Wedding Food

Delicious dishous

  Wow, where to start! We went to a friend's wedding down south the other day and had a real blast. Firstly I would like to say a hearty congratulations and huge 'well done' to the bride and groom who both looked fabulous. May you together experience many, many years of joy. 
 The food was really good so I took some pictures. However, the best course for presentation was probably the starter...which I neglected to photograph! It was a beautiful quiche served with an onion chutney and a balsamic reduction dressing. How does that sound? The main course comprised of cold meats, these deliciously dressed new potatoes, salads and coleslaw. (I've done some science but never came across Cole's Law...) However, I have not yet acquired a taste for coleslaw so I had pickled onions which I have quite a fetish for. 

My plate hence the lack of coleslaw

Well done to the bride. It was quite a
masterpiece.

 They did a selection of cheesecakes for dessert and I had a super chocolatey one which really was a delish dish. During the evening there was a buffet of finger food as well and they always go down quite nicely too. I must say that I was greatly impressed with the wedding cake which the beautiful bride did herself days before the wedding! That certainly deserves some comments so get writing below. To top things off, the band during the evening while doing their sound check were playing some real jazzy music. Oh yeah! (See previous post Tools For The Job - Part 3)

Chocolate cheesecake!

 Now, this I didn't know but the team who did all the food (who did an absolutely awesome job by the way!) were actually the caterers for the BoE (Bank of England)! I got my picture with them and gave their General Manager my blog too so, as you can imagine, I was decidedly happy.
 I learned a fair bit concerning how one might go about doing the catering for a wedding and it has been one of those things that I've always wanted to do sometime in the future. Though, when it comes to my wedding, I've often wondered who would do the food for that...

Myself and my beautiful photographer

Seasoned with Romance,

Jacob

The brilliant BoE catering team. A huge 'thank you' to you all!

"To glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Creator

of the universe and to spread further abroad His glorious gospel." - Yours Truly

Chocolate Mousse or Chocolate Moose?

Jamie sure knows how to do it!

 Now we are talking! Boy was this amazing. If you have read the Creme Brulee post I did not long ago, you will know that I mentioned making a chocolate mousse sometime. Well, I did.
 I read in a Gino Dicampo book just how simple it is to make a good chocolate mousse and knew that this would be the next thing to try. My older sister bought me a book which contains thirty of Julia Child's most famous recipes with her chocolate mousse being one of them too so I thought, "Why not?" Apparently the secret to this is good quality chocolate that isn't too strong as that does not combine as well. I'm not too cluey on the science there but it's something like that.

Time: 15 mins, 3 hrs chilling

Serves: 5-6

RECIPE:

Man, is this stuff good!

 1) Separate two eggs with the yolks going into a heatproof bowl and the whites into any bowl with two tbsp of golden caster sugar. In a pyrex bowl over a saucepan of near boiling water, melt 75g of dark chocolate and then add that and the rind of half an orange to the yolks. Combine together and then squeeze in some of the orange juice. Have a taste and add as you will. If you are feeling adventurous then add a tsp or two of Cointreau. When the desired flavour has been achieved, place the bowl back on the saucepan but not on the heat. This will keep your mixture easy to work with.
 2) Whisk together the whites and sugar until shiny but don't over whisk. Fold the two together carefully and then pour into martini glasses. Chill for three hours in a fridge until set. To garnish, you can use orange peel or gold leaf. Now go have some you time!

"Hmm, dushdy doo. Here's
the chocolate mooshey."

Who doesn't enjoy melting
chocolate?

 Do you want to have a few seconds of point-and-laugh at me? I peeled a piece of orange peel to chop finely for garnishing but I peeled it over the glass that I was about to garnish. There I was searching around the glass for the piece of peel to discover that it had splatted into the mousse. Yeah, it was a hair-pulling moment. Now, a good chef is made by his or her ability to take a real pooped-on situation and turn everything around using whatever means available so I thought hard for a second. The piece of peel that had landed in the mousse had a definite shape to it so I thought that maybe if I mirrored it, it might just look like an orange peel butterfly. I don't know, what do you think? (See above.) Leave a comment below.

 If the proof of the pudding is in the tasting then this one definitely did just that. Everyone could not stop stating how amazing it was. It was pretty good if I say so myself. Chocolate and orange is one of my all time favourite combinations too for those who would care to know. (Boxes of chocolates can be posted to...)

Seasoned with Self-control

Jacob  

P.S. For some reason this clip always makes me laugh...

"To glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Creator 

of the universe and spread further abroad His glorious gospel." - Yours Truly

Work Experience - Part 1

A very happy me eating Shepherd's Pie!

 Not long after moving house to the far north end of Stirlingshire, Scotland, myself and a few of my older siblings went to a worship, music event at a small hotel. As I was walking past the outside, I spied through the window and saw the kitchen. It looked pretty top notch and I knew that someday I would get in there - don't ask me why. While we were there I met the chef who was only a youngish chap and very likeable and we also discovered that the people that owned the place were going to start hosting a musician's night once a month where if you were local and played music then you could come along and jam. My Dad and a few of us have played music together for a few years now so we went along and had a great time. During one of these evenings, I got to chat with the owner who readily agreed to me coming for some work experience. In the next week there were a bunch of musicians who were coming to stay for a writing project and so it was agreed that I would come during their stay. I was over the moon! 

 I was not going to be doing breakfast but I was to arrive just after and start the day from there. Up early and off I went. The kitchen was so cool. Stainless steel, a massive, six-ring gas oven and another fan oven. Draws filled with a bazillion sharp things and a walk in pantry with shelves bursting with hundreds of alien foods of which I had never heard. I knew that I would have to stay on my toes and absorb as much as I could.

The beautiful red stalks and green
leaves of the rhubarb plant

Jamie's own crumble

 The chef was in the middle of serving breakfast still and so the kitchen was in real bustle. (The chef usually takes care of the kitchen himself with the occasional hand from one of the other caretakers.) The first thing I was instructed to do was to get a chef's shirt and apron. That moment, buttoning that shirt up was truly amazing. I was a chef! 

 After we had cleared up breakfast, we were going to make a rhubarb crumble for later. The chef took me outside and showed me his herb baskets, veggie plot and greenhouses. I didn't realise how much he grew himself. We selected some sticks of rhubarb and cleaned them up before taking a board each to chop it all up. I knew his knives were going to be very sharp and so I asked whether he trusted me with one. He replied good-humouredly, "I trust you with a small one." As the day progressed, however, he did give me the chance to use one. We were prepping veg for a Shepherd's Pie and I remember him telling me not to watch which of course made me look up to see him empty two bottles of red wine into a huge saucepan. Anyway, the veg. All the while I was thinking, "I hope I'm doing this right, I hope I'm doing this right!" His words after observing me were, "You already have really good knife skills which is half the battle. The rest is easy." You can imagine my inner rejoicing at such praise.

As Tim Hawkins* would
say, "Liqour reference!"

 Now, it wasn't all cooking as you will probably know - the more you cook, the more you clean. We wiped down the kitchen often and washed up loads but it was not that different quantity wise to what I do at home. After we were cleared again, we started on some cakes and I was introduced to chocolate ganache. I had heard and read about it but never actually used the stuff. The chef gave me a recipe to do while I believe he started on hundreds of custard creams. The recipe was for a sponge that would in the future become one of my favourite all time recipes but I'll be doing a post on that sometime later. I buckled down and was OK until we put the icing on and then it became more of a delicious, chocolate mess!

 During this experience I also made sweet pastry for the first time ever for a frangiepane. I have never liked marzipan but we used Amaretto and it was a different story. That thing was gorgeous! Apparently, the pastry recipe we used is the best that the chef had come across so I shall share that with you here. 

 Time: 10 mins

 Serves: Yields 2 x 9" dishes 

 RECIPE:

 1) Sieve 200g icing sugar and 500g of flour into a mixing bowl, add 250g of room temperature butter and 2 eggs. Mix with a paddle attachment in a mixer until it just starts to come together and then stop it. Don't knead it whatsoever but just bring it together with your cold hands, (run them under cold water for a bit), divide in two, cling film and fridge. Simple as that!

I used this in a lemon tart thing a week or so later but I'll be posting that sometime soon...

*See previous post 'Cooking with Pooh'

Click HERE for Part 2

"To glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Creator  

of the universe and spread further abroad His glorious gospel." - Yours Truly

Summery Fruit Flan

Again, all photography by my genius sister.

 If time is not on your side then this is perfect. It dresses to impress but takes under ten minutes to do. It's awesome! Other pro's are that it's economical, low on the calories and nutritious. If you are planning to travel with it for a summer picnic or something synonymous then put the flan on the lid of a airtight container and then the container over it. Simples. (Just ensure that you continue to carry it upside-down!)
 These pre-made flan dishes can be found in the baking section of most supermarkets so keep an eye out.

And here's one I prepared earlier..

All you need.

 Time: Minutes

 Serves: 8-10

 RECIPE: 

 1) Dump a whole 600ml pot of double cream in a mixer with a whisk attachment, sieve two tablespoons of icing sugar into it and let it whir for about five minutes or until it starts to look light and fluffy. Meanwhile, melt 6-8 squares of chocolate with a splash of milk in a glass bowl over some simmering water but don't let the water touch the bowl. When the chocolate has melted, let it cool slightly and then pour it over your flan base evenly. Fridge your cream and flan while you prepare your fruit and then arrange as you will. Shave over some chocolate and that's that!

Really go to town with the chocolate!

 So there it is, how easy can it get? Incredible. The fruit you use is completely up to you, use your imagination and be creative. Sliced kiwi and grapes also work a treat but be as exotic as you like. There are loads of fruits out there so here is a chance to show off to your friends and family your knowledge of them. 
 The key to these really is the presentation and how to display the fruit so, again, be creative. For instance, I did a 'birthday-cake' type thing for my younger brother. His nickname is 'Cap' obtained from Captain America. (I'm Iron Man as apparently I'm volatile, self-obsessed and don't play well with others. I know, you tell me!) Anyhow, I used one of these flans to do a Captain America shield as you can see (or not) from the pictures. However, I chickened out from doing the star in the end and stated that it was an "interactive gift". In other words, he would do the star. It turned out pretty well in the end actually but let me know what you think in some comments and don't forget to check out YourBlog! right here.

Above: My bro with the very pleased grin
Below: It's all about display

 Seasoned with Creativity,

 Jacob

What to do...

...with these arty people?

"To glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Creator 

of the universe and spread further abroad His glorious gospel." - Yours Truly

Diner Style Baked Potatoes with Bacon and Cheese

Vintage vinyl, red leather and chrome, the sound of a jukebox...and this

 Most everyone loves a good jacket spud and I and my family are no exception. Usually jackets, you'll find, are served with beans and cheese, tuna mayonnaise, chilli even, however, I really wanted to try something a little different and experiment a bit. I was looking for new recipes on the web and came across one for "Texan Jackets" which used a baked potato, bacon, salad, etc, so I thought why not go with that kind of retro, American diner theme? I didn't use a recipe at all but just made it up as I went along using principles. (I do that quite a bit come to think of it.) I was going to be making this for quite a few people so my photographer had to pitch in a bit but the end result was delicious. Give it a try and tell me what you think! Visit Your Blog! to contact me.

Only two trays of baked potatoes to do...

 Time: 2hrs

 Serves: 1-21 (the recipe can be adapted easily)

 RECIPE:

 1) Preheat your oven to around 250 and scour, prick and score a spud for each person. Rub the spuds all over with olive oil and rock salt/salt flakes, sprinkle a little cayenne and paprika and place them in a tray Pop the tray in the oven while you prepare to make the fillings and toppings.

Crispy skins waiting to be
filled

"Go on, my son!" Ignore the apron

 2) Take a red and a white onion and dice finely before caramelising* them in a pan with a knob of butter and olive oil, a pinch of thyme, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. Leave to cool. In a large bowl mix together creme fraiche (work on 30ml per person) a little lemon rind, a teaspoon of lemon juice, a handful of grated cheese and a sprinkle of basil. (Add sweetcorn too for an American texture.) Season to taste and then add the cooled onions.

 3) Apparently the best way to do bacon is to bake it so that is what I did. Rub the bottom of a tray with a little olive oil, distribute the bacon and place in your oven. Remove when cooked but still pink and set aside.
 4) When your spuds are done, slice in half, scoop out the soft middle, though carefully so that the skin stays undamaged, and mash in a separate bowl with a fork. Combine with the creme fraiche mixture and return to the skins. Place a slice of bacon over each half, grate over some parmesan and place in the oven again. When the bacon and cheese starts browning, remove and serve with buttered peas, onion rings, salad, a grilled and buttered corn, etc; you choose, your the boss.

Not quite but you get the idea anyway

 *There is a huge difference between sweating, sauteing and caramelising. When it comes to caramelising, patience is the key. Don't be hasty but let the onions cook slowly on a medium heat until they really start browning up. This gives the onions a beautiful, sweet flavour. If you can practice getting the distinction between these three when in the kitchen then already your cooking has gone up a huge level.

 Seasoned with Curiosity,

 Jacob

 P.S. Can anyone guess what I shall be doing with the surplus potatoes today? If not then see Leftovers - Indian Style Potatoes with Flavoured Yogurt.

"To glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Creator 

of the universe and spread further abroad His glorious gospel." - Yours Truly

Creme Brullee

Jamie's own Lavender infused Creme Brulee

  "Go on, my son!" as Jamie would say I'm sure. I saw him do a variant of Creme Brulee called a Cambridge Cream in an episode of The Naked Chef. I just thought, "I've got to try that sometime." A few years went by, my cooking experiences grew into larger adventures and I soon forgot about it. However, a Creme Brulee was mentioned in a film we watched and my Dad said that I should try making one perhaps. Only a few weeks later, we were staying at a Hotel and it was one of the desserts on the menu. I didn't have one as there were other things on the menu that intrigued me but some of my siblings did and said how good it was. There was nothing for it, I would have to give it a go...eighteen months later! I finally got around to trying it only a few weeks back and so I thought I would share the experience as a post. Here is the recipe that I used.

 Time: 50 mins

 Serves: 6

 RECIPE:

 1) Place a small saucepan on a hob at a medium-high heat. Dump in there a 600ml pot of double cream and a dash of vanilla extract. Bring the cream to a light boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes. While this is simmering, whisk in a large, heatproof bowl 100g of sugar with six egg yolks until slightly fluffy and pale in colour. 

Blowtorches are one of the most fun
tools of the kitchen. 

 2) Now you pour over your egg mixture the cream and whisk these together until it thickens. The heat of the cream should actually cook the eggs a little. Either pour into six, separate ramekins or one, smaller Pyrex dish. (Please ensure that you do not use a dish that is too big either or you will end up with my disaster!) Put your dish/dishes into a large tray and fill the tray with boiling water half way up the sides of dish/dishes. This is what is know as a bain-marie. "Do you know Marie? She's a lovely gal," as Jamie said. 

Hmmm...that's a cool ramekin

 3) Right, centre shelf of your oven for 40-45 minutes or until the custard is a tad wobbly still in the middle. Take your dish/dishes out of the water and let them cool on a rack until they return to room temperature. Chill from here if they are not needed straight away. 

 4) For the caramelised topping, sprinkle sugar evenly over the top and return to the top of the oven at a high heat until caramelised. However, if you have a blow-torch then by all means whack it on and go for it!

Using the real deal is so much better in most cases

 Technically, you should use vanilla pods which are the real deal but the extract worked a treat just as well. If you do use them then you will need to strain your mixture before pouring into your dish/dishes.
 Unfortunately, I neglected to take any pictures of my attempt but that may be just as well to be honest. Firstly, I should have used a smaller dish and I also took it out far too early so that it was quite wobbly in the middle. The flavour, however, was out of this world. I fully intend to try again the very near future and perhaps do it a little differently with maybe some raspberry jam at the bottom put some chocolate in there for the ladies. Apparently lavender works well too which would be most interesting to try. That's what this is all about anyway, trial and error and being an exploitative of the kitchen. Next time I might try something more chocolatey. Mousse maybe?

 If you guys have had one of these "kitchen flops" then send me an email to onedeliciousman@gmail.com or leave a comment below, I would love to hear from you. Alternatively, click here to visit my sister site "Your Blog!".

Seasoned with Patience

Jacob

"To glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Creator 

of the universe and spread further abroad His glorious gospel." - Yours Truly