MIdnight snack - welsh rarebit

Stokesy and I had a hankering for a little late-night sustenance so decided to try a traditional Welsh Rarebit, it is essentially cheese on toast for people with too much time of their hands.

Here's what you need:

• 4 slices bread
• big knob of butter
• 1 leek, finely sliced
• 2 handfuls of grated cheddar - we used the IOM Creamery black peppercorn one
• 2 tsp worcester sauce
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp mustard

Toast your bread while you make the topping. Sweat the leeks in the butter til soft. In a bowl combine the rest of the ingredients, then add the leeks, it should be a mushy paste (ours looked rather unappetising at this point). Then just spread the mix over your toast and lash it under the grill til it's lovely golden brown.

I couldn't decide which sauce to have so tried tommy sauce, brown sauce and Reggae Reggae with it. The Reggae was top of the list for me. Hey check out my super-glam slippers, Nigella you have no competition from me.

Easy dhal with stir-fried corn and courgette

This dish represents a perfect January meal: Delicious, Nutritious and Cheap!

The dhal was super-simple. Just boil 300g of any lentil with 1 litre of water salt, 1 tsp and 1tsp of garam masala. In a separate pan fry onion, garlic, ginger, 1tsp chilli powder and 2 chopped tomatoes. Once the dhal is cooked just stir the fried mixture through it then top the whole lot with coriander. Lovely.

The side dishes were:
1. Stir-fried corn with chilli - errrmm....for this you should stir fry tinned corn with chilli!
2. Courgette with sesame seed and ginger - pretty easy again, stir fry all of the ingredients together.

If you get your timing right you can use only 2 pans. Perfect :o)

Salted caramel ice cream

If you're thinking that salted caramel ice cream sounds a bit odd then get with the program! Everyone knows that it's well trendy....maybe even a little bit 2009.

It is really really disgustingly delicious, salty gooood, caramel gooood, ice cream goooood. What's not to like?

I topped it with shards of salted caramel, they look super-cute don't they.

For the ice-cream......serves4

• 150g caster sugar
• 225ml double cream
• 150ml milk
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp Maldon sea salt

In a pan put 120g of the sugar and 40 ml of water. Boil until the sugar melts and turns a golden caramel colour (5-10mins).

While the sugar is boiling whisk the egg yolks and 30g caster sugar in a large heat-proof bowl until pale and thick.

Once your caramel is ready add the cream + milk to the caramel pan then bring back to the boil. When it's boiling i.e. bubbling up the sides of the pan, get your glamourous assistant to vigorously whisk the eggs mixture, whilst they're whisking quickly pour the bubbling caramel mix onto the eggs. Whisk for another 30 seconds. Then pour the mix into a wide, shallow container to cool.

Once cool churn in your ice-cream machine (I just got a Cuisinart one from Butlers Choice, yaay for me!) or use the still-freezing method (booo for you). Once churned to thick consistency you can store it in the freezer. We had it with shortbread, roasted apples and the salted caramel shards

Creamy coconut curry with aubergine and courgette

I actually learnt this one at Ballymaloe back in..........hmm when was I there??.....2008-ish......anyway.....I hadn;t made it since then. So as I was working late left instructions for Stokesy and came home to lovely dinner, my preferred recipe testing method.

The boy did good! And here's how you can recreate the magic at home...serves 2 greedy b*stards

• 1 aubergine, cut into chunks
• 1 courgette, cut into chunks
• 1 tsp black mustard seed, whole
• 2 tsp fennel seed, ground
• 1 tsp cumin seed, ground
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tbsp oil, sunflower/groundnut/rapeseed
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 300ml coconut milk
• 1 tsp tamarind paste
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 chilli, finely chopped
• lime wedges
• fresh coriander, roughly chopped - we didn't have any in but would have been better with it

In a large frying pan dry fry the vegetables until browned. Remove and set aside.

Now heat your oil in the same pan, then add the spices, stirring while then toast gently for 15secs. Add the flour and keep stirring for 2 mins (you're making a kind-of roux to thicken the curry), it should be fairly dry and change colour slightly.

Add the coconut milk, tamarind and chilli. Heat through then add the aubergine and courgette back into the pan. Taste it and add more salt, lime juice or water so it's just right. Stokesy added about 1 tsp salt, juice of 1 lime and 150ml water.

Serve with rice and coriander over the top.......yum!

Tip: This would be really nice with big prawns added for 1 minute of cooking time at the end. The leftover coconut milk freezes really well

Testing testing - on the menu for January

After a Christmas/New Year of making almost nothing new at home it was time to get motivated, get the books out and plan some new menus. Luckily Mitler (aka Big Momma) and her accomplices CB + BB got their cooking mojo back which encouraged me. So.........new stuff cooked in the last week (which will follow on da blog) has been:

• Creamy coconut curry with aubergine and courgette
• Welsh rarebit with leeks
• A new dhal with stir-fried sweetcorn and chilli
• Salted caramel ice cream
• Self-saucing chocolate pudding

Plus.....still to come!!!

• Duck ragout - from Maze cookbook
• Pork belly with fennel - actually an old favourite but we haven't had it for ages - pre-blog!
• Crispy Chinese belly pork
• Slow braised shoulder of lamb - Heston-style
• Kharma soupra - from the Leon book
• South Indian rice soup
• Spicy lamb pastry
• Shellfish bisque

Yes, you guessed right, I got recipe books for Christmas. The Fat Duck, Anjum's New Indian....oh and Stokesy gave me a really rubbish Indian one which I generously passed on to my brother :o)

However, since Christmas I have treated myself to a few little purchases which have just started arriving....wahooo! Maze by Jason Atherton arrived yesterday and currently in transit are: Caramel (Trish Deseine), Ottolenghi and Cook at Home with Peter Gordon (the guy that runs the Tapa Room where we had amazing brunch in London)

Oh and I've just done my Spring/Summer menus for the catering side of things....I'll post them up too so you can check them out.

Chrimbo Eve

Aaah Christmas Eve. Time for relaxing with nice food and drinkies. No red meat/poultry on the menu for us tonight cos our friend Heidi is a pescatarian. Luckily I've had a monster trout in the freezer awaiting its fate for a couple of months (thank you Annie for the monster trout!). In fact I had nearly all of the ingredients in stock...wahooo! *mental note* must get out more

So on the menu........Italian-style trout en croute......you will need....

1 large trout fillet

200g puff pastry, rolled out nice and thin - freeze the rest for another time

1 tbsp sun-dreid tomato pesto

2 large tomatoes, in thick slices

1 ball mozzarella

Fresh basil

1 egg

And using my handy step-by-step piccies this is how you do it.

1. Spoon the pesto onto the centre of your rolled out pastry, spread out to match the shape of your fillet. Lay fillet on top (Pic 1), tear over the basil, add salt/pepper.

2. Lay the tomato slices down the centre of the fillet, then tear the mozzarella into chunks and place that over the fillet (Pic 2)

3. Now crimp the edges in a very loose/messy way (Pic 3), egg wash the visible pastry bits and bung it all in the oven for 35 mins at 200C(180C fan)

And here's the end result. To accompany Green salad plus Stokesy made couscous salad with loads of herbs, sun-dried tomatoes plus the oil from the tomatoes (hahaha there goes his rough tough builder image...sorry Stokesy!).

December food happenings on the rock

Plenty going on over here for Christmas. Here are details of all the Farmers Markets and other places where you can go to fill yourself with lovely food before easing into elasticated trousers after Christmas :o)

Greetings from the Relish Catering Kitchen. It’s a busy time for us here but I’ve squeezed in the time to let you know about plenty of food related events happening on the rock in the run up to Christmas.

If you’re stuck for that elusive Christmas present remember we do vouchers for our cookery classes. What better present is there than teaching a loved one how to cook (.....better meals for you hehehe)??? For more information go here on our website or just give me a call. They can be emailed out so yes you can ring me on Christmas Eve.

Coming up......

2nd + 3rd December Murder mystery nights at Tanroagan Restaurant. A great fun way to enjoy good food & meet new people with a brilliant excuse to get dressed up in fancy dress! Each murder mystery has its own theme and this Christmas it is 'Hidihi Campers' as they present 'The Strange case of Nobby Knees', where a murder has taken place at the Happy Bottom Holiday Camp in Piddling by the sea. These nights are very popular and with only limited tickets available you need to book fast! Tickets are £30.00 per person and include a glass of punch on arrival, 3 course dinner with homemade bread followed by coffee & homemade chocolates. To Book call: 612355 or email: fish@tanroagan.co.uk

3rd December – Farmers Market @ Tynwald Mills, St. Johns in the courtyard area outside the Neb Cafe (11 am - 3pm)

5th December - Douglas Farmers' Market at the Villa Marina colonnades (10am - 2pm)

10th December – Farmers Market @ Tynwald Mills, St. Johns in the courtyard area outside the Neb Cafe (11 am - 3pm)

11th December - I.O.M.Farmers' Markets, Ramsey will be having Christmas Evening Markets at the Corner of East Street, Ramsey to coincide with Ramsey Late Night Shopping (6pm-9pm)

12th Dcember – Christmas Farmers' Market, Ramsey will be on at Albert Road School (10am-1pm)

16th December – Evening Farmers Market @ Tynwald Mills, St. Johns in the courtyard area outside the Neb Cafe to coincide with late night shopping at Tynwald Mills (6 - 8pm)

17th December – Farmers Market @ Tynwald Mills, St. Johns in the courtyard area outside the Neb Cafe (11 am - 3pm)

19th December - Douglas Xmas Farmers' Market at Villa Marina Colonnades, mulled wine mince pies and maybe even hot roasted chestnuts (10am - 2pm)

20th December - Castletown Xmas Farmers' Market will be in the grounds of the S100 club house, just off the bypass (1.30pm - 3.30pm)

18th December - I.O.M.Farmers' Markets, Ramsey will be having Christmas Evening Markets at the Corner of East Street, Ramsey to coincide with Ramsey Late Night Shopping (6pm-9pm)

19th + 22nd December - Paddy`s Market in Port St Mary will be holding their Xmas Continental Market under canvas, there will be plenty of stalls plus music and gluvine :o) 19th (10 - 2) and 22nd (5 - 9)

23rd December – Evening Farmers Market @ Tynwald Mills, St. Johns in the courtyard area outside the Neb Cafe to coincide with late night shopping at the Tynwald Mills (6 - 8pm)

24th December - 'Christmas on the Hill' on Christmas Eve at Tynwald Hill (4.30pm). Not entirely a food/drink thing, although they will be giving away free mulled wine, mince pies, juice and star biscuits.It is an outdoor re-enactment of the Christmas story - lots of animals, angels, carols, newborn baby and band!

I hope you have a great Christmas, it’s back to the kitchen for me!

Kathryn

@ Relish - Cookery School and Outside Catering
T: 07624 453324
E: info@relish.co.im
W: www.relish.co.im
B: relishiom.blogspot.com