The easiest dessert ever?!

An alfresco Friday night family dinner is looming and time is short again. I have done some prep on the tomato crostini featured on this blog already (they were delicious and summery so I had to make them again) which I will serve as a casual starter. The main course will be a scallop gratin with a green salad and the pudding is a lemon and raspberry tart with white chocolate ice cream. Sound complicated? Not at all. I spotted the recipe for this pudding in a friend's magazine and copied it down. And here it is:



An impressive looking dessert with very little effort.



Use a good quality, all-butter pastry case. You could use a variety of different fruits, dust with icing sugar and garnish with a sprig of mint. You can see my addition of grated white chocolate here too.

And the secret? An M & S ready-made all butter pastry base. Beat together 200g mascarpone, 150g Greek yogurt, 100g good lemon curd, 2 tbsp icing sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract. The filling needs to be smooth before you smoother it in the base and decorate with fresh raspberries. My addition? Finely grated white chocolate and a scoop of Waitrose white chocolate ice cream on the side. I love the combination of raspberries and white chocolate but clearly there's room to play around with this recipe and personalise it.

It may be a bit of a cheat but I bet it all goes! I will let you know the verdict. 

A Beautiful Country House

A recent visit to Cornwall took us to the stunning Antony House, another magnificent National Trust property. This 18th-century mansion set in beautiful gardens and parkland must rank as one of my favourite, partly because it is still lived in. I love seeing how the old and the new can harmonise together (a theme of an earlier blog entry) and this philosophy is very evident here. I hope these pictures inspire you as much as they have inspired me. We may not all live in mansions but we can nevertheless steal some of the eclectic interior design ideas showcased here and use them to good effect in our own homes. See my book recommendation at the end for more of the same!

A view of Antony house from the parkland.

This antique table in the entrance hall displays a pleasingly symmetrical assortment of objects.

The owner showcases very modern work next to priceless antiquities.

A few items of crystal sparkle against the dark wood table alongside this unusual boat-shaped wine cooler.

I love seeing what books people are reading. I have spotted a few of my favourite titles in this way and with Amazon and EBay you can track down just about anything!

A nice view of the drawing room - very grand but also cosy and inviting I think.

A nice collection of antique paperweights stand next to family photos and fresh flowers.

Another beautifully arranged table of interesting and quirky objects. This has so much texture and interest.

You really get a sense that this room is used and enjoyed.

The modern sculptural vase contrasts so well with the antique objects here.

If you like this style of interiors I can recommend Nicholas Haslam's latest book, Folly de Grandeur. It is probably one of the most interesting and engaging interior design books I have read in a long time.

This famous Hampshire home has belonged to Nicholas for over 40 years and he takes you on a very personal and interesting journey through his house in this lavish book. If you like modern, minimal interiors then give it a miss but for those with a more eclectic taste it comes highly recommended.

Click here to see Nicholas talking about his magnificent country retreat and to get a glimpse of his extensive gardens too.

Organising your pantry

It took me a long time when I started cooking to realise the importance of a well stocked and organised pantry. I would often read recipes and need to buy every ingredient in the list as I had very few staple items on hand. I have long since rectified this problem and it has made a huge difference to how quickly I can pull a recipe together.

No one can make dinner out of nothing but if you always have the basic ingredients it will make life a lot easier. You will probably only need to pick up fresh meat, vegetables or dairy and you will have a meal on the table. I do not have a massive kitchen (far from it!) but I have maximised storage space. I thought I would take you through the things I always have to hand that have really made a difference to my preparedness to cook.

A view inside one of my roll-top cupboards. I have found these invaluable for creating lots of storage space.

I think the secret to organising your pantry is lots of containers that are well labelled. As these are all kept hidden most of the time these containers do not need to match. I like to decant quite a lot of products into airtight tubs and canisters as they last longer, it keeps them tidy and they are easier to find. Review the contents every 6 months at least and replace items past their date or that are running low. Some things, like flour and caster sugar, need replenishing more often in my house as I bake a lot!

You can buy canisters already labelled for specific items but it is just as easy to buy airtight plastic containers or Kilner jars and some sticky labels to make your own (these red oval labels are from the Martha Stewart range at Staples).

The lower shelf is for herbs and spices mainly

What herbs and spices you need depends on what you like to cook. I always have dried thyme, oregano and rosemary as I think they are just about the only three herbs that are any good dried. I have an Italian herb seasoning mix which is great in pasta, dried red chili flakes, saffron and pine nuts. I like smoked paprika and cayenne pepper and then you have your Indian spices such as cumin and turmeric. Cinnamon is invaluable as well. I have some Old Bay seasoning which is great in crab cakes and on fish and I can't live without Tabasco sauce too! Also on this shelf I keep general kitchen stationery and chef's candles which are great to burn to get rid of cooking smells. The little brown lidded pots are herb pots from Fortnum and Mason which I just had to have!

These vintage T G Green Cornishware pots were a present and I love them. The Bi Carb one is quite rare.

The next shelf has baking supplies on it. I am addicted to P-Touch (the labelling system) as you can see from the labels on the sides of the shelves. Not necessary I know but it does help to keep everything in its place!

Here I keep flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cream or tartare, ground almonds, cocoa powder and various sugars. I almost always bake with homemade vanilla caster sugar. I simply dry out all the vanilla pods I use when cooking and bury them in a big jar of white caster sugar that I keep topping up. It really brings a fragrant edge to all my baking.

I love real vanilla extract (only buy the best because there is no substitute) and I always use a non-stick baking spray to avoid lining cake tins etc. It works brilliantly and is so quick and easy. I also keep some slimline digital scales here too and some very good quality dark chocolate and white chocolate chips for brownies and other chocolate recipes.

In an old tea caddy I keep my pastry brushes, cake testers and palette knives.

With these ingredients and eggs and butter you can always make a cake. I am now a total convert from butter to Stork for baking - it makes the most amazingly light and fluffy cakes in comparison to butter. Try it and see!
 

Storecupboard ingredients on the next shelf are largely kept in Kilner jars. These last for ages.

Stock up on pulses and grains that you like to use a lot. Here I have different types of lentils and pastas including the tiny pasta shapes for soup. I love creamy polenta and there is also long grain rice and risotto rice here too. Couscous and bulgar wheat are firm favourites in our house as well. I keep a variety of seasonings here too including different types of salt and peppercorns. I like to cook with Maldon sea salt or kosher salt out of preference. If you can track down this black truffle salt it is divine on a softly poached egg.

With these ingredients I can make risotto, pasta dishes or a range of salads and soups quite easily.

 



The top shelf is for a miscellany of other items!

Panko breadcrumbs are a must for coating chicken or fish. You can get them in any oriental food shop. A good chicken or vegetable stock is probably all you need (I seldom make my own fresh stock) but I also have beef, lamb, fish and porcini stocks here. Amaretti biscuits I always have on hand so I can make my chocolate and amaretti cake when required. It is one my favourite desserts, keeps for days and is utterly foolproof.

I have used a range of different pots here, all clearly labelled.

So for me it's all about developing a system and sticking to it. I have got into this habit over the last 6 years or so and I know that if I open the cupboard all of those things will be there. Managing your freezer and other staple ingredients just as carefully means you can always make dinner even when it would seem there is little left in the fridge. Now that can't be a bad thing at the end of a busy day!

 

A Tree and a Flower

betula pendula 'fastigiata'

pansy 'black beauty'

These two neighbouring plants caught my attention the other evening, one soaring up like a rocket into the lovely blue sky, the other nestling far below, the colour of nighttime.  This betula is one of my favourite trees in the garden, as it provides the height, grace and drama of a woodland tree without invading the limited space around it.  This variety will attain up to 50 ft in height but it is columnar in shape with branches that rotate gently and flexibly upwards.  I particularly love its thick yet light canopy of leaves, which flutter and rustle in the slightest breeze.  I followed Alan Titchmarsh's advice on the planting of birches in gardens (Mr Titchmarsh is my gardening inspiration!) i.e. 'always make sure they are planted at least 10 feet from the house' and ensured a good deal of compost and garden-centre top soil was thoroughly mixed into the heavy, chalky soil that the tree was planted in.  I top-dress the border each spring with tree and shrub fertiliser and ensure it is well-watered in rare dry spells!  As a result the tree seems to be thriving (touch wood!).

 

The 'black beauty' pansy is one of my favourite bedding plants now - I'm still really surprised at just how black its petals are!  It is blooming in sunless shade, another positive, and so will definitely be on my bedding 'to get' list every spring from now on.    

A visit to West Green House Gardens

The hottest day of the year at the weekend prompted our first visit to West Green House Gardens near Hartley Wintney in Hampshire. National Trust members can get in free which was a bonus for us! The house has had a chequered past including being bombed in the 1990s by the IRA. Consequently the house is not open to the public any more but thankfully the breathtaking gardens are.

A view of the house which Country Life described as "the perfect embodiment of tranquil contentment and serenity of spirit".

A view across the walled gardens towards the fruit cages planted with topiaried berry fruits.

As the weather was so hot the garden was heady with the scent from all of the flowers.



A view looking South East from the Water Garden, framed by this circular hole in the wall.

An appealing garden bench at the end of a grass path through some very English flowering borders.



A glimpse inside the big greenhouse which contained a mixture of flowering plants and vegetables.

My favourite flowers are peonies and this one was very eye-catching indeed!

A Friday night dinner party

We had some family to stay this weekend and everything kicked off with dinner at home on Friday evening. Without doubt entertaining in this way is my favourite thing but I always want a dinner party to be fun and relaxing for me too and I actually want to be able to spend time with my guests not stuck in the kitchen all night! The answer? Plan and cook ahead. I thought I would share my preparations, recipes and table setting with you.

I always lay the table early on the day of the party or the night before. It's one less thing to worry about and I never quite feel in the 'entertaining' mood until it is done.



An overview of the table showing part of a Wedgwood dinner service called Platinum by Jasper Conran.

These beautiful solid silver salt and pepper dishes date from 1897. They were filled later!

William Yeoward placemats, coasters and napkin rings compliment candle holders from Anthropologie. The napkins are vintage white linen.



Another table view. The little domed butter dish at the far end is from Culinary Concepts of London. It's very cute!

 

The menu for this dinner was quite casual but as I was very busy with work last week. I wanted most of the preparation done in advance. Here is the menu. Click on each dish to go to the recipe:

Starter: Asparagus Soup with herbed buttermilk biscuits

Main course: Spanish chicken with green beans gremolata

Pudding: Instant chocolate orange mousse (You will need to consult Nigella Lawson's 'Nigellissima' for this one I'm afraid!)

I made the soup a few days before, allowed it to cool and then kept it in an airtight container in the fridge. I made the buttermilk biscuits a few days ahead too, cooking some to eat then and open freezing the remaining unbaked biscuits to freshly bake just before dinner more or less from frozen. I used whatever fresh herbs I had in the garden in the biscuits (4 tbsp for this recipe) and they were fragrant and savoury. A nice alternative to a bread roll, we thought. All I needed to do then was gently reheat the soup, drizzle with white truffle oil and serve.

The Spanish Chicken is a great tray bake and looks after itself for an hour or so in the oven. I make it loads. The green beans were quickly boiled, shocked in cold water, drained and kept in the fridge until a few minutes before the main course when they were quickly sauteed in olive oil as per the recipe and garnished with the yummy gremolata topping. This is a star dish so do try it!

Pudding can be made days ahead. I made this the night before, adding the whipped cream and orange zest just before serving. It's an egg free mousse where you add whipped cream and condensed milk to your melted chocolate and then flavour with orange liqueur and fresh orange juice. Believe me it's irresistible!

It always pays to have a plan like this so a tasty but stress-free meal can be on the table without too much bother on the day itself. That is always what I look for when I'm hunting down a new recipe.

I hope you try some of these and share your favourite make ahead dishes too.