Paprika and Honey Marinaded Chicken

I've been sitting on this recipe for months. I first made this back in December, but was in the middle of a blogging slump so it just sat on my camera, waiting for me to write it up. If you make it in advance, it's a reasonably quick and very delicious weekend meal. The lovely smokey warmth of the paprika infuses the chicken while the honey adds a subtle sweetness.

It is basically comfort food. Smokey warmth and tender chicken that falls off the bone. Perfect for cold, rainy, so-called "spring" days when all you want to do is curl under a duvet, watch the rain fall against the window panes, and huddle up under a blanket while watching old films.

 Ingredients (Serves 2):
1 spatchcock chicken or two half chicken pieces
125 ml olive oil
125 ml lemon juice
3 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons honey
1 dsp smoked paprika
1 dsp mixed herbs

Method:
In a mixing bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, smoked paprika and mixed herbs and crush in the garlic. Mix together until well combined, then place the chicken skin side down in a roasting tray and pour the marinade over the chicken.

Marinade the chicken for at least an hour at room temperature, or alternatively, cover and place in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 180°C, flip the chicken so the skin faces upwards, baste, cover the roasting tray with foil and then roast for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the foil, baste the chicken and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Recover and leave to stand for 5 minutes, then serve. I served this with a cous cous, butternut squash and tarragon salad, which was delicious. 

Duck with Red Wine and Cranberry Jus

I must admit, normally I hate the word "jus" - it is pretentious and really, little more than a fancy word for gravy. So I apologise for using it here. In my defence, this isn't really gravy, as gravy to me has some of the juices from the bird or animal roasted and sauce just doesn't seem to quite cut it in this instance. So, pretentious "jus" it is.

This was the main course for the husband's birthday meal. I had asked my uncle for inspiration, and he came back to me with a wonderful salmon and cauliflower recipe, but sadly R hates cauliflower so it wasn't to be. I resorted to an old French bistro classic - duck with savoy cabbage and mash (I later learned that R doesn't much like cabbage either. Fusspot).

The beauty of this recipe though, is that it is surprisingly quick to prepare if you've done your prep. I made the sauce in advance and just heated it up when ready to eat, and had the cabbage sliced and potatoes peeled and boiled ready for mashing. If you prepare properly, the dish can be put together in 20 minutes, so it is worth investing a little extra time.

Ingredients (serves 2):
For the duck:
2 Gressingham Duck breasts

For the mashed potato:
2 medium baking potatoes
50ml whole milk
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
25g butter

For the cabbage:
1 Savoy cabbage
50ml of tap water
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter

For the red wine and cranberry jus:
300ml chicken stock
300ml of beef stock
200ml red wine
3 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tsp redcurrant jelly
Salt and pepper

Method:
Begin by making the red wine and cranberry jus.  Add the chicken and beef stock, red wine, thyme, bay leaf and redcurrant jelly to a pan and simmer until reduced by two thirds. season with a little salt and pepper, then strain out the thyme and bay leaf. Set aside until ready to use.

Next, make the mash: peel the potatoes and boil for about 20 minutes or so, until tender. While the potatoes are boiling, preheat the oven to 180°C, ready for the duck. Push the potatoes through a potato ricer or mouli - I pushed it through twice, once on a larger setting and then a second time through a fine mesh for a silky smooth mash. Beat in the milk, mustard and butter, then cover and keep warm.

Finely slice the cabbage ready for cooking, then score the skin of the duck with a sharp knife and  heat a frying pan with a little oil. Fry the duck skin side down for 6-8 minutes dependent on the size of the breast, then flip over and seal the other side for 30 seconds. Place the duck breasts skin side up on a baking tray then roast for a further 6-8 minutes.

Once the duck is roasted, remove from the oven, cover with foil and leave to rest for 5 minutes. While the duck is resting, warm through the jus and the mash, place a couple of plates in the still-warm oven to warm up, then melt the oil and butter together in a sauté pan, then add the cabbage and 50ml water and cook for 2-3 minutes, until just tender.

To plate up, remove the plates from the oven, place a scoop of mash on the plate, then add the cabbage and then arrange the duck, sliced, neatly on top of the cabbage and carefully pour the jus round the edges of the plate.

Scallops with Butternut Purée and Sage

My husband doesn't really do birthdays, which for a long time has caused a little bit of a struggle between us. My family sees birthdays as an excuse to spoil and pamper the birthday boy or girl, which R is somewhat unused to. I think we've finally managed to strike the right balance, with me cooking him a nice meal and giving him not too many presents.

On previous years, I've taken him out to various restaurants to celebrate, but having finally realised that he would actually rather not go out, I thought I'd bring the restaurant experience in-home and have a go at a much more refined style of cooking.

For a starter, I made the recipe below. I absolutely adore the combination of sweet, roasted butternut squash and crispy, fragrant sage. Scallops too are a little mouthful of heaven when briefly seared on either side so they melt in your mouth. As a combination, all three go deliciously together, and it looks delightful too. For me, perfectly cooked scallops will always have that "wow" factor.

Ingredients (serves 2):
300g squash
olive oil
50ml chicken stock
6 scallops
a few sage leaves
25g butter
1 tsp pine nuts

Method:
Preheat the oven to 160°C, then peel and dice the squash into approximately 1" cubes. Coat with a little olive oil, and season with salt and pepper then roast for 30-40 minutes until tender. Push the squash through a potato ricer or whizz it up in a blender with a little chicken stock then sieve it and keep warm.

Dry fry the pine nuts until golden and set aside, then pat dry the scallops and season with a little pepper. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan and when sizzling hot, sear the scallops for about 90 seconds on each side. While the scallops are cooking, melt the butter in a pan and fry the sage leaves until crisp.

Arrange the scallops on a dollop of butternut puree, then drizzle with the sage butter and sprinkle the toasted pine nuts on top. Serve with a delicious glass of crisp Viognier.

Spinach, Prawn and Salmon Curry

A deliciously quick and easy curry for a week night, and it's healthy too! I have been craving curry for ages, but had been holding off due to my bank balance still reeling slightly from the Christmas season. In the end I decided to make my own using what I had available in the fridge, and this was the result. 

The yogurt adds a lovely tang, but if you want something a little richer, try using coconut milk instead. I like my curries pretty hot, though with two chillis this was mild (I suspect supermarket chillis have the heat bred out of them), however if you're worried or simply not a fan of heat, just add one. You can always add a pinch of dried chillis mid-way through cooking if it tastes too mild. 

Ingredients (serves 4):
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onions, finely sliced
2cm piece of fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves
2 red chillies
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
400g chopped tomatoes
200ml fat free yogurt
150g baby spinach leaves
200g raw king prawns
200g salmon 

Method:
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a low heat then add the onion, turmeric, cumin and coriander and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Peel the ginger and then finely chop this and the garlic. Deseed and finely chop the chilli. Add to the onion and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. 

While the sauce is simmering, skin the salmon fillets and cut into chunks. Next, add the spinach to the sauce and let it wilt down. Add the salmon and prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the prawns turn pink. Finally, stir through the yogurt and then serve with basmati rice or my personal favourite, niramish (recipe to follow soon).

Asparagus with Quail's Eggs and Parma Ham

Wow, nearly four months since I last posted. That's not good. It's been a strange few months: a bad case of blogger's block and inspiration inertia, and an exceptionally frantic period at work meant that blogging has taken something of a back seat. I've also been eating terribly badly over the last few months, and you really don't need to see the pictures of empty Dominos boxes to prove it.

But I haven't completely given up on this little blog. I have still been cooking and photographing recipes - some good, some less good. I might even put some of them up here. For now though, here is a little treat. I can't claim any originality for it I'm afraid: my sister made this as a starter when I went over to see her recently for dinner. A girl's night in turned into a more social affair last week, and I hadn't planned on cooking much but thought I ought to make an effort. This was both easy and extremely delicious. It also looks pretty impressive.

Ingredients (serves 4):
16 asparagus spears
12 quail's eggs
6 slices Parma ham
Shaved parmesan
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Method:
Snap the tough stems off the asparagus then steam for four minutes. Arrange four spears to a plate, neatly arranged in a row. Drizzle with a little olive oil and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Next, put some water on to boil for the quail's eggs. While you are waiting for the water to boil, tear the Parma ham in half lengthways and set aside for the moment.

To soft boil the quail's eggs, place in gently boiling water for a minute then leave to stand for a further minute (boil for three minutes if you prefer a hard boiled egg). Run under cold water to cool, then peel off the shells and wrap each egg in half a strip of Parma ham.

Place three Parma ham wrapped eggs on each plate, and devour immediately - it is as its best when the eggs and asparagus are still slightly warm.

Vegetarian Lasagne with Gruffalo Mozzarella

Yes, you did read that correctly - Gruffalo mozzarella. In truth, it is just buffalo mozzarella, but I saw the sign when I was browsing and couldn't resist but pick up a couple of packs. Whether it was a genuine mistake or the shop thought mozzarella came from Gruffalos, I'll never know.

What I do know is that it seems a perfect way to get small children to eat something packed full of delicious vegetables - "but it's GRUFFALO lasagne for dinner tonight!". I certainly can't wait to try it out if I ever have children.

Vegetarian lasagne is one of my favourite winter treat foods, and I like mine packed full of vegetables. Mine is almost a very overblown parmigiana di melanzane with courgettes, spinach, mushrooms and of course lasagne sheets added in. I like the lasagne sheets to cook as it bakes and soak up some of the liquid generated by the spinach and mushrooms - it also gives a wonderfully crispy, more-ish top layer. However you can pre-cook your lasagne sheets if you'd prefer. It looks quite ingredient-heavy, but once you've made the tomato and bechamel sauces, it really is very simple - little more than an assembly job really!

Ingredients (serves at least 6 greedy people):
For the layers:
1 aubergine
2 courgettes
200g chestnut mushrooms (about 5 mid-sized mushrooms)
200g spinach
250g Gruffalo mozzaralla (though normal will work too!)
100g grated Parmesan
About 300g dried lasagne sheets

For the tomato sauce:
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 dsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

For the Béchamel sauce:
50g butter
50g plain flour
1 tsp Dijon mustard
200ml milk
100ml crème fraîche
70ml dry white wine
a grind of pepper

Method:
Start by making the tomato sauce: sauté the onion in a little olive oil for 2-3 minutes until they start to go translucent, then crush in the garlic and cook for a further minute or two. Don't let the garlic burn or your sauce will develop a bitter flavour. Add the chopped tomatoes, oregano and balsamic then simmer for about 15 minutes to allow the flavour to develop. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Next, make the Béchamel: melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat, then stir in the flour. Stop stirring but let it cook for a further 30 seconds or so before adding the milk, slowly and steadily. I like to use a whisk to keep my bechamel lump-free as I add the milk. Once you've added all the milk, stir in the crème fraîche and mustard, then add the wine. As with the tomato sauce, you might want to add a little salt and pepper, or even a grind of nutmeg.

Finally, begin assembling your lasagne. I used an oven-proof dish 25-35cm large. I also cut my aubergine and courgettes into about 6mm slices and then griddled them to add a gentle char-grilled flavour to the lasagne.

Arrange the grilled aubergine over the bottom of your oven-proof dish, then spoon over 2-3 generous ladles of tomato sauce. Cover this layer with lasagne sheets, then ladle enough Béchamel sauce over the lasagne sheets to lightly cover them. Slice and then scatter the mozzarella over the bechamel, then slice the mushrooms and scatter these over too. Next, cover this layer with spinach. Cover the spinach with the grilled courgettes, then spoon the rest of the tomato sauce over it. Finally, add the top layer of lasagne sheets, cover with the rest of the Béchamel and then evenly scatter the grated parmesan over the Béchamel. 

Cover with foil and bake in the oven at 180°c for 45 minutes. 10 minutes before cooking time is up,  carefully remove the foil from the top of the lasagne and let the top layer crisp up and the cheese turn golden.

Pear, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad

A few weeks back, I bolted to France avec famille for a long weekend with the intention of avoiding turning 30. Sadly, I didn't manage to avoid getting older, but by way of compromise I was well and truly spoiled. Despite coming down with a cold, I was taken out for a fantastic lunch at Beffroi Tentations in St Antonin Noble Val ahead of a magnificent dinner where my sister, mother and husband all took turns to produce a course.

This was my sister's course and was an absolute treat: crisp, autumnal pears, creamy Saint Agur and nutty, bitter walnuts. She used Saint Agur, but any blue cheese would work depending on your tastes - a pungent Roquefort or creamy Dolcelatte would both be delicious. As there's no cooking involved, it's very easy to put together. Perfect when you're a little short of time but still want to impress!

Ingredients (serves 4):
For the salad:
100g rocket
100g seedless grapes, cut in half
50g crushed walnuts
50g Saint Agur, crumbled
2 ripe Williams pears

For the dressing:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp red white vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 tsp wholegrain mustard

Method:
Divide the rocket between four salad plates. Scatter the grapes over the rocket and then sprinkle over the crushed walnuts and crumbled Saint Agur. Make sure you have a reasonably even balance of all three ingredients.

Peel the pears, slice in half and remove the core. Slice it into 5mm slithers and place half a pear on each salad.

Mix up the dressing and drizzle over your salad. Easy as, well, salad!

Chocolate & Ancho Chilli Crème Brûlée

Hello, my name is Grania and I am a chilli-holic. While I've had a love affair with all things capsicum for as long as I can remember, it is only relatively recently that I've branched out into trying the different varieties and discovering each of their distinctive flavours. It started with a grow your own chilli kit from my friend Sarah, as I discovered the respective virtues of Demon Red, Hungarian Hot Wax, Jalapeños and Anaheim chillies (and became somewhat obsessed with keeping all the little plants alive).

A recent obsession with Mexican cooking broadened my horizons further, particularly with regards to Chipotle and Ancho chillies. Both of which are dried varieties (of the Jalapeño and Poblano chilli, respectively) and have a wonderful flavour. Ancho, which I've used in this recipe is pretty mild but has a deliciously sweet, almost chocolate-y flavour. I've found things like Chipotle and Ancho powder a little tricky to find, even in London, but this website and also this one seem to have pretty much everything I could ever need.

This is a lovely and surprisingly easy recipe, chosen because I could make it a day in advance when having friends over for a spot of Monday night Mexican (or Mexercise, if you're that way inclined). When I see friends I want to be able to chat with them rather than slave over a hot stove all night, so this was the perfect solution. Rich, creamy, warming and very more-ish. A little mouthful of sunshine on a grey Monday evening in early October.

Ingredients (serves 6):
300 ml single cream
1 10cm stick cinnamon
60g milk chocolate
60g dark chocolate
5 egg yolks, lightly beaten
70g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp ancho chilli powder
1/8 tsp salt


For the topping:
2 tbsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder

Method
Preheat oven to 160°C. In a milk pan, heat the single cream with the cinnamon stick until the cream starts to foam. Turn off the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and add the chocolate to the cream. Leave to stand for about 5 minutes, until the chocolate is melted then whisk until smooth.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the egg yolks, caster sugar, vanilla essence, ancho chilli powder and salt. Whisk the ingredients together until combined then slowly whisk the chocolate and cream into the egg mixture.

Divide the custard mixture between 6 ramekins and then place the ramekins in a baking dish. Place the baking dish on an oven rack and then pour boiling water into the dish so that it comes half way up the side of the ramekins.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, and test using a knife inserted into the centre of the custard mixture. If it comes out clean, the custard is cooked. Carefully remove the ramekins from the water and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once cook, transfer to the fridge and chill for up to 24 hours.

Before serving, bring the custards to room temperature for at least 20 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the last of the sugar with the cinnamon powder, sprinkle evenly on top of each of the custards, then place the ramekins on a baking tray. Caramelise the sugar with a cook's blowtorch, or place under the grill for a couple of minutes until the sugar is melted and lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Time for a change?

When I first started this blog, two and a half years ago, I set myself two challenges: To break away from cooking the same, limited repertoire of dishes; to experiment; and hopefully become a better cook along the way. The other challenge was to use my by that point, extremely disused DSLR as I was no longer running around London photographing gigs. 

I'd like to say I've achieved both of those goals. I've blogged over 150 recipes, I've tried new cuisines, I've even started baking, which is never something I thought I'd do. There have been some disasters along the way, but I'd like to think I've become a pretty decent home cook. It's also served as a useful reference point when I've wanted to make something again - rudimentary recipe testing! 

I think I've also improved as a food photographer and I've learned a lot about presenting dishes. It's certainly forced me to rethink how I present food and move away from my usual school dinner lady style of dishing up. Not even the most delicious dishes can withstand being photographed when you've hurled the food onto the plate from a height.

But now, I'm starting to think about broadening my horizons. I want to take my now extremely aged camera out and about with me a bit more. I want to blog about things other than food (travel, things to do in London, photography, and bits of my life). Of course, I will still blog recipes - nothing in the world will stop me cooking - but I wanted to ask YOU, dear readers, if you would mind me casting the net a little wider?

People follow food blogs generally because they are interested in the recipes or the restaurants, not what someone is doing in their life and I've tried to bear this in mind when writing posts. However, as many recipes have a story to some degree the context makes for a more enjoyable reading experience. I guess I want to add a little more context overall. I've loved being a food blogger and have met some wonderful people through it, but I'm ready for a new challenge. 

The options are this: I can either turn Crumbs for Dinner into a more general blog, or I can start afresh. I will of course still post recipes here, though they will be much less frequent. So what should I do? start afresh or let Crumbs for Dinner grow into something bigger and better? The choice, as they say, is yours!

Garlic Sauce... and DIY Shawarma Sandwich

This was one of those meals where I made the sauce to use with some leftover khobez breads, which I bought as a vehicle for some excess houmous. The garlic sauce is actually surprisingly versatile

If you've ever been to any Turkish or Lebanese restaurants, you've probably come across garlic sauce. I'm a huge fan of it, but I hadn't realised how simple it was to make until very recently. It may require a little patience but it is very, very easy, especially if you have a decent blender.

The reason for making garlic sauce was as part of a shawarma sandwich. However, as I don't have a rotating grill, I've found a great compromise in baking the chicken double-wrapped in baking paper and foil.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 khobez pittas

2 chicken breasts

6 skinless & boneless chicken thighs, marinaded

1 little gem lettuce

1 medium tomato

Garlic sauce

For the chicken marinade:

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp tomato puree

4 tbsp plain  yogurt

3 tbsp white vinegar

1 head of garlic, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp paprika

1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

Pinch of nutmeg powder

For the garlic sauce:

2 heads of garlic, peeled

350ml olive oil

Juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste)

1/2 to 1 tsp salt (to taste)

Method:

Put together the marinade by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl. Then prepare the chicken by slicing the breast fillets horizontally across into 2-3 slices, and then tenderise. Also flatten and tenderise the thighs. Marinade the chicken breast and thighs together for up to 24 hours, then line a large square of tin foil with baking paper and alternate the breasts and thighs in a neat pile in the middle of the baking paper. Wrap the foil and baking paper parcel tightly then place it in a small bread tin if you have one to hand (otherwise, use a normal roasting tin or baking tray). Bake in the oven for 45 minutes at 180°C.

While the chicken is roasting, prepare the garlic sauce. Crush the garlic into the blender (don't start running it yet). Once you've crushed all the garlic, add the salt and blend until the garlic turns into a paste. Drizzle the oil very slowly into the garlic, stopping pouring frequently to allow it to be absorbed by the garlic. Each time you stop pouring the oil, add a little lemon juice. Continue doing this until all the oil and lemon is absorbed. If you find the recipe too sour, add a little more olive oil.

When the chicken is cooked, remove from the oven and let stand for about 5 minutes before unwrapping and slicing. While the chicken is standing, slice the tomatoes and lettuce and warm through the pitta. Unwrap the chicken parcel and thinly slice the chicken. Arrange on the pitta, drizzle on a couple of teaspoons of garlic sauce and add a few slices of tomato and lettuce. Wrap much like you would a burrito and serve immediately. Delicious!

The leftover garlic sauce is also very versatile - I found it made a very useful "lazy garlic" subsitute in sauces and is equally delicious stirred through pasta dishes with a grating of parmesan and a few shredded basil leaves!