Author:

Category: Starter

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 1½ kg Clams
• 50g Butter
• 150g Bacon
• 1 finely chopped Onion
• sprigs of fresh Thyme
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 tbls Plain Flour
• 150ml Milk
• 150ml Double Cream
• 2 medium Potatoes
• Chopped Parsley

Instructions:

Rinse the clams in several changes of cold water and drain well. Tip the clams into a large pan with 500ml of water. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 2 mins until the clams have just opened. Tip the contents of the pan into a colander over a bowl to catch the clam stock. When cool enough to handle, remove the clams from their shells – reserving a handful of empty shells for presentation if you want. Strain the clam stock into a jug, leaving any grit in the bottom of the bowl. You should have around 800ml stock.
Heat the butter in the same pan and sizzle the bacon for 3-4 mins until it starts to brown. Stir in the onion, thyme and bay and cook everything gently for 10 mins until the onion is soft and golden. Scatter over the flour and stir in to make a sandy paste, cook for 2 mins more, then gradually stir in the clam stock then the milk and the cream.
Throw in the potatoes, bring everything to a simmer and leave to bubble away gently for 10 mins or until the potatoes are cooked. Use a fork to crush a few of the potato chunks against the side of the pan to help thicken – you still want lots of defined chunks though. Stir through the clam meat and the few clam shells, if you've gone down that route, and simmer for a minute to reheat. Season with plenty of black pepper and a little salt, if needed, then stir through the parsley just before ladling into bowls or hollowed-out crusty rolls.

Category: Chicken

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 450ml Chicken Stock
• 3 Chicken Breast
• 75g Butter
• 2 sliced Leek
• 2 cloves minced Garlic
• 50g Plain Flour
• 200ml Milk
• 3 tbs White Wine
• 150ml Double Cream
• 150g Ham
• spinkling Sea Salt
• pinch Pepper
• 350g Plain Flour
• 200g Butter
• 1 Free-range Egg, Beaten
• 1 tbls Cold Water
• 1 Free-range Egg, Beaten

Instructions:

Heat the chicken stock in a lidded saucepan. Add the chicken breast and bring to a low simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts from the water with tongs and place on a plate. Pour the cooking liquor into a large jug.
Melt 25g/1oz of the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Stir in the leeks and fry gently for two minutes, stirring occasionally until just softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the remaining butter and stir in the flour as soon as the butter has melted. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Slowly pour the milk into the pan, just a little at a time, stirring well between each adding. Gradually add 250ml/10fl oz of the reserved stock and the wine, if using, stirring until the sauce is smooth and thickened slightly. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 minutes.
Season the mixture, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the heat and stir in the cream. Pour into a large bowl and cover the surface of the sauce with cling ilm to prevent a skin forming. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Put a baking tray in the oven to heat.
For the pastry, put the flour and butter in a food processor and blend on the pulse setting until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, add the beaten egg and water and blend until the mixture forms a ball. Portion off 250g/10oz of pastry for the lid.
Roll the remaining pastry out on a lightly floured surface, turning the pastry frequently until around 5mm/¼in thick and 4cm/1½in larger than the pie dish. Lift the pastry over the rolling pin and place it gently into the pie dish. Press the pastry firmly up the sides, making sure there are no air bubbles. Leave the excess pastry overhanging the sides.
Cut the chicken breasts into 3cm/1¼in pieces. Stir the chicken, ham and leeks into the cooled sauce. Pour the chicken filling into the pie dish. Brush the rim of the dish with beaten egg. Roll out the reserved pastry for the lid.
Cover the pie with the pastry lid and press the edges together firmly to seal. Trim any excess pastry.
Make a small hole in the centre of the pie with the tip of a knife. Glaze the top of the pie with beaten egg. Bake on the preheated tray in the centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the pie is golden-brown all over and the filling is piping hot.

Category: Chicken

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Butter
• 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 5 boneless Chicken
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cut into 1/2-inch cubes Squash
• 1 Head chopped Broccoli
• 8-ounce sliced mushrooms
• 1 red Pepper
• 1 chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 16 ounces bowtie pasta
• pinch Salt
• pinch Pepper
• chopped Parsley

Instructions:

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of each chicken breast with seasoned salt and a pinch of pepper. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the boiling water with a few generous pinches of kosher salt. Add the pasta and give it a stir. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta. Remove the chicken from the pan and transfer it to a cutting board; allow it to rest. Turn the heat down to medium and dd the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and olive oil to the same pan you used to cook the chicken. Add the veggies (minus the garlic) and red pepper flakes to the pan and stir to coat with the oil and butter (refrain from seasoning with salt until the veggies are finished browning). Cook, stirring often, until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and a generous pinch of salt and pepper to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Continue to cook until the wine has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Stir in the milk, heavy cream, and reserved pasta water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil and allow to simmer and reduce for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the Parmesan cheese and cooked pasta. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, if desired.

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 50g Butter
• 250g Self-raising Flour
• 1 small Vanilla
• 50g Suet
• 150ml Milk
• 100g Raspberry Jam
• to serve Custard

Instructions:

Put a deep roasting tin onto the bottom shelf of the oven, and make sure that there’s another shelf directly above it. Pull the roasting tin out on its shelf, fill two-thirds with boiling water from the kettle, then carefully slide it back in. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tear off a large sheet of foil and greaseproof paper (about 30 x 40cm). Sit the greaseproof on top of the foil and butter it.
Tip butter, flour and vanilla seeds into a food processor; pulse until the butter has disappeared. Tip into a mixing bowl. Stir through the suet, pour in the milk and work together with a cutlery knife until you get a sticky dough. You may need a drop more milk, depending on your flour.
Tip the dough out onto a floured surface, quickly pat together to smooth, then roll out to a square roughly 25 x 25cm. Spread the jam all over, leaving a gap along one edge, then roll up from the opposite edge. Pinch the jam-free edge into the dough where it meets, and pinch the ends roughly, too. Carefully lift onto the greased paper, join-side down (you might find a flat baking sheet helpful for this), loosely bring up the paper and foil around it, then scrunch together along the edges and ends to seal. The roly-poly will puff quite a bit during cooking so don’t wrap it tightly. Lift the parcel directly onto the rack above the tin and cook for 1 hr.
Let the pudding sit for 5 mins before unwrapping, then carefully open the foil and paper, and thickly slice to serve.

Category: Breakfast

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 oz Cream Cheese
• 1 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• Flour
• 2 Puff Pastry
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Blackberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC), and prepare two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until fully combined. Lightly flour the surface and roll out puff pastry on top to flatten. Cut each sheet of puff pastry into 9 equal squares. On the top right and bottom left of the pastry, cut an L shape approximately ½ inch (1 cm) from the edge.
NOTE: This L shape should reach all the way down and across the square, however both L shapes should not meet at the ends. Your pastry should look like a picture frame with two corners still intact.
Take the upper right corner and fold down towards the inner bottom corner. You will now have a diamond shape.
Place 1 to 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese filling in the middle, then place berries on top.
Repeat with the remaining pastry squares and place them onto the parchment covered baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown and puffed.
Enjoy!

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 chopped Onion
• 1 chopped Carrots
• 1 stalk chopped Celery
• 1 tablespoon minced Garlic
• 2 cups Cannellini Beans
• 1 Canned tomatoes
• 4 cups Water
• 1 fresh sprig Rosemary
• 1 fresh sprig Thyme
• 1 pound chopped Kale
• 4 thick slices Wholegrain Bread
• 1 thinly sliced Red Onions
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions:

Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When it’s hot, add onion, carrot, celery and garlic; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
Heat the oven to 500 degrees. Drain the beans; if they’re canned, rinse them as well. Add them to the pot along with tomatoes and their juices and stock, rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat so the soup bubbles steadily; cover and cook, stirring once or twice to break up the tomatoes, until the flavors meld, 15 to 20 minutes.
Fish out and discard rosemary and thyme stems, if you like, and stir in kale. Taste and adjust seasoning. Lay bread slices on top of the stew so they cover the top and overlap as little as possible. Scatter red onion slices over the top, drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Put the pot in the oven and bake until the bread, onions and cheese are browned and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. (If your pot fits under the broiler, you can also brown the top there.) Divide the soup and bread among 4 bowls and serve.

Category: Seafood

Area: Malaysian

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 finely sliced Red Chilli
• 2 ½ tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 400ml can coconut milk
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• 100g rice noodles
• 2 juice of 1, the other halved lime
• 150g king prawns
• ½ small pack coriander

Instructions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the chilli. Cook for 1 min, then add the curry paste, stir and cook for 1 min more. Dissolve the stock cube in a large jug in 700ml boiling water, then pour into the pan and stir to combine. Tip in the coconut milk and bring to the boil.
Add the fish sauce and a little seasoning. Toss in the noodles and cook for a further 3-4 mins until softening. Squeeze in the lime juice, add the prawns and cook through until warm, about 2-3 mins. Scatter over some of the coriander.
Serve in bowls with the remaining coriander and lime wedges on top for squeezing over.

Category: Chicken

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 1½ tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 rashers (100g) chopped dry-cured Bacon
• 12 small Shallots
• 2 (460g) Chicken Legs
• 4 (650g) Chicken Thighs
• 2 (280g) Chicken Breasts
• 3 finely chopped Garlic
• 3 tbsp Brandy
• 600ml Red Wine
• 150ml Chicken Stock
• 2 tsp tomato puree
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs Rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• garnish parsley
• 250g chestnut mushroom
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 tsp butter

Instructions:

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or flameproof dish. Tip in the bacon and fry until crisp. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Add the shallots to the pan and fry, stirring or shaking the pan often, for 5-8 mins until well browned all over. Remove and set aside with the bacon.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with kitchen paper. Pour the remaining oil into the pan, then fry half the chicken pieces, turning regularly, for 5-8 mins until well browned. Remove, then repeat with the remaining chicken. Remove and set aside.
Scatter in the garlic and fry briefly, then, with the heat medium-high, pour in the brandy or Cognac, stirring the bottom of the pan to deglaze. The alcohol should sizzle and start to evaporate so there is not much left.
Return the chicken legs and thighs to the pan along with any juices, then pour in a little of the wine, stirring the bottom of the pan again. Stir in the rest of the wine, the stock and tomato purée, drop in the bouquet garni, season with pepper and a pinch of salt, then return the bacon and shallots to the pan. Cover, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, add the chicken breasts and cook for 50 mins-1hr.
Just before ready to serve, heat the oil for the mushrooms in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the mushrooms and fry over a high heat for a few mins until golden. Remove and keep warm.
Lift the chicken, shallots and bacon from the pan and transfer to a warmed serving dish. Remove the bouquet garni. To make the thickener, mix the flour, olive oil and butter in a small bowl using the back of a teaspoon. Bring the wine mixture to a gentle boil, then gradually drop in small pieces of the thickener, whisking each piece in using a wire whisk. Simmer for 1-2 mins. Scatter the mushrooms over the chicken, then pour over the wine sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Category: Dessert

Area: Canadian

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Water
• 2 parts Yeast
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 6 tblsp Butter
• 2 Eggs
• 1 ½ tsp Salt
• 2-1/2 cups Flour
• for frying Oil
• garnish Lemon
• garnish Sugar
• garnish Cinnamon

Instructions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add warm water, a big pinch of sugar and yeast. Allow to sit until frothy.
Into the same bowl, add 1/2 cup sugar, warm milk, melted butter, eggs and salt, and whisk until combined.
Place a dough hook on the mixer, add the flour with the machine on, until a smooth but slightly sticky dough forms.
Place dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to proof for 1 1/2 hours.
Cut dough into 12 pieces, and roll out into long oval-like shapes about 1/4 inch thick that resemble a beaver’s tail.
In a large, deep pot, heat oil to 350 degrees. Gently place beavertail dough into hot oil and cook for 30 to 45 seconds on each side until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels, and garnish as desired. Toss in cinnamon sugar, in white sugar with a squeeze of lemon, or with a generous slathering of Nutella and a handful of toasted almonds. Enjoy!

Category: Dessert

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana
• 3 tbsp Cacao
• 1 Avocado
• 2 tblsp Honey
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 2 tbsp Water
• pinch Sea Salt

Instructions:

1. Blend all the mousse ingredients together in your food processor until smooth. Add the cacao powder first and, as you blend, have all the ingredients to hand in order to adjust the ratios slightly as the size of avocados and bananas varies so much. The perfect ratio in order to avoid the dish tasting too much of either is to use equal amounts of both.

2. Taste and add a few drops of stevia if you feel you need more sweetness.

3. Fill little cups or shot glasses with the mousse, sprinkle with the cacao powder or nibs and serve.

Tip If you don’t have a frozen banana to hand you can just use a normal one and then chill the mousse before serving for a cooling dessert.