Red Wine, Garlic and Chicken Liver Pâté

Tags

buffet, chicken liver, Christmas, cooking, Cumberland sauce, dinner, dinner party recipes, food, Garlic and Chicken Liver Pâté, Melba toast, party, pate, Recipes, red wine, starter ideas, starters

Being more of a dessert person I don’t often give many starters try but last night I really fancied a simple pâté with Melba toast and home-made Cumberland sauce. Heres how I did it:

Ingredients

400g chicken livers

150g good quality butter

4 large garlic cloves

Cup red wine

Ground black pepper – no salt

Method

1. Sauté chicken livers with garlic cloves and a little black pepper in 2oz butter on quite a fierce heat until brown all over (for around three minutes)
2. Add red wine and flambé for a few seconds
3. Simmer until red wine has reduced by half (around 5 minutes, don’t overcook)
4. Soften remaining butter and add to blender with liver and garlic mixture
5. Blend till smooth
6. Put into individual ramekins (top with little extra melted butter).

As the party season is upon us, you could also put the pâté into a small cling film lined oblong pot and chill, so you can then place on a buffet table or slice and present on plates.

Serving a Cumberland sauce with the pâté adds an extra special sweet touch to the dish and compliments it perfectly.

To make the sauce:

Ingredients

1 finely chopped shallot

4 tbsp red wine vinegar

12 crushed peppercorns

100ml beef stock – knorr stockpot

50ml port

1 lemon – zest only cut into strips & blanched in boiling water 2 minutes

1 orange – juice only

2 tbsp redcurrant jelly

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Method

1. Put shallot, vinegar & peppercorns into pan and reduce by 2/3rds

2. Add stock, port, redcurrant jelly, Worcestershire sauce & orange juice

3. Bring to boil then simmer for 20 mins

4. Pass through sieve, cool, refrigerate.

Serve in a small jug next to the pâté.

 

Porcini Mushroom and Port Sauce

Tags

comfort food, cooking, dineer party recipes, home, medium steak, mushroon and pot sauce, porcini mushroom and port sauce, porcino mushroom, port, port sauce, Recipes, salad, sauce, sauces, steak

You can’t beat a great steak. We have a lovely local butchers here called Plumgarths and although a little more pricey than nipping to Asda, the quality is always superb.

Last night I cooked steak with a porcini mushroom and port sauce; the steak was tender and the sauce complimented the dish perfectly.

Here is how I made my sauce:

Ingredients

200g chopped Pancetta

2 chopped sprigs fresh Thyme

2 chopped sprigs fresh Tarragon

1 Bay leaf

¼ Handful of cracked black peppercorns

6 chopped shallots

2 chopped garlic cloves

240g sliced mushrooms

50g Dried Porcini mushrooms – soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes – then chopped

300ml Port

750ml beef, veal or chicken stock

50ml Cognac

50g unsalted butter

2 tbls Olive oil

2 tbls redcurrant jelly

1 tbls tomato purée

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Method

1. Sautée shallots and garlic in olive oil
2. Add tomato purée and cook out for 3 mins
3. Add Port and Brandy and reduce by half
4. Add all mushrooms, herbs, redcurrant jelly and Worcestershire sauce
5. Add stock and reduce by half
6. Add butter and thicken with cornflour or fresh double cream if necessary

Serve the sauce with the steak (cooked medium for me) and with a fresh green salad of leaves and cucumber and a small dollop of mustard.

Iced Coconut Cake

Tags

Baking, baking recipes, Cake, coconut, coconut cake, Coffee, cooking, glaze icing, icing, jobs, onecall, recipe ideas, Recipes, relax, tea

Today I have been frantically job searching and web developing; neither of which have proved easy. My parents company website (www.onecallhospitality.com) is about to relaunch, so between job applications I have been helping as much as possible to get the website up and running.

Although, i find adding content, controlling social media and blogging for the website interesting, searching for jobs has become a little monotonous and worrying so I decided to give myself a break and make a cake; the perfect way to relax (by baking it and eating it)!

Using a traditional coconut cake recipe, within an hour I had produced a deliciously sweet and satisfying cake with a light sponge and thin layer of sugary icing on top.

The cake is perfect with a cup of tea or mug of hot coffee and definitely takes your mind away from the world’s stresses and strains.

To make my comforting coconut cake:

Ingredients

For the Coconut Cake

4oz self raising flour

Pinch of salt

3oz butter

3oz caster sugar

2 eggs

1oz desiccated coconut

For the Glaze’ Icing

4oz icing sugar

1tbsp desiccated coconut

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C, Gas mark 4.
2. Grease and line a deep loaf tin (approx 7 ½ inches X 3 ¾ inches).
3. Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.
4. Cream the butter until soft, add the sugar and beat until light in colour and soft in texture.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, with 1 tbsp sifted flour. Stir, and then beat well.
6. Fold in the coconut and the rest of the flour thoroughly.
7. Pour the mixture into the tin, smooth level and bake for 40minutes.

8.  When cold make the icing following the packet instructions, adding 1tbsp of coconut. Pour over the top of the cake and leave to set.

Pancetta wrapped Chicken stuffed with Garlic, Cumin & Gruyere

Tags

cheap, chicken, chicken recipes, cooking, dinner party recipes, easy, food, ingredients, pancetta, Recipes, stuffed chicken, vegetables

I would never opt for a chicken dish in a restaurant or really choose to cook it unless I needed something quick, simple and healthy, however on Friday night I decided to give a plain chicken breast a bit of a twist.

I cooked pancetta wrapped chicken stuffed with garlic, cumin and gruyere and it was delicious. Here’s how I did it;

Ingredients

• 1 skinned Chicken Fillet
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
• 25g Gruyere Cheese
• 2 slices of Parma Ham
• Seasoning

Method

1. Cut into the chicken breast to make a pocket
2. Put the garlic, Cumin and Gruyere into the chicken breast, season with cracked black pepper and then wrap the chicken breast with the Parma Ham.
3. Pan fry in olive oil to seal and then oven roast for 25 minutes.(170 deg C)
4. Rest for 5 mins and serve.

I served my chicken with sugarsnap peas, fresh asparagus and mashed sweet potato but you could serve it with anything you fancy. Sliced on top of spaghetti, accompanied with rice or on a bed of crips lettuce and tomatoes all work well. It is also tasty with a sauce such as mushroom, cream and Noilly Prat. It is a versatalie recipe that is cheap and simple, so definitely worth a try.

Parma Ham & Avocado Rolls

Tags

avocado, beef wellington, cooking, dinenr party recipes, easy recipes, Lemon Posset, North, olive oil, olives, parma ham, Recipes, starters, tasty

I have had a busy few months in London so it was lovely to spend last weekend back in the North, enjoying the countryside, home comforts and of course my mum’s cooking.

On Saturday evening I was treated to a delicious three course meal consisting of avocado and parma ham rolls to start, beef Wellington to follow and lemon posset with homemade shortbread to finish- it was all superb, although I couldn’t walk afterwards!

I have previously posted the beef Wellington and shortbread recipes, so I thought I would give you the starter recipe to try- it is so tasty but also remarkably quick and easy to make. It is perfect for a dinner party as all the prep can be done before hand, so all you need to do on the night is put two rolls on a plate and dress it. Here’s how you do it:

Ingredients – serves 8

30g chopped fresh Basil (keep 8 reasonable sprigs for decoration)

4 tbsp Mayonnaise

2 Lemons

100 ml Olive Oil

3 ripe Avocados -flesh removed and mashed roughly (remember RIPE)

16 slices Parma Ham

50g Black Olives

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Method

1. Mix the balsamic vinegar and olive oil in a bowl to make a dressing and refrigerate
2. Gently combine the mayonnaise with the avocado, chopped Basil leaves and juice from half the lemon.
3. Spoon a little of the mix onto a slice of Parma Ham and roll up – repeat with all 16 slices.
4. To serve place two rolls onto a clean plate, drizzle with a little dressing, add a few olives, a sprig or two of Basil, a wedge of lemon and a sprinkling of coarse ground black pepper.
5. Serve with fresh brown bread and butter.
6. Oh…and enjoy

London visits & a curry on the side

Tags

cocktails, curry, dinner party recipes, eating, fish, food, Gaucho, London, Oxford Street, recipe ideas, Recipes, Red Riding House Cafe, The Mayflower

In the last three weeks I have moved from the Lakes to London- a scary transition that has exhausted and excited me! I love the city but it is such an adjustment for me and has left me with very little time to even think about cooking.

However, I am a passionate foodie so food is never far away from my mind, making my weekends the perfect opportunity to explore London’s vibrant culinary scene. From the past few weeks I have several recommendations on where to eat and drink:

1. Visit the Red Riding House Cafe for dinner, small plates and cocktails. It is a modern and quirky venue located close to Oxford Circus. Prices are about average for the city and service was polite and attentive. Bookings advisable.
2. Go to Camino in Canary Wharf and Kings Cross for fantastic tapas. Drinks aren’t cheap but their sangria, cava and wine selections are impressive. A relaxed, city restaurant/ bar which was named Time Out’s 2010 Best New Bar. No need to book.
3. Gaucho Canary Wharf is extremely pricey but totally worth it if you fancy pushing the boat out. Serving primarily steaks, meat lovers will appreciate the meat board prior to choosing and the delicious cuts of beef and lamb on offer. It has a dark and romantic atmosphere, perfect for an evening with loved ones. Bookings advisable.
4. The Mayflower pub Rotherhithe. Cheap, home cooked food in a traditional pub atmosphere, with a terrace on the Thames for sunny London days. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you wear, just wander in and enjoy the ales and food. The fish and chips and mussels are to die for. No need to book.

I will keep you updated with more places to go and not to go as I visit them.

Finally, on Friday night my Mum gave me a monkfish and tiger prawn curry recipe to try. So after three weeks of keeping my cooking simple I thought I would put my limited kitchen utensils and appliances to the test and give it a go. It was delicious and so easy to make, here’s the recipe:

Make the sauce first – this will keep in the fridge for five days and then simply cook to order by warming up a large ladle of sauce per person with some large chunks of raw monkfish and some raw tiger prawns (as many chunks and prawns as you would like).

 To make the curry sauce you will need: 

3 chili’s deseeded and finely chopped                      

3 large garlic cloves – crushed

10g fresh ginger – finely chopped                                         

1 medium white onion – finely chopped

Cook all of these ingredients in olive oil until golden, then add:

¾ tbls turmeric powder

2 good pinches garam massala powder

Cook out for 10 minutes, then add:

6 Tomatoes – skinned, deseeded and chopped (immerse in boiling water for 10 minutes to skin)

Cook out for 10 more minutes, then add:

½ a lime’s juice                                  

1 tbsp light soy sauce

Pinch sugar

30ml fish sauce

1 tin coconut milk

Combine and set aside until you are ready to cook with fish and serve.

When ready to cook and serve place a large ladle of sauce per serving into a frying pan, heat and add the fish. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side   and then it’s ready.

Serve with rice, watercress salad and freshly baked bread and butter.

 

Beef Wellington

Tags

Beef, beef recipes, beef wellington, cooking, dinner parties, dinner party recipes, duxelles, home, London, pancaskes, recipe ideas, Recipes, tomato, vegetables

It’s been a  while since I blogged as i’ve been busy getting a degree, graduating, finding a job and getting ready to move to London. However, I have found time today to watch some daytime tv, munch on home-made flapjacks, drink my body weight in tea and write a blog post.

I have been back home for a few weeks before I relocate, so I have been spoilt for choice with a fridge packed full of fantastic produce and meals made by my Mum. One of my mum’s best dinner’s at the moment has to be her gigantic beef Wellington and even though the recipe is lengthy, I would like to share it with you because it is out of this world and please dont’ worry, it’s not as difficult to make as it looks.

Serves 4

Preparation time 40minutes (medium-rare)

Ingredients

 1 ½ lb Prime fillet of beef (in a whole piece)

1 packet of frozen/ fresh pastry (not ready rolled)

20oz melted butter

1 tbsp olive oil

100g duck pâté

Cracked black pepper to season

For the pancakes:

 115g Plain flour

1 Egg – beaten

300ml Whole milk

25g Melted butter

Pinch salt

Vegetable oil

For the Duxelles:

200g/ 8oz finely chopped button/ chestnut mushrooms

6 finely chopped shallots

2oz good quality butter

For the port and red currant sauce:

2tbsp olive oil

4 finely chopped shallots

2 crushed garlic cloves

3oz chopped Smokey bacon

1 small roughly chopped carrot

1 celery stick

1 generous handful chopped coriander

½ cup port

1 ½ pint good beef/ chicken stock

1 dash Worchester sauce

¼ tsp Bovril extract

2tbsp tomato puree

2tbsp redcurrant jelly

Method

Firstly make the pancakes:

1. Sift flour and salt together, beat in egg and milk
2. Add melted butter – leave to rest 20 minutes
3. Heat 1 x tbsp vegetable oil in small non stick frying pan
4. Add pancake mixture till coats bottom of pan
5. Brown lightly and turn
6. Make 6x 6inch diameter pancakes

Secondly make the duxelles:

Combine all the ingredients and sauté on medium heat for approximately 20minutes or until the water has absorbed and mixture is softened, stirring occasionally.

For the beef:

1.  In a heavy bottomed roasting pan add olive oil and heat until smoking.
2. Add the beef to the pan and seal all over.
3. Season the beef with cracked black pepper.
4. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.

 Assemble the Wellington:

1. Roll out the puff pastry and cut in half to form 2 rectangles large enough to cover the beef.
2. Line one rectangle of puff pastry with the pancakes, leaving a 1 ½ inch border all around.
3. Spread the pâté over the pancakes and then spread the duxelles over the pâté.
4. Place the beef on top.
5. Carefully bring the pancakes up and over the beef.
6. Brush the border with melted butter.
7. Cover with the remaining puff pastry and form into a parcel using a little melted butter to seal.
8. With a sharp knife gently score the top of the parcel with 3inch long cuts to create air vents.
9. Brush liberally all over with the remaining melted butter.
10. Trim the edges to remove excess pastry and refrigerate until ready to cook.

To cook:

1. Place in a preheated oven at 180C/ 350F/ Gas 4, on the middle shelf for 40minutes (medium/ rare), 50minutes (medium) and 1hour (well done).
2. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10minutes before serving.

 Serve the Wellington with a port and red currant sauce:

1.  In a heavy bottomed pan heat the olive oil.
2. Add shallots and garlic and sauté gently until lightly golden.
3. Add tomato puree and stir until slightly caramelised.
4. Add the port and if in a commercial kitchen flambé- we do not recommend this in a domestic kitchen.
5. Add ½ the coriander and all the other ingredients.
6. Simmer gently until reduced by half, then strain- do not mash through the sieve.
7. To serve add a knob of butter, the remaining coriander and if necessary thicken with corn flower.

To serve the Beef Wellington:

1. Cut into 4 slices.
2. Place 1 slice on a plate with crushed, buttered new potatoes, a medley of fresh green vegetables, such as sugar snaps, peas and asparagus and finally a basil olive oil infused oven roasted tomato.
3. Nape 1 tbsp of the port and red currant sauce gently over the beef and serve the remaining sauce to the side.

I promise if you love beef and comfort food you will love this. My Mum often cooks it for dinner parties and it always gets a wow!

Quiche Lorraine

Tags

bacon, cheese, home, mixed side salad, outside catering, party recipes, pastry, pimms', Quiche Lorraine, Recipes, salad, short crust pastry, summer, Summer recipes, sun, sunshine

Yesterday was a scorcher, so I thought what better time to make a home-made Quiche Lorraine with a fresh side salad and a jug of Pimms. I have to admit I am not the biggest Quiche lover, but had a sudden craving for something different so decided to give it ago. It turned out a bit larger than expected but it was delicious. One word of advice, eat it straight out of the oven or cold; I have just reheated a slice and the pastry was a little soggy…still tasty though

Ingredients

(Serves 4- big slices)

Pastry:

175g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

Salt

75g good quality softened butter

Filling:

250g/ 9oz grated English cheddar

200g/ 7oz chopped bacon

5 eggs, beaten

100ml milk

200ml double cream

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Method

Pastry:

1. Sift the flour together with a pinch of salt in a large bowl.
2. Rub in the butter until you have a soft breadcrumb texture.
3. Add cold water to make the crumb mixture come together to form a firm dough.
4. Rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
5. Roll out the pastry on a light floured surface and line a 22cm/8½inch well-buttered flan dish. Don’t cut off the edges of the pastry yet. Chill again.
6. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
7. Remove the pastry case from the fridge and line the base of the pastry with baking parchment and then fill it with baking beans.
8. Place on a baking tray and bake blind for 20 minutes.
9. Remove the beans and parchment and return to the oven for another five minutes to cook the base.

 Quiche:

1. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 160C/Gas 3.
2. Sprinkle the cheese into the pastry base.
3. Fry the bacon pieces until crisp and sprinkle over them over the top.
4. Combine the eggs with the milk and cream in a bowl and season well. Pour over the bacon and cheese.
5. Sprinkle the thyme over the top and trim the edges of the pastry.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until set.
7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool and set further.
8. Trim the pastry edges to get a perfect edge.

Serve with a simple side salad of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and onion.

The Quiche

Chicken, Tarragon & Mushroom Pie

Tags

chicken pie, comfort food, cooking mum's cooking, delicious, dinner recipes, food, heart warming, mushroom, Pie, pie recipes, pub grub, Recipes, tarragon, tasty, vegetables, white wine

I absolutely love a good pie. I know it isn’t really the correct time of the year to be eating such warming comfort food but as the weather is miserable,  last night I decided that I required something tasty and satisfying to put a smile on my face.

I cooked a small individual chicken, mushroom, tarragon and white wine pie and it was such a success. The pie was meaty, warming, full of sauce to dip my potatoes in and so flavour-some and the pastry was perfect too- my Mum’s recipe’s never fail!

Here is the recipe for 6 individual pies, it is a good idea to make a batch as you can freeze them, which is handy for when you fancy popping something delicious in the oven without having to cook: 

Ingredients

600g Short crust pastry

1 x medium chicken – cooked and then taken off the bone and chopped into small pieces (use the bones to make stock)

100g quartered button mushrooms

2 x finely chopped white onions 

1 x crushed/ bashed garlic glove

1 x handful chopped fresh Tarragon leaves

2 x tbls olive oil

1 x tbls plain flour

1 x pint whole milk

1 x pint chicken stock

142ml double cream

Seasoning

Method

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in the olive oil
2. Add the chicken and sprinkle on flour. Mix and cook out for 4 minutes stirring continuously.
3. Add the milk a little at a time
4. Add the cream and Tarragon
5. Add the mushrooms
6. Season with cracked black pepper
7. Put into the oven for 30 minutes
8. Allow to cool
9. Top with short crust pastry or puff pastry (homemade or shop bought)
10. Return to the oven for 20 minutes at 180C/350F/gas 4

Chicken Stock

1. Cover the bones with boiling water, add a roughly chopped carrot, onion, celery stick – add 1 x teaspoon mixed herbs and seasoning to taste. Simmer for 1 hour.

Serve the pie with potatoes and vegetables of your choice. You can purchase the individual foil pie dishes from local supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s.

The Pie

Homemade Sausage Rolls

Tags

Birthday, buffet food, buffet recipes, buffets, home, party, party food, party recipes, Recipes, sausage rolls, The Lake District

It is my birthday this weekend, so I am heading back to the Lake District to spend it at home with my family. On Sunday I have planned to get my family and friends together to have some food, drinks and a bit of fun. My mum will be preparing most of the food (with my help of course) but she is such an amazing cook it would be daft to do the cooking myself. We are just having a light, summery style buffet; it was meant to be a barbecue but the forecast is dodgy so we will bring the summer indoors instead.

As boring as it sounds, you really can’t beat a party buffet filled with typical finger foods, but by making everything from scratch and adding a few homely twists, the most simple foods can be impressive and taste fantastic. I will post photos and recipes next week but here is one traditional buffet item that never fails to please:

Homemade sausage rolls

Ingredients:

 For the short pastry:

200g Plain Flour

100g Salted Butter

Sausage meat filling:

1 tablespoon melted butter

1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced

Half handful chopped fresh sage

1 handful fresh breadcrumbs

½ tsp grated nutmeg

350g good quality pork sausage meat or meat taken from sausages of your choice

1 egg – beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
2. Combine the butter, onion, sage, nutmeg, breadcrumbs and sausage meat and set aside
3. Combine the flour and butter and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out the pastry into a large square and cut into 2 rectangles.
5. Divide the sausage mixture in two and spread along the length of each pastry strip in a cylinder shape, leaving a 1cm edge.
6. Tightly roll the pastry around the sausage meat and brush the ends with the beaten egg to secure. Brush tops with egg.
7. Use a sharp knife to cut each roll into 10 pieces, each about 2.5cm long, and place on a baking sheet or freeze for up to 1 month.
8. Bake for 25 minutes or 10 minutes longer if from frozen.
   

   Homemade sausage rolls