Saturday, 30 April 2011
Creme Caramel
With the weather being so wonderful here at Sallyport we are making very light puddings Today I'v made a Creme Caramel. which we will serve with strawberries and cream and lavender shortbread.Or indeed a beautiful poached pear.
Friday, 29 April 2011
Pimms
Well there is not really much I can write about in my food blog to day except its been a wonderful opportunity to come together ( staff and customers) to celebrate the Royal wedding.Thank-you Harry Howard for the toast to the royal couple,thank-you Moira for making the Cake,thank-you Julie for arranging the flowers and thank-you to all my staff for working so hard, you have done a brilliant job.
The wedding and the weather has just been fantastic. Didn't Kate do well she just had so much poise and grace William looked more nervous.Bless him. Well he has found his soul mate .
I made my first pimms of the day at 10.00 this morning! My tip is to use one third pimms to 2 thirds ginger ale. Use lots of freshly cut fruit including strawberries ,lemon and orange slices ,add cucumber and mint and finesh with a couple of straws.
Enjoy!
The wedding and the weather has just been fantastic. Didn't Kate do well she just had so much poise and grace William looked more nervous.Bless him. Well he has found his soul mate .
I made my first pimms of the day at 10.00 this morning! My tip is to use one third pimms to 2 thirds ginger ale. Use lots of freshly cut fruit including strawberries ,lemon and orange slices ,add cucumber and mint and finesh with a couple of straws.
Enjoy!
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Strawberry Cream teas
I was brought up on Scones. It was the staple diet of the farming community in the 70's. My mother used to bake every saturday morning and she used to fill the cake tins with all sorts of goodies. It was wonderful. At 4 o clock on the dot they would stop for afternoon tea every day. The table would be properly set with china,The tea pot would be warmed up with boiling water and rinsed out.Loose tea was always used from the tin tea caddy and it was always one for the pot and one for the person and it had to brew for 3 mins. ( afterwards the old tea leaves mixed with oatmeal went to feed my rabbit !) My dad used to come in from the farm and take a much needed break before he went out to milk the Ayrshire herd of cows with my mum.
I'm not surprized afternoon teas have taken off again.With money being tight getting back to basics is really important and being happy being creative is the reward.Being able to have the skills to make your own strawberry jam ,blackcurrent or raspberry jam and put it on your own home-made scones is pretty cool.We live in such a fast paced society , we get pulled away from our roots and our traditions too easily now is the time to take them back.
At 1 Sallyport we make afternoon tea so much fun our customers love all the selection of loose teas that we have so come along and enjoy the experience.Bring Granny and the kids, yes we even have a high chair and disabled access. Also you can bring a well behaved dog !
My own background to cooking is a nice story ,I was lucky to be adopted (when I was 6 weeks old ) by a family in the Scottish Borders who liked to bake .I had a natural affinity to cooking so it was a huge help to be brought up on a farm by a mother who was a good home cook and baker . ( She was also a history teacher) I got my first mini rolling pin and pastry set when I was 4 years old and I'v never stopped baking since! I was totally hooked, when I wasn't in the kitchen I can remember , aged 6 playing out in the farm yard for hours and hours making my pretend pies and selling them.By the time I was 12 I was helping others learn to cook in my class at school.
Anyways here is my mums old recipy for fruit Scones .I bake them every day so Dean ( my son) have a go and impress your girlfriend!enjoy
FRUIT SCONES
1 pound of SR Flour
2 teasp of BP
pinch of salt
2ozs of caster sugar
2 ozs Butter
2 ozs of lard
2 ozs rasins or currents or cherries or sultanas or ginger!
Milk to make a firm dough
egg wash
Heat your oven to 200 and grease your baking tray
Rub your fats into your dry ingredients which you have seived first into a bowl
There should be no lumps!
Add milk to combine into a very firm dough
Roll out on a floured board,cut into rounds,egg wash and bake for 10 to 15mins
Cool on a wire tray
Eat with Lurpack butter and good quality jam
Add some whipped cream and strawberries if you wish to indulge in a very special holiday treat!
I'm not surprized afternoon teas have taken off again.With money being tight getting back to basics is really important and being happy being creative is the reward.Being able to have the skills to make your own strawberry jam ,blackcurrent or raspberry jam and put it on your own home-made scones is pretty cool.We live in such a fast paced society , we get pulled away from our roots and our traditions too easily now is the time to take them back.
At 1 Sallyport we make afternoon tea so much fun our customers love all the selection of loose teas that we have so come along and enjoy the experience.Bring Granny and the kids, yes we even have a high chair and disabled access. Also you can bring a well behaved dog !
My own background to cooking is a nice story ,I was lucky to be adopted (when I was 6 weeks old ) by a family in the Scottish Borders who liked to bake .I had a natural affinity to cooking so it was a huge help to be brought up on a farm by a mother who was a good home cook and baker . ( She was also a history teacher) I got my first mini rolling pin and pastry set when I was 4 years old and I'v never stopped baking since! I was totally hooked, when I wasn't in the kitchen I can remember , aged 6 playing out in the farm yard for hours and hours making my pretend pies and selling them.By the time I was 12 I was helping others learn to cook in my class at school.
Anyways here is my mums old recipy for fruit Scones .I bake them every day so Dean ( my son) have a go and impress your girlfriend!enjoy
FRUIT SCONES
1 pound of SR Flour
2 teasp of BP
pinch of salt
2ozs of caster sugar
2 ozs Butter
2 ozs of lard
2 ozs rasins or currents or cherries or sultanas or ginger!
Milk to make a firm dough
egg wash
Heat your oven to 200 and grease your baking tray
Rub your fats into your dry ingredients which you have seived first into a bowl
There should be no lumps!
Add milk to combine into a very firm dough
Roll out on a floured board,cut into rounds,egg wash and bake for 10 to 15mins
Cool on a wire tray
Eat with Lurpack butter and good quality jam
Add some whipped cream and strawberries if you wish to indulge in a very special holiday treat!
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Hot Buttered Oak smoked Kippers
I'v been making breakfasts for years and have always liked to move with the times but one all time favourite that I can't re-invent is oak smoked Kippers from Patrick Wilkin in seahouses. He has one of the last official smoke houses in Northumberland and his Kippers are totally amazing. Until recently he didn't buy any herring from abroad to smoke (it was all from the north sea) but he can't get enough locally so he has to buy in from abroad now. He is one of Rick Stein's food hero's.When I did a cookery proramme for television I included a visit to Patricks smoke house. You reek of smoke afterwards!
As Kippers have a very strong smell that can linger in the kitchen for hours and hours I usually wrap them up in foil with a knob of butter and bake them in a extreemly hot oven for 10 mins. Serve with a wedge of lemon ,dill, a knob of butter and hot buttered toast. Normally you would serve a pair of kippers per person or you can add a poached egg.
I personally don't eat fish but there you go luckily I can still cook it for other people.
As Kippers have a very strong smell that can linger in the kitchen for hours and hours I usually wrap them up in foil with a knob of butter and bake them in a extreemly hot oven for 10 mins. Serve with a wedge of lemon ,dill, a knob of butter and hot buttered toast. Normally you would serve a pair of kippers per person or you can add a poached egg.
I personally don't eat fish but there you go luckily I can still cook it for other people.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Mojito
It feels like summer, I'v been out to buy the bunting ,union jack mugs ,napkins ,tea towels, pimms,we have the barbeque on standby and a real 3 tier wedding cake has been ordered to be delivered (from the multi talented Moira Kay) on Friday so come on kids get your self along , we can celebrate in style with champagne Afternoon teas and wedding cake.I'm going to make home-made lemonade too. Yes I'v going to feel very British and nostalgic and yes we will have a 42" plasma screen so we can watch Kate and Wills big day.
We have been practising using the barbeque,you have to get the charcoal really hot and let all the flames die down so you have just got glowing embers and have the food very very close,almost touching to the charcoal . I'm preaching to the converted here I know I'm a complete novice myself, I'v got a lot to learn................but I am willing and so is the rest of the team.........I think its perfect for a party.
Today dish isn't really a dish its a cocktail because lets face it not many people want to eat in this weather ..............well that's not quite true as we have been really really busy today in the restaurant ( I think its the hot kitchen that kills your appetite or rather mine and I'v been doing very long shifts.)
You need the following: A tall slim glass
1 12 mint leaves
2.3 teasp brown sugar
2b.25mls fresh lime juice
3. 50mls Bicardi Gold
4. lots of crushed ice
5 soda water ( just a splash)
6. A whole lime cut up into segments
7. mint to garnish
Method
Crush the mint really well ,we call it muddle, with the lime juice and brown sugar add the crushed ice until your glass is almost full the pour in the rum and with a long spoon mix it all through. Add all your chopped lime and mix that well together finally give it a splash of soda and a sprig of mint to garnish. Serve on a funky napkin with two straws .
Anyways I'm away to get a mug of Earl Grey tea and Hot toast (Chefs never eat properly)lol
We have been practising using the barbeque,you have to get the charcoal really hot and let all the flames die down so you have just got glowing embers and have the food very very close,almost touching to the charcoal . I'm preaching to the converted here I know I'm a complete novice myself, I'v got a lot to learn................but I am willing and so is the rest of the team.........I think its perfect for a party.
Today dish isn't really a dish its a cocktail because lets face it not many people want to eat in this weather ..............well that's not quite true as we have been really really busy today in the restaurant ( I think its the hot kitchen that kills your appetite or rather mine and I'v been doing very long shifts.)
You need the following: A tall slim glass
1 12 mint leaves
2.3 teasp brown sugar
2b.25mls fresh lime juice
3. 50mls Bicardi Gold
4. lots of crushed ice
5 soda water ( just a splash)
6. A whole lime cut up into segments
7. mint to garnish
Method
Crush the mint really well ,we call it muddle, with the lime juice and brown sugar add the crushed ice until your glass is almost full the pour in the rum and with a long spoon mix it all through. Add all your chopped lime and mix that well together finally give it a splash of soda and a sprig of mint to garnish. Serve on a funky napkin with two straws .
Anyways I'm away to get a mug of Earl Grey tea and Hot toast (Chefs never eat properly)lol
Monday, 25 April 2011
Easter Monday!
Rack of Cheviot Lamb with a herb crust and rosemary jus.
We have sold masses of Cream teas today which has alot to do with the weather I guess but to night I am cooking local Lamb served with dauphinoise potatoes and spring greens. The french used to be way ahead of the brits on food but no longer we as a nation have come a long way thanks to the power of TV and the popularity of cookery programes. I am a huge fan of Jamie Oliver..............he is so much his own person and he is just naturally charismatic and a huge influence for good on young men and women. When Jamie Oliver Italian opened in George Square in Glasgow I went up the second week on business and it was a fantastic treat to go there after a mean meeting. For me it was such a vibrant place to be the brand is just soooooo huge and there were all ages there sitting on funny plastic chairs with tins of beans on the table( to rest your plank on). Who but Jamie Oliver could get away with that! I think he is Ace anyways Amazing!
Rack of Lamb is easy to cook , here are some tips.
1. Remove the outer skin from the lamb before you sear it in the pan
2. Remember to season the meat well, we always use Malden sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
3.Roast it in the oven 190 degrees for 10mins
4.Then brush the rack with dijon mustard and roll it in a mixture of soft bread crumbs,chopped parsley,thyme,garlic and a touch of olive oil
5.Return to oven for another 5 mins. Don't over cook!A rack of lamb only needs 10 to 12 mins to cook max.!
6.Then the most important thing is to leave it for at least another 5 mins( once you have taken it out of the oven )to relax.
7. serve with creamy dauphinose potatoes and a rosemary jus and lovely lightly cooked green vegetables.
We have sold masses of Cream teas today which has alot to do with the weather I guess but to night I am cooking local Lamb served with dauphinoise potatoes and spring greens. The french used to be way ahead of the brits on food but no longer we as a nation have come a long way thanks to the power of TV and the popularity of cookery programes. I am a huge fan of Jamie Oliver..............he is so much his own person and he is just naturally charismatic and a huge influence for good on young men and women. When Jamie Oliver Italian opened in George Square in Glasgow I went up the second week on business and it was a fantastic treat to go there after a mean meeting. For me it was such a vibrant place to be the brand is just soooooo huge and there were all ages there sitting on funny plastic chairs with tins of beans on the table( to rest your plank on). Who but Jamie Oliver could get away with that! I think he is Ace anyways Amazing!
Rack of Lamb is easy to cook , here are some tips.
1. Remove the outer skin from the lamb before you sear it in the pan
2. Remember to season the meat well, we always use Malden sea salt and freshly ground pepper.
3.Roast it in the oven 190 degrees for 10mins
4.Then brush the rack with dijon mustard and roll it in a mixture of soft bread crumbs,chopped parsley,thyme,garlic and a touch of olive oil
5.Return to oven for another 5 mins. Don't over cook!A rack of lamb only needs 10 to 12 mins to cook max.!
6.Then the most important thing is to leave it for at least another 5 mins( once you have taken it out of the oven )to relax.
7. serve with creamy dauphinose potatoes and a rosemary jus and lovely lightly cooked green vegetables.
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