Je Goûterai - I will taste

Photography student who loves to cook and bake! My New year's resolution, to try my hand at cooking at least 52 new recipes!



28.6.12 - 52 recipes done!



Next target, 104 recipes to reach by the end of the year!
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Courgette Ribbon and Roasted Pepper Tart

Courgette Ribbon and Roasted Pepper Tart

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No. 65: Courgette Ribbon and Roasted Pepper Tart – 28.09.12 I really need to stop buying ingredients before I even know what to do with them. The other day I bought myself a courgette. I have never cooked with one before but I tried it the other day when Ryan brought round a bunch of goodies for a quick dinner which we just needed to whack in the oven. One of with was a mix of Mediterranean vegetables and they were quite nice! I wanted to use Courgette in something but what? I was at the Cake and Bake show this weekend (ammmazzzinngg!!! will post about it soon!!!) and I bought myself “Eric Lanlard’s Tart it up”. I had a sift through it and found this recipe, it looked delicious but takes quite a while if you decide to make the pastry as I did! You will need a 22cm / 8 ½ inch square 3cm/ 1 ¼ inch deep tin. I used a round tart tin because that’s all I had so scaled down the ingredients by half so it was a tart to serve 4 instead of 8. Serves 8, preheat the oven to 180oC 1 large red pepper1 large yellow pepper2 tbsp olive oil300g courgette, thinly sliced lengthways2 eggs300ml double cream50g red Leicester cheesea few sprigs of rosemary, tender leaves pickedpinches of salt and pepper1 x Blind baked shortcrust pastry case with dried Herbes de Provence added in the tin. First of all! If you are making your own pastry you will need the following: 250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting1 tsp fine salt150g unsalted butter, chopped into pieces1 egg, beaten1 tbsp milk Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt and using your finger tips, rub the butter into the flour at a height until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and add the egg and milk (and about a tablespoon of Herbes de Provence if using). Use your fingertips again to incorporate the wet and dry ingredients to make a soft dough. Turn out the pastry onto a floured surface, kneed a couple of times and cover with cling film. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, any left over dough can be frozen for up to 6 weeks. Blind Baking: Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 2 inches bigger than your tart tin and using a rolling pin, roll the pastry onto it a carefully lay it over the tin. Then lift the edges upwards and gently ease into position. Press the pastry into position to ensure there are no gaps between the pastry and the tin. Turn any excess pastry over the rim and then run a rolling pin of the top of the pastry case so any excess is cut off, use a blunt knife to smooth any rough edges. Prick the base of the pastry and then chill in the fridge for 15 minutes to help it stop shrinking during baking. Place a large sheet of non stick baking paper over the pastry and fill with baking beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the case is just set. Remove the beans and baking paper and bake empty for a further 10 minutes until the base is dry, crisp and a golden brown. Leave in the tin as you prepare the filling. For the courgette and roasted pepper filling: Using a fork to hold the peppers, place them over a gas flame so the skin bubbles and blackens. If you don’t have gas, blanch them in boiling water for 3 minutes. Put them in a bowl and cover with a clean tea towel and leave to cool. Remove and discard the skins then quarter and deseed them. Heat olive oil in a pan and fry the courgette ribbons gently for 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan and place them to one side. Add the peppers and cook them for 10 minutes or until soft and place again to one side. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, cream, cheese and rosemary, finish with salt and pepper. Arrange the courgettes and peppers ‘elegantly’ in the cooked pastry case and pour over the cream mixture, bake in the oven for 30-35minutes until set and golden. Best eaten on the day and is good hot or cold. PHEW! I hope you took all of that in! I spent a lazy afternoon doing this tart and made this my early dinner/late lunch. It was delicious! At first I felt as if I had added a bit too much rosemary but once it cooled down a little the other flavours in the tart came through more and was a lot tastier. I loved the crunchy, crisp pastry case and the flavours of the Herbes de Provence came through wonderfully! I loved this contrast of the base against with the soft juicy filling. As I said before I used half this amount so only used one pepper. For this I used a sweet pepper which I think worked really well with the richness of the creamy filling and the rosemary. I think it would be perfect for a picnic with your family or friends! Oh and by the way….. NO SOGGY BOTTOM! ^.^ (Probs a little over cooked but oh well!!)

No. 65: Courgette Ribbon and Roasted Pepper Tart – 28.09.12

I really need to stop buying ingredients before I even know what to do with them. The other day I bought myself a courgette. I have never cooked with one before but I tried it the other day when Ryan brought round a bunch of goodies for a quick dinner which we just needed to whack in the oven. One of with was a mix of Mediterranean vegetables and they were quite nice! I wanted to use Courgette in something but what? I was at the Cake and Bake show this weekend (ammmazzzinngg!!! will post about it soon!!!) and I bought myself “Eric Lanlard’s Tart it up”. I had a sift through it and found this recipe, it looked delicious but takes quite a while if you decide to make the pastry as I did!

You will need a 22cm / 8 ½ inch square 3cm/ 1 ¼ inch deep tin. I used a round tart tin because that’s all I had so scaled down the ingredients by half so it was a tart to serve 4 instead of 8.

Serves 8, preheat the oven to 180oC

1 large red pepper
1 large yellow pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
300g courgette, thinly sliced lengthways
2 eggs
300ml double cream
50g red Leicester cheese
a few sprigs of rosemary, tender leaves picked
pinches of salt and pepper
1 x Blind baked shortcrust pastry case with dried Herbes de Provence added in the tin.

First of all! If you are making your own pastry you will need the following:

250g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp fine salt
150g unsalted butter, chopped into pieces
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk

  • Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt and using your finger tips, rub the butter into the flour at a height until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

  • Make a well in the centre and add the egg and milk (and about a tablespoon of Herbes de Provence if using). Use your fingertips again to incorporate the wet and dry ingredients to make a soft dough.

  • Turn out the pastry onto a floured surface, kneed a couple of times and cover with cling film. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, any left over dough can be frozen for up to 6 weeks.

  • Blind Baking: Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about 2 inches bigger than your tart tin and using a rolling pin, roll the pastry onto it a carefully lay it over the tin. Then lift the edges upwards and gently ease into position. Press the pastry into position to ensure there are no gaps between the pastry and the tin. Turn any excess pastry over the rim and then run a rolling pin of the top of the pastry case so any excess is cut off, use a blunt knife to smooth any rough edges.

  • Prick the base of the pastry and then chill in the fridge for 15 minutes to help it stop shrinking during baking.

  • Place a large sheet of non stick baking paper over the pastry and fill with baking beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the case is just set. Remove the beans and baking paper and bake empty for a further 10 minutes until the base is dry, crisp and a golden brown. Leave in the tin as you prepare the filling.

For the courgette and roasted pepper filling:

  • Using a fork to hold the peppers, place them over a gas flame so the skin bubbles and blackens. If you don’t have gas, blanch them in boiling water for 3 minutes.

  • Put them in a bowl and cover with a clean tea towel and leave to cool. Remove and discard the skins then quarter and deseed them.

  • Heat olive oil in a pan and fry the courgette ribbons gently for 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan and place them to one side. Add the peppers and cook them for 10 minutes or until soft and place again to one side.

  • In a bowl, mix together the eggs, cream, cheese and rosemary, finish with salt and pepper.

  • Arrange the courgettes and peppers ‘elegantly’ in the cooked pastry case and pour over the cream mixture, bake in the oven for 30-35minutes until set and golden.

  • Best eaten on the day and is good hot or cold.

PHEW! I hope you took all of that in! I spent a lazy afternoon doing this tart and made this my early dinner/late lunch. It was delicious! At first I felt as if I had added a bit too much rosemary but once it cooled down a little the other flavours in the tart came through more and was a lot tastier. I loved the crunchy, crisp pastry case and the flavours of the Herbes de Provence came through wonderfully! I loved this contrast of the base against with the soft juicy filling. As I said before I used half this amount so only used one pepper. For this I used a sweet pepper which I think worked really well with the richness of the creamy filling and the rosemary. I think it would be perfect for a picnic with your family or friends!

Oh and by the way…..

NO SOGGY BOTTOM! ^.^ (Probs a little over cooked but oh well!!)

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No. 43: Tasty Toad-in-the-hole with Onion Gravy – 04.6.12 Seeing as it’s the Jubilee long weekend I wanted to make something quite British as a new recipe. I was going to make this last night but we couldn’t get to a shop for the sausages we needed! So I decided to do it tonight. It seemed a nice warm and comforting meal which I really needed after a very very tiring day at work! I had chosen this recipe when looking through Mrs Beaton’s Best of British Cooking for ideas for British food (obviously) but decided to go with a healthier version from ‘Cook Yourself Thin – Quick and Easy’. Serves 4 PREHEAT the oven 200oC For the Toad-in-the-hole65g Plain Flour100ml Skimmed Milk1 medium egg1 tsp rosemary1 tsp thyme1 level tsp salt½ tsp ground black pepper8 lean or low fat Chipolatas1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil For the Gravy1 tsp extra virgin olive oil1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced2 beef stock cubes1 heaped tbsp cornflour, mixed with 2 tbsp of cold water Sieve the flour into a large bowl and make a well into the middle of the heap where you now pour in the milk ,egg, herbs and salt and pepper. Now with a whisk, begin from the well and work your way out to incorporate all of the flour until the batter is smooth and set aside to rest at room temperature Prick the sausages and place in a large cooking dish a coat in the olive oil and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until browned. Remove from the oven and pour over the batter mix, immediately place back into the oven for a further 35mintues or until risen and golden brown. Whilst this is cooking, make the gravy!Cook any fresh vegetables you wish to serve with the dish and keep them warm and keep the water for the gravy!! 15 Minutes before the Toad-in-the-hole is finished, add the olive oil to a large saucepan and gently cook the onion until golden brown. Add 1 pint of the vegetable water to the onions along with the stock cubes and cornflour mix. Stir well and cook until thickened! Cut the toad-in-the-hole into quarters and serve with your choice of veg and spoon over the gravy! This was a lot yummier than I thought it was going to be! Rosemary in the batter was really yummy (I had no thyme) but it gave it more depth in flavour which means you savour the flavours more than just shovelling as much delicious stodginess as possible. I added Ham Hock as well before pouring over the batter which gave it an extra bit of texture and the saltiness worked really well with the rosemary and it was so yummy and juicy! As you can see from my picture, my batter didn’t rise properly this is because the hot oil used in the sausage baking process is vital for the batter rising. I completely forgot about this and poured it away before adding the batter (I saw that about of oil and was like ‘I could make this healthier if I get rid of it’, what a joke) so yeah, it didn’t puff up as I would have liked it to but whatever! It still tasted damn fine and I served it with corn on the cob :)

No. 43: Tasty Toad-in-the-hole with Onion Gravy – 04.6.12

Seeing as it’s the Jubilee long weekend I wanted to make something quite British as a new recipe. I was going to make this last night but we couldn’t get to a shop for the sausages we needed! So I decided to do it tonight. It seemed a nice warm and comforting meal which I really needed after a very very tiring day at work! I had chosen this recipe when looking through Mrs Beaton’s Best of British Cooking for ideas for British food (obviously) but decided to go with a healthier version from ‘Cook Yourself Thin – Quick and Easy’.

Serves 4 PREHEAT the oven 200oC

For the Toad-in-the-hole
65g Plain Flour
100ml Skimmed Milk
1 medium egg
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 level tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
8 lean or low fat Chipolatas
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the Gravy
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 beef stock cubes
1 heaped tbsp cornflour, mixed with 2 tbsp of cold water

  • Sieve the flour into a large bowl and make a well into the middle of the heap where you now pour in the milk ,egg, herbs and salt and pepper. Now with a whisk, begin from the well and work your way out to incorporate all of the flour until the batter is smooth and set aside to rest at room temperature

  • Prick the sausages and place in a large cooking dish a coat in the olive oil and place in the oven for 15 minutes or until browned.

  • Remove from the oven and pour over the batter mix, immediately place back into the oven for a further 35mintues or until risen and golden brown.

  • Whilst this is cooking, make the gravy!
    Cook any fresh vegetables you wish to serve with the dish and keep them warm and     keep the water for the gravy!!

  • 15 Minutes before the Toad-in-the-hole is finished, add the olive oil to a large saucepan and gently cook the onion until golden brown. Add 1 pint of the vegetable water to the onions along with the stock cubes and cornflour mix. Stir well and cook until thickened!

  • Cut the toad-in-the-hole into quarters and serve with your choice of veg and spoon over the gravy!

This was a lot yummier than I thought it was going to be! Rosemary in the batter was really yummy (I had no thyme) but it gave it more depth in flavour which means you savour the flavours more than just shovelling as much delicious stodginess as possible. I added Ham Hock as well before pouring over the batter which gave it an extra bit of texture and the saltiness worked really well with the rosemary and it was so yummy and juicy! As you can see from my picture, my batter didn’t rise properly this is because the hot oil used in the sausage baking process is vital for the batter rising. I completely forgot about this and poured it away before adding the batter (I saw that about of oil and was like ‘I could make this healthier if I get rid of it’, what a joke) so yeah, it didn’t puff up as I would have liked it to but whatever! It still tasted damn fine and I served it with corn on the cob :)

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Squash and Bacon Risotto

Squash and Bacon Risotto

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No. 25: Squash and Bacon Risotto – 5.3.12 I love love love butternut squash! I tried a Nigel Slater recipe a while back of roast butternut squash with bacon that had been fried in garlic and rosemary and home made croutons. It was delicious. Seeing another squash and bacon recipe I thought I would give it a go as I knew it would taste good! I’ve never had risotto before so I went out, got myself some risotto rice and got cracking! This recipe is from Good HouseKeeping’s “Family Meals for a Fiver”. Serves 4 125g of smoked bacon, chopped1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into small chunks1 onion, finely chopped300g arborio rice1 litre Hot vegetable stock Fry the bacon and butternut squash in a large deep frying pan for around 8-10 minutes on a medium heat. Stir from time to time so it doesn’t catch! When bacon is golden and the squash has softened, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the rice and cook for 1-2 minutes and then add the hot stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the rice has soaked up most of the stock and the squash is tender. Stir this quite often to make sure it does not stick! Serve immediately! A pretty simple and easy recipe which I really enjoyed! Risotto is wonderful! I think my favourite thing about this dish is the different combination of textures, such as the creamy risotto, with the soft squash and the crispy bacon. I also loved how the sweetness of the squash worked so well with the salty bacon! However I kinda felt like it was missing something. More flavours. If I were to try this dish again (which I will) I think I will take a leaf from Nigel Slater’s recipe and add garlic and rosemary into the dish. I think this will add a bit more depth and give it that little boost of flavouring it needs!

No. 25: Squash and Bacon Risotto – 5.3.12

I love love love butternut squash! I tried a Nigel Slater recipe a while back of roast butternut squash with bacon that had been fried in garlic and rosemary and home made croutons. It was delicious. Seeing another squash and bacon recipe I thought I would give it a go as I knew it would taste good! I’ve never had risotto before so I went out, got myself some risotto rice and got cracking! This recipe is from Good HouseKeeping’s “Family Meals for a Fiver”.

Serves 4

125g of smoked bacon, chopped
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 onion, finely chopped
300g arborio rice
1 litre Hot vegetable stock

  • Fry the bacon and butternut squash in a large deep frying pan for around 8-10 minutes on a medium heat. Stir from time to time so it doesn’t catch!

  • When bacon is golden and the squash has softened, add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened.

  • Stir in the rice and cook for 1-2 minutes and then add the hot stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the rice has soaked up most of the stock and the squash is tender. Stir this quite often to make sure it does not stick!

  • Serve immediately!

A pretty simple and easy recipe which I really enjoyed! Risotto is wonderful! I think my favourite thing about this dish is the different combination of textures, such as the creamy risotto, with the soft squash and the crispy bacon. I also loved how the sweetness of the squash worked so well with the salty bacon! However I kinda felt like it was missing something. More flavours. If I were to try this dish again (which I will) I think I will take a leaf from Nigel Slater’s recipe and add garlic and rosemary into the dish. I think this will add a bit more depth and give it that little boost of flavouring it needs!

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Home Made Beans on Toast

Home Made Beans on Toast

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No. 23: Beans on Toast – 26.2.12 As a student I have to keep an eye on my spending…. I have a student loan and seem to waste it all on new foods or expensive brands or kitchen ware! I have a book made by Good Housekeeping called ‘Family Meals For A Fiver’ so decided I should try more of these recipes to stop me spending so much money! I know baked beans aren’t expensive, they’re about 40p for a can but as I said the other day, home made is best! Serves 4 1 tbsp of oil2 garlic cloves, finley sliced1 x 400g can of Cannellini or Borlotti beans, drained and rinsed 1 x 400g can of chickpeas1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes Leaves from 2 rosemary sprigs 4 thick slices of Bread, which ever you prefer25g Parmesan (or any hard cheese you have)Chopped Parsley to Serve Heat the oil in a saucepan on a low heat and add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute and stirring gently. Add the beans, chickpeas and tomatoes into the pan and bring to the boil. Add the Rosemary, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Toast the bread, grate the Parmesen into the bean mixture, stir once and serve with parsley. I used a micro plane grater for my cheese which I regretted because the cheese was lost in the sauce! So use a normal grater when doing this but either way it was still really nice! There were lots of different textures and was quite filling so would be a good thing to eat if you didn’t want to be snacking all afternoon! The only thing I would say, which I would think would put people off of this, is the fact it is not as sweet as baked beans you get in a tin. If you would like it sweeter I would just suggest to add a teaspoon of sugar into your mixture whilst it cooked , you could also use different kinds of beans to play around with the recipe. I feel this recipe is a nice change from just the tinned stuff and is very cheap, so I would defiantly suggest giving it a go!

No. 23: Beans on Toast – 26.2.12

As a student I have to keep an eye on my spending…. I have a student loan and seem to waste it all on new foods or expensive brands or kitchen ware! I have a book made by Good Housekeeping called ‘Family Meals For A Fiver’ so decided I should try more of these recipes to stop me spending so much money! I know baked beans aren’t expensive, they’re about 40p for a can but as I said the other day, home made is best!

Serves 4

1 tbsp of oil
2 garlic cloves, finley sliced
1 x 400g can of Cannellini or Borlotti beans, drained and rinsed
1 x 400g can of chickpeas
1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
Leaves from 2 rosemary sprigs
4 thick slices of Bread, which ever you prefer
25g Parmesan (or any hard cheese you have)
Chopped Parsley to Serve

  • Heat the oil in a saucepan on a low heat and add the garlic, cooking for 1 minute and stirring gently.

  • Add the beans, chickpeas and tomatoes into the pan and bring to the boil.

  • Add the Rosemary, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

  • Toast the bread, grate the Parmesen into the bean mixture, stir once and serve with parsley.

I used a micro plane grater for my cheese which I regretted because the cheese was lost in the sauce! So use a normal grater when doing this but either way it was still really nice! There were lots of different textures and was quite filling so would be a good thing to eat if you didn’t want to be snacking all afternoon!
The only thing I would say, which I would think would put people off of this, is the fact it is not as sweet as baked beans you get in a tin. If you would like it sweeter I would just suggest to add a teaspoon of sugar into your mixture whilst it cooked , you could also use different kinds of beans to play around with the recipe. I feel this recipe is a nice change from just the tinned stuff and is very cheap, so I would defiantly suggest giving it a go!

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No. 18 Mustardy Baked Onions – 12.2.12 When I was younger I used to despise onions. If there were the slight trace of them in something I was eating, I would stop consuming it and instantly disliked it. Frozen Burgers I wouldn’t eat due to bits of their insides looking like there were onions in them. Even if I was enjoying something and was told there were onions in it, I would stop eating. As you can see, I used to be a very very fussy child. After trying Shallots in my food as advised by my twin sister that they were “onions for people who don’t like onions” I have slowly developed a love for them. My boyfriend, being obsessed with onions developed my love for red onions and now I adore them. I had bought a Good Food magazine the other day and they had a low fat, healthy recipe for Bake Red Onions. I always try and keep a bag of them in my cupboard as there are always dishes were you can add an onion or 2 into it! Serves 4  4 medium Red onions4 small sprigs of rosemaryknob of butter1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp grainy mustard1 tbsp soft brown sugar PRE HEAT the oven to 180oC Slice the root of each onion to create a flat bottom and then peel them carefully the leave them whole. Cut a deep cross into the tops of each, add a sprig of rosemary, dot of butter and place on a roasting tray. Add a little of the balsamic vinegar to each onion, season and then wrap the tray in foil and bake for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the mustard and sugar and set aside After the half an hour is up, remove the foil from the tray and spoon a little of the sugar and mustard mixture on top of each onion. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes uncovered to caramelise. These were total Melt-in-your-mouth bliss. They were so sweet and when cutting into them, well on the attempt to cut into them, they simply fell apart and were soft and looked so moist! They were delicious! I used Dijon mustard as I had none of the grainy type and learnt I don’t care too much for mustard. So in the future I might leave it out! I would defiantly give this a try if you are looking for new ways to use onions or even if you are trying to find a new side dish to accompany a Sunday Roast! Yum!

No. 18 Mustardy Baked Onions – 12.2.12

When I was younger I used to despise onions. If there were the slight trace of them in something I was eating, I would stop consuming it and instantly disliked it. Frozen Burgers I wouldn’t eat due to bits of their insides looking like there were onions in them. Even if I was enjoying something and was told there were onions in it, I would stop eating. As you can see, I used to be a very very fussy child. After trying Shallots in my food as advised by my twin sister that they were “onions for people who don’t like onions” I have slowly developed a love for them. My boyfriend, being obsessed with onions developed my love for red onions and now I adore them.

I had bought a Good Food magazine the other day and they had a low fat, healthy recipe for Bake Red Onions. I always try and keep a bag of them in my cupboard as there are always dishes were you can add an onion or 2 into it!

Serves 4 

4 medium Red onions
4 small sprigs of rosemary
knob of butter
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tbsp soft brown sugar

PRE HEAT the oven to 180oC

  • Slice the root of each onion to create a flat bottom and then peel them carefully the leave them whole.

  • Cut a deep cross into the tops of each, add a sprig of rosemary, dot of butter and place on a roasting tray. Add a little of the balsamic vinegar to each onion, season and then wrap the tray in foil and bake for 30 minutes.

  • Meanwhile, mix together the mustard and sugar and set aside

  • After the half an hour is up, remove the foil from the tray and spoon a little of the sugar and mustard mixture on top of each onion. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes uncovered to caramelise.

These were total Melt-in-your-mouth bliss. They were so sweet and when cutting into them, well on the attempt to cut into them, they simply fell apart and were soft and looked so moist! They were delicious! I used Dijon mustard as I had none of the grainy type and learnt I don’t care too much for mustard. So in the future I might leave it out! I would defiantly give this a try if you are looking for new ways to use onions or even if you are trying to find a new side dish to accompany a Sunday Roast! Yum!

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