Prepared Ingredients

Granola August, 2010

I often find myself using up whatever nuts, seeds and dried fruit I have on hand when making this granola. A few hazelnuts make a tasty addition, as does large shreds of dried coconut. For this recipe I use extra virgin olive oil but untoasted sesame oil works well too. Whatever oil you use just make sure that it’s cold pressed and unrefined.

Since I like to keep sweeteners to a minimum, I often leave out the maple syrup but you can add more if you like a sweeter breakfast.

Elderflower Cordial July, 2010

Elderflowers come out in profusion in June. The hedgerows near my country house are full of them. Citric acid is available at any pharmacy. I often make double quantities. Elderflowers are also lovely added to stewed gooseberries as they make them taste as if a bottle of Sauterne had been added.

Best Ever BBQ Sauce July, 2010

If you don’t have any bacon fat substitute olive oil but the bacon fat adds great flavour.

Sesame Tofu Dressing June, 2010

This is a delicious dressing that was introduced to me by Chris Terlikar, a sous chef at Public restaurant, who brought it from Australia via London and Vancouver to our humble home in NYC. It has an interesting, yet slightly subdued flavor that allows the farmers market spring greens to do the talking.

Curry-Leaf Pesto June, 2010

Taking a leaf from Tamil cuisine in which curry leaves pair beautifully with tomatoes, I combined the curry leaf with the concentrated flavours of sun-dried tomatoes! I combined dry fried curry leaves, sun-dried tomatoes, a little raw garlic and some dried chilies with toasted sesame oil. The resulting paste worked beautifully not only with pasta (and especially well with vermicelli and wheat pasta) but also as a tapenade over bruschetta and a rub for fish fillets, chicken breasts and paneer kebabs prior to grilling.

Quick and Easy Gribiche Sauce March, 2010

Gribiche sauce which is essentially tartare sauce with grated egg and a classic accompaniment to headcheese.

Spicy Fig Chutney March, 2010

Slowly simmering figs with spices like cinnamon, clove and peppercorn (which is what Garam Masala contains) creates both a spicy and sweet chutney that complements blue veined cheese such as Gorgonzola.

Apple and Chilli Chutney March, 2010

Cooking apples with chillies creates both a sweet and savoury profile that has a surprise factor in the bite of the chillies. Serve it with semi soft cheeses like Havarti, Muenster and Monterey Jack.

Andrea's Chocolate Spread February, 2010

Realizing, as a result of my move to London from Toronto, that I would no longer be making frequent weekend trips to the Premiere Moisson Bakery in Montreal, the sourse for my favourite chocolate spread, I decided to make my own. My wife shared an old recipe from her restaurant days – if I only knew it was so easy to make from scratch!

Granny’s Seville Orange Marmalade February, 2010

Seville oranges are only available in the shops in January and February.They are full of pith and pips, and very bitter but make the very best marmalade. You can add fresh ginger or grapefruit or lemon to marmalade to ring the changes but this is the traditional recipe and the best. I use a large enamelled cast iron preserving pan and jam sugar, rather than ordinary granulated sugar. Jam sugar contains pectin which helps the marmalade to set. I have also invested in a jam thermometer - this takes the worry out of whether it has set or will be too runny.

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