Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin

There’s something about French patisserie that makes me so happy. Every time I go back home to my parents I always have to go and buy a selection for me and my family. It’s a feast for the eyes as well as the palate!

Tarte tatin is a family favourite, as well as anything lemony or chocolatey! This recipe is my grandmothers and is sure to make your stomach happy!

This recipe is usually done with puff pastry but I didn’t have any to hand, and with being in lockdown, popping to the shops for non essentials is no longer an option, so I made rich short crust instead (because, who has time or the patience to make their own puff pastry?!!) and it tasted delicious.

Ingredients:

For the pastry, if not using ready made puff pastry:

• 175g plain flour 
• 25g golden caster sugar 
• 85g unsalted butter, chilled & cubed
• 1egg yolk
• 2tbsp ice cold water
• Pinch of salt 

For the filling:

• 6 apples, peeled, cored & quartered 
• 50g unsalted butter
• 50g golden caster sugar 
• 1 lemon, juiced 

If making your own pastry, add the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor then add the chilled butter and mix until it resembles fine crumbs. Whilst the machine is still running, add the egg yolk and water through the feed tube, and process until the mixture comes together to form a firm dough.

Take the dough out and form into a ball then wrap in cling film. Leave to chill in the fridge whilst you crack on with the apples.

In a tarte tatin dish, heat the butter over a medium heat. Once melted, add the sugar and mix. Once the sugar has dissolved, add the lemon juice and mix together. Now add your apples and mix so they are covered with the mixture. You want to caramelise your apples, this will take around ten minutes.

If you need to, add a little more butter and sugar. Once your apples are caramelised, take off the heat and leave to cool slightly. If making your own pastry, take out of the fridge and rollout so it’s big enough to cover your pan.

Neatly arrange the apples so the are all flat and the pan is fully covered. Carefully take your pastry and cover the apples. Carefully press the pastry into the sides and cut off any excess. Prick the pastry 3 times with a knife and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 160C and cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and crisp.

Leave to cool then invert a plate over the dish, hold the plate and dish together and flip over so the apples are on top. Serve with ice cream, crème fraîche or custard.

Creamy Caprese Stuffed Pasta Shells

Creamy Caprese Stuffed Pasta Shells 

This dish will literally transport you to Italy, it’s creamy, cheesy and the sun dried tomato sauce just brings it all together.

I served this as a main for Valentine’s Day, alongside my Arancini as a starter and tiramisu for dessert.

Ingredients:

• 250g jumbo pasta shells 
• 500g ricotta 
• 375g mozzarella 
• 285g sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped 
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped basil 
• Salt & pepper 
• 100ml chicken stock 
• 100ml double cream 

Preheat the oven to 180C. In a large pan of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al denté. Drain and leave to cool.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, mozzarella, half the sun dried tomatoes, basil, then season with salt & pepper.

In a small saucepan over a low heat, combine chicken broth, double cream and the remaining sun dried tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce into an oven proof dish. Spoon the ricotta mixture into the pasta shells and place into the pan, then pour over the remaining sauce.

Bake in the oven until the cheese has melted and is golden, around 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies 

These cookies are so soft and chewy and taste amazing!

You can play around with this recipe by swapping out the chocolats chips for any kind of chopped chocolate, nuts, raisins etc. Just make sure you keep it to the same quantity and you’re good to go.

Ingredients:

• 113g unsalted butter, melted 
• 66g granulated sugar 
• 104g light brown muscovado sugar 
• 1 large egg
• 1tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/2tsp bicarbonate of soda 
• 1/2tsp salt 
• 186g plain flour 
• 200g milk chocolate chips 

Place the melted butter in the bowl of a mixer then add the sugars, mix on the low speed setting until well mixed. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix on a medium speed until combined.

Add the bicarbonate of soda and salt, then slowly add the flour to the mix until smooth. Add the chocolats chips and mix.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Scoop a tablespoon of mixture into a ball and place on the baking tray. No need to worry about spacing as we are chilling before baking. Cover with cling film and chill for two hours. 

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line another baking tray with parchment paper. Remove the cookies from the fridge and space them 2 inches apart on the new baking tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden and the top is no longer glossy. Leave to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the baking tray.

Mozzarella Arancini with Marinara Sauce

Mozzarella Arancini with Marinara Sauce

These are a labour of love but my god, they are totally worth it and during this lockdown, we have allll the time to cook, so no excuses!

Arancini originate from Sicily; and are rice balls stuffed with ragu, mozzarella or whatever you fancy, then deep fried to perfection.

These go great with the marinara sauce and can be eaten as a starter or as light lunch with a salad.

Ingredients:

For the Arancini:

• 750ml chicken stock 
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter 
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 190g Arborio rice
• 1 tsp salt 
• 115ml dry white wine 
• 100g Parmesan 
• 60g double cream
• 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper 
• 375g mozzarella, cut into small cubes 
• 200g Panko bread crumbs
• 100g flour 
• 2 large free range eggs
• Sunflower oil for frying 

For the marinara sauce:

• 6 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped 
• 6 garlic cloves, crushed 
• 2 sprigs of basil, chopped
• 2x 400g tins of peeled plum tomatoes 
• Salt and pepper 

Sauce

The sauce can be made a day in advance if needed.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Cook the onion, stirring often, until very soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes, then add the basil. 

Add the tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you go, season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat, simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick, around 1 hour. Season with salt & pepper.

Arancini 

Bring the stock to a simmer over a medium heat in a saucepan, then keep warm over a low heat.

Heat 2 tbsp of butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Stir in the rice, season with 1 tsp salt and cook, stirring often until some of the grains turn translucent around the edges. Add the wine and cook, stirring often until the pan is almost dry. Ladle in one spoonful of stock, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring often until the liquid is absorbed. Ladle in another spoonful of stock and continue the method until all the stock has been used and is mostly absorbed. The rice should be cooked through but slightly toothsome. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tsp pepper and remaining butter. Season with salt to taste.

Spread risotto in an even layer on a parchment lined baking tray. Chill for 4 hours in the fridge, cover with cling film after 1 hour of chilling to stop a skin forming.

Line another baking tray with parchment. Scoop about a palm size amount of risotto into your hand and form into a patty, place 3-4 pieces of mozzarella in the middle. Carefully pinch the edges up to cover the mozzarella and form into a ball. Place on the prepared baking tray. Repeat until all the risotto has been formed. Place in the fridge for an hour (or freeze for 10 minutes).

Meanwhile, pulse the Panko breadcrumbs in a food processor until very fine and transfer to a shallow bowl. Place flour in another shallow bowl. Then, beat the eggs in another bowl to blend. Season all bowls with salt and pepper. Working one at a time, roll the balls in flour and shake off any excess. Then dip in the egg, enduring the entire ball is coated, then let any excess drip off. Finally, roll into the Panko. Transfer onto your lined baking tray.

Heat your oil or fryer, and cook the Arancini until a deep golden brown, around 5-6 minutes. Transfer to kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil. Serve warm with the marinara sauce.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread 

This banana bread is super versatile. I’ve added walnuts, cinnamon and chocolate to mine. You can add any nuts you like, and/or seeds or you can completely omit the extras and keep it simply banana. Either way, it’ll be delicious.

Ingredients:

• 210g plain flour
• 1tsp salt 
• 1tsp cinnamon 
• 70g sugar (I used light brown muscovado sugar)
• 1tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 large eggs 
• 4 ripe bananas 
• 220g melted butter 
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda 
• 70g walnuts 
• 40g dark chocolate chips
• 40g white chocolate chips 

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a loaf tin with baking parchment. 

In a small bowl, mix the flour and salt together then set aside. 

Place the bananas in a bowl and mash them. Add the eggs, cinnamon, vanilla extract, bicarbonate of soda, sugar and butter and mix well. Add half the flour and fold in. Add the remaining flour and fold gently, do not over mix. 

Add your nuts and chocolate, if using and gently mix. Pour the mixture into your prepared tin. I cut a banana in half lengthways and placed on top, then sprinkled some extra chocolate chips. Bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes. I covered my loaf tin with foil after 30 minutes to stop it from browning any further.

Pasta Alla Vodka

Pasta Alla Vodka

This pasta sauce is made using vodka, as you could probably tell by the description! It’s usually made using penne pasta, but I’ve had to use spaghetti as that’s all I can get hold of during the lockdown!

This pasta dish is so quick and easy to make but tastes delicious!

Serves 2.

Ingredients:

• Pasta 
• Salt & pepper 
• 4 garlic cloves 
• 2tbsp tomato purée 
• 2tbsp olive oil 
• 50g Parmesan 
• 120ml double cream 
• 1 shot of vodka

Cook enough pasta for 2 in salted boiling water. Once cooked, drain.

Whilst your pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium heat. Once hot, crush the garlic and cook until fragrant. Now add your tomato purée and mix, then add the vodka and mix well. Add your cream, stirring to mix everything together. Add the Parmesan and mix then season to taste.

Add your pasta to the sauce and stir so it’s all mixed well. 

Voila, bon appétit! 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi Three Ways

So, I originally made this for Noah and had a few requests to share the recipe, so here it is!

It’s such a versatile recipe and can be adapted and paired with any sauce you see fit.

This recipe is quick, effortless and really flavoursome. Plus little bubbas will love this, just omit the salt and use unsalted butter for weaning babies.

Serves 2:

• 3 large sweet potatoes 
• Salt & pepper to season 
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 4-6 tbsp flour

Pierce your potatoes then cook in the microwave until cooked. Slice the potatoes down the middle and scoop the inside out into a bowl. Mash the potato with a fork then season with the salt & pepper and add the thyme. Mix well then add a tablespoon at a time of flour, mixing well inbetween. The texture you’re after is not too sticky.

Roll into a long sausage on a lightly floured surface, then cut into little squares.

Bring some salted water to the boil then add the gnocchi. They’re cooked once they float to the top. Keep half a mug full of the water then drain. 

Heat a knob of butter in a large pan over a medium heat then add the gnocchi and season with more black pepper. Toss them around and fry until golden. 

Now you can choose whatever sauce you want to go with this. I have done pesto as well as a tomato and spinach sauce. Below I will let you know my spinach & Parmesan sauce as per the photos and this is the reason you need to keep some of the water.

Once your gnocchi are golden, add 4-5 handfuls of spinach then pour some water in. Mix it all together and sprinkle some Parmesan. Keep adding some water and Parmesan until you get a creamy consistency. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan.