CHICKEN, LEMON AND THYME KEBABS

We at last have summer weather here in France and the barbecue season has arrived!  We seemed to  suddenly lurch from a cool and wet spring to high summer with temperatures regularly above 30°C.  Luckily we have a shady place to cook on the barbecue and last year we lashed out on a new gas one.  We had resisted, thinking we were not really barbecuing unless we used charcoal, but it has taken much of the guesswork out of the cooking.  We no longer get food that's crozzled on the outside and raw in the middle and we can predict more accurately when it will be ready - no more waiting for the charcoal to become hot enough then having to get on with it!  In other words, cooking on a gas barbecue has taken all the stress out of it and is definitely just as tasty (if slightly less exciting).

I recently bought some excellent lemon and thyme marinated chicken brochettes in Lidl when we were having visitors.  They were quite pricey so we looked for a recipe we could adapt to make them from scratch.  We found one in a book called "Charred and Scruffed" by Adam Perry Lang.

The book itself was a gift from my brother some years ago, possibly to encourage us to be more creative than just burgers than sausages with our barbecue repertoire!  It's not a book I would have bought for myself as it's American so therefore in cup measurements, which I'm never very confident with, but it's full of lovely recipes.

Ingredients

4 smallish skinned chicken breasts, cut into large chunks

1 red pepper, seeds removed and cut into large chunks

For the marinade

2-3 tablespoons olive oil (or roughly equal to the amount of lemon juice)

2 cloves garlic

1 shallot

juice of 1 lemon*

1 tsp granulated sugar

3-4 small sprigs thyme**

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Grate the garlic and shallot using a microplane zester or the finest grater that you have.

Strip the leaves from the thyme sprigs, chop fine, and put them with all the other marinade ingredients into a small jam jar.  Shake the jar well to combine everything together.

* For extra tanginess you could add in the lemon zest and the fleshy bits from the juicer/squeezer.

** If you don't have fresh thyme, use a teaspoon of dried thyme and marinate for more than the minimum time.

Push the chunks of chicken and pepper onto skewers and lay in a shallow dish.  Pour the marinade over evenly, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least thirty minutes, or 2-3 hours.

Alternatively, put the chunks of chicken and pepper into a plastic bag, add the marinade and toss about to make sure everything is coated then leave in the fridge until ready to cook and assemble the skewers.

Grill on the barbecue for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally.  Or bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Test for doneness by inserting a sharp knife into a piece of chicken to see if it’s still pink.

Serves 2-3, depending on how many sausages there are per person.  (We have found Lidl Toulouse sausages a good bbq alternative to the magnificent Cumberland!)

BLUEBERRY AND LEMON MUFFIN CAKE

On many occasions I have felt compelled to make a cake from a recipe as soon as possible after I saw it in a book or on the internet.  This one was so compelling that I made it the same day!

I spotted it in a recent edition of the Guardian online where it appears as a cherry muffin cake.  The writer suggests you can adapt it to use other fruit and I happened to have a punnet of nice chunky blueberries in the fridge, bought the day before.   We also had guests coming for dinner so all the stars were aligned!

At the time of writing, you can see the original recipe here and  I wondered what was muffin like about it.  Probably because you make it the way you would usually make muffins, i.e. not by creaming butter and sugar, or rubbing butter into flour as in the most common cake recipes.  I wondered if the cake might also not keep well as muffins are often past their best the next day.  I decided that that wouldn't matter as a fair chunk of it would be eaten on the day and even stale muffins are edible if you warm them in the microwave and serve with instant custard!

The cake looked rather craggy when it came out of the oven so I dusted it with icing sugar before serving.

I was also a bit miffed that it looked like most of the blueberries seemed to have sunk to the bottom but as the cake was cut it was clear that some hadn't so that was a relief.

It was a delicious cake, really good.  The muffin method was not easier than say an all-in-one sponge cake but easy enough AND it was most definitely not stale the next day.  In fact it kept well (I put it in the fridge because of the fresh fruit) and the last couple of slices were still good two days later.

A brilliant cake and one for the recipe box.

Ingredients

220g plain flour

200g golden caster sugar

10g baking powder (this turned out to be about 1½ tsp)

zest of 1 lemon

pinch of salt

200g Greek yoghurt (I used full fat)

100g butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

¼ tsp almond extract

200g fresh blueberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 160° fan / gas mk 4.  Butter and line the base of a 20cm springform cake tin.

In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (not including the fruit!).

In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.

Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir well to make sure there is no unmixed flour.  Fold in the blueberries.

Pour into the prepared tin, level the top and bake for 40-50 minutes.  Mine was done in 40 minutes.

Cool in the tin.  Dust with icing sugar before serving if you like.

I served mine with a spoonful of fruit salad alongside and a blob of whipped cream.

Cuts into 8-10 slices.

 

ARTICHOKE, MUSHROOM AND MIXED CHEESE TART

I spotted this recipe in a copy of "Ocado life" magazine which my brother passed on.  He came to France for a two week holiday, bringing the magazine with him, thinking I might like it.  I did!

At the time of writing you can see the original recipe here.

Jerusalem artichokes are still available here in our part of France.  I don't know if that's normal or not as until my recent adventures with Palestine soup (see here) I have never really taken much notice of them.  A friend who lives here in France gave us some roots from her artichoke plants which we have planted and are doing really well so I look forward to harvesting our own artichokes later in the year.

The only snag with the original recipe is that it uses blue cheese, of which Nick is not a fan, although I am.  

I'm particularly fond of the blue sheep's cheese paste that you can get here and always buy myself a pot of it.  It has a strong flavour and is delicious spread thinly on crackers or "crostini" - those dry mini toasts that come in packets and are very handy for nibbles served with apéros.  Add a blob of soft cheese and a piece of walnut on top of the blue spread and they are yummy!

I digress........  We were having dinner guests and I was not sure about their cheese preferences either so I decided to make the tart in two halves.  One half blue cheese and the other goat's cheese.  I was planning to serve small slices of the tart with salad as a starter.

The recipe included 15g hazelnuts which I didn't have so I used a handful of walnuts instead.  (It's interesting that the Palestine soup recipe also included hazelnuts so maybe it's a traditional pairing, like chicken and tarragon, or beef and mustard.)  The walnuts gave the filling a nice crunch and added to the very earthy, rustic flavour and appearance of it.  

The method also said to drape the pastry over the edge of the tart tin and leave untrimmed until after baking.  I have had mixed success with this in the past, trimming the baked tart sometimes resulting in the loss of chunks of the edge and making it look rather untidy.  The alternative is to trim before baking which often results in the tart case shrinking.  It's a toss up as to which is best IMHO but on this occasion trimming later rather than sooner resulted in a perfect finish.  Take your pick!

It was a success, although somewhat more faffy than I would normally go for, hence the two stars rating.  The preference was 50/50 for the blue or goat side of the tart and there was plenty left to enjoy the next day.  We had ours with some rocket dressed with home made French dressing.  Delicious!

Ingredients

a pack of ready made, ready rolled shortcrust pastry (or make your own)

approx 350g Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed

2 sprigs of thyme, leaves stripped

1-2 tblsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

1 onion, peeled and sliced

approx 200g chestnut mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

a small handful of shelled walnuts, roughly chopped

75g of blue cheese (or goat's cheese, or a mixture, or any cheese you like)

3 eggs

150 ml double cream

150 ml semi skimmed milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 200° C / 180° fan / gas mk 6.  Grease a 20cm loose bottomed tart tin.

Chop the scrubbed artichokes and put them into a roasting tin, add the thyme leaves and drizzle with the olive oil.  Roast for 30 minutes, turning once.

Add the onions, garlic and walnuts, mix together and roast for a further 20 minutes, turning once.

Line the tart tin with the pastry, allowing the excess to drape over the sides.  Place the tin on a baking sheet (I find this makes getting the tin into and out of the oven easier).  Prick the base, line with baking paper, fill with baking beans and bake for 20 minutes.  You can do this while the veg are still roasting but watch your timings!

Take the pastry case from the oven, remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 5 minutes to result in a nice, crisp and golden base.

Meanwhile, make the custard filling by putting the eggs, cream and milk into a jug and whisk together.  Season with salt and pepper.

Tip the roasted veg into the baked tart case, crumble the blue cheese on top (or arrange the slices if using goat's cheese) pour over the liquid filling and return to the oven for 20 minutes or until set.  Don't over bake as a slight wobble in the middle is just right.

Allow to cool slightly before trimming the pastry edge.  Serve warm.

Makes 4-6 servings a main course, 6-8 as a starter.

BUTTER TARTLETS

I'd been hankering after making these for a while.  There’s no logical reason for this other than that I spotted the recipe in my favourite copy of the Be-Ro book and realised I hadn’t made them since I was at school.  My mum used to make them occasionally and they were a real treat.

In planning our Coronation tea party (in France) I thought something old fashioned would be a nice addition to the festive fare.

In the book they are iced with a blob of water icing and decorated with a sliver of glacé cherry but I completely forgot about this step until I had run out of time!  Also, the next time I make them I would use more than a scant teaspoon of filling for each one.  They are obviously not as likely to boil over as a jam tart.

I used two new patty tins, recently purchased from a posh cookware shop in Bakewell.  This was rather a rash purchase but I liked that they felt solid and that the holes had rounded not flat bottoms.  I still have my mum’s old mince pie tins where the holes are fluted and patterned with round bottoms but they are very tatty now and require a lot of greasing.  I abandoned using them years ago in favour of some cheap non stick ones.  

I have to say that the new tins were a dream to use, the tarts slipping out effortlessly.  A worthwhile investment that should last for years.  Or, as my mum would say, "should see me out"!

The tarts were a doddle to make (especially as I used ready made, ready rolled pastry) and delicious.  The flavour took me back instantly to my school days in the 1950s when there might be one or two left in the cake tin from Mum's weekend baking.  A sneaky little bun when I got home from school to put me on until tea time.

Interestingly, the recipe is no longer in the latest edition of the Be-Ro book.  Maybe they are deemed to be a little too old fashioned for modern tastes but all those guests that had never seen them before loved them.  They are quite unique.  

Ingredients

A pack of ready made pastry or make your own using 175g (6oz) flour

25g butter

100g currants

100g demerara sugar

1 egg

A few drops of vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180° fan/gas mk 6.  Grease the holes of two patty tins.

Cut the pastry into circles using a 3” cutter and line the tins.  You should get about 18 tarts from the pastry by re-rolling.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan.  Remove from the heat and mix in the other ingredients.  Put a generous teaspoonful into each pastry case.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden and crisp.

When cold, decorate each tart with a blob of water icing and a sliver of glacé cherry if you like.

Makes about 18 tarts.

ORANGE AND SULTANA TRAYBAKE

Over the last six months I have only made two cakes.  This is the second and I made it for the meeting of a walking group we have joined in France.  After each weekly walk most walkers retire to the bar for refreshments, some bringing a cake to share. Traybakes are ideal for large groups.

This is a Mary Berry recipe and although it tasted good I was disappointed that all of the fruit sank into a layer at the bottom.  

The recipe is an easy all-in-one mixture with two tablespoons of milk.  I thought as I was turning the mixture into the tin that it was a bit runny which is probably why the fruit sank.  I would use less milk and make it stiffer next time.

The recipe also requires you to sprinkle demerara sugar over the cake part way through cooking.  Opening the oven door before the cake was set is what produced the uneven top I think so next time I would either sprinkle it over the top before baking or drizzle some orange flavoured icing over the finished cake to add extra sweetness instead.  I also think I might stir in the sultanas at the end of the mixing, or even drop them onto the top of the mixture in the tin to see if that stops them from sinking to the bottom.  Definitely a recipe for my tweaking list!

Still, it went down well with the crowd.  It was soft and light and I would make it again.  A crowd pleaser, easy to make and easy to eat.

Ingredients

For the cake

225g butter, softened, or baking spread

225g caster sugar

275g self raising flour

2 level teaspoons baking powder

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons milk*

275g sultanas

grated rind of 2 oranges

For the topping

demerara sugar, to sprinkle* (about 2 tablespoons)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C / 160 fan / gas mk 4.

Grease or butter a large oblong roasting tin or traybake tin measuring roughly 30 x 23cm  (12" x 9").  Line the bottom of the tin with greaseproof paper or baking parchment.

Measure all the cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat until well blended.  A food mixer or hand held electric whisk will make quick work of this but a wooden spoon will do just as well.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top.

Bake for 25 minutes then remove from the oven, sprinkle the demerara sugar over the top.  Return to the oven and bake for a further 10-15 minutes until done.

Cool in the tin.

Remove carefully from the tin and cut into 20-24 squares.

*See the text for my notes on the milk and demerara sugar.

RASPBERRY CREAM HORNS

 

In France there is a chain of shops called Centrakor which sells a huge range of goods from buckets and saucepans to curtains and fancy dress party wear, similar to what you would find in The Range in the UK.  It's a very handy group of shops and I was there recently to buy a new washing up rack.  As I breezed past the bakeware section I spotted some cream horn moulds, three in a pack so I lashed out all of 6€ on two packs.

As it happens, I had also set eyes on a pack of the right kind of pastry in the freezer when hunting around for something for dinner a couple of days before.  A roll of ready made, ready rolled puff pastry in an oblong shape.

I have never made cream horns before but they remind me of happy childhood days when Mum would come back from town on the bus with shopping and a selection of cream cakes as a special treat, carefully folded into a cardboard cake box by the lady in the bakery.  A cream horn was one of my favourites.

They were incredibly easy to make, although very messy and a little time consuming.  My worst fear was that having gone to all the trouble of making them they would stick to the moulds and come apart in bits but in fact they slipped off each one with no effort at all.

Just a word of warning though - these moulds are made of thin metal and in twisting them to release the pastry I managed to cut my finger.  Another point to note is that even though I oiled the baking sheet they stuck slightly and had to be eased off gently.  I would line with baking paper next time.

I followed a recipe on the Tesco website as a guide for what to do with the finished horns - in France they are called "cornets".  I whipped up some cream, stirred through a handful of crushed raspberries and some caster sugar as a filling and decorated each one with a sprinkling of freeze dried raspberry chips which I also spotted in my cupboard.  

The pack of pastry made twelve cornets (there was enough pastry to have made two more but I ran out of time) and they were a huge hit with a group of friends who volunteered to taste them.  They were dainty and pretty and I shall definitely be making them for our garden party next month when some of us get together to celebrate the new king's coronation.

Ingredients

1 pack of ready made, ready rolled pastry, oblong (paté feuilletée rectangulaire) removed from the fridge 30 minutes before using

vegetable oil for oiling the moulds

1 egg, beaten

250 ml double or whipping cream

a handful of fresh raspberries (I'm sure frozen would work) crushed

2 dessertspoons of caster sugar

a few teaspoons of freeze dried raspberry chips to decorate

Method

Put some oil on your hands and slather it all over each cornet mould.  Oil a baking sheet and line with baking parchment.  Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180° fan / gas mk 6.

Unroll the pastry and cut it into 1 cm strips along the longest edge.

Take one strip and starting at the pointed end wind it diagonally around the first cornet mould, each ring overlapping the previous one slightly.  Make sure there are no gaps.

Brush each cornet all over with beaten egg and sprinkle all over with demerara sugar.

Arrange on the baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

Leave until cool then lift each one carefully off the baking sheet as they are quite fragile.  To release the cornets, hold one in one hand and with the other give the mould a little twist and it should slip out.  Always a nervous moment.  

Depending on how many moulds you have, repeat the process until the pastry strips are used up.

To make the filling, put the cream into a medium bowl and whip until thick.  Stir through the crushed raspberries and caster sugar.

Fill a piping bag or tube that has a star nozzle and gently squeeze the cream into the cornets.  I found that pushing the nozzle right in ensured that the cream went all the way to the pointy end.

Sprinkle a few bits of freeze dried raspberries onto the open end for decoration.  You could instead use a whole raspberry and even go further by dipping the point into melted chocolate.

Makes 12-14 cream horns.

ARTICHOKE SOUP (soup maker recipe)

I spotted this recipe on Phil's blog "As Strong as Soup" a good while ago where it is called Palestine soup.  Finding myself in front of a box of Jerusalem artichokes in SuperU recently, and with guests coming for dinner, I felt compelled to buy them and make it.  I don’t think I have ever seen them for sale in an English supermarket.  In France they are known as "topinambour".

They are peculiar looking things with a reddish brown knobbly skin (but then what vegetable doesn’t look peculiar if you are not familiar with it). They have a texture similar to a turnip and discolour rapidly once peeled so dropping them into water with a splash of lemon juice in it helps to stop that if necessary.  

Nick was very sceptical when I announced that I had bought some.  He has less than fond memories of some of the meals served up when he was a child.  He had an unhappy recollection of what his mother made with a box of Jerusalem artichokes that his father either won in a raffle or got for sixpence at an auction.  He is not sure which but it was not a popular vegetable with the family!

As Phil explains, the soup has nothing whatsoever to do with Palestine, a name given to it because of the belief that the artichokes come from Jerusalem, which they don't.  I read somewhere else that the misunderstanding arose because the plants look like sunflowers and the Italian word for sunflower is "girasole".  They taste nothing at all like artichokes either!

While in the supermarket I tried to recall Phil's recipe and forgot that it also included toasted hazelnuts.   Living out in the sticks in the middle of France, popping to the nearest shop that might or might not have any is a one hour round trip and in any case nuts are limited on my diet so I decided it would be ok to leave them out.

The next dilemma was whether or not to make it in the soup maker.  This machine has been my kitchen friend in my weight loss plan and I’ve had very few disappointments with it.  Some soups have turned out a bit thicker or thinner than expected and some a bit bland.  The texture can be adjusted by including more or fewer potatoes in the ingredients and the risk of blandness by using the right stock.  Jerusalem artichokes have a strong, distinctive flavour so I didn’t think there was any risk of this soup being bland.  The worry was that I had never used either milk or rice in the machine before.  However I was running out of time to look up whether or not they might not work so I decided to go for it and it worked fine.  

However I did find a small burnt patch in the bottom of the machine when I washed it out.  This has happened very occasionally with other soups and is easily remedied by putting a dishwasher tablet or powder in the machine with a small quantity of water and leaving it to stand until the tablet dissolves.  The burn mark then wipes away effortlessly leaving a pristine shiny machine.  

The soup was delicious.  A glorious colour, just the right thickness and a hit with everyone, including Nick.  I had adapted Phil's recipe for the soup maker but you can see his original post here.

Ingredients

1 onion

2 medium carrots

450g Jerusalem artichokes

1 medium potato

150ml milk

1 heaped tablespoon of basmati or long grain rice, rinsed well

300ml vegetable stock, home made or from a stock pot or cube

Method

Peel and prepare the veg as usual and add to the machine.

Add the rice, milk, stock, salt and pepper and enough water to fill to the top line.  Give it all a good stir (this may prevent the burning).  White pepper (canteen pepper) is recommended so that the soup retains its beautiful colour.

Cook on smooth.  Check and adjust the seasoning to taste before serving.

Makes 4 generous portions.