Tomato and basil bruschetta

Bruschetta is a favourite of Alex's and he orders it everywhere.  One of our favourite  London restaurants is Scalini in Knightsbridge, where they always serve bruschetta alongside olives and bread sticks.  In Scalini they don't use basil, but I like to use basil when I make this at home.

This literally takes minutes, just as long as it takes you to chop tomatoes, basil and toast some bread.

Here's what you need:

1 small ciabatta loaf

handful of ripe tomatoes

1 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped

small handful of finely snipped chives

1 handful of fresh basil, chopped

extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1 cloves garlic, cut in half for rubbing

Roughly chop the tomatoes and tip them into a bowl with their juices. Mix in the crushed garlic, chopped basil and a generous glug of olive oil. Set aside to allow the tomatoes to marinate for a couple of minutes.

Then heat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat then add the sliced ciabatta and toast lightly on both sides, I like the griddle marks across the bread.

Drizzle extra virigin olive oil over the toasted ciabatta slice, then rub with the halved garlic cloves.

Then spoon the tomato mixture onto the warm ciabata.

Serve immediately with parma ham, bresaola, buffala mozzarella....

..and of course with love....xoxo

Kitchen Fantasies 2

My fiance and I spent a month in his hometown in Cyprus over the Christmas and New Year period.  During this time we stayed with his parents, my soon-to-be-in-laws, and unfortunately I fell prey to a nasty dose of flu and was stuck at home in bed for a week!  Now during my time alone, my BlackBery and E! channel became my best friends as this was one of only two English speaking channels in the house.

Much to Alex's chagrin, I got completely and utterly hooked on 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' ... to this day my apparent obsession with all things Kardashian has reached fever pitch.

Recently in the show, Kim Kardashian moved into a beautiful new house and I absolutely fell in love with it, not least because of this elegant, beautiful and calming kitchen:

I adore the dark hardwood floors in stark contrast to the perfect white wooden cabinetry, and cream granite worktops.

I love how the windows open completely, giving a full uninterupted view to the garden and swimming pool.

The bar stools, fireplace, and snug seating area on the other side of the fireplace, ensure that this kitchen really is the heart of the home.

Having watched practically every 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' episode there is, it is not difficult to come to the conclusion that Kim isn't the traditional domestic goddess, however, I'm sure every meal she does serve there (home made or not), is nonetheless ...

... served with love ... xoxo

Jules & Sharpie Hot Pepper Jelly

My dear friend Andrea really is a fabulous hostess … at one dinner party she hosted, Andrea served this fabulously spicy jelly with her charcuterie and cheeses board … one mouthful and I was hooked.  I haven’t found where to buy this in my local Waitrose, delicatessen, Sainsbury’s, or Tesco yet … so Andrea kindly got me a jar from a little place in Surrey. 

I like to serve this chilli jam, just as Andrea did with cold meats, pates, cheeses, cornichons, baby pickled onions and warm crusty bread – it has been a welcome addition to our deli board, and I’m positive that your family and friends will be happy to tuck in also.

On a recent visit to London, George, my soon-to-be-father-in-law fancied a snack and came across this jelly in the fridge.  Unfortunately for George, he mistakenly thought the picture of the birds eye chilli on the cover was a cherry, and happily smothered the spicy jelly liberally all over his bread … it was very amusing to say the least … ah well, at least he lived to tell the tale …

Don't forget to use this with caution if you're of a more sensitive constitution....

....serve with love...xoxo

Chicken Fricassée & Rice

Chicken fricassée was a typical Sunday night supper in the Morrison household after having a roast chicken.  My father used to make chicken fricassée and serve it in jumbo vol-au-vonts, sounds old fashioned, but it was extremely comforting.

Unfortunately, my local Waitrose didn't have any sort of vol-au-vent, perhaps they're a little passé these days, but it didn't put me off making this dish, and it's still perfectly yummy with steamed rice - not to mention more healthy!

My father would make a béchamel sauce and then add all the ingredients; however, I like to use homemade chicken stock instead of milk, as I think it increases the flavour ten fold.  I also like to add a little tarragon

Here’s what I used for the two of us:

Homemade chicken stock (made using the bones and carcass of a whole chicken boiled with carrots + celery + bay leaves + parsley stalks + whole black peppercorns)

1 large chicken breast on the bone with skin (you could easily use 2 chicken legs, or 4 chicken thighs if you preferred)

1 carrot, whole

4 shallots, peeled kept whole
handful of chestnut mushrooms, sliced
bouquet garni
50g margarine/butter
50g plain flour
1 free-range egg yolk
juice of ½ lemon

8 slices of grilled streaky bacon

Parsley, finely chopped

Tarragon, finely chopped

Put the chicken breast, carrots, shallots and bay in a large pan with homemade chicken stock. Add the bouquet garni.

Bring slowly to the boil and simmer gently for 20/30 minutes until the chicken is cooked – obviously this will depend on the sizes of chicken pieces you use.

When the chicken is cooked, remove from the pot and keep warm.

Strain the stock, reserving the carrots and shallots and stock separately.

Melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and gradually add the stock.

Bring to the boil and cook until the sauce thickens, stirring constantly.  Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes. 

Remove the skin from the chicken, carve the meat and cut it into rough pieces.  I think if the cubes look too perfect – it looks a microwave meal.

Add the meat and sliced shallots and sliced carrots; remove from the heat.

Beat together the egg yolk and lemon juice, then add a little of the left over stock and blend well.  Keep adding until the mixture is hot.

Pour the mixture back into the pan and heat through without boiling.

Add the chopped parsley and chopped tarragon.  Check for seasoning now, adding salt and pepper if necessary. 

Transfer the fricassée to a warmed serving dish and garnish with the grilled bacon.

Serve with simply boiled rice…

…and of course with love…xoxo