Comfort Foods

Jean’s Prune Crumble

28th June 2017

I know what you’re thinking… “prune crumble? prunes? In a crumble?” Yes, prunes in a crumble are absolutely delicious. Imagine deep, dark, sticky sweet fruits all served up with creamy vanilla custard. It really is comforting and moreish, despite its syrupy sweetness.

Although it is almost definitely the wrong time of year to be serving up this pudding, I had been promising my boyfriend for a couple of years now that he would love it (he wasn’t convinced) and with some time on my hands a few weeks ago, I decided to go for it.

…

Cauliflower, cavolo nero & broccoli gratin

23rd January 2017

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.

…

Raisin and clementine shortbread biscuits with cinnamon

24th December 2016

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

…

Pink pasta (or tripoline with beetroot sauce)

21st October 2016

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.

…

Sticky autumn spice coffee & pecan tray bake

16th October 2016

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.

cake-1

…

Sage gnocchi from scratch with a spinach, mushroom & shallot sour cream sauce

29th September 2016

My love affair with gnocchi has been ongoing since the first time I ever tasted it as a child. That carby goodness, covered in hot and delicious sauce is what dreams are made of. If I’m being completey honest, I usually reach for the ready-made kind however, I have to say, this sage gnocchi recipe is really worth the extra effort.

dscn2767

…

Portuguese-inspired lemon cake with limoncello soaked strawberries

11th August 2016

At the age of nine, my family and I took a summer holiday to the Algarve, Portugal. It was my first holiday abroad and to a country I really knew nothing about.

There are two things I remember eating on this trip. One being a huge plate of fresh sardines accompanied only with a simple salad. This lunch, being a child, was certainly a challenge. The fish served whole appeared to be staring at me beadily and I was required to pick through their bony bodies in order to consume them. Still, I persevered and to my surprise it turned out to be not a too traumatic experience.

The second however, was something rather glorious. My mum had told me of the almond cakes and orange cakes that were abundant in Portuguese cafes, and I remember not feeling too overwhelmed about the prospect of these flavours. I was bought a slice of orange cake which I ate outside in the sun. It was nothing like the cake in Britain, and I have eaten nothing like it since. The flavours were more intense. It was sticky and citrusy and moist. Somewhere between a dessert and a cake. It was delicious. Thinking back on it now, it makes sense for the Portuguese to create something so light and vibrant; imagine chewing on a piece of Victoria sponge in thirty degree heat…

…

Sweet potato, feta & red onion quesadillas with harissa yoghurt and mashed avocado

14th July 2016

The Quesadilla – a joyful hand-held meal that bears all that we consider comforting. Carby, gooey and steaming fillings packed in to crisp toasted tortilla. Every bite starts first with a crunch before the soft and soothing filling is reached. Perhaps cheese melts out of the sides, and coriander leaves give an uplifting refresh.

DSCN2202 copy

…

A Feed – Strawberry pie with dark chocolate and crushed pistachios

14th June 2016

It is June, and in the UK that means the weather is just about warm enough to start considering holding a family barbecue, or having friends round for zingy Pina coladas in the sun.

As summer is officially upon us, so is strawberry season and this recipe celebrates the abundance of this delicious fruit available to us. Although the fruit is on offer all year round, the flavour at this time of year is of no comparison. The juicy, soft texture explodes in your mouth with sugary sweet, floral notes that just sing of summer. Of course, strawberries are extremely appetising served plain, or simply with a dash of cream. However if you want to go that extra mile for an occasion this recipe should do the trick and is a bit different to the usual strawberry tarts or fruit studded trifles that adorn picnic rugs all the summer months long.

…

A Feed – Red onion, potato and truffle pesto pizza with smoked cheese

13th June 2016

This pizza recipe came from a true love for carbohydrates, truffles, and cream. It works because it is constructed of simple ingredients that all excel individually, and when brought together create a gentle hum in the mouth of natural contentment. It is not over-complicated, not too powerful, but gives beautiful creamy mouthfuls of crisp bread, soft potato, smoky salty cheese, sweetness of red onion, and the umami element of the truffle. Every ingredient has purpose, and works in conjunction with its partners.

Red onion, potato and truffle pesto pizza

…