My New Toy

This arrived for me yesterday - the legendary Kitchenaid Mixer! I've been coveting it for a while but couldn't justify splurging on a mixer when I'm hardly a fan of desserts. Anyway, Nath ordered me one in pistachio for X'mas. Ok, so technically, I ordered it, he paid for it. Whatever. The point is - Me likey!! I think it's a hint for me to bake him more cakes.

Anyone with suggestions for cakes, please feel free to share them. With this new toy, it seems almost criminal not to expand my baking horizons and to use it to bake blueberry pound cakes would be an affront to its potential.

On a different note, some weeks back, I began writing another story, this time about cooking, and it was one of those projects that lost momentum because there was so much else going on. I was beginning to feel quite guilty for abandoning a burgeoning story, so I picked up where I'd left off and wrote about 3,000 words today. Am quite chuffed but the downside is that I am now drained of words (that make any sense).

Btw, we had a BBQ for 14 people on Sunday, which was tons of work but well worth the effort. Here are a few simple things to throw together for a summer lunch.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

1 crusty loaf, sliced

3 large ripe tomatoes, diced

handful of basil leaves, chopped

freshly ground salt and pepper

dash of sugar

1 clove garlic

extra virgin olive oil

In a bowl, mix tomatoes, basil, olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar. Grill bo

th sides of bread slices, then rub the clove of garlic on the surface of the slices whilst they're hot. Pile tomato mixture on toast, drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

Oven-Roasted Pouisson

3*500gm pouisson

3 cloves of garlic + 1 head of garlic

3 bay leaves

3 sprigs rosemary

3 sprigs thyme

3 slices lemon

salt and pepper

olive oil

1 glass red wine

100ml chicken stock

Prepare a roasting pan. Pat dry pouisson. Season the inside and outside with salt and pepper, then stuff each bird with 1 of each item (garlic, bay, rosemary, thyme, lemon). Cut the extra head of garlic in half and add to roasting pan with the pouisson. Roast i

n an oven at 190 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove birds and allow to rest. Meanwhile, set roasting pan over a stove, mash garlic with a ricer then deglaze the pan with wine and stock, ensuring you scrape any brown bits off the surface of the pan. Once sauce has reduced a little, pour through a strainer. Chop birds into quarters and serve with sauce.

Gratin Dauphinois

1kg waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly

1 clove garlic

500ml double cream

100ml whole milk

1 egg yolk

grated nutmeg

250gm grated gruyere cheese

1 tsp salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Whisk egg yolk with salt and pepper. Warm cream and milk in a saucepan, then combine with egg yolk. Rub the bottom of a casserole dish with garlic, then arrange one layer of potatoes. Sprinkle 1/2 the cheese, arrange another layer of potatoes and sprinkle the rest of the cheese. Pour the cream and milk mixture, grate nutmeg over the top and bake for about 50 min, covering with aluminium foil for the last 15 minutes if cheese is too brown.