Cupcakes a-go-go

I had a little book buying binge on Amazon. 5 new cookery books....exciting times. This incuded a couple of cupcake books as I had a job coming up that required the mastering of the cupcake.

The client wanted some fun pastel ones to appeal to all of the guests aged 6 months to lots of months. I used the Primrose Bakery book, their amounts were absolutely spot on, I'd highly recommend it.

I did some more classic ones for .....ahem....testing too :o)

These are now a Relish service, just starting the next commission......

Spice crusted potatoes

These little beauties are proving very popular at the moment. Either as a big buffet bowl, or with a tamarind dip as a little finger food-y canape wotsit.

Dead simple to do. If you 're making ahead then boil the new potatoes until they're cooked through, then leave aside to cool. Then follow Step1. but you 'll only need to put them in the oven for 10mins to crisp up.

If eating straightaway then:

1. Prepare spice mix....for 1kg of spuds use...
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp veg/groundnut oil
Bash the seedy ones up in your pestle and mortar, then combine with the rest of the ingredients.

2. Put your potatoes in the roasting tin then distribute your spice/oil mix evenly. Then into a hot oven they go for about 35-45 mins until golden brown.
Done!
Ooooh let's have a closer look at those tantalising tubers
We had them for dinner with carrot and coriander salad. Some lucky clients got them with 'Harissa coated legs of Loaghtan lamb'

Ellerslie Rapeseed Oil - 2 recipes

Aaah spring is here and with it rain, snow and sleet. Lovely!

For my column I went off-campus at Ellerslie farm in Crosby and was joined by Pentti Christian who has been selling his rapeseed oil since September 2009 after 3 years of research and development.

Pentti is a sheep farmer by trade but had seen the value in diversification. The original plan was to grow rapeseed to produce biodiesel, however they soon realised that they could produce a high quality food-grade product from their crop.
The 3 years of development included growing test batches of rapeseed and building his own bottling machine.

The rapeseed is a fantastic multi-purpose crop. The seed is pressed and the oil used for the Ellerslie Oil. The waste is used as sheep feed as it has a great high protein content to keep them happy. And the ‘hay’ is used as bedding for horses, better than the usual barley hay as the horses won’t eat it.

Pentti tells me that the health benefits of this oil are fantastic ‘It has half the saturated fat content of olive oil, and much higher levels of omega 3, 6 + 9’ These are the fats that are great for brain function, immunity...oh and they make your hair and nails look great too, Pentti is a walking advert for it!

But I mainly use it for it’s great taste. It has a strong nutty flavour which works really well with Asian dishes. Has anyone else noticed how ‘nutty’ is the trendy flavour to reference??? I think Heston started it all and where he leads I am happy to copy.

Honey and Mustard Dressing – Pentti’s classic dressing

1 tsp honey
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp French mustard
100ml Ellerslie Oil

In a jam jar, put 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp wholegrain mustard, 1 tsp French mustard and top up with Ellerslie Rapeseed Oil (about double the volume of the other ingredients). Shake vigorously (you have put the lid on, haven’t you). Tada! It’s done.

Garlic stir-fry oil – super simple multi purpose oil

100ml Ellerslie Oil
3 cloves garlic

Into a cold frying pan pour about 100ml of Pentti’s oil. Add 3 cloves of finely sliced garlic. Put it on a very gentle heat, watch it carefully and as the garlic just begins to change colour take it off the heat. It will keep cooking in the oil.
Use this oil to get a stir-fry started or as a garlicky salad dressing

Check out our video on www.iomtoday.co.im for the full tutorial - it should be online by 16th April

Ellerslie Oil can be found at the following stockists:

Anagh Coar Butchers
Bry Rad Sexy Veg (Ramsey)
Butlers Choice
Deli @ 35
The Good Health Store (Port Erin)
Greens Restaurant
Isle of Man Farmers
Mostly Manx
Paddys Market
Peel City Butchers
Radcliffe Butchers (Castletown)
T & P Kermeen (Onchan, Port Erin and Andreas)
Tynwald Mills
W.E. Teare Butchers (Ramsey)
Willaston Butchers

New cookery school timetable

The new timetable....it's here....covering May through to November with loads of classes. We've got a new guest tutor, Joan Mowat from Tanroagan Seafood Restaurant, who will be joining us on Saturday 2nd October. Plus I'm teaching got a new class 'Just Desserts' on Saturday 16th October.

The school is also available for private hire, perfect for special occasions or just a fun day out with friends.

Vegetarian Cooking – Part One
Saturday 8th May – 9.30am to 2.30pm
You will be introduced to a variety of vegetarian ingredients and flavourings for both sweet and savoury dishes and show how vegetarian meals can be interesting and delicious as well as nutritious. Dishes include Sweetcorn fritters, Massaman curry, Blue cheese biscuits and Wild garlic frittata.

Midweek Meal Masterclass – Part 2
Sunday 9th May – 9.30am to 2.30pm
Such a popular course we're running Part 2. Add new meals to your day-to-day repertoire such as Lemon and garlic chicken, Lamb tagine and Braised pork belly with fennel. You don't need to attend Part One before Part Two

Breadmaking with Liz from The Good Loaf
Sunday 23rd May – 9.30am to 2.30pm
Guest tutor Liz Devereau, expert baker, returns to show us the art of traditional breadmaking. Learn how to make and knead the dough, shape 6 different breads from 1 simple dough and take a huge bag of goodies home with you. Plus a simple foccacia and savoury scones, an action packed class with lots of hands-on work.

Midweek Meal Masterclass – Part 3
Saturday 11th September – 9.30am to 2.30pm
Due to demand we're running Part 3. Add new meals to your day-to-day repertoire such as Cumin scented chicken curry, Chorizo and red onion warmer, Chicken and squash one-pot and Choc chip cookies. You don't need to attend Part 1 or 2 before Part 3.

Gujurathi cooking with Meena - Part One
Saturday 18th September – 9.30am to 2.30pm
Meena returns showing us the essentials of cooking from the Indian state of Gujarat. Learn your base of Shak (curry), Dhal, Lassi plus how to roll Chappatis like a pro (Meena's Auntie!)

Cook with Joan from Tanroagan
Saturday 2nd October – 9.30am to 2.30pm
We’re delighted to welcome Joan Mowat, owner of Tanraogan Seafood Restaurant, as our newest guest tutor. Final details are just being confirmed however this class will feature a starter, main and dessert adapted from the restaurant menu.

Introduction to Thai Cooking
Sunday 3rd October – 9.30am to 2.30pm
Kathryn teaches Thai dishes inspired by her travels to the North of Thailand. Featuring Massaman curry, Red curry with duck and bamboo shoots, Tom yam, plus the delicious Mango sticky rice.

Just Desserts
Saturday 16th October – 9.30am to 2.30pm
A brand new class, in homage to Kathryn’s finely honed sweet tooth. You’ll learn the secrets of Crème brulee, Chocolate bread and butter pudding plus sweet pastry in the form of Mango and lime tart.

Gujarathi Cooking with Meena - Part Two 'Street Food'
Saturday 6th November – 9.30am to 2.30pm
Meena returns to show us the ‘junk food’ of India. Delicious street food including Samosas, Pakoras, Chutneys and Chai. You don't need to complete Part One before attending Part Two.

• All courses are £79 per person - includes recipe booklet and lunch
• Class sizes limited to 6 attendees
• Gift vouchers are available for all of our courses
• Please bring an apron and sharp knife with you, we provide everything else

Hopefully see you soon at the school,

Kathryn @ Relish

E: info@relish.co.im W: http://www.relish.co.im T: 07624 453324 B: relishiom.blogspot.com

Relish news - Dates for your diary

Hi Everyone,

As usual life is busy in the Relish corner of the world. Research trips to London and more recently Harrogate, oh and loads of actual real work too. For a peek at what I got up to in Harrogate as a pupil at Bettys Cookery School check out the post below

So you want to know what's coming up over the next few weeks?

First up, Saturday 27th March. Milntown House will be hosting their 2nd restaurant evening. On the menu are dishes such as Carpaccio of beef, Confit duck with juniper reduction, Chocolate bread and butter pudding, hmmmm I promise that not all of their dishes begin with 'c'. For more information or to make a booking contact Jen on 818091.

On Friday 2nd April (Good Friday) and Saturday 3rd April, from 10am to 3pm, Paddy's in Port St Mary is holding a special two-day Easter Market, showcasing the best and most delicious produce the Isle of Man has to offer. There'll be stalls with mouth-watering treats, freshly-made food and drink to go, live music and Easter-themed activities for the family. Just a few of the treats to choose from: Cocoa Red chocolates, The Good Loaf, Staarvey Farm, Ellerslie Oil, Radcliffe's Butcher, Marianne's Flowers, continental cheese and charcuterie selection, plus all of Paddy's usual delicious fresh and smoked fish. Oh and I'll be there too, selling Indian street food under the watchful eye of Meena!

Heading into May the cookery classes rev up again:

Saturday 8th May - Vegetarian Cooking - including Massaman curry, Blue cheese and poppy seed biscuits and wild garlic frittata

Sunday 9th May - Midweek Meals II - including Lemon and garlic chicken, Braised pork belly with fennel and Linguine with prawn and avocado.

Sunday 23rd May - Breadmaking with Liz from The Good Loaf - learn how to knead and shape like a pro. Including 2 kneading techniques, 6 different shapes and a simple foccacia.

Have a great Easter,

Kathryn @ Relish

Bettys Cookery School - Patisserie Course

Wee Jan and I were treated to this class for Christmas.....thank you Roger!


Here you can see Mum's thank you present for him. I must confess that her Sachertorte icing came out waaay better than mine. Mum also averted disaster when someone's tea towel caught fire!


Within the day we learnt Sacher torte; lemon & strawberry torte and a fresh fruit tartlet made with pâte sucrée & crème pâtissière


I think creme patissiere would feature in my 'Condemned Man' meal.

I'd highly recommend a tip to Bettys. We fitted a huge amount of technique into the day, had lovely lunch and were sent home absolutely laden with goodies.

Sarah's Girls - Private cookery lessons - Sticky Asian Pork

Sarah and her gang of girls from 'Hysteria Lane', Glen Vine invited me to teach them a set of 6 night classes. We've just done Week 2, so I thought you'd like to see some of the recipes.

The girls are all busy with families so we're focusing on easy family meals to begin with. So we had to have 'Sticky Asian Pork', this recipe is soooo quick to prepare and really really delicious. Please make it :o)

The sauce sounds weird but it works, trust me!

Sticky Asian Pork
Serves 4
Prep: 5 mins (plus marinating time)
Cook: 30 minutes

Ingredients
• 500g pork fillet
• 1 tbsp clear honey
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp vinegar (rice or white wine)
• large knob of ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 tbsp peanut butter

Marinate the pork in the honey, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and ginger for anything from 0mins to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees, put the pork into an oven proof dish, cover with foil and cook for 30 minutes.
Mix the peanut butter thoroughly with warm water until it forms a paste. Alternatively you could use a satay sauce mix.