Food In My Home

Summer is here and this is the perfect light fruity pudding. serves 10 For the base 200g digestives 100g butter For the mousse cake 4 sheets leaf gelatine 142ml carton single cream 
500g carton fromage frais 
 140g golden caster sugar
 finely grated zest 1 small orange
 4 tbsp orange juice 
400g raspberries 284ml carton double cream Coulis a large handful of frozen berries around a tbsp of icing sugar Base For the biscuit base crush the biscuits in a plastic bag using a rolling pin. Melt the butter and mix with the crushed biscuits. Tip the mix into a loose bottomed round cake tin that is around 24cm. Press down the mix evenly and firmly and place in the fridge. Mousse cake Submerge the gelatine leaves in a large bowl of cold water and leave to soak for 5 minutes.  Heat the single cream in a small pan until it just comes to the boil then take off the heat. Take the gelatine out of the water and squeeze to get rid of the water. Stir into the hot cream and leave t...

This potato dish is also from Ottolenghi and is super tasty, and a good alternative to normal potatoes. It is great served with roast lamb or beef. serves around 5 6 medium sweet potatoes 5 tbsps roughly chopped sage 6 garlic cloves crushed generous amounts of salt and pepper 250ml whipping cream Preheat the oven to 200c. Scrub the sweet potatoes but do not peel them and cut them into discs about 5mm thick. In a large bowl mix the potatoes, garlic, sage, salt and pepper together. Arrange the slices in an oven proof dish, tightly in rows standing up. Sprinkle any leftover garlic sage mix on top. Cover the dish in foil and roast in the oven for 45mins. Remove the foil and pour the cream over evenly and place back in the oven uncovered for around 25 mins. By this time the cream should have thickened and the potatoes be totally soft. Serve hot out the oven in the dish.

This is an Ottolenghi salad that I make lots, its served at room temperature so is perfect for picnics and to go with BBQ's. serves 4 3 medium aurbergines, sliced lenghtways about 2 cms thick olive oil for brushing pine nuts pomegranate seeds bunch of basil Saffron yogurt a pinch of saffron strands 3 tbsps hot water 180g greek yogurt 1 garlic clove crushed generous squeeze of lemon juice 3 tbsps olive oil Prep Infuse the saffron in the hot water in a ramekin for 5 mins. Pour the infusion into a bowl with the yogurt garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and season to taste. This sauce can be kept for up to 3 days in fridge. Place a griddle pan on a high heat and brush the aubergine slices with olive oil. When the pans hot grill the aurbergine until they have clear lines on them and are soft and not spongy. If you don't have a griddle pan they are great cooked on the bbq or in the oven for around half an hour at 220c. To serve place the aubergine at room temperature on a large plate, se...

This is the most simple salad to make and the combination of the basil, goats cheese, fig and prosciutto is amazing. Another nice thing to do is turn it into a canape by quartering the figs, putting a small dollop of goats cheese on, season, add a basil leaf and wrap in prosciutto. serves 5/6 as a Starter 1 bag Rocket 2 tubs of soft goats cheese/goats curd 1 Bunch of Basil 1 pack of Prosciutto/Parma ham 10 Figs For the dressing I just make a basic vinaigrette with a little bit of mustard, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. And for the final touch you can either buy a bottle of balsamic reduction or make it yourself by boiling it in a pan until it becomes thicker, but still runny enough to squeeze through a bottle. Then do a swirl over and around the salad.

I stupidly gave up chocolate for lent but had some friends over for dinner so thought I would torture myself by feeding them this delicious chocolate mousse! Serves 4 225g good quality dark chocolate broken up 70g butter in pieces 350ml double cream 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon of Amaretto 2 tablespoons of honey Slowly melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over simmering water, when melted remove off the heat. In a separate bowl, semi whip the cream until soft peaks but no further. In a third bowl whisk the eggs and honey until light and fluffy, around 5 mins. Then fold the Amaretto into the eggs along with the melted chocolate and cream. Fold gently so not to lose too much air and when it is all mixed together pour into wine glasses or a big bowl that you can later spoon out. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

This year for Valentine's day me and my friends opted out of the tempting chance to go to a traffic light party, green for " yes please " red for " back off I'm taken " or amber for the confused.  Instead we created a 3 course dinner of romantic themed food. Citrus and Pomegranate Salad with Chilli-Honey Dressing serves 4 Chilli-honey dressing 5 tsp white wine vinegar 4 tsp clear honey salt and freshly ground black pepper 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 small red chilli, cut in half, seeds removed, finely chopped For the salad 4 small oranges, segmented 2 ruby grapefruit, segmented 1 plain grapefruit, segmented 1 small red onion, peeled, very finely sliced bunch fresh mint leaves, torn 1 pomegranate, seeds only, to serve Prep For the chilli-honey dressing, mix together the vinegar and honey until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in the oil using a fork, then stir in the chilli. ...