Yorkshire Puddings

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

I’m not a fan of Yorkshire Puddings and I choose not to eat them when we have a Sunday roast. But Steve’s Mum and sister were having problems with theirs not rising very well, so I decided it was time to take up the challenge of making them. Plus Steve loves them so it would be a great thing if I could get them right.

 

As always, the first place I turn to for a decent recipe is BBC Good Food and here I used Barney Desmazery’s recipe. I love the simplicity of the recipe in that it uses equal quantities of flour, eggs and milk by volume. Barney says there is no need to let the batter ‘stand’ or ‘rest’ so I just made the batter and the only resting time I gave it was the 10 minutes I waited for the oil to heat up in the oven.

 

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:

Now I followed Barney’s recipe pretty faithfully, except that I used my silicone 6-hole muffin tin. Well it used to have 6 usable holes, but one of them split (from me putting it in the freezer to freeze egg whites/yolks) so I only put oil in 5 of the holes. But when it came to pouring the batter into the holes, in my haste I forgot about the one with the split/no oil and poured some batter in it. This one didn’t rise half as much as the others, but it was still extremely edible according to Steve! It just goes to show that you definitely need oil to cook Yorkshires!

 

Anyway, I was so pleased with how the others turned out! I actually really enjoyed eating them, as they were lovely and crispy on top and not stodgy at all.

 

 

OLD HABITS DIE HARD:

When Steve’s Mum saw them she was really impressed, but then she asked me what recipe I used and she balked at the idea of using 4 eggs! She uses a recipe that only uses 1 egg, so she was adamant that the great results I got must be due to the silicone tin I used. She normally uses a metal bun tin, so she said next time she will try her recipe using my silicone tin. She was also surprised I only let the oil heat up for 10 minutes, as she heats it for about 30 minutes and the batter still doesn’t sizzle! (I forgot to mention that before adding the oil I did put my silicone tin on a metal tray and I put it in the oven for about 5 minutes because it was wet and I wanted to dry it, so this extra heating time could have made a difference).

She also cooks her Yorkshires at a lower temperature, so I think she will try it at a higher temperature to get the rise right. I’ll let you know the results of the experiment!

 

Update: Steve’s Mum has made Yorkshires twice using her original recipe and my silicone tins, but she has exactly the same result as when she uses her metal tins. So I think it’s definitely the recipe that she needs to change, but she’s very set in her ways and has decided to just go back to using her metal tins and not change her recipe! I am going to make these Yorkshires again to try and convince her that she needs more eggs in her recipe!

 

• Makes: between 8-10 if using a muffin tin
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 8/450°F/230°C
• Oven shelf: top
• Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

 

Ingredients:

• 140g plain flour (this is about 200ml/7fl oz)
• 4 eggs (200ml/7fl oz)
• 200ml milk
• sunflower oil, for cooking

 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 230C/fan 210C/gas 8. Drizzle a little oil evenly into 2 x 4-hole Yorkshire pudding tins or a 12-hole non-stick muffin tin and place in the oven to heat through.
2. To make the batter, tip the flour into a bowl and beat in the eggs until smooth. Gradually add the milk and carry on beating until the mix is completely lump-free. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the batter into a jug, then remove the hot tins from the oven. Carefully and evenly pour the batter into the holes. Place the tins back in the oven and leave undisturbed for 20-25 mins until the puddings have puffed up and browned. Serve immediately. You can now cool them and freeze for up to 1 month.

 

COOK’S NOTES:

• I used 4 large eggs, but I think I could have got away with 3 large eggs as the volume was a bit over 200ml (I have used 3 eggs and successfully made Toad in the hole with this batter).
• I used about 1 teaspoon of oil per hole in the tin.
• I let the oil heat up for 10 minutes and the batter did sizzle, but 15-20 minutes would be better.
• I filled each hole about half full with batter.
• The Yorkshires did start to burn on top after 20 minutes but still looked a little bit underdone towards the bottom, so I moved them to the lower part of the oven and cooked for another 5 minutes.
• I made 6 Yorkshires and with the rest of the batter I added some melted butter and made 4 pancakes (as per Barney’s pancake recipe). I stacked them on a plate with non-stick baking paper between each one, then wrapped in cling film and refrigerated overnight. I will fill these with a spicy pork filling.

Oven baked Rosti Potatoes

 

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

 

I’ve never had much luck making rosti potatoes in a pan, as they never go as crispy as I’d like them to be, so they’re not overly satisfying. But these oven baked ones go really crispy on the outside whilst being soft and fluffy on the inside and they are just so good! This is how good they are: Steve doesn’t really like potatoes and he ate 6, which is the same amount as me and I LOVE potatoes!

 

They do require a fair bit of effort to prepare and 1 hour to cook in the oven, but they really are worth it.

 

1 small onion might not seem like enough, but you don’t need too much as you don’t want the onion flavour to overpower the potatoes. I add garlic powder for a little extra flavour, but this is optional and you can obviously use fresh garlic too.

 

• Makes: 12
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C
• You will need: a 12 hole bun tray, lightly oiled

 

Ingredients:

• 675g (1½lb) potatoes, scrubbed clean (this is roughly 6 medium potatoes)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 50g (2oz) butter, melted
• salt and pepper
• oil for drizzling

 

Directions:

1. Par boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, until they are half cooked. Drain and leave until cool enough to handle.
2. Peel and grate the potatoes coarsely and place in a bowl with the onion, garlic powder and the melted butter. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
3. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 5/375°F/190°C.
4. Press the mixture into the prepared bun tray.
5. Drizzle a little oil over each rosti and cook for 1 hour or until golden brown and crispy.
6. Remove from the tin as soon as possible, otherwise they might stick as they cool down.

 

ALTERNATIVE IDEAS:

• Top with cheese and cooked chopped bacon 10 minutes before the end of cooking.
• Add herbs, such as parsley, before pressing the mixture into the tray.

Dauphinois Potatoes

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

CHANGES TO THE RECIPE:
I used the Rachel Allen recipe for Garlic Layered Potatoes from her book Rachel’s Favourite Food for Friends (which Steve bought for me many moons ago and I am sorry to say that I haven’t used very much!) for the ingredients and quantities, but I changed the method. This was mainly because I wanted to speed things up and also because I thought her way required too much faffing about with lots of layering of the potatoes and dotting with the garlic and butter. My way is a lot more slap dash, but at least you won’t want to commit hari-kiri before you’ve even put it in the oven and it still tastes great.

Even though I was only cooking for Steve and myself, I made a full quantity which should serve 5-6 people because I love potatoes and I knew that any leftovers would be just as good reheated. We ate half of the whole thing with steak and asparagus and the other half with a chicken, mushroom and pea dish that I made up (a recipe might get posted if I can remember the quantities!).

The photo above is of the reheated half and as you can see it really is a dish that doesn’t suffer from a night in the chiller. 30 minutes at Gas 6 should do the trick and keep it covered with foil if it is already quite brown from its first visit to the oven.

• Serves: 5-6 (but more realistically 4 greedy people)
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C
• You will need: a shallow wide gratin/ovenproof dish (I used a 10x10 inch square dish)

Ingredients:

• 250ml (8¾ fl.oz) double cream
• 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
• 25g (1oz) butter
• salt and pepper
• 800g (1¾ lb) peeled potatoes (weigh when peeled), sliced ½cm (¼ inch) thick
• 2 small pinches of freshly ground nutmeg (I left this out)
• 40g (1½ oz) finely grated Parmesan Cheese (I used Twineham Grange)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/350°F/180°C.
2. Grease your ovenproof dish liberally with butter.
3. Place your cream, butter, garlic and salt and pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil.
4. Add the potatoes and heat for a few minutes until the potatoes have absorbed some of the cream.
5. Pour the potatoes into your ovenproof dish (arranging the top layer as neatly as possible!), then scatter the Parmesan over the top.
6. Cover with tin foil and place in the oven for 1 hour, removing the foil after 30 minutes. The potatoes are done when you can easily stick a knife into them and the top should be golden brown.

COOK’S NOTES:

• Use a mandoline or V slicer to slice the potatoes to an even thickness. Go and look in the back of your cupboards, I’m sure you have one gathering dust!
• Use a dish that is big enough so that the potatoes are only about 3 layers deep, otherwise it will take longer to cook.

Toad in the hole

FIRST ATTEMPT - MUNCH RATING: 3/5

I’ve never been a fan of toad in the hole, as I don’t really like that kind of batter, hence why I don’t like Yorkshire Puddings either. But Steve likes it so I thought I’d treat him to a British classic!

I used the recipe on the BBC Good Food website. I only used 4 sausages as I was only cooking for 2 people, but I made up the whole amount of batter as per the recipe as Steve loves the batter. But he likes it stodgy, so I used a smaller dish than the recipe called for so it would be thicker. This was a big mistake as it was all soggy and undercooked at the bottom and it was pretty inedible. The top part was lovely and crispy though and even I enjoyed eating it, so I would make this recipe again as it was really easy, but next time I will use the correct size dish (see below).

For the onion gravy that goes with it, I used 3 leeks instead as I had them in the fridge and it was still pretty tasty.

• Serves: 4
• Oven temperature: Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C
• You will need: a 20cm x 30cm shallow roasting tin

Ingredients:

• 100g plain flour
• ½ tsp English mustard powder (I used Dijon mustard instead)
• 1 egg
• 300ml milk
• 3 thyme sprigs, leaves only (I left this out as I used Cumberland sausages)
• 8 plain pork sausages (use 2 per person)
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 onions, peeled and sliced
• 1 tsp soft brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon plain flour
• 500ml beef stock

Directions:

1. Make the batter: Heat oven to Gas mark 7/425°F/220°C. Tip flour into the large mixing bowl and stir in the mustard powder with a good pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre, crack in the egg, then pour in a dribble of milk. Stir with a wooden spoon, gradually incorporating some of the flour, until you have a smooth batter in the well. Now add a bit more milk and continue stirring until all the milk and flour has been mixed together.
2. The batter is ready: You should now have a smooth, lump-free batter that is the consistency of double cream. Tip it back into the jug you measured your milk in, for easier pouring later on, then stir in the thyme. Use scissors to snip the links between your sausages, then drop them into a 20 x 30cm roasting tin. Add 1 tbsp of the oil, tossing the sausages in it to thoroughly coat the base of the tin, then roast in the oven for 15 mins (mine took more like 25 mins to cook!).
3. Cook the batter: Take the hot tray from the oven, then quickly pour in the batter - it should sizzle and bubble a little when it first hits the hot fat. Put it back into the oven, then bake for 40 mins until the batter is cooked through, well risen and crisp. If you poke the tip of a knife into the batter in the middle of the tray it should be set, not sticky or runny.
4. Make the gravy: Soften the onions with the remaining oil in a large nonstick frying pan for about 20 mins, stirring often, until they are golden brown. Sprinkle in the sugar for the final 5 mins. Add the spoonful of flour, then cook, constantly stirring, for 2 mins, so it coats the onions and there is no dry flour left. Gradually pour in the stock, stirring well to make a smooth sauce. Bubble for 4-5 mins to thicken, then season. Cut the toad in the hole into large wedges and serve with the gravy spooned over. 

SECOND ATTEMPT  – MUNCH RATING: 4/5

This is my second attempt and it worked much better. I used the correct sized dish so the batter was a lot more crispy and less stodgy, however there were still some soggy bits which Steve happily ate! I actually really enjoyed eating this, so it will become one of my staple recipes.

However, I used a ceramic dish as we didn’t have a roasting tin that was the right size. Quite a lot got stuck to the bottom of the dish. A roasting tin would give a much better result as it would conduct the heat much better, so I might have to buy one just for Toad in the hole! Actually, I think my Swiss roll tin might be the right size, if a little shallow, but it’s worth a try!

Oh and I made the gravy with onions and it was SO much nicer! The onions caramelized and were so much sweeter than the leeks.

Rice Pilaf

MUNCH RATING: 5/5

This is Alton Brown's method for cooking rice pilaf and it's brilliant! The rice was perfectly cooked, each grain separated and fluffy.

He says you shouldn't use the 1:2 rice to water ratio as there will be too much water. So you will need to remember the following measures:

• To serve 2 people = 1 cup rice = 1 1/2 cups water
• To serve 4 people = 2 cups rice = 2 3/4 cups water
• To serve 6 people = 3 cups rice = 3 1/2 cups water

I cooked 1 cup of rice and I can vouch that his ratio works. Next time I will cook 2 cups of rice as the result was so delicious that Steve wanted more!
'Pilaf' is the cooking method, so you can add whatever extra ingredients to this basic recipe. He recommends using long grain rice.

• Serves: 2 
• You will need: 1 medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid, 1 damp tea-towel*
• Oven temperature: Gas Mark 4/350°F/180°C

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1 cup rice (I used long grain jasmine rice)
• 1 1/2 cups stock (I used chicken from a cube)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/350°F/180°C.
2. Heat the oil and sweat the onion and garlic until softened over a low heat, don't allow to brown.
3. Add the rice and gently fry until it smells 'nutty', about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the stock, stir once and bring to a boil.
5. Cover the saucepan with the damp tea-towel (it must be damp otherwise you might set it on fire!) and clamp on the lid. Fold up the corners of the tea-towel over the lid so that it's not hanging loose.
6. Put the saucepan in the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and leave for 10-15 minutes with the lid still on, as during this time the rice is still cooking and absorbing the liquid.

* The tea-towel will capture any condensation that forms on the lid and prevent it from dropping back into the rice. I was a bit worried about putting the tea-towel in the oven, but absolutely no harm came to it during the making of this recipe.

Potato Galette & Sweetcorn Succotash

MUNCH RATING: 3/5

I bought some frozen ready-marinated Mahi-Mahi (similar to swordfish) from the supermarket so all I had to do was pop it in the oven to cook. This meant I could turn all my attention to the side dishes.

I knew I wanted to serve potatoes with the fish but I wanted to try something new. I knew I would already have the oven on to cook the fish so that narrowed down my cooking method and I knew I wanted to achieve something with a crispy texture to counter-balance the fish. Somehow the idea of a Potato Galette came into my head even though I've never made it before. After a quick search on Google I discovered there are a variety of ways to make this dish, so I went with what sounded best.

I've been wanting to make Sweetcorn Succotash ever since we went to The Cheesecake Factory (TCF) and I tried it for the first time. To be honest, before that meal I didn't know Succotash was an actual dish, I just thought it was part of a catchphrase by Sylvester The Cat! I couldn't find a definitive recipe on Google, it seems to be one of those dishes which is open to interpretation, so I made up my own recipe based on what I remembered of my TCF experience.

POTATO GALETTE

• Serves 2
• Oven Temperature: Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C
• Cooking Time: 25 minutes
• You will need: A mandolin or a box grater, small baking pan

Ingredients:

• 2 to 3 white potatoes (Russet or Maris Piper are good for this), peeled
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Some Italian seasoning or other type of mixed seasoning (optional)
• 2 handfuls of grated cheese (I used a bag of Quattro Formaggio which had Parmesan, Asiago, Fontina and Mild Provolone)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 6/400°F/200°C.
2. Slice your potatoes as thinly as possible, preferably with a mandolin. But if you haven't got one then I found that the wide slicing blade on a box grater works really well. To make it easier, lay the grater flat on a board with the slicing blade facing upwards and then push the potato away from you as you slice them.
3. Put the tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl and add salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add the sliced potatoes and toss in the olive oil until evenly coated.
4. Starting from the middle, arrange your potatoes in the dish so that they are overlapping and the bottom is completely covered.
5. Sprinkle on half of the cheese.
6. Arrange another layer of potatoes on top and then sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.
7. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until the potatoes feel tender when you insert a fork.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes (perfect timing for me to cook the fish which takes 12 minutes!)

For convenience I used the 9" round silicone pan that I use to bake cakes. It gave a good result and was very easy to clean afterwards, however next time I would put a disc of foil at the bottom to give it a crispier bottom. Alternatively you could use a metal cake tin or simply arrange your potatoes in a circle shape on a metal baking sheet.
Of course you can use a much smaller dish but you will have more layers and your Galette is going to be much thicker, therefore it may take twice as long to cook.

SWEETCORN SUCCOTASH

• Serves 2
• Preparation time: 10 minutes
• Cooking Time: 15 minutes
• You will need: A medium saucepan

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed, grated or finely chopped
• 1/2 red pepper (bell pepper), diced
• Approx. 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
• 1 432g/15.25oz tin whole kernel sweetcorn, drained
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in your saucepan, add the onion and gently saute until softened and slightly golden.
2. Add the garlic and cook gently for another minute.
3. Add the red pepper and cook until softened.
4. Add the chilli flakes and then stir in the sweetcorn.
5. Add the chicken stock and simmer until it has reduced and evaporated away.
6. It is now ready to serve.

Lazy Sunday Roast Dinner with Roasted Broccoli

Back in the UK Steve's mum always cooks us a lovely roast dinner on Sundays and then we usually spend the rest of the day being complete coach potatoes. So even though the food out in SF is great and special ingredients are easily obtainable, nothing quite beats a Roast Dinner for pure comfort food (although I could quite happily sit and eat a big bowl of mashed potatoes!).

The first time I made Roast Dinner in the apartment it was a bit stressful because we only have 1 shelf in the oven, so I had to juggle a few different baking trays to get everything to be ready at the same time. But I now have this great new method which is so much easier and I can sit back and relax whilst it cooks away in the hotbox.

Also, here is a fantastic recipe for Roasted Broccoli (yes really!) by Alton Brown. It's perfect to serve with roast dinner as you've already got the oven on, you just need to crank it up once everything else is cooked. Being Chinese I've grown up with my parents cooking vegetables perfectly al dente in stir fries etc, so I find nothing worse than overcooked broccoli which has no flavour and the texture of a soggy sponge. This method of roasting broccoli ensures you have perfectly cooked broccoli and none of the vitamins are lost through boiling - bonus! OK so dumping a load of cheese on top probably negates any of the health benefits, but trust me the cheese really makes this so good! I haven't tried it with the panko breadcrumbs yet so will let you know if it's any good!

• Serves 2
  
• Oven temperature: Gas 6/200C/400F
• You will need: Large baking dish/tray about 13 x 9 inches and a baking sheet
  
• Prep time: 10-15 minutes
• Cooking time: 45-50 minutes plus 8-10 minutes for the broccoli
  

Ingredients:

• 2 large Chicken Thighs, bone in and skin on
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into sticks
• 2 or 3 large floury potatoes, peeled and cut into walnut-sized pieces (Russets or Maris Pipers are good)
• 5 or 6 garlic cloves, peeled and slightly smashed
• Salt and pepper
• Herbs & spices of your choice (I used a ready-made Italian Seasoning mix grinder)
• Some olive or vegetable oil
• 2 small heads of broccoli, florets cut into bitesize pieces and stalks cut into batons
• A large handful of grated cheese (I used Monterey)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to Gas 6/200C/400F.
2. Season the chicken and arrange in the baking dish skin side up.
   
3. Mix the oil and your seasoning in a large bowl, add the potatoes and thoroughly coat. Add the potatoes to the baking dish in their own section. Do the same for the carrots.
4. Evenly distribute the garlic around the chicken, potatoes and carrots.
   
5. Put the dish in the hot oven and roast for 45-50 minutes, occasionally turning the potatoes and carrots, until the chicken is completely cooked. About halfway through cooking you might have a pool of oil in the dish as the chicken skin renders the fat, so collect this and save it to use on the broccoli.
   
6. Remove from the oven and cover with foil to keep warm.
7. Now crank up the oven to Gas 7/220C/425F to cook the broccoli.
8. Place the broccoli into a mixing bowl and toss with your reserved oil from the baking dish (or drizzle with some olive oil and seasoning) and then spread the broccoli out on a baking sheet.
9. Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until just tender. (Whilst this is cooking you can make your gravy). Sprinkle the cheese on the broccoli and melt under the grill/broiler (I usually turn this on so I can make the chicken skin and roast potatoes even crispier!).

TASTY TIP:
Serve up the garlic! Even though it has imparted a lot of flavour to the chicken, carrots and potatoes during cooking, it has a lovely flavour when eaten whole and isn't too strong - trust me I ate some thinking it was potato and was pleasantly surprised!