Mini Banoffee Pie

I had my first encounter with a Banoffee Pie in Portstewart, Northern Ireland, a few years ago and I have been loving it ever since. It is one of those things you dream of having but actually never do as it is highly calorific. You do actually taste every single of the thousands of calorie in this heavenly pud. And every bite goes straight on to your hips.
Still, occasionally one should give in to temptation and as long as you keep the main course light, a piece of Banoffee Pie won't kill you. Mini Banoffee Pie, 4 pieces
: 6 milk chocolate digestives, crushed
: 75g unsalted butter, melted
: 1 large banana, sliced
: 1 tin of Coronation caramel
: 150ml double cream, whipped

Mix the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter. Firmly press the mix into the base of 4 small cake tins (you can also use round cookie cutters instead) and refrigerate for 30min.
Top the biscuit base with a layer of banana slices, then cover the mini pies with the caramel.
Finally, whip the cream and and spread over the Banoffee Pies.

Bobotie

When I last was in South Africa two years ago, British TV chef Anthony Worrall Thompson apparently was there at around the same time as I could read in the local newspapers. Now, they asked him: What do you think about South African food? He replied something down the lie of: It is a bit like Europe in the 50ies. Everything, especially vegetables, are desperately overcooked.
I am not a big fan of Worrall Thompson, but he definitely has a point there. If vegetables make it on your plate, which isn't that common in South Africa anyways, then they are soggy, tasteless and vitamin-free.

What South Africans are good in cooking though is meat which is always deliciously marinated or seasoned. Still, in can be a bit chewy, dry and overcooked.
When I last cooked Bobotie my South African friend was surprised how moist my version of this dish was in comparison to hers.
Bobotie is something like a squidgy meat loaf. Using good quality meat and the right ratio between beef and pork mince is paramount if you don't want to be left with a rather dry dish.

There is only one kind of meat that makes it on my table: organic meat. It is so much more succulent than standard meat. Try to fry organic bacon versus cheap bacon. You will not see any water coming out of the organic bacon, whereas all the flavour and succulence of the cheap bacon simply vaporises.

The succulence in my Bobotie of course also comes from adding pork. My experience is that every mince dish benefits from the addition of pork as it doesn't dry out as quickly as beef does.
Bobotie, for 5-6
: 200g organic beef mince
: 200g organic pork mince
: 1 large white onion
: 1 slice of brown bread, preferably sourdough bread
: 300ml milk
: 2 small/medium eggs
: 1 oxtail stock-cube, dissolved in 4 tbsp water
: 3 tbsp apricot jam
: 1 tbsp ginger, grated
: 2-3 tbsp curry powder
: 1 handful of yellow raisins

Soak the bread in half of the milk. Set aside.
Fry the onions until soft, then add ginger, curry and jam. Once the jam has liquidised, add the bread (plus any leftover milk from the soaking process) and the dissolved oxtail stock cube. Combine the mixture well, making sure your are not left with any big pieces of bread. Pour onto a plate or into a bowl.

Using the same pan, fry the meat in a little oil. When the meat has turned slightly brown on the outside, remove it from the heat, then add the bread mixture and raisins and mix everything well together.
Now whisk the eggs and mix them with the remaining milk. Pour half of this mixture over the meat and give it another quick final stir before transferring the mix into an ovenproof dish.
You can either bake the Bobotie in one large dish or - as i did - divide the mixture between 6 large, lined muffin tins.

Pour the remaining egg/milk mixture over the Bobotie before baking it in a 180 degree Celsius oven for approx 45 minutes, or 25-30 mins if you use muffin tins. Serve with creme fraiche, mustard, steamed greens and curried rice.

Organic pork sausages, ratatouille and creamy polenta

Every time when I am away for a few days I return to a skinnier than ever boyfriend. Seriously, I wonder what he does live on in my absence. He can't cook and is a lousy shopper. Chewy bread, cheese, crisps, baked beans and beer, that's all he would buy and eat.
Now, don't get me wrong, I would get really fat if I lived on such a diet for days, if not weeks. He doesn't. It's NOT fair!

But that's the whole trouble I have to face in my day-to-day cooking: come up with a dinner that makes him fatter and me thinner. Dishes like organic sausages with ratatouille and creamy polenta are the perfect exampe of how I master this challenge: Organic pork sausages, ratatouille and creamy polenta: 3 organic pork sausages (at least 80% meat), fried
: 2 courgettes, chopped
: 1 large yellow pepper, chopped
: 1 large onion, chopped
: 2 tbsp organic tomato puree
: 1/2 cup polenta
: 1/2 cup single cream
: olive oil
: salt
: black pepper

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the onions for 2 minutes before adding the yellow peppers and courgettes. Stir fry the vegetables until slightly soft, then add the tomato puree and approx 150-200ml water. Season with salt and pepper, then cover with a lid and let simmer.

In the meantime, prepare the polenta. Place the polenta in a pot an cover with approx 150ml water. Bring to the boil and simmer until all the liquid has been soaked up, then transfer 1/3 of the polenta to a different pot. Again, cover with water and let simmer until the soft. Season with salt and pepper.
For the remaining 2/3 of the polenta, follow as above but this time use cream instead of water.

When the food is ready to be served, transfer the creamy polenta on to your boyfriend's plate and the not-so-delicious-but-not-as-fattening-either polenta on to your plate. Now divide the ratatouille between your plates and drizzle some virgin olive oil over his portion. Finish off your plate with 1/2 a sausage. The rest goes on his plate. Well, as I said earlier: it's not fair.

Kiddie's (and boyfriend's) delight

I am deeply ashamed to admit that I had this bag of plastic dessert (or Angel's delight as it actually is called) sitting around in my cupboard. But then, there it was, so it seemed kind of logical to use it.
To the delight of Scott. After all, it was ready in 5mins. Sometimes, immediate availabilty is more important than natural strawberry flavour.
There I was, standing in the kitchen with a bag of E-numbers in one hand and a whisk in the other. At last I wanted to get something healthy out of te whole exprience for myself by not using an electric handmixer, but the personal-trainer-improved strength of my arms.
As it happened, I really wasn't in the mood of coming up with something more elaborate than Angel's delight. But if I pretend to make something fab from scratch, then I do it big time: some Dutch hagelslag (liquorice covered with sugar) and a Koala bear from the Japanese sweet shop and hey, I could have almost sold it in my favourite place for pastry and other sweet stuff: Yauatcha.

Peppermint Crisp Millefeuille

The Peppermint Crisp chocolate bar you get in South Africa is one of it’s kind. I guess they don’t seell it in Europe since it could be considered a weapon. I am not kidding, the peppermint filling is not only crisp, it is razor sharp! When I little piece fell down on the floor I thought I stoppd on glass… and not chocolate!But then, its also dangerously yummy. On its own and as part of a South African recipe that clogs your arteries when only looking at it. It is a mix of caramel, cream, coconut biscuits and a grated bar of Peppermint Crisp. It tastes divine, there is no other way to describe it. But it doesn’t look very pretty. It is one of those: all in one pot dishes. They taste terrific, but look uninspiring. That’s why I came up with a posh and more handsome version of the Peppermint Crisp Tart: Peppermint Crisp Millefeuille
: 1 grated bar of peppermint Crisp (available in South African shops)
: 1 tin of Coronation Caramel (or boil Coronation/condensed milk for about 4hrs)
: 150ml whipping cream (or less, if you want the caramel cream to be more solid)
: 1 pack of all butter puff pastry
: 1 coconut

Break the shell of the coconut (screwdriver and hammer should do the trick), empty the liquid into a glass, then break the whole nut into pieces. Using a vegetable peeler, slice off thin shavings from the coconut flesh.
Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into the desired shape. Brush with egg wash and bake in the oven (180 degrees C) until nicely risen and slightly golden on top. Set aside to cool.Empty the caramel into a bowl, add a tablespoon or so of the coconut liquid. Now whip the cream and add as much whipped cream to the caramel as needed (until you get the desired consistency). I have tried both, a quite solid and more liquid caramel cream and they are equally nice. The more solid, the more caramel content and the heavier it will be. Assemble the dish by first placing a sheet of puff pastry on a plate. Cover with caramel and some of the grated Peppermint Crisp and top with another layer of puff pastry, caramel and chocolate. Finish it of with a few coconut shavings on top.
The caramel cream is also an excellent addition to banana/raisin pancakes.

Cannelini bean & salmon canapés

I admit this isn't one of my recipe ideas (check the Passionate's Cook blog). I also admit that I actually didn't really make them, I merely assembled them.
Anyway, I ate them and I liked them. So I thought I might as well include them in my blog.

My friend Laurent and I did this for his birthday party. It proved to be a big hit (especially with me) and although I did have my inital doubts (too simple to impress), it was one of the nicest nibbles of the evening. And it is really quick in the making... and almost cheap if you leave out the caviar as we did!

Pea velouté topped with whipped coconut cream

I watched Nigella Express - a cookery program about coming up with something edible for lunch and dinner in less than 20mins - the other day. There the program's presenter - yeah, you guessed right - Nigella explained that it is OK to use stock cubes or powder. She's right, it is OK. Just about ok, it is after all a proven far cry from good restaurant cooking.
Always wanting to impress my guests, I do aim for restaurant standard and therefore have to cook my own stock. I need a much bigger pot for beef and chicken stock than the pathetic excuses of a pot I have at home. My largest pot holds a maximum of 3 litres: that's just about big enough to produce 0.75 litres of good vegetable stock. I keep my veggie stock frozen in 0.25 litre bags. Like that I always have a restaurant trick up my sleeve.
Take my pea velouté for example:
Pea velouté topped with whipped coconut cream, for 6
: 100g unsalted butter
: 2 medium large white onions, chopped
: 2 stalks of celery, chopped
: 500ml homemade vegetable stock
: 200ml coconut milk plus 4 tablespoons for the whipped coconut cream
: 500g frozen peas (preferably petits pois)
: 100ml whipped cream

Melt the utter in a pan, add the onions and celery and let them soften for a bit (you do not want to brown the onions though!). Add the stock and coconut milk, bring to the boil and simmer for 15mins. Now add the peas and boil for another 5 mins. Liquidise the soup, then pass through a fine sieve.
To make the coconut cream topping, whip the cream, then add the coconut milk. Spoon on top of the veloute and serve immediately.

Tuna carpaccio with sweet miso dressing

Sushi is my number one food of all times. I could eat it every day, for lunch and dinner (and probably even for breakfast). Sashimi however isn't my favourite. Rather thickly sliced raw fish with nothing but soy sauce? I would then prefer to have the fish carpaccio style with a little dressing/sauce on the side.Tuna carpaccio with sweet miso dressing, for 2-3
: 100g yellowfin tuna
: 1tbsp sweet white miso paste
: 1tbsp pumpkin seeds
: dash of ginger syrup
: dash of white wine
: dash of light soy sauce
: lime juice
: sugar
: salt

Start with roasting the pumpkin seeds in a little vegetable oil. Once you hear them pop, they are ready to be taken off the heat. Sprinkle with a little salt, then grind them in a pestle and mortar.
Mix the ground pumpkin seeds with the miso, wine, soy sauce, ginger syrup and lime juice. If needed, season with a little salt and sugar.
Now slice the tuna as thinly as possible and spread the slices out over a large chopping board. Cover with cling film. Nor take a bottle, hammer or rolling pin and carefully bash the tuna slices until paper thin.

Finally, arrange the tuna on a plate and drizzle with some sweet miso dressing.

Pea salad with creamy dressing

Most evenings when I come home from work I want a quick supper. Pasta, rice with veggies, Thai noodles or salad. Salad is for sure the quickest of them all. When you count the several times though Scott requested a 2nd dinner 2 hrs after having had his salad, salad it not quite as time saving as it first seems.

So I would usually serve salad on the side of a "proper" dinner. Mostly lettuce with - you guessed right - pumpkin seed oil dressing. Recently however I re-discovered peas. I think I haven't used them for years. But now we have them in soup, rice and salad. Actually, there is no better salad out there than lettuce with peas in a creamy dressing served with some freshly baked bread.

Pea salad with creamy dressing

: green leave salad

: 200g frozen peas

: 1 egg yolk
: olive oil
: lemon juice
: Maldon sea salt

Wash the leave salad and put it in a large bowl. Bring some water to the boil. Add some salt to the boiling water, then add the peas. Leave the peas in the boiling water just for one or two minutes. Once drained, place them in the same bowl as the lettuce. Now drizzle some olive oil and lemon juice over your salad, then add the egg yolk (this helps to add creaminess to the dressing), toss the salad until well mixed and finish off by seasoning your salad with a sprinkle of Maldon sea salt.

Pasta in white wine sauce and prawns

I have been living in the area of Charlton/Greenwich for two years now and for approximately the same time I have been wondering how to get access to the massive See-Woo cash & carry supermarket just down the road. My new Chinese neighbour recently told me the secret: Just walk in. And indeed: no shopping/access card required, private customers are as welcome as restaurant owners.
The first visit to See-Woo was at least as exciting as a day in Disneyland. You find everything you ever wanted for your Asian cooking, and more. Live lobsters and crabs are one of the highlights... not that I would ever buy any of those. The fresh fish counter however must be one of the best kept secrets in London. Best fish at best prices. The same goes for the frozen fish. squid in all shapes, cuts and sizes; large bags of raw, cooked, peeled or unpeeled prawns for a mere fiver. Goodbye Sainsbury's and Waitrose. When it comes to fish, See-Woo has just gained another loyal customer.

Last time I came back home with a bag of cooked and peeled frozen prawns. Since then, I have been dishing up sweet and sour prawns with onions and peppers, egg fried rice with prawns and pasta in white wine sauce with prawns.

Pasta in white wine sauce and prawns, for 2

: 200g pasta

: 200g cooked and peeled prawns

: 1 medium sized onion, chopped

: 1 tbsp butter

: 150ml white wine

: 100ml single cream

: freshly ground white pepper

: sea salt

: fresh curly parsley, chopped

Cook the pasta according to the instruction on the packet. In the meantime, heat the butter in a pan. When melted, add the chopped onions and cooked them until just soft. Letting them turn brown could end up in the onions overpowering the subtle wine flavour of the sauce.
Add the wine to the sauce and let simmer for one or two minutes, then add the cream and let it simmer a little more.

Drain the pasta once it's ready. Set aside for a minute while you add the prawns to the sauce. Remember, they are already cooked, so you do not want to cook them anymore. So let them just heat through in the warm sauce for a minute. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, then add the pasta. Make sure all the pasta is covered with sauce. Finish off with a sprinkle of parsley and serve immediately.

Crumpet pizzetta

It must be one of the simplest and fastest dinners. Not only that, it actually looks pretty good too. A toasted crumpet makes the perfect base for almost every topping: Nutella and toffee gooeyishly make their way through the many wee holes, butter and honey melt into utter creamyness, jam transforms the bready base into an almost cake-like delicacy.

As much as I prefer to eat my crumpets with sweet toppings: crumpets make a delicious savory snack and dinner... ready in a mere 10 minutes. Crumpet pizzette with tomatoes, onions, cheese and a little olive oil drizzle are my favourite. Toasted crumpets topped with bacon and maple syrup are a close second, and a herby scrambled egg topping comes third. But try whatever you fancy; and have them for breakfast, brunch or dinner.

Chanterelles marinated in lime scented pumpkin seed oil

Kim is the Gordon of Vienna. Not that she would be as rude as her British counterpart, but her cooking is considered to be the best in the capital, just as Gordon Ramsey's cooking is in London. Her cuisine however is a bit more daring. She's presenting her guests with a kind of Asian-Austrian fusion cuisine; take her tuna and nash pear filled with Grammeln (dry roasted Austrian speck)
Kim kocht is the name of probably the only restaurant in the whole of Austria that has a three or more months waiting list. I haven't been there yet, but it is definately on my list of places to visit (or better food to try). In the meantime I try to do a Romana kocht based on the recipes in her cookbook.
As mentioned in previous blog entries, I cannot live without a daily dose of pumpkin seed oil. Ever since I bought her cookbook I have therefore been thinking about making the chanterelles marinated in Asian spices pumpkin seed oil. I just wasn't sure what to serve it with. It was when I read the Nobu Now cookbook that it hit me: with beef sahimi (or carpaccio). I went all way to Kensington High Street to get reddest beef fillet ever seen perfectly marbelled with the thinnest lines of fat throughout the whole piece of meat. It was well worth the 5 Pounds or so I paid for a mere 100g.
If you don't like raw meat, simply serve the mushrooms with potato or simple green leave salad.
Chanterelles marinated in lime scented pumpkin seed oil
: 1tsp vegetable oil
: 1 large onion, finely chopped
: 200g chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and cut into small pieces
: 1 stalk of lemon grass, finely shredded
: 4 Kaffir lime leaves
: 90ml pumpkin seed oil
: a dash of balsamic vinegar
: freshly ground pepper
: salt

Saute the chopped onion in a little vegetable oil. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper, then mix with the Kaffir lime leaves and chopped lemon grass. Finally add the pumpkin seed oil and balsamic vinegar.

Pancakes, kroketten and buttermilk

I am a big fan of the Netherlands. 10 years ago I lived and studied there for a few months and ever since I return on a regular basis to enjoy the two things I like most about the Netherlands: Dutch interior design and proper pancakes. Last week when I visited my friend in Groningen I had the chance to eat the best pancake ever. It was served to us in a small village in the area of Drente. Drente is one of those places where half of the country's population comes for a weekend walk or cycle trip with the whole family. Being such a touristic hotspot the area is full of cafes, resaurants and of course pancake houses. But you really need to walk or cycle for miles to work off the pancakes. I had an apple, raisin and speck pancake drizzles with syrup. The most satisfying thing you can eat on a Sunday afternoon. For a weekday lunch however I would opt for something a bit lighter. "A bit" in its true meaning... you wouldn't see Kate Moss feasting on a kroket with potato salad. Not if the kroket is deep fried and the salad dressed with mayo. But you can disguise it as a healthy option if you order a glass of buttermilk with it. Yes, buttermilk. Or just milk. Both of which can be found on every Dutch menu. Lekker.

Hotpot pot

I don't like throwing food away. It's a waste of money and resources. Whilst others bin all the leftovers from a dinner party, I pack them neatly away in airtight containers and either freeze them or use them straight away on the next day. Take the leftovers from my Chinese hotpot night: fishballs, Chinese greens, rice vermicelli, mushrooms, tofu and of course the hotpot stock. All these lovely ingredients should really feel your belly and not your bin. So I just threw them all ino one pot, let it simmer for a few minutes and served it in large soup bowls with some crispy smoked chillies in oil.