Honey and Mustard Glazed Ham.

Honey and Mustard Glazed Ham.

Glazed hams shouldn't be just for Christmas, they are so easy and delicious and my go to dinner of choice when I can't decide what to cook. My glaze is normally something sweet and sometimes sweet and spicy. I have made a chilli jam glaze, jerk ham and this classic honey and mustard glazed ham.

Don't throw away the cooking liquid, I have a recipe to show you that needs the stock.

In a large stock pot, put in

-1kg gammon joint,

-2.5 litres of water (I will always cook with plenty of water and keep the cooking liquid as stock),

-2 carrots, cut into chunks,

-2 onions, halved,

-2 stalks celery, cut into chunks,

-1 star anise,

-1tsp peppercorns,

-1 cinnamon stick,

-10 cloves.

Bring up to the simmer and cook for 1 hour.

Leave the gammon joint to cool in the poaching liquid.

When cooled enough to handle,

Place the gammon joint in a roasting tin, add

-2tbsp honey,

-1tsp whole grain mustard.

Baste the gammon joint liberally with the glaze.

Bake in 180c fan forced oven for 45 minutes, basting every 10-15 minutes.

Leave to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Raspberry Crème Caramel.

Raspberry Crème Caramel.

This is my little twist on the classic Crème Caramel, which are definitely delicious but also rich. I thought the tart raspberries would be great accompaniment to that rich, sweetness and it seems to have worked really well.

Equipment:

8x150ml capacity ramekins.

Deep oven tray.

   Raspberry Sauce.

In a saucepan, put 

-150g frozen raspberries,

-1tbsp caster sugar,

-1tbsp water.

Leave to simmer on low heat until the fruit have broken down.

Pass through a sieve and leave aside.

    Caramel.

In a saucepan, put in

-200ml water,

-200g caster sugar.

Cook, without stirring on low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, turn the heat up to medium, cook for around 10-12 minutes, until the mixture has become golden.

Add the raspberry sauce.

Stir well.

Reserve 150ml of raspberry/caramel sauce.

Pour the rest into the prepared tins and leave aside.

In a large bowl, whisk

-5 eggs, with

-100g caster sugar, 

-1tsp vanilla bean paste,

-pinch of salt.

Leave aside.

Oven at 140c fan forced.

Put the kettle on to boil.

In a large saucepan, put n

-300ml single cream,

-400ml milk.

Cook on low heat to just below boiling point.

Add

-1/2 cup of hot milk to 

-egg/ sugar mixture,whisking all the time. Continue to add hot milk this way until at least 2 cups of milk have been used. This is to stop the egg mixture curdling.

Then add the rest of the mixture. 

Transfer to a jug. 

Pour into the ramekins 

Place the ramekins in the deep oven tray.

Fill the tray with hot water, from the kettle, to half way up the ramekins.

Bake 35 minutes.

Leave the crème caramel to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate at least 4 hrs.

Invert onto the serving plate, serve cold.

Serve with the reserved raspberry/caramel sauce.

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine.

Braised Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine.

This is a perfect cut of meat to cope with big flavours and being slow cooked. Without much effort these beef short ribs are delicious, melting and comforting. This is a proper winter meal but in my opinion it's actually more appropriate to this time of year, the sun is out and you want to be in the garden with the girls and not worry much about dinner.

In a large casserole pan, brown 

-1kg beef short ribs, seasoned with salt/pepper, turning occasionally until the meat pieces are browned.

Remove from the pan and leave aside.

Wipe the pan clean, add

-2 onions, roughly chopped,

-2 carrots, cut into chunks,

-2 celery stalks, cut into chunks,

-salt/pepper.

Cook, stirring until the vegetables have softened.

Add,

- beef ribs.

- 2x400g tinned tomatoes,

-400ml red wine,

-2tbsp soy sauce,

-100g olives,

-parsley, rosemary, bay leaves.

Cook in 150c fan forced oven for about 3 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone.

Turn the ribs half way through cooking.

Serve with pasta or mashed potatoes.

Citrus Tart.

Citrus Tart.

Sweet Pastry.

In a food processor, put in,

-250g plain flour,

-125g chilled butter,

-2tbsp icing sugar,

-1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white).

Process well to combine. If there are too many dry crumbs left add 

-cold water, a tablespoon at a time.

Tip on to a floured surface, knead briefly to bring the dough together.

Roll out to fit the tart tin, about 1/2cm in thickness. Prick the base with a fork. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Oven 180c fan forced.

Bake the chilled pastry for 15 minutes (there's no need to blind bake).

Take the pastry out of the oven, brush with the reserved egg white.

Bake 5-10 more minutes. The pastry needs to be completely cooked.

Leave to cool completely.

   Citrus Curd.

,

In a heatproof bowl, put in

-zest and juice of 2 oranges,

-zest and juice of 4 lemons,

-4 eggs,

-150g caster sugar,

-200ml double cream.

Whisk well to combine, add

-120g butter.

Place it on a pan of simmering water. 

Whisk continuously until the curd has thickened.

Pour into the cooled tart case.

Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

Chilli Burger.

Chilli Burger.

I love burgers especially the condiments that go with them. Burgers are great on their own but I can never leave them well alone and will actually spend more time making or sourcing the side dishes than the burgers themselves. 

In a large bowl, put in

-800g mince beef, 

-2 chopped shallots,

-1 clove chopped garlic,

-1tbsp chopped parsley,

-1 chopped chilli,

-salt/pepper,

-1tsp paprika

-1tsp cayenne pepper.

Mix gently to combine.

Divided into 8 equal portions and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cook under a hot grill, turning once.

     Tomato Sauce.

In a saucepan, fry

-2 shallots, 

-1 clove chopped garlic,

Cook, stirring until the vegetables have softened, add

-400g tinned tomatoes,

-salt/pepper,

-1tbsp balsamic vinegar.

Leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes out until the sauce has thickened.

    Crispy Onions.

In a saucepan, on medium heat, add

-200g vegetables oil.

Drop a strand of onion to test the oil, when ready add the 2 sliced onions all at once.

Deep fry until the onions turn crisp.

Drain well.

         Burger Buns.

Makes 8

In a bowl, put in

-200ml lukewarm milk,

-25g melted butter,

-2tbsp caster,

-2tsp dried yeast.

Whisk and leave aside.

In a large bowl, put in,

-450g strong white flour,

-1tsp salt.

Stir to combine.

Make a well in the centre. When the yeast is ready, add that to the flour mixture. Then put in,

-1 whisked egg.

Bring the mixture together with your hand. 

Tip on to a floured surface and knead for around 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Put dough in a greased bowl, cover with cling film, leave to prove in a warm place for 2 hours.

When ready,

Briefly knead the dough and divide into 8 equal portions.

Shape each portion into a rough 8cm disc

Place the buns on the prepared tin, about 2cm apart. Cover with oiled cling film and leave to prove for a further 2 hours.

Preheat the oven 190c fan forced.

Brush the buns with milk.

Bake 15-20 minutes.

Northeastern Herb Pot Roasted Guinea Fowl.

Northeastern Herb Pot Roasted Guinea Fowl ไก่นึ่ง

This region of Thailand is known for its spicy and healthy food. The herbs are grown almost by every house and they are used very liberally. Guinea fowls are gamier than chicken and I thought it would cope with big Thai flavours. The cooking liquid is so flavoursome so I think it's best that this dish is served with rice to soak up all that deliciousness.

In a large ovenproof casserole dish, put in

-1.2kg guinea fowl, seasoned with salt and pepper, with

-2 stalks bruised lemongrass,

-4 cloves crushed garlic,

-3cm sliced galangal,

-5-6 kaffir lime leaves,

-4 shallots, halved,

-2 spring onions, sliced in half,

-a small bunch coriander,

-5 red chillies,

-a handful of holy basil,

-2tbsp oyster sauce,

-2tbsp soy sauce,

-1tbsp fish sauce,

-400ml chicken stock or water.

Leave to cook in 150c fan forced oven for 3 hours.

After 1:30hours turn the guinea fowl in the stock.

Serve with rice and stir fried vegetables.

Noodles with Chicken Gravy ราดหน้า

 Noodles with Chicken Gravy.

Thailand's popular street food and is mostly eaten at lunch time. It's made from stir fried wide rice noodles and served with thick sauce made from stock. Another Thai dish originating in China, where it started off in high end restaurants,  its popularity spread to Thailand where it has become ordinary people's food.

Serves 1.

In a large bowl, add

-100g sliced chicken breast, with

-1tbsp soy sauce,

-1tbsp oyster sauce,

-1tsp white pepper.

Mix well and leave aside until needed.

Cook noodles according to packet instructions, drain well( I used fresh noodles in mine, 200g)

In a large wok oh high heat, fry

-the noodles until it has taken on some colour.

Spoon into a serving dish.

Add 1tsp sesame oil.

Mix well and leave aside.

Put the wok back on high heat, add

-300ml chicken stock, with

-1tbsp salted soy beans,

Bring it up to the boil, add

-chicken pieces,

-150g kai lan (Chinese kale) or substitute with broccoli.

Leave to simmer until the chicken is almost cooked through.

Add 1tsp cornflour diluted with some water.

Add to the wok. 

Leave to cook until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

You may need more oyster sauce and soy sauce.

Spoon the gravy on top of the noodles.

The authentic way to eat this dish is to add additional 

-vinegar,

-sugar,

-chilli

-fish sauce.

These condiments will already be on the table in the restaurants.