The Best Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Baking Recipes / The Part Time Vegetarian

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Christian Gott

I come from a family of food lovers, not of fine dining, but good honest home cooking with the best of locally farmed or grown ingredients, the benefit of growing up in the countryside. One of our closest neighbours when I was little, was the married daughter and her family, of a local farmer who pioneered a farm shop, butchering his own meat and serving local produce over thirty years ago. As we children grew up and played together there were many outings, trips, walks, picnics and visits to the distant seaside. Now the lady in question was also a culinary pioneer and catered for these events with lots of pies, pasties and sweet pastries made with wholemeal flour long before the modern, organic, healthy eating movement began, and I have to say, they were really bad. My sister and I buried them in the sand on the beach and even the Seagulls refused the crusts and half eaten baking.

Now a good many years later as a chef I have to admit I still have an aversion to healthy cooking, compounded by a classical training using a cannon of French recipes, requiring copious amounts of cream, alcohol and butter. But times have changed. We are much more aware of diet, healthy eating and can make informed decisions about what we eat. We can make choices about low fat, low sodium, high fibre, organic, ethically sourced or gluten free dishes or menus. So two of my biggest challenges as a chef are to find inspired, tasty and healthy recipes, like vegetarian dishes a little different to a vegetable lasagne or three bean chilli, and to find reliable alternative methods to make gluten free pastry and biscuits that are slightly more palatable than my memories of buried jam tarts that will be around for hundreds of years.
It is then a real pleasure to have found the Nourish imprint and in particular two very excellent cookery books. The Best Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Baking Recipes by Grace Cheetham and The Part Time Vegetarian by Nicola Graimes. For someone who deals with recipes every day at work and in my own kitchen it is really encouraging to discover some real distinct and different dishes in The Part Time Vegetarian and I like the concept of adapted recipes including meat and fish if you so choose.
From the very moreish, crumbly Butternut squash scones with goats’ cheese served warm from the oven, to a particular favourite the Halloumi Hash, a really clever idea to use up any leftover roast potatoes and vegetables for a Monday lunch, the book is packed with well written, thoughtful recipes. Not only did I learn several new dishes and ingredients I have been inspired to go meat free at least one day a week. I have tried my hand at making Labneh, a simple, tangy Middle Eastern style cheese that was delicious with flatbread and Balsamic cherry tomatoes. I made Okonomiyaki for my lunch, this is another great way to use up a fridge full of leftovers and is a kind of really delicious, grilled Japanese pancake cum pizza. I found this book to be a total joy and a treasure trove of wonderful ideas some of which will no doubt find their way on to one or two restaurant menus.

In the Part-time Vegetarian there is a very adaptable recipe for an asparagus and Parmesan Panzanella, a classic Italian tomato salad that uses up yesterday’s stale bread. Nicola adds chicken for her non vegetarian version. I have done a similar dish on a menu using pan fried king prawns, but I was really impressed by the Best Gluten-free and Dairy-free Baking Recipes book with a recipe for Panzanella. You just don’t think to make a salad using up old bread for someone who is gluten intolerant. The author Grace Cheetham provides a failsafe collection of recipes for gluten breads, biscuits and cakes so you can enjoy the same dishes as anyone who is not intolerant.
I am in total admiration because I have to say these alternative recipes are every bit as delicious and palatable as the gluten originals. You will have to stock up on a few items such as chickpea flour, maize flour and brown rice flour but the results are well worth it from a moist Chilli Cornbread to an excellent Beef Wellington that would impress the most discerning dinner guest. Best of all there are some really astounding chocolate brownies and melt in the mouth Millionaires shortbread that went down amazingly well in the office. So if you are intolerant, on a restricted diet this is a detailed, practical and impressive cook book with recipes that really work and you can the adapt or use in lots more of your cooking.
If you know any chefs you will be aware that they are seldom wrong, well I would like to admit that there is a big place for some of these recipes in my work and I am very pleased to have found both of these books. If I am not going to swallow my own word’s I am at least going to do the next best thing make another batch of gluten free Millionaires shortbread and swallow the results of reading someone else’s.

Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

Posted on October 10, 2015 by Christian Gott

My waist line will attest that I love food, I could alienate most of the food industry with the old classic adage never trust a skinny chef, and I adore eating pretty much anything, Chinese cuisine, Italian cooking, Barbecues, but the food I love most is the classic Sunday roast. Succulent roast chicken with crispy skin; chunks of tender lamb flavoured with garlic, rosemary and anchovy; melting, fatty pork with salty crackling or medium rare roast beef with rich red wine gravy, it is very difficult to choose which I prefer most. Which is your favourite? Which is the most popular roast in the country? Well the roast that everyone worldwide knows is as British as roast beef, well is er.., roast beef

So if the king of the British roast is a joint of beef, in my humble opinion it is the equally aristocratically sounding Sirloin* that is the best beef to roast. There are moderately cheaper joints such as a corner cut topside that make for an excellent roast, if you can afford it a rib on the bone is perhaps the most show stopping roast to present at a table, but I prefer is the sirloin. The meat itself is very lean, however that lovely layer of fat will help keep the meat moist when cooking. The taste is terrific, there is minimal waste and it is fantastically easy to carve at the table, if you feel like impressing you guests.

*You are perhaps aware of the story that an effusive monarch was so taken with his beef dinner he knighted the remains of the joint on the spot. It has been attributed to Henry VIII, Charles II and the host of English kings in between and was so popular it was referenced by Jonathan Swift and Samuel Johnson, but the origins of the word sirloin are much less regal. The old English word would be originally written as ‘surloyn’ or ‘surloine’, and was derived from French word ‘surlonge’, sur meaning over and longe meaning loin, the sirloin was then quite simply a cut of beef taken from above the loin. Interestingly most or our words describing cuts of meat or the name of the meat are from French origins, the names of animals or livestock are more often of Anglo-Saxon decent.

Last time I gave you the recipe for Yorkshire Pudding, the classic accompaniment to roast beef. So here is my recipe for the perfect roast beef. A good local butcher will be able to provide you with a great piece of beef from a reputable, quality supplier. If you can find grass fed, mature beef, hung for three weeks it will be simply delicious, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Roast Sirloin of Beef and Rich Red Wine Gravy serves 6-8

1 ½ to 2 kg centre cut Sirloin, rolled and tied
( Ask your local butcher to do this )
250 gr Beef Dripping or Lard
1 tablespoon fresh Thyme leaves
½ tablespoon English Mustard Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper

For the gravy
350ml red wine
200ml beef stock
75ml port
1 small White Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 Carrot, peeled and sliced
1 stick of Celery, washed and sliced
1 clove of Garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons of Vegetable Oil
1 heaped tablespoon Plain Flour
1 Bay leaf
A few sprigs of Thyme

Heat your oven to 400 F / 200C/ Gas Mark 6 and weigh your joint of beef. Put the dripping into a roasting pan and place in the oven. Mix the thyme, mustard, salt and black pepper and rub all over the beef and when the dripping is melted and hot, place in the beef fat side down and return the roasting pan to the oven. Roast the beef for thirty minutes, then remove from the oven and turn the piece of beef over before placing back in the oven.

Turn the heat down to 360 F / 180C / Gas Mark 4. For every 450 gr of raw weight, cook your joint for ten minutes per 450 gr for a rare piece of beef and for fifteen minutes per 450 gr for well done. When the beef is cooked to your particular preference, take it out of the roasting pan, cover with foil and allow to rest somewhere warm for thirty minutes.

To make the red wine gravy, place the roasting tin on a high heat with the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Fry the vegetables for a couple of minutes then add the flour, cook for a couple more minutes stirring continuously. Pour in the port, scrape with a wooden spoon to loosen any debris from the tin and add the red wine. Continue to simmer and reduce by three-quarters before adding the stock. Bring to the boil, reduce by a quarter and season to taste. Pour in any resting juices back into the tin, warm and pour the gravy through a sieve into a warm jug. Carve the meat and serve with the gravy and Yorkshire puddings.

Master your Asian cookery skills with Jeremy Pang’s 15 minute Noodle Kit.

Posted on September 25, 2015 by Kesh

Much like Jamie’s 30 minutes meals, TV Chef and School of Wok founder Jeremy Pang has come up with a quick and tasty way to create your favourite Asian dishes at home. Unlike 30 minute meals, Pang’s 15 minute Noodle Kit’s actually do take 15 minutes and not a minute longer!

The kits, which include Singapore Noodles, Chow Mein and Pad Thai, each feature an authentic blend of herbs and spices that bring the real taste of Asian street food into your own kitchen. The convenience and quality of the kits are not their only appeal, Pang has set out to create a learning experience too and the kits encourage you to hone in your Asian cookery skills by including a link to YouTube video tutorials on how to make the most of your dinner kit.

One of the best features for me is the handy Wok Clock which shows an ingredient clock showing your what order they go in without having to keep looking at a recipe. Another brilliant time saver are the numbered sachets. Personally, these little touches make the world of difference especially if you have very little time to cook but would love to be able to make something delicious.

Frost were lucky enough to pay a visit to School of Wok, Pang’s Covent Garden cookery school, and managed to get a live demonstration from Jeremy Pang himself so we thought we’d share with you our Top Wok Tips;

Make sure the oil is boiling hot, enough to hear your ingredients sizzling.

Swivel the pan in a circular motion whilst folding the ingredients with your spoon to make sure everything gets cooked through evenly.

Slice your ingredients thinner for an even and shorter cooking time;
For me this was an important one as many people tend to overcook their chicken. The trick is to slice it thinly and trust that it only does take a few minutes to cook through. If in doubt cut it with your spoon to check for pinkness.

And finally…

Your ingredients need as much love as we do so make sure to massage all of your marinade into your chosen protein to make sure every bit of it has absorbed.

Our verdict;

In terms of instant dinner kits this has to be top for convenience and quality. The Wok Clock has won me over and the range of skills you can pick up will help you become a Wokstar in no time.

Jeremy Pang’s 15 Minute Noodle Kits are currently available in selected Tesco’s Stores and are currently on offer priced at £2.00

School of Wok is open to visitors Mon-Sat 10am-6pm and offer a wide range of courses and classes suitable for any levels. Follow School of Wok for more details on @SchoolofWok

A Classic Little Recipe that Popped Over There

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Christian Gott

As the time for long, lazy, Sunday lunch barbecues in the garden looks to be coming to an end, for this year at least, I thought I would publish a couple of recipes to polish up your classic roast to chef like standards. What can be more symbolic of Sunday lunch than the Yorkshire Pudding, the traditional accompaniment alongside roast potatoes, parsnips and spicy, hot English mustard to a hunk of rare roast beef. You can find this most English of dishes cooked around the world, where ever a few expatriates gather together, but I am always surprised to find Yorkshire Puddings, albeit under another name, over in the USA.

Let’s call Yorkshire pudding
A fortunate blunder:
It’s a sort of popover
That turned and popped under.

Ogden Nash

Of the Yorkshire pudding it has been said, it can only successfully be made by someone from that most august county of England. Grand, my mum is from Yorkshire and makes wonderful Yorkies and perhaps the skill is inherited because I am pretty proud of most of my attempts. A Yorkshire Pudding is made from a milk, egg and flour batter, which was originally poured into a tin set under the roasting joint. The pudding cooked in the hot meat fat and absorbed any juices from the roast. A large slice was served to each dinner with meat gravy before the main course. The meat and vegetables then followed, usually served with a parsley or white onion sauce.

In 1747 in ‘ The Art of Cookery made Plain and Easy ‘ by Hannah Glasse, one of the first English, famous female cookery writers, there is a recipe for Yorkshire pudding. This is the first time a batter or dripping pudding is recorded with the name, although a flatter less aerated dish had been cooked for many years previously. Traditionally any left over pudding could be eaten as a dessert with sugar and perhaps orange juice.

The Yorkshire pudding recipe popped over to America ( excuse the pun ) and the first recipe for a Popover is recorded in ‘ Practical Cooking ‘ published in 1876 by M. N. Henderson. Popovers may be served either as a sweet, topped with fruit and whipped cream for breakfast or with afternoon tea, and with roasted meats at lunch and dinner. Popovers tend to be individually baked in muffin tins and often include herbs or garlic in the recipe. Another popular variation replaced some of the flour in the batter mix with pumpkin purée. The name Popover is thought to come from the fact that the cooked batter swells or pops over the top of the baking tin.

In 2008 the Royal Society of Chemistry held a competition, carried out to create a vouch safe Yorkshire Pudding recipe and somewhat arbitrarily decided that a true Yorkshire Pudding cannot be less than four inches tall. They examined the effects of temperature, ingredients and even altitude in the search for perfection. My knowledge of chemistry is limited to an ancient ‘ O ‘ level but quite simply the heat causes the two raising agents, the egg and beaten in air, to expand the batter mix. My tips for success are simple are make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature and get the fat in your baking tray smoking hot. There I have shared the secret and that is because as they say in Yorkshire ‘ I’m a reight gud sooart ‘.

Individual Yorkshire puddings can be cooked after your joint while it is resting before carving.

Perfect Yorkshire Puddings

90 gr Plain Flour

1 fresh Egg

Around 250 ml half full fat Milk / half Water

¼ teaspoon Salt

A good pinch of freshly ground White Pepper.

1-2 tablespoon of good Beef Dripping.

Preheat your oven to 220C/425F/Gas mark 7. Place a damp cloth on your work surface to stop your mixing bowl slipping and place the bowl on top. Sieve the flour, pepper and salt into your bowl, make a well in the middle and add the egg. Start to beat together then gradually add the milk / water. Continue adding the milk/ water until the batter is smooth and the consistency of pouring cream. Leave the mixture to stand for ten minutes. While the mixture stands, divide the beef dripping into Yorkshire Pudding tins and place the tins in the oven until the fat starts to smoke. Give the batter a final stir and pour quickly into the tins. Put them back in the oven and cook until well risen and golden brown, this will take about fifteen to twenty five minutes depending on the size of your tin.

For the full Royal Society of Chemistry press release

Organic September – Rainbow Salad & Fries

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Sarah Bacchus

You all know by now I love to get creative in the kitchen. And as part of organic September I was invited to create a few recipes using a range of organic produce. So I decided to base my first recipe around a savoury dish and get really stuck in with a good healthy recipe.

So after a little bit of googling I couldn’t find a dish that would do the range justice. Back to the drawing board. With many people being gluten or wheat intolerant these dishes should make a lot of you very happy indeed. Most chips and some salads have a vast amount of hidden nasties in them. The coatings on fries and even some salads will have wheat in the sauces. So with this in mind I decided to rustle up some sweet potato fries with a nifty crisp, crunchy and delicious coating and a bright rainbow salad.

My original creations went down so well last weekend when we had friends stating over. They all ran out and picked up a few packets of the oatcakes themselves. If you want to create this amazing, heathy and sumptuous salads then here is what you will need.

Organic September – Rainbow Salad Ingredients

Organic spinach
Organic carrots
Red & yellow peppers
Clearspring toasted almonds
Edamame beans
1 can of Chic peas
Fresh limes
Nairns flax seed, chai & sunflower oatcakes
Organic sweet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Soya sauce

Method

Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into similar size chips and add a good amount of fresh ground pepper and pinch of salt.
Pour over the olive oil and then crush the oat cakes.
Coat the fries in the crumbs. Makes sure they are all well coated in the oil.
Pop into the oven for 30 mins. Check half way through and shake them up so they get nice and crispy.
Pile a large serving plate with the fresh organic spinach and then decorate it with a rainbow of colour.
Chop up all the fresh salad. Slice the carrots with the grater and thinly chop the rest of the ingredients.
Add the chick peas & beens.
Sprinkle with lime juice and almonds
Add a dash of soya sauce if needed
Now pour a nice glass of organic fizz, sit back and let the mouthwatering munching begin. Make sure you make enough to go round as your guests will most certainly go back for seconds.

September’s Food & Drink Picks

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Frostie

Fruit Heroes

These are delicious and healthy. Perfect for lunch boxes. They come in a variety of flavours. Even the adults at Frost loved them. Fruit Heroes are a healthy, natural, fruit snack bar for children. They have now uncovered and addressed parents’ most popular questions regarding their children’s health and diet.

After conducting a hugely successful research study in March, Fruit Heroes wanted to further their campaign to encourage children to eat fruit and clear up parents’ concerns about their child’s nutrition. Therefore, Fruit Heroes, with the help of Dietician and Nutritionist Dr Sarah Schenker, held a live Facebook web chat to answer parents’ questions and healthy queries. Here, Dr Schenker clears up the difference between the difference between good and bad sugars.

“Good sugars, also known as intrinsic sugars, are naturally found in food. These are mostly fructose found in fruit and vegetables as well as lactose found in milk and dairy products. Most other sugars found in food are artificially added such as glucose and dextrose. These are termed free sugars and too much of these types of sugars can cause problems with blood sugar and insulin levels which is linked to obesity and diabetes so these are the ones to watch out for.”

Two Chicks

Two Chicks has launched a new product called Liquid Whole Egg – a carton of pasteurised free-range eggs in liquid form. Following the success of the original Two Chicks Liquid Egg Whites. The carton has the equivalent of 10 liquid whole pasteurised eggs and is very convenient. It makes great scrambled eggs, is perfect for anyone looking for short-cuts in the kitchen and ideal for any bakers (especially as Bake Off season has just kicked off!) – You literally just pour out of the carton and get baking. It’s also ideal for quick and easy meals, such as scrambled eggs and omelettes.

Echo Falls Fruit Fusions

Echo Falls has launched two new sparkling varieties to its delicious Fruit Fusions range, offering a light and refreshing drink option ideal for summer picnics and garden parties. These are great as you don’t need a glass, they are ready to drink and come in cartons of four. They taste great and are perfect for parties and festivals.

Bottled in vibrant and colourful illustrations, Echo Falls Sparkling Fruit Fusions are the perfect bubbly addition for summer celebrations.

These exciting new options come in two distinct flavours including White Peach and Mango, a refreshing and tropical fusion with a crisp, smooth finish and Summer Berries, a sweet fruity rosé with aromas of raspberry and strawberry. Why not try White Peach and Mango Sparkling on ice with a slice of lemon for a citrus hint and a sprig of mint for freshness, and serve Summer Berries sparkling in a flute with a strawberry to really bring out the flavour.

Both flavours are available in ready-to-drink 275ml bottles which can be purchased as a handy 4 pack; providing the ideal drink to take to festivals and summer parties.

The range is currently available in Asda.com, £5.45.

Franco Manca Southfields

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Sarah Bacchus

Living in such a nice little community here in Southfields its great to have so many cool places to eat. This amazing pizza restaurant gets a big thumbs up from us as its totally delightful and serves up exceptional and unusual dishes. It was the first time we have come across sweet potato pizza. Yep you read that right…Sweet potato slices nestled on top with bubbling mozzarella made this possibly the best pizza I have ever had. We will totally be recreating this at home.
We ate amazing freshly cooked food and drank perfect coffee. Sat and chatted about work, social media and all the new and exciting projects lined up for 2 Boxes Photography. We have some rather brilliant events coming up, and we are getting very excited about shooting at Chester races for Chi Chi London this weekend. Keep your eyes peeled for a rather fabulous article coming next week!

One last feast before a diet starts to slim into those stunning dresses….Just take a look at that beautiful pizza. Have you ever seen something so delightful? And yes I ate the lot! I really can’t tell you how delicious it was. I am going to have to avoid this place for a while if I want to get into my wardrobe! Buffalo mozzarella and cheese ravioli was incredible. I was way too busy with my amazing pizza to even try it sadly. One reason to go back don’t you think…but not too often as I really could be busting out of my skinny jeans!!

If you live near Southfields Francos is well worth a visit and we are sure you will leave very satisfied and keen to go back time after time.

Visit their website www.francomanco.co.uk for more info.

Meat Porter Online Artisan Butcher Review

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Frostie

Online shopping has really taken off in recent years. Now, finally, food has caught up with the trend. Our busy lives demand convenience and our good taste demands quality. Enter Meat Porter. An online artisan butcher who source their meat from the same place as the high end restaurants in London. High end meat delivered straight to your door, sounds good to us.

I can’t pretend I wasn’t excited when our box of meat came. I was even more excited when I opened the box. The meat comes in an insulated box and in the box is a good range of well-packaged meat. There is also a sheet of paper with lots of meat tips on.

Now for the meat: it is delicious. It keeps us going for weeks and is very high quality. The burgers are sublime, the sausages tasty. There is chicken in a delicious sauce that makes everything easy; some glorious rump steaks and some diced pork and pork belly to round it off. There are a number of different boxes to choose from on the Meat Porter site, or you can make up your own. They even do gluten free options.

The box that we reviewed was their BBQ box which costs £50 and has 30 serving. It contains