january |
food index : february >> | |
Sunday 1.1 |
Lunch: Egg noodles with partridge, sweetcorn, oyster sauce |
Dinner: Buffet at Debbies | |
monday 2.1 |
Lunch: Noodles with mushrooms, peas, oyster sauce |
Dinner: Venison, balsamic honey; cauliflower cheese, mashed potato
Quince custard and mousse
I had about 150-200ml of quince syrup. 1/4 of a quince. 1 egg, some cream. 1/2 leaf of gelatine. I made a custard with half the syrup, 12 tbs cream, egg yolk. Added 1/4 leaf of gelatine, and diced quince. Then decanted into glasses. For the mousse, warmed rest of the syrup, added the other 1/4 leaf gelatine. When a little cooler, whisked cream (12 tbs) and added that, then whisked the egg white and added that too. Decanted on top of the custard. All a nice texture, but some of the egg white had separated out when we ate it. |
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tuesday 3.1 |
Roast peppers, halloumi, diced fried courgettes with dill, cinnamon, argan oil; Beef casserole with cumin, coriander, chilli; green beans and bulghar wheat. |
wednesday 4.1 | ate out |
thursday 5.1 | Couscous with pine kernels and raisins; courgettes, carrots, potatoes, onions; I make a couscous sauce using tinned tomatoes, shallot, garlic, cumin, a little cinnamon, and occasionally (and inauthentically) a little chilli. The meat and/or vegetables are precooked if necessary then added to the sauce. Cherries in kirsch, cream, ginger biscuit. |
friday 5.1 | Waitrose celeriac, leek, bacon soup Venison steaks, mushrooms, sauce of shallot, red wine, crème de myrtilles; carrots with cumin, mashed potato. Tracey had won the creme de myrtilles in France a few years ago, and we hadnt opened it until Christmas when we used it for some kir myrtilles. |
Saturday 6.1 |
Lunch: Spaghetti with tomatoes, chorizo (and fennel, nutmeg, chilli, paprika); |
Dinner: at the RTTC bash. | |
Sunday 7.1 | Lunch: Curry of cauliflower, peas, onions |
Dinner: Sri Lankan fish curry, okra in coconut, rice. Both recipes from Charmaine Solomons Asian cookbook. | |
Supper: Charcuterie, cheese, mince pies at Fiona and Miles. | |
monday 8.1 |
Sprout and walnut soup; Toulouse sausage, leeks, pearl barley. |
tuesday 9.1 |
Herring with thai spices; pak choi with nam pla, coconut milk Mango with yoghurt and passion fruit curd Wanted to use mackerel. Make 4 slashes in each side of the fish and add spice paste lemongrass, chilli, ginger, garlic, lime leaves). Mango was reconstituted dried mango, pureed with yoghurt. Then with a small amount of whipped cream, with passion fruit curd. The curd was a Christmas present from my Mum. |
wednesday 10.1 |
Cockles, bacon, potato, sea lettuce Chicken with 20 cloves of garlic; carrot with tarragon and butter, mashed potato |
thursday 11.1 | Braised chicory, honey balsamic glaze, cream and ham Roast peppers, tomatoes with goats cheese, basil; rocket, ciabatta. Colin cooks chicory!!! |
friday 13.1 | Apple, parsnip, Stilton soup (from the freezer) Chicken livers, chorizo, chipotle, etc, cream; kale, onions, sherry vinegar; polenta |
Saturday 14.1 |
Haggis scotch egg (from farmers market) Merguez, squash with poppy seed, almond curry sauce, rice Curry sauce: lots of ginger, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, allspice, fennel, cardamom, mace, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, chilli, almonds. Toasted the spices then ground them with the almonds. Fried the onions etc, added spice paste and water, cooked for a bit, then liquidise. It was good. |
Sunday 15.1 | Lunch: Spaghetti alla norma Half an aubergine, cut into round slices and each slice into 3 or 4 strips; some finely chopped shallot; a little finely chopped chilli; 1 finely chopped clove of garlic; some toasted pinenut kernels; 2 anchovy fillets crushed in a mortar; some sultanas soaked in water; 1tsp white wine vinegar; half an 8 oz tin of chopped tomatoes; a little extra water. Fry the aubergine in oil in a small non-stick saucepan until fairly brown; add the chilli and shallot to soften, then the garlic; then add everything else and cook for 10 mins. Stir evoo into the spaghetti and serve the sauce on top. Serves 2. |
Dinner: Chicken liver pate with brioche and balsamic jelly. Sikbaj (Moroccan lamb with dates and almonds); courgettes, couscous. Pate: cooked chicken livers, onion, garlic, with nutmeg and chilli, in duck fat, then pureed it. | |
monday 16.1 | Covent Garden winter root veg soup Braised shin of beef in red wine, wheat kernels, fried celeriac. The wheat kernels are rather like pearl barley; wed bought them in Provence last year. The sautéd celeriac is a recipe of Traceys. You chop the celeriac into largish dice and sauté for about 10 mins. |
tuesday 17.1 | ate out |
wednesday 18.1 |
Pork belly braised with 5-spice;
kale and spring onions in oyster sauce, egg noodles Banana, lemon curd yoghurt, ginger in syrup |
thursday 19.1 |
Chicken thighs, flat mushrooms with sherry, sherry vinegar, tarragon;
baby leeks, grilled; mashed potato Pears with fried almonds, cream, brioche, Poire Williams |
friday 20.1 |
Karly and Mark Red peppers with chorizo, chickpeas, tomato, paprika Roast pork loin; cabbage with smoked bacon, juniper; mashed potato Trifle of oranges, dried fruit, brioche, dulce de leche Murcia al vino Ardrahan Lightwood cumin The trifle needs a good proportion of oranges, since the dried fruit and dulce are rather rich. |
Saturday 21.1 |
Sirloin steaks, porcini, flat mushroons, brandy, truffle oil;
gratin of potato, squash, sage; green beans Trifle remains |
Sunday 22.1 | Lunch: Halloumi, chickpeas, beetroot, green beans; bulghar with olive oil, thyme, dill |
Dinner: Roast Guinea fowl, black pudding and pine kernel stuffing; roast potatoes, braised little gem lettuce. I braised the lettuce in butter for 10 mins; they needed more time. The g.f. takes about 1 hour at gas 5, rest for 20 mins. Potatoes take 30 mins at gas 7. Used ciabatta in the stuffing it doesnt go soggy like softer bread does. Sliced pears fried in butter with almonds, boozy cherries, biscuit, Poire Williams. You can buy dried sour cherries, but to make them edible you have to soak them in kirsch for at least a fortnight. | |
monday 23.1 | Waitrose mini lamb kebabs, yoghurt, harissa, tomato, dill; watercress Haricots with chorizo, tomato, more watercress, baguette. |
tuesday 24.1 | Hummus and pitta, olives; Kleftiko, courgettes, bulghar wheat. |
wednesday 25.1 | ate out |
thursday 26.1 |
Parsnip, chilli, bacon soup; Smoked trout, smoked streaky bacon, wasabi; watercress and rocket, potato pancakes Potato pancakes were more or less the recipe in Alistair Littles book. They are fiddly to make and are best straight out of the pan, but are delightful. |
friday 27.1 |
John Goats cheese and chestnut tartlets, watercress This is a nice combination of flavours. I need to get the textures better, because the chestnuts are quite dry compared with the cheese/egg/cream. Perhaps cut them into smaller pieces.
Roast beef, roast potatoes, mushrooms, leeks |
Saturday 28.1 |
Lunch:
Remains of the pork, chorizo etc, with more spices, and quinoa |
Dinner:
Roast onions with soured cream and goats cheese 3 medium red onions, halved. Roasted 30 minutes, with thyme. Added honey balsamic glaze. Served with cream+lemon juice+soft goats cheese+black pepper. Very simple, very good Beef remains, roast cauliflower, pearl barley |
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Sunday 29.1 | Lunch: at Simon and Helens |
Dinner: Fennel risotto. | |
monday 30.1 | Hummus and pitta Lamb shank braised in red wine with cumin, ginger and blackeye beans; peas, rice. |
tuesday 31.1 | Guinea fowl and remains of stuffing, with mushrooms, tomato, cream; sugar snaps, pasta; Raspberries, framboise, cream, shortbread. |
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