Oliver 01/10/1995 - Peppermint Crisp Pie

Oliver, or as he is better known "Olly", he never answers to Oliver or even introduces himself as Oliver, was named after Oliver Reed the Actor, strange choice you may think, but Oliver Reed was a friend of my Father's and the first time I met him he was so charming & left a lasting impression on me that the name Oliver stayed with me.

Olly is our in house comedian, perfect gentleman & so very caring, you can always rely on him to make you laugh or make you a cup of tea when you are down, hence his nickname of Chai Waller. Olly truly does make the best tea in the whole of Surrey.

Olly's sense of humour does get him into trouble sometimes, for example when he left a door open at school and the Teacher asked him if he was born in a barn, to which Olly replied yes. The Teacher was not impressed, especially when Olly went on to explain that he was a home birth, born on a farm, very near to a barn, all very true facts, but the Teacher was neither impressed or believed a word that he was saying.

Anyway here is Olly's recipe and like him its a lot of fun & very sweet.

Buon appetito.

Peppermint Crisp Pie - Serves 10 - 12

250g Chocolate Digestive Biscuits

100g Butter - melted

600g Caramel Condensed Milk

400ml Whipping Cream

100g Mint Aero Bars - crushed

Crush the biscuits and put them into a bowl with the melted butter. Mix together well and then press firmly onto the base and a little way up the sides of a 26cm (10 1/2 inch) pie dish. Put in the fridge to set.

Beat the caramel in a bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth. Carefully spread over the biscuit base, trying not to lift any of the biscuit crumbs.

Whip the cream until it holds it shape, but take care not to over whip it. Spoon it over the caramel to cover the whole surface and then scatter the Aero over the top.

Keep in the fridge before serving in slices if you can manage it, or dollops if you can't.

Be warned, you will think you can't eat anymore and as soon as you have finished one slice you will want another, a highly addictive dessert.

English Wine Week- Saturday 29th May to Sunday 6th June 2010

Let's celebrate English Wine Week !!!!

Please check out the links below, the Telegraph article lists where you can buy English wine, but you may be lucky enough to have your own local Vineyard right on your doorstep like I do, please check them out and support your local businesses. You will be surprised just how clean & fresh tasting English Wine is.

I recently took a bottle to Tuscany & always think its a fun gesture when going to a Friends for dinner. Local wine.... always a good talking point.

http://www.englishwineweek.co.uk/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/wine/7719875/Wine-Review-English-Wine-Week.html

http://www.englishwineweek.com/vineyards.htm#se

To be a good cook ....

"To be a good cook means the knowledge of all fruits, herbs, balms, and spices, and of all that is healing and sweet in fields and groves, savoury in meats ; it means carefulness, inventiveness, watchful willingness, and readiness of appliance ; it means the economy of great grandmothers, and the science of modern chemists ; it means much tasting and no wasting; it means English thoroughness, French art, and Arabian hospitality ; it means, enfin, that you are to see that everybody has something nice to eat."

John Ruskin (1819 - 1900)

Tartiflette - another Rosie favorite !

Ok I know what you must be thinking, this is turning out to be a Blog for potato recipes, as this is the fourth recipe on here, but hey books are full of main courses and you are often stuck with something to serve with it, so I am just helping you out.

Tartiflette

A lovely side dish, but its so yummy it would make a lovely lunch on its own.

750g Waxy Potatoes (Eg Desiree, peeled & thickly sliced

200g Bacon Lardons or Cubetti de pancetta

Oil

2 Onions, halved & thinly sliced

Butter

300g Brie or Reblochon, rind removed & sliced, don’t worry Simon you won’t taste its there !!!!

284ml Double Cream

Heat the oven to 190c/fan 170c/gas 5

Drop the potatoes into a large pan boiling water, cook for 5 minutes & the drain well.

Fry the bacon in a little oil until crips & golden.

Remove the bacon, add the onions & cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

Butter a baking dish well.

Arrange layers of potato, onion, bacon and cheese (season as you layer but go easy on the salt).

Pour the cream over. Bake 30 – 40 minutes/until golden.

Rosie 19/08/1993 - Dauphinoise Potatoes

Its time to meet my one & only Daughter, the poor little girl that is stuck between all those Brothers.

Rosie knows that if I had my way when I was pregnant with her I would of wanted another boy, little girls scared me and were a whole new ball game to learn, I knew as teenagers the worries were endless and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to protect her. Not that I ever needed to worry with her Brother around, Stephen on more than one occasion has stepped in to help his little Sis.

Now I wouldn't change a thing. Rosie is the most perfect, most beautiful Daughter anyone could ask for and has grown into an amazing young woman who I am extremely proud of. Rosie has the most lovely personality that any Mother could dream of her Daughter having, she is extremely beautiful but so unaware of it & so unaffected, she is extremely caring, loving and I am so pleased that I have been blessed with the opportunity to have her in my life.

Now Rosie's recipe is one that I have been making for years and Rosie fell in love with it, she asks for it on any special occasions & I always find myself making it on Boxing Day to go with one of Simon's favorite dishes, which I will post at a later date and always on Rosie's Birthday. Thankfully she is now old enough to help me prepare them and I can bully her into peeling the potatoes for me. So here it is, Rosie-jaynes Dauphinoise.

Buon appetito.

Dauphinoise Potoatoes - Serves 4 as an accompaniment

25g butter (plus extra for greasing)

1kg even sized floury potatoes (eg King Edwards)

1 onion – thinly sliced

284ml double cream

75ml milk

Oven 190c / Fan 170c / Gas 5

Grease a large shallow baking dish with butter – doesn’t hurt to smear round a little garlic for added flavour

Slice potatoes thinly

Layer up evenly in the baking dish along with the onion slices, seasoning as you go

Pour over the cream & milk – I usually mix these two together in a measuring jug before pouring over the potatoes

Dot with butter

Cover with foil

Bake for 1 hour

Discard the foil after the hour & bake for a further 15 – 20 minutes, or until cooked through & golden.

Well Boys, you now know what your Sister's favorite dish is, so no excuses when she visits you.

Limoncello Cream

Just incase you were wondering what Limoncello Cream is, here is the recipe. It is so simple & quick to make and goes with so much. I first made this when my Gorgeous Mother-in-Law came for dinner and served it with a yummy Italian Chocolate Cake, as I know what a chocolate fiend she is! It goes so well with so many things, lemon cake, fresh berries, just licking off your fingers when you are sneaking some from the bowl, its all good.

Juliet (My Gorgeous Mother-in-Law) was over from Tuscany for a visit, we had a lovely evening and I must admit that the Limoncello in the pudding was not the only Limoncello we managed to polish off that evening, as I seem to remember a few glasses of the delightful lemony liqueur going down rather nicely after our espresso's.

PS : The picture is of the table that I laid for Juliet. Its part of the enjoyment of cooking for me, laying a beautiful table to match your guests or food. I get teased about how much time and effort I put into it, but I love doing it !!!!

Buon appetito.

250g Marscapone cheese

Limoncello - chilled (I always keep a bottle in the fridge)

1 Lemon zest

2 tablespoons icing sugar (more or less to suit your own taste, but I like it sweet)

Whisk the Marscapone with the icing sugar, drizzle in a little Limoncello, again to your own taste, and a little lemon zest. Chill until required.

Couldn't be simpler.

Stephen 25/04/1990 - Tartuffo & Chocolate Mint Cookies

Ok its time to introduce you to Son No 2, Stephen, its a gorgeous day, I have taken my Friend to Hospital, all the housework & washing are done, so time for a sit down in the garden & do some Blogging.

Stephen came into the world on the 25th April 1990 in his usual way in rather a hurry. I went into labour at 3am and by 5am Stephen had arrived. He wasn't waiting for anyone or anything. I think you can tell a lot about how a child will turn out by the way they enter the world, 20 years on and nothing has changed, Stephen is always in a hurry and doesn't wait for anyone!

Stephen even though has the lovely traits that his Brothers & Sister have of being gorgeous, kind & loyal, then breaks the mold and throws it away, don't take this the wrong way, I love him to bits, but even Stephen will agree that he is unique to say the least. Stephen is loud, you always know when he is home, he acts first & thinks later, which I will go into later on in future Blogs, he is always there for you, will do anything for you, but he is what I would call a "Bad Boy"! The handsome, naughty boy that all the girls love, but know they shouldn't really.

Anyway here is the pudding I made for Stephen's 20th Birthday this year, it is so amazingly simple but so yummy, hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Buon appetito.

Tartuffo - Serves 12

180g Chocolate (the best dark chocolate you can find) finely grated

300ml double cream

150g icing sugar

Line a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin or small loaf tin with cling film.

Melt the chocolate by placing it in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.

Meanwhile lightly whip the cream with 50g of the icing sugar.

Stir in the remaining icing sugar into the melted chocolate and leave to cool slightly.

Gradually fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream, then pour the mixture into the cake or loaf tin. Refrigerate until firm. Slice & Serve.

Lining the tin with the cling films helps you remove the Tartuffo from the tin when it has set. Leaving the melted chocolate to cool slightly will help prevent the cream from collapsing.

I served this with Chocolate Mint Cookies, but you can serve it with what ever you want, fresh berries, Limoncello whipped cream, what ever takes your fancy.

Chocolate Mint Cookies - makes 26

100g soft butter

150g light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 egg

150g flour

35g cocoa powder (I use Green & Blacks)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

200g dark chocolate chips (if you can't get chocolate chips just grate any chocolate)

For the Glaze

75g icing sugar

1 x 15ml tablespoon sieved cocoa

2 x 15ml tablespoons boiling water

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4

Cream the butter & brown sugar (I use my Artisan/free standing food mixer for this), then beat in the vanilla extract and the egg.

Mix the flour, cocoa and baking powder in a bowl and gradually beat in to the creamed mixture. Finally fold in the chocolate chips.

Using a rounded 15ml tablespoon measure, spoon out scoops of cookie dough and place on a lined baking sheet, leaving a little space in between each one.

Bake in the oven for 12 minutes and then let them sit on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Its an idea to put the cooling rack on some newspaper or kitchen towel if you are using the glaze as it will catch any drips.

Put the glaze ingredients into a saucepan and heat until combined.

Using a teaspoon, zig zag the glaze over the cooling cookie.

These cookies are so easy to make and full-proof, just wish I had the ingredients in to make them, I would knock up a batch for when the Children get home. Anyway I hope you enjoy them.

Panzanella - My favorite tomato salad in the World

I love this salad so much that I make it at least once a week, its a great way of using up left over stale bread and I always make far to much, this isn't because I don't have any portion control, far from it, its so that I have loads left to take to the office the next day for lunch. Its just even more amazing the next day when all the juices from the dressing have soaked in.

Panzanella is a very rustic Italian salad, there are many variations and each family have there own version, this is mine.

When I first saw this I thought it was a little strange, but don’t under estimate it as it turned out to be one of the best salads that I have ever

made or had. Plus its nice to have something a little different & not the boring odd lettuce salad.

Buon appetito

Serves 6

500g Ripe Tomatoes

1 large red onion – halved & finely sliced

500g 2 day old white, country-style bread (in chunks, toast in the oven for about 5 minutes with a drizzle of olive oil, oregano, sea salt & freshly ground pepper)

2 to 3 stalks celery – trimmed & finely sliced

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

10 Basil leaves roughly torn

8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

5 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

Cut the tomatoes into small chunks & put them into a colander, sprinkle with a little salt for about 10 minutes.

Put the onions into a small bowl of cold water sprinkle with a little salt & a splash of vinegar.

To make the dressing just whisk/mix together the extra virgin olive oil & red wine vinegar.

Drain the onions & put with the tomatoes, celery, parsley, basil & bread into a salad bowl or serving dish. Cover with the dressing & toss all together & serve.

Potato Salads

Ok before I introduce you to my second Son I have a couple of gorgeous potato salads for you.

I was just prepping dinner for tonight, greek salad, lemony potato salad, served with chicken kebabs from our local Farm Shop when I thought these are so lovely and seasonal that you may want to jazz up those lovely Jersey Royals that we have in our shops at the moment.

I grew up in a fairly poor working class family, my Father was a gardener for a big house and grew the most amazing vegetables. At a very young age I had the delights of Asparagus dipped in melted butter, fresh fruits from the Orchard, Tomatoes warm straight off the vine and grew up with an understanding of seasonal fresh vegetables and just how truly amazing they are. Nothing has ever tasted so amazing as the carrots that my Dad dug fresh from the garden, or peas popped straight from the shells into our mouths. Summer always reminds me of trying to sneak down to the Strawberry beds where I would steal the forbidden fruit which was suppose to be for the Big House!!! I just wished I had inherited my Dad's Green Fingers !!!!

Any way, time to stop reminiscing as dinner is nearly ready & there are hungry mouths to feed, heres the recipes :-

Lemony Potato Salad - Serves 6

Boil 900g halved new potatoes for 15mins until just slightly overcooked but still holding their shape. Whilst still warm toss with 3tbsp olive oil, juice of 1 lemon, 1tsp each toasted cumin seeds & black mustard seeds, 1 finely chopped (optional) green chilli, 1/2 finger-length piece grated ginger, pinch tumeric & 4 sliced spring onions. Season. Can be made up to a day ahead & chilled, but take out of the fridge a good few hours before serving.

Warm Potato Salad with Caesar dressing - Serves 4

750g Jersey Royals or small new potatoes, unpeeled & halved if large.

1 garlic glove, roughly chopped

2 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped

3 rounded tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp olive oil

juice 1/2 lemon

3tbsp grated Parmesan

1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped

Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Meanwhile pound the garlic & anchovy fillets to form a paste. Mix with the mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon juice & Parmesan, season with salt & pepper. Toss the dressing through the potatoes with the spring onions while still warm.

Jersey Royals useless facts - Jersey Royals arrive in the Supermarket within three days of being picked. Harvested on the Island since 1878, this kidney-shaped potato has a distinctive, nutty taste and is a tasty addition to any summer meal.

Buon appetito.

Happiness !

"A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness."

Simon 13/06/1988 - Quick Curried Kedgeree

Hello & welcome to my first ever Blog, I'm not sure what I am doing so please bear with me, I am sure I will make many mistakes & my lovely Geek Husband will have to sort them out for me, but here it goes !!!

Simon is my eldest Son and the reason for this Blog, he left home a few years a go & I miss him sooooo much. On regular occasions he will call me and ask me for recipes to cook for his Friends & lovely Girlfriend, recipes that he has enjoy over the years or sometimes just for fresh inspiration. I have talked him round the Supermarket whilst he has shopped for ingredients & talked him through the cooking process. I started to write all these recipes into a book for him but wanted him to be able to access them where ever he was in the World, so clever Hubby came up with the idea of a Blog !!!!

Simon truly changed my life, at the age of 19 most people probably felt that I wasn't ready to be a Mother, but my gorgeous blue eyed, blonde haired little boy arrived and I was smitten & I knew at that point that I would do anything for him & would love him forever.

Simon being the eldest is also the most sensible, he is strong & dependable, loving & caring and I am very proud of the man he has become. He loves his football, always has done and I am sure there will be many more tales as the Blog unfolds, of me becoming a Team Manager for him & his many trips to A&E because of football injuries.

But for now here is the recipe that Simon first requested after he left home & the reason that I started this Blog.

Quick Curried Kedgeree - Takes 35/45 minutes - Serves 4

1 bunch of spring onions trimmed
a knob of butter
1 tbsp curry powder
400g/14oz basmati rice
700ml/1 1/4 pints of hot chicken or vegetable stock
4 eggs
225g smoked salmon trimmings or 206g cubed pancetta ( well not in Simon's case as I always swapped this for pancetta for him)

Cut the green tops off the onions & roughly chop, then roughly chop the white parts.

Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat & tip in the white onions, pancetta & curry powder.

Cook for a few minutes until the onions soften & the pancetta is browned, then add the rice and stir to coat in the butter.

Pour in the hot stock & bring to the boil.

Stir once & boil for 5 minutes, then cover the pan & continue to cook on the lowest possible heat for 15 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, bring a small pan of water to simmering point. Lower in the eggs & simmer for 8 - 9 minutes until softly boiled.

Move the pan to the sink & tip off the hot water, then fill the pan with cold water from the tap to cool the eggs quickly. Take out the eggs, then shell them & roughly chop.

Tip the rice into a serving dish, toss in the smoked salmon (or in Simon's case the pancetta) and the green onions and fork through.

Taste & season with salt & pepper if needed.

Put the pieces of eggs on top & gently fork them through.

Note - This recipe came from a magazine & you may find like I have that it requires more stock than stated or it will dry out. I make a bit of extra stock to keep to one side, just keep an eye on it, if it seems to be drying out to quick, just add more stock as required. I also tend to put in a little extra curry powder for the same reason.

Well first recipe posted, hope you enjoy it, as I have more time & get better at this I will also post photo's of the Family & of some of the dishes.