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Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Focaccia

So I took the mother to Borough Market for the first time yesterday.

It’s one of Issy and I’s favourite places to visit in London as we’ve had some amazing times there. Pimms, olives and cheese picnics in the sun on the green outside Southwark Catherdral? Yes please, always.

This particular visit I came back with olives and sundried tomatoes, inspired to bake focaccia after seeing all the amazing bread stalls. Best. Decision. Ever.

Dem angles.

Ingredients

For the dough:

500g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting

1 sachet (6g) of dried yeast

1tsp caster sugar

1tsp salt

2tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing

300ml warm water

For the topping:

handful of pitted olives

handful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes

coarsely ground black pepper and sea salt

Method

Add the flour, yeast, sugar and salt to a large bowl. Mix together the olive oil and the warm water, then add to the flour mixture. At first stir with a spoon, but then bring the dough together with your hands until you form a rough ball.

Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead for a good 5- 10 minutes to form a soft, smooth dough. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and leave to rise (to about double the size) for an hour in a warm place.

Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knock it back in size with your hands. Roughly press the dough onto a lightly oiled baking tray.

Push in your olives and tomatoes, then leave to rise for a further 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 220°C.

After the 30 minutes, poke dimples into the dough and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Best served warm.

Breaded Chicken Schnitzel, Lea & Perrins Caramelised Red Onions & Pesto Mayo

On our first night in Edinburgh, Vanessa and I found ourselves in a beautifully kitsch bar/restaurant called ‘The Newsroom’.

Blown up newspaper covered walls…. windows lined with jam jars filled with lightbulbs… and some seriously delicious food!

The two of us had been umming and ahhing about where to eat for a good half hour before deciding on this place (always going back to the first place we see! Go with your instinct!). We didn’t fancy a large sit down meal that night, but more of a pub grub type deal.

Here, we both ordered a Breaded Chicken Schnitzel with Lea & Perrins Roast Onions and Basil Mayo…. and oh my gosh it was the best non- decision we had that day! It was so tasty that I couldn’t not try to make it at home!

Ok, so I may have cheated and just caramelised the onions in a pan instead of roasting, and used pesto in my mayo instead of fresh basil…. but i’m all about the shortcuts if it means I get to eat sooner!

Ingredients

1 chicken breast

pinch of salt and pepper

1 egg, beaten

handful of flour

handful of panko breadcrumbs

knob of butter

1 red onion

1tbsp sugar

slosh of Lea & Perrins

1tbsp mayonnaise

1tsp basil pesto

1 tiger bread roll

Method

Slice the onion and cook in a pan over a medium heat with the butter, sugar and Lea & Perrins until softened and browned.

Between two sheets of cling film flatten the chicken breast using a rolling pin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then coat in the flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Shallow fry on both sides till golden.

Stir together the pesto and mayo.

Slice the bread roll in half and lightly toast both halves.

Assemble via fancy instavideo ;).

http://instagram.com/p/ekVFfrSXbU/

Black Cherry & Almond Brownie Tart

You know that feeling you get when you buy something that tastes so beyond incredible that you NEED to be able to make it just so you can stop dreaming/fantasising/drooling about it and so everything can be good and right in the world again? Nope, just me?

Well, last Saturday I had one of these moments whilst sat on a park bench in the middle of Islington.

My friends and I had spontaneously decided to go hunt down this giant ‘YES’ in the middle of London (coz that’s just the exciting, thrill seeking sort of thing we do!)… though when we finally found the ‘YES’ it didn’t quite match our expectations. Clearly size does matter.

So to lift our spirits my friend Pete decided to take us to Ottolenghi for some much needed baked goods. Cue Angela stood frozen at the shop window…mouth open…drooling. Shmexy.

I dare you not to drool.

Anyways, I bought this beautiful baked chocolate raspberry and cherry tart that absolutely changed my life. A brownie tart? It’s obvious I would end up making my own.

Et voila! Look at it go!

Dark chocolate.

Ground almonds.

Kirsch drenched cherries.

Nom.

But seriously, who gets ID’ed for cherries?!

Ingredients

For the pastry:

110g plain flour

40g caster sugar

40g ground almonds

75g unsalted butter, cold

½ egg

few drops of vanilla & almond extract

For the brownie batter:

65g plain flour

30g ground almonds

1/2tsp salt

1tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder

155g dark chocolate, 70%

170g caster sugar

45g light brown sugar

2½ eggs

2tsp almond extract

125g Kirsch soaked cherries

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C.

For the pastry: combine the flour, sugar and ground almonds. Rub in the cold butter to the dry ingredients. Add the egg and extracts and blend until it just combined. Wrap in cling film and leave in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

In a large saucepan (or using a double broiler), melt the chocolate and butter over a low heat until smooth. Remove from the heat and add the sugars. Whisk together till all incorporated and leave to cool.

Add the eggs and almond extract to the chocolate mixture and mix until just combined. Overbeating at this stage will make the brownies cakey!

Fold in the flour, ground almonds and lastly, the drunken cherries. (regular fresh, pitted cherries will do too!).

http://instagram.com/p/eDQ6qmyXTc/

Taking the chilled pastry, roll out on a lightly floured surface to fit your tart dish. Prick the base with a fork and blind bake at 180°C for 10 – 15 minutes. (until pastry is golden!)

Once the pastry is done, pour in the chocolate brownie batter into the pastry case so it reaches just below the top. Sprinkle with ground almonds and bake for 30 – 45 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.