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Smoked Mackerel Niçoise

I have a confession; I'm addicted to smoked mackerel. This summer I haven't been able to get enough of the tiger-striped beauties, whether it's rough flakes stirred through warm linguine or a rich mackerel pâté slathered on crisp slices of sourdough, however one dish currently tops them all. My smoked mackerel niçoise is a slight twist on a classic French salad and is my go-to dish for simple, summer's lunch.  

Smoked Mackeral Niçoise (serves 2)

• 200g smoked mackerel fillets
• 100g new potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 2 plum tomatoes roughly chopped
• 2 hearts of little gem lettuce
• 1/2 red onion finely sliced
• Large handful of french beans
• Small handful pitted black olives

For the dressing:

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• A pinch of salt and pepper 

1) Cook the new potatoes and French beans in boiling, salted water until tender.

2) Cook the eggs in boiling water for 3 minutes then plunge into ice water to preserve the soft centre.

3) Assemble the lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and olives in a bowl then add the warm french beans and potatoes. 

4) Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing and drizzle over the salad; toss the salad to ensure everything is evenly distributed.

5) Top the salad with the soft boiled eggs and large flakes of smoked mackerel.

This is a great dish which I hope you enjoy as much as I do. For those of you who like myself can't get enough of smoked mackerel, here is the Guardian's take on the perfect smoked mackerel pâté.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/may/24/how-perfect-smoked-mackerel-pate

Enjoy!

Macaroons

My first attempt at making macaroons. Lemon macaroons with a homemade lemon curd; pretty pleased with myself!

Banoffee Millionaire's Shortbread

Millionaire's shortbread meets banoffee pie - what could be better?

Banoffee millionaires shortbread is a delicious afternoon treat and it contains bananas so could technically be one of your 5 a day. Ok, the last part wasn't strictly true, but this is a great recipe and is extremely simple to make; it can be knocked up at short notice and is guaranteed to impress anyone with a sweet tooth.

I like the texture of using sliced bananas in the caramel instead pureeing them, this way you get big chunks of banana with the buttery shortbread and rich caramel, all topped off with smooth dark chocolate. Of course you could use milk chocolate or even a mixture, but I find this too sweet for my palette.

This recipe is simple and easily adjustable; so you can put your own spin on it, maybe even add some peanut butter to the shortbread for even more decadence.

Banoffee Millionaire's Shortbread (makes 9)

Shortbread

• 125g butter
• 55g caster sugar
• Plain flour

Banoffee Caramel

• 50g butter
• 50g muscavado sugar
• 1 x 397g condensed milk
• 1 large banana 

Topping

• 200g dark chocolate

1) Pre-heat the oven to 180°C then grease and line a 9inch x 9inch baking tray with baking paper.

2) Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl, then rub in the butter until you get a fine breadcrumb consistency. Pour the mixture into the lined baking tray and flatten with a fork.

3) Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown and firm to touch. Allow to cool.

4) Whilst the shortbread is cooling, make the banoffee topping. In a pan combine the butter, sugar and condensed milk, heat gently until the sugar completely dissolves and the mixture begins to boil. Lower the heat and allow the caramel simmer for 5 minutes, stirring continuously until it has a thick, glossy consistency. 

5) Pour half the caramel over the shortbread in a thin, even layer. Top with the sliced bananas then use the remaining half of the caramel to cover the banana; allow to cool completely.

6) Once everything has cooled melt the chocolate carefully in a bowl over a pan of boiling water. Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel and leave to set. Cut into squares and enjoy!

 

Franco Manca - Balham

The perfect pizza ... it's a touchy subject; nations have been divided over what constitutes the perfect slice. New Yorker's favor thin, hand stretched bases, whereas those in Chicago like their deep-pan pies laden with toppings. Pizzas even differ considerably between regions in Italy, however one fact is not disputable, pizza, as we know it today originated from Naples. Neapolitan pizza making is an art form, so much so that it has its own association to decide whether the pizza is worthy of the Neapolitan stamp, the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.

Previously, the best pizza I had consumed outside of Italy was found in a family owned pizzeria in the backstreets of Greenwich, New York. Franco Manca swiftly changed this, providing me with possibly the closest experience to pizza perfection I’ve had so far.

Franco Manca specializes in Neapolitan pizza baked in a tufae; a traditional wood burning brick oven. However what really distinguishes the pizza at Franco Manca is the base, made from slow rising sourdough, left to prove for a minimum of 20 hours, giving the dough a unique texture and flavour.

There are five locations spread across south London with the newest addition to the Franco Manca family located just off of Balham high-street, which is where I had the pleasure of spending my Friday lunchtime.

The restaurant is stylish, minimalistic and to the point; very much like the pizza. Every detail has been carefully considered, from the decor to the simplistic menu; everything has its place.

As for the pizzas, there are only six with toppings such as olive, caper and anchovy. They are basic, but refined, the way a pizza should be. Every element on the menu has been selected with great care, ham from rare breed Glouscester Old Spot pigs, tomatos, only picked in the summer months in Salerno and organic, non-sulphite wines. When the core ingredients are of such a high quality, pizza needs no embellishments. 

Onto the meal itself, there were two specials that day, one meat and one vegetable. We ordered one of each with a couple of beers, brewed in the Cotswold’s, to wash it all down.  The meat special was topped with organic mozzarella, Gloucester Old Spot pancetta, Colston Basett Stilton and butternut squash. As expected the pizza was perfectly balanced, no one topping overpowered the others and the superb quality of the ham really shone through. The vegetable pizza was equally delicious, organic mozzarella, baked potato, cherry tomato, onion, sundried tomato and a wild garlic pesto. For me, the star of the show was the wild garlic pesto, which was outstanding.

The sourdough crust deserves recognition on its own; it is baked for a mere 40 seconds in a scorchingly hot wood fired oven, the result is a soft, elastic crust with delicious, just-charred blisters adorning the outside. There is the distinct twang of sourness, typical of this type of dough, however don’t be off put, combined with the sweetness of the tomatoes and saltiness of the mozzarella the flavours blend together to give you an unforgettable pizza.

The pizza may not be to everybody’s palette, those who like their pizza topped with lashings of barbeque sauce and delights such as donner meat and tandoori chicken may want to steer clear. However those who do favor the traditional art of Neapolitan pizza making should definitely stop by, I highly recommend they do so. 

You can find their website here: http://www.francomanca.co.uk

Crab, Avocado and Lime Salad

During the summer months there is nothing I enjoy more than fresh seafood. This Nigel Slater recipe combines sweet crabmeat with a punchy Asian dressing and creamy avocado giving a lovely light salad, perfect for a summers day or even as a first course when entertaining. 

Fresh crabmeat is preferable for this dish, however its availability can be limited, tinned crab meat is a good alternative easily found in the supermarket and tastes just as good!

Crab, Avocado and Lime Salad (serves 2 as a main, 4 as a starter)

• 300g crab meat 
• 2 small avocados
• 10cm piece of cucumber
• 2 spring onions
• 1 red chilli 

For the dressing

• 1 tbsp (heaped) palm sugar (you can use caster sugar)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 4 tbsp lime juice
• Small handful of coriander leaves

To serve

• 4 slices of ciabatta
• Olive oil
• 1/2 a lime

1) Finely chop the chilli and spring onions.

2) Peel and deseed the cucumber; dice the flesh into small cubes.

3) Peel and dice the avocados them mix with the cucumber, chilli and spring onion.

4) To make the dressing add the palm sugar to a mixing bowl with the lime juice and fish sauce; stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Finely chop the coriander and stir into the dressing.

5) Toast the ciabatta until golden brown and crisp, drizzle with olive oil and lime juice.

6) Add the crabmeat and dressing and stir through gently, trying to avoid breaking the crab up too much. Serve atop of the toasted ciabatta. 

Perfect served with a nice, chilled glass of Riesling.

Happy Friday

Nice glass of homemade elderflower cordial to start the day. Might even add a cheeky splash of gin, it is Friday after all!

Happy Friday!