Last weekend I decided we would have the traditional “Chicken with 40 Pieces of Garlic”. But of course I had to do it my way!

We didn’t have a whole chicken, but we did have a pair of good, corn-fed, poussins. We find one 500g poussin nicely serves the two of us, so with two we always have one for cold the next day.

I started with Felicity Cloake’s recipe from the Guardian, and adapted, and simplified, it to suit. This is what I did …

Very Garlicky Poussin

3 large heads of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 Poussin (about 500g each)
Salt and pepper
Large bunch fresh thyme
350ml white wine or vermouth (or a mix of wine and water)
Cornflour (optional)
Knob of butter (optional)

1. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6.
2. Separate the garlic into individual cloves, and peel them. (You should have about three dozen cloves, but feel free to use more if you wish.) Put aside 6-8 smaller cloves and about half the thyme.
3. Put the oil in a hob-friendly casserole which is just big enough for the two poussins, and put on a high heat.
4. Season the poussins, then brown them on all sides as best as you can.
5. Set the poussins aside and stuff the reserved garlic and thyme in the body cavities.
6. Turn down the heat to medium, add the garlic and thyme to the pot, coat in the oil, cook for a couple of minutes and season.
7. Add the wine and the poussins.
8. Bring the liquid to a simmer, cover the pot and put in the oven for about 30 minutes.
9. Take off the lid and roast the poussins uncovered for another 15 minutes (or longer until done) to brown the skin slightly.
10. Set the poussins aside to keep hot and rest.
11. Return the pot to the hob and bring up to a simmer. Remove as many of the thyme stalks as possible with a slotted spoon.
12. While reducing the liquid, mash the garlic into the sauce (a stick blender is easiest, but don’t spray hot liquid everywhere!) and season to taste. You want to end up with a garlic gravy/sauce, so thicken with a little cornflour and a knob of butter if you wish.
13. Serve the poussins with steamed vegetables of your choice, either jacket or steamed new potatoes, and the sauce on the side.

This was really yummy and appreciated not just by us, but also by the cats who came begging! It was finger- and paw-licking good!

Realising before Christmas that there was a deficiency in the drinks cabinet I was looking for a bottle of good, but not outrageously expensive, brandy.

I don’t know why, but for many years I have always veered towards Armagnac rather than Cognac (or even Calvados). It’s probably just down to quirkiness, and wanting to do things slightly unusual.

Anyway I chanced to look at Armagnac, and came across Armagnac XO Domaine Tariquet, which sounded worth trying. At the very least we’d have something reasonable for adulterating trifle etc.!

It was definitely worth trying, in fact for me it is a superb find. Although at first you may think it is an ordinary brandy it is not the all too common “fire water”. It is light, in both colour and intensity – unlike much easily available Cognac and even Janneau Armagnac. However don’t just gulp it down; it has to be savoured.

Now I’m not generally one for getting all the subtleties of aroma and bouquet from wine and spirits. I like wine; I enjoy the way wines differ and have overall different bouquet and flavour – but I don’t generally get the hints of plum, pear, walnut, or fresh tarmac, so beloved of wine writers. My palate is not that sophisticated; it is more “big picture” than fine detail.

But cup your glass of Tariquet in your hands to warm it slightly – as you should with all brandy (this is why brandy glasses are the shape they are!). The warmth releases all the more subtle aromas. And coming from the Tariquet is a divine waft of incense; proper church incense.

You know when you walk into an old church – Roman, Orthodox or High Anglican – there is this pervading aroma of incense? A background misty aromaticity of incense used over the years which emanates from the very fabric of the building? That is what I get from Tariquet. For me it is simply divine.

Armagnac XO Domaine Tariquet is available from Waitrose and many good wine merchants.

Yesterday was baking day again. It seems to come round every couple of weeks, and sometimes more often depending on mood and necessity. Sometimes it is entirely functional, but other times one indulge in the odd experiment. Yesterday was an experimental day – although I have little doubt I was reinventing some species of wheel.

The first experiment was Flat Cheese Tart. It isn’t properly a tart, or a flan, or a pizza. I’m not giving exact quantities of ingredients as they will depend on the size you’re making but also your whim of the day; use more or less as you choose and vary the chose of additions to suit your tastes. Anyway, for me it went like this …

Flat Cheese Tart

This is what you’ll need …

• A baking sheet – I used one about 30cm square with a small lip.
• Baking parchment (optional)
• Pastry – I used a 500gm pack of shop bought puff pastry
• Grated Cheddar cheese
• Large handful (or two) of fresh herbs torn into large pieces – I used basil and parsley
• Onion, roughly sliced – I used two large Echalion Shallots
• Garlic, as many cloves as you like, again chopped
• 2 or 3 tomatoes, sliced – I used 2 large plum tomatoes
• Good handful of walnuts
• Large knob of butter
• A beaten egg (optional)
• Black pepper

This is what you do …

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/ Gas 7.
2. Line the baking sheet with the baking parchment, or if you prefer grease the baking sheet well.
3. Sauté the onion and garlic in the butter until soft and just beginning to brown.
4. Meanwhile break the walnuts into rough pieces – put them in a plastic bag and smack a couple of times with a rolling pin; aim for something the size of a juniper berry or baked bean.
5. Rollout the pastry to the size of your baking sheet, and having put it on said baking sheet ensure there is a small edge raised against the lip.
6. I then brushed the pastry, including the edges, with beaten egg – partly as gaze (for the edges) and partly because I happened to have a bit of spare beaten egg.
7. Sprinkle the herbs evenly over the pastry, followed by the cheese.
8. Then top with the tomato slices, the onion, the walnuts and a good grind of black pepper.
9. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the pastry is risen and everything is beginning to brown.
10. Serve hot, warm or cold, with a glass or two of wine.

And now for today’s second preserving recipe. I was given a large bag of (mostly) windfall Bramley apples. They weren’t going to keep, and one can eat only so much apple crumble, so I decided to make some apple chutney. And as we have Scotch Bonnet chillies ripening on the plants in the study, I thought to make it a hot one.

Again this is infinitely adaptable and very easy. Depending on availability you could replace some or all of the apples with green or red tomatoes, pears, marrow, courgette, runner beans, plums, rhubarb, even carrots or aubergine.

Hot Apple Chutney

Makes about 8 1lb jars.

Ingredients

• 2.5kg apples (prepared weight)
• 600ml pickling vinegar
• 1tbsp salt
• 3cm piece fresh ginger (or 2tbsp ground ginger)
• 500g onions (I tend to double this)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 450g sugar
• 150g tomato paste (optional)
• 1 Scotch Bonnet chilli (or less hot ones if you prefer)
• 3tbsp pickling spice (to add more kick to the vinegar)
• 200g sultanas (optional)

Method

1. Peel, core and chop the apples, removing any damaged parts.
2. Chop the onion, chillies and garlic, and grate the ginger (if using fresh).
3. Throw everything into a large pan and simmer carefully stirring very regularly (so it doesn’t stick to the pan) until reduced and thick. (This may take a couple of hours!)
4. Sterilise clean jars in the oven at 140°C for at least 20 minutes. Ensure the lids are clean, dry and warm. (See https://zenmischief.com/2020/09/recipe-sweet-spicy-crab-apple-cheese/ for my notes on sterilising jars etc.)
5. Decant the chutney into the hot jars and seal while hot.
6. This should mature and keep a few months, but I’d put it in the fridge once opened.

Spurred on by the season of fruitfulness, I’ve been indulging in some preserving over the last week or so. I thought I’d share a couple of recipes in this post and the next. Like all my recipes they are almost infinitely adaptable.

First off here’s a recipe for Crab Apple Cheese. We have an ornamental “ballerina” (ie. columnar) crab apple tree in the garden, which produces large (for a crab) red fruit which I’ve always assumed were of no use. It is over 30 years old and now getting quite tall, but before we decided to take it out in favour of something more useful, I figured we ought to see if the fruit were of any use. And they are! So this recipe has probably saved the tree from the axeman.

Now I can’t be bothered to faff around allowing cooked fruit to strain through a muslin bag overnight to make jelly, so I did the easy version and made a “cheese” – which is much the same as jelly except you get a cloudy product, and that’s fine by me.

Sweet & Spicy Crab Apple Cheese

Based on an original recipe by the late Mary Norwak.
Makes 5-6 1lb jars.

Ingredients

• 1.5kg crab apples (prepared weight)
• 300ml sweet cider
• 300ml water
• 1 lemon, cut into eighths [a]
• white or light soft brown sugar
• 1tsp ground cloves
• 1tsp ground nutmeg
• 1tsp ground cinnamon

Method

1. Cut the washed apples into pieces (halves/quarters is fine) removing any damaged parts but without peeling or coring.
2. Put the apple into a pan with the water, cider and lemon.
3. Simmer until the fruit is very soft.
4. Press the cooked fruit through a sieve. You’re aiming to be left with only the dry fruit fibres, skins, pips and lemon peel [b].
5. Weigh the resulting puree and return it to the pan.
6. Add the same weight of sugar as there is puree (ie. for every 100gm puree add 100gm sugar).
7. Stir in the sugar over a low heat until all the sugar dissolves.
8. Add the spices and bring to the boil.
9. Reduce the heat; simmer and stir continuously until the mixture is thick [c].
10. Test the set as for jam [d].
11. Once you reach the set point, pour into sterilised jars [e] (a jam funnel helps here) and put on the lids immediately.
12. This should store in a cool dark place as long as home-made jam.

Notes

1. The lemon should ensure there is enough pectin in the mix to get a good set, but not too much that the flavour will come through.
2. This is arm-aching work as you need the residue as dry as possible. If you have more than one sieve try to engage a helper.
3. This is tedious as it may take quite a time, but you do not want the mix sticking to the bottom of the pan. And be careful as the thickening mix can spit, it is very hot and can stick to the skin.
4. If you have a sugar thermometer the jam should set well when the mix reaches 105°C. Otherwise use the saucer test. Put a saucer in the fridge at the beginning of your cooking time. Once you think the jam has reached setting point or has thickened, put a teaspoonful on the cold saucer and leave for a minute or so. Now push the test jam with your finger; if it wrinkles well it should set OK. Alternatively hold the saucer vertically; if it is set the jam will not run off the saucer (but the whole blob may glide downwards as a whole). For more see, for example, https://www.kilnerjar.co.uk/setting-points.
5. Sterilising jars. Wash, rinse and dry the jars and lids. 30 minutes before required put the jars in the oven at 140°C. If possible warm the lids. When needed put the jars onto a wooden board (the heat may damage your nice worktop). When filled put the lids on the jars as quickly as possible – you’ll need an ovenproof mitt/glove to hold the jars – and then go round again to ensure the lids are tight. As the jam cools a slight vacuum will be created in the jar which will help preserve the contents.
6. This is excellent for a sweet course or served with pork, ham, duck or cheese. Oh and if you make it too runny, then use as an ice cream topping. Indeed it is sufficiently sweet you could even use it as jam!

My cheese set solid. We had a small amount left after filling the jars and put it in a ramekin. Once cold you could turn the ramekin upside down and the cheese didn’t fall out! We road-tested it at lunch today with a good cheddar cheese, and it was universally acclaimed as “excellent”.

A few days ago, over dinner, we were discussing food (as you do) and Noreen happened to comment that I am a good cook. The word “imaginative” was also used. Well, I’m not so sure.

I’m certainly an competent and adequate cook. I can provide a good range of simple main courses (roasts to steak to curry) without having to think about it; as witness the recipes etc. posted here over the years. Similarly I can do some basic starters (including home-made terrine), and simple tarts and pies; plus some outliers such as parmesan biscuits, cantuccini and chutney. I can do variations on all this without the need for a recipe – except for the occasional inspiration and if I (unusually) decide to do anything like cake which needs precision.

However I have no formal training; just what I’ve picked up from my mother, odd friends, Noreen and the occasional cookery book. There are many things which I’m sure I don’t do “the right way”; and there are many things I don’t/won’t do. I don’t do fancy, pretty, cake and patisserie, nor anything “tricky” like soufflé. Yes, I probably could do all these, but they’re things we’re happy to keep for eating out occasions – why go out to eat what you can do easily and as well at home? My method is basically quick, easy and wholesome; and preferably low sugar and salt. In many ways what the French would term “cuisine grand-mère”.

Even as an undergraduate I was an adequate cook. In student residences each of our kitchens had a Baby Belling, so of course I heard lots of myths about what you couldn’t do with one: you can’t do jacket potatoes, or pastry or bread in a Baby Belling. I was confident enough to disprove every one of those myths. Obviously I’ve improved over the ensuing 60-ish years.

However, I am definitely not competent to even consider going on “Masterchef” or “Bake Off”. Nor would I want to. I dislike cooking under pressure; I couldn’t turn out intricate, fancy food at the drop of a hat; I likely don’t do things the approved way; and I hate the pretentiousness of it all.

Even leaving the pressure aside, I wouldn’t want to have to cook for large numbers, nor in a restaurant. I couldn’t turn out the same dish, 27 times every evening, and ensure they’re all exactly the same. That’s not the way I work; variety is built in to my method.

I proved most of this to myself on Sunday evening when we had Salmon en Croûte with sugar-snap peas and tartare sauce; followed by Apricot Frangipane, Peach and Blackberry Tart with cream. OK, so having found a brand we like the Tartare Sauce came from a jar, the puff-pastry was (good, Jus-Rol) commercially produced, likewise the cream.

Starting a 6.30 the salmon and the tarts were in the oven before 7 and we were eating by 7.30. And that included sitting twiddling my thumbs for 15 minutes while Noreen fed the cats. This is what I did …

Salmon en Croûte
I knew we had a (500g) block of puff pastry in the fridge which needed to be used. Some weeks back the supermarket were selling packs of 2 salmon tail fillets at “3 for £10”, so we bought 6 packs, used 2 and put the other 4 in the freezer. One pack was defrosting now. I knew that wrapping the salmon would need no more than half the pastry. And so it was: half the pastry rolled out, wrapped round the two salmon fillets, which were stacked head to tail, and sealed. About 30 minutes in the oven (pre-heated to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7). Sugar-snap peas take 5 minutes in the steamer. No need for potatoes as there’s plenty of carbs in the pastry. And served with a bottle of Crémant de Bourgogne.

Tarts
So how to use the other half of the pastry? I knew we had about ¼ jar of (commercial) apricot compote in the fridge. Thinking this would be too runny just to make “jam tarts” I figured that I could mix it with a roughly equal amount of ground almonds to make a frangipane-like paste. The pastry made 3 (9-10cm) tart cases in a Yorkshire pudding tin. Two of these were filled with the apricot mix. I added half a peach, some freshly-picked blackberries, a sprinkle of flaked almonds, and a tiny sprinkle of sugar to each. (The third tart case was filled with plain blackberries.) Again 20-30 minutes in the oven – in fact they came out at the same time as the salmon, so were still nicely warm when eaten. Served with double cream and a tot of Amaretto. Here’s one, literally just out of the oven …

Noreen’s comment was “I’ve eaten much, much worse in good restaurants”. And for once I was forced to agree: it was simple, quick, and used what was available; and it worked magnificently well. It wasn’t prettily presented, but it was good.

Yes, it could have been improved. I used too much pastry on the salmon. The salmon would have benefited from another veg or two to add some variety. The “frangipane” could have done with a little lift: Noreen suggested a shot of apricot or cherry brandy, I was thinking maybe some almond essence. I shall undoubtedly do both again.

So OK, I concede: maybe I am a good, everyday, cook; with the imagination to do variations. As Noreen often comments: compared with my mariner great-great-grandfather (c.1820-1905) we are living like the gentry. It’s one good thing lockdown has done: we’re actually eating better than we were before (and not putting on weight!). It’s something we can take pleasure in to get us through all the current mess.

This is number 3 in the “rusticated tart” recipe series; see Rusticated Fruit Tart and Rusticated Veggie Tart.

It is worth using your pastry offcuts, especially if you’re doing a big bake and have a number of offcuts.

Although re-rolling the pastry doesn’t do it many favours, it doesn’t matter too much for these free-form, informal, snacks. I’m assuming puff pastry, but shortcrust would work too; obviously you’d not want to re-roll filo pastry sheets.

I guarantee these will not hang around for long – hence no pictures!

Here are two options:

Mini Fruit Turnovers
They make a nice little amuse bouche with your morning coffee.

1. Re-roll the pasty and cut into rough 5cm squares.
2. In the middle of each square put a slice of fruit (or a strawberry, or 2-3 raspberries; you get the idea).
3. Egg-wash the pastry and fold the edges over.
4. More egg glaze and sprinkle with a couple of pinches of sugar.
5. Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden.

Simple Cheese Palmiers
These make a yummy snack at any time!

1. Re-roll the pastry to make a rough oblong about 10 wide.
2. Sprinkle liberally with grated cheese, and if you wish a good grind of black pepper or some chopped herbs.
3. Fold both long edges to the middle and then fold the two halves together.
4. Cut into 5-10mm slices and lay flat on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese is running and the pastry browning.

Enjoy!

So following on from yesterday’s recipe for Rusticated Fruit Tart, here’s how I did a veggie version. It’s quite like the fruit tart, but obviously not sweetened.

Serves: 4 as a main course or 6-8 as a starter
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

• 500g packet of puff pastry
• A good quantity of “summer” vegetables (see below)
• 2-3 handfuls of grated hard cheese (cheddar or a cheddar/parmesan mix)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 egg, beaten (or some milk)

For the veg I used 2 yellow peppers, 8-10 cherry tomatoes, a fennel, 3 large mushrooms, small red onion, 2 cloves of garlic. You could also use chopped fresh herbs (thyme would be good), aubergine, courgette, celery, leeks. Of course, if you want a non-veggie version you could always add some chopped bacon.

Go easy with the cheese but don’t be mean. While you want enough for good flavour, too much cheese will make the tart too greasy.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220℃/200℃ fan/gas mark 7.
2. Prepare a baking sheet and cover with baking parchment.
3. Prepare the veg much as you would for doing roast vegetables (just cut a bit smaller). Cut into pieces to roughly match the cherry tomatoes or 2cm pieces. Roughly chop the garlic (and any herbs). Put in a food bag with black pepper to taste and the olive oil. Shake up to get the veg coated in oil.
4. Roll out the pastry to form a rough circle the size of the baking sheet (or slightly bigger; it doesn’t have to be precise) and transfer to the baking sheet.
5. If the pastry has come out square-ish, snip off the corners to make something rounder, otherwise you end up with too many thick folds of pastry. Keep the pastry offcuts!
6. Paint the pastry liberally with the egg.
7. Sprinkle about 2/3 of the grated cheese in the centre of the pastry leaving a 3-4cm border around the edge.
8. Pile the veg on the cheese. If you think you have too much veg, you haven’t as it will cook down.
9. Fold the edges of the pastry up and over the veg to form a tart. Try to get some veg inside the fold so it isn’t just pastry!
10. Brush the edge of the tart with the egg. And if there’s any egg left over sprinkle it over the veg.
11. Top with the remaining cheese.
12. Bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is crisp & golden, the veg cooked and the cheese browning.
13. Serve either hot or cold with a good white wine.

Here’s one I made earlier, fresh from the oven.

Tomorrow, what to do with those pastry offcuts.

An easy to make free-form fruit tart. The advantage here is that you don’t need a flan/quiche tin nor does the fruit have to be arranged in pretty patterns (though you could if you wish).

You can use almost any fruit. Gooseberries work well, as should any other berries. Rhubarb is also good; cut it into 1-2cm pieces. Stone fruit work well too, as would apples or pears. Citrus probably not so good, although YMMV.

I use puff pastry (and I can’t be bothered to make it) but you could use shortcrust or even filo pastry.

Serves: 6-8 as a sweet course
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 500g packet of puff pastry
• 600-750g fruit (more is better as it cooks down)
• 2-3 tbsp ground almonds
• 6 tbsp caster sugar (or a bit more depending how sweet you want the fruit)
• 1 egg, beaten (or an equivalent amount of milk)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220℃/200℃ fan/gas mark 7.
2. Prepare a baking sheet and cover with baking parchment.
3. Mix the ground almonds with an equal amount of sugar and set aside.
4. Mix the beaten egg (or milk) with 2 tbsp sugar and set aside.
5. Prepare the fruit. Top and tail any berries. Remove stones. Cut fruit into pieces (they don’t have to be pretty).
6. Roll out the pastry to form a rough circle the size of the baking sheet (or slightly bigger; it doesn’t have to be precise) and transfer to the baking sheet.
7. If the pastry has come out square-ish, snip off the corners to make something rounder, otherwise you end up with too many thick folds of pastry. Keep the pastry offcuts!
8. Paint the pastry liberally with the egg/sugar mix.
9. Sprinkle the ground almond mix in the centre of the pastry leaving a 3-4cm border around the edge.
10. Pile the fruit on the almond mix – again it doesn’t have to look pretty – and sprinkle with another 1-2 tbsp sugar (to taste).
11. Fold the edges of the pastry up and over the fruit to form a tart.
12. Brush the edge of the tart with the egg mix and sprinkle over a little extra sugar.
13. Bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is crisp & golden and the fruit softened.
14. Serve either hot or cold with cream or ice-cream.

Here’s a (red) gooseberry tart I made earlier, still on the baking sheet and guarded by four mini rustic apple turnovers (more about that later!).

Tomorrow I’ll tell you how I made a yummy veggie version of this tart. And the day after that what to do with those pastry offcuts.