Tartiflette

As we head into December, most of us will be heading off to our local Christmas markets to check out the products our local and European traders have to offer. Whilst it is great to look for presents that offer something a little bit different, many people go to Christmas markets to soak up the festive atmosphere and sample a few tasty treats. With glasses of Gluhwein and plates of Bratwurst aplenty you can fill your boots once you have emptied your pockets after all that shopping. Over the years, we have started to see a lot more food stalls and pop up restaurants as part of our Christmas markets, with samples of cuisine from many countries. Another firm Christmas market favourite is Tartiflette, a baked cheese and potato dish from the Haute Savoie region of France. Made with lardons, wine and Reblechon cheese, this is definitely a rich meal but it is Christmas after all. To enhance the luxury further, I decided to make my own version with a healthy dollop of French Mustard. I was kindly sent a jar of white wine and mushroom mustard alongside the intriguing sounding white wine and Blackcurrant Dijon mustard, by Maille. The blackcurrant mustard will be great with a warm duck salad, so I will definitely be trying it out soon. With the aroma of the Christmas markets lingering and the lure of French cheese, the combination of the classic Tartiflette with an added twist meant that I would be trying the mushroom option first.

On its own, the mustard is rich and intense but is very smooth, so it is not too overpowering. Whilst the mushroom is quite a delicate flavour, it is not lost. Maille have got it spot on with their flavour combinations, ranging a classic honey and mustard pairing to the more adventurous fig and coriander mustard. With a great range of gifts you are sure to find a Christmas gift for your food loving friends. The addition of the mustard to my Tartiflette gave the dish an extra tang and the delicate heat helped cut through the richness of the cheese. Give this a go and you can create a little bit of Christmas market spirit at home.

Ingredients

2lb waxy potatoes
1 large onion, chopped roughly
2 cloves garlic
200g lardons or smoked bacon
1 Reblechon cheese
50ml white wine
100ml double cream
2 heaped tbls Maille Chablis et Morilles mustard
Splash of olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

Method

1. Thinly slice the potatoes and boil in pan of water for 5 minutes then drain.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the lardons, after a couple of minutes add the onions then the garlic. Cook until onions are soft and starting to brown. Add the wine and mustard then simmer until the wine has reduced.
3. Place a layer of potatoes across the bottom of a casserole dish and then a layer of the bacon mixture, continue to layer with the potatoes and bacon mixture until you have used them all up.
4. Pour over the cream evenly and then slice the Reblechon and cover the mixture with the cheese slices, crust up. Sprinkle a tiny bit of salt and back pepper over the top then cook for 30-40 minutes ( 200/gas mark 6), until golden.

This post was sponsored by Maille.

Jessica Bakes-Well

If, like me, you avoid processed food as much as possible, you probably turn your nose up at ready made cakes and packets of cake mix on supermarket shelves. I suppose there are a few good products out there, but nothing tastes quite the same as a batch of biscuits or cakes straight out of your oven. At times convenience is a necessity, when our busy lives take over and you are craving a sugar fix, but that doesn't mean we need to reach for a box full of additives and powder that has sat in a warehouse for months and will result in cakes that taste of cardboard! Help is at hand for busy bakers, from the team at Jessica Bakes-Well, with their range of artisan cookie, brownie, gingerbread and flapjack jars.

With all of the ingredients ( minus 1 egg and some butter) layered up in beautifully packages jars, you have everything you need to make a quick batch of sweet treats. All of the the ingredients are high quality and, of course, are lovingly put together by an independent company, which is another great plus for me. I came across the jars at Big You, Little You, who are one of a growing number of stockists. With classic flavours such as chocolate brownies and apple strudel, there is bound to be a flavour that would suit the whole family. I plumped for buying the gluten free Eton Mess cookie mix, a good choice it turned out. My daughter and I had lots of fun making the cookies and I was glad to see that it did cut down on the amount of mess that can be made by a 2 year old and a bag of flour. Instructions were simple; beat one egg and add softened butter, combine then add contents of jar!

I do prefer to bake from scratch but these jars really are second best for those lazy days.The cookies really did taste good and I am looking forward to trying a few more, perhaps from the Christmas selection, which includes cute Christmas eve kits for little ( and big) ones.

Too busy eating

It has been way too long. Everyday for the past few weeks I have been telling myself that I need to get my brain in to gear and update my blog but I have been so busy over the past few weeks. Busy working, busy playing and, not to fret, busy eating. I am trying to avoid baking too many cakes or too much bread as I need to lose a pound or ten but it is so difficult, I just can't help myself. I am off to cake club Sunday so will have a little binge and then give it a rest for a couple of weeks. The highlight of my cake eating since I last posted was an amazing peanut butter and chocolate cake by the brilliant Say It With Flours. It was gorgeous. I guess if I am going to indulge in baked goods then at least I am not going wrong if I choose good quality products, free from preservatives and all those chemicals in supermarket bakes. This is why I just love the bread from Baltic Bakehouse: a great family run business  providing freshly baked goodness to those in Liverpool who demand real bread.

I am still addicted to Ottolenghi's ' Jerusalem ' book, it is just so beautiful; I cannot put it down. As well as some lovely lamb dishes ( made with lamb from the fabulous Acorn Farm) I have been trying the fish recipes, with the sea bream with harissa and rose being my highlight. Another cooking highlight for me was my Tuscan style ribs, that were packed full of flavour and fell of the bone. I will post the recipe soon.When I have felt like a bit of treat I have been out and about at local restaurants, including sampling the BEST burger in Liverpool at Free State Kitchen. I realise that is a big claim but they really are so good and come with a huge jar of pickles, making them even better. It took me a while but I finally made it to Asparagus Patch, the brilliant pop up restaurant situated in Liverpool One, set up my the team at Claremont Farm. It is a simple, relaxing space filled with simply great tasting food.

Summer is a great time to get out and about, especially with the abundance of farmers markets and food festivals that pop up this time of year. I have already been the the lovely Scarisbrick Food fair, where I picked up some great local produce and have sampled some fantastic food from Moochers ; the wild rabbit burger with wild nettle pesto was fantastic. Hopefully I will be off to a lot more food festivals and fairs this year plus I will be spoilt for choice when I visit Tuscany later this month, I truly cannot wait for all that good wine and gelato!

See you soon, won't be so long this time

Club Pizza : Liverpool review

I am not a massive fan of pizza, I can take it or leave it really. My husband, however, could eat if everyday if he could. When I am in the mood, however, a really good pizza is always welcome when something quick and easy in order. You can't really beat a homemade pizza but sometimes it is just a little too effort and all you want to do is pick up the phone and have your food delivered. Now, here is where the problem starts: there are very few good pizza delivery places that offer that really good pizza.  I suppose a couple of the pizza chains offer a quick fix and fill a hole created by too much wine or beer but when it comes to authentic Italian pizza, that doesn't leave you feeling a bit dirty afterwards, they are hard to come by. That is until recently when the arrival of Club Pizza, the latest establishment set up by Liverpool favourite ,The Italian Club.

 

Situated in the old ' Deli Mama ' site on Newington, Club Pizza is an Italian American takeaway that offers something a little different, such as Bolognese nachos and pulled pork burgers, as well as regular takeaway favourites. We ordered the Signor Maurizio pizza, an authentic thin base pizza topped simply with tomato, mozzarella, Parma ham and basil, along with a portion of Parmesan and balsamic fried and ' Cheeky Nina's Arancini '. I couldn't resist adding on a tasty sounding chilli dog, after reading good reviews online. In fact all of the reviews I read were great and well deserved. The pizza base was light and crisp and was not overloaded with topping, which often puts me off. My only qualm was that the pizza was on the cold side, despite a rather impressive delivery time. It could also have done with a little more basil. I only had one slice of pizza as I had to leave room for the rather large chilli dog, that was very good and would have been even better with more of a spice kick. The highlight of the meal was without doubt the arancini; a large ball of risotto coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried. I am a big fan of arancini and Pizza Club's version was delicious. They also do a macaroni version so I will definitely be ordering one of those next time.

Takeaways are never going to serve food that blows your socks off but it doesn't have to be the kind that is only eaten because you are drunk or lazy ( think we have all eaten a dodgy cab along the way!) . There are a few great takeaways  in and around Liverpool for when you want to give yourself a break and, for me, Club Pizza could just the best Italian takeaway in town.

Date and almond hot cross buns

If you read my recent post about Easter treats, you will know that this time of the year is all about chocolate for me. I am not a huge fan of fruit in baking as I generally prefer fresh rather than dried fruit, so Simnel cake is definitely off the menu for me. When it comes to hot cross buns; I have always wanted to like them as they smell delicious and they always look good when I see them lightly toasted with a bit of butter but the currants always put me off. After seeing lots of recipes and pictures flying about with different twists on the traditional Easter recipe, I thought I would give them a go with a different flavour. I have made them in the past but never eaten one so I needed to make sure that I picked flavours that would make me want to taste this time. After looking at various recipes online, I decided to adapt this one from The BBC Good Food site and use the Dan Lepard kneading method , which has always worked well for me since discovering his brilliant Short and Sweet book. Most glazes consisted of apricot jam or a syrup but I opted for a little bit of lemon curd for an extra bit of zing. I was distracted by the little one whilst my buns were in the oven, so they are a little darker than they should be but they still taste great, lightly toasted with a good bit of butter.

Ingredients

For the buns

500g strong white bread flour
75g caster sugar
300ml full fat milk
50g butter
1 egg, beaten
7g fast action yeast
100g dates, stoned and chopped
Grated peel of one orange
Zest of one orange
Grated peel of one lemon
75g toasted almonds, chopped roughly
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
pinch ground ginger
pinch of salt

For the cross

75g plain flour
3/4 tbls water

For the glaze

3 tbls lemon curd

Method

1. Gently heat a little of the milk and pour into a small bowl with the yeast, leaving it until it goes bubbly. Heat the rest of the milk then remove from heat and add the butter. Leave to cool until it reaches hand temperature and stir in the egg.
2. Put the flour, sugar, salt, spices, dates and nuts into a large bowl, along with the zest and peel from your fruit. Make a well in the centre of the bowl and add in your like mixture and yeast. Mix well ,bringing everything together with your hands to make a sticky dough.
3. Tip onto a lightly oiled surface and knead the dough for 10 seconds. Return the dough to the bowl and cover for 10 minutes, then once again knead on an oiled surface for 10 seconds. Repeat this for a third time then leave the dough in the covered bowl for 1 hour ( see the Dan Lepard link for more detail , if required)
4. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each into a small ball, on a slightly oiled surface. Place on baking trays, making sure you leave enough room for the buns to expand. Cover with a tea towel and leave for one hour.
5. Heat the oven to 220/gas 7. Mix the flour with about 5tbsp water to make the paste for the cross. Spoon into a piping bag with a small nozzle. Pipe a line along each row of buns, then repeat in the other direction to create crosses. Bake for 20 minutes on the middle shelf of oven , until golden brown.
6.Gently heat the lemon curd to melt then brush over the top of the warm buns and leave to cool.

NoLIta Cantina: Bold Street, Liverpool

Liverpool can often be caught playing catch up when it come to the latest food trends. I suppose this is natural for many cities outside of the ever changing London food scene but it can be frustrating at times to see a lack of progression throughout the city. Over the last couple of years we have seen the emergence of some great independent restaurants in and around the city that are making people think twice about visiting chain restaurants week in and week out. Innovative chefs and restaurant owners are  starting to raise the bar with great places such as Camp and Furnace and Lucha Libre offering high quality, relaxed dining. Of course we do have some good restaurants that offer a more formal dining experience but sometimes you just want something that you can really get your teeth in to; like the ' dirty ' offerings we have been seeing in the likes of ' Almost Famous ' in Manchester or ' Joe Allen ' London. A New York style diner that makes any meat lover salivate has long been missing in Liverpool,so it is with open arms we welcome NoLIta Cantina on to the Scouse food map.

With a name inspired by the area north of Little Italy in New York, a menu full of American style delights was to be expected and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Situated at the top end of Bold Street in area that has some of the best food and drink places in town, NoLIta offers informal dining in a basic but cool setting. We went along early evening and although it was very busy we did manage to get a table but think we just touched lucky as the waitress said it has been crazy since it opened up last week.  For some, it may seem like just another restaurant showcasing the latest trend and catering for the 'in ' crowd but for me any place where you can be guaranteed to get a good burger is good in my books. There are a few places in town to get a decent burger but generally it is hit and miss as to whether it will be cooked well or have the life grilled out of it. So, whilst I did look at some of the other mouthwatering offerings on the menu, I had to go for a burger. I went for the pastrami burger;  two beef patties topped with proper new york style pastrami, pickles and chipotle sauce served in a brioche bun. The dish was served with fried and came along in a little basket rather than a plate, which was a nice touch. I was a little bit disappointed with the bun as the bottom was a bit soggy but other than it was one seriously good burger. Cooked perfectly pink with juices running out and full of flavour it is something I will be going for. On the other side of the table, beef brisket was the dish of choice; tender beef coated in  NoLIta dry rub , cooked slow and served with fries, BBQ sauce and slaw. I had a little taste and we both agreed that it was a good dish packed full of flavour, although portion size may be worth looking at as it was on the small side. There are lots of great sounding starters and side dishes but as we were planning to go out drinking we were restrained and got just enough to fill us up. I definitely need to go back for a portion of Frickles ( fried pickles), can't believe I didn't order some! The only down side to the meal was the poor beer choices but I hear that the team have listened to feedback and are already planning on bringing a better selection in. The team at NoLIta have sound like they have a really creative attitude towards the food they want to cook so I am sure we will see lots of great additions to the menu and maybe they will inspire other people to set up shop and get Liverpool setting trends rather than following them.


NolIta Cantina
81a Bold Street, Liverpool

Easter Treats

I am without doubt a chocoholic. I am not a fan of hot chocolate but will pretty much eat any other form of chocolate and I am, quite frankly, a grump if I am deprived of chocolate for a few days. At my worst I have stayed up until 2am waiting for a cheap frozen chocolate cake to defrost in order to get my fix and at my best I have eaten some fantastic chocolate such as the brilliant Lauden Chocolate. Being a fan of all things local, I have to say that The Chocolate Cellar produce some delicious chocolate, particularly when it comes to their inventive range of truffles. A popular addition to the local farmers markets in and around Merseyside, you will see a queue of people lining up to buy anything from hot chocolate sticks to macaroons. You will have guessed that Easter is something I look forward to a lot so I am sure I will be snapping up some of The Chocolate Cellar's great looking eggs this year.

If you are not in Liverpool so are unable to get your hands on The Chocolate Cellars brilliant eggs ( above picture)  then here is my pick of some of the chocolate treats on offer this year, featuring my current chocolate and  peanut butter obsession.

 Connoisseur Egg Hotel chocolat
 Chocolate Hen's Eggs Rococo 
 Reester Bunny from Ocado
 Montezuma salted peanut butter eggs from  John Lewis

Scouse

Today I am celebrating Global Scouse Day by making a big pan of scouse, just like Nan made. I say just like Nan made but to be honest I don't think anybody can beat Nana Gee's scouse. For those of you who are not from Liverpool and have no idea what I am talking about, scouse ( lobscouse) is a traditional stew eaten by sailors, thus becoming popular in ports such as Liverpool.  A quick, easy and very cheap dish: scouse has been popular in households across Liverpool with each family claiming to make the best pan around. With four basic ingredients, stewing beef, potatoes, carrots and onions, it is hard to go wrong with scouse yet it is great that people have their own little take on what makes a great pan. I stick to the four main ingredients, just adding salt, pepper and stock, and sometimes a bayleaf. Some like it to be soup like and others like it thick enough to serve on a plate; I prefer it somewhere in between. As with all dishes using cheaper cuts of meat, scouse needs to cook slowly for a few hours so that the beef is soft and some of the potatoes fall apart to help thicken the liquid. For me, scouse has to be made with stewing beef , not mince as some prefer,  and has to be served with pickled cabbage, a splash of brown sauce ( I know but I like it) and some crusty bread. If I am out and about and fancy a bit of scouse when in town, The Brink does the best traditional scouse and for something a little different Lunya does some great Catalan scouse.

Here is how I like mine. If you are vegetarian, don't fret just make it blind!

Ingredients

400g stewing beef ( from your local butchers of course)
roughly 3.5 llb potatoes
1 large onion
3 carrots
stock cube
salt and pepper
1 bayleaf
2 tbls oil

Method

1. In a large pan, brown the beef then add in the chopped onion. Cook until the onion has softened slightly.
2. Add in the chopped carrots and chopped potatoes. I like to thinly slice one or two potatoes so that they soften quickly and thicken the stew.
3. Dissolve the stock cube in some hot water and add to pan. Top up the pan with water until all ingredients covered. Add bayleaf and cook on a low heat for at least 2 hours. You may need to top with water, according to your taste.
4. Serve a big portion in a bowl with a good helping of pickled cabbage and some buttered crusty bread on the side.

Peanut butter ice cream with hot chocolate sauce and salted peanut brittle

After a Christmas filled with gluttony, lots of people go into a state of panic and head for the gym and the salad bar; not me. I always find January to be a month when you need a little bit of warmth from good comfort food and sweet treats to get you through a month, where generally not a lot happens. It is also birthday month for me, so there is no chance of giving up wine or chocolate; that can wait for another month, maybe. With this is mind, I have made a rich and indulgent peanut butter ice cream for this months  Bloggers Scream for Ice Cream. I am not a massive fan of peanut butter straight from the jar, on toast etc, but I love it in sweets and desserts. This ice cream in this recipe is very creamy and the sauce sweet, so you can only eat a little at a time but it is oh so naughty but very nice.

Ingredients

For the ice cream

400ml double cream
100ml full fat milk
2 large egg yolks
100g caster sugar
3 heaped tbls smooth peanut butter

For the chocolate sauce

75ml double cream
25g caster sugar
150g dark chocolate

For the brittle

100g salted peanuts
100g caster sugar

Method

1.  Gently heat the cream and milk together in a saucepan, along with the sugar, until the mixture begins to boil and sugar is dissolved. Take of the heat and allow to cool a little. Ad the egg yolks and whisk in until combined. Add in peanut butter and return to heat until peanut butter has melted and fully mixed with the custard base.
2.  I always allow the ice cream mixture to cool overnight in the fridge then churn ( as per machine guidelines).
3.  To make the sauce, simply add all ingredients to a saucepan and cook on a low heat until chocolate has melted and fully combined with cream.
4. For the brittle, I followed this simple recipe from Nigella.
5. Take a good scoop of ice cream, pour over the hot chocolate sauce and sprinkle over the chopped peanut brittle.

Liverpool Restaurant Review; Lefteris Greek Taverna

Lefteris is great little family run restaurant that I visited numerous times, and have enjoyed every time. Situated on Allerton road, it is a firm favourite for locals looking for traditional Mediterranean flavours. Eating Greek food in Liverpool can be hit and miss, especially with the popularity for cheap ouzo and plate smashing when celebrating hen nights. This, however, is a down to earth, friendly restaurant that serves up great quality food. I have always visited the restaurant in a large group and have always been happy with the attentive staff, who wait on with a pleasant smile without being too overbearing. My latest visit was in the week running up to Christmas and I was slightly hesitant about the quality of the food, as Christmas menus can often be hit or miss. My friends and I wanted to avoid the mayhem that was surely happening in town, so decided to stay local and hope for the best. I needn't have worried as, once again, the food and service were excellent. Amongst the six of us we order the garlic mushrooms, halloumi and squid for starters, all of which were very good. Served plain and simple, it is taste rather than fancy presentation that is what team want you to be happy about. The mushrooms were particularly good, rich and creamy and not the usual deep fried balls of grease that you usually get in other places. A side order of Tzatziki was a must for me; I love the stuff. It could have been seasoned a little more but it was great for dipping our pitta in.

From our selection of main, the Stifado was without doubt the dish of the evening; simple yet strong flavours all tangled up in melt in the mouth pieces of beef and soft, sweet onions. The mouska is always great here, as are the meatballs and with a long vegetarian menu there is something for everyone. All meals come with rice and chips, which can be a little dry, but the portion sizes are very generous so you need very little extra.I realise that I am being very gushing about the place here, it could just have been the Christmas spirit ( or the reasonably good house wine) but I think it was just one of those evenings that ticked all the boxes; simple food, great flavours, good friends and reasonable prices. I do admit to liking the odd fancy restaurant here and there but, for me, simplicity is so important. Just like you can enter a house and feel that it is a happy home, some restaurants just have that welcoming atmosphere about them. Leftaris has that for me. The food may not be out of this world fantastic but it hits all the right spots for me. It was my friends first visit and they all said they would be returning.