A few weekends back the Yumblog family boarding a cramped Virgin train and sped uncomfortably northwards to West Yorkshire in what could be referred to as Phase Two of their cunning plan for a bright and exciting new future. A few days later they returned to Yumblog Towers refreshed and excited and carrying a modest cache of local beers, hand-crafted …
This is less of a recipe and more of a reminder to shove a Camembert in the oven once in a while for a fast fatty indulgent treat … and do it soon before this world inexorably unravels to a lawless (and cheeseless) wasteland.
4. Potato and Onion Gratin Remarkably after only 4 (admittedly onion heavy) meals, we have reached the end of our £2 sack of onions. On this occasion they were consenting adults in a cheeky extramarital foursome with potatoes, cream and cheese – resulting in this very rich and even verier delicious gratin.
Despite heroic efforts on our part, post-Christmas still found us with a substantial wedge of a 3 tonne wheel of Stilton left uneaten. This tart was one of several tasty ways we found to remedy the problem.
Porcini are very much in vogue here at Yumblog Towers. Along with late Sunday roasts. And baked potatoes with cheese and beans and coleslaw. And spending Saturday morning watching 5Live on the red button. And Sophie the teething giraffe. And Friday night beer and pizza after swimming. Lots of things in fact. But not duck eggs. Or Paul Rankin’s Potato …
…which makes this three times better than a mono cheesed risotto.
The last six months have seen many changes here at Yumblog Towers. Saturday nights are no longer a time of cage fighting (for her) or pole dancing (for him) but instead spent indoors looking after our increasingly fidgety but exponentially lovely offspring. Although compensation is not necessary, we do like to remunerate our parental devotion with a slap-up Saturday evening …
Team yumblog have recently returned from a fashionable late summer staycation in Lyme Regis – a town famed for its fossil strewn Jurassic coastline, historic Cobb and a love-lorn Meryl Streep. Less well known is its enthusiasm for the unimpressive pastime of stone balancing, a strange obsession with anything ‘gluten free’, and the universal practice of removing the seeds from …
Pesto Although I’ve made pesto many times before, I’ve generally haphazardly chucked the ingredients into the food processor and left it to chance. Despite the results usually being good, I thought it was about time I consulted the mama of authentic Italian home cooking, Marcella Hazan and see if she had an angle on this classic sauce. And indeed she …
In the spirit of Dandruff Dave’s Big Society we here at Yumblog have served each other redundancy notices so that you, dear reader, can volunteer and write this blog yourself. So come on Dirk, Tony, Helen, Scooter McKenzie, Mimsy Swallows, Zucchini Breath, Briony Bob et al, step forward and become part of this radical new age of Victorian philanthropy. We’re …
For anyone who hasn’t eaten this butter and cheese laden French take on mashed potato let me tell you it is more comforting than being hugged by a 6 foot Angora rabbit with a PhD in Applied Cuddling. More comforting than lying in a bath of warm Lenor as a Labrador puppy nuzzles your neck and Nurse Gladys Emmanuel whispers …
I’ll never forget the charming little threadbare street vendor on the dusty corner of Presa Las Virgenes and Paseo de la Reforma where we would regularly purchase our Elotes at the end of a frantic day’s shoot. We’d take these tasty corn ‘popsicles’ up to the terracotta rooftops of our rambling majestic casa and accompanied by an iced bottle of …
Victor: A scone and tea at half past three, makes the day a little brighter. So you can keep your cakes and fancy tarts…. Jack and Victor: …and stick them up your shiter.
This recipe is from the poetically titled and yet to be published ‘Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume‘ by Silvena Rowe which was featured in the latest OFM. If this and the other published recipes are anything to go by, this particular publication could well be joining the myriad cookbooks gracing the West Wall of the Keith Talent Wing in the …
It’s finals week and MasterChef has entered the wacky ‘It’s a Knock Out’ stage. The three finalists are being set some fairly arbitrary ‘tough’ tasks such as last night when they were shipped out to Jodhpur in order to cook for some royal toffs in 120 degrees of heat. No doubt tonight they’ll be forced to run around the kitchen …
Cornish Yarg is a mild yet flavoursome firm cheese not to be confused with the Cornish ‘Yarp’ – the only word uttered by Michael in ‘Hot Fuzz’. Preparation time: A long time Cooking time: 80 – 90 minutes Skill level: Medium Makes: Enough for four Recipe: Rick Stein Ingredients For the pastry potatoes – peeled and cut into chunks – …
Ricotta & Parsley Ravioli with Tomato & Cream Sauce The offer of some Valentine themed goodies from our friends at Interflora and a cooking apron from our latest chums at The Last detail, prompted us to cook up something which would make an ideal romantic dinner for two. Besides, it was the day before the day before Blogger-D’s birthday – …
If our recent trip to Prague is anything to go by, it would appear the only vegetarian option available in the Czech Republic is deep fried Edam with boiled potatoes. Nothing wrong with that of course – cheese and spuds are two of my favourite food groups especially if the former is heavily grated over the latter and grilled to …
Kale, Cheese & Bread Soup For what is essentially a soggy cheese and cabbage sandwich, this is very, very tasty. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 – 45 minutes Skill level: easy Makes: It fed three of us. Ingredients kale (or dark green cabbage) – shredded – enough for 3 people good quality stale bread (no Mothers Pride) – …
I found this Lemony Cheese delight in a back issue of the excellent Donna Hay magazine – the eponymous title from food editor, best-selling cookery writer, and from what I can gather, Queen of Australia.
As with the mackerel, so with the cheese. It was in the same Fearnley-Whittingstall spread* as the potted mackerel and required cheese, butter and a splash of vin rouge or some vine-based glug, thereby having all the markings of a winner about it. The man himself suggested you play with the recipe and use whichever combo of cheeses takes your …
We were so impressed by the chocolate coloured wax casing of this fine cheddar when it arrived from our friends at A&C that we immediately took it down to north meadow and photographed it among the wild fritillaries. We have a particular fondness for cheese here at Yumblog Hall so we stayed pure and did nothing fancy with this Godminster …
If you follow the link you’ll discover this young Gorgonzola came to us from Sardinia via Acton. Roasted Tomato and Gorgonzola Tarts with Balsamic Vinegar Caramel Preparation time: 10 minutes plus 3 hours drying Cooking time: 35 minutes Skill level: easy Serves: 4 as a starter or 2 as a main Recipe: Way’ro website Ingredients 8 plum tomatoes – halved …
A couple of weeks ago we had a slap up anniversary feed at St John in Smithfield, and this dish was on the menu. Obviously visiting the home of ‘Nose to Tail eating’ and plumping for the vegetarian option is like… (Note to Blogger-D: Please insert apt and amusing analogy here.) (Note to Blogger-R: Can’t think of one. Don’t worry, …
The plan is at some stage to make our own Ricotta from the whey left over from Yumblog Amalgamated Dairy Industries yoghurt-making enterprise. However I suspect the quantities involved will be minute and certainly a lot smaller than our massive combined appetites. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 – 25 minutes Skill level: easy Serves: 2 Recipe: Wa’ro Magazine …
The obsession with yoghurt continues – this time using it to fashion a traditional Middle Eastern-style cheese called Labne. Once made it is rolled into small balls, coated with fresh herbs, placed in a jar and covered with olive oil. Simple and delicious. Preparation time: 15 – 25 minutes plus 24 hours draining Cooking time: none Skill level: easy Makes: …
I got this recipe from an article called ‘Five ways with potatoes’ in this months OFM. Nigel Slater calls it ‘Potato pancakes with herb and youghurt sauce‘ but I changed the name as for me the feta was the main event and therefore deserved higher billing. I’m also not sure my brain can accommodate yet another variation on the spelling …
Spelled rarebit. Pronounced rabbit. Tastes delicious. Incidentally this cheesy delight can also be used in the construction of an Illinois delicacy known as a Horseshoe Sandwich (aka Freedom Sandwich). To make one simply take a thick slice of toasted bread and top with a quantity of cooked meat (hamburger/deep fried pork tenderloin/chicken/etc.). Next cascade with a generous portion of chips/freedom …
Preparation time: 20-30 minutes plus 20 minutes proving Cooking time: 60 minutes Skill level: medium Ingredients For the bread dough crust strong white flour – 450g fast action yeast – 1¼ tsp salt – 1½ tsp runny honey – 2 tbsp olive oil – 60 ml warm water – 260 ml 1 egg – beaten For the filling 1 courgette …
In accordance with government guidelines and the criteria laid down by the Foods Standards Agency (FSA) (and because you are all, dear readers, lazy obese mollycoddled porcine cretins incapable of making a decision unless the myriad complexities of an issue are reduced to a simple 3-digit number) yumblog will in future state the calorific value of all published recipes. Olive …
Yet more allegations that Yumblog, 42, has been having a sordid (and utterly predictable) affair with a desperate publicity-seeking blonde slapper, 37. This is of course untrue, and to prove our innocence we bribed bought Mrs Yumblog, 33, a fucking massive diamond ring from fucking Theo Fennell! Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 10-15 minutes Skill level: easy Serves: 4 …
… or cauliflower cheese in liquid form. A perfect winter warmer for the snowiest (and therefore the most exciting) day in 18 years. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Skill level: easy Serves: 2 – 4 Ingredients 1 cauliflower – approx 550 g 1 medium onion – chopped 2 celery sticks – chopped 1 large leek – chopped …
Ok, pay attention. Blogger D’s archaeologist sister (from hereonin known as ‘Sherdkicker T’) came to Yumblog Towers for dinner. She brought along her ‘friend’ who is also an archaeologist and so for continuity should be known as ‘Sherdkicker J-P’. However Sherdkicker J-P is a handsomely moustached Frenchman and so perhaps needs to be translated as ‘Pulseur de poterie J-P’. ‘PdP …
A delicate piece of cod smothered with cream and cheddar and then baked along with avocado – now this is a retro dish the great and terrifying Fanny would be proud of. Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 15-20 minutes Skill level: easy Recipe: Guardian/Observer Ingredients 2 skinless cod fillets double cream – 140ml mature cheddar – 150g 2 ripe …
It’s a Hallowe’en tradition at Yumblog Cottage to celebrate the 31st October with this pumpkin fondue devised by the mighty GREGG WALLACE! himself. I say tradition, we made it for the first time last year, however, it is so tasty I am sure we’ll tucking into it again in 2009* Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 1.5-2 hours Skill level: …
The clocks went back this weekend and suddenly it was winter. Time to lay down some much needed winter fat* to sustain us through the long chill months ahead, and what better way then eating refined carbohydrate swimming in cheese and cream. Preparation time: 10-15 minutes Cooking time: 10-15 minutes Skill level: easy Ingredients cicatelli (or some other good pasta) …
And so it came to pass in dying chill days of October that the idea of soup for lunch started to grow in its appeal and so it was that a pair of Thermos was bought. And then Blogger D did make a rather tasty spinach and rosemary soup. And it had been recommended even on the Waitrose website that …
It was obvious from the outset that this was going to be an unfair contest as these products are intended for two very different markets. One is a collection of processed junk cynically targeted at children and the other a holy trinity of ‘Trusted Brands’ marketed to grown-ups. ‘Delicious hot or cold’
As 10 CC once said: “Life is a minestrone wrapped up in Parma ham/cheese. Death is an old D’Artagnan, suspenders in deep freeze”. Or something like that. Preparation time: 25 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour Skill level: easy Ingredients 1 onion – finely chopped 2 medium waxy potatoes – peeled and diced 2 carrots – finely diced 2 courgettes – …
This weekend’s planned camping trip to Whitstable had to be cancelled because of the shitty and weirdly biblical weather we are having this summer. So I found myself on a Sunday afternoon at the beginning of August wanting nothing more than to curl up on the sofa in a dressing gown and eat comforting wintery food as outside it rained …
