Recipe: Pear Jelly, vanilla bean ice cream, ginger syrup

Ingredients

375ml sweet pear wine
150ml stock syrup
5 leaves gelatine
3 pears chopped

Method

Bring the wine and the stock syrup to the boil and remove from the heat
Add the chopped pears and infuse for an hour
Pass the mix through a fine sieve
Place the liquid back on the heat
Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft
Squeze the water from the gelatine and add to the pear liquid
Whisk and ensure the gelatine is desolved
Pour the mix into glasses and set over night in a fridge

This is a very simple and full of flavour, i like it served with a good Vanilla bean icecream and a thick ginger syrup.

Recipe: Braised feather blade of beef

Ingredients

2 kg featherblade of beef
3 carrots
2 sticks celery
1 onion
Beef stock
4 potatoes
1 courgette
4 small carrots
6 pieces tenderstem
4 2" marrow bones

Method

Cut the celery, onion, 3 carrots and saute until tender, add the stock and boil.
Slice the blade of beef in half lengh ways and roll in cling film to create perfect tubes of beef.
Place the beef in the hot stock and cover with a lid, braise the beef for 4 hours at 160c
Once the beef is cooked, remove from the stock and chill over night, reduce the stock and make a gravy.
The following day slice the beef in to healthy portions
With the potatoes, make chunky chips
Slice the carrots, courgette, tenderstem, put to one side
Bake the bones in a hot oven until the marrow is cooked, reheat the beef in its own juices, pan fry the vegetable garnish, reheat the chips.
To serve, place the vegetable garnish on the plate, place the beef on top, spoon over gravy, put the chips in a basket and season with Rosemary salt, place a spoon in the morrow bone and put on the plate.

Recipe: Pistachio Biscotti

Ingredients

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1 teaspoon shortening

Method

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs with spoon. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nuts.

Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead 15 times until smooth. On ungreased cookie sheet, shape half of dough at a time into 10x3-inch rectangle.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center  comes out clean. Cool on cookie sheet 15 minutes. Cut rectangle crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on cookie sheet.

Bake about 15 minutes longer, turning once, until crisp and light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and shortening uncovered on High 30 to 60 seconds or until melted; stir until smooth. Drizzle chocolate over biscotti. Place on waxed paper until chocolate is set.

Recipe: Pear and Almond Frangipane

Ingredients

For the pastry
100g Butter
Two eggs
two drops of Vanilla extract
175g Sifted plain flour

For the frangipan
200g unsalted butter
200g sugar
Four eggs
100g ground almonds
50g plain flour
One pear-peeled, halved lenghways

Method

For the pastry
Pre-heat the oven to 150c
ina mixing bowl, cream the butter with the eggs until smooth. Gently fold in the flour and vanilla extract. Wrap in cling film and rest for 45 minutes. Roll out and line an eight-inchpastry ring or flan dish. To bake blind, cover the pastry on th bottom and sides of the flan with foiland wieght down with a handful of dried beans or pasta and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, remove from the oven, lift of the foil and allow to cool.

For the frangipan
pre-heat the oven to 180c
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar , then beat in the eggs individually using a metal spoon, gently fold in the ground almonds followed by the flour

Half fill the pastry case with the mix and fan the pear slices on top. Then fill the pastry case with the remaining mix. place in the oven and bake until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean- about 20-25 minutes

Serve with Mascarpone and fresh berries

The homemade Tandoor oven.

Today myself and The kids went to our local DIY store, we are going to make a Tandoor oven.
This idea came from a friend and it works really well.

Buy three pots and some gravel

.
Place the smaller one in side the large one and fill with gravel

Ensure it's not full at this time as you need to place the lid on

Place another small pot on top and fill with the rest of the gravel, grind the lid off.

This is the complete Tandoor oven ready to go.

Light the oven and wait for the coals to go white, marinate your meat and skewer while you wait

Place the skewers into the oven and cook with the lid on, ensure the oven stays hot at all times, my results have been fantastic, the kids love the skewers. 

Recipe: Goats cheese custard

Ingredients
70g Ticklemore goat cheese
60ml double cream
2 egg yolks

Method
Melt the cheese in the cream, do this slowly, stir as you go
Remove from the heat and allow to cool
Whisk the egg yolks over a water bath until thick and creamy
Mix the cheese mix with the eggs
Allow to chill for 24 hours

After the custard has chilled i like to serve it with a salad made from some of my favourite produce, Poached baby beetroot, White Asparagus, Broad beans, Golden beetroot, Peashoots, Walnuts and Orange segments. The salad is simply dressed with Rapeseed oil and seasoned.

Recipe: Hand picked wild Nettle Cordial

Ingredients
500g freshly picked nettles, use only the tops
2kg granulated sugar
100g citric acid
1500ml boiling water

Method
Wash the picked nettles and drain
Place the sugar, water and citric acid into a pan and heat to 60c
Remove the pan from the heat and add the nettles, allow the mix to cool
Store the mix in the fridge for 6 days, stiring daily
After six days strain the liquid and pour into sterile bottles with lids
Keep the cordial in the fridge.

Recipe: Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients
1 large orange
1 lemon
80ml olive oil
4 basil leaves
3 coriander leaves
Seasoning

Method
Zest and juice the citrus fruit
Place in a pan and boil
Remove from the heat and add the olive oil
Tear in the herbs and blend with a stick blender
Pass the dressing through a fine seive
Season and serve warm

Recipe: River Wear Picked Wild Garlic Pesto

While I was out with Belle today I came across new season wild garlic on the banks of the River Wear the leaves are small at the minute but over the next few weeks the will grow to a good size.

This pesto is a very simple recipe but one I love, it's fresh! full of flavour and for me announces that spring is on its way.

Ingredients
I large cup of wild garlic leaves
150g nuts
250 ml olive oil
60g grated Parmesan

Method
Toast the nuts in a pan
Add the nuts into a jug once toasted with all of the other ingredients
Blitz with a hand blender until smooth.

Recipe: Braised Oxtail

Ingredients

4 nice sized pieces of Oxtail

2 carrots chopped

2 sticks of celery chopped

2 shallots diced

2 cloves of garlic crushed

2 sprigs of Thyme picked

1 litre reduced beef stock

Method

Place a frying pan on the stove and heat, seal the oxtail until golden brown, set to one side

In a deep roasting tray sauté the vegetables and the herbs, this can be done over a low heat, continue this for as long as possible to increase the flavour of the produce, be careful not to burn.

Add the oxtail to the vegetables and cover with the beef stock.

Cover the tray with tin foil and bake the Oxtail for 5 hours at 160c or until it begins to fall from the bone.

To serve remove the Oxtail and place it on the service dish.

Recipe: Pigs Head Terrine

If you have a good butcher he will supply you with a whole or half pigs head at a very good price.
For this terrine i used a full pigs head.

Ingredients
One pigs head
One head of celery chopped
Three carrots chopped
One leek chopped
Two onions chopped
Water
1 Pint of cider

Method
Place the pigs head in a pan with all of the other ingredients, boil then simmer
Cook the pig for 5 hours or until the meat begins to flake
Remove the pig from the pan and allow to cool slightly
Pick through the meat thats on the head, remove the meat and place into a bowl
Shred the meat by hand and add 150g chopped capers, 1 small handful of chopped parlsey and two diced and cooked apples.
Place the mix into a terrine mould and pour over 1 ladle of the cooking stock
Chill until set
Once cold and set, this will be best left over night, slice and serve
Discard the left overs of the head.

Recipe: Wild Nettle soup

Nettles can be found from spring to early summer, they are a great source of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, cobalt, copper, potassium, trace minerals, chlorophyll, the B-complex vitamins, and more.

Not only do they benifit your health they are also good fun to harvest and cook with. Ensure you follow two simple rules when harvesting, only pick the tender tops of the nettles and more importantly ensure you wear gloves, the nettles will carry the sting until cooked, remember this when you go to chop them for the following recipe.

Ingredients
1 200g packet of smoked Pancetta
1 white onion diced
4 leaves wild garlic
4 handfuls nettles (remove all stems)
600ml vegetable stock
4 small potatoes diced
2 TBSP double cream

Method
In a little oil pan fry the Pancetta
Add the onion and fry until tender
Add the potato and garlic and cook slowly
Chop the nettles and add to the pan, add the stock also
Bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes
Blend with a stick blender, Sieve the soup
Add the cream and serve.

Recipe:Wild Garlic Pesto

Wild garlic can be found from late January to late Spring.

As with all of my recipes i only pick what is required, ensure it is washed, drained and used as soon as possible after harvest, this will ensure the flavour is at its best when eaten.

For the pesto
ingredients
200g wild garlic
200g Basil/parsley
200g Parmesan cheese Grated
200g Hazlenuts
Rapeseed oil

Method
Pour all of the ingredients into a blender, blitz until a smooth puree is achieved
Add just enough oil wet the mix
Place the pesto in an air tight Jar until required.

The leaves are also fantastic deep fried in a tempura batter, these can be served and work well with Lamb and beef that has been chargrilled.

Recipe: sticky toffee pudding

Ingredients
250g stoned dates
2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
2 rounded teaspoons bicarbonate powder
150ml water
1 strong cup coffee, 100ml
250g unsalted butter
250g caster sugar
4 eggs
350g plain flour

Method
Pre-heat oven at 150c
Put the dates, water, baking powder, bicarb and coffee into a saucepan and bring to the boil
Remove from the heat and cool, pour the mix into a blender and blitz to a smooth paste

In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter together. Then add the eggs and flour. Stir in the date mix then spoon into a baking tray lined with parchment paper, this mix will fill a dish 8"x10"

Bake in the oven until set, check with a skewer, dont forget it will carry on cooking when it comes out of the oven, you dont want it to dry out.

To serve cut into portions and serve with icecream, clotted cream or you can make a salted caramel to serve with it.