Is it day two or is it day one, to be honest I’ve lost count, they do more or less blur into one !

All I know is, today was Sunday and Sunday is our cocktail day with the neighbours. All of us on our part of the top floor have inwards facing terraces, so we can stand on our own terrace, be much much more than 2 meters apart, have a drink, discuss what is going on and behave almost normally.

Today is also Story day for the three eldest grandchildren, and as Himself creates the story, it can be fairly time consuming, especially as after the last one Miss Tess declares that it was NOT his best !

For me, I pottered in the kitchen, made some more granola ( for me) made a crumble ( for him ) Mango, Rhubarb and Apple, using up stuff from the freezer, which also included the crumble topping, as usually when I make the topping, I make double, pre bake it and then freeze, what I do not use. I also made beetroot and orange soup, using up the pre-cooked packet of beetroot, that has been sitting in the refrigerator just crying out to be used, along with some pesky clementines, that were either destined to be cake or soup, and some sour cream, which also needed using .

For tonight’s dinner, we are going to have Rack of Lamb, which is sitting in the Sous Vide pot, along with some asparagus and some Gnocchi.

This Gnocchi recipe I love, and make it all the time.

The recipe for the gnocchi comes courtesy of Pied a Terre which has held a Michelin star for over 27 years. It is very walkable from here ( normally that is) and had some baby off shoots for a while, but were on short leases so sadly no longer.

These Gnocchi are kind of time consuming but not really and once done, can be frozen for future use, flat freeze them, then pop into a bag and then always have some special carbohydrate to serve with dinner.

•  3 or 4  large baking potatoes which have been cooked either boiled or baked or cooked as I do in the microwave.
• about 125/ 150 grms flour
• about 125/150 grms grated parmesan but you can use also something like emmental
• 2 whole eggs beaten
•  some salt

1. Mash the potatoes, I use a RICER as this is perfect for a fine creamy mashed potato. Mix with the flour, eggs and cheese
2. lay a sheet of cling film on the counter top and make a sausage of the potato, about 6-8″ long and about the thickness of a fat sausage
3. Roll up tightly in the cling film and tie with string at the ends. Repeat with all of the mixture
4. Boil the “Sausages in boiling water for about 15 minutes, , remove , drain and leave to cool. At this point when cool you can refrigerate until ready for the next step.
5. Remove film and cut the sausages into slices about  3/4 inch thick.
6. Have a dish with some flour in , lightly dip the potato slices in the flour and fry in melted butter or oil until golden, drain in kitchen paper, and either serve at once or as I say cool and freeze.
   

   

   
7. At Pied a Terre they were served with a tomato fondue and a shaving of parmesan cheese as a first course.
   

   

   If you find that you love them, then make a whole bunch at once and freeze for future use.

Yeah, Waitrose came this morning !! I think I am going to invent a new perfume, and it is going to be called  Eau de Désinfectant.

Everything disinfected, fruit and vegetables with food safe disinfectant, everything else sprayed and then wiped, plastic bags thrown away, hands scrubbed, towels washed. And I think the smell of disinfectant will be with me for a while to come, even though I have rose scented  disinfectant, it still smells. I have a new trick for disinfecting our masks, ( Mark three) Milton sterilising tablets, remember those ? So I kill two birds with one stone, masks into Microwave, masks sterilised, microwave cleaned !!

Yesterday, being Saturday, that is if you can remember what day it actually is, it was the turn of Himself to cook.

He decided upon a Jungle Fish Curry, and so we scoured the asian books for a suitable recipe and for one that we had most of the ingredients. This is a very quick and easy curry to make, and as it is it Thai curry, it does not have the Ghee that Indian curries often have and which willowy brunette does not like at all. It also does not have coconut milk, which one often associates with Thai cooking.

Rick Stein has a version of this in his book ” Far Eastern Odyssey” as does Keith Floyd in his ” Far Flung Floyd” as do others, all variations on a theme. It is generally a fiery curry but you make it as hot or as mild as you like.

The bit I really liked ( given where we are with Bats and the like ) and given the fact the translation is ‘Jungle Curry’ it could  out there in the jungle have some culinary surprises such as snake, frog, wild boar, assorted birds and unspecified furry creatures would often be used. We used frozen Tilapia, this is a firm white fish, which worked well as it did not fall apart. You could also make it with chicken.

• You will need to make the curry paste, but it is easy.
• In a blender put some red chilli, the amount depends on you, I always have chopped chillis in my freezer, a chunk of peeled fresh ginger, but frozen works as well , 3 fat lemon grass stalks cut into chunks, 1large onion cut into chunks,3- 4 peeled cloves of garlic, 1/2 tsp each coriander seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder,  1tsp paprika and of shrimp paste. Blend all together, add a small amount of water or oil.
• Then you will need a filet of fish per person ( or more if you are hungry)
• some Kafir Lime leaves ( again this is something I have in the freezer, don’t worry if you do not have them)
• 2 tbs of vegetable oil
• 250 mls of stock ( a vegetable stock cube will do)2 Tbsp fish or oyster sauce
• 2 Tsp palm sugar 2 limes cut into chunks.

Cut the fish into chunks about 1.5 ” square ( or thereabouts). Heat the oil in a deep pan or wok, add the curry paste and fry for a couple of minutes until it smells Yummy. Add the stock, fish sauce, sugar and limes, if it looks too runny, reduce it by simmering until it is a bit thicker. Add the fish, spoon over the sauce and let cook for about 4 minutes, so that the fish is cooked.

Serve over rice or noodles, garnish with some coriander leaves if you have them. If using chicken cook for a while longer.

Oh what to wear? questions,  I ask myself every morning. Should it be glamorous, functional, or business like? None of the above. Not that, I have become a slob, nothing of the sort. I have to keep up with Himself, who has decreed that “Standards are Important.” Hence washing and ironing AND folding his own shirts!! Not done shirts since 1984 when we discovered “Blanchisserie Iris, when we lived in Belgium !!

And so it, is that we look forward to our Friday night travels, virtual of course. And where did we go? And where did some of our family go ?

Willowy blond and family decamped to the birth place of their eldest, Australia, where they encountered a Swagman, Saltwater Crocodiles, a Shark, a Funnel Web spider and of course Priscilla, the Queen of the Desert!

Meanwhile on the west side of town, the sylph like brunette decamped to China, to find this wretched bat and being the macabre, it looks like she also found a skull ( what on earth is a Skull doing in her flat?? Oh I forgot she is a dentist ).

And us? We went to Montenegro, to the Casino and to be with James Bond!

Apparently, in nearly all of the Bond films, Bond eats scrambled eggs and so in his hotel room in Casino Royale he eats his  breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon, orange juice and coffee, but 007 will eat the dish any time of day or night. Later on they celebrate beating Le Chiffre and Bond orders once more scrambled eggs and bacon along with champagne ( of course).

Actually there is a recipe for 007’s scrambled eggs and was published in Ian Flemings Book, “007  in New York”, nothing really special about it, maybe just a few more calories !!

12 fresh eggs, broken into a bowl

Salt and pepper

6 oz. of fresh butter

chopped chives or herbs

Beat the eggs and season well. In a heavy bottomed saucepan melt half of the butter. When sizzling, pour in the eggs and cook over a very low heat, whisking continuously with a small egg whisk.

While the eggs are still soft, remove the pan from heat, add rest of butter and some cream,  and continue whisking for half a minute, adding the  finely chopped chives or fines herbes.

The final flourish is serve on hot buttered toast in individual copper dishes with pink champagne (Taittinger) and low music!!

 

 

 

Himself took to the kitchen today. He had said he fancied making scones. As the eldest of 6 he did actually cook as a child, he remembers it well. Well ,he remembers cooking but what, well that bit he doesn’t remember.

Once upon a time he was a chemist and I assume a pretty good one at that, even fancied a career in academia ( until he met me that is) .

More recently, he cooked mussels and couldn’t understand why the sauce was so runny ( he mistook 75 mls of white wine and used 750 mls, a whole bottle !) it tasted pretty good!

Nowadays, I’ve been teaching him. Well, wash and tidy up as you go along and he on the whole obeys instructions.

Today I found a recipe for Bacon and Maple scones and so we/ he tried it out. The end result was really tasty, but made a mental note , More Bacon needed! The other thing he leant was do not leave the food processor running whilst wandering off and doing another job. End result, a bit of a mush.

That being said, the mush was salvaged by the addition of extra flour. Not necessarily  being a good idea, the end result a bit on the dry side, fresh out of the oven really good, and toasted for breakfast also good.

Maple and Bacon Scones

• 135 grms cold butter, cut into chunks
• 300 grms ( 2 Cups) plain flour
• 1 tabsp sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 130 mls milk or buttermilk
• 1 beaten egg
• 200 grms streaky bacon, cooked until crisp and chopped into bits
• 1/2 tsp salt

Cook the bacon until very crisp. Chop into bits ( without eating it all).

Put into a food processor all the ingredients except the milk and the egg, process until the butter stops clunking, STOP the machine.

Beat the egg and milk together and then with the machine running, pour it in, the machine will bounce around for a minute and then the mixture will basically form a ball, STOP the machine. Tip out the mixture onto a floured surface, add the bacon bits and knead lightly to form a ball. Cut into bitsIf you have a scale, measure each  bit to weigh roughly the same about 80 grms each, Make into balls and flatten them slightly, put onto a greased baking sheet, ( allow room in between for them to rise and expand.

Bake at 170 C fan, 150C or gas 4, for about 15 minutes, brush the top of each with an ample dose of Maple syrup and a sprinkle of sea slat. Bake for another 10 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and use a cooling rack leave them to cool.

Serve slightly warm with lashings of butter.

Moving on. Even I did not watch Master Chef last night! I find it all a bit silly for someone who has never made Marshmallow, nor Caramel, nor tempered Chocolate, can learn and execute, these fabulous crazy desserts in just 2 1/2 hours. Actually, it is the only TV cooking programme I watch, I prefer the professionals, though. The now deceased Julia Child was great fun, Oh I’ve dropped the chicken on the floor ! Never mind as she rinsed it under the cold water tap! A movie worth watching is Julia & Julia, starring Meryl Streep. A fun watch. ( and we do have the time )

Simon Rogan, who has several restaurants, one here in London, plus his experimental kitchen and a couple in the Lake District, Roganic, Aulis, London and L’Enclume and Rogan &Co both in Cartmel, the Lake District.

Since the Coronavirus lockdown both he and his executives have taken a 100% pay cut whilst those further down the pay scale are still getting their salary! And in the meantime, the cooks and chefs are still working, providing meals daily at a minimal cost to the locals in Cumbria. That way is certainly a win win situation.

We have eaten at both of the London establishments, Roganic ( Marylebone) one day for lunch and in September en famille at Aulis, the experimental kitchen in Soho. This was an experience in itself and would willing go there again, any takers out there to join us? It only takes 8 people and as we were 7 we had the place to ourselves.

Although I will never cook like the restaurants there is no harm in getting inspiration from them. I bought his book called funnily enough ROGAN and did indeed get inspiration for this fish ( thank you ISH FISH) dish we had for dinner.

In French Cooking there is a sauce ( not really a sauce) called Beurre Noisette. It is heating butter until the milk solids turn brown , hence you can not make this with Ghee as the milk solids have been removed. There is nothing more delicious than Dover Sole with Beurre noisette, ( well maybe Dover Sole with Beurre Noisette and topped with little brown shrimps).

With Simon Rogans recipe, one actually uses the Beurre Noisette to cook the fish.

So simply put, heat about 3-4 oz butter ( half a packet) in a heavy pan and cook until it foams, reduce the heat and cook ( but keep an eye on it, you done want it to burn) for about 10 minutes until it is a very dark brown colour.

It will be very hot, leave to cool somewhat and strain to remove and discard the milk solids. reheat the butter and having dried your fish gently place it in the butter and cook gently for about 15 minutes, skin side down.

You will see when the fish is cooked as the tip side will be white and not translucent. Remove from pan and drain on kitchen paper. Serve with what ever grabs your fancy ( or whatever is left in you store cupboard, or refrigerator.

Today, I found in the refrigerator ( well not found exactly, I knew it was there) a cauliflower. So the question was, what was I going to do with it? Just plain old cauliflower, a cauliflower cheese? A cheesy and ham cauliflower cheese? Not any of them excited me.

I often make what I call, Refrigerator Soup. This is normally made when we are about to embark on a trip and there are perishables which need to be used, but I could do something similar here. How about a curry? That spurred me on, I looked in many books, looked online and in the end concocted a curry of no specific region. It ended up with a little bit of this and little bit of that, but I think the end result was not bad.

I started out by heating some oil, in a heavy casserole, added some spices, ( Garam masala, turmeric, caraway seeds, curry powder, chilli flakes , fenugreek, coriander and cardamom salt and black pepper ) cooked this for a couple of minutes, then added finely chopped onion, garlic and ginger, and chopped fresh chillies. ( sometimes I go to the local ethnic market and buy a Job Lot of chillies, chop them up, bag them and freeze them so I always have a store of chillies.) Next was the cauliflower cut into small florets, 2 cans of chopped tomatoes , a courgette cut into chunks, likewise some carrots, some celery and some leeks, along with a couple of small potatoes.Oh, and a few sliced mushrooms as well !

A small can of coconut cream followed, along with some dried coconut and I let it simmer until the vegetables were tender. Then I found in the back of the refrigerator a bag of rocket, the front half new and crisp, the back half a bit frozen, that became chopped rocket and into the pot. Next was the spinach, there was nothing wrong with that at all, but just it’s time had come, and there were a couple of limes that needed using or losing so in they went as well. So that is tonight’s dinner sorted, not sure Himself will go much on a vegetarian curry, we shall see!

All I all a successful use of theming s that needed using. Maybe I do not have any right to call it a curry, but it tastes like curry and although it may not make the menu of Indian Accents ( Michelin star) , it certainly fits the bill.

And maybe, just maybe, this will now in the future be called Refrigerator Curry !

Another week, it is a lot colder today, but at least the sun is still shining. I was productive yesterday, replenishing his stock of cake! He should be so lucky, never before have I made so much cake. The problem is I keep having clementines that are in the category, “Use them or Lose them”, and not wishing to lose them , clementine cake it is ( again. ) I have actually cooked and processed and frozen about 4 lots, which are now waiting for a future date with the oven. As I also had some lemons, which were crying out to be used, this became a Clementine and Lemon cake, and I have just tried some and I like it ( I’m not really a cake eater).

Tonight for dinner we are going to have a Cheese Soufflé, For this I use my favourite cheese, which is Abondance. This I bring back from France where it is considerably cheaper than here, €16 a kilo or £39 in the Cheese  Shop in Marylebone. Cheese freezes on the whole fairly well, so at the end of each summer I bring some back and freeze it.

A cheese soufflé is very easy to make, and although every recipe says a soufflé dish,  there are several substitutes that can be used. a Ceramic or Le Creuset casserole or, if it is not too big, a pyrex round casserole, so before rushing out and buying a special dish try using something that you already have first, and then if you like soufflé, by all means go and buy the real McCoy.

100 grms butter

• 2 tabs corn starch
• 1 tsp english mustard powder ( I now this sounds a lot but you really do need it)
• 300 ml milk
• 200 grms of a strong cheese of your choice, grated
• 6 Large eggs, separated, whites whisked until stiff

Heat the oven to 200 C /180C fan or Gas 6.

Grease your soufflé dish.

Melt the butter in the microwave , when melted add the cornstarch ( flour), mustard and milk,  mix well and return to microwave for a couple of minutes, stir again and then again until the mixture is very thick. ( if it goes lumpy, just beat with a whisk). Stir in the cheese and then the egg yolks.

Carefully stir the egg whites into the cheese mixture until thoroughly mixed in, spoon into the dish and bake in the middle shelf of the oven for about 50 mins, until the top is golden brown.

Serve immediately with a salad.

Himself was in charge of dinner last night. We decided that Saturday was to be “His” day, as Sunday is spent creating his story for the three, ex- Mexican grandchildren. He loves telling them bedtime stories and when they come to stay that is the highlight for him at least of the day. And I do think they also enjoy it.

So now we are all in Lockdown, they send in their characters in advance, so this week, we have a princess, a cat which is a psychiatrist and a giant whose head smokes when he thinks too hard!

We also have on Sunday, the neighbourhood cocktail party , and this week, we were a group of six apartments, each of us on our respective terraces.

And so back to his dinner for Saturday. He actually woke up and declared that he wanted to make Waterzooi.

What on earth is that I hear you ask, well it is one of the traditional dishes of Belgium, a country where we lived for thirteen years. It originated apparently in Ghent, which is in Flanders, the Flemish speaking part of Belgium. ( As an aside, did you know that Belgium, which is a very small country, has 3 official languages, French, in the south, Flemish in the north and German in the east. , with very strict divisions and Bruxelles, the capital is where all three are acceptable. And of course everyone speaks excellent English as well.)

Waterzooi ( ˈʋaːtərˌzoːi̯ )can be made with fish/ seafood or chicken and all versions are based on a soup-base mixture of egg yolk, cream and thickened vegetable broth.

Turbot was the original fish of choice, but nowadays any firm fish along with shrimp are used in the fish version but one is just as likely to find on a menu one made with chicken.

Himself made the chicken version.

1. Any of the following, all finely sliced, 1 celery stalk, 1carrot, 1 onion, 1 leek we also added some courgette and some asparagus tips, not traditional but we had them to hand.
2. 200 mls vegetable stock, a stock cube or powder will do,
3. 1egg yolk
4. +/-500gms chicken breast ( traditionally a whole chicken would be used and then cut into bits )
5. 300 mls cream, single, double whatever takes your fancy
6. 300 mls white wine ( or left over bubbles)
7. 2 oz butter
8. 2 oz or 2 heaped tablespoons Cornstarch for thickening
9. 2 cloves garlic smushed
10. Watercress/ rocket to garnish
11. Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and cook for about 10 mins in the stock. Remove and put to one side, cook the vegetables, and garlic also in the stock but only for about 5 mins, as they need to be crispy. Remove and put to one side. In a separate pan, melt the butter and stir in the cornstarch to make a paste, slowly pour in the stock and keep stirring so that you do not get any lumps.

Beat the egg yolk into the cream and then slowly add the cream to the stock mixture. Slowly bring to the boil and whisk until it thickens.

Add the cooked chicken and vegetables, cook just long enough so that everything is heated through.

Can be served with crusty bread or with as we did potatoes and green beans ( and some Belgian Beer)

Today, Himself is on duty , but as it is Easter I decided to make Hot Cross Buns. I have never made them before and as M and S at Marble Arch has them in stock, I could have bought them, but I didn’t! Actually I don’t even really like them but never mind, on with the the task in hand.

I checked out the ingredients, had the sourdough starter ( and more frozen) had the bread flour, albeit wholemeal, had eggs and butter and spice, oh but hang on, dried mixed fruit and dried peel ! Oops no! But wait a moment I’ve just discovered a way of using up my jar of mincemeat from 2017! Actually by law these days all food items have to have some sort of date on them even items that do not go “OFF” like mincemeat, Christmas cakes and puddings and Worcestershire sauce.

I rarely throw foods away, fresh things like meat and fish I’m very careful with and pop them into the freezer before they have a chance of going bad, but other things such as jams, vinegars, worcestershire sauce, tabsco etc. they are fine!

I found a jar of mincemeat which is basically dried fruit and peel and brandy and so I heaped a couple of tablespoons of it into my bread mix..

 

Today, Friday is the designated Family themed dinner. Last week # 1 daughter, the willowy blond and family did a Mexican themed dinner, they had a plus point on this, as they had lived there for about 5 years. NickinLaw has the most marvellous Mariachi suit, # 1 daughter looks the part of Frida Kahlo, the famous Mexican artist, and #1 granddaughter is perfect as her side kick, #1 grandson, as a Mexican wrestler, in Luce-Libre, whilst the youngest, who actually has a Mexican passport, decided to be a Princess, as of course they do have princesses in Mexico.

Not to be outdone, we planned our dinner tonight to be a “Go Texan” night. Texas, half believes itself to be in essence Mexican, well to be honest they think that their version of Mexican food is the way forward, but it is not. The food in Mexico, is superb, whereas, after 9 years of living in Texas, I think that Texas has a lot to learn. However,  they do make good Margaritas, hamburgers, Barbequed Brisket and the like. Every year ( but not this year for obvious reasons,) the Houston Lifestock and Rodeo is a really big deal. There really are Cowboys, whose sole job is to go form rodeo to rodeo and the hope of winning big money rising the bulls, and if you have ever seen the film ” Midnight Cowboy” then you will get a taste for Texas. And Yes you can practice riding a bull, on a mechanical one as seen in the film at a place called Gilleys ( sadly no more) and yes the men do dance with a beer bottle stuck in their jeans back pockets !

But Number one daughter and family went even better, and had an Indian theme.

I can see we will really have to try harder next week ( but where were the others?? Umm don’t know)!

However, here are some tips on making The Perfect Guacamole and The Perfect Margarita.

There are many versions of Guacamole, and I have tried them all, but this one i think is the best and comes courtesy of Ella Canta, and upscale Mexican, in the Intercontinental on Park Lane London.

• one white onion, finely chopped
• 2 small limes squeezed
• 1 small bunch of fresh coriander finely chopped
• 1 chilli finely chopped, salt to taste.
• 2 small ripe avocado

Simply chop the onion and leave it to soak in the lime juice, can be for an hour or more. When ready to eat, smush the avocado and mix it with the lime juice, onion, coriander and salt. Oh so easy and Oh so tasty. left overs can be refrigerated.

Margaritas, again there are many versions, most with Cointreau, and in Texas lots of ice and even frozen, but I think that this is the best.

• 4 Tbsps Tequila
• 3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
• 2 Tbsps some form of sugar syrup, even runny honey would work, your choices are, Corn syrup ( American, ) Agave syrup ( Mexican)
• 4 Tbsps, ice cold water
• some salt to trim the rim of the glass, if wished.

Simply combine the ingredients and serve ice cold. You could make a small jug of the mix, keep in the refrigerator for seconds.