Creme brûlée

This is French version of panna cotta (creme brûlée means boiled cream), except it uses eggs to set it and not gelatine.  The crunchy caramel topping is the best part so don't leave it out.  If you don't have a kitchen blowtorch put it under the grill until the sugar caramelises and turns brown to finish it off (but a blow torch is cheap and much more fun!).

Ingredients

2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

2 tblsp chopped peeled fresh ginger (optional)

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

5 large egg yolks

12 teaspoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 325°F.   Place six 3/4-cup (oven proof) ramekins in a large pan which holds them all easily.   Mix the cream, sugar and ginger in saucepan.  Using asmall sharp knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the seeds and bean to saucepan.  Stir over a medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer, then cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to very low and simmer gently 10 minutes to infuse the flavors. Strain the mixture into a large jug.

Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl until well blended.  Gradually pour in the hot cream mixture, whisking all the time, until it has combined (don't whisk too long).  Pour the custard back into the large jug and divide among the ramekins.  Pour enough hot water into the large pan to come halfway up sides of dishes.  Carefully transfer the pan to the oven.

Bake the custards until they are almost set in center when the pan is gently shaken (about 35 minutes).  They should wobble a bit in the middle.   Using tongs or  a metal spatula, carefully transfer the custards onto a work surface and cool for 30 minutes., then chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

When you are ready to serve, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar evenly over each custard.  Working with 1 custard at a time, hold the blowtorch so that flame is about 2 inches above the surface.  Direct the flame so that sugar melts and browns (about 2 minutes).

Garnish your crème brûlées with fruit.  These ginger infused ones are lovely with tropical fruit like mangos or pineapples.  You can leave out the ginger for a more traditional creme brûlée and serve it with berries.

Graham's sticky ribs

Sticky and delicious!

Graham's sticky ribs

Feeds 6

Take 1.5 kg of pork ribs

Cut up the ribs 2 or 3 ribs at a time.  Put them in saucepan with half water/half beer to cover, add an onion cut in half with the skin left on and 4 cloves garlic lightly crushed. Add a carrot cut in thirds, and 2 long thin red chilies, cut in half lengthways.  Add one cup of brown sugar, half a cup of white sugar, and one thumb of ginger roughly sliced.   4 tablespoons soy sauce. Salt and pepper to taste and a bay leaf. 1/4 a cup of tomato sauce.   The juice of half a lemon.

Simmer the ribs for 45 mins.

Remove the ribs.

Continue reducing the liquid until sticky.

Quickly brown and caramelise the ribs on the braai or under the grill. 

Put the ribs back into the hot sauce and serve with crusty bread.

tarte tatin

I love the story of the origins of tarte tatin.  Legend has it that the two Tatin sisters, Caroline and Stephanie, ran a restaurant in rural France.  One day Stephanie burnt the bottom of the apple tart they were making (quelle horreur!) so she turned it upside down, scraped off the burnt pastry and put a layer of new pastry on the top.  Then she flipped it upside down to serve it  - et voila! - tarte tatin was born.  The customers loved it and it became their signature dish.

It's not a pretty pudding (well, mine never is!) and it looks really rustic, but the combination of light golden puff pastry, soft juicy fruit and buttery caramel is delicious and it is so easy to make.  This is Jamie Oliver's recipe - if you can't find Calvados (which is a Spanish apple brandy), use ordinary brandy or a fruit based liqueur like cointreau.  (You can also substitute pears or other fruit for the apples).  You'll need an oven proof frying pan for this (I've got a special le creuset tarte tatin dish which is a bit of an extravagance, but I make it a lot!).  If you haven't got an ovenproof frying pan you can make it in a large, heavy casserole dish (with the lid off), but becareful when you turn it out.

Ingredients

plain flour (for dusting)

500 g puff pastry (make sure it's a really good brand that contains only real butter)

5 small eating apples (about 800g), a mixture of sweet and acidic varieties

100 g caster sugar

100 ml Calvados

1 vanilla pod, halved lengthways, seeds scraped out 

50 g butter, cubed

Preheat your oven to 190˚C/375˚F/gas 5.  Dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with flour and roll out your puff pastry until it's just over 1/2 cm thick. Make sure it's big enough to cover the ovenproof frying pan you'll be cooking the tarte Tatin in, leaving about 5cm extra around the edge.  Peel your apples, then halve them horizontally and use a teaspoon to get rid of the seeds and core.

Put the ovenproof pan on a medium heat and add the sugar, Calvados, vanilla seeds and pod. Let the sugar dissolve and cook until the mixture forms a light caramel.  (Remember not to touch or taste hot caramel, as it can burn really badly).

Once the caramel looks and smells delicious – it should be a lovely chestnut brown – add your halved apples. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the apples start to soften and you get a toffee apple vibe happening.  Add the cubed butter, then lay the pastry over the top. Carefully tuck the pastry down right into the edges using a wooden spoon.

Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden.  To make it look like a tarte Tatin you need to turn it out, which isn't hard – but you do need to be careful with that hot caramel. So get a serving plate or a board larger than your pan and put an oven glove on to protect the arm holding the board. Put the board or plate on top of the pan, then flip it over quickly.  Serve with a spoonful of cream or crème fraîche or ice cream.

overnight oats in a jar

This was originally a weight watchers recipe which I've adapted slightly (because commercial low fat yoghurt is seriously wrong!), but it still makes a really healthy and filling breakfast.  It takes 2 minutes to make the night before and you can put pretty much anything you like in it.   I prefer it with lots of yoghurt and a splash of milk and apple juice - but experiment and adjust it to your taste.  A quick and delicious breakfast!

Ingredients

1/2 cup oats 

1 cup liquid (e.g. yoghurt, milk, apple juice, almond milk etc)

fresh fruit (e.g. banana, blueberries, grated apple, peaches etc)

dried fruit (eg cranberries, raisins, prunes etc)

chopped nuts (almonds, pistachios etc)

chia or flax seeds (optional)

1 tsp peanut butter (optional)

The night before mix the oats with the liquid in a clean glass jar.  Add the peanut butter and chia or flax seeds (if using).  The mixture need to be quite sloppy as the oats will absorb quite a lot of the liquid.  (You can always add some more liquid in the morning if the mixture is too stiff).  Put the lid on and put it in the fridge for the night.

In the morning mix in your choice of fresh and dried fruit and nuts and eat straight out of the jar.

(You can warm it in the microwave for a minute if you like)

Repeat for the next morning.