Last week I talked about three cook books I had out of the library. One of those was Delicious: Love to Eat: Around the World in 120 Simply Delicious Recipes by Valli Little.
There were quite a few recipes that we have made in this book, but the one that I specifically wanted to share was the one for Truffled Chicken and Champagne Sauce. I know it sounds fancy, but it actually wasn't too difficult. The first time we made this recipe it was just for us, but we also made the champagne sauce when we did a roast chook for Christmassy in July and we had guests over.
Just in case you think we are springing for truffles on a regular basis, we did a little bit of adapting to the recipe. I had bought some truffle butter when I visited the French festival and so we used that which we spread under the skin. We also used the humbler chicken Maryland instead of the cut they mentioned. We also did potatoes and you will note no green vegetables, as I had to specifically have to request them otherwise they will not make it onto the plate when my husband is cooking
Truffle Chicken with Champagne Sauce (Valli Little)
4 chicken breast fillets, skin on (with the wing bone attached, often referred to as supreme or Kiev)
60g unsalted butter, softened 3 leeks (white part only) each cut into 4 lengths 1 small black truffle 1 tbs olive oil 1-2 tsp truffle oil (optional)
Steamed baby vegetables, to serve Champagne sauce
20g unsalted butter
1 tbs plain flour
1 garlic clove, crushed 100ml champagne or other sparkling white wine
2 sprigs of thyme
1/ cup (125ml) pure (thin) cream
1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock
Pre-heat oven to 180c. Grease a 2L (8 cup capacity) baking dish.
Place leeks in prepared baking dish and dot with 30g butter. Sason, then pour over the chicken stock. Place a sheet of baking paper over the top, then bake for 30 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven.
Meanwhile, gently loosen the skin from the breasts. Thinly slice the truffle and place a few slices between the skin and flesh of each breast. Season. Heat remaining 30g butter and olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken, skin-side down first, for 3 minutes each side or until light golden. Place the chicken on top of the leek mixture in the baking dish, then return to the oven and cook for a further 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, drain off 100ml of the cooking liquid and reserve. Set aside the chicken, loosely covering with foil.
Meanwhile for the Champagne Sauce, heat the butter in a frypan over medium heat, add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the garlic, champagne, thyme, cream, stock and reserved cooking liquid, gently whisking until smooth. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until slightly reduced. Season well.
Thickly slice each chicken breast. Divide leeks among 4 plates, top each with a sliced chicken breast, then drizzle with champagne sauce and truffle oil, if using. Serve with steamed baby vegetables.
I am trying to make sure that I borrow cookbooks from the library where I can so that I can literally try it before I buy. To be fair, sometimes it does seem as though I am just delaying the inevitable because so far this year I have ended up buying 3 cookbooks after I initially got them from the library!
Today I am sharing the three cook books that I currently have out from the library right now. I also have numerous novels out that are a bit foodie, but I am focussing just on actual cook books for now!
Delicious: Love to Eat: Around the World in 80 recipes by Valli Little
The author of the month for July in the Lambs Ear Cookbook Club was Valli Little who was the editor in chief for Delicious magazine. This book is decided in sections based on countries ranging from European (Italian, Spanish, French and British) to Austalian, Inidan, Asian and Middle Eastern. The first time I went through the book there were a few things that looked nice but only a couple that I had to make. However, every time I go through it now I find more and more. If I had more time with the book I would like to cook at least one thing from most of the chapters. So far, we have cooked
Chocolate Orange Cake (Spanish) - This is one of those cakes where you boil the whole orange for a couple of hours and then use it in the cake. It was a really delicious cake.
Slow Cooked Mexican Beef with guacamole and lime crema (Mexican)- We are actually cooking this one in the coming week.
Truffled Chicken with Champagne Sauce (French) - I think this champagne sauce is going to become a regular whenever we do a roast chicken.
Sticky Date Pudding Cake (British) - This was an absolute winner of a recipe! Easy to do and tasted delicious!
Thai: Anywhere and Everywhere by Nat Thaipun
Nat Thaipun was the winner of Masterchef Australia in 2024. In one of the episodes, she won a prize to go to the UK to visit Jamie Oliver, and he has provided the foreword to the book, as well as chosen this as one of his cook book club selections, which is where I heard about it! I was kind of surprised that I hadn't heard of it before this!
If you love Thai food, this book is exceptional. She spends time talking about the different regions of Thailand and how the flavours vary in each area, how to make the staple pastes, seasoning, marinades and garnishes
Each recipe has the title written three ways. The first is in the Thai writing, then in western style of writing but with the Thai name and then the English translation.
It is a beautifully presented book, and I look forward to cooking some more out of it before it has to go back to the library! The one dish we have cooked from it so far is Grapow Moo which is a Basil stir-fry with pork. It is served with rice and a fried egg on top! It was pretty easy, and very tasty.
Midnight Chicken (& Other Recipes Worth Living For) by Ella Risbridger
This is the book that I picked up from the library this week, so I haven't really had a chance to go through it properly yet. I have, however, heard so many good things about this book. One of the interesting things about this book is that there are no photos of the recipes. Instead, the book is filled with beautiful illustrations.
I have heard that this is the kind of cook book that you can read like a novel, from beginning to end. It charts the story of how cooking helped her rise from the depths of grief and mental health issues. I am looking forward to digging into it soon!
This was a Cook the Books selection a few years ago but I never explored it at the time. I can't remember if it was difficult for me to track down or what. Better late than never though!
Weekly meals
Saturday - Scrambled Eggs on Toast Sunday - Lasagne Monday - Swedish Meatballs, mash and broccoli Tuesday - Thai Wednesday - Bacon, Risoni and Vegetable Soup Thursday - Lasagne Friday - Bacon, Risoni Vegetable Soup
Last month, the Lambs Ears Cook Book Club chose Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious One Pot Cookbook by Poppy O'Toole as it's March selection. I tried to get that one from the library but they didn't have it, so instead I borrowed Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious One Pot Cookbook instead.
We haven't had much luck with British chef Poppy O'Toole. I love watching her, and I like her voice and attitude. The intros to her recipes are always a lot of fun, but the two cook books I have tried from her before were interesting, but there wasn't much that I wanted to cook from them.
Poppy is a Michelin trained chef who gained popularity on the socials during the pandemic when she started sharing all the different things you can do with a potato. It turns out that there is a lot and so the first book I looked at was her potato one, and then I borrowed her air fryer cook book because we are still looking for better ways to use the air fryer.
If it hadn't of been for the cook book club, I wouldn't have even looked at this book, and I would have missed out, because there are quite a few things we have made from this book and they are all good. So much so, I am contemplating buying this book so we can keep cooking from it!
The book is set up in a pretty standard format with chapters covering Soups, Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Turkey, Veggies and Desserts. As you would expect from a cook whose passion is potatoes, there is a whole chapter on potatoes in this book as well.
We have a combo slow and pressure cooker all in one, and we tend to use the pressure cooker function more than the slow cooker. With the weather becoming cooler, it was a good time to try some of these hearty slow cooked meals.
So far we have tried Beef Bourgignon, Marry Me Chicken, Chicken and Chorizo Orzo and Tomato and Paneer Curry which is the recipe I am sharing today. All of them have been good, with nice flavour which sometimes can go a bit missing when you are cooking things in the slow cooker.
There are so many recipes that I would like to try though which is why I might need to purchase this book. Some I want to try include
Chicken: Coq au Vin, Teriyaki Chicken, Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs, Fajita Chicken, Chicken Korma and more
Beef: Beef Rendang, Stroganoff and more
Pork: Char Siu Pork, Overnight Apple and Cider Pork Bap
Veggie: Potato and Aubergine Curry, Breakfast Home Style Potatos
For the record, we also tried a recipe called Chicken and Orange Tray Bake which comes from the One Pot book and is available on her website. It was delicious too.
Today I am sharing the recipe from the Tomato and Paneer Curry which was really good. Before I went to India last month, paneer isn't something that I would normally have gravitated to. While I was there we ate quite a few curry dishes which featured paneer so now I am looking forward to experimenting with it more.
2. Stir in the cream, lime juice, spinach and coriander stalks, until the spinach has
wilted. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust as needed.
3. Divide the curry between four bowls and scatter over the coriander leaves.
Weekly meals
Saturday - Swedish Meatballs Sunday - Marry Me Chicken (new) Monday - Pork chops with mash and broccoli Tuesday - Spaghetti Bolognaise Wednesday - Away Thursday - Away Friday - Away
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page
When Jamie Oliver announced this book as the November selection for his Cook Book club, my initial reaction was do I really want another baking book to sit on the shelves. To be fair, I think that most months and then I end up buying the book anyway, which is what happened with this one. It turns out that this is a baking book that I needed! Not just wanted...needed.
The structure of this book is quite unusual. The first third of the book is all about techniques and ingredients, and really gets into the details. Then there is a chapter which is the base recipes, and then we get to recipes at around page 140.
You may wonder what on earth there is to talk about in 140 pages before you get to recipes. I promise you, there's a lot. For example, in the chapter about flour, Lamb gives us an explanation about what a wheat kernel consists of, about the development of gluten, about the role of starch and more. Similarly, in the section about sugar, we get descriptions of the role of sugar and what happens when you add sugar and water together and then about adding salt to the equation. There are also chapters about eggs, fats, how things rise (for example in pastry) and so much more. It's often said that baking is a scientific and this is where we have the opportunity to learn the science.
The base recipes provided including meringues, choux, craquelin, brioche and so much more.
When it comes to the recipes, I love how the author not only gives you the recipe but she also points you back to the reference section. For example, in the recipe I have shared below, she points us to the base choux bun recipe for the technique of making the choux. She also tells us that the techniques we are using are Starch Gelatinisation and Egg Coagulation, along with the page numbers where we can find the information. In other words, she is always pointing us back to the science. It's very clever and I've never seen a book laid out in exactly this way.
Even the way that the recipes are grouped together is different. They are sorted into 3 different sections. The first is recipes that you can make in an afternoon. The next group can be made in a day and the final group are recipes that are more complicated and that you can make in a weekend, including a wide range of different viennoiserie. An example of a recipe that could be made in the weekend is Tiramichoux, which is choux buns with craquelin that is then filled with mascarpone custard, salted brown butter coffee sauce and even has a savoirdi biscuit in it. There is a summary which talks about what you can do on Day 1 and how long it should take, and then what you should on Day 2.
When I went through the recipes there were many which I wanted to make but the four that stood out the most were:
Brown Sugar Custard Tart
Rhubarb and Custard Crumb Cake
Secret Chocolate Cake
Mango Shortcake with Candied Lime.
Oh, and there are some savoury recipes as well.
One of the cool things in the book is right at the back where there is something called the Matrix of Joy. The idea is that it is a table with various techniques on the vertical and other recipes from the book on the horizontal, and that by looking at the various intersections tells you how you can combine the two to come up with something new. For example, by combining choux buns with a pastry cream, you now have Custard Choux Buns or by combining Puff Pastry with Frangipane, then you now can create Galette des Rois.
The one recipe that I kept coming back to over and over was the Plum and Mascarpone Karpatka, which is also known as a Polish Mountain Cake so that is what I have been making today. All the components are now cooling and once I have put it all together I will add a picture.
I will say that I had to use canned whole plums, as it is not plum season here.
Update - this was so delicious! Thumbs up from the husband.
Plum and Mascarpone Karpatka (Polish Mountain Cake)
Choux base
65g whole milk 65g water 65g butter 15g caster sugar
90g self-raising flour or 90g plain flour with 4g baking powder
300g whole milk 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk (75g total) 60g caster sugar 30g cornflour 2 tsp good quality vanilla extract 250g mascarpone, at room temp
Instructions:
For the choux, preheat the oven to 210°C/190°C fan. Make the choux according to the master choux method on page 136, (traditional choux method) adding the baking powder in with the flour if using plain flour.
Line the two tins with baking paper at the bottom only. Spread 200–225g of choux paste in each tin, leaving the top slightly rough and wavy and using a palette knife to help. If you only have one tin, bake one at a time.
Bake for 35–40 minutes until well peaked, golden and crisp. Leave to cool completely in the tins on a cooling rack, then remove.
For the plums, cut the plums into six. In a small saucepan, combine the plums with 50g of the water, the sugar and vanilla. Heat over a medium heat, occasionally stirring so the plums are well coated. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan with a lid. Steam for 4–5 minutes. If the plums are still firm, cook for a further 2 minutes. Mix the cornflour with the remaining water to create a slurry, then stir into the hot liquid. Bring to a bubble so it thickens. Pour into a clean container and leave to cool.
For the mascarpone custard, heat the milk until simmering. Meanwhile, whisk together the whole egg, egg yolk, sugar, cornflour and vanilla. Pour the hot milk over the egg mixture whilst whisking constantly to temper, then return the custard to the stovetop. Cook for 3–4 minutes over a medium heat until boiling, whisking the whole time. Pour into a clean container, then set aside to cool and gelatinise – make sure you put clingfilm or baking paper on the surface so it doesn't form a skin. You want it to be totally cold and firm before continuing with this recipe.
Beat the mascarpone until smooth – it does have a tendency to be a bit lumpy, so you just have to be prepared to work it. Once that’s ready, set aside and beat the custard until smooth and no longer jelly-like. The easiest way to do this is in a stand mixer bowl if you have one.
Now, fold/mix the two together - it should make a very thick cream. You can also do this in your stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Leave it in the fridge until ready to join.
To assemble, line one of the cake tins with acetate or baking paper. This will help you get a smooth edge. Place your less cute choux disc in the base. Pile in half of the mascarpone custard, then spread the stewed plums on top. Top with the other half of the custard. Place the most mountainous choux disc on top. All the cake to settle/reset by resting it in the fridge for at least an hour.
Before serving, remove the cake from the tin and dust with icing sugar. It will keep in the fridge for 3 days and will get softer over time.
Note from the author
You can also use your favourite jam in the middle of this! Thanks to Marta Beimin, who makes the most stunning Karpatkas, for inspiring the juicy stewed plums in this recipe!
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page
We were very excited this week to receive the new Recipetin Eats cookbook, Dinner. We are avidly studying it to decide what to make first, but it is a difficult decision. And we do this knowing that we haven't made everything we would love to make out of her first book. Not for lack of trying but because we have a lot of favourite recipes that we cook regularly. As soon as I have started cooking things out of it I will be back with a review.
This week though, I thought I would mention a few cookbooks that I would like to buy. In theory, there's no reason why I can't buy them, but if I did I am not sure when I would be able to cook for them, so for the time being, they are books that I will just wish I could buy. Or maybe see if I can borrow them at the library, and then decide to buy them. Each of these authors are ones that I have already bought a cookbook from and really liked them.
Emelia Jackson - Last year I had to have Emilia Jackson's first book, First, Cream the Butter and Sugar which I reviewed here. Later this month her next book, Some of My Best Friends Are Cookies, comes out. I love the purpleness of the cover! I would want it just for that reason!
Theo Randall - Last year I bought Theo Randall's cookbook The Italian Pantry which I reviewed here, and my recipe of the year last was the Meatballs recipe from this book. Theo Randall now has a new cookbook out which is called Verdura: 10 Vegetables, 100 Italian Recipes.
Meliz Berg - One of the books I cooked a bit out of last year was Meliz Berg's Meliz's Kitchen, which featured Turkish - Cypriot cooking. I reviewed that book here. Her new book is called Dinner Tonight.
Julia Busuttil Nishimura - Last year I bought her book Around the Table, which is an interesting mix of Japanese, Italian and Maltese recipes. Now, she has a new book out called Good Food Every Day.
I'm sure that if I went looking I would find more, but for now, this is enough!
Weekly meals
Saturday - Vanilla slice Sunday - Chicken Fricasee Monday - Pork chops, mash and broccolini Tuesday - chicken Stir Fry Wednesday - Smash burgers Thursday - Take away fish and chips Friday - Chicken Shwarma
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page
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