Food & Drink
The afternoon treat – with savoury and sweet dishes – is best served with close friends and family
Recipes from Carina Contini, plus Rose Murray Brown on the best 2016 Bordeaux
You’ll have guessed by now that I don’t hold back. I’ve been swithering about whether to share but with 55,000 women a year having the same operation I’m OK about saying that in January I had a hysterectomy. Thank goodness it was a huge success and I’m feeling better than ever. Historic issues have been resolved and as importantly, understood. One of the big advantages so far is my diet can change. I used to have to restrict my wheat intake because of the side effects (too much information even for me to share). However, now I can have wheat and that means cake. Hurray!
Unless we were taking Auntie Gloria for her annual treat as a family, we’d stopped indulging in the very British leisure activity that is afternoon tea. Just looking at freshly made finger sandwiches, warm homemade scones and fancy cake, but not being allowed anything other than the macaron, was too much like torture. Gluten free options aside, I do love the real Mccoy.
I’m a traditionalist in that there has to be an egg sandwich, a smoked salmon savoury something, at least three different petit fours and of course a warm scone with whipped cream and homemade jam. The clotted cream thing is very English, so I’m not so hung up on that point.
Hot tea, lots of time, very good chat and best friends or family and afternoon tea is worth planning for and worth enjoying.
We’ve launched our lovely new afternoon tea experience up at Cannonball Restaurant. With views overlooking Edinburgh Castle in one of the Royal Mile’s oldest buildings, it’s worth a trip. Don’t hold back.
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Creamed celeriac soup
Celeriac is one of those poor vegetables that get the reputation for being ugly, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I love it made into a deliciously creamy, surprisingly easy, sophisticated soup. We’re coming to the end of the season so enjoy it while you still can.
Serves 4 for lunch, or 24 as a mini shot served alongside afternoon tea
1kg celeriac, peeled and chopped into small chunks 100g unsalted butter 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 onions, finely chopped 1 leek, very finely chopped 2 celery sticks, very finely chopped 1 litre hot water or stock 200ml double cream seasoning
1 Choose a deep soup pot and melt the butter and oil on a medium heat.
2 Add the onions, celery and leeks and cook until super soft. Don’t let them burn. Add the celeriac and season well. Add the water or stock and cover with a lid.
3 Simmer gently for about 30 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Remove from the heat and blend in a food processor until smooth. Return to the pot, check the seasoning and add the cream. Serve as you wish.
Isle of Mull cheese scones
We always serve cheese scones with our afternoon tea but cut them in half, butter them and serve with our favourite smoked salmon, a little crème fraîche and a tiny leaf of fresh dill.
Makes 10-12 150g unsalted butter, chilled, plus extra, softened, for greasing 300g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting 1 tsp baking powder 100g Isle of Mull or similar mature cheddar, finely grated 2 eggs (1 beaten) 15g chives, finely chopped 200ml natural yogurt 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 220C/gas Mark 7 and grease a baking tray.
2 Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and coarsely grate the remaining chilled butter on top.
3 Add the grated cheddar and rub the mixture with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4 Add an egg, the chives, yogurt and cayenne pepper. Mix until the ingredients come away from the sides of the bowl.
5 Transfer to a floured surface and knead lightly. The mixture should be soft enough to handle. The yogurt can make the mixture sticky, so add more flour if it is too sticky.
6 Roll out to about 2.5cm thick, then use a small scone or biscuit cutter to cut out the scones. Place on the greased baking tray, brush with the egg wash. Bake for 10-12 minutes until risen and golden.
Macarons
There’s something deliciously decadent about these sweet treats. They’re tricky to make but if you follow these easy steps you’ll be able to create perfect macarons every time. They’re a light and sweet biscuit, which is crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. If you’re a beginner then, once you have more confidence, you can start to experiment by changing the colours and flavours of the fillings.
Makes 12 25g ground almonds 125g icing sugar 90g Scottish organic egg whites 110g caster sugar food colouring (optional)
150ml whipped double cream or creme patisserie 2 tbsp water
1 Preheat the oven to 170C/gas Mark 3 and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
2 Put the icing sugar, ground almonds and 40g egg whites together in a large bowl and mix to a paste.
3 Put the water and caster sugar in a small pan and heat gently to melt the sugar, then turn up the heat and boil until the mixture starts to go syrupy and thickens – I don’t use a thermometer but if you prefer to use one, it should read 115C at this stage.
4 Whisk the remaining egg whites in a small bowl until medium-stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl, then pour in the sugar syrup, whisking until the mixture becomes stiff and shiny. For coloured macarons, add a few drops of food colouring. Tip this meringue mixture into the almond paste and stir gently until the blend becomes stiff and shiny again.
5 Spoon into the piping bag. Pipe a little mixture under each corner of the baking paper to stop it sliding around. With the bag held vertically, pipe 24 one and a half inch flat circles on to the lined tray, about three quarters of an inch apart, twisting the bag after each one. The mixture should be quite loose to give a smooth finish.
6 The piping will leave a small “tip” on each circle so, when they’re all piped, give the tray two or three taps on a flat surface to flatten them.
7 Leave to stand for 30 minutes to form a skin then bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes with the door slightly ajar until firm. Remove from the oven, lift the paper off the baking tray and leave the macaron halves to cool on the paper.
8 When cool, sandwich the macarons together with whipped cream or flavoured creme patisserie.