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.