Ponzi Dinner Party Scheme PART 2

Ponzi Dinner Party Scheme PART 2

Understandably I was more than esteemed and honoured when my friend Katy invited me to the initial series of charity Ponzi Scheme Dinner Parties. So with five others I arrived with a sense of intrigue at her flat, armed with a bottle of wine and a well used £5 note. After the usual Hellos and How do you do’s we all sat down at the dinner table and were given a brief discussion explaining the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust and its aims. Once informed we were ready to tuck in…and tuck in we did. 

Our host is one of two girls I know who have a fierce and much deserved reputation for holding a dinner party. I am fortunate to have taken part in many. The feast included an outstanding French onion soup followed by a beautiful beef bourguignon of which I did not have enough. But the real star of the show was Katy’s Lemony Apple Crumble Tart. It was definitely worth forgetting any self-imposed dietary restrictions regarding cream and puddings. It was everything it intended to be. The combination of cream, perfectly baked crumble, not too dry but not too soggy pastry base and the well seasoned and moist apple filling created not just a party, but a full on rave in my mouth. Quite simply I want more and I want it NOW! 

Great food and wine were abundant in equal measure and after some raucous parlour games and clearly hit for six, the night ended up with me and three beautiful friends on the dance floor of a local dancing establishment. Them demonstrating up most charm and grace whilst I attempted the robot looking like an unwanted cousin at a family bbq. 

This initiative is a great way to raise money and I look forward to having my own Ponzi Dinner Party soon. 

Katy’s Lemony Apple Crumble Tart 

More than enough for six 

You will need: 

Tart base: 

Shortcrust pastry (enough to line your tart tin) 

Crumble:

75g plain flour

75g demerara sugar

75g unsalted butter (softened)

zest of 1lemon (finely grated) 

Apple filling: 

6 apples (cored and peeled)

Finely grated zest and juice of one unwaxed lemon

55g brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp caster sugar 

To serve:

Generous helpings of Crème fraiche

The zest of 1 lemon

The zest of 1 orange 

1. Bring pastry to room temp and preheat oven to 200 Degrees Celsius
2. Roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface, line tart tin, prick base with a fork, freeze for 15 mins and bake blind (bake weighted down for 12 mins then unweighted for a further 5 – 7 mins to dry out)
3. Place flour, sugar, butter into a bowl and rib lightly between fingers until resembles fine breadcrumbs. Chill till needed
4. Chop apples into chunks, place in a bowl and add the lemon zest, juice, sugar and spices. Sprinkle the base of the pastry with caster sugar arranging apples on top
5. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over apples. Bake for 15 mins, reduce to 180 Degrees Celsius and bake for a further 30 mins. Whilst baking, mix the lemon and orange zest with crème fraiche so that it will be ready to serve with the tart once it is cooked.

“Once again my blackberry camera does not indicate to how amazing the tart was”

Ponzi Dinner Party Scheme – raising money for the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust

There are many things one would do for charity. Jump out of a plane, bungee jump from a hot air balloon, participate in an Ironman, cycle the length of Britain, run a marathon, run an ultra marathon, run a series of marathons in a desert, run a marathon in France or even fight a bear. But the rather clever committee members of the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust have come up with a novel and fun idea for those who want to raise money but without the hassle and physical exertion of fighting a French bear whilst cycling in a dessert. They have devised ‘The Charlie Waller Ponzi Dinner Party Scheme’. 

How does it work? 

Using the idea of a Ponzi Pyramid Scheme each member of the Trust is to host a dinner party for 7 – 10 guests. Each guest has to bring the rudimentary bottle(s) of wine and a £5 donation. Frivolities ensue. In the months that follow each guest is asked to continue the pyramid scheme by holding their own Ponzi dinner party, asking their guests to do the same in their turn and so on in perpetuity!

By using this pyramid selling technique the Trust hopes to raise £120,000 and as much awareness as possible. 

What is the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust? 

In 1997, Charlie Waller, a popular and successful 28 year old took his own life, much to the confusion and distraught of his friends and family. It turns out that Charlie had been silently suffering from depression. Charlie’s death highlighted how hard it is to diagnose depression and how little people know about mental health. 

To help combat this, Charlie’s family set up the Trust hoping to raise awareness of the signs and dangers of depression, reduce the stigma and encourage sufferers to seek help. 

How you can get involved 

Simples! 

• Have your own Ponzi Dinner Party
• Donate monies raised to the justgiving page below.
• Email the trust on pyramid@ponzi.org.uk with a list of your guests. You will all then be put on a Ponzi ‘family tree’ where you will be able to monitor its growth online. 

Further Info  

www.cwmt.org or http://www.justgiving.com/CWMTponz 

My next post will be a post match analysis of the dinner with a recipe for an absolutely amazing apple crumble tart accompanied with a shoddy blackberry photo.

Spicy Roast Parsnip Soup

Spicy Roast Parsnip Soup 

It is my belief that as much effort as possible should be made to produce a homemade supper most nights. Not necessarily a three course banquet but anything to make you feel full and a little proud that you made the effort. Please do not get me wrong, there should always be room for a takeaway in your mealtime repertoire, but, in my opinion, if you have the ingredients and it is not too close to bedtime you should always put in the graft and go for the healthier choice and most definitely cheaper option. 

It was this very debate I was having with myself on Tuesday. I had come home from work fairly late and particularly tired. My forage through the kitchen found some parsnips, some tomatoes, some onions and a well stocked spice cupboard. Next to the pretty much empty fridge lay the takeaway menus, the temptation was clear. On one shoulder I had an angel in chef whites telling me to man up, on the other I had a second clad in delivery boy overalls and a moped helmet whispering the promise of double decadence pizzas, curries and special fried rice.

Once again my saviour was the BBC Good Food website. A quick ingredient search led me to this fantastic recipe for a parsnip soup with a spicy twist. I am so chuffed that I made this. It certainly was a healthier option and saved me from what probably would have been an MSG cheese lined calorie fest. It was so simple to make, packed full of flavour and has definitely added to my arsenal for future dinner parties. I hope anyone who reproduces this liked it as much as I did. 

Spicy Roast Parsnip Soup 

Serves 4 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds ½ tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp mustard seeds

1 large onion , cut into 8 chunks

2 garlic cloves

700g parsnips (peeled and diced)

2 plum tomatoes  (quartered)

1.2 litres vegetable stock

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper 

You will need: 

1. Heat oven to 220 degrees celsius
2. In a bowl, mix together the oil and spices
3. In a roasting tin, cover parsnips with oil then roast for 30 mins
4. Once roasted and tender, spoon into a blenders with half the stock and process until smooth.
5. Pour mix into a pan with the remaining stock, season, bring to a gentle simmer, remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice and arnish with a small pinch of cumin seeds. Serve with pleanty of toast.

Two Little Tarts Cake Company

Word of mouth is a powerful tool; you could be the biggest conglomerate in the world, with the most attention grabbing advertising seen to man and an astronomical budget to suit, or you could be a small fledgling business placing an ad in your local rag, but, at the end of the day, it will be the word on the street that will make or break your reputation. It was this exact word that found me in the chilly but regal backwaters of Battersea on my way for a rendezvous at cupcake headquarters to meet Rebecca Smith and Sarah Rowan, the founders of Two Little Tarts Cake Company.

Considering it only started two months ago, the enterprise has gone from strength to strength. An offshoot from the already highly acclaimed The Game Birds catering, they specialise in bespoke cakes and teatime treats, the ethos being that they will do whatever you want and deliver it anywhere in London and the home counties. For example, having just finished a cow birthday cake they are now in the throes of designing a tank one. Both admit to a relatively limited knowledge of military hardware but relish the challenge of finding a suitable design. All this is also combined with planning a ‘countries of the world’ birthday party. It is clear these two love a challenge and I am reminded that when there is a theme – “we love it”. I am just impressed with how much they achieve in such a small, but impeccably organised kitchen. 

It is clear that Two Little Tarts is becoming a must have in the Lulu Guinness and UGG lined arsenal of  today’s upwardly social mobile yummy mummy, and no child’s party (birthday or teatime) is complete without one of their cakes. Unless you want that party to be below par; I imagine if Two Little Tarts had catered for any of my last 26 birthday parties they would have been decidedly more popular. It is quite hard to enjoy the magician pulling a rabbit out the hat on your own (probably my own fault for having a magician at my 25^th). That aside, do not be mistaken, their remit does not just apply to birthdays, tea parties and wedding cakes. They have also had more saucy requests including ‘boob cakes’ and ‘a huge willy one for a hen do’. So, just to reiterate, they will do ‘whatever you want’. 

The girls themselves are as flamboyant as their creations and it is obvious they have a very relaxed exterior to an extremely efficient and professional work ethic. Clearly they have proven to be a successful team. They met whilst on a course at Leith’s Cookery School and have trained in the art of sugar-crafting, but what makes their cakes stand out is that they combine technical nous with natural artistic ability. I was fortunate enough to stuff my face with one of their carrot cake cupcakes topped with some yellow sugar ensconced delight and was completely enamoured. 

Having firmly wedged their foot in the door, they are taking the cake world by storm. Having first started selling their produce on a stall at a charity fair, they have had a steady flow of clients, even more so with their ever growing page on Facebook. Their portfolio is starting to feature shops, City Banks and West End art galleries. The fact that over the last two months they have made over 1,000 brownies for events and deliveries to local offices is testament to this. 

I am certainly a fan, but am struggling to find space on the bandwagon. Not only do they have loyal group of clients, friends and family, they also have a growing celebrity following. Of these who have tasted their cakes we have Cat Deeley, Delia Smith, Gok Wan, Sir Richard Branson, Rod Stewart and The Who. As former contestants on Gordon Ramsay’s Find Me a Fanny they I am sure they have no worries with handling the limelight.

All in all, I had a wonderful afternoon with them and would definitely recommend them for any of your cakey needs. But if were you, I would get in quick, as their stock is sure to rise.

Two Little Tarts Cake Company, Battersea, SW11 (02076223093)(rebecca.smith@twolittletarts.co.uk and sas.rowan@thegamebirds.com) (More pictures can be found on their Facebook profile too)

Oxy Loxy! – Otherwise known as Oxtail Ragu with pappadrelle

Not so long ago a good friend returned from Dubai for a week and some equally great friends, two sisters, held a dinner to celebrate. A dinner party with these two is never a quiet affair; the frivolities and company only being rivalled by the amazing, often Italian, food that they serve up. But on this occasion, I was bowled over. 

From the moment I walked into the flat to the moment I stumbled home, the only thing I could smell and think about was the oxtail ragu that was served up for the main. I think everyone in attendance, including the chef from a prominent Primrose Hill eatery would agree that it was wonderful. The following morning on my standard misery inducing cycle to work all I could think about was the ragu and how I should definitely feature it. 

It was, in a word, brilliant. The meat was cooked to perfection and melted the moment it hit your mouth. The sauce, the perfect consistency, only helped enhance the dish and provided a perfect fitting bovine flavoured coat for the pasta and meat. If I hadn’t filled up on the starter I would have definitely had thirds. Despite this, I mopped up every last vestige of the sauce and basked in its meaty goodness. 

So after the inappropriate amount of bribing, chasing, cajoling and nagging I have got hold of the recipe. It is extremely straightforward but will need your full attention and patience: which is also a testament to the effort put in by my esteemed hosts. The recipe below is for 12 but clearly you only have to half or quarter  it to make a lesser portion. 

Oxy Loxy! 

Serves 10- 12 

You will need: 

3 kg of Oxtail (chopped into large but even and manageable pieces)

250g flour (seasoned with salt and pepper)

Plenty of olive oil

Knob of butter

2.1 litres of red wine

1 litre beef stock

4 carrots (very finely chopped) (in this case a blender was used)

2 red onions (finely chopped)

4 sticks of celery (finely chopped)

5 bay leaves

4 cloves of garlic (crushed)

Pinch of dried chilli flakes

Juice of half a lemon

1 tin of tomatoes or pasatta (roughly 400g)

1 tbsp tomato puree

Salt and pepper

Pappadrelle (approx. 100g per person)

Parsley and shaved parmesan for serving

1. On a low heat in a saucepan heat a healthy glug of olive oil and the butter. Once melted, fry the celery, carrots, onions (known as the Soffritto) and garlic for about 15 mins till softened. Towards the end add in the chilli flakes, tomato puree and tinned tomatoes/pasatta. Simmer
2. Whilst this is going on, coat the oxtail pieces in the seasoned flour. Shake of any excess and brown them off in a large heavy bottomed pan
3. Once browned, add the mix from the previous pan and bay leaves
4. Turn the heat up high and enough wine and stock to make sure the meat is covered (2 parts wine to 1 part stock)
5. Bubble till the alcohol has evaporated, lower the heat and simmer for at least three hours. Make sure to stir every now and again, the aim is for the meat to be all “melty and delicious”
6. When the end goal has been met, remove to one side, cool and remove all the meat and fat
7. Sieve the sauce into a separate pan, remove any excess liquid and transfer all the “tomatoey mush” back into the pan, add the meat and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Return to a low heat
8. Pour back in enough stock to give a thick consistency (whatever suits you best). Bring to a bubble and simmer for an hour, adding more stock if needed
9. Season with salt, pepper and the lemon juice. Stir
10. Serve with a thick flat pappadrelle and a equally thick piece of warm crusty bread. Garnish with lashings of parsley and parmesan.

Braised red cabbage with apples – Pimp your roast!

So last Sunday I decided to cook a roast for my housemates, girlfriends and the hungover people who had been camping out on the sofas. I did not want to do just an ordinary Sunday roast, I wanted to accessorize it. I wanted it to provide a suitable end to what had been a perfectly lazy Sunday. 

The consensus was that chicken be the meat of choice and Linda McCartney Sausages for the vegetarians. The rest was left up to me. I decided on the usual roast potatoes, honey roast parsnips, carrots, paxo stuffing and homemade gravy. But, something was missing, something I have never done before, a little something to help improve my street cred, something like a nord wave synthesizer or set of mixing decks in the boot of  my 1988 Nissan Pulsar (chrome green with spinning hubcaps). I needed to be the Xzibit of Roasts! 

It was wandering through Sainsbury’s did I think of red cabbage, of which I knew little about but wanted to learn more. A quick trip to Delia online on the Blackberry and I knew what to get. Call me sad…very sad, but I was excited…very excited. Excitement contained, I returned home to a salivating horde. This side helped contribute to a lovely roast with an even more lovely bunch of friends, of which I considered the ultimate Sunday roast bling. Word. 

Braised red cabbage with apples 

Part of a Sunday roast for six 

You will need: 

1 large red cabbage, quartered, cored and sliced (approx 900g)

2 red onions (finely sliced)

2 apples (peeled, cored and finely grated)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

25g demerara sugar

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 170 Degrees Celsius/Gas Mark 3
2. Mix all the ingredients and place in an ovenproof dish and season to taste
3. Cover with foil
4. Bake in the oven for 60-90 minutes until the cabbage is tender, make sure to stir at least two to three times, say every 25 mins
5. Cover and put to one side and serve with your Sunday roast and try not to think about having to go to work on Monday.

This can also keep in the fridge for a few days once cooled.

French onion soup with a gruyère crouton lid

In a word, the recent weather has been Baltic, and to make things even more enjoyable, the biting wind and arctic cold has been joined by its unwanted cousin…rain. Not just a drizzle but a bone drenching, thick and globulous creation, vomited on us from some dark cloudy orifice above. I have particular gripe with rain because I am a cyclist and on more than one occasion I have turned up at home after work (or vice versa) in my cycling gear looking like a kitten that was accidentally placed in the dishwasher, saved from deaths door only to be accidentally placed in the washing machine (30°C, full spin, extra rinse).

It could be a sudden winter shower or a monsoon downpour, but whenever you are sodden through to the soul, nothing will warm you up more aptly than a huge bowl o’soup. Especially if you are all snuggled up in a duvet in front of the fireplace and in the full knowledge that it is still freezing cold and wet outside and you have nothing else to do but catch up with lost time. This recipe is definitely a quick and easy solution to the current rain that dampens our mornings, afternoons and evenings. 

French onion soup was one of the first recipes I learnt when I started cooking for others. I got this recipe from a cookbook I read whilst on holiday at a friends house in France. It is one of the easiest and tastiest dishes to cook and I have repeated it many a time at dinner parties and even just for myself as a lazy Sunday treat (i.e. when I have no mates to hang out with). 

French onion soup with a gruyère crouton lid 

Serves Six 

You will need: 

700g White onions (thinly sliced)

2 cloves of garlic (finely sliced)

50g of butter

2 tbsp of vegetable oil

½ tsp granulated sugar

2 pints beef stock (rich vegetable stock for a more veggy option)

275 ml dry white wine

salt and pepper 

Croutons: 

six slices of toast (preferably wholemeal)

225g gruyère cheese (grated)

1. In a large thick-based saucepan heat the butter and oil
2. Add the onions, garlic, sugar, season to taste and cook on a low heat, stirring occassionally, for about 30 mins until the bottom of the pan is ocvered in a caramelised film
3. Whilst this is happening, toast the slices of bread.
4. Once toasted, use your soup bowls to cut out the ‘lids’. Place lids to one side for later
5. Heat up your grill
6. Once the onions are cooked, add stock and wine then bring to a boil
7. Simmer for a few minutes then ladle into your six soup bowls
8. Cover each bowl with a lid and cover generously with the gruyère cheese
9. Grill until cheese is bubbly and golden
10. Serve immediately

Make sure your soup bowls are fireproof or can withstand a high heat!

Rick Stein’s Vietnamese duck braised in spiced orange juice

As you may or may not be aware, I am half Chinese, my roots originating in Brunei, South East Asia. The rest of me involves Australia, Canada, China, England and Ireland, but that’s another story. The reason I mention this is because I was more than excited to watch Rick Stein’s far eastern odyssey a few months ago. To the point that I relentlessly annoyed my housemates by namedropping all the places visited and foods featured in this BBC series. 

It was an unsurprising inevitability that I bought a copy of the cookbook when it came out. Normally it only takes a couple of recipes for me to go out and purchase a book. Whereupon I would write the down the two recipes, leave it to one side, simmer in dust and leave it to make friends with my Idiots Guide to Music Theory and Evelyn Waugh collection. BUT! This book I have actually read, it is full of recipes that my mother used to cook for me as a child, including Hainan chicken rice, mussaman beef curry, rice porridge and rojak (a Malaysian fruit salad of some sorts). If you all promise not to tell her, but when I read it I get a little sentimental and miss my Mumsy dearly. 

It was clearly a popular Christmas present as quite a few of my chums got a copy from some bearded chap in a red tracksuit who likes chimneys. This includes the Brat. Now it may seen that I like to give her a bit of a ribbing, but she is a great foodie (probably more so than me) and does more than her fair share of cooking. Every now and then she pulls out all the stops and creates an absolute belter of a dish. In this case she cooked an absolutely cracking Vietnamese duck recipe called Vit nau cam. At first I was a bit sceptical because she was using Tropicana (no bits) in lieu of freshly squeezed orange juice. I was clearly proved wrong as she stuck to the rest of recipe, taking in all of Rick’s yoda like guidance and produced one of the best and most alternative duck dishes I have ever eaten. All hail the brat! 

Vietnamese duck braised in spiced orange juice 

Serves Six 

You will need: 

2.5kg Duck (jointed into 6 pieces)

50g garlic (crushed)

50g ginger (peeled and thinly sliced)

1 litre freshly squeezed orange juice

4 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp granulated sugar

5 star anise

4 red chillies (bird’s eyes are best)

2 lemongrass stalks (finely chopped)

ground black pepper

8 spring onions (cut in half and finely chopped sideways)

½ tsp cornflour

1. Heat a large heavy-based pan over a medium to high heat
2. Cook the duck skin side down for 5 to 6 minutes until crisp then on the other side for 2 minutes. Once cooked, set aside.
3. Put all but 2 tbsp of the duck oil in a container and save for later, preferably for your next round of roast potatoes.
4. On a low heat, add the garlic and ginger.
5. Once cooked through, add the orange juice, fish sauce, star anise, chillies, lemongrass and season with black pepper.
6. Return the duck, partially cover and simmer for 1 hour and 30 mins.
7. Once the duck is tender, remove pieces onto a warmed serving dish and put to one side.
8. Skim off the excess fat, bring sauce to a boil and simmer vigorously until reduced and concentrated in flavour.
9. Mix cornflour with 1 tsp of water, mix into sauce and simmer for a further minute.
10. Remove from heat, generously pour over the duck, scatter over shredded spring onion and serve with steamed rice and maybe some vegetables.

Well worth your dollar!

Salmon Burgers and a super healthy salad

For some time I have been promising to go round and cook for a very close friend and her two housemates. My poor memory and selective hearing has meant that it has taken close to a year for me to keep my promise. Often I am ‘too tired’, ‘have plans’ or ‘want to stay in and work’, by this I mean play computer games in my boxers and watch Sex and the City…I mean Ugly Betty…I mean Glee…I mean America’s Meanest Car chases and Shark Attacks LIVE! 

So finally on Thursday I gave myself a kick up the backside and decided to fulfil my agreement. After a brief telephone conference it was decided the girls wanted something healthy and preferably with salmon. So, I put away my lads mag recipe for home cooked bbq ribs, chicken wings and curly fries, and consulted the BBC Good Food website, using healthy and salmon as the key words in the recipe search. 

I was presented with this great, extremely simple recipe for salmon burgers and salad. It proved to be a great alternative to potato packed fishcakes, and since girls hate carbs it went down a real treat. 

Please also excuse the photography; I was only armed with a blackberry. 

Salmon Burgers 

Serves four 

You will need: 

For the burgers: 

550g of salmon fillet cut into chinks (de-boned and de-skinned)

2 tbsp Thai curry paste (red or green, does not really matter)

3 cm of ginger (grated)

1 tsp soy sauce

1 packet of coriander (1/2 chopped the other 1/2 whole)

1 glug vegetable oil

1 lemon (quartered)

Some flour

 For the salad: 

6 Carrots (skinned and peeled into strips – best done with a swivel peeler)

1 courgette or cucumber (same as above)

the whole coriander from above

2 tbsp of white wine vinegar

1 tsp of caster sugar 

Also: 

Enough brown rice for four people (I always cook this first just to get it out of the way)

1. Place the a salmon, curry paste, ginger, soy sauce, chopped coriander  Tip the salmon into a food processor with the paste, ginger, soy and chopped coriander into a blender.
2. Pulse until roughly minced.
3. Tip out  into a large bowl and shape into four patties. Lightly dust in some flour. Put to one side.
4. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan.
5. Fry the burgers for about four to five minutes on each side till crisp and cooked through.
6. Place on a piece of kitchen roll to soak up the excess oil.
7. Place the strips of carrot, cucumber in a salad bowl.
8. Toss with vinegar and caster sugar until all sugar has dissolved.
9. Mix in the whole coriander leaves.
10. Divide brown rice, burgers and salad onto four plates and serve.

eatchickpea – watch this space…

A very good friend of mine is planning a chain of restaurants. The focus will be on healthy vegetarian fayre, using chickpeas as the main ingredient.

It is definitely worth checking out his twitter page – http://twitter.com/eatchickpea. Even if it is just read about the many uses for this diverse little vegetable.