Letters on Lunches

Masterchef Finale

I’ve always been a Masterchef fan but I think it really took a hold on more people this year than ever before. The three finalists proved worthy adversaries but it really came down to two, Emily & James. James, the barrister who gave up life in chambers for a life behind swinging doors and Emily, well, what can one say about Emily? Show me one Michelin starred chef that was cooking with Emily’s creativity & ingenuity at age 18 and I’ll be very surprised. Such was her talent, tough as nails John Torrode (affectionately referred to as ‘Toad’ on the BBC message-boards) was moved to tears by one of her creations. Now, I confess that I missed most of the final episode as I was visiting a friend in Cork and we were booked in for dinner at 8.30 so just got to see them cooking their first dish, but on the Friday night that followed, it seemed as though most of my friends & family had been hooked early on and some even cried when the final result was announced. Even my own father, whose interests don’t stray much from Six One, Channel 4 News, Prime Time and Panorama was thoroughly gripped.

            James was eventually crowned the winner which, I think, was the right decision. He proved versatile, a natural leader, creative, skilful, knowledgeable and an all round nice guy to boot – remember Jonny’s hissy fit when Emily wanted to call her guacamole ‘deconstructed’- what on earth was that about? James’ father advised him at age 18 to make use of his brains first and look to cooking second – sound advise and I reckon that when the graduation bell tolls at Oxford for Emily, Michelin starred chefs from around the globe will be calling on her to have the honour of training the next big thing.

            I was thinking about some of Emily’s dishes over the weekend, most I wouldn’t be able to re-create myself but a rhubarb soup from the earlier heats grabbed my attention. Now, I’m not a big fan of fruit soups but I do like fruit jelly and thought of making rhubarb jelly & custard. It came out well but alas, I used powdered gelatine (my first time) and the texture was not as soft as I would have liked, I’d advise using gelatine leaves which are much nicer to work with and yield a more palatable result. Veggies could substitute agar but I’ve never worked with this so not quite sure – drop me a line if you think it would work. So here goes….

Rhubarb Jelly & Custard

Serves 2

What You Need

1lb rhubarb cut into chunks

1 litre water

2 Tbsp caster sugar (or more depending on your taste, I like it sour)

Gelatine per instructions on pack

250ml milk

½ pint cream

3 Tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 egg yolks

What You Do

·        Place rhubarb, water & 2 Tbsp of sugar in a pan, bring to the boil & cook for about 10 minutes until the rhubarb is fully cooked & broken down.

·        Strain the liquid through a sieve and combine with the gelatine per the instructions on the pack. Pour into serving glasses and transfer to the fridge overnight.

·        For the custard, heat the milk, cream, vanilla and 2Tbsp sugar in a pan until almost boiling and take off the heat to sit for a few minutes. Add the remaining sugar to the egg yolks & beat until pale and doubled in volume.

·        Add a ladle of the hot milk mix to the egg and mix thoroughly. Beat in the rest of the liquid, return to the pan and replace on a low heat for a few minutes, stirring continuously until the custard thickens and coats the back of a spoon.

·        Allow the custard to cool fully before adding to the jelly and serve with some biscuits. I used Garam Masala Cookies from Green Saffron but they may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

P.S. Many congratulations go out to Italian Foodies, The Limerick Blogger and Ice Cream Ireland as well as all the other winners who cleaned up at Saturday’s blog awards!

Quick Post on Pancakes

Tomorrow's pancake Tuesday and I'm planning on a bit of a pancake party. When you're single, it's not a good idea to make a big batch of pancake batter for yourself.... Very bad idea!!! Anyway, I've a few friends calling around and they're going to bring some fillings (i'll let them know in advance - nutella, ice-cream, maltesers, lemons and I already have plenty of jam & sugar). I'll cook the pancakes in advance and keep them warm in the oven between sheets of greaseproof paper (they keep really well, just make sure it's not for too long & the temp is nice & low). Here's a lovely recipe that'll make 6/8 crepes.

Pancake Tuesday Party Crepes

What You Need

6oz flour

2 large eggs plus 1 extra egg yolk

a pinch of salt

3/4 pint of milk

1-2 Tbsp of melted butter

an 11inch crepe pan /non stick pan

What You Do

• Seive the flour & salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre and beat in the lightly beaten egg mix.
• Add the milk bit by bit and mix well (I pour it into the liquidizer for a minute once all the milk is added).
• Put the mix into the fridge for at least an hour to rest and add the melted butter before using (adds a richness and also helps prevent the pancakes from sticking).
• Heat your pan and pour a small ladle of batter into the pan; when the mix begins to come away from the sides and set on top, flip using a fish slice.
• Repeat until the batter is completely used up and serve how you like it. I love the traditional sprinkling of caster sugar with a good squeeze of lemon... Yum!

These crepes freeze well (just make sure you separate them with greaseproof paper) and keep well for a few days in the fridge so don't be afraid of making too many, they won't go to waste ;o)

Choux for the Kids...

… And for the adults also!

I was in the Bean an Ti café a few weeks for a coffee and noticed a chocolate & strawberry choux ring. Having never made choux pastry before, I decided it was about time I tried and what would be nicer to make than a chocolate & strawberry choux ring? Now I know strawberries aren’t in season and everyone says they have to travel thousands of miles to get here in the Winter and completely lose their flavour by the time they do, but I beg to differ! I called into my local supermarket last night and spotted strawberries from Holland. They weren’t of the variety sold by the sides of the road in this country in Summer time but they did pack a bit of punch and weren’t those big fat strawberries that look so appealing but leave you feeling cheated afterwards as the flavour is so lacklustre. Just try and be mindful about where the stuff is coming from & always choose the variety that's closest to home!

            I normally don’t mind trying out new recipes but choux has always been a bit of a mystery so I studied the recipe in Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe Cookery Course and decided to give that a go; I won’t say I was cocky but I definitely didn’t treat it with the respect it deserved so the first batch wound up an eggy mess in the bottom of the bin. Just so you know, before adding in the first egg, make sure the pan has cooled down to a point where you can comfortably touch your hand against the side. Fail to do so at your peril!       

            

Choux Ring

with chocolate & strawberries

Serves 2 very greedy people or 6 normal people

What You Need

5oz strong white flour

8 fl oz water

4 oz butter in chunks

Pinch of salt

5 eggs

A large carton of whipped cream (not the stuff from a can)

300g strawberries or raspberries

250g of dark chocolate

What You Do

• Lightly beat one of the eggs & leave it to the side
• Sift the flour and salt on to a plate
• Add water and butter to a sauce pan, heat and bring to a rolling boil, making sure the butter melts completely
• Immediately, when the water comes to the boil, take it off the heat and add the flour. Mix well with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together in a ball and put the pan on the heat again for about 30 seconds until it furs the bottom of the pan (I said furs not burns – it’s like a skin on the bottom of the pan)
• Remove from the heat and allow the pan to cool until you can touch the sides
• Pre heat the oven to 220C
• Add the eggs one at a time to the dough, mix thoroughly and don’t add the next until the last is fully incorporated into the mixture
• Add the beaten egg a little at a time until the mixture is glossy but still thick, you may not need it all and if you add too much the pastry will become too wet & won’t hold it’s shape so be very light-handed at this stage
• Fill your piping bag with the mixture and pipe a ring on to a large baking tray covered with greaseproof paper (I got a ring & 5 large éclairs out of this quantity)
• Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200C and cook for a further 25 minutes. Then cut a hole in the sides of each pastry to let the steam out and cook for a further 5 minutes.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool and once cool, assemble by filling with cream & strawberries and pouring melted chocolate on the top