Rouille

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Rouille is simply a saffron, chilli and garlic infused mayonnaise. I always make my own mayo at special occasions or when it is a central ingredient or accompaniment for a meal as it is so easy to make if you have a food processor and a steady hand. Once you’ve had the real homemade stuff you’ll be left wondering how on earth a jar of Hellman’s suddenly tastes so vile after years or worshipping the contents? The only hold back usually, is its creamy indulgence so don’t throw away your jars yet……..Classic French rouille is a traditional garnish to a punchy Provencal fish soup or a deep rich bouillabaisse. A celebratory freshly homemade bouillabaisse was the call for this batch which I knocked up to lather a bakeryful of giant sourdough croutons!

  • 1 tsp dried crushed chillies
  • Pinch of flaky salt
  • 3 large garlic cloves
  • Pinch of saffron
  • 2 free range egg yolks, at room temperature
  • 120ml olive oil
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  1. Grind the chillies, garlic cloves, and saffron with the salt in a pestle and mortar.
  2. Add the egg yolks and mix thoroughly
  3. Add to a food processor and, with the motor running, pour the oil through the funnel drop by drop and then in a EXTREMELY steady, gentle stream with the motor running at all times. If you add to fast it won’t emulsify with the yolks, however as you see it begin to thicken, you know you’re on safe ground and you can begin to pour more quickly but still in a steady stream. Sometimes it won’t take and the mixture will split and be runny like cream- sometimes it just happens *image
  4. When you have added about 2/3 of the oil and it is thickening, add the lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne pepper and then finish adding the oil. If you want it a little thinner, add a little more oil.
  5. Once finished, pot and pop it in the fridge where it will keep for about 4-5 days.

This recipe, untraditionally doesn’t contain soaked breadcrumbs which it should but I rather like it without and thought this recipe was great anyway!

* To prevent your mayonnaise splitting in the first place, use fresh eggs at room temperature in a really clean food processor bowl. If it does split, don’t chuck you’re mixture. Remove it to a jug, clean the bowl well and add another egg yolk to the processor and blend. Then instead of adding oil, add the mixture!image

Tips for the perfect risotto…….

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Call me crazy but risotto is my idea of a relaxing evening at home in the kitchen. After spending some of my gap year traveling in Tuscany undergoing self-indulgent cookery courses, it takes me floating back while mindlessly stirring a pan of creamy, moorish risotto with nothing to rush for except the giddy excitable stomachs of your blessed guests- sorry but they’ll have to wait, risotto cannot and should not be rushed. Like my ice cream, I am probably a risotto connoisseur. So many people cook risotto badly- dry, stiff overcooked and tasteless. So here are a few of my tips I’ve gathered after countless experiences that I think are essential when cooking an fantastic Italian risotto.

These apply mainly to the process of making a risotto base. Extra flavours, different wines or purees can be added during or at the end, but essentially these rules always apply for me!

  • Butter– Risotto is a regional dish from the Northern areas of Italy. As discovered on my cookery endeavours, rather pleasingly, here it is much more common to use butter in cooking than the southern use of olive oil. Therefore, always use a big knob of unsalted butter (with a little olive oil to prevent it burning) to gently soften the base vegetables (onion, celery etc). Risotto is about flavour and taste- don’t skimp on the good stuff.
  • Wine– Once your rice has toasted a bit, always add a generous glass of wine and let it bubble so that is is absorbed by the rice, before adding your stock. Always keep any leftover wine for this exact purpose as it doesn’t have to be good/fresh.
  • Stock– Always add HOT stock. This will ensure the cooking time is kept constant and the temperature of the risotto does not keep fluctuating. I keep a pan on the hob next to me with a big ladle. In addition, use a GOOD stock as essentially, this will add the bulk of the flavour so make sure its tasty.
  • Liquid– Add the stock little by little. This is important, never add it all at once as the rice will boil dry before it has a chance to cook. Keep a loose texture but don’t let it run dry, so keep an eye out. It needs constant stirring to loosen the liquid around the grains to release the starch and thicken the mixture.
  • Al dente– The whole addition process should take about 15-18 minutes so keep testing the rice. I should have a slight (and I mean slight not raw) al dente bite so that when served, you can see each grain. Overcooked and the grains merge in a starchy mess.
  • Rest– When it is ready, add cubed, chilled butter (the more the merrier) and grated parmesan (usually, except in a seafood risotto) while it is OFF the heat. Pop a lid on and just let it sit relaxingly for a few minutes.
  • Texture– risotto should be served on a flat plate or shallow soup bowl so that it can easily spread but is not watery.
  • Serve– Finally, serve at once! Like I said, risotto doesn’t wait for anyone, the longer it’s left, the more it will overcook.

Leftovers– If for some insane reason there are leftovers, don’t you dare throw them away! One of the most amazing things to do with cold risotto is to make arancini. These are balls of rice, breaded and fried and usually contain cheese. Using your cold leftovers, roll into tennis ball sized balls (a nice thing to do is stick a piece of mozzarela, goats cheese or a good melter in the centre first) and coat in flour, egg and then roll in breadcrumbs. These little beauties can now be fried in oil (or deep fried) until golden and molten in the middle.

See my Wild Mushroom and Marsala Risotto recipe.

Wild Mushroom and Marsala Risotto with thyme and mascarpone

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An oozing, Autumnal, deep, rich, silky and moorish risotto. This can be, and I assure you- will be, eaten with nothing but a trusty fork, eyes closed with a satisfied smile on your face. As the last rays of sunshine tiptoe off back to Australia leaving behind a dark gallery of evenings and a steady chilly drizzle….not to worry, this will solve any post summer blues, I promise. Because, honestly, who doesn’t love cheesey buttery and smooth warming dinners (unless of course you don’t like mushrooms)…

Risotto is the most relaxing way to spend a evening in the kitchen, unwinding with a glass of iced white, music and some mindless stirring with a wooden spoon….bliss. [See my tips for risotto making] (Serves 4)

Risotto Base

  • 300g risotto rice
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 stick celery, chopped
  • Bunch thyme, leaves picked
  • 150ml Marsala wine (or white wine)
  • Vegetable stock- About 1 ½ pints
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 50g grated Parmesan
  • 60g unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • Flat-leaf parsley to serve, chopped
  • Mascarpone, to serve
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil

Mushrooms

  • 500g mixed mushrooms- I used chesnut and button, sliced
  • Handful of dried wild mushrooms, soaked in 200ml boiling water for 20 minutes
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • Handful of parsley, chopped
  • Olive oil
  • Knob of butter
  1. Preheat the oven to 220°C and roast the garlic bulb whole, drizzled with a bit of oil for 30 minutes. Soak the dried mushrooms in boiling water.
  2. Now begin with the risotto base by heating a tbsp of olive oil and a knob of butter in a large frying pan on a medium-low heat and soften the onion, celery and thyme leaves until translucent but not coloured. Seasonimage
  3. While this is softening, heat 1 tbsp of oil and a knob of butter in another frying pan and saute the raw mushrooms to release and evapourate the juices (about 8-10 minutes) and to brown them. Don’t be tempted to crowd the pan, so do this in batches if necessary. After about 10 minutes, add the garlic and the parsley and cook for a few minutes. image
  4. Reserve the mushroom soaking liquid and chop the soaked dried mushrooms and add them to the frying ones. Then set aside this mixture.
  5. Using forks, remove the (should be) softened, sweetened garlic and crush to a thick garlicky paste in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt.image
  6. Back to the risotto, add the rice to the softened veg and toast on a medium heat until translucent and hot to touch. Add the Marsala wine (or white wine) and simmer gently. Now add a ladle of hot stock to the mixture, and on a low heat, simmer gently until it is all absorbed. Continue adding ladles of stock, making sure it does not dry out but is also not swamped. The rice should expand as it absorbs the liquid and this process should take about 18-20 minutes. Keep adding stock until the rice is cooked, with a slight bite and the texture is oozy. Now add the garlic paste and mix in.image
  7. Now, the rice should be cooked. Stir in the reserved mushrooms.image
  8. Take the pan off the heat, add a squeeze of lemon juice, the parmesan and scatter with the cubed butter (you can add as much butter as you like, the more you add the shinier and creamier it will taste- restaurants are known to use up to 200g to get that decadent texture and taste). Cover with a lid and leave for 2 minutes off the heat. image
  9. After this time, mix gently to mix in the melted additions and add a touch of reserved mushroom stock if to thick. It should ‘ooze’ and be served in a shallow soup bowl- not dry and stiff on the plate.
  10. Serve topped with chopped parsley, a spoonful of cool, creamy mascarpone and drizzle with truffle/olive oil if you want!

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WINE: The depth and richness of this dish is robust enough to stand up to something regional from Italy. Here I’m thinking a hearty red from Valpolicella, Italy. While you could in fact use a splash in your risotto or make a devine Veronese Risotto as a replacement of the Marsala, better still enough a glass of Amarone della Valpolicella such as the 2010 Musella available at Armit Wines.

Jess - Musella

Homemade Puff Pastry

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Today I attempted my first ever homemade puff pastry. It was totally unnecessary and received eye rolling, sighing and characteristic head shaking from my ‘non-foodie’ father who, ironically, would be reaping the benefits later that evening, in the form of Salmon en croute. I’ve always looked upon puff pastry as a superfluous endeavour when the supermarkets provide such satisfactory pre-made effort, however, I had some time today, I love cooking and, hey, I thought I’d add it to my repertoire.

Findings. So either I had put the tricky task of making this on a golden plated throne of difficulty or it is actually much easier than people make out, but I must admit, it took much less time than I’d thought, it was simple to create and produced puffed, laminated layers of buttery pastry! So for anyone who has never made it and wants to sample the proper stuff, then give this one a go……it was the first recipe I used, and appeared to work well! Hopefully it wasn’t beginners luck…..(Makes about 600g block)

  • 245g plain flour
  • 40g chilled cubed butter
  • Pinch salt
  • 215g unsalted butter block
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 130ml cold water
  1. Begin by mixing the flour, salt and 40g of cubed butter in a large bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter into the flour until you form a breadcrumb-like mixture.
  2. Make a well in the centre and add the water and lemon juice and mix with a fork until you have a ball of dough. Using your hands, knead lightly until you form a smooth dough. For into a ball and then using a knife, score a deep cross in the top to allow the dough to stretch and relax as it rests. Place in a bowl, cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, place you 215g block of butter between a folded sheet of parchment. Using a rolling pin, bash heavily to flatten the block and soften it, whilst maintaining it in a cold state, to about 1 cm thick, in a square. Return to the fridge.
  4. After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the fridge. Take the corner of each of the crosses you scored and pull them out and roll them using a rolling pin, outwards so they flatten leaving a thicker mound of dough in the middle to accommodate the bulk of the butter that will be added.
  5. Making sure it is slightly smaller than your flat dough, place the chilled sheet of butter in the centre and fold in the corners of the dough to cover it completely.
  6. Flour the work surface well to prevent it sticking and roll the dough, totally encased in butter, into a long rectangle, about 40cm long and 18cm wide. You are now ready for your first folding.
  7. With the short side facing you, bring the top 3rd of pastry down about 2/3rds of the way and the bottom 3rd up to cover it like a book [as seen above]. Then rotate clockwise 90°.
  8. Repeat this rolling to 40cm and folding again. Then wrap in cling film and quickly chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
  9. Bring the dough out and place it in front of you as if it has just been folded. Rotate 90 and repeat steps 7 and 8 so that it has been rolled and folded twice more. Wrap and chill again for 30 minutes.
  10. Finally, repeat this process once more, so that in total it is rolled and folded 6 times. At this stage the dough can be shaped as desired and chilled again for 30 minutes before baking. Or it can be left until needed/frozen.
  11. It is usually baked, brush with beaten egg, (direct from its chilled state to prevent the butter melting) at about 200-220°C for 20 minutes as a rough approximation depending what you are doing with it!

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Champagne and Canapes

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Ok so it was sparkling wine but it was my clear favourite in a blind tasting and its from Kent [Chapel Down- Tenterden]! Despite being my top tipple, it still hasn’t triggered any increase in its purchase in the weekly shop shockingly (I tried) However, this Kent variety is worth buying for a special occasion, which this was……

Yesterday, we proudly and inspiringly celebrated the dedicated 35 years my dad has spent working for an engineering company he joined after University. So we indulged him in some bubbly and fancy canapes. I knocked up some pillowey blinis topped with creme fraiche, salmon caviar and chives.

Blinis

  • 175ml milk
  • 40g butter
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 125g plain flour
  • 50g wholemeal flour
  • 1 ½ tsp dried yeast
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp chopped chives,plus extra to serve
  • Oil to fry
  • Creme fraiche
  • Salmon caviar
  1. Heat the milk and butter until melted.
  2. Sift the flours, yeast, sugar and salt into a food processor or bowl.
  3. With the processor running, add the warmed milk and butter mixture, followed by the egg yolks (or whisk into the bowl if not using a processor)
  4. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until risen and airy.
  5. Whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into the yeast batter with the chopped chives.
  6. Heat a little oil in a hot frying pan and drop small spoonfuls of batter into the pan and cook for about 40 seconds per side or until golden.
  7. Reserve to a plate and leave to cool a little before topping with creme fraiche, caviar and chives. Alternatively, these blinis can be topped with anything else like salmon, goats cheese mousse etc!

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The Crabiest Crab Cakes

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Ok, so crab cakes should theoretically taste of crab right? Good. Due to the high expense of this tasty and humble crustacean, crab and similarly fish cakes, are often bulked up with cheap fillers like breadcrumbs or mashed potato. However, if you can close your eyes while you’re paying, then these will be worth the make! Makes 4, serves 2 (but 2  is plenty as they are rich enough)

  • 200g mixed crab meat (half brown; half white)
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp chopped chives and parsley
  • Salt and pepper
  • Handful breadcrumbs
  • Plain flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
  1. Mix the crab meat, lemon and herbs together in a bowl with lots of freshly ground black pepper and some salt.
  2. Form into 4 round patties and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes
  3. Place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs on 3 plates. Roll each crab cake in first the flour, egg and finally breadcrumbs. Return to the fridge and rest for 30 more minutes
  4. When ready to cook, heat a knob of butter and 1tbsp of olive oil in a medium high heat frying pan. Fry for about 4 minutes on each side or until golden and crisp!

I served mine with an avocado and tomato salsa and homemade mayonnaise!

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Barbeque Chicken and an Italian Stuffed Flatbread

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Balmy summer evenings and a seduceable glowing barbeque like this evening, consistently bring out this beauty of a recipe and reinforce my opinion that Jamie Oliver, is in fact, descended from God! Ok…….this may be taking it a little far, but this cheeky barbeque marinade from ‘Jamie at Home’, is without doubt my most favourite and not a summer goes by that we don’t devour this, with smiles and sticky faces. Its great for coating a leg of lamb, rack of pork ribs or, in our case, a spatchcoked chicken- its devine. Served alongside a fresh, cleansing coleslaw and a cry-worthy Italian stuffed bread, supper is done and dusted……

Marinade

  • 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp fennel seeds
  • 5 cloves
  • bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked
  • bunch of fresh rosemary, leaves picked
  • zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 1 bulb garlic, crushed
  • 4 heaped tsp sweet smoked paprika
  • 6 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 130ml tomato ketchup
  • 8 tbsp olive oil
  • 10 bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 spatchcoked chicken or your chosen meat
  1. Grind the cumin, fennel seeds and cloves in a pestle and mortar with some salt and pepper.
  2. Chop the thyme and rosemary leaves and combine with the orange zest, juice and garlic and place into a large bowl with the spices. Mix together.
  3. Add the rest of the your ingredients and mix thoroughly.
  4. Now add your chosen meat and coat completely with the marinade to cover all the surfaces. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to marinade for as long as possible or at least an hour.
  5. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C. Cover the chicken with foil and roast for about 1 hour to cook the majority of it and release the juices. Finally, finish the cooking on the barbeque, which will crisp the skin and the outside and give a crunchy texture. Use the excess marinade to baste the chicken as it cooks.

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This flatbread is absolutely delicious. I filled mine with a rich, punchy blue cheese but any good melter does the job. A (and I stress- good quality) buffalo mozzarella is stringy and mild or a personal favourite for its meltworthy quality, taleggio is tasty and gooey but here I have used a blue cheese which is just down-right decadent and rich. It was a little overpowering if I’m honest but it makes a lovely alternative to a hunk of filling, stodgy bread as it is lighter, crispier and doesn’t steal the show from the main event- the chicken (did I mention is was amazing yet…………?)

  • 200g strong white bread flour
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 150g cheese, taleggio, buffalo mozzarella, blue cheese or any other good quality melting cheese
  • Flaky maldon salt
  • 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves picked
  1. Sieve the flour into a large bowl and add the oil, a pinch of salt and 100ml of warm water.
  2. Mix with a spoon or fork until combined into a smooth dough (you may need a splash more water depending on your flour). Form into a smooth ball and place in a bowl, cover with cling film and leave for 30 minutes
  3. Then, knead the dough for a few minutes until elastic and smooth. Divide into two and place back in the bowl to rest for 15 minutes, covered.
  4. Preheat the oven to 225°C . Roll one half of the dough as thinly as possible (a couple of mm) into a large circle and place on a lined baking tray. Grate the cheese over the top and a pinch salt if you want.

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  5. Roll out the other halve of the dough to the same size and place over the cheese. Pinch the edges together to seal in the cheese.
  6. Scatter the top with salt, rosemary and a drizzle of oil. Make a couple of slits in the top to let out the steam.image
  7. Bake for 25 minutes until crisp and golden. You may need to check the underneath of the bread to check it is crispy towards the end. If not, return to the oven directly onto the racks without the tray for a few minutes.

Finally, a lovely tangy coleslaw. Any, in fact, will do but I however got carried away and opted for a lovely Thai infused/Asian Slaw which- I know, I know, does not go ideally with a barbeque chicken and an Italian, cheesy bread, but, all the same, our hungry stomaches didn’t protest too much….

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Slaw

  • ½ a red cabbage
  • 4 carrots
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 bunch coriander
  • 1 handful of salted peanuts

Dressing

  • 8 tbsp lime juice
  • Zest from 1 lime
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp sesame seed oil
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 good pinches of brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 1 garlic clove, grated
  • 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
  • 1 large bunch of chopped basil and coriander leaves
  1. Using the shredding attachment on a food processor, shred the cabbage and carrots, separately, then combine in a large bowl.
  2. Slice and finely chop the spring onions and add to the cabbage mix and add a handful of chopped coriander.
  3. To make the dressing, mix together all the ingredients in a jam jar and shake thoroughly together until combined. When ready to serve the salad, coat the cabbage in the dressing and top with the salted peanuts.
  4. Serve!

Goose egg- Mint Ice Cream

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This sounds weird but really I just had some boisterous goose eggs knocking around the kitchen. This recipe, courteous of Skye Gyngell, calls for 6 egg yolks, so I replaced 4 of them with 2 large goose yolks. This ice cream has a refreshing and cleansing flavour which is not too sweet. Laced with ribbons of our garden mint which was in desperate need of a a ‘hair’ cut, this is a perfect summery ice cream alone of with something fruity….

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Custard Base

  • 600ml whole milk
  • 1 vanilla pod, split ans seeds scarped out
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 100g caster sugar

Mint flavour

  • 220g caster sugar
  • 500ml water
  • bunch mint
  1. For the base, pour the milk into a pan and add the vanilla seeds from the pod. Warm gently and bring to the a simmer and then remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for 20 minutes.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and thick. Reheat the infused milk and then slowly pour over the yolks, whisking continuously to prevent it scrambling. Return the smooth mixture to the pan, and over a very low heat, stir with a wooden spoon. Stir all the time until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leave a mark when you run your finger over it. Keep the heat low or the mixture will curdle.
  3. When thickened, remove from the heat, sieve and leave to cool.
  4. For the mint flavour, put the sugar and water in a pan and dissolve on a medium heat. Add half the mint and bring to the boil. Then simmer on a lower heat for 15 minutes to infuse, then leave to cool. When cool, remove the mint.
  5. Add ¼ of this mint syrup to the cooled custard base. The rest can be used as a cordial or in other recipes.
  6. Pour the custard into an ice-cream maker and churn until thick and silky, about 30 minutes for most. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, transfer the mixture to the freezer for a few hours. Then, put it into a food processor and pulse a few times or manually whisk to prevent ice crystals forming in the custard. Return to the freezer again. Repeat this process a couple of times to prevent the ice forming before allowing to completely solidify.
  7. Chop the rest of the mint finely, and add to the ice cream before placing into a container and freezing until solid!

Roasted allotment salad with Balsamic Pearls

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If you grow your own produce then maybe you can relate to this time of bountiful year on the allotment. The vegetables are literally elbowing each other with they’re knobbly roots to fight for the glorious prospect of supplying our busy kitchen. Beetroot, sugar snaps, runner beans, courgettes, potatoes and tomatoes seem to have smuggled the odd protein shake or steroid supplement and are bursting to be eaten…we can’t do it quick enough. So tonight, I went vegetarian again. A roasted salad.

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I recently found these little balsamic gems in Waitrose and just had to try them! They’re like dinky diminutive drops of balsamic caviar which burst in your mouth with ever bite! Topped over this beetroot salad……..amazing!

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  • 4 raw beetroot washed and chopped into chunks
  • 7 small carrots, whole
  • 1 tbsp cumin seeds
  • 2 whole garlic cloves
  • Small bunch of thyme, leaves picked
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 150g goats cheese, crumbled
  • 2 tbsp mixed seeds, pumpkin, sunflower
  • Small bunch of chopped mint leaves
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Balsamic caviar (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Mix the beetroot and whole carrots in a roasting tin and coat in the cumin seeds, thyme leaves, plenty of olive oil and seasoning. Add the whole garlic cloves.
  2. Roast, turning every so often for 45-50 minutes until the veg are soft and caramelised at the edges.
  3. Meanwhile, toast the seeds in a dry frying pan until they are fragrant and begin to pop. Chop the mint leaves.
  4. When the vegetables are ready, remove from the oven. Take the garlic cloves and squeeze the soft, sweet pulp into a pestle and mortar. Add a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar, a good glug of extra virgin olive oil and some seasoning and bash until blended into a paste. Coat the warm vegetables in this dressing.
  5. Crumble over the goats cheese, seeds and mint leaves and serve, scattered with a few teaspoons of balsamic caviar if you like!

Homemade Peanut Butter

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I love the challenge, purity and righteousness of making the majority of the food I eat from scratch. I tackle my own breads and jams, ice creams and cereals. Homemade food is, without doubt, healthier for you as it avoids all the preservatives and additives that processed food contains. So many people are worried about too much fat or salt in their diet but in reality, we need fat and salts and it is only a concern if you have a large amount of processed foods. Its far better to have a small amount of full fat butter than a reduced fat, ‘diet’ alternative which are instead, filled with preservatives and stabilizers that- yes may reduce the calories- but are full of other ingredients. This brought me to thinking, as I made my peanut butter cookies…..why aren’t I making my own peanut butter?

Peanut butter is one of those essentials that should theoretically, just include………..peanuts?! However, if you look on the ingredients list of many jars there is often more to it? This recipe will prove to you that all you need is peanuts (and some salt and spices). The oil-packed, protein rich and creamy little nuts make a smooth and silky peanut butter with not a drop of dairy in sight!

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  • 300g (roughly or 2 large handfuls) roasted unsalted peanuts
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of fine salt
  1. Place the peanuts (reserving a handful if you are ultimately wanting a crunchy peanut butter) in a food processor. Process for 1 minute.
  2. Add the cinnamon and salt.
  3. Process for about 5 more minutes continually, until the oils are released and the peanut butter is smooth, shiny and tempting! Continue processing longer for a smoother texture, up to 10 minutes…..?

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Meanwhile crush the reserved handful of peanuts is required. Add to the final peanut butter and place in a sterilized jar.image

This can also be done with a range of nuts like hazelnuts, walnuts or pistachios. It would also be lovely with pumpkin seeds!