Nov 2008
Mango and Black Pepper Ice Creams
Now that’s a taste sensation if ever
I’ve had one. This mango ice cream, since it’s made with not much
more than fresh mango is better than any you’ll find at the
supermarket but that’s got nothing on the black pepper ice
cream.
Yeah, black pepper. Ice cream. It’s strangely sweet too, even if it leaves your lips tingling. Give it a go, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the subtle fruitiness that pepper actually has. Of course, you can always tone down the amount of pepper in the recipe, or if you want, sift out the powder and just use the larger cracked pieces, I didn’t and as such the ice cream looks decidedly chocolate.
Yeah, black pepper. Ice cream. It’s strangely sweet too, even if it leaves your lips tingling. Give it a go, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the subtle fruitiness that pepper actually has. Of course, you can always tone down the amount of pepper in the recipe, or if you want, sift out the powder and just use the larger cracked pieces, I didn’t and as such the ice cream looks decidedly chocolate.
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Duck Confit with Crisp Beetroot Salad
Again with the duck but hey, it’s my
blog so here’s another duck recipe. Duck confit it one of those
classic french dishes that’s rich as all get out and tasty as hell.
It can get a little expensive in restaurants and markets but it’s
relatively cheap to make at home costing not much more than the
duck really but if you can stretch to a couple of tins of duck fat
then it’ll be all the much better. Making the confit will take
overnight so if you don’t have the time buy some confit duck legs
but the flavour will be so much better if you made it yourself, of
course. I’ve got a cheat way of making it too so you need less duck
fat and the cleanup is straight forward.
The salad to go along side this is easy too and involves no more than whisking a dressing together and grating the beetroot on a mandolin.
The salad to go along side this is easy too and involves no more than whisking a dressing together and grating the beetroot on a mandolin.
Duck Confit with Crisp Beetroot
Salad
Brioche Pudding with Dried Figs
To follow up the
four hour roast beef that I made for the dinner with my friends
on Tuesday I figured I’d go for something quick and easy for me
that I could pretty much make ahead of time. The brioche can be cut
and buttered and left covered until it’s time to go in the oven,
the custard can be too. It only takes 10 minutes to make the toffy
which you’ll have while you wait for the pudding to cool slightly
anyway.
This was meant to just have cherries in it but I forgot to get them that day so I rummaged around the the cupboard and cheated a little with a packet of Whisk & Pin dried fruit compote that was mostly figs which I love so hey, figs it was! They worked really well if I do say so myself.
This was meant to just have cherries in it but I forgot to get them that day so I rummaged around the the cupboard and cheated a little with a packet of Whisk & Pin dried fruit compote that was mostly figs which I love so hey, figs it was! They worked really well if I do say so myself.
Brioche Pudding with Dried
Figs
4 Hour Roast Beef with Red Wine Sauce
Yesterday I cooked for some good
friends of mine and since I’m not working right now I had the time
for slow roast beef. In all honesty, dinner didn’t quite pull
together as planned for a number of reasons but mostly because I’d
had a fair bit of red wine by the end of the roasting time. Have
you ever tried to make pasta drunk? It took all day to get rid of
the flour from the kitchen today. Still, it was tasty.
It’s a fairly straight forward recipe and really takes no time at all tocook prepare, especially if you buy pre-made pasta.
The red wine sauce needs thickening after cooking which I didn’t
do, I’ve also reduced the quantity of liquid in the recipe below to
aide that. Please don’t forget or skip the pancetta, it made what
would otherwise be a pretty plain sauce.
It’s a fairly straight forward recipe and really takes no time at all to
4 Hour Roast Beef Rump in Red Wine
Sauce
Orange Stuffed Chicken Marylands with 5-Spiced Carrots and Beans
Sometimes when you look in the fridge
and cupboards I have no idea what to make and other times a few
things just stick in my mind somehow and out comes a tasty meal.
The slice of orange added a nice subtle citrus note to the chicken
and the honey balanced out the 5-spice powder. Best of all, it only
took 5 minutes of work and 30 minutes in the oven.
Orange Stuffed Chicken Marylands with
5-Spiced Carrots and Beans