Maple Birthday Cake a Pleasant Surprise Gift

Ingredients

for the cake

• 12 tablespoons butter (softened)
  
• ½ cup superfine sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 ½ cups maple syrup
• 3 ⅓ cups self-raising flour
• ⅔ cup hot water

for the icing

• 2 large egg whites
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ⅔ cup superfine sugar
• ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon maple extract (optional)
• 1 cup pecan nuts

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Beat together the butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in well after each addition, then gradually add the maple syrup to make a smooth mixture. Finally, spoon in the flour alternately with the hot water, beating gently until smooth again. Divide the batter between the two tins, and cook for 40 minutes. A cake-tester, inserted, should come out clean when they're cooked. Let the cakes cool in their tins on a rack for 10 minutes before unmoulding them, then leave them to get cold before you get on with the icing.
3. Put everything except the pecans and extracts into a glass or metal bowl that fits over a saucepan to form a double boiler. Fill the saucepan with enough water to come just below - but not touching - the bowl when it sits on top. Bring the water to the boil, set the bowl on top and, using an electric hand-held whisk, beat the mixture vigorously for 5-7 minutes. It should stand up in peaks like a meringue mixture. Take the bowl off the saucepan, away from the heat, and add the extracts, beating them in for another minute.
4. Cut out 4 strips of baking parchment and use to line the cake plate. Using your dreamy, ivory-coloured meringue, ice the middle, sides and top of the cake. Give the icing a swirly effect rather than smooth, letting the top have small peaks.
5. Chop most of the pecans finely, leaving some pieces larger. Sprinkle over the top of the cake, and throw at the sides. This cake is best eaten the day it's cooked.

Try Sake Steak for a Quick Prepare Ahead Meal

Ingredients

for the steak

• 10 oz fillet steaks (2 x 5oz steaks)
  
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2  cardamom pods
• 1 ½ tablespoons chopped cilantro

for the marinade

• 1 teaspoon english mustard
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon garlic flavored oil (or chilli oil)

for the sauce

• ¼ cup sake
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon thai fish sauce (nam pla) (or brown rice vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon english mustard

Instructions

1. In a freezer bag, combine the marinade ingredients, and add the steaks. Leave to marinate for a few hours or leave in the fridge for up to two days. I nearly always have a bag of marinating meat on the go in my fridge.
2. Let the steaks come to room temperature before you start cooking, and you can put the rice on at the same time. Follow packet instructions for the rice, or rice-cooker handbook or just put the rice in a pan, bruise the cardamom pods and chuck them in too, and put double the volume of water that you have rice. Bring to the boil, then turn down to the lowest you possibly can, clamp on a lid and leave till the rice has absorbed the water and is cooked, about 15 minutes. I never salt the rice here.
3. Heat a ridged griddle and then give the steaks, out of their marinade, 2 minutes a side or so, and remove the steaks, double-wrapping them in foil parcels. Let them rest for 10 minutes on a wooden board or a pile of newspapers.
4. Bring the sake to a boil in a tiny little saucepan, like one you might melt butter in, to let the alcohol taste evaporate. Take the pan off the heat and add the other sauce ingredients. Unwrap the steaks, removing them to a wooden board for carving as you do so, and pour the red juices gathered in the foil parcels into the pan of sauce. Arrange some freshly boiled rice on two plates or one large one, and slice the fillet steaks into thin diagonal slices. Lay the carved steak on top of the rice and spoon over the sauce, letting it gloss the meat and drip here and there over the rice. Scatter the coriander on top.

Additional information - for gluten free use gluten free Dijon mustard instead of English mustard and tamari instead of soy sauce. Check also that the Worcestershire sauce is suitable as some brands contain malt vinegar (made with barley).

Spring Chicken Perfect Supper

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 5 oz pancetta cubes or lardons or chopped bacon
  
• 12 chicken thighs (bone in, with or without skin)
• 1 leek (cleaned, quartered lengthwise then finely sliced)
• 1 stick celery (quartered lengthwise then finely sliced)
• 3 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped)
• 2 teaspoons dried tarragon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon pouring salt
• good grinding white pepper
• 2 cups dry hard cider
• 2 ⅓ cups frozen petits pois
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 small heart of romaine lettuce (cut into strips or roughly shredded)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large, wide casserole that comes with a lid (and can be taken to the table) and add the pancetta cubes (or lardons or bacon), cooking them until they begin to give off their juices and start to colour.
2. Add the chicken thighs (skin-side down if yours have skin), tossing the pancetta cubes on top of the meat (to stop the pancetta burning and to make space) as you put the poultry in the pan, and cook for about 5 minutes over a medium heat.
3. Turn the thighs over and tip in the prepared leek, celery and garlic. Season with the dried tarragon, salt and pepper, then stir everything around a bit, letting it cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the cider, then sprinkle in the frozen peas. Bring the pan to a boil then cover, turn down to a very gentle heat and cook for 40 minutes. Do check after 30, though, to see if the chicken is cooked through, and if you are disobeying me and going boneless, then 20 minutes should do it.
5. Remove the lid, stir in the mustard, and then toss the shredded lettuce over the chicken, letting it wilt in the hot sauce for a couple of minutes.
6. Scatter the chopped tarragon over the casserole and take the steamily fragrant pot to the table with quiet pride.

MAKE AHEAD NOTE

The chicken, without lettuce, can be cooked 1 day ahead. Transfer to non-metallic bowl, then cool, cover and refrigerate as quickly as possible. To reheat, return to casserole dish, cover and reheat gently, for around 20 minutes, until chicken is piping hot all way through. Add a little water or chicken stock if pan becomes too dry. Add the lettuce and continue as directed in recipe.

FREEZE NOTE

Cook and cool the chicken as above, then freeze in airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in fridge and reheat as above.

Chili with Cornbread Topping; Your Dream Come True

Ingredients

for the chilli con carne

• 4 onions
  
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried chiles (or to taste)
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 5 cardamom pods (bruised)
• 2 red bell peppers
• 3 ¼ lb ground beef
• 7 cups canned diced tomatoes
• 8 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 8 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 3 ½ cups kidney beans

for the cornbread

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 4 cups cornmeal
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 6 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups buttermilk
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups coarsely grated cheddar cheese

to serve

• 4 ripe avocados
• 4 scallions
• juice of 2 limes
• 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 2 cups sour cream
• paprika to dust over
• 3 ¾ cups grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Peel and finely chop the onions; you might want to use the processor here, and if so, add the peeled garlic or mince it by hand. Heat the oil in a very large pan - it has to take everything later - and fry the onion and garlic until they begin to soften. Add the chilli, coriander, cumin and crushed cardamom pods and stir well.
2. Deseed and finely dice the red bell peppers, and tip into the spicy onion. Break up the ground beef into the pan and, using a fork, keep turning it to separate it as the meat browns. It's hard to brown quite so much meat, so just do the best you can.
3. Add the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, ketchup, puree and water, stirring to make a rich red sauce. When the chilli starts to boil, sprinkle over the cocoa and stir it in. Simmer partially covered for 1½ hours. At this point you can cool and freeze the chilli, or just keep it in the fridge - or a cool place - overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to gas mark 7/220°C/425ºF. Tip the chilli into a large, wide dish or keep in the pan that is ovenproof.
5. Combine the salt, cornmeal, flour, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl.
6. Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, honey and oil in a jug, and then stir into the dry ingredients, mixing to make a vivid yellow batter.
7. Pour the cornmeal topping over the chilli con carne, or blob it over to cover the top as evenly as possible. Don't worry if some of the chilli seeps through as this won't matter one tiny bit.
8. Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the cornbread and then bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the cornbread topping is risen and golden and the chilli underneath is bubbling. How long this precisely takes depends on how cold or hot the chilli was when it went into the oven. Since it's such a huge vat, you may find it simpler to reheat it on the stove in its pan, before it gets its topping, to start with.
9. Let the chilli stand for about 5 minutes once out of the oven before cutting the top into squares or slices to serve with a helping of chilli underneath.
10. And alongside this chilli, as with the vegetarian chilli overleaf, you should dollop out an un-chillied guacamole, some cool sour cream and a mounded pile of strong grated Cheddar. So, mash the ripe avocados with the finely chopped scallions and add the lime juice and some salt to taste. Stir in most of the chopped coriander and turn into two bowls, sprinkling each with the remaining coriander.
11. Divide the sour cream into another two bowls, and dust with a little paprika and, into yet another pair of bowls, grate the Cheddar so that people can take clumps and add the tangy cheese to their plates of guacamole and sour-cream splodged chilli.

Soup Brings Sunshine to Winter Day

Ingredients

• 1 lb yellow squash
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
  
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable stock)
• ½ cup basmati rice
• sea salt flakes
• pepper

Instructions

1. Cut the squash - wash them by all means if you want, but don't bother to peel them - into 5mm / one-eighth of an inch rings, and then finely dice them. Put them into a pan with the lemon zest and oil, stir to coat, then cook on a gentle heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they've slightly softened.
2. Stir in the turmeric and pour in the stock and lemon juice and then drop in the rice. And for the stock here, as usual I make up some bouillon concentrate with water; you could use vegetable stock if you prefer, but I love the mellow goldenness you get from chicken.
3. Cook, uncovered, for 10-20 minutes, or just until the courgettes and rice are tender. Taste for seasoning.
4. Leave to cool slightly before serving so that you eat the soup warm rather than hot.