Baked Alaska

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Ingredients

  • 1 recipe of vanilla ice cream/ chosen flavour
  • 1 recipe of chocolate or plain sponge

For the meringue

  • 2 free-range egg whites
  • 115g caster sugar

Method

  1. For the meringue, heat the egg whites and sugar together in a bowl over a pan of water until it reaches 75°C. Remove the bowl from the heat and whisk with a hand whisk until thick, glossy and cool.
  2. To assemble the Alaska, cut circles of the sponge cake, place a scoop of ice cream on top, leaving a small border. Spoon the meringue all over the ice cream, ensuring there are no gaps, and use the back of a spoon to make a swirl pattern.
  3. To cook the baked Alaska, preheat the oven to ESSE dial reading middle of HOT / 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 or use the grill place the tray in the oven and keeping an eye on it cook golden-brown all over. Make sure not to melt the ice cream!

Scallops with chorizo

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If you’re cooking this dish in the summer when fresh broad beans are available, blanch some and toss them into the pan at the last moment. Sweet little fresh peas are another delicious addition. You could also substitute black pudding for the chorizo. Add 6 torn sage leaves to the pan with the scallops to bring out the flavour of the sausage.

Serves

Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main course

Ingredients

  • 12 large, hand-dived scallops
  • Olive oil
  • 250g fairly hot cooking chorizo, cut into 1–2cm thick slices
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
  • Few bay leaves (optional)
  • A squeeze of lemon juice
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Optional Extras

  • Baby broad beans and/or garden peas, podded and blanched for 2 minutes

Open the scallops if they are still in the shell. If the corals are plump and bright orange, leave them attached to the main muscle.

Pat the scallops dry with kitchen paper and set aside.

Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over the hotter plate, add a little olive oil, then throw in the chorizo and, if you like, a sprinkling of fennel seeds and a few bay leaves. Fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring all the while, as the chorizo releases its salty, spicy fat.

Move the chorizo to one side of the pan. Check that the pan is still really hot, then add the scallops. Leave for about 45 seconds to 1 minute, then carefully turn them over. After another scant minute, using a sharp shake of the pan – or a light stir with a spatula – toss the chorizo and scallops together with all that lovely, flavoursome fat. (This is the moment to add the optional broad beans and/or peas.) Cook for just another minute, tossing and shaking regularly.

Add a twist of pepper, a little bit of salt (the chorizo is already pretty salty) and a few drops of lemon juice, then divide the mixture between warmed plates and serve straight away, with bread and a green salad – for which the oil from the pan, with a few more drops of lemon juice, will make a sublime dressing.

Asparagus and crab

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Crab and asparagus is, in my mind, a fantastic combo. I make a puff pastry tart with crab, asparagus, double cream and egg yolks – it’s too good. But as simplicity is the order of the day, here’s the crab/asparagus combination in its most basic form.

Serves

Four people

Ingredients

  • 12 asparagus spears, trimmed
  • 1 live 2 – 3 lb brown cock crab (make sure your crab is fresh, has all its claws and is heavy for its size)
  • 1 lemon
  • Maldon sea salt
  • black pepper
  • olive oil

Method

Wash the crab and place in a large pan of fresh water. Bring to the boil and boil for approximately 20 – 25 mins. Allow the cooked crab to cool slightly before picking the white meat from the claws and the brown meat from the shell.

Toss the asparagus in a little olive oil and place on a sizzling griddle pan set over a high heat. Cook for 3 or 4 mins turning once or twice. Allow the spears to take on a bit of colour.

Spoon a pile of the crab-meat onto a warm plate and add the char-grilled spears.

Season the whole lot with lemon juice, Maldon sea salt and black pepper.

Home-made Scotch Eggs

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This is how Scotch Eggs should be.

Serves

Four people

Ingredients

  • 5 large eggs
  • 500g organic pork sausage meat
  • A few sage leaves, very finely chopped
  • A good pinch of ground mace
  • A pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 3 tbsp plain flour
  • 100g day-old white breadcrumbs groundnut oil, for frying

Method

Make sure the eggs are at room temperature. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, lower in four eggs, then simmer for seven minutes. Transfer the pan to the sink and run the cold tap into the pan to stop the cooking. When the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel them.

Meanwhile, add the sage, mace and cayenne to the sausage meat, along with plenty of salt and pepper, and mix well with your hands. Divide the meat into eight equal pieces and shape each piece into a flat patty.

Take two patties of sausage meat and use to encase one egg, moulding the meat smoothly around the egg and making sure it’s completely sealed. Repeat with all the others.

Pour groundnut oil into a deep fat fryer or deep, heavy-based pan to a depth of at least 7cm and bring up to 170C, or until a cube of white bread dropped in turns light golden brown in about one minute.

Meanwhile, spread the flour on a plate, beat the final egg and put in a shallow dish, and spread the breadcrumbs on another plate.

When the oil is up to temperature, dust each sausage meat encased egg in a little flour, then dip it in beaten egg, then roll in breadcrumbs. Lower into the hot oil and fry for 8-10 minutes, turning them over in the oil from time to time, until deep golden brown all over. Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot, for once. Or cold, later. My favourite accompaniment is creamed spinach.

Oaty Drop-Scones with Honey

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Ingredients

  • 100g organic oats, soaked in just enough water to cover for 10 – 15 minutes.
  • 100g organic spelt flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • Enough whole milk to make into a thick batter

Method

Beat the ingredients together, rest the batter for 10 minutes.

Heat a frying pan you can trust to a moderate heat, add a little butter and then add spoonful’s of batter to the pan. Cook until they are risen and well set on the bottom. Flip them over and cook for another minute.

Pop the drop scones onto a warmed plate and keep warm on the stove top until you have cooked all the batter.

Drizzle the drop scones with honey, and serve – they are lovely on their own or with lemon, alternatively they work very well with fruit and yoghurt.

Recipe demonstrated by Tim Maddams on the ESSE electric range cooker at ESSE Factory Cafe.

Rhubarb and Orange Cranachan

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This is a traditional Scottish dessert that we make frequently at River cottage. It’s usually made with fresh raspberries, however in February; I like to use Rhubarb with its bright pink colour and sharp edge.

Serves

4 People

Ingredients

  • 1kg forced rhubarb, trimmed and chopped
  • Juice and finely grated zest of 1 orange
  • 125g caster sugar
  • 50g rolled oats or medium oatmeal
  • 284ml carton double cream
  • 2 tbsp whisky or cider brandy
  • 3-4 tbsp honey

Method

Put the rhubarb, orange juice and caster sugar in a pan. Bring to a gentle simmer, and then cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. Don’t stir it too much and it will retain some of its shape.

When it’s cooked use a sieve to strain off a little of the juice, (which is delicious mixed with sparkling white wine).

Let the compote cool completely.

Spread the oats or oatmeal out on a baking tray, toast in the hot oven until golden. 3- 4 mins. Combine the cream, orange zest and whisky or brandy and whip until the cream holds soft peaks.

Loosely fold in the honey, the toasted oats and the rhubarb compote.

Serve straight away trickled with a little more honey.

Pancake recipe by Philippa Vine, Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen

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Ingredients

  • 100g plain flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 300ml milk
  • 25g butter, melted

Method

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre & beat in the eggs using a whisk.

As the egg mixture becomes thicker, add a little milk to loosen it, then keep whisking & add the remaining milk. Whisk well until mixture is smooth. Then add the melted butter.

Check the consistency of the batter, it should be thin like single cream.

Ensure your ESSE hot plate is hot (200). Wipe the hot plate with kitchen paper dipped in a little melted butter or oil. Using a ladle, pour the batter into a circle, using your ladle to swirl it around. Cook for a minute or two until small air bubbles start appearing.

Using a palette knife to release and lift the edge of the pancake and flip over & cook the second side until golden, then carefully remove it from the hot plate to serve. (The pancakes won’t stick together when stacked up with the added melted butter to the batter.)

Note: Often the first pancake will either be too thick or will break. Check the consistency of the batter and add a little milk if too thick. As you become more familiar with pouring the batter and swirling it, the pancakes will improve. (The first pancake is for the cook!) Happy cooking!

Recipe provided by Philippa Vine, Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen.

Sashimi of miso pigeon

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Miso marinated pigeon, watercress, coriander and soy dressing

You need good fresh pigeon for this dish – because the meat is hardly cooked – the marinade of miso makes things very tasty and changes the texture of the meat – but we do not want to take any chances with the meat here – fresh is the order of the day.

Serves

2 people

Ingredients

  • 4 pigeon breasts
  • 1 teaspoon good quality organic miso paste
  • 1 teaspoon mirin
  • 1 dessert spoon full water
  • 2 fistfuls of good watercress
  • a small bunch of coriander leaf
  • 2 dessert spoons full of tamari soy sauce
  • 1 pinch of fresh ginger – grated
  • 1/2 clove garlic – grated
  • A squeeze of lime juice
  • A little fresh chilli if you like
  • 1 tablespoon of pumpkin seed oil

Method

This recipe is simplicity it’s self. Mix the mirin, miso and water to make a light paste, pour this over the pigeon breasts and make sure they are all well coated. Leave them in the marinade for at least 20 minutes but ideally and hour then pan cook or direct to hotplate cook them with a little sunflower oil until they are just lightly seared on the outsides – about 20 seconds per side – and then set them to one side to rest.

Make a simple dressing by mixing the soy, lime, garlic and ginger with the pumpkin seed oil.

Wash and pick the watercress and the coriander leaf. Slice a little fresh hot chilli of you like it.

Now, slice the pigeon breasts lengthways and place them on a serving dish or individual plates and put some watercress and coriander over the top. Sprinkle with the dressing and a add a little of the sliced chilli.

Enjoy!

ESSE electric range cooker demonstration by Tim Maddams, private chef, writer, cookery teacher and presenter.

Ultimate roast potatoes

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Getting a great roast potato is a very personal thing – some like them ultra-crunchy, some like them a bit soft and others seem to like a mixture of both but for me there are three things that make for the ultimate roast potato. First – I like the skins left on, secondly I like to add some garlic, bay, thyme and black pepper to the cooking water at the boiling stage and lastly I like to use lard or beef dripping along with a little rape seed oil to enhance flavour and crispness.

You need to have your oven hot and any vents open to allow stream to leave the oven chamber otherwise the spuds will go soggy and never get crispy.

Ingredients

  • 1kg good Maris Piper type potatoes – Estima are another good variety, anything will do at a push but a good floury variety that holds together as well is where you want to be. Scrub them well but do not peel them and then cut them into chunks.
  • 1 fresh bay leaf
  • 8 black peppercorns
  • 1 bulb of garlic – cut horizontally through the middle
  • a good sprig of fresh thyme
  • Salt
  • 100g lard
  • 20 ml rape seed oil

Method

Place the potatoes in a large sauce pan and cover with cold water. Bring rapidly to the boil and add the herbs, garlic and peppercorns. Simmer until mostly tender then remove from the heat and drain well.

Whilst the potatoes are draining place the fat and oil in a large roasting dish and pop this in the oven to heat.

When the oil and fat are good and hot tip in the potatoes carefully and make sure they all get a good coating of the hot fat. Pop them back in the oven and roast for around 45 mins until crisp and golden – turning once or twice during that time.

Season well with a little salt and serve.

ESSE electric range cooker demonstration by Tim Maddams, private chef, writer, cookery teacher and presenter.

Rarebit Choux pastry

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For the choux pastry

  • Choux Pastry
  • 85 ml / 3 fl. oz water
  • 85 ml / 3 fl. oz milk
  • 65g / 2½ oz butter
  • 100g / 3½ oz plain flour or gluten free plain flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan

Method

  1. Dissolve the butter in the water and milk and bring to the boil. Tip in the flour and stir over the heat until the mixture comes away from the side of the pan. Leave to cool a little.
  2. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
  3. Heat the oven to 200°C, ESSE dial reading middle of HOT. Line baking sheets with baking paper, then pipe small 4cm high blobs of pastry onto the sheets, spaced a little apart. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan then bake for 20 minutes until puffed and golden.

For the filling

  • 300g strong cheese, grated
  • 1½ tsp English mustard
  • Large splash Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 medium egg yolks
  • 120ml good quality local beer

Method

  1. Boil the beer and reduce it down to a tablespoon in volume.
  2. Whizz all the filling ingredients to a thick paste using a food processor.
  3. Put the mixture in a piping bag fitted with a very narrow nozzle.
  4. When the gougères are golden, remove from the oven. As soon as you can handle them, poke a hole in the base of each one with a metal skewer, then pipe no more than 1 tsp filling into each one.
  5. Set the gougères upright again and return to the oven for 5-8 minutes until deep golden.
  6. Remove from the oven, leave to stand for 2-3 minutes, then serve, warning people to watch out for the hot filling.

Recipe provided by Philippa Vine, Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen.

Florentines

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This recipe highlights the gentle method of melting of the butter and chocolate on an ESSE induction hob, no water bath required.

Ingredients

  • 150g flaked almonds
  • 50g butter, melted
  • 40g plain flour
  • 90g caster sugar
  • 120ml double cream
  • 30ml honey
  • 115g dried fruit
  • 50g dark chocolate

Method

  1. Cooking them in the ESSE oven at 170C / ESSE dial reading to be in the middle of MODERATE.
  2. Mix all the ingredients together.
  3. Spoon into round non stick tins, flatten down with the back of the spoon.
  4. Bake for about 15 to 20 mins until golden.
  5. Remove from oven, allow to cool.
  6. Remove from the tin and place on a cooling rack.
  7. Melt chocolate and coat the flat side of the florentine. Chill to set the chocolate.

Recipe provided by Philippa Vine, Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen.

DHAL

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A simple, red lentil dhal is such a great complement to so many vegetable dishes – not just curries or biryanis, pakoras or bhajis, but even simple fare such as shredded, stir-fried greens and a scoop of rice. It’s a delicious way to add protein to a veg-based meal too. This easy but authentic example is based on a recipe from the wonderful Indian chef Udit Sarkhel.

Serves

Four people

Ingredients

  • 250g red lentils
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

TO FINISH (Optional):
A small bunch of parsley or coriander, or a couple of sprigs of mint, roughly chopped.

Method

  1. Put the lentils in a pan with 800ml cold water and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum then stir in the turmeric and salt. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes, stirring or whisking vigorously every now and then, until the lentils have broken down completely and you have a purée – the consistency of a thick soup or thin porridge. You can whisk in a little hot water from a just-boiled kettle if you need to thin it a bit. Keep warm in the pan.
  2. When the Dhal is just about done, heat the sunflower oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and fry for a couple of minutes until browned and fragrant. Add the onion and fry fairly briskly for 5–10 minutes until golden brown, even just a smidge burnt.
  3. Tip the mixture on to the hot lentils in the pan, cover and leave for 5 minutes then stir in the onions and cumin. Taste and adjust the seasoning. This is very good with coriander, parsley or mint sprinkled on top – but that’s not essential.

Pan Fried Mackerel, Labneh, Baby Gem, Salsa Verde

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Ingredients

  • 2 mackerel fillets
  • Half a baby gem lettuce
  • 4 spears asparagus
  • 50g butter
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbls capers
  • 2 anchovy fillets
  • 1 lemon
  • sprig chives
  • sprig flat leaf parsley
  • sprig dill
  • sprig mint
  • 100ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 2tbls labneh

Method

  1. In a searing hot pan, place a little cooking oil followed by the mackerel fillets skin side down, place a small amount of pressure with a spatula on top of the fillets to ensure the skin is flat to the pan. Turn the heat down slightly, add the baby gem lettuce and asparagus to the pan flat side down and leave to caramelize.
  2. In a bowl, chop all the herbs, one garlic glove, 1 tablespoon of capers, and half a juiced lemon, mix together and put to one side to dress the mackerel once cooked.
  3. You will notice as the fish is cooking the sides of the flesh will start to turn white, once this has reached around half way up the fish add the butter, capers, garlic and anchovy to the pan. Break the anchovy up in the hot butter with the back of a fork until it dissolves. Take the pan off the heat, add the other half of lemon juice. Turn the fish and the baby gem over and baste in the hot butter.
  4. To serve, spread the labneh on the bottom of a warm plate, with the baby gem, asparagus and mackerel on top. Finish off with a little bit of the salsa verde and some sea salt.

Meatballs

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Ingredients

  • 500g minced pork shoulder (roughly 20% fat), could also use lamb
  • 5g salt (about 1 teaspoon)
  • Black pepper
  • Nutmeg/mace
  • Fennel seeds

Method

  1. Simply mix the ingredients together. This mixture when made with pork is a classic Italian sausage mix. Be generous with the black pepper and fennel seeds and not so much with the nutmeg/fennel.
  2. Cook in a flat pan or direct to hotplate on all sides.

Quick Tomato Sauce

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Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
  • 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes (or 1 tin plus a jar of passata)
  • A pinch of sugar
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a gentle heat. Add the garlic and let it sizzle very gently for a minute or so. As soon as it starts to turn golden, add the tomatoes.
  2. Let them bubble gently, stirring often, for 10–15 minutes, until you have a thick sauce. Transfer to a jug and purée with a stick blender (if you do it in the pan, the sauce will go everywhere), or just crush the chunks of tomato in the pan with a fork until you have a reasonably smooth sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper and the sugar.

Potato Farls

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Ingredients

  • 500g floury potatoes, such as King Edward or Desiree
  • 50g plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
  • 50g butter
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • Chives

Method

  1. Peel the potatoes cut into large pieces, boil until tender, drain and mash. Once mashed stir in the butter and allow to cool.
  2. Add the flour and baking powder and chopped chives along with a good pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
  3. The dough should come together and away from the sides of the pan. You can add more flour if the mixture is too wet and a little milk if it is too dry.
  4. Divide the dough into two halves. Form one piece into a ball, then roll it out on a floured surface and into a rough circle with a diameter of about 15cm and a thickness of 5mm to 1cm.
  5. Cook directly on the hotplate with the lid down, flipping halfway through.
  6. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough mix.
  7. Cut into pieces and serve hot.

Wilted Greens

  1. Pre heat a heavy roasting tray in the hot oven.
  2. Remove the tray and add 2 or 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a clove or two of thinly sliced garlic.
  3. Allow the garlic to brown in the oil very lightly.
  4. Place a big handful of washed still damp greens into the tray, season and return to the oven for a couple of minutes. Stir and possibly return to the oven for a minute if not completely tender.
  5. Test again and serve.
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