Pumpkin flan

To complement the ham I served as the main dish for my winter dinner party, I made pumpkin flan, a nod to Thanksgiving that'd just passed. This was the first time I used pumpkin in a dessert and the first time I made flan. Both worked out well.

Baked cider ham fillet with sticky mustard glaze

This is the first time I've ever dealt with a whole chunk of ham. I'm not a lover of any pork products and it's really in the last few months that I started using them in my cooking. This baked cider ham requires a bit of effort, mostly preparation time. Before cooking, I soaked the entire fillet in cold water in a large stockpot for 24 hours, changing water every 4 hours the first two times and then every 8 hours. Then the ham sat in a bath of cider, thyme, shallots, bay leaves, and peppercorns for another 24 hours before baking. The result was delicious, well worth all the prep work! 

Baked cider ham with sticky mustard glaze

Winter dinner party

I got a beautiful ham fillet from the butcher's a few weeks ago and decided to invite the brother-in-law over for dinner last weekend.

Baked cider ham with sticky mustard glaze,
roasted cauliflower & baby potatoes with parmesan,
French beans with hazelnuts

Ginger carrot soup

A delicious warmer on a cold winter day. I left out potatoes as I wanted a cleaner, lighter soup as part of a hearty meal, but feel free to add in one small to medium russet potato to thicken the soup.

Ginger carrot soup with pine nuts

Seafood porcini risotto

Seafood porcini risotto

Spiced apple streusel muffins

After making the spiced apple galette, I had three Granny Smith apples leftover. Not wanting to make another galette so soon, I used the leftover apples to make applesauce.

The applesauce had been sitting in the fridge for a few days. I was worried that it would turn, so I flipped through the Wheat Belly 30-Minute Cookbook to see what I could do with it. I came across a recipe for apple streusel muffins. After checking I had everything (yay!) in the pantry, I got to working.

Spiced apple streusel muffin with cappuccino

All-purpose baking mix (wheat free, grain free )

A useful baking mix recipe from Dr William Davis's 'Wheat Belly 30-Minute (Or Less!) Cookbook'. This mix is meant for creating a variety of different bread and baked goods: loaf breads, flatbreads, rolls, scones, muffins, and cookies. Keeping a supply of this mix on hand will help save time.

All-purpose baking mix

Fluffy brownies (2)

The first batch of fluffy brownies turned out well. As per usual, I tweaked the recipe slightly just to see what it would be like. 

Fluffy brownie

Fluffy brownies (1)

I had some ripened avocados in the fridge and decided to use them before they turned. The last few batches of brownies I made were more fudgy and dense. This time, I thought I'd try a lighter, fluffier variety. 

Fluffy brownie

Orange turkey 陳皮火雞

Inspired by a conversation with a couple of friends about cooking turkey, I made orange turkey, a twist from orange chicken, for dinner tonight. It was so good that the Husband asked for seconds!

Orange turkey

Broccoli, potato & cheddar soup

It has got a bit chillier here and after spending the weekend out and about in the wind and rain getting looking at properties and kitchen and bathroom showrooms, I felt the need for some hearty soup to nourish my body and soul. 

Broccoli, potato & cheddar soup

Spiced apple galette

It had been a while since I made a cake or pie, so when I got some sweet, tangy, juicy Granny Smith and Jazz apples, I immediately got to making a spiced apple galette. 

Slice of spiced apple galette

Spiced cranberry bread

Here's another variation of the basic bread with sweet mixed spices (coriander, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, fennel, cloves, and cardamon) and dried cranberries.

Spiced cranberry bread

Cinnamon raisin walnut bread (1)

Ever since I made the basic walnut bread, I'd been itching to try making a variation using cinnamon, raisins, and walnuts. And after a trip to Holland & Barrett to pick up a few missing ingredients, I got to working.

Cinnamon raisin walnut bread

Crispy duck with baked apples

Duck is my favourite meat, so much so that I had it as my wedding menu main course. I was particularly excited to find a whole Barbary duck in the supermarket. The Barbary duck, also known as Muscovy duck, is leaner than other breeds of farmed ducks and renowned for its plump, firm meat. I decided to roast the whole duck properly with apples and beetroots, not forgetting to render some delicious duck fat along the way. 

Crispy duck with baked apples, roast beetroots, and hasselback potatoes

Chocolate peanut butter cups

One of my favourite chocolate treats is Reese's peanut butter cups. When I got a big tub of peanut butter made with 100% peanuts, I could finally make my own peanut butter chocolate cups. 

Chocolate peanut butter cups

Basic bread (with walnut)

On the heels of my success with the chocolate-frosted yellow cake, I tried out another 'base' recipe from the Wheat Belly Cookbook, the Basic Bread. I had tried making loaf bread before using only coconut flour but it came out too dense for my liking (hence even though I have the recipe written down, I haven't posted it). This basic bread recipe called for garbanzo bean, or chickpea/gram, flour. I couldn't find ready-made chickpea flour in the shops here (I didn't try very hard, only looking at the usual shops I go to), so I got a bag of dried chickpeas and proceeded to make my own.

It was actually quite easy to do, as long as one had the tools - food processor, or in my case, a mini chopper, a coffee/spice grinder, and a sifter - good sound insulation in the kitchen (or whatever room you're working in), a bit of time, and lots of patience. I made two batches, using one for this bread and kept the rest in a air-tight jar for future use.

Basic walnut bread

Pan-roasted cod topped with pesto

Pan-roasted cod, topped with pesto, roasted cherry tomatoes on the vine, spicy Maris Piper wedges roasted in duck fat, blanched broccolini

Chocolate-frosted yellow cake

While I wouldn't call myself a cake lover, I do occasionally find myself hankering for cake. And that was what happened two weeks ago. I desperately wanted a slice of moist, dense, and fluffy cake. Being swamped at work and not really having an idea of how to make a wheat-free version, I picked up a toffee cake from the shops. While it tasted alright (not amazing, mind you), I paid for it with several days of discomfort and then more. And still, my craving wasn't satisfied.

So I bit the bullet and bought myself a coffee grinder so I could grind up golden linseeds as they seem to be called in several wheat-free, grain-free recipes. And boy, was I glad I did! Not only did the grinder work a treat for the linseeds, I also managed to make icing sugar without cornstarch with it, which was needed to make the frosting for my cake.

The cake I chose to make was a chocolate-frosted yellow cake. I came across a recipe for it in Dr William Davis's 'Wheat Belly Cookbook'. The cookbook has a good variety of recipes and is easy to use once you have the basic ingredients at hand. The wheat-free cakes I'd made so far were mostly loaf cakes so I wanted to try something new and a yellow cake looked like a good choice as it was versatile. I also wanted to try another kind of frosting (using something other than coconut cream/milk).

Chocolate-frosted yellow cake

Taiwanese stir-fried rice vermicelli 炒米粉

Taiwanese stir-fried brown rice vermicelli

Pizza with courgette crust

I've been flat out with work for the last few weeks. That and also it's been rather warm, I've been doing a lot of salads and fish for dinner. When I wrapped up a case yesterday afternoon, I decided to take a breather and head out to get the necessary ingredients to make pizza at home.

Pizza with courgette crust, topped with ventricina salami, chorizo, roasted red peppers, chestnut mushroom, red onion marmalade, goat cheese, and baby spinach 

Aubergine lamb rolls with tzatziki

We were on holiday in Abu Dhabi for 10 days in late June. The hotel was lovely and the food wonderful, fresh and very high quality. After returning home, I wasn't in any mood to cook, so we lived on shuǐjiǎo (boiled dumplings) for a few days. Even though they were tasty, the wheat used to make the pastry didn't agree with me (I don't need to say more...).

When I finally put in an order for grocery, I decided to extend the holiday feel a bit and make tzatziki, something that was available at breakfast and dinner in the hotel, to go with lamb. And the resulting dish was grilled aubergine rolls stuffed with lamb and feta, drizzled with tzatziki. 

Grilled aubergine lamb rolls with tzatziki

Sea bass with chunky mango salsa

Pan fried sea bass fillet, served with chunky mango salsa and blanched tenderstem broccoli

Maple pecan scones

I'm not a great fan of the quintessential afternoon tea accompaniment on this side of the pond, namely scones and clotted cream. So even after I went wheat-free, I didn't miss scones one bit. I do, however, miss having a nibble with tea. So I decided to attempt making wheat-free scones. 

Maple pecan scones with maple syrup glaze

Basil panna cotta

Husband brought home a basil plant when I asked him for some fresh basil to go with the fresh mozzarella and tomatoes I got a few days ago. Naturally, a lot of basil was still in the pot. I also had nearly a full carton of double cream after making a batch of pecan maple scones (recipe to come) so I thought I'd experiment with a basil-infused panna cotta.

Basil panna cotta with summer berries

Thai red curry (Gaeng Daeng)

Red curry with turkey, tomatoes & garden peas, served with kaffir lime basmati

Chia coconut pudding

Every now and then I get a craving for rice pudding. But every time, I'd only have a few bites before getting tired of it. Something about the combination of cream and soft rice that makes it hard for me to eat beyond a few spoonfuls. Last week I came down with acute tonsillitis and had a pretty rough few days with fever, chills, muscle aches, and a sore throat. I couldn't eat any solid foods for a few days and that was when I thought about rice pudding. Except I didn't want rice pudding really. I wanted a coconut milk pudding with chia seeds soaked through.

Chia coconut pudding topped with pistachios

Lemon chilli chicken

Lemon chilli chicken with lemon & thyme gravy, served with roast baby potatoes and steamed broccoli

Mung bean jelly loaf 綠豆沙涼糕

Lamb vindaloo

After a visit to Asia Market and sourcing lots of wonderful spices and herbs, I decided to make curry from scratch for the first time. I was able to find lamb stew meat at the butcher's, so I went for a lamb vindaloo. Again, my mini chopper proved to be a terrific buy. 

Lamb vindaloo with wholegrain basmati and blanched green beans

Pan fried venison leg steak and lamb's liver

Tesco, where I order regularly for delivery, has recently added new products to their shelves. Among them are fresh counter sea bass and venison leg steaks. Seeing as it was my first time cooking venison steaks, I decided to keep it simple and pan fry them with some butter for dinner. I also pan fried some lamb's liver in butter and, in a separate pan, baby potato slices in duck fat.

Pan fried venison leg steak and lamb's liver, baby potato slices fried in duck fat, sautéed sugar snaps and chestnut mushrooms

Cashew sesame coriander turkey goujons

A few years ago on BBC's Dragon's Den there was a successful pitch from Levi Roots (real name Keith, an inside joke for anyone that watched the episode) for his Reggae Reggae sauces. Shortly after that episode aired, we found his Reggae Reggae Jerk/BBQ sauce on the shelf in a couple of shops here. Once we tried it, we were hooked. So when I saw the extra hot version being introduced in the shop, I didn't hesitate to pick up a bottle to try. And because I had fresh turkey breasts, I decided to make some turkey goujons to go with the hot sauce. 

Cashew sesame coriander turkey goujons in romaine lettuce cups, served with hasselback potatoes

Mini 'hamburgers'

Mini 'hamburger'

Pan fried cod with salsa cruda

Pan fried cod with salsa cruda, served with sautéed broccolini & green beans 

Steamed sea bass with citrus, ginger, chilli & coriander

Steamed sea bass with citrus, ginger, chilli, coriander, served on a bed of blanched lotus root slices

Earl Grey tea biscuits

Earl Grey is my favourite black tea, and I've had much success using it in chocolate desserts (see my pots de créme au chocolat and chocolate truffle cake). This time I decided to try using it without chocolate and to make biscuits instead. 

Earl Grey tea biscuits

Mala soup base 麻辣湯底

A couple of weeks ago, I was teaching a course on Chinese history, culture, and business and in the last class, I talked about Chinese cuisine. As I went through the Eight Culinary Traditions and explained the different flavours and textures, I was hit with a serious craving for Sichuan mala spices that demanded to be satisfied. So after class, I promptly visited Asia Market and got the necessary ingredients to make my version of mala tofu hot pot (麻辣豆腐鍋).

Mala tofu hot pot with mung bean sheets

Persian lemon chicken

A couple of years ago when we were holidaying in Dubai, we visited the Spice Souk and picked up a few spices. Among them was limu omani, or dried lemon/lime. When we got back home, I didn't quite know what to do with these dried citrus so I searched for recipes online and found one for Persian lemon chicken soup. I tried it out and while the flavours were nice enough, I wasn't completely sold and didn't attempt making it again. The rest of the limu omani were stored in a jar sitting on my spice rack.

Yesterday while trying to come up with a different way of using the chicken pieces I had, I remembered the limu omani and decided it was time to give them another go. And the result was a aromatic lemon chicken with cardamom turmeric rice. 

Persian lemon chicken with cardamom turmeric basmati and blanched green beans

Pineapple coconut loaf (2)

After a full schedule for the first two weeks of May, I finally had the time and energy to try out the tweaked recipe for my pineapple coconut loaf with less liquid and sugar. I also used the ground walnuts left over from making the chocolate walnut torte.

Pineapple coconut loaf

Baked chicken leg & thigh

Baked chicken leg & thigh with cayenne pepper & marjoram, served with hasselback potatoes, and fried chilli green beans (乾煸四季豆)

Pan seared salmon fillet with hasselback potato

Getting tired of sautéing or roasting potatoes, I tried my hands at hasselback potatoes to accompany my salmon with crispy skin. I didn't manage to find maincrop potatoes that are supposedly best for this dish (I suppose they are not in season just yet), so I grabbed two larger sized ones from the bag of white potatoes I bought yesterday.

Pan seared salmon with crispy skin, served on a bed of wilted baby spinach with lemon, and spicy hasselback potato

Pan seared duck with cranberry sauce

Duck is quite possibly my favourite meat (so much so that I put it on my wedding menu as a main course). I made a beautiful dinner tonight with duck breast fillets from Silver Hill.

Pan seared duck with cranberry orange coconut sauce, served with trio of pepper torta and sautéed  broccolini

Trio of pepper torta

Wanting something vegetarian for dinner tonight and to use up the bell peppers that had been sitting in the fridge for a few days, I made a trio of pepper torta (like the Spanish tortilla but sans the patatas).

Slice of trio of pepper torta

Decadent chocolate walnut torte

As my mini chopper successfully blitzed cauliflower for rice, I felt more confident that it could handle grinding walnuts well. And seeing as it'd been a while since I made any chocolate desserts, I reached for the bag of top quality antioxidant, non-alkalised cocoa that I bought a good while ago and my trusty Green & Black's dark chocolate bars to make this decadent chocolate walnut torte. 

Buttered pork tenderloin with Granny Smith

So taken I was with the beef & kale cauliflower rice, I had it for dinner again last night and made buttered pork tenderloin and sautéed lamb's liver to go with it.

Buttered pork tenderloin with Granny Smith, served with beef & cauliflower rice and sautéed lamb's liver & mushrooms 

Beef & kale cauliflower rice bowl

I get beef mince quite often as it always seems to be on a special deal. The organic round steak mince from Tesco is quite good, flavoursome and lean, and is my choice of beef mince. I've made several tasty dishes using mince, such as chilli con carne, meatballs, barbecue beef stir-fry, and beef in lettuce cups. But I thought it was time to try a new dish using steak mince. And following my success at making cauliflower rice, I went ahead and mixed beef and kale together for this dish.

Beef & kale cauliflower rice bowl

Cauliflower rice

I got a mini chopper a while ago but had been apprehensive about using it to chop anything other than onions and garlic cloves. But the lure of grinding my own nuts was such that I decided to take the plunge. Tonight for dinner, I made a beef & kale cauliflower rice bowl. For the cauliflower rice, I blitzed a whole head of raw cauliflower. Of course I had to did this in batches (about 5) as my mini chopper wouldn't be able to handle a lot. Still, I was delighted with the way it turned out. 

Cauliflower rice sautéed