Next Up: Couscous Primavera

My Apologies

I would like to apologize to anyone whom I e-mail privately. It would appear that my personal e-mail account has been compromised. It all began two days ago and someone has hacked into it and stolen my contact list, so that anyone I have been in communication with privately is now getting spam from me. They are NOT viruses, nor are they phishing, or malware. I have been in contact with my Service Provider (AOL) 4 times now and all they keep telling me to do is to change my e-mail password. This has not stopped the problem. I have had my son, who is a computer technician at a large Canadian University and who maintains and services their computers, go over my computer remotely, and he assures me I have neither a virus, nor any malware on my computer. These are simply people who get a rise out of stealing people's e-mail addresses and spamming their contacts. My son even managed to send me an e-mail from myself which I had not sent. He says it is very easy to do. All I can do now is to change my e-mail address, which is a very involved process as I will also have to try to change all my contacts and business details which I do business with. However that will not stop you from getting these annoying e-mails as they will still continue to use my account. If you think it is annoying getting 2 or 3 bogus e-mails from me a day, just remember, I am getting hundreds of "failure to deliver" e-mails a day as these bogus e-mails bounce back from noreply e-mail addresses, for they are not only sending these out to my friends, but to every company, or person that has ever had occasion to e-mail me for any reason. I do want to apologize to all my readers and friends and to let you know that these are in no way attached to this blog, nor my other one. It is still safe to read The English Kitchen and to comment. Just don't e-mail me, until I get this sorted. Sorry for any inconvenience.

Hot Cross Buns with Spiced Fruited Butter

Nigel Slater, I just love your buns!!! Your hot cross buns that is! Sturdy, spicy and stogged full of fruit, these hot cross buns are just what I am looking for in a good hot cross bun!



I subscribe to Sainsbury's magazine and the first thing I do when it drops through my post box each month is to open it up to Nigel Slater's article of the month. I am NEVER disappointed. I think you all know what I think of Nigel Slater . . . He and I are culinary kindred spirits . . . for sure!



The May issue has Nigel waxing poetic on the endearing qualities of what makes a good hot cross bun . . . in Nigel's words . . . all plump and shiny, split, toasted and buttered. Speckled with not just dried fruit but mixed peel. Round, not square, buttered with generosity and . . . most important of all . . . homemade.



Nigel, Nigel, Nigel . . . from your mouth to God's ears . . . these buns would make even the angels sing I am sure!



They were really easy for this yeast bread challenged baker to make. I was thoroughly impressed with my results. Not a light, soft and doughy bread like those hot cross buns you get in the shops . . . these are wholesome and sturdy . . . they smell heavenly when they are baking. You will be so happy when the aroma wafts through your home, bringing with it all the hope and smell of Easter itself.



Oh so pretty with their brown sugar glazed crust, these please on all levels. Nigel recommends tearing them apart before toasting and I heartily concur . . . this gives you lovely crags and crevices to tuck all of that delicious fruited butter into.



Oh, did I forget to mention the butter???? There's butter to go with these. A heavily fruited, stogged full of dried cherries and apricots, and lightly spiced, maple sweetened butter. Need I say more???



*Nigel's Hot Cross Buns*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

A sturdy fruit filled bun. Oh so delicious, split, toasted and spread with the tasty fruit butter showcased below.

450g plain flour (3 1/4 cups)
plus more to flour board
1 (7g) sachet of easy bake dried yeast (1 package of easy bake yeast)
50g of soft light brown sugar (one generous third of a cup, packed)
1 tsp of ground mixed spice (see recipe in side bar)
75g of sultanas (a scant half cup)
50g of mixed peel (about 1/4 cup)
40g of currants (1/3 cup)
1 large free range egg, beaten
225ml of milk (1 cup)
50g of butter (5 TBS)

for the glaze:
2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed

Measure the flour, yeast, sugar, spice, sultanas, peel and currants into a large bowl. Warm the milk slightly along with the butter. Allow to cool to a temperature that you can handle putting your fingers into. Dump the egg and milk/butter mixture into the flour mixture. Mix together with a fork to make a soft dough. It will be sticky. Turn out onto a generously floured board. Knead for 5 to 6 minutes until you have a soft elastic dough. Place into an oiled bowl. Turn and then cover loosely with a tea towel. Place in a warm, draft free, place to rise. Allow to rise until double in size, about an hour.

Divide the dough into 12 equal sized pieces. Shape each into a ball. Place on a lightly buttered baking sheet. Cover loosely with a tea towel and set aside to rise again, in a warm draft free place for about half an hour or so.

Preheat the oven to 425*C/220*C/ gas ark 8. Score the top of each bun with a very sharp knife in a cross pattern. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until nicely browned and crisp on the outsides.

While the buns are baking put the brown sugar for the glaze into a bowl. Pour on 4 TBS of kettle boiled water. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Brush this mixture on top of the buns as soon as you bring the out of the oven to glaze. Reove the buns to a rack to cool. Split in half and toast under a grill before eating.

*Fruited Butter*
Makes enough for 12 buns

You can freeze this, or it will keep for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Spicy, fruity and delicious.

200g of unsalted butter (13 3/4 TBS)
50g of dried cherries (about 1/4 cup)
75g of dried apricots (about 1/2 cup)
pinch of ground cinnamon
3 TBS pure maple syrup

Cut the butter into small bits and put into a large bowl. Chop the cherries and apricots until you get small bits, not too coarse, but not too fine either. Add to the butter along with the cinnamon. Beat with an electric whisk on slow, drizzling in the maple syrup as you beat, until you get a slightly darkened mixture. Don't add too much maple syrup or the mixture will curdle. Scrape onto a piece of parchment baking paper. Shape ino a short thick roll. Roll up the baking paper around it, twisting the ends to enclose. Chill for at least 4 hours before using, or up to 4 to 5 days. Can be frozen.

To use, slice into thick rounds and then spread on top of split and toasted hot cross buns.

I've Been Hacked! Please Help Me Find and Kill Those Responsible

"Hacker" by Luiso

Okay, just kidding, I don't mean killed, but maybe hurt badly, or at least tied to a chair and forced to watch Hell's Kitchen. Someone has used my foodwishes@yahoo.com email address to send a whole bunch of spam, some of which you may have received.

As much as I'd like to help you get a great deal on Viagra and/or mail-order brides from Thailand, I had nothing to do with these emails, and have taken measures to insure this doesn’t happen again.

Speaking of which, besides changing my mail account password(s), should I be doing anything else? Sorry, and thanks!

Tortilla Soup

I had an appointment with my Dentist this morning. Yesterday I found a bag of toffees and tried one to see if they were ok, or if I needed to throw them out . . . I ended up losing half of one of my molars . . . darn toffees . . . that's the last time I'll try to eat one of those! Clearly toffees are for the young!



Anyways, it happened to be this molar of mine that had already been broken years ago, eating some tortilla chips, so it was only held together with pins and fillings . . . but I didn't want to lose it, coz well . . . a tooth is a tooth, and I want to keep as many of mine as I can for as long as I can!



I was on the phone to the Dentist first thing this morning trying to get an emergency appointment. Thankfully they were able to fit me in! Whew! Even if it did mean that I spent most of the morning sitting on a chair in the waiting room waiting for a space . . . that's just how it goes. Beggers can't be choosers!



Because there wasn't much tooth left above the gum line, it was quite an involved process. They ended up having to rebuild the tooth and my mouth is now only just coming unfrozen . . . thank goodness for the miracles of modern dentistry! It was a relatively painless process, however lengthy it was, but at least I still have my tooth . . .



It did call for a softer supper for today though and so I decided to make a tasty tortilla soup. Todd usually likes thick soups . . . but he thought this was quite alright! It is a broth, but a flavourful spicy one, chock full of strips of chicken, beans and corn. I love the garnish, although today I opted to leave the tortilla strips off of mine and just had oodles of sour cream and cheese. You can squeeze a lime over top as well if you like a bit of tang, and I do!!! Delicious!!




*Tortilla Soup*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This soup is quick to make, very flavourful, and surprisingly filling. It also freezes very well, minus the garnishes.

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp mild chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 (14 ounce) tin of crushed tomatoes
750ml of good quality chicken stock (3 cups)
1 small tin of salad crisp corn niblets, drained
1/2 of a 415g tin of black beans, drained and rinsed (about 1 cup)
1 green chili pepper, trimmed, seeded and chopped
a handful of fresh coriander, chopped (cilantro)
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cut into bite sized pieces
salt and black pepper to taste
To Garnish:
2 or 3 corn tortillas
cooking oil
shredded medium cheddar or jack cheese
sour cream
minced chives or spring onions

Place the oil in a large saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and green chili. Cook and stir until softened. Stir in the chili powder, oregano, tomatoes and broth. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in the corn, beans, coriander and chicken. Simmer for a further 10 minutes.

While the soup is cooking cut your tortillas into thin strips. Heat some oil in a large skillet and cook them a handful at a time. Scoop out and drain on paper toweling. Lightly season with salt. Repeat until all your tortilla strips are cooked.

Ladle the hot soup into heated bowls. Garnish each with some fried tortilla strips, a dollop of sour cream, some shredded cheese and a sprinkle of chives or spring onions.

Note: you can use crushed tortilla chips instead of the fried tortillas if you wish

A Few Random Scenes from my All-Clad Demo at Macy's

I feel pretty good these days when I get two new recipe videos posted in a week, and I was hoping to sneak in a third one today, but due to tax preparation, the opening of baseball season, spring fever, and other forces beyond my control, you'll have to settle for this. Here's a little glimpse into the duck sous vide demo I did for All-Clad at Macy's in San Francisco. This is dedicated to all of you loyal, but possibly-misguided souls who keep emailing me, telling me I need to have my own show. Enjoy!

A very special thanks to Lenny Ferreira, from Chezus.com, who filmed this segment! Also, a big thanks to Megan, from Macy's, and Earl from All-Clad for taking such good care of me, and to everyone who came down to watch!

Noodles in Penang, Malaysia

Penang was, at times, a struggle. There were so many dishes to try and almost not enough meal times to fit them in. Relatives of the friend I was travelling with were perfect hosts; they stuffed us full of delicious dishes at any opportunity and in two afternoons, we slipped off to have second, third and fourth lunches before coming home, greeted by a table groaning with curries and rice.

After a quick curry, we headed straight for Gurney Drive Hawker Centre. Dozens of food stalls all in one place were perfect for our snacking need. Chee cheung fun, above, were slippery buggers.

Prawn mee were 'so prawny it's almost as if it's not real'. I liked the mixture of egg noodles and thin vermicelli rice noodles. Three or four other dishes later, I faded into a sweaty mess and retreated to a nearby McDonald's for air conditioning and to groan in a lady-like fashion.

Elsewhere, on Jalan MacAllister we encountered another cluster of food stalls. A char kway kak dish, made with thicker chunks of rice cake was full of the smoky flavour the Chinese so praise, 'wok hei' - the breath of the wok. Crisp pieces of pork fat were interspersed in the bean sprouts.

Roast pork and wonton noodles were ordered with the broth separate; my friend prefers his noodle dishes dry - imagine! Pickled chillis added piquancy, the noodles were springy.

My friend pointed at a little white pot and asked what it was, when the lady added it to our Hokkien mee (above). "Pork fat. Lard." No wonder they were so moreish.

Curry mee were mild in curry flavour, but underneath the innocent surface lurked wibbly, wobbly chunks of pig's blood, tofu-like in texture. Tiny little cockles swam about in the broth, while spongy tofu puffs soaked up goodness. This was one of the more challenging dishes (apparently - I have no problems with blood) and also a favourite.

We ate in classier joints too (i.e. ones with a roof). This place did only char kway teow and Asam laksa, a sour and spicy noodle soup made with fish and a speciality of Penang.

Nothing was over £1 per dish. Everything was utterly delicious. I doubt we even touched upon the surface of noodlism in our 3 days in Penang.