We are celebrating with a Champagne Reception on Thursday 24 May from 6-9pm.  Even the Mayor’s coming for a look! 

See beautiful appliances from Aga, Wolf, Sub-Zero, Lacanche, Gaggenau and V-Zug displayed in bespoke, hand built kitchens from Grech & Grech.  Chef Matt Tooby will be on hand to put the appliances through their paces rustling up some absurdly delicious sounding canapes…look out especially for the slow-cooked beef skewers, cooked for hours in the Wolf at 50C.

If you fancy coming along to take a look just RSVP to me on info@edwardsandgodding.co.uk or, if you like to be a bit more relaxed about your commitments, just turn up on the evening.

The amounts in this recipe that I am going to give you will make 4 pasties, however you could just halve them and make two, which would probably have been better for just me and the kids.  

So…I set the oven to 220 degrees (you would just use the Roasting Oven in an Aga cooker) and began grating some vegetables. I finely grated one small potato and a carrot before finely chopping an onion and adding that into the mixture. I measured out 100g of Quorn mince and put that in the bowl too. The recipe suggested adding 10 green beans and a handful of sweetcorn but I was minus the green beans so just went with the sweetcorn. Over the mixture I crumbled a vegetable stock cube and then decided I wanted to add some grated cheddar cheese to this. This wasn’t in the recipe though, and I couldn’t tell you how much I put in as I’m pretty slap dash about things at times. Lets just say it was about a big handful!  

I mixed it about and then put this to one side and began to make the pastry. I rubbed 50g of margarine and 50g vegetable fat into 225g of plain flour until it resembled very fine, dry breadcrumbs. I then added small amounts of cold water, a little bit at a time, until it turned into a soft, but NOT sticky dough. There was no amount given for how much cold water should be used, so tread carefully! Once I got the texture right, I took the dough out of the bowl and kneaded it on a floured surface before dividing it up into four equal parts. Each of these parts were then rolled into a circle measuring 1cm thick. This is what the recipe told me to do, however, I shall tell you NOT to do that. I think this is too thick. Way too thick. I would definitely only roll the dough out to about 5mm if even that. Once these were cooked the pastry was just a little too stodgy and could definitely have done with being a bit thinner, although, all the ingredients inside were cooked well and the pastry was cooked so maybe it comes down to preference. I just thought the pastry to filling ratio was too high.

Anyway, I had gone by the recipe and rolled it to 1cm thick rounds. I put a small amount of filling mix in the middle of each pastry circle, before bringing the edges of the circle together and pressing them. I sealed them up using a little water and made sure there were no gaps or holes.  

On a baking tray lined with baking paper I sat my little pasties (I was quite pleased with how they looked!) and then glazed them with some milk. I also pricked the sides of the pasties with a fork which is important because if you don’t, they will burst open when cooking and won’t have that cute little pastie shape! 

Into the oven they went for 10mins at 220 degrees, and then after that 20 mins at 180.  If you have an Aga pop them in the middle of the Roasting Oven for 10 mins and then move them down to the Baking Oven for the remaining 20 mins. 

I was pretty impressed with these, I have to say. They were very tasty which surprised me as I thought with so few ingredients and little in the way of herbs or seasoning, that they would be bland. You definitely could add some herbs if you like that taste, or of course if you’re a meaty person you could add some form of minced meat too. My awkward 2 year old even ate this….ok, so I did force him a little, but once I made him try it, he ate it willingly and even used the word “tasty” which is something he rarely says about anything! My only complaint would be what I said earlier, there was far too much pastry. I ended up taking a lot of the pastry off of these and not eating it so when I make these again, I will roll the pastry out much thinner.

1 1/4 cups margarine
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

This week I am killing two birds with one stone. One being that I need to do a blog entry and two I have a very bored two-year-old who has been stuck indoors for a few days due to the heavy and constant rain. We are making Chewy Double Chocolate Chip Cookies. I found a very simple recipe online, one that uses a cup and a teaspoon as a measuring guide. Easy peasy!

To start with I turned my oven on at 180º C to preheat in anticipation of the chocolatety goodness. I then got two cups (both the same) and started to measure out my ingredients. You could just use the one cup as a measuring guide but I have made it easier for myself due to baking with a toddler! I measured out the margarine and put that in a mixing bowl and then my son added two cups of sugar. I creamed together the margarine and sugar and then added the eggs and vanilla and whisked them all together. I then added the cocoa, salt and baking soda. At this point it says to blend the ingredients but I don’t have a blender so me and my little helper took it in turns and we mixed away for around five minutes.

Now for the hard part. Our next job was to fold in the flour and the chocolate chips, for this we used a wooden spoon and our hands. The mixture becomes very hard to stir/fold and you have to use your hands to make sure that the flour is folded in properly. It is sticky fun and my helper had a ball licking his fingers clean afterwards.

The mixture was now ready to turn into cookies. I rolled it out into a long sausage shape and then cut ten more-or-less equal-sized lumps of the mixture. We placed the cookie mixture onto baking trays using grease proof paper. We made sure that there was a couple of centimetres between each cookie. You have to do that because when they are cooking if they are too close then they will join together and you will have one giant cookie. I put them on the middle shelf of the oven and left to bake for ten minutes.

This was my first time making cookies and I really wish I had tried before as they are really easy to make and bake in no time at all. If you believe yourself to have little or no culinary skills then this recipe is for you – it is just so simple and straight forward. I will certainly be making cookies again and I actually feel quite excited about it because there are so many different cookie flavours and recipes.

The cookies were a tiny bit too sweet for me, but they were still delicious. My son and husband loved them and we all sat together on a horrible rainy day and ate lovely warm chewy cookies and had a cup of tea. Pretty perfect dining if you ask me or my beautiful son.

I took 16 ounces of silken tofu, 1 cup of peanut butter, a 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk (or soy milk if you are vegan) and 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence and blended them all together in a food processor. I then poured all of this mixture into a pre-bought sweet pastry case and topped it with yet more peanut butter and then drizzled chocolate all over it and put it in the fridge. After two hours, I bought out the pie and everyone admired my wonderful craftsmanship. It was just so beautiful to look at some people even cried. They said it was the nicest thing they had ever seen and tasted and every last piece of the pie was gobbled up so fast that people begged me to make more.

However, none of this took place and so I can not tell you about this wonderful pie. Instead, what I can tell you is what really happened and that was;

I went to Morrisons to get the ingredients for said “wonderful pie” and Morrisons did not have silken tofu. They didn’t even have regular tofu. I was appalled. My dreams of how amazing this pie could have been crumbled right then and there. Then suddenly I remembered a different, quick and “amazing” recipe. 

The recipe was for White Chocolate Cheesecake and I had been instructed to make this by my sister-in-law for my father-in-law’s 60th birthday back in February. My sister-in-law had said this was the best cheesecake she had ever tasted (and she loves cheesecake) and that she would get me the recipe from her mother-in-law. (Sorry for all the “in-laws” I hope you’re keeping up!). Anyway, she was really put out when it turned out that “the most amazing cheesecake ever” really was incredibly easy to make and involved buying a sweet pastry case and therefore, not really “making” very much! 

I kept the sweet pastry case I’d picked up for the pie and bought 400g of philadelphia, some caster sugar, white chocolate and raspberries and headed home to make the cheesecake although I was disappointed that it wouldn’t be “wonderful pie”.  

At home, I mixed 400g of philadelphia with 125g of caster sugar. Whilst I was doing that part, I had 200g of white chocolate in a bowl melting over a pan of boiling water. Here is perhaps the only complex part of the whole thing. You do not stir white chocolate whilst it is melting. Apparently it causes the chocolate to “split”. I was also told when given this recipe to make sure I used “good quality” white chocolate. Not really sure how much of a difference there is if you use “cheaper” chocolate, but that’s what I was told when I was given the recipe.  

After the chocolate had melted I then tried to pour and scrape as much of it into my cream cheese mixture as possible, whilst wondering whether or not that was “allowed” or if that would cause the chocolate to “split” too….I was unsure. I folded the chocolate into the mixture still thinking about why this was allowed but stirring the chocolate isn’t. Once it was all mixed in I poured it into the pre-made sweet pastry case and then popped it in the fridge.

Now you could always make your own base for the cheesecake, but I do like cutting corners and things being fairly “quick” whilst still kinda “homemade”. This recipe is so good for last minute having friends round or dinner parties etc….so quick and so little mess! 

After a few hours of letting it set, I decorated it with raspberries, just to make it look pretty. I’m not much of a raspberry fan, but the kids like them. It is a really nice cheesecake and so easy to make with so few ingredients too. Still wish it had been “Tofu Peanut Butter Pie” instead though….I really wanted to try that.

Anyway, the recipe I had used cups for measurements. It told me to grate a full head of cauliflower which would make me two 9-inch pizzas and would be classed as 2 cups. I only wanted one pizza, so figured it would make sense to do just half that amount.  I grated half the cauliflower head then microwaved the crumbs for 4 minutes as the original recipe said to do 8. The recipe then asked that I use 1 egg, but seeing as I halved the amount of cauliflower, I supposed that I should use half an egg too. I whisked the egg in a separate bowl before adding in half of it. 1 cup of grated mozzarella cheese was then called upon, but seeing as I was shunning the recipe slightly, I just grated half a big ball of mozzarella (I couldn’t get any pre-grated at the shops that day). You could probably use any type of cheese in this, but I figured I’d diverted from the original recipe enough so stuck to it. Mozzarella is my favourite cheese anyway. Next, I was to add a teaspoon of dried oregano, 1/2 a teaspoon of fresh garlic (or dried minced if you have that) and 1/2 a teaspoon of onion salt. Again, I halved all of those measurements and added them to the mixture, except for the onion salt as I didn’t have any. I just put some ordinary salt in and some pepper and hoped all would taste fine! Mix all of this together before pressing it into a 9-12 inch pizza pan (or just a normal cooking tray if you don’t have one), which has been sprayed with non-stick spray. 

The recipe then asks that you spray the base with non-stick spray and bake it for 15 minutes. However, I couldn’t find what temperature to bake it at so I went for 180. I’m pretty sure that was wrong though, as my base stayed quite soggy. Round the edges it began to brown so not wanting to burn it and assuming it would cook further with toppings on, I took it out after the 15mins and just prepared the toppings.

I spread tomato puree all over the base, and then added grated cheddar cheese. I also tore up the rest of the mozzarella ball I used earlier and put that on top too. I fancied having some olives on the pizza but put them only on one side should my fussy husband decide to switch from the “That’s disgusting!” camp to the “mmm…how interesting!” camp and try some. I then put it back in the oven and discovered that the edges began to burn but the middle would not cook. I left it in as long as I could without really burning the edges and then took it out to eat. I was panicking that it had all been a disaster, that the pizza would fall apart when I transferred it to my plate, but it survived despite it’s slight soggyness and actually tasted really, really great.  I was very impressed. It also does not taste like cauliflower. It just seems like an ordinary pizza. In fact, I’m positive that had I not told my husband what was in it, he would’ve eaten the whole half, but instead he just tentatively took a bite, declared that it was good, but then declined my offer of any more and tucked into his Pizza Express Margarita! He did agree that he wouldn’t have known it was cauliflower too but now that he knew, it was “too late”. Mr Fussy. Oh well, just meant there was more for me, and I was perfectly happy…so much so I may actually make this again for dinner tonight…with the slight change of making sure I bake the base thoroughly before adding the toppings! Oh and I won’t mention the cauliflower to my husband this time either!

Coming to a kitchen near you…”When Truffles Go Bad”.

So, what started as a nice idea to make some Truffles to eat with coffee after my husband’s birthday meal it all went a bit wrong when instead of actually checking the recipe I’d followed in the past I decided to not only try it from memory but also add to it!  It was always going to end in disaster.

Should you wish how not to make truffles follow this easy recipe…grate a full 180g block of 100% cacao (I used Willie’s Cacao) into a bowl.  Meanwhile warm 600ml of double cream in a pan.  Once hot add the cream to the cacao and stir until all completely mixed.  I then added about 50ml of Frangelico Hazelnut Liquor, a couple of tablespoons of icing sugar and stirred in.  Upon tasting I added another 50ml of Frangelico and some more icing sugar until I got the desired taste.  The bowl then went into the fridge to cool and set.

Now, this is where I started running into trouble.  My truffle mixture didn’t set.  It firmed slightly but still definitely not set.  So, I put the mixture in the freezer.

After an hour or so the mixture had firmed around the edges of the bowl but still wasn’t very truffle like.  I contemplated returning the bowl to the freezer but decided all I would then get was frozen runny truffle mix that would thaw upon handling and do me no good whatsoever.

I realise the error of my ways was the amount of cream I added.  In hindsight 400ml would probably be a better bet.  However, now was not the time to be disheartened.  Instead of cute little chocolate truffles we would have When Truffles Go Bad with our coffees this evening.

Out came the sherry glasses (thank goodness we were at my parents as I’ve never seen the point in glasses so small), and into each I put some chopped hazelnut (this was previously going to be used to adorn the truffles if they had behaved) followed by a generous spoon or two of the truffle mixture and topped with more chopped hazelnut.

This chocolate mix, whether in neat little balls or served in a glass, is a full on chocolate slap around the face.  Most people I know would struggle to finish the sherry glass size but they were great shots of chocolate buzz to end a lovely celebratory meal. 

P.S.  In the end I quite like the kitsch factor of having a truffle in a glass and love the slightly 70s feel to the whole thing.  See, I meant it to be just like that in the first place…honest.

I sat the kids round the dining table and got the scales out, ready to measure all my ingredients. First up was 50g of butter. Do not get a two year old to try and help measure 50g of butter, as they will touch the butter with their fingers, freak out at the texture and throw it to the floor. After measuring out another 50g by myself, I decided that this making cookies lark would be best kept as an observation game and not so much a hands-on one. I measured out 125g of caster sugar and then creamed that with the butter until it was nice and fluffy. Whilst doing so I entertained the children by singing pretty much everything I was doing to the tune of “The Wheels on the Bus”….so “The spoon in the bowl goes round and round….” …you get the jist.  If you decide to try this recipe, repeat the songs until someone can’t take it anymore. It will more than likely be you not them. Hopefully because this recipe is so quick, you might get to the end of it before you crack up! 

Next I beat in one egg before sifting in some of the dry ingredients which were 50g of plain flour, a half teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of baking powder. I diverged from the recipe here and added my own ingredient- some cinnamon- before mixing it all together. Next to go in was 175g of porridge oats and 125g of raisins. I mixed it all up and then realised that it was ever so slightly dry…probably because I added some cinnamon that wasn’t in the recipe. Perhaps it was supposed to be like that but I worried that the cookies might not hold together so I improvised and added a tiny splash of milk. 

On a baking paper lined tray, I put a tablespoonful amount of mixture for each cookie. The recipe didn’t say at what temperature to bake these but it did say that I should bake them for 15mins. I baked mine at 180 degrees for roughly 15mins and that seemed about right. It was enough to make the outside edge of the cookies go brown but not burnt and the inside look as if it’s undercooked. I promise you though, they won’t be undercooked. Just let them rest for a few minutes and they quickly firm up.  

They were really good for something which took all of 10 minutes to make (not including cleaning up butter from the floor time) and they might even be my favourite cookie. A nice “healthy” treat for you and the kids, although it might be best if they don’t “help” you!

The first thing to do is to rinse 200g of Arborio rice. Let that drain whilst you heat 25ml of olive oil and 10g of butter over a medium heat then finely dice two peeled carrots and an onion and sauté them for 4-5 minutes. Add the rice and coat it in the oil/butter/veg mixture. Cook this for a further 3-4 minutes until the grains start to turn translucent. 

In another pan, keep one litre of vegetable stock warm on the hob. After the grains have gone translucent, add a little of the stock to the mixture, which will probably be sticking to the bottom of the pan by now, so you’ll have to scrape it off, and mix it all in. Add a tablespoon of tomato puree and a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes and mix it all up. Every time the rice absorbs all of the stock and almost runs dry, add another ladleful of the vegetable stock, stirring until it’s all absorbed. This does require constant attention otherwise the rice will dry out and burn. It is quite time consuming as it takes around 30-40 minutes for the rice to be cooked thoroughly and for all the stock to be absorbed.  Apart from the constant tending, there isn’t much to making this dish at all. It’s very easy, just not quick. However, what you get for your time is a lovely creamy meal, made from quite basic ingredients.

I enjoyed it even with my painful face, although I must admit the kids weren’t impressed and my hubby with his cold declared it “not his thing”. I guess risotto isn’t for everyone, but I thought it was a great meal considering the lack of ingredients. I’d definitely make this again…but maybe only for myself.

Grech & Grech, kitchen designers based in West Sussex, are building beautiful, bespoke kitchens to complement the new products we have going in, including Aga, VZug, Lacanche, Gaggenau, Sub Zero and Wolf.

We’ll be open shortly and will, of course, tell you all about it then but whilst we wait here’s a taster, albeit a rather messy one, of the new showroom we’re so excited about!

Seeing as I’m being honest, I must also admit that these Cinnamon Rolls were probably the hardest thing I’ve made so far for this blog. It wasn’t terribly difficult but there were a lot of ingredients needed and I had to prepare three different parts, the roll, the filling and the icing. Also, having two small kids nipping at my ankles whilst I juggled a few different bowls and ingredients and tried to keep the kitchen tidy, wasn’t much fun. I guess they just added to the difficulty level! Anyway, here’s the recipe I followed; 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (use the Baking Oven of your Aga cooker) and grease and line a 20cm/8 inch round tin. Mix 350g of self-raising flour, a pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (although I used at least 2) together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together 100g of melted butter, 2 egg yolks and 200ml of milk. At this point, I must tell you that I made an error. I did not melt my butter well enough and ended up with a horrible, scrambled egg like consistency…..it was vile and definitely not useable!! I had to throw it away and start again, so please, please make sure if you do this that you melt the butter completely!! Once you’ve done that, combine the wet and dry ingredients until it forms a soft dough, then turn it out onto some lightly floured greaseproof paper and roll out to a rectangle of 30 x 25cm. 

Now you need to make the filling. For this, all you do is mix together, 55g of soft brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (again I used at least 2!), 2 tablespoons of caster sugar and 1tbsp of butter, (thoroughly melted!) then spread it all over your dough rectangle. You then roll the dough up, Swiss-roll style. Using a sharp knife, cut the roll into about 8 even pieces. Pack them into your round cake tin, brush them with a little milk and then bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.  

Once they’ve cooled down, you can add the icing. Sift 125g icing sugar into a large bowl and then make a well in the centre. Add 2 tablespoons of cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of softened butter to the well. I mixed the cream cheese and the butter together before putting them in the bowl, just to make sure both were definitely softened enough. I was not having another mistake made! Then pour around 30ml of boiling water into the bowl and mix it all together until the icing coats the back of a spoon. Stir in about a teaspoon of vanilla essence and then just drizzle the icing over the rolls. 

You can eat these hot or cold (I prefer them warm) as either way is delicious!! Sadly, the cinnamon rolls didn’t last very long. They were eaten far too quickly for my liking which only means I’ll have to make more again soon. Like I said throughout the blog, I added a lot more cinnamon to the recipe than was asked for, simply because I love cinnamon. You don’t need to use as much, if you don’t want to, but I honestly don’t think you could ever put too much in!