Lent is traditionally considered as one of moderation among most of the Western Christian communities, but many people also take it as a chance to make your eating style healthier. If you are cutting down on your meat consumption and looking for some vegetarian or fish ideas, our great chefs are here to help you on your way…
Shrove Tuesday is just about to get a whole lot better with these tasty pancake recipes. So ditch the traditional drizzle of lemon and sprinkle of sugar, and prepare your taste buds for these flavour extravaganzas!
If you’re feeling fruity try Ainsley Harriott’s American-style Apple Maple Pancakes with Blackberry Compote, which taste just as gorgeous as they look. Or if you’re a bit more adventurous in the kitchen then have a go at these zesty Orange Scotch Pancakes – a little bit more difficult to make but definitely worth the extra effort.
If you have more of a savoury than a sweet tooth then try Raymond Blanc’s Baked Pancakes with Gruyère which elevate the humble pancake into a seriously satisfying main meal. Or go with these guilt-free Chickpea Flour Pancakes which are a popular breakfast dish in India. Not only are they delicious but they’re also nutritious, which is something of a rarity in the pancake world with the traditional egg/milk/sugar combo.
Whichever you decide, happy flipping!
Although the recipes on My Kitchen Table have been tested by professionals, we’re keen to share our experiences of cooking the recipes and hear about your experiences too! We (the My Kitchen Table book and website editorial team) will be featuring and writing about a new recipe from time to time. If you’re interested in writing about how you got on with a recipe (and getting featured on the site), just get in touch with us telling us what you want to cook and why.
Today’s my last day of work experience at Ebury. Over the past two weeks I’ve learnt a lot and, Cava pick-up incidents aside (it’s a long story, I won’t bore you with it!), had fun doing it. Thus the dilemma: what to get the team as a ‘thank you’?
I’ve eschewed my usual go-to gift of a free bouquet made up by my florist Mother, and decided on cake instead. You see, one of the things I’ve learnt while here is that the Ebury Marketing team is fuelled by sugar (and a passion for their job I’m sure, but mainly sugar). There’s a table in the corner of the office that’s always filled with sweet treats, perfect for quashing 4 o’clock stomach grumbles or as a mid-morning pick-me-up. Or to wash down your breakfast at 9:35AM. Yep, so cake it is then.
In my time of need I decided to turn to Mary Berry – I don’t think there’s anyone more qualified than the Queen of Cakes to provide me with a mouth-watering recipe – and after much deliberation, I settled on her Cappuccino Cake. It was a difficult choice but the fact that it has 3 of my favourite C’s as main ingredients (chocolate, cream and coffee) tipped the balance in its favour!
It’s really easy making the batter for this one. After mixing the cocoa powder with boiling water to make a paste, you simply add all the other ingredients to the bowl and whisk until it’s thick and glossy, then divide between the tins. I was a bit worried that the mixture barely filled half the tins, but needn’t have been because they rose nicely in the oven. The recipe says to bake for 25-30 mins, but I found that after 25 minutes some of the cake had gone ever so slightly hard at the edge, so next time I’ll take it out a couple of minutes earlier – although it varies between ovens of course.
While the cake is cooling you can get on with the fun of making the filling and topping: I think there’s something so strangely satisfying about whipping cream (careful not to overwhip though, I got a tad carried away and it left my cream with a grainy appearance). I also added a bit more dissolved coffee than the recipe called for because… well, I like my coffee strong. Then smooth it on to the cake with a palette knife, dust with cocoa, et voila…
Although it’s difficult to tell from my shoddy camera work, the result was a lovely moist cake that tasted pretty good too. And it seems to have gone down well in the office… well no one’s keeled over after taking a bite yet!
Some people love this time of year – love the flowers, love the fluffiness and love the various shades of fuchsia – while others despise it, complaining that it’s just another Hallmark holiday. But like it or not, Valentine’s Day is happening. So take the opportunity to impress your Valentine: skip the overpriced, crowded restaurant and, instead, cook up a romantic feast. Here are some of our favourite Valentine’s Day recipes…
Start your evening with a bit of spice with Madhur Jaffrey’s delicious Madras Curry Soup. Usually when you think of aphrodisiacs, the foods which spring to mind are oysters and chocolate. But it turns out curry can be spicy in more ways than one: according to a league table of the sexiest meals compiled by Just Eat, curry contains many of the ingredients that are classed as powerful aphrodisiacs including the onion and cream in this soup. It’s also lovely and warming, making it perfect for the freezing temperatures we’ve been experiencing recently. (Who says sexy can’t be practical?!)
Then do your main course in style with this luxurious Grilled Cod on Pommes Sarladaises with Truffle recipe. Fresh cod and potatoes is always a winner, but adding truffle oil into the mix completely knocks this combo into the stratosphere. And to top it all off it’s really simple to make, so you don’t have to be Rick Stein in the kitchen to earn some serious brownie points.
And for the pièce de résistance you can’t go wrong with Gizzi Erskine’s Butter Caramel and Honeycomb Ice Cream. Valentine’s Day is all about showing your sweet some extra sweetness, and my god it doesn’t get sweeter than this! Rich and creamy with Crunchie bars and Maltesers thrown in for good measure, it really is sinfully delicious!
What are you going to cook to seduce your Valentine’s taste buds?
It’s Valentine’s Day – time to conjure up some home made magic for your loved ones!
It just so happens that we have a few suggestions for all different tastebuds; be it a carnivorous character, some sea-side evocations, or perhaps you have a herbivore to impress, we have selected some of our favourite recipes for cooking up a bit of romance…
For a Carnivore’s treat:
When it comes to meat lovers, you can’t really go wrong with a good steak. Ainsley Harriot’s Seared Sirloin Steak with Blue Cheese Butter and Shoestring Fries may just be the thing to your Valentine’s heart. For something slightly more Italian, Antonio Carluccio’s Bolognese Sauce is a recipe that would make Lady and the Tramp jump from the TV screen… For those who are feeling slightly adventurous, Antonio has a fabulous recipe for Fresh Egg Pasta to complete the magic.
For Fish lovers:
Well-known for being an aphrodisiac, a seafood lover’s Valentine’s Day wouldn’t be right without oysters. Try Rick Stein’s Warm Oysters with Champagne Sabayon for something extra special…
For more ambitious chefs; how about Antonio Carluccio’s Open Raviolo with Fish? A medley of mussels, scallops, salmon and monkfish, it’s guaranteed to tantalise! If you are after something a bit less complicated (but just as delicious!) Rick Stein has a wonderfully fresh and slightly more colourful recipe for Hake with Clams, Asparagus, Peas and Parsley.
For a Vegetarian palate:
The Severshed’s Bazargan from Sophie Grigson hosts an array of the most fabulous and healthy ingredients. With all of the colours and spices going on in this dish, it looks much more complicated than it is, so it really is an all-round success!
With such a mouthwatering selection, perhaps a romantic week is in order? What will you be cooking tonight?
Happy Valentine’s Day!
New reports show that we are tucking into more pork goods than any other meat, due the price of beef, lamb and poultry rising. With so many different options on offer, we wanted to give you some great ideas for this low cost and delicious meat…
Gizzi Erskine has a fresh take on a ham joint with her recipe for Spiced Mango Roasted Ham. This is a fantastic addition to a Ploughman’s lunch, a lip-smacking addition to a work sandwich and a very tasty way to add a bit of fruitiness to a meaty brunch.
Madhur Jaffrey has a delicious and easy recipe for Pork Madras; the fact that it is a one-pot dish makes it even more appealing for weeknights.
Ken Hom’s Dim Sum Style Pork Dumplings are brilliant for dinner parties and bite-sized portions. Ken also has an amazing recipe for Red Pork Curry (Gaeng Phed Moo). It is a quick and easy Thai curry, excellent for midweek meals and entertaining friends.
A superb recipe for entertaining with minimal fuss is Raymond Blanc’s Pot-au-veu of Braised Pork Belly. Pot-au-feu is a French peasant dish, in which the meat, vegetables and broth are all cooked together in one pot, making it a very stress-free way to impress the guests!
Do you have any favourites that you would like to share with us? Perhaps bangers and mash is the only way to go? Have you had a go at one of these recipes? Get in touch and let us know.
According to new reports released by the British Retail Consortium, thousands of tonnes of fruit and vegetables are thrown away annually for being the wrong shape or size.
With this in mind, we thought that we would suggest a few fantastic recipes to use up the ugly vegetables that you may have lying around and turn them into something quite stunning!
Rosemary Conley’s Moussaka is a fantastic way to use up any bruised, battered, or slightly unattractive tomatoes and aubergines, transforming them into a healthy and hearty treat for all.
Gizzi Erskine has a fantastic recipe for Jamaican Brown Chicken Stew. Great for using bumpy butternut squashes, peculiar potatoes, ogre-some onions and perishing peppers.
Ken Hom’s Buddhist Casserole is a clean and fresh way of using seasonal cabbage and broccoli, whilst combining them with those courgettes and peppers that may have a nail scratch or a tiny blemish, easily overshadowed when blended together in this heavenly recipe.
The Maestro of Italian cooking, Antonio Carluccio, has a mouth-watering recipe for Vegetarian Lasagne. Do you throw away spinach when it looks a bit soggy, or the bags that are reduced in the supermarket? Use it! Those leaves will be brilliant in this.
With baking royalty in our midst, Mary Berry has a wonderful Courgette Loaf recipe, great for using up your scuffed up courgettes, or any that have been half-used. Sliced and served hot or cold with a bit of butter, cream cheese, or on its own; this is great for both tea time treats or some home made lunch at work, fantastic.
Do you have any ugly vegetable recipes? Perhaps you have some photos of particularly odd-shaped vegetables? Let us know; we would love to hear from you!
Rick Stein’s recipe for Apple tarts with a cheese pastry cream is guaranteed to earn brownie points this Valentine’s Day. The soft cream pastry is truly special, a lovely finishing touch for a home made meal in with a loved one, and a great one to make together as well!
For a slightly more refined evening, Raymond Blanc’s Vanilla Crème Brûlée is a recipe for pure, unadulterated love… With a juicy strawberry to garnish, this really is the epitome of elegant romance!
If you are spending the evening with more than one of your nearest and dearest, Gizzi’s Lemon and Passion Fruit Self-saucing Pudding is great way to spread some love at a dinner party… The citrus punch of this is a fantastic alternative to what can be an overload of chocolate this time of year. While the passion fruit is known for being an aphrodisiac, in Brazil it is also used as a mild sedative, so perhaps don’t have too much!
For those who want something sweet without any chocolate or citrus involved, how about topping off a romantic meal with Ainsley Harriot’s incredible Jamaican Sticky Toffee Pudding? With a kick of ginger, it is most certainly a pièce de résistance!
What are your favourite romantic treats for loved ones? Perhaps you have a story about one of these recipes? Why not share it with us?
One day, every year, we are all encouraged to practise the art of seduction… How about making that little extra effort and making a bit of the magic happen in your own kitchen? We have selected some of our favourite recipes for you to try out this Valentines Day, so depending on how much of your adventurous side you want to set free, there is a recipe for all…
Start Valentine’s Day on the right note with a bit of passion! Annabel Karmel’s Mango, Banana and Passion Fruit Smoothie is a mouth-watering way to start on a healthy note; probably wise with all of the naughty treats lined up! If you are more of a berry fan, this is also a great basic recipe that can be adapted to any taste buds, and is a fantastic blueprint to know for everyday wellbeing.
As a well known favourite for the romantic time of year, you can’t really go wrong with a bit of chocolate. Not only is good quality chocolate absolutely delicious and believed to be an aphrodisiac, but it is genuinely good for you! Cocoa solids contain compounds of Theobromine and Phenethylamine, which are known to have physiological effects on the body and it has also been linked to serotonin levels in the brain.
Bite-sized chocolate truffles are such a simple way to share a bit of love and they are great fun to make; a brilliant Valentine’s Day recipe for two perhaps?! For a more substantial dessert, why not try making some of Mary Berry’s Chocolate Éclairs?
Mary’s Chocolate Brownies are a lovely treat for taking to work; perhaps a little red bundle for that special day? If you are thinking of brownies as more of a dessert, why not combine with Gizzi Erskine’s naughty but oh-so-nice Butter Caramel and Honeycomb Ice cream?
With mouth-watering ideas like these, the time to share the love can’t come soon enough now!
Raymond Blanc’s new series, The Very Hungry Frenchman, begins next Thursday on BBC 2 at 8pm!
Raymond is one if the world’s most famous French chefs, yet he has never cooked professionally in France! In the Very Hungry Frenchman, Raymond will travel around the country exploring the food from different regions and showing us how to make the most of fresh produce.
If you want to try some of Raymond’s recipes this weekend, look no further than his My Kitchen Table recipes. Delicious!
