The Crazy Kitchen: 2016

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Monday 12 December 2016

Christmas Breakfast - Pigs In Blankets & Cinnamon Pancakes

With Christmas just around the corner we're getting into full Christmas mode. Lights have been switched on, presents have been wrapped, snowballs have been drunk and tubs of chocolates have been emptied. My eldest child once said that the best part about Christmas is the pigs in blankets. I've never really been that keen and would be more than happy to give up my share to the teenagers to fulfil their needs. That was until one day when I decided that they would make an awesome accompaniment to pancakes! For brunch we often enjoy tasty chipolata sausages and crispy bacon with pancakes and waffles, so why not combine the two and have festive pigs in blankets with the pancakes instead. They were a huge hit and I will definitely be adding them to the breakfast menu on Christmas morning.

Christmas Breakfast - Pigs In Blankets & Cinnamon PancakesWARM CINNAMON PANCAKES WITH PIGS IN BLANKETS AND MAPLE SYRUP

Christmas Breakfast - Pigs In Blankets & Cinnamon Pancakes

Pigs In Blankets & Cinnamon Pancakes - serves 4/5

12 good quality Chipolata sausages (I buy Asda Extra Special Pork Chipolatas)
12 rashers of good quality streaky bacon (I buy Asda Extra Special Oak Smoked)
2 eggs
100ml buttermilk
150ml milk
75g melted butter
180g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
  • Cut the chipolatas & bacon rashers in half
  • Stretch the bacon out with the back of a knife on a chopping board to thin it out
  • Wrap the bacon around the chipolatas
  • Place into a roasting tin or oven dish in a preheated 200℃ oven for approx 25 minutes, until the bacon is crispy
  • In the meantime make the pancakes by whisking the eggs, buttermilk, milk & melted butter together in a bowl or jug
  • In another large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, sugar & cinnamon
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry & mix until just combined
  • Heat a non stick pan over a medium/high heat
  • Spoon some of the batter into the pan and cook 3 or 4 pancakes at a time - flipping over when the bases are golden brown 
  • Serve with wonderful Maple syrup


Christmas Breakfast - Pigs In Blankets & Cinnamon Pancakes

Baked Camembert with Spicy Cranberry & Rhubarb Chutney

For many of us, Christmas is all about eating and drinking. The kids love tucking into their chocolate Christmas morning, and when I was their age I loved nothing more than scoffing a box of Hazelnut whirls, which, in my opinion, were the best ones from the Roses jar - remember Roses jars? no plastic boxes in the 80's, it was quality glass jars all the way. In fact I still have one. 

These days I'm more into savoury delights, especially cheese. To enjoy cheese to its fullest there also needs to be chutney. Upon checking my pantry for my stash of home made chutney I was horrified to find that I only have one jar left - it's unlabelled so I'm not quite sure if it's Asian Chilli or Caramelised Onion, but either way I needed to rectify the situation immediately.

I needed to empty some excess from the freezer & found some cranberries and rhubarb in there so decided to put them to good use and make some spicy chutney. You can make chutney out of pretty much any fruit or veg so if you don't have exact ingredients don't worry, just replace them with something else - extra onion, courgettes, carrots, peppers, butternut squash. Anything with a bit of substance to it, otherwise it will end up like a smoothie. 

Once I'd made the chutney I wanted to try it out immediately, so I bought a camembert, and lunch was sorted.

Baked Camembert with Spicy Cranberry & Rhubarb Chutney

Spicy Cranberry & Rhubarb Chutney - makes approx 3 jars

2 onions
2 apples
375g rhubarb
3 tomatoes
1 red pepper
175g cranberries
2 red chillies
2 cloves of garlic
300ml white wine vinegar
350g granulated sugar
tbsp mixed spice
  • roughly chop the onions, apples, rhubarb, tomatoes & pepper, and add them to a large saucepan
  • add thinly sliced chilli, crushed garlic, vinegar, sugar & mixed spice
  • bring to the boil and simmer for approx 30-45 minutes, until it's thick
  • pour into sterilised jars


Baked Camembert

1 whole camembert
home made chutney
olive oil
sprigs of rosemary
  • remove any plastic packaging from the camembert
  • if it comes in a wooden box place it back into it & onto a baking tray, or into a suitably sized ovenproof dish
  • using a sharp knife, cut a crosshatch pattern in the top of the camembert
  • drizzle with a little olive oil & spoon some chutney on top
  • stick a few sprigs of rosemary into the cheese
  • bake in a preheated 200C oven for around 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted

Serve with bread or crackers, a few rocket leaves and some balsamic roasted tomatoes

Baked Camembert with Spicy Cranberry & Rhubarb Chutney Baked Camembert with Spicy Cranberry & Rhubarb Chutney

Perfect as an appetiser to share, as a lunch, or just because.

Baked Camembert with Spicy Cranberry & Rhubarb Chutney Baked Camembert with Spicy Cranberry & Rhubarb Chutney


If you're looking for a really impressive way to serve your camembert, then you must see this beaut from Jenny - it's her very aptly named Bad Boy Brioche.

Thursday 8 December 2016

Ciao Gusto Authentic Italian Cuisine

I absolutely love a Christmas hamper, and usually make at least one up for members of the family. This year I bought a lovely crate from Waitrose for just £5 and filled it with goodies for my parents. My mum often gives hampers too so I guess we have hamper giving in our blood. She's much better at the ribbon curling than me though so mine are usually finished with a bow.

I think the lovely people at Ciao Gusto must've known about my love of hampers and sent me this amazing basket filled with Italian goodies.


Ciao Gusto Authentic Italian Foods

If you're not familiar with Ciao Gusto, they are a unique family of iconic Italian food and drink brands, such as Lavazza, Cirio, Barilla and Filippo Berio, to name a few. There's a dedicated Ciao Gusto shop online at Ocado where you can find all the authentic Italian foods that you need.

Ciao Gusto brands Ciao Gusto brands


The Ciao Gusto site is full of recipe inspiration to get the best out of your ingredients, and I'm particularly keen to try the Cheese & Amarena Cherry Tartlets as I love a cheese & fruit combo, and these will make a great appetiser over the festive period.

I couldn't wait to tuck into the mini panettone, and made it into an indulgent dessert using cherry jam, mascarpone and a drizzle of Prosecco, inspired by one of the Ciao Gusto recipes.


Panettone for one

SERVE WITH A GLASS OR TWO OF PROSECCO

Panettone Dessert for one (or maybe 2 if you're feeling generous)

1 small Bauli Panettone (100g)
130g mascarpone
75g Santa Rosa Italian Cherry Jam
1-2 tbsp Prosecco
10-20g dark chocolate, grated
  • Slice the panettone into 5 equal slices
  • fold the mascarpone, jam, prosecco and grated chocolate together (reserving a little for decoration)
  • spread or pipe the mascarpone filling in between slices of panettone
  • top with grated chocolate before serving with a large glass of Prosecco


Follow Ciao Gusto :
#CiaoGustoItaly

I was provided with a Ciao Gusto hamper in exchange for this post

Tuesday 22 November 2016

Cranberry, Clementine & Cointreau Trifle


Christmas is a time for eating and drinking and getting together with family, for more eating and drinking and lots of game playing. Last year the fun family must have game was Pie Face, but I never managed to get my hands on one in time, so this year I've already got my hands on the game that every family will be playing this Christmas - Speak Out. If you haven't seen it you really must watch some videos on You Tube, it's hilarious! 


Back to the food and drink. Every Christmas, for as long as I can remember, my mum has made a trifle. It's nothing posh and it's nothing glamorous, but she whips it up in no time and it tastes great, and there's no jelly or sherry (haven't touched that stuff since I was 14, but that's another story) in sight. 



When I was challenged by Bonne Maman to make a festive dessert that makes use of their Madeleines I immediately thought of a trifle. A boozy trifle. A boozy trifle that doesn't contain either sherry or jelly. There are certain ingredients, flavours and smells that we associate with Christmas, and two of those are cranberry and clementine, and I've included both of those in this trifle, as they go really well together.

Cranberry, Clementine & Cointreau Trifle

You can make the cranberry jam in advance, or if you don't want to go to that trouble it can be replaced by one of the many delicious conserves that Bonne Maman make - Berries & Cherries Conserve would make a great alternative. If you're not using the home made cranberry jam then you may need to add some additional liquid to the Madeleines, as they really do hold the liquid well. There are a few steps to this recipe but as I said, the jam can be made in advance, as can the sugared cranberries. It's then a case of layering the trifle up. If you want to prepare it earlier in the day and refrigerate then I would recommend adding the cream on just before serving.

Cranberry, Clementine & Cointreau TrifleCranberry, Clementine & Cointreau Trifle - makes a 17cm trifle

for the cranberry jam
150g fresh cranberries
300g granulated sugar
cinnamon stick
zest & juice of 2 clementines (you can replace some or all of this with Cointreau)

  • place all the ingredients into a saucepan
  • bring to a slow boil, making sure that the sugar dissolves
  • turn down the heat to a simmer, and simmer for 10 minutes
  • leave to cool fully before removing the cinnamon stick & using in the trifle
Cranberry, Clementine & Cointreau Trifle
for the sugared cranberries
handful of fresh cranberries
equal parts granulated sugar & water (I use 1/2 measuring cup of each)
extra sugar for rolling in
  • place the sugar and water in a pan and stir to dissolve the sugar
  • bring to the boil and simmer for 4 minutes
  • drop the cranberries into the syrup and remove with a slotted spoon onto a cake rack
  • leave for approx 30 mins 
  • after 30 mins drop the cranberries into the syrup again & remove (dripping excess syrup into the pan) with a slotted spoon into the sugar
  • roll in the sugar to coat with crystals
  • allow to dry for at least 30 mins before using
for the trifle
4-5 Bonne Maman Madeleines, cut into cubes
3 tbsp Cointreau (or replace with orange juice)
cooled Cranberry jam
500g fresh custard (either home made or store bought would work)
250g mascarpone
grated zest of 1 clementine
250ml double cream
1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • place the Madeleine cubes into your trifle dish 
  • spoon 2tbsp of Cointreau or orange juice over the sponge 
  • spoon your cooled jam into the trifle dish - you may not need all of it
  • place in the fridge for an hour before adding the rest of the ingredients
  • whisk the custard together with the mascarpone, clementine zest & 1tbsp Cointreau (or orange juice) until smooth
  • spoon into the trifle dish and smooth the top over
  • whisk the cream with the cinnamon until soft peaks form (you could add some Cointreau here too for an extra boozy trifle)
  • pipe or spoon on top of the custard layer
  • top with sugared cranberries and clementine zest before serving
Cranberry, Clementine & Cointreau Trifle Cranberry, Clementine & Cointreau Trifle Cranberry, Clementine & Cointreau Trifle

Alternative ways to use Bonne Maman Madeleines :

Cute Madeleine Reindeer by Here Come the Girls
Alternative Christmas Pudding by Mummy Mishaps



recipe commissioned for Bonne Maman

Thursday 17 November 2016

Christmas Recipes with Mincemeat

The Christmas hype is setting in here. Already there has been a letter sent to Santa, and we're in countdown mode, so I thought it was about time that I started to think about Christmas recipes. What better way to get me in the spirit of things than to look through some of my old recipes, as well as finding some new ones on Pinterest.

I've got a couple of jars of mincemeat in the cupboard that I made last year, using my mincemeat recipe so I thought I would put together a list of my recipes that use mincemeat, as well as sharing a few others that I've come across on my Pinterest travels.

Recipeswithmincemeat.jpg

Iced Mince Wreath - Delicious Magazine


If you want to have a go at making Chocolate Mincemeat I also have a recipe for that.

There are many, many more recipes on my 'ways with mincemeat' Pinterest board, so pop the kettle on, put your feet up and prepare to get hungry!


Tuesday 1 November 2016

Midweek #Miniroast Beef with Mango Chutney

I admit to being one of those people that doesn't crave a Sunday roast (yes I'm weird), although it is rather comforting on a hangover, but only if someone else has cooked it. If I cook a joint of meat it's not always accompanied by the usual trimmings of a roast dinner, and instead I like to serve it up a little differently, and usually in a way that takes less effort and makes less washing up.

Large joints of meat may seem like a great idea, but have you ever been that person that starts preparing the Sunday dinner at 4pm, forgetting that the meat is going to take 4 hours to cook? I have. Regularly.

Mini roasts are ideal for those of us that like to enjoy our day, and not have to think about cooking dinner until the evening. They are also perfectly sized for a couple, or small family, although if you find a larger mini roast (approx 600g) and bulk the rest of the meal out you can make it stretch to a family of five!
Midweek #Miniroast Beef with Mango Chutney

I bought my 30 day dry aged Hereford Beef miniroast from Waitrose, but they can also be found in M&S and other butchers listed in the Simply Beef & Lamb 'Find a Butcher' search.


Midweek #Miniroast Beef with Mango Chutney

This dish is based on a lamb recipe, but worked great with the beef. It's a great family dish and can be served on a platter, Jamie Oliver style, and everyone can tuck in!

Midweek #Miniroast Beef with Mango Chutney

Midweek #Miniroast Beef with Mango Chutney - serves 4/5

600g Beef miniroast
olive oil
salt & pepper 
3 tbsp good quality mango chutney

to serve
pilau rice
carrot salad
mini poppadoms
  • allow the beef to come up to room temperature for an hour or so before cooking
  • rub the beef with a little olive oil, salt & pepper & place into a small roasting dish
  • cook in a preheated 190C oven for approx 30 (for a 600g joint cooked med/rare)
  • remove from the oven and spoon the mango chutney over before returning to the oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until a thermometer reads 56 degrees C
  • allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving 
  • mix a little boiling water into the juices in your roasting dish & drizzle over the beef when serving
Spiced Carrot Salad - serves 4/5

handful of sultanas
3-4 large carrots, grated
tsp cumin seeds, ground
tbsp white wine vinegar
tbsp olive oil
fresh coriander, chopped
2 tbsp flaked almonds
  • add the sultanas to a a small bowl & cover with boiling water
  • soak for 10 minutes and then drain
  • add to a bowl with the freshly ground cumin, grated carrots, vinegar, olive oil, coriander & almonds, and mix well
Midweek #Miniroast Beef with Mango Chutney
Look how moist and tender that beef looks. If you're going to buy a good joint of meat, whether large or small, you really don't want to ruin it by overcooking it, and the best way to avoid that is by using an accurate and quick reading thermometer, like the Thermapen. This reading was taken just before the end of cooking time and I knew that it only needed a few more minutes before the beef reached the perfect temperature for us.
 photo thermapen_zpsymjlqsyn.jpg
Midweek #Miniroast Beef with Mango Chutney

Why wait until Sunday to have a roast! Make sure you look out for the Red Tractor quality mark when shopping for your Mini Roasts, which means it's traceable from the farm.

For more recipes visit Simply Beef & Lamb.

 photo red tractor_zpsflmdnkpo.jpg



post commissioned for Simply Beef & Lamb







Monday 31 October 2016

British Sausage Week : Chipolata Fajitas

British Sausage Week this year runs from Monday 31st October until Sunday 6th November, and is now in its 19th year!


These days you can find so many varieties of sausage to suit all tastes and dishes, and the majority of sausages in Britain are made from fresh pork meat rather than processed meat.

I usually have a pack of sausages on the weekly shopping list as they're so versatile and can be used in so many different ways, from the good old British fry up to a more sophisticated cassoulet. By slicing sausages into bitesized pieces it's easy to make one pack stretch to feed a family of 5 too!

British sausage week promotes sausages that are made from quality or Red Tractor sourced pork from Britain. Sausages that depict the Red Tractor logo are traceable and have been produced responsibly, ensuring their quality. With this in mind, I selected some Red Tractor Asda Extra Special chipolatas to make these Chipolata Fajitas. You can find the original recipe on the Love Pork website, along with a guide to sausage etiquette - did you know that the type of sausage you choose says a lot about you!

British Sausage Week : Chipolata Fajitas

This was such an easy dish to make for the family, and takes very little time to prepare. As it's cooked in the oven you don't need to spend time standing over the stove, and can instead get on with other things whilst it's cooking. It's definitely an easy one that the kids can get involved with making. What I loved about these chipolatas is that they weren't swimming in fat once they'd been cooked, and they are also gluten free, which is a plus point for many.


British Sausage Week : Chipolata Fajitas

I served these fajitas with home made tomato salsa, sliced avocado and Greek yogurt, which we prefer to sour cream.
British Sausage Week : Chipolata Fajitas

Chipolata Fajitas - serves 4

1 pack of Pork Chipolata Sausages
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced

to serve
wraps
salsa
avocado slices
yogurt or sour cream
grated cheese 
  • add the chipolatas to a large bowl along with the other ingredients
  • toss well to combine
  • place all the ingredients on a large baking tray or baking dish
  • bake in a preheated 190C oven for approx 20-30 minutes, until the sausages are browned
British Sausage Week : Chipolata Fajitas British Sausage Week : Chipolata Fajitas

What will you be eating during British Sausage Week? If you're looking for inspiration, follow @LovePork on Twitter or Facebook, or take a look at some of my many sausage recipes :
this is a commissioned post for Love Pork

Saturday 29 October 2016

Great British Meringue Crown with Strawberries & Pimms

Well, that's it, Bake Off is officially finished as we know it. What it's going to be like once it moves over to channel 4 & loses Mary, Mel & Sue is anyone's guess. 

I haven't managed to join in with the bakes as much as previous years for a number of reasons. I was on holiday for the first week so managed to get out of making jaffa cakes, although I may still try them at some point. Week 2 was biscuit week and I made Rhubarb & Custard Viennese Whirls. Week 3 was bread and I made a Cherry, Chocolate & Almond Bread Ring. Week 4 was batter, and I made these delicious Maple & Cajun Spiced Filled Yorkshire Puddings, inspired by an afternoon tea at Ma Pluckers in Soho. Week 5 was all about pastry and I made breakfast pastries in the form of Maple, Apple & Cinnamon Pinwheel Pastries . It all went to pot in October and I never baked anything for weeks 6-9, but I was determined that I would make something for the grand finale, whatever it may be.

Thankfully the final episode was kind to us, and I was spoilt for choice as to what to bake. In the end I decided to make a meringue crown, as I do love a pavlova.

My Great British pavlova was made up of 3 tiers of red white and blue meringue, filled with strawberries and cream and a touch of Pimms, all topped off with a gold replica (cough, cough) of Queen Victoria's crown.

Great British Meringue Crown with Strawberries & Pimms

I used 6 egg whites in total for the meringue (same recipe that I used here, but with increased quantities), and for the coloured layers I brushed some food colouring paste into the icing bags before filling them - I might have gone a bit overboard with the blue! I was inspired by Candice's meringue crown and piped my own over a silicone mould before spraying with edible gold spray.

I folded freeze dried strawberries into the cream for the bottom layer, orange zest in the middle layer, Pimms, mint and fresh strawberries in the top layer, more strawberries around the sides and popped the crown on top.

Great British Meringue Crown with Strawberries & Pimms Great British Meringue Crown with Strawberries & Pimms Great British Meringue Crown with Strawberries & Pimms Great British Meringue Crown with Strawberries & PimmsGreat British Meringue Crown with Strawberries & Pimms Great British Meringue Crown with Strawberries & Pimms





I am joining in with the Mummy Mishaps Great Bloggers Bake Off


Mummy Mishaps

Monday 24 October 2016

Bloodied Bones Halloween Cake

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. 
All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias

Halloween is a week away, but many people are celebrating it early this year and having a Halloween half term week, with end of term Halloween themed school discos and parties galore. Kids love dressing up and what better excuse do you need to join them. I usually don my black cape and witches hat or mask to surprise the trick or treaters when they call, and decorating the doorway gets us into the spirit (excuse the pun) of things.

I've already shared some ideas for simple Halloween party treats , but with some additional effort this Bloodied Bones Cake can form an eye catching centrepiece for your party. Full of blood clots and puss, it really is mouthwatering!

Bloodied Bones Halloween Cake

If you don't want to bake your own cake, you could buy a plain chocolate or vanilla cake and decorate it yourself. I made my own, using my go-to chocolate cake recipe, and for the meringues I used powdered egg white, which is very handy to have in the cupboard for the times that you feel the urge to make meringues, but don't want to use all of the eggs.

Dr Oetker Free Range Egg white powder can be found in the baking aisle of most supermarkets, including my local Tesco which has a very good range of baking ingredients. (You can also find a chocolate cake mix for just 99p in the same aisle).

Tesco baking aisle

Bloodied Bones Halloween Cake

cake
175g Stork for baking
175g Soft Dark brown sugar
150g Self Raising Flour
25g Cocoa Powder
1 tbsp Baking Powder
3 Eggs
100ml Greek Yoghurt

frosting & filling
300g Full Fat Cream Cheese
300g White Chocolate Spread
250g frozen cherries, thawed & lightly crushed
  • Beat the Stork & sugar together in a bowl
  • Sift the flour, cocoa & baking powder together
  • Add the dry ingredients to the bowl along with the eggs & yogurt
  • Beat well until combined
  • Divide mixture between 2 x 8" round pans that have been greased & lined with baking parchment
  • Bake in a 180 C oven for approx 25 minutes, until the tops are springy
  • Leave to cool slightly before removing from the tins & allowing to cool fully on a wire rack
  • Beat the cream cheese & white chocolate spread together 
  • Sandwich the 2 cakes together with some of the icing and a few cherries, and use the rest to cover completely
meringue bones
1 packet of Dr Oetker egg white (4 sachets)
225g caster sugar
1tsp white wine vinegar
1tsp cornflour
  • make the egg white up according to the directions on the pack
  • whisk to soft peaks with an electric whisk or stand mixer
  • gradually add the sugar whilst whisking, until it has all been added
  • keep whisking on a high speed until it forms stiff peaks, and then whisk in the vinegar and cornflour
  • spoon the meringue into an icing bag fitted with a small round nozzle
  • pipe your bones onto baking sheets lined with baking paper
  • preheat the oven to 150C and turn down to 100C once you place the baking trays in
  • bake for approx 1 hour and then turn the oven off, leaving the door ajar, until the meringues are completely cool
  • take care when removing from the baking sheets as they can be quite fragile
  • just before serving, decorate the cake with your bones and drizzle some cherry 'blood and clots' over the top
  • serve extra bones with bowls of puss (cream cheese & white chocolate spread) & blood (blended cherries) to dip into

Bloodied Bones Halloween Cake Bloodied Bones Halloween Cake Bloodied Bones Halloween Cake


additional Halloween items :
Light up Pumpkin : Waitrose
Eyeballs, rats, fingernails & bats : Tesco



Have you found any really cool items for Halloween, or made any grizzly looking food?

Wednesday 19 October 2016

Roast Scotch Beef with Watercress, Horseradish & Grana Padano

Last Thursday I ventured to the capital for the biggest event in the food calendar; the annual Observer Food Monthly Awards, held at the Freemasons Hall. 

There are 10 reader categories and 5 categories decided by a Michelin starred panel of judges. Here you'll see big names such as Jamie Oliver winning an award alongside a lesser known fisherman from Padstow. All equally as deserving.

I was invited along as a guest of Scotch Beef, sponsor of the Best Sunday Lunch category, and with whom I've previously worked, on my recipe for Beef Fajita Burgers. It was a night of food and drink, with a little bit of celeb spotting thrown in for good measure. Food for the evening was created by Swedish raised Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster, Harlem (soon to be coming to Shoreditch), and there were cocktails aplenty.

You can find out more about the #OFMAwards, the winners, and photos of the evening at the Guardian online.

As Scotch Beef sponsored the Best Sunday Lunch category I wanted to put together a dish that takes two of the main components of a Sunday Lunch, and give it a twist. The silverside of beef was roasted with a crust of English mustard powder, sea salt and black pepper, as per the Scotch Beef website, before slicing and tossing with a salad of balsamic roasted plum tomatoes, watercress and shavings of Grana Padano, as inspired by a recipe of seared carpaccio of beef in the Jamie Oliver 'Return of the Naked Chef' book. The salad is then served in a jumbo yorkshire pudding!

If this was served on a Sunday in the pub down the road (which, incidentally, was one of the runners up in the Best Sunday Lunch category) I would be straight down there!


Roast Scotch Beef with Watercress, Horseradish & Grana Padano

Roast Scotch Beef with Watercress, Horseradish & Grana Padano - serves 4
silverside of Scotch Beef 

olive oil
2 tbsp English mustard powder
tsp sea salt
tsp ground black pepper

yorkshire puddings
4 eggs (weighed out of their shells)
plain flour
milk
water
salt & pepper
oil for cooking (I use Trex)

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
200g baby plum tomatoeswatercress
horseradish sauce (thinned with a little extra virgin olive oil)
Grana Padano cheese

  • allow the beef to rest at room temperature for an hour & rub with a little olive oil
  • mix the mustard powder, salt & pepper together & rub over the top of the meat
  • roast for 25 mins per 450g + 25mins (for medium) in a preheated 180C oven
  • (if you're a little unsure of your oven temperature and want to make sure you don't under or over cook your meat then I would recommend a Thermapen thermometer, which gives an accurate reading in just 3 seconds)

roast scotch beef


  • whilst the beef is roasting, make the yorkshire pudding batter 
  • using the weight of the eggs out of their shells, weigh an equivalent amount of plain flour, milk and self raising flour, and whisk all the ingredients together
  • set aside

roast scotch beef


  • Once the beef is cooked to your liking, leave it to rest
  • turn the oven up to the highest temperature 
  • place some fat into 4 x 6-8" round baking tins and place in the oven for 10 minutes
  • pour the batter into the tins and return to the oven
  • turn the oven down to 200C and cook for 25 minutes, until the yorkshire puddings are puffed up & crispy

roast scotch beef


  • remove the beef from the baking dish and add 2tbsp balsamic vinegar to the juices
  • add the tomatoes to the dish and roast for 15 minutes
  • carve the beef into thin slices or strips
  • add a handful of watercress, some beef strips, roasted tomatoes and some shavings of Grana Padano to each large yorkshire pudding
  • drizzle with some of the balsamic juices and horseradish before serving


Roast Scotch Beef with Watercress, Horseradish & Grana Padano Roast Scotch Beef with Watercress, Horseradish & Grana Padano Roast Scotch Beef with Watercress, Horseradish & Grana Padano Roast Scotch Beef with Watercress, Horseradish & Grana Padano


If, like me (before conducting some research) you don't know the difference between 'Scotch Beef' and 'Scottish Beef' this will explain all. 

Scotch Beef

It explains why the quality of beef you get from a Scotch Beef PGI butcher is so good. Where to buy.





this is a commissioned post for Scotch Beef

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