What an odd title. Deconstructed and Reconstructed Rhubarb and Fruit Crumble. A bit poncey sounding. It may conjure up a Meccano set of Heston Blumenthal wizardry to some. Or little dollops of fruit, crumble and custard artfully triangulated on a plate to others. It is neither. It is just my way of making crumble suitable for now …
Muffins get a bad rap. Paraphrasing a British expression about US GIs – used disparagingly during WW2 – they are over-filled, over-sweet and over here. But muffins don’t have to be the gummy-textured, American-style behemoths beloved of overpriced (and over here) coffee chains. They don’t even need to be sweet. And, dear Lord, they can even be …
This is hardly a recipe. When you have something as preciously short-seasoned as blood oranges they demand respect. Respect to me is letting them glow, sharply-sweet, either on their own or atop something as simple as this roasted vanilla rhubarb. Or on my matcha yogurt breakfast bowl.
One can buy very good bought curry pastes nowadays, but there is just something extra-bright and fresh about a homemade paste. And it isn’t hard to make: I just pop everything into the bowl of my little mini chop thingy* and press ‘on.’ It is that easy.
I don’t often post anything that is fried, for the simple reason that I rarely fry anything. Sauteeing onions is usually as far as it goes at food to glow. For the most part my digestion does not cope well with fried food. “Does not cope well” is a euphemism by the way. There are exceptions …
Although it is eye-searingly bright here in Edinburgh, the temperature has dropped and I have treated myself to a morning of central heating. I don’t usually keep the heat on for myself (even though the cats stand by the gas fire with pleading, unblinking eyes) but I have got so used to the ‘balmy’, ‘warm’ …
I hope you don’t mind me butting in here, but I know that many of you (and me) are going to festive parties, and I thought I would share my 15 healthy holiday eating tips with you. These are probably common sense, and you know them already, but if you are like me it is …
Hello, hello! Just back from seeing my lovely Dad and sister in Florida. It was a super visit, with too much food, lots of sun (and sunscreen) and loads of cheering for my star-pitcher nephew. Going to Tripp’s baseball games are always a highlight, even if any mosquito in a 20 mile radius always finds …
Botanically identical to tender-skinned summer squashes, winter squashes are my unsung hero of autumn-winter eating. Not only do they keep well – you can forget about them for over a month and they will still love you – they are just about the most useful and delicious of the cold weather crops. Butternut squash, acorn, Delicata, …
Let’s face it: size does matter. Okay. I should clarify: size matters if you are a zucchini. Those summer squashes (zucchini/courgettes) that throughout the lazy summer months were tender and thin-skinned enough for anointing with cream in delicate gratins, and ribboning raw into salads? Well, they are now lumpen beasts; their mass, weight and tough …