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00:01Cook, Eat, Repeat is frankly the story of my life.
00:06Food is more than just sustenance.
00:09It brings such joy and it has the power to make a real difference every single day.
00:17We all know that cooking can be a balm in troubled times.
00:21But more, I believe that the kitchen can be both a sanctuary and a pleasure palace.
00:27And that's something I am more than happy to celebrate repeatedly.
00:47Life would be incredibly dull, obviously, if we never ate anything new.
00:52But sometimes I just want the comfort of the familiar.
00:57And nothing for me matches the sweet solace of a creme caramel.
01:02Do you know, I hadn't actually thought of creme caramel for quite a long time.
01:07But recently, and please bear with me, I had embarked so foolishly on a decluttering project.
01:15And I started and I lifted out this, you know, big box of stuff from under my bed.
01:22You know, bits of paper, packages.
01:24And then I came across some old books and they were my grandmother's recipe books.
01:29So obviously I stopped clearing up, sat back on the floor to read them all.
01:33And I had such a good time with them.
01:36And I love these old books.
01:38You know, I like also the comments in them as well as the recipes.
01:41So here we've got coffee souffle, excellent.
01:45Orange glory, mediocre.
01:48Yeah, that's no great surprise, is it?
01:51What else have we got?
01:53Uncooked sweet, intriguing.
01:57And here, this is the recipe that really set me off, caramel custard.
02:02It just immediately brought to mind going to a restaurant with my grandparents when I was a child
02:08and seeing the miraculous invention of the dessert trolley come in
02:14and this creme caramel quivering there, which, you know, I always picked.
02:20Now, creme caramel is very unfashionable now
02:22and I don't think I've seen it on a menu for ages, but that doesn't matter
02:27because actually I prefer the creme caramel I can make at home
02:30because I can make it really, really softly set.
02:34And it's actually very easy to make.
02:36Obviously, you need to start with the caramel.
02:39So I get out a small saucepan and I spoon two tablespoons of caster sugar in it
02:44and then add two teaspoons of water and just melt it over a very gentle heat,
02:50giving the pan a swirl every now and then.
02:59I know for a lot of people it is absurd to be making a creme caramel for one,
03:07but I can't say the charge troubles me.
03:11I mean, yes, it is a glorious absurdity and one that I'm always happy to embrace.
03:19I have to say, anyway, I like to be in the kitchen alone when I make caramel
03:24because I like the caramel to be as dark and as bitter as it can be without actually burning.
03:32The trouble is, if you have anyone else in the kitchen with you, they get anxious
03:36and want you to take the pan off the heat before it really is dark enough.
03:43As Tammy Wynette almost sang, stand by your pan, don't go anywhere.
03:50Watching as it goes from pale gold to amber and then somewhere that's darker than maple syrup and not quite
04:00chestnut.
04:03Getting warmer.
04:08Getting warmer.
04:19Getting warmer.
04:22All right, dark honey now.
04:25And now it moves fast.
04:27So nearly, nearly there.
04:32I like to push it as far as it will go.
04:35So, not quite.
04:38I rather like this brinkmanship.
04:42Any moment now.
04:45It's almost burning but not quite.
04:47And in it goes.
04:53And then, just lift it up and swirl it.
05:03Just a teeny bit up the sides.
05:07A ramekin ceramic ore glass of 200ml is right.
05:12This, in fact, is the bottom of a small preserving jar of mine.
05:18Excellent.
05:19So, the caramel is done and I'm moving on to the creme.
05:22Although, having said that, I don't use cream here.
05:26But full fat milk.
05:28150ml.
05:30And this just needs to be heated until it's lukewarm.
05:33And the advantage of using milk is you get that wonderful mild, soft texture, which I think is crucial.
05:42Just feel how that is.
05:44Perfect.
05:47I have two egg yolks here at room temperature.
05:50And before I add the milk, I need two teaspoons of caster sugar.
06:04And only a quarter of a teaspoon of vanilla.
06:09For just as the caramel should be intense and smoky, the custard should be mild.
06:18You can use a spoon. I find it easier to use a spatula.
06:22What you don't want to do is whisk, because you'll have a much smoother creme
06:30if you don't get a lot of air into what is essentially a custard.
06:38And now, slowly stirring a bit, pour the warm milk over.
06:46It's traditional, actually, to use whites and yolks for creme caramel.
06:52But I find it's using just yolks that makes this so luscious.
07:01Right, and this is when it's useful doing it in a glass jar.
07:05So I want to make sure all the egg mixture is incorporated.
07:11The caramel is pretty much set now.
07:15So, the ramekin goes in the tin.
07:21And I always, always strain the custard on top of it.
07:29And I very rarely strain things.
07:34I remove any froth or bubble I see.
07:40Just so that it is so smooth when it's baked.
07:52So that's done.
07:55Not much left to do.
07:58Cover with oil.
08:03And before putting this in the oven, I pour water in from a recently boiled kettle,
08:09just to come about a third of the way up the jar.
08:13And then it goes in an oven, a low one, 140 or 120 fan for 50 minutes.
08:21Though I remove the foil after 30.
08:25I have to say, a creme caramel is actually easy to make.
08:29The only thing hard for me is to make myself walk slowly and gently to the oven,
08:36so there are no spills.
08:43Once it's baked, I lift the creme caramel out of its water bath.
08:47It will be only just set and still have a bit of a wibble about it.
08:52Leave it to cool before refrigerating to set.
08:57And to aid on moulding, I pour water from a recently boiled kettle into a dish.
09:05And with a little palette knife, I gently loosen the edges of the creme caramel.
09:12Then I plunge it into the hot water bath for the count of five.
09:27Then I cover the creme caramel with a saucer and very firmly turn it the other way up.
09:36I give the mould a shake so it knows I mean business.
09:41Until I hear that muffled squelch as it slides down and out of the mould.
09:56Look at this copper top beauty.
09:59I always love that hallowed moment of unmoulding before I dive in.
10:07There is some time when I use my own piano.
10:08I'll catch it after my own piano.
10:09It's a little bit of a problem.
10:11I always love that.
10:11I always love that.
10:11I always love it.
10:14I love that.
10:18I love that.
10:21I love that.
10:24I love that.
10:26I love that.
10:29I love that.
10:34There are some times when only a bowl of pasta will do, but the thing is, for me, the mood
10:41I'm in really informs the pasta shape I want to eat.
10:46Now you can see that I have three shelves here, so it is covering pretty much every eventuality.
10:54I must have been in a jaunty mood when I bought these stripy sombreros, and actually I am
11:01now, but I haven't worked out yet what the right source for them would be.
11:08Now these, these lorigitas are a sardinian shape, they're made by hand, and they look
11:14like baby's bracelets or maybe hair ties, and I first had them in a sardinian restaurant
11:20with botaga and clams, but right now I feel like something robust and hearty, which calls
11:28for fusiglioni, which are comically large fusilli.
11:32And they're really good with this, which is an duya, and I can best describe it really
11:40as a spicy salami paste.
11:43And it makes life so easy because it creates a near instant sauce.
11:53I'm going double carb, you know it makes sense.
11:57So in here, bubbling away, I've got a peeled and cubed potato, and these little cubes obviously
12:04provide ballast, but they also seem to melt fuzzily into the sauce.
12:09So in goes my fusiglioni, a bit of a stir, and I have to say that pasta pan is really
12:29working
12:29because I have another thing to add to it.
12:32As ever, I love cooking greens with pasta.
12:37I'm using cavallonero here, which literally means black cabbage in Italian.
12:42I love its sturdiness and mineraliness.
12:50Right, in this goes, I'm going to try and do it a bit gently.
13:02And you know, when I said that this is a near instant sauce, I wasn't exaggerating in the
13:09slightest, so melt a bit of butter.
13:14I use butter here rather than, say, oil, because its sweetness really seems to balance the fabulous
13:23fieriness of the anduya, and more, it seems as well to help thicken the sauce.
13:33A couple of splodges of the soft, spicy, squidgy anduya.
13:43The way that anduya is spelt looks to us as if it should be pronounced anduja, but you can
13:52remember its correct pronunciation if you think of saying anduja, want to eat now?
13:58One more.
13:59Yes.
14:02And that's the sauce.
14:05Let's see how we're doing in the very, very full pasta pot.
14:12Right, the potatoes are soft, those sturdy spirals are ready.
14:20The tough Tuscan kale is now tender but still with chew.
14:38Right, I'm going to toss this patiently and hungrily.
14:49There may be a faster pasta sauce but I haven't encountered it.
15:07Gorgeous.
15:11When the skies are dark and the air chill, this really bolsters and brightens.
15:24look at that.
15:28Now what I like is a green trickle of extra virgin olive oil.
15:52It gives me life.
15:54When you're doing what you're doing, it's what you're doing, when you're doing what you're
16:00doing what you're doing.
16:02You're doing what you're doing.
16:02Express yourself.
16:11Fish and chips, eggs and bacon, cold cannon and my black pudding meatballs.
16:16Some foods are just made for one another.
16:20And what I'm talking about is rich, buttery, kale flecked mash with soft sweet meatballs in
16:29tomato sauce.
16:30If you're after deep flavoured wintry comfort, look no further.
16:39I begin by making the sauce for the meatballs.
16:44And as so often, this starts with a chopped onion, which I cook patiently until soft.
16:53Now all I need to do is add some freshly chopped parsley, fried thyme and a clove of garlic.
17:05Then I need a tin of chopped tomatoes.
17:11And as ever, I swill the tin out with cold water before tipping that in too.
17:21I dollop in some tomato puree for sweetness and depth.
17:25Shake in some Worcester sauce and sprinkle in sea salt flakes.
17:33Then I give it all a stir and let it simmer away while I get on with the meatballs.
17:45I love making meatballs.
17:47It reminds me of making them with my children when they were small.
17:52Their little hands perfectly sized for rolling.
17:57Not that I would have made these then.
18:00The black pudding would have been wasted on them.
18:03Actually, it's wasted on a lot of people.
18:05So I make these just for those who are predisposed to adore it.
18:12And for myself, I come into that category.
18:17I use half as much black pudding as I do minced beef.
18:23Don't get low fat beef, whatever you do.
18:27And on top of these, a fat clove of garlic.
18:32I'm echoing the flavours of the sauce.
18:37Parsley again.
18:42And some dried thyme.
18:46But I'm adding some chives as well.
18:50Meatballs always have to be packed with flavour.
18:53And I'm adding a teeny bit of chilli flakes.
18:57A bit of heat in there is so right with that deepness of the black pudding.
19:04That gamey sausage pate.
19:10Some porridge oats.
19:12Now, I use these just to add a bit of lightness to the meatballs.
19:17You know, you can use breadcrumbs.
19:19But there's oats in black pudding.
19:21So I use them here.
19:23And they absorb the flavours of the meat, of the spices.
19:27And, importantly, the salt.
19:31You need quite a lot.
19:34And a really good grinding of pepper.
19:38I use white pepper.
19:42Finally, an egg.
19:48Oh, and now I can get stuck in.
19:56And now, I can just get a rolling.
20:00I like to make these quite small.
20:06It may sound strange, but I find such beauty in this bowl.
20:10That wonderful red.
20:12The black flecks with green.
20:16One of the great joys of this, these repetitive processes.
20:22Asked nothing of me, except for my hands.
20:25To rule.
20:34I now gently drop these beauties into the sauce, aiming, if not succeeding, for concentric circles.
20:46Then, when they're all cosily nestled in, I leave them to bubble away for 30 minutes, covered.
21:04The meatballs are done, and I need something for the Culcannon.
21:09Which brings me back to the cupboard of culinary clutter.
21:13And I keep vowing to myself that I'm going to pare it all down and not add anything new to
21:19it.
21:20Well, yeah.
21:21Well, that hasn't happened, has it?
21:23So, I have got a rather exciting recent acquisition.
21:28Well, fairly recent.
21:29Let's get rid of these in a minute.
21:30Which is a Tijella maker.
21:35And, ooh.
21:36A Tijella is a flatbread from Mordena in Italy.
21:42A little flatbread.
21:43And it is spelt like nigella, only with a T instead of an N.
21:48And yes, that is why I got it.
21:50And it's, ooh, it's very heavy.
21:52So, you put the dough in here, and then you clamp it shut.
22:02And then you turn it over.
22:06And the reason I haven't used it is because, actually, I'd have to do so much more weight training even
22:12to be able to lift it up to the stove.
22:15Oh, and this is another new addition to the sea of CC, a cherry stoner.
22:23It came without instructions, not that a normal person should need such a thing.
22:27And I used it, the first time at least, without any practical sense or, frankly, intelligence.
22:34And I used it upside down, like that.
22:38And I shot myself in the forehead with a cherry pit.
22:43But what I need now is something that a friend of mine gave me as a joke.
22:48And I need, in all seriousness, well, semi-seriousness, for my coal cannon.
23:03My potatoes are beckoning me, but then potatoes always beckon me.
23:09So, I've cooked them whole.
23:11These have been boiled and drained, and I've just been keeping them warm and drying them out a bit in
23:16the hot pan.
23:17And I'm ready to set to with my mechanical masher.
23:24Now, I'm aiming for quite a solid mash at this stage, but I still need a bit of milk, full
23:31fat, which I've warmed in the microwave.
23:52One of the reasons you don't have to worry about leaving the skin in the mashed potatoes is that you're
23:59going to add cabbage, or in my case, kale.
24:02So, it's never going to have a smooth texture, and it's not meant to.
24:08So, here's my kale, properly cooked, really cooked.
24:11Although I have been draining it, I want to give it a squeeze to get any excess water out.
24:23And now, I am going to chop the kale.
24:29Or chop, I just mean get my scissors onto every little bit, snip away.
24:44Here we are.
24:49This is what begins to turn mash into colcannon.
25:02This is going to be brown butter, colcannon, so I better start browning my butter.
25:07But first, I have some spring onions to slice.
25:10I want all the white and the green.
25:19Brown butter is literally that.
25:22I'm cooking this butter until it browns.
25:25The French call it beurre noisette, and it is indeed hazelnut brown by the time it's ready.
25:32But it also has a sort of a distinct, rich nuttiness.
25:36I think of it really as caramelised butter, with all the gorgeousness that implies.
25:44Is there anything better than a butter facial?
25:50I'm going to give a bit of a scrape at the bottom.
25:54And the speckles are wonderful and dark.
25:59We're nearly at hazelnut brown.
26:03I'm going to take the lid off my potatoes in readiness, because I will have to act fast.
26:10Right.
26:13Throw in the spring onions, or scallions as I feel I should call them in the context of colcannon.
26:23And in this goes. Look at that gorgeousness.
26:29You see, I love those black speckles.
26:33A lot of people, especially in restaurants, they like to sieve that out.
26:38But there's so much flavour.
26:45And now you can see why I wanted the mash to be slightly more solid earlier.
26:51Because look at that texture with all this brown butter.
27:00Dolloping time.
27:12The reason I've left those peaks is because I've got a little bit more brown butter and spring onions to
27:23sprinkle on top.
27:31There.
27:33That black speckles.
27:37My black speckled scallions.
27:42These are dreamy enough, just as they are.
27:47But I'm all for maximising pleasure.
27:51And it's meatball time.
27:55Come here my babies.
28:09Maybe one more.
28:15And I'm going for the double allium effect.
28:19I'm going to sprinkle with some chives.
28:29Sheer happiness.
28:31Ooh, now that I've found you, I want to stay around you.
28:37So make me yours.
28:39Make me yours.
28:42Take me, baby.
28:44Make me what you want me to be.
28:46So whatever you need, you can always find it in me.
28:50Yeah, love me, baby.
28:53And keep me by your side.
28:55Wherever you go, I'll go and be satisfied.
28:59Yeah.
29:00All of my friends said, girl, don't.
29:04But I know what I need.
29:06And I know what I want.
29:08I want to be yours.
29:11You're the only one.