Caramel drop cakes

Years ago I used to work in a kitchen in the Hope Valley near Sheffield and we used to make drop scones for the hoards of visiting tourists who would devour them greedily in between their Peak District hikes. I haven't made drop scones in years and recently fancied something sweet one evening, so cobbled these together as an experiment, and you know what, they ain't half bad!! Part scone, part cake with a delicious caramel flavour, we had them warm from the oven with creme fraiche as dessert, and cold the next day as a snack with a cup of tea. However, these would be fabulous served with ice cream or custard, layered in to a trifle, or how about served with dark chocolate sauce and some chopped crystallised ginger! 

Ingredients

8oz plain flour, 6oz dark muscavado sugar, 4oz butter, 2 eggs, 2tbsp raisens, 2tsp vanilla essence, 1tsp baking powder, 1tbsp natural yoghurt. 

Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius and line a baking tray with parchment paper ready. In a large bowl beat the butter, sugar, vanilla essence and baking powder until smooth and glossy. 

Crack the eggs in to a small bowl and beat thoroughly, gradually add the eggs to the butter mix beating in between each addition until thoroughly combined, next add the flour a tablespoon at a time folding with a spatula until all the flour has  been used and the mixture is once again smooth and glossy. Finally add the raisens and yoghurt and fold one last time to combine. 

Using a large tablespoon drop heaps of the mixture on to the baking parchment spacing them out evenly. Don't worry if they don't look pretty, they will smooth and spread whilst cooking. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the tops become rounded, slightly glossy and begin to crack. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool slightly before serving. 

Tagliatelle with mushrooms and cream cheese

It's grey, damp and miserable in London this week. Snow is forecast for tomorrow and I am craving lighter spring days with crocus flowers peeking up through the carpet of fallen leaves and the birds slowly returning to the trees. At the moment the alarm goes off with pitch black outside my curtains and by the time I've left my desk it's dark again, I feel like I've not seen the sun in weeks and I miss it. So the next best thing is heading home to a plate of sunshine inspired by a fabulous dish I had in Florence, Italy last June, if you need cheering up this is the dish for you!

Again this is for 2, but double the ingredients if you are cooking for 4.

Ingredients (2 people)

1 small red onion, 5 chestnut mushrooms, 70g soft cream cheese at room temperature, 2 cloves garlic, 300g fresh tagliatette pasta, 30g baby rocket leaves, 1/2tbsp olive oil, 1/2tbsp fresh lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

Boil a big pan of salted water ready for the pasta. Cut the onion in to fine dice, finely slice the mushrooms and skin and crush the garlic. Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium heat and add the onions to gently sweat for 7 minutes, stirring often, until they are soft and translucent. Next add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for a further 6 minutes or so until soft. 

Add the pasta to the pan of boiling water to cook. 

Next add the cream cheese to the onion mix and gently spoon 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water in to the onions. Stir to combine until the cheese melts and makes a rich sauce. Season with salt and pepper and add the lemon juice. 

Next drain the pasta, add to the pan with the sauce and toss to combine for a minute or so until the pasta begins to absorb some of the sauce. Finally add the rocket and give it one final toss before serving. 

Tagliatelle with bacon and mushrooms

Thus recipe is so easy to make it can barely be classed as cooking! However when you've had a hard day at work and come home desperate for a quick fix this really hits the nail on the head! 

Ingredients (2 people)

200g smoked streaky bacon, 2 cloves garlic, 8 chestnut mushrooms, 125g baby spinach, 600g fresh tagliatelle, splash whole milk, 1tbsp lemon juice, 4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, and....if you are feeling truly decedent a drizzle of white truffle oil (although this isn't a prerequisite) 

Get a big pan of water on the boil ready for your pasta. Cut the bacon in to bite size chunks and, in a large pan, cook on a medium heat (without additional oil) until they begin to brown. Keep the bacon bits moving so they do not burn but go golden and slightly crispy (10 mins or so).

Finely chop the peeled garlic and slice the mushrooms, add to the pan along with the bacon and cook for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Next add the tagliatelle to the hot water, fresh pasta takes literally 3 minutes to cook, so whilst it's cooking finish the sauce. 

Add a splash of milk (just a couple of tablespoons) to the bacon and mushrooms, using a wooden spoon scrape the bottom of the pan to mix all the crispy bacon bits in to the sauce. Next add the spinach and stir until the spinach has wilted. 

Drain the tagliatelle and add to the sauce, toss to distribute everything evenly. Add the lemon juice and toss again, then let it sit for five minutes for the pasta to absorb some of the sauce. Serve in bowls, scattered with the grated Parmesan and, if you wish a little truffle oil drizzled on top! Divine!

Toad in the hole

Toad in the hole is a good old fashioned Yorkshire  staple, dating back to the 1800's, and it was a firm favourite throughout my childhood. Now that I live in London it's a firm favourite in my household here also! Fear not, for those readers not from the UK this is not a dish made from actual toads, the toad simply refers to the sausages peeking out from the batter like toads out of a hole - hence the name! 

It is not a healthy dish by any means due to the amount of fat used, however, on a grey January Sunday it is perfect served with Savoy cabbage and a rich onion gravy. This recipe served 6 smaller portions or 4 greedy people! 

Ingredients for the toad in the hole

300 grams plain flour, 4 large eggs, 350ml semi-skimmed milk, pinch salt, 6 Cumberland sausages, vegetable oil. 

Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius. In a large mixing bowl add the flour and salt followed by the eggs, begin to mix with a whisk until a paste starts to form, then gradually add the milk, whisking constantly until you get a smooth batter. Don't worry if you have a few lumps, these will cook out in the oven. Rest the bowl in the fridge whilst you prepare the sausages.

Cook the sausages in a dry frying pan (no oil) until browned all over, don't worry if they are not 100% cooked through as they will do so in the oven. 

In a medium sized metal oven pan add enough oil until there is approximately 2mm of oil over the base of the pan, once the oven is up to temperature place the pan on a middle shelf to heat the oil. When the oil is very hot add the sausages to the pan and put it back in the oven watching the temperature until it is back up to 200 Celsius and the oil is shimmering hot. 

Then, working very quickly open the oven door and tip in the cold batter, then shut the door quickly to retain as much heat as possible. Don't worry if your batter pushes the sausages out of the way, they will move whilst cooking anyway and this is not a neat and tidy dish! 

For 20 minutes cook the dish at 200 Celsius and then turn the oven down to 180 Celsius for 25 minutes. Do not be tempted to open the oven door, you need to keep as much heat in as possible so keep that door shut! Don't worry if the toad looks a little dark around the edge, a few crispy well-done bits are all part of the character. 

After 45 minutes take a skewer and insert in to the thickest part of the toad, if it comes out clean and the batter looks like it is cooked all the way through, it can come out of the oven. However, if the skewer comes out with batter on or the toad looks a little raw in the middle, keep it in the oven for a further 10 minutes and check again (and repeat of necessary). 

Once cooked you can serve, I adore this slathered with rich onion gravy!

Onion gravy

1 white onion, 2tbsp plain flour, 1.5 pints good beef stock, splash of olive oil. 

Cut the onion in to thin slices and then gently fry in a little oil until soft and translucent. Add the flour and stir well to combine, then gradually add the stock, little by little, whisking continuously until all the flour is well combined and the lumps dissapear. Let the gravy bubble away for a couple of minutes until thickened and then it's ready to serve! 

Steamed salmon parcels

The French have a gorgeous method of gently cooking food called "en papillote" which means "in parchment". This simply means cocooning vegetables and meat or fish in parchment paper and baking in the oven so that they gently steam and cook in their own juices. It creates incredible delicate flavoured and super healthy dishes. I've been on a detox for the first 9 days of January and this has been the perfect method of cooking to ensure I maximise the vitamin value of my food!

This method at home uses tinfoil instead of parchment paper which is easier to handle and produces very similar results. 

Ingredients

2 salmon fillets, 1/2 courgette, 1/2 white onion, few button mushrooms, drizzle olive oil, squeeze fresh lemon juice, 1/2tsp smoked paprika, pinch ground black pepper. 

Lay out two squares of tinfoil. Shread the onions and finely slice the courgette and mushrooms. Stack the vegetables on the foil, drizzle with oil, lemon, paprika and pepper. Lay the salmon fillets on top and then fold the tinfoil to create a tent around the veg. 

Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius and bake the parcels for around 40 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the fish is gently steamed. 

I don't bother serving these on a plate, I eat them straight from the opened parcels with a fork, rustic style! 

Green lentils with mushrooms

This is a heartwarming dish fit for cold January evenings, it is perfect to accompany any cut of meat and would be especially delightful with a steak or a Barnsley chop, however I chose a slightly healthier option and served it with a lean Turkey steak. 

Ingredients (2 people)

1 tin of cooked green lentils in water, 1 red onion, 2 tomatoes, 10 button mushrooms, 125g baby spinach, 1 pint beef stock (or veg if you prefer), 1tsp ground coriander, 1/4tsp ground cloves, 2tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. 

Finely dice the red onion and tomatoes and gently fry in a little oil in a large pan until softened. Quarter the mushrooms and add to the pan to cook for a further 7 minutes. Add the coriander and clove powders, stock and drained lentils, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered  for 6 minutes. Next add the spinach, put a lid on and cook for a few minutes until the spinach has just wilted. Season to taste, stir very well and serve.