Salmon and Broccoli bake

Steamed salmon and broccoli is my meal of choice if i'm wanting something quick and healthy. However, I've been eating it so often lately that i'm beginning to get taste fatigue from it. This recipe from the Good Food magazine, though not exactly classed as healthy, has renewed my enjoyment of the salmon and broccoli combination. It was also given the thumbs up by others.

The sundried tomatoes, broccoli and basil provide a source of vitamin C and fibre and the salmon and anchovies provide good sources of essentially fatty acids. But i wont lie to you it is quite high in fat.  

Regardless, its a delicious and versatile dish which i will defintely be making again.  The sauce is creamy but only lightly coats the ingredients, so doesnt overwhelm the broccoli or salmon, both of which are enhanced by the addition of the sun dried tomatoes, anchovies and basil.

I used creme fraiche to cut down the calories and added chilli and garlic to amp up the flavour. Chicken would probably work quite well here for the meat eaters.

Recipe - Salmon and broccoli bake adapted from Good Food magazine 2003

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients

    250g penne
    300g broccoli , cut into large florets
    25g butter
    25g plain flour
    600ml milk
    100g mascarpone/creme fraiche
    8 sundried tomatoes (preserved in olive oil), drained and thickly sliced
    2 tbsp small capers (optional) rinsed to remove excess salt   or vinegar
    8 anchovy fillets, halved (optional)
    10 large fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
    4 fresh skinless salmon fillets
    50g mature cheddar
    Clove of garlic, crushed

    Large pinch of chilli flakes

    Freshly cracked pepper

    Salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5/fan 170C and get out an ovenproof dish (measuring 20 by 30cm, and about 5cm deep). Meanwhile, put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta. When it is boiling rapidly, tip in the pasta with a generous sprinkling of salt. Give it a stir, return to the boil and cook for 6 minutes. Add the broccoli, then return the water to the boil and cook for 4 minutes more, until the broccoli is on the firm side of just tender. Drain well.
    

While the pasta is cooking, put the butter, flour and milk in a large pan and heat, whisking or stirring continuously, until it thickens to make a smooth sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the mascarpone or creme fraiche if using, sun-dried tomatoes, capers (if using), anchovies (if using, basil, chilli flakes, crushed garlic then add the pasta and broccoli and season well with cracked pepper and salt.

Halve the salmon fillets widthways (you will see that there is an obvious divide on each fillet) then place the pieces in a single layer on the base of the ovenproof dish. Spoon the broccoli mixture on top, then scatter with the grated cheddar. (You can chill this for up to 4 hours if you want to get ahead.)

Bake for 30 minutes until the mixture is just starting to bubble round the edges and the mixture is pale golden - don't let it go too dark or the fish will overcook.

Enjoy!

Chocolate chip and ginger cookies

A good friend of mine describes me as dizzy intelligent person. There have been enough embarrassing situations in my life to realise that she has a point.  Like the time when, on a train to Edinburgh, i thought i'd electronically locked the toilet door only to find as i was sat on the toilet, i hadnt. The shocked look on the elderly mans face as the door slid open to find me sat there will be forever imprinted on my mind.

As well as being abit dizzy at times i can be pretty clumsy. Today whilst setting up to shoot photos of these cookies i managed to knock over a large white foam board on its side, causing the two glasses of milk on the table to topple over. The milk went everywhere and i couldnt use the linens i wanted for the background. I had to do a big clean up and start all over again.

 

I wish i could say these cookies were worth the effort but unfortunately they werent. Since tasting the best cookie i've ever had in the Cotswolds purchased from a Bens Cookies stall http://www.benscookies.com/, I've been looking for a cookie recipe which may in some way match. 

The recipe i adapted is one from Joy The Baker for Black and White cookies http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2008/12/black-and-white-cookies/ which had a nice cookie base. I like my cookies soft, almost undercooked and loaded with chocolate chips. These cookies certainly had a soft, almost cake like texture and the adequate amount of chocolate chips. But i made the mistake of adding nutmeg into the mix, giving the cookies an odd flavour. Next time I'll omit the nutmeg, up the ginger and consider adding in some chunks of stemmed ginger.

Recipe - Chocolate chip and ginger cookies (adapted from Black and White Cookie recipe by Joy The Baker)

2 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg

1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
200g dark chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add eggs, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes.

Food bloggers block and Cherry Cheesecake recipe

Let me start by saying I feel really terrible about the fact that i havent posted on the blog since the beginning of the month.

I think i've developed a bout of food bloggers block. It started afew weeks ago when i became acutely aware of how many talented food bloggers there are out there. People who are coming up with original recipes, interesting posts and beautiful photos. I started to question whether what i was posting was of an adequate standard and the more i thought about it, the more i struggled to find inspiration for something to post about.

But then i remembered that in starting this blog i am developing a new skill and still learning so much from the whole process. I look at how much i have learnt about photography since my first post last month and look forward to seeing how the blog evolves.

I'm so grateful to be receiving the support from those of you who take the time to visit my blog. I've also recently come across some really nice food bloggers including Caroline at Sweet Carolines Cooking, Meredith at Pretty.Good.Food. and Maria at The Goddesses Kitchen whose lovely comments have also helped motivate me to keep going.

In time i hope i can come up with original recipes and photos that i'm happy with. In the mean time here is one of my all time favourite recipes - Cherry Cheesecake. The fact that it is a no bake cheesecake does not at all detract from its deliciousness. People always request the recipe when i make this. Its quick, simple and always turns out well. Just what one needs in times of doubt and wavering faith.

Recipe - Cherry Cheesecake from Nigella Lawsons Nigella Express

This is a no bake cheesecake which requires little more than abit of mixing and sitting in the fridge for 3 hours before serving. I tweaked the recipe alittle bit to make a thicker base. Use the best cherry conserve or jam possible.

Ingredients

• 250g digestive biscuits
• 150g soft butter
• 300g cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 60g icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 250ml double cream
• 1 x 284g jar St Dalfour Rhapsodie de Fruit Black Cherry Spread

Blitz the biscuits in a food processor until beginning to turn to crumbs, then add the butter and whiz again to make the mixture clump. Press this mixture into a 20cm springform tin. Beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla extract and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth.

Lightly whip the double cream, and then fold it into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon the cheesecake filling on top of the biscuit base and smooth with a spatula. Put it in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight. When you are ready to serve the cheesecake, unmould it and spread the black cherry over the top.

 

Weekend breakfast ritual

One of the things i look forward to on the weekends, besides having a lie in, is eating eggs on toast for breakfast. I invariably go for scrambled eggs on toast for easiness but also love eggs fried or poached. This weekend i thought i'd go 'Hole in the Bread Eggs' style, seen on Donal Skehans' blog at: http://www.donalskehan.com/2011/05/hole-in-the-bread-eggs-with-sweet-chilli-sauce/.

My work colleague Cara kindly gave me some eggs from her 3 chickens, Eggwina, Camilla and Henrietta who are fed on organic chicken feed and blueberries. Their eggs have a lovely flavour and vividly bright yellow yolks.

Besides being a fun way to serve eggs, this seems to be a less messy way of making them. They are a cross between fried and poached eggs, though avoid these if you dont like or are unable to eat your eggs runny.

When it comes to the eggs on toast breakfast ritual, I always have to have some green tea to go with it and all consumed whilst still in my PJs.

Do you have a favourite breakfast ritual?

Put the lime in the coconut

 

I made dinner for my sisters and their partners yesterday. Early on i had decided on mexican food for the main course but dessert required quite a lot of thought. You see, my sister Sarah and her fiance Ayaz dont like chocolate and that fact that it needed to be vegetarian also ruled out jelly or panna cotta. Which is why i am so glad i came across Shutterbeans recipe for Coconut Lime Semifreddo which she recently posted on her fabulous blog.

Semifreddos are great as they have all the qualities of ice cream without the need for churning and the use of a machine. I'm so glad i made this. Creamy and mildy coconutty, the lime zest adds a refreshing almost tropical quality to the dessert. Now i can understand why the lady put the lime in the coconut.

As it requires at least 6 hours of freezing time, it can be made well in advance, requiring nothing more than 20 minutes to defrost and the arranging of some sliced mango on top for serving.

Although the semifreddo turned out well, the same cannot be said of the photo. I was frustrated at not being able to get the lightining and camera settings right. The end result being that the mango was awkwardly draped on the semifreddo with too much light reflecting off the plate. Anyway, a good excuse to make it again and do a re-shoot. 

Recipe - Coconut-lime semifreddo from Shutterbean 

http://www.shutterbean.com/coconut-lime-semifreddo/

Notes:

• I used a 2lb loaf tin which was abit too big. Consequently the semifreddo wasnt as deep as it would have been with a smaller loaf tin. 

• When heating the mix the condensed milk started to solidify into small lumps but this didnt make any different to the consistency of the end result. 

•  I left out the shredded coconut

• Also the whipped cream didnt mix very well into the condensed milk and coconut milk mixture, possibly because i over whipped the cream. After whisking with a hand whisk, everything blended together without any problems.
  

Serves 12

• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk 400g
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk 397g
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 284mls double cream
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
• 1 mango, thinly sliced

Line a 4 1/2 by 8 1/2 inch loaf pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang on each side. Prepare a large bowl of ice water, set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk and the sweetened condensed milk together and bring to a boil over high heat.  

Reduce heat and cook at a rapid simmer until the mixture starts to thicken, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt & lime zest. Place saucepan over the bowl of ice water and stir the mixture until it's cool, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat cream with a hand held electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped cream into the coconut milk mixture. Pour into the loaf pan and top with coconut. Freeze until firm, 6 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, let the semifreddo sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Invert on a platter, remove the parchment and top with the sliced mango.

Chocolate Chip Pancakes

I returned home yesterday from a lovely break in the Cotswolds. We ate alot of very good food and as a result i promised myself afew days of healthy eating and moderation. However, I woke up this morning with a sore throat, aches and shivers and the weather outside was grey and overcast. I needed something to brighten up my day and Joy The Bakers' recipe for Chocolate Chip Pancakes came to mind.

I have been following Joys' baking blog for awhile now. Its fun and light-hearted and her recipes are always inventive and very tempting. The buttermilk in these pancakes create a light and fluffy texture and the oozing chocolate chips makes them more indulgent than the average pancake. But adding a drizzle of Maple syrup on top of them takes these pancakes to another level...

Moderation totally out the window, happiness factor increased considerably. Everything looks better after a plate of these.

Recipe - Chocolate Chip Pancakes by Joy The Baker

I halved this recipe which made enough for 3 of us. As it is an american recipe, the measurements are in cups. If you are wanting to try US recipes, its worth buying a set of measuring cups which are readily available in supermarkets.

One thing i found with these pancakes was that despite cooking them on a low heat they burned quite easily. They do need constant checking of the sides to prevent them from overcooking.

2 eggs
2 cups plain flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2- 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips (depending on how chippy you feel)

oil or cooking spray (for cooking)

In a large bowl beat eggs. Add buttermilk, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and let batter set for a few minutes.

Heat pan over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of oil to the pan or spray with cooking spray. You can test to see if the pan is hot enough by adding a few drops of water, if or when the drops start to dance its hot enough.

Pour 2 Tablespoons of batter onto the griddle. Cook on the first side until bubbles that form start to pop. You can also gently lift up the pancake to make sure the bottom is not overcooking, if it is the pan may be too hot and you will need to adjust the heat. Flip the pancake over with a spatula and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all the batter is gone. Let cooked pancakes rest on a heat proof plate in a 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.

Drizzle Maple syrup on top if desired.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Melting Puddings

My cousin Doris (hi Doris) mentioned she is soon to be part-taking in a Come Dine With Me competition with a group of her friends. I've seen afew episodes on TV and find that whilst most competitors make an effort to cook up elaborate starter and main courses, their desserts often seem to be a bit of a let down. One example of exotic fruit kebabs springs to mind.

I'll invariably choose a chocolate dessert when i'm eating out, as i think it makes a good end to a meal. But when it comes to making chocolate desserts myself, i have to admit i lack the experience. Time to get some practice in.

Having tried this Nigella Lawson recipe, i think that these  Chocolate Melting Puddings would make a good option in a competitive situation. They are quick to make, requiring minimal preparation and attention. Additionally, the melting chocolate in the centre means that these are self saucing puddings, bonus.

These are rich, deeply chocolatey and best eaten warm. Serve each pudding alongside some raspberries and creme fraiche, both of which cut into the intensity of the molten chocolatey goo in the middle. Ice cream or whipped double cream might be nice too.

Good luck Doris, i'm sure you'll do great. Do let us know how the competition goes!

Recipe - Melting Chocolate Puddings from Nigella Lawsons 'How to be a domestic goddess'

50g soft unsalted butter and extra for greasing         

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

350g best dark chocolate                                          

50g plain or italian 00 flour

150g caster sugar                                                      4 large eggs, beaten with a punch of salt                  

6 individual pudding moulds, buttered baking parchment

Serve 6 people.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C/gas mark 6 and place a baking sheet in the oven. Fold a sheet of baking parchment in half and lay 3 of the moulds onto the parchment. Draw around them, remove moulds and cut out the disks. Butter the disks and place them into the base of the moulds.

Melt the chocolate. I did this in a pan on a very low heat, sometimes taking the pan off the heat when i thought the chocolate was melting too fast. You can melt the chocolate in the microwave. As it is easy to burn the chocolate microwave in 10 second increments, checking each time, until completely melted. Let the chocolate cool slightly.

Cream together the butter and sugar, then gradually beat in the eggs with salt and vanilla extract. Add the flour and beat until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and continue to beat until it is a smooth batter.

Divide the mixture into the 6 moulds, up to about 3/4 of the way up the moulds. Quickly take the baking sheet out of the oven and place the puddings on it and replace in the oven.

Cook for 10-12 minutes (the extra 2 minutes are required only if the puddings have been in the fridge when you start). As soon as the puddings come out of the oven, turn them out on to a plate to serve. The moulds will be very hot so use a tea towel to handle them.

Note - you can prepare the mixture afew hours in advance and put it in the prepared pudding moulds which go in the fridge ready for the oven when you are near ready to serve them.

Enjoy!

Food Films

Food films, all the joy of food with none of the calories. Here is a list of my favourites, not to be watched on an empty stomach.

1) Julie & Julia (2009)

Julie in New York sets herself the mammoth task of cooking her way through Julia Childs' 'Mastering the art of french cooking' within a year and blogging about it. A charming and inspiring film about two women who stumble on their passion for cookery and food and the struggles they go through to achieve what they want. 

2) Chocolat (2000)

 A single mother and her daughter move to  

 a French village and open up a chocolate 

 shop. Cue lots of gratuitous shots of

 melting chocolate. Towards the end of the

 film the village priest Reynauld breaks into

 the shop. After fasting for days during

 Lent, he stuffs his face on the chocolate 

 Easter display and falls asleep. Gorging 

 on chocolate after a period of abstinence,
 we've all been there.

3) Eat drink man woman (1994)

A Taiwanese film about food and family.

Despite losing his taste buds, the head chef cooks dinner of epic proportions every sunday night for his wife and three unappreciative daughters. I found the care and attention the chef put in to making these delicious meals for his family very endearing.

4) Waitress (2007)

Waitress Jemma is unhappily married, pregnant and trapped in an abusive relationship with her husband. She has a talent for baking imaginative pies such as 'I hate my husband pie'. 

5) Ratatouille (2007)

A rat named Remy dreams of becoming a great French chef and ends up in a restaurant in Paris. Because of his passion for good food, he inadvertantly helps kitchen boy Linguini start a career as a Chef. A film about a rat cooking - promoting good food hygiene? no, cute? definitely. 

A note on Little Miss Sunshine (2006)

The scene in which the family sit down for a dinner of fried chicken and salad caused us to pause the film and promptly drive to KFC for a fried chicken dinner of our own.

                                                  

Coffee & Walnut Cake

I dont enjoy drinking coffee. Its too bitter and makes me feel slightly on edge. But its the essential beverage of choice for so many people and i feel alittle annoyed at myself for not liking it. I do however love the taste of it in chocolate and in cake form.

Eating coffee cake allows me to feel like a sophisticated coffee drinker minus the displeasing aftertaste. This cake, made with espresso powder (is that why, after one small slice, i feel alittle jittery?)is light and delicious.  

  

The frosting is mascarpone cream cheese based and its creamy smoothness compliments the edginess of the espresso well. I enjoyed it with a cup of Darjeeling and didnt feel quite so bad for not being a coffee drinker.

RECIPE - COFFEE & WALNUT CAKE

Cake sponge - recipe by Nigella Lawson from HOW TO BE A DOMESTIC GODDESS

1 cup unsalted butter, very soft
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups self-raising flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder (if using food processor)
3-4 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

2 x 21cm cake tins (about 5cm deep)

Coffee and walnut frosting - recipe from food blog The Goddesses Kitchen

250g Mascarpone cream cheese

85g icing sugar - sieved

1 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso coffee powder

1 1/2 teaspoon hot water

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/gas mark 4. Butter cake tins and line with baking parchment.

Mix all ingredients - excluding milk, for the sponge in the food processor until it turns into a smooth batter. Gradually pouring the milk down the funnel of the food processor, pulse mix until you have a soft dropping consistency. It may curdle if your ingredients are too cold but this doesnt seem to make a difference to the lightness of the sponge. 

If making without a food processor, beat the butter and sugar add vanilla and the eggs one at a time, adding a spoonful of flour between each. Fold in the flour and cornflour - you dont need to add any baking powder into this mix. When all incorporated add milk if needed.

Pour mix into the cake tins and bake for 25 minutes. Once ready the cakes should begin to come away at the edges and are springy to touch at the top, with the cake tester coming out clean. Leave cakes to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn out and leave to cool completely.

For the frosting add the hot water to the instant espresso coffee powder and mix, beat this with the mascarpone cream cheese and sieved icing sugar until it is all incorporated and smooth. 

Take one cake layer and spread less than half of the frosting on top. Place the other cake layer on top, using the remaining frosting spread and decorate with walnuts.

Enjoy!

First post

Hi! Welcome to the first post on my blog. Thoughts of food (particularly chocolate and cake) occupy a lot of space in my head as anyone who knows me would attest to. I thought a blog would be a good outlet for my obsession as well as helping me to further develop skills in photography and baking.

Its taken afew weeks to get this up and running. The name alone took a week to think of. There are a lot of food blogs out there and it was difficult finding something which someone else hadnt thought of. Thank you to Mel - no 'Afternoon Delight' is not a good name for a food blog! and Michael for listening to my ideas. Also to Zohra for your suggestions and helpfully advising me to stay away from names such as 'Mandys sticky buns' and 'Mandys tasty treats'.

I've been constantly fiddling about with the layout and design of the blog, it will continue to be a working progress.

It was fun doing my first photoshoot today. I took 60 shots! Thank you to Sarah who has kindly allowed me to borrow her super duper digital camera (Canon 450D) to practice on.

I hope you like it and that this is somewhere you can come to to share your foodie thoughts

Thank you for stopping by.

Mandy x