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Serves 6-8

For the sorbet

10 passion fruit

2 limes

150g caster sugar

1 tablespoon ginger syrup, from a jar

of stem ginger (optional)

Scoop the pulp and seeds out of the passion fruit. Zest and juice the limes. Place 150ml water and the sugar in a small pan and simmer for 5-10 minutes until it forms a thin syrup. Pour this over the passion fruit along with the ginger syrup (if using). Pour half the lime juice (reserve the zest and remaining juice) into the syrup, and allow to cool slightly. Transfer the syrup to an ice-cream maker to freeze or place in an airtight, lidded container. Pop in the freezer and stir briskly every 30 minutes until frozen – this will take 1–2 hours.

For the pastry

150g butter

250g plain flour

1 tablespoon icing sugar

1 egg, beaten

pinch of salt

Place the butter, flour and icing sugar in a large mixing bowl and rub them together to form breadcrumbs. Add half the beaten egg and the salt and see if the mixture just comes together to form a dough. Add more egg if necessary. Line a 25cm flan dish with the pastry, prick lightly with a fork and freeze for 10-15 minutes or refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4. Cover the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans or lentils and bake blind for 30 minutes, then remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 10 minutes to brown slightly. Set the baked pastry shell aside to cool. Once cooled, line with the lychee halves.

For the filling

13 fresh lychees, halved

4 green cardamom pods

3 eggs

100g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

200g double cream

fresh mint leaves, to garnish

Remove the cardamom seeds from the pods and grind them using a pestle and mortar. Whisk together the ground cardamom, eggs, reserved lime juice and zest, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl until well blended. Beat in the cream and transfer to a large jug. Place the pastry shell on a baking tray and carefully pour in the cream. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until just set in the centre. It should give a slight wobble when removed. Garnish with the mint leaves and serve the tart warm with a scoop of sorbet.

Taken from:

Gastrogeek by Regina Sabur-Cross. Published by Kyle Books, priced £16.99. Photography: Chris Terry

INGREDIENTS 

4 whole crowns of grouse

1 tablespoon corn or vegetable oil

For the marinade

1 tablespoon corn or vegetable oil

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roasted and coarsely ground

8 cloves, roasted and coarsely ground

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

Pumpkin pickle

Oil

¼ tsp Fenugreek seeds

2 Whole red chillies dried

500g Peeled and Diced pumpkin

¼ tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Salt

½ tbsp Red chilli powder

100g Sugar

1tsp Dried amchoor or Mango pickle masala

Peel, dice and wash pumpkin, drain and keep aside.

Heat oil, add fenugreek seeds and dried red chillies and allow to pop.

Add pumpkin and stir over high heat for 3-4 minutes.

Add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric, reduce heat, cover and cook until the pumpkin is soft and begins to get mashed. Add sugar to give sweetness which balances the heat and spice and also makes the pickle glossy. Finish with dried amchoor pieces or a couple of tsp of Mango pickle from the bottle. Remove from fire and keep warm.

For the Grouse

Remove the feathers and skin from the grouse crown, and debone them. Clean and trim the breasts,

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a mixing bowl and fold the grouse breasts in it. Leave the marinated grouse for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Heat oil in an oven proof pan, sear the breasts on both the sides for 30 seconds each side and cook under a pre-heated grill for 1 minute. Rest them for 5 minutes and serve with the pumpkin pickle.

Tip:

Take care not to over cook the breast as it dried up very quickly. Grouse being a very lean meat cooks very quickly and best enjoyed cooked medium.

WORDS BY MICHELLE ALEXANDER

With the cheerful festive season long gone, winter seems grey and extremely cold. The ideal cold-free haven would be snuggled up on the sofa, with a fluffy blanket, watching TV. Hot drinks can  make you feel warm inside, but the same old hot chocolate or tea can start to become dull. How about spicing things up with some chilli drinks?

It’s not uncommon to buy hot chocolate with a hint of chilli, but there is no fun in making hot chocolate from a packet! Chillies are also very good for you as they contain a lot of vitamins, so drinking hot chocolate suddenly becomes healthy… or so we like to think!

Why not try this delicious, Creamy Chilli Hot Chocolate?

CREAMY CHILLI HOT CHOCOLATE

Ingredients:

• 50g dark chocolate at 70%

• 30g chocolate with chilli (Lindt)

• 1 tsp cocoa powder, 100% cocoa

• 40 cl milk

• 20 cl cream

• 1 tbsp honey Lune de Miel

• 1/2 chilli, seeded

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 vanilla pod

• 1 pinch of salt

Preparation method:

1. Make a slit through the vanilla pod and scrape the seeds into a medium sized saucepan. Also add the vanilla pod. Pour 2/3 of the milk, honey and the rest of the spices, except for the chilli. Boil for a few minutes, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces. In a small saucepan, melt the chocolate together with the cream. Pour the blend into the first saucepan. Pour the remaining 1/3 of milk into the chocolate saucepan to rinse it and then pour it all into the first saucepan.

3. Add the half chilli (seeded) and simmer for 2 minutes on medium high heat. Then take out the chilli, as well as the vanilla pod. It’s ready to serve!

Serves 2.

Find more tasty recipes at www.delscookingtwist.com 

 
Or, if you want something a little less creamy, why not try and make a Spiced Chai Tea? Chai tea is well known in India for its wonderful health benefits. Adding spices to the tea just gives it an extra kick of flavour sending your taste buds on an adventure.

SPICED CHAI TEA

Ingredients:

◦6 cups water

◦3 tbsp. loose leaf black or Darjeeling tea

◦1 cup milk, steamed (or creamer)

◦1 cinnamon stick

◦12 whole cloves

◦1.5 tbsp. black pepper or peppercorns

◦2 tsp. nutmeg

◦2 tsp. ground ginger

◦6 cardamom pods

◦1 tsp. vanilla extract

◦1/2 cup raw sugar or honey

Method:

1. In medium bowl, bring tea to boil for about 2-3 minutes.
2. Strain and let steep. In same bowl, boil all spices for about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add spice mixture to steeped tea.
4. Blend well. Strain and transfer to teapot. Let steep and blend well for a few more minutes.
5. Sweeten with sugar or honey. Add milk as desired for a latte. Blend that well, too. Sprinkle with ground cinnamon if desired.

Makes 6 cups.

More wonderful recipes can be found at www.flanboyanteats.com

How do you like your eggs in the morning?

WORDS BY MEGAN EVANS

Despite the old wives’ tale that ‘breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day’, many of us find we don’t have the time or the desire early in the morning to spend time creating a delicious, nutritious meal. Breakfast is sometimes a quick cereal bar you grab on your way out of the door, and by 11 o’clock stomachs begin to rumble and grumble.
A decent hearty breakfast really does set you up for the day. They are good for diets and good for moods; they set you up with enough energy to tackle the day ahead and contribute to an all round happier, healthier you.

But should you have for breakfast when time is of the essence? Scrambled eggs is one of the quickest and easiest meals to make and is brimming with nutritious healthy goodness. There is just one gripe to be had with good old fashioned scrambled eggs. They can be bland, boring and tasteless.

So why not add a bit of flavour and spice to the egg mixture? There are some great recipes to be found that give your eggs a bit of a twist in the morning. My favourite recipe combines green chillies, fresh coriander and a touch of cumin to create a delicious blend of subtle flavourings. Since this is the first meal of the day, the spicy mix should not be too overpowering or hot, but should just be enough to get the taste buds going.

The thought of green chillies might seem a little frightening – dicing them first thing in the morning could be disastrous! But the risk is well worth it, the dish would just not be the same without it. Cumin and coriander seeds are a perfect addition to the fragrant mixture along with a small sprinkle of turmeric powder.

Adding finely chopped onions, peppers and tomatoes, topped with a helping of fresh coriander you’re good to go. Lightly toasted wholemeal pita bread makes for a delicious and healthy accompaniment, giving you that low GI carbohydrate for an extra boost of energy.

This dish is the perfect tasty alternative to the average serving of scrambled eggs on toast. Spice fans will definitely love this light and simple breakfast packed with tonnes of flavour and energy to keep you going until lunch.

 Spiced Scrambled Egg

½ tsp + ½ tsp of cumin seeds

½ tsp coriander seeds

A knob of butter

¼ tsp turmeric powder

2-3 small green chillies, finely chopped

½ red onion, finely chopped

¼ – 1/3 capsicum (peppers), diced

4 eggs beaten

Salt to taste

1 tomato, diced

Small handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Pita bread (or normal bread if preferred) toasted

Method

In a large non-stick pan, dry roast the first ½ tsp of cumin with the coriander seeds until fragrant. Grind to a powder with a spice grinder, or a simple mortar and pestle. In this same pan, add the butter and add the second ½ tsp of whole cumin seeds.

When the seeds have popped, add the spice powder and turmeric and fry for a couple of minutes on medium heat.

Next, add the chillis and onion and fry until soft. Add the capsicum (peppers) for another 2 minutes.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with the salt. Add the eggs to the pan and scramble as normal. When the eggs are half cooked, add the tomatoes and more salt according to taste and continue to scramble.

Finally, add the chopped fresh coriander and serve with warm pita bread or toast.

Recipe courtesy of Deepa Gopinath of One Small Pot. Follow more of her recipes on:  

http://www.onesmallpot.com

“Cooked apples are very good to perk up our ojas (our chi, vitality) so it is good to include them in our diet. This dessert is ideal for those with a kapha imbalance and it should ideally be eaten as it is, on its own.”

Makes 1, can be repeated for more apples

1 sweet apple (I like golden delicious), peeled and rubbed with lemon juice

1 rounded tsp. demerera or raw cane sugar

25g nuts, I like to use walnuts, almonds and lig

htly roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Pinch of grating of nutmeg

1 rounded tsp. raisins or other dried fruit

80ml apple juice

SWEET AND TANGY POTATO SHREDS

Lilo chevda

“This is a snack beloved by Gujaratis, a sweet and sour shredded spiced potato dish. The shredded potatoes are deep fried until crisp, as are the lentils, cashew nuts and peanuts, but plenty of lime juice is sprinkled on just before you start eating so you get this tantalizing mix of crisp bits and soft bits. There’s plenty of chilli in it, sweetness from the raisins and sugar, sharpness from the lime juice, and a good sprinkling of salt too. Perfect balance in street food.”
-Rick Stein

SERVES 8

150g chana dal (Bengal gram or split yellowpeas), soaked overnight in coldwater

1kg potatoes, such as Maris Piper, peeled, coarsely grated

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

Salt

3 tbsp unsalted cashew nuts or peanuts (skinned)

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp fennel seeds

½tsp turmeric

1½tbsp caster sugar, plus extra to taste

2fresh green chillies, finely chopped with seeds

2 tbsp raisins

Juice of 1–2 limes

Drain the chana dal and pat dry with kitchen paper. Spread out on a tray lined with a clean tea towel (or more kitchen paper) and leave on one side. Soak the prepared potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes. Drain, use your hands to squeeze out any excess moisture, then pat dry with kitchen paper.

Two-thirds fill a large, deep-sided sturdy pan with vegetable oil and place over a medium heat. Test it’s hot enough by dropping in a piece of potato; it should sizzle and turn golden in about 20 seconds. (Or use a deep-fat fryer heated to 180°C.) Deep-fry the potatoes in batches until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Season with half a teaspoon of salt and set aside. Using the same oil, fry the chana dal in batches for about 3–4 minutes, or until they rise to the surface and turn a shade darker. Drain on kitchen paper, and add to the fried potatoes.

Heat a heavy-based frying pan over a low-medium heat. Add the cashew nuts or peanuts and fry for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted. Add the sesame seeds and fennel seeds and cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring all the time. Remove from the heat and stir in the turmeric, followed by the sugar, half a teaspoon of salt, the chillies and the raisins, then mix with the potatoes and lentils. Add plenty of lime juice to give a sweet-sour flavour (you may need to add more sugar and salt at this stage to balance the flavour). Serve at room temperature in small bowls as a snack.

Image & Recipe courtesy of Rick Stein.