dundee tart

dundee tart
Originally uploaded by silamuta

yesterday was burns nite and all over the land people were eating haggis. we were not, for a change. but we did make and enjoy this dundee tart which comes from Scottish Kitchen by sue lawrence. its called dundee tart as dundee is famous for its marmalade which is made from very tart seville oranges. If any one would like the recipe email us and we will happily post it.

OK request received... here's the recipe:

Dundee tart (serves 8)

200 ml Seville orange juice (about 4 Seville oranges), or pink grapefruit juice
200g golden caster sugar
5 large free-range eggs, beaten
200 ml double cream

For the pastry:
150 g plain flour, sifted
25g golden caster sugar
75g ground almonds
115g chilled butter, diced
1 large free-range egg

1. To make the pastry place the flour, sugar, ground almonds and butter in a food processor and whiz briefly, then add the egg through the feeder tube while the machine is running. Bring the dough together with your hands, wrap in clingfilm and chill. Roll out to fit a buttered deep 24cm tart tin. Prick the base and chill well -- preferably overnight.


2. Preheat the oven to 200C. Fill the tart tn with foil and baking beans and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, continue to bake for 5 minutes and then remove and cool. Reduce the oven to 170C.


3. For the filling, strain the juice into a bowl and beat in the sugar until dissolved. Push the beaten eggs through a sieve placed over the bowl containing the orange juice, add the cream and combine. Pour the mixture into a jug.


4. To fill the tart, I f ind the easiest way is to place the tart case on a baking sheet in the oven and pull out the oven rack. Very slowly pour in the mixture and then carefully push the oven rack back in. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until the filling is just firm: if you shake the tin it should still wobble a little in the middle.


5. Allow the tart to cool, then remove it to a serving plate.

I love borough market

We've been meaning to check out Borough Market for a while now and finally took the opportunity to go yesterday. (Note to self: either go really early next time OR during the week.) We emerged from the underground station not really knowing which direction to walk and decided to follow the rest of the throngs. It was literally right around the corner. I actually had to turn away from it and collect myself -- i was starting to get that hyperventilating, twitchy, glazed eye feeling that i've experienced in the past in places like the Boqueriea in Barcelona.

With nerves of steel we took our first steps in, and immediately stopped at an Oyster stand selling 4 different varieties, shucked right there and served with a lemon with shallot and vinegar sauce at the ready. YUM!





Kelsie advised on a systematic approach: first we'd tackle the perimeter and then work our way in. It didn't quite work because at every turn there were more delights to greet me.




Finally we had circumnavigated the entire market and i was poised and ready to buy something for dinner. Scallops of course!

caol ila

caol ila
Originally uploaded by silamuta

playing with my light tent and natural light

me with canon

me
Originally uploaded by silamuta

in the bathroom. light ;-)

taxi

taxi2
Originally uploaded by silamuta

luuundan innit

lazy sunday in crouch end

one of the nice things about crouch end is that it has its own farmers market. it is usually held on a sunday on the grounds of alexandra palace (ally pally). we first visited it on a balmy day in london in october and decided it was time for a return visit. lots of stalls to choose from. plently of nice veggies and fresh fish stall. many stalls also sell their produce to you cooked in the form of burgers, sausages, salt beef sandwiches etc. we had our eye on some scallops for lunch and we managed to secure 6 for £5. on returning home we quickly served them up with some polish sausages and a fried egg. YUM!

Christmas Dinner 2008

Fishmonger's Fideua

One of the great perks of living in Crouch End is that we have a local fishmonger. I usually reserve Saturdays for doing a nice fish dish and back in December I decided to do Fiduea. What i found out about the fishmonger when doing this recipe is that it's always better to get there early in the day rather than late in the day. There's simply way more choice if you do. I had hoped for fresh prawns and clams and had to opt instead for frozen prawns and mussels instead of clams. The end result was still marvelous though.

Fideua is basically the same as paella, but instead of rice you use pasta. The pasta pieces come in all different widths and are usually about 3 CM long. An easy alternative is to get a packet of spaghetti and break it into small bits. I happened to have two packets of fideua noodles that i picked up on one of our trips to Spain, so used one of them in this recipe.

The recipe I used comes from Casa Moro by Sam and Sam Clark.

Fideua serves 6 as a starter, 4 as a main course

300g North Atlantic prawns, preferably in their shells
1 ltr fish stock
a small pinch of saffron
6 Tbs olive oil
300g monkfish fillets, trimmed and cut into 2-3cm pieces
1 large spanish onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 x 400g can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 dried noras peppers, seeds and stalks removed, broken into small pieces and covered with boiling water, or 1 tsp sweet paprika
250g fideos (grade 2 thickness) or spaghettini, snapped into 3-4cm lengths
250g clams, such as palourdes, washed well and any broken or open clams discarded
sea salt and black pepper

To Serve:
2 Tbs roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 quantity Alioli
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Peel the prawns and put in the fridge. Transfer the shells to a large saucepan over a high heat an add the fish stock. Bring to a gently simmer and cook for 15 minutes for the seafood flavour to infuse the stock. Remove from the heat, strain the stock and add the saffron. Set aside.


2. Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a 30-40cm paella pan or frying pan over a medium to high heat. When the oil is hot and just beginning to smoke add the pieces of monkfish and stir-fry for about 2 minutes until sealed on all sides but fractionally undercooked in the centre. Transfer the monkfish and any juices to a bowl and put to one side. Wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper and put back on the heat. Add the remaining olive oil and, when it is hot the onion, green pepper and noras peppers, and cook for 5 minutes, then lower the heat to medium and cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring every so often. Now add the chopped garlic and fennel seeds and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Now add the fideos to the pan and stir for 1 minute to coat with the oily base. (Up to this point everything can be cooked in advance. The next stage should be started about 20 minutes before you wish to eat.)


3. When you are ready to cook the fideos, heat up your stock. Put the paella or frying pan over a medium to high heat, add the hot stock and season perfectly with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, depending on the thickness of the fideos, or until al dente. Add the pieces of monkfish and clams, pushing them down into the pasta, and turn the heat to low. Cook for 5 more minutes, then add the prawns, turn off the heat and cover the pan tightly with foil. Let the fiduea sit for 2-3 minutes, check the seasoning and sprinkle the parsley over the top. Serve with alioli and wedges of lemon. Some people like to finish off fiduea in a hot oven or under a grill to get the pasta crispy and coloured on top.