C is for Constance Spry (and Coronation Chicken)

I bought the biography of Constance Spry before Christmas last year, but for some reason have only just gotten 'round to reading it.

Am so glad I did...although it has now led to a few more purchases from the Amazon used book options as was inspired to find out more about her work.

Spry (née Fletcher) was a British educator, florist and author in the mid-20th century.  Her main line was flowers...fashioning bouquets for all the right aristos...although she became a huge advocate of 'Grow Your Own' during the Second World War.

After the war she'd made enough of a name to team up with Rosemary Hume (of Le Cordon Bleu fame) to found a domestic science school at Winkfield Place (now closed).

But it was in 1953 though when Spry really shot to fame when she arranged the flowers for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation, and was involved in the celebratory meal enjoyed by the visiting dignitaries that was cooked by the Winkfield students.

And so, although it was Hume's recipe, its first publication was in the 1956 publication The Constance Spry Cookery Book under the far posher title of Poulet Reine Elizabeth.

And it's an excellent recipe for both a meaty salad and a sandwich filling, but I now use Felicity Cloake's recipe as it's lighter than the original.

Gather:

• 1 chicken
• 6 peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cm piece of ginger, chopped in half
• Pinch of saffron
• Pinch of salt

•  5 tblspns mango chutney
• 50 grms dried apricots, finely chopped
• 2 tblspn mild curry powder
• 2 teaspns Worcestershire Sauce
• 200 mls mayonnaise
• 200 mls Greek yoghurt
• 50 grms flaked almonds, lightly toasted
• 2 tblspn flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped*
• S&P

• Some cos/little gem lettuce leaves

* You can (obviously) use coriander as per the recipe

Then...

1. Poach the chicken in a pan of water with the peppercorns, cinnamon, bay leaves, half the ginger, saffron and some salt
2. Simmer very gently for 1½ hours or until the chicken's cooked (test the leg meat)
3. Pour off the liquid, discard the spices and shred the chicken meat
4. Toast the curry powder in a pan bring out the fragrance and finely chop the remaining ginger
5. Mix these with the mango chutney and the apricot 
6. Then add in the Worcestershire Sauce, mayo and yoghurt
7. Season to taste
8. Once the chicken is cold, fold into the sauce with the parsley and refrigerate for a couple of hours
9. Serve on the lettuce and scatter over the toasted almonds at the last minute

© Felicity Cloake

T is for Ten Mistakes in the Kitchen

**Warning...blood mentioned in this post**

A friend of mine nearly sliced half her finger in half today.  We were sitting in her kitchen as she chopped up her vegetables and...arghh...splurt.

It's fine...she's fine...it wasn't (incredibly fortunately) as bad as it looked.  And the reason...a blunt knife.   As it was blunt she'd inadvertently put more pressure on the knife and when it didn't cut through the onion, it sheared into her finger.  Ouch.

So...here's my starter for ten on the top mistakes made when cooking (most of which only lead to bad food).   Just note the exceptions...as with the English language, the exceptions prove the rule!

1.	Blunt knives To avoid the above injury, please keep your knives sharp using a steel. There are lots of videos and guides on the web as to how to use one. But these only help keep your knife sharp. If it is already blunt (often called dull), then go to a professional to resharpen properly (e.g. your local butcher) or use a wet stone.
2.	Read the whole recipe There's nothing more frustrating than getting halfway through a recipe and then realize that your sauce is developing a skin as you chop up some more ingredients. Reading through the recipe (actually best done twice) before you start cooking means you know what's coming up and can prep everything up front so you look like a pro.  And you can put your oven on to heat up as needed.
3.	Cook food at room temperature This especially applies to meat, fish, eggs and butter. The meat, fish and eggs won't cook through properly if you've put them in a hot pan/oven straight from the fridge. Butter meanwhile is a pig to mix in when it's cold hard. The exception is a pastry (pie) case. If it's not chilled your pastry shrinks in the oven and can crack.
4.	Cook at the right temperature This applies to both the hob and the oven. With protein (fish and meat), your pan needs to be hot so that it sears the flesh and stops the juices leaking.  With onions/leeks/garlic, you want your pan to be on a low heat to allow them to soften gently. And what you dial your oven temperature to on the controls may not be the real temperature inside.  A cheap self-standing gauge will tell you if your oven is actually (sometimes as much as 15-20℃) hotter or cooler than you think.
5.	Add ingredients to a warm/hot pan If you add ingredients to a cold pan with the oil, the food will soak up the oil and stick more easily.  Heat up your pan. Wait till it's the right temperature and add your oil. Wait five seconds and then add your food. There are two exceptions to this: bacon and duck.  Both are fatty and bringing the pan to temperature with the food in them (no fat needed, duck skin side down) means they start to render their fat before browning/being seared.
6.	Season as you go The best food flavours are layered.  So add salt and pepper at the beginning of cooking.  Spices are added quite quickly to allow their flavours to develop.  As food cooks, taste and add more seasoning to suit. Add herbs at the end so their freshness isn't obliterated.  Then, just as you come to serve, taste again and season again if necessary.
7.	Use the right amount of water If you're boiling potatoes, they need to be covered otherwise the bits sticking out of the water don't cook. If you're cooking broccoli or asparagus, try to keep the tips out of the water so they steam and don't go mushy by the time the thicker stems are tender. Bring pasta to boil in plenty of salted water so that it has space to swell and not just stick together. Add the amount stated in the recipe when cooking rice so you don't end up with uncooked rice or a (even worse) watery mush.
8.	Don't overcrowd pans If you put too much food in a pan, it gives off the water from within and your food stews rather than browns.  This applies to meat and fish, but also to mushrooms and any other food that you want to allow to caramelize a little.
9.	Cook food for the right amount of time While this sounds like a simple one, factor in the time that something may sit in the hot pan while you finish off other things or thicken your sauce.  What were perfectly cooked vegetables and pasta have now steamed for another five minutes and are now soggy. I also have two timers in my kitchen.  One is built into the cooker and one is a magnetic one that I can carry around with me.  Perfect if I have a fruit cake in the oven that takes two hours and I've started doing something else.
10.	Rest your meat I know this is often spoken about, but the number of people that I know that don't factor this into their timeline and so pull the meat out of the oven just as the rest of your food is cooked to perfection... You know who you are! Also the time for resting is often under-estimated.  A steak needs a good 5+ mins to rest even if it's only taken 4 mins to cook. A joint can rest up to half an hour so that the meat relaxes properly.

S is for Soy Sauce

When I am writing recipes, I specify the type of soy sauce I use.  However lots of recipes don't and the people don't understand why their recipes aren't quite right.  It may be down to the soy sauce.

I only keep three types of soy sauce.  I keep two Chinese soy sauces (light and dark) and a bottle of Kikkoman.

I tend not to bother with the flavoured ones as I am using soy as a base and prefer to add my own fresh flavours through the ingredients.

Dark Chinese soy sauce is used for dishes where the sauce will caramelize.  Think hoisin ribs, char sui (barbecued pork)... It's also found in lots of Shanghainese (red) dishes.  You can use dark soy sauce when stir frying rice but I often finds it overpowers more delicate flavours like egg.

You need to cook dark soy sauce to get the flavour going and so while you do see dark soy sauce in some dipping sauce recipes, again I find that it overpowers the dumpling/roll you're dipping without really bringing out the correct flavour.

Light soy sauce is a younger, less fermented version. It is also saltier than its dark sibling which is already pretty salty.  If a recipe doesn't cite which type of Chinese soy sauce to use, I would always use light.

Both of types of Chinese soy sauces have bran when being made to add to depth of taste.  This is where my bottle of Kikkoman comes in.  As it's a lot more expensive, I tend to reserve this one for my sushi (where I'm only mixing in a little wasabi) and in broths where I want only a very light touch of the salty soy taste to come through.

F is for Father's Day 2014

In 10 days time, Father's Day rolls around again and I'll actually be with my father that Sunday!

So am planning a fiesta with a bit of spice i.e. some dishes that my mother doesn't cook to make the day a bit special using the Mexican menu I drafted in my printables post at the end of April.

This menu comes from Real Simple and is very easy although I switch the red rice for wild rice.  The dishes are really colourful and it's quick to make them look appetizing.

But to make it all a bit more special, I drew up some other (free) printables for the occasion to complement the menu.

So I made some place cards to match...

And while these are available in the download, I have left them blank so you can write your own guests' names in.

And some disposable napkin rings which you can cut out and snip as per the dotted lines to slot together to form a ring.

They're just a bit of fun and package a bundle of serviettes which is useful given you need to use your hands for the tacos.

And if you want to go over the top, you can also cut out the confetti to scatter across your table.  Now, to go and buy a piñata...

If you would like the menu or the place cards in the original file formats, please message me.

P is for Prawns

I love seafood and think it makes a great starter.   This recipe is another of my standbys as the raw prawns are frozen and so can be dug out when needed.  And at this time of year, I always have tomatoes and rocket around.

Gather:

• 7 king/tiger prawns per person
• 2-3 cloves garlic*
• 2 tblspn fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tblspn ground cumin
• Pinch of cayenne
• 1 tblspn ground coriander
• 1 teaspn (sweet) paprika
• Zest and juice of a lemon

• 4 cherry tomatoes per person, cut in half
• ½ red bell pepper, skinned and cubed
• Handful of rocket per person
• 1 teaspn caster sugar
• 1 tblspn sherry vinegar
• 3 tblspns light olive oil / rapeseed oil
• S&P

* if you're using chopped garlic from a jar, then use a level teaspoon per clove

Then...

1. Mix the frozen prawns in the garlic, herbs, spices and lemon zest and one tablespoon of the oil and leave to defrost
2. Soak wooden skewers in water for 20 mins so they don't burn when cooked
3. Thread the defrosted prawns on the skewers
4. Pan fry the skewers (easier than pan frying individual prawns) until the prawns turn pink/are cooked
5. Meanwhile toss the tomatoes, pepper cubes (if using) and rocket in the remaining oil, vinegar and sugar
6. Season the salad to taste
7. Pour the marinade over the prawns for the last minute of cooking
8. Un-skewer the prawns and toss them in the lemon juice
9. Arrange seven prawns and some salad on each plate as desired^

^ Arranging uneven numbers of food on a plate for some reason looks more appealing.

C is for Chelsea Flower Show

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been able to post due to the lovely weather and work in the garden, but I wanted to put up some pictures from RHS Chelsea as it was so lovely again.

Here are a few phone pictures of my favourites...am taking my better camera next year!

The Telegraph Garden by Tommaso del Buono and Paul Gazerwitz

Love the euphorbia next to the clipped box balls.

The Viking Cruises Norse Artisan Garden by Sadie May Stowell

Liked the runes in the stepping stones

The large Imari china balls in the Arita Artisan Garden by Shuko Noda 

The mini tree sculptures in the Hillier Nurseries section in the Pavilion

But one idea that will be easy to recreate was from the estate agents on the way to the show, using Wellington boots as plant holders.  This would be great by the back door.

And if you missed the show entirely, have a look at the pictures online either on The Telegraph site or elsewhere.

C is for Chicken Salad

As the weather starts to warm up, I have to rethink most of my weekend meals.  On the vast majority in the winter, I cook up a roast.  They're just so easy.  And it means I get time to relax and do other things.

However with the weather warming up, I have to start to rethink my weekend repasts and 'summer' up my recipes.

And this roast chicken salad is one of my favourites as the chicken is really well flavoured and moist.  Note the roasties so it still 'eats' like a good meal.

Gather:

• 1 roast chicken (size depending on number of people being fed)
• ½ an onion, skinned, top and tailed
• 1 pack of Boursin (150 gms size, or any other soft flavored creamy cheese)
• 2 rashers of streaky bacon per person
• 2 tblspns pine nuts
• Salad leaves
• Spring onions
• Cucumber
• Radishes
• 2 teaspns dijon mustard
• White wine vinegar
• S&P

Then...

1. Unpack the Boursin into a disposable piping bag / large freezer bag and leave to soften
2. Take the chicken and using a wooden spoon, carefully part the chicken skin from the breast so it doesn't tear  
3. Use a pair of scissors to snip the membrane holding the skin to the breast bone without cutting through the skin
4. Put the half onion in the bird cavity
5. Snip the end / a corner off the Boursin bag and pipe the cheese into the space between the chicken and the skin.  Massage through the skin to check it evenly covers the whole breast area
6. Rub the skin with oil, season well and then layer over the bacon rashers to form a protective cover for the chicken/cheese
7. Roast the chicken @ 180℃ for 1½ to 1¾ hours until the internal meat temperature reaches 72℃
8. Once cooked, take out the chicken and remove the bacon strips from the chicken and set to one side (don't cover else they'll go soggy)
9. Leave the chicken to rest
10. Pour the cooking juices and the fat from the roasting tin into a clean jam jar and leave the lid off to cook a little
11. Roast the pine nuts for 3½ mins @ 200℃
12. Prep the salad cutting the spring onions into chunks, and slicing the cucumber and radishes
13. Add the Dijon mustard to the cooking juices in the jam jar and add half as much vinegar as there are juices (or to taste)
14. Season the vinaigrette, pop on the lid and shake together vigorously in the jar
15. Toss the salad leaves, veggies and nuts together with the vinaigrette and serve with chicken carved into slices on top (making sure people get a bit of the cooked cheese), roasties* on the side and two bacon strips in a cross on top of the chicken

* New potatoes tossed with butter and fresh dill work well too.

P is for Printables

After a couple of missed deliveries while I was pottering in the garden, I created the below sign to direct people to find me:

But then got a bit carried away and did a sign for when I'm sewing (given I'm in the attic):

And I got to thinking about the entertaining I'm doing soon, so I decided on the three menus there and then...

Menu care of Real Simple

Leave me a comment if you'd like the template sent over.

P is for Place Cards

Last year we went around Grimsthorpe Castle just outside Bourne in Lincolnshire.  It's a lovely old stately home that's run independently and so still has the family living in it and aristos regularly come to visit.

During her lifetime, one of the regular visitors was Beatrix Potter.  So when I spotted these on the table as plate settings, it gave me inspiration for my Easter table this year.

I use Avery business cards (C32096) as my place cards. They're a good size and I know you're not suppose to put the names through the printer, but it really is much easier given that I'm usually printing a design on them and since I love typography.  

And here are some my B.Potter inspired set for the weekend.

UPDATE: While I previously said I was happy to provide the template upon request, I failed to actually deliver on that. Sorry! So here is the template for people to download going forward.

L is for Lefton

I'm always looking for more unusual holders for my flowers and this shabby shot shows a Lefton rabbit à la Martha that's full of the joys of spring.

The rabbits will take pride of place on my Easter table this weekend.