taste2taste

February 15, 2016

Chocolate Strawberries for V Day

For the first time in years, this Valentine’s Day, I’m home alone dog sitting Millie, while my better half is freezing in the -40c / -40f wilds of Vermont on a brief skiing vacation with the kids and some friends. Albeit at that temperature, I suspect less of the skiing and more of the ‘aprés’ skiing has been involved!

Ingredients? Strawberries & Chocolate

So, with a bit of time on my hands, a missing Mrs and some of the coldest weather in decades here in the US North East, I decided to make her a surprise Valentines Treat

This easy recipe is a wonderfully simple and fun way to jazz up berries and (one hopes) wow one’s loved one with your creativity. It might not beat a dozen red roses, but there’s a chance it will last a little longer. That is, if you can keep your family, friends (and dogs) thieving paws off them…..

Ingredients

1lb of Strawberries
12 oz of dark chocolate, or bitter sweet chocolate broken into pieces. 60% cocoa content, or more, is ideal but I used Callabaut Chocolate from Belgium at 54% and it worked (Note: you will only need just 6 oz of this, if you are using white chocolate too)
Optional: 6 oz of white chocolate broken into pieces (I used this on around half the berries)

Method

Air drying the berries

Wash the strawberries and air dry on a kitchen cloth (water will impair the chocolate shell you want to achieve)
If you are using both dark and white chocolate melt it in 2 Pyrex bowls over hot water in 2 saucepans, stirring occasionally until the chocolate becomes a smooth liquid, free of lumps
Allow the chocolate too cool off the heat slightly and then dip each berry in the chocolate holding the stalk
After covering each berry, place it on a parchment paper on a baking sheet and then place the sheet with the berries into the fridge to cool the chocolate
After around half an hour or so, warm up the remaining melted chocolate, remove the chilled berries from the fridge and drizzle with the remaining chocolate dark on white and white on dark etc (tip – I actually just used a fork to drizzle the warm chocolate)
Place back in the fridge to cool

Dipped Berries

Simply juicy berries in sweet crisp chocolaty shells. Pretty fantastic I reckon – serve to your Valentine!

February 7, 2016

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Touch Down with Potato Skin Nachos on Super Bowl Sunday!

One of the joys of being a British Ex Pat living here in the US, is getting caught up with all the excitement of big sporting events. Yesterday, back home, the first of the big games with the oval ball commenced with the Rugby Six Nations Tournament kicking off in the UK and England beating Scotland in the Calcutta Cup. Here today, its Superbowl 50, the Main Event of the ‘Football’ season and a massive US sporting celebration

This year the spectacle takes place in the San Francisco Bay area in California where the Carolina Panthers will take on the Denver Broncos. Folks will gather round their TVs nationwide, gallons of beer will be downed and a veritable mountain range of snack foods consumed

So, I thought I might contribute a recipe for a fun tasty fresh snack to aid this national occasion with a nod to the classic American Tex-Mex cuisine but with a little Scottish twist

Ingredients (for 4)

The main Ingredients

2lb or, half a dozen russet potatoes, washed and pierced with a fork
8oz refried beans
2 avocados stoned, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
6 oz grated sharp cheddar cheese – I used Scottish Mull of Kintyre Extra Mature Cheddar
Salsa
The juice of a lime
Half a clove of garlic finely chopped
Olive oil
Sour Cream
Sliced preserved jalapeno peppers
Hot pepper sauce
Sea salt and pepper to season

Method

Scooping out the flesh of the cooked potatoes

Bake the potatoes in the oven at 400F for 1 hour
Whilst the potatoes are cooking prepare the salsa – check out my recipe at https://taste2taste.com/2015/09/05/salsa-guacamole-the-perfect-sides-for-chili-con-carne/
Then, muddle the avocado cubes in a bowl with the lime juice, olive oil, garlic and seasoning
Remove the potatoes from the oven, slice in half and scoop out the insides
Fill each potato with a scoop or two of the refried beans, topping with the cheddar and a dash of hot sauce
Change the oven setting to broil and return the filled potatoes to the oven and cook until the cheese starts to brown
Take the skins from the oven, placing 1 generous dollop of the salsa, avocado mix and sour cream to fill the potatoes and scatter the jalapeno peppers on top
First load of filling for the skins

Serve immediately with a nice cold beer as you root for your team to win the 2016 Super Bowl

February 5, 2016

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Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes – Perfect for Pancake Day

Ingredients

I’ve had a very inspiring & creative week in London. On Tuesday I checked out the cafe culture & shops in Lower Marsh near Waterloo Station; on to see Annie Leibovitz Women : New Portraits Exhibition in Wapping Hydraulic Power Station; creative cocktails at Dandelyan then dinner at the Classic Italian, La Barca with my foodie friend Debs. Yesterday I was in Hammersmith at my food blog friend Meredith’s Create Winter event – a fab evening about warming tastes & flavours. I met 5 enthusiastic foodies and together we created our own Turkish Pide (Pizza), and rustled up a Middle Eastern inspired carrot salad, spinach & clementine salad, and marinated pears with toasted almonds and sheep’s milk yoghurt for dessert. Today is World Nutella day and it’s Pancake Day on 9th February so I thought it was a good reason to combine both and make my ricotta pancakes. This recipe is great for kids to help you make & eat. Meredith set me a creative challenge & I chose to combine a spice with something I’ve never done before. So I added a pinch of Sumac to the pancake batter which I thought worked well but is optional.

Ingredients (serves 4)

Pancake Batter:

Ricotta & milk mixed -ready for the yolks

250g (9 oz) Fresh Ricotta
125ml (4.4 fl oz) semi skimmed milk
3 medium eggs, yolks & whites separated
100g (3.6oz) plain (all purpose) flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon & orange zest
rapeseed or any vegetable oil suitable for frying

Method

Ricotta, milk & egg yolks mixed

Mix the ricotta and milk with a fork until smooth
Add the egg yolks & zest (& sumac if using) mixing briefly for 1 minute until a pale yellow colour and smooth consistency
Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt
Add to the ricotta mixture and mix with a fork for 2 minutes until a smooth thick batter
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks, fold slowly into the batter with a metal spoon until combined, be gentle to keep the mixture light & fluffy

Egg Whites Whisked Ready to Fold into Ricotta Mixture

Heat a non -stick frying pan to medium/hot and use a paper towel to wipe a few dabs of oil
Add a dessertspoon of batter for mini pancakes or 3-4 dessertspoons for larger ones

Pancakes cooking, bubbled surface now time to flip!

Cook for 1-2 minutes until you see bubbles appear on the surface, then carefully flip with a spatula
Cook the other side for 1-2 minutes until golden brown
Pancakes Flipped

Keep pancakes warm on some greaseproof paper whilst you cook a stack

Be creative with your toppings!

Pancakes with Bananas, Drizzled with Nutella, Peanut Butter, sprinkled with roast hazelnuts

Bananas, Nutella, Peanut Butter, Roast Hazelnuts

Here’s a few options Nutella, smooth peanut butter ( I use Pip & Nut),

Pancakes with Coconut Spread, Banana, Cherries & Roast Hazelnuts

Coconut Spread or Srikaya ( I use Hey Boo), maple syrup, sliced bananas, sliced strawberries, fresh cherries, raspberries, chopped roasted nuts ( I use hazelnuts to tie in with the Nutella), fresh lemon juice & honey, melted dark chocolate & dark rum (adults only!)