orange zest and juice and quite a lot of marmalade, and glazed with more of the stuff when it comes out of the oven.  I halved the recipe, otherwise we'd be eating it forever.  Perfect Sunday Dinner fodder!  The recipe can be found on Nigella's site, so I link to it here.  Whilst I'm at it, I've pinched her picture!  Mine rose a little more in the middle, but I don't think that affected the taste.

Swiss Chard in Cream with Black Pepper and Juniper

A simple little dish from Nigel, but a lovely way of serving chard, and it accompanied a roast chicken very nicely.  You chop some chard stalks and leaf, and blanch in deep, salted boiling water - not too long, a minute or so.  Meanwhile, in a non-stick pan, melt about 20g of butter, and gently saute 4 crushed juniper berries and quite a lot of black pepper - about 20 grindings of the mill.  Stir in 3 or 4 tablespoons double cream or creme fraiche and allow to bubble and reduce a while.  Then, stir in the blanched chard and stir around in the creamy juices, adding salt if liked.  Serve whilst still bubbling hot.

Exploding Etna Cocktails

In honour of Mount Etna, and the beautiful blood oranges we received from Riverford that grew on that volcano's lower slopes.  We invented this cocktail ourselves and originally called them 'Bloody Sicilians' but, given the volcano's disquiet this weekend, we thought we'd placate it and rename the drink in her honour - for a volcano is surely a 'she'!  Take 1 part gin, 1 part Cointreau and 2 parts freshly squeezed blood orange.  Add a couple of dashes of orange bitters.  Shake well over ice and strain into martini glasses.  Add an orange twist or slice of one of the oranges cut before squeezing the rest.

Carrot and Celeriac Soup

One of my favourite Delia recipes is her Carrot and Jeruslaem Artichoke Soup.  In the absence of the knobbly little roots (although they are due in the Riverford Seasons box tomorrow) I used up the remaining half of a celeriac from last week's delivery.  The resultant soup was delicate and delicious, and a wonderful colour.  I started the usual way by sweating a chopped onion in a little oil and butter, then adding around 500g each of peeled, chopped organic carrots and celeriac.  Allow to sweat together, covered, for about 15 minutes, then add 750ml of Marigold veg stock, simmer for 20 minutes until the veg is really soft, and blend.  I added lots of parsley and black pepper right at the end, and a little dollop of Greek Yoghurt.  Lovely, soothing soup.  Cheap as anything, too.

Boulevardier Cocktail

Quite simply, I was too drunk to blog this on Sunday when we drank it, so in a more sober light, let me tell you about this little lovely.  Equal quantities of Bourbon (Woodford Reserve in our case), Campari (of course!), and Rosso Vermouth (the mighty Carpano Antica) - stir on ice (don't shake as it will go cloudy), and pour into a martini glass.  Add a maraschino cherry and a lemon twist.  Totally.  Delicious.  But rather intoxicating.........we got the recipe from 'Dr Cocktail's Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails', a treasure-trove of a book.

Spaghetti with Smoked Salmon, Leeks and Lemon

This is a doddle to make and was on the table about 15 minutes after the kettle went on for the pasta.  Simply saute a couple of finely-shredded leeks (the white part only - save the green tops for some soup) in a knob of butter for a few minutes to soften - don't let it take on any colour.  Grate in the zest of a lemon, then  the juice of half the lemon, a splosh of white wine or white vermouth and a couple of tablespoons of water.  Season with a little salt and lots of black pepper, and simmer very gently whilst you get on with cooking the spaghetti, a matter of six or seven minutes.  Just before it is ready, finely slice the contents of a small pack of smoked salmon - about 100g for two people.  Add about 60 ml of double cream to the pan of leeks along with the salmon.  Stir.  Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the cooking water.  Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine, adding a little cooking water if it seems dry.  If you have any chives or fresh parsley, add that too.  Serve in hot bowls and tuck in!  Oh, and none of this 150g of pasta for two people rubbish - we use 220g for two, or 8oz in old money.  Under NO circumstances should you add parmesan to this, it will ruin it.

Seville Orange Marmalade

Every year, I have to make jars and jars of marmalade for the other half.  I don't eat it myself - well, perhaps in a bread and butter or steamed pud now and then - be HE is addicted to the stuff.  We got fabulous fresh Seville oranges from Riverford at the weekend, so the annual ritual begins.  I make mine a slightly unusual way - I boil the whole oranges, just covered with water, for a couple of hours and let them cool overnight.  Then, I halve them and scoop the gooey pulp into a seive, which is forced through the mesh with a spoon into the orangey cooking water - here lies all the pectin for the purposes of setting the stuff.  It is also a doddle to cut the cooked peel, in our case, into very coarse chunky shreds.  Sugar is added - I used 2.5 kilos of granulated sugar to 1.5 k of oranges, and the mix is boiled to reduce and reach setting point - this takes about 40 minutes, and we don't like it to colour too much or go too dark.  And that's it.  Let it settle for 10-15 mins, dispersing any scum with a tiny bit of butter, and potting into hot sterilised jars and sealing tightly.  We haven't tasted any yet, but it has set beautifully, and we have rows of gleaming orange preserve sitting in the kitchen.

Cavalo Nero, Cannellini Bean and Chorizo Broth

I drew inspiration for this recipe from a site called The British Larder, run by a restaurant with the same name in Suffolk.  They have some wonderful recipes on here - we must seek it out when we next visit Suffolk, one of our favourite places in the country.  This was a delicious, elegant, warming broth - good chicken stock as a base, and with chunks of leek, carrot, butternut squash and chorizo, along with some cannellini beans and chopped cavolo nero and parsley added at the end.  The chorizo gave a warm smoky backnote to proceedings.  Loads left over for lunch on Monday.

Borlotti Bean, Prosciutto and Rosemary Risotto

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe from his very first book (The Naked Chef), and one I've cooked fairly regularly.  I have several of Jamie's books but don't really use them much - I can't think why, other than that his recipes seem to use vast quantities of oil, and can be a bit slap-dash.  Perhaps I should give him another chance?  Anyway, this is a fairly classic risotto recipe, and although it isn't terribly pretty, the texture and deep savoury notes are wonderful.  I added some cubes of roasted butternut squash before serving, to boost our veggie intake and to find yet another use for the endless stores of the stuff we have in the house!  It consists of the usual sauteed onion in a little oil and butter, a couple of slices of Parma Ham, chopped, and a good sprig of fresh rosemary needles, finely chopped.  After turning the rice in the buttery juices, a good glug of Noilly Prat vermouth is added (you could use white wine also) and then veg or chicken stock is added bit by bit in the usual way.  At the last addition of stock, stir in a tin of drained and rinsed borlotti beans - I use Cirio brand.  'Mount' the rice at the end with a little extra butter and some grated parmesan, and then add some cooked butternut, if liked - entirely optional - or maybe some frozen peas at the same time as the beans.  If you have leftovers, cool, refrigerate, and then squidge into little patties, dip in flour, and saute for a few minutes until crisp and heated through.  Almost as delish as the orignal dish.

Leek, Cheese and Potato Pie

Based on a recipe from Nigel, this is hardly diet food, but it warms the cockles and used up lots of odds and ends from the fridge.  Cut a medium peeled potato into small cubes and steam until tender.  Meanwhile, gently sweat a couple of cleaned, sliced leeks in about 20g of butter until soft, but not browned.  Turn off the heat and allow a dessertspoon of creme fraiche to melt through the leeks.  Cool a little, then gently stir in the cooked potatoes, about 50g of strong cheddar cheese, and I added a couple of slices of ham that needed using up.  Season well with black pepper.  Unroll a sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry and place on a baking sheet.  Spread the cooled filling on one half, leaving a centimetre border around the edge.  Brush the exposed border with some milk and bring the other half of the pastry over, sealing the edges.  Make a steam-hole in the top of the pie, brush with more milk, and cook at around 170C for 30 minutes or so until lovely and brown and crisp.  Would serve 4 at a pinch we we devoured it between two.  But we are pigs, after all.

Parsnip and Potato Cakes with Thai Flavourings

I adapted this from a Nigella recipe in her latest book 'Kitchen'.  Steam equal quantities of peeled chopped parsnip and potato.  Whilst that's happening, saute a couple of finely chopped spring onions in a teaspoon or so of sunflower or light olive oil until soft but not brown.  Add an inch of fresh ginger, grated, and a couple of grated or finely chopped garlic cloves.  Chuck in a small, finely chopped red chilli.  Mash the parsnip and potatoes, and tip the spring onion mix in, aloing with a good handful of chopped coriander leaf.  It shouldn't be sloppy, but a spoonful of milk might make it easier to work.  Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed.  Shape into little patties, and leave to set in the fridge.  When ready to eat, fry in a few tablespoons of oil until crisp and brown on the outside.  We served them with poached eggs and some sweet chilli sauce stirred through a tablespoon or so of Greek yoghurt.  Lovely!

Adonis II Cocktail

We are very fond of the classic Adonis cocktail, one of the oldest in the book.  It is a simple mix of dry sherry, sweet vermouth and orange bitters.  This Dale Degroff variation was delicious too, and a little longer with the addition of fresh orange juice.  Take 2 parts sherry (we used dry Amontillado), 1 part sweet vermouth (we use the peerless Carpano Antica Formula), and 1 part freshly squeezed (please) orange juice, with a couple of dashes of orange bitters.  Shake on ice and serve in a martini glass with an orange twist.  Delicious with the Gougeres from the earlier posting before dinner.

Gougères

These are delicious crisp cheesy puffs to have with a cocktail before dinner.  Bake them at a really high temperature to make sure they rise well and go really crisp.  Make a choux pastry using 150ml water, 50g butter, 60g plain flour, 2 eggs, a good pinch of cayenne pepper and half a teaspoon of mustard powder, and 60g grated Gruyere cheese.  Melt the water and butter together and add the flour in one go.  Beat really well over a low heat until the mixture forms a ball.  Cool slightly, then beat in the beaten eggs, little by little.  Finally, add all but 10g of the cheese, and the seasoning.  Take generous heaped teaspoons of the mix and place on a non-stick or parchment-lined baking sheet, forming neatish mounds.  Allow space for them to spread but it isn't disastrous if they meet and fuse whilst baking.  Top with a little of the remaining cheese on each ball.  Bake at 200C for 10 minutes, then turn the heat up to 220C for another 15 minutes.  Now pierce the side of each puff to let the steam out and bake for another 5 minutes.  Allow to cool for a few minutes and then devour!  You can make them an hour or so in advance and reheat in a hot oven until crisp and golden again.  These Burgundian treats, by the way, are traditionally eaten with Kir, either with still wine or 'Royale' with something bubbly.

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Bouillabaisse Flavours and Accompaniments

Oh, how can I convey to you how marvellous this most unlikely-sounding soup is?  It came to me via my online friend Veronica's blog, La Recette du Jour, and she got it in turn from Nadine Abensur's book, Crank's Bible.  My husband found this fishless Bouillabaisse a most difficult concept to get his head around.  The conversation, repeated endlessly, went something like this:
Him: so, it is a bouillabaisse without fish?
Me: No it is a vegetable soup, made with the traditional flavours of bouillabaisse - fennel seeds, orange peel, saffron, vermouth, a little tomato, lots of garlic, and served with rouille, toast and Gruyere
Him: so, it is a bouillabaisse without fish?
Me: NO! Idiot!  It is a vegetable soup......and so on
Anyway, when he ate it he understood!  It does look and smell incredibly like that Provencal fish soup, with the lovely saffron colour and aromatic notes from the spices and orange.  It really was a most delicious thing to eat.  I adapted Veronica's recipe, and used equal quantities of Jerusalem artichokes and butternut squash (which helped the colour), instead of the celeriac she used.  We will most definitely make this again.  By the way, I know this isn't a Nigel recipe, but it is most definitely in his spirit, and all the veg was from Riverford.