The Food Diaries

Stilton flaky biscuits squares

This recipe (from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking) is a great way to use leftover bits of Stilton (or other blue cheeses). I like to roll out a full batch  and then freeze (on a tray and placed in a freezer bag), ready to be baked from frozen at a moments notice (i.e. when a cheese moment comes on).

In a bowl or mixer mash together 125g crumbled stilton, 125g softened unsalted butter, and 2tbs (30ml) thick, double cream (or sour cream or creme fraiche). Sift in 110g flour (3/4 cup), a pinch of sea salt,  and a pinch of chili powder. Mix until a smooth dough forms. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate till firm. Roll out onto a floured greaseproof/parchment paper to 5mm thickness and cut into squares (4cm x 4cm). Brush with an egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1tsp water). 

Bake on a non-stick baking sheet at 200c for around 10 minutes (till crisp and golden). Make around 35 biscuits. 

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CHEESE & CHILI BISCUITS >

The Aperitivo Hour  - Black olive tapenade

I would categorise this in the “under 5 minutes to prepare” section of my repertoire.

In a food processor place 1 garlic clove (peeled), 3 anchovy fillets (I like the white ones), the juice of 1 lemon and 1 tbs capers. Whizz till finely chopped. Now add 1 cup pitted black olives and 1/4 cup olive oil. Whizz again till it has achieved the desired consistency (either finely chopped or creamy).

You can also use a mortar and pestle instead of the food processor.

Other variations include adding 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, replacing the black olives with green olives, omitting the anchovies for a vegan version.

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RED & YELLOW TOMATO BRUCHETTA >

The Wine Diaries - June edition

To start things off a vintage Pol Roger Rose champagne (2000) went perfectly with some goat’s cheese tarts

A side-by-side comparison of Chardonnays followed - Margrain Martinborough from New Zealand (2008), which can be found at Oddbins in the UK, versus Chateau de la Maltroye, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru (1999). The Margrain held up quite decently to the old school offering and complimented a fresh Ceviche starter.

Finally, a flurry of Bordeaux - Chateau Sociando-Mallet Haut-Medoc (2000) against Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint Julien, Grand cru (2004). Both went brilliantly with a herbed rack of lamb.

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BURGUNDY NIGHTS >

PINOT NOIR HEAVEN >

Fleur de sel de Camargue

I know we could all use a little less salt in our lives, but as it turns out, if you stick to high-quality sea salt crystals (rather than the processed, fine grain variety) and you sprinkle a little on your food directly before serving, it will not only draw out the best flavour from your food, but will ensure you minimise your salt intake.

Fleur de Sel de Camargue is so called because of the distinctive smell (reminiscent of violets) which emanates from the salt as it dries. The salt is hand raked in the marshy Camargue region of southern France, and every box has the signature of the raker who harvested it.

Marinated goat’s cheese

This is a superb way to present and serve cheese at a party. If you are lucky enough to find individual portions of goat’s cheese then nab them, if not, you can simply cut thin slices from a goat’s cheese log (not too fresh or it will crumble). Arrange them in a shallow dish and then sprinkle with various herb marinades; dried thyme, pink peppercorns, crushed juniper berries, crushed coriander seeds. Drizzle with olive oil.  You can now let marinate for up to a couple of days, or as little as a half hour before serving.

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Pinot Noir Heaven

I have just survived an epic battle of Pinot Noir -  featuring four incredibly big hitters from across the Globe. The winner was a Felton Rd 2003 (Block 5), a rare and wonderful New Zealander from the Central Otago region, though the Vosne-Romanée, Kosta Browne and Woori Yallock weren’t exactly a disgrace!

My apologies to the Americans, Australians and French.

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GOOD FOOD MATCHES TO BURGUNDIES >

Pave du Roy Gateau - An old French classic, now revived (with the added benefit of being flourless and optionally dairy-free too)

I first started making this cake as part of the Cordon Bleu Pastry degree cycle. I then brought the recipe home and made it as a special treat for a good friend’s 80th birthday (a certain Monsieur Lamorlette). Little did I know it had been a cake quite popular in his childhood (which had somehow lost fashion in between time), so resulted in a flood of memories for him. It reminds me of the power of taste (and smell in particular) in drawing back memories of the past (a la recherche du temps perdu - see Marcel Proust)

How I made it:

Slice off thin pieces of rind from 1 large orange and cut into thin strips (julienne). Blanch in boiling water a couple of times (to remove the bitterness). Bring to a boil 130g sugar with 130g water, set aside half in a bowl and then add the orange rind to the remainder and simmer till the rind is glossy and candied. Drain the rind (adding any remaining liquid to the reserve syrup), chop finely and set aside.

In a mixer beat together 1 egg, 2 yolks and 75g sugar till light and white. Sift in 15g cornstarch and 15g cocoa powder and mix delicately. Fold in 60g ground almonds. Whip up 2 egg whites till you see hard peaks forming and then add 20g sugar and beat briefly till the egg whites become glossy. Mix in a couple tablespoons into the cake batter to soften it and then fold the remaining egg whites. Bake at 200c in a 7-inch round cake tin (line the bottom with parchment paper) for between 25-35 minutes depending on your oven (till a cake tester comes out clean and the cake sponges back to the touch). Turn onto a grill and let cool.

Whip up 3 egg whites till you see hard peaks forming and then add 30g sugar and continue beating till glossy. Melt 100g dark chocolate. Fold in 2 egg yolks and 50g butter (or cooking margarine for dairy-free) into the melted chocolate. Fold in the egg whites.

To assemble: flip the cake over if you haven’t already done so (so that the flat bottom is now on top) make a small mark on the edge/side of the cake with a knife (so the cake can be easily re-aligned later),  then cut the cake in half lengthwise and set the top layer aside. Mix 40ml of Cointreau or Grand Marnier with the remaining sugar syrup and dab the inside of the cake with syrup quite generously using a pastry brush. Spread some of the chocolate mousse on top (about 1/3), sprinkle with all the orange rind evenly across the top. Place the top layer of the cake (align it up!), and then dab with the remaining syrup and cover the entire cake with the remaining chocolate mousse. Decorate the sides with chocolate vermicelli (or chocolate shavings if you can be bothered making them - and the rose made of spun sugar even less!). Dust with cocoa powder using a sifter.

Serves 6-8. You can increase the quantities for a larger cake pan.

You can make the sponge cake a day ahead and leave the assembling (with the sugar syrup and chocolate mousse) anytime on the day you will be serving it.

Red Camargue Rice Salad with Feta

Grown in the marshy region of the South of France at the mouth of Rhône delta called the Camargue (famous for its  wild white horses, pink flamingos, and black bulls), this rice is a hybrid of cultivated and wild rice, and has a lovely nutty flavour. Relatively easy to find nowadays in good supermarkets, I particularly like red rice in salads or pilafs (really lovely with mushrooms) - check out the Waitrose recipe collection for ideas.

Here’s my take on a red rice salad:

Fry up a finely chopped medium onion and garlic clove in a little olive oil till transparent. Add 1/2 cup red rice and 1/2 cup brown long grain rice and stir till well coated. Add 2 cups of water (or I like a mushroom stock), cover and simmer till all the water has been absorbed. Mix together one crushed garlic clove (though I prefer to pound it to a paste using a mortar and pestle for a less sharp flavour), 1 tbs sherry vinegar, 3 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp dijon mustard, and a little salt and pepper. Pour over the still warm rice and mix well. Crumble some feta cheese on top, sprinkle with sumac and chopped mint and serve.

Optional: add a tablespoon or two of green tapenade for a slightly sharper taste, some chopped roasted hazelnuts or pistachio for a bit of crunch, some chopped grilled and peeled red peppers (a good store-bought jar is a really good option) for sweetness.

Dining out on Lobster at Westfield London

Along with the blossoming lilac, late spring in Canada also delivers lobster in abundance. So much so that I remember when I was growing up in Ottawa that you could buy the smaller variety of fresh (and live!) lobster for as little as $25/dozen. My mother being the ambitious French home cook that she was would lug a large and wriggling bag of live lobsters from the LaPointe fishmongers, boil them up (sometimes she stored them in the fridge for a while and would forget to mention it, giving us the fright of our lives when hunting around for a pot of yogurt), and then plonk them on our plates. I can probably pull apart a lobster blind-folded as a result, though as a child it felt like a hugely daunting exercise.

Anyway, I’ve got a guest entry today, courtesy of Stuart Hacking who recently sampled the lobster on offer at LPDJ Westfield Shopping Centre in West London:

It is a French restaurant called LPDJ at Westfield. I had been told that you get a whole Lobster for about £16 but when we got there they had a deal on of a whole Lobster for £12.50 (picture attached). I had not eaten lobster before but I was assured this was good value. They also do a fantastic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to accompany it. The service was excellent and the restaurant had a feel of a more up-market establishment which you wouldn’t necessarily expect to find at a large shopping centre. I must admit wearing jeans and trainers I did feel a little under dressed.