Brioche

France is pretty famous for its bread, the most famous being the baguette, fougasse and brioche. All of which I love, and can eat my weights worth!

The brioche is soft, buttery and slightly sweet. It goes well with savoury foods such as paté or sweet such a Nutella, so is really versatile.

I have a recipe for fougasse bread, check it out:
https://atableavecjulia.blogspot.com/2017/05/fougasse-bread-this-is-relatively-easy.html?m=1

I’ll be making this again as it’s easy, I just have to remember to egg wash the dough before baking to ensure my brioche has that infamous sheen!

Ingredients:

• 225g strong white bread flour 
• 6g salt 
• 15g caster sugar 
• 7g fresh yeast, crumbled 
• 3 eggs 
• 125g softened unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 1 egg, beaten to glaze 

Put the flour, salt and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Crumble the yeast into a separate bowl and add the eggs. Whisk the eggs and yeast together to dissolve the yeast. Pour the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients, then, using a dough hook attachment, mix on a medium speed for 5-8 minutes, or until the dough starts coming away from the sides. Turn off the mixture and let the dough rest for 5 minutes. 

Start the mixture up again on a medium speed and while it is running slowly add the butter to the dough, a little at a time, until it is incorporated (it’s important you don’t add the butter too quickly or it will ruin the dough). Once the butter is incorporated, mix on a high speed for 4 minutes, until the dough is glossy, smooth and elastic when pulled, then cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave until it has doubled in size (this will take around 2 hours). Knock back the dough, then recover and leave to chill overnight in the fridge.

The next day, grease a loaf tin. Take the dough out of the fridge, mould it into a loaf shape and place it in the prepared tin, pressing the dough down into each corner so that it is even. Leave somewhere warm to prove until it reaches the top of the tin, this should take around 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Glaze the brioche with the beaten egg and bake for 20 minutes, then take it out of the tin and place it directly on the oven shelf for a further 5 minutes. 

Put on a cooling rack to cool a little and serve warm, or toasted. The brioche will last 2-3 days. 

Tiramisu

Whilst in Rome two years ago, we found the most amazing restaurant just a stones through from our hotel. It was a quaint but beautiful setting, the staff were so amicable and forthcoming and the food was out of this world! Then there was their tiramisu. My god, I thought I’d died and gone to food heaven! We ended up dining there every evening and of course, always finished our meal with the tiramisu.

This doesn’t have alcohol as I just don’t like boozy desserts. If unlike me, you do like a bit of booze, then add 4tbs of rum and/or masala (2 of each).

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs, separated 
• 75g caster sugar 
• 450g mascarpone
• 400ml coffee
• 2 packets of sponge fingers 
• Cocoa powder, to dust 

Whisk 3 eggs whites until stiff, then set aside. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and voluminous, then whisk in the mascarpone, a little at a time, until smooth and well combined. Gently fold the egg whites into the mascarpone mixture with a large metal spoon, taking care not to knock the air out. 

Pour the coffee into a shallow dish and dip the sponge fingers for several seconds on each side, until it is a pale coffee colour. Then arrange to cover the base of a shallow dish. Spoon half of the mascarpone mixture then sprinkle some cocoa powder on top. Then repeat for the second layer, finishing with the mascarpone and a sprinkle of cocoa.

Cover and refrigerate overnight, you may need to give it another dusting of cocoa if some has been removed from the cover.

Chicken Parmigiana

My favourite cuisine is Italian. Give me all the pizzas, all the pastas and all of the gelatos and tiramisu!! Italy literally has the most amazing food! Oh and wine!!

Chicken Parm is basically breaded chicken, covered in a tomato sauce then topped with mozzarella and Parmesan. It’s soooo good and any cheese lover will love this dish!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 2 large eggs
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley 
• Salt & pepper 
• 4 chicken breasts 
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs 
• 1 cup golden bread crumbs 
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan 
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• Olive oil for frying 

For the sauce: 

• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 large onion finely chopped 
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 400g passata
• Salt & pepper
• 1 tsp dried Italian herbs 
• 1 tsp sugar 

For the topping:

• 250g mozzarella 
• 50g fresh Parmesan 
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped basil 

Whisk together the eggs, garlic, parsley and salt & pepper in a shallow dish. Add the chicken to the egg mixture and ensure it’s well coated on each side. Add the chicken to a sandwich bag and pour in the egg mixture, secure and refrigerate overnight.

Once you are ready to cook your chicken, preheat the oven to 180C. Lightly grease an oven dish with olive oil and set aside. Mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and garlic powder into a bowl and dip the chicken in, evenly coating each chicken breast.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat until hot. Fry the chicken until golden and crispy.

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion until transparent, then add the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the passata, salt and pepper to taste, Italian herbs and sugar. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

Add the chicken to your prepared dish. Spoon the tomato sauce onto each chicken then top with the mozzarella, Parmesan and chopped basil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the cheese has melted and bubbling, and then chicken is cooked through.

Serve with pasta or a salad and vegetables.

Chocolate & Vanilla Cupcakes

These cupcakes are by far my most favourite and popular!

These take a little longer as it’s two different batters and icing mixtures but it’s totally worth the effort!!

I also add a surprise element but adding Nutella in the centre of the sponge, pure bliss.

Trust me with using coffee, this will elevate the chocolate flavour and make it more intense.

Ingredients:

For the vanilla element:

• 250g self raising flour
• 250g caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 250g unsalted butter, softened 
• 4 large free range eggs 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp whole milk

For the vanilla butter cream:

• 150g unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 tbsp whole milk
• 338g icing sugar

For the chocolate element:

• 150g dark chocolate 
• 350g plain flour 
• 60g cocoa powder
• 370g caster sugar 
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3 large free range eggs 
• 240ml cooled coffee 
• 240ml buttermilk 
• 210ml vegetable oil 

For the chocolate buttercream:

• 90g dark chocolate
• 150g unsalted butter, softened 
• 270g icing sugar 
• 2 tbsp whole milk

Preheat your oven to 170C. Sift the dry ingredients for the vanilla element into a large bowl, add the butter and eggs then beat for 60 seconds with an electric mixer. Add the vanilla extract into the  milk and stir then add into the batter and mix for 30 seconds, or until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and give it one last blast to mix well. 

Now onto the chocolate element. Finely chop the dark chocolate and tip into a large bowl and add the dry ingredients and 1/2 tsp of fine sea salt and stir. Whisk the wet cupcake ingredients together in a separate bowl, then gradually add to the dry mix, whisking until silky smooth. 

Now fill your paper cases with alternate cake mixture until two-thirds full, to give it a marbles effect. Now bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until they spring back when touched. Leave to cool in the tin, transferring to a cooking rack after 5 minutes.

To make the vanilla buttercream, bear the butter in an electric mixer for 5 minutes, until pale and smooth. Stir the vanilla extract into the milk then set aside. Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl, then gradually add to the butter in several stages, bearing well between each. Slowly add the vanilla milk and bear for a further 5 minutes, or until almost white. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give one more blast.

For the chocolate buttercream, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave. Then leave to cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, beat the butter in an electric mixer for 5 minutes, until pale and smooth. Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl, then gradually add to the butter in several stages, bearing well between each. Gradually add the milk and beat for another 5 minutes until well combined. Pour in the melted chocolate, bit by bit, mixing as you go, then beat for a couple of minutes.

Once the cupcakes are cool, Using a knife or apple corer, cut a small section out of the middle of each cupcake and fill with Nutella. Grab a large icing bag and carefully spoon the vanilla buttercream on one side of the bag, then the chocolate buttercream on the opposite side. Pipe the buttercream onto your cupcakes using a nozzle and enjoy! 

Butter Chicken

This curry recipe will not disappoint! It’s tasty and just as good as your take out curry.

You don’t need to use a lot of spices and you’re not going to spend hours slaving away in the kitchen which makes this a good midweek dinner option.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 500g chicken boneless chicken breast
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste 
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder 
• Salt 

For the sauce:

• 450g tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1 white onion, chopped 
• 1 tbsp garlic paste 
• 50g cashew nuts 
• 1 tsp kasoori methi
• 1/2 tsp garam masala 
• 4 tbsp caster sugar 
• 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder 
• 5 tbsp butter
• 4 tbsp double cream 
• 2 tbsp malt vinegar 
• Salt to taste 

Cut your chicken and add to a bowl. Add the garlic & ginger pastes, chilli powder and sait. Mix well and leave to marinade for a minimum of 30 minutes. Overnight is best.

In a pan, heat some olive oil and fry the chicken until cooked through. Add to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, add the onion, a little oil and a tablespoon of butter. Once the onions are cooked, add the tomatoes and cashew nuts. Add some water, the garlic paste, salt, malt vinegar, sugar, garam masala and chilli powder. Mix well and leave to simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes. 

Now all your ingredients are soft, add the mixture into a large mixing bowl and using a hand held blender, blitz the sauce until there are no lumps and it’s smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve back into the pan, add some more water if too thick. Add the rest of the butter, cream, chicken and kasoori methi. Mix well and leave it to simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with rice and garnish with a drizzle of cream and a sprinkling of kasoori methi. 

Red Velvet Oreo Cupcakes

What could be better than red velvet cupcakes? Red velvet with Oreo icing cupcakes!!

Oh my god!! These are soooo heavenly and so moreish!

Makes 22

Ingredients:

For the red velvet cupcakes:

• 235g self raising flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 250g caster sugar
• 3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 
• 270g softened unsalted butter 
• 4 large free range eggs
• 3 tbsp buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• Red food colouring paste/ gel
• 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar 

For the Oreo icing:

• 300g softened unsalted butter 
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp whole milk
• 675g icing sugar
• 120g Oreo cookies 

Preheat the oven to 170C. Shift all of the dry ingredients together and 1/4 tsp of salt (apart from the bicarbonate of soda) into a large bowl. Add the butter and eggs then beat for around one minute with an electric mixer. Add the buttermilk, vanilla extract and food colouring then mix well. Add enough food colouring to get a nice red colour. Scrape down the sides and beat for a further few seconds, until we’ll incorporated. 

In a small bowl, mix the bicarbonate of soda with the vinegar. As soon as you do this, it’ll start to fizz . Add it straight away to the mixture and whisk very briefly to incorporate. Fill the paper cases two thirds full with the mixture and bake for 20 minutes. Leave to cool then transfer to a cooling rack.

To make the buttercream, beat the butter in a mixer for 5 minutes, until pale and smooth. Mix in the vanilla extract into the milk and set aside. Shift the icing sugar into a large bowl, then add to the butter in two stages, beating well between each. Gradually add the milk mixture and beat for another 3-5 minutes, or until almost white. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another quick blast.

Add the Oreos into a food processor and blitz into fine crumbs. Add to the butter icing and mix until we’ll incorporated. 

Once the cupcakes are cool, decorate them with your Oreo icing. Either by hand or using an icing bag . 

Curry Mutton 

One of the most famous dishes in Caribbean cuisine is curry goat. I couldn’t find any goat at the shops so I bought mutton instead, but use goat if you’re lucky enough to find some.

I made rice and peas to go with my curry but plain rice is equally as good with this dish.

I also had to fry up some plantain as I’m obsessed with it, could literally eat it all day, everyday!

This curry is full of flavour and tastes pretty damn good! The meat is so tender it literally falls off the bone!

You don’t want the liquid to cook out so make sure you keep topping up with water as you want sauce with this dish or it’ll be dry.

Ingredients:

• 3lbs mutton or goat 
• 5 tbsp medium curry powder 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp ground ginger 
• 1 tsp allspice
• 2 tsp ground turmeric
• 4 tbsp sunflower oil 
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1 x 400ml can coconut milk 
• 800ml water 
• 3 spring onions, chopped 
• Large handful of fresh thyme 
• 8 baby potatoes, peeled and chopped into small chunks
• 1 scotch bonnet 

Put the mutton in a bowl and add 2 tbsp of the curry powder alike with the salt, pepper, ginger, allspice and turmeric. Mix it all into the meat, cover with cling film and leave to marinate over night to get the most flavour, or for 3 hours if you’re short on time.

Heat the oil in a Dutch pot or a large pot over a medium heat and add the onions along with 1 tsp of curry powder and the garlic. Cook for 3-5 minutes until dark brown. Then add 2 tbsp of the coconut milk to create a paste.

Add the mutton to the pot and sauté until the meat has browned all over. Add half the water and the rest of the coconut milk, stir then cover and leave to simmer on a low-medium heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to endure the meat doesn’t catch at the bottom of the pot. Add 2 tbsp of curry powder after an hour of cooking and add more water if necessary.

After 2 hours, add the remaining curry powder, to taste and more water if needed.

Add the spring onions, thyme, potatoes and scotch bonnet and cook for a further 20 minutes. Remove the scotch bonnet (or leave it for longer if you’re feeling brave/ like it hot!!), cover and cook for a further 30 minutes until the meat is tender. 

Serve with rice and plantain. Bon appétit!