Salsify Fritters

As I said before, I kept back a couple of the parboiled salsify roots to try Escoffier's salsify fritters.

I didn't really follow the recipe, just the notion that "the prior marinade is optional but very recommendable". So I marinated chunks of the parboiled and peeled salsify in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and a sprinkling of dried chilli and parsley. Then I drained them, tossed them in cornflour and shallow fried them in vegetable oil until crisp. Drained on kitchen towel, sprinkled with salt, they made a really fab little snack with a glass of something. Prepared like this, they had quite a similar flavour and texture to artichoke hearts. Definitely my preferred preparation for this vegetable!

Welsh Rarebit Soup

When I had my last go at making garlic soup, the very clever My Year on the Grill suggested that it could go in a completely different direction and make a garlic, cheese and beer soup. Which is clearly genius.

I based the soup on shredded leeks, and of course leeks made me think of Wales and beer & cheese made me think of Welsh Rarebit, so here we have Welsh Rarebit Soup.

Welsh Rarebit Soup

knob of butter
4 medium sized leeks, cleaned and finely shredded
1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 litre vegetable stock
300 ml beer - a nice light one, not too bitter. A wheat beer or something. I used a Belgian lager which was absolutely vile and didn't do me any favours
300 g strong cheddar, grated.
1 heaped tablespoon French mustard
Freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and garlic and sweat gently until the leeks begin to collapse. Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil then lower the heat, and simmer for about half an hour. Add the beer, then puree roughly with a stick blender. Doesn't need to be totally smooth. Add the mustard and cheese and reheat gently until the cheese is melted and the soup is just about to boil. Season with pepper and serve with hot buttered toast.

Salsifis à la creme - again

After the less-than-successful previous attempt at salsifis à la creme, I was determined to learn from my mistakes and have another go.

I read recipes. I parboiled them before attempting to peel them. In short, she can learn!

And they were fab. I still don't think they taste like either oysters or asparagus, but they were delicate, tender and delectable. Absolutely perfect with a pan-fried venison steak, a red wine reduction and spinach wilted with garlic. I've kept a couple of the parboiled salsify back, to try another classic recipe - the salsify fritter.

Apple & Spice Vin Chaud

When it is cold outside and getting out from under the blanket seems like a real chore, you have to start looking for things to stoke the inner fires. Steaming mugs of mulled wine certainly do the job, and are one of the best things about the Christmas season in the Northern Hemisphere. This white wine and apple juice version is a really delicious alternative that tastes just as festive as the classic spiced red wine. I used about a quarter of the amount of sugar recommended, which was about right for my palate, and instead of a strip of orange peel I used a quartered calamondin. Warming, comforting, delicious and festive!

Spaghetti Squash Carbonara

My spaghetti squash bolognaise was so good that I decided that spaghetti squash should turn up on our menus more often. I had a couple of my not-entirely-successful parmesan custards left over, so I decided that the best possible use for them was a spaghetti squash carbonara.

I cut the spaghetti squash in half and laid them, cut side down, on a greased sheet of foil on a baking tray, and baked them for about 45 minutes on 180C. In a sautee pan I fried a couple of chopped cloves of garlic and a packet of snipped jamon in a little olive oil, then added the runny parmesan custards and another handful of grated parmesan. I scooped the seeds out of the baked and slightly cooled squash, then shredded the flesh into the sautee pan. When it was all piping hot, I divided it between our serving bowls and topped it with a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Delicious! Much better than the original custards, and because of the squash it felt much lighter to eat than a cream-based pasta sauce usually is.

Garlic Soup - a second attempt

A couple of weeks ago I made some cauliflower soup. It was pretty good, but it really made both of us think of the garlic soup we had in Switzerland a couple of years ago.

I'd had an attempt at making it when we got back but it wasn't quite the way we'd remembered it. The cauliflower soup made me think that a base of a pureed vegetable might be the way to go, which led to this.

I used very finely sliced potatoes and the white part of leek, cooked briefly in butter and just enough vegetable stock to cover it until it was tender. When it was cool I pureed the vegetables with a couple of cloves of raw garlic. Then I put this thick puree back in the saucepan, thinned it with white wine and cream and gently reheated it and served it with some seared scallops on top.

This version was better than my previous attempt, but still not quite there. I think the potato base deadened the flavour too much. The next one will be a cauliflower version.

I'll be sending this to Deb for her Souper Sunday round-up.

Plum Tart

You may remember that about a year ago I made this apple tart. It was a recipe from FX Cuisine and it was both easy and delicious. And yet it wasn't quite right. It was quite eggy and one-dimensional and not all that I wanted it to be.

Now, I am pleased to present the perfected version. I used plums, taking advantage of the sharp edge they have when cooked. I added nuts and cinnamon. It was divine.

Plum Tart

500g small purple plums, quartered
200ml full-fat milk
70g raw sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
100g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g finely chopped hazelnuts
2 eggs
30ml vegetable oil

topping
50g salted butter
50g muscovado sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 170C.

Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, hazelnuts and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla and vegetable oil. Gradually add the milk while beating to a smooth batter (smooth-ish, given the chopped nuts). Add the quartered plums.

Tip the mixture into a pie plate, well-greased with butter and dusted with flour. Poke at the plums a bit so they are evenly distributed in the plate. Bake for 40 minutes.

Cream the butter, sugar and cinnamon for the topping together until light and fluffy. Add the egg.

After 40 minutes pull the tart out of the oven, spread the topping over it evenly (very easy - it begins to melt on contact) and put it back in the oven for 15 minutes. When it is beautifully brown and enticing, pull it out and allow it to rest on a rack for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving with very cold cream and a glass of dessert wine.