Food Trends

The Independent has been reporting  "Customization and bold flavors -  That's the final verdict following this year's wrap-up of the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago".

read the full article below

Strawberry chili ice cream signals new food trend

This made me laugh, and made me think of my colleague (in a previous existence a long long time ago!) who was mad keen on showing a major high street retailer "smoked salmon ice cream" He was way ahead of his time!

I would love to think that the  "pimp your food"  option (which they will more politely call "customization") in restaurants would be a growing trend.... I was writing about this over a year ago!

Spicy Potato Pakoras

2 medium sized potatoes

1 onion, sliced thinly
1 chilli, seeds removed and chopped very finely
50g gram flour (chick pea flour)
1x5ml spoon ground cumin
2x5ml spoons ground coriander
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
150ml water

Sunflower oil for shallow frying

Lemon juice and wedges, and coriander to garnish

what to do....

Wash the potatoes and dry.  Grate potato, skin on.   Once grated – squeeze handfuls of the potato to remove moisture - ensure as dry as possible.  Retain in a clean tea towel.

Combine the onion, chilli and potato in a bowl; add the gram flour, spices and seasoning together. Pour in the water, a bit at a time, stirring well until a moist, well combined mixture which sticks together – not dry but not sloppy!  (You may not use all the water or you may have to add more...sorry to not be precise; the texture all depends on the wetness of the potatoes)
Heat the oil in a high sided frying pan, using approx 3cm oil in pan.  Test the oil by adding a small drop of the mixture to oil, it should bubble straight away.
Add a Tablespoon of mixture into the hot oil, and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Continue using up all the mixture. Take care removing from the hot oil (slotted spoon is good). Drain on kitchen paper.

To serve:  squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with lemon wedges and coriander.

Gluten free party

I was interested to see this American report. on the growth of gluten free foods in USA.

Research locally has shown that supermarkets are aware and have addressed this to a certain extent. I wanted to ensure that the guest did not feel alienated from the rest of the party, so have embarked on a brief search for gluten free products to serve at a 12 year old's party.

M&S sausages are gluten free, and I saw fabulous  Genius  bread rolls so the savoury is mostly covered - as they will also have potato crisps and plenty of carrot sticks, pepper sticks, cherry tomatoes and cheese on sticks
harder to find or indeed, make, are gluten free cakes etc - but I'll get there.
I have just found a gluten free lemon drizzle cake recipe using mashed potato...maybe I'll give it a go!

Chatty Girly Lunch

What you need....

8 rashers pancetta

2 eggs

1 bunch, approx 8 spears asparagus, trimmed

2 slices seeded wholemeal bread & butter

Freshly ground black pepper & salt

 What to do...

This takes a bit of coordination to time everything, so it all is ready at the same time – the cooked pancetta can be kept warm, but poached eggs won’t wait...so time accordingly!

Cook the asparagus in salted boiling water for 6-8 minutes, then drain well. Grill or bake the pancetta until crispy, guideline- 3 to 4 minutes under high heat. 

Poach the eggs in simmering water for 3 to 4 minutes. 

Toast the bread, and spread with butter.

Assemble, season and enjoy for a treat lunch with a good friend

May the forcemeat be with you

I thought I'd missed out with Star Wars puns... but no...The lovely people at

the foodpeople

sent me the May newsletter, and I wish to share all these fabulous thoughts, trends and comments on the food business.

Have a good weekend

Yummy Chocolate dipped strawberries

These were inspired by the chocolaty efforts of a lovely girl and her super mum!

Easy, Easy, Easy.....but very messy with a 5 year old!     Happy Birthday to you!

Literally, all you have to do is....

 Gently melt chocolate of any variety – Milk, Dark or even White. Place in containers assessable for dipping

Wash and gently dry the strawberries. 

Dip!

Decorated Cute 2 Bite Square Cakes

These are absolutely fabulous! I make the Victoria sponge slab in the roasting tray, cut into 4/5cm squared cubes, I got about 24 cubes. I then froze them in batches of 6. You can get out 6 at a time to decorate and serve – see the photos. 

The butter cream is enough to coat the sides of all 24 cubes – I froze this too ( in 4 batches), and got 1 batch out of the freezer along with the cakes.

What you need....

Roasting tin approx 30cm x20cm – greased & lined with greaseproof paper – ensure no creases in the corners

Pre heat the oven to 180 C; 375 F; Gas 5

Ingredients...

For the Victoria Sponge – basic recipe

200g cake margarine, softened
200g caster sugar
4 eggs, beaten
200g self raising flour

How to...

Cream the margarine & caster sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the beaten egg and a Tblsp of the flour a little at a time, when the egg is used up, add the remaining flour and stir well to ensure everything is combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, pushing the mixture into the corners, and flatten out.  Place tin on the middle shelf, in the pre heated oven. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and well risen. Allow to cool slightly before turning out on to cooling rack. Remove paper carefully and allow to cool.

If required, even off the edges, then cut into 24 @ 5cm x5cm squares. Use as required

 To decorate...

Buttercream – 150g butter, softened,  beaten with 300g icing sugar and 1-2 drops of vanilla extract until pale and fluffy

100’s & 1000’s or sugar strands or chocolate vermicelli

Glace Icing – 100g sifted icing sugar, combined with 1-2 Tblsp water, stirred continuously to combine. Be really careful adding any more water, the icing should be quite thick – not runny!

Place the 100’s&1000’s in a small bowl, ensure the butter cream is softened and make the glace icing.

On each square coat the sides, then dip the sides into the 100’s&1000’s on all 4 sides. Handle carefully onto serving plate. Top each cake with glace icing.

PIMPING: Chocolate vermicelli around the sides and melted white chocolate on top...use your imagination for loads more variations

Asparagus Risotto – fried rice balls – arancini di risa

Well, I promised that the asparagus trimmings could be used... I suppose this is a bit of a long winded way to use up, but something I’ve always wanted to try...fried risotto rice balls with mozzarella centre.

The inspiration is from Mary Contini’s book– Valvona & Crolla – A year at an Italian table

So..with the asparagus trimmings I made a risotto, I had for supper,  then laid the remaining out on a tray and placed in the fridge to cool thoroughly. There are plenty of risotto recipes on this blog and out there, so I’ll not show this..hope that’s OK!?

What you need..

Frying pan, containing sunflower oil –  filled to ¼ full

Ingredients..

50g plain flour                                                                                                                                                          85g fresh breadcrumbs                                                                                                                                         

2 eggs, beaten well                                                                                                                                                 

250g cooked and cooled risotto                                                                                                                        

50g mozzarella – cut into 10 pieces                                                                                                                    

What to do..

Place the flour, breadcrumbs and egg into separate bowls

Flour your hands, take 1/10^th of the risotto and form into ball – place the piece of mozzarella in the centre, form the rice around the mozzarella.  Coat the balls in flour. Continue this until all 10 balls are formed.
Dip all in flour, then into egg, then into breadcrumbs – place on a baking tray and allow to chill for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil in the frying pan-over a medium heat, which sizzles the crumbs,  fry in batches - keeping moving to ensure an even browning, and cooked through.  Drain on kitchen paper, serve warm with a small salad.

Dippy egg with English asparagus - served with bread & butter

1 bunch English asparagus, trimmed (retain the trimmings – that’s for tomorrow)                                                                                                                                                                 2 eggs
Salt & Freshly ground black pepper

To serve...Seeded wholemeal bread and butter

 Serves 2 as a starter or very light lunch

How to....                                                                                                                                          

Simply cook the asparagus in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes until tender, drain well.   Simmer the eggs in a separate pan for 3-5 minutes, drain, cut off top, season, and nestle into the bread & butter

To serve....                                                                                                                                                            Dip asparagus into the boiled egg and enjoy, or cut the asparagus and bread into bite sized pieces and dip in the egg – for an indulgent treat – why not try parmesan shavings too

Easy Peasy - Lemon and Pepper Chicken Parcels

What you need...

Pre heated oven 200 C; 400 F; Gas 6
Lightly greased baking tray

Ingredients...                                                                                                                                                               4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts                                                                                                                  Grated rind of a lemon ( retain the juice for serving)                                                                                   Salt                                                                                                                                                                              4 rashers streaky bacon                                                                                                                                 Cracked black pepper

What to do...                                                                                                                                                         Open up the breasts, season with salt; divide the lemon rind inside each breast. Fold each into breast shape.  Stretch the bacon on a chopping board, by pushing the bacon lengthways with the back of a knife.  Cut in half crossways; Wrap the 2 bacon halves around the chicken, putting ends underneath. Sprinkle on the cracked black pepper.

Put the wrapped parcels on a greased baking tray. Place in the preheated oven, cook for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through– ensure the chicken is piping hot before serving.

Before serving, squeeze the lemon juice over the parcels – serve with a green salad.

Windowsill of Hope

We have embarked on a journey of what can only be described as hopefulness. It’s very small and some may see it as insignificant, but inspired by our lovely backside neighbours – both, like us with responsible jobs and busy full lives. They manage to tend their beautiful garden and produce wonderful flowers and herbs which they use abundantly in cooking. 

We have an equal sized garden to them, but never seem to get it underway – we just trim it and cut the grass –that’s it!

These chilli plants are the start of an adventure, they were downtrodden things in the reduced section, dripping leaves and looking sad.  Mark decided he could look after them, and so far on this sunny windowsill they are looking good.

What I’m hoping is to be able to make chilli salsa in the summer..this summer - 2011. Let’s hope!

Sultana Scones with all the trimmings

My lovely mum has used this recipe for decades, Bella and I often make scones together. We were delighted to be able to whip up a batch of scones to have with delicious Cornish clotted cream and strawberry jam on our recent trip to sunny St Ives

What you need...

a lightly greased baking tray;

a circular cutter approx 7cm in diameter

Pre heat oven to 200 C; 400 F, Gas 6

 

Ingredients...

225g self raising flour

50g butter, cut into small cubes, kept chilled

1/2 x5ml sp salt

25g caster sugar

50g sultanas

150ml milk
1 egg beaten with a little milk – for glazing




How to...

Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl then add the butter and salt. Rub the butter into the flour, using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (a good couple of minutes). Add the sugar and sultanas and stir. Make a well in the centre, stir in enough milk to make a soft, pliable dough.

Turn the mixture on to a floured board and knead very lightly until just smooth then lightly roll out to 2cm thick.

Cut rounds with the cutter or cut into triangles with a sharp knife. Place on the baking tray and brush with the beaten egg and milk mixture. Bake near the top of the hot oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and well risen. Cool on a wire rack before eating.

Serve with butter, jam and clotted cream – adding a few strawberries ( as part of your 5 a day!)

A story of peppers, courgettes and onions... not perfect looking- but perfect tasting

I think, along with garlic and a splash of cold pressed oil (Borders rapeseed is my current favourite), this trio of vegetables will always form a basis of so many wonderful vibrant dishes.

The pointed red peppers are practically seedless (no fuss) and very sweet – so when roasted the skin chars beautifully, and the intensity moves through any vegetable combination to give such a joyous, sweet savoury flavour. Courgettes will soak up any other surrounding flavours and the texture from a raw crisp courgette slice to cooked soft and pulpy enhances mouthfeel in salads, stir fries or roasts, soups and sauces respectively.

Onions are the bedrock of most cuisines, so when cooked slowly...with patience and gentle stirring....allowing calmness to the end of the day - any cut layers transcend into translucent strands of golden creamy sweetness.

My version of ratatouille...I cook in batches, freeze and use as the basis of meat sauces, soups and fillings – it’s my easy fridge food – I don’t know what I’ll do with it when I make it, but use it throughout the week...it’s filling but with hardly any calories (except, or course, when topped with loads of grated cheese and grilled!)

How to....

Slice 1 onion finely; heat 1 x15mlspoon of cold pressed oil into the pan. Cook gently, stirring most of the time, but not allowing to burn or stick (10 mins minimum!). Meanwhile, chop the pepper and the courgette into bite sized pieces. Stir vegetables into the softened onions, and allow to cook for a few minutes. Add 1 x 400ml tin of chopped tomatoes, some vegetable stock, and 2 x 15ml spoons tomato puree. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer, and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes.

Pot up, allow to cool completely, cover and place in fridge for 4 days OR freeze that day.



Foodwatching....yet again some wonderful foodie news from the food people

Designer Donuts are taking New York by storm - a bit of affordable indulgence, and the shape of things to come – it’s looking cubed and sticky!


The food people

Golden Apricot and Coconut flapjacks

The golden refers to golden syrup
and edible golden sprinkle
.......a delight!


What you need........
Baking tray 23cm x20cm or similar – greased & lined with greaseproof paper


Pre heated oven 150 C; 300 F; Gas 2

Ingredients......


150g butter
2 x 15mlsps (2 Tbsp) golden syrup
125g Dark or light brown muscovado sugar

200g porridge oats

75g chopped apricots

25g desiccated coconut

Salt

To garnish........

Edible gold sprinkle

How to.....

Melt the butter, golden syrup, and sugar in a large saucepan – using a gentle heat. Stir and ensure all is combined and the butter melts. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the remaining ingredients. Spoon into the prepared tin, push to corners and level out the mixture – pressing down to make as flat as possible.

Bake in the pre heated oven for 20-30 minutes. Personally I like sticky, so I’d take out around 20ish minutes.. but if you’d rather have slightly crispy edges...then 30 minutes.

Allow to cool slightly before removing from tin. Score 24 small squares. Decorate, if desired, with edible golden sprinkle. Leave to set before cutting with a sharp knife.