Recipe | Bedtime Cake

Add a nostalgic bedtime drink to a traditional party cake and you have this Carrot and Horlicks Tres Leches Cake. Best enjoyed at bedtime

Serves 6-8

270g plain flour
2 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp fine salt
4 eggs, separated
240g caster sugar
240ml vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
240g carrots, peeled and finely grated

For the milk soak:
300ml whole milk
6 tbsp malted milk hot drink powder, such as Horlicks
340ml evaporated milk
397ml can of condensed milk

To decorate:
400ml double cream
2 tbsp whole milk 1 tbsp malted milk hot drink powder, such as Horlicks
40g icing sugar, sifted
Rainbow sprinkles (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/ Gas 5. Meanwhile, grease and line a 24cm x 33cm baking tin.

2 Combine the flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a bowl and set aside. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl until thick and pale.

3 Add the oil and vanilla to the egg yolk mix and beat, then fold in the carrot, followed by the flour mixture making sure it’s really well combined – it will be thick.

4 In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Use a large metal spoon to fold a quarter of the whites at a time gently into the cake batter. Once well combined, pour the batter into the tin and bake for 40-45 mins.

5 Meanwhile, prepare the milk soak by gently heating the milk in a pan over a low heat until just steaming, then whisk in the malted milk powder. Remove from the heat and whisk in the evaporated milk and condensed milk. Pour into a jug and set aside.

6 Once baked, leave the cake to cool for 10 mins, then turn it out and remove the lining paper before returning it to the tin. Poke holes all over the surface, then pour enough of the milk mixture over the top to cover it. Let it sink in, then add more. Repeat until it’s all gone. Chill overnight.

7 At least 2 hrs before serving, whip the cream, milk, malted milk powder and icing sugar together. Spread over the cake in a thick layer and chill for 2 hrs to set. Decorate with sprinkles then cut into squares ready to serve.

Cook’s note: Try adjusting the spices – nutmeg and cardamom work well.

Taken from Good Time Cooking: Show stopping Menus For Easy Entertaining  by
Rosie Mackean (Pavilion Books). Photography: Sam Harris

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More from our November issue…

Recipe | kedgeree for a weekend at home

A lovely, lazy dish for brunch, lunch, or whenever you like…

We’ve all spent more time at home recently. While we’re all dreaming of a weekend away, why not have a ‘weekend away at home’, with fancy food, time to sit over the lunch table and chat and plenty of board games and books. This hot smoked salmon kedgeree is delicious served hot or cold. The brunch dish was first given the royal seal of approval by Queen Victoria, and if it’s good enough for her, it’s good enough for us.

Serves 4

2 tbsp ghee
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 bay leaves
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp mustard seeds
1 leek, chopped (white part only)
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
750g of cooked basmati rice
2 tbsp medium curry powder
Juice of 1 lemon
1½ tsp sea salt flakes (or to taste)
200g cooked hot smoked salmon fillets
2 boiled eggs, cut into quarters
Lemon wedges, fresh coriander and dill to serve

1 Heat the ghee in a large sauté pan or frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, bay leaves, cumin, fennel and mustard seeds and sauté for a few seconds until the seeds start to crackle and become fragrant.
2 Add the leek and sauté for a further 1-2 mins, or until it starts to soften and caramelise, then add the tomatoes and cook for another 1-2 mins, or until they’re glazed and softened.
3 Add the cooked basmati rice, curry powder, lemon juice and salt and mix well, ensuring that the rice breaks down and all the spices are evenly incorporated throughout.
4 Flake the cooked salmon fillets into the pan and mix thoroughly, taking care not to break up the salmon flakes too much. Reduce the heat, adding a couple of tablespoons of water if it looks a little dry. Cover and cook for a further 2-3 mins, or until the dish is completely warmed through.
5 Spoon onto a platter or serving dish and garnish with the boiled egg quarters, lemon wedges, fresh coriander and dill.

Cook’s note: Use ready-cooked basmati rice to make this recipe super-quick and easy to prepare.

This kedgeree recipe by Lousie Gorrod is part of our Weekend Away at Home feature from our March issue. You can find the rest of the menu, including a garlic dip, rosemary spiced nuts and a triple chocolate cake - as well as lots of ideas for making a weekend away out of a weekend at home - starting on page 48. Photography by Emma Croman.

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Food | Chicken Soup on Tour

Take a journey around the world in chicken soup. There can’t be many nicer ways to travel...

When you’re nursing a cold, or just feeling in need of some succour and comfort, a bowl of chicken soup is the answer. We’re not sure there’s much it can’t solve, to be honest. 

Chicken soup has been soothing humans since the times of the ancient Greeks and Chinese, but it’s as a Jewish dish that it’s most well known, earning it the title ‘Jewish Penicillin’ . A 12th century Jewish philosopher, Maimonides, even claimed it could cure not only the common cold but also leprosy and asthma. 

Wherever you go in the world there’s a version of chicken soup to sustain you. Here are a few you might be less familiar with for some inspiration next time you’re wielding a ladle in the face of a cold. 

In France, try a Chicken Pot Au Feu.

Head to Vietnam for Pho Ga.

You can sample Bahian Chicken and Shrimp Stew in Brazil.

Warm your very bones with Ajiaco in Columbia. 

In Greece, order a bowl of Chicken Orzo Soup.

Go Italian with this Chicken and Escarole Soup with Fennel.

Try a Japanese take on chicken noodle soup with this Chicken Udon.

And finally, fight off  cold with some spice with a hearty Mulligatawny from India 

We were inspired to go on our Chicken Soup Tour by the recipe in our January issue for Chorba Bayda taken from The Chicken Soup Manifesto by Jenn Louis (Hardie Grant) Photography: Ed Anderson. The January issue is on sale now, in shops or you can buy it in our online shop and have it delivered straight to your doormat.

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More soup for your soul…

Recipe | leek, butter bean and white wine casserole

Hearty beans and sweet alliums makes this meat-free casserole a modern winter warmer

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
3 small leeks, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
250ml white wine 
¼ tsp chilli flakes 
2 x 400g tins butter beans, drained and rinsed 
750ml vegetable stock 
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped

1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the leeks and garlic with a good pinch of salt and cook over a gentle heat until softened.

2 Add the white wine, chilli flakes, butter beans and vegetable stock, and simmer for 10-15 mins. Stir in the lemon juice and chopped parsley, then season to taste.

This recipe is from our feature Midwinter Food for Friends with plant-based recipes by Lottie Storey, including beetroot and dukkah-topped seed crackers, radicchio with orange and mustard dressing, potato and celeriac mash with shallots and chocolate and Guinness cake with coconut cream. A lovely menu whether you’re a lifelong vegan, are throwing yourself into Veganuary with vigour, or just fancy trying something new. All in the January issue, in shops now.

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More comfort food to share with friends…

Recipe: Fish pie

Surely the most comforting of comfort foods, great for a crowd and just as good eaten alone on the sofa

In our November issue, Olivia Potts, author of A Half Baked Idea (Fig Tree), talked about how cooking a fish pie helped her grieve for her mother and we all agreed that there’s something very gentle and soothing about both putting together and eating this dish. Baking a fish pie needn’t involve using every pan in your house. In this simple recipe, which first appeared in our November 2015 issue, the veg are included in the pie so you don’t even need a side dish. Spoon it out into a bowl to eat curled up with a blanket or perhaps bring it out for a bonfire night supper with friends.

Fish Pie

You will need

200g boneless white fish fillets
200g skinless salmon fillet (pin-boned)
450ml full-fat milk
750g potatoes, peeled and halved
1 tbsp olive oil
4 baby leeks, finely sliced
3 shallots, diced
2 fennel bulbs, finely sliced
100g butter
2 tbsp plain flour
150g frozen peas
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
juice of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper

How to make

1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F.
2 Place the fish in a baking dish, season and pour over 400ml of the milk. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes until the fish flakes slightly when pressed with a fork.
3 Remove the fish, reserving the milk. When cool enough to handle, flake the fish into bite- sized pieces and set aside.
4 Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until soft. 5 Heat the olive oil in a shallow casserole over a low to medium heat on the hob and sautée the leeks, shallots and fennel until soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
6 Melt 50g of the butter in the casserole, stir in the flour and cook over a low heat for 2-3 mins. Slowly add the reserved milk and continue to cook until thickened, stirring continuously.
7 Add the flaked fish, sautéed leeks, shallots and fennel, peas, 1 tbsp of the parsley and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
8 Drain the potatoes and mash with the remaining 50ml milk, 50g butter and rest of the chopped parsley until smooth. Season to taste.
9 Spoon the mash on top of the fish mixture and smooth with a spatula. Trace a pattern into the mash with a fork.
10 Place the casserole into the oven and bake for 20–25 mins or until golden.

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From our November issue…

Recipe | Comforting little casseroles

Tender spiced meat topped with cheesy mash... What’s not to like?

Makes 4 portions
600g stewing beef, cubed
50g butter
Olive oil, for frying
3 onions, finely chopped
1 bottle of dark beer
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1⁄2 tsp ground ginger
1 bay leaf
1 thick slice of ginger loaf (about 50g)
1.25kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
150–200ml hot milk
50g butter
2 egg yolks
125g mature cheddar cheese, grated
Fresh nutmeg, for grating

1 Season the beef and set aside for 5 mins. Heat the butter and a splash of oil in a heavy-based pan and sear the meat for 3–5 mins, turning, until browned. You will need to do this
in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2 Fry the onions in the same pan for 10 mins, until golden. Add the beer, vinegar, mustard, ground ginger and bay. Crumble in the ginger loaf and return the meat to the pan. Bring to the boil, cover and turn the heat down as low as you can. Cook for about 2 hrs, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender. You might need to add more liquid, or reduce the liquid at the end.
3 Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large pan of salted boiling water for 20–25 mins. Drain and mash with the milk and butter. Mix in the yolks and half of the grated cheese, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
4 Season the meat to taste, and divide among 4 mini casserole dishes. Top with the mash and remaining cheese.
5 To eat at once, bake in an oven preheated to 200C/Fan 180C/400F for 10 mins, until the cheese has melted. For a crisp, golden crust, brown under the grill for the last few mins.

TO FREEZE AND REHEAT
Wrap, dish and all, in freezerproof clingfilm or put in freezer bags, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw, unwrap and reheat for 20–25 mins in an oven preheated to 200C/Fan 180C/400F. Reheat from frozen for 45–60 mins at the same temperature.

Turn to page 46 of February's The Simple Things for more meals for one. It does take time, but when you’re done, you’ll have a wealth of comfort food to squirrel away.

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Spinach, sausage and orzo soup

This spinach, sausage and orzo soup offers a whole meal and a big dose of comfort in one bowl for those midwinter days when you want dinner on
the sofa and minimal washing up.

Serves 4
6 plump sausages (ideally with lots of onion or garlic)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 stick of celery, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato purée
A generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
A small pinch of dried oregano
800ml chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
100g orzo or other small pasta
150g spinach, stems removed, roughly chopped
2 tbsp single or double cream 

TO SERVE:
Fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped
Freshly grated parmesan

1 Remove the sausage casings and shape the meat into little meatballs. Place the oil in a heavy-based pan with a lid over a medium-high heat and add the sausage meatballs. Brown them all over, then lift out and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and to the same pan add the onion, carrot and celery, and season; sauté for 10 mins, until soft and beginning to brown.
2 Add garlic and tomato purée and cook, stirring for 2 mins. Next, add the nutmeg, oregano, stock and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 mins.
3 Add the orzo*, spinach and meatballs and simmer for 4 mins, or until the orzo and meatballs are cooked. Remove from the heat, add the cream and remove the bay leaf and check seasoning.
4 Serve in wide bowls, and garnish with herbs and parmesan.

Recipe from Leon Happy Soups by Rebecca Seal and John Vincent (Conran Octopus).

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Marmite and cheddar welsh rarebit

Winter comfort food doesn’t get much better than this

Serves 2
4 slices sourdough
20g unsalted butter
20g plain flour
200ml amber ale
100g mature cheddar, finely grated, plus extra for sprinkling
1–2 tsp Marmite, to taste

1 Preheat grill to high. Toast the sourdough, either under the grill or in a toaster.
2 Put the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Once the butter has completely melted, add the flour and beat to a thick paste with a wooden spoon.
3 Still on the heat, add a splash of the ale and beat in. The mixture will turn into a very thick paste but just keep beating. Add the ale gradually, beating well after each addition. As the mixture gets looser, switch to a whisk and whisk continuously, while pouring in the ale – it’s easier to get rid of any lumps while the mixture is thicker, so whisk like your life depends on it and add the ale gradually. Allow the sauce to come to
a boil then reduce to a gentle simmer and leave it to cook for about 10 mins,
stirring occasionally.
4 Once the floury taste has cooked out of the sauce – test it to be sure – add a generous pinch of black pepper (I wouldn’t use any salt until the end as Marmite can season this enough). Add the cheese and stir over a low heat until melted. Add the Marmite a little at a time, to taste – you may think more is more, but do go carefully; a little goes a long way. Taste for seasoning, adding more pepper and salt if required.
5 Spoon the sauce onto the slices of toast and sprinkle over a little more grated cheese. Place under the hot grill for a minute or two, until the sauce bubbles up and burnished, blackened little flecks appear.

Recipe from Comfort by John Whaite (Kyle Books). 

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Recipe | Pear & quince crumble with almond custard

You can make this with just pears if that’s all you have to hand, but quince adds a beautiful aromatic note. 

The quince needs to be poached first, to soften it; if your pears are unripe, add them to the poaching for the last 10–20 minutes, or until they’re soft. This recipe presumes ripe pears. The topping is as dark, complex and rubbly as the apple and blackberry one (page 47 of the November 2017 issue) is light and simple.

Serves 4–6
1 quince, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tbsp sugar
8 ripe pears, peeled, cored and quartered
2 tbsp apple juice
Juice of 1 lemon 

For the crumble: 
75g butter
150g spelt/rye flour
75g demerara sugar
100g oats
1 tsp ground ginger
100g almonds, roughly chopped

For the almond custard:
There are a few ways to make this, using the vanilla custard recipe (opposite) as your starting point. In summer you can infuse the milk with a handful of peach or nectarine leaves before you start on the custard: scald the milk with the leaves in it and leave to infuse while it cools, then strain and use the milk as per the recipe. For a cheat’s version, add a little almond essence once the custard is made, tasting as you add. And for a grown- ups-only version, add a shot or two of amaretto to the finished custard. 

 1 Poach the quince in a saucepan of water with the sugar for around 30 mins, or until softened. Slice. Meanwhile, toss the pears in the apple and lemon juice.
2 Preheat oven to 190C/Fan 170C/ 375F. Tip the fruit into a baking dish and pour over around 240ml of the quince poaching juice or some apple juice.
3 For the crumble, rub the butter roughly into the flour, then add the sugar, oats, ginger and almonds and rub them in a little, too. Sprinkle the mixture over the fruit and bake in the preheated oven for around 30 mins, or until the top has browned.

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Recipe | Real ragu

It may take more effort than a staple spag bol, but this slow-cooked brisket is well worth it

Serves 4
1kg rolled beef brisket
2 tbsp olive oil
50g unsalted butter
200g smoked pancetta, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
3 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp mixed spice
500ml red wine
500ml milk
2 dried bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary

to serve:
500g dried tagliatelle
75ml extra virgin olive oil
Small handful parsley, roughly chopped
100g parmesan, finely grated

1 Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F. Put the brisket into a small roasting dish and roast for an hour. Remove and allow the brisket to cool. Cut into small chunks.
2 Meanwhile heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan or casserole over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders down and the pancetta is slightly crispy. Add the onion, carrots and celery, stir to coat, then cook very slowly until soft – a good 20 mins at least, stirring every so often.
3 Once the veg are soft, increase the heat to high and stir in the tomato purée and mixed spice just for a minute or two, then add the wine, milk and herbs. Add the chopped brisket, bring to the boil, then reduce to a very low simmer and cook, partially covered with a lid, for 3 hours. Give the pan a stir every so often to ensure the bottom isn’t catching.
4 When the ragu is ready – it will be thick and the meat will be oh so tender – season to taste. Cook the pasta in salted water. Reserve 100ml of the pasta cooking water, then drain. Add the pasta to the ragu pan along with the reserved water, olive oil and parsley. Stir well to mix. Serve with a scattering of parmesan.

Recipe from Comfort by John Whaite (Kyle Books). 

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Recipe | Mugestrone

There is great comfort to be had from a cup-a-soup – especially if made fresh from scratch

Serves 1

1 mug vegetable juice (such as V8 or tinned tomato soup)
40g tinned borlotti beans
60g frozen vegetables
15–20g vermicelli noodles

to serve – all optional

A drizzle of pesto
1⁄2 tbsp parmesan shavings
Fresh parsley
Pinch of chilli flakes

1 Pour the juice or soup into a mug and then add the borlotti beans, vegetables and noodles. Heat in the microwave on high for 2–3 mins. Alternatively, bring the mixture to boil in a saucepan on the hob. You want to heat it enough to cook the noodles and frozen veg thoroughly – around 4 mins.

2 Serve topped with a drizzle of pesto, parmesan shavings, fresh parsley leaves and chilli flakes, if using.

Taken from Pimp My Noodles by Kathy Kordalis (Hardie Grant). 

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