The Finished Product...

On the whole, the sourdough loaf wasn't bad for my first attempt. 

The crust was fantastic and it tasted nice but the texture is too tight.  Given that I was up at the crack of dawn I decided to put my time to good use and attempt a second one.  Whereas last time I put in the lower quantity of water stipulated (as per his recommendation), this time I've added more water and I hope that this will give me a springier texture.  The loaf I am currently attempting is a 'Spitfire' loaf and as things stand, the initial dough has a more pleasing appearance than the dough for the loaf above in its initial stages; time will tell.

For the Love of Sourdough...

My flirtation with sourdough has been a long distance affair since Christmas with much time being spent gazing fondly at pictures of super crusty golden loaves and of hands gently stretching out dough made with fresh yeast but with absolutely no action taking place.  All of that changed on Tuesday the 15th April when I decided to be brave and take the plunge. 

Following a Paul Hollywood recipe for fresh yeast, I weighed out the requisite amount of flour and water before adding one grated apple (the operation required an emergency pit-stop to pile on five padded plasters in an attempt to stop my thumb, which has a love hate relationship with the micro-planer, from gushing far more blood than I realised could possibly come from a thumb!).  Blood flow temporarily halted, the picture below shows the fresh yeast at the start of the process:

I then had to wait for three days until the yeast had darkened in colour and started to bubble.  The yeast must have been quite healthy because not only did it darken and bubble, it also expanded far more than I expected it to. 

When the morning of Friday the 18th of April came, I emptied half as required and added more flour and water as stipulated.  Apparently, I then had to leave it for another two days, however, this wasn't necessary because after returning home on Friday evening, I found that my yeast had gone a little crazy had expanded right to the top of the jar.  After consulting with Dad, I was advised that this meant it was now in a state where it could be, and should be used to make some sourdough bread.  Feeling rather excited by this, I decided to start the bread making process at 9pm. 

Mercifully, sourdough breads take a long time to prove so I was able to leave it overnight and continue the process on Saturday.  However, after making the dough on Friday and re-feeding the yeast, I found that it had once again risen in record time.  As such, I had to put the yeast in to the fridge in order to halt the process until I am ready to make some more:

There is something truly magical and exciting about the smell and the appearance of fresh, healthy yeast and I feel like a proud mother admiring the continued growth and progress of my creation:

The dough is now in the proving basket and come 5:30am tomorrow I hope to have a sourdough that has doubled in size and is ready to be baked in the oven just in time for Easter Sunday breakfast - fingers, toes, etc crossed!

A Little Something to Sweeten the Monday Blues...

I must be going through a pastry phase!  Today I finally made some time to make Paul Hollywood's apricot tart; it was worth the wait.

Delia's Tomato Tart with Swiss Cheese and Rosemary

Determined to provide some good quality homemade food next weekend without spending valuable family time in the kitchen, I thought I'd spend today cooking some dishes that could be frozen and then re-heated on the day.  I didn't quite manage to make everything that I'd planned, however, I still have the next few days.  The dish below is one of the things that I made this weekend and I hope that it tastes as good as it smells!

Bye Bye Haagen Dazs...

I have, for a long time (ever since tasting Dad's home made ice cream), hankered after an ice cream machine of my own.  Now that I have one, I think that I, or rather my waistline, may be in serious trouble!  Why must my hobbies revolve around food rather than the gym? 

I was going to try making some lemon ice cream but the recipe required some lemon syrup and as I couldn't find any, I decided to settle for a traditional vanilla recipe instead.  Boy oh boy, is it good!

Slow Roast Beef with Orange Gremolata and Sweet Potato Mash

I've finally discovered a good local butchers (Patrick's of Camelon) who are wonderfully helpful and obliging  and this means that I am now in a position to source a wider range of ingredients, for example, the shin of beef that was required to make the Gordon Ramsay dish below.  Thanks to all of my work buddies for your recommendations regarding a good butcher, you weren't wrong!

Szechuan Chicken Thighs...

A recipe from Gordon Ramsay that is simple to make and delicious to eat. 

Marinade the chicken in a combination of rice wine, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, water and seasoning.  When the time comes to make the meal, fry some fresh root ginger that has been grated, some sliced garlic and a red chilli that has been de-seeded and finely chopped.  Fry this mixture for a few minutes before adding some toasted szechuan peppers that have been crushed and some orange rind.  Fry for a few seconds before adding the chicken and the marinade, cover the pan and leave to cook on a low heat for 25 - 30 minutes.  Serve with fragrant rice and spring onions.

Perfect for a cold winter evening.

Better Late Than Never...

I've finally managed to push myself to cook something during the working week that is not simply a re-heat of a dish made at the weekend nor one that can be 'knocked-up' in half an hour.

Making the most of an evening to myself and therefore the chance to spend more time on the preparation and thus eat a little later (not to mention turn up the heat factor), I decided to make a Thai Green Curry.

I don't normally buy 'hot' chillies but they were the only green ones left in Tesco and so I decided to give them a go. 

I was a little concerned whilst removing the seeds and rinsing the chillies because with every chilli came a dry hit at the back of the throat and lots of coughing.  As I had decided to go with the six chillies recommended in the recipe, I did start to wonder what I had let myself in for.  However, once the paste had been made, sauteed and then tempered with some coconut milk, the heat seemed to die down a little and the finished result was a delightful Thai Green Curry with a good balance of individual flavours and a rather pleasant kick at the end of every mouthful.

Tomato risotto with basil and truffles

Now this is more my kind of thing.  Cherry tomatoes gently cooked in butter before being mashed and combined with the cooked risotto rice, Marscapone and Parmesan cheese!

Smoked salmon ravioli with a red pepper and fresh basil dressing

Keen to experiment with a fish recipe while I still have the urge to do so, I decided to start with a smoked salmon ravioli dish.  As things stand, when it comes to fish, the jury is still out. 

It smelt divine but there again I do love the smell of smoked food (with the exception of kippers!).  I ate it and it tasted okay.  However, salmon will never excite me and the chances of me making this dish again are relatively low.

Lemon and treacle tart...

by Jacqui, vanilla ice cream by Haagen Dazs!

Chicken stuffed with chorizio, sundried tomatoes and cannellini beans

Although roast chicken is a dish that I am very familiar with and one that requires next to no input during the cooking process and therefore, not much of a culinary challenge, I feel that I probably shouldn't be including it on the blog for it's not stretching me and it's not new to me.  However, I have never before tried stuffing it with chorizio, onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, cannellini beans and a whole lemon, until that is, I was rifling through the Gordon Ramsay book previously mentioned. 

I almost didn't go ahead with this recipe, preferring at the time to look for something more 'adventurous'.  However, I'm pleased that I changed my mind because I have never before cooked a roast chicken that was as succulent, or as delicious, as the one below.  Definitely one to be recommended.

The chicken that laid a golden lemon:

Some like it hot...

I certainly do!

Tonight's meal was another dish taken from the recipe book: 'Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course' (meat balls in a fragrant coconut broth) and it wasn't as hot as I had anticipated during an initial seasoning tasting, although the chilli flakes do provide quite a pleasant kick.  I was also pleased to discover that the freeze dried lemon grass (a substitute for the fresh lemon grass that the shop had sold out of), didn't have a detrimental effect on the overall taste of the dish which was absolutely divine; far better than I imagined it would be.

Some of the spices contained in the dish:

Savouring the aroma:

The end product:

The only downfall with this dish is that it is a recipe for two and if you happen to be making it when you are in the house on your own, then you may find that you eat far more of it than you should do!  I managed to reign myself in after a second (smaller) helping and save some for another day.

Coconut pancakes with mangos and lime juice

Due to the need to tighten the financial belt until late January, new and exciting meals will be thin on the ground for the next few weeks!  However, given that I still have the urge unwind in the kitchen and as I was unable to concentrate on writing evaluations this evening, I decided to abandon ship and instead focus on making coconut pancakes with mangoes and lime syrup; I'm pleased that I did, the result was delicious.

I now need to try and focus on making something a little lighter and healthier.

Following on from a conversation with a good friend yesterday, I now have the urge to try a dish with monk fish and my desire to try cooking with scallops has intensified.  If anyone knows of a good fishmonger in or around Falkirk I'd love to have your recommendations.

The Finished Product...

My first attempt at brioche and I'm rather pleased with both the appearance and the taste:

Divine smell...

Making this souffle is somewhat cruel.  The smell is divine but it needs to cool in the tin before being allowed to chill for several hours and therefore savouring it with some creme fraiche and armagnac will need to be put on hold...

Rebellion...

Having checked the dough in the fridge and being happy that:
a) the dough has at least doubled in size
b) the butter has solidified enough to allow me to shape the dough into smaller balls
I have decided to ignore the instruction to 'leave in the fridge for at least 7 hours' - no doubt I will regret this when it comes to actually eating the finished product!  In the meantime, the brioche shape has been formed and the dough is now proving for the final 2 - 3 hours and I hope that during this time it will at least double in size once more - fingers crossed!

Lots of Determination and a Restless Mood...

On my third attempt, I think that I've finally managed to master the art of ravioli making! 

My first attempt resulted in a combined 'mush' of pasta and filling.  The second attempt resulted in something that resembled a cross between ravioli and a Chinese dumpling with the pasta being far too thin for the filling but somehow managing to contain the contents - just!  However, after a few hours lying awake thinking about the changes that I needed to make: thicker pasta, less filling and if using spinach, a filling that is as dry as possible, I think it's now safe to say: I've 'cracked' it!

A little preparation and a lot of patience...

After a failed start at 6:30am this morning when I realised that I lacked the full fat milk required for the brioche, I finally managed to begin the baking process at 1pm this afternoon following my return from a trip to Glasgow. 

I love to watch the ingredients that make up the dough binding together, particularly when the dough reaches the point at which it appears to start 'breathing' and for me, handling and kneading the dough will always be a pleasurable and therapeutic task. 

Unfortunately, the brioche dough must rest in the fridge for at least seven hours before it can be shaped.

After this, it must prove for a further two to three hours so I probably won't be able to complete this process until tomorrow - perhaps my new years resolution ought to be to improve my organisational skills!

I've also decided that I must attempt to make Delia's 'Fallen Chocolate Souffle with Armagnac Prunes' but this is also a dish that requires some patience because the prunes must be soaked in armagnac 'overnight'. 

As I personally tend to sleep for six hours, I'll probably attempt to complete this dish later on tonight.