56 h. ago How to make black forest gateau – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

The classic Bavarian dessert is made up of layers of booze-soaked chocolate cake, cream and cherries, and is a winning closing act to any mealI think a long enough time has passed since the heyday of Sara Lee to concede the magnificence of the OG BFG: that towering torte of cherry brandy-soaked chocolate sponge, cherries and whipped cream whose name nods to the German Schwarzwälder’s many cherry trees and the black, white and red of its traditional dress. It’s also a very simple bake, because the show-stopping bit is all in the assembly.Prep 1 hr Cook 1 hr 5 min Serves 8-10 Continue reading...

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9 d. ago How to make the perfect fish finger sandwich – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect

Everyone in the UK has an opinion on this British classic, and here is our resident perfectionist’s I must be the only person in Britain not to have grown up with fish finger sandwiches – we always had them with mash and peas – but after discovering them on pub menus as an adult, it wasn’t hard to see the appeal. These crunchy batons of firm, creamy fish in soft white bread, often topped with a tangy sauce, are surely the UK equivalent of Mexican fish tacos or West African fish rolls – a quick, nutritious and very satisfying light meal or snack.(NB: if you’re skim-reading this before leaping below the line to demand to know who needs a recipe for a fish finger sandwich, I can assure you a lot of people online seem to feel there’s a demand.) Given their popularity (indeed, this column was a reader request), I must echo Helen Graves, who prefaces her recipe thus: “I am bracing myself for the comeback on this one, because everyone (or at least everyone in the UK) has an opinion on what...

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2 w. ago How to make kleftiko – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

Our resident perfectionist gives the classic Greek lamb bake a onceoverThis Greek classic is said to be named after the klephts – sheep rustlers who slow-cooked their ill-gotten gains in underground pits to avoid detection, or perhaps to avoid having to share the delicious results. As a law-abiding citizen, I prefer to use an oven, but I have to concede that those naughty bandits knew a thing or two about flavour.Prep 20 min Marinate 8 hr+ Cook 4½ hr Rest 30 min+ Serves 6 Continue reading...

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3 w. ago How to make the perfect peach cobbler – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect

A fruity stew topped with something akin to a crumble dumpling, the cobbler is a beloved specialty of the southern US – but whose version will make it to your table?‘If you go to a picnic in the south,” wrote the late South Carolina chef Emily Meggett, “and there’s no peach cobbler, someone’s got some explaining to do.” Cobblers, a rustic variety of fruit pie that seems to have originated in the rough-and-ready environs of the American west, are now principally associated with the US south and are, as chef Brad McDonald observes, “unglamorous” yet “rarely fail to please”.As befits frontier food, they’re extremely adaptable to a variety of climates and kitchens, too, but, as the southern food critic James Villas once explained, “no matter how you construct a hot cobbler, the main principle is that the filling should never be either soggy or dried out and the crust must be crisp enough to create a good counterpoint with the soft fruits or berries – not to mention the obligatory scoop ...

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3 w. ago How to make the perfect peach cobbler – recipe | Felicity Cloake

A fruity stew topped with something akin to a crumble dumpling, the cobbler is a beloved specialty of the southern US – but whose version will make it to your table?‘If you go to a picnic in the south,” wrote the late South Carolina chef Emily Meggett, “and there’s no peach cobbler, someone’s got some explaining to do.” Cobblers, a rustic variety of fruit pie that seems to have originated in the rough-and-ready environs of the American west, are now principally associated with the US south and are, as chef Brad McDonald observes, “unglamorous” yet “rarely fail to please”.As befits frontier food, they’re extremely adaptable to a variety of climates and kitchens, too, but, as the southern food critic James Villas once explained, “no matter how you construct a hot cobbler, the main principle is that the filling should never be either soggy or dried out and the crust must be crisp enough to create a good counterpoint with the soft fruits or berries – not to mention the obligatory scoop ...

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last month How to make perfect fresh tomato pasta – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect

With such a simple dish, and so many ways to make it, can one really distil the ultimate version of pasta al pomodoro crudo? Our resident perfectionist finds out “How many versions of fresh tomato sauce can there be?” Catherine, the generous winner of a charity auction to help me with the research for this column, asks when I tell her what recipe we’ll be making. On the contrary, I tell her, I’ve had my work cut out to narrow the selection here down to a mere seven, not least because the simpler the dish, the more argument there is over how it should be prepared, especially in a place as passionate about its food as Italy.Happily, I’ll have a lot of assistance, because Catherine has raised yet more money for Hospitality Rides (a fundraising initiative for two very worthy industry charities, Only a Pavement Away and the Licensed Trade Charity), by selling tickets to get other people to do my job for me, effectively. In an attempt to sweeten the deal, I tell my assembled minions (all ...

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