i have to thank ian for sorting out the card machine. i've written about occam's razor before, so won't bore you again, but it appears that when transferring to BT thay put loads of stuff on your line that you don't ask for, like call waiting. the small distortions caused by these 'services' interfere with the card machine, causing it not to work. ian came in and disabled these by doing something with the phone (i think #42 was something) and it's working again. hurray.
for those people who couldn't view my recipe for the napoleon biscuits that appeared on the previous blog, this is it.
for the recipe, this is one that i'm happy with. it's a bit fiddly but worth it. i first saw the technique used by john burton race on the great british menu and decided to give it a go. the problem was that he used some kind of fondant icing and melted that, which gives a clear finish, i just burnt loads of pans trying to do the same and ended, convinced that his icing was different to the rubbish that i had bought in town. the recipe is for the biscuits in the napoloeon but the start of it will allow you to do loads of stuff.
start by making a caramel from caster sugar (say 200g), 30ml of water and a teaspoon of glucose, or golden syrup. this will stop it from crystallising. you need to keep it on a moderate heat but don't leave it. first it will melt, then it will start to darken on the edges. you are looking for a deep brown but one that is not burnt. it needs to reach about 140C but don't check it with anything other than a sugar thermometer. once it is brown and smells like a nice caramel tip it onto a tray that is covered with baking paper and allow to go cold. (you could have added nuts etc. to make your own nutty slack or some bicarb to make honeycomb, back then)
once cold, smash it up (the damned) and grind in a coffee grinder until fine and like caster sugar again. the beauty of this sugar is that because it has been heated to that temperature, in order to melt the sugar again it only needs to attain a fraction of 140C. what burton race did was to blitz with basil and then spread a thin layer of the sugar/basil mix on to baking paper. put that in the oven and you create a kind of glass from the sugar that, if you have scored it, can be used to make boxes etc for mousses. what we do, for our chocolate almond mousse cake is mix this with almonds, say 50:50, and then spread thinly and re-cook to make very fine nutty slack. this is the basis of the biscuit but because cranachan has oats, you need oats. my first attempt used porridge oats and was not good so i decided to try granola. we used lizzies organic or lizzies pecan or other from waitrose. simply blitz it up and add to the sugar in 50:50. spread thinly and score to create square biscuits. melt in the oven set at 140c for 5-10 minutes and the sugar will melt. allow to cool for a couple of hours and then create your biscuit shapes.
to make the napoleon, layer with raspberries and cream.
cheers
wayne
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
sorry, thanks, hair and recipes
Dear all
Apologies for and many thanks to all of the people who have been in recently and have had to endure our ongoing telephone issue. As some may be aware, we transferred from tiscali to bt some time ago and the changeover was beset with difficulties. I’d like to say that those are now behind us but they aren’t. the broadband situation has been cleared up but now the answer machine and the card machine do not work. The line has been checked and there is apparently no problem, other than the fact that we cannot operate. Thanks go to everyone who has had to walk to Lloyds bank or tescos to get cash. Anyone who feels that they may be able to help and is willing to work in exchange for food and wine, please get in touch.
Other news: part of the current menu is for dave, whose wife’s 40th birthday I recently attended. It was a 70’s theme so I went as a punk, with coiff’ed hair, brothelcreepers and safety pins. this is what it looked like up close.
full length and less drunk,
i was quite pleased to be able to get an almost decent quiff but it got me all emotional for my quiffs of days gone by so i thought i'd share a couple with you.
this is the rock'n'roll suicide djs from north staffs poly, 1985/6, with hair going from the left of nick, h, rich, me and bill.
a quiffed me on the bus from luxembourg, possibly with a hangover and the very uncomfortable earphones of the walkman. and lastly a full length shot from poland with ian cock (yes, really, trying looking him up to get back in touch, adding in that he's from the brighton area, on google) looking moody (and hungry)
for the recipe, this is one that i'm happy with. it's a bit fiddly but worth it. i first saw the technique used by john burton race on the great british menu and decided to give it a go. the problem was that he used some kind of fondant icing and melted that, which gives a clear finish, i just burnt loads of pans trying to do the same and ended, convinced that his icing was different to the rubbish that i had bought in town. the recipe is for the biscuits in the napoloeon but the start of it will allow you to do loads of stuff.
start by making a caramel from caster sugar (say 200g), 30ml of water and a teaspoon of glucose, or golden syrup. this will stop it from crystallising. you need to keep it on a moderate heat but don't leave it. first it will melt, then it will start to darken on the edges. you are looking for a deep brown but one that is not burnt. it needs to reach about 140C but don't check it with anything other than a sugar thermometer. once it is brown and smells like a nice caramel tip it onto a tray that is covered with baking paper and allow to go cold. (you could have added nuts etc. to make your own nutty slack or some bicarb to make honeycomb, back then)
once cold, smash it up (the damned) and grind in a coffee grinder until fine and like caster sugar again. the beauty of this sugar is that because it has been heated to that temperature, in order to melt the sugar again it only needs to attain a fraction of 140C. what burton race did was to blitz with basil and then spread a thin layer of the sugar/basil mix on to baking paper. put that in the oven and you create a kind of glass from the sugar that, if you have scored it, can be used to make boxes etc for mousses. what we do, for our chocolate almond mousse cake is mix this with almonds, say 50:50, and then spread thinly and re-cook to make very fine nutty slack. this is the basis of the biscuit but because cranachan has oats, you need oats. my first attempt used porridge oats and was not good so i decided to try granola. we used lizzies something or other from waitrose. simply blitz it up and add to the sugar in 50:50. spread thinly and score to create square biscuits. melt in the oven set at 140c for 5-10 minutes and the sugar will melt. allow to cool for a couple of hours and then create your biscuit shapes.
to make the napoleon, layer with raspberries and cream.
cheers
wayne
Apologies for and many thanks to all of the people who have been in recently and have had to endure our ongoing telephone issue. As some may be aware, we transferred from tiscali to bt some time ago and the changeover was beset with difficulties. I’d like to say that those are now behind us but they aren’t. the broadband situation has been cleared up but now the answer machine and the card machine do not work. The line has been checked and there is apparently no problem, other than the fact that we cannot operate. Thanks go to everyone who has had to walk to Lloyds bank or tescos to get cash. Anyone who feels that they may be able to help and is willing to work in exchange for food and wine, please get in touch.
Other news: part of the current menu is for dave, whose wife’s 40th birthday I recently attended. It was a 70’s theme so I went as a punk, with coiff’ed hair, brothelcreepers and safety pins. this is what it looked like up close.
full length and less drunk,
i was quite pleased to be able to get an almost decent quiff but it got me all emotional for my quiffs of days gone by so i thought i'd share a couple with you.
this is the rock'n'roll suicide djs from north staffs poly, 1985/6, with hair going from the left of nick, h, rich, me and bill.
a quiffed me on the bus from luxembourg, possibly with a hangover and the very uncomfortable earphones of the walkman. and lastly a full length shot from poland with ian cock (yes, really, trying looking him up to get back in touch, adding in that he's from the brighton area, on google) looking moody (and hungry)
for the recipe, this is one that i'm happy with. it's a bit fiddly but worth it. i first saw the technique used by john burton race on the great british menu and decided to give it a go. the problem was that he used some kind of fondant icing and melted that, which gives a clear finish, i just burnt loads of pans trying to do the same and ended, convinced that his icing was different to the rubbish that i had bought in town. the recipe is for the biscuits in the napoloeon but the start of it will allow you to do loads of stuff.
start by making a caramel from caster sugar (say 200g), 30ml of water and a teaspoon of glucose, or golden syrup. this will stop it from crystallising. you need to keep it on a moderate heat but don't leave it. first it will melt, then it will start to darken on the edges. you are looking for a deep brown but one that is not burnt. it needs to reach about 140C but don't check it with anything other than a sugar thermometer. once it is brown and smells like a nice caramel tip it onto a tray that is covered with baking paper and allow to go cold. (you could have added nuts etc. to make your own nutty slack or some bicarb to make honeycomb, back then)
once cold, smash it up (the damned) and grind in a coffee grinder until fine and like caster sugar again. the beauty of this sugar is that because it has been heated to that temperature, in order to melt the sugar again it only needs to attain a fraction of 140C. what burton race did was to blitz with basil and then spread a thin layer of the sugar/basil mix on to baking paper. put that in the oven and you create a kind of glass from the sugar that, if you have scored it, can be used to make boxes etc for mousses. what we do, for our chocolate almond mousse cake is mix this with almonds, say 50:50, and then spread thinly and re-cook to make very fine nutty slack. this is the basis of the biscuit but because cranachan has oats, you need oats. my first attempt used porridge oats and was not good so i decided to try granola. we used lizzies something or other from waitrose. simply blitz it up and add to the sugar in 50:50. spread thinly and score to create square biscuits. melt in the oven set at 140c for 5-10 minutes and the sugar will melt. allow to cool for a couple of hours and then create your biscuit shapes.
to make the napoleon, layer with raspberries and cream.
cheers
wayne
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
addendum
yesterday i did some recipes and forgot the sauce for the pineapple.it's a bit strange because it has some red curry paste in it but it works well with the braised pineapple.
you'll need about 3 heaped teaspoons of good peanut butter, whole earth is the best one. also about 15ml of lime juice, 75g of palm sugar or agave nectar, one tin of coconut milk and two teaspoons of red curry paste. you may also need some water.
put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. it is cooked when the palm sugar has dissolved. if it sticks add some water. blitz with a hand blender and pass through a sieve.
if you want it hotter, add more paste etc etc.
tonight i'm making quick black beans. i fancied some fajitas (fried onion, pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes, seasoned with lime juice and tobasco) and wanted the taste of chilaqulies. this is the recipe that i cooked at the cowbridge food festival.
soften an onion and some garlic in oil. add one teaspoon of good instant coffee, one teaspoon of chipotle paste and some 100ml orange juice. cook down for 3 minutes and then add 1 tin of organic black beans and some veg stock. cook down until thick then blend or eat as is. add to your fajitas with mature cheddar and sour cream.
cheers
wayne
you'll need about 3 heaped teaspoons of good peanut butter, whole earth is the best one. also about 15ml of lime juice, 75g of palm sugar or agave nectar, one tin of coconut milk and two teaspoons of red curry paste. you may also need some water.
put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. it is cooked when the palm sugar has dissolved. if it sticks add some water. blitz with a hand blender and pass through a sieve.
if you want it hotter, add more paste etc etc.
tonight i'm making quick black beans. i fancied some fajitas (fried onion, pepper, mushrooms and tomatoes, seasoned with lime juice and tobasco) and wanted the taste of chilaqulies. this is the recipe that i cooked at the cowbridge food festival.
soften an onion and some garlic in oil. add one teaspoon of good instant coffee, one teaspoon of chipotle paste and some 100ml orange juice. cook down for 3 minutes and then add 1 tin of organic black beans and some veg stock. cook down until thick then blend or eat as is. add to your fajitas with mature cheddar and sour cream.
cheers
wayne
Monday, July 4, 2011
some recipes
had i not found that something was broken in the first box that i had opened, this blog may have been about my attempt to put up an umbrella, but fortunately it was broken, so now i can do some recipes.
the moussaka in full
i really fancied doing this so we had a go at it, making the whole thing vegan. you'll need to get a few things in if you want yours vegan, otherwise make non-vegan substitutions.
white sauce:
corn flour
oil/marg/butter
soy milk
nutritional yeast flakes
tahini
salt and pepper and lemon juice
make a roux with the oil and cornflour, 25ml to 25g, and add the soy milk, about a pint. cook out and thicken. add the yeast flakes for a cheesy/nutty flavout, the tahini and the seasonings to taste.
lentils.
sweat an onion and carrot in oil until softened. add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. add cumin seeds, black cumin and mixed herbs. chop a jar of sun-dried tomatoes and add with the oil. add 250ml of red wine and burn off alcohol. add 500g puy lentils and 500 ml of stock. cook lentils until soft ( you will probably need to add extra stock). if the mix is too loose when the lentils are cooked, thicken with a slurry of cornflour and water.
aubergines should be sliced into rings and brushed on both sides with seasoned oil, and then cooked until soft in a 180C oven.
potatoes should be thinly sliced, 1 pound coin thickness, and par-boiled until just starting to cook, about 5 minutes. cool quickly in iced water.
assemble:place some slices of potato in the bottom of a ring mould. (you can use a tin, say a large pineapple tin, with the ends cut off(we did but had to buy some real ones because kelly kept cutting her hands))place some lentils on top, followed by a ring of aubergine, lentils, aubergine, then top with the sauce. chuck a slice of tomato on top.
bake at 180, 15 minutes. or you could just make a big one in a casserole dish.
hummous
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
finely chop and add to a food processor. add one tin of chick peas, and lemon juice, olive oil, tahini and tabasco sauce to taste. blend until smooth.
pineapple sorbet
100g sugar dissolved in 100ml water
1 tin of pineapples
blend with a hand blender until smooth and place into an ice cream maker.
pineapple and coconut cake
1 tin of pineapple
100 ml oil
heat pineapple in juice in a microwave for two minutes. add the oil and blend until smooth.
200g flour
130 g caster sugar
1 tsp powdered ginger
50 g dessicated coconut
1 teaspoon bicarb
mix together and add hot wet mix. cook in oven at 160C until springy.
braised pineapple
make a stock from 400g muscovado sugar and 500 ml water. add 6 cardomom pods and a vanilla pod.
peel a fresh pineapple and take slices from the central core. braise in the sugar stock for 3 hours, adding water if necessary.
i hope these work
cheers
wayne
the moussaka in full
i really fancied doing this so we had a go at it, making the whole thing vegan. you'll need to get a few things in if you want yours vegan, otherwise make non-vegan substitutions.
white sauce:
corn flour
oil/marg/butter
soy milk
nutritional yeast flakes
tahini
salt and pepper and lemon juice
make a roux with the oil and cornflour, 25ml to 25g, and add the soy milk, about a pint. cook out and thicken. add the yeast flakes for a cheesy/nutty flavout, the tahini and the seasonings to taste.
lentils.
sweat an onion and carrot in oil until softened. add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. add cumin seeds, black cumin and mixed herbs. chop a jar of sun-dried tomatoes and add with the oil. add 250ml of red wine and burn off alcohol. add 500g puy lentils and 500 ml of stock. cook lentils until soft ( you will probably need to add extra stock). if the mix is too loose when the lentils are cooked, thicken with a slurry of cornflour and water.
aubergines should be sliced into rings and brushed on both sides with seasoned oil, and then cooked until soft in a 180C oven.
potatoes should be thinly sliced, 1 pound coin thickness, and par-boiled until just starting to cook, about 5 minutes. cool quickly in iced water.
assemble:place some slices of potato in the bottom of a ring mould. (you can use a tin, say a large pineapple tin, with the ends cut off(we did but had to buy some real ones because kelly kept cutting her hands))place some lentils on top, followed by a ring of aubergine, lentils, aubergine, then top with the sauce. chuck a slice of tomato on top.
bake at 180, 15 minutes. or you could just make a big one in a casserole dish.
hummous
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
finely chop and add to a food processor. add one tin of chick peas, and lemon juice, olive oil, tahini and tabasco sauce to taste. blend until smooth.
pineapple sorbet
100g sugar dissolved in 100ml water
1 tin of pineapples
blend with a hand blender until smooth and place into an ice cream maker.
pineapple and coconut cake
1 tin of pineapple
100 ml oil
heat pineapple in juice in a microwave for two minutes. add the oil and blend until smooth.
200g flour
130 g caster sugar
1 tsp powdered ginger
50 g dessicated coconut
1 teaspoon bicarb
mix together and add hot wet mix. cook in oven at 160C until springy.
braised pineapple
make a stock from 400g muscovado sugar and 500 ml water. add 6 cardomom pods and a vanilla pod.
peel a fresh pineapple and take slices from the central core. braise in the sugar stock for 3 hours, adding water if necessary.
i hope these work
cheers
wayne
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