Romaine Heart Salad with Goat Cheese and Red Lentil Vinaigrette
Tuesday, May 28, 2024Delicious as a snack, or starter or even as a light lunch: try this simple yet deliciously filling salad with Romaine hearts, soft goat cheese and spicy lentil vinaigrette - seasoned with thyme and chilli!
Romaine Hearts are the center leaves of Romaine lettuce. Smaller, more yellow, and sweeter, these leaves have a delicious flavour and tender texture that is perfect for salad.
Smoked Salmon Terrine with Pink Peppercorns and Gremolata
Sunday, May 26, 2024This luxurious and utterly delicious salmon terrine is much easier than its beautiful presentation suggests but should be made at least six hours before serving. It comprises a creamy filling wrapped in smoked salmon slices topped with a tangy herb condiment made with fresh lemon zest, dill, parsley, and fresh garlic. A real showstopper for your festive table or dinner party.
Gremolata, usually enjoyed with fish or meat, is an Italian condiment made with fresh herb (usually flat parsley), garlic and lemon.
Buffalo Smashed Cucumbers with Roquefort
Friday, May 24, 2024‘Smashing / smacking’ cucumber is a Chinese cooking technique allowing them to absorb more sauce, hence more flavour. The combination of buffalo sauce with cucumbers might seem really weird, but it works like a charm. You get a punch of heat from the spicy, garlicky buffalo sauce immediately followed by a juicy burst of crunchy, cool cucumber that keeps you coming back for more and more.
Charred Cucumbers with Coriander Goat Yoghurt and Zhoug
Wednesday, May 22, 2024A beautifully refreshing summer salad to enjoy at your next grill party or simply alongside some roasted chicken or burgers. It's ridiculously quick and easy to throw together!
Zhoug is a popular Middle Eastern condiment that's made with cilantro, jalapeños, garlic, spices and olive oil. Basically, it's a spicy herb sauce, so if you ain't a fan of cilantro, use other herb sauce you like. If you can't find goat yoghurt, use plain Greek yoghurt instead.
Smoked Salmon Mousse with Caviar
Monday, May 20, 2024These wonderfully sophisticated bite-sized appetizers or snacks are incredibly easy to prepare yet impressive and can be done in 10 minutes. Smoked salmon is delicious and packed with nutrients, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids. Turning them into a mousse made with cream cheese is even better. Black caviar are optional, but they do add an elegant touch to the appetizers that your family or guests will love. The mousse can be made one day ahead and stored in your fridge. It actually taste better the next day as the flavors have time to develop. If you don't have a pastry bag, put the mousse into a small sealable plastic bag and cut the tip off the corner of the bag. You can also put the mousse in a bowl and serve with vegetables or/and crackers.
Cucumber and Feta Salad
Saturday, May 18, 2024Made with ridged cucumber, yellow cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and feta Lesbos, this easy Mediterranean-inspired salad is perfect as a light summer lunch or served alongside any meal.
Ridge cucumbers, or outdoor cucumbers, tend to be shorter, plumper and they've got a rougher skin. You can use other varieties, such as long, slender English or smaller, (almost) seedless Persian cucumbers.
35 Recipes to make the most of Asparagus Season
Thursday, May 16, 2024Make the most of this seasonal star with these light and delicious recipes. Asparagus is super versatile. They can be enjoyed as raw with some of your favourite dips, or grilled, stir-fried, blanched, steamed or baked. If your green asparagus is young and the spears are slim, all you need to do just give it a good wash before cooking and trim the very ends. With larger and thicker green asparagus, you can break these off. There's a natural breaking point between the woody end and the tender stalk. I usually just slice off 1.5cm from the bottom. The skin of white asparagus can taste very bitter and fibrous, so make sure to peel it off completely before cooking.
- Asparagus Baton Bread with Sesame Seeds
Crisp crust with a moist and soft interior, this is an interesting and a perfect spring bread recipe, especially with asparagus season in full swing.
No Knead Fig Bread
Wednesday, May 15, 2024Dried figs, cinnamon, turmeric and black tea provide exciting flavours for this no-knead bread. The crust is wonderfully crispy, the crumb moist, chewy and airy.
No-knead bread uses a very long fermentation time (16-24 hours) instead of kneading to form the gluten strands that give the bread its texture. The dough of no knead bread is typically very wet, sticky and messy. So when you shape the dough, it doesn't have to be perfectly round or oval. You can bake the bread in a Dutch oven or directly on a baking stone.
Strawberry Asparagus Salad
Monday, May 13, 2024This delicious strawberry asparagus salad brings together favourite flavours of the season, with a nice tangy white wine dressing, toasted pine nuts, mint and Feta. All these ingredients get along beautifully and super healthy, packed with vitamins and essential nutrients, gluten free, keto and low in calories. White wine vinegar is more mellow and it's perfect for the delicate asparagus and strawberries.
Spiced Chai Banana Bread
Saturday, May 11, 2024Infused with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg, this spiced chai banana bread is moist and flavourful. The warming spices work really well together and are a good contrast with the sweetness of the banana. The white chocolate topping with extra banana chips and ginger makes it even more indulgent and irresistible, though entirely optional.
Pan-fried White Asparagus with Green Tahini Sauce
Thursday, May 09, 2024The usual preparation of white asparagus is usually simmered in water or steamed and served with hollandaise sauce or/and butter. Here we are going to try pan-frying them until beautifully charred and tender but still al dente. It tastes fabulous with a herby tahini sauce.
Unlike their green and purple counterparts, white asparagus are pale from end to tip because they are grown underground. White asparagus must always be peeled, thin or thick, or else they will be bitter and stringy.
Cheesy Baked Asparagus with Mascarpone and Parmesan
Tuesday, May 07, 2024This dish is a delicious and fuss-free way to showcase this spring's favourite veggie. The green asparagus still retains its texture and flavour, but it's enveloped in a rich, creamy, cheesy custard-like sauce. It's is surprisingly simple with a very short list of ingredients, but so flavourful and decadent. Use medium asparagus for this recipe, as delicate, thin spears will overcook. Mascarpone has 55% fat, if it is too rich for you, then substitute with ricotta or crème fraîche.