Get Ready for National Marmalade Week with Vivien Lloyd

National Marmalade Week is coming up (2 - 9 March 2013) and to get in the spirit, Monica Shaw talked to Vivien Lloyd, author and winner of the World’s Original Marmalade Festival in 2008 and Fortnum and Mason’s Chutney Challenge in 2012.  She gives some great tips on making marmalade and shares a fantastic recipe for Seville Orange Marmalade.

Photography by Robert Walster 

Vivien wrote the book (quite literally) on making marmalade, jam and chutney - her First Preserves book is a fountain of recipes, tips and beautiful photographs that make you want to get your marm on (I’ve personally got my eye on Three Fruit Marmalade with grapefruit, lemon and Seville oranges). 

So why Marmalade Week right now? Well, making “preserves” is all about preserving the season, and now, Seville oranges are at their best, which means: it’s marmalade making time. Thanks to Vivien who generously shared a few of her choice tips and a fantastic recipe for Seville Orange Marmalade.

Marmalade Making Tips from Vivien Llloyd

• Avoid burning marmalade by warming the sugar in a low oven 120C for 15 mins. Dissolve the sugar slowly, on a low heat and bring the pan to a rolling boil gradually.
• I slice my peel very thinly as thinner peel releases more pectin into the marmalade than thicker peel. Pectin is a gum like substance found in the walls of the fruit. When pectin is combined with the sugar in the recipe it produces the “gel” in the consistency.

• To test setting point I prefer to use the “flake test”: dip a large spoon into the pan and scoop out a spoonful of marmalade. Lift the spoon above the pan and turn it horizontally. If the marmalade has reached setting point ( 104.5C/220F) it will drip then hang on the side of the spoon like webbed feet.
• Make small batches of marmalade- 2.25kg yield. Smaller batches give the best colour, consistency and flavour. Large batches take longer to boil to setting point. The longer the boil, the darker the colour, the weaker the flavour and often a syrupy consistency.
• Invest in a large-lidded stainless steel pan with a capacity of 7 litres. Jam pans aren’t suitable. A lid is essential to manage the first stage of cooking. Without a lid, the water in the recipe may be driven off too quickly and the peel remains tough and under cooked.

• To get an airtight seal on a marmalade I always use traditional jam jars. Re-cycle jars but buy new twist-top lids. I buy mine  from Bottle Company South.
• Use organic seville oranges rel=”nofollow” if possible. I  use oranges from Ave Maria.
• Use a balanced recipe, that is, double the amount of sugar to fruit and sufficient water to soften the peel.

I love to see a foodie embrace the spirit of sharing when it comes to the food they’re interested in, and Vivien Lloyd has been spreading the marmalade joy all over the Internet. Visit her website, find her on Twitter or follow her on Pinterest. Vivien also offers workshops for groups and cookery schools. And of course, there’s her books: Her First Preserves book on making jam, chutney and marmalade is as beautiful as it is useful. If it’s just marmalade you’re after, you can also pick up First Preserves: Marmalades as an ebook for iPad.

Seville Orange Marmalade

675g (1lb 8oz) Seville oranges

1 Lemon

1.4kg (3lb) granulated, cane sugar

1.75 litres (3 pints) water.

1. Juice the oranges and pour the juice with the water into a large, lidded pan with a capacity of 7 litres. Remove the inner membranes and pips from the oranges. Do not remove the pith from the oranges.

2. Juice the lemon and add the juice to the pan. Put the orange membranes  into a food processor or mini-chopper and chop finely.Put  the chopped membranes,  and  any pips  into a  30 cm x 30cm piece of thin cotton muslin. Tie this up with string and add to the pan.Slice the oranges and add the peel to the pan.  If possible, leave the pan overnight to allow the fruit to soak.

3. Next day, bring the lidded pan to boil, turn down the heat and simmer very gently for two hours. The peel should be very tender and the contents of the pan reduced by a third. Remove the muslin bag and squeeze the liquid from the bag back into the pan through a sieve, using a large spoon.Warm the sugar in a low oven.

4. Add the sugar to the pan and dissolve. Bring the pan to a rolling boil and test for a set after 7 minutes. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes- a skin should form on the surface. Remove any scum from the surface of the marmalade with a large metal spoon. Gently stir the marmalade to distribute the peel.

5. Pour the marmalade into clean, warm sterilised jars and cover with new twist top lids. Alternatively, seal the jars with waxed discs and when cold, apply cellophane covers secured with elastic bands. Leave the jars upright and undisturbed to set.

Makes around 2.25kg/5lb.

Sausage, Spud and Apple Bake

We’re often asked for tasty midweek suppers that are quick to prepare. So we were delighted when Victoria shared her delicious recipe for sausage, potato and apple bake.  Simple ingredients, low effort but high on taste.

Often, when I want an easy midweek supper, I turn to the simplicity of dried pasta or rice. It always seems like the quickest option when you’ve left it until your stomach is already rumbling before thinking about dinner.  What I’ve come to realise lately, is when it comes to carbs, pasta and rice dishes don’t necessarily guarantee less effort than potatoes - especially if you want to make sure you eat some vegetables.

Unless you’re planning on doing little more than popping open a jar of shop bought pesto (and there’s certainly no judgement from me for that), then the likelihood is that your speedy supper will involve chopping, frying and stirring to make a sauce to adorn your comforting bowl of starch. All this probably takes about the same time as it will take my sausage, spud and apple dish to bake. This is good news as far as I’m concerned, being a potato lover of unparalleled enthusiasm. 

My dessert island carb would be a spud. You can chip it, roast it, mash it, turn it into crisps and that’s all before your gnocchis and gratins and other poshed up pots. But poor old potatoes have been given a bad press of late. The diet police have been protesting about their high GI, but potatoes contain a surprisingly high number of nutrients for a vegetable we’re not even allowed to count towards our 5 a day.

Potatoes are a great source of Vitamin B, folate, potassium, magnesium and iron and are even thought to lower blood pressure. Potatoes are surprisingly rich in immune-boosting Vitamin C too. A medium sized unpeeled potato provides almost half of the recommended daily intake. I didn’t need much convincing before, but now I’m sold. I knew my love for the humble spud couldn’t go unrewarded forever.

This dish is minimal effort for maximum taste reward. Once it’s in the oven, you’ll have just enough time to relax with a few chapters of your book or catch up on your favourite soap,  before dinner is served. So that’s my evening sorted. How about yours?

Sausage, Spud and Apple Bake

6 sausages (I used Debbie & Andrew gluten free pork sausages)

6 apples, cored and quartered (no need to peel)

2 – 3 onions (red or white), peeled and cut into chunks

3 large potatoes, cut into chunks (no need to peel) and parboiled in salted water

A handful of garlic cloves, unpeeled and bruised with a heavy knife handle

Fresh sage chopped or thyme is nice too

250ml (a large glass) of cider or chicken stock

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)

Coat the apples, potatoes, onions and garlic cloves in a good glug of olive oil in a large ovenproof dish. Bury the sausages in between and scatter over the sage. Generously season and pour over the cider/chicken stock. Bake for 40 minutes, or until soft and golden. Serve with lashings of Dijon mustard.

What are your favourite mid-week suppers?  One pot dishes, stir fries, pasta?  Let us know here or over on Great British Chefs Facebook page.

Get Baking To Beat Multiple Sclerosis

Around 100,000 people in the UK have multiple sclerosis (MS). It affects two million more. The MS Society are doing amazing work funding new research, campaigning for change and providing information and support to sufferers. Their work is particularly important right now, given the government’s plans to change disability benefits, and they need your help.

In the meantime, to get your creative cake juices flowing, here’s a recipe for mojito madeleines.  I might have a cocktail theme for mine (remember what I said about booze and generosity…). 

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan)/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Butter and flour (use rice flour for GF) a 12 hole madeleine tin.

Whisk together the eggs and sugar until frothy and add all the ingredients except for the rum and lightly combine into a loose batter. Leave the mixture to stand for 20 minutes before carefully filling the madeleine tray (3/4 full only). Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. Your little cakes should have their characteristic rise in the middle. Once out of the oven, quickly brush the cakes with a little rum - not too much or they’ll be soggy. You want just enough to create a warming background note of rum. 

Sweets For My Sweet …

For many Valentine’s Day won’t be complete without chocolate in some shape or form. For a dessert to melt your loved one’s heart, try Victoria’s Chocolate & Pistachio tarts tarts with a hidden layer of salted caramel.

It always seems a shame that Valentine’s Day has stopped being about sending secret tokens of admiration and mysterious cards signed with a “?”. The delicious enigmas and exciting confessions weren’t supposed to be for couples – they already knew they fancied each other – it was a day of annual courage for lovelorn singletons, hoping their ardour would at last be reciprocated.

Now that couples have hijacked it, Valentine’s Day has become synonymous with public smooching in overcrowded restaurants and teddy bears covered in hearts. There’s something very unnerving about the commercial aesthetic of romance these days. On the weeks leading up to the 14th February, everything becomes pink and fluffy and our eyes are assaulted by cheap heart-shaped tat at every turn. It’s like a 10 year old girl’s bedroom has exploded all over the high street.

Having said that, I hate missing a party and if there’s an excuse for a celebration I don’t want to be left out. I know it’s cooler to turn your nose up at Valentine’s Day altogether, as yet another commercially driven exploit to separate us from more of our hard earned cash, but I don’t really care about any of that. I embrace Valentine’s Day in the same way I embrace Father’s Day and all the other toshy made up reasons to wrap up a gift or send a card. As half of a couple, the thing I always snub on Valentine’s Day is dinner out.

It’s always nice to support your favourite local independent restaurants, but for the most part, dinner out on Valentine’s Day is the least romantic restaurant experience of the year. Endless tables for two, crammed together so tight, you’re practically sitting on the next couples’ laps, while being forced to choose from an overpriced “romantic” menu that’s less appealing than their usual fare.

Romance, to me, is in the thought and effort you make for someone else and in the thought and effort they make for you in return. It’s easy if you’ve got the cash to splash out on expensive jewellery, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and a dozen red roses. You can do the whole weekend away, Champagne breakfast, diamonds and satin sheets thing if you like. You can even get a vulgar teddy holding a heart and I won’t judge you (I will). There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of it (except for the teddy). But it doesn’t take much effort to get the plastic out if you’ve got the funds in your bank account. If you haven’t (or even if you have), a thoughtful meal at home, lovingly prepared and shared, is what I call a perfect Valentine’s dinner for two.  Keep your smug snogging inside your own doors and leave the restaurant tables for the sweetly awkward first dates of all those hopeful singles. It’s their day out there, it’s time for us couples to stay indoors.

My boyfriend is cooking our main course, we’re doing the starter together and I’m making the pud’. That’s what I call romance and there won’t be a fluffy heart in sight.

Chocolate and Pistachio Tarts

These gluten free tarts include a hidden layer of salted pistachio caramel, which is just as sexy as it sounds.

Serves two

For the gluten free crust (it’s not really pastry, more like a nutty biscuit base)

50g shelled unsalted pistachios (plus extra for decorating if you wish)

30g unsalted butter

25g cocoa

25g caster sugar

Blitz the pistachios in a food processor until you’re left with tiny crumbs. Pulse in the rest of the ingredients until you have a smooth, slightly sticky dough. Wrap in cling film and pop it in the fridge for an hour.

Oil two individual tart tins. Divide the dough in half and roll one piece between two sheets of cling film, remove the underside of cling film and place it over the top of one of the tins. Gently press the dough into the tart case and pinch off any overhang before removing the top layer of cling film. Using the cling film helps the dough to stay together and it means you won’t have to use extra flour/cocoa to stop it sticking to your worktop. It also helps prevent you looking like you’re making a dirty protest.

Repeat with the other tin, prick the tarts bases and pop them in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan)

Pop the tart shells in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack before gently turning them out of their cases.

For the pistachio salted caramel

25g light muscovado sugar

1 tbsp. golden syrup

A splash of vanilla extract

½ tsp. salt

50ml double cream

2 tbsp. pistachio paste (you can make your own or buy it here)

Pop the sugar, syrup, salt and vanilla in a small saucepan and stir over a gentle flame until the sugar has completely dissolved. Increase the heat and when the mixture starts to boil add the cream. Reduce the heat and stir for about a minute before taking the pan off the heat and whisking through the pistachio paste. Leave it to cool slightly before pouring a layer of caramel in the base of each tart and leave to cool completely.

For the chocolate filling

50g dark chocolate

25g unsalted butter, cubed

75ml double cream

1 tbsp light muscovado sugar

A splash of vanilla extract

1 egg yolk

Chop the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl with the butter. Stir the cream and sugar together in a saucepan over a gentle heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Increase the heat and once the cream begins to scald, pouring it over the chocolate and butter. Leave for a minute before mixing together until the chocolate and butter has melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Stir in the vanilla and whisk in the egg yolk. Pour the mixture over the cool pistachio caramel and leave to set completely before decorating with chopped pistachios and raspberries, or however you wish.

Inspired?  There’s a whole host of romantic Valentine’s Day recipes on Great British Chefs for you to enjoy with someone special.

Lamb steak with minty Brazilian pesto and white bean mash

Heart shaped lamb is on the menu for Valentine’s Day.  Rosana shows how these tender steaks can be paired brilliantly with a minty pesto and white bean mash.

Donald Russell kindly sent me their grass fed and hand cut Valentine lamb loin steaks.  Heart shaped, they make an ideal centre piece for a romantic meal.

Lamb loin is a very succulent, tender and juicy piece of meat. It doesn’t require long cooking time. It’s ideal for a very quick, easy and tasty meal. Whoever your Valentine is, you are sure to make a good impression. 

Lamb steak in minty Brazilian pesto and white bean mash

Serves 2 people

Lamb:

Ingredients:

4 x Lamb steaks (approx. 350gr)

Marinate the steaks in olive oil, garlic, zest of 1 lemon and freshly ground pepper for 6 hours.

Meanwhile make the pesto

Minty Brazilian Pesto

Ingredients:

25gr Brazil Nuts

15gr peanuts

15gr fresh mint

1 clove of garlic peeled

25gr flat parsley leaf

15gr fresh coriander leaves

150ml extra virgin olive oil

100gr of Parmesan cheese

chilli to taste

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a blender . reserve.

Mashed white beans

Ingredients:

1 can of cannelli beans

1/2 clove of garlic minced

½ small white onion finally chopped

1/2 sprig of rosemary chopped

10gr of parsley chopped

lemon zest

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a  pan, heat oil over medium heat. Fry the onion for 5 minutes then add the minced garlic, stirring often, until golden, about 1 minute.
2. Drain the beans and add to the pan together with the rosemary and 1 cup of water (approx. 200ml)
3. Cook the  beans, stirring constantly until they are hot and the liquid thickens, about 5 minutes.
4. Mash the beans, leaving some whole. Season with lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare the lamb steaks

Heat a grill pan or frying pan. To help keep their shape use a skewer/cocktail stick before cooking.

Cook the steaks for 2 mins each side for medium rare and well done 3 mins each side.  

When ready leave it to rest for 10 mins wrapped in aluminium paper to keep it warm. Plate up bean mash, add the steaks and spread the pesto on top of it or serve separately.

Happy Valentines.

For more delicious lamb recipes visit Great British Chefs collection.

Valentine’s Day Menu

How to impress your Valentine for dinner this year? Miriam shares a wonderful menu that can be part prepared ahead, leaving you with more time to make yourself look perfect. Soothing chicken & fennel soup, followed by seared beef salad rounded off with ginger & pear eclairs.

So there’s a person that you’ve fancied for a while, maybe you’ve been on a few dates and now you want to impress them…well, go on, invite them round for dinner… on Valentine’s Day! I know it sounds like a cheesy idea but think about it – all the restaurants are going to be full to the rafters with couples being herded in and out for a heart-shaped set menu, and there’s no sense in you both sitting at your respective homes watching Vicky Cristina Barcelona. No, no, no, pick up the phone, crack open the pink champagne (it’s probably on offer) and cook up a storm!

The classic Valentine’s Day Menu formula seems to begin with an aphrodisiac-based starter (such as oysters or asparagus) followed by a heavy main course and finished with a very gooey, chocolate-y pudding. This all sounds lovely, but if I ate all that my conversation would certainly not be sparkling…more like snoozing!  Instead I have gone for things that are fairly light, easy to prepare and won’t fall flat if your guest arrives a little late. Oh and I have written the recipes to be part prepared ahead – this leaves you time to do all those things you need to do before they arrive, you know, brush your teeth, cut your toenails, wash the dust off the champagne flutes, that sort of thing.

Starter: Chicken & Fennel Soup

Serve in dainty cups and saucers or big cosy mugs, either way it should be just the thing to soothe any dating nerves and particularly perfect if your guest is drenched from the rain (you know, like in ALL the movies!).

2 free-range chicken legs

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

2 shallots, finely diced

½ fennel bulb, finely diced (keep the other half for the main course)

1 carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 courgette, finely diced

500ml of chicken stock

4 whole cloves

1 star anise

1 handful of broken vermicelli (optional)

Pinch of fresh parsley, finely sliced

Earlier in the day:

1)    Place the chicken legs in an ovenproof dish cover with a splash of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.

2)    Roast at 200°C for about 1 hour or until the skin is getting crispy and the meat is cooked through

3)    Allow to cool, discard the skin, take the meat off the bones and cut into small pieces and set aside

Just before they arrive:

4)    Fry the diced shallots and fennel with a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan, until they start to soften and the shallots are becoming translucent

5)    Add the diced courgette and carrot and cook for another minute or two then add the stock, cloves, and the star anise.

6)    Bring to the boil and then simmer for 5-6 minutes.

7)    Add salt and pepper to taste and discard the star anise and cloves

8)    Add the cooked chicken and vermicelli (if using) and simmer for 3 minutes

9)    Serve with the parsley sprinkled over the top

This recipe makes quite big portions, so you’ll probably have some leftovers which you can have for lunch the next day… or it could be good to give to any housemates who turn up half way through your dinner, the ones who said they would be out all evening!

Main Course: Seared Beef Salad

This is a light, elegant and ridiculously simple main course that you can both delicately pick at while discussing topics such as favourite films, music tastes or… baby names!

200g of good quality beef fillet

Black pepper

Olive oil

1 lemon

1 tablespoon of chopped chives

1 small bag of wild rocket

50-60g of hard goats cheese, finely sliced with a vegetable peeler

10-12 caperberries

½ fennel bulb, finely sliced

Earlier in the day:

1)    Season the beef well on both sides with lots of black pepper

2)    In a non-stick frying pan over a very high heat, sear the beef in about a teaspoon of olive oil. It just needs a few seconds each side

3)    When the beef is still raw in the middle but is just starting to pick up some golden/caramelised colours on the outsides, take it off the heat and leave on a plate.

4)    In a medium sized bowl mix the zest of 1 lemon, 2 teaspoons of olive oil and gradually whisk in the juice of the lemon until it’s fully incorporated. Add the chives and the beef and cover with cling film to marinate for at least 30minutes

To Serve:

5)    Lay the fennel slices over the plates then dot around the caperberries, pieces of goat’s cheese, and rocket leaves.

6)    Slice the beef and add to the plate along with a drizzle of any remaining marinade

Serve with slices of fresh bread  (I won’t tell anyone if you don’t bake it yourself).

Dessert: Ginger and Pear Éclairs 

Although technically they are giant profiteroles but éclair rhymes with pear… or you could just call them “Pearfiteroles”… I’ll leave it to you.

50g of butter

2 tablespoons of strong white bread flour

½ teaspoon of caster sugar

1 egg

100g of mascarpone

100g of extra thick double cream

The seeds of 1 vanilla pod

3 tablespoons of light brown sugar

1 thumb sized piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced

Icing sugar

½ teaspoon of ground ginger

2 pieces of crystalised ginger (optional)

1 pear, peeled, cored and sliced

Earlier in the day:

1)    Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a tray with a piece of lightly greased baking paper and splash the tray with a tiny bit of water

2)    To make the choux buns: put 6 tablespoons of water into a small saucepan with half of the butter. Heat until the butter has completely melted and starts to simmer

3)    Take the pan off the heat and quickly add the flour and the caster sugar stirring vigorously to remove any lumps

4)    When you have a smooth, thick paste whisk in the egg. You need to give it a bit of welly, but the lumps will go and you will be left with a smooth and glossy batter

5)    Divide the mixture into 2 large dollops on the baking tray (don’t put them too close together) and bake for about 18-20 minutes or until well risen and golden brown on the outside

6)    Split the choux buns in half horizontally as soon as they come out of the oven and leave to cool, cut side up on the tray or a wire rack

7)    To make the caramel sauce; heat the rest of the butter in a pan with the brown sugar and the root ginger slices until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is simmering

8)    Take the pan off the heat and add about a tablespoon of the cream, stirring continuously, then discard the ginger slices and set aside

9)    Make a simple icing by mixing together about 4 tablespoons of icing sugar, the ground ginger and 3 teaspoons of water. Mix well and add more icing sugar if it is too thin or a splash more water if it’s too thick then spread the icing over the top of 1 half of each choux bun and leave to set (top with a piece of crystallised ginger if using)

10)  For the vanilla cream simply combine the mascarpone, 50g of the cream and the vanilla seeds together in a bowl and leave the mixture in the fridge until serving

When you’re ready to serve:

11)  Lay the un-iced base of a choux bun on each plate, cut side up, and fill with spoonfuls of the vanilla cream, slices of pear and the caramel sauce then top each one with its decorated lid

12)  Adorn the plate with any remaining caramel sauce and a dusting of icing sugar

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have a super Valentine’s Day x

There are more inspiring Valentine’s Day recipes on Great British Chefs for that romantic night in.

Crepes Suzette - Galvins

For a classic finish to a dinner party, we’re delighted to share a recipe  from Michelin-starred chef brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin.

We’re very excited to announce that the Galvin brothers will be joining Great British Chefs site soon and you’ll be able to discover how you can make their award winning dishes at home.  

The remarkable Galvin brothers have had amazing success with their restaurants. Galvin Bistrot de Luxe, opened in 2005 in London’s Baker Street and is now one of the capital’s great dining destinations. Galvin at Windows, opened in 2006, and soon after gained a Michelin Star in 2010. And Galvin La Chapelle and Café Vin, both of which opened in 2009, are the most recent restaurants  in their story of success, with La Chapelle gaining its Michelin Star in 2011.

As a taster to the work you will see on Great British Chefs here’s their version of that French classic Crêpes Suzette from their book Galvin, a Cookbook de Luxe.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the crêpes

55g unsalted butter

2 free-range eggs

25g caster sugar

100g plain flour

a pinch of sea salt

350ml milk

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

For the sauce

2 oranges

225g caster sugar

80ml water

175g unsalted butter

3 tablespoons orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

1 orange, segmented, all peel and pith removed

Method

1.    For the batter, melt the butter until foaming, pour into a large mixing bowl

2.    Add the eggs, sugar, flour and salt and whisk together to combine

3.    Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly to make a smooth batter and pass through a fine strainer into a jug. Leave to stand for 1 hour

4.    Whisk again just before using

5.    Heat a small cast-iron frying pan over a medium heat. Coat the pan in a thin film on vegetable oil, pouring off any excess

6.    Pour in just enough batter to coat the base of the pan thinly. Cook for 30–40 seconds, until golden brown underneath, then turn or toss and cook the second side for a further 30 seconds, until golden.

7.    Transfer the crêpe to a warm plate and keep hot. Repeat with the remaining batter (stacking the cooked crêpes on top of each other with greaseproof paper in between

8.    For the sauce, Zest the skin of the oranges into thin strips and juice the

9.    Place the zest in a small pan of cold water and bring to the boil, then drain. Repeat this twice

10.  Place the blanched zest back in the pan, add 80g of the sugar and the water and cook gently over a medium heat for 10–15 minutes or until the zest looks

11.  Heat a wide, shallow, heavy-based pan over a medium heat, then add the butter and allow it to foam

12.  Add the remaining sugar and stir until it has dissolved and starts to caramelise to a straw-blond colour

13.  Reduce the heat and carefully add the orange juice and orange liqueur to the pan

14.  Increase the heat to medium gently boil for 2 minutes, whisking occasionally

15.  Lay a crêpe in the gently bubbling sauce in the pan, fold in half, then fold in half again to make a triangular shape. Repeat for all the crêpes, arranging them neatly to fit in the pan

16.  Add the orange segments to the remaining sauce, heat through and place on top of the crepes

17.  Scatter some strips of candied orange zest over the crêpes. Serve with vanilla ice cream 

Do you have any tips for making perfect crêpes? It is all in the pan that is used?  Is it the batter itself? What advice would you give to someone making crêpes for the first time?

Blueberry Almond Pancakes

There’s nothing quite like fresh pancakes in the morning. How about some sugar free pancakes, packed with fresh fruit to start your day?

Pancakes in the morning can seem quite decadent and glutinous, however these pancakes are gluten and sugar free so they can be enjoyed without the guilt!

So simple, this recipe is held together by some delicious free range eggs to load your body with protein and amino acids that will keep a bounce in your step all day long.

Ingredients

(Makes 3 medium sized pancakes, please use organic/local produce where possible)

300g blanched almond meal/ground almonds

1/2 tsp baking soda

A pinch of Celtic sea salt

3 large free range eggs

100ml of whole milk

2 tbsp butter/ghee

A handful of fresh mixed berries

2 tbsp coconut oil

Method:

Melt the butter, then leave it to the side to cool

In a bowl combine the almonds with baking powder and salt.

Separate the eggs, whisk the egg yolks with the butter, then add in the milk.

Add the dry mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisk through until there are no lumps in the batter

With an electric of hand whisk, whisk the egg whites until they are fluffy, slowly fold the egg white mixture into the batter, turning it over until it is fully combined.

Using a small frying pan place a third of the coconut oil onto the pan at a medium heat, be sure all the sides are covered.

Pour a third of the mixture into the pan, the pancake should be quite thick. Add a third of the berries, scattering them on top of the mixture. Cook for a few minutes until the bottom starts to turn golden brown.  Flip the pancake and cook it evenly on the other side. Repeat the same for the rest of the mixture.

Tip: Serve with some creamy yoghurt, dusted raw cocoa and more fresh berries.

In the mood for more pancakes?  For a dinner party try Pascal Aussignac’s Lemon and raspberry crepes. 

Bak Kwa - Sticky smokey salty-sweet barbecue meat jerky

Bak Kwa is a typical Chinese New Year dish. Just hearing the name makes many Singaporeans homesick.  Now you can discover how to make this much loved dish in a fun post from Goz.  Warning elbow grease is required.  

For some reason, if you were coming from Singapore and asked any Singaporean overseas what he/she wants back, there’s a pretty good chance he/she would ask for bak kwa. In Singapore, for all your convenient snacking needs, they even sell it individually vacuum sealed in tiny bite sized packs, looking, as the astute observational skills of an English colleague of mine noted, uncannily like packets of meat condoms (I tsk tsk’ed him and his gutter mind but… he does have a point).

The easiest way to describe it is that its a sweet savoury sticky smoky meat jerky. Despite being available in shops in Singapore all year round, for some bizarre reason, it is most often eaten during Chinese New Year (probably because it has been deemed an auspicious thing to eat then due to it being reddish in colour thanks to the innovation of marketing and food colouring) for no rationale reason at all. Round about now, if you wandered around Singapore, chances are you will walk right into a silly snaking queue of people waiting to buy this grilled meat product (and probably get tsktsk’ed for trying to cut the queue).

You can eat it on its own, grilled, heated up in the microwave, between slices of toast, with scoops of rice, whatever. Incredibly moreish and probably not the best thing to have within reaching distance if you are on a diet. And definitely not the best thing to confuse with your regular contraceptive. Well, unless you are weird kinky like that.

[Bonus shameless plug! Look out for our cookbook coming out end of this year! “A SINGAPOREAN SUPPERCLUB COOKBOOK (Or how to subvert Singaporean Culinary Misconceptions, Avert Stir-Fry Calamities, Make your Nyonya Grandmother Weep with Joy and other Badass Kitchen Skills)”  With a title like that, you KNOW it will be better than ALL your other cookbooks. And you will get a free hug too! WOW!]

650g minced pork belly

100 g runny honey

150g light brown caster sugar

3tbsp Chinese rice wine

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp five spice powder

a few drops of red food colouring (optional)

Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and, using your hands, mix well.

The next step requires some serious elbow grease so roll up those sleeves, flex those biceps and take a deep breath.

Once it has been mixed well and looks like a firm dough, punch and whip it viciously and pick it up with both hands and slam it back into the mixing bowl repeatedly (if it helps, imagine your boss, ex-girlfriend, mother-in-law, that bully at school – whatever it takes) until it turns into a gooey/ gluey paste. It may take anywhere between 5 or 15 mins depending on the level of brute force berserkness exerted on the meat clump.

Now spread the meat paste thinly (about 3mm) onto a greased baking sheet or large flat baking tin. I use the back of a spoon to flatten it. And leave it uncovered in the fridge to dry out and also marinate overnight.

(e)  The next day, you need to dry out the meat. If you are lucky enough to be in a hot country with constant sun, you can leave it out in the sun to dry out, hiring a local GAP year student to fan any flies. If however, you are stuck in some forsaken part of the world which never sees the sun, invert the meat paste sheet onto a wire tray and put into a preheated oven at 100 deg C for 20 mins with the oven door slightly ajar. 

When it is relatively dry, remove from the oven and cut into required shape – squares, circles, oblongs, pig…. (You can now store these in the freezer to keep for at least 3 months and take it out when you want to eat it.)

If you are lucky enough to have access to a barbecue, grill it over a hot charcoal to give them a good smokey flavour and good char marks.

Alternatively, if you don’t, fear not. Grill them in the oven grill at 200 deg C or the highest setting you have for 10 mins, until it is slightly charred.

Inspired? For more Chinese New Year recipes visit Great British Chefs collection.

Gluten Free Apple and Ginger Crumble

Apple Crumble is one of the nation’s favourite desserts and good news is that those with wheat intolerances needn’t lose out. Victoria shares a heartwarming recipe for gluten free apple and ginger crumble.

It’s Bramley Apple Week and I don’t need much persuading to get my Bramleys out for this delicious crumble. Bramleys have exactly the right balance of acidity and sweetness for baking, which is why they’re my personal apple of choice for crumbles. If your taste buds have other ideas, by all means swap them for your favoured apple variety or anything else you’ve got lurking in the fruit bowl, but crumbles are best when they’re not too tooth-achingly sweet. A little tartness is needed to balance the sugary crunch of the topping.

 The gentle heat of ginger gives this apple crumble a pleasant kick – perfect for February weather - and makes a nice change from the usual cinnamon. I served this for pudding with a generous splodge of vanilla custard when my parents came round for lunch. My dad thought it was so delicious he asked for a second helping – high praise indeed from a man who is naturally suspicious of anything gluten free. This is wheat-free baking at its best. Comforting, nostalgic, delicious and as simple to make as it gets. 

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan)/350°F (325°F fan)/Gas Mark 4

For the filling

6 Bramley apples, cored and sliced (no need to peel)

3 balls of stem ginger, finely chopped

1 tsp ground ginger

A sprinkling of soft light brown sugar, by which I mean a scant tablespoon at most

For the crumble top

100g soft light brown sugar (or you can use caster if you prefer)

100g rice flour

50g gluten free porridge oats

50g toasted almonds

1 tsp ground ginger

100g cold unsalted butter, cubed

Toss together the apple slices, stem ginger, ground ginger and sugar and pop it all in a heatproof dish. To make the crumble topping, simply chuck all the dry ingredients into a food processor and pulse to chop the nuts and oats up a bit. If you prefer a more rustic finish, skip this stage. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until your mixture resembles breadcrumbs. You can add the butter to the processor and pulse to achieve the same results if you’re feeling lazy. Scatter the crumble topping over the fruit and bake for 35 – 40 minutes.

There’s dozens more apple recipes and gluten free recipes on Great British Chefs.  

What are some of your all time favourite crumble fillings and what do you most like to serve it with?

Soon Kueh — Steamed Turnip (Gluten-free) Dumplings

Chinese New Year is on Sunday 10th January 2013 and sees the start of the Year of the Snake. Shu Han is starting her celebrations early and shares a recipe for some vegetarian (and gluten free) steamed dumplings.

Chinese New Year is not here yet, but this is when it’s most exciting. The week before Chinese New Year is when the new clothes get shopped for, the garish lanterns go up, the tacky music floods the radio stations, and when tubs and tins and jars and packets of goodies start piling up on the living room table. That was until 4 years ago though, when I moved to London.

They say Chinese New Year is about the people and not so much the clothes/lantern/music/goodies, and in a sense I guess you are right, because it is pretty much the only time in the year when I meet some of my relatives. But because it’s the only time in the year when I meet some of these relatives, these meetings unfortunately usually look like this: A hot and crowded living room, a row of blank faces staring at the TV pretending there’s something interesting going on, and maybe a cluster of people bravely attempting to strike conversation. There never was that heartwarming scene of people folding dumplings together. (We still all love one another though k.)

But I thought I would start getting this dumpling business down. I got some friends over for a premature Chinese New Year dinner, and instead of having food ready on the table, I made them work for their food. We made 2 sorts. There was a gluten-free girl, so none of your usual potstickers or shortcut wanton wrappers. We did steamed cabbage dumplings, using cabbage leaves to wrap a juicy pork-and-scallion filling, and one of my favourite dumplings, soon kueh, turnip dumplings. They have  a slippery smooth thin wrapper made of tapioca and rice flour that I absolutely love, and that isn’t used in any other dumpling except soon kueh. The filling is actually made from bamboo shoots (“soon”) and jicama (yam bean), not a turnip per se, but I’ve done it before with a British turnip from the farmer’s market and though it’s not the same, it’s not half bad at all. I also skipped the bamboo shoots (taste-wise it doesn’t affect much) but then I don’t know if you should call it soon kueh. Hmm.

SOON KUEH (STEAMED TURNIP DUMPLINGS)

makes 16 pieces

Ingredients

Skin

150g rice flour

50g tapioca flour (starch) + more to dust

1 tbsp groundnut oil

big pinch of unrefined sea salt

300ml boiling water

Filling

500g turnip (jicama or yam bean, though British turnip can work)

1 small carrot

1 small chilli (optional. I just like chilli, a lot.)

2 cloves garlic

4 tbsp dried shrimps

4 dried shiitake mushrooms

1 tbsp unrefined cane sugar

1-2 tbsp good soy sauce (traditionally fermented)

1/2 tsp white pepper

a drizzle of sesame oil

1 tbsp groundnut oil or lard from happy pigs

To serve

fried shallots + fried shallot oil

thick dark sweet soy sauce (can make by mixing equal ratios of good soy sauce to blackstrap molasses)

sambal chilli

Method

To make the dough,

1. Mix rice flour, tapioca starch and salt. Pour the boiling water evenly over the mixture and stir immediately to mix. It will be extremely hot to handle, but handle it when it’s just cool enough. Knead to make a smooth sticky dough, then dust with more tapioca starch and continue kneading, till it’s not sticky but kind of tacky. Cover and let dough rest for 10 min- a few hours.

To make the filling,

2. Soak the dried shrimps and shiitake mushrooms in some warm water till soft, about 10 min and 40 min respectively. Reserve the soaking liquid, it’s the most amazing quick stock.

3. Chop garlic. Peel and slice the turnip and carrots into matchsticks, or you can use a very coarse grater (make sure it doesn’t turn into mush). Then when the mushrooms are rehydrated, also slice the mushrooms into thin shreds.

4. Over high heat, fry the dried shrimps and garlic in the oil/lard till fragrant, and then the mushrooms, till all are nicely golden. Then add the shredded turnip and carrots with the soy sauce, sugar, pepper and sesame oil and continue to stir-fry till the liquid dries up. Add the soaking liquid and simmer till the liquid almost dries up again and the turnip and carrots have softened.

To wrap dumplings,

5. Roll dough into a log and cut into 16 roughly even blobs. Roll each blob out into a thin circle, dusting with tapioca flour. It doesn’t have to look perfectly circle but if you want to be anal, you can use a rice bowl to cut off the edges.

6. Place 1 tbsp of filling into the centre of the wrapper, fold the bottom half up, bring the edges together and press to seal. Repeat 15 times. Note: Turnip at the end gets a bit wet/soggy so you might have to drain off the liquid.

7. Place soon kuehs on greased steaming trays and steam over high heat for 10 minutes, till puffed up. Remove onto greased plates (these will stick if you don’t) and brush with shallot oil. Serve with crispy fried shallots sprinkled over, sweet dark soy sauce and a dollop of shit-hot sambal.

The soon kueh we made were, well, rustic. The skin was slippery, smooth and soft, but frankly not very pretty, I already chose the best ones to photograph. But within the ugly shapeless wrapper is a wonderful burst of flavour from the stewed turnips and mushrooms that are plump with sweet juices from the dried shrimps. And anyway, homemade dumplings aren’t meant to be exquisite works of art; they’re meant to be imperfect, delicious, and an excuse for you to get messy with your favourite people.

More Chinese New Year recipes can be found in Great British Chefs collection.  Have you ever made steamed dumplings?  What are your favourite Chinese dishes.

Apple meringue puddings

Continuing our celebrations for Bramley Apple Week, Rosana looks at the origins of this well loved apple.  She also shares a delightful recipe, based on her mother’s favourite desserts using just four ingredients: Apple Meringue Pudding

It was 201 years ago that the first Bramley tree grew from pips in a garden in Southwell, UK, resulting in a £50 million business. It captured the imagination and taste buds of English households and can now be found as an ingredient in everything from pies and trifles to sausages, stuffing to cocktails and juices.

The Bramley apple is synonymous with a rich flakey pastry, cinnamon and lashings of hot custard. For something savoury try adding Bramley apples to soups, curries, stir-fries or rice dishes.

Although the Bramley is just over 200 years old, apples were first brought to the UK shores by the Romans.

‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ Bramley apples are a powerful source of antioxidants, including polyphenols, flavonoids, and vitamin C, as well as a good source of fibre, and potassium.

Here is one simple recipe using just 4 ingredients and based on one of my mother’s delicious deserts.  She used to make it with bananas, but Bramley apples works very well too. The contrasting of textures and the unique sourness of the Bramley apples make this recipe a winner.

Apple Meringue

Ingredients:

4 big Bramley apples peeled, cored and sliced and sprinkled with caster sugar

1 can of condensed milk

3 large organic eggs – separate the yolk from the egg whites

3 tablespoons of caster sugar

Yield: 6 individual ramekins

Oven: pre-heat oven at 180C

Equipment: equipment (mixer and bowl) grease free. 6 individual ramekins, bowl for the condensed milk and egg yolks

Method:

1.    Arrange the sliced apples in the ramekins, no need to grease the ramekins 

2.    Beat the condensed milk with the yolks,  beat well to a smooth mixture 

3.    Pour the mixture over the apples up to  ¾ of the ramekins 

4.    Take the ramekins to the pre-heated oven  and bake for about 30 mins while the apple and condensed custard are in the oven, prepare the meringue

5.    Meringue:  beat the egg whites in a clean bowl of your mixer, beat the egg whites  for 5 minutes till they are nicely fluffy and stiff peaks. Now add the  3 spoons of sugar slowly. 

6.    Pipe the egg whites onto the cooked apple in each ramekin  

7.    Take the ramekins back to the oven and bake for another 20 mins at 150C 

8.    Serve hot or cold

For more delicious apple recipes visit Great British Chefs collection.  What are some of your favourite apple desserts?