Peach and Plumb baked-cobbler: five minute comfort food!

Okay so not quite five minutes but bloody quick for a hot, heartwarming desert! It's something that I often make for me and my husband on a Sunday night as you don't need any fresh fruit to make it and you don't have to sit around for ages stewing fruit either. Tinned fruit is so underrated however I regularly use it to make really impressive puddings that take next to no time to prepare and look like you've been slaving away for hours!

Ingredients

- 1 cup of brown caster sugar

- 1 cup of self raising flour

- 3/4 cup of unsalted butter

- 1/2 cup of granola 

- 1 tin of peaches in syrup

- 1 tin of plums in syrup

Method

1. Strain your plumbs and peaches and place in a medium sized ovenproof dish.

2. In a separate bowl combine all the other ingredients and using a fork combine all the butter so the mix replicates breadcrumbs. This can also be done with your hands, if you don't mind getting a little messy?

3. Spread the breadcrumb like mix over the fruit evenly and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 25/30 minutes.

4. Serve with custard, cream, ice cream or mascarpone!

Smokeworks - Cambridge

Again a while since I last posted but a few gems coming your way. Having promised my wounded solider of a best friend (he'd just had an operation) to a night of meat and beer (cos that's what you do when you're best friends a burger/pint lovin' dude). We headed to 'Smokeworks' on Free School Lane in central Cambridge.

A cute spot that used to be one of my favourite restaurants in Cambridge (a tiny family owned Greek place that apparently Stephen Fry frequented when he studied at Cambridge) has now turned into a 'young' Shoreditch vibed burger bar that brings quality meat based dishes in a fun way!  

Now Tom (my best friend) and I have never been known to go out for dinner and order one thing on the menu, generally we have a huge case of eyes bigger than tummy and this night was no exception. Having ordered our drinks, a couple of snazzy largers in retro cans we took in our surroundings.

First foremost the decor is original and a little grungy looking with lights you can turn in when you need waiter/waitress assistance - very cool and no waiting around for your bill for an age! We sat in a cute little cave seat and ordered the following...

- Two smoked pulled pork burgers

Insanely good, dripping in burger sauce, gherkin juice, salad and porky goodness! Adored it and would happily go again for this alone.

- Southern fried chicken 

Yummy if a tiny bit burnt but delicious all the same!

- Beef dripping mash

Tom loved it and used it as a dipping sauce for his chicken, I however found the texture odd and didn't like the sloppy, greasiness of it. It's definitely something worth trying but I couldn't really get over the wetter-than-babyfood texture.

- Sweet potatoes fries

Yummy - need I say more?

- BBQ beans

Insane, I don't know what they had in them but they were smoky however cut through the richness of the food. Delish!

I would certainly say that Smokeworks is something new for Cambridge and a fun casual dining experience. I must lastly mention our amazing waiter, unfortunately I didn't catch his name but he was American?! He was really helpful, informative without being OTT and just generally a really nice guy, 10/10 for service Smokeworks! I would definitely go again but not often, after all I don't want to have a heart attack under the age of 30!

www.smokeworks.co.uk

They don't do reservations unfortunately, however we went on launch week and although busy they weren't heaving.

Chai Kai - something new for St Ives?

So as some of you may know I live in a very small town in Cambridgeshire which doesn't exactly have the best selection of eateries unless you want a curry!

Not straying too far from its curry-loving-ness St. Ives has recently acquired a quirky, new, Indian tea shop called Chai Kai which also serves 'Indian style tapas'. I've got to say I couldn't see the idea working in what is essentially a very sleepy town but it really does.

The menu includes a range of street food style dishes from curries to wraps and salads. They also have a large menus of house blend teas which include vanilla chai and spiced cardamom. Me and my sister Amy opted both for wraps and we chose the lamb kofte and the paneer. Both come with a lovely side salad and house 'Indian mayonnaise' - yum!

The food was delicious and the tea refreshing and unusual. I was really impressed with the service and the way the restaurant was laid out, using simple Bollywood posters, hand painted wall art and beautiful low, dim lighting. This eatery could easily be seen in a quirky side street in Soho. The food and drinks were presented in a unique mix of Classic Indian teapots and Swedish style orange strainers. I was so impressed with desert too which was a white chocolate and pistachio samosa. It came with the most stunning vanilla ice cream and was a very generous portion.

The staff were attentive, helpful and friendly and yet didn't 'over fuss'. The food is reasonably priced and a light lunch with pudding and drinks set us back around £22 - not bad at all given you're getting freshly prepared food.

I would highly recommend Chai Kai, I can't wait to return for lunch/dinner soon as I believe this would make the perfect place for a meal with friends, family or even just for a quiet cup of tea alone. 

Breakfast of Champions

I've got to admit I've never been very good at remembering to eat breakfast however just lately it's something I'm starting to really enjoy.

This delicious breakfast can be prepared in advance and will certainly keep those hunger pangs at bay until lunch time. It's a delicious granola with super thick breakfast yoghurt swirled with blackberry compot.

Ingredients

1 Small Tub of Greek Yoghurt
1/2 Pint of Semi-Skimmed Milk
200g Blackberries
2 Tablespoons of Caster Sugar
4 Tablespoons of Water

250g Large Rolled Oats
4 Tablespoons of Honey
1 Tablespoon of Brown Sugar
1 Small Handful of Raisins

Method

Mix together the sugar, and honey in a saucepan until completely dissolved. Stir through the rolled oats.

Lay on a tray covered in baking parchment and place in a low oven for 15 minutes.

Empty and store in an air tight container and add the raisins in a cool dry place.

Separately mix the berries and caster sugar in a pan with the water until a soft set jam like consistency appears.

In an ice cream tub mix the yogurt and milk together and swirl in the blackberry compot.

Serve the granola and yoghurt together with a large coffee and the Sunday papers!

*top tip* For an extra indulgent treat use the granola as a crumble topping. Another great time is to freeze the yogurt/compot mix for a dreamy desert!

Mid-Week Meals

Working 8:30am - 6:00pm means that when I get home I want something filling, delicious and easy. These two meals are no-brainers and cooked regularly in my house, they're also super cheap which makes them a firm favourite in the homes of families everywhere.

These are both dishes I first made during my time at university and have developed and grown with my bank balance and taste buds.

Chicken Thigh Stir-Fry and Sticky Chinese Rice

Ingredients (serves 4)

8 Boneless and Skinless Chicken Thighs

1 Bag of Mixed Stir-Fry Vegetables

1 Sachet of Hoisin and Spring Onion Stir-Fry Sauce (Blue Dragon)

1 Clove of Garlic

1/2 Red Chilli

1 Tablespoon of Sesame Oil 

2 Cups of Sticky Rice

2 Cups of Cold Water

Method - Stir-Fry

Cut the chicken to strips, the garlic and chilli into fine slices and gently fry in a wok using a flavourless oil.

Empty the contents of the stir-fry vegetables into the wok and mix through for 2-3 minutes.

Add the sachet into the wok and stir through then serve with the sticky rice.

Method - Rice

Wash the rice through in cold water and drain.

Add two cups of water to the rice in a Pyrex dish and add the two tablespoons of oil.

Place a lid on and into a 180 degree oven for 20 minutes stir and serve in a large bow.

*top tip* Using chicken thighs are so much more flavoursome than chicken breasts and are cheaper.

Spaghetti Bolognaese 

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 Medium Pack of Butchers Quality Beef Mince

1 Large Red Onion

6 Mushrooms

1 Clove of Smoked Garlic

1 Knoor Beef Stock Pot

1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

2 Tablespoons of Tomatoe Purée

2 Teaspoons of Woster Sauce

1/2 Pint of Red Wine

1/2 Cinamon Powder

1/2 Dried Basil

150g Dried Spaghetti

Method

Finely chop the onion, mushrooms and garlic together and gentle fry in a tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy based pan.

Add the mince to the pan and fry until cooked through, dissolve the stock pot and add the tin of tomatoes.

Stir in the wine, purée, woster sauce, cinnamon powder and basil and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes.

Boil the spaghetti in boiling salted water for 10 minutes and serve topped with the bolognaese and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

*top tip* Using smoked garlic adds a depth of flavour to the dish and in my personal opinion this dish genuinely isn't worth making unless you use a good quality mince.

Beetroot, Caramelised Onion and Feta Tart

This super simple tart is filling, delicious and a little messy. I always thought only my grandmother could make shortcrust pastry by hand but it turns out with a little intuition it's super easy! I went to my fridge this afternoon and my fiancée has done the shopping this week hence why we have a random array of ingredients sitting in the fridge.

Ingredients:
Shortcrust Pastry
- 4oz of plain flour
- 2oz of margarine or butter
- ice called water


Tart Filling
- two cooked beetroot
- one whole white onion
- a handful of feta cheese
- two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
- one tablespoon of olive oil
- two tablespoons of sugar
- 100ml double cream
- 1 large egg

Method:
- Rub the fat into the plain flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Slowly add a teaspoon of water at a time using a knife (I don't know why but it works) to combine.
- Use your hands to pull together to create a dough.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and pop in the fridge until you've finished making the filing.

- Pre-heat your oven to 180C.
- Grease and flour a 20cm square tin.
- Finely chop the onion and beetroot and fry in the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and sugar until the onions are translucent.
- Pop the pastry into the tin and trim the edges.
- Place the beetroot and onion mixture into the pastry case.
- Whisk the egg and cream together with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Pour the egg and cream mixture into the tin.
- Crumble the feta over the tart and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with a garden salad and a dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice.

Black Forest Gateau Cake

If you read Knives.Forks.Spoons.Spears regularly you'll know I have a love for the retro and ridiculous and this recipe is just that. Nothing beats a simple chocolate cake and this little gem elevates that to a different level.

Black Forest Gateau was a big hit in the 1970's and I hope to bring back a little of that nostalgic charm with this twist on a humble chocolate cake.

Ingredients:
- 4oz self raising flour
- 6oz margarine or butter
- 6oz caster sugar
- 4oz coco powder
- 6 tablespoons of cherry jam (this can be any flavour of red berry jam but I feel cherry is best)
- 15 fresh cherries de-stoned and halved
- 250ml of double cream

Method:

- Pre-heat your oven to 190C.
- Cream together the fat and 6oz of caster sugar.
- Beat the eggs and whisk into the fat and sugar mixture.
- Sift in the flour and coco powder fold in being careful not to knock out the all important air.
- Grease two sandwich tins and place grease proof paper at the bottom and place in your cake batter.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.

- Once the cake has cooled completely on a wire rack lightly whip the double cream until stiff peaks form.
- Using a pallet knife spread 3 tablespoons of the cherry jam on one cake and half the double cream on the other.
- Evenly place the cherry halves onto the jam side of the cake and place the cream side on top.
- Again using your pallet knife spread the remaining cream onto the top of the cake and the jam on top.


*top tip* This cake tastes delicious with warm chocolate sauce over the top.