The last brownie

Notting Hill

"Just going to the kitchen to get some food, then I'm going to tell you a story that will make your balls shrink to the size of raisins."

Chocolate brownies

It was so wrong on so many levels but the character from Notting Hill that I really wanted to spend an evening with was Spike. I know, I know, those underpants, but I am certain the banter would have been so good. Does that qualify me for the last brownie? You remember the scene. The last brownie is offered by Tim McInnery for the dinner party guest that can prove they are the saddest act at the table. I'm not going to suggest you do this at your next soiree, although it is probably preferable to drunken arm wrestling or even worse a Dad dance off on Wii Just Dance. I'd suggest you make twice as many as you think you might need and then seconds can be had all round - unless of course competitive soul searching is your cabaret of choice.

Mise en scene

50g dark chocolate

110g unsalted butter

135g caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

50g self raising flour

1 heaped tablespoon cocoa

pinch salt

50g chocolate chips (peanut butter chips are good too)

2 small bars caramel filled chocolate - chopped (you could use 2 rolls of Rolos)

1 6" x 10" tin lined with baking parchment

It's all in the edit

• Preheat the oven to 190C
• Remove any greying underpants from the kitchen and their wearers if you need to.
• Melt the butter in a pan and add in the dark chocolate. Allow to melt together slowly. Take the pan from the heat so that the chocolate doesn't seize.
• Give the butter and chocolate a good stir and add in the sugar and vanilla and combine well.
• Add in the eggs one by one and beat well.
• Change spoons to a metal spoon. Tip the flour, cocoa, chopped chocolate and any chocolate chips in the bowl. Add in the salt.
• Fold in gently, be careful not to overwork the mixture.
• Scrape into the tin and bake for 25 minutes.
• This is the hard bit but you must leave the brownie to rest for about 10 minutes.
• Find a world famous actress, ask her to dinner and subject her to soul searching questions and express surprise when she bares her soul to complete strangers.

Voiceover

Serve with very good vanilla ice cream, thick double cream or my personal favourite creme fraiche. That is very Delia I know but the tang of the soured cream cuts the tooth aching sweetness of the brownie. Yes, I know yoghurt would do a similar thing but yoghurt is far too healthy to spoon over brownies!

I'm a Celebrity with Ant and Dec!

I'm a celebrity get me out of here (2002 - present)

Crocodile legs

Both Ant and Dec and "I'm a Celebrity" won at yesterday's National Television Awards. Try this meal in tribute!

"Please eat for me Colin, I’m starving!" Justin begged, live from the Bush Telegraph. "Eat chocolate, candy, chicken sandwiches and chips, potatoes, bread. Eat everything, and when you do it, eat by proxy so I can get it too!"

Along with doctor, lawyer and teacher being famous is now a career choice. It appears you don't have to really have more than a modicum of talent to be a success, you just need a bit of media exposure. Where then is your less than average Z lister going to get this? Why the answer is simple, maroon him or her in the Australian jungle for a week or two, cover them in insects, ritually humiliate them and feed them on nefarious animals private parts.

Dressing everyone in khaki is canny way to humiliate the fashion conscious too. Rebelling against the routines and trials is everything. Investing in a really well made and possibly very revealing item of swimwear for the shower seems to raise the profile of the wearer significantly.

For those crowned King or Queen of the jungle A (well ok B or C ) list status and tabloid notoriety seems guaranteed for weeks to come. The sad unfortunates who are voted out in the first two rounds or so just get a fortnights paid holiday in a luxury resort in Australia whilst they wait for the show to come to its climax. Their profile is raised enough that they probably don't have to spell out their surname when they ring to book a table at The Ivy. I know who the clever ones are!

They also got to eat far less of the Bush Tucker. Crocodile is about the only food from the show that you would choose to eat. Have a try.

Mise en scene

100g crocodile meat per person

1 lemon zested and juices

1 lime zested and juiced

1 chilli deseeded and chopped

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp flavourless oil

salt

pepper

Its all in the edit….

· Undertake a bush tucker trial to gain your stars and more importantly your food. Poke about the box and hope to goodness the food inside is something you recognise and which could be palatable.

· If the crocodile legs still have their skin and toes attached hope to goodness that you have a chef or at least a sharp knife in the jungle with you.

· Cut the meat into 1" cubes. Combine all the remaining ingredients together in a non metallic bowl. Tumble in the crocodile meat and mix well to ensure that each cube has a coating of the marinade.

· Leave to rest in the marinade for 30 minutes. During this time send a fellow captive to collect long thin sticks to be used as kebab skewers. Whittle one end to a sharp point. If you are at home scrabble around in the kitchen drawer to find the bamboo skewers you know you had in there last summer. Soak these skewers in water.

· After marinating thread the crocodile onto the skewers and place over a barbecue until just coloured. Crocodile should be cooked until medium rare only. Leave to rest for as long as your hunger allows and then devour. Thank your lucky starts they didn't give you anything really nasty. Go to bed and dream of escape or at least being voted out.

Voiceover

I know it's an old cliché but crocodile is similar in many respects to chicken. Keep it moist when cooking it and add flavours before you cook as it will readily accept this.

An award winning menu.

As the current holder of the award for the most revolting cough and cold I am not venturing towards the kitchen to cook or recipe test. I'm sitting up in bed with a Lemsip, a laptop and a large box of tissues trying to focus my mind on the task ahead. However less of my cold and more about the upcoming month. As the awards season is now upon us a number of you may well be planning an Oscars party, why not let me, the blog and Movie Dinners the book help you to organise an evening to remember. You might not win a coveted gold statuette but you will have fun and any smiles to camera won't have to be forced.

A suggested menu

Charlie and the chocolate factory cabbage soup (in honour of Helena Bonham Carter)

http://bexcook.blogspot.com/2010/10/something-to-go-with-that-sourdough.html

Spaghetti and meatballs (Lady and the Tramp)

http://bexcook.blogspot.com/2010/11/i-am-horrible-mother.html

Ratatouille (Ratatouille) Vegetarian

http://bexcook.blogspot.com/2010/10/back-to-business.html

Ice cream sundaes (Comfort and Joy)

http://bexcook.blogspot.com/2010/12/tidings-of-comfort-and-joy.html

Wash the whole lot down with Sex and the City cosmopolitans and toast the winners with a bottle of James Bond's favourite Dom Perignon.

Should the time difference mean you are up at breakfast time or if you are lucky enough to have to soak up the alcohol from an Oscars after party then can I suggest these. Not exactly a food from a movie but very close!

http://bexcook.blogspot.com/2010/12/breakfast-for-nerds.html

Of course these are only suggestions. there are many more recipes on the blog and in the book.

Plan the menu, roll out the red carpet, send out your very own gold envelopes and have a fantastic time. I'd love to hear about your plans and your parties. if I can be of any help just let me know.

And the Oscar for the best breakfast dish goes to ...

Ox eye eggs

Moonstruck 1987

" I have a feeling this is going to be just delicious. "

Life throws up a whole variety of little surprises all the time. Passing time a few weeks ago catching up on life in the Twittersphere I caught sight of a photo that brought memories flooding back. You can see it here too. http://welovefooditsallweeat.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/retro-recipes/

Saffron had stumbled upon a book that made me the woman I am today. The "My Learn to Cook Book" and it's companion "My Fun to Cook Book" kept me company in the kitchen as I made upside down cakes, honeycomb and the Ox eye eggs you can see in Saffron's blog post.

As I reread the recipe on my computer (only because I'm too lazy to get a chair and find the book in the cook book cupboard) I had a feeling I'd actually seen a version of this delicious dish on screen. Ever since the picture popped up on screen I have been racking my brains and on occasions questioning my own sanity but yesterday "Hallelujah!" I remembered.

Olympia Dukakis cooks a fried version of these eggs as a breakfast dish in the movie Moonstruck. As I had in the past made the baked version and always ready to try something fried I had the moonstruck version for lunch today. It was, to continue the celestial theme, heavenly! The addition of a couple of slices of crispy bacon made it stellar.

Mise en scene (per person)

1 large egg

1 slice of bread

olive oil

butter

salt

pepper

frying pan

cookie cutter in a shape of you choice

It's all in the edit

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan.
2. Use the cookie cutter to cut a hole in the middle of the slice of bread. Place the bread and the piece you removed from the bread into the pan until crispy - about 3 minutes on a moderate heat.
3. Turn the bread over, place the knob of butter into the well and crack in the egg. Cook for a further 3 minutes.
4. Turn the bread and egg over once again and cook on this side for an additional minute at the most. The yolk should still be runny. Season with salt and pepper. Use the cut out fried bread as a soldier to dip in the yolk.

Voiceover

Accompany this dish with crispy bacon, mushrooms and a slice of black pudding. Not very Italian but very tasty.

Pizza espresso

Pizza.

Eat Pray Love 2010

“ I'm having a relationship with my pizza”

I have to say that I’ve yet to meet a food that I don’t want to have a deep and meaningful relationship with. Proper Neapolitan pizza is the best I have ever tasted. I have made it my life's work to test as many pizzas (and bars of chocolate)as I can from around the world and Naples does pizza the best. Pizza does endear itself rather well a person’s sensual nature. You have to pick it up, it will drip and ooze over your fingers and if that fails to light your fire a handsome waiter waving a large grinding implement over your food might just sway your mood. Buon appetito!

If you are interested the best chocolate bar I've found so far is Green and Blacks Maya Gold closely followed by Montezuma lime and chilli.

Mise en scene

dough

500g strong white bread flour

10g dried yeast

1 tbsp sugar

300 ml warm water

25ml olive oil

large pinch of salt

flour for dusting

sauce

1 500g carton of passata or sieved tomatoes.

olive oil

1 tsp sugar

salt and black pepper

1 ball of fresh buffalo mozzarella

a handful of fresh basil leaves

It’s all in the edit...

Makes 4 8" pizzas.

• Take 150 ml of the warm water and place in a large jug. Add in the sugar and the yeast and give a brisk stir. Leave in a warm, draught free place to allow the yeast to activate and become frothy.
• Sieve the flour into a roomy bowl; add in the salt and the oil. Once really frothy pour in the yeast mixture and two thirds of the remaining water. Using one hand, make a claw shape and gradually combine the flour and the liquids. Slowly add in the remaining tepid water until the dough is formed. It should be soft to the touch, and neither dry nor sticky!
• Flour your work surface and knead the dough for between 5 to 10 minutes. The texture of the dough will change from being a little rough and dense to much smoother and softer as the gluten is worked.
• Pop back into the bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and leave for an hour or so until doubled in size.
• Whilst this is happening make your sauce. In a pan warm the olive oil. Once the kitchen begins to smell of the Mediterranean add in the passata (crushed, sieved tomatoes). Combine well with the olive oil. Season with the salt, pepper and sugar. The sugar is heighten the tomatoey flavour not sweeten the dish so taste as you go.
• Leave the sauce to simmer gently until reduced by half. Allow to cool
• Return to your risen dough, give it a thump in the middle to knock it back. Divide the dough into four balls and leave to rise again for 30 minutes.
• Heat your oven to 240c or Gas 9. Roll out the dough. Spread thinly with the tomato base. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and scatter over the pizza base. Do the same with the basil leaves. Give a good grind of black pepper.
• Slide into the oven and bake for 10 minutes or so. Drizzle with olive oil and eat with your hands.

Voice over

You may not believe me but as a domestic oven rarely gets hot enough to properly char the edges of a pizza I cook my pizzas on the barbeque. Place the dough onto a double thickness of well-oiled foil. Top as you see fit and put the pizza onto the top shelf of the BBQ. Close the lid and cook for 5 minutes or so. Simples!

You can barbeque it, boil it, broil it, bake it,

Coconut shrimp

Forrest Gump (1994)

“Me and Jenny goes together like peas and carrots.”

Few of us have Forrest’s uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time. How many times have you got to the bus stop a minute after the bus has left, and unless you also have Forrest’s incredible sprinting ability, you know you are going to be waiting another fifteen minutes in the sleeting rain until the next one deigns to put in an appearance.

His many adventures raise many laughs but it is Forrest’s ability to make close, touching friendships with those he meets that make the movie for me. His love for Jenny, his trust of Lt Dan and his naming of the shrimp fleet for Bubba bring a lump to the throat.

This scene in the film contains no food but the list of possible meals reeled off has always made my mouth water.

Lunch today was the coconut shrimp found in the middle of the aforementioned list. Why this one and not the others? Because I had seen a plate of them at the magnificent seafood shack called Barnacle Bill’s in Englewood, Florida. I’d have ordered them there and then if I hadn’t been full to the brim with the crab roll I’d already eaten.

I’ve no idea what they tasted like but they were rough looking and were served with a lime wedge so mine are too!

Cast (serves 1 as amain (2 s a starter)

120g raw king prawns (deveined)

1 lime, juiced and zested

2 tsp sweet chilli sauce

Pinch sea salt

1 egg white whisked to a froth

3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs

3 tbsp unsweetened dessicated coconut

Flavourless oil for deep frying

Sweet chilli sauce and lime cheeks to serve

Mise en scene

1. Place the lime juice, zest, salt and chilli sauce into a large bowl. Stir in the prawns and leave for a minute or so.

2. Put the oil into a saucepan and put onto heat to a medium temperature. “yes sergeant”

3. Whisk the egg white until really frothy. In a separate bowl mix together the panko and coconut. If you don’t have panko regular breadcrumbs will do fine.

4. Set up your station to do the pane. “Yes sergeant!”

5. Take the marinated prawn, dip into the egg white, into the crumb mix and then into the hot oil.

6. Cook for a minute or so until cooked through and browned on the outside.

7. Remove from the oil, drain on kitchen paper and serve with salad, lime wedges and a pot of sweet chilli sauce.

Voice over.

The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your prawns. You can make a fish sauce based dip, or just use soy if you want it’s up to you.

Answers on a postcard please.

There are times when I wonder if I use posting on Reel Meals as an excuse to avoid doing those mundane tasks all mothers hate. It hasn't worked today as I've already done a load of washing, ironed the school uniform, deep cleaned the girls bathroom and got the pot roast and the apple crumble ready for tonight's tea.

Perhaps others perceive me to be hogging the comfy chair by the computer because they want to Facebook and Twitter themselves.

So guys be my excuse to be cooking and posting. Is there a meal you have seen on screen that you'd like to recreate but are not sure how to go about it? Ask away and I will see what I can do.

This week I'm going to be working on the shrimp from Forrest Gump (purely because I don't trust myself to make a "box of chocolates"without putting myself into a diabetic coma!) but after that I'm not really sure. I'm certain the muse wil strike but help me out please.

N.B. Eating Raoul and Delicatessen are non starters as the main ingredients needed are not readily available in my local Waitrose.

Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus

(Never tickle a sleeping dragon)

"Will you stop eating? Your best friend is missing!"

Harry Potter movies (2001 - 2011)

Pumpkin pasties

Experiencing life in a British boarding school can change your life for ever. Attending some schools will almost guarantee that you come into close contact with future politicians and captains of industry. Other aspects of boarding school life might also mean by keeping a diary and a few judicious photos you may never need to work again!

Hogwarts has obviously modelled itself on the Muggle world’s finest institutions. A house system, Latin mottoes, prefects and the snake in the showers are not unique to the wizarding world. However, magic aside, there is one huge difference between Hogwarts and St Thwackems. Food! Despite Fleur Delacour’s complaints about the weight of the Hogwarts menu, (stews, rock cakes, roasts and treacle tart) at least she didn’t have to face the wrath of the spam fritter or spotted dick.

Harry and his cohort are able to stuff themselves stupid and by some miracle also seem to stay relatively trim and tooth ache free. Despite being enchanted by the idea of butter beer (legal alcohol at school!) and lusting after a chocolate frog I have decided to make pumpkin pasties, a favourite snack on any Hogwarts Express journey. As I had purple potatoes in at home I used those to give a good colour contrast against the orange of the squash.

(A word of warning to any Americans reading – these are savoury pasties very similar to Cornish Pasties found in the UK and not sweet like pumpkin pie)

Mise en scene

500g all butter puff pastry

300g butternut squash finely diced

300g potato (purple majesty for preference) finely diced

1 onion finely diced

Salt

Pepper

1 egg beaten (hens preferably – never be tempted by Dragons or Hippogriffs)

It’s all in the edit...

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C.
2. Chop the potato, squash and onion very finely. This is vital as it is not precooked before putting in the pastry and baking in the oven. Place in a bowl and season well with salt and plenty of black pepper.
3. Roll the pastry out to the thickness of a pound coin. Using a bowl as a template cut out 6” circles of pastry. Run a little egg wash around the edge of the dough and fill with 2 or 3 spoons of the mix. Don’t overfill.
4. Seal and crimp the edges of each pasty. Do this with care as the steam inside the pasty as it cooks will help the filling to cook through.
5. Place on a baking sheet and egg wash the top of each pasty.
6. Pop into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, turn the oven down to 175C and bake for a further half an hour.
7. Leave to cool and serve at room temperature. If they have gone cold you could reheat by using the spell “tepidus pie”. Those without magical powers could just pop in the oven for a 5 mins to warm through!

Hint and tip

These pasties are perfectly tasty but the addition of fresh thyme will make them even more so. For those who still can’t get over pumpkin and pastry being a savoury dish and sweet version will follow soon as I am very fond of Pumpkin pie myself.

A fresh start for 2011

I'd love this fresh start to be for me and as Movie Dinners is out in the USA on the 5th of January 2011 perhaps it will be but lets start with something a little more realistic. I'd like to revive the rum baba.

Rum Baba

Babette’s Feast (1987)

As a finale to a magnificent celebratory meal of thanksgiving the “Savarin au Rhum avec des Figues et Fruit Glacée” seems an ideal choice. Translate the French into language usually found on menus in more plebian establishments and you get Rum Baba.

Along with the Black Forest gateaux the Rum Baba’s fame peaked in the Seventies as a sophisticated dinner party dessert. Women in kaftans wheeled rum babas proudly into the through lounge on their hostess trolleys. Karen Carpenter accompanied this momentous occasion with her rendition of “we’ve only just begun” and the gentlemen filled the room with the fug from their slim panatellas.

Heston and Delia have both revived and updated the gateaux but the Rum Baba has long been neglected. Consigned to the back of kebab shop chiller cabinets it awaits rediscovery. Babette chose food for her guests that expressed her thanks in a way words simply couldn’t. Serve Rum Baba’s to your guests and they may be speechless too. There is no need to preface the pudding with a large Doner, extra chili sauce, and several pints of lager.

Mise en scene

Batter

125g plain flour

100ml milk

75g softened butter

1 x 7g sachet yeast

2 medium eggs

1 tbsp caster sugar

Pinch of salt

Syrup

300g granulated sugar

300ml water

Juice of a lemon

1 dsp rum per person

6 individual rum baba moulds (available online)

How to …….

Pre heat oven to 180C Gas 4

1. Pour the milk into a jug and warm in the microwave (zap for 20 seconds.) Tip in the yeast and stir. Leave in a warm draught free place for the yeast to activate.

2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Using one hand as a mixer stir in the sugar. Once frothy, pour in the yeast and milk mixture and tip in the eggs and the softened butter. Using a clawed hand in a circular motion mix until the ingredients come together as a smooth batter.

3. Leave this batter mixture to rise for up to 15 minutes. Butter your moulds well and place onto a baking tray. After about 15 minutes transfer the batter to the moulds. Fill each only 2/3rds full as the batter will continue to prove and rise. Leave for a further 20 to 30 minutes before baking for 30 minutes until golden. Remove from the moulds and cool on a cooling rack

4. Make the syrup by placing the sugar, water and lemon juice in a pan. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar and the boil rapidly for 2 minutes. Remove form the heat and add the 6 dsps of rum. Cool.

5. Soak each baba in the syrup. Place in a dish and refrigerate until needed. Serve with figs and cold cream.

Voice over

To ensure the syrup soaks in well prick the sponges all over before soaking in the syrup. Left over syrup can be used to make Rum fizz or even a daiquiri so long as there weren’t too many crumbs remaining!