Orange whisky cakes

Today I'm back to what I know best - proper cake! 

I offered to make a fruit cake for my parents and thought that it made more sense to make loads of small cakes for them instead of a normal sized one - the mixture seems to go so much further this way!

The recipe starts by telling you to put 6oz of sultanas in a bowl with orange zest, the juice of half an orange and 3 tbs of whisky, and leave it to stand overnight.  Unfortunately I always decide I want to make this cake at the last minute, rarely have oranges at my disposal and can't wait more than an hour for the soaking.  The result is usually a perfectly good fruit cake.

This time I thought ahead and followed the recipe to the T... well, almost - I didn't have enough self-raising so I had to make up the 4 oz with plain, adding a little baking powder.

The finished result, pictured here, are absolutely delicious - the best I've ever achieved (something to do with following the recipe I suspect!).

Will have to refrain from eating them all before next seeing my parents!

Marbled muffins

This morning I asked myself a question: What is the difference between a muffin and a small cake?  Is it the same mixture poured into different sized cases?  

Unable to come up with a satisfactory answer, I did what I always do and consulted the trusty world wide web.

I found I was not alone, as many people were also curious about this distinction, and here's what I discovered: A muffin can be made with a heavier flour such as a bread flour and oil is usually used instead of butter; the consistency is therefore a little heavier and 'breadier' than that of a cup/fairy cake.

As I had decided that I wanted to make a marble cake today (my son Blaise made one last week for his flatmate's  birthday and it inspired me), I thought I'd combine the two ideas and make chocolate marbled muffins.

I consulted several different recipes until I found one I quite liked (using plain flour and ground almonds) and got to work.

The result was unfortunately quite disappointing: They're not just 'bready' but pretty stodgy - the first batch weren't marbled enough and the second (pictured) a little over-mixed.  They're ok, but are greatly improved when smothered with chocolate spread! Pity.

Homemade pasta - it's so worth it!

I hadn't used my Imperia pasta maker for at least 6 years and very nearly got rid of it when we moved in 2010 - thank goodness I didn't!

I was contemplating a cabbagy take on bolognese a couple of nights ago when I suddenly decided it was time Jim tasted my fresh pasta.  To get him excited about the project I suggested he take photographs of me making it - I like it when we do things together!

20 minutes later the kitchen looked like a photographic studio and we were ready. 

RECIPE: I made the pasta with 300g of organic plain flour, 2 whole eggs and 1 yolk, and enough warm water to reach the right consistency.  I also mixed in a good helping of dry chilli flakes, salt and black pepper.

The dough only takes a few minutes to mix up, then you leave it to stand for about an hour before putting it through the machine (which is great fun).

I decided on tagliatelle - my personal favourite.

Luckily I hadn't got rid of my pasta tree either!

I had forgotten how wonderful homemade pasta tastes.  

Even though I enjoy good quality packet stuff, nothing really compares to the truly fresh variety.  It was incredibly light and very tasty; a perfect accompaniment to my spicy cabbage and beef bolognese!  

If you love pasta, the Imperia machine is a truly worthwhile investment (but don't forget the tree!). Check it out at Imperia.

Next time I'm going to have a go at ravioli - never attempted it before...

Aubergine at the Compleat Angler, Marlow, Bucks.

For various reasons (mainly financial!) we don't get the chance to eat in really good establishments as often as I'd like.

Before Christmas however, we were lucky enough to dine at Aubergine at the Compleat Angler in Marlow.

The Compleat Angler itself is a beautiful hotel situated right on the thames with a wonderful terrace which is a delight in the summer. 

You have a choice of restaurants and we opted for Aubergine with a fixed menu of £50 per head for 3 courses + amuses bouche.

Our meal was fabulous - nouvelle cuisine in appearance but with perfectly sized portions, so you left the table feeling you could probably eat a tiny bit more (which means that 20 minutes after you've finished you'll realise that you are perfectly full).

The service was just as you would expect it to be - attentive without being intrusive.

A truly wonderful experience. 

I would now very much like to try the London restaurant to compare.

Raymond Blanc's tarte tatin dish

My mother bought me one of these for my birthday from Lakeland.  It was quite expensive (£39 for the small version) and I couldn't really see how it could be worth it.
However, it's actually really useful.  The larger plate-like base can be used as a serving platter while the upper bit is flame proof and can be used to cook loads of different things as well as making delicious tatin (sweet or savoury) really easy.  Dinner party guests are always very impressed!

Sticky toffee pudding

The hardest thing about making this delicious pudding is the preparation of the dates which have to be chopped into little pieces - they're so sticky it takes ages, even if you flour them as the recipe suggests.

The photo is of Sharrow Bay, the hotel where the recipe is said to originate.  This destination is a gastronomic must as not only is the food fabulous, but the setting in the Lake District makes it truly magical.

The only thing I change when preparing this dessert is the quantity of toffee sauce I make - I either double or even trebble it so that the pudding is well swamped! 

Next time I make it I will be sure to add a photo.

Divans Restaurant - 163 Ballards Lane N3

Absolutely delicious and very reasonably priced Turkish food to eat in or take away.

Their doner kebabs are really good; Jim and I always share one between us as they're so big. (just make sure you ask for it in a wrap rather than a pitta bread)

Michel Roux: Service (and Masterchef)

While we often dined at the Waterside Inn in Bray, I ate at the Gavroche only once with my parents, in my late teens.  It was my mother's birthday and the one thing that sticks in my mind about that occasion was that she ordered a Negroni in the bar upstairs (equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and campari).  They served her a double and by the time our table was ready and we had to go downstairs she was quite tipsy!

Michel Roux has done a wonderful thing with his Service on the BBC.

My French ex-husband was a restaurant manager who had trained as such in France with a proper recognised qualification. He was a master at his trade which is still the love of his life. 

Our chef friends never quite understood the importance of Front of House; they arogantly didn't believe that you would come back to a restaurant where the food was average if the service was special, but not the other way around - there are just too many good restaurants to choose from.

I got very annoyed with the Guardian journalist John Crace's review of the programme - it is precisely because of people like him that poor/mediocre service is the norm in England - and from his confusion between Michel Roux Jr, Sr and Raymond Blanc I wonder why he was writing an article relating to gastronomy in the first place.

His criticism of the show being that Michel was too nice and this doesn't make for good reality TV is simply ridiculous.  When the programme concluded, from the Tweets I read, there wasn't a dry eye anywhere amongst the viewers. It was precisely Michel's gentle, patient handling of the youngsters that made the show stand out as an enthralling, as well as educational, piece of reality television.

Having said that, my eldest son, currently 2 years into his law degree, was so inspired by the show he is wondering if this would not be a more suitable career - my only advice is please get your degree first and then you can do whatever you like!

And now Masterchef - the X-Factor version.  They obviously did listen to Mr Crace!  Masterchef was a great show, focusing on food and people's passion for it - let's hope that once these preliminary's are over, it will settle back down into the show we know and love.