DESSRT FOR THE GIRLS

Julia and I were invited to dinner at Val's, along with Angela & Lisa who sadly could not make it. I had not seen Val all summer and was really looking forward to the evening, Val is fun to be with and a great cook. I was taking dessert. I had been thinking about Fig tart for a few weeks, wanting to make it but somehow it just had not happened. I was a little concerned that I had left it too late and would be able to find the figs. Decided to check Grand Central Market on Friday evening on my way through and struck lucky! Next had a bit of a hunt for the recipe, had made this a few years ago and it was great. My usually pretty reliable memory was failing me - but eventually found it on BBC Good food and there it was! Thank goodness: Honey Roasted Fig & Almond Tart. I was pretty happy with it, maybe could have cooked for a little less time, not sure what happened, had to convert oven temp from C to F, but that is something I do often. Oh well, maybe this time I made a mistake but I think it came out of the oven in the nick of time! As there were only 3 of us I was able to leave some with Val and bring home a piece for Alan. Able to confirm the next day that it was delicious! Another thought is that I too am getting something out of this blog in that it has a log of recipes I use so would not have to hunt again for it....... YAY, all good!
UPDATE: Did this again for a wonderful country weekend with Iain & Rick, as I feel we have to make the most of the short fig season. Noticed that you are supposed to reduce the oven temp for the main baking of the tart, which I did and the result was better! Julia tasted both tarts and said she did not notice, it was a compliment, they were both good, but I was happy to discover the solution. The other thing is that the recipe calls for bought pastry. Well, maybe in the UK you can buy good short pastry but I have not found it in the USA and it si pretty quick to make so that is what I do. The recipe I used is from Jamie Oliver's 'Jamie's Italy', Crostata di fichi. I cannot find it online, sadly, but found something pretty similar: Only difference I can see is that I added some vanilla (a few seeds scraped from a pod or a drop of essence) and the zest of a lemon. BTW, I did use this recipe once to make the tart and it just did not work for me, unusually as I am Jamie fan!
Enjoy!

GM is back in town! PART 2

(Read below first - this was an experiment.) Anyway, roasting of the shanks was great, as hopefully you can see with the pics below. In fact, every time I do this I think I should just roast & serve them at this stage - maybe one day I will remember and do that! So, have another little sequence here of the layers. My carrots were fairly skinny so cut them large, as I like them not to get mushy. It worked, if anything they were almost too 'al dente' but popular opinion was that they were better that way than overcooked. Don't think the final plated shot does this dish justice; as usual in too much of a rush to eat while it's hot, rather than spend too much time on the photo! That's my excuse and I am sticking to it! Other thing to mention that I was undecided about the potato topping. It is not traditional mash; you bake the potatoes, which seems like a great idea as the oven is hot roasting the shanks. However, scooping the cooked potato out of the skins is more time consuming that peeling them. They were also a touch lumpy when I did the topping and I was rehearsing my excuses. BUT, I was converted once I tasted it. The lumps disappeared during the final baking and doing the potato this way meant it kept its character, did not merge with the creamed spinach. I am now a convert and will do this again. Julia provided a delicious raspberry tart for dessert. Did I mention that I am on a diet??!

GM is back in town! PART ONE

We all miss our dear friends the O'Connells who moved to Argentina about 6 years ago. GM usually visits a few times a year and it is always a good reason to get some friends together. It was supposed to be a chilly and rainy Saturday so I decided on Braised Lamb Shank Shepherds's pie with Creamed Spinach. Have done this a couple of times but not for a while. It is a pretty easy dish but you do spend some time in the kitchen for this dish. Luckily for me it is a welcome break from a busy work life, and so long as I have the time I am never happier than being in my kitchen, listening to BBC radio 4 with the anticipation of a fun evening with friends ahead.