Cooking with Gizzi...
For a really long time now I've been a fan of Gizzi Erskine. I think I perhaps first saw her moons ago on This Morning with Ruth and Eamon- and was blown away by her sixties inspired style (I wonder why that had me at hello) and eye for amazing flavours. If you know me you'll know I'm not the most experimental eater and tend to stick to the safer foodie combinations (margherita pizza anyone?) so being introduced to someone who takes (damn tasty) risks with food, was right up my street.
So you can imagine my excitement when I had the chance to do a bit of cooking with a certain Ms Erskine, with host Nescafe's Dolce Gusto at Food at 52, in order to make some super tasty fritters and a salted caramel chocolate tart. Yup, it definitely tasted as good as it sounded.
Anyway- rather than harp on about how tasty the dishes were, although- trust me I could all day- I thought I'd pop them below for you, so you can give them a go yourself. The sweetcorn fritters make for an amazing Sunday brunch alternative, and the avocado with coriander is so fresh and delicious- plus, don't even get me started on the tart...
Sweetcorn Fritters:
200g sweetcorn form the cob | 2 chopped spring onions | 1 green chilli- halved seeded and sliced | 1 egg | 1 egg yolk | 75ml buttermilk | 30g polenta | 15g cornflour | 1/2 teaspoon salt | 1/2 teaspoon black pepper | oil for frying | olive oil to drizzle | 4 cooking chorizos | 250g cherry tomatoes | 1 avocado | 1/2 lemon juice | sea salt | coriander
1. Heat your oven to 200 degrees, and rub the chorizo with oil and pop into the over to roast for 20 minutes (adding in the oil drizzled tomatoes for the last 10).
2. Mix together the corn, spring onion, chilli, egg, buttermilk, polenta, corn flour and seasoning into a large bowl- cover, and place in the fridge to rest for 15 minutes.
3. Heat a frying pan and add some oil- spoon into the hot pan half of the fritter mixture into 2/4 dollops and cook for 1/2 minutes until golden underneath- before flipping over.
4. Top with chorizo, roasted tomatoes and avocado- and serve with lemon juice and fresh coriander.
So you can imagine my excitement when I had the chance to do a bit of cooking with a certain Ms Erskine, with host Nescafe's Dolce Gusto at Food at 52, in order to make some super tasty fritters and a salted caramel chocolate tart. Yup, it definitely tasted as good as it sounded.
Anyway- rather than harp on about how tasty the dishes were, although- trust me I could all day- I thought I'd pop them below for you, so you can give them a go yourself. The sweetcorn fritters make for an amazing Sunday brunch alternative, and the avocado with coriander is so fresh and delicious- plus, don't even get me started on the tart...
Sweetcorn Fritters:
200g sweetcorn form the cob | 2 chopped spring onions | 1 green chilli- halved seeded and sliced | 1 egg | 1 egg yolk | 75ml buttermilk | 30g polenta | 15g cornflour | 1/2 teaspoon salt | 1/2 teaspoon black pepper | oil for frying | olive oil to drizzle | 4 cooking chorizos | 250g cherry tomatoes | 1 avocado | 1/2 lemon juice | sea salt | coriander
1. Heat your oven to 200 degrees, and rub the chorizo with oil and pop into the over to roast for 20 minutes (adding in the oil drizzled tomatoes for the last 10).
2. Mix together the corn, spring onion, chilli, egg, buttermilk, polenta, corn flour and seasoning into a large bowl- cover, and place in the fridge to rest for 15 minutes.
3. Heat a frying pan and add some oil- spoon into the hot pan half of the fritter mixture into 2/4 dollops and cook for 1/2 minutes until golden underneath- before flipping over.
4. Top with chorizo, roasted tomatoes and avocado- and serve with lemon juice and fresh coriander.
Salted Caramel Tart:
1 x pack of ready to roll short crust pastry | 150g unsalted butter | 160g good quality chocolate | 8tbsp cocoa powder | small pinch of salt | 4 eggs | 180g caster sugar | 3tbsp golden syrup | 3tbsp single cream | For the caramel: | 150g caster sugar | 65g unsalted butter | 100ml single cream | 1tbsp sea salt
1. Grease a tart tin with butter and then dust with flour. Place the pastry inside and blind bake in the oven on 170 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
2. Cook the tart without the blind bake for the last 5 minutes of cooking. When the pastry is cooked and starts to brown take it out and leave it to cool. In the meantime make the caramel by melting the sugar and a splash of water in a saucepan on a medium heat until it is a light golden colour, then whisk in the butter and double cream.
3. Finish with the salt. Pour the caramel into the cooked tart and place in the fridge to set for one hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 140 degrees- and when the caramel has almost set, start making the chocolate mix by melting the butter, chocolate, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl over simmering water until smooth.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until light and well creamed, followed by the golden syrup and double cream. Add the chocolate mixture and mix well.
6. Pour the mix unto the tart on top of the set caramel ad bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
Enjoy!
Don't forget to check out the pod over on Facebook too!
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1 x pack of ready to roll short crust pastry | 150g unsalted butter | 160g good quality chocolate | 8tbsp cocoa powder | small pinch of salt | 4 eggs | 180g caster sugar | 3tbsp golden syrup | 3tbsp single cream | For the caramel: | 150g caster sugar | 65g unsalted butter | 100ml single cream | 1tbsp sea salt
1. Grease a tart tin with butter and then dust with flour. Place the pastry inside and blind bake in the oven on 170 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
2. Cook the tart without the blind bake for the last 5 minutes of cooking. When the pastry is cooked and starts to brown take it out and leave it to cool. In the meantime make the caramel by melting the sugar and a splash of water in a saucepan on a medium heat until it is a light golden colour, then whisk in the butter and double cream.
3. Finish with the salt. Pour the caramel into the cooked tart and place in the fridge to set for one hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 140 degrees- and when the caramel has almost set, start making the chocolate mix by melting the butter, chocolate, cocoa powder and salt in a bowl over simmering water until smooth.
5. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until light and well creamed, followed by the golden syrup and double cream. Add the chocolate mixture and mix well.
6. Pour the mix unto the tart on top of the set caramel ad bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
Enjoy!
Don't forget to check out the pod over on Facebook too!
x
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