Giddyuppychef

You know what they say. You fall off a horse, you gotta get back on. I'm not so good at that getting back on the horse stuff. I fall off a horse and that's the end of equestrianism for me. Like WC Fields said: No use being a damn fool about it.

But let's face it. This is cooking. And I neeeeeeeed to cook. What am I going to do if I can't cook? Become the coocoocrocheter? I can already see it. Every Thursday I'll start researching doily patterns. And on Friday night I'll lay out my wool and those hooky needles and maybe, ooh! ooh!, those little bitty glass beads you tie to the ends! ... Please. Someone. Kill me now. 

So cooking it is. But thanks to Allison and my parents I didn't have to get up on that pony without some tools to boost my first ride. And I got seriously cool tools for my birthday. Allison raided yuppiechef for a pasta maker and an ice cream maker and my parents did two shopping trips to find me the perfect kitchen torch. 

The best part is, with my fragile culinary self esteem still firmly in place, new tools were the perfect antidote. There's no shame in screwing up with a new tool. Hell, it's practically compulsory. I mean, if it just works effortlessly the first time you kinda think, well hey, I could've done that myself! I also kept the recipes short and simple. Very low key. Very unlike me. But of course, this IS me. And thus, inevitably, vanilla ice cream became chocolate silk ice cream, crème brûlée became coffee crème brûlée and tagliatelle became ravioli. 

Agh, whatcha gonna do. You can't keep a coocoocook down for long. I stopped cooking and it just made me feel worse so I started again. Like WC Fields said: No use being a damn fool about it.

xx

J

 

LEEK AND MOZZARELLA RAVIOLI WITH CHILLI TOMATO SAUCE AND BASIL CREAM

 

 

Pasta

200g White bread flour

2 Eggs

I tried lots of variations, thinking this is too simple. But it really is that simple. I throw it in my 90 year old Kenwood with the dough hook attachment, let it rattle dangerously for 5 minutes and I get a beautiful dough. If you do it by hand you'll find your dough is speckled when you start. You need to keep kneading it until it's smooth and silky. It takes 5 - 10 minutes. Wrap in clingwrap and leave it to rest for 30 minutes. 

The method I found best/easiest was to break the dough into two pieces. Shape it roughly into a rectangle then put through the largest setting. Dust with flour, fold double and do it again. Repeat 6 times, folding every time. Then start feeding through again without folding, reducing by one setting each time. I get down to 2 before it's too long to deal with comfortably. At this point I cut the sheet in two and feed both pieces through on 1. Then I hang it over the back of a chair and leave for about 5 minutes to dry out a bit before I cut or shape. 

Ravioli

3 Large leeks finely shopped

180g Mozzarella grated

2T Butter 

2 Egg whites

Slowly fry the leeks in the butter until soft but not browned. Allow to cool then mix in the cheese and egg white. Season with salt and pepper. The original recipe called for smoked mozzarella, which I couldn't find, so I used Maldon smoked salt for a slightly different taste, but I don't think it's critical.

The dough gives me four long sheets of lasagna. I dot the bottom half of each sheet with four double rows of the leek mix, then cover with the top sheet. I pinch each dollop carefully, squeezing out the air and sticking the two layers together. Then I press out with my ravioli stamp. Makes 32. 

Chilli Tomato Sauce

2 Chillis chopped up finely

2 Cloves garlic crushed

750g Baby tomatoes

2t Sugar

500 Chicken stock

Heat some olive oil on high then add the tomatoes. Flash fry until the skins split. Turn down the heat, add the garlic and chilli, mash with a potato masher and fry for about 10 minutes. Add the stock and reduce until thick. Season and give it a few whacks with a stick blender but leave it quite chunky.

Basil Cream

100ml Double cream

150ml Chicken stock

30g Basil

Boil the cream and chicken stock together until reduced by half. Add the basil and process with a stick blender until the basil is finely chopped. Pour through a sieve into a clean pot and simmer slowly until nice and thick. 

To Assemble

Boil the ravioli for 4 minutes, drain and immediately add to the tomato sauce. Serve with basil cream drizzled around the edges.

COFFEE CRÈME BRÛLÉE

500ml Double Cream

175ml Full cream milk

30ml Coffee (I used Ricoffy - Lead SA!)

7 Egg yolks

140ml Caster sugar

50g Demerara

Heat the milk, add the coffee and dissolve. Keep warm. Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the warmed milk and double cream and whisk until smooth. Pour into 6 small coffee cups and put the cups in a roasting tin. Fill with enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the cups. Cook at 120C for about 1 hour 30 - 45 minutes until set. Remove from the water and allow to cool. Chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. To serve, sprinkle with the demerara and zap with your trusty kitchen torch until caremelised. Do it quickly - you don't want the custard to get warm. 

CHOCOLATE SILK ICE CREAM

3 Egg yolks

1c Sugar

1.5c Full cream milk

2c Cream

1/3c Unsweetened cocoa

1t Vanilla extract

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Add the milk and cook on low for about 10 minutes until it starts to thicken into a custard. Allow to cool completely then add the cream and vanilla extract and sift in the cocoa. Chill in the fridge for about 12 hours or, if you're impatient like me, put it in an ice bath in the fridge for about 4 hours. After that follow your ice cream machine's instructions.