Spinach and parmesan souffle

Tags

eggs, parmesan, souffle., spinach

Most people are terrified of making a soufflé but really it is extremely easy to do and the more times you make them, the easier they become. They are a great way of using up pieces of leftover hard cheeses that you may have lurking in the back of your fridge. They also make a delicious light lunch and never fails to impress.

 

50g     butter plus a little extra for buttering the mould

40       plain flour

285ml/half pint boiling milk

4         egg yolks plus 5 egg whites

85g     parmesan plus a little extra for the mould

1tsp    dijon mustard

150g   cooked spinach squeezed to remove excess liquid

Preheat oven to 200oc or gas mark 6

Grease a 2.5 pint soufflé mould or 4 large individual ramekins with a little butter then sprinkle in a little parmesan till all the sides are coated.

Make a white sauce by heating the butter and flour in a pan cook for 2 minutes then pour in the boiling milk. Stir well to form a smooth sauce before adding the cheese,mustard and spinach .Season with salt and pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Cool slightly and then beat in the egg yolks.

Beat the egg whites  with a pinch of salt till stiff then using a large metal spoon carefully fold a spoonful of the egg whites into the cheese sauce. Mix well before folding in the remaining egg whites taking care not to over mix it (and knock out the air). Place the soufflé mixture into the prepared mould and smooth over the top.Put on the middle shelf and immediately turn the oven down to 190oc . Cook for 25-30 minutes for a large soufflé or 12-15 minutes for the individual ones.

Serve immediately                                                                                  Serves 4

 

 

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Apple and nut crumble with salted caramel sauce.

Tags

almonds, Apples, crumble, hazelnuts, pecans, salted caramel., walnuts

 

My french mother in law first gave me this recipe for apple crumble over twenty years ago. she used breadcrumbs instead of the traditional English method of flour butter and sugar. The breadcrumbs give the crumble a much lighter and crunchier topping. AlsoI have added nuts and a salted caramel sauce to make this a truly scrumptious pudding.

6/8 slices of white bread (preferably slightly stale)

125g chilled butter cut into small cubes

120g sugar

100g nuts (i.e. almonds,hazelnuts,walnuts or pecans)

Using a food processor whizz together  bread till they form crumbs. Add the  chilled butter,sugar and nuts and blitz again till they are mixed well then set aside.

To make the apple crumble

Take a shallow dish (about 30cm x 18cm ).Peel,core and chop 6 dessert  apples into small pieces and place in a the shallow dish.Sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of sugar and then top with the crumble mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 180oc for 25 -30 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve with the salted caramel sauce and ice cream.

The apple crumble will keep well for 3-4 days. just reheat it in oven .The sauce will keep for at least a week in the fridge and is totally yummy poured over ice cream.

Serves 6-8

Salted Caramel sauce

80g  butter                                                                                                                                    100ml double cream                                                                                                                 125g dark brown sugar                                                                                                                        A large pinch of sea salt

Heat the butter, cream and sugar. Bring to the boil and cook for 3-4 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce has thickened slightly (it want to coat the back of a spoon). Add the salt and keep warm.

The sauce will keep for at least a week in the fridge and is totally yummy poured over ice cream.

 

 

 

 

Green minestrone with fresh pesto

Tags

basil, green vegetables, Minestrone, pesto

With autumn already here and winter quickly approaching. Its really nice to have a warm comforting bowl of soup to get you through those cold winter days. Whats so special about this soup is the addition of the fresh pesto  which lifts the soup up quite a new level of deliciousness! Its also very quick and cheap to make too. You can vary it by adding whatever green vegetables you have lurking around in the fridge.

 

1     onion peeled and finely diced                                                                                                                                                                                         4     sticks celery finely chopped                                                                                                          1     large carrot peeled and finely chopped

1     courgette diced

1     handful french beans                                                                                 3     cloves garlic peeled and chopped                                                                                                       1     cup of frozen peas                                                                                                                                1  ltr of chicken or vegetable stock

For the pesto: Blitz together a handful of basil, with 1 clove of garlic and 1/4 cup olive oil. Add the 40g grated parmesan, season and reserve.

To make the soup.Sweat the carrot,onion and celery  in a pan with a little olive oil for 5 minutes then add the courgette and garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Pour over the stock and bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add the peas  and beans and cook for another 5 minutes. remove from the heat season. Pour into bowls add a spoonful of the pesto and serve with crusty bread.                                                      Serves 4

Cooks note: you can alter the vegetables according to the season.

 

Change of Blog Name

Tags

ordinary!

I am changing my blog title to “Every day fabulous food”. As from today. I hope that you will continue to follow me as I have many more new recipes to post!

Sautéed wild mushrooms with grilled polenta

Tags

chanterelle, polenta, wild mushrooms. porcini

I was staying with friends in Italy this week and whilst shopping for shoes we spotted a van parked by the side of the road selling nothing but porcini mushrooms.There were crates of them. Shoes were immediately forgotten and we got down to the serious business of mushroom picking which was far more enjoyable!

Now back in the UK I haven’t come across any porcini vans but now is the season for girolle and chanterelle and if your lucky you might find a few porcini too. The flavour of the mushrooms are so good I think its best to cook them as simply as possible sautéed for a few minutes in olive oil then add some garlic a knob of butter and parsley at the end. I like to serve the mushrooms on fried polenta the crisp outer layer of the polenta works so well with the soft mushrooms. Make sure that you season the polenta well with butter and parmesan before you grill or fry it. If you cannot get any wild mushrooms use a selection of large Portabello and oyster mushrooms.

 

1         cup of polenta (pre cooked)

2         cups water

500g  wild mushrooms (girlies,chanterelles,porcini) washed carefully then drained on kitchen

1        large clove garlic chopped

Handful of parsley, chopped

juice of half a lemon

50g     butter

100g   Parmesan grated

Bring the water to boil the add 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Lower the heat to a simmer and slowly add the polenta stirring with a whisk. Cook for 5 minutes until the polenta is quite thick then stir in the butter and  half of the Parmesan. Check the seasoning and pour on to a large baking tray and spread out so its about 2cm thick.Leave to cool.

Cut wedges of the polenta and lightly brush with oil then cook on a very hot griddle till both sides are crisp and brown (about 3 minutes).Keep warm.

Heat a little oil in a frying pan and add the mushrooms and fry for about 5 minutes stirring  occasionally till the mushrooms are cooked. Add the garlic and cook for another minute then remove from the heat and season and add the lemon and parsley. Place a slice or two of griddles polenta on each plate a add the mushrooms. sprinkle over the remaining parmesan and serve.

Serves 4