Want to know how versatile a Chef's Cloth is?

Well, we're not going to tell you...

Jenny Gibson, a happy Chef's Cloth owner, is going to do it for us.

"What did I ever do before I had my chef's cloth, I can keep scones warm to take to church, lift hot trays and pop them down onto the wooden table with it beneath them. Fabulous, who ever needs silly old oven gloves again so much more practical. X" Jenny Gibson 

We were so pleased when this appeared in our feedback section on our website that we had to share. 

We think Jenny says it all.

If you'd also like to lift hot trays without fear of burning or take fresh, warm scones to church (and who doesn't?), pop into our kitchen and nab yourself a Chef's Cloth.

Chef's Cloth £16.99

Kitchen... garden

To double denim or not to double denim?

That definitely is the question - or at least it was on our recent photo shoot for the brand new and rather fabulous Denim Mini Pinny.

So, we opted for a range of outfits, including a very splendid frou frou extravaganza of a frock. (Model's own. Lucky her.)

Our model, Frances, loved wearing this particular pinny. "I'd love this for the whole kitchen garden thing - might even make me revamp the veg beds," and was very relaxed. To the point of actually doing some gardening on the shoot... we weren't sure shots of weeds were quite the thing though.

With very many thanks to our model and photographer and (not very) sincere apologies to William Shakespeare for the homage...

Double denim or not to double denim?

That is the question. Whether 'tis gardener

In your allotment be or sling back wearing

Outrageous hostess. Or you take into arms

A sea of potatoes and by roasting them

Feed friends. To wear. To eat. Need we say more?

Denim Mini Pinny £19.99

Coming over all British

So, it was the Friday of the Royal Wedding and the Bickerstaffs were having a little gathering in the garden...

Drinks with bubbles, good food and the fire pit ready to warm us all through when it got chilly.

I offered to make Vanessa Kimbell's gorgeous Star Anise and Orange Bread Pudding but realised too late that I had precisely one of the ingredients in the house. So, focussed on that ingredient and decided a pavlova was the only option.

But! Disaster! Apparently Penny was going to make a Pavlova and I instinctively knew that hers would be MUCH better than mine (she runs the flower festival, for goodness sake, it was going to be fabulous). 

So, I decided to opt for form over function (generally like to follow both those principles but... needs must and all that). And Da! Da!

A delicious Union Jack with chewy meringue, fresh strawberries and a wonderful blueberry jam. 

How I made it...

And here's one I made earlier

The basic meringue recipe came from The River Cottage Family Cookbook. They explain everything beautifully so it's best to read it there but, in brief, you'll need:

4 free range egg whites
200g caster sugar


Whisk the egg whites 'til you get soft peaks then add half the sugar and whisk 'til stiff. Fold in the remaining sugar. Next grab a piping bag (I always make them out of grease-proof paper) and pipe your shape onto baking parchment - it's ESSENTIAL you use this and NOT greaseproof paper or your meringue will stick and you will be sad.

The fresh English strawberries came from Waitrose and the blueberry jam came from my head...

Put a packet of frozen blueberries into a small pan, throw in some sugar and cook them on a high temperature until they reach a pleasing consistency. Let it cool and add some lemon juice to loosen it and give it some gloss. Really tasty and at least hinted at being the right colour for the flag!

Just in... beautiful Cookbook Hooks

Very excited that the new stock of Cookbook Hooks has just arrived...

Handmade for us in Brighton and so pretty I want them all!

They make beautiful little presents - light, easy to post and really unusual.

Each one is unique and delicious enough to eat!

Can be used on any book but we love them in the kitchen - adding a touch of practical glamour.


Cookbook Hooks - £6.50

COOKING GORGEOUS
Beautiful things that work

A right royal recipe

Let me introduce you to our guest chef - and her decadent delicious dessert... Vanessa Kimbell is a chef and food writer with a gorgeous recipe book PREPPED! due to hit the shops later this year. She is a fabulous supporter of Cooking Gorgeous (and can often be seen sporting her favourite apron - our very own Aubergine Standard, including on one memorable trip to the cinema!) Vanessa has kindly offered up one of her trademark dishes to kick off our new recipe series: Notes from a Kitchen Island. I hope you love making it - and that you love eating it even more. With love, Henny PS: It's a British classic with a touch of spice - a perfect partner to a right royal weekend! Star Anise & Orange Bread Pudding I don’t suppose we often think of bread pudding as a glamorous dish, but this is a seriously gorgeous desert that is met with delight in our house. The star anise gives a delightful twist and the bitter orange marmalade tempers the sweetness while the eggs and cream form a deliciously smooth custard. To make your own bread to use in this recipe, I highly recommend the Milk Loaf from 'The Handmade Loaf' by Dan Lepard. An artisan baker extraordinaire. The pudding generously serves 10 - 12, but we eat it over 2 - 3 days. I sent part of this one back with my photographer Nicky Callis - it was the least I could do to thank her for these lovely photos! Vanessa x

And here's how to make it...

Serves 10 - 12
Prep time 20 minutes
Cooking time 1 hour 20
Freezes No
Size of dish 9cm deep, 32cm long and 27cm wide 775g of white tin loaf

275g raisins
140g caster sugar
Zest of 1 orange
1.5l of whole milk
600ml single cream
8 medium eggs
7 star anise
3 or 4 tbs of orange marmalade

1 Preheat the oven to 180 (between gas mark 4 and 5).  Slice the bread into 1.5 cm slices.   2 Arrange the slices in a large deep dish, scattering the raisins and sugar evenly between each layer. You will get about 3 layers or so depending on the thickness of your slices. Keep 3 or 4 spoons of sugar in reserve to use later on. Bear in mind you need to leave a little room at the top, as the pudding will rise as it cooks. 3 Evenly distribute the orange zest over the top of the pudding. 4 Pour the milk, cream and eggs in a jug and whisk to evenly distribute the egg. 5 Pour gently over the bread and using the tips of your fingers gently press into the bread to ensure the liquid is distributed throughout. 6 Sprinkle on the remaining sugar and scatter the Star Anise over the top. Pop into the oven. After an hour and 20 minutes check that the pudding is risen and golden. If it's not golden, cook for a further 10 minutes and check again. 7 Remove from the oven and discard the Star Anise before glazing. To glaze, gently spoon 3 - 4 tablespoons of marmalade over the pudding whilst it's still hot. 8 Serve hot or cold with custard or cream. For more information about Vanessa Kimbell’s forthcoming recipe book go to www.prepped.co.uk With very many thanks to the lovely Vanessa Kimbell (and apologies to Bill Bryson).

The heat is on...

New pics of new designs for heat resistant products... and all taken by my own fair hand. So pleased, I had to blog about them.

They all work beautifully together and make a fabulous matching set.

Each design is topped with 100% 'flat' cotton and backed with 100% 'tufted towelling'. Then bound. The designs are deliberately simple and stylish - so they work with any kitchen and won't fall out of fashion favour. 

So, first up, we've got the domestic answer to the professional heat cloth. Our Chef's Cloth is a large heat resistant cloth, perfect for taking the tagine out of the oven 


And there it is all wrapped up and ready to go. Looking pretty gorgeous, me thinks.

 
Next in line is a set of Pan Grabs. Also heat resistant with an extra inner layer to protect those delicate hands.


And finally, in the re-design line-up, comes our Soft Tops in the prettiest duck-egg blue. Great for topping off your AGA. And they come with loops - so they won't fall off when you lift the lid. Cunning, eh?!


All available on-line at www.cookinggorgeous.com. 

Come into the kitchen and see what's cooking, gorgeous.

Elderberry Compote (also known as jam that hasn't set)

It is Shrove Tuesday 2011 and after twittering to others about how delicious my elderberry compote is on pancakes, I am inspired to put fingers to keys and share the recipe.

Delicious, almost free, long-lasting and SO easy to make! And, unlike my many other attempts at creating the perfect preserve, is always a resounding success. The secret being that it's not meant to set so it can't ever go wrong. I love recipes like that.

Obviously now is completely the wrong time of year to be out gathering elderberries but maybe the recipe below will spark a little thought when you next see those tantalising juicy berries hanging from the trees.

How to make your elderberry compote...

Gather as many berries as you can carry - but always leave some for the birds. I hate to see trees that have been stripped bare of their provinder. And make sure the berries in the bunches are ripe - it's disappointing to get home thinking you've got a great haul only to find that too many of them green and unusable (and it feels awful knowing they're wasted).

Once home, gently prise the berries from the stalks with your fingers. You can use a fork to tease them off but I've found that leads to too many stalks landing in the bowl - though that could just be me. Don't get too precious about the whole thing - it's meant to be easy and relaxed.

Next, give them a rinse and pop them in a heavy bottomed jam pan with approx equal amounts of sugar (or a bit less if you're feeling virtuous). DON'T panic that it looks too dry! The water on the berries will create enough liquid and if you add any more it will be too runny (I've done this several times and always regretted it. Restraint! Restraint!).

Check the temperature with a jam thermometer if you have one, or do the old saucer in the freezer trick (drop a little of the gooey liquid onto a very cold saucer, if it clings to the surface it's probably done). Remember it won't set (mine never has anyway!) but if you follow basic jam making principles it will work. Get it bubbling away with all the sugar disolved and smelling gorgeous. 

Pop it into jars that have been sterilised in the dishwasher (lazy but good option) and then heated through in a low oven so they don't shatter when you add the compote. Seal with wax discs and jar lids and label up.

Gorgeous & delicious!

How to use your elderberry compote...

You can use the compote in very many ways too...

Marbelled through whipped cream and served with homemade meringue is one of my favourites or, of course, today being Shrove Tuesday, served on hot fresh pancakes... mmmmmmmmm.