Liquid spices

Been doing a mass Chef at Home marathon (they show it every night at 12am so I tape it and watch it all on the weekend). I've always been intrigued by alcohol, because I don't have much experience in terms of tasting them and thus mixing and matching flavours and so far, there have been some liquid disasters

Chef Michael Smith however calls them 'liquid spices' which aside from being used to mix cocktails, can also be used to complement food flavours. Here is his classification:

Sweet
Usually for desserts: rum, liquers like coffee, mint, cream, fruit, liquorice etc

Savoury
whisky - goes well with ribs
vodka - goes well with tomatoes and tomato-based sauces
scotch - goes well with the earthy flavours of beans

Spicy
Tequila

And on another note, I got my cocktail shaker, the professional kind! Its pretty cool, with plastic ice cubes, and even comes with markings on the side as a guide for making 6 different cocktails! Hazy days ahead! Salut!

Nigella Express: Cherry Cheesecake

From Nigella Express
Ingredients

125g digestive biscuits
75g soft butter
300g cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
60g icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250ml double cream
1 x 284g jar St Dalfour Rhapsodie de Fruit Black Cherry Spread


Preparation

1. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until beginning to turn to crumbs, then add the butter and whiz again to make the mixture clump.
2. Press this mixture into a 20cm springform tin; press a little up the sides to form a slight ridge.
3. Beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.
4. Lightly whip the double cream, and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture.
5. Spoon the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base and smooth with a spatula. Put it in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight.
6. When you are ready to serve the cheesecake, unmould it and spread the black cherry over the top.

Jamie at Home 2: Butternut Squash Cupcakes

Just completed watching the new Jamie at Home season 2 on squashes and pumpkins. I've always wondered what to do with squashes and pumpkins. Here's a recipe that seems really easy, and I like it mostly because it's all done in a food processor. Here's literally my copying off the episode as Jamie does performs it on screen.

Ingredients (makes 24)
400g butternut squash, skin and all (yay! don't even had to remove it, which gave me a big headache last time!), smallish cubed
400g brown sugar
300g plain flour
4 eggs
pinch of salt
2 heaped tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
Handful of walnuts
175ml virgin olive oil or sunflower oil

Method
1) Chop up the squash into smallish cubes, the skin can be kept on. Put it into the processor and blitz it up as fine as possible.
2) Add the rest of the ingredients into the processsor and blitz up until everything is well combined.
3) Pour into cupcake paper lined muffin tins. Fill it 3/4 full.
4) Bake at180 deg C for 20 mins.

Get a knife, insert it in and if it comes out clean, it's ready.

I didn't bother with the 2nd part of this receipe which is frosted topping, which I've never been too keen on.

Nigella Express: Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon

(Picture is my own, sans the smoked salmon)

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Free Range Eggs
• 125ml Whole Milk
• 2 Spring Onions (Finely Sliced)
• 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 60g Instant Mashed Potatoes (Mix)
• 40g Plain Flour
• ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon Lemon Juice

METHOD

• In a jug, whisk the eggs, milk, finely sliced spring onions and olive oil together.
• Stir in the instant mashed potato mix, plain flour, baking powder and the lemon juice.
• Heat a flat griddle and drop tablespoon-sized dollops of the mixture onto the hot griddle.
• Cook for about 30 seconds a side, or until golden-brown and firm enough at the sides to flip.

For The Topping

INGREDIENTS

• 300g Smoked Salmon
• Small Bunch Fresh Dill

METHOD

• Once you have made the pancakes, and they've cooled a little, tear off strips of smoked salmon and arrange the small slices on each pancake.
• Decorate each salmon-topped pancake with a tiny feather of dill.

Nigella Express: Rocky Road Crunch Bars

INGREDIENTS

• 125 Soft Unsalted Butter
• 300g Best Quality Dark Chocolate (Broken Into Pieces)
• 3 tablespoons Golden Syrup
• 200g Rich Tea Biscuits
• 100g Mini Marshmallows
• 2 teaspoons Icing Sugar (To Dust)

METHOD

• Heat the butter, chocolate and golden syrup in a heavy-based saucepan over a gentle heat. Remove from the heat, scoop out about 125ml/4½fl oz of the melted mixture and set aside in a bowl.
• Place the biscuits into a plastic freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin until some have turned to crumbs but there are still pieces of biscuit remaining.
• Fold the biscuit pieces and crumbs into the melted chocolate mixture in the saucepan, then add the marshmallows.
• Tip the mixture into a 24cm/9in square baking tin and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
• Pour over the reserved 125ml/4½fl oz of the melted chocolate mixture and smooth the top with a wet spatula.
• Refrigerate for about two hours or overnight.
• To serve, cut into 24 fingers and dust with icing sugar.

Nigella Express: Rapid Ragu

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons Garlic Oil
• 125g Cubed Pancetta
• 500g Minced Lamb
• 75g Caramelised Onions (From A Jar)
• 80ml Marsala (Wine)
• 400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
• 75g Green Lentils
• 125ml Water
• 50g Grated Red Leicester Cheese (Or Cheddar, To Serve, Optional)

METHOD

• Heat the oil in a wide saucepan and fry the pancetta until beginning to turn crisp and golden-brown.
• Add the minced lamb, breaking it up with a fork, and stir until browned.
• Add the caramelised onions, marsala, tomatoes, lentils and water and bring to the boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• To serve, divide the ragù between four serving bowls and sprinkle with grated cheese, if using.

Nigella Express: Chicken Alla Cacciatora

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon Garlic Oil
• 75g Pancetta (Cubes)
• 6 Spring Onions (Finely Sliced)
• 1 teaspoon Finely Chopped Rosemary
• 500g Boneless Chicken Thighs (Cut Into Bite-Sized Pieces)
• ½ teaspoon Celery Salt
• 125ml White Wine
• 400g Can Chopped Tomatoes
• 2 Bay Leaves
• ½ teaspoon Sugar
• 400g Can Cannellini Beans (Rinsed And Drained, Optional)

METHOD

• Heat the garlic oil in a pan and fry the pancetta, spring onions and chopped rosemary for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the chicken pieces, sprinkle in the celery salt and stir well.
• Pour in the wine and bring to a simmer, then add the tomatoes, bay leaves and sugar. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the drained cannellini beans, if using, and simmer until the beans are warmed through and the chicken is completely cooked through.
• To serve, divide among four serving dishes.

Nigella Express: Margarita Ice Cream

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 125ml Lime Juice
• 2 tablespoons Tequila
• 3 tablespoons Orange Liqueur Or Triple Sec
• 150g Icing Sugar
• 500ml Double Cream

METHOD

• Pour the lime juice, tequila and orange liqueur or triple sec into a bowl and stir in the icing sugar until it dissolves.
• Add the cream and whisk until the mixture is thick and smooth, but not stiff.
• Spoon into an airtight container and place into the freezer to freeze overnight. This ice cream doesn't need to be taken out to soften before serving, as it won't freeze too hard and melts quickly.

Steamed Dill and Garlic Salmon

I've just stocked up on my dried herbs, and decided to try out a decidedly British herb - dill weed. It's good with fish and chicken, according to the description. I've only known it to be used with fish. This is a new variation of on an old favourite of mine.
Ingredients2 salmon steaks
1 tsp dill
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp vodka
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp mustard
1/2 cup of water
1 baby bok choy, chopped
Method1) Marinate fish.
2) In a cassarole dish, line with aluminum foil. Lay on a bed of chopped bok choy and lay the fish on top. Pour in the remainder of the marinade, and 1/2 cup of water.
3) Bake at 200 deg for 10-15 mins until fish is cooked.
4) Unwrap and serve.

Chicken Ratatouille

Ratatouille is actually a French peasant dish, made famous by the animated feature of the same name. It is a stew of summer vegetables such as courgettes, tomatoes, peppers, aubergine, onion and garlic. This version is inspired by the show "Chef at Home", with chef Michael Smith, but of course with me, I liked my meat, so hence the addition of chicken. Obviously not traditional anymore, I decided to add a bit of other 'stew' favours to it to make an all-in-one dish. This is also the first time I bring out my pressure cooker, since I have a fear of it exploding in my face. However, I really did want the meat to fall off the bone, and for the vegs to be so meltingly soft, but obviously I don't want to spend a very long time stewing over a slow fire.

Ingredients (serves 2)
2 large chicken thighs
1 carrot
1 aubergine
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 handfull barley
1 handfull soya beans
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Method
1) Soak the soya beans overnight to soften, and throw away the soaking water the next day. Change to a fresh cup of water and soak for another hour.
2) Dice the carrot, aubergine, peppers and onion.
3) Throw everything into the pot - onion, garlic, chicken, vegs, herbs, can of tomatoes, barley, soyabeans, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour in the cup of water used to soak the soya beans
4) Snap on the lid and follow pressure cooker instructions - mine took only 1/2 hour and everything was done, meat falling off bone and vegs meltingly soft. I scraped off the meat and discarded the bones.
5) To serve, I tossed in crusty bread to soak up the juices. The bread puffed up wonderfully and was a delightful.

You could also cook the conventional method -
1) brown the chicken, remove
2) fry up the aromatics and vegs,
3) add back the chicken, pour in the can of tomatoes
4) add the herbs and soaking water
5) bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and low simmer for 2 hrs until everything is soft.