Blog

CLOTHILDE’S BEEF WITH WINE, BAY AND THYME

Serves 4

Salt and pepper
1kg. / 2lbs. 4ozs. silverside or topside of beef
1tbsp. oil
2 onions, halved and cut into crescent moons
3 garlic cloves, chopped
150mls. dry white or red wine
4 carrots halved lengthways
2 large tomatoes, quartered
3 thyme sprigs
3 bay leaves
300mls. / 10fl. ozs. chicken or beef stock 

1. Preheat the oven to 140C / gas mark 1.  Season the beef and heat the oil in a large casserole.  Brown the joint all over.  Remove and put the onions in the pan and cook until golden.  Add the garlic for another couple of minutes, then add the wine and bring to the boil.  Return the beef to the casserole along with all the other vegetables and the herbs.
2. Pour the hot stock over.  Season well, cover and cook in the oven for 2½ hours.

TIPS

I cook this meal an awful lot and add other vegetables.  Yesterday it was leeks and parsnips as well as the carrots.  I serve it with mashed potato.  I also allow the meat to rest once it is cooked for a good 15 minutes.  I thicken the cooking juices by adding cornflour (do mix with cold water first) and bring to the boil.

The cookery writer had this dish in France where they serve it with either bread or a gratin of macaroni.  The macaroni was either moistened with juices from the pot roast or with cream, then topped with Parmesan or Gruyere cheese and baked or grilled.  I haven’t tried that version yet.

CHILLED BRAMLEY APPLE AND RICE PUDDING

Serves 6

150g. / 5 ½ ozs. short grain rice
700mls. / 1¼ pints full fat milk
30g. / 1¼ ozs. caster sugar
75ml. / 2 ½fl. ozs. double cream
grated nutmeg or cinnamon

For the apple:

3 Bramley apples, peeled, cored and sliced
100mls. 3½fl. ozs. cider
caster sugar to taste

For the syrup:

150g. / 5½ ozs. caster sugar
To serve:

The remainder of your carton of cream

1. Cover the rice with water in a saucepan and bring to the boil.  Boil for 4 minutes, drain and rinse.  Return the rice to the pan and add the milk and sugar.  Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring from time to time.  You may need more milk.  You should end up with a sloppy mixture that still holds its shape.  Remember it will firm up as it cools.  Leave until cold.
2. Put the apples in a pan with the cider and set over a medium heat.  Cover and cook until completely soft, stirring to break them down every so often.  Once cooked add sugar to taste.
3. To make the syrup put the sugar into a pan with 100mls. / 3½ fl.ozs. water.  Heat slowly until the sugar has dissolved.  Then bring to the boil and watch until the syrup turns to caramel.  Swish the pan a bit.  Once it becomes caramel, you will know by the smell and colour, immediately add about 8 tbsps. water and wish around.  Stir so the caramel dissolves in the water.
4. Layer the components up in glasses.  Start with some apple, then caramel, then rice pudding, then caramel.  Repeat.  Spoon whipped cream on top and drizzle with caramel.  Refrigerate until serving.

TIPS

Do watch when adding the water to the caramel as it will spit and is very hot!!  You need to watch caramel very carefully as you do not want it to burn.  Stand by the saucepan and don’t answer the ‘phone.

If making caramel is a step too far for you you could just have a thin layer of chopped nuts or crushed ginger biscuits, which would add a contrast colour wise. I think ginger biscuits would be rather nice in fact. 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH CHILLI AND CREME FRAICHE – Serves 4

1 butternut squash, about 1kg., peeled and deseeded
2 tbsps. olive oil
1 tbsp.butter
2 onions, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 mild red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
850mls. hot vegetable stock
4 tbsps. creme fraiche, plus extra to serve

Heat the oven to 200C / fan 180C / gas mark 6.  Cut the squash into large chunks, deseed, then toss in a roasting tin with 1 tbsp.of the oil.

Roast for 30 minutes, until golden and soft.

Melt the butter with the remaining 1 tbsp. oil, add the onion, garlic and 3/4’s of the diced chilli.  Cook until the onions are soft.  Tip the squash into the pan, add the stock and 4 tbsps. creme fraiche and whizz with a stick blender, or in a liquidiser, until smooth.  Return to the pan and gently reheat, then season to taste.

Serve in bowls with swirls of creme fraiche and a scattering of the remaining chilli.  

TIP

Squash is much easier to peel after it has been roasted.  You can easily scrape it off the skin.  Jamie Oliver is a great one for eating the skin as well as it softens when cooked.  Give it a good scrub if you are planning to do that.

 

PEAR AND FRANGIPANE TART – Serves 6

Pastry:

250g. plain flour
125g. cold, unsalted butter
50g. caster sugar
pinch of salt and cinnamon – optional

Pears:

4 barely ripe pears
2 tbsps. soft brown sugar
50g. unsalted butter
1 tbsp. demerara sugar
1 tbsp. flaked almonds

Frangipane:

75g. soft, unsalted butter
75g. caster sugar
1 large egg, beaten
20g. plain flour
75g. ground almonds
dash of vanilla extract

First make the pastry.  Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  This can be done easily in a food processor.  Then add the sugar, cinnamon and salt if using. Mix together with cold water (about 50mls.) until you have a dough.  Pat into a round, wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge to rest for about 30 minutes.

Peel, quarter and core the pears and cut the quarters into 2.  Heat the butter and sugar and cook gently for a few minutes, until the pears soften,  Drain in a sieve, retaining all the sauce.  Cool the sauce in the fridge for later.

To make the frangipane cream the butter and sugar and add the egg, flour, almonds and vanilla.  Beat well until fluffy.

Roll out the pastry to a large circle, no bigger than 4 mm. and put on a greased baking sheet.  Set the oven at 200C / gas mark 6.  Spread the frangipane on the pastry leaving a 2cm. border.  Arrange the pears on top and sprinkle with the demerara sugar and almonds.  Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool for 10 – 15 minutes.  Serve trickled with some of the sauce and with cream or ice cream.. 

 

TIP

You can buy your pastry if you do not wish to make it but make sure you get all butter shortcrust, it is so much better.  If you make your own pastry make sure the butter is really cold.  I would turn the edge of the pastry circle over slightly to form a rim and stop any juice making the bottom of the pastry soggy.  Drain the pears well.  You could always cook the pears the day before and make the pastry, but let it come to room temperature before cooking if you have done so.