<a href="https://www.fooddrinkmagazine.com/chinese-new-year/" rel="bookmark" title="Chinese New Year">Chinese New Year

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February 3, 2021

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/five-spice-chicken-banh-mi-sandwiches

Five-Spice Chicken Banh Mi Sandwiches

1/2 cup Asian fish sauce
3 small shallots, minced
1/4 cup light soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons red miso
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 Thai bird chile, minced
4 5-ounce, skin-on, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 small carrot, julienned
Canola oil, for greasing
Four 6-inch-long soft sandwich rolls, split lengthwise
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
12 cilantro sprigs
2 jalapeños, thinly sliced

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk the fish sauce, shallots, soy sauce, garlic, miso, five-spice powder, and chile. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the sugar with the vinegar and salt until dissolved. Stir in the carrot and let stand at room temperature until lightly pickled, about 30 minutes.
Light a grill and oil the grate, or preheat a grill pan. Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and cooked through, 14 to 16 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°. Using your fingers, scoop out some of the bread from the insides of the rolls. Toast the rolls in the oven for 6 minutes, until golden. Let cool slightly. Thinly slice the chicken. Divide 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise between the top and bottom of each roll and arrange the cucumber slices and chicken on the bottoms. Top with the cilantro sprigs, jalapeños, and pickled carrot. Close the sandwiches and serve.

Two of the top sandwiches on the internet right now!

Screaming Eagle Cheese-Steak Sub

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016285-screaming-eagle-cheese-steak-sub

For the Chipotle Mayonnaise

¾ cup mayonnaise
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced, or more to taste

For the sandwiches

2 tablespoons neutral cooking oil, like canola
1 large white onion, peeled and sliced thin
2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced thin
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced thin
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thin
2 ½ pounds skirt steak, cut into 6 equal-size sections
6 large sub rolls or Italian bread cut into 6 submarine-shaped pieces of 8 to 10 inches, sliced down the center
½ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced thin

Instructions

To make chipotle mayonnaise: Combine mayonnaise and minced peppers in a small bowl and stir well. (Leftover sauce may be covered and stored safely in the refrigerator for weeks.)
To make toppings for a sandwich: Heat a griddle or a large, heavy frying pan, ideally cast iron, over medium heat. Add oil to the pan and, when it begins to shimmer, add the onion and peppers and stir to combine. Cook, stirring every so often, until they begin to soften and brown, approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, remove and set aside. Wipe pan, add butter and repeat the process with mushrooms. Cook until they have released their juices and are soft and glazed, about 6 minutes. Remove and set aside.
To make steaks: Heat griddle or frying pan over high heat until nearly smoking. Season meat aggressively with salt and pepper. Place steaks on a griddle, working in batches if necessary, and cook for 3 minutes each side, until well browned but very rare. Remove to a serving platter and allow to rest.
To make sandwiches: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. When steaks are complete, slice them against the grain as thinly as possible. Place sub rolls in the oven to warm. Return sliced steaks to a griddle or frying pan, over medium heat, and add onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Stir to combine, turn heat to low, and cover with sliced cheese. Using tongs and a wide spatula, stir and pull to combine as cheese melts, approximately 3 minutes.
To serve: Remove rolls from the oven and spread chipotle mayonnaise on the interior of each serving. Fill each sub with a mixture of meat, vegetables, and cheese. Serve immediately.

Vintage 2020

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February 2, 2021

I don’t think anyone would disagree that 2020 has been an exceptional year. Almost without exception every person and every industry has, in some way, been affected by the events of this year. But what about the grapes? Is vintage 2020 going to be any good for wine?

The wine industry is massive and grapes are grown on virtually every continent (little tricky on Antarctica, I understand) so I am not in a position to comment on the entire industry. I do, however, live in France where wine is practically a way of life for the majority of the population.

Every region of this diverse country has a grape variety and, therefore, a wine that is unique to that region. For example, white wines from Burgundy will be chardonnay grapes (think Chablis) but go west towards the Loire Valley and the grapes are much more steely, grown in entirely different soil and will be chenin blanc and sauvignon blanc (think Pouilly Fumé).

The climate across France also varies considerably. The north and all down the west is affected by the Atlantic ocean, the famous wine areas in Bordeaux are pretty much oceanfront. Move to the southeast of Paris and north of the Alps, Champagne and Burgundy enjoy a very continental climate giving warm summers and cold winters. Keep going south towards the Mediterranean and the climate changes again with very hot dry summers.

The south is also protected to the north by either the Alps or the Pyrenees and each mountain range is also famous for a wind that blows down from the high slopes – Mistral from the Alps and La Tramontane in the Pyrenees. Both of these will affect the grape growing season.

On the third Thursday of November each year there is a tradition of releasing the first wine of the new vintage. The Beaujolais Nouveau was the subject of some great marketing back in the 1980’s and that Thursday in November has become known as Beaujolais Day. I remember as a young bleary eyed trainee in a hotel in England having to serve Beaujolais Nouveau at breakfast – it was a thing!

Even now, as restaurateurs we can purchase Beaujolais Nouveau about one week before the release date but are bound not to serve it until the official release. There is an important side to the Beaujolais Nouveau as it gives us the first clue as to the quality of the vintage for the year. This year the wine is described as being light, lively and with good acidity – a good sign. Reds from Beaujolais tend to be quite light.

The overriding factor of vintage 2020 appears to be how early the grapes have been harvested, from mid August in some areas. Almost every wine growing region has reported starting to harvest grapes upto one month earlier than previously. Generally over the past 30 years harvest times have got earlier as the climate has become warmer. In fact climate change is starting to have an impact on the wine industry.

Wet springs followed by extremely hot, dry summers are not helping the vines and this year the Tramontane wind from the Pyrenees has not blown as much and not dried the vines as usual, so there has been an issue with mildew on the grapes. Some winegrowers in France are now starting to pick grapes overnight stating that the day time temperatures are either too hot to work in or that the grapes are not at their optimum for picking when it is so hot.

It would be impossible to write an article at present without mentioning the “C” word. Harvesting has also been affected this year by Covid restrictions. Many winegrowers rely on migrant workers to help pull in the harvest. These workers normally live in communal dormitories and work side by side in the vineyards but with social distancing rules and travel restrictions this has been difficult to achieve. The French authorities also stated that only workers from within the EU could travel to France this year. Fortunately, back in August most of the European borders were open and most farmers were able to employ their seasonal workers.

The second factor this year is that yields are significantly increased by around 6-8% compared to 2019. In a normal year this would be good as long as the quality of the grapes could match the increased yield. However, demand has fallen due to lockdown restrictions and the lack of export. Some winegrowers have even picked grapes early whilst they are still “green” and ditched them in order to give more space to the remaining grapes to mature. The Champagne region has agreed to cut yields this year so that supply does not outstrip demand. Champagne is also predicting that 2020 will be a good vintage.

The fall in demand this year has caused other problems for the winegrowers, many of whom are still holding too much stock from last year. While many wines will improve with age there are a lot produced to be drunk within 18 months. Much of this wine is now headed for distillation and is about to be turned into hand sanitiser! The Spanish government is actually paying around 100m Euros in subsidies for winemakers to ditch their wine! The Spanish harvest has also been much larger than 2019.

All in all vintage 2020 for French wines looks like being a good one, particularly for some of the Bordeaux and Burgundy wines. There may be some bargains to be had if demand continues to stay low unless, of course, you buy Champagne which has deliberately lowered the yield on what looks to be a good year.

Top two desserts that are out of this world!

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February 2, 2021

https://ourtableforseven.com/2014/10/knock-off-swedish-flop-cake.html

https://www.fooddrinkmagazine.com/?s=dessert

Looking for a dessert to blow your mind and the minds of your friends and family? Below are two of the best desserts that are unique enough to impress your guests while also being deceivingly simple to make! It’s time to dust off your apron and get baking!

Swedish flop cake

Ingredients

For the cake

1 box vanilla cake mix
3.4 oz box instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk

Top two desserts that are out of this world!

For filling

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 TBSP flour
2 TBSP milk
2 cups powdered sugar
powdered sugar, for the top of the cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cover 2 -15 x 10 jelly roll pans with parchment papers.
In a mixing bowl, beat together cake mix, eggs, pudding mix and milk. Beat until smooth and combined.
Evenly distribute cake batter between the two jelly roll pans. Spread evenly.
Bake both 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let the cake cool completely.

For the filling

In a mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add in powdered sugar, flour and vanilla. Add in milk and beat until fluffy.
Spread filling on just one of the cooled cakes. Take the second cake and place on top.
Sprinkle top with the desired amount of powdered sugar.
Cut into squares for serving

Salted Caramel Brownies

https://bakingamoment.com/salted-caramel-brownies/

Ingredients

For the salted caramel

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 tablespoons water

For the brownies

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks)
1 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (for garnish)

To make the salted caramel

In a small pot, gently heat the cream, butter, and salt until the butter has melted and the salt has completely dissolved.
Remove from heat and add the vanilla.
In a larger pot, combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water.
Heat over a medium high flame, swirling the pot occasionally to distribute the heat evenly.
Continue to boil the sugar mixture until the bubbles begin to get smaller and it becomes amber-colored.
Reduce the heat to low, and pour in the warm cream mixture, whisking constantly to avoid lumps or crystals.
Immediately transfer the hot mixture to a heat-safe vessel and cool completely.

To make the brownies

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, and mist a 9 by 13-inch pan with non-stick spray. Line with parchment.
Place the sugar, butter, and cocoa in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave* in one-minute increments, stirring, until the butter is completely melted and the mixture feels very warm to the touch.
Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring after each addition.
Stir in the vanilla.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Transfer half the batter to the pan, then drizzle with about 1/3 of the salted caramel.
Top with remaining brownie batter, and swirl about 1/3 of the salted caramel mixture on top.
Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until set around the edges but still soft towards the middle.
Cool completely in the pan, then transfer to a cutting board and cut into squares.
Drizzle with remaining caramel and garnish with sea salt.

Chicken and Lobster with Easy Hollandaise

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February 1, 2021

Chicken and Lobster with Easy Hollandaise

Breaded chicken breast, half a lobster and a delicate rich hollandaise sauce with a pinch of cayenne – delicious! And really quite easy.

For two people you will need 2 skinless chicken breasts (or chicken supremes with the wingtip bone), 1 lobster (fresh, frozen, cooked or uncooked, the choice is yours), breadcrumbs, flour, egg, milk, 2 egg yolks, wine vinegar, melted butter, pinch cayenne pepper & salt.

If you are using a fresh live lobster bring to the boil a pan of water large enough to hold the lobster. I normally kill the lobster with a sharp knife through the back of its head before plunging into the boiling water. Lobsters do not have vocal chords and even a dead, frozen, uncooked lobster will release air from its shell when cooked, and yes, it does sound like it’s squealing!

If you are using a frozen lobster, defrost and cook it, if necessary, according to the instructions on the packaging.

To prepare the chicken breasts firstly slice them horizontally, but not all the way through, and open them up like a butterfly. If you have the wing bone in the chicken slice toward the bone so that when you open it up the bone is central and will stand up. Lightly coat with flour then dip in a mix of egg and milk and finally coat with breadcrumbs. Shallow fry on each side for approx 1 minute before placing them in an oven preheated to 180C.

Now the lobster. In reality we are only interested in the tail meat and the two large pincers, so you can separate the tail from the body and remove the large pincers. Turn the tail upside down and with a sharp knife carefully slice the tail in half lengthways. Leave the meat in the shell for presentation on the chicken. Gently crack the pincers (a quick tap with the back of a knife should do) and pull away the shell, then ease out the meat trying to keep it one piece.

Ok hollandaise – easy method. Boil a pan of water. Melt about 125g of butter, put two egg yolks into a non-metallic bowl, a splash (teaspoon) white wine vinegar (I often use a tarragon wine vinegar) and a splash of cold water. Whisk the yolks, vinegar and water and add a pinch of cayenne. Now place the bowl over your pan of simmering water and slowly add the melted butter while continually whisking. The hollandaise will start to thicken. Do not over thicken or allow the sauce to get too warm – it will split. A splash of very cold water can help in a lot of situations!

If you want to warm the lobster slightly before serving either place it in the oven for a minute or place it shell side down in a griddle pan.

Serve the chicken, lobster & hollandaise with some pommes dauphinois, green beans, green salad or rosti potato – whatever takes your fancy.

Making Indian food for dinner

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February 1, 2021

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/all-dressed-up-cauliflower-rice

Curry cauliflower rice

4 SERVINGS

1 medium head of cauliflower (about 2¼ lb.), broken into florets
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. ground coriander
¾ cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp. finely grated lime zest
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. coconut sugar or granulated sugar
Kosher salt
¼ cup golden raisins
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
¼ cup unsalted, roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
¼ cup coarsely chopped mint, plus torn leaves for serving
plain whole-milk Greek yogurt and lime wedges (for serving; optional)

Instructions

Working in 2 batches, pulse cauliflower in a food processor until pieces are about the size of rice (you don’t want to overprocess; err on the large side). Transfer cauliflower to a medium bowl lined with a kitchen towel to absorb any extra moisture.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add bell pepper, shallot, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallot and garlic are softened slightly, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in curry powder, turmeric, and coriander and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add coconut milk, lime zest, lime juice, and coconut sugar; season with salt. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower and raisins; cook, tossing occasionally, until cauliflower is just tender, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Add cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and ¼ cup mint to cauliflower rice and toss to combine. Divide among bowls; top with a dollop of yogurt if using and torn mint. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over if desired.

Chicken Tikka Masala

https://cafedelites.com/chicken-tikka-masala/#wprm-recipe-container-51814

For the chicken marinade:

28 oz (800g) boneless and skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili (or 1/2 teaspoon ground red chili powder)
1 teaspoon of salt

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons of vegetable/canola oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 small onions (or 1 large onion) finely diced
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic finely grated
1 tablespoon ginger finely grated
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
14 oz (400g) tomato puree (tomato sauce/Passata)
1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili (optional for color and flavor)
1 teaspoon ground red chili powder (adjust to your taste preference)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups of heavy or thickened cream (use evaporated milk for lower calories)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 cup water if needed
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro or coriander to garnish

Instructions

In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 10 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).
Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
Melt the butter in the same pan. Fry the onions until soft (about 3 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add garam masala, cumin, turmeric, and coriander. Fry for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
Pour in the tomato puree, chili powders, and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown-red color.
Stir the cream and sugar through the sauce. Add the chicken and its juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. Pour in the water to thin out the sauce, if needed.
Garnish with cilantro (coriander) and serve with hot garlic butter rice and fresh homemade Naan bread!

Butternut and Chili Soup

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January 29, 2021

As the weather turns cold we start to think about warming comfort food. One of my favourites is this butternut and chili soup. I love the subtle heat that comes from the chili but I appreciate it is not to everyone’s taste. There are many variations that you can try – add the juice and zest of an orange, a sprinkle of nutmeg or some fresh chestnuts.

The butternut is, strictly speaking, a fruit and is considered a super food because of its high level of nutrients. It is low in calories but very high in nutrients including vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B,magnesium and potassium. So it’s good for your eyes, bones, immune system and may help prevent against Alzheimer’s and even some cancers!

Peeling a butternut squash can be troublesome, so try roasting it whole then cut it in half and scoop the flesh to make a fantastic purée.

There are some fantastic winter vegetables available all of which are going to give you those much needed health benefits during the cold, dark winter months. Try roasting a mix of turnip, swede, parsnip, butternut and sweet potato underneath a whole chicken cut in half.

Here is my recipe for Butternut and Chili Soup.

You will need;

1 Butternut peeled and cut into chunks. Remove the seeds. One word of advice regarding peeling the butternut. The skin is very tough and you will need à sharp knife. Cut thin strips at à time and always downwards on to à chopping board.

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic

2 chilis, chopped, depending how much spice you like

75g cooking butter

50g strong flour

2 stock cubes – vegetable or chicken

1.75 litres water

In a large pan over a medium/high heat put the butter, butternut, onion, garlic and chili. Cook for about five minutes, stirring all the ingredients into the melted butter. Crumble in the two stock cubes and stir. Add the flour and coat all the ingredients. Gradually add the water, mixing it in well. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the butternut is soft.

Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand-held mixer.

Serve the soup with a swirl of cream on top, or some chopped roasted chestnuts and, of course, plenty of crusty bread.

A Kid-friendly lunch

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January 29, 2021

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8849/baked-chicken-nuggets/

Lunchtime for my toddler is one of his favorite times of the day. I believe it is important to make healthy meals for my son, especially when I’m cooking from scratch. These are two excellent recipes that I found that satisfy my need to feed him healthy foods, as well as satisfy his need for his favorite foods! I also added a recipe that is very special to my boy, his favorite beverage! He calls it chocolate pinky milk. I only allow him to have it with his lunch so that the little bit of sugar content is gone by bedtime.

Homemade chicken nuggets

The original recipe is sourced from

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
½ cup butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme, and basil. Mix well. Put melted butter in a bowl or dish for dipping.
Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

5-Ingredient Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

The original recipe is sourced from

https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/recipes/dinner/5-ingredient-butternut-squash-mac-and-cheese/

1 cup peeled and cubed butternut squash
1/3 cup milk
3/4 cup grated yellow or white cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter
8 ounces pasta

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the squash and cook for about 10 minutes or until soft when poked with a fork. Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the squash to a blender, draining off all of the liquid.
Add the milk, cheese, and butter, and puree until completely smooth. Meanwhile, bring the water back to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to the pot. Stir in the cheese sauce, season to taste with salt, and serve! Variations:
To make this for 6-8 people, simply double all the amounts using a full pound of pasta. You can also add more cheese if you’d like.

Expert tips

Serve any leftovers in an airtight container and heat for 30-60 seconds in the microwave to warm
Use the type of pasta your family prefers, whether whole wheat, gluten-free, bean-based, or traditional.
Try serving the cheese sauce as a dipping sauce for other cooked veggies.
You can use canned butternut squash puree if desired.
Use orange cheese for the most vivid orange color.
Stir in frozen peas (which will thaw in the warm pasta) to add an easy veggie.
Try with sweet potato or another favorite winter squash.
Trade-in cauliflower for the squash to make Cauliflower Mac and Cheese.
Double the recipe to make a larger batch.

My son’s favorite lunchtime beverage (he calls it chocolate pinky milk)

Original recipe created by the three-year-old son (seriously)!

1.5 cups of 2% milk
2 teaspoons strawberry syrup
2 teaspoons Chocolate syrup

Instructions

Gather the milk, strawberry syrup, chocolate syrup, and your toddler’s favorite cup. My son likes the no leak Playtex cups, and the Nubi cups with the straw.
Mix the ingredients together until both syrups are fully incorporated.
Enjoy!

My mom tips

If your child is sensitive to sugar intake then I recommend using sugar-free strawberry syrup and sugar-free chocolate syrup.
If your child cannot have regular cow’s milk or is lactose intolerant then feel free to substitute any “milk” (soy, almond, etc) that you would normally serve your toddler.

Developing a Takeaway Menu

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January 28, 2021

The traditional saturday night takeaway is something that we take for granted, whether it be pizza, Indian or Chinese. These are tried and tested staples of the takeaway market. But recently we have seen many more restaurants forced into joining this rapidly expanding field.

Unless you have been living in outer space over the past 12 months you will know that your favourite eatery has had to close at some point. Restaurants, bistros, cafés, bars and pubs have been hit hard by government measures in an attempt to control the pandemic. All have been forced to close to customers at some point with the only exception being that they are allowed to continue with a takeaway service. The result is that we now have Michelin starred chefs putting their glorious creations in a carton.

But not all food is suitable for takeaway and when most chefs are used to putting their carefully crafted dishes onto hot plates for service in the restaurant the change is quite daunting. Normally that food has been cooked to order, plated, served and the customer has started eating within a matter of minutes. So how do you serve your best food in a carton for someone to carry home? I have spent a good part of this year trying to figure the answer to that question and here is what I have to share.

Being an Englishman I grew up with fish and chips as a standard, normally with soggy chips, overcooked fish and not so crispy batter. It is well known that chips do not travel well and I have tried cooking them various ways, including Heston Blumenthal’s famous triple cooked chips, but the result is pretty much always soggy once you have got them home!

It appears that grilled meats and roast meats are the champions. As long as they are not overcooked on the grill, because they will keep cooking for a while once removed, then the meat will stay moist and flavoursome. Other great dishes are anything made as a casserole type, for example beef bourguignon or lamb tagine. It is also the reason why curry and Indian food is so good for takeaway. The sauce that the meat has been cooked in helps keep it moist and it is obviously very easy for re-heating.

One of my successful dishes was a stir fry of prawns and scallops marinated in ginger and lime and served with chow mein noodles. A very simple dish cooked at the last minute so it’s served piping hot and keeps well while the customer gets home. Anything served with noodles, rice or couscous seems to work well but also try some sliced potatoes cooked in the oven with some onion and herbs. I served roasted, sliced potatoes with pan fried seabass fillets which I then covered with a butter sauce – but I think the sauce should go separately.

Nobody wants their dinner to have dried up and have congealed sauce but at the same time they do not want it to be dry. So what about sauce? The sauce will be soaked up if you are serving your main dish with rice, pasta or noodles as an accompaniment. The rule is keep the sauce separate. If possible put it in a heat proof container with a lid so that the customer can serve it themselves.

Finally, what about the containers. We are all familiar with the foil container and cardboard lid which is pretty efficient at keeping your food warm. The disadvantage is that they cannot go in the microwave but at least the container is recyclable. Food containers made from expanded polystyrene are great insulators and cheap to purchase but, unfortunately, are not recyclable. Then there is the new wave of compostable containers that are made from natural products such as wheat fibre pulp and recycled plant fibres. They claim that because they are made from natural products, food will not sweat or go soggy. We may have found the answer to those awful chips.

How to make perfect corn and crab beignets with yaji aioli

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January 28, 2021