Amaretti and Gooseberry Cheesecake

There is something undeniably British about gooseberries, and yet it is one of the most underrated fruits. That is, despite its affection for the wet and cool UK climate, it is profoundly difficult to obtain in supermarkets. Find it in a farmers market and you probably will be paying a fairly high sum, while it rarely appears in restaurant meals; even during season time. We all know that you can whip up a crumble, fool, meringue pie, curd or a sauce with this ingredient. But it seems to be, or to me anyway, that there is so much more we could create with this unrecognised berry. Being sour in flavour it is rather akin to rhubarb. That is, they both have a fondness for elderflower, orange, ginger, custard and almond, besides fatty meats and oily fish.

Serves approximately 8

Ingredients

300g Amaretti biscuits

50g butter, melted

600g cream cheese

2 tbsp. plain flour

175g golden caster sugar

Vanilla extract, a capful

2 eggs, plus 1 yolk

150ml soured cream

300g gooseberries, topped and tailed

5 tbsp. elderflower cordial

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C, gas 4. Blitz the biscuits in a food processor or place in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Mix in the butter and press into a 20cm spring-form tin. Bake for 5-10 minutes. Leave to cool slightly and place in a fridge.

2. Beat the cream cheese, flour, 150g golden caster sugar, eggs, egg yolk, soured cream and 3 tbsp. elderflower cordial together.

3. Put the gooseberries, remaining sugar and cordial into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 5 minutes until they are just soft but still hold their shape. Tip into a sieve over a bowl and leave to drain.

4. Gently fold the gooseberries into the bowl of cheesecake mixture. Pour the mixture into the tin over the biscuit base and bake for 40 minutes. It should then be set, but slightly wobbly in the middle. Allow to cool entirely and then chill for 2 hours.

What to buy: Waitrose’s Whoopie Pies

If you had not noticed already, the American craze for ‘Whoopie Pies’ hit the UK food fashion well over a year ago. What are they? They came about as a way to use up leftover batter amongst Amish groups in New England. They almost look like mini Victoria Sandwich Cakes (though you can get different coloured sponges according to flavour), but the difference is the sponge has a slightly more biscuit texture and the butter creamed filling often consists of melted marshmallows.

I had my first try of these Yankee concoctions last year when M&S launched a range of pre-packaged ones. Overall out of the few I tried, none were particularly good and my verdict was that Whoopie Pies were simply overrated plain pieces of sponge with butter cream plonked in between. Just like the way I feel about the revival in cupcakes really.

Yet, this opinion was altered when I went into Waitrose last weekend. Seeing slightly large sized ones reduced down to 89p in the bakery counter and having never yet given Waitrose the chance to prove me wrong, I went ahead in sampling the toffee, and chocolate & cookie ones. I could not detect any toffee in the former. Still it was a lot fresher than those dull overpriced M&S ones had been. As for the chocolate & cookies one, I wanted more! It was a lot like consuming a cake version of Oreo biscuits, and my views on Whoopie Pies were forever erased. In fact, I think these will probably be emerging on my cravings list very soon!

‘Jamie’s Italian’: the perfect meal or a promise of food poisoning?

One may have read the numerous reports raiding the newspapers recently regarding food poisoning scares amongst Jamie’s Italian restaurants. From November 2009 to November 2010 eleven have failed inspections including suspicions of virally contaminated food at the Cambridge chain. Even worse, poor meat preparation at the Guilford partner placed customers at risk of e-coli according to a Freedom of Information request done by the Daily Mail, which is hardly assuring with the recent vegetable e-coli outbreak in Germany. Albeit Jamie will not welcome this news and many will undoubtedly view his empire with trepidation, the eateries still deserve praise. With a chain rapidly expanding it indeed must be difficult to ensure every individual branch is meeting every single legal standard. In fact, there are plans to launch the chain in USA, commencing in California. Not that food bugs should be addressed with such a cavalier attitude. But if anyone is to blame then it is surely the managers of those particular restaurants affected? I have visited two of his restaurants and none of the people I dined with or myself have ended up spending the night on the toilet.

Admittedly my last memory of visiting his chain may have been hazed, despite my fears of a plastic artificial vibe, at the Westfield branch. With sensual potted herbs all around me and the typical British euphoric response in behaviour to the rare blaze of sunshine that evening, my thoughts may have very well been blinded. Nevertheless, most of the food I have sampled there and on other occasions has been superb. One can tuck into a fresh crisp calamari with aioli for starter at £5.75, and perfectly paper-thin homemade Panzerotti of rich ricotta and mushrooms topped beautifully with an almost rustic baked breadcrumb-like texture of tangy chilli, zesty lemon, herbs and Parmesan for main. While the amaretto component of the brownie dessert hints deplorable metallic undertones, and the chocolate and espresso tart is oppressively heavy; the tiramisu is perfectly balanced in texture and flavour including the agreeable addition of orange, priced at only £4.95.

Some blog reviewers have claimed the prices veer towards the expensive side. Excluding the non-pasta main courses, I beg to differ. My pasta was £10.35, and in my experience you will not find pasta made from scratch at such a low price as this in UK restaurants. Besides, if you consider that desserts in other chain restaurants are often pre-packaged, yet are roughly the same price, one might retract such statements. But what ever the allegations are about food poisoning, Jamie’s Italian is still worth a visit if you can successfully avoid the badly managed ones.

Tortellini of Butternut Squash, Herbs and Goat's Cheese with Watercress Sauce

There’s nothing better than the creaminess of goat’s cheese conjunct to the sweetness of butternut squash, while watercress adds another dimension of pepper. Overall, the flavours work and this opus of contrasting shades construct a very bright and colourful picture. Admittedly this is quite a time consuming recipe, but it will most certainly go down well at a dinner party or special occasion. Definitely invest in a pasta machine. They’re not very expensive to buy, they will save you time and produce optimal results in obtaining flawlessly thin pasta.

Serves 4-6

Butternut Squash Filling:

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and deseeded

1 tsp. chilli flakes

1 tbsp. sage

Seasoning

Olive oil

150g goat’s cheese, crumbled

2 handfuls of basil, torn up

Handful of Parmesan, grated

Watercress Sauce:

60g watercress leaves, stalks removed

1 egg

1 clove garlic

½ tsp. mustard powder

135ml olive oil

1 tsp. wine vinegar

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

Black pepper

Pasta Dough:

250g strong pasta flour

3 eggs

1. To make the pasta dough, if using a food mixer, add all in the ingredients and mix with a dough hook on maximum speed until the dough is firm. On a floured surface knead until smooth and elastic. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for at least an hour. If using a food processor, add all the ingredients and turn on. In a few seconds it will look like breadcrumbs, leave it a little longer to almost form large balls of dough. Then knead by hand on a floured surface until smooth and elastic. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for at least an hour. You can make the dough by hand but it will take much longer to do!

2. To make the pasta filling, preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Grate the butternut squash and place on a large baking tray. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes and sage. Add some seasoning and drizzle over a small amount of olive oil, and coat the ingredients all over the squash. Place in the oven for approximately 30 minutes, until it appears dehydrated.

3. Meanwhile, to make the watercress sauce place the egg, salt, garlic, mustard powder, a few grindings of black pepper and blend together. Then add the oil, the vinegar, lemon juice and watercress. Blend once more until the sauce is a colourful green. Leave aside for now and whatever you do, do not heat the sauce. Otherwise it will produce an unpleasant eggy texture.

4. Once your butternut squash is cooked and has cooled a little, place in a bowl. Mix in the goat’s cheese, basil and Parmesan.

5. Now you need to turn the pasta dough into sheets. Remove from the fridge and split into 4 pieces. Recover 3 of them and put back in the fridge, so they do not dry out. With the piece you’re working with, flatten with your hand and roll into a thick sheet through the thickest setting on a pasta machine. Then fold the two ends into the middle and run through the thickest setting 3 or 4 times again. Then lightly dust both sides with flour and run through a thinner setting, eventually running through the thinnest setting. Repeat this process with the other pieces of pasta dough.

6. To turn your pasta sheets into tortellini, cut them into roughly 10cm squares or circles. Place a teaspoon of the filling just near to the centre of each square/circle. Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the edges of the pasta with water. Fold the shape in half, making sure the filling is closed. Cup your hand around the filling and gently curl round your fingers to remove the air. Seal the pasta, fold in the two flaps and press together. Once you have finished doing this with all your squares, immediately cook them in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Serve with the watercress sauce.

The Walnut Tree Restaurant bids farewell to Gordon ‘Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares’

When my brother telephoned me to say we were going to The Walnut Tree in Wales for dinner on The Royal Wedding bank holiday, there was only one thing that could resonate through my head – ‘Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares’.

In actual fact The Walnut Tree at one time attracted people from all over the UK to sample Franco Taruschio’s impeccable Italian food. But when this highly esteemed chef hung up his apron to retire in 2001, it seemed from then onwards the Walnut Tree’s zenith had ultimately come to a halt. Despite guidance from celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay on his Kitchen Nightmares television programme, the new owners still proved to be ineffectual in running a successful dining business, and the banks shut down the place in 2007. Yet a year later and the restaurant confidently stepped out of its dark days of ignominy and reasserted its legendary status when renowned chef Shaun Hill took over.

If the experience of customers since Hill’s ownership were anything like mine, then one would have hardly guessed it had been through a period of hardship. The staff were obliging and the atmosphere was surprisingly unpretentious for a place that had been recently rated as best restaurant in Britain by the UK’s biggest online restaurant guide Gourmet Britain. I cannot say I was particularly impressed that a medium bottle of sparkling water was £4, but still it is the food that matters most. I started with a cheese soufflé accompanied by a leek and potato salad, and found myself infatuated by the dominant but consummate flavour of cheddar. Following on from this and I was wowed by how tender my steak for main course was – there was no need for a steak knife. Gorgonzola and potato croquettes accompanied it; both straightforward and unoriginal, but both functioned well with the core component. Finally I was then impressed, moderately, by the milk chocolate raspberry torte. Surprisingly it was very cocoa intense despite the fact milk chocolate does not possess a high cocoa content compared to its dark spouse, while the raspberries provided a tart contrast. Interestingly its texture was almost a mousse/parfait consistency. Somehow though, to my mind, its richness made it not quite 5*.

Overall, The Walnut Tree is certainly not Italian anymore. It is more or less classical French cuisine; therefore serving very simple, but made to the highest quality, food. The menu is without question very expensive, but one can barely find fault when it comes to the actual food. It seems the days of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares are well and truly over.

A Red Wine Risotto of Chestnuts, Mushrooms and Thyme

Bored of eating British fare after the royal celebrations? Wondering what to do with the remaining red wine you purchased for guests or for that Easter roast lamb, which you yourself do not drink? Then use it to fortify and give a twist to this traditional Italian dish.

Serves 3

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, crushed

¼ head of celery, finely chopped

200g risotto rice

1 ½ glasses of red wine

1 pint/568ml of hot vegetable stock

175g mushrooms, sliced

250g chestnuts (vac-packed are adequate), chopped in half

Small bunch thyme, leaves picked

Salt and pepper

Butter, knob

Fresh Parmesan grated, a couple of handfuls

1. Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the onions, celery, mushrooms and thyme (reserving a handful of the thyme). Fry gently for approx four minutes, until the vegetables have softened.

2. Add the rice and turn up the heat. Fry, while constantly stirring, and after about a minute it will look a little translucent.

3. Add the red wine and stock, and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 15-20 minutes until the rice is tender. The rice should not just be soft on the outside but the grain inside also. If it is still not cooked once the liquid is absorbed, keep adding small amounts of boiling water until it is done so.

4. Once the rice is cooked remove from the heat. Stir in the chestnuts, half of the Parmesan, the butter and a little seasoning. Divide between plates and sprinkle over the remaining thyme and Parmesan.

Copyright © 2011 Rebecca Legg

Rhubarb, Stem Ginger and White Chocolate Muffins

Rhubarb is commonly regarded to be this piercing fluorescent stick that we implant into crumbles and pies. Wrong, nay, it can be utilized in an array of dishes. Its sharp sour tang is what unites it so agreeably with rich, fatty meats and fishes, in particular pork and mackerel.

Nevertheless, possessing a sweet tooth I decided it was only fitting to create something for the sugar department, but entailing a bit more excitement than your customary rhubarb desserts. Rhubarb is also a loving partner to stem ginger and white chocolate, and so this how these muffins came about. Feel free to add more stem ginger if you love its intensity or even use ground ginger instead if you are budgeting, and to turn into a dessert serve with custard.

Makes 12

300g rhubarb, roughly chopped into 3cm pieces

150g white chocolate, roughly chopped

100g stem ginger, chopped

2 tbsp. of syrup, from the stem ginger jar

100g plus 3 tbsp., golden caster sugar

300g self-raising flour

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs, beaten

200ml milk

100g butter, melted

Demerara sugar, to decorate

1. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas Mark 6. Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases.

2. Mix the rhubarb with the 3 tbsp. of golden caster sugar in a small baking tin and cook for approximately 5 minutes, until just tender but not mushy. Leave to cool.

3. Sieve the self-raising flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl. Mix in the milk, eggs, butter, stem ginger syrup, chopped stem ginger, white chocolate and remaining sugar. Then gently fold in the rhubarb including its juices.1.

4. Divide the mixture between the muffin cases. Sprinkle the tops with the demerara sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes until risen and golden. Leave to cool for 5 minutes in the tin and then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool.

Pineapple Turkey Green Curry with a Hint of Mint

Dispirited is certainly the word to describe how I feel at this time of year when it comes to turkey leftover recipes. Seeing the monotonous ideas of ‘turkey coronation’ and ‘turkey burgers’ dominate the food sections of our newspapers, it gave me inspiration to invent something new - something for those of us who are tired of seeing the same recipes repeated every year. It was coincidental to notice a pineapple sitting on my mother’s windowsill when January is in fact their time of glory. So I thought why not dulcify a curry with some fragrant colourful tangy pineapple? To add to this, I’ll throw in a little mint to give it a refreshing cool aftertaste. Basically, if you yearn for something more on the exotic side than just dull turkey sandwiches, then this is sure to revitalize your inert taste buds.

Serves 4

2 tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp. mustard seeds

6 green cardamom pods, slightly crushed

½ tsp. cinnamon

1 onion finely chopped

½ lime zest

Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and quartered

3 tbsp. basil

3 tbsp. coriander

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

400ml coconut milk

4 green chillies, finely sliced

Salt

100ml water

10 curry leaves

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. garam masala

500g cooked turkey, cut into medium chunks

4-5 handfuls pineapple, cut into chunks

1 handful mint leaves

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, cardamom pods, and cinnamon and fry for 20 seconds. Add half of the chopped onion and fry for 4-5 minutes until soft.

2. For the time being, place the rest of the onion, the ginger, garlic, lime zest, basil, coriander and 100ml of the coconut milk into a food processor and blend until smooth.

3. Add this paste to the pan along with ¾ of the green chillies and season with salt. Cook over a low heat for 8-10 minutes, giving it the occasional stir.

4. Add the remaining coconut milk, the curry leaves, black pepper, garam masala, turkey and pineapple and leave to cook for 3-5 minutes until the turkey and pineapple are warmed up.

5. Serve with rice. Sprinkle over the remaining chilli and mint leaves.

Orange, Carrot and Thyme Soup

Why make this soup in January? It will help you fight against the frosty cold temperatures. It costs very little, which is surely ideal when we’re all rather broke from Christmas and New Year partying! But also, it’s the time of year when oranges and carrots are in season. Forget your standard carrot and coriander soup by engrossing yourself in this cauldron of sweet carrot, zesty orange and warming bold thyme flavours.

Serves 4:

Knob of butter

1 onion, sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

700g carrots, thinly sliced

1 litre vegetable stock

A large pinch of cumin

150ml orange juice

2 tsp. dried thyme

Salt

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Then add the carrots, onions and garlic. Cover with a lid on a low heat, until the vegetable have softened but not coloured (about 12 minutes).

2. Add in the stock and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and simmer. Cover for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

3. Pour into a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour back into the saucepan. Add the orange juice, thyme and cumin. Gently reheat. Season to your likening and serve!

"Wonka’s Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight" Cake

Inspired by the literary "Wonka’s Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight Bar" from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, this is a gooey chocolate sponge cake oozing with surprise pieces of melted caramalised fudge. Drenched in fudge sauce and centred with a marshmallow cream filling, this really is the ultimate fix for the sweet tooth or even just simply a way to return to childhood fantasies.

For the cake:

270g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

4 eggs, separated

100g caster sugar

200ml double cream

100g Cadbury’s Fudge, broken into large pieces

For the fudge sauce:

125g light soft brown sugar

170g evaporated milk

50g butter

2 drops vanilla extract

For the marshmallow cream:

50g chopped marshmallows, plus extra whole ones for decorating

300ml double cream

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Grease two sandwich cake tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.

2. To make the cake, melt the chocolate completely in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool completely.

3. Whisk the egg yolks with 65g of the caster sugar until pale and fluffy. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar until soft peaks form when whisk is removed from bowl. In a third bowl, whisk 100ml of the double cream to peaks.

4. Fold the chocolate into the yolk mixture, then stir in the 100ml of unwhipped double cream. Gently fold in the whipped cream, followed by the egg whites until combined.

5. Divide the cake mixture between the two cake tins. Sprinkle over the fudge pieces between the two cakes. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Once cooked, leave in the tins for 5-10 minutes, turn onto a wire wrack to cool and strip off the base papers.

6. To make the fudge sauce, combine the brown sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved and the mixture comes to the boil, keep the heat very low and simmer for 6 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Transfer to a bowl and once cooled, cover with clingfilm and chill for an hour to thicken.

7. For the marshmallow cream, whip the cream until peaks form. Fold in the chopped marshmallows. Spread over one sponge. Beat the fudge sauce and spread most of it over the other cake. Sandwich the two together.

8. Spread the rest of the fudge sauce over the top and decorate with marshmallows.

The British Food Revival

In recent years it would seem a British culinary revival, or what is often referred to by professionals as the ‘Modern British Cuisine’, has emerged. Magazines are increasingly recreating contemporary versions of traditional British dishes such as fish pie, roast dinners and Eton Mess. Likewise, The Times Weekend Recipe Exchange began this year featuring readers’ family recipes of traditional British dishes passed down from generation to generation. The BBC has for the past 3 years run the ‘Great British Menu’, which has not only bought regional British gastronomy into light, but it has sought to demonstrate to the globe that British food is now one of the most eminent cuisines. Only this month has The British Street Food Awards been announced to begin in 2010. But it’s not just the media embracing the nation’s cuisine; we as a population are too. According to market analysts Mintel, regional British cheese sales increased by 16% between 2004-2006, whilst continental cheese sales declined by 7% in the same period.

But does anyone really fancy a restoration of greasy fish and chips and stodgy puddings? I don’t think so, somehow. Not when you could eat fragrant thai curry, creamy rich risotto, or aromatic tagine for dinner. With a vast choice in cosmopolitan restaurants, convenience meals and ingredients available now, why would one choose Yorkshire pud? The British are always looking for novel culinary ideas and this seems likely to be reconfirmed with prophecies of overseas cuisines, currently unexploited in the UK, to flourish, such as South American. Besides this, Great Britannia’s food has never actually been ‘Great’ in terms of reputation, at least not in my lifetime. The French in particular are famous for mocking our home cuisine including their former President Jacques Chirac, who allegedly stated in 2005, “One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad”.

Yet after many cynical thoughts on this resurrection of our national fare, I could not help but consider its potential. Magazines and newspapers have reintroduced recipes of the United Kingdom increasingly since the current economic crisis began. Our hearty dishes such as pasties and puddings not only keep one full and warm through the bitter winters, but can also be easily made at a reasonable price to feed a large family. What’s more, a nation’s historic dishes were usually invented through ingredients grown in that country. Hence, if we cook more British food then undoubtedly we will be utilizing more home produce, which of course is only a good thing from a green environmentalist point of view. And while we love to create dishes that are a fusion with other world cuisines – such as Britain’s favourite dish, chicken tikka masala – it’s important we remember the old favourites too. What would life be without sticky toffee pudding?

Blue Cheese Nachos with Peach Salsa

This recipe is not only paradise for nacho lovers in quest of something that transcends the standard, but is superb from July-September when peaches are in season. Meaning not only good taste, but cheaper price wise compared to the rest of the year. Often fresh peaches are only available in punnets, so as a tip you can use the remaining ones to make a drink such as a smoothie or perhaps more suitably for the average student predilection – a cocktail! Salsa provides a refreshing accompaniment for humid summer days. Even though it may be autumn now, peaches blissfully compliment blue cheese.

Serves 1 as a main meal or appetizer for 2

100g tortilla chips

150g strong blue cheese, crumbled

For the peach salsa:

½ red onion, diced

1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)

2 peaches (or nectarines)

1 tomato, seeds removed and diced

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped or 1 tsp dried mint

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.

2. Cut an X at the bottom of each peach. Submerge them in a bowl of boiling water for 10 minutes, or until the skins start to loosen. Then place in cold water for a few seconds so that they are cool enough to handle. Peel the skin off both peaches, cut them in half, remove the stones and dice.

3. Mix the chopped peaches in a bowl with the rest of the salsa ingredients. If it’s watery, I recommend placing in a sieve before serving, as the last thing you need is soggy nachos!

4. Place a thin layer of the tortilla chips onto a baking tray lined with foil. Sprinkle over half of the blue cheese. Repeat this process with the rest of the tortilla chips and blue cheese.

5. Place the baking tray in the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Then serve with the salsa and indulge!

Stem Ginger Vegan Scotch Pancakes with Blueberries and White Chocolate Sauce

This was designed for vegan magazine "Off The Hoof", but you can adjust the ingredients if you're not one such as using eggs instead of oil, and cream with the white chocolate sauce to improve the consistency. You can also foster other fruit rather than blueberries if you prefer, but these were picked due to their excellent partnering with white chocolate.

Makes approximately 9 pancakes

225g plain flour

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

250ml soya milk

A pinch of salt

25g sugar

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3-4 pieces of stem ginger, finely chopped

100g dairy free white chocolate, broken into small pieces

200g blueberries, washed

1. Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl and add the baking powder and salt. Add the other ingredients and whisk together until the flour forms a smooth batter. If the mixture is too thick then keep adding a little more soya milk at a time, until it does form a batter.

2. Heat a frying pan and add approximately 2 tbsp of the batter (aim for circular shapes). Cook gently for approximately 2 minutes until firm and golden brown. Whilst the bottom side is cooking, sprinkle over some of the ginger on the facing side (make sure you do not sprinkle too much as the taste will be too overpowering otherwise).

3. Turn the pancake over and cook gently for 30-60 seconds. Place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat this process with the remaining batter.

4. Bring to the boil about a cm or so of water in a saucepan and place a bowl on top. Add the white chocolate to the bowl and allow to melt. You can melt it in the microwave, but since white chocolate burns very easily it is better to do this method where you can keep an eye on it.

5. Grab the pancakes from the oven and divide them and the blueberries between plates. Elegantly drizzle over the white chocolate sauce and relish!

Salmon with Kiwi Dressing and Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Now you may be thinking how incredibly outlandish this idea is, and you may even concur with my brother that kiwi fruit looks like “mushed up brains”. But au contraire! Like how sweet chutneys can sometimes make the perfect partner to savoury dishes, the salmon practically bows down in praise of the kiwi’s sharp sweet tang. Go on - just try it!

Serves 4

200g cooked couscous

1 pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 courgette, diced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

Salt

Pepper

Lemon juice

4 salmon fillets, scaled

4 kiwi fruits, peeled

Juice of ½ a lime

1 tsp. olive oil, plus extra for roasting

1 tsp. white wine vinegar

2 tbsp. honey

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6

2. In a baking tray place the diced pepper, onion, courgette and garlic. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper, a splash of olive oil and rub evenly over the vegetables.

3. In another baking tray place the salmon with the skin facing down. Sprinkle with a splash of water, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil, and place both baking trays in the heated oven for 20 minutes.

4. Whilst the salmon and vegetables are cooking, make the dressing by chopping 3 of the kiwi fruits into large chunks. Puree finely with the lime juice in a food processor. Throw into a bowl and mix with the honey, vinegar and 1 tsp. of olive oil. Dice the fourth kiwi fruit and mix in with the other ingredients.

5. Once the vegetables and salmon are cooked, turn the oven off and leave the salmon inside. Warm up the couscous with the roasted vegetables by stirring around in a low to medium heated saucepan for a minute or so. If it’s a little dry just stir in some lemon juice and olive oil. Season to your liking.

6. Serve the salmon and couscous, drizzled with the kiwi dressing. Watercress also makes a fantastic side accompaniment.

Dark Chocolate Muffins with Peanut Butter Filling and White Chocolate Chips

For many, peanut butter symbolises America. But having such a unique taste, how else can one even describe it? It’s nutty, sweet but not sweet. It comes in crunchy and smooth varieties. Like Marmite really, you either love it or hate it. Nevertheless, my friends on the other side of the pond tell me that you only get cupcakes, not muffins, using this ingredient. So being a chocoholic I came up with this recipe. I justify to myself the high calories in this recipe by the nutritional value in peanut butter - it wards off heart disease says Harvard Medical School (Daily Mail 2009).

Makes 20 large muffins

For the muffin batter:

200g white chocolate, chopped

200g dark chocolate

250ml milk

100g butter

450g self-raising flour

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs, whisked

250g light muscovado sugar

300ml yoghurt

For the peanut butter filling:

125g smooth peanut butter

1 1/2 tbsp butter, softened

65g icing sugar

1. Heat the oven to 180^oC/350^oF/Gas Mark 4. Line 20 muffin cups of a muffin baking tray with 20 muffin paper cases.

2. To make the peanut butter filling, beat the butter with the peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Sift the icing sugar into the mixture and beat until light and fluffy.

3. For the muffin batter, melt the dark chocolate in a small pan with the butter and milk. Whilst leaving to cool, sieve the flour and bicarbonate soda into a bowl. Stir in the rest of the muffin batter ingredients including the melted chocolate mixture.

4. Spoon the batter into the muffin paper cases, filling them about one third full. Spoon in the middle of the third filled muffins a large heaped teaspoon of peanut butter. Top the peanut butter with the remaining batter.

5. Bake the muffins in the oven for 15-20 minutes until just firm to touch. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

African Sausage Stew

For a long time I was trying to think up something a bit more original to do with sausages, giving that there isn’t a huge variety of recipes around for this cheap ingredient. So I came up with a stew that uses sweet potatoes (often part of West African cuisine). Besides sausages forming part of North African cooking, the spices and raisins are also a flavour of this region. Hence, I give you “African Sausage Stew”.

Serves 2

1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

4 sausages

½ onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

300ml chicken/pork/vegetable stock

1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced

1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes

1 tbsp. tomato puree

A handful of raisins

2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. mixed spice

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. When very hot, fry the sausages until browned. Remove to a plate.

2. Add the onions to the saucepan and gently fry for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.

3. Add the turmeric, mixed spice, balsamic vinegar and tomato puree. Quickly stir together. Then add the chilli, peppers, raisins, sweet potato and sausages. Cover with enough stock.

4. Bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked. If the stew is too runny for your preferences, you can add a thickening agent such as corn flour. Then serve with some side vegetables if you like!

Tuna, Cannellini Bean and Tomato Soup

This is a very simple dish, suitable for those on a low budget and easy to make. Cannellini beans are a great partner to tuna, besides their popularity in Italian soups. If you enjoy tuna melt sandwiches, I recommend sprinkling over some grated cheese such as cheddar too!

Serves 4

1 tbsp. olive oil

½ onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 medium potato, peeled and chopped

½ lemon, zest and juice

2 tsp. dried oregano/mixed herbs

3 tbsp. tomato puree

1 tsp. caster sugar

400g chopped tomatoes

850ml fish stock

Salt and pepper

410g tinned cannelloni beans

370g tinned tuna, broken up slightly

Handful of cheese, grated (optional)

1. Heat the olive in a large saucepan. Sautee the onions and garlic on a low heat for 5 minutes or until soft.

2. Add the potatoes, lemon zest, dried oregano/herbs, sugar, tomato puree, stock, chopped tomatoes, season and stir together. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes.

3. Take off the heat to cool for a few seconds and blend in a food processor/blender. If you don’t have one you can place the mixture through a sieve, chop the vegetables more finely before starting the recipe or you can leave it as it is instead of a smooth texture.

4. Place the soup back in the saucepan and add some milk/water if the mixture is too thick for your likening. Stir in the cannelloni beans. Bring to the boil and simmer until the beans are cooked. Add the tuna and heat for only a minute or so until the tuna is warm. Add the lemon juice and season. Serve and sprinkle over the cheese.