Who Wore It Best - Mary Berry Vs Jessie J

It's Great British Bake Off day ladies and gentlemen! And just in case that isn't enough to make you smile, here's a little something I stumbled across on my Instagram feed a little while ago. I can hear Fashion Police's Joan Rivers husky tones exclaim: "Bitch Stole My Look!".

So guys, who wore it best? Pop singer Jessie J, or Bake Off's darling judge Mary Berry?

Masterchef Australia Is Back!!!

I literally squealed with excitement when I was scrolling through the TV guide and discovered that yes, Masterchef Australia has returned to British shores. This show is amazing! Its judges are over the top, the contestants are irritatingly enthusiastic and the challanges are of epic proportion! I'm not sure if a show of this format would go down quite as successfully here in Britain. Although our version of Masterchef boldly claims that it changes its format every year, I think it's quite misleading. It seems to me that the BBC are serving up slightly tweaked variations of the same thing. An invention test. A professional restaurant test. A mass catering test. A 2 course critics test. But just in a slightly different arrangement.

 I'd love for the British version to take a leaf out of the Australians book, maybe not quite to the same extent as I think us timid Brits wouldn't be keen on playing up to the cameras as much. But the tasks and challenges asked of the Australian contestants are brilliant! I know this is pedantic, but even the colour scheme of the set is more exciting and inviting. Masterchef HQ UK looks almost clinical! The Australians have some kind of kitchen arena going on, with a mezzanine for onlookers and a designated grocery store room full to the brim with ingredients.


(Judges from left to right: Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris, Matt Preston)

The contestants are thrown right in at the deep end. They are awoken at the crack of dawn, in what seems to be a large barn/barracks set up, by one of the judges banging a copper pot in their faces. They quickly make themselves presentable and then run like headless chickens to partake in the first challenge. I mean, hello! The greatest spectacle we get from the British Masterchef is watching the timid contestants cook a shepherds pie for a couple 100 public servants. A ballsed up bread and butter pudding is about as crazy as it gets for us.  Big freakin whoop!

So the contestants are competing in some kind of preliminary boot camp. They're split into boys and girls and are faced with the task of having to tag team butcher an entire lamb. One of the ladies, however, was more intent on butchering her arm than she was the lamb carcass. The losing side (of course it was the ladies, one of which is now missing a limb) then had a cook off with the cuts of meat they had previously butchered; cue the frantic, nail scratching, brawl for ingredients. It's a high octane, intense, emotional roller-coaster. So much so that one contestant was balling her eyes out over her fresh pappardelle pasta lamb ragu (it was of sentimental value...). Sunday night's instalment involved another tag team task of shucking oysters, peeling prawns and filleting fish. The team that completed the challenge the quickest were safe from the impending elimination! Dramatic!

I really do think our version of Masterchef needs to take a look at the Australians. I mean we invented it and they're doing it so much better! No two episodes are the same. If you haven't tuned in before then you'll probably have to series link it because you get a whopping 6 hours served up a week (ain't nobody got time for that! Well, me being the exception... because I have no life).

Masterchef Australia is on at 7pm Monday to Friday and Sundays on WatchHD (Sky: Channel 107)

What's Cookin'! - Upside Down Pineapple Cake

With Great British Bake Off in full swing, I felt inspired this week to whack out the mixing bowl, pre-heat the oven, and get to baking! I have this shameful habit of asking for cook books for Christmas and then spending months ogling at the pretty pictures, thinking to myself; yeah I'll make that! But I never actually muster the effort to go through with it. Well, this bad habit is about to change!

Last Christmas I was gifted Lorraine Pascal's 'Home Cooking Made Easy'. I love her cooking shows and can't wait for the latest series to air, which I believe she is currently filming. So I was sifting through the pages and stumbled across a marvellously camp looking upside down pineapple cake. A vintage recipe, replacing the classic Glacé cherries with zingy raspberries.

Here's my creation:

It's not quite as flawless as Lorraine's, a bit rough around the edges. I can't fault the recipe though. The cake was so deeelish my mother and I were fighting over the last slice! Thank you Lorraine, I am now hell bent on creating an upside down fruit cake of every variety!

FoodScape - Hastings Seafood & Wine Festival

This weekend just gone (14th-15th Sept) saw the return of the annual foodie festival showcasing some of the greatest locally produced food and drink. Hastings Seafood & Wine Festival has been running for the past 8 years now and is becoming an event many locals highlight in their calendar. The newly generated open space at the Stade is a perfect location for the food celebrations as it's tucked away between the juxtaposed backdrop of the weathered net huts and the sleek architecture of the Jerwood art gallery. The festival's focus on seafood highlights Hasting's impressive heritage as a fishing town, as well as its current accolade of being the largest beach launched fishing fleet in Europe.

Not only was there a around 30 food and drink stalls, but also a tasty music menu, from Jazz breakfasts with renowned jazz singer Liane Carrol, to the Reggae/Ska/Soul band Kobo who closed the festival on the Sunday evening. Over the course of the two days there were cooking demonstrations run by Sussex Coast College and local restaurateurs, as well as wine tastings. 

With so much choice I had to do a couple laps of the stalls before I could decide what to feast on. In the end, I decided to go for the non-seafood option, I'm still not that brave. I simply believe cockles, mussels, and the like, are vessels for vinegar, which I'm also not a massive fan of either. I know, I'm a rubbish seasider! Ultimately, I found myself drawn to Mamma Putts, a stall specialising in Caribbean and African cuisine. Jollof rice, a sufficiently spicy stew sauce and jerk chicken, with a token dumpling thrown in too.

Next we visited the bhaji and pakora stall, which I return to year after year. Half the fun is trying to identify the vegetables hidden beneath the tasty batter. This serving consisted of carrot, beetroot, onion, cauliflower and sweet potato. Accompanied by a delicious dollop of mango chutney.

And if that wasn't enough, we also got a portion of deep fried sprats with tartar dip. Considering I'm not a massive fan of seafood I can surprisingly stomach these babies. Essentially they're a grown up version of fish fingers, but instead you consume heads, tails and bones in one satisfying crunch. Yum!

Other stalls were serving up beautiful cupcakes, speciality breads, soup in a roll, and local wines and ales. There was a lot of people walking around, all be it reluctantly, sipping a pint of cider that looked like radioactive berroca, but tasted like paint stripper. Always ask for a taster guys!

I have to highlight the beautifully renovated double decker bus, kitted out as a mobile cafe with upstairs seating and tables. Well done 1066 bakery, this is genius! Love it!

One of the best combinations on offer has to be the Mackerel and Mojito or the Calamari and Cava deal, the latter of which is my mothers personal favourite. We debated as to whether the former was in actual fact a mackerel flavoured mojito... I was too scared to ask in fear of ridicule so it shall remain a mystery!

This festival is yet another example that demonstrates Hastings Old Town knows how to throw a party. Although we failed in our recent city of culture bid, I can foresee this town being a strong contender in the future, providing events like these continue to expand and attract visitors from all over the south east.

Top Celebrity Tw-eats

... Dishing up the latest serving of our favourite celebrity chef's eating + tweeting habits!

Here's my most recent collection of celebrity foodie tweets of the past few days.



Now, I know Jessie J doesn't fit the "celebrity chef" criteria but she often Instagrams pictures of her food experiences.

This is Nigella at her best. Super simple food. 

Chef Tom Kerridge of Great British Menu fame is seen here blow torching some scallops.. Poor things..

TheBoyWhoBakes (Aka Edd Kimber) winner of Great British Bake Off 2010, is forever baking sweet treats. A few days ago he made brownie cookies filled with butterscotch butter cream... Calorific yet terrific. He also documented his trip to Pizza Pilgrims in Soho. 

Raymond Blanc has been tucking into brains while questioning the legality of his actions. 

Lorraine Pascal has been feasting on Spanish tapas,and resourcefully having the leftovers for breakfast.

Continuing the Spanish theme, food critic Jay Rayner has also been championing the quality of Spanish ham.

Rachel Khoo has been foraging this week, unsuccessfully judging by the sparsity of that bowl!

And check out this gravity defying strawberry and cream cake. Looks crazy good.

And finally, Thomasina Miers has been making us all jealous by tw-eating about her trip to Italy.

Top Celebrity Tw-eats

... Dishing up the latest serving of our favourite celebrity chef's eating + tweeting habits!

I follow many a celebrity chef on Twitter and Instagram. One of my favourite past times is discovering what they themselves eat on a regular basis. Twitter is a great platform for this as it allows you to stalk from a safe distance, plus you don't have to do the whole rooting through the dustbins routine. Anyhoo.... It's always interesting to see if their day to day diets truthfully reflect the image their cookery books and television shows portray. Well, let's be honest if Michel Roux Jr was to eat a fish finger sandwich I doubt he'd be tweeting it to the world. But it's still fascinating to see the culinary delights our food idols are serving up at home or dining out on, when they do decide to share it with us keen followers. 

Here's a few picks from this weeks Tw-eaters:

 Nigella is always a good sport, shamelessly sharing her breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and puds, despite their simplicity.

Rachel Khoo has escaped her Little Paris Kitchen and has been tw-eating some beautiful dishes.

Anthony Bourdain is another one of my favourites. He's cooking up a couple feasts here. Where was my invite?

Ida Frosk is a cool one to follow on Instagram. She transforms food into colourful, stylish works of art.

Here's Thomasina Miers, Masterchef winner and founder of the Mexican restaurant Wahaca, tucking into a trough of Scottish seafood.

... And finally we have Gordon Ramsay on his holidays in Utah. More school dinners than fine dining, but it sure looks comforting! 

Oh, and here's my contribution to the social media food arena. I went for an adventure with my dog Rufus and had a little picnic. Gorgeous!

Mastering the Art of Pasta - A Simple Recipe

A little while back, I was treated to a birthday gift that has just kept on giving. I was booked onto a fresh pasta making course at Jamie Oliver's Recipease in Brighton. It was a great experience and I would definitely enrol on another course in the near future. We each had our own little kitchen station with all our ingredients neatly laid out for us. The chef was super helpful and instructive and it was great to be able to understand exactly how the pasta dough is meant to feel at each stage of prep, something that is difficult to appreciate from a cook book. This just so happened to coincide with another birthday gift; a shiny new pasta machine and "The Pasta Bible", which literally documents every type of pasta known to man! Thus, I have been obsessed with pasta ever since!

Once you've made and tried fresh pasta you'll be reluctant to endure the dried stuff ever again! Although it does take a bit more time and effort, the end result is well worth it. I won't profess to being an expert in the anatomy of all things pasta related, but following are the techniques that I've been taught and I'll also give a few helpful tips along the way. This blog post will provide a step by step guide for a very simple dish of fresh tagliatelle in a tomato, basil and garlic sauce.

Specialist Equipment:
- Pasta machine is a must (Although it can be rolled out by hand, but life's too short for that!)
- A fluted pasta/pastry wheel
- Pastry brush

Ingredients:
- '00' Flour
- Eggs
- Tomatoes
- Fresh Basil
- Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese.



There are many recipes out there claiming to make the perfect pasta. But I'm sticking to a simple ratio, 1 egg to 100g of '00' flour, and this is roughly one person's portion of pasta. (TIP: This can depend on the size of the eggs you are using. I tend to use medium eggs, not too big, not too small).

Method:

Pasta =
-  Measure out your required amount of flour (depending on how many portions you wish to make) and make a well in which to crack the egg/s.
- Use a fork to break the yolk and begin mixing in the flour, incorporating it little by little until the mixture is no longer liquid but is in a managable state.
- Now we get our hands dirty! The dough must be kneaded, similar to kneading bread, in order to make it silky smooth but robust! Push the dough away from you using the heel of your hand and then fold it back and repeat. As long as you give the dough a good work out it doesn't matter too much about your technique.
- Keep working the dough until it is completely smooth all over and is elastic. (TIP: press your thumb into the dough, if it immediately springs back then you're pretty much there!)
- Shape your dough into a ball, wrap in clingfilm and pop in the fridge for half an hour ish (TIP: wrap each portion separately as it will make it easier to handle when you're rolling it out later and will prevent the pasta sitting on the side, drying out)

While the pasta is resting we can set up the rest of our equipment and make a start on the sauce.

Sauce (Based on 1 portion) =
- Heat a little olive oil in a pan and add two cloves of garlic using a garlic press to prevent your hands from getting all stinky. Be careful that the oil isn't too hot or the garlic will burn in the blink of an eye!
- Add 3 or 4 quartered tomatoes, again this depends on the size of your tomatoes and how saucy you like it! (TIP: If you're fussy like me and don't like the skins on then make a little slit on the bottom of each tomato and pop them in boiling hot water for about 30secs to 1min. The skins can then be easily removed)
- I tend to add a little squidge of tomato puree and a squirt of ketchup at this stage, it just brings out that rich, sweet tomato flavour.Oh and season with salt and pepper of course.
- Once the tomatoes have reduced a little, turn off the heat and it can be warmed through later.

Back to the pasta =
- (TIP: Use a pastry brush to dust out the pasta machine of dry bits of pasta from the last time it was used. NEVER use water to clean your pasta machine as water + pasta = sticky mess!)
- Flour the surfaces you are working on, and liberally dust your pasta machine with flour. You don't want sticky pasta to clog the rollers so ensure the dough is lightly dusted with flour to prevent this.
- Flatten the ball of dough into disc shape and feed it through the machine on its widest setting. Fold the rolled out dough into thirds and then feed it back through on the widest setting again. Repeat this 2 or 3 times, or until the sheet of dough is nice and smooth.

- (TIP: Pasta machines aren't all the same. The number of settings differ and the widest setting can sometimes be either a low or high number. So just familiarise yourself with your machine and make sure you know which level is the widest).
- At this point, you need to work the dough down through the machines settings from wide to narrow. It is not necessary to go to the absolute narrowest. As all machines are different it's difficult to instruct which level is suitable. But generally you want your pasta to be the thickness of a beer mat, or a playing card if you're making a stuffed pasta like ravioli.
- (TIP: The sheet of pasta will probably become ridiculously long so use the pastry wheel to cut it into a more manageable size.) 
- Once the pasta is of the correct thickness you can then use your cutting attachments to slice the sheets into wiggly strands of tagliatelle! Place your finished pasta on a floured wooden chopping board or tea towel. (TIP: Ensure the strands are completely coated in flour to prevent them from sticking together in a big stodgy lump!)
- The pasta can sit there until you're ready for it to take the plunge!


The best thing about fresh pasta is, although it takes a while to prepare, it literally cooks in a couple of minutes. Cooking time depends on how thick the pasta is and how you personally like it cooked. If you like it 'al dente' then it'll take around 2 minutes or sometimes even less, if you like it a bit softer then it can take around 4 minutes. It really boils down to taste, so just try a bit and see if it's ready for you.
(TIP: Ensure the water is already boiling and is well salted to add extra flavour to the pasta).

- Reheat the sauce and add some fresh basil. Plop the pasta in the boiling water. Once the pasta is cooked combine the two and give it a good toss!
- (TIP: Don't bother draining the pasta or rinsing it. Instead, scoop the pasta straight from its water into the sauce pan. That way you will transfer some of the starchy water which will help the sauce coat the slinky strands of pasta.)

- For the finishing touch add a little drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated parmesan cheese . Nom!

And there you have it. Considering there are essentially 7 ingredients, it's very simple and very tasty.