 50g butter 50g demerara sugar 50g golden syrup 50g plain flour (could use GF flour too) 25g dried cranberries 25g sultanas 25g flaked almonds 25g hazelnuts 200g dark chocolate Preheat the oven to 180C and line a baking sheet with baking pachment
Put the butter, sugar and syrup into a ban and heat gently until everything has melted. remove from the heat and add all the other ingredients apart from the chocolate. Give the mixture a good mix until everything is combined then using a spoon place teaspoons of the mixture onto the baking sheet, leave enough space between each florentine as they spread when they cook. You will find that you may have to do a couple of rounds of baking until you have used up all the mixture, alternatively line a second baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden, remove from the oven and allow to cool before carefully lifting them off the baking parchment with a fish slice or palette knife onto a cooling rack. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof dish over a pan of hot water, then spread the chocolate onto the flat side of the florentine mixture, return to the cooling rack, chocolate side up and allow to cool and set. The florentines will last 5 days in an airtight container
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 Ingredients (Serves 4-8)
1kg New potatoes, boiled or steamed 1-2 Cauliflower 2 handfuls of capers 1 bunch of dill, finely chopped 2 small cloves of garlic, minced 1 heaped tbsp wholegrain mustard juice of 1 lemon good glug of olive oil salt and pepper to taste Heat your oven to 180c. Chop the cauliflower into bite size florets and pop on to a large roasting tray, drizzle some oil on top and season before roasting for roughly 20-30 minutes or until the edges have just started to crisp up. Add the potatoes and cauliflower to a large mixing bowl, stir in (or mix with your hands) the capers and dill. Whisk the lemon, mustard, garlic and oil together and season before pouring over the salad. This is a great salad to make ahead for the week but its also delicious served warm as part of a main meal.  Ingredients: 8 eggs (11 if you do not want to use cream) 250ml of cream 200g grated cheddar 300g waxy potatoes, boiled and chopped into chunks 1 bunch of chives chopped two handfuls of spinach salt and pepper to taste As you can see from the ingredients this is a rather indulgent Spanish tortilla, most tortillas consist of eggs, onion and potatoes. However if you want to make one that is extremely decadent try our recipe!
Line a 20cm cake tin with baking parchment and pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius In another large bowl, crack all the eggs and give them a good whisk, then simply add all the remaining ingredients and give everything a good mix. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper and then pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, place in the oven and cook until the mixture is set in the middle. This can take up to 40 minutes as the quantities above make quite a deep tortilla. Once set and out of the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes and then lift out of the cake tin. At this point the tortilla can be cut and eaten, however it may be a bit messy, so we tend to leave it to cool completely before slicing, it can be re-heated at a later date. We think tortilla is best served with a lovely big green salad and some vinaigrette.
 Ingredients (serves 4) 8 medium sized tomatoes 100g white quinoa cooked and cooled 100g red quinoa cooked and cooled 1 carrot grated 1 courgette grated 6 cloves of garlic grated bunch of coriander chopped finely 1 pack of feta cheese crumbled salt and pepper Zest and juice of 1 lemon With a very sharp knife, carefully slice the top off each tomato and then carefully scoop out the flesh and the central core of the tomato, making sure not to make a hole at the bottom.
Then in a bowl mix all the remaining ingredients together until they are thoroughly combined and the mixture kind of clumps together. check for seasoning. With a spoon pack the mixture into each tomato, once filled put the top of the tomato back on. If you have any of the mixture left over you could always just make them into patties and fry them to make veggy burgers. Place the tomatoes on a baking tray and place in the oven at around 170 degrees Celsius for 15 to 20 minutes until the tomato is nice and tender. Serve hot with a crisp green salad and some French dressing.  500g self raising flour (can be Gluten free) 85g sugar - unrefined if possible 3 tbsp poppy seeds 1 tbsp baking powder 250ml orange juice - freshly squeezed if poss 125ml oil or coconut oil 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax and 2 tbsp water mixed) 1 tsp vanilla extract icing icing sugar orange juice Really simple vegan cake that stays all soft and sticky!
Add the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder into a bowl and mix. Add the orange juice and the oil. If you are using coconut oil, probably best to gently melt it first. Add the flax egg and the vanilla and give everything a good mix. Grease an 18cm - 20cm cake tin and pour in the mixture. Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for thirty minutes. it will be ready when a knife comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake. The icing is more of a drizzle so mix 100g icing sugar with the juice of two oranges and half a tbsp of hot water and give everything a good mix to get rid of any lumps, If the icing is too watery add a little more icing sugar and if it is too stiff add more orange juice or water. Drizzle over the top of the cake so that it dribbles over the sides and forms a puddle at the bottom.  300g rhubarb cut into slices 300g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped 600g unrefined granulated sugar (or sugar alternative) juice of two lemons This quantity should make approx 4 jars of a jam, so first of all wash all the jars and then place in a medium hot oven 5 to 10 mins.
Put the rhubarb and apple in a large heavy based pot, with a few tablespoons of water, bring to the boil, reduce the heat, put the lid on and allow to simmer for 25 mins. With a masher mash any lumps. Add the sugar, turn up the temperature and cook for a further 10 minutes or so. Add the the lemon juice. When the thermometer reaches 103 degrees Celsius, take a spoonful of the jam and put it on a pre chilled plate, leave it for a few moments, then nudge it with a spoon and if it wrinkles it is ready. Pour the jam into the sterilised jars and seal the lid tightly. The jam should keep for a few months, however once opened keep refrigerated.  300g butter softened 300g sugar 300g ground almonds 4 eggs 1.5 tsp vanilla extract zezt of two oranges juice of 1 orange 150g stewed rhubarb 150g polenta fine 1 tsp baking powder Grease a largish tin - say 22cm diameter, and pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
In a bowl cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs. Carefully mix in the polenta and almonds and then add the orange zest and juice, the vanilla and the rhubarb. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for approx 40 mins or until the cake is golden and a skewer comes out clean if inserted into the middle of the cake. Allow to cool and remove from the cake tin. Decorate with sugar and flaked almonds. You could also make a delicious rhubarb syrup to drizzle on top of the cake for an even more pronounced rhubarb flavour. This is a lovely moist cake that can easily stand alone without any icing.  Makes 1 x 20cm tray 225g plain flour 165g butter 80g pecan - chopped 1tsp baking powder 175g demerara sugar 80g maple syrup 2 eggs beaten 170g white chocolate roughly chopped Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celcius and grease and line a baking tray.
Melt the butter in a pan, you will start to see white solids at the bottom of the pan, one they turn golden, remove from the pan, this will give a nice nutty flavour. Set aside in a bowl. Then toast the pecans until they are giving of a nice nutty smell too. Whisk in the sugar and maple syrup to the butter and then followed by the eggs. Carefully fold in the flour and baking powder to this mixture. Finally gently mix in the pecans and the white chocolate. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 mins until it is set on top. You really do not want to overdue the blondies as you want that dense fudgy consistency, so don't worry if it feels a bit squidgy still. Put in the fridge to cool down quickly or even better prepare an ice bath and dunk the tin into the ice bath to cool the blondies very quickly, making sure not to drown them!! Once cool, cut and serve - yum!  Makes approx 12 cookies 96g coconut sugar (could use date syrup/maple syrup instead) 2 tablespoons coconut milk/almond milk 3 tablespoons coconut oil half a teaspoon vanilla extract 85g no added sugar or salt peanut butter 11g or 1.5 tablespoons of self raising gluten free flour or coconut flour 45g sesame seeds 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds 90g rolled oats These are really quick and easy to make. Great for making with children too as the results are almost instant. I tested them out on my daughter and she loved them.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper Put the coconut/almond milk the coconut sugar and coconut oil in a pan, bring to a low boil over a low heat. Measure out all the other ingredients into a bowl, add the wet mixture and mix thoroughly. Drop heaped spoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking sheet and sprinkle with a few more sesame seeds. Cool in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes and they should set nicely. These are really satisfying and actually have quite a biscuit feel to them. Enjoy!  Serves between 4 and 6 as an accompaniment 300g brown rice 1 butternut squash, washed , de-seeded and chopped into cubes one big bunch of coriander juice of 3 lemons 4 tablespoons of olive oil salt and pepper to taste two tablespoons of caraway seeds Boil the rice according to the packet instructions in some salted water. Once cooked drain and run under cold water until cool.
Meanwhile put the squash on a baking tray, drizzle with a little oil and sprinkly with salt and cook at 180 degrees for about half an hour. As you can see in the picture we have left the skin on the squash, if you do this make sure the squash is more than tender, it needs to be cooked for a bit longer until the skin ever so slightly burns and caramelizes otherwise you are left with lots of skin that is really hard to swallow - yuck! Get a small pan and toast the caraway seeds until you can smell them. As soon as you smell them remove from the heat and the pan to avoid burning them. Put the rice into a serving dish, add the squash, caraway, coriander, lemon juice and oil and give everything a gentle mix. Add more salt if necessary. I would love this salad on its own for my lunch or with some cardamom and herb crusted cod.  Serves between 4 and 6 300g black/red or white quinoa Punnet of cherry tomatoes 1 cucumber 200g feta cheese bunch of mint leaves finely chopped We quite often use black quinoa at the deli, as it looks striking as well as having a good bite to it. However if you can only get your hands on white quinoa that will do, however it may be a little mushier.
Get a large pan of boiling water and pour the quinoa in and allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes. It is pretty similar to cooking rice, you will know when it is ready when the grains are tender but still have some bite to them. I also quite often add a tablespoon of veg stock to the water as this then gives the quinoa a background flavour. once it is cooked, drain with a sieve and run under some cold water for a few seconds and then allow to cool Next get the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Get the cucumber, cut it length ways down the middle and with a spoon scoop out the seeds. Cut the cucumber into half moon shapes. chop the bunch of mint nice and finely. Put the quinoa into a large bowl and add the cucumber tomatoes and mint. Then simply crumble in the feta. As you can see from this photo we used quite a lot of feta, so it is up to you if you want it quite feta heavy or not! This salad is also pretty minty, which I think works really well, so make sure not to just scatter a few mint leaves over the top, be brave and add quite a lot and then you will get the lovely contrast between the mint and the salt.  Serves 4-6 two tins of cannellini beans 2 courgettes punnet of cherry tomatoes two medium peppers 6 basil leaves 4 garlic cloves juice of two lemons 3 tablespoons oil salt and pepper to taste This is a super quick, easy and tasty salad to prepare.
First of all drain the cannellini beans and give them a rinse under cold water. Put them in a bowl. Get hold of a peeler and peel the courgette into thin strips. You may find this easier to do if you chop the courgette in half first. Chop the tomatoes in half and the pepper into little pieces. Add all the vegetables to the beans. Finely chop or mash the garlic cloves, add them to the oil and the lemon juice and give it a good whisk, add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the dressing and mix until everything is coated in the dressing. Tear up the basil leaves and sprinkle on top of the salad.  Serves 4-6 500g new potatoes 6 free range organic eggs 100g capers bag of rocket packet of smoked mackerel (skin removed) for the dressing... 6 tablespoons rapeseed or mild olive oil 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1 tablespoon brown sauce Wash the potatoes, then quarter them into wedge shape pieces. Put them in the oven drizzled in a little oil at 180 degrees Celsius for half and hour to 40 mins until they are golden and crispy.
Meanwhile hard boil your eggs, for six eggs place in a pan of boiling water for approx 9 minutes. remove and allow to cool under cold water. To make the dressing get a jar of some sort, at the oil, vinegar and brown sauce, put the lid on the jar and give it a good shake. The dressing should be fairly sharp. Once the potatoes are cooked allow them to cool for 20 minutes. Then peel the eggs and quarter them, carefully add them to the potatoes, then break up the mackerel and scatter over the potatoes, add the capers and the rocket. Finally pour over the dressing and then give the whole thing a gentle mix. This is a really good lunchtime salad, it would also make a nice starter for a dinner party.  enough for 4 1 pack of smoked mackerel (200g) skin removed 4/6 tablespoons crème fraiche 1 small sweet apple grated juice of 1 lemon Very simple and quick recipe. Put the mackerel apple and lemon juice in a food processor and blitz until it is broken up. then add the crème fraiche and blitz again, add until you have a nice creamy, smooth consistency. You may need to add more apple if you like the pate to be sweeter or alternatively more lemon if you want it to have more kick.
This recipe is perfect for lunch to have with oatcakes or even better have it with brioche and make it as a simple canapé for your guests to nibble on.  Enough for between 2 and 4 people 200g spelt grain half a butternut squash, de-seeded and chopped into cubes 2 courgettes, chopped into cubes couple of handfuls of spinach 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds 4 tablespoons coarsely shaved Parmesan 3 tablepoons olive oil 1 tablespoon honey juice of two limes First of all get a large pot of boiling water with a good pinch of salt, then pour in the spelt grain and boil for approx 15 - 20 mins until the grain is tender but it still has a chewy bite to it.
Meanwhile roast the squash and courgette until tender. Once the spelt, squash and courgette have cooled , combine in a bowl. Then add the spinach and parmesan, Finally add the olive oil, honey and lime juice and carefully mix to incorporate all the ingredients.
whisk the butter and sugar together with electric beaters, until smooth and creamy, add the eggs and beat until combined, add the flour and mix. Finally add three quarters of the chocolate and all the blueberries, mix gently until they are dispersed.
Grease a cake tin and spoon the mixture in and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for approx half an hour or until the cake is golden on top and a knife comes out clean if inserted into the middle of the cake. Meanwhile make the butter icing. Whisk the butter until nice and pale, then add the icing sugar, making sure to beat out any lumps. Carefully add the milk, a little at a time as this can curdle the mixture. Add the vanilla extract and mix again. Once the cake has been take out of the oven, removed from its tin and cooled completely. Half the cake horizontally and spread half the icing on the bottom part of the cake and half on the top. Finally scatter the remaining white chocolate on the top.  Ingredients: 2 large aubergines 4 cloves of garlic juice of two lemons 6 tablespoons of oil You can just see the baba ganoush in the picture...fading into the background. This recipe is truly delicious and I swear will convert any aubergine hater!!
If you have a gas barbecue simply place the aubergines whole on the barbecue for approx 20/30 mins until they are blistered and very squidgy. If you do not have a barbecue do not fear as you can still achieve the smoky flavour by placing the aubergines directly on the flame on your gas hob (we do this at the deli) You just need to turn the aubergines over occasionally and accept that your kitchen may get a bit smoky. If you do not have a gas hop you can just roast the aubergines in the oven until they are soft, however you will not get the lovely smoky taste. Once the aubergines are cooked and cooled a bit, scoop out all the flesh and place in a food processor, add the garlic, some of the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and blitz, while it is on add some of the oil, you want the aubergine and oil to emulsify and become beautifully smooth and silky. At this point stop the machine and have a look and a taste. Add more oil, lemon or salt until you get the perfect flavour combination for you. I like mine to have a slight kick of lemon but not enough to overpower the delicate smoky flavour. You can have baba with so many things - it is just one of those amazing dips that transform a rather plain dish into something really delicious.  half a butternut squash 6 cardamom pods husks removed half a teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon thyme half teaspoon cinnamon 1 hot chilli pepper approx 4 tablespoons of oil salt to taste Scoop out any seeds that are in the squash, then place in the oven, skin on for about half an hour at about 180 degrees. Once the squash is cooked through, tender and squashy, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Meanwhile prepare the spice blend. Ras el hanout means 'top of the shop' so really it can include as many spices and herbs as you wish. However I would definitely include cloves and allspice as that forms the basis of the flavour. Grind all the spices together for a few seconds (minus the chilli) and then add a little bit of oil to form a paste. Once the squash has cooled, scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Put the flesh into a food processor and add the spice blend, a little bit of salt and a couple of tablespoons of oil. Blitz until the mixture forms a thick liquid add a little more oil if needed. Then add a hot chilli pepper and blitz again until all the chilli is chopped up and dispersed . The dip/sauce I made was pretty fiery, so add as little or as much chilli as you dare!! This dip would be good with so many things, I had it with the Iranian lamb meatballs, (recipe on website) however it would be equally complimentary to some meaty white fish or simply as a dip for roast potatoes.
 serves 2 Ingredients: 1 tin of chickpeas 6 radishes, sliced thinly 1 kohlrabi, sliced and cut into longish strips (only use the bulb part of the kohlrabi) You could always use finely sliced cabbage instead. 80g sultanas, soaked in three tablespoons of hot water handful of coriander finely chopped for the dressing... 3 tablespoons of olive oil juice of 2 limes 1 tablespoon of maple syrup This is a quick and simple salad to prepare as there is no cooking involved. Once you have prepared the radish and kohlrabi, combine with the tin of chickpeas. Add the sultanas (minus the soaking water) and the coriander.
To make the dressing, simply whisk the oil, lime juice and maple syrup together until combined. Mix into the salad. I would really like this salad with some barbecued chicken, sliced avocado and some peppery rocket.  serves 2 Ingredients: 100g buckwheat Half a celeriac, peeled and cut into cubes 1 sweet potato, washed and cut into cubes 150g rocket For the dressing: 3 tablespoons oil 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 2 cloves of garlic crushed 2 teaspoons smoked paprika First of all in separate baking trays put the sweet potato and celeriac in the oven at 180 degrees and roast until tender and a bit charred.
Meanwhile in a dry frying pan toast the buckwheat for a few minutes, stir to make sure it does not burn, after it starts to get a bit of colour add a glug of oil and stir again, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once the veg has cooled as well, combine the ingredients. Then quickly make the dressing. Add all the ingredients for the dressing and either blitz with a stick blender or shake in a jam jar. Pour over the the buckwheat and veg and mix. You do not need to add all the dressing. Carefully add the rocket and gently toss. This salad is best served as an accompaniment as the toasted buckwheat is quite hard work to eat if you have loads of it. So either have it with some other salads or with some delicious marinated grilled fish.  Ingredients: 250g gluten free self raising flour (we use doves Farm) 5 eggs 250g butter 250g sugar splash of milk 2 bananas mashed For the salted caramel: 200g granulated sugar, 90g salted butter, 120ml double cream half a teaspoon of salt 150g chocolate melted for drizzle In a bowl cream together the butter and sugar, once pale add the eggs and mix until incorporated, then add the flour, mix some more, finally add the mashed bananas and milk. Place in a greased 18cm cake tin and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for half an hour or until a skewer comes out clean.
Meanwhile make the salted caramel... place the sugar in a pan on the hob at a low heat and stir constantly, the mixture will kind of clump together, continue to stir until the mixture melts into a lovely amber/brown liquid. Be careful not to allow the liquid to burn. Once the sugar has melted add the butter in cubes, mix until the butter has melted. Now very carefully add the cream in a slow drizzle - the liquid will bubble up, so make sure you do this bit slowly. Once the cream has been added, boil for 1 minute and then add the salt. Allow to cool. Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool for 10 minutes, then take the cake out of the tin. Allow to cool for a further half an hour. Drizzle over the salted caramel and the melted dark chocolate. serve with some cream.  Ingredients: 250g cashew nuts 250g dessicated coconut 200g pitted dates 1 average carrot grated extra coconut for dusting Method:
you will need a food processor for these!! Put your pitted dates into the food processor and blitz until they are quite broken down, add the cashew nuts, carrot and dessicated coconut and blitz again until the mixture comes together. Remove from the machine and roll into balls with your hands and then roll into some more dessicated coconut and hey presto you will have made some delicious, nutritious healthy snacks. This quantity makes around 18 balls. They will keep for approx a week.  Ingredients:
360g gluten free brown flour 140g buckwheat flour 60g gram flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons dried active yeast 2 teaspoons molasses (or honey) 400ml warm coconut milk or soya milk or any nut milk 6 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds 2 tablespoons linseeds 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds Method: Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl, mix thoroughly, then add all wet ingredients and mix again. Grease a loaf tin and pour the mixture into the tin. Allow to prove for about 40 mins and then place in the oven for approx 40 mins at 175 degrees celsius or until it is golden on top and a knife comes out clean when inserted. The bread is great to eat fresh after baking however it is also delicious toasted. |
Ailith AndersonSome of our best recipes for you to try at home. Archives
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