200g Self raising flour
150g Golden caster sugar
75g Unsalted butter
125ml Whole milk
About a dozen plums, cut in half and stoned
The zest of half a clementine
A good squeeze of honey
1/2Tsp Ground cinnamon
A handful of roughly chopped mixed nuts (I used brazil, hazel, almond and walnuts)
1 Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Tip the plums into an ovenproof dish, then cover with with the honey, zest, cinnamon and 50g sugar. Give it all a quick stir, then pop in the oven.
2 In a large bowl, mix together the flour and the remaining 100g of the sugar. Grate in the butter, then use your fingertips to gently rub everything together into a fine, breadcrumb-like mix. Stir in the milk to form a thick, doughy batter.
3 Take the fruit out of the oven. Spoon large blobs of the cobbler mix on top, scatter with nuts and bake for 30-40 minutes (or until browned and a skewer comes out of the topping clean).
Saturday 31 December 2011
Plum cobbler
Wednesday 28 December 2011
Tuesday 27 December 2011
Sunday 18 December 2011
Jewelled dukkah crusted lamb shoulder
I first tried dukkah a couple of years ago. In that instance it played part of a Maria Elia recipe; juicy watermelon wedges plunged into a bowl of dukkah as a canape - very much a ‘YES’ moment. Traditionally hazelnuts are used in this Egyptian dip, but this morning I raided the Christmas nut bowl in a gesture of ‘Renegade spice assemblage’.
For a small jar of dukkah
2Tbsp Sesame seeds
2Tbsp Chopped mixed nuts (I used a blend of hazel, almond, walnut & brazil nuts)
1Tbsp Cumin seeds
1Tbsp Coriander seeds
1Tsp black peppercorns
1Tsp Sea salt
1/2Tsp Ground cinnamon
1/2Tsp dried mint
Toast the sesame seeds, nuts, cumin seeds and coriander seeds in heavy pan until they’ve toasted lightly. Allow to cool, then tip into a coffee grinder with the peppercorns, salt, cinnamon and mint. Blitz until fine.
Jewelled dukkah crusted lamb shoulder
(I used) 0.75kg Rolled lamb shoulder (cooking times will vary depending on the size of your meat)
2Tbsp Olive oil
6Tbsp Dukkah
1 Pomegranate
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Rub the lamb with olive oil, then place in an ovenproof dish. Gently sprinkle the dukkah over the meat (you may have to fill in gaps here and there with your fingers), then roast for just under an hour until the lamb is blushing. To serve, scatter pomegranate seeds over the meat (a good squeeze of juice over the top is a good thing too).
Friday 16 December 2011
Gluten-free stollen
Monday 12 December 2011
Rabbit, mushroom and ramson bulb pate
200g Rabbit livers
200g Chicken livers
100g Chestnut mushrooms, roughly torn
100g butter
3 bacon rashers, chopped
4 Large ramson bulbs
Fresh thyme leaves
Bay leaves
A splash of sherry
Salt and pepper
Fry the bacon in an oiled pan until crispy, then add the mushrooms to soften. Stir in the livers, brown for a few minutes (try not to cook them all the way through) then add the thyme, bay, chopped garlic and butter. Season, get a splash of sherry on the scene and stir through until the butter has melted. Spoon into a food processor, give it a brief blitz (I don’t like it too smooth), then spoon into ramekins. Create a seal with some clarified butter and a couple of bay leaves.