Boozy desserts, buttery biscuits, veggie mains and fried things. That’s how I’d summarise the latest weekend’s worth of recipe offerings. For the finer details, read on.
For pudding people
Nigel Slater’s OFM recipes were taken from his Christmas Chronicles. Goose, turkey, pies etc. Lovely. But don’t seek them on the internet. In part because you may as well buy the book and read them tomorrow in hardback. But mostly because it’s more imperative that you click on to his regular magazine recipes. Like, right now: BROWN BUTTER SHORTBREAD WITH FIG AND HONEY JAM; AND TOASTED ALMOND SHORTBREAD AND CARAMELISED QUINCE WTF.
Diana Henry has been reaching for the bottle. All in the name of dessert research, mind. I’m very intrigued by the chocolate and red wine cake — just 100ml of booze, but enough to leave a tickle? And certain that the Manhattan creams, a kind of vermouth, bourbon, Angostura bitter fuelled panna cotta will be ace. Not least because of the grapefruit and citrus caramel she suggests serving them with.
Meera Sodha had a go at caking this weekend. This is a pretty tricky zone for a vegan column — no eggs, no butter, thems the rules. I’m interested in the idea that ground flax seeds help to capture and stabilise the bubbles produced by baking powder. And like the sweet spices and pineapple upside-down nature of her Sri Lankan ‘love cake’. Has anyone given it a whirl yet?
Oooof, Jeremy Lee’s treacle dumpling cake in Cook. Take a look. srsly.
I like the collection of German-style Advent biscuits on the Guardian’s website atm. Particularly the Lebkuchen-spiced gingerbread almond nuggets.
If you like sweet (and sour and bitter) of the liquid form, then have a look at The Sunday Times Magazine and a set of cocktails via the crew behind El Pastor. Note, also, their tuna tostada. Which is excellent.
The savoury, if you must
Bit chilly, wasn’t it? Yotam’s lentil recipes were warming: curried lentil and coconut soup; puy lentil and aubergine stew; and some lentil croquettes (good spices, feta, thyme, mint, parsley, then a panko crumb).
On the latter recipe, I tend to think croquettes are thing I’m least likely to make at home — on account of having to fill a pan with oil and deep fry. But given Rachel Roddy’s latest Cook recipe of cuttlefish, pistachio and orange fritters appear essential, I suppose I should get that gnarly pan out and make both.
Nice weeknight bacon and haddock, err, bake by Florence Knight in The Sunday Times Magazine.
There was another stuffed pumpkin in Saturday’s Times Weekend. This time, Danish style, packed with nuts and cheese (a bit dry?). Lamb, feta and black olive meatballs looked good. Also like the idea of roast chicken with pickled cucumbers and a creamy white wine sauce.
There’s a particularly gorgeous shot of Honey & Co’s nut-stuffed pumpkin in the FT Weekend Magazine. Usual suspect spices, chestnuts, hazelnuts, and some parsnips and pear too — I suspect to keep things moist and sweet. Nice that they serve it with a feistily dressed radicchio and pear salad. Should keep things vibrant.
Mimi Thorisson returned to the Saturday Times Magazine. Demoted, this week, to being described as “the new queen of French cuisine”, having last week been named “the new Nigella”. Must be a Brexit thing. Croque madame, omelette and other things you don’t need and the, HELLO, turbot with vin jaune and tarragon sauce and prune-heavy Breton flan.
If you’re looking for a full on vegan menu to go with Meera’s cake, The Telegraph have “the ultimate vegan Christmas menu“, courtesy of Xanthe Clay and Chantelle Nicolson of Tredwells. Blinis with truffled mushroom mousse a good idea, also the miso roast sprouts and the porcini celeriac centrepiece.
Bruno Loubet provided OFM readers with a veggie menu all of their own. Some eyebrow raising ideas, though quite involved too. Potato blini with salted cucumber, confit egg yolk and toasted seaweed seems a bit too much of an effort for things that will be gone in two to three bites. But mushroom, kimchi and sweet potato pie could be good, cauliflower and stilton soufflé definitely will be.
Also vegan, if you turn a blind eye to the chicken stock and Parmesan, is Stephen Harris’ wild mushroom risotto — nice nod to Antonio Carluccio too.
From the internet
You hav to dig to get to the recipe (loubieh bil zeit — Lebanese green beans and tomatoes), but in any event I rather enjoyed Robert Moss’ gentle defence of cooking green beans slowly on Saveur.com.
Weekend Menu, 25 and 26 November 2017
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Cuttlefish and pistachio fritti
Rachel Roddy, the Guardian, ‘Cook’
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Nut, parsnip and pear stuffed pumpkin
Pear and radicchio salad
Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, The FT Weekend Magazine
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Manhattan creams with citrus caramel
Diana Henry, The Sunday Telegraph, ‘Stella Magazine’
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