I haven't been really able to do a lot of cooking this week during the day, what with all of this work going on in our bathroom, and at night I'm far too tired. You wouldn't think that renovating just one room would create such chaos, but it does . . . happy to say though, things are well  on the way towards being done, and there should only be a few more days of mither.  It's looking great so far!!  Anyways, simple food has been the rule of the day with as little cooking as possible.  You can't really plan much with the power being turned on and off haphazardly . . . it would be terrible to have a cake or a roast in the oven and have the power shut down.

One thing that I really love about having a vegetable box delivered to my home is that I occasionally get to try out vegetables that I would not normally ever see in my local shops and in fact probably wouldn't ever see other than in photos unless I grew them myself.  Lovely vegetables such as beautiful purple carrots, with deep purple skins and brilliantly orange centres . . . and heirloom beetroots, all lovely ruby and white striped . . . 



I really don't know alot about heirloom vegetables, except that they go back to days or yore, before hybrids . . . these are the original vegetable varieties before man tampered with them I assume.  Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.  I just loved their beautiful colours, just like jewels.  I decided to roast them, which I felt would enhance their natural sweetness.  I added some fresh picked regular carrots from out own garden, which did abysmally horribly bad this year . . . and some red onions.  I also added some fresh herbs from my herb garden, which we have finally managed to wrestle back  from the slugs!



 I had once tasted  a salad which I had bought in M & S that I really,  really liked . . . a salad composed of roasted butternut squash, red onions and rocket, along with Israeli Couscous and a spicy vinaigrette.  It was quite delicious.



I thought the pretty jeweled colours of these lovely heirloom vegetables, and the sweetness which came from roasting them would be quite tasty in a salad.  I was not wrong . . . the roasting brought out an incredible amount of flavour  . . . lots of sweetness coming from those caramelized edges and curves . . . and the colours . . . well, they  just beautiful.



I used Israeli couscous because it is robust and I felt it would stand up to the vegetables in this salad, as I wanted to leave them rather chunky . . . and visible.  A smaller couscous would have gotten lost . . .



The dressing was a fabulous lemon and rosemary vinaigrette . . . created by infusing fresh lemon juice with the flavours of garlic and rosemary, and then whisking the infused and strained lemon juice  together with some extra virgin olive oil, a bit of sugar to cut the edge of the lemon juice, and then then seasoned simply with some fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.



Served simply with some grilled marinated poussins, it was a lovely supper . . . much enjoyed by the both of us and something I would definitely repeat.  I am sure it would taste just as fabulous with regular carrots and beetroot . . . but why not use the bejeweled ones if you have them.

Why not indeed . . .



*Roasted Roots Salad with a Lemon & Rosemary Vinaigrette*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

I got some really pretty purple carrots and heirloom beetroots in a recent veggie box.  I wanted to create a salad to show them of at their best.  I think this does the trick.

For the vegetables:
4 heirloom beetroots
4 purple carrots
4 small orange carrots
2 red onions
1 TBS of light  olive oil
1 sprig rosemary
a couple sprigs of fresh marjoram
a pinch each of coarse sea salt, ground black pepper and crushed sumac

For the salad:
150g of giant Israeli couscous
hot vegetable stock
a small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

For the dressing:
1 clove of garlic, peeled and degermed
2 springs of rosemary, stems removed
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
the juice of one lemon
75ml of extra virgin olive oil
1 heaped tsp of golden caster sugar
coarsely ground black pepper to taste


Preheat your oven to 200*C/400*f/ gas mark 5.  Line a large baking sheet with some heavy duty foil. Peel your beetroots and cut into one inch wedges.  Place in a bowl.   Don't peel your carrots unless you have to.  Cut them into bite size pieces, first cutting them in half lengthwise and then into about 2 inch lengths. Place them into the bowl with the beetroots.  Peel your onions and cut into bite size wedges.  Add them to the bowl as well.  Pull the leaves off the rosemark and the marjoram.  Toss them into the bowl along with the seasalt, pepper and sumac.  Add the olive oil and toss to coat.  (You may need more oil, but don't overdo it.)  spread the coated vegetables out onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes in the heated oven.  Remove and flip them over and stir them around.  Return to the oven and roast for a further 10 minutes.  Rrepeat the tossing and stirring.  Repeat this several more times, about 4 in all, roasting them for about 40 minutes, until they are knife tender and caramelized in spots.

While the vegetables are roasting cook your Israeli couscous.  Bring the vegetable stock to the boil and then drop in the couscous.   Boil for 6 to 8 minutes, until tender.  Drain well and rinse.  Place into a bowl.  Add the roasted vegetables and give them all a good stir together.  Set aside.

Place the garlic, roasemary leaves and sea salt into the bowl of a pestle and mortar.  Bash really well with the pestle until you have a pasty mixture.  The rosemary will not break down too much, but that's ok.  Add the lemon juice.  allow to sit and infuse for about 15 minutes.  Strain the mixture into a bowl, discarding the solids.  Whisk in the olive oil and sugar.  Season to taste with some black pepper.    Pour this mixture over the vegetables and couscous.  Toss to mix and coat all with the dressing.  Stir in the chopped parsley and serve.

In my quest to keep things light around here most of the time, (I can't manage it all of the time, I'm only human you know . . . ) I made myself a chicken salad for my tea tonight, whilst Todd chowed down on a Pork Pie . . . with English Mustard. (There's no accounting for taste, lol)



Mind you . . . the Toddster probably thought the same thing when he saw my salad . . . he's not that big a fan of salad, although he does admit I don't make a bad one.



I adapted this recipe from one I found in CookingLight, August 2006. I love Cooking Light Recipes. I have never had a bad one yet. Perhaps I am just lucky. The only problem I have usually is getting the same ingredients . . . so oftimes my results are not quite as low in calories as theirs are . . . but I figure I am still winning the calorie battle anyways.



This is a delicious salad, made zesty with the smoky flavour of chipolte chili in the dressing, filled with lots of fabulous flavours and textures . . . creamy avocado, meaty black beans, sweet corn, crisp lettuce . . .



Of course the cheese and added crunch of the tortilla chips are my own addition . . . but a gal needs a little bit of indulgence I think, don't you??



*A Lighter Chicken Taco Salad *
Serves four
Printable Recipe

Zesty and flavourful and pretty healthy too! I love this.

For the Dressing:
a handful of chopped fresh coriander (about 1/3 cup)
145g light sour cream (2/3 cup)
1 TBS minced chipolte chile in adobe sauce
1 tsp ground cumin (toasted first in a hot skillet)
1 tsp chili powder (toasted first in a hot skillet)
4 tsp fresh lime juice
pinch salt

For the Salad:
4 cups of shredded romaine lettuce
2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped
2 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 of a medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small avocado, peeled and diced
1 425g tin of cooked black beans, drained and rinsed (15 ounce)
1 small tin of salad corn, drained and rinsed (qb out 1 cup)

To Garnish: (optional)
a handful of crushed tortilla chips
a handful of grated medium cheddar cheese or Jack cheese

Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients, making sure they are well combined. Set aside and chill.

Combine all of the salad ingredients in a bowl, with the exception of the tortilla chips and the cheese. Add the dressing and toss together. Divide amongst four chilled plates. Top with the corn chips and cheese. Serve immediately.

Most people don't really need a recipe to make a salad . . . salads are generally quite easy to throw together. What we do need though are ideas on how to put salads together. Salads can be very boring, or they can be fabulous. The choice is up to you really!

First, look at the types of fresh ingredients you have in the refrigerator in the way of vegetable matter. For instance on this particular day I had a Black Radish that I was wanting to use . . . a handful of fresh garden peas, some fresh broccoli, baby gem lettuces, fresh baby corn cobs, courgettes (zucchini) and red onions. Together they made a very delicious looking and quite colourful mixture. It may be that you have other options. Most vegetables will together very well in a salad. What you are looking for is interest in terms of colour, texture and crunch. Your ingredients should be as pleasing to the eye as they are to the palate.



A mix of lettuces is usually quite nice. I like to mix my own, but there are some very nice combinations available pre-washed and bagged at the shops. I love the mild flavours of spinach and mache, especially when combined with a more robust lettuce such as a rocket and peppery watercress. Just remember to use the more assertive flavours in a way that they won't completely overpower the salad, and ruin the balance. Radicchio is especially nice in colour and texture . . .but again it's quite assertive, so do try to balance it with flavours that are just as robust, or and equally assertive (red onions, blue cheese, toasted walnuts, roasted vegetables, etc.) or use it only in small quanitities. The one rule to hold to is that if you are using only delicate lettuces . . . you will not want to use assertive or heavy ingredients as well.

Cabbage and carrot can give a wonderful crunch and texture. They are both vegetables which have quite a bite however, so do be sure to cut them into smaller pieces that are more manageable to eat and to spear. Crunch can also be provided with the use of fresh radishes, chopped celery, diced peppers, chopped cucumber, chopped courgettes, etc. These also provide great colour, and there's that word again . . . texture!!!



Remember no one ingredient in a salad should be larger in size than that which you can easily fit into your mouth comfortably. Tear your lettuces and cut your vegetables into bite sized pieces. I am always annoyed when I order a salad in a restaurant and the leaves in it are left almost whole, especially if I haven't been given the option of a knife along with my salad fork!! It is really difficult, if not impossible, to try to maneuver large pieces of lettuce into your mouth and manage to look delicate and polite at the same time. Also make sure all of your lettuces and salad ingredients are clean, dry and perfectly chilled. (I have a fabulous Salad spinner that I swear by. A good Salad spinner is a wise investment.)

Olives, cornichons, marinated artichoke hearts, Sun dried tomatoes, and capers add an interesting element to most salads. They add some salt and a bit of tang. I quite like them myself, but they can be hated by some people, so I would only add them to salads which I am serving to people that I am familiar with.

I generally like to have some form of onion in my salads. This can be in the shape of thinly sliced red onions, or chopped spring onions. Chives are also a fabulous addition. I don't really like to use cooking onions as they can be very strong in flavour, unless they are of a sweet variety, such as a vidalia. I often will add minced shallots to my salad dressings.

Raw mushrooms go very well in salads. Just be sure they are clean, and once again . . . thinly sliced.



Protein! Protein is always a nice addition and can take an ordinary vegetable salad from being a light lunch to being a delicious main meal salad. Chopped ham, chicken or egg are fabulous additions. Cooked fish (tuna, salmon, smoked fishes, mackerel, shrimps, lobster, etc.) are also very good, as are cooked legumes and beans. Cooked chickpeas, canellini beans, kidney beans, black beans . . . they are all tasty protein additions to a salad. Drain and rinse them before adding. Cooked sweetcorn is also nice.

Think cheese . . . cubed feta is fab in a Greek Salad, and a vegetable salad. I love cubed strong cheddar, crumbled blue cheese, slivered emmenthal, shaved Parmesan, crumbled goats cheese. When you are adding cheese, you want to use one with an assertive flavour.

Nuts and seeds go down well in a whole meal salad. Almonds, cashews, pecans, pistachios, peanuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, all make fab additions, but do toast or roast them first. They add fabulous crunch, lovely flavour and of course, that texture interest I keep talking about!



Cooked vegetables are lovely in a salad . . . roasted or steamed . . . potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, beetroot, parsnips, peas and corn, string beans, turnips (or swede), asparagus, fennel, courgettes, mushrooms, cauliflower and broccoli, cherry tomatoes. All are fabulous.

Raw vegetables which are nice include tomatoes, bell peppers, baby corns, radishes, onions, cucumbers, mushrooms, spring onions, fennel, bean sprouts.

Frozen vegetables which can be used, and simply thawed . . . corn, lima beans, soya beans, baby peas.

Fruits are fab additions, although I would not add them along with vegetables, unless we are talking celery and possibly mild onions. (The one salad which immediately comes to mind here is a Waldorf type with celery, apples and toasted walnuts.) Some fab choices are sliced apple, strawberries, blueberries, sliced nectarines and peaches, sliced pears, quartered figs, sectioned oranges and grapefruits, mango, pineapple, blackberries, raspberriesm pomegranate seeds and most dried fruits (think cranberries, blueberries, sour cherries, sultanas etc.)

Crunchy toppings . . . to do . . . or not to do. I, personally, like a bit of crunch on top. Good quality croutons, either store bought or homemade. Crumbled melba toasts, pita crisps, bagel crisps, tortilla chips, goldfish crackers, crunchy chinese noodles. All are very good. I also like those crunchy salad onions, that come in a plastic tub. (In America they are called Durkee's French Fried Onions. Over here they call them Onion Salad Crispies.)



I like to use fresh herbs as well . . . either as additional salad leaves such as flat leaf parsley, chervil and mint. Soft herbs can also be chopped. Think dill, basil, tarragon, coriander, parsley, mint or oregano. All but basil, coriander and parsley should be used judiciously as too much can be somewhat overpowering and unless you are making a Tabbouleh where you want a lot of mint or parsley, I wouldn't use more than a few TBS. Edible flowers also can make a very tasty and pretty touch. (Nasturtiums, Violas, Violets, Pansies . . . pesticide free of course.)

Of course the crowning glory of any good salad lies in the dressing. Now that you will want a recipe for and I have a few very good ones, that I am quite happy to share.



*A Variety of Quick and Easy Salad Dressings*

*Light Blue Cheese*
Makes about 8 servings
(any leftovers can be refrigerated for later use during the week, or as a dip for raw vegetables)

1/3 cup low fat buttermilk
1/3 cup low fat sour cream
1/3 cup low fat mayonnaise
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, mashing some of the blue cheese into the dressing with a fork, and leaving some chunky. This will keep for several days refrigerated.

*Caesar Dressing*
enough for one 4 serving sized salad

2 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 TBS light mayonnaise
1 medium clove of garlic, peeled and minced to a paste
1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
5 TBS extra virgin Olive oil
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan Cheese

Whisk the lemon juice, mayonnaise, garlic, Worcestershire, a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper together in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking continuously until the mixture becomes nice and creamy. Stir in the cheese.

*Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing*
Serves 4

1 large clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1/3 cup of good quality Balsamic Vinegar
2 TBS Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup of extra virgin Olive oil (Approximately. You may need more.)

Whisk the garlic, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper together in a glass measuring cup. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking continously until you reach a 1 cup measure altogether.

*Lemon, Feta and Dill Vinaigrette*
Serves 4

2 TBS Dijon mustard
2 TBS freshly squeezed Lemon juice
1 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 large shallot, peeled and minced
3 TBS finely chopped fresh dillweed
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled Greek feta cheese

Whisk the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, shallot, dill, a bit pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper together in a glass beaker. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, whisking continously to make a thick vinaigrette. Whisk in the feta cheese.

*My Favourite Vinaigrette*
Makes about 3/4 cup

1/4 cup of vinegar (sherry, balsamic, white wine, red wine, or cider)
1 TBS fine fruit sugar
1 tsp of Dijon mustard, smooth or grainy (its up to you)
1 TBS low fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup of filtered water
1/4 cup of salad oil
1 tsp dried dillweed
1 TBS finely minced shallots
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put all of the ingredients into a glass jar with a lid that fits snugly. Shake until well combined. This keeps for about a week in the fridge.

One of my favourite cookery books is this one by America's Test Kitchen, entitled . . . Simple Recipes, more than 200 flavourful, foolproof recipes that cook in 30 minutes or less. I love cooking as you know . . . but if I can combine my love of cooking with great tasting recipes that are quick to prepare and deliciously interesting to eat . . . then I am a very happy cook.


I love this book because, although these are simple recipes . . . they are also extraordinary recipes, filled with flavour, colour and texture. You get maximum flavour and impressive results . . . with minimum effort.




That is the type of cooking I love. Good tasty ingredients, put together in innovative and delicious ways . . . cooked and prepared with simplicity. Fresh and tasty food really should speak for itself don't you think??? Me too!!!! Good food doesn't need gimmicks to make it taste better.



This is one of my favourite salad recipes from the book . . . and I'm happy to say that the Toddster loves it too. This is a salad which would easily please any man . . .



I call it the holy trinity of steakdom! Steak, mushrooms and tangy blue cheese . . . the three combined in a simple salad which tastes anything but simple. It has a deliciously tangy and rich vinaigrette dressing . . .



I did make a few changes here. The original recipe called for red wine vinegar in the dressing . . . I used sherry vinegar and I added 1 TBS of liquid acacia honey . . . just for a slight hint of sweetness, as that is the way we like our salad dressings . . .



The steak is simply seasoned and then cooked until golden brown on the outside, yet meltingly tender and slightly rare on the insides.



The mushrooms are sauteed in drippings along with a touch of the vinaigrette, giving them a lovely colour and moreish flavour.



You get the green rich and meaty crunch of fresh baby spinach leaves . . . the lovely flavour of the steak, the tang of capers and blue cheese . . . rich mushrooms and a lovely vinaigrette, which when combined together create a fabulous salad that I would even serve to company.



If I could think of anything that might tip it over the edge and make it even better . . . it might be the addition of some crispy salad onions . . . for crunch, but really . . . it's quite wonderful just the way it is.



Who says salads have to be boring???



*Steak, Mushroom and Blue Cheese Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

The flavour trinity of fabulous steak tastiness . . . a good piece of meat, some meaty mushrooms and blue cheese. What's not to like!

2 strip loin steaks, 8 to 10 ounces each in weight, and each about 1 inch thick
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 fluid ounces of extra virgin olive oil (1/2 cup), divided
2 fluid ounces of sherry vinegar (1/4 cup)
1 TBS liquid Acacia honey
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1 TBS Dijon mustard
3/4 pound of white closed cap mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced
1/2 pound of baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
2 TBS non-pariel capers, drained and rinsed
235g of blue cheese, crumbled (1 cup)

Measure 2 TBS of the olive oil out into a large skillet. Set aside.

Whisk the remaining olive oil together with the minced shallot, vinegar, honey and Dijon mustard. Season to taste with fine sea salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Pat the steaks dry and wipe with some paper toweling. Season with some salt and pepper to taste. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers and begins to smoke. Add the steaks and cook, turning over only once, until nicely browned and cooked medium rare, about 4 minutes per side. (If medium rare is not to your taste, you can cook them a bit longer if you wish.) Remove to a plate and tent loosely to keep warm.

Add the mushrooms to the hot pan along with 3 TBS of the dressing. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium high heat until the mushrooms are golden brown. This will take about 8 minutes or so. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.

Toss the spinach leaves in a large bowl along with the capers and mushrooms. Drizzle with some of the remaining dressing. Cut the steaks thinly across the grain in thin slices. Arrange over top of the spinach. Crumble the blue cheese over top and serve. Pass any remaining dressing at the table.

I was recently contacted and asked if I would like to try out some recipes which have been created by the acclaimed TV Chef Sophie Michell, to promote the new Blue Nun wines. (She is noted for Chanel 4's program, "Cook Yourself Thin.")

I was sent several recipes. There was one called Gold Leaf Sparkling Jellies with Iced Frozen Grapes and Creme Chantilly (using Blue Nun Sparkling Gold), as well as another one called, Cumin, Coriander and Ginger Marinated Lamb Cutlets with Saffron Rice and Pistachio Crumbs to be served with the Reisling. There wsa also a delicious looking Reisling Braised Chicken with Artichokes and Shallots and a Barbequed Sticky King Pao Chicken with Cashew, Carrot, Radish, Cucumber and Spring Onion Salad.

I chose the oriental recipe . . . the Barbequed Sticky Kung Pao Chicken. It looked tasty and we like a good Chinese dish. The recipe was missing the amount of radish to use, or how to use it, so I just sliced a few radishes into the mix.



This is a YouTube video that you can watch to see how she did it.

This is how mine turned out! Delicious!!



*Barbequed Sticky Kung Pao Chicken*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A beautiful chicken dish, spicy and finger lickin sticky good!

8 boneless & skinless chicken thighs, trimmed

For the Marinade:
2 TBS dark soy sauce
1 TBS Sherry, or for a lower sugar marinade use Blue Nun River Riesling
1 tsp honey
1 tsp hot chili flakes

For the Salad:
1/2 head of Chinese white cabbage
3 spring onions
1 carrot
1 red chili, depending on how much heat you like
50g of roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped

For the Dressing:
4 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp Chinese rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil



Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients in a deep tray or dish. Add the chicken thighs. Open them up and turn them around to coat and cover them in the marinade. Cover and place in the refrigerator to chill for as long as possible. (Up to 24 hours and no less than 1 hour.)

To make the salad, peel and cut the carrot into very thin strips. Add to a large mixing bowl. Cut the spring onions thinly on a sharp diagonal. Add these to the bowl as well. Cut the Chinese Cabbage down the middle, core and then slice thinly. Add to the mix. Deseed the cucumber and thinly slice as well. Add this to the bowl and mix all of the ingredients together well.

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

When you are ready to eat, heat up a grill to very hot. Take the chicken out of the marinade. Discard any marinade left in the dish. Place the chicken onto the hot grill tray and cook for 8 minutes per side, until cooked throughout and nicely caramelized.

Add the dressing to the salad and toss all together. Divide the salad amongst 4 plates and top each with the grilled chicken, and a sprinkle of the chopped nuts. (She used peanuts in the video)

A glass of Rivaner Reisling (Fresh, Crisp and Fruity) is recommended as a good wine to serve with this dish.

Of course as a Mormon, I really can't give an opinion on how this wine is as a drink, but here is what Sophie had to say:

The Rivaner Riesling is really a super match for most types of Asian and oriental style dishes, which I find can be really hard to match a wine with and a glug of this fresh, fruity wine is great in the marinade too.

There is a big trend for lower alcohol drinks at the moment, but some that I've tried are rather watery. However, the Blue Nun Delicate drinks (5.5% alcohol) however are packed with flavour and taste. They're ideal for the lazy summer days, picnics and bbq's. Or to serve as an aperitif when you want something refreshing and light to serve to guests.

They are made with full bodied aromatic wine and delicious fruit flavours such as white peach, mango, raspberry and lychee which taste delicious.



*Gold Leaf Sparkling Jellies with Iced Frozen Red Grapes and Creme Chantilly*
Makes 6

Ingredients:
600ml of Blue Nun Sparkling Gold White Wine
50ml of Elderflower cordial
1 TBS sugar
6 sheets gelatine
200g of red or green seedless grapes
200ml of double cream
2 tsp icing sugar

Firstly take the grapes and cut into little branches with 3 grapes per set, then place on a tray and pop into the freezer.

Soak the gelatine sheets in a small bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes until softened. Meanwhile, put 100ml of the Blue Nun Sparkling Gold and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Squeeze the gelatin sheets to remove any excess water and stir into the wine mixture until dissolved.

Then mix the heated wine mix in with the rest of the wine (500ml), pour into a large bowl and place into the fridge. Leave for at least an hour, then check and stir. Basically you keep doing this until the mix has thickened enough for the gold flakes to not sink to the bottom.

When ready pour into four individual metal pudding moulds, about 200ml/7 fl oz/ generous 3/4 cup capacity if you want to turn the panna cotta out onto dessert plates, or into four pretty serving bowls. Put into the fridge to set for at least 2 more hours, or overnight. Then pour the cream and icing sugar into a bowl and whip until soft peaks form.

If the Panna Cottas are in metal molds, pour boiling water into a bowl and quickly dip the moulds into the water before turning them upside down on to dessert plates. Then add a dollop of the cream and some of the frozen grapes.

Serve with a glass of sparkling gold.

Sophie says: The Gold Flecks were such a talking point for my girl friends and I. I just adore the way the bubbles rise the gold flakes to the surface. Very Glam!

You can check out her other videos on YouTube as well. The Lamb one looks delicious as well.

Many thanks to Megan for sending me this lovely wine to cook with and to Blue Nun Wines.

Make sure you check out their page online, there's a lot of information there on the wines and stockists, etc. Also be sure to check out their Facebook Page!

Blue Nun Rivaner Riesling is available to buy in most UK supermarkets including Asda, Co-op, Morrisons, Nisa and Tesco with an RRP of around £5.99 for a 750ml bottle.

Blue Nun Medium White is available in Tesco and J Sainsbury.

Blue Nun Medium Red, White and Rose are all available in Nisa.

Blue Nun Sparkling Gold edition is available to buy at £9.59 on-line from www.drinksdirect.co.uk

Blue Nun Delicate Stills have a recommended retail price of £3.99 and the Blue Nun Delicate Sparkling have a recommended price of £5.99, both for a 750ml bottle. All of the Blue Nun Delicates are currently available to buy from Home Bargain stores across the UK only www.homebargains.co.uk

Please do remember that if you are going to drink, you should so so responsibly.

 

Sixty years ago, the English writer GK Chesterton wrote, `If an Englishman has understood a Frenchman, he has understood the most foreign of foreigners. The nation that is nearest is now the furthest away.'   We even chose to measure the distance between differently . . . for us it's miles . . . for them kilometers . . . We tend to think of them as roly poly individuals wearing berets, with ropes of garlic hanging around their necks . . . and then tend to think of us as being rather "toffee-nosed" and tasteless . . . capable only of cooking a good roast beef.



Our relationship has always been tenuous at best . . . a real love/hate kind of thing!  We noticed when on those times we have spent in France . . . you can get delicious cheeses from all over the world . . . but there are no British Cheeses, or at least we have never been able to find them.  The Toddster finds that very hard to take . . . a world without cheddar is a world that is missing something very dear to his heart!

 

I do like French food as a whole though . . . well with the exception of brains and snails . . . oh and frog's legs, that is.  (Just imagine all those poor frogs having to get around in wheelchairs!  Poor things!  It may taste like chicken . . . but . . . um . . . I'm not fond of chicken with freckles.  'Nuff said!!)

 

Anyhoooo . . . I do love most French food, and I think most Brit's do.  A lot of the higher class restaurants here in the UK carry French dishes on the menu . . . seriously.  Love . . . hate . . .



This is a delicious salad, which one might easily find in any French Bistro . . . but, when you look at it . . . it's not really any different than an English Salad . . . except that it uses a tasty vinaigrette instead of salad cream.

 

For years the English did not do salad very well . . . and indeed, it can still be very difficult to find a decent salad when out and about here in the UK.  Britain . . . a salad does not have to be just a bunch of lettuce leaves, some sliced cucumber and tomato and spring onions on a plate, with a squeeze packet of salad cream on the side (If any dressing is offered at all, it often isn't.  What's with that???).



A salad can be as diverse as the people who enjoy eating them.  To some . . . that aforementioned combination might well be the salad of their dreams!  To others . . . well, it's sadly lacking.
Early on in our marriage when I told Todd I was making us a salad for lunch, he turned up his nose and said . . . "I don't really like salad.  Salad is boring."  Well . . . he had never had one of mine and now he quite likes it, I am very happy to say!



I can say with all impunity . . . I have never served him a boring salad.  A salad is only as good as the ingredients used, and the dressing you choose to drizzle over it.  Fresh ingredients, with a delicious combination of colours, textures and tastes . . . with an incredibly scrummy dressing . . . perhaps some crisp croutons, homemade please. That's what makes a good salad GREAT! Nom! Nom!



 *Salade Composé*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This literally means "Composed Salad."  The ingredients are layered on top of each other rather than being tossed together.  I love the tangy vinaigrette.

For the salad:
1 small French Baguette
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
60ml of extra virgin olive oil (1/4 cup)
6 rashers of streaky bacon, rind removed
150g of salad leaves (about 4 cups)
6 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced thinly
4 hard boiled eggs, halved lengthwise

For the Dressing:
60ml of sherry vinegar (1/4 cup)
80ml of extra virgin olive oil (1/3 cup)
3 tsp of good quality Dijon mustard
1 tsp runny honey
fine seasalt and cracked black pepper to taste

Put all of the dressing ingredients into a jar with a screw top lid.  Give it a good shake.  Set aside.

Preheat the grill to high.  Cut the bread into 1/2 inch slices.  Combine the garlic and oil for the salad.  Brush this mixture onto both sides of the bread slices.  Toast under the grill until golden brown.  Set aside and keep warm.  (Don't let them burn!)

Cook the bacon in a large nonstick skillet until crisp.  Place onto paper kitchen toweling to drain.  Set aside.

Layer the salad leaves in top of each of 4 chilled places.  Top with the bread slices, and bacon broken into chunky bits.  Top with the egg and tomatoes.  Give the vinaigrette another shake and drizzle some over each salad.  Pass the remainder at the table.

 

Ohh, by the way, speaking of salads . . . I don't know if you noticed or not but my newest Cookbooklet is out!  The Great British Picnic.  It's a fabulous little booklet if I don't say so myself.  Twenty Eight brilliant pages containing over 36  new recipes, including several types of flavoured mayonnaises, flavoured butters, beautiful sandwiches, delicious spreads, a variety of cool soups, refreshing beverages, picky bits, cakes and general scrumminess, all perfect for celebrating the summer season in a very British Picnic Way. (We are great picnickers over here!)  It's available now, for a limited time up there  in the right hand sidebar of my page.  I really had a lot of fun putting this together.  It will only be available until my departure to Canada at the end of this month, so you will want to act quickly if it is something you want to have. 

 

We had a really beautiful day here today. (It is Monday as I am writing this.)   There were the odd showers, but for the most part it was sunny and dry, and fairly warm, as long as you were out of the wind.  Pity it hadn't been like this yesterday during the Thames Jubilee Pageant . . . but it looks to be a lovely evening for the concert tonight at Buckingham Palace!



The shop shelves are starting to fill up with early British Strawberries now.  My plants in the garden have small green berries on them, but it's far too early yet for us to be eating our own.  (I do hope we get a taste before we go away at the end of the month.  I would hate to miss them!!)



There is nothing more beautiful to the taste . . . than a lovely British Strawberry.  Seriously.  The strawberries over here taste like the memory of berries from my childhood . . . you know the kind I mean . . . the ones you pinched and ate when nobody was looking, when you were crouched down picking strawberries for a summer job.  Back breaking labour  . . . yes.  Very little pay . . . yes . . . fringe benefits . . . all the berries you could eat without being caught!!  (I know.  I am a naughty girl!)

 

Anyways, British strawberries.  I love them.  I can't get enough of them during strawberry season, seriously.  I only ever very rarely have any at any other time of the year.  Those out of season berries never fail to disappoint, which is rather good in a way, because it makes me appreciate these seasonal British summer berries all the more!

 

I love to show case them in many ways . . . pies, crumbles, cakes . . . shortcakes!  I like to eat them on my cereal in the morning, and just out of hand as a snack.

Today I made this irresistibly deliciously different salad . . . which perfectly showcases these beautiful berries.

 

A lovely apple balsamic dressing, flavoured lightly with shallots . . . salty proscuitto crudo, mild and creamy buffalo mozzarella cheese, meaty and spicy wild rocket . . . and beautifully ripe and sweet British Strawberries.

 

I'm sure you'll absolutely adore this.  We did. (adapted from a Waitrose Seasonss cookbooklet, 2009)

 

 *Strawberry and Mozzarella Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A delicious salad, which is not only simple and quick to make but makes a great  and unsual use of seasonal berries.

2 TBS Apple Balsamic Vinegar
3 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp caster sugar (fine sugar)
2 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
2 X 80g packs or Italian Proscuitto Crudo (about 8 thin slices)
1 ball of Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese, drained and torn (about 1/4 pound)
250g of strawberries, rinsed, hulled and sliced (1/4 pound)
2 X 50g packs of wild rocket leaves, washed and dried (about 4 cups, arugula)

Whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar and shallots together in a large bowl.  Season well with black pepper.  Set aside.

Divide the proscuitto between 4 chilled salad plates.  Scatter with the mozzarella.  Toss the strawberries and rocket into the bowl with the dressing.  Toss gently to coat.  Divide equally amongst the salad plates, placing it on top of the meat and cheese.  Drizzle any leftover dressing over top .  Serve immediately.

Note - You won't need any salt as the proscuitto is quite salty.