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Most of us are versed in the wonders of a well made potato gnocchi, in fact i would say a good gnocchi is worth it's weight in gold. The recipe that follows is for a beautiful soft light variation on the original. Ricotta Gnocchi. Served with a fricassee wild mushrooms and perhaps a light truffle foam, and you are sure to win fans,
Enjoy.
Ricotta Gnocchi
500g Fresh Ricotta
3 egg yolks
Marjoram
25g pasta flour tipo '00'
The first here is to get you water on, ideally you want a deep large deep pot. as the gnocchi hits the water it will start to set by the time it hits the bottom and starts on its way back to the surface it should almost be done. Put your pot of water on and add salt, bring to the boil.
While waiting for the water to come up yo the boil, In a large bowl place the ricotta and beat until smooth. Add flour and egg yolks and mix well. Add chopped marjoram and season to taste.
Use a desert spoon to shape the mix into quenelles, this can be done by rolling a spoonful of the mix along the side of the bowl. Creating a oval shaped gnocchi. Gently place the quenelles on a sheet of floured baking paper. By the time you finish with the gnocchi your water should be boiling, add the gnocchi to the water all at the same time and immediatley turn the heat down to low. Leave the gnocchi in the water until firm enough to remove. If not serving straight away plunge into ice water, if serving straight away place on a clean dry cloth and dry quickly before plating. Enjoy
Welcome,
After many years in many kitchens I have gained a fairly diverse repertoire of skills and recipes. All I know will eventually end up here, on this blog, Hopefully inspiring you to get into the kitchen and submerge yourself in the wonders of food.
From fresh pasta, soups and slow cooked dishes, to pastries and deserts, in time you will come to find it all here. From home cooked classics to complicated restaurant dishes you will find them all here.
Enjoy
There is a certain level of comfort to be found, coming home to find a pot of soup gently simmering away on the back of the stove. As the leaves turn, my cravings grow. From a nourishing broth to a rich creamy Veloute, from a light aromatic consomme to a deep flavoursome gazpacho. Soup is one of those wonderful dishes that is versatile enough to fit all moods and seasons.
Below is a recipe for a french onion soup, although the Italians do a soup that is very similar I like most people associate this wonderous broth with the french.
You will need;
12 brown onoins
4 cloves
2 litres chicken stock (or water)
6 sprigs thyme
200 ml white wine
gruyre cheese
crusty fresh bread
Some soups have a reputation all of there own, this is soup is one of them. I have often had people tell me that without the Gruyre croute this soup is nothing. I would never go that far, but some purists would.
The most important thing to in making this soup is technique. The onions must be sliced very thinly, if you set up your chopping board under the extraction fan in your kitchen you will find it far easier to achieve this. Once the onions are sliced heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large heavy based saucepan, about a 100ml should do it. Once the oil is hot add the thinly sliced onions, at first you will need to keep them moving be careful not to let them burn on the bottom, as the onions cook down they will begin to darken, let them catch, but be very careful not to let it burn. Scrape the caramelized onion of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon whilst stirring, continue allowing the onions to catch then scrape etc, until the onions have become quite dark and sweet. Add the garlic and thyme, once the garlic is cooked, Add the white wine, this is called to De-Glaze , reduce the wine until it resembles a thin syrup. Add the chicken stock (or water) bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently for at least an hour, if not 2. season with salt and pepper just before serving. Toast your bread and melt the cheese on top, drop the toast into the soup and serve immediately. Enjoy!
There's definitely something about muffins, paired with a good coffee in the morning a fresh muffin helps you come to terms with the day. i have searched far and wide and eaten many a muffin in my time and find this recipe to be the best,
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Every week a new high end restaurant seems to throw open its doors with promises of delights the likes of which we have never known. More often than not, they seem to consistently provide too, oh by no means am i hear to complain. If any thing at the moment and even for some time now we have been spoilt for choice. we have cafes, pubs, tapas bars, sushi, upmarket wine bars and the rest, all serving quality food. The problem is that all these great venues seem to be leading more and more to the high end of the market, and what we are seeing is less and less small cheap quality restaurants. With the IMF warning us of a global credit crisis imminent, rising fuel costs not to mention food costs rents and all the rest you can almost see the justification in aiming at the higher end, what troubles me is this the end, or more to the point the beginning of the end of the local eatery? Are we destined for a world where eating out consists of a dodgy take away or a meal worth more than a months rent? with farming land being chewed up at a rapid rate and the disturbing urban sprawl that seems to be creeping across the land its seems the future is not bright at all.
‘ Techno Emotional cuisine.' I’m going to throw these seemingly ambiguous terms out there and lets see if you can use them in a sentence. Any luck? I’ll give you a hand; to you and I it is more than likely molecular gastronomy, those annoying little buzzwords that seem to fly up almost every time you start talking food. Keep it under you hat though, if the Spanish masters catch wind of it, the very foundations of this fascinating cuisine will shake.
You see, it’s not ‘ molecular gastronomy’ as well as being somewhat confusing in its relation to cooking; it is also an overly scientific and elitist term, according to some of the more prominent figures in the field. It’s a rather tender point of contention as to where it all started, or for that matter by whom. What we can say for certain however is that some of the key players in the affair were; American food science writer Harold Mc Gee, French physical chemist Herve This (pronounced teese) and his partner in crime Hungarian physicist and oxford scholar Nicholas Kurti.
Struggling to find funding for the rather bland world of food science research these two coined this far more eye-catching term. Albeit to the eventual disgust of those in inspired by the formers works. Although top chefs have been fiddling science for years in order to create the simplest of dishes, those we take for granted such as bread, ice cream and even accompaniments such as whipped cream whipped cream believe it or not, this in scientific terms is a specific ratio of fat, water and gas, it has taken far more complicated methods, ideas and innovations to stimulate and inspire us to search out this fascinating new take on modern cuisine
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If we can be certain of anything, without question we can be sure of this, we need to eat. If it be a quick sandwich while running between appointments or a lavish 7 course degustation menu at your local 3 star Michelin, or anything and everything in between, you cannot deny the facts; you need it, crave it, indulge in and feast upon it, the wonderful textures, flavours and smells. Why i can think of nothing more wonderful than sitting at a table with friends breaking bread with a bottle of good wine and meal prepared with love. Over the years it has become far more than a mere necessity, Passionate people, both great chefs and dedicated amateurs alike have taken food preparation to a whole new level, now a world renowned art form. Every day dedicated Professionals are pushing the limits of food, with new techniques designed to challenge the senses break down conventional perceptions of the standard meal.
Techno-emotional or molecular gastronomy as most of us would no it. Can be rightly placed at the forefront of this revolution, but we will delve into that whole kettle of mad fish a little later on. with rising rents and cities growing ever larger by the day, pushing farmers further and further away, food shortages rife across the globe, chefs are moving there hopes and dreams with them. Across Europe and Australia more and more regional restaurants are taking out accolades, some say for the simple reason that the produce is so fresh, in some cases coming out of the ground that morning cleaned cooked and in your belly for lunch. So what i am trying to say is that this revolution is not so one sided, as the trends shift, as people become more aware, although some would say there is nothing new here, its all been done this way for years. The fact of its growing popularity cannot be denied, and even if it is just a resurrection of classics, is that really such a bad thing?
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