Shepherd's Pie Dauphinois

Shepherd's pie, shepherd's pie, so good they ate it twice.  Apologies for the bad joke but this shepherd's pie was so good we had it two weeks in a row.  First time for lunch with new friends who pronounced it the best shepherd's pie ever and then for ten at Mother's Day lunch.  I decided to try this recipe because I love shepherd's pie but my youngest hates mashed potato and this one has a Dauphinois potato topping instead.  You can prepare the meat part up to a day in advance if you're pressed for time on the day.

SHEPHERD'S PIE DAUPHINOIS

 

• 900g minced lamb
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 large carrots, finely diced
• 45g plain flour
• 300ml red wine
• 300ml beef stock
• 1 tbsp Worcester sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• dash of gravy browning
• salt and pepper

FOR THE TOPPING

• 900g floury potatoes
• 150ml double cream
• 100g grated cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 140C/325F/Gas 3
Fry the lamb mince, onions and carrots over a high heat until the meat is all browned
Drain away any fat
Stir in the flour
Over a high heat add the wine, stock, tomato puree and gravy browning and stir well until combined then bring to the boil
Season and add to an ovenproof casserole then cover and cook in the oven for an hour to an hour and a half or until the mince is tender.

Set the meat aside to cool
Slice the potatoes into 3mm slices and cook in boiling salted water for 4-5 minutes
Drain and refresh under cold water and allow to dry

Place a layer of half of the potatoes over the meat mixture, season well them pour over half of the cream
Arrange the rest of the potatoes in another layer, pour over the remaining cream and top with grated cheese
Bake in the oven at 200c/425F/Gas 6 for 30-45 minutes till cooked and the cheese is nicely browned
Serve with green vegetables like peas or beans



Chicken with pesto, Taleggio and roasted tomatoes

 

Seldom do I make a recipe so soon after cutting it out of a magazine but my lovely wife was so taken with this recipe in the You magazine that I made if for a dinner party six days later and it went down so well that I made it again for Sunday lunch a week after that.

Taleggio is a soft Italian cheese that is available in supermarkets.  It smells a little pungent to start with but that cooks out and it then tasted wonderful in this dish.  If you can't find it there are alternatives like Fontina, just Google it. 

Once prepared this dish cooks in just 30 minutes and be careful not to cook it because at this time the chicken will be soft and moist.  Make sure your guests know what time it is hitting the table!

This is one of those dishes that tastes great the next day too as the flavours merge beautifully when it cooks.  I defy you not to scrape out the serving dish at the end of the meal.

I served it with crushed roast new potatoes and steamed sugar snap peas.

 

CHICKEN WITH PESTO, TALEGGIO AND ROASTED TOMATOES

 

 

• 6 skinless boneless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 175g Taleggio cheese (straight from the fridge) cut into small cubes
• 3 tbsp. pesto
• 3 tbsp. cream cheese ( I used Philadelphia)
• 50g fresh breadcrumbs
• paprika
• 400g cherry tomatoes on the vine
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

 

Preheat your oven to 220C/435F/Gas 7

Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer in an ovenproof roasting dish and season with salt and pepper

In a bowl mix together the Taleggio, pesto and cream cheese

Spoon this mixture onto the chicken breasts to cover them completely.

Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and a little paprika

 

Arrange the tomatoes around the chicken
Mix together the oil and vinegar and pour over the tomatoes
Roast for 30 minutes and serve each guest a chicken breast with a few tomatoes and a little of the juices poured over the top.





White chocolate and maraschino cherry shortbread cookies

Don't be put off these cookies if you don't like glace cherries, I don't either, these use maraschino cherries, the marzipan flavoured one that you put in cocktails.  Pronounced 'the best thing ever' by my wife these cookies are very easy to make.  Keep the cherry juice in its jar as you can use it to flavour cocktails like the Mary Pickford.

WHITE CHOCOLATE AND MARASCHINO CHERRY SHORTBREAD COOKIES

 

 

• 225g butter at room temperature
• 50g icing sugar
• 300g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• jar of maraschino or cocktail cherries, drained and chopped
• 150g white chocolate, chopped into chunks
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

 

Cream the butter and sugar

Mix the flour and salt together

Mix into the creamed butter until it starts to form clumps

Mix in the cherries, chocolate and vanilla extract

Bring the dough together with your hands and form it into a log

Wrap in cling film and chill for at least an hour

 

Preheat your oven to 325F/170C/Gas 3 and line two baking trays with baking parchment
Using a sharp or serrated knife carefully cut the log into slices about 1/4" thick and place on the trays an inch apart

Bake until they just start to turn golden brown, 15-20 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
If you need more chocolate half dip them in melted chocolate!

 





Clementinis

This was the drink I made for the ladies on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and it went down a storm.  Apparently it was very refreshing and hit the right spot, several times.  Its nice because you can make up the base and keep it in a jug in the fridge then use as needed.  You can buy clementine juice in Tesco in the fresh juice aisle.

CLEMENTINIS

 

 

 

 

• 200ml vodka
• 200ml Cointreau or Triple Sec
• 600ml clementine juice
• Prosecco or sparkling wine

Combine the spirits and juice in a jug and chill for at least an hour or longer if you can wait

Half fill a martini glass or champagne flute with the base and top up with chilled prosecco

Stand back and wait for the compliments

 

 





Eggnog Bundt Cake

No one in our house likes Christmas cake except my lovely wife but I found this to be an excellent alternative.  The cake is quite heavy in texture like a Christmas cake and full of spicy flavour but has no dried fruit in it or any of the dampness of the traditional cake.  I will be definitely be making this again next year.  One point to note though, you really do need a proper bundt tin because the quantities will overwhelm a standard ring tin.  Remember this is an American cake and they do love their bundts, this recipe has been translated from the version posted by the Brown Eyed Baker.  If you like American cooking please check out her Facebook page, she is worth following.
The tins are easy to find but not cheap, you can even buy Christmas themed ones.  They are also heavy so if you store it somewhere high up remember that when you drag it down to use it.  I'll add pictures of mine to the end of this post.  The first photo shows the density of the crumb with the spiced ripple visible.

EGGNOG BUNDT CAKE

 

• 600g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 180ml eggnog at room temperature
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 250g butter, softened
• 500g granulated sugar
• 3 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp. dark rum
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the icing

• 180g icing sugar
• 3 tbsp. dark rum

Adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position and preheat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas4

Generously butter and flour your bundt tin, making sure you get butter into every nook and cranny

In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and bicarb and set aside.
In a small bowl whisk together the eggnog and vanilla and set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar till pale and fluffy.  Add the eggs and extra yolk one at a time and beat till well combined. 
Reduce the speed of your mixer and add the flour mix in three portions alternating it with the eggnog in two portions.
Remove about 350ml ( 1 cup)of the cake batter and in a separate bowl mix it with the rum and spices.
Spread the larger part of the batter in your tin and level the top.  Spoon over the rum flavoured portion and swirl gently with a butter knife or the handle of a spoon.

Bake until your tester comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.  Mine took over an hour but you need to be certain or when you turn it out it will collapse from its own weight.
Leave to cool in the tin for half an hour then carefully turn out onto a rack to cool completely, about three hours.

To make the icing just combine the icing sugar and rum till you get a thick pouring consistency and pour it over the top to run down the sides.  As you can see I made mine too thick.  I had doubts about rum icing but it is actually delicious.  Keep it covered and this cake will last several days, we're still eating ours five days after I made it.  I also sprinkled some hazelnut cracknel over the top but it didn't add anything!

Eggnog

Like many Brits I have often seen this Christmas drink mentioned in American TV shows and assumed it was just like advocaat but having made it today for the first time I can assure you that it is so much better than the sickly yellow gloop your parents used to buy.  Why did I make it?  Well the Brown Eyed Baker posted a recipe for Eggnog Bundt Cake with rum icing that I fancy making for Christmas this year and of course it requires eggnog.  Tesco does a carton of ready made eggnog in the American aisle but it doesn't contain alcohol and costs £6.  It is so easy to make yourself and a lot cheaper if you have booze to hand and boy does it taste good.  Here is the recipe translated into English from the simplyrecipes.com website and tomorrow or boxing day you'll find out if the cake worked.

EGGNOG

 

• 4 egg yolks
• 3oz sugar
• 450ml milk
• 2 whole cloves
• 1/4 tsp of cinnamon
• 284/300ml single cream (depending on the carton size at your supermarket)
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 tbsp. each of bourbon and rum or brandy

In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks till they combine and become lighter in colour
Slowly add the sugar, beating after each addition, then whisking till light and fluffy
In a heavy bottomed pan combine the milk, cloves and cinnamon and heat till it is steaming hot but not boiling
Add half the hot milk to the egg mixture whisking constantly then return the mixture to the rest of the milk in the pan
Cook on medium heat stirring with a wooden spoon until it starts to thicken slightly and coats the back of the spoon ( or reaches 160F on a sugar thermometer)
Add the cream then remove from the heat and strain into a jug to remove the cloves
Allow to cool for an hour
Mix in the vanilla, nutmeg and alcohol and chill till ready to serve.

(If like me you have vanilla bean paste just mix it well with the booze to dissolve it)



Sweet potato and chickpea chilli

I'm not a vegetarian but I find myself eating less meat through habit and laziness probably.  Vegetarian food has improved by leaps and bounds over the years and this recipe shows just how good food can be without meat.  On this occasion my lovely wife made the food because I was at work all day and proved once again that she can cook despite her protestations! The sweetness of the potato in this contrasts so well with the heat of the chilli and the chickpeas give bulk and texture.
I don't usually endorse recipes that use a product that can't be bought anywhere but I haven't found a general product for the Marks and Spencer paste so I'll just go with it because it was so delicious.  This recipe was published in the Marks and Spencer free Christmas magazine.

SWEET POTATO AND CHICKPEA CHILLI

 

 

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and sliced
• 210g jar of Marks and Spencer chilli con carne paste
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 3 tbsp. tomato puree
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained
• 3 medium sized sweet potatoes, cut into 2cm pieces
• juice of half a lemon

Heat the oil in a pan over a low heat and cook the garlic, cumin, chilli and paste, stirring for 2 minutes

Add the stock, tomato puree, cayenne pepper, chickpeas an sweet potato

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes

Add the lemon juice and season to taste

How easy was that?

This can be prepared in advance and reheated, serve with sour cream or grated cheese and flatbreads