This Is How Mary Berry Levelled Up Her Scrambled Eggs In The 70s

Posted on 23/02/2024 by Boris Clair

The words ‘national treasure’ are thrown around far too lightly for my liking but when it comes to Mary Berry, they absolutely apply. First appearing on our screens in the 70′s, Mary has been teaching the nation to cook and bake for longer than I’ve been alive.

My first real exposure to her was obviously Great British Bake Off where her cheeky little smiles were a perfect sidekick to co-host Paul Hollywood’s gentle snark. Racing over to my friend’s after work, we’d tuck into some pasta, share a bottle of wine and talk about whether it was too late for Mary to adopt us as her granddaughters.

With all of this fangirling in mind, it’s probably not a surprise to learn that I forked out for a vintage cookbook of Mary’s from 1975: “Beating The Cost Of Cooking”. It’s yellowed, bent a little in the middle and perfect.

Mary Berry’s vintage scrambled eggs recipe

I bought this book mostly to learn how much not only Mary’s cooking has changed over almost 50 years but how much food trends have changed in general. It’s a great read but there are some that I’m glad stayed right where they belong. In the 70s.

Take for example, the ‘sweet corn scramble’. I don’t know if it’s because I hate sweetcorn or because the illustration is… vile, but this one really got my stomach turning.

Anyway, if sweetcorn isn’t an issue for you, you can try this vintage scrambled eggs recipe from Mary herself.

You’ll need:

6 eggs
6 tbsp milk
salt and pepper
15g of butter
175g of drained sweetcorn
toast

Then, simply beat your eggs in a bowl with milk, salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a pan and make scrambled eggs in your usual way. Just before the eggs are ready, stir in drained sweetcorn and cook until hot. Pile on toast and serve at once.

Despite this cursed illustration haunting my nightmares, I still love you Mary.

Mary Berry’s Genius Potato Salad Addition Transforms It Into A Main

Posted on 20/02/2024 by Boris Clair

I can stand some Irish stereotypes; actually, yes, we do all know each other (more or less). And yep, we love potatoes ― what sane person wouldn’t?

I like mine baked, fried, chipped, boiled, mashed, and, uh, be-saladed (?). But It wasn’t until I read Mary Berry’s version of the dish that I started eating it on its own for lunch.

That’s because the Cordon Bleu-trained chef adds tasty (and omega 3 and protein-rich) salmon and prawns to her dish, not only making it more delicious but also turning it into a more balanced meal.

In fact, the dish is so tasty that it’s earned a five-star rating on its BBC page ― having tried it myself, I can understand why.

The dish also contains radishes

The tasty addition of radishes to the dish adds a crisp and peppery bite to the meal, balancing out the mushy spuds and tender fish.

It holds up well during storage, too ― in fact, all of this recipe does. “The potato salad can be made a day in advance and stored in the fridge, adding the radish, freshly cooked salmon and the prawns up to four hours ahead,” the BBC’s page suggests.

In order to hold up longer against refrigeration, Mary Berry recommends using thicker, middle-cut salmon from the centre of the fish, rather than the tail.

The result is a delicious, balanced dish with loads of contrasting texture and complex flavours ― way, way better than your standard spud salad.

What’s the recipe, then?

You’ll need three middle-cut salmon fillets, each weighing 125 grams or four and a half ounces, with their skin left on. Additionally, the recipe calls for one lemon and 16 cooked tiger prawns.

For the potato salad, you’ll need 500 grams of baby new potatoes, four tablespoons of olive oil, three tablespoons of Dijon mustard, one tablespoon of caster sugar, and three tablespoons of white wine vinegar.

You’ll also require six tablespoons of mayonnaise, one bunch of thinly sliced spring onions, 150 grams of thinly sliced radishes, four finely chopped celery sticks, one small bunch of finely chopped flatleaf parsley, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. This makes enough for six people.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4, and line a baking tray with kitchen foil.

To prep the salad, place the potatoes in a saucepan of salted water and bring them to a boil. Allow them to cook for approximately 15 minutes or until they are tender ― once they’re cooked, drain them and then slice ’em into quarters.

While the potatoes are cooking, place the salmon fillets skin-side down on the foil-lined baking tray. Squeeze half of the lemon juice over them and season them with salt and pepper. Cover the fillets with foil, seal to make a parcel, and bake for about 15 minutes or until just cooked. Once that’s done, remove them from the oven and let them cool before removing the skin.

For the salad, combine oil, mustard, sugar, and vinegar in a large bowl. Add the hot potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and set aside to cool. After that, you can mix in the mayonnaise, spring onions, radishes, and celery. Adjust the seasoning to your taste and add the remaining lemon juice.

Gently flake the cooked salmon into large pieces and stir it into the salad with the prawns and half of the chopped parsley, ensuring you don’t accidentally mash any spuds. Serve sprinkled with the remaining parsley.

Voila ― you’ve got an elite potato salad that’s bulky and balanced enough to count as a full meal (at least, I’ve eaten it for dinner with a baguette twice this week).

Enjoy!

Mary Berry’s Unexpected Secret Ingredient For The Best Shortbread

Posted on 19/02/2024 by Boris Clair

Marry Berry, unsurprisingly, has a lot of culinary tricks up her sleeve ― she adds muscovado sugar to her cottage pie, uses an extra yolk in her pancake, and even coats her roast spuds in semolina.

And now, it seems the Cordon Bleu-trained chef has a secret for shortbread, too.

In her recipe for the simple Scottish delicacy, Mary Berry goes beyond the typical sugar-flour-butter recipe we’d expect.

Instead, she adds another ingredient for extra crunch ― semolina (yup, like for her roast spuds).

Why semolina?

Semolina is a hard flour, the less finely-milled version of durum wheat (which is used for pasta).

It has more gluten and protein than all-purpose wheat four, as well as more flavour. And because it’s coarser, it doesn’t become soft and fluffy as easily as all-purpose flour ― meaning it’ll help to provide a structure and bite to your baked goods.

“I like to use semolina as well as flour to give the shortbread crunch, but you can use cornflour or ground rice instead,” Mary Berry says.

What’s Mary Berry’s shortbread recipe?

First, you should preheat your oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/gas 3, and grease a 30cm x 23cm roasting or traybake tin.

You’ll need 225g (8oz) of plain flour, 100g (4oz) of semolina, 225g (8oz) of butter, 100g (4oz) of caster sugar, 50g (2oz) of flaked almonds (there aren’t mandatory), and 25g (1oz) of demerara sugar for dusting.

Combine the flour and semolina in a bowl or food processor. Incorporate the butter and sugar, then use your fingertips to rub them together until the mixture starts to come together. Gently knead the mixture until it forms a smooth dough.

Spread the dough into a baking tray and then press its top until even with a knife or spatula. Then, prick its surface with a fork, add your flaked almonds if you like, and store it in the fridge to chill until it’s firm.

After it’s chilled, bake it for 35 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Sprinkle it with demerara sugar after it leaves the oven. Then, after a few minutes, cut it into 30 fingers in the tin and leave those to cool further on a cooling rack.

Enjoy ― store any leftovers on a cooling rack (though I’d be amazed if you had any.)

The Best Cocktails To Make For Your New Year’s Parties

Posted on 29/12/2023 by Boris Clair

The holidays traditionally are for getting together with the people you love most. Tradition also holds that it’s the season of office parties and other semi-mandatory affairs. Whether you’re attending the next cocktail (or ugly sweater) party excitedly or begrudgingly, a good cocktail is likely to improve the evening.

While there’s nothing wrong with hot toddies or spiked eggnog (actually — I take it back, there’s plenty wrong with eggnog), an expert-designed seasonal cocktail could be a nice change of pace. Warm your bones with one of these recipes, shared by some of New York’s most impressive bars and restaurants, and give your guests the gift of a good, stiff drink.

You may have to make a trip to a bar specialty store, or, you know, the internet, to pick up some of the requisite ingredients, but we’ve included tips for substitution whenever possible. You’ll want a basic bartending set with a cocktail shaker, strainer and muddler to make these. We’ve also suggested glassware and garnishes for each cocktail, if you’re going all out. Also, flavoured syrups aren’t a bad investment — they’ll taste great in your coffee on Christmas morning.

When Smokey Sings

Not into eggnog? Good news: You can offer your guests something comfortingly creamy that isn’t glorified boozy custard. Ivo Diaz, the co-owner, beverage director, and chef at Casa Ora, a stylish Venezuelan restaurant in Brooklyn’s East Williamsburg, shared this recipe for a rich and delicately spiced drink that’s sure to warm up your insides.

There is some prep involved, but you can make the chicha de arroz and cinnamon syrup hours or even days before guests arrive. To make things even easier, you can grab a bottle of premade cinnamon simple syrup online or at a kitchen specialty store.

Once you have your syrup and chicha on hand, you’re really only working with three ingredients, so it should be easy enough to shake these up for guests and still enjoy your party. For a really professional look, invest in a jumbo ice tray to make cocktail bar-ready ice blocks.

To make your own cinnamon simple syrup:

In a pot, muddle about 3/4 ounce (by weight) of cinnamon bark, and add 2 cups of water and 2 cups of Domino superfine sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 minutes. Strain with a fine strainer before storing.

To make the chicha de arroz:

Combine 16 ounces rice milk, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, 1 can evaporated milk, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder in a blender until smooth. Store in a container and keep refrigerated.

To make the cocktail

Combine cinnamon simple syrup, chicha de arroz and mezcal in a shaker with ice. Double strain into a rocks glass over a jumbo rock block and garnish with mint leaves.

Nashi Sour

Treat your loved ones to a partridge in a nashi pear tree — or at least a creative and pear-flavored take on a classic whiskey sour. The Nashi Sour, by bar director Amir Babayoff of Ophelia in Manhattan’s Midtown East, features spiced winter fruit flavours frothed up with egg white.

We suggest you buy liquid egg whites rather than having to deal with cracking eggs and separating yolks while you’re trying to entertain company. For the most faithful version of this drink, try to stick to Babayoff’s suggested liquors as much as possible. Again, you can find ginger and cinnamon syrups online, if not at your local HomeGoods; or, you could go full elf and make your own.

Add all ingredients, dry shake, add ice, shake and double strain into a Nick and Nora glass. To garnish like the restaurant does, cover half of the top of the glass with a square white paper and spray or sprinkle chai powder on just half of the foam.

Cranberry Cup

If you haven’t yet had your fill of cranberry sauce (I know I haven’t), this vodka-wine spritzer by Gary Wallach, beverage director at Lindens, could be your new party signature. The bar, newly opened at the Arlo Soho in New York, serves theirs in a highball glass, dressed with an elaborate garnish of fresh thyme, lemon zest and a roll of dried cranberry leather.

If you can’t find thyme and apple liqueurs at your local liquor store, snag them online. Same goes for the spiced cranberry shrub — a traditional mixer made with sugar and vinegar for a tangy-sweet taste. You can make your own if you’re feeling ambitious. But if you’re normal, you can find inexpensive craft shrub online — here are a couple of options we found.

Once you’ve shaken all the other ingredients together, top it off with Lambrusco, a sparkling and often sweet red wine, to taste.

1 dash angostura bitters
1 teaspoon thyme liqueur
1/2 ounce spiced cranberry shrub
3/4 ounce lemon juice
1/4 ounce apple liqueur
1.5 ounces vodka (Belvedere is suggested)
Lambrusco, free pour
Optional: thyme sprig, lemon twist, cranberry fruit leather, and/or grated nutmeg, to garnish

Add all ingredients except for Lambrusco into a small cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice, top with Lambrusco and garnish. Lindens uses a thyme sprig, lemon twist, cranberry fruit roll-up and grated nutmeg.

Raspberry Mint White Chocolate Holiday Cocktail

From Christmas cookies to candy canes, December is the time when your sweet tooth is likely to reign supreme. If you’re hoping for a cocktail that will fulfill your candy cravings, Irene Li of New York’s MáLà Project restaurants has one that combines chocolate, peppermint — and some raspberry for good measure. You’ll probably have to buy a few new liqueurs for your stash, so consider getting nice ones that you’ll be excited to experiment with all winter.

Combine white chocolate liqueur, peppermint schnapps, raspberry liqueur, vanilla extract and vodka in a shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and shake until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Pour into a chilled rocks glass. Top off with crushed candy cane pieces and a peppermint stick or two (or three … we’re not counting).

Holiday Manzarita

This light and fruity drink comes from the Kartrite Resort located in the Catskills in New York state, and it’s a great way to use up the last apples of the season.

Your first step is to muddle your fresh apple chunks, so if you don’t already have a muddler on your bar cart, now’s the time to pick one up. Or, you can simplify that step by just using your favourite store-bought apple cider.

And if you don’t already have St-Germain on hand, you won’t regret picking up a bottle. The herbal, elderflower-flavoured liqueur is a great cocktail staple that you’ll find uses for well into the spring. As for the garnish, Kartrite serves the Manzarita with a flaming cinnamon stick — but you can feel free to leave yours unsinged.

1 1/2 ounces blanco tequila
1/2 ounce St-Germain
1/2 ounce cinnamon syrup
3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
3-4 small cubed apple pieces (or 3/4 ounce of apple cider)
Cinnamon stick, to garnish

In your cocktail shaker, muddle the apple. Add all remaining ingredients to the shaker with ice. Shake for 6-8 seconds. Double strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with cinnamon stick and serve.

When To Use Aluminium Foil, Parchment Paper, Wax Paper And Freezer Paper

Posted on 29/12/2023 by Boris Clair

Whether you’re new to cooking or you’ve been doing it for decades, it’s entirely possible you have no idea what you’re doing in certain areas. One particular topic that home cooks struggle with is understanding the differences between parchment paper, wax paper, aluminium foil and freezer paper, and when to use which one.

And trust us, mixing them up could legitimately ruin your recipe in some cases.

What’s the difference, and which materials are interchangeable? We talked to the experts to clear up any confusion you might have. Read on for the inside scoop on exactly when to use parchment paper, aluminium foil, wax paper and freezer paper — and exactly when you shouldn’t.

Parchment Paper

Thanks to its versatility, parchment paper is the shining star of the kitchen. It’s an odourless paper made from cotton fibre and pure chemical wood pulps that’s been coated with silicone. In addition to being nonstick, it’s heat- and moisture-resistant.

Parchment can be used for many kitchen tasks, but it’s best known for acting as a liner for baking sheets and pans, helping to promote even cooking and food not sticking. And according to Laura Ritterman, the cook behind the food blog Recipe Fairy, it also makes cleanup a whole lot easier. Think: being able to slide roasted veggies, cookies, fish and more right off the baking sheet with no mess.

“You can also line parchment paper on your kitchen counter to aid in cleanup,” said Christina Musgrave, a professional recipe developer. Because it’s nonstick and moisture-repellent, you can do all of your chopping, mixing, kneading and rolling on top of a layer of parchment, then toss it when you’re done, saving you the trouble of scrubbing down your countertops later.

Despite being super-versatile, parchment paper can only be used up to a certain temperature. “You can normally use parchment paper up to around 420 degrees Fahrenheit,” Musgrave said. “Heating it over that temperature can risk it catching on fire.” For safety purposes, always know the heat limit of the brand of parchment paper you’re using while cooking.

As for what to use as a substitute if you find yourself out of parchment paper, that depends on what you’re planning to use it for.

“Foil can be used to help prevent food from sticking, so long as it’s well-greased,” Ritterman said. (Or, if you’re specifically using a nonstick foil.) “It’s not as good as parchment paper, but can be used in a pinch if you don’t have any.” For easier cleanup, wax paper is a good choice for covering countertops.

Aluminium Foil

Runner-up in the versatility department is aluminium foil, which is made of over 98% aluminum ― the balance of which consists mainly of iron and silicon for added strength and puncture resistance. During the final rolling, two layers of foil are passed through the mill at the same time. The side that comes into contact with the polished steel rollers becomes shiny, the other side dull.

This is why, despite popular belief, it doesn’t matter which side of the foil contacts your food. (The only exception to this is nonstick foil, which does have a dull side that’s nonstick ― perfect for cooking foods that are cheesy or sticky.)

Where aluminum foil really shines (pun totally intended) is with high-heat cooking, like grilling and broiling. Any recipes that require cooking foods at a higher temperature than your parchment paper can hack, that’s where foil comes in.

Another handy skill? “Aluminium foil helps with even cooking or baking in the oven, mitigating the burning of food before it has finished cooking,” Ritterman said. “This is great for things like casseroles, roasts or pies.”

Say you don’t want your turkey or casserole to over-brown ― make a foil tent by placing a sheet of foil over your roasting pan or casserole dish, leaving a 1-inch gap between the top of your food and the foil tent for heat circulation, then crimp the foil onto the long sides of the pan so it stays put.

To keep your pie crust from burning while the centre bakes, foil to the rescue: Take a 12-inch foil square and fold it into quarters. Cut out the centre and round off the edges so you’re left with a ring that’s two inches wide. Unfold the ring and place it over your pie, removing it for the final 20 minutes of baking time.

“Because foil easily holds its shape, you can also wrap foods (meat, potatoes) to prevent them from losing moisture as they cook, as well as make foil packs of food to pop in the oven or on the grill,” Kyrie Luke, recipe developer and blogger at Healthfully Rooted Home, told HuffPost. (It’s an especially effective strategy for more delicate foods, like veggies and fish.)

But you should never use aluminium foil in the microwave. “Since aluminium foil is metal, it can heat so quickly that it can cause a spark and catch on fire,” Musgrave warned.

The best replacement for foil is parchment paper — specifically, for oven cooking and making food packs. For high-heat cooking, however, aluminium foil is difficult to replace, with the closest options being grilling papers and oven and barbecue bags.

If you’re not sure whether to go with aluminum foil or parchment paper, just remember: Grill or broil, go with foil.

Wax Paper

Wax paper is tissue paper that’s triple-waxed with a food-safe paraffin coating. It’s best known for covering countertops ― you can measure dry ingredients, such as flour, over wax paper and avoid a messy countertop during baking and cooking.

“It’s similar to parchment paper in that it can be used to keep food from sticking to surfaces, such as allowing chocolate-covered strawberries to harden or delicate artwork for cakes and pastries,” Ritterman said. It can even line pans for non-baked items, such as fudge or no-bake desserts to make cleanup easier.

Unlike parchment, wax paper shouldn’t be used in cooking situations that require heat. “Never use wax paper in the oven, microwave, grill or anything that conducts heat,” Luke said. “The wax will melt and it may cause a fire.”

The only exception to this rule is that wax paper can be used for lining cake pans for baking cakes. Because the cake batter completely covers the wax paper and absorbs much of the heat, the wax paper won’t smoke or melt.

The easiest way to remember whether to go with parchment or wax paper is to picture a burning candle as a reminder that wax melts. “The last thing you want is waxy food ― or a kitchen fire,” Luke said.

Freezer Paper

Freezer paper is a thicker paper that’s used for, you guessed it, freezing food. “It’s best known for wrapping meats and seafood for freezing to seal in juices and protect them from freezer burn,” Musgrave said.

One side of the paper is coated with either wax or plastic and provides a barrier to air and moisture that helps prolong the freshness, flavor and nutrition of your food while frozen, helping it last in your freezer for up to one year. Because the other side of the paper isn’t coated, it can be used to mark down the contents and pack date of the wrapped food.

Since freezer paper has a wax or plastic coating, it shouldn’t be heated ― otherwise, the wax or plastic will melt and ruin your food.

In a pinch, you can use heavy duty aluminium foil as freezer wrap, but because it can be torn and punctured easily, it’s best to use an overwrap, too.

“Wax paper can also replace freezer paper if you plan on eating the stored food in a short period of time,” Ritterman said. It’s not moisture-vapour resistant the way freezer paper is, though, so for longer storage times, freezer paper all the way.

Here’s Why You Should Never Boil Chopped Broccoli

Posted on 11/12/2023 by Boris Clair

Can I do nothing fright? First, comes the news that I’m boiling my potatoes wrong for mashing; then, it turned out I’ve been using my colander wrong this entire time.

And recently, I spotted an Instagram reel that changed how I view boiling broccoli.

If you’re anything like me, you’re used to chopping your broccoli into florets and adding it either to a steamer or boiling water. But it turns out you don’t need to face those green crumbles all over your chopping board to begin with, and you might not even need to whip the board out at all.

Andrei Emelianov’s Instagram page andre_lifehack, which is filled with (you guessed it) life hacks, revealed in a video that a better way to boil broccoli is to impale the stem with a chopstick or skewer, turn the broccoli upside down so the head is submerged in your pot’s water, and then lay either side of the implement on the rim.

This keeps the veg in place as it cooks ― and when it’s done, you don’t need to drain it. Simply remove the entire head and chop off the florets you want, mess-free.

Huh!

Yep! Lots of commenters mentioned that it’s wasteful to discard the delicious (and fibre-rich) stem, but you don’t have to ― save it and chop it for a pasta bake or grate it for tasty fritters.

Of course, nutritionists say boiling broccoli means you lose a lot of nutrients in the water, so if you choose to steam it instead, simply trim the stem of the entire head so the whole veg can fit in your lidded steamer basked.
You can save the trimmed stem for later. And even if you’re not boiling or steaming your broccoli, you can use one of Andre’s other food tricks shown in the video; turn the broccoli head upside down and run the water through the florets that way when washing it, rather than using the less-effective floret-side-up approach.

Any other tips?

Yep! The reel is brimming with wisdom.

For instance, you’re better off chopping a large veg (like squash) by placing a knife along the side of the gourd and rolling the whole vegetables. It makes the cut much easier.

Also, you’re probably cracking pistachios open wrong ― rather than pulling two sides of the shell apart, try pushing them together until they snap for a simple release.

Loosen grapes from their stalk by placing the whole bunch in a tea towel and gently rubbing the top half of the terrycloth parcel ― they’ll gradually evict themselves from their woody homes.

And solidified, cakey spices that are stuck in a jar can be loosened by circling the base of another spice jar over the inverted bottom of the affected container.

Lastly, you can cleanly remove flour from the bag by spinning a balloon whisk in the bag and lifting the filled utensil from the bag ― it’s amazingly mess-free.

You can see the tricks for yourself here:

The Secret To Perfect Apple Pie Is Hiding In Your Recycling

Posted on 27/11/2023 by Boris Clair

As an outsider, there are some things I have to hand to the UK. Crumpets? Delicious. A good roast? The words alone set me drooling. But when it comes to sweet pies, my Irish eyes have landed on a firm winner; those are best done by Americans.

If (like me) you’ve always wondered at cherry pies and craved a pecan tart, I reckon you’ll want to soak up all the cross-Atlantic pie wisdom you can get.

But recently, advice from a friend almost left me to question her knowledge; to bake the perfect double-crust apple pie, try placing it in a paper bag before lobbing it in the oven.

What?

I know! I was confused too. But it turns out the science is sound ― the bag keeps the air in a pie parcel, ensuring the filling stays tender.

On top of that, the bag provides a sort of cover to ensure your pie isn’t exposed directly to the heat of the oven; expect a more even golden colour, and a beautifully-consistent bite.

Of course, the method has its pitfalls. For instance, you’ll want to make sure your paper bag has no glue or plastic in it, as this can provide a horrible taste or, in the worst-case scenario, toxic fumes.

If you can’t be definite about how your paper bag was made, try making your own parchment envelope for your pie out of folded baking paper.

Secondly, make sure your paper doesn’t touch any of the heating elements in the oven directly ― this could cause it to singe and even burn. Keep a safe distance between your paper and the top or bottom of the oven, and the rack above it.

You’re also advised not to let the bag, or parchment, touch the top of the pie. Paperclip, or staple, the sides down; they risk burning if left to flap loose in the fan of your oven.

I know it sounds like a lot, but I promise it’s worth it ― I haven’t had a dessert that good, before or since.

Here’s TikToker and baking enthusiast sherry_skinner showing us how it’s done:

The 1 Key Upgrade To My Ice Cream Was Hiding In My Kitchen Cupboard

Posted on 18/11/2023 by Boris Clair

Winter schminter – ice cream is completely acceptable to scoff 365 days of the year in our opinion.

But before you tuck into that scoop of ice cream fresh outta the freezer, you’ve got one more thing to drizzle on it.

Strawberry sauce? Melted chocolate? No, what we’ve been recommended isn’t anything sweet.

Instead, it’s time to dive into that kitchen cupboard and reach for the… olive oil.

Yup, the very same olive oil you’ve been pouring on salads and using to fry stuff in – according to fans of the pairing, the richness of olive oil is a perfect pairing for the texture of ice cream.

Savoury and sweet are best friends, and olive oil complements the ice cream’s richness, resulting in a decadent dessert.

Don’t believe us? Well, First for Women writes that “A drizzle of olive oil over your scoop of ice cream may sound strange, but it adds a surprisingly rich, buttery note that perfectly complements the sweetness.”

Meanwhile, Serious Eats boasts that the flavour can also be fruity and peppery, depending on what type of olive oil you choose.

Then there’s the fact that it’s rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, meaning that extra virgin olive oil is one helluva healthier topping for your ice cream than chocolate or sweets.

Olive oil is in fact a very common topping for ice cream in Italian restaurants and olive oil ice cream (as in ice cream made with olive oil), is a popular dessert in Italy itself. Apparently making ice cream with olive oil makes it a lot smoother – which when you really think about it does make sense.

Want to take things even further? A good pinch of sea salt on your olive oil covered ice cream is the next step to a savoury/sweet dessert of dreams.

Move over hundreds and thousands.

Easy Recipes To Cook With Kids: Sticky Chicken And Fruity Loaf Cake

Posted on 23/09/2023 by Boris Clair

Getting children involved in the kitchen is something mother and author Annabel Karmel is incredibly passionate about.

So it’s perhaps no surprise then that her latest (and 50th) recipe book My First Cookbook is jam-packed with simple yet nutritious recipes that adults and kids can both get involved with making.

As busy working parents it can be hard to find the time and creativity, not to mention ingredients, to devise nutritious home-cooked meals, which is where My First Cookbook can help.

Expect fun lunchbox ideas such as Caterpillar Sandwiches, big batch meals like Teddy Bear Pasta and seasonal specials like Monster Pizzas and Gingerbread Men.

The book helps children learn essential hands-on kitchen skills – from simple sandwich making all the way to cake baking.

If you’re stuck for mealtime inspiration this weekend – and have a bit of time to spare to get your kids involved in the kitchen – we’ve got two of her brand new recipes to share.

Sticky chicken with sweet potato fries

Nobody can resist this sweet, sticky chicken, especially with healthy baked fries.

Serves 4 | Prep time 40 mins | Cooking time 25 mins

You’ll need: baking tray, baking paper

Ingredients

3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
500g (18oz) boneless chicken thighs, sliced into strips
3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1 teaspoon chopped thyme
3 tablespoons semolina

Method

Put the chicken into a medium mixing bowl. Add the ketchup, soy, honey and garlic, and mix together to coat the chicken. Leave for 30 minutes, then arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) Fan. Slice the sweet potatoes into thin chip shapes. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Add the oil and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and coat with semolina to make them crispy. Mix everything up with your hands. Spread out on the baking sheet in a single layer.

Put both baking sheets into the oven. Cook for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and golden brown and the fries are lightly golden and cooked through.

Banana and blueberry loaf cake

Slice up this fruit-filled loaf to make a delicious doggy face.

Serves 8 | Prep time 20 mins | Cooking time 60 mins

You’ll need: 900g (32oz) loaf tin, baking paper

Ingredients

150g (2/3 cup) butter, softened
125g (3/4 cup) light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g (7oz) overripe bananas, mashed, plus extra slices
225g (2 cups) self-raising flour
1 teaspoon mixed spice
100g (3.5oz) blueberries

To decorate

banana
a few blueberries
a few raspberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) Fan. Grease and line a loaf tin with non-stick paper.

Whisk the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, bananas, flour and mixed spice. Whisk together using an electric hand whisk.

Fold in the blueberries and spoon into the loaf tin. Bake in the oven for 50 mins-1 hour until well risen and lightly golden.

Slice into slices and arrange on a plate to look like a dog’s face and ears. Add banana slices and blueberries for the eyes and nose, and a raspberry for the tongue.

My First Cookbook by Annabel Karmel is available to buy now for £12.99.

12 Affordable, Delicious Meals You Can Cook With A Can Of Fish

Posted on 15/05/2022 by Boris Clair

If you think fancy chefs never reach for a can of tuna when they need to pull together a quick meal, we can’t help but say ”Sorry, Charlie.” We talked to chefs who regularly use canned tuna, salmon and other fishes as entrees and as ingredients in other dishes.

“I’m a big fan of conservas, which are preserved foods, such as pickles, jam or canned foods, which are ‘put up’ in jars or tins so the product lasts longer,” TV personality and chef Andrew Zimmern tells HuffPost, adding that they’re often less expensive by weight than other comparable proteins. “As meat and poultry prices continue to climb, home cooks can find tins of beautiful salmon, tuna – and mackerel, sardines, clams and mussels – in their local markets and save real dollars by incorporating them into their regular meal planning.”

It’s heartening to note that not only is canned fish often inexpensive, but it’s nutritious. “Canned fish contains omega-3s, with benefits include fighting inflammation, skin nourishing, gut healing, helping you feel full longer and more,” said Jen Smiley, founder of Wake Up & Read the Labels.

And then there’s the convenience factor. “The best thing about canned fish to me is that I can always have it on hand to make into a quick dinner,” said Christine Pittman, founder of CookTheStory. “If I forget to take the chicken out of the freezer, or if I run out of time and can’t get to the grocery store, having some canned fish on hand always saves the day.”

It’s an affordable option that’s probably already in your pantry

Chef Rossi, owner and executive chef of New York caterer The Raging Skillet, credits canned tuna with helping her keep body and soul together during a cash-strapped time. “When I left home to be a starving artist, I swiped an entire pantry shelf of tuna, which my mother had gotten with coupons,” she said. “I took her Ragu tomato sauce and dried pasta, too. I survived on a concoction of tomato sauce, canned tuna and olives I swiped from the bar next door.”

“Decades later, when I became a chef, I needed to create pasta special one day, so I mixed tuna we hadn’t sold for the lunchtime tuna melt special, marinara sauce, capers and olives to make ‘Starving Artist Pasta Puttanesca.’ It sold out.”

Think canned fish is too fishy? Try these fixes

“If you’re using a good-quality brand of canned fish, it shouldn’t be too fishy,” said Curtis Stone, chef and owner of Maude and Gwen Butcher Shop and Restaurant in Los Angeles. “I suggest relying on the acidity of lemon juice and zest and the brininess of capers to address any ‘fishiness’ issues.”

One tip is to pair canned fish with boldly flavoured ingredients, chef and cookbook author Robin Asbell said. “There’s a reason they put mayonnaise in tuna salad, since it’s got an assertive presence and lots of tang,” Abell said. “Adding in spices, chilies, crunchy vegetables, cornichons and olives all work to play down the fishy qualities.”

“Really, the hidden secret is in the sauce, so I suggest you think about mustard,” Smiley said. “Pour some on top and it’s all you’re tasting.”

What’s best: packed in oil or water?

The great debate among tuna lovers still rages on – oil-packed or water-packed?

Rossi insists on white albacore tuna in water. “I think ‘light’ tuna tastes fishy, and to this day I can tell when my tuna salad was made with light, not white,” she said. “Even the smallest amount of fishiness and I’m out the door.”

Another member of the packed-in-water fan club is Robin Selden, executive chef and managing partner of Marcia Selden Catering. “I love Bumble Bee white albacore tuna in water. It’s not fishy, it never has that canned fish taste – and it’s what I grew up with,” she said.

On the other side of the debate is Davis, who loves Chicken of the Sea in oil. “It’s moister that way,” he said.

For Asbell, it depends on the dish. “If you’re using it in a pasta and want lots of fishy umami, buy it in olive oil and use that oil in the recipe,” she said. “If you’re emphasising other flavours, buy water-packed, drain it well, and marinate it a bit before adding it to the dish.”

6 standout tuna dishes

Pan bagnat: “I love a good Niçoise salad, and this sandwich is all those great salad flavours packed into crusty and chewy bread,” Stone said. “It’s the perfect make-ahead sandwich to take to the beach or a picnic. The flavours marinate with a bit of time, but it’s just as delicious to eat straightaway.”

Here’s Curtis Stone’s recipe.

Tomato and tuna pasta: “I toss fresh heirloom tomatoes and oil-canned tuna into hot, drained pasta,” Selden said. “The pasta soaks up the olive oil, and the tomatoes almost blanch from the heat of the pasta. Hit it with some red pepper flakes, freshly grated Parmesan and freshly torn basil, and you’ll feel like you’re in Italy.”

Tonnato sauce: This classic Italian sauce is made with anchovies and tuna. “It’s one of the very best summer dishes,” Sandy Davis, chef for New York-based Roxo Events, said.

“I make the classic sauce for cold poached meat and a looser version to dress salads,” Zimmern said. While it came to fame as part of the dish viella tonnato, which is made with veal, you can swap out the meat in place of pasta, rice or beans, and you’ll still have a delicious meal at a lower cost.

Tuna croquettes: “One very nostalgic dish for me is my mom’s tuna croquette recipe, which involves mixing tuna, eggs and breadcrumbs, forming it into small patties, then sautéing,” Selden said. “It’s a very simple and delicious way to get kids to eat fish. It worked for my mom, and to this day we all love them.”

Tuna noodle casserole: “There isn’t a Baby Boomer around who isn’t familiar with good old tuna noodle casserole with crushed potato chips on top,” Davis said. “It’s fast, cheap and tasty. One can – or maybe two if you’ve got extra coins – will feed many folks.”

Tuna salad: “There are those times when comfort is needed, and you just have to break down and make the tuna salad of your grandmother,” Davis said. For me, that means using Miracle Whip, boiled eggs and sweet relish.”

Selden has a different take: “My go-to tuna salad uses Hellman’s mayonnaise — just enough to bind it together — freshly squeezed lemon juice, diced celery, sweet onion, green apple and lots of freshly chopped dill. The addition of tart, crunchy apples and savoury dill really do the trick. Slap that between two pieces of yummy bread and add some potato chips to your sandwich for even more crunch.”

Don't bother cooking fresh salmon for salmon burgers -- canned works perfectly. — Don’t bother cooking fresh salmon for salmon burgers — canned works perfectly.

6 superstar salmon dishes

Appetisers: “This simple canned salmon dip is always a crowd favourite,” Pittman said. “Another party treat is my lox dip recipe. I add canned salmon along with the lox (smoked salmon), so there’s a lot of salmon flavour, but at a lower cost.”

Creamy pasta sauce: “Warm up sour cream or crème fraîche with dill or parsley, garlic, salt and pepper,” Pittman said. “Then add canned fish until just heated through before tossing with cooked pasta.”

Salmon loaf: “If you want to dress up canned salmon, there’s a Great Depression favourite that my paternal grandmother used to make — salmon loaf with mustard cream sauce,” Davis said. “Use canned salmon, crushed saltines, eggs and mayo.”

Salade Niçoise with salmon tonnato sauce: “Trust me on this: Make a traditional Provençale salade Niçoise with salmon instead of tuna,” Zimmern said. “Dress the egg, tinned fish, potatoes, greens, tomatoes and olives with a tonnato sauce made with salmon instead of tuna. You’ll have your mind blown.”

Salmon burgers

“Mix together a can of salmon, two eggs, breadcrumbs, dill and lemon juice,” Pittman said. “You just need to heat the patties through and then pop them into buns, along with your favourite burger toppings.”

I Here’s the recipe.