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    Fairy Cakes

    Love this recipe from Peyton & Byrne, it results in cloud soft, moist, flavoursome cakes. However as written in my oven it gives them a bit of an exterior crisp that just won’t do. In an effort to remove this I’ve resolved to identify the cause and refine the instructions. There are three variables that could affect this. 1. Amount of sugar 2. Temperature of oven 3. Position of cupcakes in the oven On this occasion I used the following… 165c 160g sugar Second from bottom shelf position In the size of muffin tin I have this makes 8 cakes,…

  • Blog

    Prawn Bouillabaisse

    Simple and reliable. Using celery rather than fennel, fennel would be magic. Feel that you could stew a touch longer to get a deeper flavour, and you can afford to be generous with the saffron here, the prawns and tomatoes working beautifully with the saffron’s fragrance. From 3 2 1, pg. 204

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    Lancashire hotpot

    I really loved this… One of my favourite things I’ve cooked in recent times. Used hogget cutlets. Not even tempted to try other versions in truth. It’s great. Simple. Incredibly tasty. How to make Lancashire hotpot – recipe | Felicity Cloake’s Masterclass A hearty meal you can leave to bubble away in the oven, plus a bonus recipe for pickled red cabbage as the perfect accompaniment Felicity CloakeThe Guardian

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    Spanish beans and picada

    This should have almonds and Marsala in it… They’re even in the original title of the thing. But I forgot to use the almonds and had no Marsala. Continuing my recent experiment of using vodka a cooking alcohol, and continuing it’s 100% success rate, I muttered under my breath at the lapse of the almonds and carried on. It’s simple triumph. Delicious and easy. Add a little lemon zest and juice to the picada and I wouldn’t change it. I just used any old bread crumbs, though I’m sure sourdough would be delightful… Honestly I loved the picada so much…

  • Blog

    Roast red peppers with nduja

    Real nice. Used feta instead of burrata, baked with the peppers from the start, which worked.  Happy to try out with burrata or mozzarella also though. Could push it another 5 or 10 minutes in the oven to char them more. from oven to table pg. 152

  • Blog

    Budget Bolognese

    This is definitely a bolognese in the non-Italian sense of the word, however I have to say it’s a pretty great recipe for full, saucy, flavoursome interpretation of the dish.  I’d definitely return to it.  Not the meaty, rich, ragu that it closer to what we’re told resonates with authenticity, but excellent in its own right. I made it less budget by using a block of pancetta chopped into lardons, which I’m sure helped increase the flavour but reduce the budget-friendliness.  Though I also used turkey mince which is much cheaper and honestly works well when you’ve got strong flavours…

  • Blog

    Rhubarb Crumble

    Crumble Mix: 140g Plain flour 100g Soft brown sugar 25g Oats (speedicook) 35g Ground almonds 100g Butter Pinch of salt Enough Double cream to make bloobles Except the cream, add all ingredients to a food processor and whiz until the butter is combined into the flour as a crumb. Dribble the cream into the mix bit by bit, mixing with a knife as you go to create clumps of crumble. Continue until you are happy with the consistency. Put into the fridge. Filling: 4 sticks of rhubarb, cut into 3cm lengths. Maybe shorter if you’re dealing with the fat sort.…

  • Blog

    Hot and sour silken tofu

    There are aspects of this that I knew wouldn’t work as written… Unheated broth, spring onions, uncooked garlic. All are warning signs for personal preferences as well as demands of the stomach and I decided each had to be addressed. Leeks in place of the onions, From Every Grain of Rice, pg. 90

  • Blog

    Rice cooked with sea bream

    Japanese rice cooked with dashi, instant in this case.  Cooked with a whole fish rather than the suggested fillets, and I modified the cooking instructions such that I only grilled the fish just enough to char it up a bit before placing it on the rice to steam. Really nice, Lisa loved it, I thought it needed something a little extra, veggies, pickles, a light sauce?  All may work. From Everyday Harumi, pg. 86