The Arts of Tarts: Crab and Watercress Tarts

By LORNA BRASH

Quick and easy, sweet or savoury - how to be a queen of tarts...

Crab and Watercress Tart: A perfect snack or light lunch
Serves 6


INGREDIENTS
165g (5¾oz) plain flour
150g (5½oz) butter
Pinch of salt
2 medium eggs
100ml (3½fl oz) whole milk
4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
Small handful fresh watercress, roughly chopped
125g (4½oz) fresh white crab meat
25g (1oz) finely grated Parmesan cheese
100ml (3½fl oz) double cream


METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas mark 6. Place 150g (5½oz) of the flour, 85g (3oz) butter and salt into a food processor and whizz to form fine breadcrumbs. Tip into a bowl.

Separate one egg and set the white aside. Add the yolk and 2-3tbsp cold water to the mixture in the bowl. Stir until it forms a ball. Roll out on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 33cm x 10cm (13in x 4in) loose-bottomed fluted tart tin.

Chill for 20-30 minutes. Bake blind for 20 minutes. Brush the inside of the pastry case with the egg white.

Bake for 5 minutes. Melt the remaining butter, stir in the remaining flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the milk and simmer until thickened.

Remove from the heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients including the last egg. Season, pour into the tin and bake for 30 minutes. Garnish with watercress.

source: dailymail

Read More

Delia Smith's totally different Christmas recipes: Christmas coleslaw

By DELIA SMITH

4-star Slaw: This festive coleslaw can be made well ahead of Christmas day


This is our favourite coleslaw, which we have improved from a recipe called 4-Star Slaw in the first book.

If you mix the cabbage, celeriac and carrots with a little salt and lemon juice overnight it draws the excess liquid out of the vegetables, which means the finished salad keeps much longer, so you can make it well ahead.


SERVES 8-10

INGREDIENTS
225g (8oz) celeriac, peeled and coarsely grated
225g (8oz) carrots, peeled and grated
225g (8oz) white cabbage, finely shredded
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 spring onions (including the green parts), finely chopped
Poppy seeds, to garnish
For the dressing
150ml (5fl oz) soured cream
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon mustard powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt flakes
Seasoning


METHOD
The night before, place the prepared celeriac, carrots and cabbage in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 rounded teaspoon of salt. Toss them around, then cover the bowl and chill overnight.

Next day drain the vegetables in a colander, place a clean tea towel over them and press well to get all the liquid out.

To make the dressing, combine the soured cream with the garlic, mayonnaise, yoghurt and mustard powder. Then mix together the oil, vinegar and lemon juice and gradually whisk these into the soured cream mixture. Taste and season as required.

Then, to prepare the salad, simply put the vegetables in a bowl, pour over the dressing and toss with forks to mix thoroughly.

Taste to see if it needs more seasoning, then cover and chill. Just before serving, toss the slaw again and sprinkle with the poppy seeds.

Extracted from Delia's Happy Christmas by Delia Smith, published by Ebury at £25. © 2009. To order a copy for £18.99 (p&p free), call 0845 155 0720. For more recipes, visit www.deliaonline.com


source: dailymail

Read More

Delia Smith's ultimate Christmas dinner recipes: Traditional bread sauce

By DELIA SMITH


Your Christmas turkey should be served with all the trimmings. This bread sauce is the real deal.

The real deal: Traditional bread sauce flavoured with cloves and bay leaves

SERVES 8

INGREDIENTS
110g (4oz) freshly made white breadcrumbs
15-18 whole cloves or a whole nutmeg
1 large onion
1 bay leaf
8 black peppercorns
570ml (1pt) Channel Island or whole milk
50g (1¾oz) butter
2 tablespoons double cream
Seasoning


METHOD
Cut the onion in half and stick the cloves in it (how many you use is a personal matter - I happen to like a pronounced flavour of cloves). If you don't like them at all, you can use some freshly grated nutmeg instead.

Place the onion studded with cloves, plus the bay leaf and the peppercorns, in a saucepan with the milk. Add some salt, then bring everything up to boiling point.
Take off the heat, cover the pan and leave in a warm place for the milk to infuse for 2 hours or more (see 11.45am in the turkey recipe below).

Extracted from Delia's Happy Christmas by Delia Smith, published by Ebury at £25. © 2009. To order a copy for £18.99 (p&p free), call 0845 155 0720. For more recipes, visit www. deliaonline.com

source: dailymail

Read More

Delia Smith's ultimate Christmas dinner recipes: Blinis with smoked salmon and salmon caviar

By DELIA SMITH


Whet your guests' appetites with these prettiest of canapés.

Pretty festive: These blinis with smoked salmon taste as good as they look

Makes 16

INGREDIENTS
1 x 135g pack of 16 cocktail blinis
140g (5oz) sliced smoked salmon
2 rounded tablespoons crème fraîche
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 x 50g jar salmon caviar
A pinch of cayenne pepper
A few sprigs fresh dill

METHOD
Preheat the grill to high for 10 minutes. Melt the butter and brush the blinis lightly with butter on both sides, then arrange them on a baking tray.

When the grill's hot, place them about 10cm from the heat and time them for about 1½ minutes before flipping them over and giving them another 1½ minutes to get them a little more golden and slightly toasted.

While they're cooling, divide the smoked salmon into sixteen pieces. Then divide them between the blinis, folding them to fit neatly.

Place a spoonful of crème fraîche on top of the smoked salmon, then spoon the caviar on top of that, dividing it as evenly as you can.

Finish off with a dusting of cayenne on each one, along with a sprig of dill. if you are making these in advance, cover and chill and put the dill on just before serving.

source :dailymail

Read More

Delia Smith's ultimate Christmas dinner recipes: Blinis with smoked salmon and salmon caviar

By DELIA SMITH


Whet your guests' appetites with these prettiest of canapés.

Pretty festive: These blinis with smoked salmon taste as good as they look

Makes 16

INGREDIENTS
1 x 135g pack of 16 cocktail blinis
140g (5oz) sliced smoked salmon
2 rounded tablespoons crème fraîche
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 x 50g jar salmon caviar
A pinch of cayenne pepper
A few sprigs fresh dill

METHOD
Preheat the grill to high for 10 minutes. Melt the butter and brush the blinis lightly with butter on both sides, then arrange them on a baking tray.

When the grill's hot, place them about 10cm from the heat and time them for about 1½ minutes before flipping them over and giving them another 1½ minutes to get them a little more golden and slightly toasted.

While they're cooling, divide the smoked salmon into sixteen pieces. Then divide them between the blinis, folding them to fit neatly.

Place a spoonful of crème fraîche on top of the smoked salmon, then spoon the caviar on top of that, dividing it as evenly as you can.

Finish off with a dusting of cayenne on each one, along with a sprig of dill. if you are making these in advance, cover and chill and put the dill on just before serving.

source :dailymail

Read More

Delia Smith's Christmas recipes: Traditional mince pies

By DELIA SMITH


Traditional family recipe: I will always cherish fond memories of my mother's cooling trays piled high with mince pies

I will always cherish fond memories of my mother's and my grandmother's cooling trays piled high with freshly baked mince pies on Christmas Eve, ready to be packed into tins and brought out whenever friends popped in for Christmas drinks. The following is the traditional family recipe.

Makes 24

INGREDIENTS
560g (1lb 4½oz) mincemeat
350g (12oz) plain flour
a pinch of salt
75g (2 3/4 oz) lard
75g (2 3/4 oz) butter

FOR THE TOP
icing sugar
a little milk

YOU WILL NEED: One (or two) trays of 6cm (2½in) patty tins, one fluted 7.5cm (3in) pastry cutter and one 6cm (2½in) cutter.


METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Make up the pastry by sifting the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and rubbing the fats into it until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Then add just enough cold water to mix to a dough that leaves the bowl clean. leave the pastry to rest in a polythene bag in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, then roll half of it out as thinly as possible and cut it into two dozen 7.5cm (3in) rounds, gathering up the scraps and re-rolling.

Then do the same with the other half of the pastry, this time using the 6cm (2½in) cutter. now grease the patty tins lightly and line them with the larger rounds.

Fill these with three snips in the tops with a pair of scissors. Bake near the top of the oven for 25-30 minutes until light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and sprinkle with icing sugar. When cool, store in an airtight container.

Extracted from Delia's Happy Christmas by Delia Smith, published by Ebury at £25. Copyright 2009. To order a copy for £20.99 (p&p free), call 0845 155 0720. For more recipes, visit www.deliaonline.com


source: dailymail

Read More

Recipe: Rose and pistachio pannaco

By SUNIL VIJAYAKAR

A twist on a classic, the combination of rose and pistachio is a real favourite on the Indian subcontinent.


Heavy petal: Rose and pistachio pannacotta with rosewater syrup

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS
100ml (3½fl oz) condensed milk
400ml (14fl oz) cream
5tbsp caster sugar
100g (3½oz) good-quality white chocolate, broken into little pieces
2tbsp rosewater
2tbsp finely ground pistachios
3 sheets leaf gelatine
Unsprayed rose petals and chopped pistachios, to garnish
For the rosewater syrup
125g (4½oz) caster sugar
2tbsp rosewater
2-3 drops pink food colouring

METHOD
Dissolve the condensed milk, cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate.

Add the rosewater and ground pistachios. Soak the gelatine in cold water for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water, then add to the cream mixture.

Strain and set aside to cool before pouring into 4 x 150ml (5fl oz) individual moulds. Chill for at least 4 hours. To make the syrup, put the sugar and 125ml (4fl oz) water in a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and add the rosewater.

Simmer for 10 minutes until thickened, then add the food colouring. Set aside to cool.

To serve, dip the base of each mould in warm water and turn out on to serving plates. Drizzle with the syrup and garnish with rose petals.


source: dailymail

Read More

Recipe: Mango and custard fools

By SUNIL VIJAYAKAR

This light, creamy dessert is full of exotic flavours, and is so easy to prepare.


Mango with a twist: Serve your creamy custard dessert in Moroccan-style tea glasses for an exotic look


SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS
4 firm, ripe, sweet mangoes
200ml (7fl oz) mango purée
50g (1¾oz) caster sugar
150ml (5fl oz) double cream
¼tsp crushed cardamom seeds
200ml (7fl oz) fresh custard

METHOD
Peel, stone and cut the mango flesh into bite-sized cubes. Place ¾ of the mango in a blender with the mango purée and sugar. Blend until smooth.

Lightly whisk the cream and cardamom seeds until softly peaked and stir in the custard.

Gently fold in the purée to give a rippled effect and divide the mixture between 4 serving glasses.

Chill for an hour then decorate with the remaining mango cubes to serve.

source :dailymail

Read More

Merry citrus! Heston's orange Christmas pud flies off the shelves

By TAMARA COHEN

The £13.99 pudding, which contains a candied orange in the centre can be cooked in the microwave


Christmas dinner is usually a time for tradition.

But when tucking in to the turkey, stuffing and pud this year, you may need to prepare yourself for an unusual surprise.

The must-have culinary craze this year is Heston Blumenthal’s Hidden Orange Christmas Pudding, priced at £13.99, which has been flying off the shelves.

Heston Blumenthal is famed for unusual culinary concoctions - including snail porridge and bacon and eggs ice cream


As the name suggests, it looks like the puddings we are all used to, but cut it open to reveal a whole candied orange inside.

It is unclear why the unusual idea, from the celebrity chef famed creations such as snail porrige and bacon and eggs ice cream, has been such a hit.

Waitrose has declared it is almost out of them and the product is no longer available on the supermarket’s website.

In an advert for his creation, the chef claims: ‘The candied orange in the middle of this incredibly moist Christmas pudding makes it very special. As it cooks, the essential oils from the orange peel infuse the nuts and fruit from the inside out producing a wonderfully aromatic Christmas pudding.’

It serves ten to 12 people and discussion on internet forums about who is planning to serve it to their family is at fever pitch, although it would appear it is having the ‘Marmite effect’ with people either loving or hating the idea.

One fan wrote: ‘It is unusually light and interesting. It’s moist, there’s a high fruit-and-nut-to-breadcrumb-bulk ratio, and the orange oils counterpoint the booze.’

The orange pudding is part of a range of off-beat dishes Heston Blumenthal has created as a ‘food ambassador’ for Waitrose including vanilla mayonnaise and ponzu salad dressing.

Unlike most of his creations, the pudding is easy to prepare in the microwave.
Heston’s own perfect Christmas dinner is much more complicated, on a television show in 2007 he created a three course meal for friends, consisting of goose with vapourised chestnuts, hot ice cream and a dish made from gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Other bizarre Christmas crazes following endorsement by popular celebrity chefs, include goose fat which was in demand in 2006 after it was given the thumbs up by Nigella Lawson.


source :dailymail

Read More

Recipe: Tandoori king prawn skewers

By SUNIL VIJAYAKAR

Indian food isn't just about curry. King prawns are meaty enough to handle this punchy tandoori marinade.


Punchy flavours: King prawns are a perfect partner for spicy seasoning


SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

600g (1lb 5oz) large shell-on raw king prawns
3tbsp tandoori spice powder
6tbsp natural yoghurt
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


METHOD

Place the prawns in a bowl. Mix together the tandoori spice powder, yoghurt and lime juice. Season well and marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Remove the prawns from the marinade, thread each one on to a metal skewer then place them on a grill rack. Cook under a medium heat for 6-8 minutes, turning once, or until all the prawns have turned pink and are properly cooked through.

Serve immediately with a yoghurt dip mixed with fresh mint and coriander, with lemon wedges to squeeze over the prawns.

source: dailymail

Read More

Recipe: Lime and coriander fish

By SUNIL VIJAYAKAR


Impressive presentation: Serve your lime and coriander fish in banana leaves


This dish looks amazing cooked and served in its banana leaf wrap - and it tastes even better.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

4 thick halibut or cod fillets, about 200g (7oz) each, skinned
Fresh banana leaves to serve (from Asian grocers), or use lightly oiled squares of foil
2tsp ground cumin
2tsp ground coriander
1½tsp golden caster sugar
150g (5½oz) freshly grated coconut
2 fresh red chillies, deseeded and chopped
8-10tbsp chopped coriander leaves
4tbsp chopped mint leaves
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1tsp peeled and finely grated root ginger
3tbsp vegetable oil
Juice of 2 limes


METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas 6. Cut the banana leaves into four 24cm (9½in) squares, and soften them by dipping into a pan of very hot water for a few seconds, then dry with kitchen paper.

Grind into a paste the cumin, ground coriander, sugar, coconut, chillies, fresh coriander, mint, garlic, ginger and oil, with a pinch of salt.

Apply the paste liberally to both sides of the fish and drizzle with lime juice. Place a piece of fish on each leaf and wrap, securing with bamboo skewers or string.

Place on a baking sheet, and cook for 15 - 20 minutes.

source: dailymail

Read More

Indian made easy!

By SUNIL VIJAYAKAR

Aromatic: There's nothing like the smell of curry spices in your own kitchen


Many people are petrified by the prospect of tackling Indian cooking, but once you understand the basic ingredients you're well on your way to creating wonderful food.

The essence lies in the vast array of herbs and spices that produce aromatic flavours. I've created a mix of medium to hot dishes here, but you can always cool them down with cucumber, mint or yoghurt dips.

Most of us have a local Indian restaurant, but there's nothing quite like the smell of warm curry spices in your own kitchen.

Basic curry sauce recipe

This is a versatile sauce that can be transformed into three different curries: creamy vegetable korma, beef Madras and coconut fish curry.

SERVES 4

METHOD

Blend the onion, garlic and ginger to a smooth paste in a food processor, adding a little water if required.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the ground spices, the fennel seeds, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Stir-fry for 1 minute, then add the paste. Fry for 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Add the tomato purée and salt and pour in 700ml (1¼pt) water.

Simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened.

For creamy vegetable korma Stir-fry 500g (1lb 2oz) chopped vegetables of your choice and add the curry sauce with 300ml (½pt) single cream. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

For beef Madras Stir-fry 500g (1lb 2oz) diced beef with 1 chopped red chilli, for 4-5 minutes. Add the curry sauce with 300ml (½pt) beef stock and 2 roughly chopped potatoes and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cook for 25-30 minutes or until the beef is tender.

For coconut fish curry Put the curry sauce in a saucepan with 400ml (14fl oz) coconut milk. Bring to the boil and add 4 large white fish fillets. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes until the fish is cooked. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and serve.

source :dailymail

Read More