4 h. ago How to make coffee and walnut cake – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

What does our chief perfectionist choose as a birthday treat? This sumptuous coffee and walnut cake, which you, too, can whip up in less than an hourToday is my birthday, so I’m celebrating with a classic that, for all the sticky tres leches and sophisticated sachertortes I’ve enjoyed in recent years, remains my absolute favourite, my desert island cake: that darling of the WI tea tent, the coffee and walnut sandwich. The great Nigel Slater once named it his last meal on Earth, and I’m hoping to have it for tea.Prep 30 min Cook 25 min Serves 8 Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago How to make perfect cheese arepas – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect

Arepas are Latin American cornbreads of the most delicious kind. But there are so many variations, so let’s start with one that’s soft on the inside, crisp on the outside and oozing melted cheese When I first came across arepas, at a food market in Williamsburg, New York, almost a decade ago, I was attracted mainly by the fact that these stuffed South American corn breads were, as the stall proclaimed in big letters: “110% gluten-free!” which meant I could share one with a coeliac friend. One bite later, I regretted my generosity: crunchy, buttery and filled with sweetcorn and salty, stringy cheese, I could easily have polished off the whole thing without any help.These, I later learned, were Colombian arepas de choclo, but arepas – flat, unleavened maize patties that pre-date European settlement – are found in many forms and flavours in many other countries, too, most notably Venezuela, but also Bolivia, Ecuador and parts of Central America. As J Kenji López-Alt notes on Serious Ea...

Politics

6 d. ago How to make perfect cheese arepas – recipe | Felicity Cloake

Arepas are Latin American cornbreads of the most delicious kind. But there are so many variations, so let’s start with one that’s soft on the inside, crisp on the outside and oozing melted cheese When I first came across arepas, at a food market in Williamsburg, New York, almost a decade ago, I was attracted mainly by the fact that these stuffed South American corn breads were, as the stall proclaimed in big letters: “110% gluten-free!” which meant I could share one with a coeliac friend. One bite later, I regretted my generosity: crunchy, buttery and filled with sweetcorn and salty, stringy cheese, I could easily have polished off the whole thing without any help.These, I later learned, were Colombian arepas de choclo, but arepas – flat, unleavened maize patties that pre-date European settlement – are found in many forms and flavours in many other countries, too, most notably Venezuela, but also Bolivia, Ecuador and parts of Central America. As J Kenji López-Alt notes on Serious Ea...

Politics

1 week ago How to make chocolate chip cookies – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

Your step-by-step guide to authentically gooey, chewy cookie heavenOnce upon a time, not so long ago, the only so-called chocolate chip cookies on offer in the UK were, in fact, biscuits – small, brittle ones peppered with tiny, waxy, cocoa-coloured pellets. When I finally discovered the soft, chewy American originals in a subterranean outlet at Birmingham New Street station, my teenage mind was officially blown. These are even better.Prep 25 min, plus chilling Cook 15 min Makes 15 Continue reading...

Society

2 w. ago How to make perfect tandoori chicken (without a tandoor) – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect

Don’t let the lack of a traditional clay oven stop you from making this ‘king of kebabs’ at homeWhen was the last time you had tandoori chicken? Described by the Liverpool Daily Post in 1962 as “roast chicken Indian fashion”, this delicately seasoned, but often luridly coloured, dish was once the mainstay of the British Indian restaurant menu; yet, always greedy for novelty, I can’t remember when I last had the pleasure.The loss is mine, because it’s one of the very best ways to eat chicken – rich and tender, thanks to its yoghurt marinade, tangy with lemon and perfumed with spice. Vivek Singh argues that “no Punjabi celebration can be complete without tandoori chicken”, while J Inder Singh Kalra went as far as to crown it the “king of kebabs”, a sentiment echoed by Rohit Ghai. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago How to make clam chowder – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

Bring sea breezes into your kitchen with this creamy New England classic, in nine simple stepsI ate a lot of clam chowder in Massachusetts last summer. Thick and comfortingly creamy, it might feel a tad wintry were it not for the sweet, briny clams, which sing of sea breezes and sunshine. Though the name derives from the French chaudière, or cauldron, chowder is New England through and through, and best eaten in the fresh air, whether that’s in Cape Cod or Capel-le-Ferne.Prep 40 min Soak 20 minCook 30 min Serves 4 Continue reading...

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