It was a ground-breaking night in the F&F household last night. Brace yourselves...My lad, he who has never cooked (beyond baking the odd brownie and his world-reknowned pavlova), cooked dinner last night! I know - earth shattering!
It's odd - he's very good at baking, but has never ever cooked a meal. He's not unhelpful - if I am utterly sick of the sight of the kitchen (which happens to us all, let's be honest) he'll happily 'cook' by going to the curry shop and buying dinner. But he has steadfastly avoided cooking anything meal-like...and I guess I've been happy to take charge since I enjoy it. But I really think everyone can and should cook, so I have been determined that he should be able to cook at least a few basic things. Poor pestered boy...! Haha.
His major problem with cooking, I think, is not so much that he couldn't do it (because anyone can follow a recipe). Instead it's more that he views cooking as a lengthy, difficult, time consuming process which all seems too hard when he's gotten home from work. And I understand that, really I do. For me cooking is necessary, but it's also usually fun and not terribly difficult because I've been doing it for so long. For him, though, to start from scratch in learning, things are always going to take a lot longer.
One of the big things I think that puts people off cooking, is the unreliability of recipes. Very few "celebrity" chef cookbooks are useful beyond providing the odd bit of inspiration, because their recipes just don't work. And for a beginner cook who has no reason to doubt the wisdom of those they see galavanting about on tv, how are they to know that it isn't them but rather the recipe which is at fault?
So, the lad cooked from a reliable (read: Alison Holst) cookbook last night (sausage casserole, mashed potatoes and peas - nothing revolutionary, but good, basic, easy food which requires very little hands-on time) and I stood along-side offering sage tid-bits of wisdom here and there. All in all, a very successful first attempt. Let us hope there will be a second and third...
Monday 26 April 2010
Wednesday 21 April 2010
Enough is enough
I don't know what the hell they do to the bread over here, but almost every kind of shop-bought bread you can buy is stale before you get it home. The Brits must prefer it that way because it's all like that. Dry, crumbly, sticks in your throat - ick! Frankly I eat very little bread these days unless it's home made, but the one bready thing we do buy regularly is rolls for Andrew's lunches. I've never had much success at replicating the light, spongy white rolls he deems suitable for sandwiches (this is not a wholemeal house and he's got some teeth issues so multigrains are a minefield). I can do a lovely doughy bun that is good when it's warm from the oven, but the next day it could easily double as a cricket ball. Small ciabatta rolls are easy and delicious, but not always suitable for a bog-standard cold meat and salad sandwich. So I've continued to buy icky mass-produced supermarket rolls with god-knows what in them (much more than flour, yeast and water, that's for sure) and since my lad is (generally) a quiet, uncomplaining sort, he munches his rolls without much bother.
The last straw for me, though, was last Friday night. I had made homemade burgers - gorgeous things made with prime free-range Aberdeen Angus steak mince, gruyere cheese, caramelised onions, lettuce (no tomato because I feel very strongly about tomatoes in burgers. They just don't belong, dammit!) and homemade mayo - sounds good, right? No burger could be made with more care and love. But then my masterpiece was destroyed by the revolting stale, crumbly piece-of-shit bun I'd been forced to buy. 'That is it!', I cried, as my beautiful burger fell to pieces in my hands. 'I will not stand for this any longer - there MUST be a way of making proper soft burger buns at home. I can't eat like this any more!'
So, after much googling, I decided to try a recipe gleaned from a 'certain' book about trainee bakers (recipe below) and it has worked out very well, I must say. I mean, there's definitely room for improvement, but they are soft, fresh and delicious and worlds apart from the supermarkets' 'finest'. I used plain flour instead of strong flour, which ordinarily would be a bread no-no, but I figured that I was actually trying to achieve a lighter, almost fluffy texture (in contrast to my normal sturdy 'rustic' loaves) and I think that principle was a good one. I'd possibly try mixing strong and plain next time to achieve just a slightly stronger crumb. Also I'd add much much less sugar than the original amount - they're much too sweet for my liking. I feel quite confident, though, that I can perfect these wee beauties and that my burgers will never again be tarnished by the chemically-crap which supermarkets sell as rolls.
The Original Recipe
4 3/4 c flour (if using plain you will need more)
1 1/2 tsp salt (I used less as a result of my recent bout of over-salting)
1/4 c powdered milk (not a normal ingredient for me. I'm not sure what this does but I plan to find out)
3 1/4 tsp sugar (waaay too much. Will use 1 tbsp next time I think)
2 tsp instant yeast (1 sachet)
1 lge egg, beaten
3 1/2 tbsp butter, at room temp
1 1/2 c (plus 1 tbsp) luke warm water
I don't really need to give you instructions for making this - blahblahblah bread-making. It's the same thing every time really! Mix dry ingredients. Add butter, egg and the water and mix to combine. Knead, prove, knock back, shape, prove again, bake at 200degC for about 15 mins. Oh, brush the tops of the buns with whatever you fancy - sesame seeds, poppy, cheese or just a light brush of oil.
The last straw for me, though, was last Friday night. I had made homemade burgers - gorgeous things made with prime free-range Aberdeen Angus steak mince, gruyere cheese, caramelised onions, lettuce (no tomato because I feel very strongly about tomatoes in burgers. They just don't belong, dammit!) and homemade mayo - sounds good, right? No burger could be made with more care and love. But then my masterpiece was destroyed by the revolting stale, crumbly piece-of-shit bun I'd been forced to buy. 'That is it!', I cried, as my beautiful burger fell to pieces in my hands. 'I will not stand for this any longer - there MUST be a way of making proper soft burger buns at home. I can't eat like this any more!'
So, after much googling, I decided to try a recipe gleaned from a 'certain' book about trainee bakers (recipe below) and it has worked out very well, I must say. I mean, there's definitely room for improvement, but they are soft, fresh and delicious and worlds apart from the supermarkets' 'finest'. I used plain flour instead of strong flour, which ordinarily would be a bread no-no, but I figured that I was actually trying to achieve a lighter, almost fluffy texture (in contrast to my normal sturdy 'rustic' loaves) and I think that principle was a good one. I'd possibly try mixing strong and plain next time to achieve just a slightly stronger crumb. Also I'd add much much less sugar than the original amount - they're much too sweet for my liking. I feel quite confident, though, that I can perfect these wee beauties and that my burgers will never again be tarnished by the chemically-crap which supermarkets sell as rolls.
The Original Recipe
4 3/4 c flour (if using plain you will need more)
1 1/2 tsp salt (I used less as a result of my recent bout of over-salting)
1/4 c powdered milk (not a normal ingredient for me. I'm not sure what this does but I plan to find out)
3 1/4 tsp sugar (waaay too much. Will use 1 tbsp next time I think)
2 tsp instant yeast (1 sachet)
1 lge egg, beaten
3 1/2 tbsp butter, at room temp
1 1/2 c (plus 1 tbsp) luke warm water
I don't really need to give you instructions for making this - blahblahblah bread-making. It's the same thing every time really! Mix dry ingredients. Add butter, egg and the water and mix to combine. Knead, prove, knock back, shape, prove again, bake at 200degC for about 15 mins. Oh, brush the tops of the buns with whatever you fancy - sesame seeds, poppy, cheese or just a light brush of oil.
Tuesday 20 April 2010
What is aloo gobi you ask?
For those you aren't familiar, aloo gobi is an Indian potato and cauliflower curry that is often served as a side dish (well, in the rather heathen UK it is - I'm sure in various parts of India it's a main dish in its own right). I made a version of it on Sunday night to go with a small portion of chicken curry that I was also making (as well as wholemeal chappatis). I'm sure that an authentic Indian chef would have a hernia looking at my recipe, but this is what I did and it was really good (better the next day if you can have some self-restraint!):
Aloo Gobi Jess-Style
(makes enough for one large portion or 2 side dish portions)
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cm piece of ginger, julienned (I like the pieces of ginger this gives but by all means grate it if you can't be bothered slicing)
1 chilli (I think small green chillis would be more authentic but I had red ones in the freezer so I used a whole one with seeds), finely chopped
2 small potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks (about 2 cm?)
1/4 head of cauliflower cut into similar sized chunks to the potato
1 tbsp whole cumin seeds
1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp oil
1/2 cup (or so) water
handful of chopped fresh coriander
(optional: half a bag of baby spinach thrown in at the end to wilt is really nice)
Mix the ground spices (coriander, tumeric and pepper) with 1 tbsp oil. Heat the rest of the oil and add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli to soften. Add whole cumin seeds. Once they start popping, add the spice paste and fry for half a minute or so until it smells fragrant. Add potato and cauliflower and salt, mix together so the vege is all coated then add the water. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 15 mins. Remove the lid and cook another 5 mins or until the vege are cooked and the curry is looking quite dry. The vege should be coated in a thick paste more than a sauce. If you want it a bit 'looser' you can add a bit more water at the end. Taste and adjust seasonings (it could need more salt - a splash of lemon juice might also be nice). I also stirred in the half bag of spinach and let that wilt before adding the coriander leaves and serving.
Lovely with a blob of plain yoghurt with rice and Indian breads. Good as part of an Indian meal but also a lovely super-cheap main in and of itself. And great for lunch the next day!
Aloo Gobi Jess-Style
(makes enough for one large portion or 2 side dish portions)
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 cm piece of ginger, julienned (I like the pieces of ginger this gives but by all means grate it if you can't be bothered slicing)
1 chilli (I think small green chillis would be more authentic but I had red ones in the freezer so I used a whole one with seeds), finely chopped
2 small potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks (about 2 cm?)
1/4 head of cauliflower cut into similar sized chunks to the potato
1 tbsp whole cumin seeds
1 1/2 tbsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp oil
1/2 cup (or so) water
handful of chopped fresh coriander
(optional: half a bag of baby spinach thrown in at the end to wilt is really nice)
Mix the ground spices (coriander, tumeric and pepper) with 1 tbsp oil. Heat the rest of the oil and add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli to soften. Add whole cumin seeds. Once they start popping, add the spice paste and fry for half a minute or so until it smells fragrant. Add potato and cauliflower and salt, mix together so the vege is all coated then add the water. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 15 mins. Remove the lid and cook another 5 mins or until the vege are cooked and the curry is looking quite dry. The vege should be coated in a thick paste more than a sauce. If you want it a bit 'looser' you can add a bit more water at the end. Taste and adjust seasonings (it could need more salt - a splash of lemon juice might also be nice). I also stirred in the half bag of spinach and let that wilt before adding the coriander leaves and serving.
Lovely with a blob of plain yoghurt with rice and Indian breads. Good as part of an Indian meal but also a lovely super-cheap main in and of itself. And great for lunch the next day!
Monday 19 April 2010
From tiny seeds...
...fabulous balcony gardens grow! Well, maybe not fabulous yet, but there is definitely potential for fabulousness!
I thought I'd give an update on my green-fingered efforts. All is well and my potatoes in particular are going crazy! It's very exciting to see so much foliage - I just hope that means there are lots of yummy new potatoes lurking below the surface. Inside my pretend glasshouse I have a courgette (which is small but I think will be a winner), a tomato (which I'm less hopeful about), a pot with nasturtiums and rhubarb swiss chard, a pot with swiss chard, regular spinach and miniature curly kale as well as a pot full of oregano. Outside the 'glasshouse' is my rosemary (which actually is looking a wee bit disgruntled at having been repotted a few months back. It was for its own good, but you can't tell plants that!), my thyme, mint and garlic. There are three potato bags and the one in the middle only got its tubers yesterday (a later cropping variety) while the outer two have been growing for about a month. Oh, and there's a pot with some rather spindly alpine strawberries in it too.
It's all very exciting, and even more exciting is the fact that we'll be shifting in about 6 weeks, to a place with a lovely wee garden. I plan to plant a bunch of other bits and pieces there once we shift and yesterday I sowed 2 varieties of french bean (a dwarf green variety and a pretty pink and brown speckled Italian variety), some red peppers (I live in hope that it will be a warm summer!) and some really pretty Italian beetroot which is all pink and white striped. Fingers crossed for a delicious summer bounty!
On a related note, as you might know, I have a pigeon problem on my balcony and recently set up a sad little attempt at a pigeon deterrent. I thought you might get a laugh out of this, so here 'tis. Apologies for the blurriness. It's quite hard to get a shot which shows this in all its deranged glory.
The pigeons just mock my festive-looking effort and practically land on top of it. I'm sure I saw one of them eyeing up a piece of the silver ribbon as a jaunty wee addition to her nest. I race out onto the balcony every wee while to scary them away from my seedlings and - according to Andrew - yesterday I officially became 'crazy pigeon lady' when I wielded a broom and stood on the balcony yelling and waving it around. Sad to become so eccentric so young...what ever will I do when I get old!?
I thought I'd give an update on my green-fingered efforts. All is well and my potatoes in particular are going crazy! It's very exciting to see so much foliage - I just hope that means there are lots of yummy new potatoes lurking below the surface. Inside my pretend glasshouse I have a courgette (which is small but I think will be a winner), a tomato (which I'm less hopeful about), a pot with nasturtiums and rhubarb swiss chard, a pot with swiss chard, regular spinach and miniature curly kale as well as a pot full of oregano. Outside the 'glasshouse' is my rosemary (which actually is looking a wee bit disgruntled at having been repotted a few months back. It was for its own good, but you can't tell plants that!), my thyme, mint and garlic. There are three potato bags and the one in the middle only got its tubers yesterday (a later cropping variety) while the outer two have been growing for about a month. Oh, and there's a pot with some rather spindly alpine strawberries in it too.
It's all very exciting, and even more exciting is the fact that we'll be shifting in about 6 weeks, to a place with a lovely wee garden. I plan to plant a bunch of other bits and pieces there once we shift and yesterday I sowed 2 varieties of french bean (a dwarf green variety and a pretty pink and brown speckled Italian variety), some red peppers (I live in hope that it will be a warm summer!) and some really pretty Italian beetroot which is all pink and white striped. Fingers crossed for a delicious summer bounty!
On a related note, as you might know, I have a pigeon problem on my balcony and recently set up a sad little attempt at a pigeon deterrent. I thought you might get a laugh out of this, so here 'tis. Apologies for the blurriness. It's quite hard to get a shot which shows this in all its deranged glory.
The pigeons just mock my festive-looking effort and practically land on top of it. I'm sure I saw one of them eyeing up a piece of the silver ribbon as a jaunty wee addition to her nest. I race out onto the balcony every wee while to scary them away from my seedlings and - according to Andrew - yesterday I officially became 'crazy pigeon lady' when I wielded a broom and stood on the balcony yelling and waving it around. Sad to become so eccentric so young...what ever will I do when I get old!?
Friday 16 April 2010
Procrastination makes perfect
Garrgh. I'm useless. Seriously. I have a pile of marking to do and a house to start packing and job applications up the wazoo, but instead I have spent the morning faffing about and achieving nothing! Sigh.
However, procrastination usually results in one of two things for me - either I clean (a much rarer event) or I bake. Today I've gone with the latter option and have made chocolate chunk cookies (returning to the basics seems a good way of rediscovering my kitchen mojo...the cookies are fine, and the raw batter is even better!) and shortbread. Oddly I don't think I've ever made shortbread before, but it's not nearly as challenging as I thought it was. I made a recipe which had cornflour as well as regular flour, because I like crunchy shortbread and that gives it the necessary texture. It was too dry to roll out and cut into pieces, so I pressed it into a cake tin and baked it that way, intending to cut it into wedges (which is quite traditional of Scottish shortbread, so I've read). Apparently you're meant to score it or something prior to baking because my shortbread 'cake' is now a pile of broken chunks of shortbread, but those chunks are damn tasty, perfectly crumby with just the right amount of crunch. Perfection with a cup of hot, sweet Earl Grey Tea while pissing away an afternoon.
Shortbread Recipe
Ingredients (please don't ask me to convert these to metric. My scales measure both):
6oz Plain flour
4oz Soft butter
2oz caster sugar
1 oz cornflour
Cream butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add sifted flours and mix to combine. Hopefully yours will be moist enough to hold together and get rolled out. Otherwise press into a lightly oiled cake tin and bake at 170degC for 25 mins or until very lightly coloured all over.
It will be soft until it cools properly and then it will go nice and crisp.
Happy procrastinating to one and all!
However, procrastination usually results in one of two things for me - either I clean (a much rarer event) or I bake. Today I've gone with the latter option and have made chocolate chunk cookies (returning to the basics seems a good way of rediscovering my kitchen mojo...the cookies are fine, and the raw batter is even better!) and shortbread. Oddly I don't think I've ever made shortbread before, but it's not nearly as challenging as I thought it was. I made a recipe which had cornflour as well as regular flour, because I like crunchy shortbread and that gives it the necessary texture. It was too dry to roll out and cut into pieces, so I pressed it into a cake tin and baked it that way, intending to cut it into wedges (which is quite traditional of Scottish shortbread, so I've read). Apparently you're meant to score it or something prior to baking because my shortbread 'cake' is now a pile of broken chunks of shortbread, but those chunks are damn tasty, perfectly crumby with just the right amount of crunch. Perfection with a cup of hot, sweet Earl Grey Tea while pissing away an afternoon.
Shortbread Recipe
Ingredients (please don't ask me to convert these to metric. My scales measure both):
6oz Plain flour
4oz Soft butter
2oz caster sugar
1 oz cornflour
Cream butter and sugar until pale and creamy. Add sifted flours and mix to combine. Hopefully yours will be moist enough to hold together and get rolled out. Otherwise press into a lightly oiled cake tin and bake at 170degC for 25 mins or until very lightly coloured all over.
It will be soft until it cools properly and then it will go nice and crisp.
Happy procrastinating to one and all!
Wednesday 14 April 2010
In which Jess attempts to recreate Vogels and fails...
Damn you Mark Bittman, damn you!! (imagine I'm shaking my fist angrily whilst yelling that to get the full picture of my frustration). I really do wonder why I bought that Food Matters book. Don't get me wrong, I'm still all in favour of the concept, but I've just remembered that every recipe of Bittman's that I've ever tried has always been a real disappointment. His peanutty noodles were definitely a let-down and several others I've tried and forgotten were also distinctly average. And on reflection those meatballs of his I made the other day really weren't that good (this evaluation is based on the fact that I've got about 300 of the damn things in my freezer and apparently freezing does not improve them. At all. They become all squishy and gross which is just not appetising).
So anyway. One of his recipes is for a no-knead brown bread that I thought I'd try. I really miss a particular bread from home (Vogels) which is whole grain but sort of dense and chewy rather than cardboardy (like most other store-bought brown bread tends to be) and for some reason I thought Bittman's brown loaf would be the answer. It wasn't. It's flat, heavy as a brick, crumbly and weird tasting (I seem to be over-salting everything lately...is salt getting saltier or am I getting distracted while I put the salt in the dishes?).
Basically it's a dud. Another dud to add to my growing pile of food-crap. Sigh. I seem to have lost my food mojo of late. Has this ever happened to you? And how do you reconnect with your food mojo when it seems to have absconded??
So anyway. One of his recipes is for a no-knead brown bread that I thought I'd try. I really miss a particular bread from home (Vogels) which is whole grain but sort of dense and chewy rather than cardboardy (like most other store-bought brown bread tends to be) and for some reason I thought Bittman's brown loaf would be the answer. It wasn't. It's flat, heavy as a brick, crumbly and weird tasting (I seem to be over-salting everything lately...is salt getting saltier or am I getting distracted while I put the salt in the dishes?).
Basically it's a dud. Another dud to add to my growing pile of food-crap. Sigh. I seem to have lost my food mojo of late. Has this ever happened to you? And how do you reconnect with your food mojo when it seems to have absconded??
Monday 12 April 2010
Of a' the airts the wind can blaw, I dearly like the west...
We've just gotten back from the Hielands (the west highlands, to be specific...hence the Rabbie Burns quote!) where we had a lovely (sorry - bonnie) time. It's aye beautiful up there - wholly recommend it to anyone lucky enough to find themselves in Scotland!
See...?
Anyway, in addition to gorgeous scenery, the Highlands, as it turns out, also boasts some really good food. Among the delicious treats I scoffed were some hot-smoked salmon from a smokehouse on the outer Hebrides (Salar Smokehouse...seriously good!), a wonderful meal of asparagus and pecorino tortelli in a beurre blanc sauce (eaten sitting in a tiny traditional pub perched on the edge of Loch Gairloch as the sun was setting, with the Isle of Skye in the background (mm, bliss...). A rather ordinary lunch of egg sandwiches was made superb by the simple fact that the bread was home-made, the free-range eggs were grown by "Sarah who lives down the road in Pool Ewe" and that the "organic lettuce grown by Joan and Alec up the way in Inverasdale" - and the locale of that meal was a 4 table cafe in an art gallery on the edge of Loch Ewe...how delightful!! If you weren't allergic to shell-fish and crustaceans, there is a whole host of other wonderful food available - at the Badachro Inn (aforementioned little pub on the edge of Loch Gairloch) they were serving some stunning-looking langoustines and crab.
I'm back now, and will diligently be reporting on my lunch adventures and any other interesting meals I might embark on. I hope you all had a lovely Easter and have eaten plenty of delicious treats...!
See...?
Anyway, in addition to gorgeous scenery, the Highlands, as it turns out, also boasts some really good food. Among the delicious treats I scoffed were some hot-smoked salmon from a smokehouse on the outer Hebrides (Salar Smokehouse...seriously good!), a wonderful meal of asparagus and pecorino tortelli in a beurre blanc sauce (eaten sitting in a tiny traditional pub perched on the edge of Loch Gairloch as the sun was setting, with the Isle of Skye in the background (mm, bliss...). A rather ordinary lunch of egg sandwiches was made superb by the simple fact that the bread was home-made, the free-range eggs were grown by "Sarah who lives down the road in Pool Ewe" and that the "organic lettuce grown by Joan and Alec up the way in Inverasdale" - and the locale of that meal was a 4 table cafe in an art gallery on the edge of Loch Ewe...how delightful!! If you weren't allergic to shell-fish and crustaceans, there is a whole host of other wonderful food available - at the Badachro Inn (aforementioned little pub on the edge of Loch Gairloch) they were serving some stunning-looking langoustines and crab.
I'm back now, and will diligently be reporting on my lunch adventures and any other interesting meals I might embark on. I hope you all had a lovely Easter and have eaten plenty of delicious treats...!
Tuesday 6 April 2010
Easter Treats
I've had a series of unfortunate incidents in the kitchen of late (very Lemony Snickett of me with a weirdly bad curry last night, horrid pasta the night before...it's all putting me off even being in the kitchen, frankly!) but I did do some successful baking over Easter which was rather yummy.
I made the traditional hot cross buns, of course (always do at Easter) and they were yummy. I don't like mixed peel, so I put dried blueberries in instead of currants - they added a slight fruitiness that was missing without the peel and turned out really well actually (although they did lend a slightly purplish tone to the buns!). I cooked them in a friend's oven and unfortunately they got a wee bit browner on top than I would have liked, but when they're hot and fresh out of the oven and served with lashings of butter, it really doesn't matter.
My piece de resistance, though, was the chocolate tart. Very rich, very chocolatey and rather Easter-ish with the addition of sugar coated chocolate eggs on top. It was a Rachel Allen recipe and for once (I have little success with her recipes on the whole) it worked really well. Basically you make a sweet short crust pastry and bake it blind, then heat cream and milk, add both milk and dark chocolate and then beat in some eggs. Pour into the pastry shell and bake for about 20 mins. Ta-dahhh!
Best served with softly whipped cream and fresh fruit like strawberries. Perfect for Easter, although I certainly wouldn't limit myself to making it then...it actually would be a great, very easy dessert to make ahead when you had people coming over too.
Hope your Easter was sweet, chocolatey and spent with the people you love!
I made the traditional hot cross buns, of course (always do at Easter) and they were yummy. I don't like mixed peel, so I put dried blueberries in instead of currants - they added a slight fruitiness that was missing without the peel and turned out really well actually (although they did lend a slightly purplish tone to the buns!). I cooked them in a friend's oven and unfortunately they got a wee bit browner on top than I would have liked, but when they're hot and fresh out of the oven and served with lashings of butter, it really doesn't matter.
My piece de resistance, though, was the chocolate tart. Very rich, very chocolatey and rather Easter-ish with the addition of sugar coated chocolate eggs on top. It was a Rachel Allen recipe and for once (I have little success with her recipes on the whole) it worked really well. Basically you make a sweet short crust pastry and bake it blind, then heat cream and milk, add both milk and dark chocolate and then beat in some eggs. Pour into the pastry shell and bake for about 20 mins. Ta-dahhh!
Best served with softly whipped cream and fresh fruit like strawberries. Perfect for Easter, although I certainly wouldn't limit myself to making it then...it actually would be a great, very easy dessert to make ahead when you had people coming over too.
Hope your Easter was sweet, chocolatey and spent with the people you love!
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