Wow
has mothers day moved up a notch. When
I was little I remember a gaggle of us running up the church aisle clutching
foil wrapped posies of daffodils to give to our mums, along with a handmade
card. Now I have friends buying full body
massages and £50 bouquets! Not wanting to let the
side down (and now I’m a ‘grown up’ with more than 50p’s pocket money to
splash), mummy found a Bayes Diptique candle on her tray.
Alongside was a Lindt Creme Brûlée ‘Creation’ – our current obsession. Honestly these are the bee's knees. For brekkie I made her the easiest 20 minute homemade granola which I layered up with yoghurt, mango
and raspberries for a breakfast ‘sundae’. She also devoured our other obsession: a warm almond
croissant. Sitting on the end of her bed we had a giggle and gossip– what mothers
are for!
Speedy
Granola
- Preheat the oven to 180C
- Mix 200g Rolled Oats, 100g Oatmeal, 50g Desiccated Coconut and 50g Flaked Almonds.
- Warm 3tbsp Vegetable Oil and 2tbsp Honey and mix into the dry ingredients.
- Transfer to a baking tray and cook for 20mins until everything looks well toasted.
Sunday lunch was seafood paella with lobster and monkfish. I’ve made a few
paellas recently for events and our kitchen’s café and I think I’ve finally
mastered the art. Basically it is all down to a very decent stock (a mixture of
chicken and fish) and a good base sofrito, which is finely chopped onion and
garlic mixed with sweet smoked paprika and fresh tomatoes all cooked in lots of
olive oil until soft and jammy. If you get these two right, the rest is very
simple and perfect for cooking for a crowd. Paella recipes are a minefield of
fish to seafood ratios and differing opinions on whether to mix chicken with
fish, or stick to the purist, Valencian version of chicken, rabbit and
occasionally snails. I take the stance that you can throw in whatever you want
and is available at the time, as long as the rice is good. My dad had picked up
some reasonably-priced lobster and monkfish from the Portsmouth fish market and
they both were delicious in the paella with sweet petit pois and lots of lemon to
finish.
To finish, my favourite Ballymaloe/Darina
Allen recipe 'Fluffy Lemon Pudding'. This dessert is legendary with the girls I
share with in London and is fool proof. I've often made it by guess-timating
the weights of ingredients as we don't have scales and it always comes out
fluffy with a sharp citrus sauce beneath.
Fluffy Lemon Pudding by Darina Allen
Serves 5-6
- Cream 30g Butter. Add 170g Castor sugar and beat well. Grate the rind of 1 Lemon and squeeze and strain its juice.
- Separate 2 Eggs and add the yolks one by one. Then stir in the 55g flour and gradually add the finely grated rind and juice of the lemon. Lastly add the 250ml Milk.
- Whisk the 2 Egg Whites stiffly in a bowl and fold gently into the lemon mixture.
- Pour into a 1 pint pie dish and bake in a moderate oven, 180C, for 40 minutes approx. Dredge with icing sugar. Serve immediately with cream or mascarpone.
