Recipe: Loaded Jacket Potato Skins

Hey guys, I hope you all had a lovely fun and foodie filled Christmas! Mine was good fun, with lots of yummy things, but a little bit stressful to be honest. I got the 23rd, 24th and 25th off work, but i had to do a big three course dinner for a client on the 23rd, and the other two days felt a bit...i dunno...like i was kept thinking about pressures and how much work annoys me/ Univeristy worries me. And i've had to start work at 9am this morning. Can't switch off- I'm terrible! Anyway, this is a nice recipe I cook fairly often- it's very easy to make, and good as a side dish, starter or main course. Whenever I bake jacket potatoes, I always bake about 6, because I know with any I have leftover the next day I can either stuff them with something nice (like with this recipe) or cut them into wedges and fry them for an easy brunch.

Loaded Jacket Potato Skins (serves 4 as a starter or side dish, serves 2 as a main)

2 baking potatoes
2 thin rashers smoked bacon, diced very finely
6 spring onions
20g butter
75g garlic and herb Boursin
Splash of milk
Salt and pepper
20g parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Bake the potatoes for 60-80 minutes or until soft on the inside and the skin is crispy. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool a little.
2. Meanwhile, fry the bacon and spring onions in a non-stick frying pan, for about 5 minutes- or until the spring onions are cooked and the bacon has started going crispy.
3. Whilst still warm, slice the jacket potatoes in half, and scoop out the flesh. Mix the flesh with the butter, boursin, spring onions, bacon and seasoning. Re-stuff into the potato skins, top with parmesan, and put under the grill for 5 minutes- or until golden!

Recipe: Bel Potato Dauphinoise

Very simple dish, with only a few ingredients, resulting in a big punch of flavour! If you love garlic, and you love creamy french style dishes, this is the dinner for you. This is another recipe I have developed for Bel, which they are very happy with, as it uses Boursin as well as Leerdamer (both products that their company manufactures). Again, instead of boursin cuisine, use 150g of the the normal garlic and herb boursin you get in the shops, and add 60ml more double cream (dare i say it!). I'm hoping to get another delivery of Bel cheese soon- this time i'm hoping for a load of leerdamer, i've got some funky recipe ideas for it.

Bel Potato Dauphinoise (serves 6)

900g potatoes (maris piper work well), peeled and sliced thinly
240ml double cream
200g Boursin Cuisine
Handful fresh parsley
Black pepper
2 slices (50g) Leerdamer mature, finely diced

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. In a mixing bowl, combine the double cream, boursin, parsley and black pepper until a smooth consistency is reach.
2. In a baking dish, layer up half the potatoes, then pour half the cream mixture on top. Layer up the other half of potatoes; pour over the remaining cream mixture (making sure all the potatoes are covered). Cover the dish tightly with tin foil, and put in the oven for 40 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven, remove foil, top with the diced Leerdamer and bake in the oven for a further 30 minutes. Put under the grill for a few minutes in order to brown the top. Serve!

Recipe: Leerdamer, Ham, and Asian Pickled Vegetable Baguette

Hey guys. So sorry it's been a while (a week! Jeez- I really do owe you guys an apology!) since my last post, but i've had so much going on lately I haven't had time to get on to my computer! I've been on holiday in France for a couple of days (for the Django Reinhardt festival) and then up in Yorkshire (Ilkley) visiting mates and seeing my boyfriends mum for another couple of days. And then actually the day before all that I had a masterclass in London with no other than Marco Pierre White!!(which I will tell you guys all about once i've got some promo photos of me and him to show off to you all!).

This is another one of my recipes that i've developed for Bel, and also for the British Sandwich Association, as this year is the 250th anniversary of the sandwich! According to the British Sandwich Association, a sandwich is classed as "Any form of bread with a filling, generally assembled cold - to include traditional wedge sandwiches, as well as filled rolls, baguettes, pitta, bloomers, wraps, bagels and the like, but not burgers and other products assembled and consumed hot", and so this recipe and also my pulled bbq beef toasties are definitely classed as proper sandwiches! Again, in this recipe I have used Leerdamer mature slices, but feel free to use normal leerdamer or leerdamer light slices instead.

Leerdamer, Honey roast ham, and Asian pickled vegetable baguette (serves 4)

For the pickled vegetables:
90g peeled and julienned carrot
90g julienned seeded cucumber
Small handful fresh coriander, stems and leaves finely chopped
35ml rice vinegar
20g sugar
Splash of soy sauce
½ tsp crushed ginger
Salt to taste

For the baguette:
40g butter (or low fat margarine)
4 demi-baguettes
8 slices (200g) Leerdamer mature, sliced in half diagonally.
150g wafer thin honey roasted ham

1. In a bowl, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, ginger and salt, and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Mix into this the carrots, cucumber and coriander well, and marinate covered for at least an hour.
2. Once the vegetables have marinated, spread four halved demi-baguettes with butter, and fill with equal amounts of ham, Leerdamer and pickled vegetables. Serve!

NB: For Caterers, the pickled vegetables can of course be made in bulk, and have a two day shelf life. This baguette can be sold on its own, or can be sliced in half and served with salad, fries, coleslaw, or even a mug of soup as part of a lunch deal.

Recipe: Boursin, Parma Ham and Artichoke Bruschetta

This is another recipe I created for the Bel cheese academy, the most yummy Italian style starter, or perfect when you just fancy a light lunch or a quick bite to eat. You can use other types of cold cuts instead of parma, such as serrano ham or salami. To make it an even quicker lunch, you can use the chargrilled artichokes you get from delis instead of roasting your own. In this recipe, using normal boursin or boursin cuisine is fine, you dont need to make any adaptions.

Boursin, Parma Ham and Artichoke bruschetta (serves 5 as a starter)

For the artichokes:
1 in artichoke hearts, in water
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp garlic paste
½ tsp chilli flakes
Salt and pepper

For the bruschetta:

5 large slices ciabatta or tiger bread
Drizzle olive oil
100g boursin cuisine garlic and herb
5 slices Parma ham
50g mixed watercress and rocket salad
50g toasted walnuts

1. Drain and rinse the tinned artichokes, and cut into quarters. Mix the extra virgin olive oil and garlic paste together well. Place the artichokes on a non stick baking tray, cover in the garlic oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and chilli flakes. Cook under a hot grill for about 10 minutes, or until slightly charred. Set aside.
2. Brush the slices of bread with olive oil and put under the grill for a couple of minutes, until toasted. Spread with boursin cuisine, and top each bruschetta evenly with the artichokes, parma ham, salad and walnuts. Serve!

Recipe: Creamy Boursin, Leek and Mushroom Tagliatelli

This is another recipe I have written for Bel, and it is as tasty as it is calorific! I suppose unfortunately pretty much none of my Bel recipes have been "low fat", but when you're dealing with items such as Boursin and Leerdamer, you just have to think of them as slightly indulgent I suppose. If using normal garlic and herb boursin (not "cuisine") i reccomend that you increase the milk to 200ml instead.

Creamy Boursin, leek and mushroom Tagliatelli (serves 2)

200g dried Tagliatelli
2 tbsp olive oil
15g butter
1 leek, sliced thinly
125g mushrooms, sliced thinly
200g boursin cuisine
150ml semi skimmed milk
50g wafer thin smoked ham, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Sautee the leek in the butter and olive oil for 5 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms, and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring often.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to the boil. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. In a bowl, mix together the milk and boursin cuisine until smooth, and mix into the leeks and mushrooms.
3. Add the drained Tagliatelli, stir to coat, and once the sauce is thick enough (the pasta absorbs the liquid very quickly) serve, with the diced smoked ham.

Recipe: Pulled BBQ Beef, Leerdammer and Jalapeno Toasties

This is a recipe I created for Bel, and for the British Sandwich association. It's really scrumptious and is a great thing to have as a quick dinner or lunch. Also, it serves 8 (as i was kind of developing a recipe that caterers would use), but it can be a great crowd pleaser at home- bringing it to the table at a barbeque or party is great because people can just pick up a slice of one and nom it all down very easily! I have used Leerdammer Mature here, as that is what i was provided with, but feel free to use normal or low fat leerdammer instead if you wish.

Pulled BBQ Beef, Leerdammer and Jalapeno Toasties (makes 8 toasted sandwiches)

The slow cooked BBQ beef
8.8kg brisket joint of beef
300ml orange juice
500ml water
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper
6 crushed cloves garlic
(this should end up making 500g beef)
340g BBQ Sauce

(Makes enough beef for 8 toasties)

Per Toastie
105g pulled BBQ beef
15g green or red sliced pickled jalapenos
2 slices Leerdamer Mature
2 slices thick white bread

1. Preheat the oven to 220C. Put all the Beef ingredients (except the BBQ sauce) in a large deep baking tray, wrap in tin foil tightly twice (so no steam can escape) and cook in the oven for 3 hours.
2. Remove from the oven, and remove the pieces of beef from the other ingredients, into a mixing bowl. The liquid can be discarded, or can be used to flavour soups, stews, casseroles or chillis.
3. Shred the cooked beef and mix with the bbq beef until well combined. Allow to cool.
4. Assemble the toasties, and put in a toastie machine for 5 minutes, or until the bread has become golden brown and the cheese has melted. Cut on the diagonal, and serve- on its own, or with salad, coleslaw, fries or wedges.

*The bbq beef, once cooled, can be kept in the fridge for three days.

Recipe: Chicken, Bacon and Boursin Pie

You will be getting a load of Bel cheese recipes from me over the next few weeks. As you guys may remember about 1/2 a year ago i won an Ipad from Bel, and then after this they asked me whether i wanted to become a Brand Ambassador. I of course agreed, and whilst they have been sending me loads of lovely cheese, i've been busy developing scrumptious recipes! In the recipes i used a product called "Boursin Cuisine"- which is something caterers can find in bulk, but it's basically the same as normal boursin, only a bit more creamier. If you cant get boursine cuisine, instead just add 50ml single cream to the recipe as well as the normal Boursin you get from supermarkets.

Chicken, Bacon and Boursin Pie (serves 2)

1 tbsp olive oil
6 spring onions, finely sliced
5 rashers thin streaky bacon, diced
400g diced chicken breast
200ml skimmed milk
200g Boursin Garlic and Herb Cuisine
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 sheet ready rolled short crust pastry (or homemade)

1. Sautee the spring onions and bacon in the olive oil on a medium high heat for five minutes. Add the chicken and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the skimmed milk and cook for a further 10 minutes.
2. Add the boursin cuisine, increase the heat to high, and keep stirring the mixture until it has become quite a thickened consistency. Season to taste, and set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a greased pie dish with short crust pastry, then bunch up and roll out the rest of the short crust pastry thinly. Spoon the pie filling into the pastry evenly, top with the rest of the rolled pastry, and trim any excess away from the sides of the pie dish.
4. Decorate the edges of the pastry, and add a pastry leaf or some other design for the middle of the pie, brush with beaten egg, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Recipe: Pearl Barley and Green Vegetable “Barlotto”

Not sure whether Barlotto is something that I invented but I think it's a funky name so i'll use it anyway! It's basically a risotto made with barley instead of rice- just like risottos made with spelt (which we used to make all the time when i worked at River Cottage) are called "Spelottos". This is really tasty, and i would say it is one of my "signature dishes", as are any type of risottos in general. Basically, a lot of people think it's hard to make a risotto- it isn't, it's just hard to make a PERFECT risotto. I have entered this into Food For Friends "Signature Recipe" competition- and i reckon with this dish being this tasty, i've got a darn good chance!! If any of you guys fancy entering the competition too, get your skates on (entries ends 31st March!) and register with these guys, and send a lovely recipe in! The link for it is below:
http://www.foodforfriendsyeah.co.uk/2012/03/01/competition-whats-your-signature-dish/

Pearl Barley and Green Vegetable “Barlotto” (serves 3)

2 tbsp olive oil
Knob of butter
1 white onion, diced finely
1 celery stick, diced finely
½ tsp dried thyme
Splash of sherry
200g pearl barley
1.4 litres stock (chicken, vegetable, or a mixture of both is fine)
1 bay leaf
150g frozen peas
200g boursin garlic and herb flavour

Olive oil
Salt and pepper
9 asparagus spears (3 per person)

1. In a deep frying pan fry the onion, celery and thyme in the butter and olive oil for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add a splash of sherry and cook for 2 minutes (to burn off the alcohol).
2. Add the pearl barley and stir in to coat the grains. Add the bay leaf, and over the next 30 minutes, cook on a medium heat, gradually add stock (enough to fully cover the barley) and keep stirring. Add the peas and boursin, put onto a high heat, and keep stirring until the peas are cooked and the resired “risotto” consistency is achieved!
3. Near to when the risotto is ready, heat a griddle pan onto high with about 3 tbsp olive oil. Season the asparagus spears with salt and pepper, coat with a little oil, and chuck onto the griddle pan. Turn these occasionally for about 3 minutes, until well griddled- but not over cooked.
4. Serve the barlotto with 3 griddled asparagus spears per person, and plenty of cracked black pepper.