50g salad leaves such as watercress, baby beet, rocket
a punnet of salad cress
Trim the apples and pears, then, using a mandolin, or the slicing attachment on a food processor, slice them as finely as possible. Put them into a large bowl and squeeze over the juice of the lemon half to stop them browning. Peel and halve the onion and finely slice also, then add to the bowl. Toss everything together and leave to one side.
Pick the tarragon leaves and pop them into a blender with the cider vinegar, mustard and 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Season well, then blitz it all together until you have a vibrant green dressing. If need be, loosen with a little more oil, then pour over the fruit. Mix it all together with your hands, making sure everything is well dressed. Wash and spin dry the watercress and add it to the bowl. Snip in the salad cress, mix it together one last time and serve straight away.
Apple, Pear and Tarragon Slaw
STICKY HARISSA CARROTS AND BEETS WITH DATES
If I’m making this, I’ll make double, just so there are plenty of leftovers for the next day. It’s such a simple and flavoursome dish, and works wonderfully as part of a sit-down meal, buffet and even in your lunchbox. I could eat this till the cows come home.
SERVES 6
900g carrots and golden beetroots (you can use other beetroots if you can’t find golden, or even use just carrots)
2 tablespoons harissa (I love rose harissa)
1 orange or 2 clementines
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 heaped tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons mixed seeds, such as pumpkin, sesame and sunflower
a bunch of flat-leaf parsley
75g medjool dates
a splash of red wine vinegar
Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
Peel and trim the carrots and beetroots. Chop into mouthful-size chunks, around 3–4cm, and pop them into the pan of boiling water. Parboil for 5 minutes, then drain and leave to steam dry for a minute. Scatter the veg into a large roasting tray and spoon over the harissa. Halve the orange or clementines and squeeze over the juice. Drizzle with a good glug of olive oil, season well and toss everything together until evenly coated. Place the tray in the oven for 30 minutes, giving it a shake halfway through. After half an hour, drizzle the veg evenly with the honey, then return to the oven for a further 10–15 minutes, until sticky and gnarly.
If your seeds are untoasted, scatter them on a baking tray and pop them into the oven for the last 4–5 minutes, until lightly toasted and golden.
Leave the veg and seeds to one side for about 10 minutes to cool. Pick and chop the parsley leaves. Remove the stones from the dates and finely chop. When the veg and seeds have cooled a little, toss the parsley, chopped dates and seeds into the veg along with a tablespoon of red wine vinegar. Taste and tweak the seasoning, adding more vinegar if needed, then spoon on to a platter or into a large bowl and serve.
Sticky Harissa Carrots and Beets with Dates
KILLER DRESSED ROAST POTATOES
When I was growing up (and even now occasionally), my yiayias were both renowned for their amazing roast potatoes. It wasn’t until recently that I realised the reason they were so good was that they’d confit them in a pan of oil on the hob! Delicious, but heart-attack worthy. We’ve reined in the confited veg now and I much prefer the chuffing and roasting method. This is my favourite way of serving my roast spuds, crisp and hit with delicious flavour at the last minute.
SERVES 6–8
1.5kg Maris Piper potatoes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
¼ teaspoon good dried oregano
1 garlic clove
1 lemon
½ a bunch of parsley
½ a red chilli
Preheat your oven to 190°C/gas 5.
Peel the potatoes, leave the small ones whole and cut any larger ones so that they are all the same size. Place them in a large saucepan with a generous pinch of salt, cover with cold water and place on a high heat. Bring the water to the boil, then cook the potatoes for 10 minutes, so that they are almost cooked through. Drain them in the colander and leave them to steam dry for a few minutes.
Make sure the saucepan you cooked the potatoes in is completely dry, then transfer them back to the pan. Cover with the lid and shake the pan to really chuff them up. The outside of all the spuds should look broken down and fluffy.
Transfer the chuffed potatoes to a large roasting tray, so they sit in one layer, and drizzle with a good glug of olive oil. Season generously, sprinkle over the oregano and toss them all together. Place the tray in the oven and roast the potatoes for 1 hour and 20 minutes, scraping them and turning them once or twice during cooking.
When the potatoes are almost ready, make your dressing. Peel the garlic and finely grate on to a chopping board. Finely grate over the lemon zest and pick all the parsley leaves. Deseed and finely chop the chilli, then run your knife through everything together, chopping it all up so it is really fine. Squeeze over half the lemon juice and mix together well.
When the potatoes are ready and golden all over, spoon over the chopped herb dressing and toss through evenly. Serve straight away.
GREEN CHILLI GREENS WITH CASHEWS
The humble cabbage often gets overlooked nowadays in favour of its trendier neighbours – kale, chard and spinach. But they are all wonderful and will often react in a similar way. Cooking them the way I do here keeps them fresh and nutritious – you shouldn’t end up with soggy overcooked greens. It also works beautifully with shredded sprouts – just cook them for a little less time. I love it as an accompaniment to curries and spicy foods, but it also makes a great alternative side to a Sunday roast dinner or pie.
SERVES 6
35g cashew nuts
450g green cabbage (pointed or spring cabbage – you could also use Brussels sprouts)
a 2cm piece of ginger
2 garlic cloves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 shallots
1–2 green chillies, depending on how spicy you like your food
groundnut oil or vegetable oil
½ tablespoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ a lemon
Preheat your oven to 180°C/gas 4. Scatter the cashew nuts on a small tray and roast in the oven for 8–10 minutes, until golden. Remove and leave to cool.
Trim the cabbage and discard any not so great outer leaves. Shred the cabbage as finely as you can. If using Brussels sprouts, trim the ends and shred the sprouts in a food processor on a slicing attachment, or very carefully by hand. Peel the ginger and garlic and roughly chop. Place them in a mortar and pestle with a good pinch of salt, and bash them until you have a paste. Peel the shallots and finely slice. Halve, deseed and finely slice the chillies.
Place a large frying pan on a medium-low heat and add a good drizzle of oil. Add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds and fry for a minute, so they start to pop. Add the sliced shallots and chillies to the pan. Spoon in the garlic and ginger paste, turmeric and ground coriander and sauté for 10 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Stir in the shredded cabbage, turn the heat up a little, and fry for 6–8 minutes, until softened. If it starts to catch, add a splash of water to the pan. If the cabbage is not quite done, leave it for a couple more minutes. Cook away any liquid left in the pan and squeeze in the juice from the lemon half.
While the cabbage is cooking finely chop the cashew nuts. When the cabbage is ready, stir in the nuts and serve straight away.
6
BAKE YOURSELF BETTER
For me baking is the ultimate form of kitchen therapy. I love every part of the baking process – the weighing out, the precision, the beating and folding, I even love the mess! Baking is truly something to lose
yourself in. It’s also food that needs to be shared, which is surely one of life’s greatest simple pleasures: making something and sharing it with another. Also, turn up at someone’s door with a home-baked item and you are guaranteed a smile. It’s a beautiful thing. In this chapter you’ll find some new recipes, some classics and some blowout showstopper pieces to really sink your teeth (and time) into.
RECIPE LIST
ALMOND, OAT AND RAISIN COOKIES
AN INSANELY GOOD BLONDIE
CHERRY BAKEWELL BUNDT
MY FAVOURITE CITRUS CAKE
PRALINE ORCHARD PIE WITH BOURBON
BRITISH SUMMERTIME STACK
BANANA CAKE WITH PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING
PUMPKIN AND GINGER LAYER CAKE
CREAMY RICE PUDDING WITH SHERRY AND ROSEMARY POACHED PRUNES
MALTED MILK CHOCOLATE AND RASPBERRY TART
NECTARINE, CHAMOMILE AND HONEY GRANITA
CHOCOLATE, RYE AND PECAN CELEBRATION CAKE
BLACK BREAD
CARAWAY, HONEY AND BUTTERMILK BUNS
NO-CHURN CHAI ICE CREAM
ALMOND, OAT AND RAISIN COOKIES
If you make these cookies and do not eat at least a spoonful of the mixture before baking them, you have my full respect (or you’re telling porkies). I’ve yet to make them and not devour the unbaked mix. This is my ultimate cookie – warming, familiar, moreish, chewy, comforting. I want these with a big mug of tea and a blanket while watching something on the TV that I’ve seen a million times before. They’re the equivalent of a duvet day, but in cookie form.
MAKES AROUND 20
175g rolled oats
150g wholemeal or plain flour
a good pinch of sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
125g butter, at room temperature
75g almond butter (any nut butter will do – peanut is amazing also)
325g soft light brown sugar
2 large eggs
100g raisins
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.
Blitz 100g of the oats in a food processor until finely ground. Add the flour, salt, ground cinnamon and baking powder and pulse to mix it all together. If you don’t have a food processor, don’t worry about it – the cookies are still delicious without the oats being blitzed.
Place the butter and almond butter in the bowl of a free-standing mixer and beat together for a minute till smooth. (Alternatively use a mixing bowl and an electric hand whisk.) Add the sugar and beat for a further 2–3 minutes, until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs, then with a metal spoon fold in the dry mixture, the additional 75g of oats and the raisins.
Line a couple of baking sheets with greaseproof paper and spoon on tablespoonfuls of the mixture, a little larger than the size of a golfball – making sure you leave at least 2–3cm between them. Bake for 10–11 minutes, until starting to turn golden but still a little soft. Leave the cookies on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Almond, Oat and Raisin Cookies
AN INSANELY GOOD BLONDIE
If you’ve got this far into the book you’ll realise that I don’t use coconut oil in any of my recipes. That’s not because I don’t like it – on the contrary, I think coconut oil can be delicious. But this wave of using it for everything isn’t my cup of tea. Working alongside a team of nutritionists has taught me that it is higher in saturated fat than lard, and the so-called health benefits just don’t outweigh that fact for me (if I’m frying an egg it’ll be in olive oil – heck, if I fry anything, eight times out of ten it’ll be olive oil). However, this is one recipe where I do use it. This started as a quest to create an incredible blondie, something moreish and standout. Brownies, blondies, cakes by default are not healthy items, and the addition of coconut oil really does create a great flavour. So please let me just clarify: I am not claiming in any way that these are healthy or good for you, they just taste delicious and are calming to make, and I am totally OK with that.
MAKES 20 PIECES
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ heaped teaspoon sea salt
250g plain flour
180g coconut oil or unsalted butter, or a mixture of both
300g soft light brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
125g good-quality dark, milk or white chocolate, or a mix of chocolates
Preheat your oven to 180°C/gas 4. Grease a 20cm square cake tin and line with greaseproof paper. Whisk the baking powder, sea salt and plain flour in a bowl and leave to one side. Melt the coconut oil (and/or butter) in a medium pan, over a low heat. Add the sugar, breaking up any hard clumps, and dissolve slowly into the coconut oil. As soon as you have a golden caramel, remove the pan from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. (Don’t worry if the sugar is a little grainy, it will come back again once you add the remaining ingredients.)
Leave to one side for 15 minutes, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract. Fold in the flour mixture with a large metal spoon, until everything is just mixed together – try not to over-beat it. Chop the chocolate into chunks and stir it in, then spoon the blondie mixture into the prepared tin. Smooth out into one even layer and pop into the oven for 30 minutes – until it is cooked, has a lovely crust but is still just a little soft.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then quickly and efficiently transfer to a cooling rack. Leave the blondies to cool for another 10 minutes, then cut into 20 pieces. Leave on the rack till completely cool, then store in a cake tin or Tupperware box for up to 3–4 days – if they make it that long. (Although weirdly I do think these taste better the next day...) Heavenly.
An Insanely Good Blondie
CHERRY BAKEWELL BUNDT
This familiar-flavoured cake has become a bit of a hit with our (small) book team, who single-handedly polished off the entire thing in a day. It is subtle in flavour and has a wonderfully smooth texture. It also keeps really well for a few days when stored in a cake tin/airtight container, which is always a winner; stale cakes are upsetting. So, this is for Isla and Kendal and Laura, who seem to love this cake more than anything else.
SERVES 16
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
350g plain flour, plus extra for the tin
150g fresh cherries
75g maraschino cherries, or glacé cherries
500g caster sugar
6 large eggs
½ teaspoon good-quality almond extract
¼ teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
300ml milk
75g ground almonds
2 tablespoons flaked almonds
200g icing sugar
2 tablespoons amaretto (or just use water)
Start by preheating your oven to 180°C/gas 4. Grease your bundt tin with butter (I use a pastry brush to get into all the nooks and crannies), then liberally dust with flour and shake out the excess.
Remove the stones from the fresh cherries, blitz in a food processor with the maraschino cherries until you have a purée, then leave to one side. In a free-standing mixer, or by hand using some elbow grease, beat together the butter and sugar until it is pale and light. Gradually beat in the eggs, followed by the almond extract and salt. Beat in half the flour and baking powder, just enough to combine, followed by the milk. Gently fold in the remaining flour and baking powder with a large metal spoon, and finish by folding in the ground almonds.
Spoon one third of the cake mixture into your bundt tin, then evenly spoon over a third of the cherry purée, gently rippling it into the batter. Repeat twice, so both mixtures are used up, then pop the tin into the oven and bake for around 50 minutes – 1 hour, until your cake is golden and cooked through. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a rack to cool completely.
While the cake is cooling, scatter the flaked almonds on a baking tray and pop them into the
oven for 3–4 minutes, until golden. Leave to one side to cool. When you are ready to decorate, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and stir in just enough amaretto to make a thick icing. Drizzle it over the cake, and scatter over the toasted flaked almonds.
Cherry Bakewell Bundt
MY FAVOURITE CITRUS CAKE
Being an avid cake maker, I am often asked what my favourite cake is. And it has to be a cross between a classic lemon drizzle cake and a lemon poppy seed cake. I want poppy seeds and I want drizzle. Not the most flamboyant recipe, but it’s my favourite, and it’s screaming out for a natter with your mates or a trip to your nan’s.
SERVES 8–10
200g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
2 heaped tablespoons poppy seeds
2 tablespoons milk
400g golden caster sugar
3 lemons (you can use other citrus if you like – I like to replace some of the lemons with blood orange or bergamot when they’re in season)
½ a vanilla pod
4 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
Preheat your oven to 170°C/gas 3. Grease a 1 litre loaf tin and line with greaseproof paper.
Mix the poppy seeds and milk together in a small bowl and leave to one side.
Place the butter in the bowl of a free-standing mixer and beat for a couple of minutes, then add 200g of the golden caster sugar. Beat for a further 2–3 minutes, or until you have a pale and fluffy mixture. (You can of course do this with an electric mixer, or by hand using a little elbow grease.) Finely grate in the zest of the lemons, scrape in the seeds from the vanilla pod, and beat everything together well.
Beat the eggs in, one at a time, until they have all been incorporated. Sift in the flour, and stir into the cake batter with a large metal spoon, keeping the mixture as light as possible. Finally stir in the milk and poppy seeds, then spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin. Sprinkle over 30g of caster sugar, then pop the tin into the oven and bake for 45–50 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
Stirring Slowly Page 13
