There’s something indescribably kitsch about a black forest gâteau. Endless flavours have been paired with chocolate over the years, but cherry seems a particularly contradictory one. While oranges and strawberries have a bright freshness, the dark richness of cherries should drag the already rich chocolate into decadent depths from which it struggles to ascend. Certainly,…
Category: Guesscipes
DIY cooking with a vague guide from me
Haggis Meatballs with Glenfiddich Gravy
Burns Night is approaching, and I don’t know why, but I always feel compelled to find something new to do with haggis in preparation for the day. Alas, I’m not Scottish, but one doesn’t need to be to appreciate that haggis and scotch together are one of life’s great taste experiences. It’s a shame haggis…
Mulled Cider Welsh Rarebit
Any time Welsh Rarebit comes up in conversation (at least once in my life), my dad will make a joke to the effect of “nice, apart from the big ears.” Easy, perhaps, but it goes down well enough. Consider my surprise when I discovered today that the original name of the dish was “rabbit”, and is…
Turkey and Cranberry Meatloaf
I’ve always been intrigued by meatloaf – the foodstuff, not the singer (though much love for him as well). Perhaps it was due to the Simpsons referencing it frequently, and their dinnertime stock meal seeming to consist of it, but there was something so fascinating about the idea. Here in the UK, it has never…
Vegan Sundried Tomato and Garlic Rolls
Pastry wrapped around a filling is a winning combination in basically every form, and one of the most successful and persistent in the UK has always been the humble sausage roll, recently “discovered” by Americans calling it a “puff dog.” Whether from Gregg’s, a nice old pub, or at a brilliantly beige buffet spread…
Orzo with Prawns and Bacon
“That’s strange looking rice.” Words to this effect always seem to be uttered when orzo appears, and it’s easy to see why. The oval-shaped pasta shapes do share a clear visual quality, however that really is as far as the similarities go, as is understood the moment it is put into one’s mouth. The grains…
Pan Seared Chicken with Chorizo Sauce
There are some pairings that just work in life to bring you joy. Chocolate and roses, fireworks and a warm blanket, Chaz and Dave. Among them, of course, is the brilliant pairing of chicken and chorizo. While chicken is incredibly popular and largely considered quite versatile, it also comes with significant drawbacks – particularly its…
Dr Pepper Burger
Just shy of ten years ago, I was a first year at university and finally getting the chance to cook to my heart’s content. I was quite an avid calorie counter at the time, and as such I soon came across the popular trend at the time of making ‘diet coke chicken.’ It was something…
Thai Red Noodle Soup (with optional chicken thighs)
For all the complex plating styles, techniques and geometric designs that are so popular in youtube “food presentation” videos (which I am certainly not above), there is something to be said for the beauty inherently found in a bowl of stuff. Thai food is a moderately recent discovery of mine, and I am consistently bowled…
Chicken Katsu (with quick tonkatsu sauce)
I often marvel at how certain ingredients that were considered totally fringe and specialist a few years ago are not readily available in pretty much any large supermarket in the UK. I remember spending ages searching my local Tesco growing up for ghee when I first discovered Indian cooking, and for the life of me couldn’t find…
The Guesscipe Book 