Archive for May, 2010

Lemon Curd Parfait Recipe by the Grey Lady Leicester

This is a fabulous summer time pudding which can be enjoyed at any time of year at the Grey Lady head chef Phillip Gibson serves it with a wonderful homemade basil meringue but why not try it with fresh raspberries?

For the lemon curd
4 lemons, zested and juiced
4 eggs beaten
110g butter
450g castor sugar

For the pate bombe
100ml water
400g sugar
10 egg yolks

For the lemon curd parfait
320g pate bombe
600g lemon curd
2 lemons, zested and juiced
325ml double cream, semi whipped

Lemon curd
Fill the sauce pan with water and bring to a simmer over a low heat. Melt the butter, lemon juice, zest and sugar in a bowl over the sauce pan making sure it doesn’t touch the water. When the sugar has dissolved add the beaten eggs and continue to cook the curd, stirring gently with a whisk, until it thickens. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Pate bomb
Place the water and sugar together in a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil at 120c using a sugar thermometer to check the temperature. Whisk the yolks until they double in size then pour the sugar slowly over the yolks, continue to whisk as the mixture cools.

Lemon curd parfait
In a large bowl whisk together the Pate Bombe, lemon curd and the juice with the lemon zest, and then fold in the semi whipped double cream. Pour the mix into a lined tray and place in the freezer for 24 hours.

Chinese Sesame Noodle Recipe

Chinese noodles are so versatile and make a great base for a quick and easy meal. This sesame flavoured sauce for thin egg noodles makes a tasty cold noodle dish to go with summer salads, garnished with cucumber juliennes and toasted sesame seeds. It can equally well be served hot for a quick supper dish to accompany a stir-fry or just as a late-night snack.

If you can’t find fresh Chinese egg noodles they can be substituted with dry ones or with any other fine noodle or pasta. Whichever noodles you use, cook them according to the instructions on the packet as different makes vary.

Recipe for Chinese Noodles with Sesame Sauce

Ingredients
225g / 1lb fresh Chinese egg noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil plus one teaspoon
4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
pinch cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt
pinch white pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vegetable stock or water
half a cucumber

Peel the cucumber. Cut it in half and then into fine julienne strips. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Grind 3 tablespoons of the toasted sesame seeds to a powder.

Make the sauce:
Combine 1 teaspoon sesame oil, the ground sesame seeds, the soy sauces, vinegar, sugar, cayenne, white pepper, salt, vegetable oil and stock in the bowl. Beat to a smooth paste.

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.

To make this dish as a cold dish: rinse the noodles in cold water and allow to drain for five minutes. Toss in the tablespoon of sesame oil. You can refrigerate at this point until ready to serve. At the table, pour the sauce over the noodles and top with the julienned cucumbers and sesame seeds. Toss the noodles and serve.

To serve hot: as soon as the noodles are cooked, toss first with the sesame oil and then with the sauce before serving immediately.

Ready for a full Chinese meal with a whole assortment of dishes? Why not visit one of Nottingham’s finest Chinese restaurants and enjoy a great selection of authentic Chinese cuisine.

Lamb Korma Recipe

Fragrant spices, tender lamb and a thick spicy sauce, a genuine lamb korma is a wonderful meal, to fill the house with tantalizing aromas while it is cooking. Authentic Indian dishes frequently have an intimidatingly long list of ingredients, but most of these are the spices and easy enough to assemble, so it is well worth cooking a lamb korma and roasting the spices from scratch, for the depth of flavour and added richness.

Recipe for Lamb Korma

Ingredients for 6 people
3 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dessicated coconut

4 medium onions, roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 cm length ginger, peeled and chopped
1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric

6 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cardamom pods
6 cloves
7 black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick about 5-6 cms
2 dried chilli peppers
1.5 kg cubed lamb shoulder, patted dry
1 tablespoon plain yoghurt
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garam masala
fresh coriander leaves to garnish

In a small heavy based frying pan, toast the coriander, cumin and coconut over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until the spices darken. Remove from heat.

Put the onions, garlic and ginger in a food processor with the tomato and turmeric and blitz to a smooth paste.

In a heavy based casserole, heat 4 tablespoons of the vegetable oil over a medium heat. Add the cardamom, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon and chillies and stir well. After a minute, add the meat a few pieces at a time to brown. Brown all the meat in batches, then remove to a warm plate with the whole spices.

In the same pot, add the rest of the vegetable oil and heat. Add the onion paste from the food processor and stir over a medium heat. If it starts to stick, lower the heat and add a little water. Keep cooking for about 5 minutes. Add the toasted spices and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring all the while. Add the yoghurt and stir again.

Return the meat to the pan with the sauce, add the salt and enough water just to cover the meat. Cook covered at a simmer for at least 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Add the garam masala and cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve with rice or puris garnished with fresh coriander leaves.

Love Indian food but don’t feel like cooking it yourself? Book a table at one of Derby’s finest Indian restaurants and revel in the spices.

Recipe for Home-made Greek Gyros

Succulent meat sliced from the spit and served in pitta bread with onions, tomatoes and tzatziki, a gyro is one of those quintessential Greek street foods that it is hard to recreate at home. However this recipe does recapture the real flavours of Greece and if you have a rotating spit you can even cook it authentically over glowing coals to get that extra char-grilled note. For ease and convenience the gyro meat can be baked in the oven with good results and sliced thinly to create your own gyro sandwiches.

The traditional Greek gyro is usually a mixture of at least half lamb mince with either beef or pork, depending on the area. Don’t choose extra lean mince, as the fat is needed to bind the meat and keep it moist as it cooks. The ground meat needs to rest to allow all the seasonings to penetrate, so allow enough time for this or prepare it the night before you want to eat.

Gyro Meat Recipe

Ingredients
500g / 1lb minced lamb (or half lamb, half beef)
½ onion very finely chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed to a paste
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Mix all the ingredients well and leave to rest for at least 2 hours in the fridge, or overnight.
Before cooking, blitz the meat mixture in the food processor briefly to get a finer texture. One minute should be enough; it doesn’t need to be smooth, just a bit finer, to get the authentic gyro feel.
Form the meat into a loaf shape in a tin if baking in the oven and bake at 160C / 325F for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until cooked through..
If you have a barbeque spit, form the meat into an oblong around the spit, pressing it firmly so that it stays together. Cook slowly over the coals, rotating slowly, for 30-45 minutes.

Slice the meat quite thinly and serve wrapped in pitta bread with dollops of garlicky tzatziki and some tomato and onion slices.

Feel like experiencing the flavours of Greece with plenty of atmosphere? Why not visit one of Derbyshire’s Greek restaurants for some great food and a lively evening out.