Seaweed Bread
Posted: August 20, 2019 Filed under: Bread 5 Comments
Wotchers!
Yes, we’re back from holidays in La belle France and I’m plunging straight in with some DRAMATIC CONFESSIONS!
(Not really).
Confession Time: I don’t eat fish.
Actually, that’s not strictly true. Every six months or so I’ll indulge in a can of tuna and for the first few bites I think “Hey, this is really good, I should eat this more often!”, but by the end I’m already thinking “Yeah… nope.” I make a delightful smoked makerel pate and delicious salmon fishcakes… I just don’t like eating them. Seafood is a complete no.
But I love the seaside, and the beach and the salty foam of the waves and the blustery winds because it’s the epitome of holiday.
In the French region where we go on holiday (Charente-Maritime), there is a small bakery in a nearby town which was runner-up in a nationwide competition (La Meilleur Patisserie de France). My daughter maintains theirs are the best croissants she’s ever had. They have a couple of house specialities – their strawberry tart is exceptional – and they also make a Baguette des Algues with flakes of seaweed.
I tried to buy one this summer, but with fantastic planning, managed to drive over there on the one morning they were shut (third time we’ve done this in recent years). Undaunted, I decided to MacGyver my own recipe.
Further Confession Time: You probably won’t have all the ingredients in your cupboards to make this.
However, they are easily obtainable, and I’m making this post on a weekday so that you have time to order/buy them in preparation for some weekend baking.
For a number of years I have been using freeze-fried fruit powders to give both colour and flavour to cakes and bakes. Increasingly, there are an expanding range of vegetable powders such as beetroot, spinach, tomato, mushroom and now kelp. I ordered them from here.
I added some kelp powder and a few shredded nori sheets to a basic white bread dough. If you’re unsure whether you’ll like this flavouring, you could try just with nori sheets, which are available in most supermarkets. I would suggest adding a few extra sheets to ensure the flavour is there.
I cut the risen dough into finger rolls. That’s right – cut – no shaping or pummeling after the first rise.
The results are perfect for enjoying with bisques or chowders or any fish dish, slicing and using to serve appetisers of anything fish-related, but are also delicious just with salty butter – making a real taste of the shore. Even my fish-hating tastebuds love this.
Of course, if you grilled it, it would make delicious Coast Toast. 😀
Sorry, I’ll show myself out.
Seaweed Bread
500g strong white bread flour
50g powdered kelp
5 nori sheets – cut into 5mm squares
1tsp salt
1 sachet fast-action yeast
400-ish ml warm water/milk + water/whey to mix
- Put all of the dry ingredients into the bowl of a mixer.
- Add most of the water, and mix slowly, adding more as you see fit. You might need a little extra liquid as the kelp and nori might absorb more.
- Knead the dough on slow or by hand for 10 minutes.
- Knead on fast for two minutes.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
- Tip out the risen dough and gently pat into a rectangle.
- Divide the dough into finger rolls, or shape as you please.
- Transfer to a lined baking sheet and sprinkle with flour.
- Cover lightly with cling film and allow to prove for another 30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan.
- Bake rolls for 20 minutes, or loaves for 35-45 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack. If you want the crusts to be soft, cover the hot bread with a clean towel and leave to cool.
Hokkaido Double Cheesecake
Posted: July 18, 2019 Filed under: Cakes, Desserts 6 Comments
Wotchers!
This recipe is a perfect summer dessert and, for a cheesecake, is very maker-friendly.
Most delightfully, this cheesecake is light. Light, light, light. Each mouthful is a cloud of deliciousness on your tongue, a delicate waft of creamy flavours that dissolves in a puff of….
[crickets]
[tumbleweed]
[crickets]
OK, so I’ve sat here trying to think of something to end that, frankly embarrassing, stream of pretentiousness and come up blank – mostly due to me just having taken a bite of said cheesecake in order to try and capture the experience and kinda just got lost in appreciation.
ANYHOO…
Sidetracking on to the composition….
This is a three-layer cheesecake consisting of a fatless sponge base, a baked cream-cheese layer and a mascarpone mousse layer all covered with a dusting of sponge cake crumbs.
Baked cheesecakes can be a source of worry, through fear of overbaking and thereby causing cracks to appear once they cool down. With this recipe, that kind of stress is eliminated, because the baked layer is covered with the mascarpone mousse layer. And if, while your mousse is chilling, the clingfilm sticks to the top, causing wrinkles to be created as the gelatine sets, it’s not a drama, because the whole thing is covered with the crumbs, giving it an appearance that just reinforces the lightness and fluffiness of the cake as a whole.
Fans of this blog will already be familiar with one type of Japanese cheesecake, but this recipe is on a whole other level. I was initially sceptical of the lack of flavourings, but it is absolutely the right decision. The flavour of the sponge and the cheeses are delicate but distinct and as I’ve already mentioned, light, light, light. After tasting, there’s none of the ‘Excuse me while I fall into a dairy coma’ or ‘Help! Help! My arteries are filling with cheesecake’ feelings associated with too much indulging of regular baked cheesecakes.
You’ve probably realised by now that this is not my recipe. It is, in fact, the signature bake of the LeTAO bakery chain from the city of Otaru, on the island of Hokkaido, Japan where it sells for 1728 Yen (£12.85). In an unusually generous move, the bakery has shared both its recipe and method online, which is where I stumbled across it. (Linky for the curious).
The English subtitles are a bit bonkers. They start off OK-ish – “The first thing to make is the sponge fabric that forms the basis of google fromage”, move swiftly on to “If baked skin becomes full-coloured, [musics], Sponge cloth no” and before you know it, we’re at “Simmer outside the last emperor.”
So I decided to help spread the word of this delightful dessert and add details where there were none, and calm down the bonkers to ‘mildly eccentric’.
I hope you like it.
Hokkaido Double Cheesecake
It’s best to prepare this the day before it is wanted, and allow the mousse to set overnight in the fridge. This will make a cake to serve six to eight people, depending on the generosity of your slices. Or just one.
Fatless Sponge
2 large eggs
70g caster sugar
60g plain flour
- Heat the oven to 170°C, 150°C Fan.
- Sift the flour.
- Grease and line the sides and base of a 15cm round cake tin* with baking parchment. Grease the parchment.
- Put the eggs and the sugar into a metal bowl over simmering water and whisk until light and fluffy and a temperature of 50°-60°C. Using an electric whisk, this will take 10-15 minutes.
- Fold in the flour then pour the mixture into the prepared tin.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until risen and golden brown.
- Allow to cool in the tin for ten minutes, then turn out onto a cloth-covered rack to cool completely.
- Reduce the oven heat to 150°C, 130°C Fan.
- Clean and re-line your tin with parchment.
- Cut a horizontal slice from the cake 2cm¹ deep and lay it in the bottom of your pan
Cream cheese filling
140g cream cheese
50g caster sugar
4g plain flour
30ml double cream
1 large egg
- Put all of the ingredients into a bowl and whisk to a smooth consistency.
- Pour the mixture over the sponge base.
- Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the edges are set and the middle wobbly. It will carry on cooking as it cools.
- Set aside to cool, then chill in the fridge.
Mascarpone mousse
1 sheet gelatine²
140g double cream²
30g caster sugar
25ml water
1 large yolk
60g Mascarpone cheese
- Put the gelatine to soak in water.
- Whisk the double cream until firm. Set aside.
- Put the sugar, water and yolk in a metal bowl over simmering water and whisk until fluffy and thickened slightly.
- Add the gelatine and stir until melted.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the mascarpone.
- Fold in the whipped cream.
- Sieve the mixture if it is not smooth (I found this unnecessary) and pour over the baked cheesecake layer.
- Cover and chill in the fridge overnight.
To Finish
the remains of the fatless sponge
A little cream
-
- Trim the crust from the top/bottom/edges of the cake, leaving just the golden crumb, and break it into pieces.
- Add the cake pieces to the bowl of a food processor and blitz until crumbs.
- Remove the cheesecake from the tin.
- Using a pastry brush, paint a thin layer of cream over the top and sides of the cheesecake.
- Sprinkle the crumbs over the top of the cake and press lightly into the sides so that the whole cake is covered with this pale yellow down of cake crumbs.
- Serve.
In case you missed it: Over on DejaFood.uk the latest post is Sultan Cream Tart.
* It might be my eyes playing tricks on me, but from the video it certainly looks as if the size of the tin changes, getting larger from baking to filling. Whilst you can make this in a larger tin, the layers will obviously be much thinner than the 2cm in the above photo. I like how, with the thicker sponge layer, it’s pretty much three equal layers. If you don’t have a tin this small, consider doubling the recipe to keep the layers impressive.
¹ The original recipe says 1cm, but I find that a bit thin to provide any kind of ‘support’ for the filling – it is such a light sponge, when the 1cm sponge layer draws moisture from the baked layer it becomes over-saturated and soggy.
² The original recipe called for 3g powdered gelatine and didn’t appear to distinguish what type of cream. I prefer working with sheet gelatine, so I tried this recipe with both double and whipping cream, and using one and two sheets respectively. Overall, the double cream/1 sheet had the better texture, a barely-there set that melted in the mouth. The whipping cream/2 sheet version was fine, just a little firm for my tastes.
Checkerboard Tarts
Posted: June 7, 2019 Filed under: Budget, Pastry, Shortcrust, Side Dishes | Tags: broccoli, Budget, cauliflower, picnic, side dish, simple, tart, vegetarian 3 Comments
Wotchers!
This recipe is all about simplicity, and enjoying the delicate flavours of two of my favourite vegetables: beautiful florets of cauliflower and broccoli nestled in crisp shortcrust pastry, delicately seasoned with a light and creamy egg custard.
Underneath the eye-catching exterior, it is a broccoli and cauliflower quiche, but with a slightly different approach and a few minutes devoted to presentation, it can be quite the showstopper.
The pastry base is baked completely, for maximum crispness, the creamy egg filling is poured in and the briefly blanched vegetables are then arranged in a delightful checkerboard pattern. Covering the whole with a tight seal of foil allows the vegetables to cook to al-dente perfection while the custard sets, without becoming discoloured from the heat of the oven. The vegetable stalks, nestled in the creamy filling, cook through perfectly, and the florets gently steam in the resulting moisture, retaining their bright colour.
It can be served warm or cold, as an accompaniment or a side dish. It slices beautifully and thus can be enjoyed as an an usual addition to a picnic hamper.
Best of all, although possibly not for those of you who love the rigid formality of recipes, it can be made in whatever size and shape you like. Originally, I only planned the large size, but in trimming the florets to even sizes, found myself with numerous smaller, but still perfectly-formed florets, and so made smaller tarts, and even tiny individual ones too.
The only limit is how prepared you are for the sometimes fiddly process of arranging the florets. My solution for minimising the Faffâ„¢ is to, in the first instance, arrange the florets in the empty pastry case, then remove them in rows and lay them neatly in order to one side, add the filling to the tart case, then lift the florets back into position in rows. Should you have a mishap, and one or more of your florets tumble into the filling, take a moment to rinse off the egg mixture otherwise the overall effect will be spoiled.
A mentioned above, the main enjoyment comes from the delicate flavours, but you could also add other ingredients to the filling, if you’d like to turn up the taste volume.
Checkerboard Tarts
The quantities are, to a large extent, dictated by the size and number of tarts you want to make. The unused vegetables can be stored in the fridge for several days and then steamed for a just five minutes before serving as accompaniments to other meals. Be sure to get the freshest, whitest cauliflower and the firmest, crispest broccoli (the florets should not move when you poke them) for maximum colour and visual impact.
1-2 fresh, white cauliflower
2-3 large florets of broccoli
shortcrust pastry – I prefer my cornflour shortcrust.
egg-white for glazing
500ml low-fat crème fraiche
2 large eggs
salt and pepper
- Cut the vegetables into large florets and steam for five minutes over boiling water.
- Put a clean cloth on a baking tray and lay the vegetables on top to cool. Set aside until required.
- Prepare the baking tin. For the large tart I used a deep spring-form tin and laid the pastry only half-way up the sides. The vegetables also sat neatly inside the sides of the tin. For shallower tins, the vegetables will sit a little higher.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan.
- Roll the pastry out to a thickness of 5mm and line your baking tin. Trim the sides to a height of about 3cm. Poke holes in the bottom to let out the steam, using a fork.
- Line the tin with parchment and baking beads/rice and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove the parchment/beads/rice and return to the oven for another 8-10 minutes until cooked through.
- Whisk the egg-white until frothy, then use a pastry brush to ‘paint’ the inside of the tart with it thoroughly.
- Return the tart case to the oven for two minutes to cook the egg-white. Set aside to cool.
- Reduce the oven heat to 150°C, 130°C Fan.
- Trim the vegetables to florets of even sizes of about 5cm. The exact size will be dictated by the size/shape of your tin. You want them to fit snugly together, to hold their shape.
- Once the pastry case has cooled, arrange the florets in a pattern until it is full, to ensure you have sufficient florets prepared. You will probably need to trim the stalks to no longer than 3cm.
- When your tart is full, carefully remove the florets and set them aside in rows, so they can easily be returned to the tart once the filling is added.
- Whisk together the crème fraiche and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. If the tart is to be eaten cold, be generous with the seasoning, as flavours will be slightly muted when chilled.
- Pour the filling into the pastry case to within 5mm of the top of the pastry. Arrange the blanched vegetables back into place.
- Cover the tin tightly with foil and bake until the filling is set. For a large tin, this will be about 45 minutes, smaller tins around 35 minutes and mini tins 25 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly before removing from the tin(s).
Rainbow Slices
Posted: May 22, 2019 Filed under: Biscuits, Cakes Leave a comment
Wotchers!
Here’s a colourful idea that looks fantastic, and is a doddle to make.
It’s a Legoâ„¢ recipe in that I’ve taken a bit from here and a bit from there and smooshed (that’s definitely a word, right?) them together to make me the hero of the school lunch box. Based on the resounding cries of delight they elicited, I decided to use my superpowers for good and share, so you all can be heroes too.
I used the Cream Cakes recipe as a sheet cake, dividing the batter and flavouring half with vanilla and half with raspberry, adding a little food colouring to the raspberry half. Then I made some rice-krispie treats using Rainbow Drops (found in the sweetie aisle), and pressed them into a flat layer one ‘drop’ thick. Cut in half, I then used them, whilst warm, to sandwich the sponge cake. A light pressing while cooling, or afterwards in the fridge and it’s possible to get a fantastically crisp cut through the two contrasting textures.
If they’re still sticky when cool, you can either press on more Rainbow Drops or wrap in rice paper, which is also fun to eat when peeled off, or indeed munched on in situ.
Rainbow Slices
I used raspberry and vanilla for the marbled cake, but you can use any combination you like, or even just go with the one colour/flavour for simplicity.
For the cake
150g caster sugar
2 large eggs
125ml cream – double or clotted
150g plain flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
a few drops of raspberry flavouring
burgundy/claret food colouring
1tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan.
- Grease and line a shallow baking tin of approx 20cm x 30cm with parchment.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the sugar. Beat with a balloon whisk (or by hand or stand mixer) until the eggs are frothy and the sugar dissolved – about 5 minutes.
- Add the cream and whisk in.
- Divide the mixture into two and add the colouring and flavourings to the respective halves
- Sift the flour and baking powder together then divide into two and fold half into each batch of cake mixture.
- Drop blobs of the cake mixture into the prepared tin until the tin has an even layer of cake mixture.
- Swirl the colours together if liked.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until risen and slightly shrunken from the edges of the tin.
- Lay a clean cloth over a wire rack and turn out the cake onto the cloth. Set aside to cool.
For the Rainbow Slices
50g butter
150g marshmallows
200g Rainbow Drops + a few more just in case
butter/spray for moulding
rice paper (optional)
- Lightly grease or butter a silpat sheet on which to mould your Rainbow Slices.
- Melt the butter in a pan then add the marshmallows and stir over a medium heat until melted.
- Cook for a further two minutes, then remove from the heat, add the Rainbow Drops and stir to coat.
- Tip out onto the greased silpat mat. Lightly grease/butter your hands to prevent sticking and press the coated Rainbow Drops into a flat, even layer about 1cm thick, making sure to fill in any holes. It will make quite a large sheet. Cut the sheet in half.
- Whilst the Drops sheets are still warm, lay the cake onto one sheet, and lay the second sheet on top of the cake, sandwiching it in-between.
- Put a sheet of parchment over the top of the cake and rest one or two baking sheets on top, just to press everything together firmly as it cools.
- When cold, wrap in buttered plastic (or add the rice paper and use regular cling film) and transfer to the fridge to chill thoroughly. Continue to press with weights if necessary.
- When chilled, use a sharp, serrated knife to first trim the edges neatly to reveal the layers, then cut into serving portions.
- Store in an airtight container.
Picnic Loaves
Posted: May 17, 2019 Filed under: Bread, Sandwiches | Tags: cheese, easy, hummus, loaf, picnic, quick, quick bread, sausage, snack, vegetarian Leave a comment
Wotchers!
In my quest to find tasty recipes for you, I often find myself poking round some odd corners of the internet. Recently, this has taken me to some delightful Russian blogs, where I found this week’s deliciousness.
It is for a flavour-filled picnic loaf, or snack loaf, seen on the left above and is one of the speediest mixings I’ve ever found – you can mix and bake this in about an hour. Additionally, many of it’s components are regular storecupboard or fridge dwellers, making it a snip to bake at short notice. I’ve called it a Picnic Loaf because I suspect the Russian title (Snack Cupcake) lost something in the Google-Translation. I’ve also made it a little healthier by substituting the original sour cream for low fat creme fraiche.
The texture is unusual in that it is incredibly light and tender, even with all the added flavourings, and when toasted, the crunchy outsides contrast deliciously with the soft interior of the slice. It is packed with regular protein – diced cheese and sausage – and texture and even more protein is achieved with the addition of cooked kidney beans, which are a real delight to bite into as well as eye-catching with their red skins and pale interiors.
Initially I was just going to post the one recipe, but then realised it would exclude all the non-meat eaters. Then I thought I could crack a joke by saying “Look, it’ a loaf for everyone: there’s sausage for the meat eaters, cheese for the vegetarians and beans for the vegans” but realised that would be in poor (yet still delicious) taste. So I decided to create a second, vegetarian version. Alas, with the dairy and eggs, making it vegan is a stretch too far, but that said, I’m really pleased with what I came up with, because I think it’s actually more delicious than the original.
Inspired by the addition of the kidney beans, and having a tin to hand, I set about creating something chick-pea based. After much metaphorical pencil-chewing, I was really struggling to come up with replacements for the cheese and the sausage, so I gave up that idea entirely and decided to make hummus bread: not to dip into, but a bread that tastes like hummus. With a little parsley for colour and a couple of trials tweaking proportions, it came out better than I had imagined. And toasted – it’s fantastic.
Sausage and Cheese Picnic Loaf
You don’t need to be heading out on a picnic to make this, my daughter has been enjoying a couple of slices toasted as an after-school snack.
1 x 400g tin kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 x 200g smoked u-shaped sausage – diced
200g sharp cheese – I used vintage cheddar – diced
3 large eggs
200g low fat creme fraiche
200g mayonnaise
1tsp salt
250g self-raising flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C Fan.
- Grease a large loaf tin. I used this one (IKEA), to give a squarer slice, but a regular large loaf tin is also fine.
- Whisk together the eggs, creme fraiche and the mayonnaise.
- Sift together the salt, flour and bicarbonate of soda, then add to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the cheese, sausage and beans and stir briefly to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the tin around and bake for another 20 minutes for a total of 50 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edges and gently tip the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool. The sides will be browned but not crusty, so handle it carefully whilst hot.
Hummus Loaf
The method is practically the same as the loaf above, but I’ll write it out here as well, to save you from scrolling up and down.
1 x 400g tin chick peas, drained and rinsed.
handful of roughly chopped flatleaf parsley
3 large eggs
100g tahini
50g olive oil
200g reduced fat creme fraiche
50g mayonnaise
1tsp garlic paste
2tbs lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 rounded tsp ground cumin
250g self-raising flour
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C Fan.
- Grease a large loaf tin. I used this one (IKEA), to give a squarer slice, but a regular large loaf tin is also fine.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients: eggs, tahini, olive oil, creme fraiche, mayonnaise, garlic paste and lemon juice.
- Sift together the salt, cumin, flour and bicarbonate of soda, then add to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Add the parsley and chick peas and stir briefly to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth over the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then turn the tin around and bake for another 20 minutes for a total of 50 minutes.
- Run a knife around the edges and gently tip the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool. The sides will be browned but not crusty, so handle it carefully whilst hot.
Three-Ingredient Treats
Posted: April 23, 2019 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment
Wotchers!
Two treats for you today – each one minimalist on ingredients, maximum on deliciousness.
Much as I love creating challenging showstoppers such as the Seven Veils Cake or the Orange Mousse Cake, sometimes a treat that takes just minutes to prepare can be just as gratifying. I’m convinced that the very brevity of their creation contributes greatly to their enjoyment.
So I have two recipes this week that each require only three ingredients – although you can tweak one of them with additional flavourings if you like.
Salted Caramel Ice-Cream
This is a variation on the world’s easiest ice-cream. Home-made ice-cream is divine but alas for me, my kitchen is tiny, measuring just 2m x 3m. With limited cupboard and counter space, I have a strict rule that everything must be multifunctional in order to earn/retain its place and an ice-cream maker is just not feasible – it’s (relatively) large and it does one job, so it’s 0-for-2 right there.
Consequently, when I discovered the joys of the world’s simplest, no-churn ice-cream several years ago, I was delighted. The original recipe called for a tin of sweetened, condensed milk, a vanilla pod and a pint of double cream. Whisked together to firm peaks, you just spoon it into a plastic box and freeze overnight. It needs no stirring to break down ice crystals and when first frozen is almost unbelievably soft to scoop. It will firm up slightly over subsequent days, but it tastes so good, it is unlikely to last that long.
This variation swaps out the original condensed milk and vanilla for the caramel variation that Carnation have been producing for the past few years, and adds a scant teaspoon of sea salt for an absolutely incredible TASTE SENSATION as Peter Kay might put it.
As incredible and fantastic as this ice-cream is, I do feel obligated to point out that the calorific content of this recipe is 4000 kCal, which is the equivalent of a full two-days of regular food intake. A little of what you fancy does you good, inhaling an entire weekend’s worth of calories in one sitting, not so much. Snack wisely, my friends.
1 x 397g tin Carnation Caramel
600ml double cream
0.5-1tsp sea salt flakes.
- Open the tin of caramel and stir it well, until it becomes loose and pourable. This will make it easier to mix in with the cream.
- Pour the double cream into a bowl and whisk until it holds soft peaks.
- Add the caramel to the cream, stirring it with the whisk to combine.
- Sprinkle in the salt. I recommend under- rather than over-salting. You can always add more salt to serve, but too much at this stage could ruin the whole batch.
- Whisk the mixture to stiff peaks.
- Spoon the mixture into a plastic box, cover and freeze overnight.
- Serve with a sprinkling of salt if liked.
Carrot Rochers
These delightful snacks are the work of just moments to create and can be enjoyed with whatever quantities of ingredients you have to hand as it is one of my favourite types of recipe – the proportional recipe.
You can tweak the flavour of your rochers with the use of additional flavourings – a little lemon juice/zest, or spices from your favourite carrot cake recipe, or just enjoy them as is. They’re a moist and satisfying treat without being overly sweet. I’ve use finely desiccated coconut I found in the Indian food section of the supermarket. Coarser shredded coconut will give a more rustic texture to the finished rochers.
In terms of storage, I have successfully kept a batch in the fridge for a full two weeks.
Boiled/steamed carrots
An equal weight to the carrots of finely desiccated coconut
Half the weight of carrots in caster sugar.
Lemon zest/juice (optional)
Carrot cake spices (optional)
Desiccated coconut for coating
- Puree the carrots to a smooth paste with either a stick blender or a liquidiser. The stick blender is very useful if you only have a small quantity of carrots.
- Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
- Add the coconut and any other flavourings/spices and mix thoroughly.
- The mixture should hold together when pressed. If it seems a little wet, add more coconut.
- Use a small ice-cream scoop to portion out the mixture, or do it by hand. Roll into smooth balls about the size of a walnut.
- Toss the balls in more coconut to coat.
- Lay the finished rochers on a board and cover lightly with cling film.
- Chill in the fridge for 2 hours to firm up.
- Store long-term in an airtight container in the fridge.
Confit Potatoes in Chicken Skin
Posted: March 24, 2019 Filed under: Side Dishes Leave a comment
Wotchers!
This recipe is ridiculously tasty given the humble simplicity of its ingredients.
It’s also pretty simple to prepare, although I will concede that the making of the potato parcels is, briefly, a little fiddly.
Seasoned potato straws with a little onion stuffed into pockets of chicken skin which, after 40 minutes in the oven, turn into the most luscious, decadent side dish or snack you could wish for. The skin shrinks around the potatoes, both basting them and becoming crispy in the process.
And that’s it.
And since the more I blab on here, the longer you have to wait before trying these, so let’s get started.
Confit Potatoes in Chicken Skin
Quantities are guesstimate only, because everything depends on how much of the ingredients you have. One reasonably-sized potato will make about three finished parcels. Given the choice, I would recommend the skin from chicken thighs, which are a reasonable size and simple, rectangular shape. I’ve also tried this with the skin from chicken drumsticks – they were fine, and the natural cone shape meant only two sticks were needed for each one, but they were rather fiddly.
chicken skin
wooden cocktail sticks
floury potatoes
onion
salt
pepper
- Use the cocktail sticks to pin the edges of the chicken skin together, leaving one side open to add the filling.
- Peel the potatoes and cut into matchsticks. Alternatively, use a mandolin. Try and avoid making them too long, as this just makes stuffing them into the chicken skin more of a challenge. Chop with a knife if they look to be too big.
- Chop the onion finely and add to the potato. The quantity is entirely up to you. If you’re an onion fan, you could add an amount equivalent to the weight of the potatoes. At the other end of the scale you could use a couple of spring onions or even just snip some chives in. I like to use 1 shallot per potato.
- Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Stuff the pockets of chicken skin with as much of the potato mixture as you can. Press the filling in firmly, to make a tight parcel. Pin the opening closed with another cocktail stick.
- Arrange the filled parcels on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little salt (optional).
- Heat the oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the potato is soft and the skin crisp and golden.
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove the cocktail sticks. Top Tip: roll the sticks ‘in situ’ as it were, to loosen, then slowly draw them out. If you pull on them straight away, they might tear open the parcels, if the skin has roasted itself onto the stick. The parcels will hold together on their own, with the sticks removed, once cooked.
- Serve as a side dish or snack, with sauce to dip them into, if liked.
