Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir through to combine. Divide between 6 cups or one large glass jar. Refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours. Take the oats from the refrigerator and spoon out a portion. Leave to stand for 30 minutes. Scatter the fresh figs and some mint leaves onto the oats to serve.
Gremolata: 62ml pine nuts (you may replace with sunflower seeds) a big bunch of parsley 2 cloves garlic, peeled the zest of 1 lemon a pinch of salt the juice of 1 lemon 45ml olive oil
Mushrooms: 45ml butter 30ml sunflower oil 500g mixed mushrooms, roughly chopped 15ml thyme leaves salt and pepper
For the Gremolata: Place a large frying pan on medium heat and add the pine nuts to it. Shake the pan over the heat or stir the seeds around with a spoon, until it starts to toast and change colour. Remove the seeds from the pan and set aside. Place the garlic, parsley and half the pine nuts on a chopping board and mince together until finely chopped. Add the lemon zest and a pinch of salt and chop the ingredients together. Scrape the chopped ingredients into a small bowl and add the rest of the pine nuts to it. Now add the lemon juice and olive oil and stir together. Set aside.
For the Polenta: Add the stock and salt to a saucepan set over high heat and bring the stock to a boil. Add the polenta and whisk the mixture together until it has thickened. Take the saucepan from the heat, add the butter and whisk well. Set aside.
For the Mushrooms: Add the butter and oil to a frying pan set over high heat. Add the mushrooms, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Spoon the polenta into bowls and top with mushrooms and a spoonful of gremolata.
62ml pine nuts (or sunflower seeds) a large bunch of parsley 2 cloves garlic, peeled the zest of 1 lemon a pinch of salt the juice of 1 lemon 45ml olive oil
Place a large frying pan on medium heat and add the pine nuts. Shake the pan over the heat (or stir the seeds around with a spoon) until it starts to toast and change colour. Remove the seeds from the pan immediately and set aside to cool. Place the garlic, parsley and half the pine nuts on a chopping board and chop together until very fine. Add the lemon zest and a pinch of salt and chop again. Scrape the chopped ingredients into a small bowl and add the rest of the pine nuts to it. Now add the lemon juice and olive oil and stir together to blend. Serve the gremolata with rich dishes like oxtail, stew or simply add a bit of zingy crunch to any of your favourite foods.
Pour the chicken stock into a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cut the breasts into 5-6 pieces and add it to the stock. Cook the chicken until most of the liquid has evaporated and then break up the cooked chicken pieces with a wooden spoon. Set a frying pan over high heat and add the oil and butter to it. Fry the mushrooms for about 7 minutes, until it has caramelised and has a beautiful golden colour. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add the thyme leaves and garlic. Stir around for a minute or so. Now add the cream to the mushrooms and stir through. Spoon the mushroom mixture into the saucepan with the cooked chicken, turn up the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. The meat should now be creamy and fragrant. If you find it has too much liquid, simmer it for a while longer so that the liquid evaporates. Serve the chicken on couscous, rice or quinoa.
This is a rich, thick, dark and indulgent chocolate sauce where the wine is the star of the show. Choose a wine you enjoy drinking … I use a good, full bodied Merlot, but the choice is yours.
750ml red wine (Merlot) 250ml water 10ml vanilla 250ml sugar 2 slices orange peel 2 star anise 4 cloves 1 cinnamon quill 6 firm, ripe pears
Select a saucepan that is large enough for the pears to fir snugly but still be submerged in the liquid, even if they have to lie flat. Add all the ingredients, except the pears, to the saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Now peel the pears and gently lower them into the poaching liquid. Turn the heat down to medium-low and poach the pears for 25 minutes. Rotate each pear every 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the fruit to cool in the liquid. Remove the pears from the liquid once it is room temperature. Strain the mixture through a sieve but reserve the poaching liquid.
Chocolate and Red Wine Sauce: 190ml cream 190ml poaching liquid from the pears 15ml cocoa powder 125ml sugar 240g chocolate, chopped 60g butter, cubed a pinch of salt
Add the cream, poaching liquid, sifted cocoa powder and sugar to a small saucepan. Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture to a simmer and whisk for 5 minutes while simmering. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate, butter and pinch of salt and whisk until smooth. (If the sauce cools and becomes too thick, thin it down by gently reheating it). Place the pears on a serving dish and pour over some chocolate sauce to serve.
Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil and butter. Add the onion and stir-fry it until translucent. Add the ginger, cinnamon stick, turmeric, coriander, cumin, curry powder and chilli flakes and gently cook the spices for 2 minutes while stirring. Now add the sugar, coconut cream and cashews. Bring the sauce to a simmer and then take it from the heat. Remove the cinnamon stick and blitz the sauce with a hand blender, until smooth. Place the saucepan back on medium heat and add the butternut and chickpeas. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the butternut is tender but do take care that the sauce doesn’t burn. Stir in the chopped spinach and peas and stir through. Adjust the seasoning according to taste. Garnish the curry with fresh coriander and serve it with jasmine rice.
30g butter 200g sugar 5 eggs, separated 140g self-raising flour a pinch of salt 1 litre milk 5ml vanilla ground cinnamon for dusting
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and spray 2 x 22cm tart dishes with cooking spray. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream together until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time with the engine running. Scrape the mixture down a few times during mixing. Sift the flour and salt together and add spoonfuls to the mixture until everything is incorporated. Turn the mixer to its lowest speed and drizzle in the milk. Add the vanilla and mix through. Set aside. Add the egg whites to a clean mixing bowl and beat until it reaches stiff peaks. Add the stiff whites to the batter and fold it into the mixture. Scoop the batter into the two prepared tart dishes and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the milk tarts from the oven and sift over the ground cinnamon while the tarts are warm. Allow the milk tart to cool completely before serving.
2 eggs 6 large potatoes, peeled and diced a pinch of nutmeg 120g butter, cuber 200g frozen peas 1 onion, chopped 2 carrots, finely chopped 250ml cream 80g cheddar cheese, grated 15ml lemon juice 5ml granulated mustard 62ml parsley, chopped 500g haddock, cut into 2cm x 2cm pieces
Preheat your oven to 220℃. Boil the eggs for 7 minutes, peel and quarter them and set aside. Cook the potato until soft. Drain, mash and add a pinch of nutmeg. Add the butter and mix through until the butter has melted and it is incorporated into the potato. Taste the potato and season with salt. Set aside. Measure the frozen peas into a mixing bowl and fill the bowl with boiling water. Stand the peas for 1 minutes, drain and set aside. Pour some oil into a saucepan set over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 5 minutes. Add the cream and bring the mixture to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the cheese, lemon juice, mustard, parsley, peas and fish and stir to mix. Scoop the mixture into a 18cm x 28cm ovenproof dish and arrange the eggs on top. Finally spread the mashed potato on top and bake for 30 minutes. Serve the pie piping hot.
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line an oven tray with aluminium foil. Melt the butter and chocolate together over a very low heat. Take from the heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes so that it cools down slightly. Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla to a mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Now beat the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture. Add the flour, salt and nuts and mix through. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and bake for 30 minutes. The top should be dried and pale and the middle still dark and gooey!! Enjoy as is or serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream.
My Whisk and I 