19/03/2010 by admin.

After countless requests for the recipe due to their success over the past year, we’ve decided to relent and give you our recipe for what some of you have described as “the best macaroons we’ve ever tasted!” These are fantastic little nuggets of crispy, chewy joy, perfect for dipping into crème brulee, with a strong cup of good coffee or even just to munch on by themselves. Deceptively simple to make, this is a recipe every kitchen should have.

Ingredients

Ground almonds x 160g

Shredded fresh coconut x 40g

Free range egg whites x 2

Caster sugar x 200g

Cardamom seeds finely ground x 1/2 teaspoon

Whole blanched almonds (1 for each macaroon)

Coconut water to dampen hands

Pre heat your oven to 200oC

Prepare a non stick baking tray or alternatively use a silicone mat or siliconised baking parchment (as opposed to baking paper to which the macaroons will stick leaving a crumbly, sticky mess of a macaroon)In a bowl, mix together the almonds, shredded coconut (use a hand zester or grater to shred the coconut flesh) sugar and cardamom seeds. Add in the egg white and mix until well incorporated. The mixture will come together into a fairly moist yet firm ball which should hold its shape. You may need to add a little more ground almond or egg white to get the right consistency(this requires  a mixture of feel and experience, this isn’t machine made food you know, the more you experiment the better you will be able to judge!)Dampen your hands with the coconut water and take a dessert spoon size piece of the mixture into the palm of your hand. With your other hand roll into a ball and place onto the baking tray leaving about an inch and a half between each macaroon on the tray. Place a blanched almond on top of each macaroon and press down gently to flatten slightly.Place into the oven for approx 10-12 mins until they turn a pale golden colour. Check one by carefully lifting a macaroon. The underside should be a darker golden brown colour throughout. Leave to cool for a couple of minutes to allow hardening (they will be quite fragile while still hot from the oven and you don’t want to squash your lovely macaroons now do you?) before removing from the tray onto a cooling rack. When the macaroons cool, they should be hard on the outside with a wonderfully chewy and moist centre.

Remember, cooking is an art, not an exact science. Immerse yourself in the experience, nurture your instincts, learn from the food and you can end up with food that you love to eat.

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03/03/2010 by admin.

The first budding snow drops of spring are upon us and what a relief! Store cupboards are nearly exhausted; fields fallow and the squirrels have almost eaten all their nuts. As long as you haven’t eaten them all already, now is a good time to use up all those stored nuts and what better accompaniment  than something you may not have tried before, despite its somewhat rough round the edges charm. Celeriac is still in good form at the moment, but don’t expect to get some hunky looking vegetable looking back at you from the green grocers shelf. Never has the phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover” been so aptly applied than to the Celeriac. Nutty, earthy, crunchy, smooth, creamy, svelte and wholesome are all plaudits that could be heaped on this wonderful vegetable depending on how it is treated.

Below is a recipe for a celeriac and walnut “slaw” which is a slightly wintery salad perfect for that transition period into spring.

 Ingredients;

1 celeriac

A handful of walnuts (broken ones are fine)

2 carrots

A handful of chopped parsley (if its survived the winter!)

1 tsp toasted fennel seeds

1 lemon

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Using a cooks knife and taking great care, trim the skin from the celeriac (it can be quite thick in places so you may need to take a fair bit off) to expose the milky white flesh. Grate the celeriac and carrots into a large bowl, add in the rest and mix together. Season to taste. Simple yet incredibly tasty.

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03/03/2010 by admin.

OK, so we haven’t posted much lately, mostly due to us being so busy getting our new kitchen and offices ready. We have now officially moved to our new premises at Unit 4, St Gabriel’s Business Park, St Gabriel’s Road, Bristol, BS50RT. We have spent a lot of time and money in the last couple of months upgrading the premises to incorporate a 600 square foot production kitchen as well as offices and storage to service our outside catering and events. Bristol City Council inspected us last week and I’m pleased to announce that they have awarded us 5 stars under their “scores on the doors” rating scheme, the maximum possible. The rating takes into account structure of the building, health and hygiene practices and confidence in management to ensure safe food handling. We should appear on the National website www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk in the next few weeks.Our phone number will be changing in the next few weeks and we’ll post as soon as we have it, although the 0800 number will remain the same.All the best,Rod

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09/12/2009 by admin.

I recently created this dish for a client of mine who is mad about anything pumpkiny! Pumpkins are still in season, but not for long, so get in quick to get the most flavour. This recipe is perfect for a cold winter’s day.

A member of the squash family and related to cucumbers, the pumpkin is actually a fruit. Cultivated by Native American Indians, its flesh was dried and used to weave mats among other things. The pumpkin is perhaps most widely known for its use in Jack-o’-lanterns, but it is also a versatile and tasty ingredient in the kitchen for dishes both savoury and sweet.

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 clove of garlic

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 kg of peeled and chopped pumpkin

¼ cup of chopped fresh coriander

2 cans of coconut cream

¼ cup of roasted cashew nuts

Gently fry the onions until tender then add the chopped garlic and spices and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the pumpkin and enough water to just cover the pumpkin, and simmer until pumpkin is tender. Blend with a hand mixer, and add the coconut cream, roasted cashew nuts and coriander, bring up to a simmer, remove from heat, season and serve.

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08/12/2009 by admin.

Here at the McBaile Catering Blog we will be posting weekly menu ideas and recipes to keep you and your kitchen entertained. If you have any questions regarding catering, whether it’s about a recipe or a technique for cooking a certain dish, post here and we at McBaile will get back to you as soon as we can!Feel free to share ideas and discuss them between users and hopefully we can all learn something new about cooking! Happy Blogging - The McBaile Team

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