Recipe: Focaccia

This may look like a lot of focaccia for one recipe but I've scaled it up in order to make some personal ones for loved ones. It was a good excuse to use some of the goodies I took from my Dad's vegetable patch earlier in the week. Mainly the rosemary...I made the train home smell very pleasant.

I also have a lot of peppers and chilli which I plan to make into chilli jam, a family favourite.

Here I made a classic rosemary focaccia with lots of oil and salt, and a few onions. The other two were more a case of throwing whatever I could find. 

Focaccia
(Makes three 7" individual focaccias or a giant one to 'share', alternatively half the ingredients to make a more regular size)

700g strong white flour
16g salt
6g instant yeast
approx. 500ml lukewarm water
3tbsp oil
toppings of choice

Stir the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Gently add the water, mixing well with your hands. The dough should become smooth and sticky after working it for 7 minutes.

Cover with clingfilm and leave in the fridge overnight to prove. The next day, take out of the fridge and leave to acclimatise at room temperature for 30 minutes. Alternatively, set aside and prove at room temperature until the dough doubles in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.

Stretch and fold the dough to knock out some air and leave once more for 50 minutes.

Shape the dough to desired shape/size on a floured work surface. Or, if like me you like to make as little mess as possible, press into a sandwich cake tin. Poke your fingers through the surface for air holes. Sprinkle with oil, scatter with toppings and season.

Bake at 200 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes.

And just for fun(ish)...

Recipe: Spiced Sweet Potato Cake with Marshmallow Frosting

I'll make pretty much anything to use up what's lurking around in the cupboard or fridge. I hate to waste food. Usually this involves some form of dinner which, in my family, is known as an 'around the world dinner'. By this, you can expect any combination of leftovers of all sorts of cuisines.

I couldn't quite face eating a bag full of sweet potatoes to myself this week so set out to find a suitable use for them. After making a few pumpkin cakes with cans of Libby's last year I was keen to try sweet potato and see how they compare.

This sweet potato cake is slightly more dense than the pumpkin ones I made last year and has much more flavour. But, if you do have a can of Libby's pumpkin purée hanging around, you can substitute with the same quantity.

Spiced sweet potato cake with marshmallow frosting
(Recipe slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

680g sweet potatoes (approximately 2-3)
115g unsalted butter, room temperature
190g soft light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
250g plain flour
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves, or mixed spice

Marshmallow frosting:

3 large egg whites
180g golden caster sugar
pinch pf salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Prick the sweet potatoes all over and roast in the oven at 180 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes. They may need a turning a few times. Once cooked they'll be soft and look a little deflated. Leave to cool completely. If you're baking in advance, leave them in the fridge for up to 3 days, otherwise give them plenty of time to cool before moving onto the cake.

Heat the oven to 170 degrees and grease and line an 8 - 9 inch round springform tin, or an 8 - 9 inch square tin.

Peel the sweet potatoes and mash until smooth (don't be tempted to blitz in the blender, your mix will be too loose).

Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs in one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.

Gently fold in the sweet potato, followed by all the dry ingredients. Continue until well incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin, smooth the top with a knife and bake for 35 - 40 minutes. Once baked, a skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean. Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before turning out to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

To make the frosting, add the egg whites, sugar, salt and cream of tartar to a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water. Whisk for approximately 3 minutes, until the sugar has fully dissolved. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and continue to whisk with an electric mixer for a further 4 - 7 minutes on a high speed, until stiff, glossy peaks form. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.

To decorate, spread a thin layer of the marshmallow onto the cake with a palette knife or spatula. Then, with a piping bag or sandwich bag, pipe small dollops over the thin frosting layer. With a kitchen torch, lightly brown the marshmallow dollops until browned.

Find my recipe for sweet potato brownies here if you'd like to try them another way.

Alternatively, you could substitute the same quantity of pumpkin for sweet potato in my spiced pumpkin mini cakes or in my pumpkin praline cake.

Review: Dip & Flip Burger

This discovery may be a few weeks late, but let me assure you its completely worth it.

When it was supposedly still summer, by that I mean a day of rain storms, Boy and I popped off to see a film at the pop-up cinema in Battersea Power Station. I believe the cinema has since gone so we won't worry about that, but there was a whole host of different food vendors to explore.

In between rain storms and roaring thunder, we ducked in and out of the stalls to see what was on offer. I had my heart (and stomach) set on a burger so set out to find something that tickled my fancy. There were a few of the more well-known burger vans, one in particular we were keen to try, but with the chef standing there flexing his muscles and chatting to a friend I decided against it.

We went for Dip & Flip, mainly after eyeing up the grills and seeing the sheer size of the burgers! And it did not disappoint, this was without a doubt the most juicy and moist burger I've ever eaten. Possibly the messiest also.

The 'Dip' side of Dip & Flip menu comprises of an American French Dip, a hot meat sandwich where thinly sliced cuts of meat are served with a cup of jus-based gravy. And the 'Flip' side, burgers served with gravy!

The 'Dip & Flip burger' comprises of a cheese burger, topped with sliced roast beef and gravy, ketchup, mustard, cabbage and pickles. The patties are thick, well-seasoned and juicy. The brioche-type bun miraculously manages to retain its shape with all the gravy.

And its worth noting that the staff were incredibly polite, helpful and attentive when ordering. I may have gone back for more napkins with gravy down my dress, but they assured me I wasn't the first gravy victim!

If you fancy giving it a try, their restaurant can be found near Clapham Junction Station, find out there info from urbanspoon below.

Recipe: Rye Caraway Bagels

This week I decided to go back to basics. When first starting this blog my intention was to learn to bake at home. I had a long list of everything I wanted to try and over two years on there's still so much I feel like I haven't covered.

Top of said list, bagels. The recipe is from Ruby Tandoh's first baking book, Crumb, which is full of simple, unpretentious home bakes and great flavour combinations.

Rye caraway bagels

(Makes 8, recipe from Ruby Tandoh's Crumb)

325g strong white flour

125g dark rye flour

7g instant dried yeast

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

250ml lukewarm water

1 tbsp oil

2 tbsp caraway seeds

Flour or polenta, to dust

2 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

4 tbsp water

1/2 tsp salt

30g poppy seeds

Oil, to grease

Mix together the flours and yeast in a large bowl. Add the salt and sugar, followed by the water and oil. Combine well with hands or on a medium speed with a dough hook in a stand mixer. Continue to knead for 10 minutes (on a low speed if using a stand mixer). The mix should be much less sticky than regular breads. Gently knead in the caraway seeds before covering the bowl with cling film and leaving to prove for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Turn out the risen dough, divide into 8 and shape. To shape into bagels, roll into a ball, push your finger through the centre and twirl around your finger to widen the hole. Dust a baking tray with flour or polenta, place the shaped bagels on and leave to prove for 30-45 minutes at room temperature. The bagels should have risen to almost 1 1/2 times their size.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180 degrees and bring a large pan of water to the boil. Add the bicarbonate of soda to the boiling water and turn down to simmer. In small batches, cook the bagels in the water for 60 seconds each side. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto well-greased baking trays.

Mix together the 4 tbsp of water and salt and brush over the bagels. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake for 25 minutes.

Recipe: Slow-cooker Chilli Con Carne

Another week, another slow cooker recipe. I made this for my Mum when she came over for dinner last week and it went down very well with a glass of wine. You may notice that its quite a hefty amount of chilli, it is, so feel free to half the amounts if needed.

The preparation for this took all of 10 minutes; some quick chopping and a few minutes to soften the onions and brown the mince. If you want to make this on the stove instead of the slow cooker, keep covered on a low heat for 35-45 minutes.

Slow-cooker chilli con carne
(Recipe slightly adapted from Lakeland, served 6)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1kg minced beef
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
250ml beef stock
squeeze of tomato paste
2 x tins chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
2 x tins kidney beans, rinse and drained
2 peppers, chopped
6 tbsp fresh coriander leaves

In a large frying pan, heat the oil; cook the onion and garlic until soft. Add the beef, cumin and chilli and cook until the beef has browned. Add to the slow cooker and add the stock, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and oregano; stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Add the beans and peppers and cook on high for 30 minutes, until hot. Season and serve with rice and a sprinkle of coriander.

Billington's Brownies and #bakeface

"The bake face. The magnificent side effect of baking with Billington's."

A colleague asked me the other day if I enjoyed eating my own bakes...! Not to blow my own trumpet, but I do. As much as I love to share and bake for others, who wouldn't enjoy a batch of fresh out the oven, homemade brownies?

This is my excited #bakeface...

You can vote for my #bakeface here (voting closes 12.10.14)

If you fancy, upload your own #bakeface to billingtons.co.uk/bakeface and share with your friends to get as many votes as possible for the chance to win great weekly prizes like a Kenwood mixer!

Alternatively, keep reading for a recipe to make the ultimate fudgy, rich brownies.

Billington's Brownies
(Recipe from Billington's, serves 12)

200g unsalted butter
350g 70% dark chocolate, chopped into pieces
3 medium eggs
250g Billington's Unrefined Dark Muscovado Sugar
50g self-raising flour
100g Billington's Natural Glacé Cherries (optional)

Heat the oven to 190 degrees, and line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water.

Whisk the eggs until pale and fluffy. Add the Dark Muscovado Sugar and whisk until thick. Gently fold in the chocolate mixture.

Sift in the flour and fold until the mixture is smooth. Mix in the glacé cherries.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes, until you see a paper-like crust on top. There should still be some movement in the centre of the tin.

Remove from the oven, leave to cool, then cut into squares.

Follow @BillingtonsUK and use #bakeface when sharing.

Bakingmad.com and Billington's kindly sent supplies to make these brownies. Regardless, #bakeface is a brilliant, fun way of capturing those moments we all love!

Nordic Cuisine with Martyn Meid

Things got a little bit (more than) indulgent when I went to Miele's Nordic Cuisine Chef's Table with Martyn Meid last week. Martyn had prepared a 7 course tasting menu for us and each course was expertly paired with a different glass of wine by his sommelier.

I must admit, I was a little anxious when I received the invite in my inbox. The most Nordic meal I've ever eaten before would probably be from Ikea (if that even counts). On the night I was quickly swayed by Martyn's infectious passion for good, simple food. All his food is completely seasonal and organic. Utterly dedicated, he's one of those chefs who'll be up at the crack of dawn foraging or at a market for that day's ingredients. 

To start we had lobster, squid ink, chicken jus, burnt onion, raw pumpkin, leek ash and edible flowers; served with a glass of Prosecco.

Next up, herring two ways; slow cooked in oil and pickled for 12 days. Served with pickled cucumber, tomatoes, dill and a linseed crisp made with potato starch; served with Aquavit.

This Norwegian Aquavit is a caraway-infused vodka, giving a strong liquorice flavour. Here the sommelier is telling us how its aged in oak barrels that are shipped around between Norway and Australia and back; they claim the rocking of the boat, sea air and temperature changes is the key to its great taste!

My favourite course of all, a hand dived scallop with milk and cauliflower and edible flowers; served with La Toledana Gavi di Gavi Vendemmia 201.

To cleanse the palette, and a little interlude, peach textures and dill; served with Fernlands Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2013.

Chicken, lobster bisque, salmon and lobster roe, mushrooms, edible flowers and chicken consomme on the side; served with Roaring Meg Pinot Noir 2013.

The 'Hunter' - duck, pearl barley, mushroom medley and potatoes drenched in a pork and duck creamy sauce; served with Chateau Musar Hochar, Bekaa Valley 2009.

To finish, a ricotta doughnut with vanilla Chantilly cream and peach apple kuzu jelly; served with Vistamar Moscatel 2013 Limari Valley - my favourite glass of the evening!

And there we have it! The evening was so perfectly relaxed and service so smooth I could've stayed to eat (and drink!) more. An intimate atmosphere like this is perfect for trying new things, especially in the company of some other fantastic bloggers and food-lovers!

Miele's showrooms in Central London and Abingdon host a heap of different food courses from bread making masterclasses, entertaining at home to chef's table evenings like the one I attended.

Find the run down of Miele's Creative Living classes here

                                               Martyn's restaurant, Ink here.

A big thanks to Hannah from White for the invite. She's kindly asked to include her Twitter page for other bloggers that would like to attend something similar!

Recipe: Slow-cooker Sesame & Honey Shredded Chicken

On the first day of Autumn I needed no encouragement to get the slow-cooker out. One-pot meals are my favourite as they often need minimum effort and taste great. 

I've inherited my Mum's old slow-cooker and intend to make just about anything and everything in it this year. Plenty of batch cooking to fill the freezer for work lunches and quick,  home cooked dinners. 

This first recipe is perfect for this limbo weather; for salads, sandwiches or for dinner served however you fancy!

Slow-cooked sesame honey shredded chicken

(Recipe adapted from Comfort of Cooking, serves 4-5)

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, or 4 chicken breasts

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 tbsp honey

1 1/2 tbsp ketchup

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp vegetable oil/olive oil

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

4 tsp cornflour

80ml water

To serve:

Your choice of rice

Handful of chopped spring onions

Sesame seeds

Season the chicken and add to the slow cooker. In a bowl, combine the onion, garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oil and chilli flakes before pouring over the chicken. Cover with the slow cooker lid and cook for 3-4 hours on low; or 2 hours on high.

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker onto a plate and shred into bite sized pieces. In a small bowl or jug, dissolve the cornflour in the water and add to the chicken sauce in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 10 minutes until it starts to thicken.

Cook the rice to packet instructions and serve with the chicken. Scatter over chopped spring onions and a generous helping of sesame seeds.

Recipe: Mini Cinnamon Doughnuts with Brown Butter Drizzle

I'm late to the brown(ed) butter party, I know. But either way, here's my offering. Baked doughnuts, rolled in cinnamon sugar and topped with a drizzle of browned butter glaze. These doughnuts took me an hour to make from start to finish, which is a feat in itself. With minimal mess and effort, these mini guys are great if you're short of time.

And if you haven't tried browned butter before now, its essentially burnt melted butter...sounds appetising? No, didn't think so. But when you call it beurre noisette it sounds heaps better! In recipes it lends a rich, nutty depth and smells incredible.

Cinnamon sugar doughnuts
(Recipe adapted from Lakeland, makes 6 mini doughnuts)

75g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
55g caster sugar
60ml milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp olive oil (you could substitute this with 10g browned butter instead)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon sugar coat:

60g unsalted butter, melted
60g soft brown sugar / golden caster sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Browned butter glaze:

250g icing sugar, sifted
pinch of salt
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 tbsp milk

Heat the oven to 160 degrees and lightly brush a doughnut pan with oil. If you don't have a doughnut pan you could use a small cupcake tray or similar instead.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl and gently whisk. (This does the same job as a sieve, but much easier). Add the sugar and stir together.

In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together the milk, egg, oil and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Using either a teaspoon or a piping bag, fill each doughnut hole 3/4 full with the batter. Bake in the oven for 8 - 10 minutes, until firm and springy to touch.

Prepare the cinnamon sugar coat whilst the doughnuts are baking. Put the melted butter in one bowl, and the sugar and cinnamon mixed together in another. When the doughnuts are slightly cooled from the oven (this should take only a few minutes as they're so small), gently dunk each doughnut into the butter before rolling in the sugar mix. Place on a plate and leave to cool.

For the glaze, start by making the browned butter (notes below). Use a pan with a light colour bottom to monitor the colour of the browning butter easier. Place on a low heat and leave to melt, stirring occasionally. The butter will foam up and start to brown. Continue to watch and stir (occasionally) as the butter turns from a lemony-yellow colour, to a golden tan and then toast colour. This should only take a few minutes for this small amount. Remove from the heat and pour into a heatproof bowl to cool slightly.

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the salt. Continue to add the wet ingredients and whisk together. Start with 2 tablespoons of milk and add more as necessary to get a smooth, glossy glaze.

Use a piping bag or spoon to drizzle over the cooled doughnuts.

N.B. Browned butter is the result of the butterfat and milk solids separating when melting. The milk solids will sink to the bottom and start to brown first. These dregs are perfectly fine to use in recipes, providing you don't burn them. However, I drained them for this glaze as it would look a little unsightly. But, in a cookie dough, for example, they would be completely fine.

Upside-down Banana Cake with Maple-caramel Sauce

The sun may still be out (slightly), but as far as I'm concerned, we're well into pecan, maple and cinnamon season! When searching for a way to use up some overripe bananas I found this recipe, jumped straight into the car to get supplies and got straight in the kitchen.

I'm pretty sure you could make this in a large cake/tart tin if you don't have a big enough square serving plate. I didn't, so opted to serve it on a baking sheet!

Upside-down banana cake with maple-caramel sauce
(Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food)

100g softened butter, plus extra for greasing
8tbsp maple syrup
3 small overripe bananas and 1 very overripe banana
200g soft dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
2tsp vanilla extract
200g self-raising flour
100g pecans, roughly chopped
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
1tsp ground cinnamon
200g pot full-fat Greek yogurt, plus extra (or vanilla ice cream) to serve

For the sauce:
100g whole pecans
100g salted butter, diced
100ml double cream
100ml maple syrup

Heat the oven to 160 degrees and grease and line the bottom of a 20cm square tin.

Pour half the maple syrup (4tbsp) over the bottom of the tin, swirl around to give a good coating. Peel and chop the 3 ripe bananas in half and slice lengthways and place cut side down in the tin.

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the eggs and the final very ripe banana, mixing gently. Tip the flour and pecans into a blender and blitz together until the pecans are ground. Stir the flour into the butter mixture and add the bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon. Fold in the yogurt.

Carefully spoon over the bananas, smooth the top with a spatula and bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean.

To make the sauce, toast the pecans for a few minutes in a pan before adding the rest of the ingredients. Cook on a low heat until all of the butter has melted. Leave to bubble for a further 5 minutes whilst the sauce thickens.

Once the cake is cooked and straight from the oven, poke it half way down with a  skewer all over. Pour over the remaining 4tbsp of maple syrup and leave it to soak in for a few minutes. Upturn the cake onto a serving plate. Reheat the sauce, and serve with Greek yogurt or vanilla ice cream.