Mince Pies

I often forget how English mince pies are - always causing lot of confusion to the uninitiated (mince? is it meat? are you sure? - whilst being eyed when they take a bite), but once you've tasted one, you'll be coming back for more, and they also smell divine, filling your kitchen with a lovely Christmassy aroma.

Of course I rather smugly make my own mincemeat most years (and it keeps for ages, often to be recycled at Easter for something a little festive in filo pastry). You've missed the boat to make it this year, so you can cheat and use a ready made one, but I recommend you make you at least make some shortcrust pastry.

You can use a normal or mini muffin tin for these. They also freeze very well and can be made in advance, so all you need to do is heat them up and dust with icing sugar and a bit of gold dust. Make a big batch - it's worth it, you will run out surprisingly quickly.


Shortcrust Pastry for mince pies

• 225g plain Flour
• 100g Butter
• Zest from ½ an orange
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 2 tbsp very cold water (or a hand full of ice cubes works well)
• 1 egg yolk

Sieve the flour into a bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and using your fingers, rub the butter lightly into flour, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the zest and mix into the breadcrumbs.
Lightly whisk the water, orange juice and egg yolk together with a folk and begin to add gradually to the butter and flour mixture, stirring it in with a spoon, until a soft but not sticky pastry is formed (you may want to use you hands to bring it together at the last minute). The pastry should leave the sides of the bowl clean.
At this stage the pastry can be frozen in a plastic bag, if required.

Mince Pies - Makes 18-24

• One quantity of shortcrust pastry for mince pies above
• 1 jar of homemade mincemeat (or shop brought, sigh)
• Icing sugar to serve
Roll out half of your pastry between two sheets of greaseproof paper to about 3mm thick. Using a round or fluted cutter, cut out 12 rounds, gathering up the scraps and re-rolling. Then do the same with the other half of the pastry, this time using the star-shaped cutter.

Now pop festive paper cups into a muffin tin (or just lightly grease it) and line them with the round pastry rounds. Fill these with mincemeat to the level of the edges of the pastry - not too full). Dampen the edges of the pastry stars with milk and press them lightly into position to form lids over the mincemeat. Brush each one with milk. Bake near the top of the oven for 25-30 minutes until light golden brown.

When you remove them from the oven, if you haven't use paper cups, take them out of the tin immediately - once they cool and the sugar sets, you'll never get them out in one piece.

Cool on a wire tray and store in an airtight container until needed. To serve, warm them in the oven for 5 minutes and dust with icing sugar and a bit of gold dust.

Tips on Pastry:

1. Don't over work it - it's not a dough - basically treat it nicely - no pummeling or over keen handling.
   
2. I know you are supposed to rest it, but I don't - they will be OK as long as you take heed of point 1.
3. When rolling, do it between two sheets of greaseproof paper - saves throwing flour all over the kitchen and it won't stick to everything either - after every few strokes of the rolling pin, lift the paper away, return paper, then turn the whole thing over and repeat.
   

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Everyone has their own favourite type of chocolate chip cookie – soft and chewy, thin and crispy – double chocolate, simple choc chip – the list goes on. These are one of my favourites – soft and thick with lots of chocolate. Don’t be afraid to throw in a bit if what you fancy – a handful of peanut butter chips – a bit of orange zest? Or see of you can find your own favourites – there’s a wealth of recipes out there and it worth experimenting to find your perfect one.

Makes 20 cookies

115 g of unsweetened baking chocolate - Like Bakers Squares or 70% upwards dark chocolate
170 g butter
300g caster sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
320g plain flour
80g of chocolate chips – white, dark or milk - whatever your preference.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 170C.
2. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a pan over a low heat.
3. Measure out your sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter mixture to the sugar and mix well until combined.
4. Mix in the eggs and vanilla.
5. Mix in the flour.
6. Mix in the chocolate chips.
7. Cover and refrigerate for a few minutes to make the dough easier to handle.
8. Remove from the fridge and shape dough into 2 inch balls on a lined baking tray.
9. Bake for 8-10 mins.

Classic Choc chip muffins

This is a Nigella recipe, but an American version. It is so quick to put together and completely fail-safe. The other great thing is that the muffins are not too sweet, especially if you use bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips. Make sure you fill the cases to the top - then you will get those ones with the big fat tops, a la the classic American muffin.








This recipe will get you 12 large muffins.

250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cocoa powder
175g caster sugar
150g semi or bittersweet chocolate chips
250ml milk
90ml vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 200˚C and pop muffin cases into a 12 cup muffin tin.

1. Combine the plain flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, caster sugar and chocolate chips in a large bowl. Whisk the milk, vegetable oil, the egg and vanilla extract in big jug.
2. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix till the mixture just turns runny. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or a toothpick inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.

Oaty Anzacs

These have just gone down a storm on my cooking class - and now I am wondering weather to make them for my friday baking (though I get the feeling they all feel a bit short changed if they don't get something that's either sponge, or chocolaty). Anyway, these are a bit of a classic - coconuty, oaty biscuits always got down well and they take just 5 minutes to throw together. The huge bonus is that they're made in one bowl, so minimal washing up as well.

Makes 20

100g rolled oats
135g plain flour
110g caster sugar
65g desiccated coconut
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 heaped tablespoons of golden syrup
125g butter

1. Pre heat oven to 170C
2. Weigh the flour, oats, sugar, and bicarb and coconut into a bowl
3. Melt the syrup and butter in a pan over a low heat
4. Pour butter mix into dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon
5. Put tablespoons of the mixture onto a lined baking tray and flatten slightly.
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes until starting to turn golden.

Elgin Street Dai Pai Dong

Up there with Mak's Noodles for won ton min - plus with the added ambiance of street eating - perched on the side of a very steep hill with rickety plastic stools at fold away tables.

Super cheap with generous servings - the soup base is rich, fishy and smooth, won tons and min with lots of bite, served at super speed. A must for cheap quite eats and a cert for me tonight before I meet with my blonde friend for what will invariably be too many drinks.

Baked Chicken Thighs

Dinners that can be bunged in the oven are always a god send - freeing up your time to do something more useful. So these were a bit of a revelation, spurred on by a mooch around Wellcome for something for dinner when I happened across some free-range chicken thighs.

Chicken thighs are cheap and very flavoursome - two big ticks in my book and makes a change from bland breast. Also, I was inspired by the kind of family cooking my Mum used make which involved a one dish in the oven, hearty type affairs. I rarely bake main meals during the week (firing up my oven used to be a bit of an issue) and the gas hob is great for fast meals, so it has been a long neglected cooking method that I am about to revive.

Give your chicken thighs a rinse under the tap and pat dry with some kitchen paper.
Cut a large peeled onion (red or white) into wedges.
Put the chicken and onion into a ceramic oven dish and add a few tablespoons of soy, and inch of finely chopped fresh ginger, a few cloves of mashed garlic, a crumbled star anise, 1/2 a heaped tablespoon of honey.
Mix with your hands, getting the mixture into all the creases of the chicken bits.
Bake at 190 for 20 mins until the thin edges are brown and a bit crispy.
When they are done, remove to a separate bowl and de-glaze the dish to make a little bit of shiny runny sauce to drizzle over the rice and chicken.

I serve these with brown rice and steamed greens such as broccoli or pak choi. A little chopped spring onion either stirred into the rice or sprinkled onto the chicken when serving adds to the presentation.

A note on brown rice: I use a brown long grain and wild rice mix (which you can buy quite easily) for a bit of texture and cook it in bouillon for a little flavour - it makes it less of a hardship.

Tomato Soup

Monday nights tend to be soup nights - or as is often the case - surprise soup nights.

The top favourite chez moi is tomato (though this has a lot to do with E's obsession with tomatoes and intense dislike of anything " mushy" which rules out most other soups). Anyway, I always make an extra big batch and freeze it for the nights where cooking is either too much of a hassle or it's just for one.

However, a small oversight (read: laziness) on my part leads us to a bit of a soup lottery, you see, I often don't label what goes into the freezer and has all frozen food tends to look the same, we often have to guess what's what.

Currently we have a choice of frozen red (easy - tomato) or brown (turkey? vegetable? or if you're unlucky, stock?).

So, I'm opting for tomato, and this is how I make it - so quick, easy and low in fat (hence the stock - you need to use it for a little depth). For the tomatoes you can use either 3 good quality tins of whole plum tomatoes (chop them yourself before hand) or you can use lots of (1kg) fresh tomatoes (cherry, vine, plum, whatever) if you have a glut of ripe ones and don't worry about peeling and de-seeding - just chop them to small ish bits, or you can use a combination of both which is the most likely scenario.

Finely chop an onion and 4-5 fat cloves of fresh garlic
Add a teaspoon of olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pan (like a le cruset)
Saute your onion and garlic until the onions clarify
Add in your chopped tomatoes of choice
Mix well and bring to a simmer
Add a pint of stock (personal favourite is chicken, but for the veggies amongst us good quality vegetable or bouillon will do).
Bring to the boil then turn to a low heat, season with S+P - taste it - it it's a little bitter, add a small amount of sugar.
At this point you can either take it off the heat and freeze/eat it - this will give you a fresher flavour.
If you want a more intense hit, continue to cook over a low heat for 30 -45 minutes.

This is quite a vague recipe, but that's all part of the deliciousness of it - fresh or tinned, chunky or smooth - you can make it a million different ways to suits all demands. If I have them, I throw in tinned pomodorini for cute bites of flavour, or sometimes I puree it for a smooth and silky dinner party type soup, or chop up the tomatoes even more roughly for a more rustic charm.

To serve, ladle into soup plates and stir in a swirl of cream or creme fraiche and top with beautifully fragrant torn-up basil leaves.

Update: If your not doing the low fat thing, sautee your onions in a tablespoon of olive oil. Also, to serve, make a little basil oil (blend a few tablespoons of olive oil with a big handful of basil leaves either in a blender or with a pestle and mortar) and stir in on serving, for a more intense and aromatic flavour. Yum!

Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagna

We have some friends staying this weekend, so I really want to cook something for a low key dinner - eating out all the time can get a bit much and it's nice to have the opportunity to stay in and relax. Especially as I don't want to drink too much again....

This is based on Delia Smiths vegetable lasagna. The trick is to get the vegetables cut up to roughly all of the same size for even cooking. To be honest, I have now dispensed with salting aubergines and courgettes - today's veggies have had most of the bitterness that once plagued them bred out. When adding your pasta sheets you may have to break up some of the sheets to fit the dish - you need to cover the entire thing. It always freezes like a dream, so if we are tempted by the city lights, I can always keep it for an emergency comfort food dinner.

All this needs is a lemony-dressed green salad so you can be healthy and opt for a big portion of the salad and a small of the lasagna if you fancy, though once you see it out of the oven with bubbling cheese edges with a crispy top and wafting it's roasted vegetable smell, this option is doubtful.

Roasted Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagna

The filling:

8-10 spinach (green) lasagna sheets

1 small aubergine, cut into chunks
2 medium courgettes, cut into rounds
450g cherry tomatoes (skinned - place in just boiled water for a few mins and the skins will fall off)
1 large red onion, cut into squares
2 yellow or red peppers, cut into squares
2 fat cloves are garlic, crushed
2 big sprigs of basil, torn roughly
1 ball of mozzarella, chopped finely

The sauce:

35 g plain flour
40 g butter
1 pint (570 ml) milk
1 bay leaf
grating of fresh nutmeg
3 level tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
salt and freshly milled black pepper

The Topping:

2 level tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan

Pre-heat the oven 240°C. You will need a large roasting tin and a heatproof baking dish measuring about 23 x 23 x 5 cm.

Arrange the tomatoes, aubergine, courgettes, peppers and onion in the roasting tin, sprinkle with the chopped garlic, basil and olive oil, toss everything around in the oil to get a good coating, and season with salt and pepper. Now place the tin on the highest shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are toasted brown at the edges.

Meanwhile make the sauce by placing all the ingredients (except the cheese) in a small saucepan and whisking continuously over a medium heat until the sauce boils and thickens. Then turn the heat down to its lowest and let the sauce cook for 2 minutes. Now add the grated Parmesan.

When the vegetables are done, remove them from the oven and turn the oven down to 180°C.

Now in the baking dish, line the bottom with layer of lasagna sheets, then pour one quarter of the sauce, followed by one third of the vegetable mixture. Then sprinkle in a third of the Mozzarella and follow this with a single layer of lasagna sheets. Repeat this process, ending up with a final layer of sauce over a top layer of lasagna sheets and top with the grated Parmesan. Now place the dish in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is crusty and golden.

Friands

Another huge success on the baking front - I can never make enough of these - deliciously sweet and moist, with a tart berry centre.
A recent discovery was the bags of frozen berries in the freezer section of the supermarket which saves a few pennies in comparison to seeking out the fresh ones and it always means you have them to hand in the freezer.

Fruit Friands - makes about 12

125g unsalted butter
210g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
100g plain flour
110g ground almonds
5 egg whites
about 85g berries - blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries (my favourite)

Preheat oven 180c and pop paper cases into a 12 cup muffin tin.

Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat until golden.
Sift the icing sugar and flour into a bowl. Add the almonds and mix everything between your fingers.
Whisk the egg whites in clean bowl until they form a light, floppy foam.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, tip in the egg whites and fold, then lightly stir in the butter to form a soft batter. Divide the batter among the muffins cases.

Sprinkle 2 to 3 berries over each cake and bake for 15-20 minutes until just firm to the touch and golden brown. Cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool on a wire rack.

To serve, dust lightly with icing sugar.

I know this recipe means you have a lots of unused eggs yolks, so I'm trying to come up with another recipe to counteract this (or freezing them). Currently thinking ice cream or custard....

Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps

These are quite summery, but I think the whole ritual of making them yourself adds to the whole eating experience - you would hardly realise they were low fat. Also, in emergencies I have used dried mint, Thai basil, lime leaves and lemon grass and, if I have some in, I sometime throw in a bit of chopped ginger and a big squeeze of lime juice. As you can see, most of the ingredients need to be finely chopped so don't be afraid of throwing then into the food prcessor for a quick whizz.

Although you don't always need it, you can serve with a dipping sauce such as sweet chilli sauce or a touch of soy/nam pla/sugar/lime mix

Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps

200g minced lean pork
big spring of Thai basil, finely chopped
2-3 kaffir limes leaves, finely chopped
1.2-1 lemon grass stalk, finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
big sprig of mint, finely chopped
a few spring onions, sliced
3 tablespoon nam pla
2 tablespoons light soy

Mix all of the above together and leave to marinade if possible.

1/2 iceberg lettuce
8-10 rice paper wraps

Take your pork mix and fry it it a medium hot pan until cooked and crumbly - you can add a bit of sesame oil if you desire. If it looks at all dry, add a little extra soy. Remove to a bowl and cover with foil.

Half your lettuce and pull out the leaves without breaking them so you have lots of lettuce cups. Wash and drain them.

Take your rice paper sheets and plunge them into a bowl of hot water (or bouillon stock if you fancy it). When soft (20 seconds) remove them and blot dry on kitchen roll. Lay a wrap into each lettuce cup.

Arrange your wrap-lined lettuce cups on a plate and serve with the bowl of pork on the side. The trick is to spoon a small amount of the pork into the lettuce cup roll it up and eat it.

When I can't be bothered with the wraps I use rice noodles - cook as per the instructions (normally a few minutes of boiling) drain and blanch in cold water. Pop into a bowl and attack briefly with a pair of scissors, dress in a few splashes of nam pla and soy and let people make up thier own wraps using the noodles and pork.

Chili Beef Ramenish

Having been back and forwards to the UK recently (hence the terrible lack of updates) all I feel like I've eaten is fried food and certainly not enough vegetables. So, first night back and we're having some yummy chilli soupy noodles. Just what I fancy.

It's surprisingly cold here as well, so this type of wintry food is perfect for a blustery evening,

Chili Beef Ramenish

150g bean sprouts

250g rice noodles

200g beef - a steak cut is best


a few drops of sesame oil

a little teriyaki sauce (optional)


1litre of no fat chicken stock

chilli sauce mix - 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce, 1.5 tablespoons nam pla

4 spring onions trimmed and sliced

1 red chilli, trimmed, deseeded and sliced finely

1/2 red onion peeled and very thinly sliced

6 sprigs coriander

a pinch in dried chilli flakes for extra heat (optional)

Make up a quick chilli sauce by mixing 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 tablespoon vinegar, 1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce, 1.5 tablespoons nam pla.

Blanch bean sprouts in boiling water for 10 seconds. Drain and reserve liquid. Cook noodles in reserved water until tender.

Put a few drops of sesame oil in a frying pan. Finely slice the beef and flash fry with the sliced chilli until medium rare. Remove and brush with teriyaki sauce if you fancy it and keep warm.

Divide noodles between 2 bowls. Heat stock, stir in the chili sauce and ladle over noodles. Top with beef, bean sprouts, spring onions, red onion, and chilli flakes and coriander.

I'm serving it with a side of steamed pak choi for the crunchy greeny goodness. And if I'm feeling flash, a wedge of lime to squeeze over the noodles.

Moist Chocolate Cake (Tray Bake)

Ok, I know most people don't use ounces much anymore, but it's how I remember the recipe - You can do a million types and size of sponge scaling the basic recipe of 1 large egg to 2oz sugar/ self-raising flour/butter. It also reminds me of my mum cooking at home (and teaching me how to make these cakes), radio four on in the back ground, dog next to the aga, happy days.

You can knock this up in no time - I can't stress how simple this is - literally, 10 mins to make the batter, then you just shove it in the oven - it's pretty fail safe as long as you don't peek in the oven during baking, but it looks and tastes like you've slaved away in the kitchen for hours!

5 large organic eggs
10 oz Butter
10 oz Caster sugar
8 0z self-raising flour
2.5 oz cocoa powder
2.5 oz melted 70% chocolate

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180c. Cream (i.e. beat on a high speed) the butter and the sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy - this is a very important step - they should be well combined and it will take quite a while (3-4 mins) using a Kitchen-aid type mixer (or similar). Add the melted chocolate and beat again.

2. Beat the eggs in a jug with a fork to break them up, then pour VERY slowly to the creamed butter and sugar mixture whilst mixing on a high speed. Note: pour a little, then mix very well, then pour a little more and more mixing etc - if the mixture looks like it will curdle, add a tablespoon from your flour and carry on mixing.

3. Add the remaining flour and cocoa powder and mix very briefly on a VERY LOW speed (to keep the air in the mixture) – only mix until the flour can’t be seen – no longer!! This will take 15 seconds max.

4. Spread the mixture into your pan (lined) and bake in the middle of your pre-heated oven until pale golden. A large tray can take up 25-30 minutes, cupcakes maybe only 12 minutes.

5. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Extra Moist!!
If you intend to eat the cake that day, the above will suffice, however if you are eating the cake over a few days, this next bit is a tip from the pros.

Sugar Syrup
100ml caster sugar
100ml water

Place the water and sugar in a pan, stir and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat and let it cool and refrigerate.
When your cake is cooled, using a brush, brush plenty of the sugar syrup all over your cake, then ice as required.

Icing:
I iced this with a fudge chocolate icing - Melt 200g of 70% chocolate with 100g butter. Add sifted icing sugar (and a 2 tablespoons of water) until you get the consistency that you want (piping, spreading, runny, whatever you desire)

Enjoy!

Char Sui

Here's my recipe for the char sui - not as good as the place in the dead pigs on the walls on Gage Street (watch that floor - it's a death trap, and don't looks in the bucket full pig bits on the way to the loo - it fact, don't use the loo...) but pretty yummy all the same.

Notes: you do need the msg - we had a long discussion about this at the time of making it, msg has been used in Cantonese cooking for about 90 years now and unless you are allergic, it won't do you any harm. Lots of the rumours about how awful it is are unfounded/not proven. I don't use the red food colouring at home, but apparently the locals insist!

1.3 - 1.5kg pork - it should be pork butt or shoulder as you need the fat for the flavour when cooking - but I used the fattiest piece of pork loin I could find.

Marinade:
Garlic - 15g
Shallot - 15g
msg - 6g to 10g
caster sugar - 180g
chu hou sauce - 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons (I used Lee Kum Kee brand in a jar from Wellcome) I'd imagine that hoisin could be used as a substitute if absolutely necessary.
light soy - 30g
water 30g
sesame paste (I used tahini) - 115g
Salt - 30g
rose wine - 15g (it's the one in the green tear-shaped bottle - mei kuei lu chiew)
red food colouring - adjust to personal colour desired

Malt Glaze:
Water - 30g
Sugar - 15g
Maltose - 225g (at a push use a bland honey)

1. Cut the pork into long (10-11 inches) strips about 2-3 inches thick. Wash very throughly until it loses it's colour, pat dry before use.
2. Mince or blend the garlic and shallot. In a bowl, mix the water, soy, sugar, and msg. Add the remaining marinade ingredients (EXCEPT the colouring) to the bowl, and then stir in the minced shallot and garlic. Mix throughly.
3. Add the marinade to the pork strips and coat well - if desired add the red food colour for the authentic look.
4. Marinade for at least 3 hours - stir regularly to coat all the pork.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 300c (or as high as it will go). Put the pork on a roasting rack in the oven and roast for 15 minutes before turning over and roasting for a further 10 minutes.
6. Make the malt glaze: add all the ingredients to a small pan and heat until all dissolved and runny - keep warm to use for glazing.
7. Then turn the oven down to 250c and brush both sides of the meat with the malt glaze. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, brushing it with the malt glaze and turning it over every 5 minutes. It's done when a chopstick will easily pierce the thickest park - don't worry if the thin ends have gone very black - these can be trimmed off.
8. Remove from the oven and brush again with malt glaze - leave to rest for 30 mins before cutting into slices.

To Serve: Serve on rice with (thanks to Peggy Wong) the following - Chop a lot of ginger very finely and add some salt - heat up a couple of tablespoons of oil (canola or vegetable) and pour onto the ginger. Add some chopped spring onion and mix the whole thing to serve as a dipping sauce. You can't make enough of this - it goes SO well with the pork.

Yum! I'm making this again this friday.

Classic Carrot Cake

To be honest, I was never a fan of carrot cakes until I had this one. It's very easy to throw together and has all the right flavours coming together - a hint of spice, unctuous raisins with a coconut undertow. Try not to baulk at the oil - it makes for a beautifully moist cake. This recipe is courtesy of Mrs Herringbone-Chive - an excellent cook, friend and all round goddess.

Weapons of choice: you can either use a large ring tin, cupcakes, or sandwich tins

Classic Carrot Cake

Pre-heat the oven to 140c

9oz self-raising wholemeal flour
12oz soft brown sugar
3 large free range eggs
6 floz sunflower oil
2 floz soured cream
2tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
11 oz grated carrot
3 oz desiccated coconut
2 oz raisins

Bowl 1 (make it the biggest one):
Add the eggs, oil, vanilla, sour cream, and sugar.

Bowl 2:
Sift the flour, spices, bicarbonate of soda, and the salt.

Bowl 3:
carrot, raisins, and coconut.

Beat bowl 1 thoroughly. Then fold the contents of bowl 2 into bowl 1. Then mix in the contents of bowl 3.

Turn into your selected tin and bake for 1.5-2 hours.

Icing

8oz Cream Cheese (not Philadelphia)
4 oz butter
4 oz icing sugar
Juice 1/2 a lemon.

Beat the cheese, butter and icing sugar together to get a thick creamy icing. Add the lemon to taste. This can either be spread on thickly, used to sandwich cakes together or piped into big swirls.

Chocolate Layers - Brownies, salted caramel mouse and a chocolate ganche

As K suggested this would be fabulous cut into much smaller squares and served as petit fours, though I served it in thin slices - it's very rich and totally yummy. I found in on another blog, the excellent Tartelette - I've altered it only very slightly.

Dark Chocolate Walnut Brownie base:

3oz tablespoons unsalted butter
6oz 70% chocolate
2 3/4 oz plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
5oz caster sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180°. Line an 9x13 inch baking tray with baking paper, leaving an overhang on to sides so you can lift the whole thing out once completed.

Melt together butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Remove the bowl from heat and stir until smooth. Set aside to let it cool slightly.
Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla until pale and thick (about 3 minutes) then add in the cooled chocolate mixture and beat again.
Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and slowly mix until just incorporated.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and smooth top with an spatula. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownie between edge and center comes out with a few crumbs about 20 minutes, depending on your oven (Do not overbake!). Let cool completely in the tin before proceeding.

Milk Chocolate and Salted Butter Caramel Mousse Layer:

3 1/2 oz caster sugar
2 Tbsp water
1 oz salted butter
10 floz double cream, divided into 7floz and 3 floz
6 oz mix of milk and semi sweet chocolate

Keep the 7 floz of cream chilled in fridge. Microwave the remaining 3 floz and the butter until it is fairly hot and the butter is melted. It will be added to the caramel and by being hot it will prevent the caramel from seizing on you and clumping up.
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water . Set aside.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the sugar to the water over medium high heat and cook, without stirring until you get a dark brown caramel. Take the pan off the heat and add the butter and cream mix. It will bubble like mad but it will not run over....if the butter and cream are not cold the bubbling will be minimal and short lived. Stir with a wooden spoon to smooth the caramel if necessary. Let it cool to lukewarm.
Add the caramel to the chocolate and stir until smooth - if it seizes (which is may) mix in a small amount of vegetable oil to save it and continue.

Whip the remaining cream to soft peaks. Fold 1/3 of the this whipped cream to the chocolate/caramel to loosen it up and then add the remaining whipped cream. Spread over the brownie base and refrigerate until completely set. The mousse is quite dense as there are no egg whites involved so don't worry if it looks like it won't set - it will

Dark Chocolate Ganache:
5 floz cup heavy cream
6oz 70% chocolate

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer, remove from the heat. Add the chocolate to the cream and let sit for 5 minutes. Slowly stir the heavy cream and chocolate until they come together and form a shiny ganache. Let cool. You want the ganache to still be pourable but not too warm that it will melt the mousse.Spread it over the caramel mousse and refrigerate until set.

To serve: lift the dessert out of the pan using the overhanging paper sides and trim the sides with a sharp knife (heated under hot water and wiped dry), cut into the desired number of servings and enjoy. You can sprinkle with the chopped walnuts - or just dust with cocoa.

Lemon and Poppy Seed Squares with drizzly icing

Last Friday I went back to sponges and although they have had the cupcake version before, this one is the tray bake version and you can get a lot more bite sized squares out of it.

5 eggs
10 oz each of butter, caster sugar, self-raising flour
1 tsp of baking powder
zest and juice of two lemons
2 tblsps of poppy seeds

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy - it should go very pale.
Very very slowly add the eggs one at a time, with a tablespoon of the flour with each egg to stop the mix from separating.
Once all the eggs are incorporated, add the zest of two lemons and the juice from one of them, along with the poppy seeds, to the mix, and beat.
Turn the mixer onto it's lowest setting and add the remaining flour and the baking powder until just folded in (don't beat - the folding in of the flour is to incorporate air into your mixture to get a fluffy cake).
Turn this into a baking tin (about 10inx6in) and bake at 180c for 20-25 mins.

This week I am feeling a carrot cake tray bake coming on...

My Mum's Tray Bake

After E, slightly sniffley, told me these were too sweet, this Friday (well Monday, as Friday was canceled due to Typhon Nuri) these went down a storm - some people had four apparently. So, if you need a large tray bake for coffee or a tea party this is great. For added stickiness you can slightly caramalise the butter/sugar/syrup mixture if you have a bit of time.

Line a tray bake tin with baking paper and melt in a pan:

250g butter
100g caster sugar
4 tbsps golden syrup

when melted add:-

4 tbsp drinking chocolate
2 tbsp cocoa powder
500 g of a mixture of coconut biscuits and rich tea
100g Madeira cake crumbs
100g raisins (optional)

Press into the baking tray and chill for 1 hour

Then: melt in a pan
300g milk chocolate
20g butter

Spread over the cake mixture and when cold cut into fingers.

Mini Spiced Lamb cakes with Chunky Tomato Sauce

Quick and easy and healthy - definitely a part of the plan

Blitz a white onion and 4 fat cloves of garlic in the food processor, then remove about half of this to a hot thick bottomed pan to brown. Whilst that's busy, throw a handful of fresh coriander and mint, a teaspoon each of cumin, ground coriander seeds, and turmeric, three heaped teaspoons of harrissa and a large pinch on salt into the processor and whizz with the remaining onion and garlic. Scrape out the resultant blend and stir into about 220g of good quality minced lamb.

Open up a tin of plum toms and slice them roughly, putting them into the hot pan with the browned onions, cook on a medium heat to drive off the fluid (you might need 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to take the edge off).

Leave to tomato sauce to cool while you heat a non-stick frying pan to medium hot. Shape the lamb mince mixture with your hands into small balls and add to the hot pan, pressing them down with a spatula to form small patties. Cook them all and remove to a serving plate when slightly charred on the outside.

Serve with a simple lemon juice dressed green leaves and bread wraps.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred

Here we go...
(courtesy of Very Good Taste)

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison - Yum! Had some in Chez Patrick on Sun Street not very long ago.
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue - Every time we go skiing (tried it at home - took about a week to clean the pan)
8. Carp - don't think I could do a fresh water fish
9. Borscht - can't do beetroots, an I know it's Russian but the sound of the word always makes me think of the Swedish Chef from the Muppets.
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari - hard to find good stuff unkes nestled apoon a greek island I think
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses - Mmmmmmmm
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns - Bring on the clouds I say
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes - E's mum's count I'm sure - Tuscan-sun warmed
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper - much as I love chillies, no
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters - bad I know, but I can't do the texture
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi - uck
34. Sauerkraut - prefer kimchi
35. Root beer float - uck again
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - rude not to?
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk - the cheese tastes furry enough for me
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi - had a similar Chinese thing
53. Abalone - you can't move for these things here, but no
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini - rather a twist though
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blinis
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu - on a train from Lhasa to Beijing
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong - tastes like a sort of horse lineament
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three star restaurant - I will
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam - school dinners anyone?
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake - the season is about to start..

Au Belge

To say the Restaurateur here has lost his passion for the work would be a bit of an understatement and perched on Old Bailey Street next to a ropey looking bar and a lovely looking Thai, is Au Belge.

The restaurant itself is not bad - what you would expect for a homely steak-frite/moule-frite joint - a little dated, a little chintzy. As for the food - again, not bad, but then, not good either.

First things first, the bread basket was dreary - warmed cheap bread, the sort which you buy half cooked in the freezer section of ParkNShop and the butter tasted of the fridge - most unpleasant.

I opted for the French onion soup - it was ok - nothing outstanding and the croutons which had obviously sat in it for a while before coming out where of a similar texture to old dish sponge - why they hadn't left them all crisp, with a topping of grilled Gruyere, on the side so I could add them at will? Or at least scattered them on as it left the kitchen.

For the main course E and I shared a Chateaubriand. We have a rule that you can only order steak at a steak restaurant (or the Press Room) as it's too easy an option and you might miss out on something excellent elsewhere on the menu. But, as we were in a place that specialises in it, we went all out. It was good - as one would expect - fine quality, done to medium-rare as requested, so why, oh why would they offer to spoil it by trying to get us to "pick a sauce" to go over it - surely a Bearnaise, blue cheese or pepper sauce would ruin it and detract from the texture and flavour we were supposed to be savouring? And, as for the frites - not great, and bearing in mind the fanfare they got, I was disappointed. Two of our party opted for stews (one beef and one chicken) and these were very good - nice base, good hearty food.

The puddings were ok - the kind of cliched fare you can find in any bistro, especially outside of France/Belguim. We skipped the cheese - they really weren't selling it well - for some reason no-one was clear/could be bothered about what cheese were available. My Crème Caramel was spot on, so it was a shame that one of our dining companions Crème Brûlée had separated and therefore not set properly, resembling a bowl of catsick once he had broken though the brûléed crust. We also thought we would indulge in a spot of dessert wine to accompany our last course, and as the list was limited (to one), we picked it. Unfortunately, they didn't have it, and, with a shrug of the shoulders, that was that. What anyone who wanted repeat trade would have said is that literately around the corner is a Watsons Wine shop and if we popped round there we could BYO, which is what we did as I had spotted it on the way in.

Really, it's the simple stuff that really makes a difference, which is what this place is trying to achieve but seriously lacking. Sort out the bread, be a better host, think about the presentation, do quality, basic traditional dishes that can be well executed easily and ditch the wipe down menus. A little (with no extra costs) could go a long way. So obviously I'm not going back, but if a hearty stew and a 70's style pud in homey surroundings takes your fancy then this might just fit the bill.

update...

What with me working now (part time admittedly) I've not updated for ages - we've been to Bricolage (highly recommended), Au Belge (not), and Zuma (expensive), Blue Duck Workshop (so bad I can't even think about it), Tuscany by H (everything tasted of truffle oil) amongst others.
Plus, we have been keeping to the programme eating in wise - Thai pork lettuce wraps on the balcony spring to mind - so I'll try to get both the restaurants and recipes up this week....

This Weekend

I am feeling like such a glutton at the moment, and as soon as C is dispatched to Vietnam tomorrow, E and I will resume business as usual on the eating front, and by that I mean salads all round until next weekend, but it has been lovely to have an excuse to indulge.

I was a bit disappointed with the places we ended up in this weekend - there was no amazing stand out meal, we only went to Shake 'em Buns (excellent but hardly the gourmet rush I was after), The Blue Duck Workshop (the less said about the food the better), The Peak Cafe (average, but a lovely garden when it's not chucking it down with rain - hello summer?) and Beirut for the best houmous in Hong Kong (honestly, I've tried them all).

Though we made up for this inviting the "the parents to be" over and having roasted welsh lamb marinated in beautiful olive oil with garlic and rosemary, accompanied by crunchy green beans in a minted wholegrain mustard vinaigrette, and smashed roasted potatoes (due to a tad too much par-boiling and a too vigorous shaking before putting them in the oven - though they worked). After this we had a steamed syrup sponge with a hint of lemon and lashings of custard coupled with five bottles of red and a bottle of pudding wine, followed by several games of cards, the "who am I?" game, the Game of Life, and a slump in front of the GP/Tennis with a cup of mint tea.

A lovely rainy Sunday.

Babek

Tucked away down Elgin Street is Babek, a small but bright and airy modern Indian restaurant. Much as I like to load up at The Tandoor on Lyndhusrt, this Saturday we wanted spicy marinated meats but without having to loosen our belts and waddle out afterwards.

The menu is small, which I love - it demonstrates the restaurants confidence - doing what they know best and doing it to perfection, and that's what we are paying for after all. You can either opt for the tasting menu - a ten course extravaganza of everything they do, or just choose any of the courses separately. Having had the full menu on the last two occasions, we just choose our favourite bits from last time (which by the time we had ordered, amounted to pretty much most of the menu anyway).

We had a couple of plates of Mutter Ki Tikki, little fried pea cakes accompanied by a dipping sauce with a good spicy hit. These were followed by fiery jumbo piri piri prawns, paneer cheese, tandoori chicken and peshawari lamb chops, completed by warm daal and excellent fluffy warm naan and sweet sheermal breads. The meats were marinated to perfection, and I'd certainly order it all over again next time.

Red Pepper

Yey for guests! It's the only time we ever go here, but that fact they know my name now shows how often we've been and as with lots of Chinese restaurants, it is best to go in a large groups.

Yes, the decor is a little dated, it's certainly not swish by any stretch of the imagination (especially if you get stuck in the upstairs room), and they always advertise in the SCMP and HK mag that they won the award for best Sichuan food (not pointing out the year or who it was awarded by) but it's always busy, and does exactly what you would expect it too - serves hearty spicy Sichuan fare perfect for out of town guests on their first night here. Go for their famous sizzling prawns, the chicken and cashew nuts, the fried string beans with pork, the aubergine with pork, the sauteed pak choy in garlic, and pots of the lychee tea.

Don't forget your friends, the more the merrier in this place, and the more spicy dishes to indulge in.

Mak's Noodles

Without a doubt, the best won ton min in town, and always features on my patented tour of Hong Kong, along with Red Pepper (the ultimate gweilo Chinese), Dim Sum, the mad pork place not for the feint hearted, duck overlooking the harbour at Peking Garden and a final meal, pre-airport, at Crystal Jade La Mian Xiao Long Bao. And, as C is in town, we're bound to be frequenting them over the next few weeks. Yey!

Super quick and very easy, the restaurant is small and clean and the staff are super friendly and speak English. Splash out and get a plate of spicy pork and a plate of steamed greens to share as well. The noodles are fresh and bitey, the won tons are made every morning by the gents who serve you (you can see this if you get there when they open at 11). The soup is divine - who knew a few tablespoons of liquid could taste SO good. It's a great hangover cure to boot.

Admittedly, it's not the cheapest bearing in mind it's hole in the wall food - a whole HK$36 for a small bowl of noodles with four won tons so if it's cheap you're after the place over the road does a bigger, less superior version for HK$16.

Note: There's no name in english on the outisde, though there's a few reviews in the window, next to the guy doing the cooking. It's number 77 Wellington Street.

Simpatico

With E being a super Italian food buff, I never thought we'd manage to find an Italian restaurant we could actually eat in, let alone return to on a regular basis. Only a quick stroll down to the Peak galleria, and we're at Simpatico, a relatively new Italian and dangerously close enough to entice us to throw caution to the wind and indulge in pasta and red wine booze on a rainy Tuesday....

Eating in a shopping mall never feels quite right (especially one as ugly as the Galleria), but once you step inside, you almost forget where you are as the huge sliding windows open out on to an airy terrace overlooking the south side and plenty of greenery.

The menu is not too big, with a good selection of dishes but not overwhelmingly so. And, from what we have sampled so far - it all has hit the spot. The carpaccio always makes for a great starter after you've wolfed down the warm bread selection. The pizzas were thin and crispy with a flour-dusty crust that you know has been freshly thrown and topped with good quality tomatoes and mozzarella. The pasta is just the right texture with a correct amount of sauce (we've had the pesto, bolognaise, broad bean and Parma ham and gnocchi - like I said, it’s just down the road..). I've yet to sample the carne part of the menu - the spring chicken always sounds tempting, but the lure of good pasta is just too strong.

As for the puddings – I’d skip them (the cheese plate would have left a wee mouse feeling peckish) and head over to Gino’s Gelato for an ice cream and a look at the view.

Shu Zhai

What better way to start a Sunday than Dim Sum and the papers, and if you can find somewhere to park, Shu Zhai in Stanley has some of the best.

The restaurant is classically fitted out with dark wooden furniture and panels with stark walls and floors - it makes for a cool retreat from the fierce seaside sun. We had large plump Har Gao, Crispy prawn wontons and some spring rolls, fluffy Char Sui Bao and flavoursome steamed dumplings stuffed with garlic, greens and crab. This was topped off with fried rice with ginger and lashings of tea.

Recommended - freshly made and well executed Dim Sum is in a different league to the mass produced trolley type - It's up there with my favourite Dim Sum joint. They also have a great looking full menu - I keep meaning to try it for dinner one weekend.

BeO

UPDATE: This restaurant has now closed.

So, we decided to check off another restaurant, BeO, on our list on Saturday night.

Despite the unfortunate name, the room itself is lovely - with large glass windows overlooking the greenery - I'd imagine it's a great spot for lunch.

The food was excellent - to start with, I had Black Cod with potato rostis and tomatoes - delicious, such simple flavours and the rostis where done to a tee with a perfect crunch. E had a New Zealand bleu cheesecake with leaves - again, excellent (though a little too cold - because they got the order wrong the first time, it had come straight of the fridge and hadn't had time to rest).

For our main course, I had lamb rack with mash and a sprout (brussel) salad and E plumped for the crab linguini - again absolutely superb - the lamb was cooked to perfection, pink and tender, and the sprouts (separated into leaves) was an interesting twist on the usual greens. E's linguine (rocket and beetroot) had been made on the premises that day and was cooked with just the right amount of bite with a beautiful combination of flavours.

The puddings too were delectable - the best steamed fig sponge with almonds (much like the Ivy's sticky toffee pudding) and a lovely chocolate plate, with an assortment of textures.

So - the food was very good - well thought out, great ingredients, well executed - one of the best meals, food wise, I've had in a long time, however - the rest, which is what truly makes for a great restaurant experience, needs a lot more work.

For example - if the human race has spent several millenia working out how to make perfect eating receptacle (such as a plate, a bowl, a cup) why try to change them? The dinner service came in all shapes and sizes - wavy edged, tear drop shaped, often exblazened with the logo, just in case we forgot where we were. The bowl for the pasta was boat shaped and way too deep to get the pasta out of with a fork - E looked like he was trying to perform key-hole surgery throughout the main course and due to the shape of the coffee cups, we finished our meal by drinking out of a mini toilet bowls. The result was that the table looked like it had been furnished with a trolley-dash through ceramic seconds shop and the feeling was one of eating in a Dali painting.

Minor gripes, which could be applied to pretty much every restaurant in Hong Kong:
Music - why is this necessary, especially when the speaker is about two feet away from our heads? Please write the order down so you don't get in wrong and please don't take away my finished plate when someone else at the table is still eating. The Martini's also need some work.

It honestly had the feeling that the chef (a very nice Australian who came over to ask how our meal was) had been in charge of the food - which was well executed, but maybe his wife/interior design company had done the rest of the restaurant and the two had never consulted on a united aim.

I think this was also demonstrated through the menu - the descriptions were overly detailed and wordy, to the point of confusion - nothing leapt out from the initial peruse through and I thought I was going to struggle to order something I really wanted. Although the food that came out met the description on the menu in terms of the items given, you really weren't sure what you were expecting - I couldn't remember the full description of ANY of the dishes we'd ordered once I'd closed the menu.

So, would I go back? I think I'd give it another try in the next six months (E says purely for the fig sponge) and see if anything has changed - though I doubt it will have.

Grown up Chocolate Cornflake Cakes

So, we didn't end up having the marinated beef on Thursday, instead we gave in and hit Pizza Express for an American (for me), American Hot (for E) and two bottles of red (for sharing). Very naughty indeed. So we'll be having the beef on Sunday and there'll be No Drinking this week from Sunday to Thursday, honest.

Was a bit all out of ideas this Friday for the baking, so I whipped up some chocolate cornflake cakes.

Melt lot's of 70% Green and Black chocolate in the microwave, and stir in Kelloggs (a must) cornflakes. Spoon the mixture into foil cups and pipe with melted white for milk chocolate for prettiness.

Really, it doesn't get any easier than that. As a trial, I also did some where I used chocolate with Chilli - using either 70% chocolate or the chilli variation is a great grownup twist on a classic kids food - which is always well received.

I need to get thinking for more Friday Baking ideas - this week I think I might make my ginger cookies - tiny gingery mouthfuls that disappear in minutes - I don't think they have ever hung around for more than a day.

Weather: Glorious - just did 20 minutes each side by the pool.

Marinated Beef with Brown rice and Bok Choi

Quick and easy this one, and as per most of my weekday cooking, it's healthy, which is good, as I plan to go to either Beo (new organic restaurant with a badly thought-out name) or Zest this weekend.

Take about 200-220g of minute steak (enough for two), and put in a glad bag with a teaspoon of sesame oil and a few tablespoon of good soy or multipurpose seasoning, a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes and leave to marinate in the fridge if possible.

Cook enough brown long grain rice for two in some bouillon/vegetable stock as per the packet instructions.

In a hot frying pan, break an egg and whisk until loosely cooked, add the cooked rice and a splash of light soy and stir, throw in a cup of frozen peas (the ubiquitous freezer staple) and remove from the heat.

Steam the bok choi (cut them in half length ways if they are big) until still crunchy, but the leaves have wilted. As soon as your bok choi is the steamer, flash fry the steak in a very hot dry frying pan, set aside and slice into strips with a sharp knife.

Serve in large bowls with the beef on top of the rice and the bok choi on the side.

You've probably worked out by now that lots of my recipes requires a bit of a marinade - don't panic if you don't have time, just as soon as you get started, chuck the marinade and meat together in a bowl and let sit whilst you prepare the rest of the meal (chopping, laying the table etc). 5 mins is better than none at all. I know in the past brown rice has been truly yucky - reserved for bad 70's hippy type fare only, but try something like this one, the mix has a great flavour and cooking it in stock really helps.

Weather: for the first time in about 6 weeks, it's not rained today yet....

Charred garlic and rosemary lamb, with roasted vegetable cous-cous

A very quick and easy one for a horrid rainy day (with awful PMT to boot).

Into a Glad bag place:

• two small (not more than about 100-120g per person) lamb loins
• a teaspoon of good olive oil
• a few fat cloves of garlic, crushed
• a few sprigs of rosemary and/or mint
• a large red onion, cut into medium chunks
• a red pepper into medium chunks

Season with S+P and put the bag in the fridge and leave until you want to cook it.

To cook - heat a griddle pan on the stove until very hot. Once hot, take the lamb out of the bag and put in the pan, pour the veggies and garlic all around them making sure you get all of the juices from the bag in there.
Using a spatula press down on the lamb loins to ensure that you get the nice char-grilled lines and even cooking (this will also help them come away cleanly when you need to turn them over). Cook on each side for about 3 minutes, remembering to press on them occasionally with your spatula. Move the veggies around the pan to soak up the flavours and char the edges.

Once the lamb is done, remove to a chopping board and cover to let rest. Leave the veggies in the pan if you like then nice and charred, but remember to move them about, and take them out them when you are happy with the colour.

To make the cous-cous, place your desired quantity in a bowl and cover with boiling hot stock (no need to be flash - a few teaspoons of powdered bouillon stired into kettle water will suffice). Cover the bowl with cling or foil or a small plate to keep the heat in and leave for a few minutes.

Whilst the cous-cous soaks, slice your lamb into thin slices and finely chop a spring onion. Then remove the cover from the cous-cous, and stir in the spring onion to fluff up the grains (and if you are not being low fat, a good slug of olive oil goes in very well here).

To serve, put your cous-cous in a large dish and make a well in the middle. Place the charred vegetables into the well and top with the sliced lamb.

Serve with natural yogurt on the side and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.
If you want to add a little juice, mix some harrisa, a teaspoon of oil, and some water (deglaze the pan?) and pour over your dish. A glug of good balsamic also works well.

Rainy day food.

Weather - Awful. Still.

Cenacolo, Yi Jiang Nan, Ragu Bolognese

Had probably the worst meal out in HK so far on Friday at Cenacolo on Graham Street, Central (fortunately with great company though). It was like eating in a Italian in Streatham circa. 1972 - complete with wooden cartwheels on the wall, because they look, you know, rustic.

Anyway, I had read a unfavourable review of this place first (sour milk Pannacotta anyone?) but as I hadn't booked it and am trying to rein in my Bossy Boots (or Little Miss Know-It-All as E says) tendencies, I didn't mention anything.

"Worst" makes it sound like it was so awful that we all spent the night being ill - it wasn't that at all - it was just a bit rubbishy - all the dishes came as the menu stated, but is was just so disappointing - the the menu was overly lengthy (pages and pages), the antipasto platter was exactly that only they had used the cheapest meats and accompaniments, the pasta was ok, but again, they had used the cheapest type of pasta, so the texture was poor, the calamari was rubbery (and a bit fishy), the main courses un-memorable and I don't think any of us finished them, and the medium-bodied red recommended wasn't. It wasn't that the food was bad (the service was good), it was just very poorly executed food - no passion or love or thought. In HK's fierce and excellent restaurant scene, I am amazed they can get away with it.

However, despite this we did have such a fun night due to the company - lots of chatting and wine (and cherry-topped drinks). We ladies had to be forced into in taxis at 2. Perfect.

All this was followed up by a lovely meal at Yi Jiang Nan on Staunton Street on Saturday, when we were both feeling a little sorry for ourselves and craving the comfort food of fluffy white rice and spicy chillies. The beef with scallions was excellent, as was the garlic sauteed Chinese broccoli. Also good was the fried chicken with chilies and the salt and pepper aubergine (though a little plentiful). It certainly hit the spot.

Yesterday we had impromptu lunch on our new dinning room table - square is the way forward, very sociable. I made fettuccine with ragu, whilst E brought some lovely Jambon Iberico (leg and loin) which we ate with Parmesan and honey for nibbles first, and a couple of lovely bottles of red and a pudding wine which we had with Friands - all very good. Followed by a few too many drinks down at the Peak Lookout, under the trees in the garden.

Ragu (Bolognese)

This takes awhile to make so I recommend making twice the recipe and freezing the rest – it’s very handy to have lots in the freezer, and you can also use it as a base for cottage pie and lasagne. It re-heats like a dream.

1 kg lean mince beef
50g Good butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 small stick of celery, finely chopped
300ml dry white wine
200ml milk
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
400g tinned tomatoes (plum or Italian), chopped

Melt the butter and the oil in a heavy bottomed pan on a medium heat and add the carrot, celery and onion and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the beef and stir until all the raw red colour has gone (but it’s not fully cooked or brown). Turn the heat to medium-high and add the wine and stir occasionally until the wine has evaporated. Turn back to a medium heat and add the milk and nutmeg and stir until most of the milk has evaporated. Then add the tomato and stir until they bubble. Tune the heat down low and cook for at least and hour (if it reduces too much, add a little water)

Storage: Freeze in re-sealable bags. Make lots as it freezes really well.

Weather - as before. Really. Not good.

Breakfast Bars

Thursday is my Cantonese lesson, so no dinner last night - probably not a good idea as I feel a little woozy from the beer - I was practicing my ordering ok?

E was dispatched to school with his box of goodies - I bake something on Fridays for his morning meeting, which works out very well as it means I get to bake, which I love, without the consequences of having piles of cookie/cakes sitting around the house for us to eat - I try a couple, and then send the rest away.

So far the Friday meeting have had:

• Brownies
• Chocolate chocolate-chip cookies (Bakers)
• Chocolate chocolate chip cookies (Nigella's) - these were the best cookies, though probably something to do with the fact that they are more chocolate than cookie
• Raspberry Friands
• Buttermilk muffins with choc chips
• Millionaires Shortbread
• Carrot cupcakes
• Lemon Poppyseed cupcakes
  

Todays treat was a chewy breakfast bar - a kind of variation on a flapjack/muesli bar but with no fat and using condensed milk to get a milky taste for the breakfast theme. However, good though they were, I don't think they go moist enough without butter. The great thing with this recipe is rather than buy lots of separate ingredients you can just use a good quality sugar free muesli (such as Dorset Cereals - full of nuts and fruit). Feel free to throw in a bit more to your mix - sesame seeds, raisins, sunflower seeds etc - a rummage in the cupboard will usually produce something.

Take a box (about 800g) of the best sugar free muesli you can find and pour into a large mixing bowl. Warm a can and a half of condensed milk in a pan and when runny add to the muesli and stir until it's all completely coated. Scrape into a baking tin (about 32x22x4 should do it) and bake at 140c for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 15-20 mins before cutting them with a sharp knife into bars, then leave to cook completely - you should get either 16 big ones or 24 small ones.

Enjoy!


Weather: Rain, cloud and gloom - currently a thunder and lighting storm going on behind me.

Zesty Chicken Wraps

And tonight Matthew I will be......

recycling freezer food.

Much as I love having a freezer - who'd have thought I coped for 7 years in London without one - I do get very bored of the stuff that's in it. Every time you open it you feel like you've eaten: soup, half a ham, peas (always), filo pastry etc - and consequently never use them up as you are SO BORED OF THEM ALREADY. So, as I have to make room for summer ice lollies and ice cubes, I am trying to use it all up.

Therefore, defrosted organic chicken it is again (plus alot of stuff from last nights meal dressed up differently) - this time marinaded in a zesty spicy, almost BBQ-y juice and served with salad and oat wraps. Oat wraps may sound gross, but they are a lovely Aussie food that is like a very thin flat bread and is low in fat (none!) sugar (none!) and GI (errr low!) plus they keep in the fridge for ages, which is great for week nights.

A simple marinade done a hundred ways, an assorted mix of: Finely chopped garlic, soy sauce, lime juice with the bits, a few dashes of pepper sauce or a spoon of wholegrain mustard - Plus a teaspoon of sesame oil and heaped teaspoon of brown sugar or a squirt of honey. All shoved in a glad bag with the sliced chicken and left to soak.

When you cook the chicken (in a hot dry frying pan) throw in a chopped red onion as well for part of your 5 a day.

Serve the chicken in a bowl with the wraps and a salad (i'd normally use rocket but as I am clearing out we have cos, grated carrot, and a sad looking pepper) on the side and let poeple assemble their own. Also sprinkle of spring onions also goes a longway on the presentation front.

Yum. and Healthy. And Quick.

Weather: Hot and Clear - can see the islands miles away and for the first time in ages the dehumidifiers are off and the doors are open - yey!

Garlic and chilli chicken with noodle salad, peanut drizzle and steamed bok choi

Well, here we go.

In our ongoing attempt to be healthy and to make up for the huge consumption of booze and food at weekends, I thought I'd try something new last night. These often have mixed results (E still hasn't forgiven me for making him soup that "tasted of feet") but last night was a success.

The Chicken

• One large organic chicken breast (this should feed two easily - you don't need more than about 100-120g of protein per person)
• 2 red chillies (deseeded) and 4 fat cloves of garlic - all chopped very finely together

Slice the chicken into fine long strips and stick in a glad bag with the chopped chilli, garlic and a teaspoon of sesame oil. Mix it about and return to the fridge. This is best done in the morning so every time you open the door, give the bag a bit of a squish to help meld it all together. Tip: make sure when marinating you get all the air out of the bag when you seal it.

To cook, heat a frying pan (no fat/oil) until very hot, throw in the chicken and stir until cooked - make sure you scrape off all the yummy burnt garlic and chilli bits to serve with.

The Noodles

• 1/4 of a white cabbage and a fat carrot
• Rice Stick Noodles

Finely slice the white cabbage and carrot into 6in long and very thin strips and pop and set aside.

Boil up a section and a bit of noodles (they come on hanks all bundled together - normally 3 to a pack). Take care not to over cook, drain immediately and cool under running cold water and drain again.

When required throw the veggies into the noodles and toss

The Peanut Drizzle

In a mug, pop:

• a heaped teaspoon of smooth peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 2 tablespoons of soy
• the juice of half a lime

Bung in the microwave for 30 secs, stir and repeat.

To serve: Split the noodle salad between to large bowls and douse with a tablespoon of soy, top with half the chicken each and drizzle with the peanut sauce. This is best served with some steamed Chinese greens of some sort - bok choi, pak choi, choi sum etc etc.

Enjoy.

Weather: cloudy and drizzly - not much change on the LAST THREE WEEKS.