‘How many are you cooking for?” It’s the question I dread, even from Struan my friendly butcher round the corner at Provenance. But at least I didn’t lie today. “It’s just me tonight.” As if that were unusual. But anyway, it wasn’t but I was feeling like cooking. For the last few weekends I’d been […]
July
26
THE SIXTH ANNIVERSARY
posted by The Singular Gourmet
It is just another day; one of 365 in every year and 2190 since he left. Every year I think this arbitrary date that is mentally ringed red in my mind might just slip past without me noticing. But in the weeks of ‘lasts’ running up to the anniversary of his death, memories and reminders […]
August
10
SPICED PEACH & POMEGRANATE CHUTNEY, CHORIZO GRILLED CHEESE
posted by The Singular Gourmet
Gluts don’t have to mean gluttony. But for a singleton brought up in a Calvinistic home where the suggestion of throwing food away was usually converted into a needless conveyance of barely edible matter through the alimentary tract, I have a hell-fire terror of waste. At this time of year, when those luscious late summer […]
July
08
DUCK WITH SWEET & SOUR CHERRIES, CELERIAC PUREE
posted by The Singular Gourmet
English cherries: Interlopers on the whole, encouraged here by a pre-UKIP Henry VIII who had enjoyed the sweeter fruit of Flanders and demanded that orchards be planted in Kent to satisfy his sweet tooth. For me, their immigration status is irrelevant. They are just one of my favourite drupes. A chopstick, a wine bottle (email […]
May
17
YoYo Biscuits with lime butter icing
posted by The Singular Gourmet
Living on my own I try not to have too many treats in the house. I don’t know why I say that really other than buying biscuits and sweets for oneself seems self-indulgent. Much easier to buy if you can reasonably say to yourself, maybe X will enjoy these all the while knowing it’s you […]
May
12
Onion Jam, Mascarpone and Fennel Seed Tart
posted by The Singular Gourmet
There was a lot of tarty talk on Twitter yesterday morning, kicked off by @lawyer_eats who was making a Roquefort flan from Simon Hopkinson’s Good Cook book. Chat about various recipes ensued and my imagination took the bait. So instead of having a light tomato salad as planned, found myself leafing through cook books looking for […]
April
22
BRUSCANDOLI RISOTTO & ARANCINI
posted by The Singular Gourmet
Easter. One of those holidays I still find a little difficult. At least this year there was a decent gap between the lump-in-the-throat heart-pricks of Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. My previous post highlighted my Valentine’s Day ritual (message me for a password). Mother’s Day I regard an exercise in fertility fetishism; annoying but ultimately […]
March
26
SWEETCORN, CRAB AND CHILLI RISOTTO
posted by The Singular Gourmet
This is one of those recipes I almost didn’t blog. Why? Well, it includes an ingredient that for some reason seems a little embarrassing. A bit like scrolling through my albums in front of Ed the sound recordist the other day to find ‘Ethiopique – music of the 60’s and 70’s recorded on 2 tracks in […]
March
23
COMTÉ CHEESE SOUFFLÉ
posted by The Singular Gourmet
Recipes are a bit like friendships. There are those with whom we spend a lot of time and the oft resulting familiarity can occasionally breed contempt. When I was a child, mince was the dull old standby I longed to throw over for something more fashionable. My mum, ever on-trend, made Bolognaise a family favourite […]
Blogging or Blagging. Who gives a f*ck?
posted by The Singular Gourmet
In the office of a very famous chef there is a framed cover of a Radio Times. It features a long dining table around which 13 chefs sit, all laughing and joking in their pristine whites. They sparkle as if they can’t quite believe that they, mere passionate craftsmen and dedicated cooks, have found themselves […]
The Art of Eating Alone 