Looking back at my ‘a spoonful of…’ series, I find myself astounded that I haven’t yet confronted one of my top 3 store cupboard ingredients – balsamic vinegar. I love the stuff. In fact, some may even say I’m a little heavy handed with it, but I just adore the acidic tang and the almost sour depth it brings to food.
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Spring has certainly arrived, and even as a self-proclaimed autumn fan, I am thoroughly enjoying the sun beating down on my face and the cool breeze that comes with it this time of year.
My recipe for Leek Tart with Lemon Zest is simple and tasty to have in the garden as a light meal, accompanied with blanched sprouting broccoli, or a simple salad and buttered new potatoes. Leeks are often an unpraised ingredient in my opinion, and they really can offer wondrous flavour and act as the star ingredient in many dishes. The lemon in this dish, really adds a vibrancy and lifts it into a bright and delicious treat for al fresco dining.
Leek Tart with Lemon Zest
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In the past year I’ve dabbled fondly with fresh herbs. I felt like it was the first time in my young adult life that I had money to spare for such ingredients. As a student, all my herbs came in pots and jars which I used sparingly to flavour my meals in order to save money, and the idea of buying a fresh bunch of basil or coriander was simply out of the question.
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The weather is ridiculously icy outside. I know January is supposed to be a time for healthier eating, new beginnings, cleansing the body… but I just can’t muster up the motivation. My diet is in no way poor, I eat plenty of vegetables and fruit, and I don’t eat anything in excess. I just want my meals to be warming, and soothing, and comforting as I sit in the kitchen on frosty evenings. I want my dinners to be hot and rich and filling.
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Merry Christmas Eve! I write today from my family home where I have just baked these festive shortbread biscuits. The smell of clementine zest is heavy in the kitchen and the heat from the still-warm oven is a delightful change from the biting winter weather outside.
I wondered what to make this Christmas. Usually, I make gingerbread or a festive chutney of sorts, or once a St Clements curd. The problem is, at this time of year, we are all so overwhelmed by the array of foods on offer that we feel we should be eating. The cupboards are gluttonous with snacks, beverages, ingredients for “the big day.” There is just so much we want to consume, that it is easy to forget that actually there are no rules. We can eat as much or as little of what we desire. These shortbread biscuits are simple, but combine flavours that really speak of Christmas to me; spice, raisins, clementine and the rich indulgence of butter shortbread. I will be enjoying these with a glass of baileys this evening. So cheers everyone, and I hope you have a wonderful festive period! x
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Lemon juice is perhaps one of the most widely used ingredients in both ancient and contemporary cuisine. The uses are arguably endless, being used as a key player in recipes from breakfast, to dinner, to dessert. In general, citrus fruits can be used as a much needed hit of tartness in a huge assortment of dishes.
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I love an excuse to cook for people. I love creating something that I hope will bring joy, and seeing friends and family consume the food that I have made them with love. So, I decided to invite round some friends and to cook for us all. There were only three of us, but that only made what I chose to make a little more personal. I could consider likes and dislikes, and try to create something thoughtful.
The theme for my meal was centred on autumn and comfort food. I wanted to fix a warm and satisfying menu, and to have an element of sharing to create a more sociable atmosphere.
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This pasta is something I quite literally threw together with left-overs we had in the fridge. Eating can be such an expense and it is hard to be frugal when it comes to food, when I’m constantly thinking of different ideas that I need to create. I’m challenging myself more and more to resist the urge to buy new ingredients each day for every meal idea that enters into my mind, and to just use what we already have. So, this recipe is the result of that. It is simple, nothing fancy, but certainly something I’d never tried before.
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Summer has certainly ended. I find myself strolling through the crisp and foggy mornings, with a woolly hat atop my head. I am craving ladles of steaming tomato soup for lunch, and watching my breath as I speak in the cold air. Autumn is undoubtedly my favourite season. I love the chill. I love being bundled in blankets next to a delicious fire, staring out of the window at the grey. I love walks adorned with the reds and the golds and the rusts of the changing leaves. I love long wintry Sundays, baking comforting treats whilst the rain hammers on the roof. And that, is what I have for you today; a recipe drawn up as I pottered about my kitchen last Sunday.
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France, mon amour! Once again, I have spent glorious moments with you this summer and I am already longing to return.
This August, I spent a week in Nice, Cote da’zur. Since I turned eleven, France has been the chosen holiday destination for my family to visit most summers. From Reims to Dijon, Montauroux to Paris, over the last thirteen years I have been lucky enough to see many different places in this wonderful country.
Burrata and beef tomato salad with pesto
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