All posts filed under: Recipes

The Perfect French Toast

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French toast, or pain perdu, or sweet eggy bread. Whatever you call it, it’s the ultimate brunch, and really easy to rustle up when you know how to do it right; chunky bread that’s dunked in cinnamon custard, then pan fried in butter and covered in syrup and sugar! Translated as ‘lost bread’ in French, the original recipe for pain perdu was created as a way to reclaim stale, unused off cuts of bread. It’s the perfect way to use up the crust of an old loaf as the custard softens any hard bits and gives them a wonderful buttery crunch when fried in butter. I love maple syrup for it’s smokey sweetness but you could use honey or blueberries and yoghurt as a sweet topping, or crispy bacon for American-style. Serves 2 to 4 people (depends how hungry you are) Ingredients 2 eggs 100g soft light brown sugar 2 tsp cinnamon powder 200ml full fat milk 4 thick slices of brioche, chollah (Jewish egg-enriched bread) or any leftover bread 40g butter 2 tbsp icing …

Mulled Wine Poached Pear and Berry Cheesecake

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This is a cracker of a cheesecake that is absolutely perfect for winterNot the baked type – oh no that’s far too much faf! I like the ones that you just throw together using a packet of biscuits, butter, cream cheese and fruit, then leave in the fridge for as long as you can until set. I’ve put a twist on the classic summer berry cheesecake by adding winter berries and pears, poached in red wine, orange zest, cinnamon and cloves – the classic aromas and flavours of mulled wine. Serves 6-8 people For the base: 100g butter 250g digestive biscuits 100g soft light brown sugar For the cream cheese topping: 180g/ 1 tub of cream cheese 300ml double cream a pinch of sea salt For the mulled wine poached fruit: 1 pear 75g frozen berries (forest fruits/ blueberries/ blackberries etc.) 75g caster sugar 125ml red wine 1 cinnamon stick 5 cloves the zest and juice from ½ an orange Method Peel the pear, cut it in half lengthways then cut each half into 8 long …

Salted Peanut & Sesame Dark Chocolate Truffles

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All those toasted seeds and nuts give a roasted aroma and the perfect crunchy texture for smooth, buttery chocolate ganache. Although it might sound a bit strange sea salt heightens the wonderful deep flavour of dark chocolate. You cannot beat a good chocolate truffle and they always get demolished by my dinner party guests, even when they’ve just devoured a side splitting 3 courser – I believe everyone has that extra stomach reserved solely for chocolate. The other great thing about truffles is that they are really easy to rustle up. You can make them in advance and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to serve them. Serve with post meal coffee, a cup of masala chai, or a sweet dessert wine or dry sherry. Yum! Makes around 50 truffles For the truffles: 300g 70% dark chocolate 50g salted butter 300g double cream For the  coating: 6 tbsp sesame seeds 6 tbsp salted peanuts 1 1/2  tsp sea salt flakes Break up the chocolate into pieces, cut the butter into cubes and put both into …

Mango & Lime Lassi Possets

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My inspiration for this dish came from the delicious mango smoothies (lassis) you find all over India, freshly made on the roadside by wallahs who hand pick the sweet mangoes from the trees and hand squeeze them to a pulp. Over in India there are lots of different ways to prepare lassi; sweet, salted fruit based or yoghurt based- but they all contain lots of sweet spices. My favourite combination is mango with earthy cardamom and cinnamon, sharp lime and savoury, salted yoghurt. I’ve taken these key elements and come up with a set dessert for a perfect post spice sweet. It’s rich but still light, and not too sweet. Such a crowd pleaser! Serves 4 Ingredients 100ml mango pulp from a can (works just as well as fresh mango) 2 limes 150g soft light brown sugar 300ml double cream 200g full fat greek yoghurt a pinch of salt 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground cardamom a pinch of ground nutmeg a pinch of dried rose petals (optional) Add the zest and juice from both …

Halwa Spiced Carrot Cake with Condensed Milk Icing & Gold Leaf

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Styled and shot by Lauren Miller (www.laurenmiller.co.uk) (@millerisere) and Faye Wears (www.forksknivesblog.wordpress.com) (@forks_and_knives) Halwa is the most amazing Indian dessert – it’s a carrot-based, nut ridden version of our rice pudding made with loads of condensed milk, saffron, cardamom and golden sultanas. I thought how amazing it would be to have all of the flavours that make halwa taste so fab baked into a  light, spongy carrot cake. So I tried it. And it worked a dream! My fool proof carrot cake recipe has taken many forms in my kitchen (usually depending on what dried fruit and nuts I have in my cupboards) but this version is very special. It has a bold, aromatic taste that works really well with sweet carrots and orange zest. If you can’t get hold of cardamom powder, you can use ground cinnamon or allspice instead. Condensed milk is an essential ingredient in halwa, and here it gives a lovely shine and gooey texture to the icing, which trickles beautifully down the sides of the cake. It’s a perfect wintery treat Ingredients For the …

Turmeric Glazed Pulled Lamb Samosas & Green Chutney

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Styled and shot by Lauren Miller (www.laurenmiller.co.uk) (@millerisere) and Faye Wears (www.forksknivesblog.wordpress.com) (@forks_and_knives) Say goodbye to deep fried soggy samosas this Diwali! My lamb samosas are baked instead of deep fried and are made using filo pastry, creating a perfectly light, crispy case for the juicy, slow cooked lamb shoulder inside. An egg wash mixed with turmeric is a great way to achieve a fantastic bright yellow finish to these samosas, as well as making the pastry extra crispy when you tuck in. Green chutney is the perfect dip – crammed with fresh herbs, chillies and zingy lime! (Makes 12 samosas) 400g lamb shoulder, diced 5 tbsp yoghurt 3 shallots, peeled 3 garlic cloves, peeled  3 inch piece of ginger, peeled  2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp garam masala ½ tsp red chilli powder 3 tbsp groundnut oil 1 lamb stock cube 1 large onion, peeled and really thinly sliced 1 small bunch of coriander, finely chopped 12 sheets of filo pastry 3 tbsp oil, for brushing 1 large egg 1 tsp …

10 minute flatbreads with smoked salt, hazelnut dukkah & ghee – a Diwali celebration recipe

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All photographs styled and shot by Lauren Miller (www.laurenmiller.co.uk) (@millerisere) and Faye Wears (www.forksknivesblog.wordpress.com) (@forks_and_knives) It’s Diwali time! The Indian festival of lights takes place this Wednesday 11th November and I just can’t wait. I have been busy creating some delicious recipes inspired by the rainbow of colours and flavours that Indian food has to offer. These dishes are perfect for a celebration with friends and family and are all really quick and simple to prepare. I first came across dukkah whilst in Egypt with my family. We could smell it as we walked into the restaurant. You tear off a chunk of warm freshly baked flatbread, dunk it in quality olive oil and then into this amazing blend of roasted nuts, spices and herbs and devour. It is such a simple but fabulously tasty dish to plonk in the middle of the table over drinks and chats. So, I have adapted this great dish that I first tried in Egypt and given it an Indian twist. The great thing about dukkah is that you can put …

Do Diwali 2015 with Beth Does Food

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Do Diwali 2015 with Beth Does Food Diwali. the ancient Hindu festival of lights, is only two weeks away and i’ve been working on some delish recipes which celebrate the vibrant colours and flavours of Indian street food. Shot by the fabulous food stylists Faye Wears (www.forksknivesblog.wordpress.com) and Lauren Miller (www.laurenmiller.co.uk), my recipes are based around street food classics and are the perfect way to celebrate Diwali yourself. Hope you guys enjoy my recipes. In the meantime, here are some teasers to get your taste buds tingling. Check ’em out – alvida! BDF x

Lamb burgers with fennel & red chilli & harissa burger sauce

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These lamb burgers are foolproof, fiery and flipping easy to make with a few little secrets to guarantee your burgers are juicy and don’t fall apart when you cook them The burger sauce is spiked with harrissa, an amazing chilli paste made of roasted red chilli peppers, garlic, rose petals, cumin and other spices – it’s one of those ingredients that’s worth spending a little more money on. It’s great spread on bruschetta or pizzas, stirred into fajitas, beef chilli or even homemade dips, but it works an absolute treat in a burger sauce with mayonnaise, cool yoghurt and that classic burger sauce staple American mustard. Makes 4 lamb burgers 250g quality lamb mince (20% fat) 1 small white onion, finely diced 1 red chilli, finely chopped 1 large clove garlic, crushed 1 tsp fennel seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 small handful of fresh breadcrumbs 1 egg yolk plenty of salt and pepper 4 soft seeded buns 1 gem lettuce Harissa burger sauce 2 tbsp yoghurt 2 tbsp mayonnaise 2 tsp harissa 1 tsp American mustard (optional) Saute the onion in …

McCain’s Sunday Best popup – it’s all gravy

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So last week we were invited to the preview of McCain’s #SundayBest London pop up, celebrating the Sunday roast with four seasons of roast potato! It was like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory for roast dinner lovers – the fountain was filled with gravy, the pumpkins smelt like roast dinner and the ice cream was filled with stuffing and topped with cranberry sauce. I would highly recommend a visit to the #Sundaybest popup in London