#50 OK, I'm ill...

Remember I ‘wasn’t’ ill the other week? Yeah, so it was obviously lying dormant and just preparing for its attack, as this week, I’ve been an actual version of ill… and I’m annoyed at my snotty self for neither fending off the beasty germs, nor being more stoical about it - I’ve been a bit of a wet wipe to be honest.

Jokes aside, I’ve been absolutely shattered, I have limited taste and food hasn’t been very appealing, so I don’t have a huge amount to impart. However, I have of course spent some time in the kitchen, admired plenty of foodie creations that I have seen online or on TV, and sought comfort in some simple meals and bakes which have been an excellent antidote for feeling rather stinky.

Besides foodie pleasures, life hasn’t been hugely eventful, Olive seems to be back to her devilish self – so much so that she has reverted to chewing (everything), (which I thought we had overcome about 3 months ago), and rediscovered her passion for feathers – it’s weird, I know. She was also groomed this week, which makes her look unbearably cute.
I nearly killed mother with a cake… ok so hear me out, I got a bee in my bonnet that I wanted to make some earl grey flavoured cupcakes with a whipped white chocolate ganache frosting (no idea where the idea sprang up from but once it entered the head, it would not go away until I tried it)… and let’s just say my attempt wasn’t entirely successful. So much so, that when I asked Mum to sample a slightly overbaked morsel of insipid cake, she spent the subsequent 30 minutes coughing and spluttering… confirmation it was dry, and rather tasteless – more testing required me thinks!
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed some TV action – of course I’ve been on top of ALL the sport, the Sewing Bee final was marvellous, I’m also thoroughly enjoying Bake Off the professionals, and don’t get me started on Hijack again; my eyes were nearly popping out of my head at the end of the latest episode… I must admit, I HATE the fact that I have to wait until Wednesday for the finale; I don’t do suspense!!!
And finally, I’m not sure the weather deserves a debate, it’s just pants and SAPPING, I know I shouldn’t moan, but I’m afraid I am a bit. The one teeny morsel of comfort? Erm… it’s quite mild? Although even that has been questionable at times!

…rather unimpressively, there ends this week’s major events – how thoroughly dull?

Nevertheless, I have managed to compile a list of things below that I think you might like (or more accurately, things that I like and therefore hope you will also find appealing/comforting)…

Some things to eat:

• This delicious looking halloumi, nectarine recipe from Meliz Berg

• This Dal recipe from Julius Roberts which looks like it would hug you from the inside out.

• This bowl of summer bircher with apricots

• This unbelievable looking Danish dream cake – I’m loving Ruby’s ‘Around the world in 80 cakes’ series and this one looks the best so far – I need to try it!

Some things to read:

• Edd Kimber writes a really great newsletter (check it out if you haven’t seen it already), he’s just started a new series dispelling baking myths. The first topic he’s covered is the premise that salt kills yeast – it’s a great read, he’s done some real life experimentation which I absolutely love, and I can’t wait to see what else he delves into going forward.

• This quote from Anthony Bourdain – the guys a legend and I love the quote!

• A book… ‘The tent a bucket and me’ … Ok, I’ve not read it but I saw it posted on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Insta account - it was referred to as a book to make you belly laugh and I think we’d all welcome a belly laugh so I’m adding it to my reading bucket list and you might like to too.

And finally, a drumroll for this week’s Comfort chronicles recipes:

• First up – Grissini to level up your next antipasto spread.

• Dukkah – ok, it may seem a niche thing to include, but this spiced nut and seed blend is something you need to start making…. and then add it to EVERYTHING!

• Wholemeal and Rye digestives (with optional chocolate, sea salt topping) - biscuits are a necessity when one is snotty - esp. good with a cold glass of milk. I snaffled 3 of these in one sitting the day I baked them and had to replenish my stash twice through the week!!!

• Meanwhile over on TCC+ paid subscribers can access my new favourite chocolate mousse – it’s absurdly simple and wildly good - AND… my small batch caramel recipe – for when you just NEED a drizzle of caramel to: accompany a scoop of ice cream, pipe over your fruit and yoghurt dessert, or frankly, just spoon straight into you mouth!

Enough chat, let’s get cracking!

Grissini

As a kid, I would chain eat packets of crisps whenever I was ill – not entirely intuitive I realise! Anyway, my desire for a savoury snack when I’m feeling groggy hasn’t waned… and so this week, I decided to try my hand at making Grissini.

In true Steph fashion, my mission to nail this delicacy has been nothing short of an ordeal, I also should point out at this stage that the version I’ve settled on isn’t entirely authentic, nevertheless they taste rather fabulous and are super simple to make which is all we really ask for isn’t it?

For those who haven’t heard of Grissini before, they’re Italy’s version of a breadstick. These spindly, salty (sometimes flavoured), crunchy sticks of bread are a specialty of Turin, Piedmont, and are generally served as part of an antipasto or appetiser at the start of a meal.

My experiments this week have seen me alter hydration, proving/resting time, oil % and flavourings. My verdict is that they’re always pretty great, but I’ve settled on the formula below. I opt for a slightly higher hydration to some recipes and enrich them with a little more oil than is traditional – I found it to be a real flavour and texture enhancer – I also incorporate some toasted sesame seeds which adds a further layer of flavour as well as texture. I adopt the slightly cowboy technique of rolling the dough out on the worktop prior to cutting it into strips and then gently stretching into shape – Italians would undoubtedly shake their heads in disapproval at this method; traditionally the breadsticks are hand-pulled into shape (no rolling), but I find that method all a bit… unpredictable, so until I perfect the hand-pull, I’m currently team roll. I tend to find that due to the natural variation in shape of each grissini, they can bake a bit unevenly so you may need to use a bit of judgement in terms of readiness – the breadsticks should turn a deep golden on both sides and shouldn’t show any sign of bendiness.

Hope you like them!! (Note, pic below shows a test with seedy variations sprinkled on top, you can do this too if you fancy - just omit the semolina - but be warned, they don’t adhere famously well!)

Ingredients

125g White bread flour                                 
70g Water                                          
25g Extra virgin olive oil brush extra for brushing
½ level Tsp Instant dried Yeast                  
½ tsp Sea salt
½ tsp Caster Sugar
10g (~1 tbsp) toasted sesame seeds

Semolina and Maldon salt for sprinkling

Method

Measure the flour into a large bowl, add the toasted sesame seeds, and mix to combine. Next add the sugar and salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other, then add the water and oil. Use your hand to mix into a rough dough, leave to autolyse for 20 minutes. Once autolysed, knead for 10 mins until smooth and elastic. Proof for 90 mins or until puffy and risen.

Line two baking sheets with parchment. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll into a square around 25cmx25cm in size. Brush the surface of the dough with a very light layer of olive oil and sprinkle with semolina and a good pinch of Maldon salt. Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into 14 strips – approx. 1.5-2cm wide. Very gently stretch each strip to around 30-33cm and transfer to the lined baking sheets. Leave to rest/proof, covered with cling film, for a further 30 minutes – they should have puffed up a bit.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan. Remove the clingfilm and bake the Grissini for around 20 mins or until a deep golden – flip them halfway through for an even bake. (If your grissini are slightly irregular in size, you may need to grab the thin ones out a bit earlier as they have a tendency to catch, fat ones on the other hand may need a little longer). Leave to cool and crisp up further on the trays once baked. Once cool, get dipping… or just chain eat them like I do!

Dukkah

If you have been to an Egyptian or middle eastern restaurant, you will have undoubtedly sampled Dukkah. The aromatic seed and nut blend is commonly sprinkled over salads, vegetables, hummus, meats, or cooked rice/lentils. I bloomin adore the stuff, I just love its’ ability to transform a dish both in terms of flavour AND texture. I also can quite happily spoon it straight out of the jar, but I realise that’s probably not it’s intended use! My version incorporates some of my favourite nuts, seeds and spices toasted until fragrant, and briefly pulsed in a mixer, sufficient to blend the mixture but retaining plenty of texture and crunch. YUMMM!

Ingredients

30g Hazelnuts
15g Almonds
15g Cashews
20g sesame seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp nigella seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
Pinch of Maldon salt
Optional pinch of chilli flakes

Method

Roughly chop all of the nuts, then toast them in a dry frying pan until fragrant, shake the pan from time to time to prevent them from catching. Once toasted, transfer to a plate to cool. Using the same frying pan, toast the sesame seeds until golden – again wiggle the pan and watch them like a hawk to prevent them from burning. Once toasted, set aside with the nuts. Finally, measure the cumin seeds and coriander seeds into the frying pan and toast until fragrant and they start to ‘pop’ – this shouldn’t take long – then remove from the heat and allow to cool with the nut/seed mixture.

Once cooled, transfer the nut/seed/spice mix to a blender/food processor, add the fennel seeds and nigella seeds with a pinch of salt and optional chilli flakes. Pulse to form a very coarse mixture – it will smell magical - don’t overdo the pulsing, you want plenty of retained texture.

You can obviously double the recipe if you want and store in a jar or Tupperware for up to 2 weeks once prepared.
*Use to top salads, hummus, soups, veg or meats.

Wholemeal and rye ‘digestive’ biscuits
(optional: chocolate and sea salt topping)

Ok, so these may not be Digestives like you know them, but I think they’re devilishly good. They’re a little more sophisticated than the OG McV Digestive; nutty with the addition of wholemeal and rye flours, and only delicately sweetened with a combination of icing sugar for a wonderful crunch, and a touch of light brown sugar for that characteristic molasses flavour. I like them ‘naked’, however, they are, of course, fantastic topped with chocolate. I like to use really good quality chocolate, milk or dark work best here I think, and add pinch of flaky Sea salt if you like the sweet and salty vibe.

Makes ~ 12 biscuits

Ingredients

70g Plain Wholemeal flour (I used Duchy)
60g Rye flour (I used Shipton Mill)
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/4 tsp Maldon sea salt flakes (if using finer sea salt, reduce this slightly)
40g Icing sugar
10g Soft light brown sugar
60g Unsalted butter cold cubed
25g Whole milk
1 tsp Malt vinegar

120g Good quality chocolate
Pinch of Maldon sea salt flakes

Method

Combine the flours, baking powder, salt and sugars in a large bowl, stand mixer or processor. Mix until everything is well combined (if using a food processor, pulse a few times). Add the butter and rub into the dry ingredients, (alternatively mix on a slow speed/pulse until sandy). Add the vinegar and gradually pour in the milk, gently work the mixture into a dough (if using a mixer, mix on low until a dough just starts to form, likewise, in a processor pulse until the mixture just starts to come together into a dough). Use your hands to form into a cohesive dough (don’t over work), then place on a floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll out to around 4mm thick. Use a 6-7cm cookie cutter to stamp out rounds, re-roll until you have used up the dough. Place the rounds spaced apart on two baking sheets lined with parchment and refrigerate for a minimum of 20 minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan.

Once chilled, dock with a fork (I go for three ‘dockings’ approximately down the centre). Bake the biscuits in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Once baked, remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

If coating in chocolate: melt the chocolate (either over a Baine Marie or in the microwave). Coat one side of each biscuit in a smooth layer of melted chocolate. Allow the chocolate to set for 30-40 minutes.

Note: Without chocolate, these Digestives can be crushed, combined with melted butter, and used as biscuit base for cheesecake OR, you can serve them as part of a cheese board - yes, digestives and cheese are a vibe!

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Right folks, I’m done - send tissues!

Sending my love and hugs to you all as always, have a great week,

Steph x x x