WEEKEND KITCHEN RECIPE SHEET 8th November 2015

Charlotte White

Spiced Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

This is a recipe that I have adapted over the years from a Delia Smith book! I love Delia’s recipes but found that the resulting cake from her Carrot Cake recipe was not quite big enough for my liking – I do like to provide generous portions! I have also added Orange Extract to this recipe as it gives a much stronger flavour than orange zest and is far less messy to use. Good quality natural Orange Extract is divine.

I always couple my Carrot Cake with an American inspired Cream Cheese Frosting. This is essentially just buttercream made with half butter and half cream cheese but the result is a wonderful creamy texture that holds up to being spread all over the cake or piped on cupcakes too.

Carrot Cake Ingredients: 350g Dark Brown Soft Sugar 300ml Sunflower Oil 4 Large Eggs 1 tsp Orange Extract 400g Self-Raising Flour 6 tsp Mixed Spice 2 tsp Bicarb of Soda 400g Grated Carrot 200g Sultanas 100g Desiccated Coconut

Oven temp = 180C/ Gas Mark 4

Whisk the sugar, oil and eggs until combined. You will need to whisk until the sugar is all dissolved and this should take 3 minutes or so. Add the orange extract.

Combine the flour, mixed spice and bicarb in a separate bowl and fold this into the wet ingredients a third at a time.

Add the carrot, sultanas and coconut to the cake mixture and fold these through until all are well covered.

Spoon the cake mix into two lined 8” sandwich tins and bake in a 170 oven for around 35 minutes. The cake is done when it has risen and springs back when pressed lightly. If you are Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 1 unsure, a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake should come out clean or with only a few crumbs on it.

Leave the cakes to cool on a cooling rack in their tins for 10 minutes before turning them out to cool completely.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients: 250g Unsalted Butter 250g Cream Cheese 750g Icing Sugar

Cream the butter in a freestanding mixer for 2-3 minutes until soft Add half of the icing sugar and mix until combined, then add half of the cream cheese and mix again Repeat this until all of the ingredients are thoroughly combined and the frosting is light and creamy

To assemble: Use this frosting to sandwich your two layers of Carrot Cake together. You will also have sufficient frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake too if you like!

Lady Baltimore Cake

I am a huge fan of all desserts from the Southern states of America. This is a wonderful example of a white sponge cake, in which only the egg whites are used. The result is light, fluffy, and deliciously permeated by vanilla. The filling is fruity and boozy and the frosting is sticky and sweet. Really, what is not to like here?

Filling Ingredients 100g sultanas 100g cranberries 50g dates 50 pecans 2 tbsp brandy

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside at room temperature for at least an hour before you plan to use them. This can be done the night before. Drape a clean tea towel over the bowl to prevent any nasties finding their way in – this is especially important in the summer months!

Cake Ingredients 350g caster sugar 110g unsalted butter 1 tsp vanilla extract 250ml full fat milk

Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 2 320g plain flour 2tsp baking powder ½ tsp salt 4 egg whites Oven temp = 180C/ Gas Mark 4

Line three 8” sandwich tins with baking parchment.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and completely beaten together until soft and amalgamated. Slowly pour the milk and vanilla extract into this mixture, while still beating, to make a wet batter.

Add flour, baking powder, and salt to the wet batter and mix gently until just combined.

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff but not dry. They should hold a peak which curves over at the top – this is known as a ‘soft peak’.

Gently fold half of the beaten egg whites into the cake batter. This should always be done by hand and I find that a silicone spatula is the best tool for this job. Once the first half of your egg whites have been incorporated, gently fold in the second half.

Immediately divide the cake mixture between your three cake tins and bake for 25 minutes until risen and springy. The fail safe test is that a cocktail stick will come out clean when poked into the centre of the cake. Allow the cakes to cool for 5 minutes in their tins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Marshmallow Meringue Frosting 4 egg whites 120ml golden syrup 250g caster sugar ½ tsp salt ½ tsp cream of tartar 2 tsp vanilla extract 12+ pecans Put all of your ingredients, with the exception of the vanilla, into a large mixing bowl. Prepare a large saucepan with 3” simmering water and set your bowl over the top to make a bain marie.

Whisk your mixture with a handheld mixer on high speed over the heat of the simmering water until the frosting holds stiff little peaks. This will take around 10 minutes and you will think that I have gone insane – please trust me that the pale yellow slop in your bowl will transform into a wonderfully white glossy meringue. You may want to check Twitter with your free hand to pass the time... tweet me @restorationcake #deadarm #frosting #bored Once you are happy that your frosting is holding peaks, remove the bowl from the heat and whisk in your vanilla for a minute or two as the frosting cools. Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 3 To assemble: Mix around a cup full of this gloriously thick and shiny frosting into your boozy filling ingredients and spread this between each layer of your cake. Use the remaining frosting to generously cover the top and sides of your cake and stud with a few pecan nuts to decorate.

Spiced Apple & Almond Roulade

Roulade Sponge 30g flaked almonds (toasted) 5 eggs 150g caster sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 125g grated marzipan 3 tbsp plain flour Oven temp = 180C/ Gas Mark 4

You will need a 30x20cm swiss roll tin, lined with baking parchment

Begin by dry frying the flaked almonds in a frying pan for a few minutes until they are lightly toasted and golden. Scatter these in your lined swiss roll tin, reserving a few to decorate the finished roulade.

Separate your eggs and set the whites aside. Whisk the egg yolks with 125g of your caster sugar until pale. Stir fold in your vanilla, grated marzipan, and flour.

Whisk your egg whites until they are voluminous and slowly incorporate the remaining 25g of sugar whilst still beating and stop when the eggs are glossy and mountainous.

Beat a spoonful of egg whites into the cake mixture to loosen it a little, before gently folding in the rest.

Pour the cake mixture into your prepared swiss roll tin and bake for 20 minutes until risen and springy. It will puff up in the oven but settles down, I promise! Leave to cool covered with baking parchment and a lightly damp tea towel.

Filling 2 apples 15g butter 1 tsp cinnamon 150ml double cream Prepare your filling by chopping the apples into easily manageable cubes. Honestly, this sounds fiddly but the smaller you can bear to chop the pieces, the easier the roulade will be to cut and eat. Toss these tiny pieces of apple into a small saucepan along with the butter and cinnamon and warm over a low heat for 5 minutes until slightly softened.

Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 4 Once your apples have cooled, whip the cream until it holds soft peaks and stir the spiced apples in gently.

Now, remove the tea towel from your cooled sponge and turn the swiss roll tin over to release the cake onto your worksurface. Carefully peel away the top layer of baking parchment and spread your filling over the sponge. Go right to the edges.

With the shorter ends of the sponge nearest to your hands, slowly roll up the sponge into one tight roulade. The sponge may crack but this is not the end of the world.

Decorate your finished roulade with a sprinkling of icing sugar and a few toasted almonds.

Jon Watts

Fruit and Nut Flapjack

These are exactly what flapjack should be. Soft, gooey, sticky with a slight crunch. The sea salt adds a whole new moreish dimension to these treats which are perfect for the festive season too

125g butter, and a bit more for greasing 125g soft light brown sugar 40g honey 10g of sea salt 50g mixed nuts (I used pistachios and almonds) 75g dried fruit (I used figs and cranberries) 175g rolled porridge oats

Pre-heat the oven to 150C/ Gas Mark 3

Grease and line a rectangular cake tin.

Place the butter, sugar, honey and salt in a medium pan over a low heat and allow the butter to melt, stirring often.

While it is melting, roughly chop the nuts and dried fruit.

When the butter/sugar mixture has melted and looks a bit like fudge, stir the nuts and fruit into the pan along with the oats. Mix well.

Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 5 Pour the mixture into the tin, smoothing it out into an even layer. Put in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden around the edges.

Leave to cool completely, then cut into squares and serve. Delicious.

Brisket Chilli Con Carne

Our third chilli in a couple of weeks but after the twists last week, this is a full-on classic chilli. It uses brisket which add so much more flavour that minced beef. Once it cooks slowly and pulls apart, it also adds a marvellous texture too. The molasses add a lovely sweetness to the dish and the coffee adds depth. A dish to shake the winter blues!

1kg beef brisket (trim the fat and slice into 1 inch thick pieces) 250ml hot coffee 2 large dried chipotle chillis or similar 5g cumin 5g smoked paprika 3g oregano 2 bay leaves 1 red onion finely diced 2 fresh chillies, (scotch bonnets), deseeded and sliced 4 cloves of garlic sliced 2 x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes 50g molasses 2 peppers diced 1 x 400 g tins of beans (kidney/butter or both) A dollop of soured cream to serve

Make your coffee and soak the chipotle in it for a few minutes to soften them up. Put a pan on a low heat and gently fry the cumin, paprika, oregano, bay leaves and onions in a dash of oil for around 10 minutes.

Slice up the rehydrated chipotle and add them to the onions along with the sliced garlic, the fresh chillis and a splash of the chilli-infused coffee.

Stir, then add the rest of the coffee, the tinned tomatoes and the molasses. Add the pieces of brisket and season.

Cover with a lid and simmer for around 3 hours, stirring occasionally (alternatively here you could use a slow cooker)

Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 6 After a few hours, use 2 forks to break the meat up and pull it apart. Once you’ve done this, add the sliced peppers and tinned beans and leave to simmer for another 20 minutes. Season well. Serve with a dollop of soured cream and long grain rice.

Drew Knight

Baked Fillet Steak, Potato and Wild Mushroom Gratin, Caramelised Parsnip

This is a true show-stopping dinner party dish but also very easy to cook. The genius bit here is how to cook the fillet. Usually you’d sear them then put them in the oven. Drew does the opposite, baking them to perfection then sealing them afterwards for extra colour. Paired with a lovely gratin, this is a great dish.

4 x 200g beef fillets 4 desiree potatoes (or similar), thinly sliced 500ml double cream 2 garlic cloves and a sprig of rosemary 250g mixed wild mushrooms 1 large white onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 200ml beef stock 75ml red wine Knob butter

4 parsnips

First infuse the cream. Warm it gently (don’t let it boil) with the garlic and rosemary. Take it off the heat and leave the flavours to infuse while it cools down. Remove the garlic and rosemary.

Pour the infused cream over the sliced potatoes in an ovenproof dish, season and pop in an oven at 160C/ Gas Mark 3 for one hour until golden brown. Remove from the oven and keep warm (covered with aluminium foil).

Also, while the gratin is cooking, pop the parsnips on a baking tray in the oven and let them roast at the same time.

Once both the gratin and parsnips are out of the oven, place the beef fillets, seasoned with salt and pepper, onto a tray and put them in the oven at 180C/ Gas Mark 4, turning every 2 minutes until cooked to your liking. Medium rare will take approximately 8 minutes, medium an extra couple of minutes. Remove from the oven and seal quickly in a little oil in a very hot pan. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 7 While the beef is resting, you can make the mushroom, the gravy and finish off the parsnips. First, simply sauté the mushrooms in a knob of butter with the onion and garlic. Scatter over the top of the potato gratin.

For the gravy, reduce red wine until it becomes a syrup, add the beef stock and any juices left from the resting fillet steaks. Reduce by two thirds and it’s ready.

Finally, melt a knob of butter, cut the parsnips in quarters, brush them with the butter and pop them under a grill until they go golden and caramelised.

Serve the beef fillets, parsnips, potato and mushroom gratin with the beef gravy on a platter in the middle of the table

Sticky Toffee Pudding, Butterscotch Sauce, Cold Custard

Is sticky toffee pudding the best dessert in the world? Quite possibly!! And this is a fabulous version, so light and fluffy, thanks to blitzing the ingredients to a smooth paste. Serve this with a light creme anglaise cold custard and the simple butterscotch sauce…

Sticky toffee pudding 175g dates 225g water 1tsp bicarbonate soda 1 vanilla pod (or 1 tsp vanilla extract) 50g unsalted butter 150g sugar 2 eggs 150g plain flour 1 tbsp baking powder

Butterscotch sauce 100g mascavado sugar 100g double cream 100g unsalted butter

Cold custard 125g milk 125g double cream 80g egg yolk 60g sugar 1 vanilla pod Serves 4

Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 8 Pre-heat your oven to 160C/ Gas Mark 3

Line a square tin with greaseproof paper

Add the dates, water, bicarbonate and vanilla to a pan and bring to the boil on a hob. Once boiled, remove the pod if using and blitz to a fine puree in a food processor and leave to cool in the fridge for one hour.

Cream the butter and sugar together. Slowly add the eggs, flour and baking powder whilst whisking.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in the oven for around an hour. Test with knife or skewer - it is ready when the knife comes out clean.

For the sauce, put all ingredients into a saucepan together and slowly bring to the boil whilst whisking. Once boiled remove from heat and keep warm.

For the custard, bring the milk, cream and vanilla to boil. Whisk together the sugar and yolks in a separate bowl and pour the milk over the sugar and yolks. Return to the saucepan and cook on the hob on a gentle heat until the right consistency is reached.

Remove the custard from the heat and pass through a strainer then chill it in the fridge.

Cut up the pudding and serve it with the butterscotch sauce and the cold custard to drizzle.

Beer Braised Pork Cheeks, warm Butternut Squash Salad

Pork cheeks are a cheap cut and benefit from slow cooking. They literally melt and fall apart in this dish. Many of the supermarkets now have a pork cheek dish in their ready meals range. This simple recipe enables you to make it at home. The richness of the cheeks is offset by the really clever butternut squash “salad” which you could serve with most other meats and fish too.

Serves 4

8 pork cheeks 250ml stout 250ml stock (chicken, or pork if you have it) 10 stalks thyme 2 cloves garlic

1 butternut squash, halved (one half cut into thin strips, the other half left in tact) Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 9 2 stalks sage 1tbsp rapeseed oil 100ml white wine vinegar 100g sugar

Pre-heat the your oven to 160C/ Gas Mark 3

Seal the pork cheeks in a little oil in a hot frying pan and add them to an oven proof dish.

Cover with the stout, stock, thyme and garlic and put in the oven for at least 2 hours until nice and soft.

Once cooked, remove the cheeks from the stock and reduce the stock until you get like a sauce consistency.

While the cheeks are cooking, simply roast half of the squash in the same oven for 45 minutes to an hour. Scoop out the flesh. Best to do this at the end of the cheeks cooking time so the flesh will be warm when the cheeks are served.

Pickle the squash strips. Bring the vinegar and sugar to the boil on a hob, remove from the heat and add the butternut strips. Leave this to cool.

Plate up the warm cheeks, warm butternut flesh, pickled butternut strips and add a little of the reserved sauce (from cheeks)

At the restaurant we serve this with toasted pumpkin seeds, sage leaves and ricotta.

Hear the Weekend Kitchen with Nick, every Sunday morning at 11am on BBC Three Counties Radio www.bbc.co.uk/threecountiesradio Page 10