Orange and White Chocolate Mousse with Cocoa and Pistachio Tuiles

I hadn't made tuiles since I was at Culinary School, so I couldn't be happier about this month's Daring Bakers challenge! Tuiles can be a little tricky to make and they're all about timing. Once you take them out of the oven, you really have to act quickly as they will become too rigid to mold in a matter of seconds. I decided to make mine with a hint of cocoa (mostly for color) and sprinkled the sides of each circle of batter with chopped pistachios. I then rolled them into little cigars and served them alongside a orange white chocolate mousse.

This month’s challenge was brought to us by Karen at Bake My Day! and Zorra aka Kochtopf at 1x umrühren bitteRecipe

Cocoa and Pistachio Tuiles
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces all purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons of cocoa powder
A handful of pistachios, chopped

Cream the butter and powdered sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the egg whites and vanilla and beat until just coming together. Add the flour and cocoa to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated. Do not overmix. Use right away or store in the refrigerator, taking it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it.
Cut out two 4 inch round stencils in a piece of card stock paper and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Spread a little of the batter over the stencils, carefully lift the card stock paper, and bake 5-8 minutes at 350F until the edges are just starting to get crispy.
Shape the tuiles as soon as they come out of the over. Roll them and leave to set, sealed side down.

Orange and White Chocolate Mousse
4 large egg yolks
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
2 cups unsweetened whipped cream
1/2 cup melted white chocolate

Melt the white chocolate and set aside. In a stainless steel bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water, combine the egg yolks, Grand Marnier, sugar, and orange zest, and whisk to incorporate. Whisking constantly and removing from the heat from time to time, cook until the mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon into a sabayon, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.
Fold the whipped cream into the cooled sabayon, then fold in the melted chocolate.
Leave to set in the fridge for at least 4 hours and serve. Enjoy!

Indian-Spiced Lamb Chops

Lamb chops aren't a cut of meat I often buy. It's fairly expensive and you don't get a whole lot of meat. Besides which, I don't often see it in the supermarket. Any I do find always look rather anaemic and skinny. However, when I managed to get to GG Sparks last weekend, I took full advantage of the trip and picked up these lovely chops. At around £6 / £7 for 4 chops (albeit organic), they're not something to be taken upon lightly...

There has been much, much talk to the lamb chops at New Tayyabs. The last time I went, I asked the chef what the secret was to such delicious chops, but alas (and unsurprisingly), he wouldn't reveal their secret. So I had to make it up as I went along.

Of course, my chops will never be the same as the Tayyabs one, but I think I did a pretty good job. The charring was delicious, the lamb tender and the marinade worked its way right through the meat. As they're served on a sizzling plate in the restaurant and I don't have one, I figured a ridged griddle pan might have the same effect - certainly in the summer, the bbq will also work well.

Indian-Spiced Lamb Chops

For 2

4 lamb chops
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 green cardamom pods
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garam masala
2 fat cloves of garlic, sliced
2" ginger, minced finely
1 green chilli, chopped finely
Zest of a half a lemon
1 tbsp tomato puree

In a small, non-stick frying pan toast the cumin, cardamom pods and the black mustard seeds until fragrant. Take care not to burn them. Add them to a mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients apart from the lamb chops and mix well. Smear over the chops and refridgerate, marinating overnight. I actually marinaded them for three days, which meant that they were very tasty indeed.

Bring to room temperature before cooking. Scrape off the marinade (the garlic and ginger burning will become bitter). On a super hot , dry griddle pan add the chops. I didn't find there was any need for oil. Griddle for 2 minutes each side for medium rare, and leave to rest somewhere warm for 10 - 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice.

I served this with cardamom rice, cucumber raita and sprout tops stir-fried in garlic, ginger, chilli and mustard seed.

Slow-Roasted Pork Belly with Apples

Oh, how I love pork belly. The fat is so flavoursome, and it keeps the meat tender and unctuous. It's not exactly a diet food, but that's probably why it's so tasty.

I've cooked a good few pork belly recipes. When braising, I use the slices but I also love using a whole piece, such as in this Dong Po Pork recipe. I was really hankering after a big lump of belly - it has been a while, after all - but I wanted to do something different with it. I've noticed a lot of my recipes are Oriental and I'm in the danger of being stuck in a food rut. So I plumped for something rather more British.

As I was rather hungover today, there was no choice as to what potato preparation we would be having with it. What could be more comforting than a big plateful of creamy mashed potato and a fatty piece of pork? This one tray recipe created a great sauce to have with the pork; it was deliciously apple-scented and the onion and garlic provided a great savoury background. I'm also really (pleasantly) surprised with how the crackling turned out. In the past I've never been able to get it to puff up as much, other times I've left it under the grill and it burned and even caught fire!


Slow-Roasted Pork Belly with Apples

Serves 4 (or 2 greedy girls)

1kg pork belly in one piece, skin scored

4 russet apples

1 onions

1 head of garlic

1/2 bottle of white wine

250mls pork stock

Salt

Ensure the skin of your pork belly is very dry before you put it in the oven. Preheat the oven to full whack, rub oil and salt all over the skin of the belly and immediately put it in the oven. Roast for 30 mins, then turn down to 140 degrees. Remove the pork belly, pour the fat off and lay the pork belly on top of the onion, cut into segments. Scatter the unpeeled cloves of garlic around it, and pour in half a bottle of white wine into the tray. Make sure the wine only comes part way up the pork and doesn't touch the skin.

Roast at this temperature for 1.5 hours. Then cut the apples into segments and add to the tray and roast for a further hour. When it's done, remove from the oven and add the apple, onion and garlic mixture to a sieve over a bowl. Using a spoon, press, squeeze and squish the mixture and scrape off the bits that come through the sieve - this will make up the sauce.

Next, very carefully, put the pork belly under the grill. Keep an eye on it because it burns very easily. Grill until the skin puffs up. Remove and rest the meat.

For the sauce, heat up some butter and add plain flour to it to make a roux. Add the pork stock slowly, whisking it as you go along to avoid any lumps, then add the apple mixture and simmer until thick.

I served this with mustard mash and steamed savoy cabbage. I'm about to dive into the seconds...

Grilled Fennel and Goat Cheese Salad

I've had a bit of a love affair with fennel in the past couple years. Many have turned it down considering it a second rate vegetable. As recently as last week I was asked "How can you like its anise flavor, it's so overpowering?" I think I slightly blushed. I sometimes have a whole fennel bulb for lunch, sliced in paper-thin slices, and lightly drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Does that make me weird? I think it might, but regardless, I stand by my vegetable. Fennel tastes differently when it's eaten raw, grilled or roasted. If you're not big on the anise flavor, enjoying fennel grilled is a good way to go.. and with goat cheese too, it's really hard not to like.

Recipe, serves 4 (adapted from Donna Hay)
1 small fennel bulb, cut lengthwise
1/2 goat cheese log, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
A handful of mache
1 tomato, sliced

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Slice the fennel lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices taking care to keep it intact. Drizzle with olive and the dried oregano and season with salt and pepper. Lay out on parchment lined baking sheet. Cook for 5 minutes. Take the fennel out and turn on the broiler. Add 2 to 3 slices of goat cheese on each fennel piece and return the baking sheet to the oven. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the fennel is soft and the goat cheese nicely golden brown. Serve atop of the mache and sliced tomatoes. Drizzle with extra olive oil, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

St John

I was recently invited to St John's for dinner. Shortly afterwards, the Michelin list came out; St John had been awarded a star. Most excellent timing.

I had been meaning to go to St John for a while; nose-to-tail eating sounds great and also challenging. I'm not offal's biggest fan - kidneys and liver aren't my favourite, but I do like tripe, so I was looking forward to pushing my own boundaries a bit.

Myself and a few other bloggers (Niamh, Helen G, Helen, Chris) were kindly invited along by Rob from Wine Conversation so that he could tell us about some wines that we were drinking, and in turn talk about the impact on social media tools - such as Twitter - as well as food, drink, and general banter.

So, upon arrival I was surprised to see the restaurant itself looking quite spartan. High ceilings, stone floors and plain tablecloths is very different from what I'd expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant, but there was a heathy buzz in the restaurant and a lot of full tables. We were seated in the private room, which was perfect due to so many of us taking photos!

To start, I ordered the 'Pig's Head & Radishes'. In my mind I expected some sort of pressed terrine, and was quite surprised when I got this. Amongst the radishes there were chunks of pork, quite fatty and flavoursome pieces. The radishes worked well in this dish. The contrasting textures were very pleasing, and it was all lightened with a warm vinaigrette. Excellent crusty bread helped mop up all the lovely juices.

Others had the signature dish from St John, the 'Roast Bone Marrow on Toast with Parsley Salad'. It was an impressive plate, with the bones standing tall like the pillars of the Colosseum. Armed with what looked like a torture instrument with which to extract the marrow, the bones released a luscious paste with which to spread on the toast. The parsley and caper salad was perfect to cut through the richness of it.

With this, we had the first of the wines, a white Rioja. I had commented that I'd not had a white Rioja but apparently it's not that common to find it. This wine was perfect, and possibly my favourite of the night - it was light and refreshing, matching my pork dish perfectly.

Next came the mains. When I first saw the menu, I saw several things that I wanted to try - roast kid, woodcock, teal, ox hearts. But one thing caught my eye, which was 'Chitterlings & Turnips'. I've never seen chitterlings on a menu before, and I wanted to seize the opportunity to give them a go. I've had pig's intestines in Chinese cuisine before, but I don't remember much about how it tasted. Besides which, in true food envy paranoia, I made Helen promise I could try her roast kid dish...

When the plate arrived, I was surprised to see the size of it - I shouldn't have eaten so much bread... I loved the turnips; they were juicy and had absorbed much of the porky goodness. The pork itself was tender and some pieces fell apart at the touch of a fork - other pieces had a pleasing, jelly-like wobble. The Dinastia Vivanco Crianza was my favourite red; it was robust, slightly smoky and stood up well to the meaty mains.

Speaking of jelly-like wobbles, this rhubard jelly, compote and shortbread was one of the highlights of the food. The jelly was just the right consistency and was the right side of sour. The sugary shortbread and the custard balanced it out perfectly and was a light and refreshing end to the meal.

I had a great time at St John - good food, excellent wine and great company. I must say it's very different from other Michelin starred restaurants and I did come away feeling a bit confused about them being awarded one. Of course the food was gorgeous in it's own right (although perhaps I over-did it with the double pig courses), but when compared to places I've been to like Maze, Benares and Umu, it wasn't really in the same league. I mean, there was no one to walk me to the toilet or to pull my chair out for me - or even to pick my napkin off the floor (!). That says a lot, really; obviously these things aren't always needed.

The great thing is that the menu is contstantly changing, meaning I have an excuse to go back.

Edit - check out Rob's excellent post for more info on the wines we drank.

Double-Herbed Meatballs

I have the January guilt.

I keep pinching my sides, convinced I've piled it on (I have actually gained half a stone) and every time I waddle past the gym, head down, a pang of guilt shoots through me because I have no willpower to actually get my backside in gear. And yet, because of all the stomach stretching I did over the festive period, I'm still eating like it's going out of fashion. In my thrify moods I've been making two portions of my evening meal to take to work for lunch, and instead, I've scoffed it all with protestations of "but it's so cold outside, I need fat on my bones for insulation!"

So instead I've been desperately trying to eat more vegetables. Tonight was my first experiment; instead of making meatballs and pasta or meatballs and rice, I've just bulked it out to make a kind of meatball stew and have foregone my usual carbs. I sense a midnight fridge raid coming on... feel free to eat this with a hunk of crusty bread.

Double-Herbed Meatballs

Serves 2

200gr minced pork
1 medium white onion
2 cloves of garlic
A large pinch of chilli flakes
A handful of curly parsley
4 hefty sprigs of dill
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp tomato puree
A small glass of white wine
1 can of chopped tomatoes
1 can of cannellini beans
Salt & pepper

Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. In a sauce pan, heat up some oil and add the onion. Fry until translucent, and then add the garlic. Sweat very gently with the pinch of chilli. When it's softened, add the glass of white wine and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, chop the herbs finely and add it to the pork. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Bash the fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar, and then add them. With your hands, make sure all the herbs are evenly mixed into the meat. Roll the meat into ping pong sized balls.

Add the tomato puree and the tin of tomatoes and bring to the simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the meatballs, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally. Add the rinsed cannellini beans about 10 mins before the end. I simmered mine for about 30 minutes, until it got thick. Serve (in my case) atop a pile of steamed Savoy cabbage with a dollop of creme fraiche.

Shrimp Gratin with Panko Bread Crumbs, Lemon and Rosemary

You know how people tend to talk about the weather when they have nothing to really say to one another? In Montreal, talking about the weather is more like talking about a secret society that every person in the city is a part of. It's been bitterly cold here in the past couple days: the kind of cold that makes your eyelashes water and then freeze. The cold is not particular sexy either, and is really not the best time for street interactions. I caught myself laughing today as I looked up onto one of Montreal's busy streets only to see a dozen bright red faces ahead of me, all of them looking down at their shoes, with over-sized mittens, snow shoes and scarfs, yet holding their regular sleek briefcases or leather purses. It was quite the scene.

My mother had called me a couple days ago, complaining about how cold it had been in Paris. I don't think you know cold until you've experienced Montreal cold though! However, cold and bitter days such as these force you to catch up on warmth whenever you can. My kitchen has been full of steaming hearty goods, and meals that make you appreciate being home. This shrimp gratin surely warmed up the night. The recipe, which is Ina Garten's, uses a lot of butter, and I am already thinking of ways to make the dish next time to cut down on some of the fat. Nonetheless, this was a delicious and easy meal, made complete by a bowl of steaming white rice.

Recipe (serves 6)
2 pounds (12 to 15 per pound) shrimp in the shell
3 tablespoons good olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 teaspoons minced garlic (4 cloves)
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 extra-large egg yolk
2/3 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Peel, devein, and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Place the shrimp in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the olive oil, wine, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Allow to sit at room temperature while you make the butter and garlic mixture.

In a small bowl, mash the softened butter with the garlic, shallots, parsley, rosemary, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, lemon juice, egg yolk, panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper until combined.

Starting from the outer edge of a 14-inch oval gratin dish, arrange the shrimp in a single layer cut side down with the tails curling up and towards the center of the dish. Pour the remaining marinade over the shrimp. Spread the butter mixture evenly over the shrimp. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until hot and bubbly. If you like the top browned, place under a broiler for 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges.