This is extremely good, however I may have come to the conclusion that the shortcrust pastry version in Peyton and Byrne is the way to go. I think I prefer my suet in the form of a jam or syrup sponge dome, allowing it to expand a little more. Though I would incorporate the hint of orange from the zest in this version. Nonetheless, this was some delicious stodge. From Gary Rhodes, New British Classics
I’m such a fan of this recipe. There’s something about shovelling the piping hot (in both senses of the word) tofu into your mouth that makes me feel like everything is going to be alright. Dare I say… I’d potentially increase the suggested quantity of Szechuan pepper, just slightly. And I feel like I haven’t quite dialled in the oil quantity, it’s a little much perhaps. But I’m quite happy to iterate on this as much as required. From Every Grain of Rice – Fuscia Dunlop
This is a chef-y process, with the pork going through three different stages of cooking, and preparedness and timing being of significant importance as everything comes together right at the end. The instructions are good, however, and can be trusted to produce juicy, tasty pork. I might be tempted to reduce the quantity of pasata, and as I am wont to do-I over-saged the beans somewhat. Speaking of which the process for preparing the beans is quite excellent, and using our first ever home-grown borlotti beans was a treat. From Food in Italy, Giorgio Locatelli
Really excellent use for these beans, even without many of the ingredients that you may mistake for being quite crucial. Onions? Pfft! Ginger? A mere garnish. Habenero? Surely normal chillies are just fine. Clearly this is a forgiving, flexible recipe. I love the berbere, a really homely taste. I will happily add this to my list of store-cupboard freezer-fillers along side dal, et al. I scaled it up four or fives times for some real freezer-filling potential. This quantity I think caused a somewhat significant delay to the cooking process, so plan on From Marcus Samuelson https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/black-eyed-peas-coconut-milk-and-ethiopian-spices
Second time we’ve done this, but much panic was felt when we realised there was no record of the recipe here. Took several days to find it again, and there was much relief when we did as it’s quickly becoming my favourite apple pie. Lisa actually did 90% of this, and it was delightful. We threw in some blackberries just before sealing the pie crust, which I would absolutely do again, although they stay rather whole and perhaps would benefit from going in the frying pan with the apples before baking. From Nigel Slater – Kitchen Diaries I, pg. 124
Well this experiment was meant to last for a while, but oh well. Here it is, the source of the recipe remembered with little fanfare not long after the original post and recreated to even greater effect thanks to additional caramel layered into the middle. It’s truly finished with a splash of cream on top before serving. I do wonder if some variation with whipped cream piped into the middle in place of the ganache could further enhance the perfection. From Tartine.
Creamy, using no cream, and delicately spiced, this is a different beast of a curry than my usual and I hope to return to it often. Although perhaps not too often… There’s no shortage of ghee used here. Perhaps a healthier iteration can be concocted with fewer sautéed elements. Not a quick one though, and needs constant attention. From 50 Great Curries, Camellia Panjabi, pg. 104
Inspired by the recipe below really, I used udon cooked at the last moment and served warm rather than cold. I used beetroot and cabbage, sautéed, some additional cabbage pickled, and charred broccoli on top. Superb. A great dish for using up veg. I’m not sure I can ever be on board with maple syrup on in dressings or sauces though… It’s a flavour that is lost so easily and an expensive one at that. Honey is a fine stand in. From Anna Jones – A modern way to cook, pg. Xxx
Actually… This isn’t so great. Lots to improve and I intend to do so. The sponge was firm, not quite rubbery, but not too far away. I’m not sure if I did something wrong here or if the recipe is not great. More care needed when mixing perhaps? Wrong sized eggs maybe? Not certain. The custard seemed perfect and thick initially, but left for a few hours on the window sil on a wet day it became extremely liquid and could no longer be used as a filling. Possibly not the recipe’s fault, but I’ll probably use another recipe regardless.…
Really excellent! This book continuing its record of fine meals.