Cooks&Kitchens to Publish Cookbook for St Teresa’s Hospice

2011 is St Teresa’s Hospice’s 25th Anniversary.

In recognition of this landmark, Darlington Cookshop Cooks & Kitchens is creating and publishing a ‘proper’ cookbook, featuring recipes that have been submitted by people who want to support the project.

The theme for the cookbook is ‘signature recipes’ and entries to date have covered family favourites, dishes from home countries and a few serious restaurant offerings.

To spice things up, a few of the contributions come from well-known figures who’ve been kind enough to get involved, including the Rockcliffe’s Kenny Atkinson (who’s agreed to write the introduction), Andrew Brown, Alberto Alessi (the Godfather of Italian design), Ian Botham and several unconfirmed ‘names’.

However, we want the majority of the recipes to come from people who simply live and work in the Darlington area so, if you’d like your favourite starter, main or dessert to be immortalised and make money, you’ll find the necessary forms for download below (Just click on the 2 text links in blue and it should download the documents). Alternatively, just call into the shop on Grange Road. Please note that we’re unable to accept recipes unless they’re submitted on the form, as this is pre-configured for the book layout.

The deadline for recipes is May 31st, as we want to have the cookbook available before the usual Christmas ‘cookbook rush’.

Apart from the basic printing costs, all proceeds from the cookbook will be going to St Teresa’s Hospice.

We hope that you’d like to get to get involved. If you have any questions, please email st.teresas25@cooksandkitchens.co.uk

Cookbook Details

Recipe Form for St Teresa’s Cookbook

The brilliance of Bake-o-Glide

This is a product I have mentioned in a previous post, however I felt it deserved more of an explanation to show you just how brilliant it is. With a whole array of uses this is something that has revolutionised the whole baking/cooking experience for me!

“Bake o Glide” products are a range of non-stick, reusable, siliconised fabric liners that can be used for a whole multitude of things. The multi-grade roll can be cut to size and used for baking, roasting, grilling, frying or even micro-waving. For baking cakes it can be used as an alternative to brown paper or grease proof paper for lining your tin. When using the Bake o Glide liner there is no need for oil, grease or fat and the product can be re-used 100′s of times. I found it really easy to clean, simply in warm soapy water or if I was feeling particularly lazy I stuck it in the dishwasher! It’s not only a healthier alternative for your cooking, but also reduces waste and saves money.

The Bake o Glide liner can be used on gas, electric and solid fuel cookers and ovens and can be used in temperatures from -40°C to 260°C. My other favourite product in the range is the extra thick Bake o Glide oven liner, which keeps the bottom of my oven lovely and clean with minimum work involved, a job I used to hate doing. Also available is the Bake o Glide baking set, a collection of pre-cut baking pieces.

Gift Ideas For Mothers Day.

Mothers Day is once again just around the corner, so its time to get your thinking caps on for what to give one of the most important people in your life, to show just how much you value her.

So, while you’re pondering over what you think she may like, let me give you some ideas for inspiration…

For those mums with a traditional style kitchen, Charlotte Watsons’ cream earthenware range works very well. A comprehensive range of storage solutions that’ll keep her kitchen looking tidy, and it’s a timeless collection she can build on over time. With everything from a little mustard pot to a large bread crock and lots in between, there’s sure to be something her kitchen is in need of.

If  you think a splash of colour would be more your mums style, then take a look through the Emma Bridgewater collection. Hand crafted in a Victorian style pottery in Stoke, her polka dots and pink hearts ranges cannot fail to please.

A fairly recent addition to the Bridgewater range, introduced in 2009, are the elegant flower designs on cream earthenware half pint mugs. Produced to support the National Gardens Scheme, by donating 5% of their proceeds, they feature the names of the flowers round the inside of the mug and a detailed description on the underside with some handy planting tips. So, they are not only beautiful to look at, but useful,  informative, supporting a good cause and made in Britain too! I don’t think you could find a better gift.

Christmas cakes – round or square?

Why not treat yourself to a new cake tin this year to bake the Christmas cake? Our most popular range, from Alan Silverwood, offers round and square cake tins from 5″ up to 12″ (apologies for the imperial units but they are made in Birmingham!). When deciding what size tin you need, don’t forget that the marzipan and icing will probably add at least another half inch all round.

Small tins are often popular with people who are baking for the elderly and Silverwood’s pork pie mould (4″ diameter) can also be a possible solution. Alternatively, the multisize cake tin is great if you are batch baking for the family as you can cook four square cakes in one go.

Every Autumn, we try to predict (not always successfully!) whether it will be a round or square cake tin year. Round cakes are perhaps more traditional but square cakes are much easier to cut into even pieces – particularly useful if you are baking for an event such as the school or church fair.

When it comes to lining the tin, the traditional method is to use brown paper with an inner greaseproof paper layer. However Bake -O-Glide’s reusable siliconised baking liner makes life much easier as the Baking Set contains precut circles of different sizes and a wall liner which you can cut to size. Just wash the liner in warm soapy water after use and it is ready for next time.

Christmas cake recipes are often handed down over the generations and can be closely guarded secrets. Here’s one with an Irish heritage as it came from a friend’s mother who lived just outside Dublin. It has been used for the last 20 years for numerous Christmas cakes, a couple of Christenings and a Ruby wedding anniversary so has stood the test of time.

Ingredients

• 12oz margarine
• 12oz demerara sugar
• 6 eggs
• 12oz currants
• 1lb raisins
• 1lb sultanas
• 60z chopped peel
• 4oz quartered glace cherries
• Grated rind of 1 lemon
• 1lb plain flour
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 glass whisky, brandy or rum

1. Line a 10″ round or 9″ square cake tin with  Bake-O-Glide liner and greaseproof paper
2. Cream the margarine and sugar
3. Add the eggs alternatively with the flour and spice
4. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients
5. Bake for 1hour at Gas Mark 2/150°C and then 4-5 hours at Gas Mark 1/140°. Cover the cake with foil after the first hour to prevent over browning. If using a silver anodised tin such as Silverwood, cooking times may be reduced due to the excellent head conductivity of the tin
6. When cool, turn cake upside down and make holes in the base with a skewer. Pour the spirit into the cake.
7. A couple of weeks before Christmas, cover with marzipan. Use apricot jam to help the marzipan stick to the cake. Ice as required.

One-pot cooking

As the nights draw in,  slow-cooked, hearty casseroles and stews feature high on the menu. Many can be cooked in a single pot which can be used both on the hob and in the oven – great for the person doing the washing up! Casseroles come in various sizes, shapes, materials and colours so here are a few things to consider when making a purchase.

• Firstly, what hob type is being used? If you have a gas, halogen or ceramic hob then most casseroles will be suitable. However, if you have an induction hob, aluminium based products will not work (unless they have had an induction base added).  If you have a range cooker, you will need to make sure that the base of the pan is very flat to ensure good contact with the hotplates.

• If you are looking for colour there are a number of cast iron ranges available in both traditional and contemporary colours. Cast iron is a great retainer of heat but is also very heavy. It’s worth considering lighter alternatives like Emile Henry’s innovative Flame range. Made from high grade ceramics with a tough glaze for easy cleaning, it can be used on gas, electric and halogen hobs and also in the microwave.

• If you prefer a non-stick casserole, cast aluminium ranges such as Berndes and WMF’s Bueno provide plenty of choice in size and volume. As Berndes offer a removable handle range, it’s also worth considering their saute pans as these can double up as low casseroles in the oven. Aluminium is such a good conductor of heat that you will not need to use more than a moderate setting on your hob. Most non-stick surfaces require the use of wood, plastic or silicone tools but there are now coatings available which have been re-inforced to allow the use of metal tools. One of the other advantages of aluminium is that it is lighter than most other metals so is particularly good for older people who are finding lifting casseroles out of the oven more difficult.

• Stainless steel is another popular choice for its stylish looks and hardwearing properties. As stainless steel itself is not a good heat conductor,  quality ranges will have an encapsulated base which contains a layer of aluminium to improve conductivity and ensure even heat distribution. Other features to consider are ‘stay-cool’ metal handles (e.g.WMF’s Gourmet Plus) , graduated scales on the inside of the casseroles, steam vents and glass versus metal lids.

Wedding Present Inspiration

Whilst wedding lists are still popular, many of our customers like to choose a  wedding gift which they feel is more distinctive and personal. If you are looking for inspiration, designer brands such as Alessi, Guzzini and LSA can often provide the answer.

Iconic pieces such as Philippe Starck’s Juicy Salif (the lemon squeezer which looks a bit like an alien!) or Alessandro Mendini’s Anna G range of bottle openers, stoppers and pepper mills always prove popular. Alternatively, Alessi produce some stunning fruit bowls such as ‘Mediterraneo’ or ‘Blow Up’ which would make a statement on any living room table. The chance of duplication is also quite low as they are such distinctive and unusual pieces.

Glassware is another good option and LSA’s Jazz range is more contemporary than the traditional crystal. Available in black or violet, Jazz comes as a set of four glasses, each one with a different pattern (no need for wine charms anymore as it is easy to remember which is your glass!). There are cocktails, wine glasses, champagne flutes and highballs so plenty to choose from, particularly if you are getting together with other family members or colleagues from work.

You can never go too far wrong with mugs, cappuccino cups and espressos and the Art and Cafe range from Guzzini, with their brightly coloured handles and saucers, are very contemporary. The Cafe Stal double walled cafetieres, also make a great gift, as they keep your coffee hot much longer than the traditional glass cafetieres, and look very stylish too.

Of course, many couples are now combining two houses so, rather than starting from scratch, they are looking to upgrade their kitchenware including the more functional items such as knives and pans. Some people are uncomfortable about giving kitchen knives as a wedding present, even when the couple may have specifically asked for them, but a good quality set should last a long time so makes a great gift. Legend says that if you give a penny with the knives then this counteracts any concerns about whether they bring bad luck or not!

And the final tip – avoid going for a wok. They rarely come boxed and are virtually impossible to wrap neatly!

Cakes to Impress

If you want to bake a cake with the ‘WOW‘ factor then check out the range of cake tins from Nordicware. Made from heavy-duty cast aluminium with a non-stick interior, these Bundt tins create the detailed shapes for you, whether it be a football Stadium decorated in the right team colours, or an elegant Rose sprinkled with icing sugar.

There are a few important tips for getting the best out of these Bundt tins.

Prepare your tin well : Take a pastry brush and brush the interior of the tin thoroughly with melted butter or a baker’s spray (but not margarine) and then flour lightly to get good release.

Use the right recipe: It is best to use relatively dense mixtures such as Pound cake or Madeira, as the cake will retain better structure and more of the detail. Nordicware provide a basic recipe which is detailed below which is suitable for most of the large moulds and can be adapted with different flavourings.

Getting the cake out: When the cake is cooked (check with a cake tester or skewer), cool for 10 minutes before inverting. Then gently shake the tin from side to side. You should hear a thumping noise which means that the cake is loose and ready to come out. Once cooled you can decorate to impress!

Vanilla pound cake

• 370g butter, softened
• 370g caster sugar
• 370g plain flour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 medium eggs (at room temperature)
• 110ml milk or plain yoghurt (at room temperature)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°/350°F
2. Grease the tin thoroughly with melted butter and dust with flour, shaking off any excess
3. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla extract.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition
5. Add the flour in 2/3 batches until well combined
6. Add the milk or yoghurt while the electric whisk is in motion. The mixture should look like a fairly wet batter and drop off the spoon in folds
7. Spoon in to the tin (should fill about 2/3rds) and push the batter up the sides of the mould with a spatula
8. Gently tap the tin on the worktop to release as many air bubbles as possible. The longer you tap the tin, the more air bubbles you’ll release and the better detail you’ll achieve
9. Bake for 40-45 minutes (cooking times will vary with oven type) or until a cake tester or skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean
10. Cool for exactly 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely

Really Useful Kitchen Gadgets

When it comes to kitchen gadgets, some are indispensable and others will be used once and then gather dust in the kitchen drawer. Here are some of our top-selling favourites that we think are really useful!

• A quality flexible filleting knife and pair of fishbone tweezers will transform the process of preparing fish whether from the supermarket or straight from the riverbank.

• Also on the seafood theme, an oyster knife or shuck will make easy work of opening oysters and mussels.

• The Joseph Joseph nesting set comprises two sizes of bowl, a colander, sieve and set of measuring cups which all stack inside each other. Brilliant if you have limited storage space.
  

  Rosle Caipirinha pestle

• A Caipirinha pestle also known as a fruit muddler. Made famous by a Brazilian lime and cachaca cocktail, it is used to crush fruit at the bottom of a tumbler prior to mixing the cocktail.

• Another one from Joseph Joseph (they are very innovative) – their compact herb chopper. With twin blades for efficiency, it comes with its own concave chopping board which doubles up as a storage unit.

• ‘Parmenide’ from A di Alessi. A stylishly designed, colourful parmesan grater which you can use at the table to grate the cheese and then pour it straight on to your pasta.

Look After Your Knives

If you’ve bought great quality knives like Wusthof, Global or Shun then it’s really important to look after them.

Firstly it’s best to sharpen your knives on a ”little and often’ basis. European knives such as Wusthof, Sabatier and Taylors Eye Witness will normally have an angle of about 20 degrees on each side of the blade. They can be sharpened using traditional steels, pull-through sharpeners and whetstones. When sharpening with a steel, we always recommend to customers that they hold the steel pointing down on to a chopping board so that they can concentrate on the angle that they are putting on the blade. Waving steels and knives in the air may look clever when the TV chefs do it but it is not very accurate or safe!

Japanese knives, such as Global, Shun and Wasabi will have an angle of about 15 degrees on each side of the blade. These can be sharpened with a fine diamond or ceramic steel (we do not recommend metal steels), ceramic whetstones (best for any Damascus steel knife e.g.Shun) or a suitable ceramic ‘pull-through’ sharpener such as the Minosharp water sharpener. When using ‘pull- throughs’, let the weight of the knife do the work rather than exerting any pressure, as this will be counterproductive.

It’s best to avoid chopping on glass, marble or granite surfaces as this will easily blunt or damage your knives. Wood, wood composites (such as the dishwasher-safe Top Gourmet boards) bamboo and polyethylene are much kinder to your blades.

Knives are best stored on magnetic strips on the wall or in knife blocks, dependant on the space you have available and whether you have young children in the kitchen. Blocks with horizontal slots are preferable so that the knife is not sitting on the cutting edge. If you do need to store them in a drawer, make sure that the blade has a cover to protect both your hands and the edge of the knife.

Please do not put a knife in a dishwasher! Wash it in detergent under hot running water and then dry it straight away. Dishwasher chemicals are quite aggressive and, overtime, will pit the surface of a knife which can then lead to rust spots. They also run at high temperatures which can cause handles to crack.

Professional quality knives should last a long time as long as you look after them and treat them with respect – no tin opening please!.

Make Life ‘Easy’

WMF Easy Highball Tumbler

Are your tired of the fact that most glasses are not dishwasher safe? Well WMF have found a solution to this with their Easy glassware range of highball tumblers, wine glasses and champagne flutes.

Many glasses are easily broken in the dishwasher or ‘haze’ due to the caustic elements in the dishwasher detergents pitting the surface of the glass. The Easy range has a special coating applied, Aquadurit, which resists this pitting and keeps the glasses clear for hundreds of dishwasher cycles. They also undergo a hardening process which strengthens the lip, stem top and base which are the parts of the glass most prone to breakage. The red and white wine glasses and champagne flutes are a standard 18cm high so that they fit easily on the top shelf of your dishwasher.

So when you are entertaining or just enjoying a bottle of wine at home, forget all the handwashing and make your life ‘Easy’!