Roast Carrot and Cumin Seed Salad with Feta, Mint and Honey

People wander down from offices and studios around the Ouseburn for their lunch, friends and family visit, people staying at Hotel du Vin pop in, tourists and curious visitors to the Victoria Tunnel tour ask what I’m up to. Someone new and interesting seems to pop their head in everyday to ask what exactly is going on in this little shipping container.

There have been so many lovely customers in a very short space of time; I have only been open a month... long may it continue. I’ve met lots of new faces and taken on some new and exciting projects as a result. I can honestly say that I’m thoroughly enjoying the whole Cook House experience, albeit whilst totally exhausted...

I’ve been trying to plan my menus a week ahead, but I’m still getting used to the nuances of running my own ‘caff’... How much people will eat, how many people will come, what days are busy; it is all a learning curve that I’m trying to map out with tasty food... I think everything I have put on the menu has gone down pretty well so far. Most days are a balance of hearty meaty sandwiches or tarts with interesting tasty salads, which have been very well received. Today was Cauliflower Cake with mint salad, Pancetta and Gruyere Tart, Green Herb Couscous, Roast New Potato Salad with Dill and Orange and this... Roast Carrot and Cumin Seed Salad with Mint, Feta and Honey, a tasty new addition to the menu...

Chop 500g of carrots on the diagonal, cutting them down again if your carrots are particularly large, think bite size pieces... Then toss them in olive oil in a large roasting dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper and lots of cumin seeds. Roast them for 25 minutes at 200°C, until they have started to turn golden brown in places but still have a slight bite to them.

Turn them out into a large bowl and toss with a tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Keep giving them a stir as they cool to room temperature so the dressing can sink in. When they have cooled stir through a large handful of lambs leaf lettuce and a large handful of chopped mint. To serve crumble over about 100g of feta cheese... I’ve added toasted walnuts before if you fancy that too, and you can use caraway seeds as an alternative too... The carrots are sweet and spiced, delicious with fresh mint and creamy cheese, a tasty lunch...

Stilton, Walnut and Honey Chicory Cups

It's started hasn’t it... The decadent Christmas onslaught of eating and drinking. I've had to print off a wall-chart of December to keep track of everything going on, most of which seem to be eating and drinking in different locations at all hours of the day... I've already had a work Christmas party which basically involved hours and hours of wine, I’m still feeling the after effects; another drinks party in the country, more civilised this time... and I have four more parties before the weekend even begins... I need to eat fruit and sleep lots to last the distance I think... 

I like the amount of tradition at this time of year, everyone seems to have little things set in stone that they always do and places they always go, different from each other. I like to invent new traditions too, Christmas Eve Eve supper is one of mine, by the fire in the house. Twixmas is another, a few friends and family over for a lunchtime drink and bite to eat between Christmas and New Year.

I'm looking forward to it all though, it's lovely seeing lots of friends and being all festive. I have food plans for some more potted pheasant, some smoked pheasant terrine, pickled grapes and roast duck. Some Christmas hot toddies and a few new canapés too. I'm going to read recipe books and watch television and cook, I'm quite excited...

These are my new favourite seasonal canapé, I think I have persuaded myself they are healthy because they aren't something balanced on fried bread, or something stuffed in a mini Yorkshire pudding... A little chicory cup laden with Stilton, honey and toasted nuts. Do not underestimate a canapé in a salad cup, they are really, really delicious! And they have the added bonus of being very simple, you just toast some nuts, sprinkle some Stilton and drizzle some honey... easy!

Simply toast some walnuts in a dry pan until they begin to brown, 50g will make about 20 canapés. Then divide 3 chicory heads into separate leaves, you can use red or white chicory, both are delicious. Roughly crumble about 50g of Stilton equally between the leaves. Then top the walnuts and Stilton with half a teaspoon of honey per leaf. You can add a tiny pinch of rock salt too if you fancy... The bitter chicory is delicious with the creamy cheese, sweet honey and toasted crunchy nuts, simple but amazingly tasty...

 

Honey and Pear Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

It's busy busy busy at the moment. We revisited the Lake District very briefly last week for one cold night in the rain, it was beautiful even through the rain. There were so many deer roaming through the valley, hardly bothered by us strolling in the rain at all. It was very very cold, sleeping in jumpers, socks and scarves cold... but the poor little house hasn’t had the fire on since October so it may take some time to warm through.

So there was that little trip, another mini trip to London this week, organising my exciting and tasty Spring Graze market and it all adds up to a busy busy me right now... But everyone took a little pause on Sunday to celebrate a very important marker in time... A very important birthday, I will spare his blushes and not reveal figures, but Mr. Hedworth deserved a special cake and a tea party...

This cake comes with a warning, it's very sweet, the frosting in particular, so go easy and only proceed if you think you can take it. I'm still not ready for any form of sugar days later, saying that, it is delicious, it just packs a fair bit of sugar... I think it is a Hummingbird Bakery recipe originally, I have made a few adjustments... and made my own crystallised fruit to decorate it, surprisingly simple and totally beautiful. Simply paint berries of your choice with a lightly beaten egg white, roll in caster sugar and leave to dry on greaseproof paper over night. I even added a few mint leaves for extra foliage...

Start the caramelised pears by melting 20g of unsalted butter, 60g of honey and 40g of caster sugar together in a pan. Peel 3 pears, core and slice each into 12 pieces and add to the melted honey mix. Simmer the pears gently for about 15 minutes, until the pears start to turn golden.

In a large bowl beat 4 large eggs and add 120g of caster sugar and 40g of soft brown sugar. Then in a jug stir together 120ml of live yoghurt, 120g of honey, 120ml of vegetable oil and the grated zest of a lemon. Beat this all together until it is a creamy emulsion and add it slowly to the egg and sugar mix. Then sift in 280g of plain flour, 1½ teaspoons of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoon of salt, mix everything together to form a creamy cake batter.

The cake is meant to be divided between four cake tins, but this would result in 3 layers of inside cake icing, which I think would have been a step too far towards full on sugar overload. I divided the mix between 2 tins, thankfully... Add half of the cooked pears to the top of each cake mix, in an even circle so each slice will come across some honey soaked pear, then bake both at 150°C for about 25 minutes, until golden and springy.

Allow the cakes to cool on a wire rack while making the cream cheese frosting. It is best done in a food processor, I tried by hand at first and ended up with lumpy butter bits that I had to scrape through a sieve, save yourself the trouble and wizz up 100g of unsalted butter with 350g of icing sugar, the recipe said 500g, which is just far too sweet for me, so adjust to suit your taste... Wizz it up until it is a fine crumb, then add 200g of cream cheese and a few teaspoons of the honey, buttery pear juice left over from cooking the pears, again to suit your taste.

Frost the top of the first cake layer, top with the second cake layer and then frost the whole cake, sprinkling the top with a pile of sugary berries and leaves. The sponge is so light and delicious, full of sweet soft pears and covered in creamy sweet cheese frosting. A cake fit for a birthday king...

Homemade Granola

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... Well, now that the tree is up and decorated. It was less festive yesterday while we drove round trying to find a tree that didn’t cost a million pounds, a week before Christmas, when lots of places had sold out. In the end we had to take a blind gamble and get one that didn’t cost the earth but was already wrapped up in netting. This meant it was difficult to assess symmetry, bushiness, density and general beauty...

On arriving home and cutting open the netting a huge branch just fell straight off, followed by more needles than there were on the tree. The claims of it being a tree that didn't drop couldn’t have been further from the truth. It wasn't a pretty tree, there was no denying it, as it stood wonky in the window of the living room. So at that point in time, just after the hoover blocked full of needles and gave up, I can't say I felt particularly Christmassy. We left the house for Boozer's Christmas drinks, leaving the tree standing bare, uneven, lopsided and crumpled, alone in a dark house.

But I can't blame the tree, so today he is decorated and pretty, still wonky and looking a bit like he's come from the rejects pile, but glittering with lights, rosy red baubles, little tinkling bells and glass drops, and everything suddenly seems a little bit more festive.

I have been making Christmas presents for people this year. I can't say too much yet as it's not time to hand many of them over and I don't want to ruin the surprise entirely... but this is one of the most successful so far... I'm not much of a breakfast person, yes at the weekends, but in the week I am usually just a bit late and running out the door rather than towards the kitchen. But this Granola has possibly changed all that. It's delicious and I'm not even a cereal person, until now...

I looked up quite a few different recipes and tweaked and mixed and matched until I settled on this combination. In a big bowl add about 500ml of rolled oats, or 2 cups. These amounts will make 2 or 3 large jars. Add a handful of roughly chopped pecans, a handful of roughly chopped blanched almonds and a handful of sunflower seeds. Then add 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and a large pinch of table salt and mix everything together.

In a small pan add 135ml of honey and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and melt them until they are liquid and combined. Add this to the oat mixture and stir thoroughly until everything is totally coated with the honey mixture.

Pour everything into a big baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and bake in the oven at 150°C for half an hour. Give it a stir once or twice so it bakes evenly. The smell that fills the house while it is slowly baking is delicious, warm and toasty. When it is ready take it out and leave it to cool completely before putting it into a jar, you will need to stir it a few times so it doesn’t all stick together in one solid sheet.

Finally add a large handful of raisins and stir them through. You can use lots of combinations, different fruit, different nuts; hazelnuts, brazil nuts, pumpkin seeds, apricots, dates, cherries... Find the combination that suits you best, I'll be sticking with this one for the time being as it is so delicious. It is sweet and toasty with a hint of salt, crunchy nuts, soft raisins, just lovely. I haven't even had it with milk or yoghurt yet as it is so good just on its own. Hopefully the people who receive their little jars over Christmas will think so too...

Apple and Celery Salad with Walnuts and Mustard Dressing

I don't know what has happened to summer, one minute it is warm and sunny, the next we're in the middle of a monsoon. As I walked to work this morning it even felt a bit frosty, it was lovely and sunny but there was definitely a hint of autumn in the air...

This autumn will see the start of an exciting project for me, I am organising a seasonal market for small North East producers, growers and makers. 'Autumn Graze' will be taking place at Northumberland Tennis Club, Jesmond, on Sunday 2^nd October.

I have had a brilliant response and have lots of exciting people lined up to take part. The list is building, full of cakes, bread, flowers, wine, local breweries, cheese, pies, charcuterie, pickles, jams, tea, coffee, cookware, handmade chocolates. It will be a beautiful feast of a day, full of talented local people and lots of things to eat and buy, I'm looking forward to it a lot.

I will keep the blog updated with all the details, and please do get in touch if you are interested in taking part. Hopefully it will be the start of many more events to come.

In between planning markets, weeding and the day job I have still found time to slot in some time in my little kitchen. I made this salad last week for some friends and I. It is quick, fresh, healthy and delicious, a healthy take on a Waldorf Salad. The Waldorf Salad was first created in the Waldorf Hotel, New York, so perhaps this could become known as the Maybury Salad, after my little house... Or is that delusions of grandeur? I'll perhaps just stick to Apple and Celery Salad with Walnuts and Mustard Dressing.

Firstly chop 4 celery sticks into 1cm wide slices, make sure you keep all of the leaves and put both to one side. In a dry pan toast two handfuls of walnuts until they are toasty and browning, then add these to a bowl to cool down.

In a large salad bowl start to make the dressing. Start with the juice of half a lemon and add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and a teaspoon of English mustard. In a pestle and mortar crush a clove of garlic with half a teaspoon of salt until it is a smooth paste and add this to the dressing. Finally add 2 teaspoons of honey and some black pepper, and whisk everything together with about 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. It will thicken and emulsify as you do so.

Peel and core 3 Granny Smith apples and cut them into bite sized chunks. Add them to the dressing, at the same time adding the celery, roughly chopped celery leaves and toasted walnuts. At this stage I also added some crumbled Manchego cheese. I have made it with and without the cheese and like both versions, so it is up to you at this stage.

The dressing is delicious, sweet, zingy, garlicky and works very well with the sweet apple, toasty nuts, fresh celery and creamy cheese. I will make this again and again I know already.

Chicken Tagine with Caramelised Baby Onions and Honey

The Lake District was beautiful and sunny on Friday evening, sitting in the quiet of the valley watching the deer with their new bambi's was a lovely end to the week. It did rain pretty much continuously from then on in, but it was still a lovely weekend. It stopped long enough to light the bbq for supper, but also managed to soak us thoroughly while out for a walk. The mist was rolling down the hills dramatically as we left but even in bad weather it is still such a beautiful and relaxing place.

So it may be August, British Summer Time, in case you had forgotten, but I think this rainy windy day calls for something a little bit warming... I have mentioned Claudia Roden before, her book Arabesque is never far from hand in my kitchen. A taste of Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon, full of spice and flavour. My favourite section is full of Moroccon tagines, spiced with ginger and cinnamon, sweet with honey and perfumed with saffron...

Claudia uses a whole jointed chicken for her version of this tagine, but as I was only cooking for two I used boned chicken thighs. I find chicken thighs much tastier than breast meat, and for longer cooking times like this tagine, thigh meat is much less likely to dry out.

Start with 150g of shallots or baby onions. Pour hot water over them, in a bowl, and leave for five minutes to blanch. This makes removing the skin whilst keeping the onions or shallots whole much easier. While they are bobbing around in hot water finely chop a small onion and then cook slowly in a tablespoons of olive oil. Cook until soft, for about 5 minutes, and then add half a teaspoon of ginger, half a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of saffron. Continue to cook the onion and spices for a few minutes longer.

Chop about 300g of boned and skinned chicken thighs into bite size pieces, perhaps a bit more if you're really hungry. Add the chicken to the pan with the onions and spices, and when it is sealed all over add 150ml of water, the blanched onions with their skins removed and a pinch of salt and pepper. Leave the tagine to cook, on a medium heat, uncovered for about 20 minutes.

While the tagine is cooking you can prepare the couscous. It needs to be in a pan that can go in the oven. Use 100g per person, pour it into the pan and add the same amount of salted water to the couscous, cover and leave for 10 minutes. I used 200g of couscous to 200ml of boiling water with a teaspoon of salt in it. Fluff up the couscous after it has absorbed all of the water, it may have become quite a hard mass, but just break it apart with a fork until it is light and fluffy. Add a glug of olive oil and work it all through the couscous with your hands, getting lots of air into it as you do. Finally put the dish into a pre heated oven at 200°C for 15 minutes. Before serving stir a knob of butter through the piping hot couscous and fluff it up again. Claudia uses 20g of butter, but I think you can get away with a lot less, but just to your own tastes.

To finish the final stage of the tagine remove the chicken pieces from the sauce and set them aside, leave the onions in the pan to continue to soften. The sauce now needs to reduce and thicken up a bit. Add 2 tablespoons of honey and lots more black pepper, you need quite a lot to balance the sweetness of the honey. Just keep tasting it until it suits your taste. Turn the heat up a little and allow the sauce to bubble away and reduce by about half. Finally return the chicken to the pan to heat through for a few minutes.

Fill a bowl with a large scoop of buttery couscous and top with the chicken, sauce and onions. I sprinkled the top with some toasted sesame seeds, you could also use some toasted almonds roughly chopped. The gingery, cinnamon spice is lovely with sweet honey, spicy black pepper and soft onions. It is making me want to cook it again just writing this, I might have to wait until tomorrow...

Sweet potato, pecan and herb salad

I thought by loading up on this on Sunday I could keep away an incoming cold, it's full of orange juice and lemon juice and ginger and herbs and nuts and vegetables... But no it didn't work and I'm fully struck down by the cold. It still tasted nice though...

It is a bit of a flavour explosion salad, in a good way though. The dressing is the key component, it is sweet but spicy with ginger, sharp lemon, silky honey and sweet sherry vinegar. It's an Ottolenghi recipe, a lot of their recipes are very full on flavours so you have to be careful what you serve them with, as it can all become a bit too much sometimes if you put a few of their salads together.

Chop the sweet potato into 2cm cubes, with the skin still on. Drizzle over a glug of olive oil and some salt and pepper and mix it all up so that they are covered evenly with oil.

Put them in the oven at 190 C for 30-40 minutes to roast. Check them once about half way through, turning them over gently. At the same time put 35g of pecan nuts onto a roasting tray and toast them in the oven for 4-5 minutes, be careful to watch them as they burn quite quickly. Leave them to cool when they are done.

While the roasting is going on you can make the dressing. Use a medium sized bowl, there is quite a lot of dressing. Pour in 4 tbsps of olive oil, about 60ml. Add 2 tbsps of clear honey, the recipe actually asks for maple syrup, but I have preferred it when I've used honey in the past. Add 1 tbsp of squeezed lemon juice, 1 tbsp of sherry vinegar and 2 tbsp of squeezed orange juice.

Whisk these all together. Finally add 2 tsps of grated ginger and a quarter of a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. It seems like quite a lot of dressing, but the roasted potatoes will soak it up while they are still warm.

Chop up 4 spring onions and the toasted pecans, not too fine for either of them, the crunchy bits of nuts with the soft potato is really good.

Now chop 4 tbsp of flat leaf parsley and 2 tbsp of coriander. I just ordered my herb seeds today, so hopefully will be able to grow enough to keep me supplied over the summer. I think it might be a hard job though as things like this would wipe out an entire plant...

Add everything into a big bowl. The herbs, spring onions, chopped pecans, a good pinch of chilli flakes, 35g of sultanas and the still warm sweet potatoes. Mix it all together.

Finally pour over the dressing and stir it though all of the ingredients. The potatoes will soak it up as they are still warm. Serve it at room temperature.