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Stem Ginger and Cherry Florentines

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

This Christmas, I’ve whiled away time in the kitchen listening to the Nutcracker Suite and making these stem ginger, cherry and cranberry Florentines to give as Christmas gifts. Of course, you can use whatever type of fruit and nut combination you like.  

There are a few steps to making these delicious morsels, it’s not just a case of throwing everything in the mixer. However, with the Christmas music and the constant quality checking the process went quite smoothly. The Florentines were a huge success bringing Christmas cheer to all.  

Ingredients 

  • 15g plain flour 
  • 25g (1oz) salted butter 
  • 60g (2 1/2oz) golden caster sugar 
  • 1 tbsp golden syrup 
  • 60ml (2 1/2fl oz) double cream 
  • 50g (2 oz/3 rounds, drained) chopped stem ginger 
  • 50g (2oz) dried sour cherries 
  • 50g (2oz) cranberries 
  • 25g (1oz) chopped pistachios 
  • 50g flaked almonds 
  • 180g (4oz) dark chocolate 

Method 

  1. Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Line 2 large baking sheets with no-baking paper. In a saucepan, combine the flour, butter, sugar and golden syrup with a small whisk to prevent lumps forming and melt gently over a low heat. Gradually add the cream, stirring all the time. 
  2. Remove from the heat and stir in the stem ginger, sour cherries, glace cherries, pistachios and flaked almonds.  
  3. Dollop teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking sheets, leaving a generous gap between each for spreading. Bake no more than 6 Florentines per sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until deeply golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.  
  4. Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool and thicken (but not set) for 5 minutes. Using a palette knife, release the Florentines from the paper. Divide the batch in half and arrange smooth-side up. 
  5. Spoon the dark chocolate over the Florentines. If you like you can use a fork to make a pattern on the chocolate once the chocolate has set a little. Alternatively, you can sprinkle gold stars or something similar onto the chocolate while the chocolate is still wet. Chill until set. 

Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Butter and Sage Sauce

~ louisehad ~ 1 Comment

I love this time of year; the colour of the leaves, the soft, golden sunshine and the crisp, blue skies. I’m not such a fan of the grey, rainy days.  The autumn produce for me makes up for the sometimes gloomy days. The range of squash and pumpkin seems to be more diverse every year. Despite the stiff competition, I still feel that you can’t beat a butternut squash for its flavour and texture. The original recipe which I found on https://www.recipetineats.com/easy-pumpkin-gnocchi/ uses pumpkin, but the butternut squash works a treat. The ricotta in this recipe gives the gnocchi a lightness and together with the parmesan the gnocchi are tasty morsels of cheesiness. The classic combination of the sage and butter works beautifully; it’s a real ode to autumn.

Ingredients

Gnocchi:

  • 300 g butternut squash, cubed, baked and then pureed
  • 185g ricotta
  • 185g plain flour
  • 30g parmesan, finely grated
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Black pepper

Sage Butter Sauce:

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 50 g butter
  • 20 fresh sage leaves

To serve:

  • Black pepper
  • Parmesan, grated

Instructions

  1. Cut the butternut squash into cubes, season with salt and pepper and a little olive oil. Roastin the oven (180 fan /200/ gas 5). When the squash is cooked, crush with the back of a fork into to puree.
  2. Placethe squashand remaining gnocchiingredients in a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix well – it should be a soft dough.
  3. Dust a work surface with flour, tip dough out, sprinkle with flour then pat into log shape.
  4. Cut into 6 pieces. Roll into ropes, then cut into 2cm pieces.
  5. Use a fork to press down lightly on the cut side of the gnocchi.
  6. Bring a large pot of water to the boilandadd some salt.
  7. Place the gnocchi into the water. Cook for 1 minute or until all the gnocchi riseto the surface, then drain.
  8. Meanwhile, melt about 1 teaspoon of the butter plus oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the gnocchi and cook, shaking the panuntil the gnocchiare starting to turn brown (about 1 1/2 minutes).
  9. Add remaining butter then once it melts, add sage leaves. Stir and cook for 2 1/2 minutes or until gnocchi are golden, sage is crisp and butter is slightly browned. Add salt if you used unsalted butter.
  10. Serve immediately, garnished with parmesan and pepper.

Pumpkin and Sage Soufflé

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

I remember making this and thinking how delicious it was. Looking back at the pictures, I can see the time it took to get the styling right. C was waiting for his lunch and got the soufflé that had deflated in the wait, but he still thought it was awesome.

Wow, love that recipe!

pumpkin-and-sage-souffle-2I’ve never made a soufflé before as I’ve always associated them with dinner parties and stress and have seen many failed attempts on TV cookeryshows. When I saw this recipe in the Sainsbury’s magazine (Oct 2016), I thought of all that leftover pumpkin I still had to use up, and despite my fears, I decided I’d give it a go. I did change of few things in the recipe, mainly because I didn’t read it carefully enough the first time round! I also made my own cheese sauce; the recipe calls for shop bought. The recipe can be found here:

http://www.sainsburysmagazine.co.uk/recipes/mains/item/roasted-pumpkin-and-sage-souffle. The version below includes my tweaks. The original recipe was for 4 people, but I halved the quantities and still had enough mixture for 4 ramekins. I made this for Saturday lunch and served it with kale and rye bread. It was of course delicious which is…

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Fig Ice Cream

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

I am lucky enough to have a fig tree in my garden. It provides wonderful shade in the summer and this year there has been a particularly bountiful crop of sweet, juicy figs. There is nothing better in the morning to wake up and pick a fig or two off the tree for breakfast. In the recent hot weather, I was sitting under the tree and naturally thinking of ice cream and thought of how delicious a fig ice cream might be. I was lucky enough to find a David Lebovitz recipe and by the end of the day I was eating a deliciously creamy fig ice cream. Joyful!

Ingredients

  • 1kg fresh figs (about 20)
  • 125 ml water
  • 1 lemon, preferably unsprayed
  • 150 g sugar
  • 250 ml double cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste

Directions

  1. Remove the hard stem ends from the figs, then cut each fig into 8 pieces. Put the figs in a medium, nonreactive saucepan with the water and zest the lemon directly into the saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the figs are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
  2. Remove the lid, add the sugar and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the figs are a jamlike consistency. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. Once cool, purée the fig paste in a blender or food processor with the cream and lemon juice. Taste, then add more lemon juice if desired.
  3. Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Lavender and Honey Ice Cream

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

When the mercury reaches the 30s the only thing I feel like eating is ice cream! So this bank holiday weekend, I made two types of ice cream; lavender and then fig. I’m a huge lover of lavender, I think it’s both distinctive and elegant. This ice cream in my opinion is sublime! The lavender flavour is just enough to be present but not overpowering so you feel like you are eating soap. We recently visited a lavender farm near Seven Oaks and I was really inspired by the beauty of the fragrant fields and of course the abundance of lavender edible goodies. I’m still very new to ice cream making, but David Lebovitz’s ice cream recipes have so far yielded great results. My pistachio gelato which I posted earlier is his recipe as is the fig ice cream recipe to come.

Ingredients


125ml good quality honey
8g dried or fresh lavender flowers
375ml whole milk
50g sugar
Pinch of salt
375ml double cream
5 egg yolks    

Method


1. Heat the honey and 2 tablespoons of the lavender in a small saucepan. Once warm, remove from the heat and set aside to steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
2. Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan.
3. Pour the cream in a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.
4. Pour the lavender-infused honey into the cream through the strainer, pressing on the lavender flowers to extract as much flavour as possible, then discard the lavender and set the strainer back over the cream.
5. In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks.
6. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to avoid scrambling, then scrape the warmed egg yolks mixture back into the saucepan.
7. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula.
8. Pour the mixture through the strainer and stir it into the double cream and whisk well.
9. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lavender flowers and stir until cool over an ice bath. Chill the mixture overnight in the refrigerator.
10. The next day, before churning, strain the mixture, again pressing on the lavender flower to extract their flavour.
11. Discard the flowers then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Honey, Lemon Thyme and Ricotta Ice Cream with Vanilla Peaches

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

I really loved the pistachio gelato I made a while back and was keen to make the most of my new ice cream maker. I can’t remember exactly how this recipe from https://www.snixykitchen.com/honeylemon-thyme-ricotta-ice-cream-with-vanilla-peaches/ came across my radar, but I do remember that it stuck in my mind as something I had to make. I’m a huge fan of using herbs in sweet food and I particularly like lemon thyme. When I was in Florence, as well as indulging in pistachio gelato, I had pear and ricotta gelato which was delicious.

This is a really special ice-cream, its not very sweet and has a savoury tang. When combined with the sweet juicy vanilla peaches, it is sensational. 

Ingredients

  • 130 ml whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons corn flour
  • 95ml whipping cream
  • 4-6 sprigs fresh lemon thyme (or regular thyme works too!)
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
  • 30g honey
  • 2 tablespoons cane sugar
  • 340g ricotta
  • 3 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon flaky salt

Vanilla Peaches

  • 3 medium peaches
  • 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 tablespoon honey
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped, or 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Directions

  1. Whisk the corn starch in a small bowl with about 3 tablespoons of the milk to make smooth slurry. Set aside.
  2. Bring remaining 95g + 1 tablespoon whole milk and whipping cream to boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat add the fresh thyme and vanilla bean seeds and pod (or essence), cover, and let steep for 20 minutes.
  3. Strain the milk into a heat proof bowl to remove the thyme and vanilla bean. Scrape the inside of the warm vanilla bean into the milk and cream. Return the steeped milk and cream to the saucepan.
  4. Give the corn starch slurry one last whisk to make sure it’s completely incorporated. Slowly whisk the corn starch slurry into the milk and cream saucepan and bring it back to a boil over medium-high heat.
  5. Cook, stirring, until it thickens about 1 minute.
  6. Pour in the honey and sugar, stirring just until it dissolves. Remove from heat.
  7. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice cubes and water.
  8. Add the honeyed milk to a blender or food processor with fresh ricotta, cream cheese, and salt. Blend until completely smooth.
  9. Pour the ice cream base into a large Ziploc bag. Seal it and submerge the mixture in the ice bath until cold, about 30 minutes.
  10. Churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions and freeze overnight.
  11. Serve with warm vanilla peaches.

Vanilla Peaches

  1. Peel the peaches. Either do this with a vegetable peeler or blanch the peaches in boiling water for 20 seconds, dunk them in an ice bath, and slide the skin off. Slice into 8-12 wedges.
  2. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the peaches, honey, and vanilla bean scrapings. Cook just until the honey melts and the peaches begin to soften, 3-5 minutes.
  3. Serve warm or cold over scoops of ice cream.

Roast Leek, Feta and Lemon Polenta Cake

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

The idea of a savoury cake is somewhat peculiar to me, however, the ingredients in the title tempted me to give it a go. I’m really glad I did. It’s very tasty and not at all cake-like. It’s more of a cross between a quiche and a bread. I served it with a couple of salads for a main meal, but this would be perfect picnic food as it’s summery, easy and robust enough to be portable. I made this when my mum came to visit, and she loved it. This recipe comes from Anna Jones’s, The Modern Cook’s Year.

Ingredients

4 leeks (about 500g) cut into 1cm slices

2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing

150g plain spelt flour

120g polenta

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon flaky sea salt

A good grinding of black pepper

2 tablespoons nigella seeds

The zest and juice of 1 unwaxed lemon

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1/2 bunch of thyme leaves, picked

150g feta, crumbled

4 organic eggs, lightly beaten

100ml milk

200g plain yoghurt

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Butter a loose bottom 24cm cake tin and line with baking paper.
  2. First, sauté the leeks in a tablespoon of the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat until soft. This should take about 10 minutes.
  3. Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter and use it to brush the baking paper. Meanwhile, put the flour, polenta, baking powder, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of the nigella seeds into a bowl and whisk to get rid of any lumps. Add the lemon zest, red chilli, thyme and the crumbled feta.
  4. Put the juice of the lemon into a small bowl and whisk together with the eggs, milk and yoghurt.
  5. Mix the yoghurt mixture into the flour mixture until just combined (being careful not to overmix). Once the leeks have cooled,stir half of them through the batter. Pour the batter into the lined cake tin and scatter the rest of the leeks on top, then sprinkle the reserved nigella seeds.
  6. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack to room temperature before slicing. 

Matcha, Pink Peppercorn and Cherry Madeleines

~ louisehad ~ 1 Comment

For my birthday, a good friend of mine gave me a book on Japanese patisserie by James Campbell. It’s a stunning book with beautiful photographs of high-end patisserie, a lot of which is way beyond my culinary ability. However, these madeleines caught my eye; very easy to make, exotic flavours and I already had matcha powder and pink peppercorns in the cupboard. All I had to do was to wait for an excuse to make them.

Two things happened in the same week. First, a colleague told me it was her birthday and then another colleague gave me a gift of an edible gold spray, goldas in real gold! So out came the madeleine recipe. It was really very straight forward. I used the spray to add a bit of birthday sparkle to the tops of the madeleines. Admittedly, madeleines are probably not the ideal vehicle for edible gold spray as the contrast of the colour was not strong enough. However, the birthday girl was delighted with her luxurious, exotic madeleines.

Ingredients

150g unsalted butter

50g ground almonds

¾ tablespoon matcha powder

50g plain flour

150g egg whites (about 4 large eggs)

½ teaspoon pink peppercorns, ground

12 cherries, halved with the stones removed

Directions

  • First make a buerre noisette (browned butter). Put the diced butter in a saucepan and set over a medium-high heat for around 5-7 minutes until melted and boiling. The fat at the bottom of the pan should go a nutty-brown colour, but be careful this does not darken too much and burn. Transfer the browned butter immediately to a heatproof dish and set aside to cool until just warm.
  • In a separate bowl, sift together the ground almonds, matcha powder and flour.
  • In another bowl, whisk together the egg whites with the sugar until frothy.
  • Carefully fold the dry ingredients, the buerre noisette and ground pink peppercorns into the sugar and egg mixture until fully incorporated and no lumps remain. Transfer the mixture to the fridge to chill for at least an hour. You can also put the madeleine tins, greased with butter and dusted with flour into the freezer.
  • Preheat the oven to 180C/ Gas 4.
  • Put the chilled madeleine mixture into a piping bag and pipe in enough to almost fill the prepared tin. Alternatively, you can spoon the mixture in.

Pistachio Gelato

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

One of the culinary highlights of a recent trip to Florence was the gelato. Naturally in the name of research I wanted to try as many flavours as possible: lemon and basil, tea and rose and even liquorice. However, the  hands down winner was the classic pistachio; nutty, creamy and very green. When I came back, I was keen to keep some of that Florence magic. So, what better way than to master pistachio gelato?

For me there is only once ice cream maker to go to for a recipe; David Lebovitz. His book, The Perfect Scoop, is devoted to ice cream, gelato and sorbet. His website is pretty cool too: www.davidlebovitz.com. David says that the key to making a truly outstanding gelato is the quality of the pistachio cream. The secret is to use a cream made with at least 40% Sicilian Bronte pistachios. These pistachios are often used in patisserie because of their beautiful green colour. I bought my pistachio cream in Florence, but you can buy it on the internet. It takes a while to make this gelato as the milk needs to chill, preferably overnight before the pistachio cream can be added. Also, you do need an ice cream maker. I can guarantee it’s worth it.

 
Ingredients (makes about 3/4 litres)

500ml whole milk

65g caster sugar (I only used 50g)

2 tablespoons corn flour

200g Bronte pistachio cream (my jar was 190g)

a few drops of lemon or orange juice

Method

1. Make a slurry by mixing the 125ml of the milk with the corn flour, mixing until the flour is dissolved and the mixture is smooth.

2. Heat the rest of the milk in a medium-sized saucepan with the sugar.

3. When it almost starts to boil, stir in the corn flour mixture and cook at gentle simmer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Remove from heat, scrape into a bowl, and chill thoroughly, preferably overnight.

5. Once chilled, whisk in the pistachio cream and just a few drops of citrus juice until smooth.

6. Freeze the gelato in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Lavender and Rose Birthday Macarons

~ louisehad ~ Leave a comment

IMG_0946 (Edited)

I know I claim not to have a signature dish and that I don’t like to keep making the same things over and over, but when it comes to my birthday, I can’t think of a more delicious, more tantalising treat than macarons. Macarons work for me because they are beautiful, they are small and they should be bursting with flavour (and not just taste sweet, like some shop bought ones; oh the disappointment).  The thing I like about making macarons, is once the basic recipe has been mastered, you can be creative with flavour.  In past blogs I’ve made bergamot macarons, rose, lychee and raspberry macarons; macarons flavoured with salted caramel, lemon, white chocolate and lavender. Pierre Herme is a constant inspiration; his flavour combinations are magical and change with the seasons. This year for my birthday, I’m focusing on two flavours, lavender and rose both recipes are from Pierre Herme’s Macaron book. People may accuse me of using ‘soapy’ flavours, but I love them and it’s my birthday!

IMG_0944 (Edited)

Ingredients for Lavender Macarons

300g ground almonds

300g icing sugar

110g ‘liquified’ egg whites (split the eggs 3 days before using and leave to age)

1 teaspoon dried lavender

5g purple food colouring

300g caster sugar

75g mineral water

110g ‘liquified’ egg whites

For the lavender cream

113g unsalted butter softened

190g icing sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1-2 tablespoons double cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-3 drops lavender essence

Directions for Lavender Macarons

* Sift together the icing sugar and ground almonds.

* With a pestle and mortar grind the lavender then add to the ground almonds and icing sugar mixture.

* Stir the food colouring into the first portion of the liquified egg whites. Pour the coloured egg whites over the mixture of icing sugar and ground almonds but do not stir.

* Bring the water and sugar to boil at 118°C. When the syrup reaches 115°C, simultaneously start whisking the second portion of liquified egg whites to soft peaks.

* When the sugar reaches 118°C, pour it over the egg whites. Whisk and allow the meringue to cool down to 50°C, then fold into the almond-sugar mixture.

* Spoon the batter into a piping bag with a plain nozzle.

* Pipe rounds of batter about 3.5cm in diameter, spacing them 2cm apart on baking trays lined with baking parchment.

* Rap the trays on the work surface covered with a cloth to remove any air bubbles. Leave to stand for at least 30 minutes until a skin has formed on the surface.

* Preheat oven to 180°C then put the trays in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes.

* When out of the oven, slide the shells onto the work surface.

Directions For the lavender cream

* Beat the butter until light and creamy.

* Add the rest of the ingredients and mix on low speed until combined. Increase the speed until medium and whip for an additional 2-3 minutes.

* When cool, spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a plain nozzle. Pipe a generous amount of ganache onto half the macaron shells. Top with the remaining shells.

* Store the macaroons in the fridge for 24 hours and then bring out for 2 hours before serving.

IMG_0944

Ingredients for Rose Macarons

300g ground almonds

300g icing sugar

110g ‘liquified’ egg whites

5g red food colouring

300g caster sugar

75g mineral water

110g ‘liquified’ egg whites

* Sift together the icing sugar and ground almonds. Stir the food colouring into the first portion of the liquified egg whites. Pour the coloured egg whites over the mixture of icing sugar and ground almonds but do not stir.

* Bring the water and sugar to boil at 118°C. When the syrup reaches 115°C, simultaneously start whisking the second portion of liquified egg whites to soft peaks.

* When the sugar reaches 118°C, pour it over the egg whites. Whisk and allow the meringue to cool down to 50°C, then fold into the almond-sugar mixture.

* Spoon the batter into a piping bag with a plain nozzle.

* Pipe rounds of batter about 3.5cm in diameter, spacing them 2cm apart on baking trays lined with baking parchment.

* Rap the trays on the work surface covered with a cloth to remove any air bubbles. Leave to stand for at least 30 minutes until a skin has formed on the surface.

* Preheat oven to 180°C then put the trays in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes.

* When out of the oven, slide the shells onto the work surface.

Rose Cream

200g caster sugar

75g mineral water

150g whole eggs

90g egg yolk

400g very soft butter (unsalted)

4g rose essence

50g rose syrup

* Bring the sugar and water to the boil in a saucepan. When it boils, clean the sides of the pan with a damp pastry brush. Heat the sugar to 120°C.

* In a bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolks until they lighten in colour. Pour in the hot sugar at 120°C and continue whisking until it has cooled down completely.

* Cream then whisk the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until it thickens. Add the egg mixture and continue whisking to obtain a smooth consistency, then add the rose essence and syrup. Smooth the butter cream by whisking it briskly.

* Spoon the cream into a piping bag with a plain nozzle. Pipe a generous mound of cream on to half the shells and top with the remaining shells.

 IMG_0946 (Edited)