Tag: Techniques

How to Make Hummus, Everyone’s Favourite Snack

How to Make Hummus, Everyone’s Favourite Snack

How to make Hummus. It’s easy to make this classic middle eastern snack, better and fresher than the bought version. Its smooth healthy, and full of flavour. And once you have mastered the process there is a wealth of other flavours you can add to the basic mix.

How to make Great Flavoured Butters – 14 variations.

How to make Great Flavoured Butters – 14 variations.

Flavoured Butters are one of the easiest ways of putting flavour onto a dish. I simply can’t think of anything else you can that make that will transform your cooking so quickly and efficiently. Imagine a simple jacket potato lifted by adding cheesy bacon butter. Boring cooked rice given a punch with lime, ginger, chilli, and coriander butter. Or a grilled chicken breast topped with harissa flavoured butter, amazing!

How to make, The Best, Scottish Cullen Skink.

How to make, The Best, Scottish Cullen Skink.

Scottish Cullen Skink is one of my favourite dishes. It is a rich fish soup with leek and potatoes and its name originates from Cullen a small fishing village on the Northeast coast of Scotland. And the term ‘Skink is derived from the Gaelic for ‘essence’ a good description of the aroma of fishy peat smoke coming from the haddock.

You could serve this as a starter, but it’s a hearty soup more suited to a supper main course or Lunchtime treat. If you are in Appin and can’t, be bothered with all the cooking pop into The Pierhouse Hotel (at the pier) for a warming plate full of Skink.

Jump to the Video.

Pale or Peat smoked Haddock.

pale smoked Haddock
pale smoked Haddock

To get the very best flavour from the dish look for pale, sometimes called peat smoked haddock. This is fish which has been cured and smoked in the traditional method. Try a good fishmonger to find it. In the supermarkets you are more likely to find its bright yellow cousin which has not had much if any time in the smoker. And has been coated in colour and flavour. If that’s all you can get, it will still work but will not as deeply be flavoured as the real thing. You will just have to travel to Scotland and experience real Skink.

You will need.

  • Saucepan, wide not too deep.
  • Fine strainer
  • Chopping board and knife
  • spatula

The Best, Scottish Cullen Skink.

Serves 4

750g               skin on peat smoked haddock fillet, about 600g after trimming.

To make the stock base.

  • 450ml             white chicken stock
  • 100ml             water
  • 70g                 celery stick
  • 60g                leek   

Trimming the fish and making the stock.

Take the smoked haddock and remove the skin (it should just pull off with a bit of persuasion) and any bones. Cut the fish into roughly 3cm chunks and set aside. Place the skin bones and any trimmings into a saucepan along with the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil then simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let stand for 1 hour. Pass the stock though a fine strainer and refrigerate until needed. This can be done the day before cooking the Skink.

Fish skin and vegetables simmering
Fish skin and vegetables simmering

Cooking the Scottish Cullen Skink.

Scottish Cullen Skink - ingredients
Scottish Cullen Skink – ingredients
  • 30g                 unsalted butter
  • 2                      chopped cloves of garlic
  • 1                      chopped shallot
  • 100g               1cm diced leek, (white only)
  • The stock base, this should be about 500ml.
  • 150g               peeled floury potatoes,
  • 200ml             double cream
  • 200ml             full cream milk
  • To Serve.
  • Mill Pepper
  • 3tbspn            double cream
  • 1tbsp              chopped chives

Don’t be tempted to add salt at all until the very end of cooking and then only after tasting. The smoked haddock itself is salty, which should be enough for the whole dish.

Cutting the vegetables.

Give the leek a rinse then cut into two longways. Open out the two halves and slice into strips about 1.5cm wide. Turn the strips around and then slice across to make squares of leek. Finely chop the shallot then slice the garlic into thin slices. Crushing the garlic would make it too strong in the dish.

Cooking the Scottish Cullen Skink.

Add the butter to the saucepan and place over a low heat. When the butter has melted, add the leek, shallots, and garlic. Notice we are not using any onion in this recipe. Onions contain too much sugar and will put a sweet tone into the skink, that we want to avoid. Cook the vegetables for about five minutes and while they are cooking, deal with the potatoes.

The vegetables cooking slowly in butter
The vegetables cooking slowly in butter

Cut the potato into chips with about 1.5cm sides. Slice the chips across approximately 3mm thick to produce little square slices of potato.

Potatoes and stock added
Potatoes and stock added

Add the potatoes to the pan followed by the stock milk and cream. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 6-8 minutes then add the fish.

Adding the smoked haddock
Adding the smoked haddock

Return the pan to the simmer and cook for another 6 minutes stirring occasionally. Don’t worry is the fish and potatoes break up a little, that will thicken the Skink. Add two or three turns of the peppermill and taste.

Serving the Scottish Cullen Skink.

Scottish Cullen Skink-3
Scottish Cullen Skink-3

Serve in deep wide plates scattered with chopped chives and plenty of crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Now Watch the Video.

Enjoy Life!

John.

Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.

Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.

Dusting with flour

Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.

Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’

Click Here

© Copywrite, John Webber. 2024

How to Become a Garlic Expert, Every Time You Cook

How to Become a Garlic Expert, Every Time You Cook

How to Become a Garlic Expert, every time you cook is often a mystery to the British. While other cultures across the world utilise garlic in many forms, we simply push a clove of garlic into a crude metal press and squeeze the life out of the clove into whatever we think will benefit from a hit of flavour. Leaning how to use garlic properly will open up avenue in your cooking.

How to make Perfect Mashed Potatoes-Pommes Puree.

How to make Perfect Mashed Potatoes-Pommes Puree.

One of life’s guilty pleasures has to be a bowl of hot mashed potato. And it is one of the most versatile products that we can use to create a great plate of food. They can be used to form a foundation for the presentation, provide a contrasting texture on the plate, and become ‘a vehicle of flavour’. That is, they become a method of adding a complimentary flavour to a plate. Such as horseradish mash with beef, or saffron mash with fish. In a similar way, they can absorb flavour on a plate such as the gravy of a stew or braise.

How to make Ricciarelli Biscuits, an Italian Christmas Treat

How to make Ricciarelli Biscuits, an Italian Christmas Treat

How to make Ricciarelli Biscuits, these Italian delicate almond cookies with a melt in the mouth centre are usually enjoyed during Christmas time in Tuscany. Try them out as an alternative to or in addition to mince pies when entertaining guest over the holiday. And note to self, remember to try our Luxury Cranberry and Whisky Mince Pies.

Ricciarelli Biscuits, also make great gifts, wrap them in cellophane bags and hand them out to friends for a very personal gift.

Contents.

Ricciarelli Biscuits

You will need.

  • Small food processor, to grind the almonds.
  • Mixing bowl
  • Stainless steel bowl to whisk the egg white in
  • Whisk
  • Spatula
  • Two dessert spoons
  • Fine microplane grater
  • Baking tray lined with baking paper.
  • Icing sugar sieve

Makes roughly 20-24 Ricciarelli Biscuits.

Ricciarelli Biscuits ingredients
Ricciarelli Biscuits ingredients

Oven temperature 190˚c

  • 190g               whole blanched almonds
  • 4tsp                 plain flour
  • ½ tsp              baking powder
  • 200g               Icing sugar.
  • 1                      fresh vanilla pod
  • 1                      fresh lemon
  • extra icing sugar for rolling

Making your own Ground Almonds.

To get the best flavour we are going to make our own ground almonds. If this is a problem for you, shop bought ground almonds will work. Try and get the best quality you can to get the freshness. I avoid using shop bought almond essence as its closer to paraffin than almonds. You can buy a very good almond oil but its quite expensive, and may be hard to find.

Ready to grind the almonds
Ready to grind the almonds

Using a small food processor, grind the almonds down. This is best done in two batches to avoid the almonds becoming too warm with the friction created. If the almonds are overdone, oils will be released from the nuts and they will begin to form a paste, spoiling the mix.

Ground Almonds
Ground Almonds

Split the vanilla pod longways and using the back of a small knife scrape out the seeds.

Removing the vanilla seeds
Removing the vanilla seeds

Take a mixing bowl and add the vanilla with all the dry ingredients. Using a very fine grater remove the zest from the lemon and add to the bowl. Mix everything together and set aside.

Mixing the dry ingredients
Mixing the dry ingredients

Adding the egg whites.

Take the stainless-steel bowl and insure it is spotlessly clean. Any traces of fat on the bowl or the whisk will prevent the whites from aerating.

Stiff peak egg whites
Stiff peak egg whites

Separate the eggs allowing the white to fall into the bowl keeping the yolks separately for other uses. Add a pinch of salt to help the whites expand then whisk to stiff peaks.

If you’re not sure how to do this, view the video below to see the process.

Folding egg whites into the dry mix
Folding egg whites into the dry mix

When the whites are ready, tip them out onto the dry ingredients and fold the white into the mix to make a soft paste.

I like to leave the bowl to stand for about 10 minutes at this point to allow the mix to settle. paste.

Moulding the Ricciarelli Biscuits.

Shaping the Ricciarelli Biscuits
Shaping the Ricciarelli Biscuits

Take a large flat plate and add a liberal amount of icing sugar. Using two dessert spoons scoop shapes of dough a little smaller than your thumb onto the sugar. Roll the shapes in the sugar, then transfer each one to a lined baking tray pressing the flat of your finger down to flatten the dough slightly.

Baking.

Ready for baking
Ready for baking

Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are a light golden colour and the centres are just soft. Cool the biscuits on a wire then sieve icing sugar over the top.

When complete cooled store in an air-tight container where they should be fine for 3-4 days.

Still not sure? Check out our video below.

Enjoy Life!

John.

Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.

Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.

Dusting with flour

Join The ‘Westcoaster Newsletter.

Sign up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at ‘The Westcoaster.’

Click Here

©John Webber. 2023

Simple, Duck Confit with Lentils, Bacon, and Chestnuts.

Simple, Duck Confit with Lentils, Bacon, and Chestnuts.

This simple Duck Confit is both rustic and refined. The process of curing and cooking the meat in fat produces a flavour unobtainable buy any other method. And I love it! I’m serving the confit with a Lentil, Bacon, and Chestnuts Stew, a great winter warmer.

Irresistibly Easy, Chocolate Custard Cookies

Irresistibly Easy, Chocolate Custard Cookies

These Chocolate Custard Cookies are so easy to make, which is a good job as they don’t last long when people start tucking in. They are great just served as a cookie adults and children both love them.

Make your own Exotic Flavoured Gin at Home.

Make your own Exotic Flavoured Gin at Home.

Making your own Exotic Flavoured Gin at Home. If you are a lover of long cool drinks, then this is for you. They are easy to make and all you really need is some space to store the gin while it is steeping and the patience not to get stuck in too quickly. I always fill some 250ml bottles to use as Christmas presents, always welcome gifts. If you are interested in Scottish Gin production look up the Scottish Gin Distillers Map. or our local distillery Pixel Spirits in Ballachulish.

Trapping the flavour of summer.

This is another one of my late Summer /Autumn jobs to take advantage of the abundance of wild and cultivated fruit available. And don’t just stick to my suggestions, experiment by using different fruits and spices added to the spirit.

As for the gin itself, don’t use the very best as any subtle flavours will be masked by the fruit. But likewise, don’t use very cheap harsh gin, any middle of the road brand will do.

You will need.

  • Suitable storage jars. I use Kilner jars.
  • Bottles to store the finished gin.
  • Scales.
  • A very fine sieve.
  • Muslin cloth or coffee filters.
  • Chopping board and knife.

The Process.

Quite simply the aim is to extract the flavour and juices of the fruit and flavourings into the base gin. Where you are dealing with a skin on the fruit such as sloes it is necessary to pierce the skin to allow the flavours to escape the fruit into the spirit. Make sure all the bottles and jars you use are clean and sterile. If you’re not sure how to do this look up our information on Home Preserving, The golden rules.

Curing with sugar.

Brambles in sugar
Brambles in sugar

Sugar is normally added to sweeten the gin and counter any bitterness from the fruit. I like to use the sugar in some of my recipes to extract more flavour. By mixing the fruit with the sugar. Then leaving it to stand in the storage jar before adding the liquid natural curing will take place. The sugar will draw liquid from the fruit, and I believe produce more flavour.

The gin is now added to the fruit and sugar. Seal the jar and turn the jar back and forth three or four times to mix all the ingredients together. Don’t worry if all the sugar hasn’t dissolved it will in time.  Every day for the next week, take the jar from the cupboard and turn it a couple of times to give it a mix. By the end of the week all the sugar should have disappeared. Don’t be tempted to mix the contents with a spoon as this will break up the fruit too much.

let time do its work.

Leave the jars in a cool dark place for at least five weeks, I like to give mine about 8-9 weeks.

Exotic Flavoured Gins ready for straining
Exotic Flavoured Gins ready for straining

When ready we need to strain off the gin. The best way to do this is to use a double thickness of muslin cloth supported in a sieve. Gently decant the contents of the jar into the sieve and let the liquid drip down into a clean bowl. A gentil shake of the cloth from time to time will assist the liquid in draining through.

How to use a Muslin Cloth

When recipes ask for muslin to be used to strain a liquid, they never explain how to use it. Well, here’s how.  Always buy more muslin than you think you need and don’t cut it into small sections. Bear in mind that you may be using it doubled over and it has to line your container plus have plenty to work with as an overlap.

Now here’s the key. Don’t use the muslin from new. The weave of the cloth will be too coarse to be effective. Give the cloth a hot wash, followed by a tumble dry. This is the one instance in life where we want our cloth to shrink. This will not only clean the cloth but tighten up the weave giving better filtering of liquid passed through it.

When finished give the cloth a hot wash and dry completely before storing to use again.

Exotic Flavoured Gin recipes.

Bramble gin.

  • 1lt                    gin
  • 430g               Brambles, (Blackberrys if you’re south of the border)
  • 200g               golden caster sugar.

Follow the process above, taking care to remove any mouldy fruit before you start. Leave the fruit and sugar to cure for 30 minutes then add the gin. I cheat a bit here and when straining the gin. I lightly press the fruit in the muslin. This gets very bit of fruit juice into the finished gin. Try this with Raspberries as well, great as a summer cooler.

Rhubarb and Ginger Gin.

Rhubarb Gin in jar
Rhubarb Gin in jar
  • 1lt                    gin
  • 390g               rhubarb.
  • 185                 golden caster sugar
  • 7                     thin slices ginger root

Wash the rhubarb and thinly slice across the stalk. Add to a jar with the sliced ginger and sugar then add the gin. Then proceed as per the process above.

Plum and ginger gin.

Plum and Ginger Gin
Plum and Ginger Gin


  • 1lt gin
    10 Victoria plums
  • 165g golden caster sugar
    5 thin slices of ginger root

Wash the fruit then with the point of a small knife stab though the skin all over. Cut each plum in half and remove the stone. Mix the fruit ginger and sugar in a jar and leave 30 minutes before adding the gin.

Greengage Gin.

Greengage Gin
Greengage Gin

A more complex slightly spiced gin.

  • 16-18              greengages according to size
  • 120g               caster sugar
  • 4                     strips of orange zest from a medium orange
  • 2                     small cinnamon sticks
  • 500ml             gin

Wash the fruit and stab each one about 15 to 20 times with the point of a small sharp knife.

Pack the fruit and flavourings into sterile preserving jar and add the sugar.

Give the jar a shake and leave to stand a couple of hours.

Add the gin, seal the lid then shake again to dissolve the sugar.

Sloe gin.

A real classic

  • 700g sloe berries
  • 380g caster sugar (or to taste)
  • 1lt gin

This is one to make in front of the television. Wash the sloes then using a needle prick each fruit at least five times. Add the fruit to a jar with the sugar and shake well.

Leave the jar to stand for at least two hours before adding the gin then follow the standard procedure shown above.

Serving.

Serve the gin with your favourite mixer, I tend to go for ether Tonic water or lemonade. Both the Sloe and Bramble gins are great served neat as a winter warning tipple. Although watch out, they are stronger than you think !!

Assorted bottled Gins
Assorted bottled Gins

Do I have to use fresh fruits?

No not at all, in fact freezing the fruit breaks down the cell structure releasing the flavours. You may find the gin has some sediment from the fruit, but this is easily filtered out before bottling.

How long will fruit gin keep?

As we have added fruit juices to the spirit. I like to look at a year as a maximum storage time. So, I’m making my gin now to drink next year. Kept longer than that you may find some change in colour, but is should still be drinkable. If you see and fermentation (bubbles) in the gin, don’t drink it!

Enjoy Life!

John.

Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.

Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.

If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here

©John Webber. 2023

Astonishing Salt, How and Why we use it

Astonishing Salt, How and Why we use it

Astonishing salt, no other ingredient I know has had a greater effect on cooking and the kitchen. We need it to live, but an excess is bad for us and may even kill us!

So why do we have a love affair with it? And what does it actually do? Read on and I’ll do my best to explain.

Want to be Baking your own Bread? Your Questions Answered.

Want to be Baking your own Bread? Your Questions Answered.

Baking your own Bread at home can be a puzzle, let us help you answer your questions. All you need to know to bake great bread at home is here.

Make Your Own Amazing Buttermilk Bread Rolls

Make Your Own Amazing Buttermilk Bread Rolls

These Buttermilk Bread Rolls will really impress your dinner party guests. They go well with most starters that don’t require crispy rolls served alongside.

These rolls are formed with leaves of dough layered with butter. In the oven the leaves swell and open out like a flower. Individual leaves can be torn off the roll and eaten as they are or can be spread with any savoury mousse or pateˊ.

No special equipment is needed, and as long as you can roll out a dough, you can make these rolls. Have a look at our Making Bread at Home pages in the food files to see how easy it is to make your own breads

You will need: –

  • Mixing bowl or food mixer
  • Scales
  • Measuring spoons
  • Small saucepan
  • Pastry brush
  • Rolling mat
  • Rolling pin
  • Pizza cutter
  • Scotch scraper or pallet knife
  • 12-hole muffin baking tray

Buttermilk Bread Rolls.

makes 12.

Buttermilk Bread Rolls, Ingredients
Buttermilk Bread Rolls, Ingredients
  • 750g                 white strong  bread flour
  • 15g                   fast action yeast (2pkts)
  • ½ tsp                bicarbonate of soda
  • 600ml               buttermilk   (room temperature)    
  • 1 tsp                 salt
  • 1 tsp                 runny honey

To form the rolls.

  • 80g                   melted butter
  • 30g                   melted butter to grease the tin

Making the dough.

Fast Action (breadmaker) Yeast
Fast Action (breadmaker) Yeast

I’m using fast action yeast here so we can make the dough by the straight dough method.

Mix the flour, bi-carb and salt together in a bowl. Fold in the dried yeast taking care it doesn’t get into direct contact with the salt.

Make a well in the flour the pour the buttermilk and honey into the well.

Don’t worry about the butter, we are going to that later.

Bring the dough together, tip it out onto the rolling mat and knead for five minutes. Clean out the bowl, rub it inside with a little vegetable oil then return the ball of dough to the bowl.

Proving the dough.

Cover the dough with cling film, and leave the dough in a draft free place until doubled in size.

Put the butter into a small pan and gently melt. We want the butter to be just liquid not separated out. Alternatively pop the butter into a small bowl and stand the bowl in warm water until melted.

Rolling out the dough.

Turn the dough out onto the mat once more and kneed three or four times.

There is no need to kneed this dough much. We want the dough to be light and airy.

Lightly flour the mat then roll out the dough. The aim is to create a rectangle of dough until approximately 6-8mm thick. If the doughs not behaving itself. Let it rest covered with a cloth for five minutes then gently pull the dough into shape with your fingers. You can finish the rolling with the pin.

Brush the surface of the dough liberally with the melted butter. Add the 30g of butter to the pan and use this to grease the baking tray.

Forming the rolls.

Using a pizza wheel cut the dough into approximately 6cm wide strips and then cut these strips across giving approximately 9cm inch by 6cm rectangles. The dough should separate easily, but be carful not to cut into the rolling mat or your table.

Using a scotch scraper or pallet knife pick up a rectangle of dough and place it on the top of another. Pick up another rectangle and place it carefully on the stack. Keep going until you have a stack of rectangles five strips tail.

Keep repeating this until you have used all the dough and made ………

Lift one end of a stack with the tips of your fingers and crimp one of the narrow sides of the dough together. Lift the stack and set into the Muffin tray with the crimped end down at the bottom of the depression.

It is essential during this operation to take great care not to seal the sides or top of the rolls the individual leaves of dough should open up during the second proving and crispen up during baking to produce a light roll in which the individual leaves may be broken off.

Final Proving.

Leave the tray to stand in a draft free place until the rolls have roughly doubled in size. And the leaves of dough are starting to separate.

Baking the rolls.

Bake the rolls in the tray in a 200˚c oven for 10-l5 minutes.  The leaves of the dough should open up and take on a golden-brown colour.

When ready remove the tray from the oven and let the rolls cool in the tray for 10 minutes before attempting to remove them.

Serve warm with plenty of unsalted butter.

If you want to push the presentation even further the rolls can be baked and served in flower pots!

You need small terracotta flower pots which need to be sealed in the oven.

Wash the pots and dry them in a low oven. Increase the heat of the oven to 180˚c then brush the inside of the pots with vegetable oil. Return the pots to the oven and bake for an hour brushing the inside of the pots with move oil every 15 minutes.

When done remove them from the oven and let cool, the pots can now be used repeatedly just with a light greasing before filling. Don’t wash the pots after use, just wipe out with a damp cloth.

Can I replace the buttermilk with anything?

Yes if butter milk is unobtainable try using 550ml of plain yoghurt with 50ml of milk whisked in.

Can I flavour the rolls?

If you want to give the rolls a more savoury aroma add a bruised clove of garlic and some thyme or rosemary to the butter as it melts. You can also sprinkle chopped herbs between the layers of dough as you from the rolls. Keep the herbs towards the bottom of the rolls where they are less likely to burn in the oven.

Enjoy Life!

John.

Hi, my name is John Webber, award winning chef and tutor, now retired to the west coast of Scotland. Welcome to our blog focusing on food, cooking, and countryside. My aim is to pass on my years of skills and knowledge together with an appreciation of the countryside.

Join us to experience the beauty of the west coast, cook some great food and be at ease in the kitchen.

If you enjoyed your visit with us, please subscribe up to our newsletter to receive regular updates of what’s new and upcoming at The Westcoaster. Subscribe Here

©John Webber. 2023

How to Make Your Own Pork Sausages.

How to Make Your Own Pork Sausages.

Home-Made Sausages are one of the most flexible foods we have available to us. Whether it’s a comforting plate of bangers and mash, fending off the cold weather. A quick buttered sausage roll as a snack or the compulsory BBQ sausage, it’s a year round go to treat.

How to make, Rosemary and Red Onion Focaccia Bread

How to make, Rosemary and Red Onion Focaccia Bread

Homemade Focaccia bread is a joy and very versatile. It’s sure to become a family favourite, and a great accompaniment to a BBQ or picnic.