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..