A Fridge Prepared for Punting

I've visited Cambridge twice this holiday and have been so delighted and impressed by it both times I think it may even supersede Oxford. Although, of course, I don't want to speak too soon. Oxford is my home town and I hold those feelings of attachment you get with a place that is full of memories and experience. However,  these memories are of the people and rarely of the place. My parents are in the process of moving from the house I was born in and lived in for 21 years, to a lovely but unfamiliar house near by.  A nugget that I will always hold during this time from my mother was that we can make a home anywhere as long as we are together with our comforts around us. 

Having let go of some of my loyalty to Oxford due to this uprooting, I fear Cambridge may have caught my affections at a vulnerable time! It is a magnificent city, when the sun shined upon the vast greens and the college steeples I gained a sort of comfort knowing that I could admire such sights without having to work as hard as those inside the buildings (and that I didn't have to see it in the rain). 

Punting on the Cam was, as you can imagine, delightful. The sun was shining, I'd made a Victoria Sponge and a Goats Cheese and Caramelized Onion Tart and Anna had made a devilish Banoffee Pie. We packed our small raft with treats, and sun-cream for the fair skinned Jack, and set sale down the river, only to be joined by the rest of the tourist population in Cambridge that day. We were in such jolly moods that this didn't matter and there was boat banter to be had across the water and a sense of camaraderie in our voyage. Were we all going to the same shores to fight the same battle though? Well, yes, everyone seemed to moore up at the same time and cohabitate on the large expanse of grass where we managed to maintain enough privacy to eat all of our food without sharing one morsel. 

                        

The sights were spectacular, the shopping superb but the punting too packed for me and I thought it a little absurd. For authentic, non-tourist punting I will stick to The Cherwell Boat House where we all know how to punt in a straight line and we all know the direction to the Viccy Arms. http://www.victoriaarms.co.uk/home.php

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P.s If you don't know what punting is, as some imbeciles don't, go get some culture in you.

Here's the recipe ! 

Food for Hungry Actors.

Menu

Roast lamb and vegetables with spinach and caramelised onion gravy.  

Apple crumble and custard. 

After months and months of exhausting, mind blowingly dull and frustrating rehearsals my cast and I sat down to be fed properly at last. Having eaten nothing but Pasta in Plastic Cartons, Prawn Mayo Sandwiches and Packeted Plastic Sushi for what seemed like a weighty eternity at last we reached the end of our rehearsal process and the weekend before our exam allowed us just one restful, life saving evening of stuffing our faces.

The five of us slumped low around my low lit, low down, coffee table and exhaled an exaggerated seven hours of rehearsal, most too tired to even sup on some vino. Of course I did, with some help from a trusty house mate. I needed the fuel to quickly cook up this feast, it was an easy one really, although I like to make a big deal out of rubbing the garlic butter and thyme into the leg of lamb, there really isn't much to it. 

Whilst my guests wearily wolfed down a packed of New Kettle Chips(The packet was Fuschia, how could I resist?) I caramelised red onions in the juice from the roast and a lot of red wine.  It went down so well that someone even lent over and said to me "I would pay for this at a restaurant, Chess." I should hope so too.

The Apple Crumble came at one of those times when absolutely nobody needs any more food whatsoever. Our fatigue and weakness was soon squashed by a hearty roast and the only thing to tip us off the edge was crumble and custard. But we'd done our fair share of exercise that day and I believe I'd jumped on a few shoulders and done a few roly pollies in order to create the wonderful physical theatre master peace we so fervently worked towards. On the Monday morning after this evening, however, I do recollect feeling a little less agile and dainty as I once did.

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Lunch.

I can't eat wheat, instead I eat things like Rye bread and spelt flour. Turns out I really like it and it is better for you. I recommend getting Rye next time you purchase some bread, its all the rage at the moment. I also try to be healthy when I am not cooking up ridiculously naughty meals, and this is just a mere suggestion of a filling, healthy and original lunch (or dinner, why not). 

Poach some eggs, toast some Rye bread, chop a chive, boil some green beans, chuck around some lettuce and place some cottage cheese on top. One thing I try and cut out on is salad dressing, its a big fatty NoNo. Buy hey, it is delicious so it depends how you wanna roll. 

An Ode to Sleeping Pete

Eggs Benedict 

Bagels, smoked salmon and poached egg.

A homage to my man Pete
Who always is asleep
But if he opens his peeps
This is what he eats 

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Go to http://peteasleep.tumblr.com/ to see him actually asleep. Alot.  

Overcoming a Fear of Fruit

Menu 

Figs wrapped in parma ham on a bed of melted goats cheese and served with roasted vine tomatoes

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Wild mushroom risotto with a fresh green salad

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Pannecotta pods and raspberries drizzled with raspberry glaze

I am always really wary of fruit in a savoury dish, maybe I had a traumatic, scaring experience at a young age, but these figs redeemed my fear completely.  Without them the dish would have been rich and in a way two dimensional but the fresh and fruity juice from the figs, helped by the cherry tomatoes, made this starter a big success. It was pretty easy apart from having to cook most of it just before serving which is always a stress. 

For the main we had mushroom risotto which I was really disappointed with, I hadn't realised how tricky it is to serve when your on a time limit. My mum told me afterwards that even restaurants warn their customers that the risotto takes longer. Next time I will prepare the plain risotto early and then add the mushrooms (or other flavour) just before serving. 

These little pods were so yummy, I was terrified when I made them though. It was something to do with making something in a mould or pot and hoping that they remain in shape when you tap them out. It leads to nightmares of industrial sized amounts of Pannecotta falling from upturned pods and pouring everywhere having not set at all and the inevitable drowning in your own pudding. Anyway, as you can see they were perfectly formed and very yummy. The raspberry sugar sauce I made could have been thicker though, if I hadn't have spilt some of it which forced me to add more water and thus thinning it. Woe is me.

Healthy Leftovers

Indulgence At It's Best

Menu

Lasagne, green beans and a light green salad with parmesan cheese

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Rich chocolate fondue with strawberries, bananas and marshmallows to dip 

My house mate Anna turned 21 last week and to celebrate I cooked her a simple and fun two course meal. I absolutely love lasagne and whenever I want to make something big, that takes very little time I always turn to this dish. The chocolate fondue was the perfect desert for what turned out to be a rather indulgent dinner. As there wasn't a starter we began the night with some drinks and crisps and I was able to spend time with everyone as lasagne doesn't demand much attention. It was a lovely, chilled night which I think Anna really enjoyed, she's such a great person to cook for anyway being such a foodie. 

My oven at university isn't the best, not that a good workman blames his tools, but it caused issues with the last lasagne I made, it was too crispy and not creamy enough. So I rang my mum, of course, and she let me in on her new and improved way of doing it. It was, funnily enough, to add more cream. So when pouring the ricotta and nutmeg mixture over the layers throw in a bit of single cream too and this will loosen it up. I also protected the lasagne with some tin foil before I put it in the oven, it sounds obvious but when the oven isn't very good it is important to prevent burning. The lasagne turned out to be the best one I'd made, it was soft and flavoured but with the all important cheesy crunch on the top layer. 

The chocolate fondue was glorious! It was so delicious and naughty; literally just melted Green&Blacks chocolate but the fruit added a lighter texture to it. On my way back from Germany this Christmas I flew out of Zurich in Switzerland and had time to kill in the airport which ended in me buying this cute fondue set. I really couldn't resist and just knew everybody would love it. Don't worry it will make another appearance...probably in two weeks time at the Valentines Special so keep your eyes peeled!

The Missing Tart

Menu

Squid & chorizo on a bed of rocket, home-made harissa and a slice of lime

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Boeuf Bourguignon with fried bread, celeriac mash & glazed beans

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Raspberry tart served with vanilla ice cream 

Welcome to my blog, its first post and the very small living room where all my dinner parties will be held. My guests arrived at 8pm having had a few drinks at The Garden House down the road and settled down at the small coffee table. Poor Jack and Will had to perch on the sofa thanks to their long legs, but the rest of us were comfortable tucking ours under the coffee table and none of us wanted to leave when I served up the meal.

I began the meal with fresh squid bought from Norwich market in the afternoon, flash fried and curled up onto the bed of rocket. The slice of lime really added a light zest and the home-made harissa gave a spicy kick to  fairly tame flavours. I find you can always tell by the colours on your plate what kind of meal it's going to be and perhaps what it is lacking. The red of the harissa makes everything a bit more exciting. 

                                                  

I'd made the home-made harissa a week earlier to the dinner party with my mum who has never taught me how to cook but who I have watched in the kitchen my entire life and have picked up all my skill and knowledge from. Now we cook together, not as pupil and teacher but in a partnership, enjoying each other's company and workmanship. 

The beef stew was such a pleasure to make, I really enjoy taking my time over a dish because, usually, the more time you allow your ingredients to have the more flavour they will produce. So having cooked the stew for two hours on Thursday, I cooked it again for another 45minutes before serving and added a cheeky dash more of red wine. The fried bread was spot on to bring some crunch to an otherwise soft and rich meal.

This was the only photographic evidence left of the desert. Oops. For the Raspberry Tart I used a pre-made pastry all the way from Italy! However, it let me down and ended up being far too thin, it still tasted delicious but the structure of the tart was a bit of a flop. Next time I will definitely make my own shortcrust pastry, thick enough to 'trellis' across the top of the tart (criss-cross the pastry).  Served warm next to cold ice cream and whipped cream is always the way to go with a desert like this. 

Overall the night went fantastically, I had such a wonderful time producing dishes that I had never cooked before but with my confidence was able to pull off. I could not have done this without friendly supportive faces though, as a young chef I need to begin with my fans and I will tackle strangers later! I believe that food makes or breaks an evening and I think I may have made this one. 

Chess X

Click here to see the recipes.