One of France’s fines herbs, tarragon is traditionally used with fish, chicken or eggs. Fragrant, bittersweet and with a mild anise flavour it shines in this vegetable risotto. I like to make my risotto in a pressure cooker. To cook the rice, first toast it lightly in a good olive oil before adding double the…… Continue reading leek, butternut and pea risotto with tarragon
Tag: recipe
roast duck
Roasting a duck is not really as daunting as it seems. This Chinese-style roast duck is best cooked on a charcoal barbecue. Clean the duck, remove the wing tips and any lumps of fat from inside the cavity and pat it dry with paper towels. Rub salt over the entire duck (about 2 teaspoons) and…… Continue reading roast duck
flourless brownie
This is rich, delicious and my favourite brownie. Easy to make too. Melt together 200g (7 oz) of 70% dark chocolate, 650g (23 oz) of butter and 50g of cocoa powder until smooth and glossy. In another bowl whip 2 large or 3 small eggs with 150g (5½ oz) of caster sugar. Add this to…… Continue reading flourless brownie
stuffed poblanos
Poblanos are mild chillies which originated in Puebla, Mexico. When dried they are known as ancho chillies and the fresh chillies are popular stuffed and roasted. Here’s my version. Roast or barbecue 4-6 whole poblano chillies and 1 red pepper until they are softening and slightly charred. Meanwhile in a little oil fry 1 finely…… Continue reading stuffed poblanos
tomahawk steak
Fifi turned up with this enormous steak for a barbecue dinner. We rose to the challenge and produced a melt-in-the mouth medium/rare steak with just enough char and smoke. The steak was marinated in soya sauce, mirin and garlic for about an hour, or the time it took to get the fire going and the…… Continue reading tomahawk steak
pistachio and lemon bundt cake
This lovely moist cake is full of of flavour and good-looking to boot! Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF) and generously grease a bundt pan. In a bowl combine 3 cups of flour with ½ a teaspoon of kosher salt. In a food processor pulse 2 cups of shelled and roasted pistachios until they are…… Continue reading pistachio and lemon bundt cake
warm vegetable and quinoa salad
Here’s a quick, delicious and satisfying meal. Rinse some quinoa allowing approximately ½ a cup per person. In a medium saucepan bring some water to boil. Add the quinoa and cook until it still has some texture but is no longer crunchy. Meanwhile prepare the vegetables of your choice – I cooked leeks, pumpkin, parsnip,…… Continue reading warm vegetable and quinoa salad
red-cooked whole chicken + mushroom and kangkong stir-fry
This is a popular cooking method in China where it is used for all kinds of meats and hard-boiled eggs. Served either hot or cold, the remaining stock is reused as a master stock. Ingredients vary from cook to cook but usually include soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rock sugar and whole spices such as star…… Continue reading red-cooked whole chicken + mushroom and kangkong stir-fry
dutch cookie ice cream
Speculaas (or speculoos) are a spiced and browned shortcrust biscuit. The spices used were popular in Europe in the days of the Dutch East Indies spice trade – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper. These days you can buy a spreadable paste of these cookies called Biscoff or Cookie Butter. I bought a…… Continue reading dutch cookie ice cream
home-made pasta with home-made pesto
Pasta isn’t really too difficult to make, but somehow I hardly ever get around to it. Having just made a pesto, though, it seemed fitting to have a home-made pasta with it. The result was definitely worth it! For the pesto wash a bunch of basil and make sure it’s as dry as possible. This…… Continue reading home-made pasta with home-made pesto
michelle picker cooks 