Poached chicken

I'm not sure why poaching isn't more popular. I have only ever poached eggs and even that I haven't done for a while, but it's a fantastic, fuss-free way of cooking a chicken, and ensures even the breast meat remains moist. It is a bit of a lengthy process, but as long as your careful to get the temperature right in the beginning, you can sit back and allow it to do its own thang. If you don't have Clementine any other citrus fruit would be fine.

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
2 onions, peeled & quartered
4 whole cloves of garlic, squashed
1 Glass of white wine
2 bay leaves
1 tsp of whole peppercorns
2 Clementine, halved & squished
2 sprigs of rosemary
Water

Method
Place everything in a large pot and cover with water.
Place over a medium high heat & bring to a very gentle simmer. No boiling or the chicken will be tough. Cook for 45 minutes (my chicken was small, so increase the cooking time for bigger birds - 1 hour will be plenty for a medium chicken).
Remove the pan from the heat, cover and leave for another hour. This will allow the chuck to continue cooking very gently. Then remove the chicken from the cooking liquor and allow to cool.
The broth should be strained, the veg discarded, and used for stock.

Gnudi with slow baked Tomatoes, Garlic, Parsley & Pine nuts

I recently made the mistake of trying to make Gnocci... It was a lot of effort and utterly disasterous! Gnocci should definitely be left to the experts. Gnuddi on the other hand is much simpler and rather delicious. They are little dumplings of Ricotta, coated in flour (i used Chickpea flour) which becomes crispy when fried. They are light and lovely and look just a little bit impressive. The only tip I would say is make sure that you season the ricotta, otherwise they will be a bit bland. The recipe is adapted from this gorgeous blog: the Kitchy Kitchen.

Ingredients

Ricotta

Chickpea flour

Salt & Pepper

2 cloves of Garlic, crushed

Slow baked tomatoes, a handfull each

2 tablespoons of Olive oil

Hard cheese such as Parmesan, grated

Half a small bunch of Parsely, roughly chopped

A handful of Pine nuts

Method

Start the night before and roll the ricotta into little dumplings. The easiest and cleanest way I found to do this was to use a couple of teaspoons and make little quinelles. Roll in the chickpea flour and leave on a baking sheet overnight.

The next day boil a pan of water. Shake off excess flour from the little dumplings and place into the water and cook until they rise to the surface (about 2 minutes). Scoop out gently and place onto a paper towel to drain. In a frying pan over a medium heat, fry the garlic until fragrant but still pale. Gently place the gnudi into the pan and cook until golden all over (you will need to turn them a few times). Also add the tomatoes to the pan (if using) so they can warm through. 

Serve topped with the Parmesan, pine nuts & parsley.

Chicken n beans

Beans arent so glamorous. They are however versatile and hearty and this recipe seems a bit of a treat despite its simplicity and ease. The spicing is key and really transforms a humble chicken thigh and a tin of beans into something very satisfying indeed. Mark this experimentation as quite a success, (my test subject can verify)!

Ingredients for 2

4 Chicken thighes

4 tablespoons of natural yoghurt

4 teaspoons of ground Coriander

4 teaspoons of fennel seeds

2 tablespoons of Olive oil

Salt

1 tin of Kidney beans (no need to drain)

1 large onion, roughly sliced

2-3 sprigs of fresh Rosemary, finely chopped

2 tablespoons of Olive oil

2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar

Half a cup of apple juice

Salt

Method

Marinate the chicken thighes in the yoghurt, and 2 teaspoons each of the ground coriander and fennel seeds, ensuring the chicken is well covered in the gloop. Leave for at least half an hour, longer if possible. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

After the marinating time is up, into a baking tray put 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and the remianing coriander & fennel seeds. Scrape the yoghurty mixture off of the chicken skin and place in the prepared baking tray, squidging it around so its well covered in the seasoned oil. Ensure the skin side is up and bake for 30 minutes. Once cooked give the chicken 15 minutes resting time under a veil of tin foil.

Whilst the chicken is cooking, start the beans by adding the onion, rosemary, olive oil and a sprinkle of salt to a frying pan over a medium heat and allow the onion to soften (5 mins or so once the pan has heated up). Add in the remaining ingredients, including the entire contents of the bean can and stir. Let this simmer whilst the chicken cooks stirring occasionally. The liquid should become almost syrupy by the time chicken is done. Season the beans to taste and serve in wide shallow bowls.

Cheese & Mustard French Toastie

This is hangover food, pure and simple. Yes. you could serve it with salad and yes, this may reassure your inner demon voice that at least you are consuming something not quite so beige. But honestly, this is beige brilliance! Comfort eating never tasted so awesome. Oh and a Wally (cockney slang for dill pickle) may just push it into the realms of heavenly. This one carries a public health warning though: only to be  applied to face when feeling truly sorry for oneself and rotten. 

You will need

Thick slices of a decent cheddar cheese

Grainy mustard, a good dollop

bread, 2 slices (I used, as always, seeded Rye)

1 egg, beaten

Butter, 1 large knob

Method

Make sandwich: bread, mustard, cheese, bread and squish together lightly. Put the beaten egg into a wide shallow dish (wide enough to accommodate the sarnie). Dip the sandwich in the egg on both sides and allow to reside there for a few minutes to soak up the egg. Meanwhile, in a frying pan heat the butter over a medium heat and when it's melted and bubbly fry the sandwich. Allow 2-3 minutes each side and then carefully turn more frequently, squidging the sarnie with a spatula as you go. How long it takes will depend on the density of the bread you use and the thickness of your slice. Rye bread is quite dense and it took me around 10 mins to get the golden, crispy shell and to be able to feel that the cheesey insides were melty.  

Chorizo Stew with Lemon Thyme & Lime Courgettes

I'm not entirely sure what a cliché is, although I use the word a lot. So here's the definition, in case you were wondering: "a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse". So in light of the above new found knowledge, I'm pretty sure that the term "one pot wonder" may well be a cliché. However I'm going to use it anyway, because this is one of that illustrious group. Or rather, it would have been if i could have fitted the courgettes into my stew pot. As it happened I couldn't, for fear of overflow, so instead I sautéed them with citrous flavours and they brought a light freshness to the stew which would otherwise have been missed. So the moral of the story.. sometimes it pays to have a small stew pot. It forced me to think up a new use for my courgette..Hooray!

Ingredients

Stew

200g Chorizo, roughly sliced 

70g Panceta, diced

2 tins of chopped tomatoes

2 heaped teaspoons of sweet Paprika

2 Bay leaves

1 Red Pepper, sliced into chunks

2 medium Onions, peeled & sliced

2 medium cloves of Garlic, Squashed & finely chopped

Fresh Thyme & Rosemary (a few sprigs of each), finely chopped

1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Salt

Courgettes

1 Courgette, sliced

Zest of half a Lime

The leaves from 2 sprigs of Lemon Thyme

Olive Oil

Method

To start the Stew put the onions in a heavy bottomed pan over a medium heat and sweat in the olive oil and a little salt until translucent & beginning to burnish. Then add in the Chorizo, Panceta, Paprika & garlic. Allow to sizzle for about 5 mins stirring frequently before adding in the remaining ingredients. Allow the pot to simmer for an hour or so over a medium heat, stirring occasionally.

When you're almost ready to serve up, get going on the courgettes. 

Add all the ingredients to a shallow frying pan and fry over a medium heat until just soft and turning golden (about 10 minutes).

Serve the stew with the Courgettes on top along side some good bread or mash.

Blueberry, Beetroot & Pomegranate Smoothie

I am scared. Scared of change, of risk, of not meeting expectations, of letting you down, of not being about to cover costs, of losing (the dog, my keys, you, our home, the collective marbles) and of suddenly being naked in public. I am scared but I will never ever let the fear make my choices. That counts for all of the above, apart from the latter which forces me to carry spare undies with me wherever I go! The future is uncertain no matter how settled you are, there is always something that will trundle up behind you and clock you right in the bonce and send you hurtling into uncertainty. Please wake up out of the mental breakdown-age and realise it doesn't have to be so negative. Everything is going to be great.. It just may take some time to get to great. Sometimes things are difficult but anything worth having is hard to get and once we get there (and we will!) we'll appreciate it all the more because of the journey. Lets face it the ride so far has been pretty sweet, its about time we hit a bump!

This is a smoothie for taking on the world. Vitamin packed, unusually delicious and ridiculously purple (the photos don't do it justice).

You will need:

1 handful of Blueberries ( fresh or frozen)

1 cooked & peeled beetroot (not pickled!)

1 cup of Pomegranate juice (or enough juice to make it up to about 400 ml all in)

A squish of Lime if you have one

Method:

BLEND!! Blend like a crazy person, or not, up to you :) Decant and D-rink.

Chicken Noodles with Pickled Onions

After you've roasted a chicken, don't throw those bones away. Put them to use by popping them in a heavy sauce pan, covering with water and boil, low and slow for a few hours to make a wonderful home made stock. This can then be frozen or stored in the fridge for use as a base for soups, stews and maybe this...

Ingredients:
Chicken stock - at least a pint
Rice stick noodles
1 red onion, finely sliced
4 Spring onions, sliced
Juice of 1 Lime
Soy Sauce
Coriander leaves
Toasted Sesame seeds
Left over cooked chicken meat if you have it
Salt & Pepper

Method
Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a sauce pan. Add in the chicken if using and the rice sticks, cover and remove from the heat to allow the noodles to absorb the liquid.
In the meantime quick-pickle the onions, by putting them in a bowl and covering in lime juice, add a little salt and leave to stand for at least 5 mins, longer if possible.
Once the noodles are soft, season with a tablespoon or two of Soy Sauce and stir through the Coriander leaves.
Serve on warmed plates, topped with the pickled onions, sesame seeds & freshly ground black pepper (or chili if ya fancy).

Sunday Roast

You will need:
A Chicken, untied and at room temp - get it out of the fridge about 30 mins before cooking.
1 or 2 onions, cut into chunky slices - this will act as the chicken's resting place on the baking tray.
2 Clementine (or other orange citrus fruit), halved.
A few sprigs of fresh Thyme.
1 clove of Garlic, flattened slightly by squashing under the flat side of a knife with your palm.
Half a red pepper per person, cut into fat slices
A good glug (2 tablespoons-ish) of Olive oil
2 teaspoons of sweet Paprika per pepper
Salt

Method
Preheat the oven to 190oC (gas mark 5, 375 F). Lay out the onion slices, garlic & Thyme sprigs in the roasting dish & lay the chicken on top. Squish the Clementine juice over the chicken and then stuff the halves inside the cavity. Sprinkle the chicken with a little salt and put into a preheated oven and roast!

How long depends on the size of your chook, Delia says...

Roast for 20 minutes per lb (450 g) plus 10-20 minutes extra – this will be 1 hour and 50 minutes to 2 hours for a 5 lb (2.25 kg) bird. And then leave it to rest for 30 mins.

When you have 30 mins of cooking time left add the peppers (which you have tossed in the olive oil & paprika) to the roasting dish. Return to the oven and wait for delicious to happen!

Serve along side a mixed leaf salad dressed with balsamic vinegar or some roasted sweet spuds, or both.

Roasted Mushroon Soup

So I've been away from this for a while for a couple of reasons...Firstly, I moved into my first proper home (very exciting but properly run down, messy and time consuming) and promptly ripped out the (almost non-) existing kitchen. So for quite a while I have been eating out or using the microwave. Secondly, I have been studying for professional exams, so haven't had much time for more than setting the time on the microwave! But now I have a bit of a kitchen again and way more time, so expect to see more action here in the near future.

For a while I only had an oven, so was baking everything and anything and this is one of the triumphs. A silky and sumptuous, deeply comforting herby mushroom soup with cheesy garlic toasts.

Ingredients                                                                          

250g Chestnut Mushrooms, cleaned & quartered

2 cloves of Garlic                                                    

3 Shallots, peeled & halved                                  

4 stems of fresh Thyme                                               

A pinch of fresh Oregano leaves                                

1 tsp dried Sage                                                            

1 tbs Olive oil                                                           

A little Salt                                                                

1 cup of Chicken or Veg stock                             

Half a cup of Milk (full fat)                                     

4 slices of Bread (I used seeded Rye)

10g of Butter, soft 

A handful of fresh Parsley, finely chopped              

Grated Cheddar 

Method

1.    ROAST MUSHROOMS, GARLIC, SHALLOTS, HERBS WITH A LITTLE OIL & SALT @ 180 FOR 40 MINS.

2.    REMOVE THE GARLIC & BLITZ  THE OTHER ROASTED INGREDIENTS  IN A BLENDER WITH THE MILK & STOCK UNTIL SMOOTH           

3.    CHOP THE ROASTED GARLIC & MIX WITH THE BUTTER PARSLEY & CHEESE, THEN SPREAD ON BREAD & TOAST UNDER A MEDIUM GRILL UNTIL OOZY & BUBBLING.

Red currant clafoutinis

If you have never made Clafoutis before, now is the time to try. I had very low expectations if I'm honest, but I'm happy to report that it is... actually gorgeous. 

Half way between a soufflé and a pancake and pretty low effort. Any berry will do for this recipe, though you'll need to adjust the amount of sugar for the sour-ness of your fruit. Blueberries in particular would be beautiful.

Serve warm with some clotted cream or a velvety vanilla custard.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup golden castor sugar
• 1/2 cup milk - full fat
• Zest of a lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1/4 cup corn flour
• 1 tablespoon brown butter
• Red currants 1/2 cup- doused in sugar
• Pinch of salt

Method

• Butter and sugar 4 ramekins.
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
• Combine sugar & flours In a bowl. Add salt, milk, egg & cooled melted butter, mix to a smooth batter.
• Arrange the red currants in the ramekins and pour batter over the top. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 25 mins or until well risen and golden on top. Remove from oven and allow to cool a little before dowsing in cream and putting in gob. They will sink but that's supposed to happen (honest) :)

In the words of Arnie..I'll be back...

First for a little tidy up and soon more pics.

I only really have half an oven at the moment, and no hob because the kitchen is under construction. So everything, whether it wants to be or not, is getting baked, as that's the only option.

See you shortly!

Greek Salad Revamped

This is an especially lazy summer salad. If light refreshment on a hot muggy day is what you require then this is the one. No stove (and no sweat) necessary,  just chopping & chucking. FYI the herbs are the dealbreaker here: if you can get your hands on fresh then great but if dried is the order of the day skip the mint and stick with just dried oregano, and it will be just as delish.

Ingredients

1 large cucumber

A couple of handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved

A handful of black olives, pitted & halved

100g of Feta cheese, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

A few freshly torn mint & oregano leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

Method
Put everything apart from the cucumber into a large bowl. Use a veg peeler to turn the cucumber into fine ribbons, and chuck into the bowl with the rest on the ingredients. Season with black pepper. Toss and serve immediately

Duck & Mango Summer rice paper rolls

Vietnamese summer rolls are usually filled with chicken or prawns, rice noodles and coconut (among other things), but these are a duck and mango version and blooming lovely.

What you'll need

2 Cooked Ducks legs, the meat removed from the bone and then shredded 

1 ripe Mango, cut into baton-ish chunks

1 red chilli, finely sliced

A small bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

1 red onion, finely sliced

The juice of 2 Limes

2 teaspoons of black sesame seeds

Salt & black pepper 

Rice papers

What to do

Rice papers take seconds to prep, they just need to soak in recently boiled water for 10 to 20 seconds to soften, so boil the kettle and prep the rest on the ingredients before soaking. This is chopping, shredding and lime-ing up the onions (ie adding a pinch of salt and the lime juice to the onion). This will take out some of the intensity of the onion flavour, keeping in the crunch and also provide a receptacle to hold the lime flavour rather than making everything wet with lime juice. Allow the Limey onion to sit for a few minutes.

Then commence the rice paper soaking. Best to do it 1 or 2 at a time because they stick together like no-bodies business. Once slightly softened, spread out the rice paper and put some of the filling bits in the middle, leaving gaps at the top and bottom. (Best to be a little stingey in the beginning as it's easier to roll a small sausage than a giant, over-stuffed roll). Season with freshly ground black pepper. Fold the gappy bits at the top & bottom up and then Roll..Roll!!

This will make about 10 rolls, which will feed 2 people as a lunch.
Prep time 10 mins. Cooking time (about 40 mins for the duck legs, otherwise none).

Any left over Mango can become a breakfast version the next morning...

 They weren't quite as neat as I'd hoped, but I'm defo getting better at the rolling. And you can cheat at the construction bit by using 2 rice papers at once, one on the bottom with the filling on top and then one on the top (in a sandwich fashion) and then doing the folding bit. This makes the folding a bazillion times easier and you have a bit of a double layer safety net, if there are any accidental rips or tears.

 And deconstructed...(It was early and I was hungry).

YUM

Instant banana, choc chip & maple syrup icecream with salted Marcona almonds

The BIG move is taking a little longer than expected. So to keep you going, have one of these...
This ice cream is glorious, even if the weather isn't! Quick, easy, dare I say it..healthy (well certainly healthier than the usual anyway) and a perfect way to use up the old bananas in your fruit bowl, if you don't fancy the standard banana cake? As the title indicates, this recipe is super quick (after waiting for your bananas to freeze), but beware..it wont re-freeze well (picture solid brick), due to the distinct lack of copious amounts of sugar, so needs to be eaten up, all of it. Probably wont be a problem, once you've had a 1st bite :)   

Ingredients - for 2 enormous servings, or 3 normal people portions. 
3 (ripe - overripe) bananas
50ml milk
15 - 30ml (1-2 tablespoons) maple syrup (depending on how sweet your sweet tooth is)
50g Dark or Plain chocolate, roughly chopped
A handful of Salted Marcona Almonds, roughly chopped

Method
Peel the bananas and place in a freezer bag, and then (you guessed it) in the freezer. Leave them there until completely frozen ( 4 hours should do it).
Once the bananas are frozen and you're ready for dessert, remove them from the freezer bag and put into a food processor. Add the milk & syrup and blend for 2 mins. Scrape down the bowl and blitz again for another 1-2 mins, until the mixture forms smooth, cohesive, soft ripples. Be careful of over blending, as it will turn into a smoothie. Stir in the chocolate and sprinkle over the almonds. Consume immediately.

Moving

Hey there, I will be having a wee break from this for a month or two until I get a place to live sorted and thus my oven back. I think I should be settled again by the end of May, so I'll catch up with you then. Here's hoping you'll come back to visit. Big lov xo.

Leekie Welsh Rarebit

Leeks are one of my absolute favourite vegetables and an absolutely undervalued Allium in my eyes. Not to mention their rather colourful history... In the troubled 15th century, displaying a leek signified allegiance to Henry Tudor (Henry VII, father of the notorious Henry the 8th), the Welsh contender to the English throne. Others had adopted the leek before him, but for Henry, the adoption was most apt. The green and white Leek matched the colours of his coat of arms. The same colours of the daffodil stem. Both of these plants, which grow so well in Wales became Welsh emblems and are worn even today, but only on special occasions such as  St David's Day (March 1st) and at Welsh rugby matches.

Welsh rarebit (or rabbit) is traditionally a supper dish of bread soaked with a little ale and shallot vinegar, a slice of cold roast beef spread with horseradish and mustard and crowned with a voluptuous veil of melting strong cheese. Delicious I think you'd agree. But today its a strictly veggie affair, and I think it seems rather fitting that the Leek is the shining the star of this thoroughly Welsh-inspired show. This lovely Leekie welsh rarebit is for the Spring a Leek Recipe competition, so wish me luck :).

Ingredients
1 large leek, washed & sliced.
A hefty knob of butter.
A little glug of olive oil.
4 thick slices of good bread.
1 teaspoon of English mustard.
2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar (balsamic will do the job too).
100 grams of strong cheddar, sliced.
A pinch Ground black pepper.

Method
Fry the leeks with the butter and oil in a large frying pan with the lid on, over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until the leeks are tender (about 10 mins). Meanwhile, under a medium grill toast one side of the bread. Turn the slices over and dot with the mustard & vinegar, pile the leeks on each slice and top with the sliced cheese. Return to the grill, and heat until the cheese is bubbling. Sprinkle with black pepper and serve immediately, (but beware of burning the roof of your mouth on the hot cheese)!

Feeds 2 (2 slices each). Prep time 3 mins. Cooking time 15 mins.

Chocolate, beetroot & hazelnut fairy cakes for Mothers Day

Getting the balance between completely delicious and at least a little bit healthy is tough, but fear not, this tiny little wandering fairy cake is coming to a mother's day near you to save your buns! Part vegetable, part molten chocolate, part sheer awesome! Most beetroot cakes I've tried before are very beety, which isn't always a good thing, especially in a chocolate cake. This one however uses cooked beetroot, so the flavour is much more subtle. 

 Ingredients
4 oz cooked beetroot, blended into a course mush.
4 oz spelt flour (or other plain white flour).
2 eggs (Medium, free range).
4 oz butter.
5 oz brown sugar.
1 tsp baking powder.
2 oz dark chocolate, melted.
1 tablespoon cocoa powder.
70g hazelnuts, toasted & blitzed to a course powder.

Method
Cream together the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs and mix well. Add the hazelnut powder, baking powder, cocoa powder and flour and stir until just combined. Add in the beetroot & chocolate and stir again until just combined. Divide between cupcake cases and bake in a preheated oven at 180 oC for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 5 mins. Once they are cool enough to handle, get 'em out of the tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

The icing I made was - 200g of cream cheese, 4 tablespoons of icing sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 2 tsp lemon juice. Mixed together and spread generously over the cooled cakes.

Makes about 12 small fairy cakes. Prep time 20 mins. Cooking time 15 mins.

Paprika chickpeas with roasted sweet peppers

So it's coming to the time when my lease is up and its time to get moving. And it that vain trying to eat some of the mass of tinned & jarred food stuffs I've accumulated over the last year. So far is so good, and at the moment we stand at 2 tins of soup, 2 tins of tomatoes, 3 tins of beans, 1 tin of pineapple chunks (fairly normal so far, yes?), then there's 3 tins of sardines (good intentions never really came into fruition), 1 tin of hot chicken curry, a tin of new potatoes (?!) and a jar of Hot Shito, (which is an African condiment concocted mostly of chilli & fish in case you were wondering). The recipe below is how the tinned chickpeas came to their sticky and delicious end (insert evil laugh here). Serves 2. Takes about 45 mins, all in.

Ingredients
1 400g tin of chickpeas in salted water, rinsed.
3 teaspoons of paprika (the unsmoked variety).
1 clove of garlic, crushed.
4 tablespoons of your fave cooking oil (veg, olive, hemp or whatever).
1 teaspoon of runny honey.
4 small shallots, peeled & halved.
A handful of cherry tomatoes, halved.
A pack of 6 mini sweet peppers (or a couple of normal sized peppers), cut in half.
A handful of rocket leaves
A handful of Pistachios, roughly chopped
A sprinkling of seeds (any will do and lightly toasting them in a dry pan will lift their flavour a treat).
Salt & pepper.
Method
Arrange the peppers, tomatoes & shallots on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil and sprinkle with salt and bake in a medium-hot (190 oC) oven for about half an hour to 45 mins (until the peppers are starting to turn slightly black in places). Remove from the oven and set aside.
Put the chickpeas in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring up to the boil and allow to simmer very gently for a couple of minutes, just to warm them through. Turn off the heat and leave them in the water until your ready to chuck them in the frying pan. In the meantime, add 2 tablespoons of oil to a frying pan and fry the garlic gently for 2 mins. Add in the paprika & honey and allow to fry for a further 2 mins, stirring regularly. Add the warm, drained chickpeas to the pan and toss to coat well. Season and remove from the heat. Stir through the rocket leaves and divide between 2 plates, sprinkle with seeds & nuts and top with the roasted veg.

Plum & Macadamia nut Flapjacks

This recipe started out in life as a crumble, but when it came down to it.. I really couldn't be bothered with all the rubbing together business, so my plums, instead became a lovely, lazy, sweet & sour flapjack. There's only one kind of flapjack in my mind and that's the gooey, sticky, sweet, syrupy kind. Those healthy, dry, hard, dry fruit filled ones have no place here. So, apologies if that's what you were looking for :). The plums are a fantastic contrast to the buttery, sweet oats, they're sourness cuts through the richness beautifully, but if you prefer apples would be good too, maybe with a few frozen raspberries thrown in for good measure? 

Ingredients
2 ripe plums, de-stoned & cut into segments
1 & 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons of golden syrup
1/4 cup of Macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
3 oz (1/3 cup) Butter

Method
Melt the butter, sugar & golden syrup in a saucepan over a gentle heat, until melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add into the pan the oats, nuts and seeds. Mix well. Pour out into a small baking dish, lined with baking parchment, and smooth with the back of a spoon into an even layer. Put the plum segments on top and dribble a little more golden syrup over the top (sugar will work fine instead, if you don't have a squeezy golden syrup bottle). Bake in a preheated oven at 250oC for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180oC and bake for a further 10 mins. Allow to cool in the dish for at least 10 mins before turning out and cutting into 4 large chunks. Best serve 'em warm with thick cream.

Valentines - Rose scented Buttermilk pudding with pistachios and pomegranite

Where has this year gone?! I cannot believe we are almost half way through February already! I am so under prepared. I'm afraid I'm one of 'those' people who jump whole heartedly into the valentines day parade: Romance & Roses..the whole sugary affair! But even at my most enthused I refuse to spend a fortune on half-baked, over-priced, over-hyped, mass-produced, probably heart-shaped faff. (Listen fellas, for reference a little thoughtfulness goes a long way, no matter your gifting intentions). Even at this, the (almost) last minute, I like to make gifts and this year it's going to be pudding! A beautiful, voluptuous, wobbly Rose scented Buttermilk pudding with pistachios and pomegranate.

Surprisingly St Valentine was a Bishop of Rome particularly renowned for his chastity; but as he was matryed on Febuary the 14th, the eve of the Roman festival of Lupercalia (when young people chose their sweethearts by lottery), he was swiftly adopted as the patron saint of lovers. I suppose a certain element of chance still persists in the rituals of the day. Plum stones or flower petals are counted off to the chant of 'He loves me, he loves me not', while a long apple peel thrown over the shoulder supposedly falls as the initial of one's beloved. 

Ingredients for 2 people

150g single cream

35g caster sugar

1.25 gelatine leaves

125g buttermilk

A few drops of lemon juice

Half a teaspoon of rose water

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

To serve, some Pomegranate seeds and pulverised pistachios

Method

Prepare your moulds, make sure they are really clean and dry and put them in the fridge to chill.

Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes.

Bring the cream and sugar to the boil, stirring often. Once the cream boils remove the saucepan from the heat. Drain the gelatine and add to the warm cream, whisk well. Let the cream mixture cool down to body temperature (give it about 5 mins off the heat and dip your finger in, if it doesn't feel hot or cold then its just right).

Stir in the buttermilk and add a few drops of  lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence and half a teaspoon of rose water to the mixture. Mix well.

Pour the mixture into the chilled moulds, return to the fridge for 3 hours to set.
To unmould, dip into hot water for a couple of seconds and invert onto a plate, wiggle gently and with a bit of luck a beautiful mound of snow white, sweet, voluptuous, milky jelly will reveal itself. Surround with pomegranate seeds and smashed pistachios and serve immediately.