Posts by Jess

September 21, 2013 Comments Off read Uncategorized

My pals at Green & Blcks have just launched two new exciting flavours- lemon and orange! As I was packing for tomorrows warm Grecian holiday this morning, this welcome package arrived on my doorstep! Although a week away in sunny Greece is nothing to complain about, I’m not sure how I will manage waiting a week before getting back into the comfort of my kitchen to experiment with these new wonders! A week away from the blog I’m afraid but I’ll make up for it…promise! Sunbathing can be very productive when it comes to recipe inspiration. Plus, I’m not sure how well these would cope in the Grecian heat…!

Pea, Mint and Black Pudding Fritters

September 20, 2013 Comments Off read Meat, Vegetables and Salads

If you’re cringing at the thought of black pudding, I’ll be candid- man up. Its no more ‘disgusting’ than eating meat surely?! If you’ve never sampled this cheap and tasty treat, at least try it! And hopefully, like me, on you’re first sample you’ll kick yourself at all the time you wasted not enjoying it! Its deep, rich flavour works amazingly well with the sweet flavour of peas…

This recipe is a bit like a previous post (see here) for pea fritters and if you know me you’ll know that I like to fritter things. Its so easy and you can do it with loads of different ingredients and flavours with whats to hand- as long as you have eggs and flour! Here I have simply added crumbled black pudding instead of the cheese in a previous recipe and some fresh mint. A delicious light lunch.

Serves 4

125ml milk
2 eggs
30g cornflour
100g flour
250g peas
100-150g black pudding (cooked and crumbled)
Large bunch mint, leaves picked and chopped finely
Handful of chives, chopped finely.
Lemon

Boil the peas for a few minutes then run under cold water. Place half the peas in a food processor and puree.
Sieve in the flours, some salt, pepper. Add the beaten eggs and milk and mix until smooth.
Place in a bowl and fold in the whole peas and herbs and mix well with a squeeze of lemon juice. It should be fairly thick, enough to hold its shape in a pan. Finally crumble in the black pudding.
Heat a frying pan to a medium heat and warm some sunflower oil
Fry spoonfuls of the mixture (as large as you like) in the hot oil for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and set in the middle. Pat fry on kitchen roll and devour.

Caramelised Garlic Tart

September 17, 2013 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

I’d seen this recipe in my thumbed copy of Ottolenghi’s ‘Plenty’ too many times to flick past it again. I’d heard good things about it…they’re true by the way. The original recipe calls for puff pastry which I think would have tipped me over the edge into food heaven but I used a lighter flaky shortcrust infused with thyme after an indulgent week that just couldn’t handle the butter content of puff. Either pastry is fine but I suggest puff just to do it justice. Agreed, when you read the recipe and see 3 heads of garlic, separated and peeled you may find yourself navigating away to another site. However, there is no need to contemplate taking a half day off work as it really won’t take long and you’ll be rewarded with the benefits on eating. The garlic is sweet and glazed when cooked and teasingly moreish.

Serves 6-8

375g puff pastry, rolled/ 1 quantity of shortcrust pastry flavoured with thyme (optional)
3 heads garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
220ml water
Pinch sugar
1 tsp each chopped rosemary and thyme
240g goats cheese- a mix of soft and hard or a mix of cheeses if you’re not a goat cheese lover
2 medium eggs, beaten
100ml double cream
100ml creme fraiche

Preheat the oven to 180°C . Grease and line a tart tin (about 28cm) and line with the rolled puff pastry. (You can also use a shortcrust pastry which is what I actually did when I made it). Prick all over with a fork and line with a sheet of parchment and some baking beans. Bake blind for about 15-20 minutes until mostly cooked and then remove the beans and parchment and return the case to the oven for 5-10 minutes to allow the base to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the cloves of garlic in boiling water for 3 minutes and drain.
Return the garlic to a clean pan with the a splash of oil and fry for a few minutes on a high heat. Add the balsamic vinegar and the water, boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the sugar and the herbs and a pinch of salt. Simmer for another 10 minutes until the liquid begins to reduce and turn syrupy. Set aside.
In a jug, whisk the eggs, creams and plenty of seasoning.
In the pre-baked tart case, crumble or grate over your choice of cheese and then top with the garlic cloves and syrup. Add some more thyme leaves also if you like.
Fill the gap of the tart with the cream mixture and bake at 160°C for 35-40 minutes until set and golden brown.

I served mine with a fresh rocket and baby cos salad with some griddled courgette slices, toasted pine nuts, wafers of parmesan cheese all dressed lightly with lemon juice and olive oil. Devine!

Green Chicken Curry

September 8, 2013 Comments Off read Poultry

Its been a busy few weeks and the pantry has been in shameful neglect and I miss it badly. No work on a Sunday so it cannot possibly steal me from my apron and wooden spoon. I love this dish and these flavours. I hate the fact that amongst my travels, I haven’t ventured anywhere where I have been able to master and learn the art and recipe for an authentic Thai green curry paste that would put the salty and sugary rubbish you can buy in a supermarket jar to shame. Therefore with a little research, my (hopefully) good instinct and palate and a huge bomb proof granite pestle and motar this can be appreciated as a good English alternative. Feel free to use different vegetables, more herbs and it is absolutely open to adding a splash of whatever you think it needs. This recipe worked for me (this time) but I find it changes everytime depending on the strength and type of coconut milk, chilli or even the chicken. In this recipe, its important to taste as you go along!

Serves 4

Paste

Large knob ginger, peeled and sliced roughly
2 red chillis, deseeded
2 kaffir lime leaves
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 stick lemongrass
4 spring onions, chopped
Bunch of coriander

Sauce

400ml thick coconut milk
200ml chicken stock
1tsp fish sauce
1tbsp soy sauce
50g desiccated coconut
200g sugar snap peas/green beans/mini baby corn
8 chicken thighs, boned (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil
Handful of basil, coriander,and 2 spring onions to garnish
2 limes (1 for serving)
6oz wild/brown rice
4 cardamon pods
Popadoms to serve

Preheat the oven to 190°C.
Start with the paste. Using a pestle and mortar, firmly pound together the ginger and the chilli. Add the lime leaves and repeat.
Add the garlic, the lemon grass and the spring onions and pound everything together firmly until you form a really mashed and blended paste. Add the coriander leaves and pound in. Reserve your paste to a bowl.
Heat a heavy based pan or casserole dish with a splash of sunflower oil over a high heat. Season the chicken thighs and fry skin side down until a really crisp skin forms.
Add the sesame oil and remove them from the heat. Remove from the pan and reserve to a plate
Over a medium low heat now, add the curry paste and fry for a few minutes until fragrant. Add 2-3 tbsp of the coconut milk and mix. Add a splash more coconut milk and mix in before adding the rest. Add the fish sauce and soy sauce and stir together. Bring to the boil and add about 200ml of hot chicken stock to form a thickish sauce.
Return the chicken to the pan, try to keep the skin above the liquid to retain the crispy skin but don’t panic if not it can be crisped up later.
Cook for 25 minutes in the oven, uncovered. While cooking, cook your rice with the cardamon pods thrown in or a cinnamon stick if preferred.
Once the chicken is cooked and tender, remove from the dish from the oven. Remove the chicken from the pan and, if the skin isn’t crisp, place on a baking tray under a hot grill and crisp it up while you deal with the sauce. Alternatively, remove to a warm place to rest.
Place the sauce over a medium high heat on the hob and bring to a simmer. Add the sugar snaps (or vegetables being used) and the coconut and simmer for a few minutes. Add the juice from ½ lime and taste. Adjust the taste as needed, adding soy for seasoning.
Return the chicken to the pan. Scatter with chopped basil, coriander and thin slices of spring onions. Squeeze over the juice from the other half of the lime and bring to the table to serve with the rice.

NOTE: This can be adapted in many ways. Try topping with toasted coconut for texture of chopped salted peanuts.

Lamb, Mint and Pea Salad

August 28, 2013 Comments Off read Meat, Vegetables and Salads

Leftover lamb never tasted better. Freshly cut herbs from the garden, a cucumber from the greenhouse and some leftover local lamb. A sunny evening called for a fresh cleansing salad to start the week on a healthy note. Although washed down with a large glass of Cab Sauv it probably had the opposite effect!

Not sure the picture does this dish justice but it is extremely tasty, particularly also crumbled with feta or goats cheese as well as or instead of the lamb for the veges.

Serves 3 as a main, 4 as a lunch or starter

Salad

2 little gems
1 romaine lettuce, shredded
1 small cucumber, chopped on diagonal
1 avocado, chopped
1 lemon, juice
Handful pine nuts, toasted
Bunch mint, leaves picked and chopped
Bunch of chives, chopped
Leftover lamb, sliced- mine was rare roast butterflied leg but anything works well, shredded etc
250g frozen peas, blanched

Oregano and Lemon Yoghurt

6 heaped tbsp thick yoghurt
1 small garlic clove, minced
Bunch oregano, leaves picked
½ lemon juice and zest
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Sun dried Tomato Bread

250g self raising flour
4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil
Bunch basil
Salt and pepper
Warm water

Make the bread first. Blitz the sun dried tomatoes and basil in a processor until fine. Add the flour and some generous seasoning and blend. Pour in enough warm water until the dough comes together in a smooth ball. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes before leaving covered to rest.
Mix the yoghurt ingredients and chill.
Keep the stalks on the little gems to hold them together. Half each and cut each half into 3 keeping them together at the base.
Mix with the blanched peas, shredded romaine, cucumber and chopped herbs on a large platter.
Griddle the avocado on a hot oiled griddle pan until warm and charred. Season well and add to the salad. Squeeze over the juice from the lemon, a good splash of extra virgin olive oil and some seasoning and toss gently to combine.
Sprinkle over the toasted pine nuts and finally the lamb.

7. Heat a large frying pan. Roll the bread out to the thickness of a pound coin and big enough to fit the pan. Fry in the pan for about 5 minutes each side until toasty and beginning to char and crisp. Turn out onto a board and rip up and serve warm with the salad, dunked in the yoghurt or with some salted butter.

Blackcurrant Bakewell Macaroons

August 26, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

I’ve been making a lot of macaroons recently….perfecting the skill you might say! These were without doubt the lightest batch I’ve made to date and the super sweet blackcurrant puree (see here) which I made was to die for with the creamy but punchy almond buttercream filling. Sandwiched lovingly between two girly pillows these taste like a mouthful of bakewell tart! Feel free to use a cherry or raspberry jam for a more traditional ‘bakewell’ flavour however.

For me, the excitement of macaroons comes in the endless combinations of flavours but I love taking a traditional dessert recipe and deconstructing it into a light macaroon in an ‘amuse bouche’ style! The possibilites are endless….pecan pie, treacle tart, creme brule macaroons perhaps?

Macaroon Shells

60g egg whites (about 2 eggs)
40g caster sugar
50g ground almonds
110g icing sugar
Red food colouring

Filling- Almond Buttercream

80g butter, softened
80g icing sugar
Up to 1 tsp almond essence (or to taste)
Blackcurrant/cherry/strawberry jam
Yellow food colouring (optional)

Preheat the oven to 170°C and line a baking tray with parchment.
Blend the ground almonds and icing sugar together in a food processor until fine and then sieve into a bowl.
In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form, then add the caster sugar a spoon at a time until glossy stiff peaks form. Briefly whisk in a good splash of red food colouring.
Fold in 1/3 of the almond mixture to loosen it. Then fold in the rest, being gentle not to knock the air out.
Spoon into a pipping bag with a round ended nozzle and pipe consistent circles of mixture evenly. Give the tray a sharp slap on the surface to level the mixture and leave for 20 minutes, uncovered to form a skin.
Bake for about 12 minutes. They are ready when they come away easily from the tray. Leave to cool.
Combine the butter, icing sugar and almond essence in a food processor or a bowl until smooth and combined. Add a splash of yellow food colouring if you like- the bright yellow colour can look great with the red shells. Spoon into a piping bag.
Pipe some of the buttercream onto a macaroon shell half and top with about ¼ tsp of jam. Sandwich together with another empty macaroon half, squeezing together gently but not so the jam oozes out too much. Enjoy!

NOTE: I didn’t (as I ran out of icing sugar) but for authentic decoration, make up some thick wet icing with icing sugar and a tiny splash of cold water and spoon into a piping bag. Snip off the end and pipe some lines on the macaroons on the outside like a bakewell tart.

Gooey Cinnamon Cake Bites

August 24, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

If you haven’t already checked out the ’smitten kitchen’ food blog then do. Not only is it one of the first blogs that I was introduced to but it is a prime example of a fantastically interesting, honest, varied and drool-worthy food blog created by a passionate foodie who cooks from the heart simply because, like me, she is addicted- cooking is my happy place. However, more so, she has been one of the lucky ducks to get her humble blog made into a cook book. I can only dream of this priceless achievement! However, this is not going to happen by cooking other peoples recipes but the sound of cinnamon (one of my favourite flavours), gooey promises and the multiple times I had clicked on the recipe link only to mutter ‘I must make that’, prompted this recent cake-tin-filler. Here is the original recipe for those interested.

Base

190g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
115g butter, room temp
150g sugar
1 egg, room temp
60 ml whole milk
¼ tsp salt

Gooey Top

60ml golden syrup
60ml whole milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
170g butter, room temp
225g sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 egg, room temp
155g plain flour

Cinnamon Crust

2 tbsp caster sugar
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon

Start by lining a 9inch x 13inch cake tin with parchment. This may seem big but it is a flatish style cake/cake bar. Preheat the oven to 180.
Start with the base by blending the butter and sugar in a processor or with an electric whisk until fluffy. Add the salt.
Combine the egg and milk and mix into the butter and sugar until combined. Finally sieve in the flour and baking powder and stir to form a thick batter.
Spoon it into blobs into the lined tin and spread out evenly and thinly with a spatula
Now for the gooey layer, beat the butter and sugar together (no need to wash the processor) with the salt until fluffy. Add the egg.
Combine the syrup, vanilla and milk.
Sieve in 1/3 of the flour followed by half the syrup-milk mix. Add another 1/3 of the flour and then the final half of the syrup. Finally mix int he final 1/3 of flour and blend until smooth and delectable.
Scrap large spoonfuls of the batter on top of the base and spread out evenly with a spatula until flat.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and scatter generously over the top to form a crusty cinnamon coat
Bake for 25 minutes. It should feel slightly soft but gently et in the centre. Remove from the oven and leave totally alone to cool before removing from the pan.
Cut into bite size pieces if you like.

Quadruple Tapas

August 22, 2013 Comments Off read Meat, Poultry, Vegetables and Salads

I know the concept behind tapas is to eat each dish as it is ready- picking at little morsels of delicious oily, salty and punchy delights to give all your taste buds a go on the flavour dodgems. A long evening should be spent savouring tapas with no where to be and sipping delicious wine in the summer sun. However, I decided to make a selection for dinner and couldn’t find the relaxing side of constantly running back and forth to the kitchen to fry a croquetas or bake some fresh bread or turn off one of 100 timers. So I made a selection all to be eaten and enjoyed together with some delicious wine. I won’t lie, my way took a strong organisation and a large accommodating hob but I managed it. In addition, I have a new found respect for tapas bars….the amount of work that goes into the prep to bring together all the aspects and flavours of just one small dish is huge,-all requiring those little details to make them perfect. I won’t be opening a tapas bar in the near future but what can be gained from this experiment is that 1) I LOVE tapas but will leave it to the experts and 2) I won’t be so horrified at the staggering prices of a few small tapas dish from now on as I venture out to dine thinking that ‘tapas is just a cheap meal right?’.

Croquetas (Makes about 9 large croquetas)

I first saw a recipe for these in a Jamie Oliver book which this recipe is based on but they are a common little tapas dish and various flavours and recipe derivatives can be found elsewhere. They are essentially a cheesy flavoured bechamel sauce that is cooled and set and rolled in breadcrumbs and fried so that the inside in a hot molten cheesy mixture hugged lovingly in a crispy coat. You can actually use anything to add flavour to the sauce such as different cheeses, smoked fish, anchovies, different herbs or spices. Go wild!

50g butter
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
75g plain flour ( and extra for coating)
300ml milk
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
50g hard cheese- Cheddar/Manchego, grated finely
3 slices of cooked smoked bacon/parma ham, chopped finely
Handful of chives, chopped
1 egg, beaten
100g breadcrumbs

Melt the butter and the oil in a pan over a low heat until liquid. Spoon by spoon, incorporate the flour and stir in until you have a thick paste.
Add the milk, splash by splash stirring in vigourously until smooth and lump free. Once all the milk is added, keep on the heat and keep mixing to prevent lumps but to really thicken the sauce.
Once thick, remove from the heat and stir in the nutmeg, lots of seasoning, the bacon, cheese and finally the chives.
Place into a chilled bowl and pop int he fridge until set. (NOTE: Mine was a little loose for moulding into croquetas so I popped it in the freezer about 30 mins before using to make it easier to handle)
Get 3 plates and add the beaten egg, flour and breadcrumbs to each.
Use a spoon to scoop and roll croquetas of your cooled mixture. Coat in first the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Continue you have done all and then cover and chill.
Heat some oil in a pan, or use a deep fryer. When hot enough, fry the croquetas until golden and crisp on the outside. Make sure it is not too hot or the outside will colour before the inside is warm.
Drain on kitchen paper and scatter with flaky salt and serve immediately.

Morcilla Broad Beans

This recipe is open to quantities so as long as there is a nice balance it will taste great. Don’t skimp on the morcilla however as it adds bags of flavour and depth and feel free to use black pudding which works just as well.

Morcilla, sliced
Broad beans, boiled and podded
Peas
1 small red onion, finely diced

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and gently fry the red onion until soft
Add the morcilla/black pudding slices and fry until cooked on each side.
Tip in the broad beans and peas and stir to combine, breaking up the morcilla as you stir to distribute evenly. Season and then serve.

Crisp Cod and Smoky Aioli

2 cod fillets or any other firm fish
Plateful of polenta (seasoned with salt and pepper)
1 egg, beaten
Flour for coating
2 egg yolks
1 garlic clove, grated finely
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ lemon, zest
1tsp sweet smoked paprika
About 250ml sunflower oil
Flat leaf parsley for garnish

Begin with the polenta coated cod which benefits from some time resting once coated. Skin the fish fillets and cut the fillets into chunky strips cutting with the ‘grain’/flakes.
Get 3 plates and place the beaten egg, flour and seasoned polenta onto each.
Coat the fish fillets in the flour, egg and then a good coating of polenta and then place the fillets on a polenta coated plate while you do the rest. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours once done to allow the polenta to swell a bit and form a good crust.
For the aioli, place the egg yolks, lemon and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and turn it on to blend together. With the motor running slowly and constantly add the oil in a thin stream to allow the yolks and oil to emulsify.
As it starts to thicken, add the paprika and some good seasoning and have a taste. Continue to add as much oil as you like to obtain a thin/thicker texture.
When ready to serve, fry the fillets in a little hot oil with a knob of butter for a few minutes on each side until cooked with a golden crust. Serve immediately garnished with parsley and dipped indulgently into the aioli.

Chorizo

This is now my new favourite way to enjoy chorizo, partly due to this sweet tangy glaze that coats it here. The sauce is wonderful when used a dipping sauce for the olive pittas or some qwilling bread to mop up the juices like an edible sponge.

150g chorizo- raw or cooked
1 ½ tbsp sherry vinegar
1 tsp runny honey
Large sprig of rosemary
3 large garlic cloves

Cut the chorizo into chunky horizontal slices and fry in a hot pan (you can add a tiny drop of oil to get it going is needed).
Peel and crush the garlic cloves coarsely with the back of a knife. If using cooking (raw) chorizo, make sure it is nearly cooked but if using cured chorizo, as it starts to colour and crisp add the garlic to the pan in the oily juices and fry for a few minutes.
Add the picked rosemary leaves and fry for a few more minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the sherry vinegar and the honey and stir to coat the chorizo.
Return to the heat and very gently simmer the sauce until a little more syrupy and thick but not too reduced. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm while you do the rest of your dishes as this one will keep.
Serve with the olive pittas or some fluffy bread dipped into the beautiful oily juices

Olive Pitta

See here for pittas recipe– Don’t add the nigella seeds but instead, add a good pinch of sweet smoked paprika.
Once the dough has risen, add in a small handful of both chopped black olives and sun dried tomatoes.

Tomato Consomme

August 20, 2013 Comments Off read Vegetables and Salads

This looks like a bowl of dishwater right? Maybe with a mild tomato flavour? That’s what my mum was thinking as I tried (hard) to convince her that it would taste good. A tomato consomme sounds fancy but this one is simple. It is basically (without sounding pretentious) a clear bowl of tomatoey ‘essence’ or broth that is packed full of natural punchy tomato flavour, chilled and served as a lovely soup/palate cleanser. In the hot summer months when the tomatoes are bursting and ripe it is great alternative recipe for tomatoes if you’re fed up of pesto and mozzarella.

Serves 3-4

1kg ripe juicy tomatoes
½ small clove garlic
Large bunch basil (reserve a few small leaves for garnish)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Roughly chop the tomatoes and place in a food processor with the garlic, basil (including stalks), salt and pepper and the red wine vinegar and blitz until slushy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Line a bowl with a couple of pieces of fine muslin and pour in the tomato slush.
Pull together the corners and secure with a knot. Hang above the bowl and leave to juices to drip through. Hang in a cool place or in the fridge (a little impractical so where ever is easiest). Don’t be tempted to squeeze the bag, as you want it to drip naturally in order to get a really clear liquid.
Leave to drip for about 7 hours or until you think most of the juice has been collected. You can gently push the muslin if you like at this stage.
Once collected, taste and add salt to taste. Pour into a clean jug and chill until needed. Serve in bowls or cups with some small purple or green basil leaves to garnish.

NOTE: This is a stripped back recipe from a Jamie Oliver interpretation where he infuses horseradish and adds a splash of vodka for a Bloody Mary inspired version.

Lime Layer Drizzle with Blackcurrant and White Chocolate

August 16, 2013 Comments Off read Sweet Treats

Its been a frustrating week of unknowns but what can be guaranteed- as so rightly put by Julie from ‘Julie & Julia’- is that at the end of the day you can always rely on eggs, sugar, butter and flour producing something delicious. Chuck in some gooey lime syrup, some sharp mouthwateringly-tart blackcurrant puree and the soothing sweet sugary hug of a palate knife of white chocolate buttercream and you’ve got yourself the solution to any first world trauma…(excluding obesity….!) With too many handpicked blackcurrants from the allotment to fit in the freezer- yes the frozen joints of meat and 2 year old pack of fish fingers for those emergencies had to be sacrificed- it was time for the blackcurrants to earn their keep. With a vat of blackcurrant sorbet and enough jam to keep a Frenchman happy, it was time to use them in a new recipe.

If you can’t get hold of blackcurrants (get in touch, our crop would supply international orders) then blackberries would be good too but the tart sharpness of the blackcurrants is really lovely with the white chocolate.

Serves….many!

Cake

225g unsalted butter, softened
225g golden caster sugar
225g self raising flour
4 eggs
1 1/2 zest lime
85g caster sugar
6 tbsp juice (about 1 ½ limes)

Fillings

300g blackcurrants
100g caster sugar
100g white chocolate
140g unsalted butter, softened
140g icing sugar, sieved

Preheat the oven to 180°C and line two small (16cm) cake tins.
Beat the butter and caster sugar together until pale and creamy. Add in the beaten eggs one at a time followed by the lime zest.
Sieve in the flour and fold in to combine.
Spoon into the tins and even out. Bake for about 40-50 minutes until just cooked and springy to touch.
While they are baking, combine the 85g caster sugar, and the lime juice and warm over a low heat to dissolve the sugar. As soon as the cakes come out the oven, prick all over with a tooth pick and spoon the syrup over the two cakes, allowing it to seep into the holes. Leave to cool COMPLETELY in their tins before turning out.
For the blackcurrant puree, wash the blackcurrants so they retain a bit of water on their skins and heat with the sugar in a pan over a medium heat until they begin to burst and soften and turn a little syrupy. Don’t boil and obliterate them, as soon as they start to simmer, remove from the heat. Puree in a food processor or the like until smooth.
Tip into a sieve and strain out the pips and skins to achieve a smooth glossy puree. You should get about 180g (ish).Chill until needed.
For the butter cream, melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Give it a beating if it is a bit lumpy to get a smooth melted chocolate. Leave to cool a little.
Combine the sieved icing sugar and softened butter until smooth and then beat in the melted chocolate. Set aside until needed.
Only when the cakes are completely cold, slice each into half horizontally to get 4 layers. Place one layer on a cake stand and then spread ¼ of the buttercream evenly over followed by a generous spoonful (just under 1/3) of the blackcurrant puree. Place another layer on top and repeat, finishing with a top layer of buttercream if you like.
Sit back and admire your effort before devouring.