CHOCOLATE & DRIED FRUIT

Christmas pudding truffles

* 125g dark chocolate

* 350g Christmas pudding

* 60ml Marmalade vodka

Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie

Blitz the pudding & vodka in a food processor then stir into the melted chocolate

Spoon into teaspoon size dollops onto a tray & refrigerate

Once chilled roll into balls and roll through cocoa powder.

“the moments inside the moments inside the moments.” Maira Kalman

BRUSSELES SPROUTS & PEANUTS

Roasted brussels sprouts with honey & peanuts

Recipe

Lawns, meadows, moors. No he decided the first chapter of the murder mystery would unfold at sea side in winter. He wanted to give something so traditional a modern twist.

ALMOND & ORANGE BLOSSOM

Marzipan & orange blossom ice cream

* 2 cups almond milk

* 2 egg yolks

* 1tsp cornflour

* 135g marzipan, grated

* 1½tbsp orange blossom water

Warm the milk in a saucepan

Beat the yolks & cornflour together, then add a little warm milk, beat till smooth then add back to the rest of the milk, stir continuously till it starts to thicken. Add the marzipan & stir until it has melted in. Add the orange blossom water & cool completely in the fridge.

Churn in an ice cream maker. 

A few minutes into their introduction it panned out that they both drew illustrations for the same magazine

SORREL & GLOBE ARTICHOKE

Globe Artichokes with sorrel mayonnaise

Adapted from Ottolenghi for the Guardian

* 8 baby globe artichokes

* Juice of 1 lemon


* Salt and 1 tsp black peppercorns


For the sorrel mayonnaise 


* 50g sorrel, roughly chopped


* 1 tbsp cider vinegar


* 1 tbsp Dijon mustard


* 1 large clove garlic


* 1 egg yolk


* 150ml sunflower oil

Put the sorrel in the small bowl of a food processor with the vinegar, mustard, garlic, yolk and a third of a teaspoon of salt. Blitz smooth, then, with the machine running, slowly pour in the oil until you have a thick mayonnaise. Store in the fridge.

Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the artichokes, lemon juice, peppercorns and a teaspoon of salt – keep the artichokes submerged with a plate on top. Bring back to a boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes, until cooked through. Lift out and drain in a colander, flower facing down, for five minutes. Serve with a bowl of mayonnaise, to dip the leaf ends in.

They where both avid gardeners, so it just made sense to me, I was another piece to the puzzle, so to speak.     

CARROT & LEMON

White wine & lemon poached baby carrots

* 200ml white wine

* 20ml olive oil

* ½ lemon juice & zest

* 1 bay leaf

*1 tsp salt

* ½ tsp green peppercorns

* Bunch of small carrots, halved

Bring the wine to a simmer, add the rest of the ingredients & poach for 6 minutes.

Drain from the liquid & serve with mayonnaise

"Alright, lets take a quick dip in the pool before lunch."

PEACH & LEMON VERBENA

Poached peaches in Lemon verbena & muscat 
Recipe from food & wine magazine

Exquisitely deliciously simple as it was it was only because it was founded on detailed planning - on infinite cleverness & care.  He had forgotten again.  He was drunk.

So simple.  So simple.  So simple.  So clever.  But not tonight.

Patrick Hamilton; Hangover Square

RHUBARB & LEMON VERBENA

Roasted rhubarbs with lemon verbena custard (serves 2)

For the rhubarb:

Cut the rhubarb & roast with a little sugar & splash of orange juice at 160ºC for 40 minutes.

For the custard:

* 180ml whole milk


* 2 sprigs of lemon verbena

* 2 egg yolks


* 2 tsp caster sugar


* 1 tsp cornflour

Gently heat the milk & lemon verbena, until it starts to simmer

Beat together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour

Pour some of the warm milk on to the yolks and sugar, stirring all the time until all the milk has been added.

Pour this back into the saucepan & stir for about 20 minutes till it has thinkened to custard consistancy. Strain the lemon verbena out.

Pour into a jug, cover with clingfilm & allow to cool.

Carry On's Barbara Windsor and Sid James were all that was needed.

BORAGE & PEA

Borage & pea ravioli

* 4 medium eggs

* 360g '00' pasta flour

Knead together, cling film & refridgerate 1 hour

* Borage flowers

* 1 cup peas, lightly boiled

* 1 egg yolk

* Salt & pepper

* Olive oil

Roll out the pasta into long strips, press in the borage flowers, fold in half, roll out 1 more time.

Blitz the pea, egg yolk & seasoning together & put teaspoon amounts along the pasta sheet.

Cover with another sheet, press down around the edges & cut into squares or circles

Boil in salted water for 3 minutes.

Serve drizzled with olive oil & some more flowers

There was a revival of folk music & flowers that seemed to take hold of the city that year.

CHICORY & TRUFFLE

Griddled chicory & truffle oil

Cut the chicory in half length ways & brush with a little oil.

Griddle till charred & serve drizzled with a little truffle oil

A pair of real heavyweight characters sat down on the next table.

BLACK SALT & VANILLA

Black salt & vanilla popcorn

Crush black salt with a pestle & mortar. Mix with seeds from a vanilla pod & sprinkle into freshly made popcorn.

Largely because in spite of her intelligence & quick wits she couldn't act for nuts but principally because she was spoiled & lazy, & drank too much – because she expected success without having to work for it, & now drank & was lazy in a sort of furious annoyance at the fact that success was not to be had that way.

Patrick Hamilton; Hangover square