I have popped into to a few of Jamie’s restaurants over the years, and whilst I’ve found some of his concepts to be fab, others are hit and miss (there are only so many times starters appearing on giant cricket bats is a fun novelty). However, an evening at a meat and BBQ joint in the city is not to be sniffed at, and sounded right up my street. Continue reading Butchery at Barbecoa
Tag Archives: Jamie Oliver
Peanut butter & jelly brownies
Let’s get the credit out of the way so I can move on to waxing lyrical about the result – these beauties feature in the best food porn collection of 2014, aka Jamie’s Comfort Food, and were pretty much the first thing I wanted to make on opening it on a very happy birthday earlier in the year. I’m a huge fan of this book (first few triumphs here) and this recipe is the icing on the sticky, rich, chocolatey cake.
I love peanut butter, especially with jam – it’s a weird, gorgeous combination that should be embraced a lot more in this country. This dish involves making a peanut butter custard, which even without the rest of the recipe is bloody lovely.
So once that’s done (just egg yolks, milk, vanilla pod, sugar and peanut butter heated gently and whisked) you whip up Jamie’s brownie mix – decent dark chocolate, butter (about half a ton), eggs, sugar and a bit of flour. Brownie mix into a lined tray, then the fun bit – you pour blobs of the custard on top and swirl it with a knife to make the pattern, then drop spoonfuls of jam on and poke the raspberries in. I spent longer doing this than everything else combined because I was having such a nice time.
In the oven for 25 minutes – take it out before you think it’s done to keep them squidgy in the middle and that’s it! It would be interesting to compare it to one using homemade jam and peanut butter, but I’m not sure that’s the point – it couldn’t taste any more indulgent, or have a more delicious combination of creamy custard, rich, moist cake and tangy fruit.
I’ll be trying it with crunchy peanut butter next time for a bit of texture, and maybe cherry/blackberry jam – happily the possibilities are limitless.
Comfort in Jamie
Jamie’s Comfort Food: AKA the best cookbook I’ve ever had. Going through it after tearing the wrapping paper open led to everything from delighted shrieks to actual drooling, and the general consensus that there is about 1 thing in the whole book that we don’t fancy.
These are the first few forays into Jamie’s latest, they are mainly pretty straightforward, and give spectacular results.
Lobster macaroni cheese is pretty much my idea of heaven. Jamie has you pour the brains with all the picked meat into the cheese sauce, which true to form is rich and delicious. Served with a green salad and plenty of wine, it’s a winner.
Super Schnitzel is super juicy, with crunchy breadcrumbs and nothing like the dry, grey versions I’ve had in the past. It’s served with an apple salad and blackberry jam – definitely too fruity in theory, but IT WORKS.
The pork and beef meatballs are huge and delicious, with creamy mash and fresh green kale – in the middle of each ball is a lump of melted cheese – never a bad idea in my book. They don’t necessarily photograph as well as other dishes (!) but are a great alternative to sausage and mash, and a general absolute winner.