This month's topic is "tray bakes". I wasn't sure chocolate brownies really counted, but google says it does, so that's good enough for me. Let's see if the aficionados at Lavender and Lovage and The Hedgecombers agree...
Click on the image below for the full recipe.
Courgettes are at their best this month and offer a range of possibilities to the adventurous cook - from delicate flowers stuffed and coated in crisp tempura to grated courgette in a delicious chocolate cake. Alternatively, you might prefer to exploit their flavour carrying qualities by marinating in flavoured oil and shaving ribbons into a dressed salad.
However you like them, you probably think there is little you don’t already know about this summer squash, but a little research reveals a few surprises:
MYTH #1: “courgettes” are called “courgettes”
In countries such as Canada, Australia, the USA and Germany, the plant is called a zucchini - from the Italian “zucchina" (small pumpkin).
MYTH #2: courgettes are small
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the world’s largest courgette was almost 6 foot long and weighed 65 lbs.
MYTH #3: courgettes are green
There are more than 100 varieties of courgette, each with different markings - including the "Sunbeam" with bright yellow and white stripes!
MYTH #4: courgettes are vegetables
Technically, courgettes are actually fruit - with a distant relationship to watermelons…
MYTH #5: but no-one really loves courgettes
In a 2005 Dolmio poll, the courgette was voted Britain’s 10th favourite vegetable.
MYTH #6: courgettes are mostly water, they have no nutritional value
Courgettes do have a high water content, which makes them low in calories, but they are also a good source of folates, vitamin C and vitamin A - helping to prevent both cancer and heart disease. A single courgette also contains more potassium than a banana.
MYTH #7 courgettes can drive you crazy
OK - maybe not a commonly held myth, but there is some evidence. Consider the two-day Annual Zucchini Fest in Hayward, California. This celebrates everything about the little green vegetable and attracts up to 30,000 visitors each year. The event features live music, arts and crafts – all with a “Zucchini” theme…
When shopping, look for courgettes that are small (water content increases as they grow bigger diluting their flavour), heavy for their size with shiny unblemished skin.
Seasonal recipe: try this simple courgette and citrus salad with pan fried cod.
As a man frequently on the receiving end of "who ate all the pies" football chants, I am particularly qualified to express an opinion on this latest offering from self-titled "global baker" Dean Brettschneider.
PIE tells a story that started with filled Egyptian breads before being influenced by Greek, Roman and Medieval bakers and then French culinary superstars such as Antonin Careme. Together, they have all contributed to a dish that is equally at home in roadside cafes as fine dining restaurants around the world.
“Cooking is an art and baking is a science - making pies is a combination of both”
The eclectic range of recipes in the book reflects the antipodean roots of the author, with everything from "mince and cheese" to "spicy monkfish". It does, however, miss some of the northern hemisphere staples that you might expect to see in a definitive work - a killer chicken and mushroom wouldn't go a miss, nor would the definitive steak and kidney. Despite this, there are enough classics to inspire any true pie lover. In fact, Brettschneider's Melton Mowbray style pork pie has already made me a picnic God in the eyes of my family and friends.
My pork pie efforts...
As with many genre-specific cook books, there is a tendency to stretch its scope. I struggle to agree that a cheesecake strictly meets the brief, even tarts are pushing it for me, and whoever decided ginger biscuits deserved to make it into a pie based bible should be slowly beaten with a rolling pin. However, even I have to admit they all taste delicious and look amazing in the mouth watering photos that accompany them.
This book is a great reference manual, clearly explaining how to make every type of pastry you might ever need, as well as other foundation recipes such as creme patissiere that every cook should have in their armoury.
Richard Bertinet described PIE as "mouth watering and clever", and he has a point - but as far as I'm concerned it's worth buying for the pork pies alone.
When I was learning to cook we were lucky to have a constant supply of edible flowers from the amazing husbandry school in Devon. One of the first things we learned was how just a few of these little gems could make a boring salad spring to life - and turn just about any kitchen disaster into a michelin starred work of art!
So, when I saw that Karen over at lavenderandloveage.com and Janie at Hedgecomers.com were using edible flowers as the basis of their June tea time treats challenge I had to get involved. Take a look at my squid and chorizo salad entry or pop over to Karen's and see what other great recipes have been entered.
For guidance on which flowers are safe to eat, or to buy them online, try this link from the good folk at Greens of Devon.
Simon Rogan has been building an impressive CV. After learning his trade under Jean Christophe Novelli and Marco Pierre White, he recently won the Catey best restaurant and best chef "double" - the first in more than 30 years. L’Enclume, his 2 starred flagship, is one of just 11 restaurants in the UK with 5 AA rosettes and knocked the Fat Duck from top spot as Britain's best according to the 2014 Good Food Guide. One of his chefs won this years prestigious Roux scholarship and he’s recently taken over from Gordon Ramsey at Claridges, where he has publicly stated he is looking for 3 michelin stars at the £3m Fera. This man is not short of accolades…nor ambition.
Situated in the idyllic village of Cartmel (of sticky toffee pudding fame), L’Enclume is housed in an 800 year old blacksmiths just minutes from Lake Windermere. This rugged setting is perfect for the naturalistic style of Rogan’s cooking, which fuses leading edge technique with locally foraged flora and fauna, much supplied by his own farm.
On the night we visited we were treated to an incredible 21 course tasting menu kicked off with Oyster Pebbles "if you can't spot the real ones, this could be a long night"; cod yolk made from various "fish bits" coloured with saffron and served with salt and vinegar puffed rice; the L'Enclume hot pot with spherified potato, lamb and red cabbage; poached quails egg with a black garlic yolk; and a suckling lop served with a brutal looking sabre but which could be cut with a wooden spoon it was so soft. This wasn't the sort of food you cook at home.
To be honest I was looking forward to a good gripe about over-pretentious, over-worked cooking but this was just too good. The food here demonstrates the level of technique that made Heston Blumenthal a star, with flavours and presentation that turn foraging into a fine-dining spectacular. As well as the cooking, the service was as good as you'll find – we enjoyed a Harvard-esque debate on the topic of world-class service with the brilliant maître d’ before being given a guided tour of both the service and development kitchens. Given the 266 mile each way drive from London, I would recommend making a week of it to take in the natural beauty of the Lakes and the hospitality of the local hostelries, but if you decide just to come for the food I promise you won't be disappointed.
I’m sure getting a table at Fera will be nigh on impossible for the next few years, and even worse if Rogan delivers on his 3 star promise, so take a trip to the Lake District and immerse yourself in the original jewel of the Rogan empire…and if you get really hungry, there's always the sticky toffee pudding.