Cooking with Paula McIntyre

RecipeCoconut Rice Pudding 100g pudding rice 450ml coconut milk – 1 tin 150ml whipping cream 25g honey 25g castor sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Rinse the rice pudding for a minute in a sieve under cold running water. Place the pudding rice in a pan with the coconut milk, cream, honey, sugar and vanilla and gently simmer for about half an hour or until rice is cooked through. Poached and caramelized pineapple 1 pineapple 350ml pineapple juice 25g brown sugar Peel the pineapple and remove the “eyes”. Quarter, remove the core and cut the pineapple into 3cm slices. Place in the pineapple juice and gently simmer until the pineapple is just done. Remove pineapple and add the sugar to the liquid. Boil until thick and syrupy and return the pineapple to the liquid and mix well. Candied puffed rice 50g castor sugar 2 teaspoons water 30g rice crispies 10g desiccated coconut Heat the sugar and water over high heat in a pan until the sugar turns to a golden caramel liquid – don’t stir. Remove from heat and mix in the crispies and coconut. Turn onto a sheet of parchment and cool.Spoon the rice pudding into bowls, top with some pineapple ( any leftover will keep in the fridge for a week) and scatter over some of the candied puffed rice.

Shepherd Pie Jackets with fennel and feta salad Shepherd Pie Jackets 4 large baker potatoes, scrubbed 250g lamb mince 1 tablespoon oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic 1 stick celery, finely chopped 1 small tin chopped tomatoes 1 tablespoon tomato puree 250ml beef stock 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 50ml milk 125g finely grated cheddar Bake the potatoes in a 180oc oven for about 45 minutes or until cooked through. Heat a pan until smoking hot and add the lamb mince. Cook until sealed off well. Drain off the fat and add the onion, garlic and celery to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the tomato puree, tomatoes, stock and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 20 minutes. Check seasoning. Cut the potatoes in half while warm and scoop out the flesh. Mash the flesh with the milk and season to taste. Place the shells in a baking tray and spoon the mince. Spoon or pipe the potato on top and then sprinkle with the cheese. Bake in a 180oc oven for about 20 minutes or until golden and bubbling. Fennel and feta salad 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard 75ml olive oil 1 teaspoon honey Salt and pepper to taste 1 bulb fennel 1 little gem lettuce 75g crumbled feta Whisk the vinegar, mustard and oil together with the honey and season to taste. Cut the fennel in half and remove the core. Slice as thinly as you can and toss into the dressing. Toss in the feta. Shred the lettuce and mix in.

Buttermilk breadrolls 450g bread flour 7g dried yeast 190ml buttermilk 60ml local rapeseed oil 1 heaped tablespoon castor sugar 1/4 teaspoon baking powder Egg yolk for brushing Stir yeast and 35ml of lukewarm water in a large bowl and leave for 10 minutes. Warm the buttermilk to blood temperature gently and add to the yeast mixture with the oil and sugar. Mix in the flour and baking powder to a soft dough and transfer to a floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes and place in a clean bowl rubbed with oil. Cover with cling or a damp tea towel and leave at room temperature for an hour. Knock back and divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll into balls and place on baking trays lined with baking paper - don’t have them too close together as they’ll rise. Leave for 30 minutes. Set oven to 200°c. Brush rolls with egg yolk and then bake for about 20 minutes or until the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Cook on a wire rack. 500g rump steak 1 tablespoon oil for rubbing Seasalt Freshly ground black pepper 150g mayonnaise 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard 1 tablespoon finely chopped gherkin 200g raclette slices or thin slices of cheddarRub the oil all over the rump and season with salt. Heat a pan until smoking and seal on both sides for two minutes. Lower the heat and cook to desired temperature. Season with pepper and rest for 5 minutes and slice thinly. Mix the mayonnaise with the mustard and gherkins Split the rolls and spread the mayo on to the surface.Arrange the beef over the top and then cheese. Bake in a 180oc oven until cheese has melted – about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

Rhubarb compote 100g castor sugar 250g rhubarb, chopped into 1cm pieces Zest and juice of 1 orange Splash of gin ( optional)Cook the sugar and orange zest and juice until the sugar has dissolved over medium heat. Add the rhubarb, cover with parchment and simmer gently until just cooked – really only a couple of minutes.Turn off and cool.Pastry 225g plain flour 100g butter 60g icing sugar 1 egg 1 egg yolkRub the flour, butter and sugar together until the mixture resembles fine crumbs ( do this in a food processor if you wish). Mix the egg and the yolk and add to make a dough. Wrap in cling and chill for an hour.Strawberry jam Lightly butter 2 tartlet tins and set oven to 180oc. Roll the pastry out until thin and cut out rounds to fit in the hole. Chop half the rhubarb and mix with an equal amount of jam. Spoon into the pastry and bake for 15 minutes. Cool and remove from tins. Serve with a dollop of the cream. Coconut custard cream 225 ml milk 2 egg yolks 75 g caster sugar 10 g plain flour, sieved 10g cornflour Simmer the milk. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and flour and then pour over milk. Whisk well and return to pan over low heat. Stir constantly until custard is thick. Pour into a bowl and cover surface with cling, cool and chill. 25g desiccated coconut 250ml double cream Spread the coconut onto a baking tray lined with parchment and cook in a 180oc oven for about 5 minutes or until golden. Cool. Whip the cream, fold in the cold custard and coconut.

Recipe Flapjacks 175g golden syrup 135g butter 175g porridge oats Line an 8inch square tin with parchment paper and set oven to 180oc. Melt the syrup and butter in a pan and then mix in the oats. Press into the tin and bake for 25 minutes. Cool for a couple of minutes and cut into squares. Cool in the tin and then remove. Honeycomb 150g castor sugar 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon honey 1 tablespoon liquid glucose 2 teaspoons baking soda Place the sugar, water, honey and glucose in a pan and cook to an amber liquid. Avoid stirring too much as it can cause the mixture to crystallise. Add the baking soda and mix briefly. It will foam up so be careful. Pour onto a sheet of parchment paper. Allow to cool. Whiskey and honeycomb cream 250ml double cream 50ml whiskey 4 tablespoons honeycomb crumbledWhip the cream to stiff peaks and fold in the whiskey and honeycomb.250g raspberries Top the flapjacks with the honeycomb cream and dot over 2 or 3 raspberries. Top with more crumbled honeycomb.

Grilled bacon chop on toast with fermented red cabbage, beetroot and apple, mustard and dill, gherkin sourcreamFermented red cabbage with beetroot and apple 500g red cabbage, roots removed and finely shredded 1 large beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated 2 eating apples, coarsely grated 1 red onion, finely sliced 10g seasalt 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon chilli paste ( chipotle works well here) 1 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds Place the red cabbage, beetroot, apples and onions in a bowl and mix in the seasalt. Mix together for 5 minutes, rubbing in the salt – use gloves! Cover with a teatowel and leave for a few hours, mixing occasionally. Mix in the chilli, pepper and coriander and press into a sterilized jar or jars and press down to ensure the mixture is covered with liquid. If not make up a brine of 10g salt to 100ml of water, simmer until salt has dissolved and pour onto the vegetables. Press down and place a lid on top but don’t tighten it. Keep at room temperature for a week, pressing down frequently. Place lid on after a week and store in the fridge. 2 bacon chops 4 slices sourdough bread 200ml sour cream 1 tablespoon finely chopped gherkin or cornichon 2 tablespoons dill, chopped 2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard Place the chops fat side down on a pan over medium heat and cook until the fat is golden. Cook on both sides for about 3 minutes each side or until cooked through and rest for 5 minutes. Mix the sourcream with the gherkins, dill and mustard. Toast the bread. Spread some of the sourcream on to the toast, top with sliced bacon and then some of the fermented cabbage. Garnish with dill and serve.