Roasted Beetroot with Soft Cheese Mousse and Sprout Tops

Beetroot needs a creamy foil, well - I think it tastes good with a creamy foil. The beetroot's earthy sweetness gets carried and mingles with a soft and salty cheese but isn't muted. A hunk of cheese and a whopping great beetroot might be someone's ideal but not mine.

Instead with a little bit of finesse with a leftover egg-white, some seasoning and something green, sprout tops in this case thanks to my veg bag from Local Greens (insert link), makes for a pleasing on the plate and pleasing on the palette meal.

I love the simplicity of winter vegetables, in the same way as summer veg can be made in to a delicious salad with a simple dressing, winter veg can be gussied up with a hot oven to expose their sweetness. Last week one dinner was swede and carrots roasted with some fried onions and kale and dressed in a lemon spiked bean dip thinned out with yogurt and tahini.

Dairy + roasted winter veg = match made in heaven. If you need the carbs then a hefty slice of walnut bread would go excellently.

Roasted Beetroot with Soft Cheese Mousse and Sprout Tops

1 large beetroot
1 egg white
200g soft cheese
150g sprout tops (any other dark green will work well)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 150C/Gas mark 2. Scrub the beetroot of any earth and rinse clean. Wrap in foil and leave on the middle shelf of the oven for around 4 hours. Once the skin is slightly wrinkled and comes away when you pull it means it is done.

Whip the egg white to stiff peaks with a pinch of salt. Set aside.

Whip the cream cheese with salt, pepper and oregano and then fold in a third of the egg white mixture until combined. Then fold in the remaining egg whites gently. Transfer to a small bowl or ramekin, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge.

Remove the stalk form the middle of the greens, wash and then shred. Melt a nob of butter in a big heavy bottomed pan and cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally.

Once the skin of the beetroot comes off and it is hot enough to handle, halve and then cut into semi-circles.

Put balsamic vinegar on a low heat until reduced by half. Turn off.

Make quenelles out of the mousse using wet metal table spoons.

Arrange the component parts on the plate as your wish and drizzle with the balsamic reduction - I think I spent too much time this week watching Masterchef - The Professionals - look at the slick...

We ate this with this walnut bread by James Martin but used half the ingredients and it was a delicious accompaniment.

Bleeding Beetroot Chocolate Cake for 'Labolis::Threshold'

Today I will be making 11 cakes. 11 of the same cake – I’m not totally insane. Labolis has been a constantly evolving and beautiful beast, part immersive theatre, part scavenger hunt, part role playing game and part art kaleidoscope. The amazing Ultra Violets have the fifth Labolis this weekend and it is gearing up to be the best yet.

I was asked to play a ‘Mad Chef’ and create something suitably surreal for the participants to eat during their experience. After some conceptual clambering I settled upon a bleeding beetroot chocolate cake. Something suitably delicious, with an earthy note that is visually arresting was a hard spec to follow but I made it in the end.

This post is as much about the recipe as it is about my trials and tribulations over the day of baking 11 cakes. I’ve already decided that the blood filling (red fruit coulis, maple syrup, treacle and red food colouring) and the ganache icing will be made in one batch so i can concentrate on the conveyor belt of cakes. I’m hoping the weather is suitably damp and cool in Manchester so I can get some respite outside away from the kitchen inferno.

The pictures should be pretty kick-ass too, the kitchen I’m working in has windows. Crazy what happens when you live away from London, the mod cons you get.

After this weekend I’m aiming to be a better actor, performer and mass caterer – although one out of three would suit me well.

Bleeding Beetroot Chocolate Cake

Cake

200g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)

200g softened butter

135g plain flour

1 heaped tbsp baking powder

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

250g puréed cooked beetroot

5 eggs at room temperature - separated

200g caster sugar

Ganache

200g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)

200ml double cream

4 tbsp golden syrup

Filling

200g fresh or frozen raspberries

1 tbsp treacle

3 tbsp maple syrup

50g icing sugar

heat the oven to 180C then grease and line two 20cm spring form tins.

Whisk egg whites in stand alone mixer until at the stiff peaks stage.

Meanwhile whisk egg yolks until pale and fluffy and mix in with beetroot purée.

Heat chocolate in a bowl over a pan in boiling water making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water directly. Once melted add the butter, cubed, and stir until melted and glossy. Leave to cool for a few minutes.

With the mixer running tip the sugar slowly into the egg whites and mix until they resemble a good marshmallow mix.

Add the cooled chocolate mix to the beetroot and egg yolk mix and fold in thoroughly. Sieve in the flour, cocoa, ginger and baking powder and fold in thoroughly till no four can be detected in the mix. Finally add the egg whites and fold through gently with a metal spoon until you reach a smooth mousse like consistency with volume.

Bake for 30 mins and allow to cool while you make the filling and ganache.

For the filling process the raspberries in a food processor and pass through a sieve to remove seeds. Add raspberry purée, syrup, treacle and icing sugar back to food processor and process for 5 minutes and refrigerate until using.

For the ganache tip cream, chocolate and syrup into a pan, heat slowly, stirring continuously until glossy. Leave in pan to stay warm for easy pouring.

Tip and spread filling over base cake and top with remaining cake. Pour over ganache and smooth over with palette knife.

Eat. Scream, Run....

Balsamic Roasted Beetroot and Lentil Salad with Walnuts and creamy blue cheese

The Sun is Shining, Weather is Sweet...

... Makes me want to cook something savoury and moreish.

I headed out early Sunday morning, leaving Squirrelface snoozing, in to the wilds of Peckham to the farmer's market which, I'm sad to say, was a little underwhelming. I snaffled up some nice fat beetroot, some duck eggs, some smoky streaky bacon and half a loaf of granary bread, I'm hopeful that later in the year there will be more on offer.

I know the Great British Summertime is technically upon us but let us not kid ourselves, if and when it happens it will be brief and we will take it by the hands and dance the gin and tonic jig. Said jig needs something hearty and filling but not necessarily meaty.

So while you all made your roasts, I fashioned a salad that is so delicious I've made it at least 10 times since I created it one balmy June afternoon, under the influence of the gin and tonic jig.

It's great for lunchtime or teatime picnics, having in your carry-out for work or as a stand by snack in the fridge, it should keep for a week in an airtight container, but I doubt it will last that long. I sometimes pair it with a big leafy salad and slices of apple or pear but it would go wonderfully with a barbecued bit of lamb or beef too.

Green or Puy lentils work best here as they retain their shape very well and have a more contrasting flavour than the also shape holding brown.

Today I used Saint Agur because i found a cheap slab in the supermarket but I've had success with other strong creamy blue cheeses such as Dolcelatte, Gorgonzola or Roquefort. I'd not substitute Stilton as the bitter edge doesn't compliment so well.

Balsamic Roasted Beetroot and Lentil Salad with Walnuts and creamy blue cheese

100g Puy/green lentils

350g beetroot - peeled, ends discarded and chopped into bite-size pieces

75g walnuts - chopped coarsely 

100g strong and creamy blue cheese chopped and/or crumbled

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

6 tbsp walnut oil

Saly & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4 and combine the oil and vinegar plus salt and pepper then pour over beetroot and mix.

Tilting the bowl so the oil and vinegar mixture is away from the beetroot and spoon in to an oven dish. (The reserved liquid will be the dressing for the salad.) Roast the beetroot for around 45 mins, giving it a shake after 20 mins or so.

Put lentils and two mugs of water in a heavy bottomed pan and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 mins and drain if any water remains. Then refresh and drain again. Add to the bowl with the dressing.

When the beetroot is just caramelised take it out and let it cool. Then combine with the cheese and walnuts. Taste and season and add more dressing, if needed.

Yum it up!