Recipe - Spiced Butter Bean Soup

So it's almost the middle of May and we are still waiting on spring turning up. Let's not kid ourselves, the weather has been awful this year. In fact the weather has been so poor recently that when this soup recipe caught my eye when I was flicking through my Olive Magazine, I knew that I had to try making it for lunch this weekend.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1" piece of ginger, grated
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 375ml chicken stock
• 400g tin butter beans

Method

1. Heat a little olive oil then cook the onion, garlic and ginger for a few minutes until softened. Add the carrot and spices for a further two minutes.
2. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 5 minutes. At this point, add the butter beens and cook for 10 more minutes. Ladle half of the soup into a blender or food processor and blitz until smooth before pouring back into the pan and gently reheat before serving.

To serve, split between two bowls and swirl a little soured cream over the top before scattering with some fresh chopped coriander. Delicious!

 

Soup making isn't something that i'm usually that good at so I am please to say that this was a tasty, quick and easy recipe that i was able to prepare using ingredients that are always in the fridge and cupboard that I will definitely be making again, regardless of the weather. Next time I might leave the soup chunky, or maybe try using cannellini or berlotti beans instead of the butter beans.

This recipe has become my current favourite soup recipe but I would be interested in hearing what soup recipes get your taste buds buzzing?

 

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Craft Beer Review - Oxford Gold, Brakspear Beers

As my quest to try different beers continues, I am thankful that my local Morrisons supermarket has a massive selection of bottled beers from a wide selection of independent and craft breweries from across the UK.

This week I picked up a bottle of Oxford Gold from Brakspear Beers. The Brakspear name has been synonymous with brewing for over 200 years from the days when William Henry Breakspear bought a brewery on Bell Street in Henley on Thames. Following the closure of Brakspear Brewery in Henley in 2002, a £1million redevelopment of the Wychwood Brewery site was undertaken to move the brewing of Brakspear beers. This included moving and re-installing at Wychwood much of the original Brakspear brewing equipment, including the original Brakspear Copper, dating from 1779, and the famous Brakspear ‘Double Drop’ fermentation vessels, used to brew Brakspear Bitter & Brakspear Triple.

I was attracted to the packaging of the beer with its red, gold and blue labelling giving a very traditional look to the bottle. With the increasing number of bottled beers leaning towards gimmicky labels, it was nice to see something that looked like a good old fashioned beer.

The Oxford Gold is a dark amber colour and pours with a tight foamy head that settles quickly leaving a creamy ring around the top of the glass. The beer is described on the label as zesty and there is definitely citrusy notes competing with the malty aromas on the nose.

On first taste the Oxford Gold has a slightly sweet honey flavour, before being replaced with subtle hops. The flavours are simple and clean, and left my mouth with a dry finish. I found the beer very easy to drink, not too bitter, with medium carbonation. As a fan of blonde beers, the Oxford Gold was a welcome addition to my beer fridge and will be welcome back anytime.

Keep up to date with Brakspear Beers on Facebook.

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Recipe - Easy Chicken & Bacon Pie

As most of you will know from previous posts, during the week I like easy to cook dinners that can be served up in 30 minutes or less. I spotted this easy chicken pie recipe in a recent Olive Magazine and as i had all of the ingredients in the fridge, I decided to give it a go for last nights dinner.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 2 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 6 rashers streaky bacon
• 4 chicken breast, cut into large pieces
• 150ml chicken stock
• 100g crème fraîche
• 1 handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 pack croissant dough, I used Jus Rol

Method

1. Heat a little olive oil in an ovenproof dish before adding bacon, shallots and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until the shallots are softened and the bacon starts to crisp up a bit.
2. Add the chicken and cook for a few minutes until the chicken is browned on all sides.
3. Add the chicken stock and simmer for 2 minutes before removing from the heat and stirring in the crème fraîche and parsley.
4. Check the sauce for seasoning then set aside to cool. Unroll the croissant dough and cut into strips. Cover the surface of the pie with the strips then place into a preheated oven, 180C and bake for 15-20 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden.

Whilst the pie was baking, it gave me time to boil some new potatoes and sugar snap peas that would accompany the pie. The combination of chicken and bacon is one that always works and the croissant pastry topping is a great alternative to puff pastry.

I think that this pie could make a great alternative to the traditional Sunday roast, especially if you don't have the time needed to roast a joint of meat slowly in the oven. Who would have thought that you could have Sunday dinner prepared and served in less than half an hour?

You could also play about with the ingredients by adding your favourite herbs, or why not add a little wholegrain mustard or chopped mushroom or leek?

Give it a go and let me know how you get on and feel free to post your results on Gerry's Kitchen Facebook Page.

 

 

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Craft Beer Review - Crail Special, St. Andrews Brewing Co.

In recent month I have taken a step back from the mainstream brewers in favour of sampling some of the wonderful craft beers that are produced by a growing number of independent breweries across the country. After drinking many bottles, (not at the same time), I thought that it made sense to introduce beer reviews to the blog and help raise the awareness of these skilled brewmasters.

After a visit to my local farmers market at Clarkston and a chat with Stuart of online beer merchant AleselA, I was armed with the first beers that would be up for review. Stuart knows that my own preference is for fresh, zesty Blonde beers so recommended LightNESS from Loch Ness Brewery, Crail Special from St.Andrews Brewing Co, and Pale 90/- from Luckie Ales.
The first beer to make its way into Gerry's Kitchen is Crail Special from St. Andrews Brewing Co. The original Crail Ale was first brewed to celebrate the Crail Food Festival 2012, which is a bright golden ale with long lasting citrus and floral flavours. In less than a year over 5000 bottles have been sold and this ale had gone on to be crowned Champion Beers of Fife at the Kingdom of Fife Real Ale, Cider & Perry Festival last week.

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The Crail Special is a double hopped version of the popular Crail Ale. The bottle conditioned beer pours cloudy, (almost like a wheat beer) with a thin soapy head that dissipates quickly leaving a thin wispy foam. Strong grapefruit and bready yeast aromas fill your nose and the grapefruit flavours come through in the tasting balanced with a slight sweetness. The Crail Special is very crisp although not as zesty as I like, but does have a strong bitter finish, which comes from the use of the American Columbus hop. I apologise for the slight blurring of the above photo, but that may be down to the hefty 7% abv punch that comes with the Crail Special. In all seriousness though, it's smooth enough that you would never know that this special run beer is a higher strength offering.
This was the first beer from St. Andrews Brewing Co. that I have tasted and although I enjoyed the flavours, it's not one that I would rush back to buy again. That said, I am interested in tasting the original Crail Ale to see what all the fuss is about, as well as a few of the other brews from the East Coast Brewery.
I will continue to post up small review pieces on the bottles or draught craft beers that I will be drinking over the coming months. Of course, if anyone has any beers that they think I should be trying next, feel free to get in touch.

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Recipe - Baked Rhubarb & Ginger Cheesecake



Baked Rhubarb & Ginger Cheesecake



A couple of months ago I attended a cookery class at The Cook School Scotland in Kilmarnock. Whilst there I purchased one of their calendars from the gift shop, to hang in my kitchen. Each month the calender presents a recipe feature in season produce, as well as various offers and discounts to use at The Cook School.
This week, my gorgeous wife was getting something from the fridge when she had been distracted by a picture of a delicious looking cheesecake recipe from this months calendar page. Nicola is a huge cheesecake fan so asked if I would make an attempt at replicating the picture, and with rhubarb in season just now, I set about making my very first ever baked cheesecake.
Ingredients

• 75g butter, melted - plus extra for greasing
• 175g gingernut biscuits
• 175g poached rhubarb - plus extra for decorating
• 450g cream cheese
• 150g caster sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c, and butter the sides and base of a 24cm cake tin.
2. Place the biscuits into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Alternatively, place them into a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter and press down into the base of the cake tin.
3. Spread the poached rhubarb over the base before chilling in the fridge until needed.
4. Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and the eggs together in a large bowl until smooth and creamy. Pour over the top of the rhubarb before placing in the preheated oven.
5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until pale golden in colour and only wobbles slightly when you shake the tin.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for about 10-15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen it, and carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin. Transfer to a serving plate then dust with icing sugar.

To serve, cut into generous slices and top with a few chunks of warm poached rhubarb.


Poached Rhubarb Baked Cheesecake













The cheesecake weighed more than 1.5kg so I was surprised that the cheesecake tasted lighter than I had expected. With a rich creamy, almost custard flavoured topping contrasting with the slightly sharp rhubarb layered gingernut base, each forkful was packed with classic flavour combinations. Think rhubarb and custard, or rhubarb and ginger, either way - truly delicious.
Although this cheesecake takes a little longer to prepare than my usual cheesecake offerings, I will definitely be preparing baked cheesecakes in the coming weeks and months, now I just need to think about what flavour to bring to the table when the rhubarb season is over.

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Review - Bar Soba, Mitchell Lane, Glasgow

Myself and Nicola travelled into Glasgow on Saturday to check out a new craft fair venue that was opening in the city centre. As we had no other plans for the afternoon, we decided to have a few drinks before getting a bite to eat. The craft venue was just around the corner from Browns Bar & Brasserie at George Square so we popped in for our first refreshment of the day and through the wonders of social media, we were able to catch up with a couple of friends who were also in the city centre.

Nicola wanted to have a quick look around the shops, especially the new Paperchase flagship store in the recently developed Buchanan Quarter in the city centre. I've never been sure why girls have such a big attraction to paper and pens, but it was weird to see a grown woman acting like a kid in a sweetie stationary shop.

We had once again use restaurant deal site, www.5pm.co.uk, to book our dinner for later in the day - this time we booked the pre-theatre option at Bar Soba, a restaurant that we used to visit regularly. After a little shopping we still had an hour to kill before our dinner booking so took the opportunity to check out a brand new bar and club located in the heart of Glasgow’s City Centre, Swing - which serves up a blend of live jazz, dancers, performance acts and contemporary DJ music. We enjoyed a couple of well priced drinks, soaking up the atmosphere and elegance of the roaring 20’s, whilst listening to Swing's in-house chanteuse Hannah Jackson lay down a few songs with her own unique twist.

We could have happily spent the rest of the evening in Swing but as time marched on we made our way to Mitchell Lane for dinner.

When we walked into Bar Soba, the bar area was already buzzing and it was only six o'clock! We made our way downstairs to the restaurant to find a large group of girls on a Hen Night occupying a large section of the area, fortunately for us, they were still in the early stages of their night so weren't too loud or outrageous yet. We let staff know that we had a booking through 5pm.co.uk and for the second time in a row, the booking hadn't been fed through to the restaurant yet. Thankfully, this wasn't a problem for our waitress and were were quickly seated in the corner of the restaurant. (Far enough away from the Hens)

Bar Soba has an imaginative Asian fusion menu which is served up in a cosy, minimalist setting. The 5pm deal is priced at £13.95 for two courses and a glass of wine from a good sized Pre-Theatre menu.
We always struggle to choose starters and tonight was no different. In the end we chose two dishes that we could share between us, Chicken Sate Ayam and Coconut & Szechwan Pepper Crusted Prawns Skewers. Both dishes were well presented, served on a banana leaf with an Indonesian cucumber salad. The Javan spiced chicken skewers were nicely blackened from the grill and smothered in a wonderful spicy satay sauce. Nicola used the words 'Oh My God' to describe the flavours, and was also disappointed that she had to share the rest with me.
The Coconut & Szechwan Pepper Prawn skewer contained four large tiger prawns encrusted in a spicy, crispy coating served with a garlic & chili aioli. Athough the prawns were very nice, there was definitely room for another skewer on the plate.

With two delicious starters demolished we were looking forward to our mains. Nicola had order Singapore Noodles whilst I was interested in trying one of the vegetarian dishes from the menu. The dish that caught my eye was Malaysian Potato, Paneer & Aubergine Masala Curry in a rich cinnamon & last tomato gravy. This sounded delicious so I was gutted to be told that this wasn't available and had been replaced with a Red Thai Vegetable Curry. With vegetables on my mind, the red Thai curry sounded good to me.
Nicola's Singapore Noodles was a huge bowl filled with sticky pork, chicken and cured beef with spicy curried noodles, black bean and shredded vegetables. The combination of flavours worked well and the addition of black bean gave the dish an earthiness that Nicola really enjoyed.
As Nicola struggled with her chopsticks, I dived into my red Thai vegetable curry. The sauce was full of flavours that I love, with lemongrass & kaffir lime leaves helping balance the thick coconut milk sauce. I'm not sure what combination of vegetables I was expecting to be bobbing around in my sauce, however I was dismayed to find nothing more than two thin slices of mushroom, a few small chunks of aubergine, a solitary cherry tomato, and lots of potato. As I looked jealously across at Nicola, who had ditched the chopsticks by this point, I regretted not rethinking my main course strategy. Don't get me wrong, my dish tasted great but had I known that it was 90% potato then I would not have ordered it.
After two courses I was stuffed but Nicola seemed to have hollow legs tonight and decided that she was having a dessert to finish off her meal. After much deliberation, she decided to order the Banoffee Cheesecake yet I was actually so full that I declined the waitresses offer of '2 spoons'.

When the cheesecake arrived, I was allowed to sample it and immediately regretted not ordering my own! My sister-in-law makes a brilliant Banoffee Cheesecake but Bar Soba's offering definitely runs a close second. Buttery ginger biscuit base topped with a light cream cheese filling, layered with slices of fresh banana before being smothered in sweet sticky toffee sauce. Simple yet delicious!
By the time we finished our meal, the restaurant was filling up nicely and the 'Hens' were beginning to come out of their shells, so instead of making a start on the extensive cocktail list we settled the bill an made our way home.
Overall, we had a great meal. The highlight was, without doubt, the Chicken Sate Ayam starter - one of the best combinations of flavour that we've had in a long time. My only disappointment was missing out on the Malaysian Potato, Paneer & Aubergine Masala Curry, but that just means that we need to get back in the near future.
Bar Soba had always been a place that Nicola and myself have enjoyed visiting and based on our experience from Saturday night, Bar Soba still sits nicely in our favourites list.
Keep up to date with Bar Soba on FaceBook & Twitter.

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5 Questions - Mr C's Hand-Crafted Award-Winning Pies

Over the last year or so that I have been writing Gerry's Kitchen, I have been lucky enough to meet some fantastic local producers and sample the excellent food that they grow, breed or create. Most of the producers have quickly incorporated social media into their marketing and promotion, which in turn has helped me learn about other companies who are operating locally but just haven't crossed paths with me yet. One of the names that I kept seeing being mentioned on Twitter was Acanthus Pies, now rebranded to Mr C's, a Fife based pie maker who make their own twist on the Melton Mowbray style pork pie. As well as making their own branded pies, they also produce pies for a number of meat producers across the country including my own local favourite - Lochbyre Rare Breed Meats.

By all accounts, pieman Robert Corrigan is the 'Mr Kipling' of his genre, so this was a collaboration that I was keen to sample so after a few tweets to both Lochbyre and Mr C's, my pie was on order and ready for collection at the next farmers market.

Here's Robert's story;

How did you get started?

In 2006 I was privileged to be one of 30 “chefs” representing the UK at Terra Madre in Turin with Slow Food. While there, I listened to farmers complaining about chefs, hotels and restaurants using mainly prime cuts of meat and not using lesser cuts of great meat – In other words NOT using the whole animal.
On my return I was looking for a new project in catering and decided to look at high quality hand-made pies , similar to those made under the Melton Mowbray name. I sought out who I considered to be the best makers and arranged to spend time with some of them to learn their techniques. I then returned to Glasgow and experimented with different flour combinations and water quantities – and market tested them on few hundred people , who gave me helpful feedback on the various pastries and fillings.
Once I chose the pastry recipe I wanted to be my casing for my pies I talked to producers at my local farmers’ market. I also contacted Andrew Ramsay of Ramsay’s of Carluke whom I had known for some 10 years and ordered small quantities of pork as well as trotters to make fresh quality jelly
In a very small very labour intensive way using only a wooden dolly and a domestic oven I set to work to get product recognition. This was now 2010.
In 2011 I entered the British Pie Awards and to my great surprise won GOLD for a savoury Cold Cutting Pie. (The only GOLD awarded in the class) our PORK PANCETTA and LEEK.
In 2012 I was in Egypt during the British Pie award and got a customer to bake my entries. Sitting in Cairo I saw on the internet my pies caught on camera and at least ¼ of each pie looked burnt!!!! To my astonishment I received a Bronze award for my Celebration Pork Pie and a Bronze for my Chicken and Ham pie.
My pies also made an appearance on the BBC’s Garrow’s Law drama. In the last series they actually got a good showing (albeit, the pie was to have been deliberately burnt and very hard to cut!!!)

At the moment we make 6 different fillings as a norm in 500g size:
• Traditional Pork
• Savoury Pork (Pork, Sage and onion, Pistachio Nuts and cranberries)
• Pork Pancetta and Leek – GOLD award 2011
• Chicken and Ham – Bronze 2012
• Venison
• Piggy Black – Ramsay’s of Carluke Black Pudding and our Pork Pancetta and Leek mix)
We also make for Peelham Farm a Traditional Pork Pie. Using their organic pork, in addition we make a Ruby Veal and Ham Pie with whole grain Mustard and a wonderful Mutton Ham with Capers pie.
In addition to the above, over the past four Christmases, we have made for Crombies of Broughton Street, Edinburgh, a selection of Large decorated 3lb Pies:
• Traditional Pork,
• Chicken and Ham
• Ploughman’s – Pork top and bottom with Farmhouse pickle and white cheddar cheese in the middle
• Crombies’ own award winning (2011 Scotch Pie Awards DIAMOND -  Crombie's sausage meat and our own pastry & jelly)
• Our own award winning Game Pie – This was new for 2012 Christmas
We also make pies using fancy French-style pie moulds: 1.75 Kilo and 1.85 Kilo Pies in all the six fillings for individual clients for shoots and family gatherings.
STOCKISTS:
• Donald Russell of Inverurie
• Crombie’s of Edinburgh
• Hopetoun Farm Shop
• Cornerstone Deli in Blairgowrie
• The Wee Pie Company in Glencarse
• Peelham Farm (selling to their customers and at farmers Markets)

In October last year we took 244 pies to Turin to Terra Madre where it all began six years before. I had a great three days selling pies mostly in 1/3ds, and over 850 people tasted our pies. It was wonderful to get such good direct feedback from so many international customers
We also made a special pie in September 2012 for the launch of Scotland’s Food and Drink Fortnight in Edinburgh – This was a Scottish Breakfast pie – Pork and smoked streaky bacon, with mushrooms and organic egg at its centre and we added tomato juice to our jelly to make a Breakfast in a Pie.
So far, my fillings have come from tradition and a derivation of my Christmas stuffing recipe of some 20 years ago.
Things haven't stopped for us and just after Christmas after Christmas, we went on to win Diamond 2013 at the Scottish Pie Club Awards, as well as lifting the Maclean Cup for 'Best Scottish Savoury' pie.
I’m considering more ideas for new pies in 2013 including a new chicken curry pie, as well as looking to work with a few producers to make pies using recipes customised just for them. We are also preparing to make one from a sausage mix used by Crombies.

What's the best piece of business advise you can give?

Always under promise whilst making sure to over deliver!

Where would you like to see your business in 5 years?

To be an established business recognised for high quality with high standards, aiming to push annual turnover over the £500,000 mark.

If you could have only one of your products, What would it be and why?

Our Savoury Pork Pie - (Pork, Apple, Pistachio Nuts, Dried Cranberries, Sage and onion) it was our first biggest seller when I started. It is also a derivation of my Christmas stuffing for more than 27 years ago.

 
You can invite one person (living or dead) to your last meal - Who would it be and why? ... and what's on the menu?

My late Mother as she was a true inspiration and never tasted such wonderful pies. The menu would consist of simple classics accompanied with Vintage Bollinger throughout, starting with Inverawe Smoked Salmon & Brown Bread before moving onto a fish course of Grilled Halibut on a bed of spinach. We would follow this with a main course of Roast Aylesbury duck with Orange sauce, Creamed potatoes & seasonal vegetables. Providing that we still had room, a dessert of warm Apple Meringue Pie with fresh custard would be waiting on us. To finish off my last meal, we would relax with a pot of Assam tea and homemade shortbread. Absolute bliss!

I've always enjoyed the concept of the pork pie but often find that the pastry on the shop bought pies can be very dry and tasteless, this was not the case with the speciality pie that we had sampled. The pastry on Mr C's pie was light and crisp yet slightly moist too. The filling of well seasoned Lochbyre pork with pistachios and cranberries was deliciously well seasoned and encased in lovely porky jelly. Initially I thought that pork pie could be served with the traditional Ploughman's Lunch although apparently the Ploughman's should consist of just cheese, bread and beer. Although upon further investigation, it would appear that the Ploughman's Lunch is actually the result of a cheese marketing campaign from the 1960's. Regardless, our Mr C's speciality pie produced for Lochbyre Rare Breed Meats worked well with boiled quails eggs and my very own Blogger's Lunch.

Myself and Nicola both enjoyed Mr C's pork pie and look forward to trying more of the other flavours, with the Piggy Black top of my list.

You can keep up with Mr C's on Twitter. The website is currently a work in progress and I will update as soon as it is available.

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