Two's Company E-Book

Orlando Murrin

• Herausgeber: Ryland Peters & Small
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Beschreibung

Two's Company is a book with a positive message that cooking for two is exciting, fun and worthwhile. More than that – free from the demands of family or guests, liberated from a strict timetable, you can follow your mood, whether you fancy something homey, a fake-away or a creative culinary adventure. There is a major gap in the market for a mainstream cookbook for two, providing inspiration for couples, friends and flat-sharers who enjoy cooking and eating at home. Most of those cooking for two are forced either to scale down recipes or repeatedly contend with a fridge full of leftovers. Supermarkets have identified this trend, and provide a lavish choice of ready meals aimed at twosomes. But there is still a lack of inspiration for those of us who want to cook something fresh from scratch for a partner or friend. Here Orlando Murrin not only brings you original recipes but sets out the different 'rules' to consider when cooking for two. He suggests ways to shop sensibly to minimize waste and shares ingenious tips for shortcuts and techniques, gleaned from working with professional chefs and food stylists.

Leseprobe

TWO’S COMPANY

TWO’S COMPANY

THE BEST OF COOKING FOR COUPLES, FRIENDS & ROOMMATES

Orlando Murrin

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CLARE WINFIELD

For Robert

Senior Designer Megan Smith

Art Director Leslie Harrington

Editorial Director Julia Charles

Production Manager Gordana Simakovic

Head of Production Patricia Harrington

Publisher Cindy Richards

Food Stylist Tamara Voss

Prop Stylist Polly Webb-Wilson

Indexer Hilary Bird

Published in 2021

by Ryland Peters & Small

20–21 Jockey’s Fields

London WC1R 4BW

and

341 E 116th St

New York NY 10029 www.rylandpeters.com

Text © copyright Orlando Murrin 2021

Design and photographs © copyright

Ryland Peters & Small 2021

ISBN: 978-1-78879-377-3

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

The author’s moral rights have been asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed and bound in China.

CIP data from the Library of Congress has been applied for. A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

If you enjoy cooking and are looking for fresh ideas for two, this book has been written for you. On pages 6–13 you’ll find an introduction, which lists helpful equipment and ideas for shopping and storage. This is the sort of thing you might wish to read in bed.

The recipes themselves are organized in a straightforward way, with careful measurements and explanations. I have assumed you know your way around a kitchen, but in case of doubt when I say FLOUR I mean plain/all-purpose flour (I will specify when self-raising/rising is necessary). BUTTER is salted.

When it comes to EGGS, food writers have got into the habit of specifying large eggs, when any size will do.

For the recipes in this book, I recommend buying mixed-weight eggs – I explain why on page 144.

Every OVEN is different, but note that I don’t generally preheat mine, and nor need you. If this comes as a surprise, find out why on page 9.

Dotted throughout the book are over 50 ‘TRICKS OF THE TRADE’, which I hope you will find of universal use in your kitchen. If a trick catches your eye but you subsequently can’t find it, these have their own index on page 175.

Finally, warm greetings to American cooks, for whom we have supplied AMERICAN MEASUREMENTS (oz. and cups). If you are familiar with both metric and imperial systems – stick with one throughout a recipe, rather than mixing and matching.

Contents

Introduction

1 Weeknight Treats

2 Storecupboard Heroes

3 Fake-away Fridays

4 Saturday Night Specials

5 Lazy Sundays

6 Sweet Dreams

Index

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Cooking for two is an altogether different thing from family cooking or entertaining. For a start, your motivation is different – you’re more likely to be doing it because you want to, in a mood of relaxation, fun and companionship. But it’s also different technically: smaller quantities behave differently, cooking times diminish and processes can be skipped or streamlined. So why are we largely ignored by recipe writers? Two-person households outnumber every other kind of household – have done for decades – but most recipes still serve four, six or eight.

We are told that mental gymnastics keep the brain in shape, but it’s so boring having constantly to halve or third recipes – then forgetting halfway through and trying to backtrack, or throw the lot away and start again. The alternative is to cook the whole quantity, for four (or six), and eat the leftovers up tomorrow (and the next day). How depressing it is to open the fridge in the morning and see your life stretching guiltily in front of you, like some sort of culinary penance. How wasteful in an age where there is not enough to go around to throw stuff away because you cooked too much.

If this rings a bell, I promise you that everything about this book – the dishes, the recipes, the tips – has been created expressly and exclusively for the cook-plus-one. Beyond that I have only made a couple of assumptions: that you take pleasure in the process of cooking, and are open to fresh ideas.

HOW TO USE THE RECIPES

We all cook differently. Some of us like to follow recipes to the letter, others take a freeform approach and customize recipes according to personal taste, or what’s in the cupboard. I flit between the two. In writing these recipes, however, I have tried to imagine myself in your kitchen beside you, explaining step-by-step how I make the dish.

In the same way as most crafts and trades (to say nothing of DIY) begin and end with accurate measuring, I have weighed, measured and timed everything as exactly as I can, in the hope you get the same result as me. A discovery I made early during my testing operation was that when dealing with smaller quantities, it pays to apply an extra degree of care. An extra teaspoon of chilli powder will go unnoticed in a crowd-sized chilli con carne, but will blow your head off when it’s just for two. Ten more minutes in the oven won’t make much odds to a family-size roast, but will turn that little rack of lamb for which you paid through the nose to cinder.

Obviously, many cooks – especially experienced ones – may prefer to cook by ‘feel’, without buzzers going off the whole time. If this is you, please don’t think me bossy. I invite you to use the recipes merely as guides, or for inspiration, and to skip over the detail.

Otherwise, I can honestly say it’s all good news. Most kitchen processes get easier in direct proportion to the quantities you’re dealing with. Chopping, chilling, cooking and baking all happen quicker. Egg-and-breadcrumbing – a delectable treatment for meat and fish, but a nightmare on a large scale – takes minutes, and you can whip cream for a dessert – using just a hand whisk or even a fork – in seconds. (If you buy Jersey cream, you can even do it by shaking it in the tub, before opening. Yes, it’s true.) Freed from the tyranny of hungry mouths to feed, you can linger over the cooking as long as you wish, and with no polite guests to entertain, all sorts of exciting dishes that require last minute attention become possible… then you can sit straight down to enjoy them.

TWO’S GOOD COMPANY

Maybe you share the cooking, or maybe one cooks, the other clears up? Maybe you alternate? I was trained (by my mother) to clear up as I go along, and regard it almost as a point of honour that the kitchen (which is where we eat) is in good shape before we tuck in. There is no right or wrong, as long as everyone is happy.

I would, however, suggest one rule: whenever possible, avoid cooking against the clock. For years and years I cooked to a relentless timetable (it’s what chefs do) and it completely spoils the pleasure. Of course, this does assume a certain easy-going patience on the part of your companion, so I think the least one can do is ensure a generous supply of tasty morsels to fill the (sometimes) waiting game until we eat. These might be as simple as bought antipasti, olives or crudités and dips, or ‘themed’ snacks – tortilla chips if we’re eating Mexican, mini-poppadoms before an Indian meal, pretzels before hamburgers.

Wine is something else I like to delegate. Pairing food and wine so they work in harmony takes skill and forethought, and so does serving it. In this household at least, the cooking gets off to an impeccable start with a glass of something thoughtfully chosen, at just the right temperature. It turns every evening into a treat.

You will see that the recipes in this book do not include preparation and cooking times. This is deliberate – they are not designed to be cooked against the clock. A quick glance through the methods will obviously give you a good idea of how long to allow, but my philosophy is – and now always will be – it’s ready when it’s ready.

BATTERIE DE CUISINE

While testing the recipes for this book, I have noted what equipment is in constant use, and what gets shoved further and further back in the cupboard. I don’t have much kitchen space – indeed, if I buy something new, something has to be ‘sacrificed’ to make room for it – but if you do, by all means treat yourself to some of today’s amazing cookery gadgetry – breadmakers, Instant Pots®, rice cookers, soup machines, Thermomix®. They are all fun to use, work superbly – and I feel slightly jealous. Back to reality, however, and here are some of the pieces of kit (beyond the obvious) which I believe make cooking for two so much easier…

• I swear by an induction hob/stovetop – it is so fast and controllable, and each burner has its own timer.

• Ovenproof saucepans: a small milk pan; a small saucepan; and a medium or large saucepan, all with lids; ovenproof frying pans/skillets, non-stick: small and large, with ovenproof lids. (If you don’t have ovenproof lids, you can use foil.)

• Padded panholder – if you have ovenproof frying pans/skillets and put them in the oven (as I frequently do), this will save you many a nasty burn.

• Small and medium non-stick roasting tins and pans; baking trays and sheets – the more the merrier.

• Selection of small and medium ovenproof gratin dishes, oval, square, rectangular.

• Small food processor (not the mini-choppers designed for herbs). If you like your soups super-smooth, you can’t, however, beat a (full-size) blender. I am no fan of stick/immersion blenders (I’ve had to repaint the ceiling too many times) but I know many cooks are, and the powerful ones do a good job.

• Instant digital thermometer (such as Thermapen®) – used throughout this book, and indispensable for testing when meat is cooked. My temperature recommendations reflect my preference: official food safety guidelines (which you can find online) are often higher.

• Multi-timer or timers – mine (Polder®) can count up and down at the same time.

• Stainless steel mixing bowls, large, medium, small.

• Small salad spinner.

• Spatulas and mini-spatulas – in abundance, for folding, scooping and transferring small quantities. Some kept separate for sweet dishes.

• Mini-whisks (also known as Wonder Whisks or Nigella Whisks) – for dressings and sauces (plus I have a rubberized version to use in non-stick pans and a plastic one that can go in the microwave).

• Electric spice grinder or designated coffee mill, to grind spices and dried herbs.

• Fat-separating jug/pitcher, especially if, like me, you love braising meat (see Trick of the Trade page 148).

• Large and small measuring jugs/pitchers (large can double-up for proving bread dough, and whisking/whipping egg whites and cream).

• Measuring spoons – one set clipped together, the other loose, to grab and go. For liquids, a level tablespoon (tbsp) is 15 ml, a teaspoon (tsp) is 5 ml.

• I would strongly recommend a sous-vide wand, and once you’re hooked on the technique, a vacuum sealer. The sous-vide is a gadget which results in the tenderest, juiciest meat you ever will eat. It is the only way I would ever cook pork chops and steaks nowadays and this book contains a handful of recipes which use it. Invest in one – you will thank me.

• A note on aluminium foil, baking parchment, plastic film and kitchen paper towels. I never use these thoughtlessly, but they make light work of many kitchen procedures – preparing, assembling, cooking, storing. I have a corner in my kitchen where I set aside anything with potential for re-use. In some recipes, I suggest using baking parchment or foil ‘for easy clean-up’: these are cases which result in a horrible washing-up experience, so you decide.

• In a few recipes, I suggest ‘cooking spray’ as a way to prevent sticking: I am referring to the small squirty plastic bottles marketed for low-fat frying.

• If you enjoy baking, you may already be in possession of a food mixer. I only use it once in this book (Birthday Surprise, page 169). For small quantities, it is worth making sure the clearance between beater and bowl is correctly adjusted (you’ll find advice online), so you’re not whisking thin air. Alternatively, you can use a sturdy electric hand whisk.

• A radio or tablet, so that you can listen to something and never find yourself cooking alone.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT OVENS

Do not preheat your oven. Yes, you heard me correctly. All the recipes in this book have been tested in a fan oven using the ‘cold start’ method. Put the dish in the fan oven, turn it on, then set the timer. Easy as that. Let me explain… Most electric ovens now sold are fan ovens. When these were introduced, the proud boast was ‘no need to preheat’, because once you turn a fan oven on, it immediately starts blowing hot air around the food. Somehow, down the years, the message got lost. Think of the terawatts of energy wasted while ovens around the world – fan or not – come up to heat. Elaine Boddy, who has emerged in recent years as one of the pre-eminent ‘queens of sourdough’, urges her followers to put their dough in a cold oven, then turn on the heat. As the oven heats, so does the dough. Yes, it works.

I also have a conventional oven, and – naturally – it takes longer to come up to temperature, as the hot air isn’t blowing in the same way as a fan oven. For the purposes of comparison, my fan oven takes 8 minutes to reach 180ºC/400ºF, my conventional oven 14 minutes to reach 200ºC/400ºF, a gas oven 15 minutes to reach gas 6. Therefore… If you have a conventional or gas oven, put the dish in the cold oven, turn it on and set the timer, adding 6–7 minutes to the cooking time.

You may have been told – I must admit I am bored with being told – that all ovens vary and we should check frequently with an oven thermometer. (Note that an oven thermometer is different from the instant digital one I recommend on page 8: this type dips and dives as you open and close the oven door, like a runaway rollercoaster, and I find it utterly confusing.) I suggest you save your money, try one or two of my recipes to see if your timings tally with mine, and if not, adjust in future.

I have never owned an oven that bakes evenly front to back, so I invariably rotate the tray or baking dish halfway through, including for recipes we are warned will collapse, such as Yorkshire puddings and soufflés. (They don’t.)

Just a handful of recipes in this book require a quick blast of oven heat or the grill/broiler to cook or brown them – in which case I indicate in good time that you will need to preheat your oven or grill.

INGREDIENTS

It’s been said a million times, but do buy the best ingredients you can find and afford. The recipes in this book span the whole range from budget to luxurious, but everything goes up a notch if you start with the best you can.

During recent years, many artisan butchers, fishmongers, delicatessens, farmers’ markets and greengrocers have thrived, and deservedly. I urge you to buy local, and in season, as much as possible. One great advantage of shopping in independents and markets is that you can buy exactly how much you need, without being saddled by family-size packs or uniform-sized products. That being said, supermarkets do a great job, and I have tried to design the recipes in this book around what is readily available, in standard pack sizes.

I have the good fortune to live in Devon, regarded by many as the dairy of the United Kingdom, so do not be surprised that many dishes in this book major on good things such as cheese, cream and butter. When I can, I buy these from the people who make them. It’s common sense.

If you’re cooking dishes from faraway lands, it’s tempting to cut corners, and substitute something you already have for something ‘authentic’. I know the feeling – it’s depressing to accumulate half-used jars and bottles, used just once to try out a new recipe. Cooking with new ingredients and flavours is, however, how we develop as cooks, and – more important – seeking out ‘the real thing’ shows respect to the cuisines we are working with, their heritage and those who have ‘curated’ them, sometimes down many centuries. I try not to force this issue – the recipes in this book are designed to be mainstream and accessible – but I urge you to be open to culinary innovations and influences, as they come along.

Incidentally, if I do find myself with a ‘half-used jar’ which I am certain I no longer want, my solution is to walk a few doors down the street. My neighbour’s teenage son Laurie is an ardent flavour-experimenter and jumps at the chance to try something new: the next Harold McGee, we all hope.

FRESH PRODUCE

• Most savoury recipes involve onion in some form. I find small onions (about 100–120 g/3½–4½ oz.) most useful when cooking for two. Or use ½ a large onion, and save the rest (I keep it in the fridge in the same stay-fresh plastic bag as my garlic and ginger: surprisingly, it does not make the fridge smell). Shallots, which are spicier and cook much faster, vary drastically in size, from 30–75 g/1–2¾ oz., so double-up if yours are small. Spring onions/scallions are great for adding punch – slice the white and some of the green as thinly as you can on the bias.

• You will find info about garlic, ginger and chillies/chiles in relevant recipes. Garlic is mashed (with salt), crushed (in a crusher) or sliced, as required, but it is always peeled first. Ginger is peeled, then grated or finely chopped, depending on the recipe. If your palate is spicy, chop chillies whole; otherwise, discard the ribs and seeds.

• A crisp head of celery, standing in a jug/pitcher of water in the kitchen, is irresistible for between-meal crunching. It may just be me, but I find it adds little to most cooked dishes, so use it if you have it, but you will usually find it marked ‘optional’.

• Fresh herbs add a bright extra layer of flavour, and their vibrant colour brings dishes to life. (As an experiment, take a photograph of a plate of food with no green in it, then add some herbs and snap again. You will be amazed.) See Trick of the Trade on page 108 for tips on on how handle and store them.

• When it comes to eggs, I’ve recently learned that size isn’t everything – see Trick of the Trade on page 144 and prepare to rethink your egg-buying habits.

• I always cook with salted butter.

• If I have suggested a particular cheese for a dish, feel free to vary it, particularly if you have access to local or artisan cheeses. Cheesemaking is a precious industry and deserves our support. Leftover cheese can be frozen: the texture will usually be impaired, but better than committing the crime of throwing it away. The same goes for leftover mascarpone, ricotta and mozzarella, incidentally.

STORECUPBOARD

• Where I specify ‘oil’ I mean rapeseed or another neutral vegetable oil. For ‘olive oil’ I use a good-quality extra virgin oil (but not high-end – I save that for dressings and drizzling). For the sake of authenticity, two recipes in this book call for corn oil. In many recipes, I suggest a little or a ‘splash’ of oil – the object being that the oil, once heated, should just cover the base of the pan. If I specify 1 tablespoon of oil, don’t feel you have to bother to measure it – if the base of the pan is well covered, that is a tablespoon.

• Oil is usually heated to shimmering or just smoking before adding other ingredients. Butter is usually heated to the point where it has foamed, and the foam subsided, before adding other ingredients.

• My formula for vinaigrette is to mini-whisk mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, wine vinegar and seasoning in a jar, then very slowly whisk in ½ oil and ½ olive oil, to make an emulsion. Keeps in the fridge for a week.

• If you were a tomato, you too would taste better grown and canned under the Neapolitan sun. Choose the best you can get. Small (230-g/8-oz.) cans are more expensive but super-convenient for the smaller household, or use ½ a 400-g/14-oz. can (plus a splash of water to make up for the 30-g/1-oz. shortfall, if necessary).

• I love rice in all its forms, and it makes sense (as well as shows respect) to serve the rice appropriate to the dish in question (for instance, basmati with Indian food). An easy and elegant way to serve long-grain rice (also works for risotto rice, which has an appealing nutty flavour, and orzo – pasta-shaped rice) is in ‘timbale’ form (literally, ‘drum-shaped’). Take 2 ramekins, about 150-ml/5-fl oz./⅔-cup capacity. Measure out ⅔ of a ramekin of rice and cook in salted boiling water or stock. Drain the rice, spoon it into the 2 buttered ramekins and keep warm on a mini baking tray or sheet, covered in foil. When ready to serve, invert 1 ramekin on each of 2 hot plates, then add meat and sauce or whatever.

• I make fresh breadcrumbs from leftover bread, but I find panko crumbs – light and crisp – much more useful. In little boxes, they are prohibitively expensive, so buy in big bags from ethnic supermarkets. Actually, get a HUGE one while you’re at it.

• I am lobbying spice companies to sell spices in smaller quantities, to avoid waste. Till that happens, buy best-quality spices (such as Steenberg’s and Penzey’s) in the smallest amounts you can, and have an annual clear-out. If you have a spice grinder, grind your own where possible, and always grate nutmeg from fresh. Consider spice mixes – for instance, the up-and-coming Sizl brand. I have a fondness for paprika, but note that smoked comes in mild and hot forms – the latter can blast a dish off the Scoville scale if you’re not expecting it.

• I have a special section in my storecupboard for condiments, including flavoured salts, Chinese, balsamic and other vinegars, Shaoxing rice wine, dark soy sauce (plus Indonesian kecap manis), Tabasco, Worcestershire and other sauces, plus mustards galore – and ketchup. New ones are always being added.

• Flour means plain (all-purpose) flour. To convert to self-raising, see Trick of the Trade on page 165.

• I use caster/superfine sugar (the golden variety, with caramel undertones), light muscovado (or light soft brown sugar), demerara/turbinado sugar and icing/confectioners’ sugar (golden, if you can get it).

FRIDGE AND FREEZER

The shelves of my fridge door are where I keep my flavour ‘uppers’, which I use both for authentic cooking, and for experimentation. At any given time you will find gochujang, sriracha, ’nduja (pronounced en-doo-ya – a spicy fermented salami paste from Calabria), chipotle pastes, ethnic sauces (fish, hoisin, oyster, XO, BBQ), sesame oil and creamed horseradish. Always a tube of ‘Bomba!’ tomato purée/paste and jars of mayonnaise. Newcomers are always welcome.

The freezer can be useful for saving by-products and leftovers, but if my (much-loved) Auntie Sheila is reading this – you can take it too far, and end up with a collection of useless odds and ends. It goes without saying nothing must be allowed in unless it is labelled and – ideally – dated. Every 2 or 3 months I do a stocktake, and call everything out to Robert, who then types out a list. I enjoy seeing what he makes of some items – last time ‘guanciale’ came out as ‘guacamole’. Beyond frozen peas, I hope you have discovered the joys of frozen sweetcorn/corn.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Dotted among the recipes you will find over 50 ‘Tricks of the Trade’ – shortcuts and scraps of know-how I’ve picked up over the years. (You’ll also find them indexed on page 175.) Here are a few extras I would like to share which have arisen mainly from working with food stylists and in professional kitchens (including my own)…

• If you are in a hurry, get everything out first – ingredients, equipment, the lot. I’ve done comparative timings, and it’s about 20 per cent quicker, as well as minimizing mess as you crisscross the kitchen, opening and shutting cupboards. When I’m not in a hurry, I’m happy to crisscross, by the way.

• Season as you go along, then taste at the end. (I avoid tasting too often in the early stages, to avoid palate overload.) When doing this final tasting, first correct the level of salt, which enables you to detect the full flavour spectrum. When the salt is right, you are ready to make final tweaks. If it’s flat, brighten and sweeten with a squeeze of lemon juice or a tiny pinch of sugar. If it’s dull, consider more pepper, a pinch of crushed chilli/hot red pepper flakes, a splash of Worcestershire, or something else from your arsenal.

• I use fine sea salt for cooking, and flaky salt for finishing and at the table. Whatever you decide, stick to it, so you develop an instinct for how much to use.

• If in doubt, choose a larger pan than you think you need. Overcrowded – overflowing – pans are the mark of the amateur…

• If you are an Instagrammer, a couple of food styling tips. When arranging food in a dish, before cooking or when serving, rotate the dish to check it from two or three angles: it’s surprising how elegant something can look from one direction, then you turn it around and it’s an eyesore. When scattering chopped herbs, Parmesan or whatever over a finished dish, the greater the height from which you drop, the more evenly and prettily the particles will land. (Although unfortunately, they will also land where you don’t want them, including all over your worktop.)

• Cook on wood. I am not referring to charcoal and hickory chips, but your kitchen floor. Stone or tile floors are exhausting, and bad news for feet and knees. If that’s what you have – well, you know for next time.

WHAT NOT TO COOK FOR TWO

I am not such a culinary evangelist as to deny that there are some things that are better not cooked for two. A roast chicken, for instance, with leftovers for a tasty chicken pie. Feats of cooking which demand a disproportionate amount of time and effort – home-made pasta, the great dishes of France (think coq au vin, bœuf bourguignon), pastilla from Morocco, a hand-raised pork pie – and dozens more. I have a special fondness for savoury tarts and quiches, but for me the minimum practical size will feed 4–6 people: miniaturized versions are laboursome and miss the point, with too much pastry to filling.

That being said, I hope this book demonstrates how many different types of recipes from all over the world can be scaled down successfully – and perhaps you’ll find pointers and stepping stones to make it easier next time you do it for yourself. Even if you do find yourself occasionally halving an egg.

WHAT NEXT?

Most food writers would agree that although in theory we would like everyone to cook our recipes, it’s scary when they do. What if it goes wrong? What if they don’t like it? Occasionally, I’ve been invited out to eat, to find my own recipes are on the menu. It’s intended to be flattering, but believe me, it’s unnerving.

Despite these qualms, I believe food writers should be accountable, and I would genuinely like to know how you get on with the recipes in this book. In this day and age it’s impossible to hide even if one wanted to, but feel free to contact me via the usual channels. I mean it.

WEEKNIGHT TREATS

When you’re looking for something to give your evening a lift, here are some ideas to turn ordinary into special. Depending on your rhythm, some are fast, some slow, but they’re all firm favourites in our household, and all completely practical for two.

Cheese baked in puff pastry

This recipe is a homage to the pasty, that parcel of goodness which Cornish wives used to slip into the pockets of their menfolk to sustain them through their hours of toil down tin mines or in the fields. Much pride is taken to this day in ‘crimping’ the edge to form a neat and comely finish.

My favourite cheeses for this dish are a pair of luscious cows’ milk cheeses from southern England called – and yes, they sound like a variety act – Tunworth and Winslade. Once you discover these creamy marvels, it will be love at first taste. A small Camembert makes an excellent alternative. If you prefer to remove the rind – I don’t – slice it away as thinly as possible. Most small round cheeses weigh in at 250 g/9 oz., so for this recipe you will need half. While you’re at it, it’s very little extra trouble to make a spare to put in the freezer. This can be egg-washed and baked from frozen (35–40 minutes – use a skewer to check the centre is hot). Note: the remaining pastry can be frozen or used for the Antipasti Tart, see page 48.

A crisp green salad is the perfect accompaniment. At the risk of being laughed at, I recommend Iceberg lettuce, which I find sweet, cool and crunchy, and a pleasant change from bitter salad leaves. It is also an excellent vehicle for a well-made dressing, such as my vinaigrette on page 12.

25 g/1 oz./¼ cup walnut pieces, toasted (see Trick of the Trade, page 17)

2 tbsp chutney (I like mango), onion marmalade, or a mixture

150–180-g/5½–6¼-oz. ready-rolled puff pastry (½ a pack)

½ a 250-g/9-0z. Tunworth, Winslade, Camembert, or other creamy cows’ milk cheese

1 egg beaten with a little milk, to make an egg wash

a sprinkling of nigella seeds (optional)

1 Chop the toasted walnut pieces. If your chutney is on the chunky side, chop it up a bit, too.

2 If necessary, lightly roll the pastry to about 25-cm/9¾-inch square. Lay it in front of you on the diagonal, gently fold the top half down (to form an inverted triangle), then unfold it to form a light crease across the centre. Make a rough pile of ½ the nuts, just below this centre line. Spread ½ the chutney over one side of the cheese, and lay it chutney-side-down on the nuts, so the straight (cut) side of the cheese runs along the crease. Spread the remaining chutney on top and sprinkle over the remaining nuts.

3 Brush the exposed pastry lightly with egg wash and bring the top half of the pastry up and over the cheese, to enclose it completely. Use your hands to press the pastry into a snug fit all around and seal firmly. Trim away any excess pastry around the base with a knife or scissors, crimp firmly all around with the tines of a fork and trim again to neaten.

4 Transfer to a small baking tin or pan lined with baking parchment. Make a hole in the top, brush generously with egg wash and sprinkle with nigella seeds, if using.

5 Bake at 190ºC fan/210ºC/425ºF for about 20–25 minutes, till golden and puffed. Leave for 5 tantalizing minutes before cutting in two and serving with salad. If your pastry springs a leak – it can happen even in Cornwall – spoon up any melted cheese and divide it between the plates.

TRICK OF THE TRADE

Toasted walnuts are well worth the extra trouble – more flavour, more crunch. Spread them out on a baking tray or sheet and put in the oven at 160ºC fan/180ºC/350ºF for 8–10 minutes. If I buy them in a pack, I toast the lot, and put those I don’t immediately need back in the pack for next time. My advice: toast walnuts till they take on a glazed, bronzy appearance. And (learnt from bitter experience) – always set a timer.