Summer Berry Jam

I am not very good at jam making really. I think it's a tricky business, it usually takes ages and there's always a risk it might not set properly. But if, like me, you've agreed to contribute to the school summer fair and you're not a natural, make your jam as foolproof as possible - this method takes about 15 minutes. Especially simple if you use frozen summer berries (currently £5 for 3 x 500g bags in Sainsbury's). It's a bit on the sweet side but it definitely sets.

Makes about 8 jars
1.5kg prepared summer berries
4 star anise
1 tsp black peppercorns
2kg jam sugar

Place the fruit in a large pan and heat gently to warm it through and get the juices flowing. Add the spices and sugar and heat gently until the sugar completely dissolves. Bring to the boil and once on a full rollling boil, set the timer for 5 minutes. Leave to cool a little then use a big jug to pour into hot-from-the-dishwasher jam jars.

Valentine Warner's Plum Crumble

I've been hearing a lot of good things about BBC2 new boy Valentine Warner lately and one of our lunch guests even requested his plum crumble for pudding yesterday. I watched him make it here and got the recipe here. The filling was nice enough but a bit straightforward so I livened it up with some creme de cassis, a couple of star anise and some plump blackberries but the topping itself was spot on. I must start watching the series!

1970s Christmas Clementines

When we were young, Christmas always used to include a trip to our Grandad’s restaurant La Gondola. It was very chic in its day (it’s terrible now and was on Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares not long ago) and my parents would have Campari at the bar, my brothers would ask Roy McFarland, Kevin Hector, Archie Gemmell and other Derby County footballers for their autographs and I would wait impatiently for the sweet trolley to be rolled in. I always picked rumbaba or the oranges in caramel. I’ve not had caramelised oranges since I was twelve but then Cousin Tilly served them up at the annual Fitzpatrick family party a couple of weeks ago. She followed a recipe from the lovely Silver Spoon cookery book and hers were indeed text book – sweet and golden and identical to the ones off the trolley. So I had a go at making some myself and burnt the caramel into a delicious dark syrup. Yes, loads of sugar but at least no added fat, unlike the tiramisu Mum served alongside them.

Serves 6
12 firm clementines
300g granulated sugar
glass of water
small glass of brandy

Cut the peel and pith from the clementines with a small sharp knife. Strip away the pith and shred the peel from about half of the clementines.

Place the sugar in a pan and set it over a high heat. Let it bubble and melt, it’ll quickly turn to dark caramel. Don’t stir but swirl the pan a bit until all the sugar is dark and molten. Turn off the heat and leave for a couple of minutes.

Stir in the water, brandy and shredded peel and simmer very gently for 1 hour until the peel has candied.

Poach the clementines in the pan of syrup, four at a time for a couple of minutes then transfer to a large serving bowl. Pour over the hot syrup and peel and leave to cool. Set aside for at least a couple of hours or overnight before eating. I love the bitterness combined with the orange but if you find it too much, you can stir in some more white sugar.

Classic Apple and Blackberry Crumble

Serves 6
Knob of butter
2 Bramley cooking apples, peeled, cored and cubed
4 eating apples, peeled, cored and cubed
1 vanilla pod, split
200g fresh or frozen blackberries
2 tbsp caster sugar
For the crumble
100g unsalted butter, finely diced
100g plain flour
100g Demerara or light muscovado sugar
3 tbsp porridge oats
100g pecans, roughly chopped
custard or ice cream, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C / gas 4. Melt the butter in a pan, then add the apples, vanilla pod and a splash of water. Cook over a high heat for 5-8 minutes until softened.

2 Stir in the blackberries and the sugar. Cook for 2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved, then tip into a pie dish.

3 For the crumble rub the butter into the flour then stir in the sugar, oats and pecans. Scatter over the fruit and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Chilli-Ginger Greengage Chutney

This is yummy. If you can face it, halve the greengages and take the stones out, otherwise, just leave them in and warn people not to swallow them. Leave at least a couple of months before eating. With cheese.

Makes 12 jars
1.75kg greengages
3 Bramley apples, cored and chopped
large hand of ginger, peeled and chopped
3 onions, chopped
500g small sultanas or raisins
6 garlic cloves, crushed
6 red chillies, chopped, seeds and all
2 tbsp of mixed whole spices, eg mustard, coriander, cumin, allspice, cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom pods
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp sea salt
1.5litres white wine vinegar
1.2 kg sugar

Place all in a large pan and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 2 hours or so until the liquid has evaporated. Pot into warm sterilised jars and seal.

Crab Apple Jelly

My brother gave me a load of organic crab apples and greengages from the trees in his garden yesterday so I had a go at making jelly. It was a grey, drizzly day but the smell of apples bubbling away on the stove and finally, the sight of my row of crystal-clear, ruby-red jars lined up on the kitchen counter really lifted my spirits. Though simple, as usual, it took longer than I thought it would and Scrap soon grew bored of picking off the leaves deciding that "apple jam is yuk" and instead settled down in the lounge in front of this week's favourite film Herbie - The Love Bug, regularly summoning me by yelling "it's tum off!!" at the top of his voice every time there was an ad break.

Crab apples contain so much pectin that unless you really add too much water, the jelly will always set and you'll have something delicious to show for your efforts. Tomorrow I'm going to have a go at greengage jam (or maybe chutney).

Wash the crab apples well, removing the leaves and stalks. Place in a large pan and just cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer on the lowest heat for one hour until the apples are very, very soft. Line a large sieve or colander with a muslin cloth and tip in the mixture. Leave the liquid to drip through for a couple of hours - if you push it with a wooden spoon, you will get more out but the finished jelly will be cloudy. Measure the apple liquid and pour into a very large clean pan. Add roughly three quarters of the same volume of granulated sugar ( I had 2.5 litres liquid, added 1.8 litres sugar and got 9 jars of jelly) and gently bring to the boil, stirring from time to time until the sugar has completely dissolved. Boil hard for 10 minutes then cool a little, pour into jars and seal.

Anniversary Marmalade

It’s our 10th anniversary today. Not of marriage but of our first get together, but still something to celebrate. I’ve had breakfast in bed and tomorrow we’re spending the day in town together and the evening at Locanda Locatelli. Can’t wait.

But today, I've been told to stay in and wait for my present to arrive......Scrap and me have got our fingers crossed for a cake.
In the meantime, he's watching The Lion King (never seen it before) and I’m making my lemon marmalade for the Bellenden Bun Fight, the week after next. Here are the details again in case you forgot:

Saturday 16th June
Review Book Shop
Entries in 10 – 12pm, judging at 3pm
Categories:
Baking
Preserving
Kids

Lemon and lime leaf marmalade
Makes 10 jars
1kg lemons
2.2 litres water
6 kaffir lime leaves
1 star anise
2.5kg granulated sugar


Place the lemons and water in a very large pan and bring to the boil. Cover and cook on the lowest setting for 2 hours.

Leave until cool enough to handle.

Halve the lemons and scoop out the pulp, pips and pith and add to the pan along with the star anise. Shred the rind as you go and set aside .

Bring the pan to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve, lined with a cloth back into the clean pan. 

Add the shredded rind and sugar, gently bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves then boil vigorously for 15 – 20 minutes.

Test by putting a little onto a cold saucer and returning to the fridge for a few minutes – push the marmalade with your finger and if it wrinkles, it is ready to set. If not, keep boiling and testing.

Carefully ladle the hot marmalade into warm sterilised jars (wash then put in a cold oven, turn to low heat and leave for 20 minutes), then top with a wax disc and circle of sellophane. Leave to cool and set then it’s ready to eat.

Best Ever Trifle

We had a fantastic lunch this weekend at our friends Fergal and Lorraine's house. Sunshine, great food and great company but with three special highlights:

1) Little Alannah and our Scrap performed a dance routine in the garden involving Alannah singing and clapping while they simultaneously struck various poses including rolling into a ball and springing up with arms stretched. We were all too busy laughing to watch properly but it was fab! He needs to join a ballet class

2) The spectacualr cheeses Merrilees bought from Jeroboam's

3) Lorraine's trifle - It's her signature dish:
Cook Cox's apples in butter, maple syrup and cardamom(!) and spoon into large trifle bowl. Top with layer of summer berries. Cover with sliced Madeira cake and drizzle with calvados. Melt Green & Black's white chocolate and mix with custard and vanilla extract and spoon over cake. Top with whipped cream and silver balls. Yum!

Raspberry Souff

4 eggs
150g golden caster sugar
142 ml carton double cream
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp ground almonds
225g pack raspberries
Vanilla ice cream, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 180 C, gas mark 4. Using an electric whisk, beat the eggs and sugar for a good five minutes until pale and thick enough to leave a trail.

2 In a separate bowl, lightly whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Carefully fold the cream into the egg mixture with the flour and almonds.

3 Pour the batter into a large, shallow baking dish and gently scatter over the raspberries – they will mostly sink beneath the surface but not quite all.

4 Bake for 20 minutes until set and golden – make sure it is not still wobbly in the centre. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Seville orange marmalade

My mother-in-law Helen makes really lovely marmalade. There are loads of good marmalades you can buy but they don't come close to home-made.

Sevilles, the bitter and flavoursome cooking oranges are now in season but are only around for a couple of weeks so if you want to make marmalade, do it in the next few days. Helen has made hers to this recipe for 40 years and it is based on one by Mrs Beeton. This is how she does it and I've just tried it and it works brilliantly. I've got a few spare jars if anyone wants one?

Makes 10lbs (about 10 - 12 jars)
3lbs Seville oranges
4 pints of water
juice of 2 lemons
6lbs granulated sugar

Place the oranges and water in a very large pan and bring to the boil. Cover and cook on the lowest setting for 2 hours.

Leave until cool enough to handle. Halve the oranges and scoop out the pulp, pips and pith and add to the pan. Finely shred the rind – I warn you, this takes ages.

Bring the pan to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Pass through a fine sieve and back into the pan.

Add the shredded rind, lemon juice and sugar, gently bring to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves then boil vigorously for 20 – 25 minutes. Test by putting a little onto a cold saucer and returning to the fridge for a few minutes – push the marmalade with your finger and if it wrinkles, it is ready to set. If not, keep boiling and testing.

Carefully ladle the hot marmalade into warm sterilised jars (wash then put in a cold oven, turn to low heat and leave for 20 minutes), then top with a wax disc and circle of sellophane. Leave to cool and set then it’s ready to eat.

Sunday lunch

I’ve got Rob’s family over for Sunday lunch today and I’ve decided to keep it traditional and do roast beef with Yorkshires, roasties, green beans and cauliflower cheese. A little spaghetti starter and a pate to nibble on with a glass of dry sherry while we wait for everyone to arrive.

Chicken liver pate

Easy! Heat a knob of butter in a large sauté pan and cook 500g trimmed chicken livers, a chopped garlic clove and a rosemary sprig for 5 - 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until the livers are cooked but slightly pink in the centre. Leave to cool for 5 minutes then remove and discard the rosemary sprig. Place the warm livers in a food processor and whizz until smooth. With the motor running, pour in 120ml double cream, followed by three tablespoons of Madiera or Marsala or Port until well blended and completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste then spoon into a serving dish or individual ramekins. Top with some melted butter and a few rosemary leaves and leave to set. Serve with thin slices of ciabatta toast and a fruity chutney and / or some cornichons.

Yorkshire puddings

I’m no expert when it comes to Yorkshire puddings – they’re not something I really grew up with but I have messed around with the recipe every time I've made them and am finally happy - my Yorkshires are now light and crisp. My method is not authentic, I use self raising flour where purists use plain and I use only water and no milk. In a large bowl, beat together 2 large eggs, 1 tbsp sunflower oil, 100g self raising flour, a pinch of table salt and 300ml of water. Chill for 30 - 60 mins. Put a splash of sunflower oil in a 12-hole muffin or deep tart tin and put it in the oven set to 220C until the oil begins to smoke. Ladle the batter between the hot moulds and bake for 20 minutes until risen and golden brown.

Raspberry and white chocolate trifle

I love trifle but I hate it when the sponge dissolves into the jelly so following my mum’s method, I set the jelly separately the night before. Make up a 135g block of Hartley’s Raspberry Jelly to 570ml and leave to set. Cut a small block of Madeira cake, about 200g, into slices and place in the bottom of trifle bowl. Drizzle with Marsala or Madiera or medium sherry. Mash up the jelly with a fork and spoon over the sponge with some fresh raspberries. Whisk together half a 250g tub mascarpone and 500g carton yellow Ambrosia custard. Spoon over the jelly. Top with softly whipped double cream. Scatter over a handful of raspberries, maybe a few mini chocolate buttons and drizzle with melted, cooled white chocolate. Chill for a couple of hours.

Lemon

I filmed an episode of Food Uncut with Merrilees today and to be honest, I made a bit of a pig's ear of it. I was making a lemon tart and when it came to the bit where I'm meant to produce the beautiful one I'd made earlier from under the counter I saw that it had been completely flattened by a big mixing bowl I'd flung under there. I had no choice but to say 'ta-da' and slice it. I blame the Whiskey Sours. It's on UKTV Food on Tuesday.

My Lovely Lemon Tart
Serves 6 –8
200g plain flour
50g ground almonds
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp icing sugar
125g chilled butter, diced
2 egg yolks
2 – 3 tbsp cold water
1 egg white, beaten
FOR THE FILLING
200g golden caster sugar
4 eggs
Grated rind and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons
150ml carton double cream

Put the flour, almonds, salt, sugar and butter in a food processor and whiz to make fine crumbs. Add the yolks and water and pulse until the mixture comes together to make a firm but moist dough.

Lightly shape the pastry into a ball then roll out on a floured surface and use to line a 20cm fluted flan tin. Chill for 30 minutes or so.

Preheat the oven to 190C / gas 5. Line the case with greaseproof paper, fill with baking beans and bake for 10 minutes. Lift out the paper, return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes until the surface of the pastry is dry. Brush the inside of the pastry case with egg white and return to the oven for 5 minutes until the egg white has dried and the pastry is shiny – this will prevent the pastry going soggy once the filling is poured in.

Lower the oven temperature to 150C / Gas 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until foamy then beat in the cream and then the lemon rind and juice. Pour the mixture into the tart case, and return to the oven for 40 – 50 minutes until just set– don’t worry if it’s a little wobbly in the centre as it will set as it cools. Leave to cool before slipping out of the tin.