Pannacotta

I guess this post should really be titled "MummyLark loses her fear of leaf gelatine" for, in truth that's what it's all about.

In my young mother days I was just as scared of the granule variety having had several disasters - a particularly memorable one being when I turned out a jelly which turned to liquid and escaped over the edge of the worktop onto the then dog. However once I decided that less heat and patient stirring was the answer I became Queen of the packet variety. But I have shied away from the leaf stuff, partly because it looked difficult and well partly because it looked a tad unlikely.

No more. I adore pannacotta and it is so trendy that I would be losing my culinary nerve if I didn't experiment. I followed this recipe for Vanilla Pannacotta from Simon Rimmer whose work I have always found accurate, reliable and tasty.

The only problem I encountered was that I had 3 packets of leaf gelatine in the cupboard all purporting to set different amounts of liquid. I chose the one that was endorsed by Saint Delia, using 4 sheets (they were small) rather than Simon's 2. And Tesco Express only had blackberries so they replaced the suggested raspberries.

The result was a perfect wobbly set.  I didn't feel it was sweet enough - I shall add more sugar next time. And there will be lots of next times.

Why was I so worried? I shall have to try Choux pastry next, my other phobia.

Lunch at Bocca di Lupo

It is the school Easter holidays and therefore time for a treat. My chum Liz will be retiring as a Deputy Headteacher at Christmas so we need to get her into the swing of lots of culture and lots of good food. And so it was that yesterday we headed off to the National Gallery to see an exhibition of work by the Flemish artist Jan Gossaert. Suitably edified we then walked to Archer Street in Soho where I had booked lunch at Bocca di Lupo. This was my second visit. The first had impressed me with the food but it had been crowded and we had dined at the bar, not good for an aged lady with back problems. On my recommendation Liz had taken a GP friend there last October and was smitten. This time I was smitten too! The restaurant had phoned to confirm the booking the previous day and I had explained that we were going to the National Gallery first and would be with them by 2. In fact the exhibition was small and had not taken as long as predicted so we arrived an hour early expecting to be turned away. But no. The greetings girl remembered me, asked how the gallery was and said that of course we could have our table now. As we were shown in I recognised Jay Rayner sitting opposite. Mr Rayner is a very good and knowledgeable food writer come restaurant reviewer so this was auspicious. Liz and I shared the smaller plates throughout other than dessert. Our starters were Shaved radish, celeriac and pecorino salad with truffle oil and pomegranate, and Lamb prosciutto with broad beans and, also pecorino. Having had some disgusting air-dried lamb at Borough Market once I was wary of the prosciutto but it was amazing. Really tasty and just the right texture. The pecorino worked so well with it too. I think I was a bit underwhelmed by peeling my own broad beans but maybe that's just me. We drank a lovely chilled Pinot Bianco. I'd had the radish and celeriac salad on my previous visit and it was just as beautiful as I remembered it. Liz is not a massive bread eater but she was scraping up every last drop of the dressing - naturally with the onion focaccia that came with our pre-lunch G&T's.

Our mains were both absolutely terrific but the prize (just) went to the Fried soft-shell crab with blood orange and Lamb's lettuce. So heavenly that we nearly ordered another plate. However the second dish of Scallops with wild garlic was also brilliantly put together and, with our side dish of (more) broad beans, rocket, lemon and mint was both filling and satisfying. (At this point Liz informed me that Jay Rayner was also eating the radish/celeriac salad and the crab).

Liz finished with a 4 sorbet ice cream which she pronounced "wonderful except for the bergamot". I went for the very fattening Rum baba with strawberries and cream which was drop-dead gorgeous.

It truly was a memorable lunch and I will back. The bill which included service was £101. Not cheap but this is London and we were on a splurge.

Fantastic. Our next venture is in the Summer holidays to The Waterside Inn in Bray. If we can book it.

Soy braised chicken thighs with star anise

Diana Henry is rapidly becoming my favourite food writer. I have made this recipe twice now and each time it has been absolutely delicious. My thighs don't look as pretty as hers though!



My friend Sue has made all 3 of the recipes in the article and she reports that they were all very good indeed.



Easy-peasy and very tasty indeed.

Sweet and Salty Crunchy Nut Bars

These little treats - well not so little actually, are from Nigella's Kitchen, her latest TV series. The recipe is Googleable in several forms but not in original text yet. I'll leave you to find it. (There is a YouTube video to help).

My friend Foodycat made and recommended them. I can only endorse what she said. They are rich, very tasty and easier than pie to make.

My family almost gobbled the lot in one sitting and took home the remainder for today's lunchboxes.

Unlike Nigella I shopped in Lidl, not Waitrose. The result was scrummy and very calorific. I am making more tomorrow. By request.

And they will certainly feature as a staff treat at our Strings Festival next week.

Lunch at Paris House

It is half term so, naturally enough, I am due a food treat. My schoolfriend chum Liz and I decided to visit Paris House in the grounds of the Woburn Abbey for a leisurely lunch. Liz had dined there several times before as she has a friend who was a cousin of one of the previous owners. Liz really rated it and, as it's just gained a Michelin star under the Alan Merchison team, now seemed like a good time to try it.

It is approached through a deer park and looks slightly incongrous in its surroundings. The building itself was constructed in Paris in 1878 and then dismantled and brought to Woburn at the end of the 19th century. We loved the chickens in the adjacent pen (and Eglu) and the distant deer which were mostly white. Liz thought they must be albinos. I keep meaning to look them up.

I started with my first G&T for 3 weeks. All the more yummy for being mixed with Fevertree tonic which is absolutedly the best. It was accompanied by excellent olives and coated cashews. We then moved into the dining room for an amuse bouche of (Jerusalem) Artichoke Velouté with Hazelnut Foam. I don't do foam. It looked like spit and this one didn't taste of anything. The soup was gorgeous however and you could definitely taste hazelnuts in that. At the bottom was an unexpected prune which finished the dish off nicely, although seeing that written down it doesn't sound nice at all.

We had opted for the Lunch Tasting menu and the next dish was a Chicken Liver Parfait, Madeira Jelly and Crispy Brioche. It was runnier than I'd expected and garnished prettily with thin beetroot ribbons. Very smooth, very moreish. This was followed by a Smoked Haddock Risotto with Crispy Egg (and more blooming foam). Liz had reservations about this as she doesn't do eggs (so I had to oblige) and she felt that it wasn't risotto rice and therefore lacked something. I had no complaints but wondered what kind of eggs they were - smaller than your average chicken, bigger than quail. We both agreed though that it was very tasty.

Mains were a delight. Liz's Poached Pigeon Breast, Pea Parfait, Confit and Sherry Jus is pictured. I was allowed a taste of the pigeon. Totally melt-in-the-mouth. I am eyeing up the pigeons in my garden. It really was a sensational dish.



I went for the other option of Pan-Fried Skate, Dill Gnocchi, Brown Shrimp and Cockle Butter which was also wonderful. Perhaps the gnocchi were on the hefty side but the dish was no worse for that.

We decided then, to hell with the cost, to share a plate of cheese. Totally amazing and possibly the best cheese board I have seen outside Le Manoir. Liz waxed lyrical about the various goat cheeses. I loved the Epoisses and a wonderful cider-washed Welsh hard cheese whose name escapes me.

The chef's pre-desserts were miniature ice cream cones containing lemon parfait (I think) and coconut ice cream. Fortunately for me Liz can only take a little dairy before her allergy to whey kicks in so she insisted I had hers too. Again it was really good, the balance between the lemon and the coconut just perfect.

My dessert was a Marshmallow, Vanilla and Chocolate Sauce confection decorated with gold leaf. So pretty, so fabulous. I think Liz fared less well with the Rum Baba and Caramelised Pineapple but she certainly wasn't complaining. (I had to eat her Pina Colada ice cream too and that was very, very good).

We shared a bottle of (red) Rioja. The price for lunch including service and a supplement for the cheese was £146. Not cheap but I think it was special enough to warrant it.

The ambience is excellent, the building and decor nicely quirky. We left replete and vowing to return.

Highly recommended for a special lunch but you'll have to book well in advance.

Upside-down cheesecake

When I read this recipe in last Saturday's Guardian I thought it would do very nicely for supper on Sunday as we were due at least 2 of our offspring to be dining with us. In the event they went off to play squash and had a takeaway pizza. This sort of thing is normal chez Lark!

I thought the recipe promised much and the price of forced rhubarb has dropped a little, although cream cheese is pricey. Worth a punt though and better than a tin of mandarin oranges and a can of evaporated milk!

It was easy to make and it looked very pretty when I cut into it. (My photo of the inside does not do it justice, as per usual).

But. And it is a Big But. Mr Lepard's instruction to eat it straight from the oven or warm is So Wrong IMHO. The ginger crumbs and the rhubarb were lovely at that temperature but the filling was reminiscent of warm baby sick. (Our grandson has spent a lot of time with us this weekend so I know what I'm talking about here). My husband, aforementioned Mr Fussy Eater, thought it was horrible and even I had a problem with it.

On Monday we both ate it cold. And we both had a second portion. Fridged and set firm it was absolutely gorgeous.

So I have a new food on my "I don't like" list (which is a very small list and includes most goat cheese, gravy and Campari). Warm cheesecake. Bleeeurgh.

The yearly ritual

Every January since just before we were married I have made marmalade. This was inspired by three things. The first is that toast and marmalade is my husband's favourite breakfast apart from kippers. The second that we inherited a mechanical marmalade cutter from his mother which we felt obliged to use. The third, and most compulsive reason, is that my Norfolk aunt was and still is a champion marmalade maker and I had watched her go through the annual ritual many times.

I no longer use the cutter. I squeeze my Sevilles in a juicer and chop the peel in the Magimix. That part of the operation still takes about an hour and I wonder that I had the patience when I was younger to fiddle about with the old stuff!

The recipe is the one my aunt uses, very standard in the marmalade world.

3lbs Sevilles
2 lemons
6 pints water
6lbs granulated sugar

Put the water in the jam pan. Juice the fruit reserving the pips which you place in a piece of muslin (or part of an old school shirt if you are me) which you also place in the jam pan. Shred the peel. Bring fruit, water, peel and pips to the boil and simmer until the fruit is soft. This usually takes about an hour and a half.




Remove the pips, squeezing out any extra pectin before discarding. Add the sugar, dissolving it into the fruit/water mixture. Bring to the boil and cook until setting point is reached. There is received wisdom which says you should use a sugar thermometer and that you should keep testing dollops of the liquid on refrigerated cold saucers. I don't use a thermometer. I had one for years which never seemed to reach the setting point marker. In those days I seemed to get an awful lot of over-cooked marmalade. I test on saucers after 15 mins. I seldom go past 20. A badly timed phone call meant my first batch had to be reboiled. The second lot was fabulous.



There has been a lot in the press about the demise of marmalade. So I feel like a bit of a heroine!