Gratin of purple sprouting broccoli with garlic, chilli, anchovies and cream

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This is a fantastically warming way to cook purple sprouting broccoli and delicious either on its own as a starter, or with roast lamb or mutton.

Serves

Four people

Ingredients

  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 2 dried chillies
  • Olive oil
  • 6- anchovy fillets
  • White wine or marsala
  • 400ml double cream
  • 500g purple sprouting broccoli
  • 100g grated parmesan

Method

Peel and thinly slice the garlic. De-seed and chop the chillies. Set a medium-sized, heavy-based pan over a medium heat and heat a good slosh of olive oil.

Throw in the garlic, chilli and anchovies. Fry until the garlic takes on a golden tinge around its edges.

Add a splash of white wine or marsala, boil for a few seconds and then add the double cream. Bring to a simmer and turn the heat down. Cook until the sauce is reduced by a third.

Blanch the purple sprouting broccoli in boiling water for a minute.

Drain and allow to steam dry. Lay the broccoli in an ovenproof dish, pour over the cream sauce and scatter with grated parmesan. Bake at 190°C/Gas Mark 5 for 10-12 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Try the same recipe with curly kale in the winter months.

Lemon sponge puddings

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You will also need 6 individual ramekins

Serves

Serves 6 people

Ingredients

  • Juice and grated zest of 2 lemons
  • Up to 75g of golden syrup
  • 100g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 100g self-raising flour, sifted
  • pinch of salt

To Serve

  • Double cream, chilled

Method

Stir together 2/3rds of the lemon juice and the golden syrup.

Heat the mixture gently over a medium heat. Tip it into the pudding basin. Cream together the butter, lemon zest and caster sugar until it’s really light and fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time, adding a spoonful of flour with each, then fold in the remaining flour. Finally stir in the last of the lemon juice.

Spoon this mixture into the ramekins, the lemon juice and Syrup mixture will rise up the sides of the basin – don’t worry about this, and don’t attempt to stir it in with the batter.
Half fill a roasting tin with hot water; it needs to be big enough to fit the ramekins’ in.

Place the puddings in the roasting tin, the water should be coming half way up the sides of the puddings, close the door. The top oven should be reading ‘Hot’ on the dial.

Bake gently 45 minutes or until the puddings are cooked and well risen.

The ESSE is perfect for this type of cooking as it keeps in moisture which is perfect for delicate baking.

Pear and almond cake

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This soft, moist, dense almondy cake can be served warm for pudding, with lashings of cream, or cold, with a cup of tea or coffee. Firm conference pears should work a treat here.

Serves

Six people

Ingredients

  • 350g unsalted butter, softened
  • 250g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp
  • 4 eggs
  • 150g whole blanched almonds or ground almonds
  • 150g self-raising flour
  • 5-6 pears, firm but not too hard, peeled, cored and quartered
  • Cake tin about 20cm in diameter and 5cm deep (a springform one is best)
  • Baking parchment

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C. Your esse dial wants to read hot but not the far side of hot. Grease a 20cm diameter, springform cake tin with a little of the butter and line the base with baking parchment.

Put a saucepan over a medium heat and add 25g of the butter. When it’s sizzling, add 1 tbsp sugar and stir until it dissolves. Add the pear quarters and fry in the buttery caramel for a couple of minutes, until they start to brown. Put the pan to one side to cool a little.

Put the remaining butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Beat in the two eggs, one at a time.

Whiz the whole blanched almonds in the food processor for about a minute to grind them. Tip them into the cake batter (or add the ready-ground almonds), then sift in the self-raising flour and fold in gently. Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin. Arrange the pieces of pear on top of the cake. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a knife pushed into the centre comes out clean.

Place the tin on a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or cold.

Bonfire Toffee

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Yorkshire Bonfire Toffee (also known as treacle toffee, Plot toffee or Tom Trot) is a hard brittle toffee associated with Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night. It tastes strongly of molasses or black treacle and easy to make at home.

I think it is wise to make with a sugar thermometer since you can be assured of the brittle texture that comes with the hard-crack stage of cooking but it isn’t essential – patience is! The traditional version is hard, shiny and brittle but if you want a softer, chewier version (and have good strong teeth) then boil to the soft-crack stage.

Tip 1
Do take enormous care when preparing this toffee – the sugar syrup becomes extremely hot. It’s not a recipe for children to make although they can certainly help with measuring out the ingredients.

Tip 2
Cleaning the pan and the thermometer is made so much easier if you fill the pan with hot water and immerse the thermometer in it as soon after cooking as possible. Leave to stand for a while before washing in warm soapy water.

No sugar thermometer?
It is possible to make this toffee without a sugar thermometer but you will need to check that the correct stage and temperature has been reached. This is easiest done if you drop just a small amount of the cooked mixture into a bowl of iced water. When it cools (which is quickly) lift it out and bend it. If it snaps easily then the hard crack stage has been reached. If it bends into pliable strands then the soft crack stage has been achieved.

Makes about 500g

Ingredients

  • Oil for greasing
  • 450g dark brown sugar
  • 125 ml hot water
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 115g black treacle
  • 115g golden syrup

Method

Line the base and sides of a 30 x 21 cm shallow tin with non-stick parchment and then liberally grease with oil.

Place the sugar and hot water in a heavy-based pan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Don’t stir the sugar at any time just tile the pan from time to time to mix and move around.

Add the cream of tartar, treacle and syrup. Again tilt to mix but do not stir. At this stage add the sugar thermometer if using.

Bring to the boil and boil until you reach the hard-crack stage on the thermometer (149 C/300 F). This will produce a brittle toffee typical of that from Yorkshire. If you prefer something softer and chewier then boil until you reach the soft crack stage (140 C/279 F). This may take from 30 to 45 minutes so you need to be patient but do not leave the pan unattended as things can change quickly. When the desired stage is reached, pour into the prepared tin and leave to set.

Once cool, remove from the tin and break into pieces with a toffee hammer or rolling pin. Store in an airtight tin or wrap in cellophane for gifting if liked.

Hedgerow Jelly

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Ive already posted a Redcurrant jelly recipe but, as I’m trying to make the most of the wild larder here’s another one that can be made right now.

You can make great preserves on the Iron Heart.

The solid plates transfer a wonderful, consistent and even heat into the base of your preserving pan, and its at this time of year that ill have the fire going daily so perfect for the gentle simmering of preserves, jams and chutneys.

I love an autumn forage with the family, and its been a great year for it, crab apples, blackberries, rose hips, sloes and damsons, They have all be found in and around our garden and the woods that surround the us.

This preserve is amazing with pork and chicken but just as good spread on drop scones or crumpets. If you cant find enough crab apples you can makeup their weight in good old Bramleys.

Ingredients

  • Makes 4-8 small jars
  • 1kg crab apples or cooking apples
  • 1kg blackberries, rosehips, haws, sloes, elderberries or rowan berries granulated sugar

Method

  1. Roughly chop the apples (no need to peel or core them) and put in a preserving pan.
  2. Add the berries. If you are using rosehips, chop them roughly first (you can do this in a processor), taking care because the tiny fibres they contain are an irritant.
  3. Add enough water to almost cover the fruit.
  4. Bring to a simmer then simmer gently until all the fruit is soft and pulpy.
  5. Tip the mixture into a jelly bag and leave to drip for several hours or overnight.

Scallops with Jerusalem artichokes and pancetta

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Enjoy the best of British food with ESSE range recipes with the help of River Cottage head chef, Gill Meller.

Here, Gill Meller takes us through a step-by-step demonstration recipe, cooking scallops with jerusalem artichokes cooked using the ESSE flued Gas range cooker with Plus 2 companion.

Gill Meller cooks Winter Soup on an ESSE

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Enjoy the best of British food with ESSE range recipes with the help of River Cottage head chef, Gill Meller.

Here, Gill Meller takes us through a step-by-step demonstration recipe, cooking his favourite Winter Soup with beans and winter veg – cooked on an ESSE flued Gas range.

Braised flat mushrooms with soft polenta & dressed shredded greens

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Mouthwatering vegetarian recipe for your ESSE Range Cooker from Tim Maddams
February representative demonstrations prepared by Tim Maddams of Green Sauce

Ingredients

  • 6 large flat mushrooms
  • 1 onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 pint dark beer
  • Guiness etc
  • Fresh thyme
  • A small pinch of caraway seeds
  • Salt and pepper

In a casserole dish that is stove top safe, begin by frying the sliced onions in plenty of olive oil. Add shopped thyme, garlic then the mushrooms, a few at a time. Once everything is ticking over add the caraway and then the beer, season well and bring to the simmer and then transfer to your low oven or cook at ESSE dial guide COOL to MODERATE (150) for at least an hour.

Diced pancetta can be added if meat as required, this should go in at the start with the onions, around 100g.

For the polenta:

  • 1lt milk
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Chopped fresh rosemary – 1 teaspoon
  • A pinch of chilli flakes
  • Salt to taste
  • 200g quick cook polenta
  • 100g extra mature organic cheddar – or Lancashire!

Warm the milk with everything except the cheese and the polenta until its just simmering, add the polenta and stir, it will cook in around 10 minutes and have the consistency of a very thick porridge. Season well, adding more milk if needed, then grate the cheese and add half of that to the polenta.

For the greens

  • A few stems of cavolo nero, kale or a bit of good old savoy cabbage
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh lemon
  • Salt, pepper and English mustard.

Wash the greens well and de stem if they have tough stems. Chop finely and dress in a little olive oil, mustard and lemon juice, season with a little salt.
Plate the dishes up, starting with the polenta, then the mushrooms and a little cheese, finish by sprinkling with dressed greens.

Spicy mushroom wrap with garlic yoghurt & cumin

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Mouthwatering vegetarian recipe for your ESSE Range Cooker from Tim Maddams

ESSE February representative demonstrations prepared by Tim Maddams of Green Sauce

Ingredients

  • 4 large flat mushrooms
  • 1/4 onion, a little chilli
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • Cumin seeds and caraway seeds
  • 1 dessert spoon smoked paprika
  • 1 small pot of natural yoghurt
  • A few salad leaves
  • A sprig of fresh coriander

For the tortillas

  • 300g of white spelt flour
  • A splash of water (around 150 ml)
  • Teaspoon of veg oil
  • Teaspoon of veg oil
  • Good pinch of salt

Work into a soft but pliable dough, rest.
Roll out thinly and cook briefly in a hot frying pan with no oil until puffed up and lightly coloured.

For the mushrooms

Toast the spices and lightly crush, cut the mushrooms into slices, slice the onion, chop the garlic and chilli.

Sauté the onion and mushrooms in a hot frying pan with the spices, and a little oil, chilli and sauté for another minute or two.

Finely grate the garlic and add it to the yoghurt to serve with the wraps.

Serve with the tortillas and lashings of natural yoghurt, sprinkle with plenty of fresh coriander and make sure you have some nice winter leaves to hand.

Eggs benedict

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Bacon and fresh eggs topped with creamy hollandaise sauce – eggs benedict, the perfect brunch dish.

River Cottage’s Senior Chef, Andy Tyrrell, demonstrated how, by highlighting the benefits of the ESSE CAT Gas Cooking Stove at our recent dealer day.

For the Muffins
“A muffin – split, toasted and buttered, is my very favourite bread to have with eggs for breakfast. If you own an ESSE, then lucky you – muffins were made for cooking straight on the top. This dough is soft, so you might prefer to use a food mixer to knead it.” – Gill Meller

Ingredients

  • 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 5g powdered dried yeast
  • 10g fine salt
  • 325ml warm water
  • A drizzle of sunflower oil, plus extra for coating
  • A handful of semolina flour, for coating

Method

To knead by hand: mix the flour, yeast, salt and water in a bowl to form a sticky dough. Add the oil, mix it in, then turn the dough out on to a clean work surface. Knead until smooth and silky. Or, to use a food mixer: fit the dough hook and add the flour, yeast, salt and water to the mixer bowl. Mix on low speed until combined, then add the oil and leave to knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and silky.

Shape the dough into a round, coat with a little extra oil and place in a clean bowl. Leave to rise, covered with a plastic bag, until doubled in size. Tip the dough out on to the work surface and press all over to deflate. Divide into 9 pieces, shape each into a round and flatten to about 1–2cm. Dust them all over with semolina flour; this gives a lovely texture to the crust. Leave to prove on a linen cloth or wooden board, covered with a plastic bag, until doubled in size.

Cook the muffins directly on the ESSE warm plate for up to 15 minutes, giving them a quick blast on the hot side at the end, if you think they need it. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the Hollandaise
Ingredients

  • 1/2 pack of butter – diced
  • 2 egg yolks
  • Juice of about ½ a lemon
  • Salt and pepper

Method

In a small saucepan (ideally with sloping sides) add your egg yolks with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt. Start whisking over a medium heat. You want to get some air and volume into the yolks and also lightly cook them. Keep whisking right into the edges of the pan. You are looking for the yolk mixture to dramatically thicken as the temperature gets to around 85°c. You should have a smooth thick voluminous mixture.

Now start to add the diced butter, slowly at first, just one piece at a time. Waiting for each piece to melt before you add the next, after the first 4 or 5 pieces you can add a little more with each addition. Remember you are in control so sometimes you’ll be moving the pan away from the heat then returning it to the heat as you need it.

When all the butter is used and you are happy with the quantity you have to taste for seasoning check the temperature (it should be warm) and serve.

For the poached egg

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 slice of bread or hot muffin
  • Butter
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Pour a 4–5cm depth of water into a saucepan and bring to the boil.

Meanwhile, break the egg carefully into a mug or small jug, taking care not to damage the yolk.

When the water is at a rolling boil, stir it fast in one direction with a wooden spoon to create a vortex or whirlpool in the centre. When you have a distinct vortex, remove the spoon and immediately tip the egg straight into the centre. Turn off the heat, put a lid on the pan and leave it for exactly 2½ minutes. Meanwhile, lightly toast your bread and butter it.

Remove the lid. Use a slotted spoon to carefully scoop up the egg.

Check that the white is set, with no jellyish clear bits left – if there are, return it to the water for 30 seconds. Give the egg half a minute in the spoon for the water to drip and steam away. You can dab carefully with a piece of kitchen paper to help get rid of the water.

Slide the egg carefully on to the hot muffin or toast, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, and serve.

Spiced Lamb Burgers

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These cheeky lamb sliders are fun to make and of course can be scaled up for bigger burgers or down further for mini canapé bites.

Spiced lamb burgers, mq-0+
mini baps, roast garlic and mint by Tim Maddams

Ingredients

  • 500g standard bread dough (fermented)
  • 150g bread flour
  • 150g plain white flour
  • 2 teaspoons fast acting dried yeast
  • 200ml warm water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 whole bulb of garlic

Method

Mix all the ingredients together and kneed the dough until smooth and elastic, around 4 or 5 minutes should do, shape into a ball and place in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Allow to prove for an hour on your ESSE stove top or so somewhere warm.

Shape the dough into squash ball sized balls and place on a lightly floured tray, press them down lightly to flatten a little and leave to prove again, once doubled in size, spray with water and place inside your hot oven for 10 mins or until golden brown and cooked through, they should feel light to the touch. Place on a cooling rack to cool.

Mean while, drizzle the garlic bulb in olive oil, season and wrap in foil, place in a moderate oven to bake for an hour or so. Remove form the oven and allow to cool.

For the burgers
Ingredients

  • 500g minced lean lamb, or mutton
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
  • Salt, pepper
  • 1 handful of washed and picked mint leaves

Method

Mix the mince with the spices and season well, cook off a small amount to test the seasoning. Shape into small burger shapes, starting with a gob stopper sized ball and flattening it out, place on a plate and refrigerate until needed.

Cook the burgers straight on the top of your ESSE cooker or on a griddle pan and rest them for a few minutes before placing inside the mini buns, add a few mint leaves and squeeze out a little of the roasted garlic form the bulb and spread a little of this onto each burger, serve and enjoy.

Broken Broad Beans & Fennel Seed Gluten Free Crackers

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Broken Broad Beans and Fennel Seed Gluten Free Crackers
Second May recipe prepared by Tim Maddams and the ESSE demo team

For the crackers
Ingredients

  • 100g gluten free flour
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 100ml water – check and test

Method

To make the crackers, heat your oven to 180 degrees c, or aim for the dial reading to be at the top end of moderate or very low end of hot, and line a baking sheet with non stick parchment.

Drizzle a little oil onto the parchment. Mix all the ingredients together to make a flowing batter. Pour the batter onto the baking sheet and place the sheet in the oven for around 15 minutes, once crisp and golden turn the oven off or remove to a cooler oven to thoroughly crisp up the cracker. Break into pieces for serving.

For the broken beans
Ingredients

  • 200g podded broad beans
  • A few thyme leaves
  • 2 lemons, juiced
  • 200ml good olive oil
  • Fresh oregano
  • Salt, pepper
  • 1 clove of garlic chopped
  • 100g mature cheddar cheese, grated

Method

For the broken beans, we are aiming for a nearly pesto come hummus type thing but very much more chunky with plenty of bean like bits to add texture and flavour peaks to this dish that makes an excellent starter or snack course. Begin by blanching the beans in a little salted water very briefly, just for a minute perhaps and then remove them to cold water to rapidly cool them so you can then remove their little bitter outer skins. If the beans are very young and small, you can skip that step but as the beans get bigger the skins will toughen up and become bitter.

Pop the beans in a blender with half the oil and half the cheese along with all the rest of the ingredients except the fresh oregano. Blend on pulse until a coarse paste is formed and remove from the mixer. Add a little more oil and the oregano and season to taste.

Serve up with the remaining cheese sprinkled over and the crackers on the side.

Chocolate and Strawberry Brownies

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These are very moreish rich brownies made with fresh strawberries.

For this reason they need to be kept in the refrigerator after making and will only keep for 2-3 days (not that they will last that long!).
If you want them to keep longer then don’t add the strawberries to the mixture but serve with them instead.

Serves

Makes 16 squares.

Ingredients

  • 350 g dark plain chocolate, broken into pieces
  • 250 g unsalted butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 250 g dark brown muscovado sugar
  • 100 g plain flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 250 g strawberries, halved

Method

  1. Line the base of a 24-cm square cake tin with non-stick parchment and oil the sides if not non-stick. Preheat the oven if necessary to 170 C/Fan 150C/Esse Dial Guide MODERATE. (Aim for the dial reading to be in the middle of MODERATE).
  2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over hot water and stir until smooth.
  3. Whisk the eggs and the sugar together in a bowl for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Fold into the chocolate mixture.
  4. Sift the flour and the baking powder together and fold into the chocolate mixture.
  5. Spoon about one-third of the mixture into the prepared tin and level the surface. Top with the halved strawberries. Top with the remaining chocolate mixture to cover the strawberries and level the surface.
  6. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the surface is set or when the top just starts to crack. Allow to cool in the tin, cut into squares to serve.

Recipe by Carol Bowen Ball.

Grilled asparagus and spring onions with spiced yoghurt

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Grilled asparagus and spring onions with spiced yoghurt prepared by Tim Maddams of Green Sauce

Last Thursday, Tim Maddams joined the ESSE sales team at the Hearth & Cook showroom near Exeter, UK. Tim highlighted the benefits of the ESSE Ranges by demonstrating May’s recipes

May is all about the emergence of the new season, spring has sprung and the farms and gardens of this island are beginning to bring fourth their bounty, time to get stuck in!

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch English asparagus and 1 bunch organic spring onions
  • A little rape seed oil
  • Salt and chilli flakes
  • 1/2 a lemon

For the yoghurt

Ingredients

  • 1 small pot of organic natural yoghurt
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon each cumin and coriander seeds
  • 1 clove of garlic, finely grated

Method

Wash trim and slice the asparagus and onions in half lengthways. Dry on a little kitchen roll then dress with a little oil and salt. These can then be grilled till just tender wether on a griddle, on the stove top, directly on the stove top or even better roasted in the Fire Stone. What we are looking for here is tender but crisp veg, with a fair amount of charring to lift the whole thing up and make it feel nicely spring like.

Toast the spice seeds, crush them and add them to the yoghurt along with the paprika and grated garlic.

Once cooked, arrange on a platter and squeeze over the lemon and dress with the spiced yoghurt. Additional items such as lentils or crunchy croutons and fresh herbs can be added to beef things up a bit if you like. Chilli flakes are an option too, which I highly recommend.

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