The Best Way to Clean Baking Sheets, According to a Professional Chef
The tough, stuck-on messes on your baking sheets require aggressive cleaning products.
1970-01-01 08:00
Treat Dad this Father’s Day to these viral TikTok recipes
Father’s Day (18 June) is just around the corner, which is a great opportunity to get together as a family and show the dad figures in your life some love, and if the saying “the way to a man's heart is through his stomach” is true, there’s no better way to celebrate than by cooking up a seriously scrumptious meal. Luckily, we’ve sat down with professional chef and host of foodie favourite the Desert Island Dishes podcast Margie Nomura, who has shared her ultimate Father’s Day Menu, including a seriously delicious cauliflower starter, TikTok favourite burrata pasta and oozy double chocolate muffins. All these recipes are family-friendly and simple to make. Whole roasted cauliflower with tahini and chimichurri This dish is a perfect substantial starter to kick off any Father’s Day feast. It’s a great substitute for a cut of meat and is easy to make when you’re feeling lazy. When you roast a cauliflower whole it takes on this buttery, sweet but salty crust in the oven so make sure you roast it until it is soft enough for a knife to cut through. For the chimichurri, you won’t use all of this for the cauliflower but it keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and is amazing served as a salad dressing or on vegetable kebabs. Serves: 4 as a starter and 2 as a main Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 60 minutes Ingredients: 1 medium-sized cauliflower (remove thick ugly outer leaves but leave any smaller more delicate ones) 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp Maldon sea salt For the chimichurri, mix together: 1 finely diced shallot 1 diced red chilli pepper 3-4 diced garlic cloves ½ cup red wine vinegar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp red pepper flakes ½ cup finely chopped coriander 2 cups finely parsley 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (more oil as needed to get the right consistency – it should be runnier than a pesto, more like a heavily flavoured chunky oil) For the garlic yoghurt: 4 heaped tbsp Greek yoghurt 1 clove garlic crushed Juice of ¼ lemon 2 tbsp tahini to serve Method: Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Fill a large pot of water and season well with salt and bring to a boil. Place the cauliflower in, cover and let cook for 6-8 minutes, depending on the size. Check to see if ready by poking the stem with a knife, and then remove the cauliflower and place it on a sheet tray to steam dry for around 10 minutes. Cover with extra virgin olive oil and season well with sea salt. Return to the oven and let roast for 45 minutes until charred and golden all over. Remove from the oven Spoon some garlicky yoghurt onto a serving plate and pop the cauliflower on top. Drizzle with tahini and chimichurri. Cut into wedges and enjoy! Spaghetti with garlic tomatoes and burrata This pasta dish is one of my favourite go-to recipes, especially in the summer when you want something light and no fuss but still seriously delicious. This is a recipe that anyone at home can make, which means it’s a perfect dish for Father’s Day as everyone can pitch in and present a beautiful dish be proud of. Serves: 2 Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil 4 garlic cloves, minced ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 300g cherry tomatoes ½ tsp caster sugar Maldon salt and pepper 250g spaghetti or linguine Handful of chopped fresh basil, plus more for sprinkling 1 large ball of burrata cheese, torn Parmesan cheese, for topping Method: Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add in the garlic, and red pepper flakes, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add in the tomatoes with a big pinch of salt and pepper and toss them in the oil. Let the tomatoes cook until they begin to burst. Add the sugar. Smoosh the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon gently to encourage them to burst. While the tomatoes do their thing, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta. Once the pasta is done, drain it (save a cup of cooking water) and add it directly to the tomatoes. Toss the mixture a few times so all the pasta is coated. Add a splash of pasta water as needed. Turn off the heat and toss in the fresh basil. Taste and check for seasoning. Top with burrata cheese. Serve immediately, top with parmesan cheese, more fresh basil and red pepper flakes and a drizzle of olive oil. Double chocolate muffins These muffins are soft, pillowy and rich. Complete with chopped dark chocolate, they are the best sweet treat to end a Father’s Day feast. Plus, if you eat them whilst warm you can expect melty chocolate in the middle. This recipe has only 4 steps, and can be made earlier in the day so they work well when you’re doing a three course meal. If your dad has a sweet tooth, I would recommend serving with some vanilla ice cream on the side! Makes: 6 muffins Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 250ml buttermilk 120ml vegetable oil 2 eggs splash of vanilla 300g plain flour 180g sugar 65g cocoa powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp instant coffee (even if you don’t like coffee, you should add it as you can’t taste the coffee taste but it enhances everything else!) Pinch of salt 200g dark chocolate, chopped into chunks Method: In a bowl combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt And then in a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients together Pour the two together and then add the chopped chocolate Scoop into a lined muffin tray and bake at 180 c for 20 mins. Enjoy! Read More Schoolboy almost dies from swallowing magnets for TikTok challenge Woman shares honest review of New York City apartment TikTok mom slammed after making 5-year-old son run in 104 degree heat Eddie Huang: ‘I’ll never eat at BAO London – I know mine’s better’ BBQ salad recipes without a soggy lettuce leaf in sight Grace Dent’s quick and easy recipes that only require the microwave
1970-01-01 08:00
Iceland Ireland told to recall UK products 'of animal origin'
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has directed the withdrawal of frozen foods of an animal nature.
1970-01-01 08:00
Costco and Walmart Frozen Strawberries Are Subject to Recall—Here’s How to Check If Yours Are Affected
Everything you need to know about the frozen strawberries recalled from Costco, Walmart, and more stores.
1970-01-01 08:00
Shoppers on food stamps buy less and go to food banks as benefits shrink
Kroger and other chains say customers on food assistance programs like SNAP are struggling as aid shrinks.
1970-01-01 08:00
Eddie Huang: ‘I’ll never eat at BAO London – I know mine’s better’
For a decade, Baohaus was one of the best-known restaurants for Taiwanese fare in New York City. According to Eater, the restaurant “helped lay the cultural and culinary groundwork for an ambitious class of modern Taiwanese spots” in the city. It also catapulted founder Eddie Huang to fame as his culinary expertise was thrusted into the spotlight with shows on the Cooking Channel (Cheap Bites), Viceland (Huang’s World) and MTV (Snack Off). He first opened Baohaus on the Lower East Side of Lower Manhatten in 2009, before relocating it to a bigger venue in the East Village. During the 10 years he ran Baohaus, Huang also wrote his memoir Fresh Off The Boat, which led to the TV series of the same name, starring Randall Park and Constance Wu. But in 2020, around seven months into the coronavirus pandemic, Huang announced that Baohaus would be no more. At the time, he wrote in an Instagram post: “I opened this restaurant to tell my family’s story through food at a time when no one was giving Asian Americans a chance in TV, film, books or media generally.” Since then, however, things have changed drastically for the diaspora; this year, the celebrated Asian-led cast of Everything Everywhere All At Once clinched seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Michelle Yeoh) and Best Director (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Sheinert). Now, Huang is casting his eye back to Baohaus, but this time he’s bringing it across the pond and into London. His three-month residency at Neighbourhood in Islington – which previously held “ramen junkie” Ivan Orkin’s Ivan Mazemen residency – will dominate this summer with his signature Taiwanese baos, fried chicken and noodle dishes, bringing a bowl of the Big Apple to the Great Smog. I sat down with Huang over a steaming, fragrant bowl of Taiwanese mince pork stew and rice to talk about what Baohaus’ legacy in New York was, its future in London, and what it means to have a vision. How did it feel when you closed Baohaus in NYC? I always loved having Baohaus. I never intended to close it, but the pandemic hit and I went to Taiwan to be safe, but our landlord kept on charging rent in New York. I just didn’t see an end to it. I’ve been wanting to reopen for a while but when I got home, I had to immediately get to work promoting Boogie. It was kind of bittersweet, but I try to think about everything from a more existential perspective. To have owned a restaurant for 10 years in New York while writing a memoir and doing all these shows, and then directing my first film… I just felt an immense sense of accomplishment and I felt like it was really a part of the fabric of downtown New York. So many people had come through those walls and it meant so much to me, so I was just really proud even though it was closing. It forced me to look back on everything and I had a sense of gratitude and pride, and I wasn’t angry at all. I think I was sad that it was closing, but thankful to the universe for the time that I did get. Baohaus left a legacy for Taiwanese food in New York that spread across the rest of the Western world. How does it make you feel? Even when I go back to Taiwan, people will say, ‘Yo, that’s the pork bun kid’. That’s my name back home. I’m very, very grateful that I made a lot of people happy and Taiwanese people were proud of it, and that New Yorkers were proud of it and loved it. But now, starting it back up in London is just par for the course for me. I’ve never lived in one place. Born in DC, grew up in Orlando, made New York my home. I would say I identified with New York more than anywhere else. I got dragged to LA for my work and then now I got dragged out to London to open Baohaus, so this [Neighbourhood] is now the new home base for the next three months. But the idea is to then start to look at brick and mortar spaces in London and hopefully make it more permanent. What makes Bao Haus stand out? There’s a lot of Taiwanese cooking in London now. What really defines my cooking is there is a straight line between my grandma, my mother, and myself. There are very, very small things I do to adapt it up for my taste or modern tastes, but it’s not adding trendy ingredients or smashing things together. For example, this mince pork stew is how my grandma and my mum would make it. The only thing I pay more attention to is knife skills and the exact cut of the pork belly mixed in with the ground meat. It’s the same with the Chairman Bao, it’s exactly like the baos you get in Taiwan except that I red-cook my pork instead of brown braising. So I stay within the Taiwanese pantry, but I really work on the technique. I read that you don’t really like being called a chef. What don’t you like about that chef territory? The thing is, I definitely think cooking is an art, right? Even the guy selling a dollar bowl of rice is just as artistic to me as somebody doing a tasting menu. But I feel like every generation has these chefs whose food always has to be about them. It’s less about culture and community, and more about, ‘Check out my new idea, my new thing’ and none of it ever has staying power. I get disappointed going to a lot of young chef restaurants because they’re working their s*** out and they want you to pay for their food because they feel they’re being creative. Like, ‘Because we were being creative, you should f***ing pay us and buy our food’. And I’m like, well, this just doesn’t taste f***ing good. If you’re going to charge people this, s*** should be good. There’s a lot of ego. A lot of people didn’t set out to be chefs, they say, ‘I was in fashion or I was in music, or I was a director and I busted out and ended up in food’. People see food as a place they can be all artistic and they think they can creative-direct a restaurant, but this s*** is a lot harder than you think. You can have a cool brand and a great vibe, but to keep people coming back for 10 years, your food’s gotta be really good and be a good deal for your customers. Everything is exciting when it’s new, but does it stand the test of time? Do you keep thinking about it the next day? Are you a perfectionist? Here’s an example: chips. We were known for our taro fries in New York. I did taro fries because you can get French fries anywhere, and they go great with our food, but I wanted to do something different. So I would brine the taro, black it and then double fry it, and they were some of the best fries I’ve ever had and people went nuts for them. But it’s much harder to source taro here in London, because I want the whole fresh taro, not frozen. It was proposed that we do French fries, but they were bringing in frozen ones. But I didn’t want anything like that on our menu that isn’t the best version of it. I guarantee you everything on our menu is the best version you can get here in London. No one’s going to touch my bao. I know there’s another place here, BAO. I’m not even going to eat there. I know mine’s better. I will not try it. I will not. So, back to the fries, I said those fries aren’t going on my menu because they’re not the best fries. So now we’re sourcing all kinds of potatoes. Certain restaurants like St John’s only have chips seasonally when the potato is consistent, and I like that. I like when people are like, when it’s good, it’s good, and I will serve it to you then, and when it’s not good, I’m not going to serve it to you. That philosophy needs to be adopted by more. You don’t have to serve everything, you don’t have to do everything. You don’t have to be the most clever. Just be the best version of you and do what you do best. You know, I got a dozen madeleines from St Johns and I smuggled them all the way back to LA. My wife was like, ‘Dude, are these going to be good?’ After my flight and then another day in between, I heated them up and they were phenomenal. I gave some to my dogs – my dogs got to eat St Johns madeleines! They went crazy. You used to host a TV contest show called Snack, where people got random ingredients and had to make something with it. What’s the best thing you made with random ingredients? I invented the Cheeto fried chicken. It happened when I was really high one night. I didn’t have any bread crumbs, so I crushed up Cheetos in a bag, then coated the chicken and fried it. This s*** is crazy. It was a lot of fun but I spent a lot of time on it and then I found the right Cheetos, the right cheese dust, and I think we really perfected the dish. We only offered it once a year on 4/20 at Baohaus, it became a tradition. So if we have a brick and mortar space in London, I would absolutely bring the Cheeto fried chicken bao back only on 4/20. You’ve worn a lot of hats in your lifetime, restaurant owner, chef, author, director, fashion designer. How do you feel about hustle culture? Everything right now is based on the image and identity that you’re selling. Who are my friends? How do I dress? How am I curating my life? What starter pack do I fit into? I get it – I definitely think it’s important to work extremely hard because it’s hard to make money right now. The income inequality gap is insane and my solution to that is to acquire a skill and just refine it. If you have a tangible skill, you’re already ahead of most people in your generation because most people have knowledge and contacts and willingness, but do they have an actual skill? For example, the idea of a creative director is just so funny. What’s the skill? There’s very few creative directors who are skilled and honour the craft, but being a creative director is not just knowing a few really good photographers and good graphic designers and telling them what to do. You’re telling a story, you’re directing the creative. Do you have the vision? It’s not just the mood board, they need to take it seriously. Read More ‘Ramen junkie’ Ivan Orkin on mazemen, MSG and the resilience of the human spirit BBQ salad recipes without a soggy lettuce leaf in sight Grace Dent’s quick and easy recipes that only require the microwave How to shop for and cook Japanese food at home like a pro
1970-01-01 08:00
Brooklyn Beckham divides viewers with fried chicken recipe that uses large quantity of ‘expensive’ oil
Brooklyn Beckham has come under scrutiny with his latest cooking video, which sees the aspiring home chef fry chicken using “at least $25 worth of avocado oil”. On Tuesday, Beckham, 24, the eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham, shared his newest recipe video, which was created in partnership with Chosen Foods’ avocado oil, to Instagram. “We’re going to make some fried chicken with Chosen Foods,” Beckham tells viewers at the start of the video while holding a bottle of the brand’s avocado oil, which retails from $15 to $25.99 per bottle. In the caption of the video, where Beckham confirmed the recipe is a sponsored ad for the brand, he wrote: “Fried chicken with @chosenfoods. 100 per cent Pure Avocado Oil and their Classic Avocado Oil Mayo are the best. I love Chosen Foods for frying because of its high smoke point and neutral flavour. #chosenpartner.” In the step-by-step recipe clip, Beckham filmed himself pouring milk, various seasonings and flour into a glass dish before whisking the concoction. He then proceeded to soak two chicken breasts in the mixture, before making a dry flour and seasoning mixture in a different glass bowl. The 24-year-old could then be seen pouring a liberal amount of oil into a shallow pan, with Beckham ensuring the pan was filled with several inches of the avocado oil before frying the two chicken breasts and eating them with a thumbs up. Beckham’s video has divided viewers, however, due to the amount of oil used by the former photographer to fry his chicken breasts. “That’s at least $25 worth of avocado oil,” one viewer suggested in the comments, while another speculated the amount was worth closer to “$48 of avocado oil”. Someone else wrote: “Why on earth are you deep frying in oil that costs £15/$20 per bottle? I realise this is a paid promo but do something a bit more logical like make a mayo from scratch with it, rather than dump that much into a pan to fry some chicken! #cozzielivs Brookie babes x.” According to another person, although avocado oil is “great for frying” because it has the highest smoke point of any oil, “normal people” use the “most affordable avocado oil” and “reuse it”. “Fried foods require sooo much oil, so for normal people, we have to use the most affordable avocado oil AND you can strain it and REUSE it, so if you find a $10 bottle and you use it two times, then at least it’s about $5 per use,” they wrote. “Making the simplest food with the most expensive ingredients,” someone else commented. Others called out the food “waste” in Beckham’s cooking video, with one person writing: “A whole bottle of oil for fried chicken breast? What a waste,” while another said: “There are people dying in the world from starvation - you used enough oil and milk for about 20 people. But you wouldn’t understand that.” Although many viewers were critical of Beckham’s latest recipe, some defended the former model from backlash on the basis that he likely received the oil for free as part of his partnership with the brand. “If he’s been given it or paid for it he can do what he wants with it,” one person commented. Another said: “Love using avocado oil to fry with. Avocado oil fries stuff so evenly and tastes wonderful! Keep doing your thing Brooklyn! Maybe one day you’ll have your own restaurant,” while someone else wrote: “If some people can afford it and some people can’t, what’s the problem! Leave him alone, in all this misery there is one guy happy at what he is doing! Also going to any restaurant and getting the food he is cooking would cost double! I hate moaning drama.” One fan also encouraged Beckham to “never stop” making his cooking videos, writing: “I absolutely love your cooking videos, please never stop Brooklyn!” This is not the first time that the 24-year-old has sparked a debate with one of his recipes, as he recently faced scrutiny over his recipe for grilled cheese, which saw him roast the sandwich with a blow torch, and for his recipe for spaghetti bolognese after viewers noticed a wine cork in the pot. In January, the aspiring chef also faced backlash over an “expensive” ingredient used in his recipe for a creamy truffle tagliatelle pasta, which involved creating a sauce using a generous helping of truffle before adding extra black truffle shavings as a garnish. The Independent has contacted Chosen Foods for comment. Read More Brooklyn Beckham roasted for grilling cheese toastie with blow torch: ‘And a tiny bit of salt’ Brooklyn Beckham mocked after fans spot bizarre cooking technique: ‘Cork in your pot & dog hair about to join’ Italian chef reacts to Brooklyn Beckham’s wine cork in pasta sauce ‘hack’ That’s brunch: Goan-inspired coconut and cabbage fritters If you like kulfi, you’ll love this mango and cardamom cheesecake Roasted grape, honey and feta crostinis are perfect dinner party canapes
1970-01-01 08:00
North Korea: Residents tell BBC of neighbours starving to death
Rare interviews with ordinary people inside the secretive state reveal chronic food shortages and starvation.
1970-01-01 08:00
There's a Better Way to Use Your Potato Peeler
The blade of your potato peeler swivels for a good reason.
1970-01-01 08:00
That’s brunch: Goan-inspired coconut and cabbage fritters
My mum makes this incredible stir-fried cabbage to accompany our curries, so one day, I thought, ‘I wonder how this would work as a fritter?'” says former Bake Off contestant Crystelle Pereira. “I am pleased to report that the result is an absolute delight. I fry them in coconut oil to form crispy, aromatic patties and serve them with a cooling coconut yogurt dip.” Goan-inspired coconut and cabbage fritters Makes: 3 small Ingredients: 1 large white potato (200–240g), coarsely grated 1 medium brown onion, grated 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt 5 tablespoons coconut oil 7 curry leaves 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 1 teaspoon mustard seeds ¼ white cabbage (130g), finely shredded (I use a mandoline) 20g desiccated coconut 2 large eggs ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric 2 tablespoons plain flour 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 thin green chilli/Indian finger chilli, finely diced For the coconut yogurt dip: 4 heaped tablespoons unsweetened coconut yogurt Juice of 1 lime ½ teaspoon garlic powdera pinch of fine sea salt ¼ teaspoon chilli powder Method: 1. Place the grated potato and onion in a bowl with ½ teaspoon salt and mix well to combine. Transfer the mixture to a large colander over a sink and allow the excess moisture to drain while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. 2. Now temper the spices. Gently heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a frying pan over a low heat and, once warm, add the curry leaves, cumin seeds and mustard seeds, frying for a few minutes until fragrant, making sure not to burn them as they will turn bitter. Tip these spices into a large bowl. 3. Using your hands, squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the grated potato and onion, then tip the drained mixture into the bowl with the spices, mixing well to combine. Add the cabbage, coconut, eggs, turmeric, flour, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper and diced chilli and give this one last final mix to combine everything together. 4. Now fry the fritters. Place the remaining oil in the same frying pan used to temper the spices, over a medium heat. Once the oil is hot, spoon a heaped tablespoon of the mixture into the hot oil, flattening it with the back of the spoon to make a fritter. Fry this for 2½ minutes on each side until crispy and golden, then transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper, to soak up the excess oil. Repeat with the remaining batter. 5. Finally, make the dip. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine. To serve, dip the fritters in the yogurt sauce and enjoy! Recipe from ‘Flavour Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes with Creative Twists by Crystelle Pereira is published by Kyle Books, priced £22. Photography by Vanessa Lewis. Available Now.
1970-01-01 08:00
If you like kulfi, you’ll love this mango and cardamom cheesecake
I’m not sure whether you’ll have tried kulfi before, but it’s a traditional, rich ice cream found across India, that’s usually flavoured with cardamom – and I am obsessed with it,” says former Bake Off contestant Crystelle Pereira. “I once had a mango kulfi in Goa, and it was breathtakingly good. So, this cheesecake is a homage to that kulfi – the rich creaminess coming from the cream cheese, paired with sweet mango and floral notes of cardamom.” Mango and cardamom cheesecake Ingredients: For the base: 30g pistachios 30g desiccated coconut 65g unsalted butter (which will be browned so you should end up with 55g) 25g coconut oil 190g speculoos biscuits For the cheesecake: 10 cardamom pods 200ml double cream, cold 55g icing sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 600g cream cheese 2 tablespoons runny honey 185g canned, sweetened mango purée To decorate: 1 fresh mango/1 x 425g (before draining) can of mango 1 tablespoon runny honey Small handful of pistachios Method: 1. First make the base. Place the pistachios and desiccated coconut in a frying Pan over a low heat and toast, stirring, for about 7 minutes until the coconut is golden and nutty. Remove from the heat and set aside. 2. Place the butter in a saucepan over a low heat and stir constantly until you see it bubble up vigorously with a thick, cappuccino-like foam, and then light brown solids will start to form on the bottom. At this point, take the pan off the heat, stirring for about 30 more seconds, then immediately transfer it to another bowl, making sure to scrape out all the solids from the bottom, as these carry so much flavour. Then, stir through the coconut oil until it has melted in the residual heat. 3. Place the speculoos biscuits in a sealed freezer bag and bash with a rolling pin until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Then, add the coconut and pistachios and bash these again to break down the nuts slightly (you can also use a food processor). Tip all the contents into a large bowl and mix with the brown butter and oil until the mixture resembles wet sand. 4. Press this into the base of a 20cm springform cake tin, and use the base of a mug to flatten it down. Transfer to the fridge to chill and harden while you make the cheesecake filling. 5. Place the cardamom pods in a dry frying pan over a low heat and toast, stirring, for about 10 minutes until fragrant. Transfer to a pestle and mortar and bash to release the seeds from the shells. Discard the shells (I keep mine and add them to my chai), then grind the seeds into a fine powder. You can also grind the whole pods, including the shells, in a spice grinder. 6. In a large bowl, place the double cream, icing sugar, vanilla bean paste and ground cardamom and whisk to fairly stiff peaks. 7. In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese, runny honey and 150g of the mango purée and whisk well to combine. Then, fold through the whipped cream into this cream cheese mixture in three parts, until no streaks remain. 8. Remove the base from the fridge and pour half the cheesecake mixture over the top. Then, swirl through half the remaining mango purée and use a knife or skewer to swirl this through the mixture. Then repeat with the remaining cheesecake mixture and mango purée and use an offset spatula to level the top. Place in the fridge for 6–8 hours, or ideally overnight, until completely set. 9. To serve, run a palette knife or offset spatula around the rim of the cheesecake and then carefully release the springform tin and slide off the metal base. 10. Thinly slice fresh (or canned) mango, and arrange on top of the cheesecake, drizzle over some honey, and sprinkle with pistachios, then slice and serve. Recipe from ‘Flavour Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes with Creative Twists’ by Crystelle Pereira (Kyle Books, £22). Read More BBQ salad recipes without a soggy lettuce leaf in sight Grace Dent’s quick and easy recipes that only require the microwave How to shop for and cook Japanese food at home like a pro Crystelle Pereira: ‘This is controversial but... French food isn’t that great’ Roasted grape, honey and feta crostinis are perfect dinner party canapes Forest Side, review: Cumbrian produce elevated to Michelin-starred proportions
1970-01-01 08:00
Roasted grape, honey and feta crostinis are perfect dinner party canapes
This creation is heavily inspired by one of my favourite signature bakes in the Bake Off tent,” says Crystelle Pereira, who was a runner-up on the show in 2021. “I had made a focaccia during Bread Week, with roasted grapes, sharp, salty feta, crunchy walnuts and fresh fennel. “It went down a treat, and so I’ve transferred all of the same flavours and textures into crispy crostini – little bites of sweet and salty deliciousness.” Roasted grape, honey and feta crostini Ingredients: For the infused oil: 50ml olive oil 2 garlic cloves, grated ½ tablespoon dried thyme For the crostini: 240g black seedless grapes (about 24 grapes) 200g feta 10 walnuts, skin on 1 small baguette 1½ tablespoons runny honey ¼ fresh fennel bulb, thinly sliced (optional) A bunch of fresh thymea pinch of fine sea salt and ground black pepper Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/400F/gas mark 6. 2. First make the infused oil. Place the olive oil in a small saucepan with the garlic and thyme and heat very gently over a low heat for about 10 minutes, until the oil is sizzling and fragrant. Turn off the heat and set aside. 3. Arrange the grapes in a roasting tray and spoon over 3 teaspoons of the infused oil. Toss the grapes until they are coated, then place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until they are sizzling and the skins have shrivelled slightly. Allow to cool, then slice each grape in half lengthways. 4. Place the feta in a food processor with a splash of feta water (or a splash of milk if your feta does not have water), a good pinch of pepper and a tiny pinch of salt and blend until completely smooth. 5. Place the walnuts in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast for around 7 minutes until slightly browned and fragrant. Allow to cool slightly, then break into small pieces and set aside. 6. Slice the baguette diagonally into thin crostini slices (about 1.5cm thick) and drizzle a teaspoon of the infused oil over each slice. Place these on a tray and toast in the oven for 7–10 minutes until crispy and golden, or alternatively cook on a griddle pan over a high heat for 4 minutes, flipping halfway through. 7. To assemble, spread 1 heaped teaspoon of whipped feta over each crostini and drizzle with honey. Top with about 4 grape halves and a scatter of fennel, crushed walnuts and fresh thyme leaves, and serve straight away. Recipe from ‘Flavour Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes with Creative Twists’ by Crystelle Pereira (Kyle Books, £22). Read More BBQ salad recipes without a soggy lettuce leaf in sight Grace Dent’s quick and easy recipes that only require the microwave How to shop for and cook Japanese food at home like a pro Crystelle Pereira: ‘This is controversial but... French food isn’t that great’ Forest Side, review: Cumbrian produce elevated to Michelin-starred proportions Showstopping BBQ main dishes for a hot grill summer
1970-01-01 08:00