on my plate: hot cross buns

It seems a crime that I've not had a single hot cross bun in the run up to Easter. How has this happened?! I'm baffled. But somehow this disastrous slip-up has occurred, and I am adamant that I should remedy it in style.

By 'style', I mean homemade. And by homemade, I mean by me. Risky business. I could end up with a stodgy ball of dough crammed with shrivelled fruit, a burnt 'glaze' adorning the carefully placed cross on top.

But in my mind I am picturing a deliciously springy bun, jam-packed with an aromatic fusion of dried fruit and spices, and a glorious white cross as its crowning glory.

Hmmm. It appears that the result was an amalgamation of the two. Though possibly leaning more towards the former proposed outcome than to the latter.

I followed Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall's recipe, though pinched an idea from Felicity Cloake to infuse the milk with spices before using. Unfortunately I can’t say that this oomphed up the flavour by much. I also found my hot cross buns lacking in sweetness. Their texture was nice enough, though I would have preferred a slightly squidgy-er exterior. Lets just say they were not quite the indulgent treat I was hoping for.

This is not to say I wouldn’t attempt to make a hot cross bun again. I am determined to achieve the glorious wonder of a homemade version that had been promised to me by all who had made them in the past. But in the future I will follow Felicity’s ‘Perfect Hot Cross Bun’ recipe.

I am kicking myself for not simply doing so from the start, she had after all tried and tested many different approaches before settling on her proposed method. And on comparison now of the two different recipes, I can see that Felicity combines a much richer mix of ingredients than Hugh, which I am certain would have yielded a more luxurious batch of hot cross buns. Silly me. Hindsight's a bugger.

But, all is not lost! I still have a tasty bun of sorts on my table. And I will be spreading these Easter treats as gifts amongst loved ones… Lucky them!

NB. Upon a second tasting I now retract that last paragraph. I will be hanging my head in shame at these poor specimens of a hot cross bun, which I will now have to distribute as Easter gifts due to lack of time and funds in order to find suitable replacements. Hmph.

on my plate: parsley cheese scones / aubergine & goat's cheese frittata

THIS week's on my plate is a two fold post. Firstly, I wanted to rave about some dangerously tasty and ridiculously easy to make parsely cheese scones (recipe curtesy of Dan Lepard). And secondly, I wanted to demonstrate how dinner for one can be a delight not a chore.

aubergine and goat's cheese frittata

Too often I've had conversations with friends about how their desire to make a delicious supper goes down the pan if they are going to be the only recipient.  This may be slightly alleviated if they have a companion in the kitchen - say a housemate cooking their own dinner alongside them - but on the whole it seems that the enjoyment of creating and devouring a dish is intrinsically linked with a desire to share the experience.

I completely get this. There was a time when I would never dream of eating by myself at the dinner table. If left with no choice, then it would be a TV dinner all the way. And if I was - by some unforseen TV malfunction or complete lack of even the most vaguely interesting thing on it - resigned to be without said accompaniment, then I would find any sort of magazine / book / newspaper to distract me from my eating isolation. And whatever I would be absent-mindedly munching on was inevitably a mish mash of whatever I had to hand.

Slowly but surely however, (perhaps in line with my growing interest in food as a whole), I have discovered that it can be equally as satisfying to cook with the same gusto and passion as you would for a loved one even if it is just you reaping the rewards. Try viewing it as a form of pampering - an indulgent treat to be able to sit down in the peace and harmony of a quiet kitchen and enjoy the fruits of your own labour.

Yes there are times when things turn out so well that I wish I had someone to share my 'oohs' and 'ahhs' with. But there are also times when this isn't the case, when I've tried a new dish and the seasoning is a bit off, or when something hasn't quite been cooked to my satisfaction. It's at these moments that I'm glad not to be serving up my culinary disappointment to expectant hungry mouths.



The above aubergine and goat's cheese friatta is an example of one of my recent one-man suppers. It was a concoction of the random bits residing in my fridge. I've never been much of an omellette / frittata person, so this was as much an experiment as it was a way of quickly feeding myself.

I gently softened red onions, leeks and fresh red chilli, then added in cubes of aubergine, coarsely ground black pepper and sweet paprika. Following the addition of blanched baby broad beans and the last few stalks of some coriander, I combined the whole lot with eggs and chunks of goat's cheese. After the underside had set I popped the pan under the grill for a couple of minutes to brown the top, and voila! Some crispy salad leaves and a dash of balsamic vinegar was all I needed on the side of this speedy success.

parsley cheese scone

The parsely cheese scones were also a speedy success. (All this warm weather is definitely inspiring a cook-it-and-go spirit in my kitchen, as the sunshine just keeps calling me outdoors.)

I prepared these for a friend's baby shower involving afternoon tea and champagne.  I know, sounds very la-di-da. But it was in fact just a great excuse for a get together involving silly games and daytime grazing on yummy food and drink. It was a completely unpretentious spread, and full of old school treats such as jam tarts and mini Mr Kipling Battenburgs.

As I couldn't splash the cash with the present I decided to add in the gift of homemade food. And savoury scones just seemed to fit the bill. 

on my plate: but not for long

I have a slight problem. As outlined at the onset of the ‘on my plate’ posts, I am slowly working my way through the copious amount of recipes that I'm addicted to finding and filing in my ‘some day I want to make you’ folder. However, (as I have found to also be the case when eating out) I get so excited by the prospect of devouring the food before me that the meal is generally already cosied up in my stomach before I realise that I have missed my opportunity for taking a suitably mouth watering snapshot.

Unfortunately this has been happening to me a lot lately; so much so, that I haven’t a single shred of evidence to show for any of my most recent kitchen exploits. And so, instead I am going to give you a quick verbal run down of my culinary discoveries over the past few weeks...

to start: Roasted Tofu with Spicy Relish courtesy of the Waitrose website. Following my previous success with tofu I thought why not experiment further, especially as roasting sounded so much easier than frying. But. What I saved myself in effort, I inadvertantly lost in taste and texture. I have no qualms in saying that roasting tofu is NOT a good idea. Don't bother. Stick to recipes along the lines of Ottolenghi's black pepper tofu instead.

the main attraction: Angela Hartnett's Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry. This was delicious. Lack of garam masala meant I added more of the other spices as well as fennel seeds, curry powder and tumeric. I also used green lentils instead of chick peas as I had these to hand in a brilliant ready to eat carton pack. (I promise that these are nowhere near as horrid as they sound.)

Ever the fan of a one-pot dish this was a wonderful comfort supper that I am bound to make again. The taste was rich and spicy, with the cauliflower absorbing the flavours well. I'm currently having a cauliflower moment: raw, roasted or in sauce, just never overcooked into a stinky school dinner mush.

on the side: French Beans with Blackened Sage and Hazelnuts, found on my Epicurious phone app. I would recommend this as way of sprucing up your side dishes - especially for those who aren't a fan of the green ones - though do make sure you use plenty of sage for full impact. And lightly toast your hazelnuts. 

for dessert: Nigel Slater's Damson Spelt Cake. This was a revelation. Spelt flour is the way forward in baking. I was worried it's texture may lead to a slightly heavier cake but in fact (and I would like to think that this was also in part due to my enthusiastic creaming together of the butter and sugar) this was a delightlfully spongy baking success. The nutty taste of the flour, alongside the sweetness of the ground almonds complimented the tart plums perfectly, with the sprinkling of sugar creating a moreish crunch on top.

if you're feeling greedy: Sweet and Salty Candy Bar Brownies. This was my not-so-grown up contribution to a friend's grown-up choice of birthday celebration: hosting a dinner party for 22 guests. But I think the small ripple of applause received in appreciation of these childishly jam-packed squares may just say enough. Be warned though - these gooey, fudgy brownies are irresistable when warm from the oven (especially if you throw a few packets of Cadburys Carmel Nibbles into the mix).

on my plate: black pepper tofu

THIS was the deal: I provide two home cooked dinners, one pizza supper in Rome and the cleaning of one bathroom, in exchange for one absolutely gorgeous, pure wool chunky-knit jumper, from Aquascutum. My heart just skipped a beat typing the word 'Aquascutum'.

Fair deal in my opinion considering I will enjoy / benefit from all of the above. (Excluding the bathroom bit, but luckily it’s a very small bathroom.)

So, this week’s 'on my plate' is home cooked dinner number one. Following a long weekend of over indulgence in Rome – of which I will tell you all about in a forthcoming post – both my mum (aforementioned deal maker) and I were in the mood for a change of scene when it came to food. In amongst my stash of 'recipes to try' I found the perfect solution: Yotam Ottolenghi's black pepper tofu. Conveniently we had a tub of the good quality fresh tofu that Ottolenghi calls for already sitting in the fridge.

And what a delightful feast it made. Following a day of delirium at work due to exhaustion from said weekend in Rome I muddled my way through the initial stages of cooking. I will admit that juggling the making of the rice (which I always seem to find stressful), the fine slicing of the ingredients and the frying of the tofu (spewing cornflour along the way) was a struggle; but I emerged from the chaos serenely happy as the meal came together and I could see that all would be good.

The flavours dazzled in this dish. Fiery chilli combined with distinctive peppery notes; lightly caramelised shallots balanced salty depths of various soy sauces; pungent garlic complimented tangy, aromatic ginger. And all of these tastes enveloped succulent chunks of tofu with crunchy spring onion.

I served this on a bed of jasmine rice, to which I had added half a teaspoon of Chinese 5 spice; the touch of cinnamon within this mix came through subtly but with effect, enhancing the sweet and sour aspect of the tofu and its sauce.

Steamed choi sum topped with toasted sesame seeds was presented on the side. And the final accompaniment was a pot of jasmine tea. It was a delicious simple supper that awoke me (and my senses) from my daze, and which I will no doubt make again.

on my plate: chilli jam and salted oat crackers

NOT strictly on my plate, but seeing as I happen to live with some of the recipients of these homemade Christmas gifts, by default the fruits of my labour still managed to sneak onto it...

The salted oat crackers were brilliantly easy to make, and satisfyingly delicious considering the amount (or lack of) work that went into their creation. Tip: where the recipe calls for rolling out the dough very very thinly then really do; it makes for a better cracker. 

And it was lucky that I ended up making a mountain of them, as it was a true test of willpower resisting the urge to greedily pop every other one of these salty crunchy morsels into my mouth as I lay them out to cool.

The chilli jam was another story. If you do not have a food processor do not, I repeat: DO NOT, attempt to make this product a) when you are short on time, or b) when you have a hangover. I had the time, but I also had the hangover. And it took a lot of perseverance to get through the chopping stage (an hour at least); followed by the lengthy cooking time.

I have never made a jam before, perhaps this just how it is done. But it definitely tested my patience.

On the bright side, the result was a real success. A rich, sticky jam, the sweetness counterbalanced by warmth coming through from the ginger and heat releasing gradually from the chilli. I personally would have liked it spicier (I used three instead of the recommended nine chillies) but I had to remember that I was producing gifts, and therefore not everyone shares the same love of fiery spice. 

All in all it was a success. The copious amounts produced of each item meant that it was more than worth the effort when it came to sharing them out amongst friends and family. And - as long as I can psyche myself up for the chopping stage of the jam - I will definitely be making them again.

on my plate: butter bean tomatoes

GREAT big fat beefy tomatoes, overstuffed with creamy butter beans. That's what was on my plate today. Well one of them was, I'd have to be a truly greedy bugger to manage two.

I planned ahead with this dish and made the tomato sauce base the night before. Not only was this a time saving plan but also (I thought) a great way to boost the flavours, as in my experience any sauce/soup consumed a day after it was made always bursts with flavour.

Somehow this did not happen. I didn't skimp on the ingredients - even adding extra bay leaves and garlic - yet my tomatoes were not the garlicky dream that Nigel Slater had implied. Take note: when it says 'season generously', season GENEROUSLY. I thought I had. 

It's not that the meal wasn't a success, just that it felt slightly lacking. (As an after thought I would recommend perhaps adding a crumbled beef stock cube to the sauce.) What did make the dish though was it's accompaniment: purple sprouting broccoli with buffalo mozzarella and a chilli, garlic and anchovy hot oil dressing. The saltiness and heat from the topping bringing to the palate a much needed oomph of flavour.

on my plate: aubergine involtini

nd a

OK so my food photography skills haven't exactly improved much, but these tasty little morsels just had to be talked about. Served as part of a picky dinner prepared for friends - alongside butter bean hummous, aubergine turnover pastries and spicy roasted chickpeas - for me these were the success story of the night.

After brushing the aubergine with olive oil and cooking on a griddle pan to achieve those gorgeous blackened stripes, I chose to fill my involtini with feta, toasted hazelnuts, sultanas and fresh mint. I then heated them in the oven to soften the feta slightly, resulting in a dish of incredibly moreish plump little parcels, with wonderful flavours reminiscent of those that my friends and I had sampled in Greece over the summer.

My one word of advice would be don't be afraid of adding lots of mint, as it is essential in balancing the flavours.

Oh, and make lots.

on my plate: lentil and pumkin stew-soup

IT'S been a hectic few days so cooking hasn't featured high on the agenda, which means this week's dish was very much a simple one-pot wonder. And, despite the possibly over-zealous addition of vegetables on my part (though even now, after reading the recipe, I have no idea how I managed to make my casserole dish overflow with so few 'bulky' ingredients) it turned out to be a very satisfying stew-soup.

The method was simple. The flavours were rich. And the aromas along the way were tantalising. The addition of fresh rosemary and garlic to the already softened onions stealing the prize of most delectable aroma of the evening.

Ignoring it's sludge-like appearance - I must improve my food presentation / photography skills - this meal was actually delicious. It's a perfect way to use up a pumpkin once it's fleeting moment in Britain's conscious has passed. A hearty autumnal assembly of flavours; none of which over-power, but all of which create a truly satisfying supper.

on my plate: tomato tarte tatin and hedgehog potatoes

THIS tomato tarte tatin recipe has been sitting in my kitchen for ages, but not sure of what to serve it with other than a salad garnish meant that I hadn't attempted to make it for fear of not providing a 'substantial' dinner for the meat eater of the household. Then I came across a recipe on the Salad Club blog for hedgehog potatoes and my dish was almost complete. To tie it all together I went for a rocket cream.

When it came to the making of the tarte I had a slight glitch. Not enough red onions. And not enough time to buy more. I substituted with white ones and then proceeded to add slightly more sugar at the frying stage than the recipe stated in an attempt to balance the flavour. Mistake number one. Mistake number two was that I hadn't noticed that a caramel needed to be made, and having never done one before I think I may have overcompensated in the sugar department yet again. The result was a tarte tatin that was too sweet for my liking, though one of my diners disagreed. Of course the topping of tangy goats cheese helped to an extent, as did the peppery watercress garnish with added toasted pumkin seeds for a nutty finish.

The hedgehog potatoes were a great novelty, though one of my favourite parts of a roast potato is making a mountain so that I can also munch on them later and these were not so great cold. The rocket cream was a welcome addition, however I don't think I got the balance of flavours quite right.

Overall it was an enjoyable meal. And I was extremely proud when the tarte turned out leaving not a single tomato in the dish. In future though I would definitely use much less sugar and probably add a splash of balsamic vinegar. Or I may even try out this version with anchovies, as I'm a sucker for anything involving salty sweet flavour combinations.

on my plate: Crab and Sweetcorn Chowder

WHEN I find myself at a loose end at work I am free to browse the vast realms of the Internet to  my heart's content. What I have discovered is that my heart is consistently drawn to doing nothing more than reading about food. Reviews, blogs, recipes; all of these I can peruse for hours, vicariously living the life of both food critic and chef.

Most worrying is possibly the amount of time I can spend simply reading recipes, making note of those in particular that - if I could spend my days endlessly pottering in the kitchen - I would certainly try out. And so, after book marking yet another mouthwatering dish I decided that enough is enough, I have to actually start making something from the tome of ideas I'm acquiring. The result: 'on my plate', a weekly post on my exploits in the kitchen testing out potential gastronomical delights. (With no doubt some disasters along the way.)

This week: Crab and Sweetcorn Chowder, recipe courtesy of Rosie Lovell. I'd come across it just as the weather was turning down the ice-cold road to winter and some warming comfort food was in order. Minimal adjustments were made to the ingredient list: a decrease in the amount of coconut milk, an increase in the amount of corn and crab, and one addition in the form of lime juice squeezed over the top to serve.

The result was incredibly pleasing. Rarely for me does a new recipe come together first time as I will always find niggling faults that could be improved upon. But in this instance there was nothing that  I would change. The crunch of the corn and green beans ensured that the chowder's potato and crab did not simply result in a mouthful of mush. The shredded ginger and chilli gave a pleasant heat, complimenting the smoothness of the coconut perfectly. And the tang of the lime balanced well with the sweetness of the corn. Finally, the toasted sesame oil turned out to be an imperitive element in creating real depth to the overall flavour of the soup. I have a feeling that this may become a staple in my diet over the coming months - I already can't wait to eat it again!