Posts by Jess

Almond, Pear and Amaretto Tart with Salted Caramel Ice Cream

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Almond, Pear and Amaretto Tart with Salted Caramel Ice Cream

A rich, buttery and almond flavoured frangipane is my most favourite way to fill a crisp, delicate pastry case. This tart is really versatile and the mixture can be topped with any seasonal fruit. Alternatively, you can grind other nuts such as walnuts or hazelnuts (see here) to give your frangipane an original twist. In the summer, I have a huge weak spot for this dessert, topped it with a scattering of the juicy, tart, and punchy blackcurrants from our allotment. However, with pears, apples of blackberries it is delicious too. Just watch that the fruit you add doesn’t have too much moisture which will ooze out and make the filling wetter. This recipe is Christmassy, wintery and extremely satisfying….A variation on this always makes an appearance at my dinner parties topped with some salted caramel ice cream in this case and a good shot of warming Amaretto……

Pastry

  • 125g cold butter, cubed
  • 250g plain flour
  • Splash cold water

Frangipane filling

  • 200g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 200g caster sugar
  • 200g ground almonds
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Splash of amaretto
  • 1-2 pears
  • 15g butter
  • 15g caster sugar
  • Handful of flaked almonds for decoration
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Begin by making the pastry. For the method, see here. Follow up to step 7.
  3. Next, peel, core and slice the pears into long chunky slices. Melt the 15g of butter in a frying pan until beginning to sizzle, then add the sugar and stir until melted. Add the pears and gently fry for a few minutes.
  4. Turn up the heat and add a splash of amaretto. Let this simmer away and reduce a little before removing from the heat and setting aside.
  5. Now begin with the filling. In a processor or by hand, cream the butter and sugar together until creamy and thoroughly mixed.
  6. Add the vanilla to the beaten egg. Add this, a bit at a time, to the creamed butter, and mix in until well combined (don’t worry if it curdles, it won’t matter)
  7. Now add the ground almonds, a splash of amaretto (optional) and mix
  8. Once your pastry case is cooked and cool, fill with the frangipane and smooth out into an even layer.
  9. Top with the pears in an attractive pattern and press them lightly into the mixture. Drizzle with some of the buttery, sugary, amaretto flavoured caramel from the frying pan. Scatter with the flaked almonds.
  10. Bake for about 30-45 minutes until the mixture is set and doesn’t wobble. Check it after about 30 minutes however, to make sure it isn’t browning too much (like mine unfortunately….) If so, cover with foil and continue to bake.
  11. Once cooked, remove from the oven. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I served mine with some salted caramel ice cream and a shot of Amaretto!

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Caramel Ice Cream with Salted Almond Praline

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Caramel Ice Cream with Salted Almond Praline

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With December now well and truly here, it must be accepted that the gastronomic season has arrived. This pleasingly warrants the excuse for overindulgent food with an extra special touch or time and care wrapped in a blanket of calories and tied up with vast amount of edible guilt. With a welcome invite to a house Christmas meal approaching, and the responsibility of bringing dessert, my creative mind went into a sugary coma. A need to supply my hosts with something to sooth their taste buds and thank them for their hospitality. So to go with my pear, almond and amaretto tart, my love of ice cream was sure to make a chilly appearance. However, with no ice cream maker in the limited freezer in my home away from home in Clifton, I opted for this cheats recipe which is always a great one to have on tap. It doesn’t require churning as it won’t crystalise when freezing and it gives a very rich and creamy texture. A can of condensed milk and some single cream never looked nicer….

Praline

  • 100g caster sugar
  • 20g flaked almonds
  • ½ tsp Maldon Sea Salt

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 300ml single cream
  1. Begin with the cheats ice cream base. Submerge a can of condensed milk in a pan of water on it side and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 ½ hours making sure the water does not dry out and that it is covered (otherwise it could explode…worse things have happened)
  2. Meanwhile, make the praline. Begin by lightly oiling a piece of greaseproof paper.
  3. Now heat a dry frying pan and lightly toast the flaked almonds until tinged and fragrant. Scatter densely over the parchment.
  4. Now, scatter the caster sugar in a dry frying pan in an even, thin layer and turn up the heat.
  5. The sugar should begin to melt within a couple of minutes. Use a plastic spatula to mix in any non-melted areas and any lumps. All the sugar will melt and it will start to turn golden and liquid. Watching all the time as it can burn easily, continue to melt until light golden brown but not burnt!
  6. Quickly, using the spatula, tip the caramel over the almonds on the parchment and scatter quickly with the sea salt while still hot. Leave to cool until solid before breaking into shards.
  7. Once the condensed milk has been boiled it will have turned to caramel. Leave the can to cool before handling.
  8. Mix the cooled caramel with the single cream and beat with a whisk until well combined.
  9. Now, using either a food processor, a pestle and mortar or just a bag and a wooden spoon, coarsely crush your praline into chunks. I left some a bit more whole and some into a powder.
  10. Mix this evenly into the ice cream base and place in the freezer overnight. The praline pieces have a tendency to fall to the bottom so if you can be bothered, freeze half your cream mixture, then scatter over your praline and the remaining mixture and freeze again.
  11. Enjoy your ice cream with an added sprinkle of sea salt if required! I served mine with a pear, almond and amaretto tart.

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PS. This cheats ice cream base is open to interpretation….adding coconut milk instead of cream sprinkling of lime zest is one of my favourites. However, add any other flavours you like. It is quite a soft texture anyway, so adding salt in this case, or alcohol which doesn’t freeze, will make it even softer so bear this in mind before going too heavy handed on the booze!

Spinach, Watercress and Pea Healing Soup

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Spinach, Watercress and Pea Healing Soup

Ever feel like your body is screaming for some nutrients? After this soup, I always feel like I’ve eaten my way to adding another few years onto my lifespan! It has a deep, tasty flavour and is delicious with warm toasted soda bread and salty butter.

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, diced
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 750ml hot chicken/vegetable stock
  • 170g peas
  • 150g spinach
  • 170g watercress
  • 150 double cream
  • Chives
  • Dukka
  1. Heat the oil and fry the onion and celery on a low heat until soft. Add the garlic for the last few minutes before adding the hot stock
  2. Add the peas and return to the boil for about 5 minutes
  3. Add the spinach and watercress and simmer for 10 minutes
  4. The blend the soup and add the cream or creme fraiche if you like.
  5. Serve scattered with chives, herbs or more  cream. I sprinkled mine with dukka for added texture and a bit of spice

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Horseradish Arancini with Roasted Beets

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Leftovers can be all the more delicious if you give them a bit of time. With some leftover horseradish risotto….arancini were on the list, with some seasonally roasted beets and a vibrant and sweet pea puree.

  • 1 quantity of leftover risotto, cold
  • Large bowl of fine white breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 4 tbsp plain flour
  • Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley
  1. Lay out 3 shallow bowls. Place the flour in one, the beaten egg in another and the breadcrumbs in the last.
  2. Chop the parsley finely and add to the breadcrumbs with some seasoning.
  3. Now take a spoonful of your cold risotto and form it into a golf ball. First roll in the flour, then the egg and finally into the breadcrumbs to coat. You can re-roll it into the egg and breadcrumbs again if you like, for a thicker coating.
  4. Do this with the rest of the risotto.
  5. Now heat some olive oil in a pan with a knob of butter. When it starts to sizzle, add the arancini and fry on a medium high heat until golden and the risotto is warm through. If they brown too quickly before they are hot in the middle, pop them in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.
  6. Roast some beetroot in oil, with a scattering of cumin seed, salt and pepper for 45 minutes and serve alongside with some crushed peas.

Red Wine Poached Fillet steak on Horseradish Risotto

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The first years harvest of our own homegrown (miniature I add) horseradish roots was the most judicious and pleasing reason to bring out the humble roast a few weekends ago. Star of the show, grated generously like hot, fierce confetti for a meaty beef groom and a fluffy, brunette, Yorkshire bride!

However, I love the smack this root gives and thought it would go dreamily in one of my favourite dishes- risotto. So this Sunday, instead of a roast, I opted for a rather extravagant (but all the same, delicious) wine poached steak to top my horseradish risotto. Drizzled greedily with a thick deep red wine reduction and some seasonal kale, I am set for the week!

  • 200ml red wine
  • 2 thyme sprigs
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 200ml beef stock
  • tbsp butter
  • tbsp flour
  • 100g fillet/sirloin steak per person
  1. Begin by adding together the wine, stock, herbs and garlic and one a medium heat, simmer until reduced by about half the amount.
  2. It is important to ensure that the heat is too high so that the liquid is not boiling but gently simmering so your don’t boil your steak but poach it. Add your steak making sure that it is covered in the liquid but not drowning.
  3. Poach gently for about 7 minutes for medium depending on the thickness of you steak. Mine was about 2cm thick.image
  4. Remove from the heat and allow to rest, covered, while you do the sauce.
  5. Turn up the heat again and simmer to reduce by about half again.
  6. Mix 1 tbsp of butter with 1 tbsp of flour in a bowl until you have a paste. This is called a beurre manie and is a method I regularly use to thicken sauces without the flour going lumpy and as a way to get yet more butter into a recipe!
  7. When you have a soft paste, whisk this into the sauce and allow it to thicken. The addition of the butter will also add a nice creamy shine to your sauce. Once it is to the right texture, taste, season and sieve.
  8. This can be served on anything from butternut squash, potato, celeriac or parsnip puree but I served mine on a horseradish risotto. I simply made a plain risotto recipe (minus the parmesan) with the addition of some rosemary and thyme and added 3 good tablespoons of fierce horseradish sauce (per 200g rice).
  9. Top the risotto with your poached steak and drizzle with a splash of red wine sauce and some nutmeg seasoned kale.

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Sunflower Seed, Vanilla and Cinnamon Butter

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I love my seeds and nuts so once again, here is another go at a nut butter. This time sunflower seeds. Whilst reminding me of my friends late hamsters dinner, these little seeds remind me of when I was little as I’d munch them all day long…Feel free to add more oil than I have for a creamiest texture but I like mine with as little as possible to retain their wholesome goodness. They don’t have as much natural oil in them as pumpkin seeds or peanuts so you will need to add some.

Ingredients

  • 200g sunflower seeds, toasted
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 vanilla pods, seeds scraped (although even more wouldn’t be a crime)
  • 2-4 tbsp mild, light olive or sunflower oil (up to 50ml)

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  1. Begin by toasting the sunflower seeds in the oven for a few minute or in a dry frying pan until fragrant.
  2. Add them to the bowl of the food processor and begin to blend for a few minutes.
  3. After they are fairly powdery and broken down, add a pinch of salt and continue blending, scraping the the mixture down the sides when necessary.
  4. Add a splash of oil to loosen and add moisture as you go.
  5. Continue to blend, adding as much oil as you like to achieve your desired texture. I like mine with as little as possible but for a spoonable soft butter add up to 50ml.
  6. Add the cinnamon and the vanilla seeds and continue to process. Adjust by adding more to your tastes as you go.
  7. Once you have a mixture that is buttery and tastes to your liking, store in a sterilized jar and keep in the fridge ready to top toast, porridge or with some jam in a bagel…If you come up with any winning combination, let me know!

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Its getting a little sad that the highlight of my Sunday evening is a adrenaline filled dash to my local ‘Little Waitrose’ on the triangle in Clifton where if you get in there about 10 minutes before closing you can usually bag yourself some bargains! With a whole grate of asparagus (I hate to admit, imported from Peru) I had to take a load home for dinner to save the unnecessary wastage. So for all you Bristol students out there who think you can’t eat well on a budget, get yourself to Waitrose at 5.50pm on a Sunday!

Cauliflower Cheese Soup With Sage and Chestnuts

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Cauliflower Cheese Soup With Sage and Chestnuts

Time for another comforting winter soup. I love cauliflower cheese so this soup was sure to please. As chestnuts were also in season and getting ready to be roasted on a humble fire, I thought I’d save them the pain. As they were screaming naughtily at me to eat them, I topped my soup with their creamy, crumbled texture and some crispy sage leaves for some delicate crunch.

  • 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • Large knob of butter
  • 1 garlic clove sliced
  • small bunch of sage leaves, picked
  • 700ml hot stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • 100g or so of strong mature cheddar cheese, grated
  • Sage leaves to fry
  • Olive oil
  • Chestnuts
  1. Begin by getting the chestnuts on to boil. Pop them straight in, they should take about 15 minutes to soften. After this, drain and allow to cool. You can score the top with a cross to make them easier to peel if you like. Once soft, drain and set aside to cool.
  2. Melt the butter with a splash of oil in a pan. Once hot, soften the onion for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the sage leaves and the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes.
  3. Add the cauliflower florets and stir to coat in the onion. Season.
  4. Add the hot stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the cauliflower is really soft when pierced with a knife.
  5. Remove from the heat and blend with a hand blender.
  6. Add a spoonful of creme fraiche or replace some of the stock for milk for a creamier texture if you like. Add the cheese.
  7. Replace back on the heat on low and stir until the cheese had melted. Season to taste
  8. Now heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan until really hot. Lightly fry the sage leaves until crispy and drain on kitchen paper. Season with a scatter of salt. This oil can now be kept and used as ‘sage-scented oil’ to top your soup or for other recipes and dressings.
  9. Serve the soup topped with crumbled chestnuts, crispy sage leaves and a drizzle of the fragrant oil!

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Gingerbread and Apple Pancakes

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Gingerbread and Apple Pancakes

The perfect start to a sunny Autumnal Sunday morning. I saw a version of these recently on a cookery show, however I always like to get some fruit into my breakfast in some way so I added some grated apple for texture and nourishment!

Pillowy, light and spongy pancakes are always satisfying. I haven’t got a huge sweet tooth so I appreciate homemade pancakes that haven’t been drowned in maple syrup or criminally, bacon…..! I had mine simply with Greek yoghurt and a spoonful of my pumpkin butter jam for sweetness. Drizzled with some sticky honey (the pancakes not me), I was ready to start the day……

  • 225g self raising flour
  • 3 tbsp light muscovado sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • pinch salt
  • ½ lemon, grated zest
  • ½ vanilla pod, seeds. Or a few drops of vanilla extract
  • 300ml milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 apple, grated and drained in a colander
  1. Place the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
  2. Add the lemon, vanilla and then whisk in the milk.
  3. Whisk in the egg and then add the apple. My apple was quite moist so it made the mixture a little thinner so I suggest draining the apple in a colander first or patting dry. I just added a little more flour and it still worked out fine!image
  4. Pour a little oil in a hot frying pan and fry large spoonfuls of the mixture for a few minutes until it begins to turn golden brown underneath and bubbles appear on top before flipping and frying for a few more minutes.
  5. Serve warm with yoghurt and honey or any other favourite accompianment!

These are also open to experimentation! Add any flouring, spice or fruit but be aware that wet fruit will add a lot of moisture. Try it with my pumpkin butter jamimage

Pumpkin, Pancetta and Sage Risotto with a poached egg

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Pumpkin, Pancetta and Sage Risotto with a poached egg

This seasons allotment pumpkin harvest certainly and surprisingly earnt its keep this year which is my excuse for the popular pumpkin theme these last few weeks. As ten chubby, overfed pumpkins sat apprehensively on the wall outside my backdoor, I had originally thought them unsuitable for eating, I had already devised a family tree of characters to make my own set of halloween faces! However, as I cut into their dense, creamy flesh, I realised they were much too good to waste.

So I knocked up a vat of oozing, cheesey, creamy and vibrantly orange halloween-themed risotto. Topped with a poached egg, or as pictured, a cool quinelle of mascarpone, it went down a treat. I roasted my pumpkin to get the most from its flavours with a little added crushed coriander seed to give you a crackle of surprise in every other mouthful.

Serves 4

  • 1 small pumpkin/butternut squash
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed in a pestle and mortar
  • 3 garlic cloves, left in their skins
  • Olive oil
  • 200g risotto rice
  • Hot chicken or vegetable stock (about 1 pint)
  • 1 glass dry white wine
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • Few sprigs thyme
  • 25g butter
  • Parmesan, grated
  • Handful of sage leaves
  • 150g pancetta or smoked bacon
  • 1 egg/Mascarpone to serve
  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Cut the pumpkin in halve and scoop out the seeds and reserve (you can fry these in oil). Cut into small quarters or large chunks and drizzle with oil, scatter with salt and pepper and the coriander seeds. I chucked in a few garlic cloves in their skins here too, as I never miss this opportunity as they go all sweet and sticky.
  2. Roast for about 40-50 minutes until the flesh is soft and scoopable. Use a spoon to scoop the flesh out into a food processor or a large bowl and throw the skins away. Squeeze the sugary garlic from their skins and add to the pumpkin. Mash in a processor with a splash of hot stock to loosen or with a masher in a bowl. Set aside to keep warm.image
  3. Meanwhile or afterwards, begin the risotto base. Melt the butter with a splash of oil in a large pan over a medium low heat. Soften the onion until translucent and then add the thyme leaves and season.
  4. Add the rice and stir until beginning to turn translucent and it is hot to touch. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed.
  5. Now turn the heat down so that it gently simmers and add ladlefuls of your hot stock to the rice, adding another once each had been absorbed. Don’t let it dry out however. (For tips on the perfect risotto see here) The whole process should take about 15-18 minutes with continual stirring.
  6. Meanwhile, heat a hot frying pan and cook the pancetta or bacon until crisp. Add the sage leaves at the end for a minute until crisp then set aside.
  7. After about 15 minutes, test the risotto. The rice should be nearly done or a little al dente.
  8. Now stir in most of the pumpkin puree. It will thicken considerably so add more stock to get a oozy, loose and molten texture.
  9. Stir in the pancetta and sage and season to taste.
  10. Once the consistency is loose enough and the rice is cooked, take off the heat. Add the parmesan and a squeeze of lemon and cover with a lid and let it sit for a minute or so to rest. Then stir together when the cheese has melted.
  11. Spoon into shallow bowls and top with extra sage, and if wanted, a spoonful of creamy mascarpone or a ‘runny-in-the-middle’ poached egg!

This recipe is also lovely with walnuts or chestnuts for added crunchy texture!