Ceviche a la Chris!!

I am very lucky to have a creative husband in the kitchen :-)) This is a dish Chris made at the end of last summer and I have just come across this picture whilst having a sort out.

We first tasted ceviche on our honeymoon to Costa Rica last year and were really keen to try it out for ourselves when back in the UK. I definitely recommend having a go if you get the chance. Google has tons of recipes, however this particular one was in the Guardian last year and was submitted by Tom Parker Bowles (Tom Parker Bowles is a food writer and journalist). The link to the Guardian website, which includes a number of Summer seafood recipes is below, however I have also included an extract from the Guardian website for the ceviche recipe as seen in the picture above.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/03/summer-recipes-seafood
The ceviche recipe is about 3/4 of the way down the page.

Serves four

• 1 medium-large sea bream (around 1kg), filleted, skinned and pin-boned (ask the fishmonger to do this, if need be)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced
• 3 chopped jalapeño chillies (the proper ones, not those impotent Dutch monstrosities)
• Sea salt
• Black pepper
• 1 tbsp Morecambe Bay shrimps, peeled
• Crisp tortilla, to serve

Slice the bream fillets into 0.5cm strips, then dice. Place in a large, shallow bowl or plate, then pour or scatter over the lime juice, coriander, tomatoes and chillies. Add a good pinch of sea salt and a good grinding of black pepper, and refrigerate for no more than 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge, stir in the shrimps and serve on a crisp tortilla. 

Enjoy! 

T :-))

Cheesy crumpets

Out of all of the days of the week Sundays are possibly my favourite! On these days I love lingering over breakfast with a pot of tea and the morning papers; however in my case it is typically the Saturday Guardian, as I never get around to reading it all on one day!

This morning Chris and I treated ourselves to cheesy crumpets using up some of the left over Christmas brie (leftovers are one of the great throwbacks from the Christmas season)! This is actually a breakfast treat that friends of mine from Bristol re-introduced me to during the course of last year. Their version included the addition of marmite before adding the cheese, which for marmite lovers out there is really very good and definitely one to put on your list!

I am sure everyone has their own method for making these; however my technique is as follows…

• Toast the crumpet under the grill on both sides.
• Add sliced brie to the top of the crumpet and place back under the grill until the cheese is starting to bubble.
• Remove the crumpet and spread the cheese as evenly as possible over the crumpet.

[now for the naughty bit] …

• Spread a small amount of butter over the top of the cheese, this will melt into the cheese and make the crumpet go all gooey.
• Season with a little salt and pepper then eat whilst still hot…

Yum… I hope your Sunday mornings are all special in your own ways!


T :-)

Indulgent (if a little lazy) roast duck with potatoes and green salad!

Firstly, Happy New Year to you all! I hope everyone had a great Christmas break and that you are all feeling nice and refreshed for the new year ahead!

As a very special treat (and one that my husband and I had been trying to enjoy since our 1st wedding anniversary on 19th December 2010!), we shared a roast duck supper on the final evening of our Christmas break. I had been really keen to try this recipe since seeing it on Nigella’s Kitchen show before Christmas, however due to difficulties tracking down duck legs over the Christmas period and then social commitments we were unable to try this out until the final day of our holiday. Having now tried this dish I can honestly say that it is one of the easiest meals that I have ever made and also one of the tastiest!

The recipe follows and includes a great Italian proverb for preparing the salad dressing, which I recommend trying as it can be used for any salad. We enjoyed this dish (and not just because it had taken no time at all to prepare) with a bottle of Marks & Spencer Pinot Noir from the Mediterranean region of France. A lovely medium bodied wine with a good level of acidity that offset the richness of the duck very well indeed!

NB. The following recipe is adapted from a Nigella Lawson one.

Serves 2 people

Preparation time: 5 mins for the duck and potatoes, 5 mins for the salad

Cooking time: 1hr 30mins

Ingredients:

For the duck and potatoes

• 2 Duck legs
• 2 Baking potatoes
• A few sprigs of thyme
• Salt
• Pepper

For the salad

• 1 bag green salad (we used watercress)
• Olive oil
• Vinegar (red wine is best, however a white wine or balsamic vinegar would work just as well)
• Salt

Method

For the duck:

1. Preheat a fan assisted oven to 180 oC.

2. Seal the duck legs on each side in an oven proof pan (I used a frying pan that can be put straight into the oven).

NB. You do not need to add any oil to the pan, as the duck legs contain plenty and will start to release this during the sealing process.

3. Chop the potatoes into thick slices and then into quarters.

4. Take the pan off the heat and place the potatoes around the duck.

5. Baste the potatoes in the oil released from the duck.

6. Place a few sprigs of thyme into the pan.

7. Season the duck with salt and pepper.

8. Place the pan into the oven for approximately 1hr 30mins.

NB. The Nigella recipe says cook for two hours at 200 oC, however as I was using a fan assisted oven I dropped the temperature by 20 oC and found that the duck was ready after about 1hr 30mins.

For the salad:

1. Place the washed green salad into a bowl.

2. Add salt, vinegar and oil to taste and stir.

NB. Nigella used an Italian proverb to prepare the salad dressing, which I absolutely love and will be using for most salads from here on!

Italian Dressing Proverb

Four people are needed:

A wise person for the salt

A generous person for the olive oil

A stingy person for the red wine vinegar

A patient person to toss until every leaf is evenly coated (cc. 35 times)

Additionally a fifth person can be added:

A wealthy person to add a small drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Enjoy!! T :-)))

Baked Camembert...

I have always wondered what baked Camembert is like and this Friday I finally got around to trying it!

I used the following simple recipe...

Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 10-15 mins

Ingredients: 1 Camembert, 2 sliced garlic cloves, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
2. Take the Camembert out of its wrapper and place back into the wood (sometimes with a cardboard base) box.
3. Place the Camembert on a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray.
4. Pierce the top of the Camembert and insert pieces of sliced garlic and fresh thyme. NB. I like to use lots of garlic (i.e. 2 cloves), however you can adjust for your own personal taste.
5. Sprinkle with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and a generous drizzle of olive oil.
6. Place in the oven for 10-15 mins, or until the cheese is melted.
7. Serve with warmed french loaf and a glass of full bodied red wine!

Chris and I shared one between us with a small french baguette and it was a perfect portion size for two. I loved the softened garlic slices in with the cheese and the thyme gives a subtle infusion of flavour. I will definitely be making this again soon... such a simple dish to make and really, really tasty!

T :-))

Peanut butter chocolate fudge (little pieces of heaven)!!

Close friends of my husband and I call Sundays "Lazy Sundays" and devote the whole day to easy living, before their hectic work week begins - I wholeheartedly endorse this idea! Last Sunday inspired by their example I decided to look for a quick and easy sweet treat to make at home using ingredients I already had in the flat. Perusing the web I came across lots of recipes for peanut butter chocolate fudge. Peanut butter is one of my favourite toppings to spread on toast, crumpets, sandwiches and just about any other type of bread product, so when I came across the recipe and realised I had all of the ingredients to hand (well most of them anyway), I could not wait to try it out! Being a little short on caster sugar I made up the difference with granulated sugar. This made the fudge slightly grainy, however it still tasted really good and my husband's and my colleagues in our respective offices (aka my food guinea pigs) did not complain and the fudge soon disappeared... I am also going to put this one on the list to make with my girl guides this winter, as being young ladies they love anything to do with chocolate and this is right up their street!


I came up with my own version of the recipe (adapted from http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/easiest-peanut-butter-fudge/Detail.aspx)...

1 cup of icing sugar
1 cup of chocolate pieces (I used giant chocolate buttons)
1 cup of smooth peanut butter
1 cup of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla flavouring (optional)


Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water, add the butter and stir until melted. Take the chocolate and butter mix off the heat and stir in the peanut butter, icing sugar and teaspoon of vanilla (optional). Mix until smooth and then place the mixture into a greased 8x8 inch dish and chill until firm. When completely set cut the fudge into little pieces and store in an airtight container.


A few ideas I am going to try out in my next batches are...

• Using crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth
• Adding a teaspoon of something alcoholic (possibly cherry brandy, as I love this and think the rich flavour would work well)
• Swirling melted white chocolate through the mixture after it has been placed in the setting tray to create a marbled effect

This was a really lovely little recipe to make and went down well with everyone who tried it. I will definitely be trying this one out again soon!


Happy sweet making!


T :-))

My perfect omelette...

Omelettes are a great quick and easy dish to make and work well at any time of the day. Breakfast omelettes are good with cheese, mushrooms and bacon, lunchtime omelettes are good with fresh seasonal ingredients, such as asparagus and supper omelettes really suit rich fillings like goats cheese and smoked salmon.

There are lots of different views on how to make the best omelette, however my own favourite way is as follows.

• Beat two eggs in a bowl and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Melt a teaspoon of butter and a slug of olive oil in a small frying pan.
• Prepare the filling ingredients and have them ready at the side of the pan.
• When the butter and oil are starting to brown pour in the eggs and let them set for about 10 seconds.
• Take a fork and stir it around the pan a couple of times and then swirl the pan to fill in any gaps with the runny egg mixture.
• Leave the omelette to cook for about 30-40 seconds.
• When the egg mixture has begun to set on top take the filling and place on one side of the omelette.
• Leave the omelette to cook for a few more seconds.
• Take the pan off the heat and fold the uncovered half of the omelette over the filling.
• Slide the omelette out of the pan and serve with another scrunch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then enjoy!

NB. Lunchtime omelettes are great served with a green side salad and tangy dressing, like balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

I like cheese fillings in my omelettes, especially soft cheeses like goats cheese or feta, as they melt really quickly and blend into the lovely yummy eggy mixture...

So... there you go! This is my favourite way to make an omelette and my favourite filling. All that leaves is to hear how you make your perfect omelette and what your favourite filling is?