Chicken Cacciatore with Orzo

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Chicken Cacciatore with Orzo

A

 classic Italian hunter stew, perfect for a post snowy weekend in January. The temperature just won’t seem to rise above 10 and remain and whilst we were all really over 2020, we’re definitely really over January 2021.

That said, I’ve kept cooking and revisiting ingredients. I’ve added some orzo here which is a nice way to use it as I generally find its a bit of an odd ball of the pasta world. A bit like a risotto rice soul trapped in a pasta body!! But here, like rice, it gives a nice indulgence, substinance and texture! You can easily substitute in some butter beans, potatoes or rice, just adjust the liquid quantities accordingly.

Note: I like to remove the bone from my chicken thighs as they cook quicker and are easier for you and your guest to eat but its not a must! You can do this by using a pair of kitchen scissors if you chose to easily – you don’t need to buy them deboned. I’d prioritise buying thighs with skin on, than already deboned. I often find the deboned ones are skinless – gahh!

Serves 4

  • 8 chicken thighs, skin on (deboned easily using a pair of kitchen scissors – optional)
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 sprig rosemary, chopped finely
  • 1 Sprig thyme, leaves picked
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Handful olives – everyone has their favourite so up to you
  • 1 tbsp chopped capers
  • 1 tbsp balsamin vinegar
  • Large glass red wine (about 250ml)
  • 1 chicken stock cube, made up of 300ml boiling water
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes/cherry tomatoes
  • 300g orzo, washed first
  • Flat leaf parsley, finally chopped to garnish
  • 1 lemon, zest only, to garnish
  1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
  2. Heat a casserole pan over a high heat and add a splash of oil. Season the chicken and fry skin side down for about 5 minutes until beginning to turn crispy and golden. Flip it over to seal on the flesh side then set aside on a flat until needed.
  3. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan and sauté for a few minutes until soft and season. Add the chopped rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, olives and capers and stir.
  4. Turn up the heat and add the balsamic and let it bubble away. Add the red wine and cook out for a few minutes.
  5. Add the tomatoes and the stock and give everything a good mix.
  6. Add the washed orzo and stir well.
  7. Return the chicken thighs to the pan in one layer submerging the flesh but keeping the skin free from liquid if you want to get that crispy top.
  8. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
  9. Once ready remove from the oven, scatter over the chopped parsley and lemon zest and serve with some lightly buttered green beans!

 

Cauliflower Trio & Seabream

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Cauliflower Trio & Seabream

C

auliflower puree*; curried roasted cauliflower; pickled cauliflower; pan fried sea bream; crispy curry leaves. Topped with a prawn bisque sauce.

*mine was more like mash…I need a new blender!

Cauliflower is clearly one of my top vegetables as you can see and it feels a bit trendy right now. Its so versatile and paired with the right flavours can provide a really meaty, satiating alternative to meat if you’re on that wagon.

With so much time on my hands my mind has been wondering to food at every opportunity – I’ve literally been dreaming about ingredients. From creating bespoke menus for friends and family when we can finally have them round to creating dishes for the mid-week, Friday nights and weekends!

Serves 2

  • 2 sea bream fillets
  • 1 whole cauliflower (large)
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 50g butter
  • Splash milk
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • Around 6 curry leaves
  • Prawn bisque sauce (see here) – heated for serving.
  1. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Keep aside one to cut into thin slices for pickling.
  2. For this, put the white wine vinegar and 1 tbsp of water, and the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat. Slice the reserved floret into thin slices and add to the pickling liquid and set aside.
  3. Keep aside an extra 6 florets and put the rest in a roasting tin and crush over the garlic. Season and add some olive/sunflower oil and roast at 200 for about 20 minutes until soft and lightly coloured.
  4. Put the remaining florets in another roasting pan and season, add the curry powder and some olive/sunflower oil and roast at 200 for 20 minutes at the same time. Remove the tray from the oven and keep warm.
  5. Put the roasted, plain cauliflower in a blender with the butter, seasoning and a splash of milk. Blend until smooth adding a splash of milk to get to the desired consistency. Taste and add seasoning if needed. Set aside keeping warm.
  6. Heat a frying pan on a very high heat and add a splash of oil. Fry the fish, skin side down for about 2 minutes until crisp. Flip and finish on the flesh side for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
  7. Remove from the heat and add the curry leaves (careful as they may pop!). Fry quickly for a few minutes then remove from the oil and dry on kitchen towel.
  8. When ready to serve, spoon a nice smooth spoonful of puree onto a plate. Place around 3 of the curried florets on top followed by the fish. Place a few pickled cauliflower slices against the sides followed by the fried curry leaves.
  9. Serve with the sauce!

Sticky Hoisin Pork & Homemade Coriander Noodles

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Sticky Hoisin Pork & Homemade Coriander Noodles

Y

ou might have guessed but I recently bought a pasta machine as a lockdown past time! I’m not even a big pasta fan! I’d go so far as saying I’m not really a fan at all, eating it only about 2-3 times a year! Alas, I like to expand my skillzzz. Plus, turns out you can really easily make noodles, which are growing on me!

I’ve always rather turned my nose up at dried packed noodles. Probably because I associate them all with pot noodles and instant university food. I still remember my first pot noodle when I was about 7 and I wasn’t even impressed then. Aliet not much impressed me in the kitchen when I was younger apart from alphabites and fish fingers!

You can absolutely skip the homemade noodles. Like fresh vs dried pasta, I’ll admit there isn’t a huge amount of difference. The main advantages here being that I know exactly what went into mine and it was only 3 ingredients and no preservatives! Secondly you can flavour with things like coriander to make them a beautiful vibrant green. Use the dried or fresh noodles of your choice here, I know everyone has a preference.

Note: A pork fillet if quite big and this may feed 3-4 but we eat a lot of protein and are growing young adults…ahem.

Serves 2

  • 1 pork loin/fillet (450g approx)
  • Knob ginger, grated
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
  • 3 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 red chilli, chopped
  • 2 red peppers, chopped
  • Handful green beans, top and tailed, halved
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • Garnish – Sesame seeds & chopped coriander
  • Dried egg noodles/odon noodles OR below noodle recipe. If using dried noodles, skip to the pork method steps!

Noodles (if making)

  • 125g flour
  • 1 egg
  • Large handful coriander
  1. Begin with the noodles if making. Blend the coriander in a food processor with the flour.
  2. Add the egg and blend until the dough comes together. Add a touch (be very reserved!) of cold water to help bring it together but don’t be tempted to add too much. Touch the dough if not sure, it should be a bit sticky but not wet.
  3. Roll onto a floured work surface and knead together to form a silky dough for about 5 minutes. Then rest in a ball for 30 minutes in the fridge.
  4. When ready to roll, flatten into a rectangle as best you can and feed through your pasta machine on the thickest setting, getting thinner as you go. You may need to cut your final strip into 2 as it’ll be too long to handle. Once nicely thin, pop through the setting of choice to obtain your desired noodle shape!
  5. Scatter lots of flour over the noodles to stop them sticking until ready to cook.

Pork recipe

  1. Marinade the pork fillet (halved if easier) in the ginger, garlic, hoisin, soy, honey, chilli and set aside in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
  2. Heat a frying pan on a high heat and add a splash of olive/sunflower/plain oil (never heat extra virgin, I’ll keep saying it). Sear the pork on both sides for about 2 minutes until it forms a nice caramelised golden seal.
  3. Top the pork with all but 2 tbsp of the marinade and cover with foil or a lid. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.
  4. While that is roasting, stir fry the peppers and beans in a little oil in a hot frying pan to begin soften.
  5. Bring a pan of water to the boil at the same time.
  6. When the pork is ready remove from the oven and leave to rest on a board. Add the juices from the roasting pan and the rest of the marinade you reserved earlier to the peppers and turn up the heat.
  7. Add your noodles to the boiling water and cook for about 1 minute for fresh and 2 for the dried. Drain quickly (keep a little cooking water clinging to the noodles to help stop them stick if you can so don’t drain too heavy handedly!). Drizzle with the sesame oil to stop them sticking.
  8. Add the noodles to the peppers and sauce and mix all really well to combine and coat all the noodles in the sauce.
  9. Remove from the heat and slice your rested pork, adding any juices back to the noodles and pepper pan.
  10. Serve a spoonful of peppers and noodles in a warm bowl and top with the sliced pork, some fresh coriander and some sesame seeds if you like!

Dal Tadka (with roasted cauliflower)

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Dal Tadka (with roasted cauliflower)

I

‘m a bit lost for words on this one *love eyes*. I love dal but this one is a culinary cuddle with a gentle kiss of coconut among the curry layers. I am about packing in as much flavour as possible so if you’re used to using my recipes you won’t be surprised that I normally use about double the spices so please be heavy handed! 

I’ll never be a vegan but as I was cooking I realised we’d chosen something similar for our vegan/vegetarian wedding dinner option and thus realised its vegan by coincidence. Not many recipes are such, usually tirelessly omitting all the fun. But if I had to be vegan, I’d eat this one everyday!

Serving suggestions…this is devine with some warm fluffy flatbreads (250g SR flour, 150ml water mix into a dough, rest and roll thinly before dry frying!). It would also work wonderfully as a side dish to a curry feast or some grilled meat at a BBQ.

Serves about 3 people (Or 2 with leftovers in our case!)

Dal

  • 150g red lentils
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 knob ginger
  • 1 bride eye red chilli (as hot as you like)
  • 6 fresh curry leaves
  • 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
  • 1 tbsp cumin seed
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1.5 tbsp curry powder
  • 400ml coconut milk (I always recommend Dunn’s brand here hands down)
  • 1 lime
  • Olive/vegetable/rapeseed oil
  • Flatbreads – to serve

Cauliflower

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 tbsp Garam Masala
  • 1 heaped tsp tumeric
  • Freshly cracked pepper
  • Handful chopped coriander

Tadka

  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seed
  • Few curry leaves
  • Ghee or oil
  1. Preheat the oven to 200. Break the cauliflower into florets and cut the bigger pieces in half or quarters (think big bitesize so you don’t need a knife!). Add to a large roasting tray in a single even layer so they aren’t cramped.
  2. Scatter garam masala, turmeric and a good pinch of salt and pepper and then drizzle with some olive/vegetable oil and toss to combine.
  3. Timing with the dal cooking times below, roast for about 10-15 minutes during step 8 of making the dal below on a high heat to char the florets but not overcook. Remove from the oven when ready. Scatter with the chopped coriander and keep warm.
  4. For the dal, heat a splash of olive oil in a saucepan pan and soften the chopped onion for about 5 minutes.
  5. Grate in the garlic, ginger and chopped chilli and stir. Add curry leaves and season.
  6. Add the spices and mix well for a few minutes to coat the oily onions and release their flavour!
  7. Add the lentils and stir to combine.
  8. Add the coconut milk and about 100ml of boiling water and stir well. Simmer well for about 20 minutes making sure to stir often to avoid it sticking or catching on the bottom. You may need to add another 100ml of water if it gets thick. I used about 800ml of liquid in total but it may depend on the quality of your coconut milk. (I always recommend Dunn’s brand here hands down).
  9. After 20 minutes of so it should be thick and shiny and the lentils just cooked. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  10. When ready, squeeze in the juice of the lime and keep warm.
  11. Finally, to make the tadka, add a small tsp of oil of ghee to a frying pan. When really hot, add the mustard and cumin seeds and let them sizzle and release their lovely flavours! Add the curry leaves, careful as they will spit (due to their moisture content!). Let them crisp for a few seconds and remove from the heat.
  12. Serve a nice creamy scoop of dal in a warm bowl, top with roasted cauliflower and coriander and finally a little spoonful of that tadka!

Chestnut Risotto with flaked almonds

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Chestnut Risotto with flaked almonds

I

adore a creamy, rich risotto on a cold evening. I’ll admit, with no sign of any greens, its not a nutritionally packed or balanced dinner in the slightest but it was a warm hug in a bowl we need right now on chilly weekday evenings when we’re house bound. It really did hit the spot and provided a festive hangover of creamy chestnut and garlic.

Whilst I’m no vegan, I would certainly urge any vegan missing their cream or cheese to try chestnuts as a replacement for that texture. They make a great hummus and are devine in desserts with caramel.

Chestnuts add a really natural creaminess to this one so you can use less cheese if you like but I always add a good handful or two of grated parmesan. Its subtle in flavour so don’t be tempted to overpower the topping too much.

Serves 4

  • 200g risotto/Arborio rice
  • 1 small white onion, finely chopped
  • 1 stick celery, finely chopped
  • Sprig rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 25g butter + 1 large knob
  • 200g chestnut puree – make your own by blending chestnuts or use this one from Merchant Gourmet
  • 1 small glass Marsala wine (or brandy/white wine)
  • 1 stock cube (made up to 500ml or so of hot stock)
  • 50g approx, grated Parmesan cheese
  • Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • Flaked almonds, lightly toasted
  • Garnish – crunchy breadcrumbs/croutons – optional but adds a much needed crunch.
  1. Heat the knob of butter and a tbsp of oil in a large saucepan on a medium heat. Once melted, add the chopped onion and celery and gently sweat for about 8-10 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the rosemary and stir with some seasoning.
  2. Get your hot stock in a saucepan nearby on a low but constant heat.
  3. Crush in the garlic and cook for a further few minutes
  4. Add the rice and turn up the heat to medium high. You are aiming to toast the rice and cover it in the fat. After about a minute the grains should start to change colour. Add the alcohol of choice which will bubble away quickly.
  5. Add a ladleful of hot stock and stir. Bring the heat to a gentle simmer and simmer gently, adding more stock from the pan as it begins to be absorbed for about 18 minutes – time this and as you near 18 minutes keep tasting the rice. It should be just cooked but with a slight bite and most of your stock used. The mixture should be ‘sloppy’ for want of a better word.
  6. Once you feel the rice is ready, add the chestnut puree and stir well to incorporate, it will thicken so add a splash of stock to thin if needed.
  7. Seaosn with plenty of black pepper.
  8. Remove from the heat. Add the grated cheese and the butter and put a lid on. Leave for 2 minutes. Stir well to mix in the melted cheese and butter and add all but a handful of parsley.
  9. Serve in warm shallow bowls topped with the remaining parsley, roasted almonds and crunchy breadcrumbs/crouton!

Raspberry Drop Scone Pancakes

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Raspberry Drop Scone Pancakes

Y

ou can knock out a batch of this batter in 5 minutes and on the table in 15 so it really isn’t a big commitment breakfast but a great one for a hungry family or group of friends over brunch especially if you’re running low on ingredients as this call for only 2 eggs!

If you make the recipe plain you can serve with a variety of toppings to suit both the sweet and savoury palate! If you serve without the American diner style heart attack toppings, pancakes don’t have to be unhealthy! With some fresh fruit, yoghurt and a touch of honey, they are just perfect and super light.

Serving suggestions:

  • Greek yoghurt, honey, fresh fruit
  • Bacon & syrup
  • Cheddar cheese, baked beans, crispy bacon
  • Blueberries, honey, cinnamon sugar, yoghurt
  • Lemon juice, sugar, raspberries
  • Poached eggs, avocado, Tabasco

Makes 20-30 (Adapted from Hugh Fearnely-Whittingstall

  • 250g self raising flour (wholemeal for added flavour)
  • Pinch baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon (leave out if making savoury)
  • 25g caster sugar (omit and replace with grated cheese for a savoury option)
  • 2 medium eggs
  • 270ml milk
  • 50g melted butter
  • Raspberries (optional – use any other berry, chopped into pieces if needed)
  1. Sieve flour, cinnamon, baking powder and sugar in a large bowl and mix.
  2. Add the egg and half the milk and mix gently to make a thick batter.
  3. Add the rest of the milk and the melted butter.
  4. Whisk well to combine.
  5. Heat a large non-stick pan over a medium high heat and add a knob of butter or dash of oil.
  6. Drop a large spoonful into the hot pan – my pan managed about 3 pancakes per batch.
  7. Allow the batter to form a nice crust on the bottom. Bubbles should start to form on the surface of the pancake after a minute or so. At this point scatter some berries over the top.
  8. Next, flip your drop scones! Allow another minute or so on the other side and then remove from the pan to a warm plate.
  9. Complete again using the batter.

Serve with syrup, lemon juice, jam, knob of butter or a dusting of more cinnamon/sugar as you like!

Sharing Pastry Wheel

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Sharing Pastry Wheel

T

his puff pastry sharing wheel has become one of my Christmas signatures! Made only in December for a festive drinks gathering with friends. Its such a perfect sharing canape as you can tailor it to your favourite flavours, those flavours of your guests or to suit any dietary requirement. I like to make this vegetarian as the rest of Christmas tends to be meat themed . Its such a pretty centre piece to the table – eye catching and head turning! The best part is that its barely cooking – I’d call it an assembly job! 

Glass of cold Champagne in hand, buttery puff pastry really is the most ideal pairing and always will be in my eyes!

Ingredients

  • 1 block puff pastry (I always end up with leftover pastry when I make this so I make a set of Palmiers here to match. Same process really just a different shape)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Fillings of choice, some combination suggestions below: Be careful here with your choices, you’re not making a pizza. It can’t be too ‘full’ or bulky. Chop finely and scatter scarcely, hence why punchy flavours work better!

Green pesto, feta, sun dried tomatoes, cumin seeds

Red pesto, sun dried tomatoes, goats cheese, chopped dill

Olive tapenade, feta, sun dried tomatoes, fresh basil, fennel seeds

Pesto, anchovies, capers, crumbled mozzarella, basil

  1. Half the pastry block and roll out each on a floured surface into circles around 30cm diameter. Use a plate as a cutter to cut around to form a nice neat circle.
  2. Place one circle on a baking sheet on a baking tray. Onto this circle add your toppings! Start with your pesto base and then scatter over the toppings and herbs making finely chopped/small pieces and scattering evenly. You can work up to the edges, but leave a 1cm border or so.
  3. Brush the 1cm border with a little egg wash.
  4. Take your second circle of pastry and place on top, and then gently press down so that it snugly hugs the fillings underneath and is sealed at the edges where you’ve egg washed.
  5. Next take a small upturned egg cup and place it in the middle gently, not enough to cut through. Working outwards, cut thin strips so that they are still attached at the centre.
  6. Take each strip and gently twist like a cheese straw and press down onto the tray at the end to keep it unfolding again. You’ll know here if you’ve packed it too full or cut your pieces too big as they will pop out everywhere!
  7. Continue all the way round and once done, remove the egg cup.
  8. Place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes, preheat the oven to 200°C.
  9. When ready to cook, remove from the fridge, egg wash over generously so its gets a wonderful golden shine and then scatter over sesame, nigella or any seed of choice that suits your filling if desired.
  10. Bake for about 20 minutes, checking regularly until golden and puffed!
  11. Remove from the oven and leave to cool a little before serving but nicest served warm (avoid burning anyones mouths with molten cheese!)

You can remove the centre circle puff where the egg cup marked (eat it..) and then pop a nice dipping sauce in the middle in a dish. The idea is the guests ‘tear and share’…and dip if desired!

Gooseberry Vanilla Tart

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Gooseberry Vanilla Tart

M

y fiancé has been asking me to make this childhood favourite since we met (nearly 4 years ago). I hear his granny made it for him when he was small and it was ‘the best thing ever’. Without a recipe to follow, I experimented and with pride and confidence and presented it to him at our Friday date night in lockdown with high expectations for my creation. It didn’t quite get the reaction I’d imagined while I slaved away baking blind my pastry…To cut a long disappointing story short, it turns out is was nothing like his Grannies tart. On describing the key differences I quickly pinpointed that his identification of a tart and a cheesecake are apparently the same.

So, while this gooseberry tart tastes lovely, expect a gooseberry-type-cheesecake recipe to follow soon.

NOTE: This custard sauce can essentially be poured over any fruit of choice if you aren’t a gooseberry fan. As long as its not a very wet / soft fruit that will leak moisture into the sauce e.g. raspberries. Replace with something like blueberries, cherries, blackberries or even sliced ripe pears.

  • 125g butter
  • 250g plain flour
  • 300g gooseberries
  • 200ml double cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla essence OR seeds from 1 vanilla pod
  • 2 large eggs
  • 85g caster sugar
  1. Begin with the pastry. Rub the butter into the flour to form a breadcrumb like mixture or do in a food processor.
  2. Add 1 tbsp cold water and mix with a knife to form a dough (you will probably need more water but add it little by little to prevent it becoming too wet).
  3. Knead lightly on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.
  4. Grease and line a fluted tart tin with a removable base (25cm diameter and 2.5cm deep tin I used)
  5. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to about 3mm thick into a large round. Lift the pastry onto the rolling pin and drape into the tin.
  6. Press the pastry into the well greased tin and up the sides and prick all over with a fork.
  7. Preheat the oven to 190°C, line with parchment, fill with baking beans and blind bake for about 15-20 minutes and a further 5 minutes without the beans until the case is precooked and golden.
  8. Mix the eggs in a jug and use to brush over the fork pricks. Pop back in the oven for a few minutes to seal those wholes then remove from the oven.
  9. Mix the cream, sugar and vanilla into the eggs in the jug and whisk well.
  10. Scatter the gooseberries onto the pastry base evenly.
  11. Pour the vanilla custard over the top and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden and the custard has set.
  12. Remove from the oven, leave to cool slightly before serving dusted with icing sugar and a large scoop of ice cream or some warm custard.

Poached Pears in Pastry

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Poached Pears in Pastry

T

hese adorable little pears make for a really impressive dinner party dessert and are much easier than you think. They are super light and not too sweet. If you like something a bit sweeter for dessert, feel free to drizzle with a little caramel or chocolate sauce.

Poached pears are endlessly versatile and don’t just have to be wrapped in pastry. If you halved the pear, they’d be delicious served as a savoury cheese pudding with some whipped honeyed goats cheese or on a cheese board with some stilton. You can also wrap half a poached pear in pastry and bake like a tarte tatin. If you’re pushed for time, just poach and serve in a shallow bowl of really creamy vanilla custard.

*I was a little worried the party swirls might ‘melt’ and slip down the pear when baking. They didn’t – hurrah – but to avoid make sure you do the following: Use plenty of egg wash on the pear; keep your pastry fridge cold until ready to use; make sure your oven is hot and to temperature before baking your pears; work quickly and once coated, egg wash and bake. If they do slip down, just bake for longer until the pastry is cooked and serve the lovely pears in their messy pastry bowls. Style it out as rustic, they will still be delicious.

Serves 4

  • 4 pears – variety if up to you, I used conference (important that they are perfectly ripe. Hard and they won’t absorb the flavour, overripe they will be mushy)
  • 300ml dessert wine/sweet wine (you can use just water if you like here and add a bit more sugar)
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 packet puff pastry (ideally a sheet not a block already rolled for ease)
  • 1 egg
  • Sesame seeds, honey, ice cream to serve
  1. Start by preparing the pears. Cut about a 1 /2 cm off the base of the pear so that it sits flat. Peel the pear. Using a melon baller/teaspoon to cut out the core.
  2. Tip the sweet wine, sugar, cinnamon and the seeds from the vanilla pod into a large saucepan. Add the pears. Top up with enough water to just cup up at least 3/4 of the way up the pear. (You can use just water here if you want).
  3. Bring to a gentle simmer and simmer for about 15 minutes until soft. If your pears were a little on the ripe side, simmer for 10.
  4. Once done, leave to cool completely in the poaching syrup. Remove once cool.
  5. When ready to bake, heat the oven to 200 and prepare a lined baking tray.
  6. Whisk an egg in a small bowl and set aside.
  7. Roll the pastry to about 1 pound coin thickness into a large rectangle if using a block. If using a sheet, unroll. Cut 4 small round discs out of pastry the same size as the pear base and place on the baking tray. Brush the pastry circles with beaten egg and place a pear on top.
  8. Carefully brush the pear all over with beaten egg.
  9. Cut long strips of pastry, about 1 cm wide. Starting at the bottom wrap the pastry around the pear in a swirl making sure to stick the unjoined ends together as you go using a little more egg if needed. Complete with all the pears.
  10. Brush the whole pastry wrapped pear with egg gently and scatter over some sesame seeds.
  11. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until golden.
  12. Remove from the oven, drizzle with some honey (or caramel), some extra sesame seeds and a good dollop of vanilla ice cream. Serve!

Crunchy Nut Brownies

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Crunchy Nut Brownies

T

hese were a bit of an experiment if I’m honest. I’d recently seen a brownie topped with a crunchy nut cornflake cake type creation but it just looked far to sweet and syrupy. So, I decided to crumble up these most moreish and guilty cornflakes and bend them through the brownie. They add a nice nuttiness and slight saltiness. I think the measurements could do with some more experimentation but the concept is there! Try adding some VERY lightly salted peanuts (chopped) for a similar effect if you like the sweet and salty combination.

Makes 12 large brownies

  • 130g butter
  • 150g dark chocolate
  • 225g caster sugar
  • 55g cocoa powder
  • 75g plain flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 100g crunchy nut cornflakes, crushed by hand
  1. Preheat the oven to 180 and grease and line a brownie tin (20cm square tin) with parchment.
  2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water until melted fully. Remove from the heat.
  3. Sieve together the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Crunch in the cornflakes and then combine fully with the melted chocolate.
  4. Add the eggs and mix very well until fully combined and glossy.
  5. Tip into your tin and scatter over a handful of extra cornflakes. Bake for 20-30 minutes (i feel 25 was ideal).
  6. Leave to cool completely before cutting – this will also make sure the middle sets if looking a bit molten!