Archive for October, 2009

Simple Sponge Cake Recipe

Having a reliable recipe for a sponge cake at your fingertips is really useful. You can ice it lavishly for family birthday cakes or dress it up in strawberries and cream for a sumptuous summer dessert. It is delicious for tea just filled with a spread of strawberry jam and sprinkled with caster sugar when you have guests. And it is easy enough to turn it into a chocolate sponge cake with the addition of cocoa powder and some chocolate butter icing.

This basic sponge cake recipe is made even easier as it is mixed in the food processor, rather than creamed by hand, but if you prefer you can still make it by hand, in which case beat it well when you cream the butter and sugar and add the eggs, and leave out the extra baking powder.

Recipe for Sponge Cake

Ingredients
225g / 8oz self-raising flour
225g / 8oz caster sugar
225g / 8oz very soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 eggs
3-4 tablespoons milk

Grease and line 2 21cm / 8 inch sandwich tins.

Preheat the oven to 180C / 375F.

Sift the flour. Put all the ingredients except the milk into the food processor and process until smooth. Add two tablespoons of milk and then process again. Check the consistency. It should be soft and drop easily from the spoon. Add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of milk as needed. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 25 minutes until the sponge is springy and a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and then sandwich together with the filling of your choice.

More suggestions for filling and icing your sponge cake:

Fill your sponge cake with whipped cream and crushed fresh raspberries.
Make a butter icing flavoured with orange zest and juice to fill your sponge cake.
To make a chocolate sponge cake, replace 30g of the flour with cocoa powder. Fill with whipped cream flavoured with vanilla essence and top with grated chocolate or a sprinkling of icing sugar.

Feel like going out for tea and cake instead of baking today? Why not tempt yourself with the luscious cakes on offer at Perkins restaurant in Nottingham.

Simple Tarte Tatin Recipe

Luscious caramelized apples on golden pastry, a classic tarte tatin is the sort of impressive dessert that you expect to eat in a French restaurant but hardly dare attempt at home. In fact it isn’t too hard to make as long as you keep a close eye on it while the apples caramelise, and you can use a good bought puff pastry for the base to make it even easier.

A heavy-based, ovenproof skillet or omelette pan is essential to make a tarte tatin as it is cooked half on the hob and then finished off in a hot oven. Choose a firm variety of eating apples, such as coxs’ orange pippins, so that they retain their shape when cooked.

Apple Tart Tartin

Ingredients
225g / 8oz puff pastry (or make your own sweet rich shortcrust pastry)
8-10 small firm eating apples
55g / 2oz granulated sugar
55g / 2oz soft butter
2 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Roll out your pastry to get a circle that is slightly larger than your pan or skillet. Trim the edges to make a neat circle. Prick the pastry lightly with a fork and put it in the fridge to chill, while you get everything else ready.

Preheat the oven to 220C/ 450F

Spread the soft butter evenly over the base of your pan, using your fingers to make sure it is all coated well. Sprinkle the sugar on top,

Mix the brandy and lemon juice in a large bowl. Peer the apples and halve or quarter them depending on the size. Remove the cores. Toss each apple piece in the lemon and brandy so it is completely coated, to prevent it going brown.

Arrange the apples curved side down in the pan on top of the butter and sugar. They should be arranged in neat circles and tightly packed.

Put the pan on a medium high heat and cook until the sugar has caramelized. If the apples give out a lot of juice this can take longer, but they should be done after about 20 minutes. Keep a close eye on the pan, moving it around if necessary so that the apples and sugar colour evenly.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly for 5 minutes. Then tuck the pastry circle over the pan and down the sides, being careful not to touch the hot caramel. Put it straight in the hot oven as quickly as possible and bake for about 25 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed up.

Rest it in the pan for 5 minutes, then take a large serving plate and hold it tightly over the pan. Quickly invert the pan so that the tarte tatin slips out with all the caramelly juices. Serve with cream or crème fraiche

Want the professionals to cook your tarte tatin for you? Why not try the desserts at Merchants restaurant in Nottingham.

Chocolate Profiteroles Recipe

Sinfully delicious chocolate profiteroles, bursting with chantilly cream and topped with dark chocolate, are one of those treats that tempt you from the dessert trolley of a fine restaurant. Complex as they look, they actually aren’t too hard to make at home and make an incredibly impressive dessert to produce for guests once in a while.

The final result of your profiteroles au chocolat does of course depend on the quality of the chocolate you use for your chocolate sauce. Go for a really good dark chocolate for that wonderful contrast between dark cocoa and sweet cream filling.

Recipe for Chocolate Profiteroles

For the Choux Pastry:
170g/ 6oz unsalted butter
240ml / 1 cup water
210g / 7oz plain flour
3 large eggs

For the Chantilly Cream Filling:
300ml cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons icing sugar

For the Chocolate Sauce:
110g / 4oz dark chocolate
15g/ ½ oz butter
2 tablespoons water

Melt the butter with water over a low heat until it has melted. Bring it to a fast boil and then take it off the heat. Sift the flour twice to make sure it is very well aerated. Add it all in one go into the butter mix. Beat with a wooden spoon until it has all formed a smooth paste and comes away from the edges of the pan. Tip it out onto a cold plate to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Beat the eggs.

Return the pastry to the pan and beat in the eggs a little at a time. This should give you a shiny batter with a good dropping consistency.

Place spoonfuls of the batter onto a greased baking tray leaving enough space between for them to puff up to three times the size.

Bake at 200C / 400F for 25 minutes until they are nicely golden.

Remove from the oven and make a small slit or hole in the base of each profiterole to allow the steam to escape. Put them all bake on the baking tray upside down and return to the switched off oven to dry out for 5 minutes. Cool on a rack.

When the profiteroles have cooled, whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla essence and pipe it into each of the profiteroles.

Melt the dark chocolate with the butter and water to a smooth chocolate sauce and either dip each one separately or pour the sauce over the stack of profiteroles.

Still prefer to indulge in profiteroles at your favourite restaurant? Try a top dessert at Iberico World Tapas restaurant in Nottingham.

Sesame chicken recipe

Tender marinated chicken pieces, fried and served with a delicious sweet and sour sauce and a sprinkling of tasty toasted sesame seeds, sesame chicken is a popular dish at Chinese restaurants, but it is just as quick and easy to make at home.

Traditionally the chicken sesame is deep-fried after being marinated, but if you prefer you can stir fry it and add some vegetables to the stir fry for a more health conscious version that tastes just as good. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients, they are mostly inexpensive things you will have already.

Recipe for Sesame Chicken

Ingredients
3 whole chicken breasts or 6 boneless thighs
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
peanut or vegetable oil for frying

For the marinade:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry or rice wine
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons cornflour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

For the sesame sauce:
225ml / 1 cup chicken stock
120ml / ½ cup water
3-4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons cornflour
225g / 8oz sugar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon chilli paste

Mix together all the marinade ingredients. Cut the chicken into 2cm/1inch cubes and marinate for at least 20 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce. Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a small pan. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm until the chicken has been fried.

When the chicken has marinated, deep fry it in batches until golden, then drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven, while you cook the rest. Or alternatively stir fry the chicken in a wok with a few green vegetables.

Bring the sauce back to the boil and pour over the cooked chicken. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top and serve your sesame chicken with rice or noodles.

Fancy eating Chinese tonight, but don’t have all the ingredients? Try the sesame chicken at the Oriental Pearl restaurant in Nottingham.

Lentil soup recipe

Deeply satisfying, nutritious and cheap, an Italian lentil soup recipe is great to see you through chilly evenings or even to take to work with you for a heartening lunch. Simple and delicious made with water, if you happen to have some ham stock left over from your Christmas gammon this lentil soup becomes a real feast, the smokiness of the ham adding even more depth to the earthy lentils.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it easily from store-cupboard standbys, as long as you remember to keep brown lentils in stock. It is even better with the tiny brown lentils from Puy in France or Castelluccio in Italy, but plain brown or green lentils still make a really good and tasty soup.

Recipe for Lentil Soup

Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
25g / 1 oz butter
40g / 1 ½ oz pancetta or bacon (optional)
220g / 8oz chopped tinned tomatoes
220g / 8oz dried brown lentils
1 litre / 1 ¾ pints stock or water
salt and pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve

Put the oil and the butter in a heavy based pan and sauté the onion over a medium heat until light gold.

Add the carrot ad celery and continue to cook for 3 more minutes stirring occasionally.

Add the pancetta or bacon if using and cook for another minute.

Stir in the chopped tomatoes with their juice and cook uncovered at a gently simmer for 20-25 minutes until the liquid is gone. Stir from time to time.

Rinse the lentils and check for grit then add them to the tomato mix stirring them in. Add the broth and season with salt and pepper.

Cook covered at a simmer until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. They may need more liquid, in which case add a little more stock or water. Check for salt.

Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and some crusty bread.

Note
This makes a great vegetarian dish if you leave out the bacon and use vegetable stock. For vegans adapt the recipe further, by using more olive oil instead of butter and leave off the parmesan cheese.

Don’t feel like cooking tonight after all? Why not try the delicious Mediterranean food at Shaw’s restaurant in Nottingham.

Hungarian Goulash Recipe

A slow-cooked beef stew with the pizzazz of paprika and some sweet freshness from the red peppers, this Hungarian beef goulash recipe is a great way to make a substantial and delicious stew from cheaper cuts of beef. You can also cook it with lamb, veal or pork, but always choose the tougher stewing cuts, as they are what produce the rich, thick gravy with long, slow cooking.

This goulash recipe uses onions, tomatoes, potatoes and peppers as vegetables, but potatoes, carrots, celery and parsnips are all authentic additions to Hungarian goulash, which is really a stew of whatever is available and in season.

Recipe for Hungarian Beef Goulash

Ingredients
700g / 1 ½ lb stewing steak
2 onions
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
400g / 14oz tin tomatoes
2 large potatoes or several smaller ones, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium red pepper
salt and pepper
150 ml / ½ cup sour cream

Chop the onions roughly and cut the beef into cubes of about 3cm / 1 inch. Heat the oil in a casserole and cook the meat in it in batches until browned on all sides. Remove to a warm plate as each batch is browned.

Cook the onions in the same pot for about 5 minutes until they are light golden.

Return the meat to the casserole and add the garlic. Sprinkle in the flour and paprika and stir well until they have soaked up the juices and cooked for 1 minute.

Add the tin of tomatoes, stirring well, then season with salt and pepper and add the cut up potatoes.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 140C / 275F for two hours.

De-seed and slice the red pepper and add it to the casserole. Return it to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top or swirled in. and a sprinkling of paprika. Accompany the goulash with egg noodles or rice.

Variations
You can increase the amount of paprika according to personal preference.
Instead of a tin of chopped tomatoes use a tablespoon of tomato puree for colour, which leaves more room for the paprika flavour to shine.
Vary the vegetables you use, according to season.

Feel like sampling other traditional European dishes today? Visit Il Rosso restaurant in Nottingham for a wide range of fine European cuisine.

Crispy duck recipe

Peking duck or crispy aromatic duck are wonderfully enticing dishes to eat out at a Chinese restaurant. Crispy slices of slow roast duck, the fat all melted away to leave tender and succulent meat and crispy skin fragrant with spices. Served with pancakes and plum sauce it is a meal to savour, redolent of traditional Chinese cooking of the imperial Ming dynasty.

Cooking crispy Peking style duck at home is perfectly possible if you use a much simpler recipe and go for succulent duck breast cooked quickly to crisp the skin beautifully. You can enjoy all the flavours of Peking duck, though it’s hard to match the texture and depth of authentic crispy aromatic duck at home.

Recipe for Crispy Duck

Ingredients
2 duck breasts
1 tablespoon groundnut oil

For the crispy duck marinade:
2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
4 tablespoons fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons ground Sichuan peppercorns
6 star anise
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoons dark soy sauce
pinch salt

For the plum duck sauce:
4 plums
100ml / ½ cup water
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 whole star anise
1 stick cinnamon
juice of 1 lime

Whisk all the marinade ingredients together well.

Score the skin of the duck breasts in a criss-cross pattern, then put into a bowl with the marinade and leave to marinate, covered with cling film, for about 25 minutes.

In a wok or frying pan, heat the groundnut oil until very hot then fry the duck, skin side down for about 5 minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden brown.

Put the duck onto a baking tray skin side up and roast in a preheated oven at 200C for 4 more minutes, or until it is cooked through.

While the duck is cooking make the plum duck sauce. Stone the plums and quarter them. Bring the water to boil in a small saucepan, then add the plums, sugar, honey, star anise and cinnamon and cook over a medium heat. Let it reduce to a sticky sauce then remove from the heat and strain. Stir in the lime juice.

Serve the crispy duck, with the sauce poured over, on a bed of noodles or salad.

Still hankering after authentic crispy aromatic duck? Enjoy it at Oriental Pearl restaurant in Nottingham.

Delicious chocolate pancake recipe

Tasty weekend breakfast or last minute dessert, pancakes are a great way of cooking up a treat in no time. Combined with a luscious chocolate filling they will wow kids and adults alike and you can create endless variations on the pancake theme, filling them with strawberries and chocolate or just plain chocolate chips, according to what you have available and the whim of the moment.

The important thing is to get a basic pancake batter recipe that you like and find a pan that works for you, so that the process of making the pancakes is as easy as possible. Once you get going you’ll cook up a stack of pancakes in no time and can have fun playing with different chocolate fillings.

Basic Pancake Batter Recipe

Ingredients
110g / 4oz plain flour
2 large eggs
pinch salt
200ml / 7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml / 3 fl oz water
2 tablespoons melted butter

Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a hollow in the flour and break the eggs into it, then whisk with an electric beater in the middle, gradually incorporating the flour. Start adding the milk and water a little at a time as you whisk. Keep beating until all the flour is mixed in and you have a smooth batter, the consistency of thin cream. Stir in the melted butter only when you are ready to cook the pancake mix.

To cook the pancakes:
Heat a non-stick frying pan, of the size you want your pancakes to be (about 20cm/8inches is good). Melt a small teaspoon of butter in the pan. Tip off any excess butter. When the pan is hot, turn the heat to medium and pour in about 2 tablespoons of batter. Tip the pan so the mixture coats the base evenly. It should cook in about half a minute, so the underside is golden. Loosen the edges with a palette knife then toss it or flip it to cook the other side briefly. Stack onto a plate and cook the next pancake. Cover the cooked pancakes with a clean cloth to keep warm while you cook the rest.

Chocolate pancake fillings
The easiest way to make chocolate pancakes is to use a really good chocolate spread or Nutella, dolloping it lavishly in the middle of each pancake, as you serve them.

Alternatively, grate a really good chocolate and as soon as you’ve flipped the pancake sprinkle the grated chocolate over it so it starts to melt. Fold it in half and then half again and keep warm until you serve it. Great with strawberries and a dash of cream.

Or if you’re feeling restrained, keep the pancakes plain inside but serve them with chocolate sauce drizzled over.

Feel like eating out for breakfast on the weekend? Try the breakfast at Woodborough Hall restaurant in Nottingham.

Simple Sushi Recipe

Making sushi at home is much easier than you’d think. Once you have mastered the trick of cooking sushi rice to the right consistency of sticky but not mushy, it is just a matter of putting the ingredients together attractively. The great thing about making your own sushi is that you can include any fillings you like, including lots of vegetarian sushi choices.

Presentation is important in sushi making, so you need to think of food colour combinations as well as flavours. This recipe for a sushi roll combines salmon or tuna and cucumber to make an attractive green orange colour scheme in the centre of a layer of rice. Take time over the wrapping so that your parcel is neat and symmetrical making a roll that is pretty on the plate as well as tasty.

First cook your sushi rice

Sushi Rice Recipe
2 cups Japanese rice
2 ¼ cups water
50ml cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
½  teaspoon salt

It’s easiest to use cup measures to measure the rice, as then you know that you just need slightly more volume of water than rice, to get the right consistency. Put the rice in a large bowl and wash it with cold water. Keep changing the water until the water is clear. Leave the rice to drain in a colander for 30 minutes. Put the rice and water in a pot. Cover with lid and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and cook for about 20 minutes until the water is almost all absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave covered to steam for 15 minutes before using.

Prepare the sushi vinegar buy mixing the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a pan. Warm over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool. In a large wooden or ceramic bowl spread the hot rice and sprinkle the vinegar mixture over it and fold it in quickly but gently, so you don’t smash the rice, turning often so the rice cools to room temperature..

To make sushi rolls or maki sushi:

Sushi Roll Recipe
3 sheets nori (dried seaweed)
200g / 6oz very fresh tuna or smoked salmon cut into thin strips
1 cucumber peeled and cut into strips
2 teaspoons wasabi sauce
1 quantity cooked sushi rice as above

Put a sheet of nori on a bamboo sushi mat.

Spread the cooked sushi rice over the nori sheet in a ½ -1 cm thick layer leaving just a little space at one end for the flap.

Place your fillings lengthways across the sushi rice. Spread a thin layer of wasabi sauce first. Then arrange one row of fish, one row of cucumber for example.

Roll up the bamboo mat, pressing the sushi into a cylinder as you go. Press gently on the bamboo mat to make sure the sushi has formed an even cylinder. Remove the mat. Use a sharp, damp knife to slice your sushi roll into bite-sized pieces.

Other fillings to add to your sushi rolls:
Avocado, spring onions, prawns, crab, tofu, shitake mushrooms, strips of omelette.

Prefer to have your sushi made for you? Why not feast on sushi at Chino Latino restaurant in Nottingham.

Simple Moussaka Recipe

A classic Greek moussaka is a substantial, subtly spiced, layered bake of aubergines and minced beef topped with a creamy béchamel that fluffs up beautifully when baked. It takes a while to prepare, but is really worth it and you can always cook the meat the day before to make it easier.

The aubergines are an important part of the flavour of the finished dish, so make sure you use fresh and glossy skinned ones. Traditionally beef mince is most often used for moussaka in Greece but our British version frequently prefers lamb, so the choice is yours.

Recipe for Moussaka

Ingredients
450g / 1lb minced beef or lamb
1 large onion sliced
½ cup white wine
400g tin tomatoes chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
salt ad pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
25g grated parmesan
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 kg / 2.2 lb aubergines
½ cup vegetable oil for frying

Bechamel sauce and Topping
80g / 3oz butter
80g / 3oz flour
600ml / 1 pint milk
salt and pepper
90g / 3oz grated parmesan
2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs

Prepare the aubergine

Trim the stems off the aubergines and wash them. Slice into ½ inch / 1cm slices lengthways. Stand them in a large bowl and sprinkle them liberally with salt on both side. Leave them for 30 minutes. The bitter juice should run out. Rinse them well and pat them dry on kitchen towel. Fry them in batches in the vegetable oil until they are golden brown on both sides. Drain them on kitchen towel to get rid of the excess oil.

Prepare the meat

Put two tablespoons of oil into a large pan and fry the onion over a medium heat until starting to soften. Add the minced meat and stir until it loses its raw red colour. Pour in the wine and let it bubble, then add the chopped tomatoes with just a little of their juice. Stir in the spices, bay leaf and oregano. Cook covered at a gentle simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid should all have been absorbed. If it hasn’t cook uncovered for another 15 minutes or until it looks fairly dry. At the end stir in 25g grated parmesan and the chopped parsley.

Make the béchamel sauce

Warm the milk. In a small saucepan melt the butter then add in the flour a little at a time stirring constantly until it has all formed a paste. Add the milk a little at a time stirring each lot in before adding the next. Add the seasoning and cook stirring often until the sauce thickens. Off the heat add 60g of the parmesan cheese and the egg yolks, stirring them in well to make a thick béchamel.

Put it all together

Oil a deep roasting dish. Put a layer of fried aubergine slices to cover the bottom. Spread half of the meat over them, then add another layer of aubergine slices. Put the rest of the meat in an even layer on top. Any left over aubergine slices can go on top of this, but it doesn’t matter if you have used them up already. Pour the béchamel sauce over, then sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese and the breadcrumbs over the top..

Bake at 180C / 350F for 1 hour until the top is golden. Allow to stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with a salad and some crusty bread.

Want to eat moussaka without all this work?! Visit one of the Greek restaurants in Nottingham for authentic Greek cuisine.