Apple, Celery, and Curry Muffins

Here's another savoury muffin variety that smells amazing when baking. I have to concentrate and make sure my mouth is closed when these start to bake as I tend to dribble (not a pretty sight). Now the days are getting shorter and apple season is apon us this is a novel way of using apples in a savoury treat. The ultimate comfort snack.

450g plain flour
100g salted butter
2 eggs
100ml milk
100ml butter milk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon curry powder
70g grated cheddar
1 large stick celery
1 bramley apple
Small handful coriander leaves chopped
Cracked pepper

METHOD:
Melt butter and leave to cool slightly, place flour, baking powder, soda, curry powder and a good cracking of pepper into a large mixing bowl and roughly combine. Peel the apple and grate then add to the dry ingredients along with the cheese and coriander, stir till apple is coated in flour. Wash the celery stick and slice into 4 lengthways then roughly dice into small cubes, add to the mixing bowl.
Beat the eggs into butter and fold into dry mixture along with buttermilk and milk. Using a butter knife cut the dry and wet ingredients together gradually till just under combined. Grease a 12 hold muffin pan with either spray oil or butter and evenly spoon the mixture into pan. Bake muffin at 180oC for 25 minutes till golden brown, once cooked leave to stand in pan for 10 minutes before removing.

Samphire, Lemon and Poppy Muffins

My new favourite savoury muffin, salty, zesty and bits of crunchy texture. Samphire is a salty vegetable that grows in shallow sea waters or off rocks near coastal lines. Very delicate texture and taste similar to asparagus. I've seen samphire for sale in Waitrose near the seafood section, however not many other place's sell it. Maybe your local fish mongers if you're lucky!

450g plain flour
100g butter
2 eggs
100ml buttermilk
100ml milk
100g grated cheddar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
100g samphire
2 un-waxed lemons
3 tablespoons poppy seeds
Good pinch of salt

METHOD:
 Melt butter and place to one side to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl add flour, cheddar, baking powder, soda, samphire, zest of lemons, poppy seeds, salt and stir together. Beat the eggs in butter and add to the dry mixture along with buttermilk, milk and juice of lemons. Using a butter knife cut through the wet and dry till just under combined. Grease a 12 hold muffin pan with oil spray or butter and evenly distribute the mixture between the pan. Bake in oven set at 180oC for 25 minutes.
Once cooked leave to cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan.

Cheddar and Mustard Crackers

Here's a recipe you don't see very often? Crackers! Its one of those items you only ever think to buy in the supermarket or deli. However crackers made fresh are amazing and look really tasty, because they are damn tasty! Eat on their own or with cheese and chutney either way you'll be greatly satisfied with the knowledge of cracker making. 
I must once again thanks Etienne (Birthday Boy) for these wonderful fresh batch of amazing photo's. xx

350g plain flour
200g butter
100g grated mature cheddar
6 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

METHOD:
Place a small fry pan over medium heat and add mustard seeds, shake the seeds round pan till they start to pop. Remove from heat and roughly ground in pestle and mortar then place in large mixing bowl with flour, cheddar, salt and pepper. Cut butter into 1cm piece's and add to the dry mixture, using a folk press butter into the dry till well combined with flour and resembles bread crumbs. Add half the water and stir till the mixture starts to form a dough then add the remainder of water and mix till a rough dough ball forms. Cling film the cracker dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Once rested roll dough out on a lightly floured surface till 5mm thick, using a 8cm round cutter start cutting out crackers. With the off cuts of dough roll into a ball and roll out once more and cut extra crackers. Place crackers on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and bake in oven pre-heated at 175oC for 15 minutes or till golden and dried out. Leave to cool completely before storing or eating.

Eat Your Greens Muffin

If I could wish for a last meal it would be oven bag roasted chicken served with sweet sticky roasted vegetables and drowning in Salsa Verde. I could seriously sit down to a jug of salsa verde and stale bread and be completely satisfied with its salty, sour, herby goodness. Which is why I've put all the essential ingredients for a green sauce into a very yummy savoury muffin. A popular item on last weeks menu with regulars and staff so why not bake a batch?

450g plain flour
100g butter
100ml butter milk
150ml milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
75g grated cheddar
60g fine capers
Small handful of rocket
Small handful of flat leave parsley
10 mint leaves
1 clove garlic
1 green chilli
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

METHOD:
Put butter in small sauce pan and place over medium heat to melt, once melted put butter to one side to cool slightly. In large mixing bowl place flour, baking powder,  soda, cheese and roughly mix together. Crush garlic, chilli and place on chopping board then add capers, rocket, parsley, mint and salt, roughly chop together into green salsa and add to dry mixture. Beat eggs in butter and pour into mixing bowl with buttermilk and milk, using a butter knife cut through the wet and dry combining together till just under mixed. Grease a 12 hold muffin pan with oil spray or butter and evenly distribute muffin mix in pan. Bake muffins at 180oC 25 minutes, once cooked leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.   

4 Cheese and Pink Peppercorn Muffins

Four cheese's that come from 4 different animals, cow, sheep, goat and buffalo. All rolled into one bastard muffin or gourmet scone however you want to describe it and garnished with pretty pink peppercorns. Best served warm with enough butter to widen the hips.

450g plain flour
100g butter
2 eggs
125ml milk
100ml buttermilk
100g grated manchago
100g cream cheese
75g goats cheese
75g fresh buffalo mozzarella
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
20 pink peppercorns
Pinch of sea salt

METHOD:
Put butter in a small pot and melt over medium heat, once melted remove from heat and leave to cool slightly. In the meantime place peppercorns in pestle and mortar and roughly ground then add to large mixing bowl with flour, baking powder and salt, stir together. Dice mozzarella into small cubes and add to dry mixture with manchago, crumbled up goats cheese and cream cheese. Beat eggs into butter and pour into muffin mix with buttermilk and milk, using a butter knife cut through the wet and dry gradually combining together till just under mixed. Grease a 12 hold muffin pan with either oil spray or butter, evenly distribute muffin mixture into pan and bake in pre-heated oven set at 180oC for 24 minutes. Once cooked leave to cool in pan for 10 minutes before turning out.

Sage, Mushroom, Cider and Cheddar Muffins

I have a small confession, I cant stomach mushrooms! I know its a terrible statement coming from a chef but mushrooms honestly make me ill. Usually twice a year I'll attempt to eat them in some dish but the end result is me getting intimate with stomach acids.
However I do love cooking mushrooms and love the musty smell they give off (odd I know).
I'm pretty good at pairing mushrooms with complementary flavours such as these muffin's sage, mustard and cider all work perfectly. Tried and tested on customers and co-workers, no complaints just praise.

450g plain flour
2 eggs
100ml buttermilk
50ml milk
100ml cider
150g grated mature cheddar
2 tablespoons pommery mustard
100g butter
200g button mushrooms
6 sage leaves
2 teaspoons baking powder
Sea salt and cracked pepper

METHOD:
Slice the mushrooms and roughly chop sage then place a fry pan over a medium heat and melt the butter. Once butter has melted add mushrooms, sage and season with a pinch of salt and a good cracking of pepper. Cook the mushroom till they start to turn golden brown and remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl add flour, baking powder, cheese, pinch of salt, crack of pepper and stir together till evenly combined. In a separate bowl beat eggs, buttermilk, milk, mustard and cider together, pour the wet mixture in to the dry and add mushrooms. Using a butter knife cut through both the wet and dry combining together till just under mixed. Grease a 12 hold muffin pan with either butter or spray oil and evenly distribute batter into the muffin pan. Bake in a pre-heated oven set at 180oC for 25 minutes. Once cooked leave to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

Butternut, Mayple and Chilli Muffins

Another wacky combination of ingredients yet they all work together and that's a fact!

450g plain flour
100g butter melted
2 eggs
150ml buttermilk
150ml milk
100g grated cheddar
150g grated butternut
50ml maple syrup
1 tablespoon baking powder
Small hand full of curly parsley chopped
1 red chilli diced
Good pinch of sea salt
METHOD:
In a large mixing bowl place the flour, baking powder, cheddar, butternut, parsley, chilli, salt and roughly combine together. After the butter has melted leave to stand for 5 minutes to cool slightly then beat in the eggs and pour into the dry muffin mix along with the milk, buttermilk and maple. Using a butter knife cut through the wet and dry ingredients till just under mixed. Grease a 12 hold muffin pan with either butter or oil spray and evenly distribute the muffin mixture into the pan. Bake the muffins in a pre-heated oven set at 180oC for 25 minutes. Once cooked leave to stand for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Serve warm with butter.

Rhubarb and Cheddar Souffle Tart

Rhubarb is typically used as a sweet ingredient and made into jams and compote then combined with cream and sponge or some almond based crust. However it goes really well with a tasty bit of matured cheese or roast meats like a fatty piece of lamb. Rhubarb is naturally sour and works well with indulgent ingredients with a high fat content which is why I've used mature cheddar and egg yolks.
There is a bit of skill and patience involved in this recipe so make sure you read the method before you start. Also if you can get your hands on forced Yorkshire rhubarb you will get a better result in flavour, beware only in season round March and April.  

800g rhubarb
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
800g desiree potatoes
8 eggs separated
60g plain flour
125g  butter
300ml whole milk
150g unpasteurized mature cheddar grated
1 banana shallot
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
Sea salt and cracked pepper season
Small handful rock
4 larger basil leaves
250ml balsamic vinegar

METHOD:
Place the potatoes unpeeled in a pot and cover with cold water and place over a medium heat, bring to a simmer and cook till tender about 40 minutes. Wash the the rhubarb and slice into 5cm pieces and lay out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the olive oil over the rhubarb and lightly season with salt and pepper then place in oven set at 180oC for 25 minutes.
Peel and finely dice the shallot, place a sauce pan over medium heat and add the butter and shallots and cook till onion is translucent and tender. Add the flour and stir till the mixture starts to smell of shortbread then add the milk bit by bit while stirring to avoid lumps forming. Then add 100g of cheddar and worcestershire stir till cheese has melted, remove from heat and stir in the yolks till evenly combined, taste the sauce and add desired amount of salt and pepper and leave to stand.
When the potatoes are tender drain, hold potatoes in tea-towel and peel off the skin with a small sharp knife, then press the potatoes through a potato ricer or push through a fine sieve using the back of a spoon.
Using butter grease a fluted baking dish with removable base 30cm diameter and 3cm deep, then tap 2 tablespoons of plain flour round the tin coating the butter.
Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and using a electric beater whisk the eggs till stiff peeks form. Fold half the cheese sauce in with the potatoes then gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites in with the cheese sauce/mash potato combo. Fold in the rest of the cheese sauce then fold in another 3rd of egg whites till just incorporated then repeat with remaining 3rd of whites.
Pour the mixture into into the baking dish and evenly distribute the rhubarb over the top of the tart then sprinkle the remaining cheddar on top.
Place a tray of warm water at the bottom of the oven and put the tart on the center shelf above the water and bake at 160oC for 40 minutes.
Place the balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan and bring to a steady simmer over medium heat and cook till reduced to a sticky syrup.
Once cooked leave to cool for 15 minutes before removing the base from the outer dish. Cut tart into 8 piece's and garnish with rock and finely slice basil leaves then drizzle the balsamic reduction over the tart and now its ready to serve.
 

Pear, Chicory and Gorgonzola Tart

Creamy, salty, sweet, bitter and flaky everything you've ever needed for a winters meal and did I mention EASY!

3 white chicory
3 conference pears
200g gorgonzola
Sea salt and cracked pepper
Flat leave parsley to garnish

PASTRY:
300g plain flour
150g unsalted butter
50g grated cheddar
1 egg
1 egg white
Pinch of sea salt

METHOD:

Start with the pastry, place the flour, cheddar and salt in large mixing bowl. Cube the butter and add to the dry mixture, rub the butter into the flour till well blended together then add the egg and several tablespoons of cold water and lightly knead together till only just combined. Wrap the pastry in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
Grease a fluted flan tin with removable base 30cm in diameter and 3cm deep. Once the pastry has rested roll out on a floured surface till about 4-5mm thick and line the tin with pastry pinch and press down around the edges then refrigerate for a further 30 minutes.
Slice the pears into quarters and remove the core's then slice into 5mm pieces. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lay out the pears slices and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and place in a oven set at 180oC for 20 minutes.
Mean while with a folk prick the base of the pastry 10 times and line with grease proof paper and fill with rice or dried legumes, bake in oven set at 200oC for 12 minutes. When the pastry is baked remove the parchment paper and legumes and bake the pastry for another 6 minutes till golden brown then egg wash the base of pastry with egg white and bake once more for 2-3 minutes to seal.
Slice the chicory in half and cut out the stalk base then cut into quarters and seperate the leaves and lay them evenly over the base of the pastry case. Then lay out the roast pears on top followed by crumbled up gorgonzola sprinkled over the pears. Place tart in the oven set at 180oC for 20 minutes, once cooked leave to rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 8 and garnish with cracked pepper and parsley leaves.

Fennel Gratin

I get asked for this recipe ALL THE TIME so here it is finally! A healthy vegetable disguised in cream, butter and cheese! Simple method and only requires a touch of patience and love.

PASTRY:

175g plain flour
75g cold butter cubed
75g cheddar grated
60ml cold water
pinch of sea salt

FILLING:
2 medium sized fennel weighing around 250g each
1 small onion or banana shallot
50ml double cream
1 tablespoon olive oil
50g grated parmesan
Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste

METHOD:
To make the pastry place the flour, butter, cheddar and salt in a large mixing bowl and rub together till the butter has incorporated into the flour, doesn't matter if the mixture is a bit lumpy. Add the water and mix together to form a rough dough, try not to over mix this will give the pastry a better flake. Wrap pastry in cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Grease a 22cm fluted tart baking dish with removable base and put the oven on at 200oC.
Once the pastry has rested roll out on floured surface till about 4-5mm thick then line the tart dish with the pastry, press down on the corners and pinch at the edges. Place the pastry case back in the fridge to rest for another 30 minutes.
Start on the filling, place a small pot of water on high heat to boil. Then slice the fennel down the middle and cut out the base and remove the stalk on top and discard. Finely slice the fennel and onion, place into the pot of water with a good pinch of sea salt cook for around 7-10 minutes till tender then drain and tip the fennel back into pot and season well with salt and pepper and stir in the olive, leave to cool.
With a fork prick the base of the pastry 10 times then line with grease proof paper and pour some rice or dried legumes onto the grease proof and blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes carefully remove the grease proof paper and legumes and bake the pastry for a further 5 minutes till golden brown.
When the pastry has cooked evenly spread out the fennel round the casing and sprinkle the top with parmesan and cracked pepper. Using a small jug pour a slow thin stream of cream into the center of the tart and work your way round in a spiral till all the cream has been added. Bake the tart in the oven set at 180oC for 20 minutes. Once cooked you can either eat this tart hot or cold.

Frittata

Simple, colourful, maybe healthy?

EGG BASE
4 large eggs
50ml whole milk
Half teaspoon sea salt
Cracked pepper

FILLING
1 large King Edward potato peeled and cubed
1 large carrot peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper
4 rashers streaky bacon cut into 1cm slices
3 cloves garlic crushed
half a bunch coriander roughly chopped
1 green chili diced
Half teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

CARAMELIZED ONION:
1 large red onion peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar


METHOD:
Pre-heat the oven to 180oC.
Place a small pot of water on to boil once the water is simmering add the carrot and potato and cook till just tender.
Grease a 18cm round sandwich tin with butter followed by tapping a tablespoon of flour round the tin.
Place a small fry pan on a medium to high heat and add olive oil, bacon, garlic, chili and smoked paprika cook till the bacon browns slightly then remove from heat and stir in the coriander.
Drain the potato and carrot and add the Dijon, butter and season with salt and pepper roughly stir together till the vegetables are lightly coated in the butter and mustard.
In a small bowl beat the egg base ingredients together till evenly combined. Pour the egg mixture in the sandwich tin then evenly spoon the vegetable mix and bacon mix round the egg base.
Place on middle shelf of  the oven and bake for 12-15minutes.
To make the caramelized onion place a small pan on a medium to high heat and add the olive oil and onions, stir and cook the onion till they go soft and just start to brown then add the vinegar and sugar and cook for another 2 minutes, the onions should be glossy and tender.
Once the Frittata is cooked leave to stand for 5 minutes  before slicing in to 4 and top with caramelized onions to serve.

Red, White and Green Tart

A tribute to the colours of Italy. Best made in summer with either silver beet or swiss chard depending on which part of the hemisphere your on. What makes this a great tart is the pastry! You nail the pastry casing and the rest of the tart will be a breeze! Best made with tender loving care. xoxo 

500g Silver Beet or Swiss Chard 1 Brown onion

4 cloves Garlic

1 green Jalapeño

4 Italians tomatoes

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

100g goats cheese

Pastry:

150g Butter

300g plain flour

150g grated cheddar

1 egg

200ml cold water

Method:

To make the pastry dice the butter into small cubes and place in a food possessor with flour and cheese, put the lid on possessor and blend together till fine like bread crumbs.

While the processor is running add egg and pour in the water and blend till just combined, wrap the dough in cling film and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest.

Once the dough has rested roll out on a floured surface to 5mm think, grease and flour dust a 12" flan dish with removable base and line the dish with pastry, press the pastry edges down and trim edges, refrigerate pastry for a further 30 minutes. Line the pastry with grease proof paper and dried legumes and blind bake in oven at 200oC for 15 minutes then remove grease proof and legumes and bake for another 5 minutes.

Wash and cut the tomatoes into quarters and place on baking tray, sprinkle tomatoes with salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil bake in oven at 180oC for 30 minutes.

To make the filling place 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy based pan and bring to a medium heat and add the whole peeled garlic cloves, diced onion and de-seeded and diced jalapeno saute till the onions are translucent, roughly shred the silver beet/swiss chard and add to the pan with a 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Spoon the cooked silver beet mixture into a food processors and blend till smooth, using a spatchula spread the silver beet mixture into the tart case and evenly spread out the tomato wedges then crumble the goats cheese over the tart, place tart back in oven for for 10 minutes at 200oC

Once cooked slice into 8 slice and serve.