the food faffer

I must do better with my blog.
I must do better with my blog.
I must do better with my blog.
I must do better with my blog.
I must do better with my blog.
I must do better with my blog.

Hi!! I know, I know… it’s been eons since I’ve posted. Sorry. It’s been a hectic 7 months. It all started going slack back in the summer when I went full-time with my job and any “spare time” became a rarity. Then we got new laptops… which is a FABulous thing, obviously… but my photo software wouldn’t transfer and then I got into all sorts of shenanigans with Adobe (imagine that!!)… blah blah blah. Anyway, I could throw out some incredible reasons for my silence… but I’ll spare you. Just know that I’m back and I’ll try to do better this time!! 😀

I thought I’d launch back into things by sharing my apple cider recipe that people keep asking me for. Now, I must confess, I don’t really like hot drinks. Apart from mulled wine. Of course. But I can’t stand coffee. And even as a Brit, I don’t touch tea (sorry to burst anyone’s bubbles of stereotyping!!). Hot chocolate is nice if I’m in the mood for it, but I find it so sweet. I tend to feel a little gross after downing a mug of the stuff. So, in these cold, wintery months I need something that tickles my taste buds. OK, so I realize that a lot of us reading this aren’t necessarily experiencing a cold winter – it’s in the 70s outside here in Memphis and it’s still February!!

But we have had a handful of cold mornings… honest!! So, hot cider has become my breakfast staple these days. Partly to warm me up in the mornings. But mostly out of sheer laziness!! I can put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes, take it in the car with me and drink it at my desk (yes, I have to wait AGES for it to cool a little!!).

Over the years I’ve spent here in the US, I’ve tried all sorts of cider products. I have a fundamental problem with the shop-bought varieties, actually two fundamental problems: 1) they’re too sweet, and 2) this country’s total obsession with cinnamon. Wherever there are apples, there’s cinnamon. And cider seems to be no exception. In fact, the cinnamon has a more prominent position in the flavor hierarchy than the apples when it comes to hot apple cider!! Maybe the drink should be re-named? “Cinnamon Cider”. “Hot Cinnamon Drink with a hint of Apple”. Anyway, I digress…

Since there are so few ingredients in this drink, you really do notice the difference when you use good quality juice. For the apple juice, make sure you use cloudy or unfiltered juice. None of that translucent stuff that looks like unhealthy pee. Not good. I often use Simply Apple, just because it’s easy to get at the local store and because I know it has a strong apple flavor that can stand up to the other ingredients. But I also love those big 1 gallon glass jugs with unfiltered “apple cider” in them. Just make sure it doesn’t have anything added to it already (ie. spices or sugar). The orange juice I use tends to be Simply Orange – again, it’s so convenient and actually tastes like oranges. I buy the “medium pulp” version. “No pulp” seems wrong to me… after all, it’s from an orange for goodness sake!! “High pulp” is fine, but I just don’t like that amount of “bits” floating around my hot apple cider. (Having said all that, you could just juice your own fruit. I have no doubt this would make an incredible version of the drink. However, I make so much of this stuff, it would cost me a fortune in fresh fruit!!)

For the spice, I use ground allspice (or Jamaican allspice in some stores). It has a wonderfully warm flavor… not too overpowering, not overwhelmingly present (unless you use too much, of course!!). And that’s it. Not a hint of cinnamon in sight!! Now, the spice may be a powder, but it won’t dissolve. Don’t expect it to. It may surprise you to know that I can sometimes have purist tendencies(!!), so at one point I tried to strain the infused juices through cheesecloth before bottling to leave the “sediment” behind. What a faff!! I only tried it once and that was enough. These days, I’m fine with the spice being in my drink. It makes life so much simpler and doesn’t affect the drinking experience one bit!!

One more piece of important info: there is no added sugar in this recipe. Hurrah!! There really is no need to sweeten apple cider – whether you drink it hot or cold. No more sticky lips syndrome after drinking from your adult sippy cup… know what I mean?!!

So, give it a whirl and let me know what you think…

Unsweetened Hot Apple Cider (makes 11 cups)

8 cups cloudy/unfiltered apple juice
3 cups good quality orange juice
2 tsp ground allspice

1. Pour both juices into a large pot.
2. Add the allspice and stir (don’t panic when the allspice appears to just rest on the surface!)
3. Cover, put over medium heat and allow to simmer (not boil) for a while, stirring occasionally. (How long you heat it for depends on whether you forget about it or not – like I tend to do!! I often let it simmer for an hour or so.)
4. Turn off the heat and allow to steep (covered) for a wee while longer.

From here you can serve it immediately… or, since I make so much of it, I allow it to cool and put it back into the juice bottles ready to stick in the fridge… microwaving mugs-full of it on an “as needed” basis. (FYI, I have no idea how long it keeps!! I’ve had some last for several weeks in the fridge and it’s tasted totally fine…)

Enjoy!!

(Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post and I’m not receiving any kickbacks from the “Simply” line of juices unfortunately. I really do love their products!!)

… because what else are you going to do with that leftover pastry?!!

Whenever I make a pie or tart of some description, I always have leftover pastry. I lovingly wrap it in cling film and dutifully stick it in the fridge… and I have every intention of using it. Honestly. I do. But more often than not, it gets shoved to the back of the chilly abyss behind the leftover egg whites, the tub of Philadelphia cooking creme (have any of you tried that fabulous stuff yet??), and the half-sandwich that no one wants to take responsibility for… and I end up feeling guilty as I toss it into the trash a week later.

I have childhood memories of my dad breaking leftover pastry dough into little pieces and tossing it onto the lawn for the birds to eat. Not sure what the deal is with our feathered friends here in the US, but they’ve done nothing but turn their beaks up at my generous offerings. Hence the need to come up with something far more satisfying to use up the doughy remnants…

A week or so ago, I made a little somethin’-somethin’ that needed a pastry shell. It was a savory, cheesey pie… so I made my own pastry and added a handful of grated parmesan to the dry ingredients… just because. I was suddenly inspired to roll out the leftover dough, brush it with a beaten egg, sprinkle it with whatever caught my attention, and slam it in the oven for 20 minutes. Woo hoo!! Success!! Yummy while still warm; yummy at room temperature. Yummy dipped in hummus; yummy just as they were.

Between me, Peet and Moeks (mum-in-law, visiting from South Africa), they didn’t last long. And you know what? They were so good, I’d make some pastry for the sole purpose of having a batch of these sitting around!!

Here are some notes that might be helpful…

•  If you only have shop-bought pastry/pie crust in the house, that will totally work. You really need to give these a try. If you’re making your own pastry, try adding a handful of grated parmesan to the dry ingredients for some extra cheesey-ness…

•  Don’t skip on the “beaten egg” part. This gives the crackers a lovely golden color when they’re cooked… but, more importantly, it makes the seasonings stick to the pastry. (I can’t stand it when I buy crackers that have “stuff” on them, but it’s all fallen off in the packet by the time I open them!!)

•  You can sprinkle whatever you like on top. Be creative. Peet and I love sea salt and rosemary, so that was my default. But I also made some using one of my favorite seasonings: Tone’s Rosemary and Garlic (I buy mine from Sams, but you can also get it from Amazon and other online stores). How about a sweet version (but maybe leave the cheese out of your home made pastry!!) with cinnamon sugar on top? You get the idea…

•  Cut the uncooked pastry into bite-sized squares after it’s been sprinkled and before you put it in the oven. The pastry will shrink during cooking, which means you have a sheet full of neat and tidy, ready-cut crackers. (If you wait until it’s cooked before cutting, the crackers may crumble in the process.) Using a pizza wheel for this makes life really simple.

This couldn’t be easier…

Sea Salt and Rosemary Crackers

shortcrust pastry (also known as “pie crust”)… not puff pastry
beaten egg
sea salt or kosher salt (not the massive crystals… just the medium ones!)
dried rosemary (I use the crushed stuff to avoid the sensation of twigs in my mouth!)
grated parmesan  

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it’s approx 1/8 inch thick, and carefully transfer it to a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
3. Brush a thin layer of the beaten egg across the whole surface area of the pastry.
4. Sprinkle a layer of salt across the pastry, followed by a generous sprinkling of rosemary, ending with a light dusting of parmesan.
5. Using a pizza wheel, cut the pastry into bite-sized squares.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, keeping an eye on them and pulling them out when they’re golden brown on top.
7. Eat.
8. Make more. 😀

Erm… hi.

Yes – I realize it’s been a while. Sorry. But with Big Birthdays, the end of the school year, graduation festivities, road trips, weddings, photo editing assignments, blah blah blah, it’s been tricky finding time to come up for air, let alone being creative in the kitchen!! But I think I’m back in some sort of vague routine, so let’s see if I can keep this up a little longer than before, huh?!!

I’ve been wanting to post something that isn’t a cake or dessert, but I was struggling to get inspired. Which is kinda strange since Peet and I eat non-cake/non-dessert things all the time!! Anyway, we had some friends over for dinner on Friday… and as we started cooking our favorite “kedgeree”, I declared this to be the next thing to share… and I do so in honor of my friend Heather, who requested this as her first meal after coming home from hospital when her little boy Noah was born. It’s that good!!

If you’re not familiar with kedgeree, the basic information is that it’s a curry dish that traditionally features rice, fish, butter, parsley and boiled eggs. But you can shimmy the ingredients up to match your tastebuds and/or what you have to hand. There are no rules. And it’s a great way to use up leftovers.

My favorite curry paste…

It’s also a great way to introduce yourself (or your non-curry-eating friends) to the taste of curry. I used to cook lunches for a college here in Memphis… and it became a favorite amongst staff and students, some of whom had never had curry before. And PLEEEEEASE don’t be put off by the smoked salmon. I’ve had evangelistic fish-haters love this dish, and then compliment me on how nice the chicken tasted!! (I bet you’re dying to know if I told them what it really was, right?!!) I also know people who don’t like smoked salmon, yet they eat this quite happily.

Having said that, more than once we’ve switched the smoked salmon for tilapia, fresh salmon or chicken breast (each cooked and flaked), and they were all very tasty versions. But we always come back to the smoked salmon as our fave.

Couple of other things worthy of a mention:

• All of the quantities listed below are as accurate as I could get them as Peet happily threw the next thing in the pan (he doesn’t believe in measuring, even when I’m trying to write our creations down!!). It’s easy to make it once, though, and then jiggle quantities according to your taste (eg. hot/mild curry, more/less butter, etc).

• Be creative with add-ins!! We substituted baby spinach for the parsley in the original recipe, mainly because we wanted some kind of leafy veggie in there. But how about golden raisins (aka sultanas)? … shredded coconut? … orange bell peppers? … even the classic boiled eggs (eewwww!!)? The list is endless!!

I’d love to hear how any experimenting goes…

Smoked Salmon Kedgeree (serves 8-10)
(From BBC’s Good Food, with some tweakings…)

3 cups / 21oz / 600g rice, uncooked
2 sticks / 8oz / 200g unsalted butter, cubed, divided
4 tbs olive oil
3 tbs hot curry paste
2 tbs cumin
2 small onions, finely chopped
18oz / 500g smoked salmon, cut into small pieces
3 limes, juiced
4oz / 112g fresh baby spinach

1. Add the rice to 6 cups of salted water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. Remove from the heat.
2. Grab the largest household skillet you can lay your hands on (mine is 14″/36cm across and 3.5″/9cm deep) and melt half the butter in the olive oil until it starts to sizzle.
3. Stir in the curry paste and cumin, allowing the fragrant spices to tickle your nasal passages!!
4. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened.
5. Stir in the cooked rice, making sure it’s all covered in the yummy, buttery, curry liquid, and ensuring that it’s thoroughly heated through.
6. Add the smoked salmon and spinach to the pan, together with the remaining butter, and try to distribute it all evenly throughout the dish.
7. Gently stir in the lime juice right at the end to give the dish a fresh zing.

Serve in warm bowls if possible, since it can cool down rather quickly.  It can also be served at room temperature… but this should be an intentional decision, not an accidental one!!

Enjoy!!