Category Archives: In The Kitchen
Sparkling Rosé Fruit Bowl
I made this yummy fruit salad for breakfast one Valentine’s Day a few years back, served with a delicious vanilla cream. Anything with booze in it gets my vote – even if it is for brekkie! As predicted, it was a little too delicate for Mr. D. who preferred the more robust eggs Benedict I served up afterwards!
This fruit salad is based on a dessert I used to order whenever I used to visit my favourite restaurant in Baker Street: mixed berries in champagne topped with a lemon sorbet. The fruits I ended up using would not have necessarily been my first choice (all they had that appealed to me when I popped into the supermarket the night before!) it all actually worked rather well: the crispness of the apple against the tart softness of the raspberries, the sweetness of the mango, with the zinginess of the grapefruit. I’m not a breakfast person but if this was breakfast every day, I would happily tuck in.
It’s autumn now, when breakfast is supposed to be comforting and warming, but I remembered this recipe and just had to share it. And of course its not just for breakfast. Despite the sugar and wine, you could almost fool yourself into thinking it was healthy! Who said salads can’t be decadent???
INGREDIENTS:
1 Granny Smith’s apple
200g raspberries
1 mango
1 pink grapefruit
500ml Sparkling rosé wine
2 tbspns Caster sugar
1/4 lemon
METHOD:
1. Make a sugar syrup by heating the sugar with 2 tablespoons of the wine until sugar has completely dissolved and syrup thickened slightly. Leave to cool.
2. Peel and dice the mango.
3. Remove peel and pith from grapefruit and cut into segments.
4. Core and chop apple, leaving peel on if you wish.
5. Squeeze lemon juice over the apple.
6. Combine prepared fruit in a bowl with the raspberries.
7. Add remainder of the rosé wine to the syrup.
8. Pour sweetened wine over the fruits.
9. Serve with cream,yogurt, ice-cream or sorbet.
VARIATIONS
If the recipe above isn’t quite your cup of tea (or glass of rosé!) don’t worry – maybe one of these boozy fruit salads will float your fruit bowl!
TROPICAL
Pineapple, mango, passion fruit, kiwi fruit with rum.
SUMMER BERRIES
Raspberries, strawberries, redcurrants and blueberries in champagne
FAR EASTERN
Lychees, rambutans, melon, papaya and dragon fruit in gin
PEACH MELBA
Peaches, raspberries, nectarines and apricots in Prosecco
ORCHARD FRUIT
Apples, pear, plums, apricots and blackberries in mulled cider
CHRISTMAS MAGIC
Kumquats, Clementine’s, blood orange, quince, figs, in mulled wine
The-Heat-Is-On Tropical Fruit Compote
OMG OMG OMG! I’ve fallen in love… with a compote!
No you are not imaging these words and I really am saying them. But I’ve just made the most amazing tropical fruit compote that’ll having you thinking that you’re sitting on a beach from the very first spoonful – and by beach I don’t mean Southend (although, of course, there’s nothing wrong with good old Southend!)
It was my second attempt at making this compote. The first attempt wasn’t too bad but I felt it was missing something. So I added more spices, some honey, and some booze – because let’s face it, everything tastes so much better with booze!
Initially I wasn’t a hundred per cent sure if all the flavours would work well together, even though I knew that many of the ingredients used to give flavour worked well individually with the pineapple, mango and passion fruit used in this recipe. Thankfully they did and I was thrilled with the result.
I loved the heat you got from the spices and the rum; the fresh zingyness of the lime; the sweet aroma of the vanilla, and the somewhat simultaneous sweetness and tanginess of the fruit. Delicious!
But don’t just take my word for it – have a go at making it yourself!
Another thing I’ve discovered about fruit compotes – whether you use fresh or dried fruit – is that they are so versatile. You can serve them hot, warm or cold and they can be used as a topping for porridge or toasted brioche as part of a yummy breakfast; they can be served as dessert with cream, mascarpone, ice-cream or custard. Compotes can also be used as a topping for cheesecake or a sponge pudding, or can be used as a filling for pancakes, crumbles, pies, cobblers or tarts.
And if you’re feeding little people – and by little people I mean children not vertically challenged people like myself – you might want to leave out the rum.
Awesome!
THE HEAT IS ON TROPICAL FRUIT COMPOTE
THE FOOD STUFF:
1 medium pineapple
2 large mangoes
5 passion fruit
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 vanilla pod
1 star anise
1/4 teaspoon mixed spice
2 tablespoons runny honey
a couple of good glugs of Malibu
THE EQUIPMENT STUFF:
1 Sharp knife
1 chopping board
1 baking tray
A variety of spoons
GET BUSY:
- Turn oven on to
- Peel and core pineapple and cut into chunks.
- Peel mangoes and cut into large chunks.
- Cut each passion fruit in half and scoop out pulp.
- Place fruit in an oven proof dish.
- Cut vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape out seeds.
- Add vanilla to the fruit.
- Add remaining ingredients.
- Combine well.
- Pop in the oven and cook for 25mins or until pineapple chunks have softened.
- Take out of oven – and enjoy any way you wish!
Things That Make Me Go Ewwww!
I never thought of myself as a fussy person when it comes to food, especially when compared to Mr.D, who has a list of food dislikes that’s almost as tall as he is! I considered myself to be the kind of person who’ll eat anything – or at least give it a try. But a conversation about food the other day made me realise that I had an awful lot of food hates myself. In fact after sharing them with you, I doubt I’ll ever be invited to dinner again!
1. Glacé cherries
This might seem a little ironic considering I love cherries, but they have to be either fresh or dried – I can even live with the tinned variety. But glacé cherries for me are a huge non-no. Their bright, tomato-red colour just puts me off as I know that real cherries aren’t supposed to be that colour. In fact for years I thought that they’re weren’t ‘real’ cherries as they didn’t look or taste like the cherries that I love but they are – they’re maraschino cherries that have been stoned and candied in a sugar syrup.
Even as a child I’ve never liked them, and my dislike for glacé cherries still continues. As much as I adore cherry bakewells, fruit cake and Christmas pudding, I always pick out the offending glacé cherries.
2. Smoked salmon
I love, love, love salmon. It’s one of my fave foods. So you’d think I’d be a huge fan of smoked salmon, right? Wrong! Smoked salmon and I never really hit it off. I never liked the taste or the texture. I know it’s considered a luxury delicacy, but I could never acquire a taste for it. In fact, give me a tin of salmon over the smoked stuff any day!
3. Quiche
Oh my goodness – if there’s a food I really cannot stomach, it’s quiche. I’ve never liked it and they used to serve the horrid stuff for school dinners on a regular basis. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a whole slice of quiche. I’ve given it a good go but that taste, that smell… no, just not happening!
4. Green banana
Green bananas are usually served in savoury dishes and feature in Caribbean, South American, African and South Asian cuisines – cuisines I enjoy a great deal. I don’t come across green bananas very often, thankfully. But when I have, I’ve never really enjoyed them so tend to pick them out. I don’t like the texture – and the fact that I believe bananas should be yellow and sweet probably has something to do with my dislike of them!
5. Cooked peppers
Now I can eat raw peppers without any problem at all, and I don’t believe that a salad is a salad without them. But for some reason, I don’t enjoy peppers when they’ve been cooked. Unlike many of the foods on this list, I can actually eat cooked peppers but then again I’ve had to – you won’t believe how many dishes contain cooked peppers. It’s just that I’d prefer not to! I don’t really like the flavour or texture of peppers when they’ve been cooked.
6. Non- peeling oranges
I’ve always had a bit of a love-hate relationship with oranges. One of those things in life that just can’t be explained. But even though I’m happy to OD on oranges when I have a really bad cold, they have to be of the peeling variety. I can’t be doing with all that cutting malarkey. And since childhood, I’ve never been able to stand the sight of those navel oranges – definitely not for me!
7. Soft jelly sweets
Now I’ve always had a sweet tooth so naturally I love sweets. But I don’t like those ultra soft, sugar-coated jelly sweets. I’m not totally sure why – I vaguely remember being sick after eating too many of these as a child so I’m sure that’s got a lot to do with it – but they’ve always made me feel a bit queasy after tucking into a few, so I tend to give them a miss. I prefer the jelly sweets with a harder texture.
8. Curried/stewed fish
OK, so I love fish, I love curries, and I love stews. I even like fish stews and curries. But I’m very fussy about how the fish is cooked. It has to be in chunks rather than steaks, and there shouldn’t be any huge bones and certainly no skin, as I hate the texture – all slimy and nasty. Not good!
9. Duck
Duck is very popular with many people but I personally have never understood the appeal. It has a rather strong flavour that I really don’t like but if I did have to eat it, I’d prefer to have my duck cooked a bit longer than most people would prefer. I’ve tried to get into it but I’ve accepted that my tastebuds are different to everyone else’s and duck just isn’t for me.
10. Offal
I reckon it’s a small minority of people who can stomach offal – but I’m not one of them. The smell alone is horribly off-putting, and although I’ve tried classics such as steak and kidney pie, and liver and onions, it’s not something that I’m in a hurry to sample again.
If any of you have any ‘food nasties,’ I’d love to hear about them!
Passion Fruit Mousse
Passion fruit mousse is supposed to be the closest thing that Brazil has to a national dessert. It’s not hard to see why. Mousse? Great! Passion fruit? Amazing! I absolutely love tropical fruits, so this dessert is right up my street.
Prep: 15 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling time
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 passion fruit, pulp and seeds scooped out
- 150g sweetened condensed milk
- 175ml fresh whipping cream
- 4 lemon shortbread thins, to serve
METHOD:
- Put ¾ of the passion fruit pulp and seeds (reserve the rest for decorating) in a food processor or blender and whiz to a purée.
- Push through a sieve into a bowl, to remove the seeds.
- Add the condensed milk and stir until smooth.
- Pour the cream into another bowl and use a hand-held electric whisk to whip until stiff peaks form.
- Fold through the passion fruit mixture, 1/3rd at a time, until combined.
- Spoon into small serving glasses and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
- Spoon the reserved passion fruit over the mousses and serve with the lemon thins.
Pineapple Coconut Fizz
Pineapple and coconut make a great partnership, and this mocktail is perfect as a refreshing summer drink.
Prep: 5-10 minutes
Total: 5-10 minutes
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ x medium pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped, reserving 1 skin-on slice, cut into wedges, to decorate
- 200ml pineapple and coconut juice drink
- ½ x 28g pack fresh mint, washed and chopped, reserving a few sprigs to decorate
- Crushed ice
- Soda water to top up
METHOD:
- Put the pineapple in a bowl and crush using the end of a rolling pin.
- Tip into a jug and add the pineapple and coconut juice and the chopped mint.
- Fill 4 glasses with crushed ice, then pour over the pineapple mixture.
- Stir with a cocktail stick, then top with soda water
- Decorate with the reserved pineapple wedges and mint to serve.
Keep Calm And Stay Hydrated
Summer has officially descended upon us and the weather is just making me want to drink… and drink… and drink! Forget food, I just want something to quench my thirst so no prizes for guessing what’s going to make up most of this week’s shopping list!
I came across some delicious sounding recipes for drinks which I thought I’d share with you, including one for a hot coffee drink which may not sound ideal for the warmer weather, but a girl always has to get her early morning coffee fix!
HAZELNUT LATTE
One of my fave coffee flavours – hazelnut!
INGREDIENTS:
Hazelnut syrup
A cup of whisked, warmed milk
1 tsp. coffee powder
A swirl of cream
METHOD:
- Put coffee powder into a latte cup.
- Add a tbsp. of boiling water to coffee and stir.
- Add hazelnut syrup.
- Top up with whisked, warmed milk.
- Add a swirl of cream.
MANGO LASSI
(serves 6)
I love mangoes and anything made from this delicious fruit so it’s no surprise that it’s something I always order when I go to an Indian restaurant – although I have yet to make it myself! This version also includes mint – something I’ve never tried in a lassi.
INGREDIENTS:
A small bunch of mint leaves
100ml milk
1 ripe mango, peeled, stoned and chopped
2tbsp. low-fat yogurt
1tsp. runny honey
METHOD:
- Whizz all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
- Fill a tall glass with some ice.
- Pour lassi over ice – and serve!
CLEMENTINE FIZZ
Pretty much Bucks Fizz – something I usually have with breakfast Christmas morning but I bet an ice-cold glass of Clementine Fizz would go down very well on a hot day.
INGREDIENTS:
Juice of 1 Clementine
1tsp. triple sec
Prosecco or Cava
METHOD:
- Put the juice in a champagne flute.
- Add the triple sec.
- Top with Prosecco or cava.
CHAMPAGNE COCKTAIL
Who wouldn’t like a glass of champers?
INGREDIENTS:
1 sugar cube
A dash of Angostura bitters
10ml brandy or cognac
Champagne or your favourite sparkling wine
METHOD:
- Place sugar cube in a fluted glass.
- Add Angostura bitters and brandy or cognac.
- Top with Champagne or sparkling wine.
WASABI BLOODY MARY
(makes 6)
usually made with tobacco sauce, this version uses wasabi for an even more powerful kick!
INGREDIENTS:
1ltr tomato juice
3tbsp. wasabi powder
6 shots vodka
1tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 lemons, halved
6 celery sticks
Handful of ice
METHOD:
- Place ice in glasses.
- Put all other ingredients – except celery – into a large jug.
- Stir well.
- Pour into glasses over the ice.
- Serve with celery sticks.
Enjoy these gorgeous drinks. Enjoy the Summer!
All recipes from Woman’s Own, March 2014
All recipes serve one unless otherwise stated.
Spicy Salsa With Everything!
One special memory about my very first time in the States many years ago was that I learned how to make salsa. My Aunt P. who’s Mexican taught me how to make an authentic Mexican salsa and for a long time afterwards I was making it all the time and serving it up with everything: crisps, tortilla chips, wraps, sandwiches, rice, chips, salads… you name it, salsa was served with it. If ever there was an event or get together I’d whip up a tub of Aunt P.’s special salsa.
For reasons I’m not totally sure of, I gradually stopped making it over the years which I regret as I eventually forgot the recipe. Until, I came across a recipe in a magazine for salsa and realized it was almost identical to the one Aunt P. taught me to make – except this one contained garlic. I’m so thrilled that salsa making days are back. Perhaps you’d like to try this recipe too.
INGREDIENTS:
4 tomatoes
1 green chilli
1/2 red onion
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp. coriander
Juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
- Roughly chop the tomatoes into small chunks.
- Crush the garlic.
- Finely chop all the other ingredients.
- Combine all chopped ingredients in a bowl.
- Add lime juice, salt and pepper.
- Enjoy!