Banoffee Pie/Banana & Butterscotch Flan

Oh the wonders. Oh the glory. Oh the absolute English overindulgence that is banoffee pie. Is it the bananas? Is it the toffee? Whatever makes this dessert the heaven it is, this is one of the most decadent things the little island has produced as a dessert staple over the years. And while it may take about 5 years off your life, every once in awhile, it's totally worth it.
It seems everyone and their British granny have their own version of this, mine comes from a good friend (appropriately English) who served this as dessert for this year's Easter dinner. Stomach already full of pork and bread deliciousness, I thought I would be able to resist the dessert temptation. Alas, I could not and now I'm glad my eyes were bigger than my stomach. It was worth every stomach-busting bite.
Enjoy!

Ingredients

Biscuit Base

8oz digestive Biscuits

3oz Butter

Filling

6oz Soft Brown Sugar

6oz Butter

13oz condensed milk

3 Bananas

Topping

1/4 pt double cream

Walnut halves/Grated chocolate

Method:

Prepare the biscuit base by melting the butter and adding crushed digestive biscuits. Line a 25cm 9” flan dish.

Place the sugar, butter and condensed milk in a large bowl.

Place the bowl in a microwave and cook on full power for 5 mins.

Stir well and cook for a further 5mins or until golden.

Beat this mixture until it is smooth an uniform.

Caution: the mixture will be very hot!

Slice bananas and arrange on the biscuit base, pour the butterscotch sauce on top.

Allow to cool for 30-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, whip the double cream until just past trails, spoon onto the top of the cooled flan.

Decorate with walnuts or grated chocolate.

Olive and Sea Salt Fougasse

When I was in Paris a few weeks back I discovered the glories of this bread, fougasse, a kind of doughy salty miracle that is sold practically in every bakery. It usually comes with olives and cheese, often baked into the bread. This recipe in particular comes from the master French chef himself, Raymond Blanc, from his series Kitchen Secrets on the BBC.
I don't necessarily recommend watching the show for recipe tips. It'll just make you angry that you:
a) don't have a professional kitchen, complete with a helpful manservant named Adam (or as Raymond calls him Ad-am)
b) don't have 15+ hours to make fabulous starchy concoctions with which to impress your friends and loved ones.

Never fear. The recipe isn't nearly as hard as Raymond makes it look. And it does not require a professional oven. Nor fresh yeast. Nor any other kind of crazy kitchen tool he recommends.

No, no. This recipe is a good standard for doughy delicious bread. It does take time (the starter needs at least a good 12 hours before you approach the rest of the recipe), but it's worth it. And one recipe produces 4 loaves of glory. So you can eat one yourself and still feel generous in providing a bready banquet to your adoring public.

Makes 4 loaves

Ingredients

For the dough starter
5g fresh yeast (or 2.5 grams of instant)
135ml/4¾fl oz cold water
100g/3½oz strong white bread flour, preferably organic
100g/3½oz rye flour
For the dough
680ml/1 pint 4½fl oz tap water
940g/2lb 1¼oz traditional white bread flour, preferably organic, plus extra for dusting
130g/4½oz dark rye flour
15g/½oz fine sea salt
22g/¾oz fresh yeast (11g instant)

For the fougasse topping
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
¼ tsp fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped
2 tsp finely chopped black olives
30g/1oz semi-roasted tomatoes, roughly chopped
2-3 grindings black pepper

Method

1. For the dough starter, whisk the yeast into the water until dissolved.
2. Mix the white and dark rye flours in a separate bowl until well combined.
3. Pour the yeast mixture over the flours, whisking well to form a thick paste. Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and set aside to ferment for at least 6 hours and up to 18 hours at room temperature. You can use dried yeast but you will only need half the quantity. Yeast is dormant at 4C, active between 20-40C and destroyed at 45-50 C. Using a dough starter in bread making gives a greater complexity of flavour; as the yeast activates and feeds on the natural sugars present in the flour, over time it produces a distinctively tangy or sour taste.
4. For the dough, line 2 large baking trays with greaseproof paper.
5. Add the water to the fermented dough starter and mix well to combine.
6. Place the white and rye flours into a food processor, set with the dough hook. Add the salt to one side of the bowl of the food processor, then add the yeast to the other side, being careful not to let the salt and yeast touch at this stage. as the salt will attack the yeast and damage its ability to ferment.
7. Add the starter dough mixture to the food processor and mix on a low speed for 5 minutes. The slow mixing process will give the flour the opportunity to fully absorb the water. (NB: This can be done by hand if you don't have a food processor with a dough hook attachment.)
8. Scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl of the food processor and from the dough hook, then continue to mix on a medium speed for a further 5-7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. The faster speed will warm the gluten in the flour making the dough elastic and creating the right environment for the fermentation to happen.
9. Scrape the dough into a neat ball and cover the bowl with cling film. Set aside to prove at room temperature for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.
10. When the dough has proved, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface using a scraper if necessary. Cut the dough into four equal pieces.
11. The dough can be shaped in any way you choose. For a fougasse-style loaf, line four baking trays with baking parchment.
12. Roll each piece of dough into a triangle shape and place one onto each baking tray. Make a cut all the way down the centre of each dough triangle, without completely cutting through the dough. Make 3 deep slashes on either side of the central cut, cutting all the way down to the baking tray, then pull the dough apart slightly to create holes.
13. Brush the fougasses all over with olive oil, then scatter the remaining fougasse topping ingredients evenly over the dough. Set aside to prove for 30-40 minutes.
14. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250C/475F/Gas 9 or to its maximum setting (this is critical as the temperature will decrease significantly when you open the door) and place a baking tray in the middle of the oven and a roasting tin on the bottom. (skip the roasting tray if you don't want to create a harder crust on your bread: I didn't and they came out beautiful)
15. Slide the loaves onto the preheated baking tray in the middle of the oven, using the greaseproof paper to transfer them and pour 50ml/2fl oz of water into the roasting tin on the bottom. This will generate steam within the oven creating a good crust on the bread.
16. Bake the fougasse in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through. (The loaves are cooked through when they make a hollow sound when tapped on the undersides.) Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Baileys Rocky Road

from Delicious March 2010

This dessert is amazingly simple, no real "baking" required. And it's so delicious and filled with wonderful things that it makes you feel like a kid again. Well, a kid with access to her parent's well-stocked liquor cabinet.

Makes 15 squares
Time: 3 1/2 hours (Takes 20 minutes to make, 10 minutes to cook, 2-3 hours to chill

100g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
4 tbsp Baileys liqueur (feel no guilt if you want to add more)
300g dark chocolate, roughly chopped (I recommend about 70% dark chocolate, but not unsweetened)
50g chopped unsalted pistachios (or ground toasted hazelnuts and almonds, whatever nuts you feel like really)
200g marshmallows (preferably mini ones, but if regular size, chopped)
75g shortbread biscuits, roughly crushed
250g white chocolate, roughly chopped

-Grease a loaf tin or small deep-sided cake tin (we used 23cm x 8cm loaf tin).
Line the base and sides with baking paper, leaving some overhanging the sides.
-Place the Baileys, dark chocolate, and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (making sure that it doesn't touch the water). Allow to melt slowly, then stir gently until smooth.
Remove from heat, cool slightly, then stir in the pistachios (or other nuts), marshmallows, biscuits, and 100g of the white chocolate. Spread the mixture into the loaf tin, then chill for 2-3 hours until firm.
-Melt the remaining 150g white chocolate in a heatproof bowl as before (It's also delicious if you put another tbsp or so of Baileys in with the white chocolate. Drizzle over the rocky road, leave for 3-4 minutes to set (faster if you put it in the fridge for a little bit), then lift out of the tin. Cut into pieces.

It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Citrus Salad with Ginger Yogurt

This breakfast fruit salad is delicious, a little cinnamon, a little ginger, a little yogurt. What's not to love?

from Bon Appetit, December 2004

1 pink grapefruit, peeled
2 large tangerines or Minneolas, peeled
3 navel oranges
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 16- or 17.6-ounce container Greek yogurt
2/3 cup minced crystallized ginger
1/4 cup golden brown sugar
Additional dried cranberries

Break grapefruit and tangerines into sections. Cut grapefruit sections into thirds; cut tangerine sections in half. Transfer grapefruit, tangerines, and all juices to deep serving bowl. Using small sharp knife, cut all peel and white pith from oranges. Slice oranges into 1/4-inch-thick rounds, then cut slices into quarters. Add oranges and all juices to same bowl. Mix in 1/2 cup dried cranberries, honey, and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Mix yogurt and ginger in bowl. (Fruit and yogurt can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill.)
Spoon yogurt atop fruit. Sprinkle with brown sugar and dried cranberries.

Market tip:
Greek yogurt, which is actually drained yogurt, has a luxurious texture similar to that of sour cream. Look for it at Greek markets, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods. Or simply spoon 1 quart plain yogurt into a colander lined with cheesecloth. Place the colander in a large bowl and let the yogurt drain in the refrigerator overnight.

Delicious Indian Coconut Soup

A soup to warm the heart and soul, compliments of the Naked Chef himself, Jamie Oliver.

southern indian rice and seafood soup

5 tablespoons vegetable or sunflower oil

3 tablespoons brown mustard seeds

a handful of fresh curry leaves, picked off their stalks (or just medium/hot curry powder, whatever spice level you prefer)

2 teaspoons cumin seeds (or ground cumin)

1 teaspoon garam masala

1½ teaspoons chilli powder

2 teaspoons turmeric

3 red chillies, deseeded and finely sliced

2 large thumb-sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 handfuls of basmati rice

565ml water

600g fish, skinned, filleted and cut into 2– 3 inch chunks (or whatever kind of seafood you want, I've used mixed shellfish, cod, squid, shrimp, mussels, etc.)

2 x 400ml tins of coconut milk

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

juice of 2 limes

a handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

optional: 3 tablespoons freshly grated coconut

Get yourself a big pan and heat up your oil, then add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin seeds, garam masala, chilli powder and turmeric. Cook for a few minutes and you'll get the most amazing smells filling the room from all these spices. Then add the chillies, the ginger, the garlic and the onions. Continue cooking slowly until the garlic and onions are soft. Then add the rice and the water. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add your fish and the coconut milk with a pinch of salt. Put the lid on the pan and simmer for a further 10 minutes, then stir well to break up the pieces of fish. Taste and correct the seasoning with salt and pepper, then just before you serve it squeeze in the lime juice and stir in half the coriander. Serve in warmed bowls, sprinkle over some freshly grated coconut, if you have it, and rip over the rest of the coriander.

Serves: 4 (or 2, if you enjoy this soup as much as I do)