Chicken Lentil Curry

It is a Friday in February so that must mean it is time for another episode of #WWFoodieFriday and another fabulous healthy recipe that fits perfectly into the WeightWatchers Flex Programme. This one in particular has become a firm favourite in my house, in fact when I make it I actually portion and freeze a bunch so that I always have a dinner at the ready. Everyone loves a curry and this simple dish, ready in just over 30 minutes, might not be authentic or traditional but its a fabulous dish. It is actually based on a dish my boyfriend makes regularly and I always say it is that recipe I would want when I am ill, it is wonderfully comforting. 

Chicken Lentil Curry

Serves 4

Curry Paste
2 cloves garlic
1 inch piece garlic
1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 red chilli
handful of coriander

Curry
2 onions, diced
400g red lentils
500ml vegetable stock
400g tinned tomatoes
150g spinach
4 chicken breasts, diced
200ml light coconut milk
Fat free natural yoghurt (optional)

To make the curry we first need to make the curry paste, add all of the ingredients into a small food processor and pulse until a paste is formed (make sure to add the whole coriander, stalks and all, these add lots of flavour). You can also make this by very finely chopping the garlic, ginger and coriander and mixing together with the remaining paste ingredients.

To a large saucepan add a little bit of oil and over a medium/low heat cook the onions for 5-10 minutes or until translucent. Add the curry paste and cook for a few minutes to take the raw edge off the spices. Add the lentils and stir to coat in the paste. Add the stock and the tinned tomatoes, increasing the heat slightly to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes before adding the chicken and cooking for 5-10 minutes or until the lentils and chicken are cooked through. Add the spinach and coconut milk stirring to combine.

Serve in bowls topped with a dollop of natural yoghurt, and a little extra coriander.

This post is sponsored by WeightWatchers

Rhubarb Crumble

In celebration of the fact that Bake From Scratch is finally available in stores here in the UK todays recipe is one of mine that appears in the current 'British Issue' that I guest edited. The recipe in the magazine is for a more classic rhubarb and ginger crumble but todays version is infused with two of my favourite flavours fennel and cardamom both of which go beautifully with rhubarb. I grew up in Bradford which is on the border of the Rhubarb Triangle, the area in Yorkshire famous for its forced rhubarb, it really is still where the beat rhubarb comes from. 

This is just a quick post today as I am manically trying to get all of my work out of the way before I head off to the US next week to start the Bake From Scratch tour where we will be visiting San Francisco, Minneapolis and NYC. I am so excited for the tour and cant wait to see you guys out there, so any last minute tips of what I should check out whilst there let me know in the comments. 

Rhubarb Crumble

Cardamom Crumble
150g plain flour
100g caster sugar
80g jumbo rolled oats
130g unsalted butter, diced and chilled
1 tsp ground cardamom

Rhubarb Mixture
600g cups rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
85g-125g caster sugar (depending on how sharp you like your rhubarb)
2 tbsp cornflour
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Custard
600ml whole milk
6 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 heaped tbsp cornflour
50g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 190C (170C Fan).

To make the crumble mixture place the flour, sugar and cardamom into a bowl and mix together to combine. Add the butter and toss to coat in flour. Use your hands or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir through the oats and set aside for the moment. At this point you can put the crumble into a ziplock bag and freeze for a couple months. It can be used straight from the freezer making it incredibly quick and simple to get dessert on the table. 

For the rhubarb mixture toss the ingredients together in a large bowl and tip into a 9x9 roasting tin or cake tin. The exact size doesn't matter, depending on what you have available you can have a crumble with thicker or thinner layers (I often divide this into two large pie plates and freeze one of the crumbles assembled, ready to bake). 

Bake in the preheated oven for about 45-60 minutes or until the crumble is golden and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Whilst the crumble is baking quickly make the custard. Whisk everything except the milk together in a large bowl, until smooth and fully combined. Add the milk to a medium sized saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once at temperature pour the milk over the egg yolk mixture whisking constantly to prevent it from curdling. Pour the custard back into the pan and whisking contantly cook until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened enough that it can coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and pour into a jug. Serve whislt still warm.

Shakshuka

Todays recipe is the first in a four part series in which I have paired up with WeightWatchers to bring four new healthy recipes. There will be a couple dinner ideas, a brunch dish and a fabulous dessert, perfect for a valentines day treat. The first recipe is something I make all the time, especially when I want something quick and easy but full of flavour. I generally serve this Shaksuka as a breakfast dish along with a little sourdough break to dunk into the runny egg yolks and of course a big coffee to get the started off right. 

All the recipes in this new series are designed to fit into the new WeightWatchers Flex programme, and if you are following the programme you will be happy to know these dishes are fairly low in points per portion so super easy to fit into the programme. Along with the written recipe we also filmed them all so make sure you are subscribed to my channel for lots of new recipes each and every week. 

Shakshuka 

1 large onion, peeled and sliced
1 red pepper, cut into slices
1 red chilli, sliced (seeds optional)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp tomato puree
400g chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp roughly chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
1-2 tsp red wine vinegar
4 large eggs
40g light feta cheese, crumbled

Spray a non-stick frying pan with a little cooking spray and set over a medium heat, cook the onion and peppers for about 10 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the red chilli and garlic and cook for a few minutes more.

Add the spices and cook for a minute before adding the chopped tomatoes and puree. Fill the can with water and add this to the pan too. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture has reduced to a thick saucy consistency, then reduce the heat to low.

Add the parsley and red wine vinegar, to taste, brightening the sauce a little. Make four wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each one. Place a lid on the pan and cook the eggs for about 6-7 minutes or until the whites have just set.  Remove and serve immediately, sprinkling with a little extra parsley and feta.

This post is sponsored by WeightWatchers

French Lemon Tarts

What does it take for a brit to get his hands on some meyer lemons? Turns out it’s a simple matter of one transatlantic flight, a garden in Alabama, and an editor willing to carry some in his hand luggage on another flight across America! Simple really. On a trip to NYC, at the end of last year, I was determined to get my hands on some meyer lemons, the less sour, sweeter and more perfumed cousin to the classic lemon we all know and love. Maybe its because living in the cold winter tundra of London the idea of those lemons, grown in warmer environs, warms my heart or maybe its simply I like the idea of using something I cant normally get my hands on, either way I was excited to see what all the fuss is about. Enter my editors at Bake From Scratch, Brian and Brooke, who conspired to get a bag of lemons to me, grown in a garden in Alabama and hand delivered to me in NYC, if thats not friendship I'm not sure what is. Edit: I should say Brian didn't fly to NYC just to deliver me some lemons, that would be crazy, he was already coming to town!

I was determined to use them in something where the lemon flavour would shine and not be beaten into submission by sugar, or overpowered by countless other ingredients. A lemon tart seemed the perfect test subject. Now, while there is absolutely nothing wrong with a classic baked lemon tart my preference is the french lemon cream tart (me make a french dish, how unsurprising!). The texture of the cream is a silky, buttery dream but starts off in the same way as any traditional lemon curd. You cook the lemon together with sugar and eggs until thickened, then off the heat add the butter. So far so familiar, but it’s the exact method that makes this all so special. Firstly the amount of butter is increased, isn't everything better when there is more butter, and secondly it’s the way it is incorporated into the curd that makes the world of difference. With a traditional curd you either cook the butter and lemon mixture together, which in my mind is the worst method, or it is added immediately after the egg mixture is cooked. Both of these methods melt the butter fully, giving a greasier fattier end product. By waiting for the egg mixture to cool slightly and then slowly emulsifying the butter in a bit by bit you end up with something that is somewhere between a traditional curd and a french buttercream made with egg yolks, beautifully silky and the perfect tart filling. 

I cannot say with any accuracy or confidence who invented this style of cream but the first place I encountered it was in the pages of one of the Pierre Herme books written by the wonderful Dorie Greenspan, and it is her basic method I have used ever since (although the ratio of ingredients in my version is different to suit my tastes). Over the years this style has become incredibly popular and if you visit the patisseries of Paris these days your lemon tart is more likely to be made with this method than the traditional baked method. If you want a different version you can use any citrus to make the cream, adjusting the sugar to fit the sharpness of the fruit. As I was using meyer lemons I knocked the sugar down just a tad, but the recipe below is for regular lemons.

Lemon Cream Tarts
Makes 6

Lemon Cream
150ml lemon juice
zest of 3 lemons
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
150g caster sugar
225g unsalted butter, diced and at room temperature

Pate Sucree
recipe here

Start with the lemon cream as it needs ample chilling time before it is ready to use. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, egg yolks and caster sugar into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water and cook, stirring regularly until the mixture reaches 80c on an instant read thermometer. The temperature is key because it needs to be fully cooked like a custard so the finished cream holds the correct texture. I have said here to do this stage in a bain marie but half of the time I just place the ingredients directly into a saucepan and do this over a low heat stirring constantly. It is quicker than the bain marie method but it is also more prone to catching and overcooking so if you decide to do it this way be very careful and keep the heat down low. 

Once the custard is cooked pour it into a large jug, through a fine sieve to remove any cooked egg bits, allowing to cool for 15 minutes, when it should be about 60c. Using some form of blender (traditional jug style or stick blender both work great) blend in the butter a couple piece at a time. If using a stick blender do this in the jug you cooled the curd, the depth of the jug means you wont end up incorporating too much air which you're trying to avoid (the same reason it is best not to use a food processor). Once all of the butter has been incorporated pour the cream into a container, press a sheet of clingfilm onto the surface of the custard and refrigerate for at least fours hours, until the mixture thickens up. 

Remove the chilled pastry from the fridge and cut into six equal sized pieces and working with one at a time roll out, on a lightly floured worksurface, until 2-3mm thick. Use to line either six 10cm loose bottomed tart tins or as I do use tart rings, which give a more modern style. Trim off the excess and set onto a parchment lined baking tray. Line each tart with a piece of crumpled parchment paper and fill with rice (I prefer rice to baking beans as they are lighter and smaller so less likely to damage the delicate pastry but mainly they are smaller so fit into the corners of the pastry better so you get a better finish, plus rice is much cheaper). 

Blind bake the tart shells at 190c for about 15/20 minutes before removing the rice and parchment  and baking for a further 10 minutes or until the inside is nice and golden. Once baked set aside to cool. Once ready to serve remove the cream from the fridge and fill the tart shells. Set back in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving to firm up again. For this version I have topped with a little bit of swiss meringue, blowtorching to give a lemon meringue tart vibe. 

The cream can be made a few days in advance but once the tart shells are filled with the cream they are best eaten the same day.