Lemon Drizzle Cake

I love lemon desserts and I also have a major sweet tooth. This cake is so heavenly, it's literally pure joy with each bite!

I'd been craving lemon drizzle cake for a while, so to satisfy my cravings I googled a recipe from the Queen herself, Mary Berry!

You will not be disappointed! The sponge is so moist and springy, it has the perfect amount of citrus and it's just soooo moreish!
Ingredients:

For the cake:

• 225g butter, softened
• 225g caster sugar
• 275g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 4 tbsp. milk
• 2 lemons, grated zest only

For the crunchy topping:

• 175g granulated sugar
• 2 lemons, juice only

Grease and line a rectangle roasting tin (30 x 23 x 4 cm) with baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 180C/160c fan/gas 4.

Measure all the ingredients for the cake into a large bowl and beast well for about 2 minutes, until well blended.

Turn the mixture into the prepared tin, scrapping the sides of the bowl with a plastic spatula to remove all of the mixture. Level the top gently with the back of the spatula.

Bake in the middle of the oven for about half an hour, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed and is beginning to shrink away from the sides of the tin.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin for a few minutes then lift out of the tin while still in it lining paper. Place onto a wire rack to cool.

Crunchy topping added & left to cool before cutting

 To make the crunchy topping, mix the lemon juice and sugar in a small bowl to give a runny consistency. Spoon this mixture evenly over the tray bake whilst it is still warm. Any mixture that falls onto the paper, spoon back onto the cake. Cut into squares when cold and store in an airtight container.

Tastes amazing!!

Update: The Best Lasagne EVER!!

So I have made a slight amendment to my lasagne post and it now tastes utterly divine!


I incorporated a few steps from the lasagne I made during my Italian master class at the Novikov restaurant in Mayfair and I'm really pleased with the end result

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped into 1cm cubes
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 500g minced beef
• 1 glass dry red wine 
• 400g tinned chopped tomatoes 
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 1 courgette, chopped into 1cm cubes 
• 10 basil leaves
• 9 sheets fresh lasagne
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 bag of mini mozzarella balls 
• 50g cold salted butter, cut into 1cm cubes
• Salt & pepper

For the bèchamel sauce:

• 100g salted butter
• 100g plain flour 
• 1 litre milk 
• 100g grated fresh Parmesan
• 1/4 freshly grated nutmeg

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion, carrot, garlic (with the skin left on) and celery for 5 minutes. Add the minced beef and continue to cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until coloured all over. Season with salt and pepper and continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Pour in the wine, stir well and continue to cook for about 5 minutes until the wine has evaporated. 

Add the chopped tomatoes, the tomato purée, the courgettes and the basil, lower the heat and continue to cook for 1 hour, uncovered, until you get a beautiful rich sauce. Stir occasionally. After about 30 minutes, taste for seasoning. The meat sauce is now ready, pick out the garlic and set aside.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4, and make the béchamel sauce. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the cold milk, reduce the heat and cook for 10 minutes whisking constantly. Once thickened, stir in half of the Parmesan cheese with the nutmeg, season and set aside to cool slightly. 

Spread a quarter of the béchamel sauce in the base of a deep 2.2-litre ovenproof dish. Cover with 3 lasagne sheets, cutting them if necessary to fit the dish. Spread with half the meat sauce then scatter some of the mozzarella balls on top, top with a third of the remaining béchamel sauce. Cover with 3 more sheets of lasagne and then with the remaining meat sauce and scatter the remaining mozzarella balls. Spread over half of the remaining béchamel sauce. Add a final layer of lasagne sheets and gently spread the rest of the béchamel on top ensuring that the lasagne sheets are completely covered. 

Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and scatter over the cubed butter. Grind some black pepper over the whole lasagne. 

Cook on the lowest shelf of the oven for 30 minutes then place the dish on the middle shelf, raise the oven temperature to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes until golden brown and crispy all over.

Straight out of the oven & ready to serve!

Tapas Series: Prawn Pil Pil

I loooove prawns!!! I also love garlic and spice so this dish is a favourite of mine when it comes to tapas! If this isn't on the menu then I will sulk!

This dish comes out with the sauce still sizzling so it's all very theatrical and exciting! You must have some crusty bread to soak up all of the delicious sauce!!

Ingredients:

• 500g raw king prawns
• 500ml olive oil
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (add more if you like it really spicy!)

Peel the prawns but leave the tails on. Heat the oil and butter together in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Once it starts to foam, add the garlic and chilli flakes. Stir and cook the garlic for a minute or two until golden brown.

Add the prawns and cook for around 3 minutes, or until they turn pink on both sides. Sprinkle with the paprika and pour into a serving dish.

All of our tapas selections ready to eat

Tarte au Citron

I love lemon desserts, they're just so fresh and clean tasting and are the perfect end to a meal.

Tarte au citron, or lemon tart is just so moreish and yummy! I could honestly eat this all day, every day! Plus it's part of your 5 a day so it's not all bad, well, that's what I tell myself!!

This is a Mary Berry recipe and with the Great British Bake Off being aired at the moment, there is no better time than to get your bake on!

Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 225g plain flour
• 150g cold butter, cut into cubes
• 25g icing sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp. water

For the filling:

• 9 large eggs
• 300ml double cream
• 350g caster sugar
• finely grated zest and juice of 6 large lemons

You will need a 28cm loose bottomed tart tin.


To make the pastry, measure the flour, butter and sugar into a food processor. Whizz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs and then add the egg and water. Whizz again until it forms a ball.

Roll out the pastry thinly onto a floured work surface until it is just a little bigger than the size of the tin. Line the tart tin with the pastry, letting the extra pastry hang over the sides of the tin. Place on a baking sheet and then chill in the fridge for half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas mark 6. Line the tin with non stick paper and fill with baking beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven until pale golden brown.

Take out of the oven and remove the baking beans and paper. Carefully trim the excess pastry from the sides using a sharp knife. Return the empty pasty shell to the oven for another 10-12 minutes or until it is completely dry. Set aside to cool.

Reduce the temperature of the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas mark 3.

Measure all of the filling ingredients into a bowl and mix until smooth. Carefully pour into the pastry case.

Carefully transfer the tart case and tray into the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes or until just set but still with a slight wobble in the middle. The filling will sink down a bit once cooled.

Leave to cool completely before removing from the tin. Transfer to a serving plate then dust with icing sugar to serve.

All bakes and ready to trim the edges

Lemon Chilli Prawn Linguine

I decided to make a slight amendment to my prawn linguine recipe, and boy is it good!! The lemon and chilli work in perfect harmony and makes this dish fresh and tasty.

It's quick and easy to make and it's full on flavour, perfect for a midweek dinner after work or on the weekend if trying to impress friends/loved ones!

I butterflied my prawns but you don't need to if you're short on time!

The below is based on a serving for 2 people:

Ingredients:

• Linguine or spaghetti (enough for 2)
• Olive oil
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• Dried chilli flakes (to taste...I love it hot, hot, hot!!)
• 1 pack of king prawns, deveined and butterflied
• Juice and zest of 2 lemons
• Fresh or frozen basil
• Crème fraîche
• Ground black pepper
• Fresh Parmesan (optional)

Start off by putting the linguine in a saucepan filled with salted water with some olive oil (the oil helps to ensure the pasta doesn't stick), put on to boil.

Once the pasta is almost cooked, put a large frying pan on the stove and add a little olive oil. Once heated, add the crushed garlic. Cook for a few minutes on a low heat then add the prawns and toss to cover them in the olive oil and garlic then add the chilli flakes and plenty of ground black pepper.

Add the lemon juice and zest and ensure it is all coated. Cook for a few minutes, then add the chopped basil leaves.

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of crème fraîche and ensure it has melted and all mixed well. You want a thick sauce.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain then add to the prawns and stir to incorporate everything together. Add some grated fresh parmesan and mix.

Serve up then add more parmesan and black pepper.

Enjoy & bon appétit!


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Tapas Series: Sautéed Chorizo in Red Wine

Here is another dish I cooked for my tapas night with my good friend, Anj, and also for my parents when I went to visit them in France last month.

I love chorizo, it's just so yummy and moorish and has the perfect amount of spice to it!

The red wine sauce is nice and sticky and the entire dish is so full of flavour! All the dishes I made worked really well together and I just really love sharing food, and the idea of having lots of little amounts of different meals....I always end up eating myself into a food coma though!!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 500g cooking chorizo, cut into chunky slices if large, who left whole if small
• 100ml red wine (don't scrimp and buy cheap wine to cook with!!)
• 1tbsp clear honey
• handful fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gentle sauté the onion for a few minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further two minutes.

Push the onion and garlic to the side of the pan then add the chorizo. Brown all over, then add the wine and stir in the honey.

Cover and cook gently for 5 minutes or until the sausages are cooked through and coated with the sauce. Add a splash of water if the pan is looking dry. Serve scattered with parsley and some crusty bread to soak up the beautiful sauce!


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Tapas heaven!

Tapas Series: Patatas Bravas

This is such a typical tapas dish and it literally translates as "spicy potatoes". I've had this dish in a few tapas restaurants and wasn't overwhelmed, it looked as though they just poured a cheap tomato sauce over the fried "chip like" potatoes and added mayo on top.

This recipe is how it should be! The potatoes are slow cooked in the oven for an hour and are sooooo heavenly!! The sauce does not come out of a bottle and has a nice kick to it....and no mayo in sight!

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 227g can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp. tomato puree
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• good pinch chilli powder
• pinch sugar
• chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

For the potatoes:

• 900g potato
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Prepare ahead by heating the oil in a pan, add the onion and fry for abut 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, tomatoes, tomato puree, paprika, chilli powder, sugar and salt and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer for 10 minutes until pulpy. Set aside for up to 24 hours.

To serve, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Cut the potatoes into small cubes and pat dry with kitchen paper. Spread over a roasting tin and toss in the oil, then season. Roast for 40-50 minutes, until the potatoes are crisp and golden.

Tip the potatoes into a dish and spoon over the reheated sauce, then sprinkle the chopped parsley on top.


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Our tapas spread!