Heston Blumenthal Does Kettles
I needed to buy a new kettle, as my previous one had developed a non-opening lid. I eventually bought this one that had been branded by Heston Blumenthal.
I doubt he designed it, but it suits my purposes, as I have a low spout on my cold water tap, which means that this petite kettle is ideal for my atrociously designed kitchen.
It’s also lighter than my previous one. The only problem is that it could be a bit small, for some purposes like making pasta, where I tend to boil a large kettle of water rather than boil it in the saucepan.
The East Beach Cafe At Littlehampton
On my way to Yeovil, I had lunch at the Thomas Heatherwick-designed East Beach Cafe at Littlehampton.
It was a good gluten-free lunch of fish and chips and a glass of wine.
The cafe was very busy too and I suspect on a lovely summer’s, it might be difficult to get a table.
It was also a fair walk to and from the station and as ever the signs could have been better.
I don’t know whether Thomas Heatherwick has ever been to Felixstowe, but the ceiling detail was very like the walls of Charlie Manning’s Amusements in the town.
Cinty’s French Fish Pie
Because this recipe from Lindsey Bareham is so good and very quick, I’m putting the pictures up from when I made two on Friday; one for my supper and one for the fridge and later.
I first took 400 g. of trimmed leeks, halved them lengthways and made an attempt to slice them into thin half moons, before I rinsed and drained them. Note that as with all Lindsey Bareham’s recipes it’s based on the standard sizes of packs you get in Waitrose. So it’s 400 g because that’s the size of their packs of trimmed leeks.
A friend has said that she has a problem with leeks. But no matter, as the original recipe also specified the use of fennel!
400 g Of Prepared Leeks
At this point I put my oven on to 200°C.
I then melted 20 g of butter in my Le Creuset shallow casserole and stirred in the leeks, seasoning with salt and pepper. I covered and cooked them for 8-15 minutes, giving the occasional stir, until they were tender or in my case looked like the algae you get on ponds.
Cooking The Leeks
I then added 75 ml of dry white wine and simmered briskly, uncovered, until it was just juicy and not wet.
Juicy Not Wet Leeks
The leeks were then put into two 0.6 litre Le Creuset dishes, which I find make the ideal size pies for one.
Leeks In Le Creuset Dishes
And a piece of haddock was carefully placed on top. A tip here is to go a fishmonger, who sells square fish! As I got mine in a packet from Waitrose, they were a bit fish-shaped and didn’t fit too well.
Fish On The Leeks
The fish was in turn covered with crème fraiche. I used about 150 ml per pie and just spread it with a trowel like you would Artex.
After Adding The Creme Fraiche
It was then covered with a mixture of breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan. I actually used a couple of slices of Genius bread, which I decrusted sand then pulverised with the parmesan in my Little Chopper. Here’s the one I kept for later, just before I wrapped it in clingfilm.
A Pie Ready For The Oven
The other was in the oven for thirty minutes and came out a lovely shade of brown, which I forgot to photograph at the time. This picture shows it on my plate, just before I ate it.
A Pie Ready For The Stomach
It was delicious and the great thing about this recipe, is that there is only a little washing up to do! So if like me, you have to do it yourself, It’s not too much of a problem.
Gluten Free Bread And Benecol Anybody?
At ten today, a Sunday, Romeo’s Gluten Free Bakery was busy and I bought a seeded loaf for my supper.
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- Accompanying My Supper
I’ve just eaten a crust and a slice with Benecol. Before I was diagnosed as a coeliac, I was always a bit of a glutton for nice bread, as was C.
I hope my bad habits don’t make me put on weight! But the bread was amazingly delicious!
My supper tonight was the second part of one of Lindsey Barham’s Sausage Stew With Apple And Spinach. The observant will notice that I forgot to add the soinach.
A Pleasant Surprise In Middlesbrough
I like nice cafes and it was only as I was leaving Middlesbrough, that I found the Traveller’s Rest in the station.
From a quick perusal of their menu, it would appear that there is something I could have eaten, which was a pity, as I didn’t get anything to eat until I got home about five hours later.
There’a positive review of the cafe here.
I did chat to the owner and he also indicated that Northern Rail had been very encouraging in his venture. Are they repeating the philosphy, which was obviously at play with the Overground at Crystal Palace station and South Eastern at Margate?
Let’s hope so, as all fair-sized stations need a distinctive and spacious cafe or restaurant for the passengers.
Romeo’s Gluten Free Bakery Opens
Romeo’s Gluten Free Bakery actually opened yesterday, but I only found out late last night from a waitress in Carluccio’s.
It was well worth a visit and I had a cup of tea, a chicken pie and a loaf of bread to take home for fourteen pounds.
The chicken pie was superb and was one of the best lunchtime snacks, I’ve ever had. The pastry was just how it should be and I’ve never had gluten-free pastry like it before.
If you want to go, the easiest way is to walk down Upper Street in Islington from either the Angel or Highbury and Islington stations. It’s virtually opposite Islington Town Hall.
A Great Way To Cook Cabbage
On Friday night, I cooked Lindsey Bareham’s recipe for Pork Chops With Braised Cabbage
A Great Way To Cook Cabbage
I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I doubt it would have been acceptable to life-long cabbage-haters like C.
A Fish Pie For St. David’s Day
Lindsey Bareham on Friday published a recipe called Cinty’s French Fish Pie.
As it used a lot of leeks, surely it is not French, but Welsh. The leeks were cooked in fifteen minutes, and placed in the bottom of one of my Le Creuset dishes, then covered with a fillet of haddock for each dish, which was then covered with crème fraiche and a crust of breadcrumbs and parmesan.
Here’s the finished pie.
![DSCN7850[1]](https://anonw.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/dscn78501.jpg?w=450&h=337 "A Fish Pie For St. David's Day")
A Fish Pie For St. David’s Day
Have Just A Few Products Taken The Terror Out Of Gluten Free Cooking?
When I first came across a coeliac in 1972, who was a friend’s young son, life was very difficult for his mother. When C looked after the child, whilst his mother was working, the list he came with, was a short list of what he could eat!
When I was diagnosed in the early years of this century, things were a little better, but gluten-free bread was made from processed cardboard and gluten-free pasta had a special glue, that stuck it to the side of the saucepan.
Since C died in 2006, I’ve been responsible for my own cooking and in that time, I’ve relied heavily on the Dinner Tonight recipes of Lindsey Bareham in The Times. Over the years, I have a feeling that her recipes have got more coeliac-friendly, or at least friendlier to me, as I find more to try out. But then today, The Times has six quick weekend recipes, five of which are gluten-free except for the bread.
I do tend to ignore some recipes, like those involving pastry, as I don’t have a rolling-pin and feel that pastry might be too much for my left hand.
But now there are just a few products, that if you have in the cupboard or fridge, are all you need to create gluten-free meals, that those who eat gluten find acceptable. Obviously, you’ll need the same fish, meat, fruit and vegetables, as everybody else.
Gluten Free Bread
Genius is my favourite, but there are others, that other people prefer. As I write this, I’ve just had two pieces of Genius toast with Benecol and some Tiptree marmalade. When I was first diagnosed, I would have almost killed for some nice toast.
I once had a gluten-free crostini in a top drawer Italian restaurant in Den Haag and it was sublime, as the flavour was just right for all the garlic. Carluccio’s gluten-free crostinis are pretty good too!
What I would like is some really nice gluten-free crusty bread. But I suspect, I could find that at Romeo’s Gl;uten Free Bakery when it eventually opens.
Gluten Free Pasta
This was rubbish, when I first tasted it, but now I have a jar full of Carluccio’s excellent gluten free pasta on my worktop. I rarely eat pasta out, even in Carluccio’s, as I can cook it quickly at home if I want it.
I suspect as with the bread, others will prefer other brands of pasta, but they are all so much better than ten years ago.
Gluten Free Flour
Lots of recipes like the odd spoonful of flour. I use Dove’s Farm plain flour and haven’t found anywhere, where it hasn’t worked.
Gluten Free Sausages
I’ve always liked my sausages and when I lived near Newmarket, I got a liking to Musks gluten-free ones.
Now I live in London, they are difficult to find, so I usually use those from the Black Farmer or a specialist butcher.
I always have a six-pack of Black Farmers ready for action in the freezer!
Baked Beans
Most good tins of baked beans are gluten-free and as my dietician told me to have a small tin once a week to keep my cholesterol at the right level, I always have a tin in the cupboard.
Other Products
I also have a selection of not specifically gluten-free products, like Rachel’s yoghurt with honey, Waitrose ham hock, eggs, bacon, onions, butter, smoked salmon and a wide range of spices, so I can make a selection of appetising meals, whilst I’m watching the television.
I haven’t cooked a ready meal in six months.
Are Things Happening At Romeo’s?
I passed Romeo’s Gluten Free bakery on a 30 bus and took this picture.
Are Things Happening At Romeo’s?
The web site says that they’re opening in November 2013.
The Anonymous Widower 