Fancy Dress Dilemma

My little sister Tash (of the burlesque hats) likes to dress up and this time she wants to look like this:

She asked me how she could recreate the look, already having an 18th Century style wig, tiny corset and huge net skirt in her fancy dress box. So I sent her a drawing to illustrate what I would do to get the look ( I don't think you'll be able to read it mind). It may look like a toilet roll cover, but I guess that's what they were modelled on in some wierd alternative universe where people feel the need to hide toilet paper........

More Yogurt Ice-cream

It's not that we consume enormous amounts of ice-cream, but now we finally have the weather I'm feeling the urge to churn more often. I have had a little packet of gum mastic in the cupboard for ages and decided to use it when we moved - as I had decided to give it a home in the new house. It's traditionally used in middle eastern sweets and ice creams - even chewed with a piece of wax as a kind of basic chewing gum. It has health benefits - although if you believe some of the reports of it's efficacy, it could make you superhuman. The mastic has a resiny, perfumed taste to it and gives a slightly more elastic texture to the ice-cream. I think that anything that can be added to ice-cream that gives it health benefits is right up my street, so I adapted a Moro recipe and came up with this one....

Yogurt Ice-Cream with Mastic

2 large eggs
200g live whole milk yogurt
160ml organic double cream
100g sugar (I used quince sugar)(or 75g fruit sugar)
4 crystals gum mastic
1-2 tsp rose water or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Crush the mastic with 2 tsp of sugar in a pestle and mortar. Mix in the rosewater or vanilla extract.

Make a custard with the cream, egg yolks and 15g of the sugar. Do this by beating the egg yolks with the sugar and heating the cream to just under boiling point(steaming, not bubbling). Pour the cream over the egg yolks while whisking , rinse the pan and pour the custard mixture back in. Stir over a low heat until slightly thickened - enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Don't overheat or it will curdle. Set aside to cool.

Put the remaining sugar with the egg whites in a bain marie (or bowl over gently simmering water) and stir until steaming but not boiling. Take off the heat and whisk with an electric hand held until you have a thick, cool meringue (about 8-10 minutes)

Fold the custard, mastic mixture and yogurt into the cold meringue until just mixed and churn in an ice-cream maker until frozen. You could try making this without an ice cream maker in the freezer - just remember to take it out every 20 minutes and stir gently to break up the ice crystals. It won't be as smooth, but it will still be delicious.

Home in time for apple fritters.

After a blissful three nights on our own we went to pick up Fin from Granny Jane and Grampy Dick. As always seems to be the case, even three days renders Fin older and taller looking than you last remembered him. He shone with delight. We drove home to the sounds of Orchestra Baobab and the sun turned the hedges gold. (I had to turn the CD player up a little though - to help us all through a little winy patch of Fin's).

On the way home I remembered that Apple day was coming up - something Bridport celebrates by having a mini festival in Symondsbury, with apple varieties on show, fresh pressed juices, cakes, games and (my favourite) hippies. Just up the road from us is a Discovery apple tree, early cropping and fragrantly perfumed. We spilled out as soon as we got back and went to collect the best windfalls for a supper of apple fritters with honey. Fin cored and chopped them into rings while I made a thick batter with rice flour and arrowroot. I might do something like this for apple day with a standard flour batter. In moments the fritters were on the table, dusted with cinnamon and a drizzle of Dorset honey. Fin gobbled them down and then went out for a water fight with Nick.

After the water fight they sat on the doorstep in the last rays of sun, like old Spanish gents, while I pottered in the kitchen. I think I like it here.

Z-Gel to the rescue!

Sceptical about anything that mixes up a whole load of remedies into one convenient package, I was never-the-less quite intrigued by Z-Gel (pictured), not least because of its amazing retro packaging (I'm a sucker for anything in a great package). I took a little sample home from our local health food shop as they were recommending it for thrush, and I had been asked for advice on this by a few of my patients recently. The patient I gave it to called up and sang its praises, having already been out to purchase a tube.

As it contains the ingredients for rescue remedy, it can be used for anxiety, shock and general stress. It can even be used as a sexual lubricant! (although a rather expensive one). The beauty of it with regard to thrush is that it's a lot less messy than smearing yogurt on, has none of the menthol sting of tee tree oil and can be carried in your handbag (or man bag - don't want to discriminate here).

So if any of you fancy getting a tube and trying it out, I'd love to hear what you think. If you can't find it in your local health shop, try calling Kinetic on 0845 072 5825 or visit the french website www.mint-elabs.com . I'm not receiving a commission from Z-Gel (if only!) and apparently even French doctors think its ok.

the torture of a slow connection

Today I am working on patience and remembering to breathe; in..... and out..... Because I am checking my emails and posting in the library where each page takes an achingly long time to load. I know in my heart that the solution to my impatience lies in being in each moment full; breathing in the wonder of life, delighting in the chance to just 'be' while each page loads. I do actually practice this while in the queue at the post office or waiting for a bus. I love looking at what people have selected to buy in the supermarket or watching them (now I'm starting to sound creepy!). But I am struggling today to apply the simple rules of staying in the present.

We have pretty much sorted out the house, except for my Internet connection which remains stubbornly set in the future. The house has one of those garden swinging chairs that I have previously dismissed as only for old people who can't climb trees and launch out of them on ropes. Now I see that they are something completely different and spend at least half an hour each day gently swinging with my feet tucked up under me, reading a book. The garden gets the sun pretty much all day too and that swing really comes into it's own in the golden light of early evening. Maybe those old people are onto something?

Moving Again

We are moving today for the third time in just over a year. The first was by choice - escaping to the rural wonder of Bridport. The second time because our crazy landlady wanted to sell the house and turfed us out a couple of weeks before Christmas. This time it's just plain bad luck for all concerned - our current landlady lost her husband to throat cancer and has decided to move down here instead. I only hope she is as happy as we have been in this beautiful spot. Some houses just have a lovely feeling don't they? well this one definitely does and we will all be sorry to leave it. Lets hope the next place is a keeper!

I'll be visiting to post from the library over the next couple of weeks because my home Internet connection won't be live till then. So no aubergine drawings just yet. Wish me luck.....

Flower Remedies For PMS

Thanks for this beautiful plum blossom image, www.wildphotolife.co.uk


Although I don't use flower remedies exclusively, they are a useful support to homeopathic treatment and I do use a few. They are great for home use though because they are very safe to use and easy to diagnose. The symptoms for diagnosis are mainly emotional, but like any holistic remedy they will have an action on your whole being - not just your feelings. The following are based on common symptoms of PMS. If you can't find one from this list that sounds like what you are experiencing, look for a book on Bach (Batch) Flower remedies.

Cherry Plum
For uncontrolled outbursts of anger or a feeling that you might be about to lose it. At the end of your tether emotionally. You may feel possessed or think that you are losing your mind.

Crab Apple
For feelings of self dislike. You may have spotty skin or feel bloated or overweight. Your confidence is low, because you think there is something unclean or unacceptable about you. (You can also use this as a face rinse for acne - two drops in warm water and splash after cleansing).

Elm
For strong capable people who are overwhelmed by responsibility. Everything just seems too much all of a sudden and you think you can't cope anymore.

Impatiens
Like the name of the flower, this remedy is all about impatience and irritability. Other people get in your way, don't tidy up, the kids won't listen aarg!

Mustard
This is for mood swings where depression and tearfulness predominate. They just seem to come from nowhere, for no apparent reason.

Olive
Where you have been pushing yourself too hard and are simply exhausted, this can help. It is complete exhaustion where you feel you might not be able to get out of bed in the morning. If you are in this state, it is important to try and rest even if it's just for a little while. Also important is avoiding any refined foods, sugars and alcohol.

Stress and Hormones

We all know that 'stress' affects every cell in our body. It makes us more susceptible to colds and stomach bugs, raises our blood pressure, makes us too fat or too thin, turns hair grey or makes it fall out (need I go on?). So it makes sense to assume that hormonal cycles will also be affected by stress. Recently I've had quite a few inquiries about late periods and PMS. Now although what I'd like to be able to do is remove all stress from your lives, I am (unfortunately) not omniscient just yet and I will have to make do with offering self help advice. Any advice given below will not cure a deeper problem and it is always worth having everything checked out by a doctor before trying any home remedies. You don't have to take their medicine (especially if they offer you the pill and you don't want it) but it's wise to get a good diagnosis so you know what you're dealing with. That way, if there is anything suspicious or needing further investigation it will be flagged up and dealt with. I'm going to start with diet as I consider this the most important aspect of health. If I get time later, I will post info on herbs and remedies.

Diet and Nutrition
Most of us crave carbs and comfort food coming up to a period. The natural reaction to this can be to stuff yourself with cake and chocolate as a short term fix and get back on the diet (or whatever) next week. But what your body really wants is a sustained release of carbohydrate that keeps it going and prevents the blood sugar swings that exacerbate mood swings. So follow these simple rules all month and you will notice that you have less cravings next month.

Six Meals a Day
Have your usual three, but a bit smaller and then add three snacks in between, mid morning, mid afternoon and mid evening.

Wholegrain
With regard to the above statement, those meals and snacks should all be made from whole foods. That means, whole grains, nuts, seeds, pulses, lean free range meat, fish, live yoghurt, cheese, butter, vegetable oils, fruit, berries, vegetables and leaves.

Balanced
Aim to eat a rainbow of foods and you will cover most of the nutrients you need without trying. Purple and blue berries, red peppers, dark green leaves, orange carrots, yellow tomatoes: the brighter or darker coloured the vegetable, the more of the important stuff it contains. Your plate also needs to be balanced; a quarter lean protein, a quarter wholegrain or starchy vegetable and half fruit or vegetable. The foods don't have to be clearly defined, they could be mixed up in a casserole, but the principle should help you balance the meals you cook. Most people overweight their meals with carbohydrate as it's cheap and fills you up, but it's unbalancing you. Stick some veg in there instead!

Cravings
If you get a craving for something sweet, just make sure it isn't too refined. Fruit sugars are among the slower releasing sugars, so it's best to try for them. Fresh or dried fruit with a small handful of nuts - go easy on dates and raisins though as they are packed full of sugar. Cakes made with some ground nuts, wholegrain flours and fruit sugar - and no butter cream icing! Flapjacks made with seeds, dried fruit and fruit sugar (use cactus syrup or barley malt instead of golden syrup). A few squares of really dark chocolate - 70% and up. If you indulge in these more sustaining treats, you will find your cravings reducing and your energy and mood swings reduced.

Mystery Photos

Nick was looking through the pictures on his phone yesterday and came across some short videos that he didn't remember taking at all. We think that Fin might have taken the lot because there was a long lingering, slightly out of focus eye level video of a plate of flapjacks. You could almost hear the drool.....

(unfortunately, couldn't get the picture off nick's phone so had to resort to the one above. It gives the right impression though! Thanks www.thecookingcritic.com)

Can You Guess What It Is Yet?

Well can you? That drawing below is a carrot. I drew it using my new Wacom drawing tablet that Nick got cheap on Ebay because it has an old fashioned port (or something). It looks pretty new and lovely to me, but aparently is a complete dinosaur in the world of graphics - so like, whatever.... I thought about drawing meatballs for about a second before realising that it would never end well. The next mission is to buy and draw an aubergine for my next recipe, Aubergine Koresht - coming soon.......

Little Spiced Meatballs

This is a Persian inspired bit of home cooking. It's a cheap dish to make and pretty simple, provided you start early enough. It doesn't take lots of prep either, just a long slow cook, during which you can get on with something else. Just make sure you keep an eye on it and use a very gentle heat.





Little Spiced Meatballs
Serves 4-6

Ingredients
500g lamb mince
3 onions
6 scrubbed new potatoes
6 carrots
6 pieces of celery
2 cans of plum tomatoes
1 tsp turmeric
4 bay leaves
2 pinches of fresh nutmeg
2 pinches of ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 clove bud ground to a powder with a tsp of sugar
2 pinches of Turkish chili flakes (1 pinch of regular chili flakes)


Grate the smallest onion of the three and add it to the mince along with the cinnamon, black pepper, nutmeg and ground clove bud. Work it in with your fingers until everything is nicely combined. Roll the mince mixture into walnut sized balls and put on waxed paper or cling film on a plate in the fridge.

Finely chop the remaining onions and fry gently in a little oil until they are translucent. This dish is best made in a wide heavy pan, but it must have a close fitting lid. Put the kettle on to boil. Chop the celery finely and add this to the pan. Continue frying on a low heat stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden and sweet smelling. Sprinkle over the turmeric and stir for a minute or so to fry off the bitter taste of the turmeric.

Peel and chop the carrots into thin rounds. Pour about 200ml of boiling water onto the onions, add the bay leaves, chili flakes and bring back to the boil. Turn down to a simmer, gently place the meat balls into the pan one at a time and spread the carrots on top. Add a little more water if needed - to come about half way up the meatballs. Put the lid on the pan and simmer gently for an hour without stirring.

Spoon off what fat you can from the pan – a little bit is ok and will make the sauce nice and rich. Chop the canned tomatoes and stir sprinkle over the meatballs, pouring in some juice if it looks like the level has fallen too much. Chop the new potatoes into smallish cubes and add these too. Season with a few twists of salt and pepper, put the lid back on and simmer on the gentlest heat for another hour until the sauce has reduced a little. If the sauce gets too thick before the hour is up add the juice from the tomatoes. If things still look a bit soupy after an hour, just take the lid off and simmer for another half an hour until the sauce is thick and velvety. Taste for seasoning at this point, it should have a nice balance between savoury and tart.

A generous sprinkle of fresh herbs such as coriander, parsley and spring onion. Put a piece of lemon on each plate or a little dish in the centre of the table, to be squeezed over the meat. A crisp salad is a wonderful counterpoint to the richness of the meal.

Serve with one of the following; warm wholemeal pitta bread, brown rice, steamed barley or bulghur.

Meatballs

Tomorrow I plan to post a recipe not including roses in any form. Although I have to say - being Persian inspired, it could probably take a sprinkling of rose petals. I will omit any reference to roses tomorrow though, on grounds of good taste. I'm just trying to work out what image to use for lamb meatballs as they aren't very beautiful by themselves and I don't like gratuitous images of food unless they are truly gorgeous (that usually means fruit or cake for me). I considered an image of a frolicking lamb before deciding that it would be plain bad taste and as I have been a little over indulgent over the past few days I should really rein it in a little. Here's hoping inspiration strikes overnight.....

Rose Martini

As I'm kinda on a roll here with the rose thing, I thought I'd include one of my very own cocktails; a rose martini. It has a little hazelnut kick to it which rounds out the flavour and prevents it from being too floral. I also like to use bourbon vanilla extract which gives it a nice earthy note - perfect with rose. You can use caster /icing sugar if you like, I just use fruit sugar because that's what I have in the house. Needless to say, this recipe is not suitable for diabetics!

Naomi's Rose Martini
Makes Two Martinis

3 shots of gin (Hendricks is my favourite)
1 shot of rosewater
1 shot of hazelnut liqueur (Frangelico usually)
2 drops of vanilla extract (Bourbon is the earthiest)
1/2 tsp fruit sugar
sprinkle of fresh or dried rose petals (optional)

Place two martini glasses carefully in the freezer to chill.

Put the rose water, vanilla and fruit sugar into a tall glass (half pint or larger) leave for a few minutes for the sugar to dissolve and then add the gin and hazelnut liqueur.

Get the glasses out of the freezer. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and pour the contents of the glass over it. Do not shake! Swill the alcohol around the cocktail shaker for about 30 seconds until the shaker gets frosty and strain into the waiting glasses. Garnish as camply as you like with the rose petals or put a few blueberries on a cocktail stick and suspend in the glass.

Little Fluffy Clouds

I was browsing for rosewater and came across this image on the Dallas Times website (don't ask!) Aparently it's produced by a pair of Iranian (Persian) brothers who live in Los Angeles and set up their ice cream parlour 20 years ago. Their website, MashtiMalone is on my favourite things list on the right. They also do Rosewater & Ginger and Orange Blossom & Pistachio. My mouth is already watering! So I thought about ice-cream recipes that I had to hand and thought I would post this one. The sheeps yoghurt gives it a wonderful lightness and many dairy intollerant folks can cope with the combination of cream and sheeps yoghurt (in small portions!). My favourite way to serve this is with a few crushed (dried) rose petals and chopped pistachios, and an extra teaspoon of rosewater sprinkled over the top.

Yoghurt Ice-cream

The rosewater in this delicate ice cream is hard to detect, but leave it out and the marshmallow roundness of the flavour will change. It’s a great dinner party desert with some sophisticated almond thins, but children will also love its comforting simplicity.


360ml Double Cream
4 Large Egg Yolks
2 ½ oz Fruit Sugar
300g Live Sheep's Yoghurt (or greek style yoghurt)
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
6 tsp Rose water
2 tsp Lemon Juice


Put the egg yolks in a large bowl with the fruit sugar and whiz with an electric whisk until they are pale and thick. You can do this by hand, but it will take a little longer.

Heat the cream to just below boiling point (steam will start to rise) and whisk it into the egg yolks in a thin stream. Wash out the pan and return the custard to a low heat, stirring constantly, until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon when you lift it out. Pour into a bowl and chill until cold.

Into the chilled custard stir the vanilla, rose water, lemon juice and yoghurt. Taste to check it is sweet enough – a really tart yoghurt might need more sugar, but it shouldn’t be a really sweet ice cream. You might want to add another teaspoon of vanilla too depending on the strength of your vanilla extract.

Pour into and ice cream maker and churn till frozen, or pour into a large shallow container and stir thoroughly every 15-20 minutes until frozen. You can stir it less, but the result will be more granular as the ice crystals will be larger. If you are making it in advance, store in an airtight container in the freezer and remove to the fridge a good hour before you plan to eat it. For a really smooth result, process it in a blender or food processor once it has defrosted a little.

Rose Chiffon Cake

Rose Chiffon Cake (low GL)

This isn’t strictly a chiffon cake as it includes ground almonds, but they do give the crumb a very enjoyable chewiness. It’s also slightly heavier than your standard chiffon, ie; one made with white sugar, white flour and corn flour. This one however, will fill you with a smug sense of satisfaction at having the sophistication to appreciate foods that have not been bleached and pulverised until they resemble chalk. Rosewater gives a delicate hint of Turkish Delight and the petals add a little exotic colour. Suitable for diabetics in small slices.


Cake
4oz Fruit sugar
4oz Ground Almonds
1oz each of Maize flour, Brown rice flour, Sorgum flour and Tapioca starch (or Arrowroot starch)
4 Large Eggs
4oz Butter
8dtsp Rose Water
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tbsp Dried Rose Petals
1 Lemon

Filling
140ml Double Cream
1-2tsp Fruit Sugar
1dtsp Rose Water


Preheat the oven to 170c (160C if fan assisted) and line two 8inch sandwich tins with baking paper.

Melt the butter gently and leave to cool while you get on with beating the egg whites with a pinch of salt and the cream of tartar until they form stiff peaks. Grate the zest from the lemon and juice it.

Using the same beaters or whisk, beat the egg yolks with the fruit sugar, lemon zest and juice in a large mixing bowl until pale and thick. Still beating, add the melted butter in a thin stream – you might need to put a tea towel under the bowl to stop it whizzing around. If you are whisking by hand, add a little butter at a time and whisk until incorporated.

Sift in the flour, ground almonds and bicarb into the butter mixture; tipping in the last crumbs of ground almonds that won’t go through the sieve. Crush the rose petals between your hands to break them down a little and add them too. Add the rose water to the bowl and fold everything gently until just combined.

Fold in a spoonful of the egg white to loosen the mixture and then add the rest all at once, folding gently with a metal spoon just until there are no big chunks of eggwhite left. Scrape evenly into the sandwich tins and bake for 25-30 minutes until risen, pale gold and a cake tester comes out clean. Leave in the tins for about 15 minutes and then leave till cold on a cooling rack.

When you are ready to assemble the cake, whip the cream until it is floppy, but not stiff. Dissolve the fruit sugar in the rose water and stir into the cream. I love rose water so I use the whole amount, but you might want to start with half and add some more if you like it. Use this to sandwich the two cakes together on a beautiful plate. Sprinkle some crushed rose petals over to finish.