Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook

Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook
$33.99
$34.99 over 5 years ago

Bestselling author Rachel Khoo is on the go once again with her latest cookbook, Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook. Her latest cookbook is packed to the brim with 100 standout recipes, full-colour photography and Rachel's very own sketches of the food and places she encounters. Leaving behind her tiny kitchen in Paris to embark on new culinary adventures, Rachel Khoo keeps her notebook right by her side; it is where she records all her recipes, ideas, photographs and illustrations of food. The resulting recipes in this cookbook are exciting and varied, each one crafted with Rachel's trademark inventive twists. Discover her Slow-roasted pork belly with sloe gin, Smoked haddock has with cornichon crème fraîche, Cauliflower cheese burgers, Pickled pear, lentil and Gorgonzola salad, Cherry-glazed lamb shanks with pilaf, Pistachio and pomegranate cake, Honey-roasted peach crema Catalana and Black Forest gâteau bowls. This delightful book quite simply shows how Rachel cooks in her kitchen, taking inspiration from wherever her travels have taken her. “Rachel Khoo is the queen of creating culinary masterpieces”. (Glamour). SAMPLE RECIPES (pictured) Cauliflower Cheese Burgers The burger craze doesn’t seem to have left a stone unturned. New York, London, Paris, Stockholm: every city I visit has any number of burger bars touting gourmet beef patties in soft brioche buns. Don’t get me wrong, I love a burger! But after seeing all that meat I find myself craving something a little lighter and fresher tasting. Wrap your hand round this cauliflower cheeseburger, take a big bite and let some of the burger juice dribble down your hand . . . just like the real deal! Serves 6 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes 1 very small head of cauliflower (approx. 200g), trimmed and separated into florets 140g tinned haricot beans (drained weight) 85g fresh breadcrumbs 140g mature Cheddar cheese 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flatleaf parsley a sprinkling of grated nutmeg zest of 1 unwaxed lemon 1 tablespoon roasted chopped hazelnuts sea salt and freshly ground pepper 1 large egg white 2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil 1 oak leaf lettuce (or other) 1 medium tomato, sliced For the caramelized onion chutney (makes 250g) 50g butter 4 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced a pinch of sea salt 150ml red wine vinegar 2 tbsp raisins, finely chopped 2 tbsp soft brown sugar Steam the cauliflower florets for 7– 8 minutes, or until tender. Take off the heat, drain and leave in the colander to cool. In the meantime, start to make the red onion chutney. Put the butter in a frying pan on a low heat, then add the onions and salt. Fry for about 20 minutes, or until sticky and soft. Add the vinegar, raisins and sugar, and cook for another 5 minutes, or until glossy and reduced. Check the seasoning. When the cauliflower is cool, put the haricot beans into a food processor and pulse, then add the cauliflower and pulse lightly. You don’t want to overwork it as the mixture will get sloppy. Place in a bowl and add 1 tbsp of breadcrumbs. Grate 80g of the Cheddar and add to the bowl, along with the parsley, nutmeg, lemon zest and hazelnuts. Season with salt and pepper, and form the mix into 6 patties, around 6cm in diameter each, in the palms of your hands. Lightly whisk the egg white in a bowl, and put the rest of the breadcrumbs on to a plate. Brush each patty all over with egg white and press into the crumbs, making sure they are well covered. Put the oil into a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. When hot, cook the patties in batches for 3 – 4 minutes on each side, until nice and crisp and golden. Slice the remaining Cheddar and put a slice on top of each patty while in the pan to melt. Place each patty in a lettuce leaf, add a slice of tomato and serve with a generous spoonful of chutney. Tip Serve with toasted open pitta bread or brioche bun if you want a more ‘classic’ burger. Get ahead You can freeze these patties on a tray, before coating in the egg white and breadcrumbs. Then defrost, coat, and fry in a pan, as above. Pistachio And Pomegranate Cake Turkish pastries, such as the intensely sweet and extremely sticky baklava, were nothing new to me; however, the pomegranate juice stands that cropped up on Istanbul's street corners were a delightful discovery. The dark red juice makes for a refreshing drink, and although it’s a nightmare if you get it on your clothes, it’s perfect for colouring icing the natural way. Serves 8–10 Preparation time: 20 minutes Baking time: 50 minutes For the sponge 2×150g pots of natural yoghurt 100g pistachio kernels 1×150g yoghurt pot of caster sugar 1×150g yoghurt pot of sunflower oil 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 tsp vanilla extract 2×150g yoghurt pots of plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp sea salt For the yoghurt icing 1/2 a pomegranate 250g icing sugar 50g natural yoghurt Equipment a 20cm springform tin, buttered and floured Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan). Empty the contents of the yoghurt pots into a bowl, then wash and dry them ready to measure the remaining ingredients. You’ll need one for wet ingredients and one for dry ingredients. Whizz the pistachios to a fine powder in a blender. Put the caster sugar and oil in a large bowl or standing mixer bowl, then mix together with an electric hand whisk or the whisk attachment for 2 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Gradually add the eggs and vanilla extract. Fold in the yoghurt, then add the flour, baking powder, salt and ground pistachios and gently fold them in. Spoon the batter into the tin. Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool. When the cake is cool, place the pomegranate skin side up in your hand with your fingers spread out. Hold the pomegranate just inside a big bowl before hitting the back of the fruit with a wooden spoon. The seeds will fall through the gaps between your fingers. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, then add the yoghurt and mix well to get a thick pouring consistency. Pour on top of the cooled cake, gently guiding it down the sides. Once the icing has stopped dripping, take the pomegranate juice and dot several drops along the top of the cake. Drag a skewer or toothpick in a figure-of-eight pattern through the drips of pomegranate, swirling it all around the cake. Stick the pomegranate seeds to the side of the cake when the icing has stopped dripping. If it’s difficult to make them stick, chill the cake for 10 minutes in the fridge first. Slow Roasted Pork Belly With Sloe Gin Slow-cooked pork belly has to be one of the most tender cuts, thanks to the rich layers of fat that sandwich the flesh. I like to offset the fattiness of the meat with something fresh and crunchy, which is where the iceberg wedge comes into play. Try this dish as a lighter and more summery take on the traditional roast belly of pork. Serves 4–6 Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 3 1/2–4 hours Marinating time: 4 hours or overnight 1kg piece boneless pork belly, skin scored and patted dry 1 tbsp sea salt flakes 4 red onions 1 head of iceberg lettuce 1 unwaxed lemon 200g thick Greek yoghurt a pinch each of sugar and sea salt For the marinade 150ml sloe gin 80g runny honey 2 tsp white pepper 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 200g redcurrants or mixed berries (frozen is fine), plus a handful to garnish Mix the marinade ingredients in a shallow glass or ceramic dish. Place the pork in it carefully, making sure that the marinade doesn’t touch the skin. Leave uncovered and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. When the marinating time is up, preheat the oven to 220°C (fan). Pat the skin of the pork dry with kitchen towel. Place on a tray, setting the marinade to one side, and use a blow-dryer for 2– 3 minutes to remove all the excess moisture from the skin. Rub the skin thoroughly with salt flakes, getting into the scoring. Peel the red onions, cut into quarters and place at the bottom of a roasting tin, then pour over the marinade and lay the pork belly skin side up on top. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the heat down to 150°C and roast for 2 1/2–3 hours, or until very tender. Remove the pork from the oven. Take the onions out and set aside. Crank up the heat again to 220°C and place the pork back in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the skin is crispy. Remove the pork from the oven. When cool enough to handle, separate the skin from the flesh. Slice the pork belly into slivers and chop the skin into small crouton-sized pieces. Cut the lettuce into thick slices, then wash and dry (keeping them whole). Finely zest the lemon and mix into the Greek yoghurt with the sugar and salt. Add a squeeze of lemon juice. To serve, place a large wedge of iceberg on a plate and top with the pork, onions, skin and berries. Drizzle with the yoghurt dressing. Tip If you can't get hold of sloe gin, use cassis or a light fruity red wine like Grenache. Get ahead Marinate the pork belly up to 2 days in advance. Author Biography After graduating from Central Saint Martin's College with a degree in Art and Design, British food writer Rachel was lured to Paris to study patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu. Rachel shot to fame when her TV series, The Little Paris Kitchen, was broadcast by the BBC. Her beautiful tie-in cookbook and the follow-up, My Little French Kitchen, have been published around the globe. Rachel now travels the world working on a variety of projects, including a weekly recipe column for the Evening Standard.