If you haven’t heard.., it’s warm and set to be another scorcher next week too, (yes, she’s on about the weather again!!), I know that these temperatures have been pretty extreme but I love it. I am happier when the sun is shining, the days are bright and I don’t need to walk around cocooned in a duvet.
That being said, I’m sure we can all agree that it’s been pretty sapping… this week I have swung from not showering for over 24 hours… (gross I know but the effort felt too much and - more excuses - our shower is permanently set to either warm or hot so the only way to have a cool shower is to jump in immediately you turn the shower on and appreciate all of about 15 seconds of coolness until it warms up, not ideal) to showering about 5 times - 15 seconds each - in one afternoon (this makes up for the shower absence right?)
One thing I notice when it’s warm like this is that I adopt an ‘I’m on holiday’ mentality. I do much less, wear much less, spend more hours outside than in, eat allll the fruit - melon is a necessity - and drink (not alcohol just to be clear) considerably more.
Needless to say, any life-admin/socialising/cooking/baking/exercise is compromised (I get the need for a siesta and a slower pace to life)… anddd I’m a whole lot less productive, but… I figure these moments are rare, I haven’t had a holiday in 4 years and life is too short not to just LIVE some days - without an agenda.
Besides the influence of the weather, this week has been somewhat spontaneous (very unlike me, I like order and planning). When it comes to food, I’ve made what I fancy when I fancy it… everything has been low effort, optimum Summer comfort (pizza, pasta, ice cream, salads and all the fruit) and loaded with seasonal fresh ingredients - on that note- I keep meaning to tell you about the legend that is Emma Cantlay, (aka mainly breakfast), she’s an incredible little artist, food stylist & recipe developer with a passion for seasonal produce. She creates posters and calendars to buy which showcase each months seasonal fruit and veg- I’m obsessed with everything she does and her general artistic flair - defo check her out!
Socialising, writing (this) and exercise have also been spontaneous; I went out two nights on the bounce- (one was to see my bestie, another to catch up with some of my Bake off family), I exercised when I felt like it, an early morning easy run was the pinnacle, and writing happened when I wasn’t too hot and could bear to sit still. As I said, I don’t love ‘disorder’, but remarkably, I have found this week pretty wholesome, and actually I’m quite proud of my ability to freestyle a bit. Therefore quote of the week:
“The best times in life are often unplanned, random and spontaneous”
On that note, here are the highlights from my week of adventure…
Frying pan pizza
Does anyone not LOVE pizza… in some form or other? It goes without saying that the best are those made in Italy, specifically Naples - although I would argue that I had some pretty mind blowing pizzas in Rome. As you probably know, they’re made in searingly hot wood fired ovens, they cook in a matter of minutes and are something else. It’s not just the effect of the ovens though, the dough has an unrivalled flavour and is more often than not slow proofed over several hours if not days; it’s manipulated into the classic disc shape to achieve a thin base and small ‘lip’ of crust; the tomatoes are local, fresh and ACTUAL San Marzano (apparently a lot of so called San Marzano tomatoes are not authentic) and the Fior di latte (mozzarella) is also superior in Italy where it originates.
All that being said, some wizard artisan bakers/chefs in the UK are now creating similarly fabulous Neapolitan style wood-fired pizzas using the same techniques and wonderful fresh ingredients. Even from your own home, it is possible with these snazzy Ooni/Gozney wood fired pizza ovens, but we don’t all have one (myself included - boooo)… and they’re expensive! So the next best option is the frying pan pizza - with this technique, you can mimic the intense heat of domed pizza ovens with equipment you are likely to have in your kitchen which makes it an absolute winner. It’s also minimal effort in terms of preparation (although it does take a bit of planning) and cooks in minutes.
Last weekend I was really craving pizza - I got home from work on Saturday night and prepared some dough - dedication I KNOW- and thanked myself on Sunday when I was enjoying said pizza for lunch and watching the Austrian Grand Prix (whilst sunbathing in the garden - name a dreamier affair?).
If you’re a pizza fan and haven’t tried this technique before, please give it a go, the dough is easy to knead, the ingredients are easy to come by and the results are worth it! I would say that shaping the pizza dough can take some practice - practice I need still! - but with a little practice comes (a degree of) perfection, so don’t be disheartened if your pizza has… some ‘character’ to begin with!
If you don’t make your own (or even if you do)… then hunt down some restaurant selling Neapolitan style pizzas local to you, buy one, eat it and thank me later!
Ingredients
Makes 2 medium sized pizzas
250g 00 strong white flour - I used this one, strong white bread flour will also work
10g Caster sugar (Malt extract is a good alternative for a nice brown crust - top tip from my mate David)
5g salt
1 tsp instant dried yeast
160ml lukewarm water
Method
Combine the flour and caster sugar in a medium sized bowl. Add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Next add the water and mix to combine. Leave to autolyse for 20 minutes. Once autolysed, hand knead for 10 minutes - then rest for 10 minutes and check for gluten development. Leave to prove in a covered, lightly greased bowl, for around 90 minutes/2 hours at room temperature or until doubled in size.
Once proofed, line a large Tupperware box (with enough height and width for the dough to rise/expand again), with baking parchment and lightly dust with flour. Knock back the risen dough, then divide into two even chunks. Shape each chunk into a tight round ball. Place the dough balls well apart on the parchment and secure the lid of the Tupperware. Place in the fridge and leave to prove for a minimum of 12 hours - up to 48 hours). The dough balls should have grown to around double the size. Remove the dough balls from the fridge around an hour before you wish to bake so that they come back up to room temp
For Pizzas (simple margherita):
Ingredients
100g crushed San Marzano tomatoes - I don’t add use as much tomato on my pizza as I don’t like the base to become too soggy but you can add a little more if you wish.
Pinch of salt
~ 10 Basil leaves
100g roughly torn (keep it chunky) or grated mozzarella- Fior di latte cheese is traditional, but secretly, I find the packet grated stuff also works fine.
15-20g grated Parmesan
Flour/Semolina for dusting
Method
When ready to bake, preheat the grill to the highest setting. Next combine the tomatoes and a pinch of salt in a small bowl, have your mozzarella and parmesan ready and to hand. Preheat a heavy based pan on a high heat until very hot.
Dust your work surface with a little flour/semolina. Take your first ball of dough and use your fingers to press out the dough ball firmly - start in the centre and working out to the edge, leaving around a centimetre of rim untouched, around the circumference. Continue to turn and press down the centre of the dough until you have an even thickness at the centre. Now it’s a bit of a fiddly “stretch, press and turn 90 degrees technique” - I’m not going to lie, I don’t think I have this down to a T but remember the approximate shape you need to maintain, be careful not to stretch it too thin, but equally you need it as thin as you can achieve without it tearing - it’s a practice thing I’m afraid.
Once the disc is around 20-22cm wide, you’re good to go. Place into the super hot, dry frying pan, immediately spoon half of the tomato mixture into the centre ‘well’ we created, followed by half of grated parmesan, then the mozzarella and scatter over some basil leaves. Leave to cook for around 3 minutes or until it’s lightly charred when you peak underneath. At this point whack it under the grill and cook for another 2 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the crust of the dough has browned. Remove, slice up and eat. (Then repeat with the second of your dough balls).
SLOW COOKED COURGETTE FRITTATA
If you were around for #7 of my newsletter you may remember I mentioned a slow cooked courgette recipe featured on the Mob website. If you haven’t tried it, you really should, it’s so tasty!
This week I fancied a frittata - if you haven’t heard of Frittata before, it is an Italian egg based dish, similar to an omelette or crustless quiche. I usually opt for this meal when I don’t have much time and want something quick, easy and wholesome for dinner or lunch, but I remembered that slow cooked courgette situation and thought it would be an epic base for a frittata… now I don’t want to sound arrogant, but I was absolutely right, it’s cracking - egg pun!!
Admittedly, it’s less of a speedy dish to whip due to the length of time cooking the courgette, but it’s low effort and worth the wait I promise. I LOVE this dish cold - you know my thing about hot, cold food - some things just have more flavour when left to chill out for a few hours - so I rate the cold vibe, but it can obviously be enjoyed warm too. Here I pair it with salty feta and mint for a slightly greek vibe - if you try it, let me know what you think.
Ingredients
~ 1 tbsp olive Oil
1 large courgette - approx 250g, sliced into thin discs
1 fat garlic glove grated
Pinch of salt
4 Large eggs
Splash of milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful of Fresh mint finely chopped
10 basil leaves finely chopped
Method
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat - my frying pan is fairly small - it’s about 20cm in diameter at the top and 16cm diameter at the base, if your frying pan is wider, bear in mind that it will potentially cook quite a bit quicker so judge by eye rather than timings per se. Add half of the olive oil, then tip in your garlic. Cook for 1 min until fragrant. Add the courgettes and stir to coat them in the garlicky oil. Cook over a very low heat for around an hour to an hour and a half stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking. The courgettes will break down and become mushy, they may caramelise a bit and it all looks a bit gross to be honest but this is perfect - season with a little salt and stir to combine!
When the courgette is ready, turn off the heat briefly and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, use a fork to briefly whisk together the eggs in a large jug, add a splash of milk and season with salt and pepper. Once slightly cooled, add the courgette mixture and herbs to the eggs and whisk well with a fork to combine.
Preheat the grill to the highest setting. Place the same frying pan you used for the courgettes back over a medium heat and add the remaining oil - make sure it’s enough to coat the base of the pan sufficiently. Once the oil is hot, at the eggs/courgette mixture, stir gently once or twice then leave to cook over a medium/low heat for around 7 or 8 minutes or until almost cooked - the top will still be a bit runny but if you peer underneath it should be golden. Transfer to the grill for about 3 minutes or until set on top, golden and a little puffed up. Serve warm or turn out onto a plate, leave to cool and refrigerate - as I said I like it cold the next day, the flavour is next level!
Fresh and zingy Pineapple granita
Granita has become the new ‘ice kid’ on the block I think. It sounds SO refined and sophisticated but is REALLY simple to make, very versatile (strawberry, cucumber, watermelon are a handful of great alternatives), full of goodness in that it’s loaded with fruit and just a touch of sugar and a decent bit of hydration to boot! Give it a try!
Ingredients
200g ripe fresh pineapple (weight of flesh only) make sure it IS ripe or it won’t be sweet enough
1/2 large lime juice and zest
75ml water*
20g caster sugar (adjust based on the ripeness of the pineapple)
A good handful of mint about 3g finely chopped
Method
Combine the water and caster sugar in a saucepan and gently heat until the sugar has dissolved. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once cooled, combine the sugar and water mixture with the fresh pineapple and lime juice & zest. Blitz in a high speed blender until smooth. Pour out into a shallow dish and stir through the mint. Transfer to the freezer for a total of 3-4 hours. Every 45-60 minutes, remove from the freezer and use a fork to break up the granita before returning to freeze fully. Once ready, serve in small glasses or ramekins and enjoy!
Chunky Cherry compote
I believe yesterday was ‘National cherry day’ - as ever, I don’t keep up with these things and only found out when it was all a bit late to ‘shout about it’… however, I’ve very much been living the cherry life over the past week because they’re at their best at the moment and I thought they absolutely deserved a mention so here we are.
I absolutely ADORE all things cherry… if we’re talking crumble, cherry only please, with loads of custard (I actually have a cherry, coconut crumble recipe in my book ‘The Joy of Baking’ - check it out if you haven’t already), similarly, if you serve me a sweet pie, only cherry will suffice (try this one from Ravneet Gill - it looks mesmerising), cherry ripple ice cream is a no brainer, as is cherry bakewell, cherry drops are are top tier hard boil sweets, and all things chocolate and cherry are a good idea… also I saw a this recipe from Borough chef of: toast spread with ricotta and topped with fresh cherries, flaked almonds, honey & thyme and I really *need* to try it!!
If we’re talking about fresh cherries, they have to be good - dark, sweet, ripe & super juicy. Whilst I enjoy fresh cherries as they come, I also LOVE to cook them - especially with ingredients which help to amplify their flavour - my favourite is always almond, but vanilla & cinnamon work too - if you don’t mind a bit of booze, Kirsch is also fabulous - ‘Cherries Jubilee’ are unbelievable! *Side note, when not in season, frozen and tinned cherries are fantastic too and dare I say it, more reliable on flavour!
This week I made some fabulous cherry compote which you need to try (recipe to follow) - it is great on top of porridge, stirred through yoghurt, vanilla ice cream, or as a less sweet alternative to cherry jam in your Black forest gateau - try my recipe from the Bake off final if you haven’t already - it’s one of my best I think!
Ingredients
200g pitted cherries
40g Caster sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp almond extract
Method
Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and leave to macerate for 20 minutes minimum, overnight even better - this is crucial here - it really does boost the flavour and allows most of the sugar to dissolve. Once macerated, place the saucepan over a low/medium heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved, then turn up the heat until the mixture starts to bubble, return the heat to medium cook for 10-15 minutes or until reduced and thickened, break down the cherries a bit with the back of a spoon or fork as they cook - when ready, the sauce will be dark, glossy and coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
NOTES:
I posted a recipe for my no churn ice cream earlier in the week - the recipe is featured in my new book - Bake yourself Happy - out in September people (omg nervous at how soon that seems… also there are still signed copies available to purchase) The base recipe is super simple, doesn’t require an ice cream machine (or frequent whisking and is really adaptable - I feature raspberry ripple and cookie dough variations in the book - here I added a tablespoon of Kirsch to the base ice cream recipe and then rippled this cherry compote through using the same method as the raspberry ripple!
SOME OTHER SNIPPETS
I have mentioned them a few times on my Instagram but if you haven’t tried a can of TRIP, you have to - they’re sold in Sainsburys/Holland & Barrett/John Lewis and other places too I think. Admittedly they are quite pricey but they’re SO refreshing and tasty and I really love all the flavours.
Above I mentioned that I caught up with some Bake Off friends on Wednesday evening - I met Peter Sawkins for the first time - winner of series 11 (the year before last). He’s as lovely, talented and intelligent as he comes across on TV - I would defo like to learn a few Baking tricks from him! And super talented baker - Steven Carter Bailey from series 8, who I haven’t seen since pre-covid days, so it was wonderful to catch up again and I’m glad I faced some social anxiety fears to go and see them both.
TOP TIP: Whilst the weather remains WARM - go to any M&S food hall or the co-op in Handbridge (Chester) - it’s like walking into a fridge- I highly recommend either for a delightfully refreshing experience.
Finally - one for athletics/sport fans - I’m already hooked on the World Athletics coverage and very much looking forward to a week of wall-to-wall action… plus we have the Commonwealth Games coming up (any home championships is epic right?), the French Grand Prix next weekend, then the European athletics champs - eek the fun never stops!!!
Right, that’s me done for another week… hope you are doing ok! Sending lots of love to you all as ever! xx
lovely xx
Dear Steph,
I’m surprised reading about the triple digit weather (40C / 104F) in the UK. In CA it’s crazy but not unforeseen in June-August, but must be quite an adjustment for you and your neighbors. Given British resourcefulness and survivalism I hope this spurs some ingenious ice creams, bakes, and other foodie concoctions! In the meantime I hope you stay safe and cool… honestly don’t know what else to recommend other than ice cream and ices, free air conditioning in malls… and definitely fresh fruits and granitas… oh you totally get it, that’s the way to go! 😊
Definitely agree this is an opportunity to rest up a bit, embrace that “I’m on holiday” mentality because it probably won’t stick around forever. I’m beyond thrilled to hear of your spontaneity, socializing, and writing. Loved seeing you, Steven, and Peter together in a photo– 3 stars all together, so brilliant!
I adore pizza and had no idea I can fry it on a dry pan while dreaming and scheming to get my hands on an ooni oven. You have no idea how much you inspire me. I pre-ordered your book and can’t wait to bake myself happy when it arrives. You are an amazing talent – and those words don’t even come close.
Here’s to more comfort, joy, rest, holidays…thanks for your lovely post!