The first cookbook I ever personally owned was called the Step-by-Step cookbook by the Good House keeping Institute. It became the object of much amusement and derision as it had been given to me by my boyfriend at the time who must have been hinting that he was sick of take-outs and wanted some proper home-cooking. As the title infers it was aimed at the type of individual who had never even boiled an egg - perfectly suited to my level. At the time I was at university and thought that cooking was the preserve of middle aged, bored housewives with nothing much better to do. The book, needless to say lay in my unused kitchen gathering dust.

A couple of years later, during a particularly bad bought of flu, bored and now boyfriend-less I discovered the once offensive book buried in one of my kitchen cupboards. Lying in bed I flicked through the pages and was alarmed to find myself vaguely inspired to try some of the less adventurous recipes. The first recipe I ever made was prawn cocktail of which I was stupidly proud and churned out on a regular basis for any unsuspecting friend who happened to visit.

I had always appreciated and loved food but had never considered that I would actually derive any pleasure from cookery. Yet as my confidence slowly grew I tried what I considered to be the more complicated dishes. It will amuse you when I confess that I once thought roasting a chicken was a culinary feat.

When I first met my husband I knew that I would have to wow him with a meal that would make him fall instantly in love with me. I pulled out my trusted Good Housekeeping Cookbook and searched in vain for a meal that would win his heart. I alighted upon a sure fire winner Duck with a Redcurrant Sauce served with a pommes Dauphinoise. It was decadent, required skill and would surely impress. It certainly worked roughly two years after the meal he proposed and the rest is history………

It is definitely worth a go especially since Valentine’s day is just around the corner. Hopefully you’ll have as much luck as I did.

Duck with a Redcurrant Sauce
4 duck breasts (I use barbary duck)
2 cinnamon Sticks
175g red onion, peeled
15ml (1tbspolive oil)
1 garlic clove crushed
300ml chicken stock
300ml red wine
5ml dried marjoram
1tbsp Dijon mustard
2tbsp redcurrant jelly
salt and pepper
watercress to garnish

Brown the duck breasts skin side down first, in a large non-stick saute pan, with the cinnamon sticks. Transfer to a large roasting tin. Cook at 180 C mark 6 for 15 minutes or until crisp and golden and just cooked through.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the onion. Heat the olive oil, in a saucepan and saute the onion with the garlic, until golden. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to the boil and let bubble until reduced by half, strain and reheat.

Drain the fat from the duck. Serve thickly sliced with a little of the sauce spooned over. Garnish with watercress and serve the remaining sauce separately

The following recipe for pommes dauphinoise is taken from the Gordon Ramsay’s Secrets, a remarkable cookbook.

Pommes Dauphinoise

600g slightly waxy potato (such as la Ratte or Maris Piper)
350ml milk
350ml double cream
1 large garlic clove
1 thyme sprig
1 bay leaf
90g Gruyere cheese, grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200 C, Gas 6. Peel the potatoes thinly, then slice evenly into 1cm slices. Bring the milk and cream to the boil in a large saucepan and add the garlic, herbs and seasoning. Simmer for a couple of minutes.

Slide the potatoes into the pan and stir gently. Simmer for about 7 minutes until the potato slices are only just tender, they should hold their shape and retain a bite. Drain the par-cooked potatoes in a colander set over a bowl to catch the creamy milk.

Layer the potatoes in a shallow oven proof dish, sprinkling two thirds of the cheese and seasoning in between the layers. Trickle a little of the saved milk over each layer too.

Pour a little more milk around the sides, but not too much-just enough to moisten. Sprinkle over the last of the cheese.

Place the dish in a shallow roasting tin and bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is beginning to bubble and turn golden brown. Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

The perfect mash, as far as I’m concerned, is creamy, fluffy and smooth, yet I acknowledge this is a purely subjective opinion. There are those who prefer something a little more stodgy even lumpy, reminiscent of the type served at school. They would probably regard my mash with disdain as something inauthentic and more akin to pomme puree the slightly posher and more refined French version.

There are many important components when it comes to preparing the perfect mash. Maris Piper or King Edward’s are the perfect potato to use as they are slightly waxy so retain their structure whilst being boiled. Ideally they should be organic, the difference in taste is immeasurable. When it comes to actually mashing I prefer to use a food processor which produces a perfect lump-free consistency. The potatoes however must be whizzed when they are still relatively hot. Others advocate different methods such as using hand held mashers or passing potatoes through a rice siever, personally I find the former a little arduous for my dainty arms and the latter time consuming and fiddly

It must also be noted that this is not ideal diet food, if you are going to scrimp on butter and double cream then you may as well forget attaining the perfect mash. Whilst your potatoes are being pulsed in the processor you should add both ingredients generously. Ensure the cream and butter are the best money can buy, Neals Yard is particularly good for dairy. Just don’t tell your guests as they will fear having a cardiac arrest at the dinner table.

Mash is one of the most versatile side dishes because of its blandness and simplicity. Sausages are the obvious combination, however it goes equally well with fish and poultry, or even gamey meats like pheasant or quail. And if you want mash with a little more oohmp you can always add a pinch of saffron, which elevates it to a completely different level.

A quick post to urge you all to try a truly great recipe devised by a young Australian chef, Robin Wickens. It perfectly demonstrates how eggs can become so much more than just a breakfast dish. The method in which the eggs are scrambled is different to that which I posted previousy. A wicked volume of cream is used giving them an almost custardy consistency. Patience is paramount, it is a fairly laborious task stirring eggs and cream for 20 minutes over a bain marie. Be careful; if you take your eye off them for a moment they may curdle.

Once the eggs are ready and spooned into shot glasses, a beetroot puree is added. Beetroots are not commonly associated with eggs, however they work wonderfully. They are almost spicy in flavour, perfectly offsetting the richness of the eggs.

PERFECTLY COOKED SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH BEETROOT FOAM
Serves about 4
2 eggs
140 ml pouring cream
30g unsalted butter,melted

Beetroot foam
120g beetroot
2 tsp caster sugar
200 ml vegetable stock

1. For the beetroot foam, place unpeeled beetroot in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat and simmer for 1.5 hours till tender, then drain. When cool enough to handle, peel and coarsely chop. Puree beetroot, 200 ml water, sugar and veg stock in a food processor till smooth. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place puree in a saucepan and warm gently over a medium heat, then froth using a hand-held blender

2. Combine eggs, cream and 2.5 tsp water and butter in a heatproof bowl, place over a pan of almost simmering water and using a whisk stir for 20 minutes or until thickened and smooth, then season to taste. Spoon egg custard into the base of shot glasses, top with beetroot foam and serve immediately.

Enjoy!