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I don’t normally do this. Post something which isn’t Cornish. But in a moment of weakness – and I’m a sucker for delicious summer deserts.
So here’s some, featuring cordials by Belvoir Fruit Farm from Lincolnshire that capture the very essence of summertime…
But feel free to supplement with good Cornish alternatives! Continue reading
Balsamic Poached Cornish Strawberry Mille Feuille with Spun Sugar
Recipe by: Dale McIntosh, Head Chef, Bustophers Bar Bistro.
When General Manager Tom Hancock and his wife Vicky approached Dale McIntosh to take over as Head Chef at Bustophers, he wasn’t to know how lucky an opportunity it would be. “Bustophers is about creating a whole dining experience. People like to be able to linger, dink at the bar and take time over dinner,” said Dale, adding, “It felt right. I can spend more time over the food, plus Tom and Vicky aim to win awards for their food and service as much I do.”
Mmmm…..Rodda’s clotted: an institutional Cornish favourite used to crown a proper cream tea and unchanged for more than a century. Sold for as long as I can remember, in little creamy coloured pots, and packaging with Rodda’s name in gorgeous red. I’ve worshipped the sight of it in supermarket chiller cabinets, the golden glow has given them an irresistible aura.
So imagine my surprise, being invited to see the unveiling of the new Rodda’s branding, to see not red but blue?
I must have taken a sharp intake of breath, an involuntary gasp. My heart cried: Oh what have you done? My head wanted to embrace the new logic…Blue? It looks like Deft ware, is that a good thing?
Romantic Infusion
Nicky Grant is a seductress.
One bite of her ‘Great Taste’ gold award-winning Cornish seasalt caramel truffles and I’m smitten!
It might be the quick snap sensation of the dark chocolate shell breaking apart under my teeth, followed by the oozing creamy-rich, sweet caramel centre on my tongue that transports a feeling of rapture straight from my head to my toes; or possibly the guilty memento of sin touched with smudges of cocoa powder left on my fingertips to lick? However, what sets these caramels apart, and my taste buds spiralling into bliss, is the barely discernible flavour of sea salt. Don’t ask me why or how, but salt appears to add something quite remarkable. It turns a nod of approval into the tenderest proposal: ‘my heart is putty. I adore you’
All of this is a world away from Nicky’s previous life. Until 2001 she was a Corporate Identity Manager for BAA, a blue chip company in London, where her most of her life was spent in airports designing public spaces. Moving from corporate life to a farmhouse in west Cornwall might seem like a far cry from the sublime to the ordinary. Her husband Tom admitted, “I was a little nervous how she might react on meeting my large and almost overwhelming Cornish family.” However, for Nicky, it gave her the perfect opportunity to fine-tune a passion for another artistic design form completely. Continue reading
At last! Something delicious and savoury to use up my over-buy of Rodda’s cream this Christmas as I can’t bear it going to waste.
This tart is full of the flavours of the British Seaside. If you are off for a picnic make 6 individual tarts.
Preparation Time: 40 minutes plus chilling time Cooking Time: 20 minutes Serves: 6
375g pack ready-rolled short crust pastry For the filling: 100g watercress, stems removed and finely chopped
250g mixed crabmeat, fresh or defrosted 3 eggs 113g Rodda’s Cornish Clotted Cream 113g Rodda’s Cornish crème fraiche
1⁄4tsp dried chilli flakes 1 tbsp lemon juice 100g freshly grated Parmesan seasoning
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C, 400°F/Gas 6 and very lightly grease a 22cm loose bottom flan tin. Place the tin onto a baking tray.
Roll out the pastry until it’s big enough to generously fit the tin. Ease the pastry into the corners of the dish leaving excess pastry falling over the sides – don’t trim at this stage. Prick the base with a fork. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and fill with baking beans. Trim the excess pastry using a sharp knife. Bake the pastry case blind for about 15 minutes – remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Continue reading
Well, it’s Christmas!
So the naughty indulgence of loading myself with lots of rich, sweet, delicious and frankly dangerously indulgent foods seems almost righteous. Eat like this every day and I’ll die happy.
Nicky Grant is a seductress.
One bite of her ‘Great Taste’ gold award winning Cornish seasalt caramel truffles and I’m smitten!
It might be the quick snap sensation of the dark chocolate shell breaking apart under my teeth, followed by the oozing creamy-rich, sweet caramel centre on my tongue that transports a feeling of rapture straight from my head to my toes; or possibly the guilty memento of sin touched with smudges of cocoa powder left on my fingertips to lick? However, what sets these caramels apart, and my taste buds spiralling into bliss, is the barely discernible flavour of sea salt. Don’t ask me why or how, but salt appears to add something quite remarkable. It turns a nod of approval into the tenderest proposal: ‘my heart is putty. I adore you’.
I met Nicky first at the Cornwall Food & Drink festival last September. Temptation brought me to her stand. She proffered a bowl of mouth-watering caramels in my general direction and I was irresistibly drawn in like a proverbial ‘carrot to the donkey’. Since then, like a ‘chocoholic’ possessed, I’ve not been able to get them out of my mind. In her home kitchen a few months later, I was treated to some of the most divine chocolates I have ever eaten. With coffee and conversation (meanwhile salivating over, sampling, ruminating and cogitating on half a dozen exquisite samples of Nicky’s beautiful chocolates) it took me literally hours to learn what it is to be a Chocolatier… and, believe me, to rush these things is to do them a terrible injustice! Continue reading
A GARDEN OF EDEN IN A CHRISTMAS HAMPER
The Eden Project in Cornwall is passionate about plants, people and working towards a sustainable future. To celebrate the season of goodwill, the team at Eden has sourced a number of Christmas hampers and gift sets that showcase the very best of food, drink and plant life – much of which comes from local producers in Cornwall. All you need to do is buy, try and enjoy!
There’s also a fairly good chance this kind of question might turn up in a Christmas Cracker a a Trivia fact between the corny joke and the paper crown.
Did you know? Best known as being Cornwall’s top garden and eco tourist attraction, the Eden Project is also home to the world’s biggest rainforest in captivity.
However, if you are like me and dislike being given anything for Christmas unless you can eat it…here are some very tasty suggestions. Continue reading
Giving traditional Christmas Day dining a proper Cornish twist with unique food and drink specialities from the best local producers.
1. Apéritif:
Ninemaiden's Mead
‘Ninemaidens Mead’, Lanner, TR16 5TQ.
Mead, a sweet, honey-based alcohol and, was not invented in Cornwall, but has been strongly associated with the Duchy. Ninemaidens produce five different varieties: ‘traditional’, with a strong heather honey nose, and ‘spiced’, which makes an invigorating winter warmer. These could be just as easily drunk as a sweet desert wine. ‘Apple’, ‘blackcurrant’ and ‘redcurrant’ are fruity, slightly drier but equally delicious. Honey is sourced from hives across West Cornwall and the best locally sourced ingredients are added during the brewing process.
For Christmas it can be warmed, mulled or added to a spicy winter punch. Alternatively, try their new ‘Gwires’, crystal clear distilled mead with a floral, honeyed bouquet; a great Cornish alternative to classic single malt.
Tel:(01209) 820939 / 860630 www.cornwallsolar.co.uk/ninemaidens Continue reading
My son had this idea for his 10th birthday, yesterday. He was very clear about it. He wanted a coiled snake and suggested this could be achieved by baking cakes in different sized tins. The smaller cake could sit on the larger one, and a smaller one again on that, except that I pointed out I was limited to two sizes of cake tins only in my cupboard.
He’s a creative thinker, a lover of reptiles and amphibians and very encouraging and complimentary of my efforts which helps a lot as I was nervous of making a complete hash of it.
The cake was a simple recipe. I weighed 4 eggs in their shells first and then used weighed out butter, sugar and flour to the same weight as the eggs. Continue reading
Iced Ginger-bread Soufflé
Phil Thomas
Recipe by Phil Thomas, Head Chef, Rosewarne Manor, Connor Downs, Hayle.
Phil Thomas uses an ‘Italian’ meringue base for his dessert, which he describes as “the most technical of meringues to make”. An ‘Italian’ meringue is much underused even by other chef’s, “but it is the ideal base for any iced parfait. Simply add the puree, or fruit puree, of your choice to lightly whipped cream and the meringue. Once you have overcome the fear of making it,” he adds, “you will find many uses for it in stunning desserts. The advantage is that it keeps its shape; it can be frozen without going rock-solid, it can also be dried out like ordinary meringues but won’t collapse and go sticky and it makes a versatile base for many desserts from ice-creams to a lemon meringue pie.”
The Rosewarne was a popular West Cornwall dining venue in the 1980’s, where they regularly served between 200 – 300 meals a night in the summer time. It was also where Phil had his first taste of his career on a work experience placement. Reopened in December 2007, with a complete refurbishment, the Rosewarne is set to rebuild its reputation and Phil found he had come full circle by returning as Head Chef. Continue reading
Beyond the pasty... 
