Some years ago in America, a friend of mine took me to a restaurant called California Pizza Kitchen. The pizzas were both very imaginative and of a high quality. Unfortunately not all pizzas are made with quality ingredients and that makes a great deal of difference to taste.
Of course other things such as having a wood-burning stove to cook the pizza in can also have a great bearing on the taste. Well I’m not about to encourage you all to build a pizza oven but I would like more of you to try making pizza and discover how easy and rewarding making your own pizza can be; indeed you could bake it on your barbecue using the indirect cooking method that I posted about recently.

For 2 x 24cm pizzas
450 grams Strong bread flour
1.5 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 sachet of active yeast
50 ml olive oil
260 ml warm water
2 tins of tinned chopped tomatoes
200 ml water
1 medium onion finely diced
1 large bulb of garlic
6 large basil leaves chopped
1-2 small red onions peeled & cut into wedges
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 x 150 gram fresh mozzarella
Pinch of sugar
1. Preheat the oven to 120 C gas mark 1.
2. Carefully remove 3 cloves of garlic from the bulb, peel & reserve for the tomato sauce.
3. Place the remainder of the garlic bulb in an ovenproof dish and drizzle with half tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until the cloves are tender but not brown, set aside.
4. Combine the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar olive oil together in a large bowl.
5. Once the dough is well mixed transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, then place back into the bowl and cover with a clean tea towel.
6. Put the red onion into a nonstick saucepan with half tablespoon of olive oil, pinch of sugar and cook on a medium low heat until tender and brown around the edges.
7. In a separate saucepan put the finely dice onion and 1 tablespoon olive oil, cook for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat, then add the chopped tomatoes, reserved garlic & water.
8. Adjust the heat so the sauce is gently simmering and reduce until you have approximately 475 ml left.
9. Using the pulse setting on your food processor to make the sauce slightly less chunky then season and allow to cool.
10. Divide the pizza dough into 2 and roll out into 2 circles about 24cm each, then transfer onto a suitable flat pizza tray*
11. Turn up the oven to 200C gas mark 6
12. Spread the cool tomato sauce onto the pizza circles, getting fairly close to the edge.
13. Cut the 2 mozzarella cheeses into 6-7 circular slices each and arrange on the pizzas.
14. Bake the pizzas for 20-25 minutes in the middle of the oven until then top with the caramelize red onions; few garlic cloves and a sprinkling of the chopped basil.

Chef's Tips
*If you don’t have a pizza tray, cook it directly onto a cake wire rack then place that onto the oven shelf. Just place a roasting tin at the bottom to catch any drips. If you prefer your pizza crust thin & crusty then make the sauce and toppings ahead of time then roll the pizza dough out immediately after kneading, top with sauce & cheese and bake.

© 2006. All rights reserved. No content on this website including, but not limited to, text and photography may not be reproduced without prior explicit written consent.

Whilst working as Head Chef of a fine dining Italian restaurant called The Tuscany Inn located in Middlesburg Virginia, I was lucky enough to cook for Paul Newman 3 times….( I think it was 1992 or 1993 scratching his head) anyway that year quite few movers and shakers walked into The Tuscany Inn including members of the Kennedy clan who where polite and yet low key. On the other hand The Smothers Brothers got drunk & rude in equal proportion. Arguing in public which of them was the funnier, eventually they were asked to leave.

Mr Newman was one of several movie stars at the time that had a horse ranch or working farm in Virginia, a place to get away from the glitz and hype of Hollywood.
Like most of the other famous people I’ve met I found him to be gracious and polite.
For a large part of his life horses and fast cars have been Paul’s two other loves after his wife Joann Woodward. I also admire the way his food company since it’s beginning in 1982 donate all their profits and royalties after taxes for educational and charitable purposes. Currently the amount is over $200 million dollars.

I finally managed to post a new recipe on my sister site belatedly for St George's Day.

During the technical problems I accidently deleted the top quality photos that accompanied the dish.
So I rendered a picture using my DTP skills and I hope you like it.
To visit my sister site just press the link below.

www.wannabetvchef.blogspot.com

Regards
Kevin

mypantry (member) posed some interesting questions in her comments and I decided to write a post to answer her questions

Love being in the kitchen. I just love the smell of my kitchen, from everything I cook really that probably makes me a chef myself. Is it hard being a chef? I mean, you'll deal a lot with people taste and you know everyone has a different appealing to food, etc. I’m very interested in cooking and I’m always a student who's eager to learn. I cook for my family and friends, and neither of them saying that they don't like what I cook. But who will know that? I mean, yes they're my guests, probably it's a courtesy to say 'it's nice'. But I mean, is it really nice? I think it is nice, but people have different taste buds. How do I know it's nice?

BBC Good Food Show 2004

Cooking for a living is very different to enjoying the passion of cooking at home. That is not to say that professional chefs/cooks don’t enjoy their cooking.…they do. But there are many pressures; both physical and mental that is not often understood by people outside the industry.
Even successful chefs often work 12 hours or more a day, usually 5 ½ days a week. If there are shortages in staff the job somehow still has to get done, which can lead to chefs working 3-4 weeks 7 days a week until the situation is corrected.

There are great profits to be made in catering but also there is no other business where your profit turns to loss so quickly. For example if road works affects a row of businesses after a slow couple of days the hardware’s stores stock of hammers and nails are still worth the same amount of money but that is not true for the restaurant. They may have to throw away lots of perishable fresh foods if they wish to keep their standards high.

In the UK in relative terms *eating out is cheaper than it was 30 years ago. The competition is much greater thus the pressures to keep costs like wages down are very high.
When I was 18 if I took my girlfriend to the local steak house for £9 (about $15) you could get a steak, go at the salad and a coffee. 30 years later in some pubs you can still get a steak, salad and coffee for £9. Now if I try to buy a car at 1976 prices…I can’t or if I need a lawyer he wont work for 1976 prices either so we should recognise that food prices have been very stable and low for a long time. The up side of that is most of us can afford to eat out often, the down side of cheap food and the pressures that drive it are things like BSE, E numbers and chemicals to enhance poor and cheap ingredients.

Never the less there are many aspects of my chosen profession that give me lots of joy because there is always something new you can learn since food is such a wide subject.

In regards to your question about whether your friends & family are being kind or honest,
Remember to enjoy the cooking yourself, don’t angst about it too much, explain to your guests that you don’t mind criticism as long as it is constructive. Also you did not mention your own opinion of your cooking. This is something you should value above all else……….you don’t to be a gourmet chef for you taste buds to know that something tastes good…trust them.

As for pleasing different tastes of customers, it’s always a minefield; the best you can hope for is perhaps 90-95%. Because we all eat we all think our opinions on the subject of food are qualified and valid, unlike other professions where as patients we would not dream of telling a doctor what our diagnosis is (except for my some of my friends).

I do hope this piece gave you all a few new insights into what it is like to be a chef, thanks.
Regards
Kevin

Several weeks ago I decided to join with other food blogs who are promoting St George's Day.
This competition was very kindly organised by
Posh & Beck’s site together with Monkey Gland of Jamfaced.

I was planning to unveil my Pud on Sunday but due to my busy schedule I was forced to post it today.

I do hope you will all try my Chocolate Bread Pudding in the next couple of days and let me know what you think?

If....I get time before Sunday to post another "pud" on my sister site wannabetvchef eXtra go check it out because this recipe is very original and definately a great english pud. Here is a link for you to take a look.

www.wannabetvchef.blogspot.com

Chocolate Bread & Butter Pudding serves 6 © Kevin Ashton 2005
Sometimes a recipe idea rolls around in my head for quite a while, other times they wake me up in the middle of the night insisting that I write them down. Other times necessity like a dinner party I’m suppose to cook helps focus and firm up my ideas. Such was the case a couple weeks ago when I was asked to make dessert for a dinner party at my sister’s.
The challenge I made for myself was a chocolate bread & butter pudding that was very chocolatey, not too sweet. I wanted to use brown malted bread & prunes soaked in brandy in place of the usual sultanas. Often bread puddings have too much bread and are disappointingly dry & heavy but not this one, sublime was one of the comments express by a dinner guest & I know he was not referring to my loud silk tie with kippers on it!

160 grams plain dark chocolate (70% or better)
3 large eggs
400 ml double cream
few drops vanilla extract
250 grams pitted soft prunes (optional)
30 ml brandy
7 slices multi grain brown bread
75 grams unsalted butter
75 grams caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
25 ml cold water

1. Lightly butter an oven proof dish approximately 12 x 8 inches oval dish that is 2 inches deep.
2. Cut the prunes in half and soak in the brandy.
3. Stir the cinnamon into the butter until it is soft enough to spread.
4. Trim the crusts off the bread then gently spread on the cinnamon butter.
5. Break the chocolate in pieces into a bowl and melt over simmering water, remove from the heat once the chocolate has melted.
6. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, vanilla with the caster sugar for 4 minutes.
7. Stir half the cream gradually into the melted chocolate, then stir in the water.
8. Now stir in the egg mix then the remaining cream.
9. Cut the bread slices into 1/4’s (corner to corner) and place a layer into the buttered dish, butter side up.
8. Cover the bread layer with 1/2 of the chocolate mix, then sprinkle on the prunes.
9. Make a second layer of the remaining bread, then again cover with other 1/2 of the chocolate mix, making sure all of the bread is well covered.
10. Cling wrap the dish and refrigerate for 12 hours to let the bread soak up the chocolate mix.
11. Bake in a preheated oven gas mark 4 (180 C ) for 30-35 minutes.
12. Dust with icing sugar and serve with cold cream or creme fraiche.

Chef’s Tips
As always when melting chocolate its critical not to get it too hot, once the water is simmering turn the heat off, and as soon as the majority of chocolate is melted take the bowl off the water pan. The other critical point is when you add the cream to the chocolate. The chocolate will probably thicken up when you add the first half of cream, then the water should thin it back down. Let the mix cool for a 2-3 minutes further before addling the egg mix and the rest of the cream.

I hope you like my food photos...........
I do strive to make them appealing yet not too complicated in the hope that a larger number of readers will feel able to try my recipes.

I will at some point in the next couple of months show you all a few tricks on how to improve your food presentation.

More & more farmers markets seem to be springing up in and around the Midlands UK, which I guess is a reflection of the growing trend towards organic or at least local ingredients. In the small sleepy village of Hartlebury lives a lady by the name of Debbie Bakewell, who rears & produces exceedingly good Barbury Ducks.

Thankfully now *Brummies too can enjoy her free range ducks and chickens as she now has a stall at the farmer’s market in Mosley.
*A slang name for people from Birmingham

1 x 2.5 kilo (approximately) Fresh duck including giblets
3 Granny Smith apples
1 Spanish onion roughly chopped
2 peeled carrots roughly chopped
40 grams butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp tomato puree
2 Tbsp plain flour
75 grams caster sugar
1 litre chicken stock
1.5 Tbsp grain mustard

1. Preheat oven 200 C gas mark 6
2. In a non stick frying pan melt 25 grams butter then fry the giblets, half the onion, the carrots until well browned. Transfer the giblets to a saucepan and add the stock,tomato puree, bay leaf and simmer gently.
3. Roughly cut up 1 apple and put inside the duck cavity together with the remaining half onion.
4. Rub the olive oil into the duck then season inside and out with salt & pepper.
5. Roast on the middle shelf starting first breast side up for half an hour then turn the duck breast side down for 1 hour or until the juices run clear.
6. Transfer the duck to an oven proof dish and keep warm in a cool oven 100 C (gas mark 1 ).
7. Pour off most of the duck fat *(and keep) then place the roasting pan over a low heat and stir in the flour, then gradually add the stock stirring well. Transfer the gravy back to the saucepan and simmer on a low gas and season with salt & pepper.
8. Cut remaining 2 apples straight down into 8 wedges each, then cut out as much of the core from each wedge.
9. Cook the apple wedges in a 50 ml water & 15 grams butter for 5 minutes on a medium high heat & then drain into another dish.
10. Gently heat the sugar in the saucepan on a medium heat until it begins to caramelise. When its nicely brown remove from the heat and add the apples & 1/2 tablespoon of grain mustard and keep warm.
11. Strain the gravy to remove vegetables etc then add the remaining grain mustard. If the gravy has reduced too much add a little extra stock.
12. Carve the duck & serve with a few of the apple wedges.

Chef’s Tips
Whenever your roasting meat always baste it from time to time, it does make a difference! Serve your duck with small baked potatoes topped with sour cream & chives and a good portion of green beans. If you prefer your duck skin crispy, sprinkle a little salt lightly over the cooked duck then carefully crisp the skin under a hot grill. When carving remove both legs first then carve the breast. *The saved duck fat (dripping) will keep for at least a week in the fridge so perhaps try cooking your Sunday roast potatoes in it....mmmm!

Roast Local Duck with Caramelised Apples serves 4 © Kevin Ashton 2005

The beverage England has put its name to for centuries is now being grown on the Tregothnan Estate in Cornwall - the UK’s only tea plantation. It’s the first first tea to be grown on English soil has just been introduced at the five-star Landmark London Hotel.

Tea is grown in over 50 countries around the world. Now for the first time England can join the enviable list of tea growing countries, due to the perfect growing conditions provided at the Tregothnan Estate, near Truro in Cornwall. On the Tregothnan Estate, the surrounds are similar to the cool and rainy tea growing areas of India, and in a sheltered south-facing spot in the Estate’s old Victorian kitchen garden, over 500 tea bushes have matured over the past seven years.During the tea-plucking season, which runs from April until October, each of the tea bushes has the two top leaves and a bud handpicked at least once a month. This process has produced a limited quantity of Tregothnan Estate’s tea, making it a rare and exclusive drink. The five-star Landmark London is the first hotel in London to offer Tregothnan Estate’s Classic Tea as part of its Traditional Afternoon Tea menu.

This unique introduction will enable guests to sample the delights of a true English brew. The Landmark is renowned worldwide for serving traditional Afternoon Tea within the stunning setting of The Winter Garden, which is located in the hotel’s picturesque eight-storey glass-roofed atrium. Here guests can enjoy afternoon tea under the soaring palm trees, accompanied by a performance of classical music.At The Landmark, Traditional Afternoon Tea (£22.50 per person) is served daily from 3pm until 6pm. It includes a wide range of freshly brewed leaf teas, as well as beautifully presented classics such as finger sandwiches, tea breads, and freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream. For those looking for a real treat, the Champagne Afternoon Tea (£29.50 each) also includes strawberries, cream and a glass of chilled Champagne. Fascinating Facts:- Over 62,000 cups of tea have been poured in The Landmark London in the past year. - Tea is made from the Camellia sinensis plant, first discovered in China nearly two thousand years ago. - Tea tasters use the same terminology as wine tasters. Their verdict on Tregothnan Estate’s tea is “quaffable and refreshing”, “fresh”, “quite fruity” with “character”.

To make a reservation, please call The Landmark London
on 020 7631 8000 or visit www.landmarklondon.co.uk

In my continuing quest to improve my food blog I have created a sister blog site "wannabetvchef eXtra" with some additional recipes and new articles. Hope you like the blood sausage story or if your a chocoholic you must try the Dark Chocolate Mousse recipe.......just posted

Stop by and let me know what you think.
Regards
Kevin
http://www.wannabetvchef.blogspot.com/

Usually famous people get their “people” to book restaurant reservations etc often making a whole production of it, asking for things like private dinning rooms and then sometimes telling the media the time and the name of the restaurant.
Once in a while however, if they’ve been filming/working they might just want a quite supper and secluded corner of the restaurant.

At first when the owner told me she was in the building I resisted the urge of other staff to “sneak a peek”.
Michelle asked to speak with me after dinner, so I hurriedly put on a clean chef’s jacket as soon as I was able and went to her table. Even dressed in casual clothes she looked good. She introduced herself as Michelle as if I didn’t know who she was then invited me to join her for a beer. She generously said a few kind things about my food the chat turn to the movie she was currently working on “Batman Returns”.

As a chef sometimes I get asked what are the new food trends for the year. Its a question I dislike almost as much as “So what’s your speciality?”.
In other words its a difficult question to answer and I’d rather talk about my new current ideas. I often enjoy looking at an unfashionable ingredient such as
yellow split peas and create a dish that hopefully people will love and want to recreate themselves.

(serves 4)
300 (12 oz) grams Yellow Split peas
(soaked over night in cold water )
6 roughly chopped Shallots
1 pinch Saffron strands
1 large diced carrrot
I medium leek well washed & diced
2 litres (4 pints) Chicken stock
8-10 Basil leaves
1 x 227 gram (8 oz) Chicken breast
100 grams sliced Chorizo sausage
1 clove garlic crushed
4 tablespoons Olive oil

Method
1. Drain off the water from the peas and rinse them in more cold water, then drain the peas.
2. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, add the shallots, carrot, leek and cook on a medium heat, for 5 minutes without browning.
3. Add the peas, chicken stock & garlic and simmer.
4. Place the saffron strands in a teacup and cover with boiling water,leave for 2 minutes to infuse then add the saffron & water to the soup.
5. Cook the soup until all the ingredients are tender then liquidize in a food processer until smooth. *For additional smoothness you can also strain the soup through a fine strainer.
Press through as much of the pulp as possible so you don’t lose too much!
6. Season with salt & white pepper.
7. Heat up a ribbed griddle pan if you own one, rub the remaining olive oil on to the chicken and when the pan is hot place the chicken on it at a 45 degree angle. Cook for about 5 minutes then turn over and repeat.
8. Cook the chicken until the juices running from it are clear but be careful not to over cook, or it will be dry. Season the chicken during the grilling process.

To Assemble
1. Warm your bowls and make sure the soup is hot.
2. Cut the chorizo slices into quarters.
3. Cut the Chicken into four longs strips then cut these again into 3-4 pieces.
4. Stack the basil leaves then roll them and carefully cut the stack into thin ribbons.
5. Ladle the soup into the bowls then, gently add the chorizo, chicken & finally the basil.

Chef’s Tip
Serve the soup with some flavoured bread rolls such as black olive or sundried tomato.

Did you know ever 4 years there is a Culinary Olympics?
And chefs from around 40 countries competed at the last one held in Erfurt, Germany in 2004.

Mial Parker is an American chef I used to work with at The Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky, Amsterdam. Even back then Mial loved entering culinary competions and I helped him with one in Holland…the toughest part was getting the rules translated into English.

In Culinary circles Mial went on to great things and currently teaches at the Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell, CA. Mial’s to date has won and received more than thirty awards including a gold cloverleaf. He was a member of the ACF Western Regional Culinary Team that won a gold medal in 1988, and also served as Captain of Team USA West, part of the Culinary Olympic Team for the USA, 1992. What’s more, Chef Mial is a three time Culinary Olympics individual Gold Medallist and is a certified master chef.

http://www.culinary-olympics.com

Most of this blog is celebrating the joys and pleasures of food but I also believe that as a food professional I need to raise public awareness on issues that can affect people’s health. Aspartame, which is often found in diet soft drinks or foods under the name of Nutrasweet, Equal or Spoonful.

Many of today's soft drinks and snacks that are targeted at our children contain these sweetners, the packaging will state “No added Sugar” or “Sugar Free”as their sales pitch. But people need to understand that if they wish to cut down their sugar intake the healthier option is to drink some bottled water in place of some of those sweet drinks. Every time I read up on the subject of artificial sweeteners the information that is available is scary, so before buying drinks or snacks for your kids please………please read the labels.

The link below will take you to the full article written about Aspartame by Pat Thomas for Ecologistonline. But here is disturbing paragraph from the piece.

“Once upon a time, aspartame was listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent. Today it's an integral part of the modern diet. Sold commercially under names like NutraSweet and Canderel, aspartame can be found in more than 5,000 foods, including fizzy drinks, chewing gum, table-top sweeteners, diet and diabetic foods, breakfast cereals, jams, sweets, vitamins, prescription and over-the-counter drugs. This means that there is a good chance that you and your family are among the two thirds of the adult population and 40 per cent of children who regularly ingest this artificial sweetener”. by Pat Thomas.
http://www.theecologist.org/archive_detail.asp?content_id=457

There seems to be a growing body of evidence about the health problems caused by Aspartame and in particular the fact that when the temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F, the wood alcohol in ASPARTAME converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis. (Formic acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants).
The temperature is important because almost all food & drink stuffs that use Aspartame would be heated past 86 F.

You’re on the web and that’s a great information tool so use it………
(Ok I’m off my rant now..smile), take care.

I don't know how the weather was in your part of the world on Monday...but in parts of the UK we had 1 inch of snow!..so a very good reason for making soup.

I still think soup is very undervalued by chefs. Soup should just as interesting as the main course or dessert. Soup doesn't need to be cooked for hours, which to me makes it very relevant in today's fast paced world.

400 grams Potato cut into 1-inch dice
1 medium sliced red onion
30 grams (1oz) butter
1 litre (2pints) chicken stock
30 grams (1 oz) rocket
1/2 Diced medium white onion
50 ml whipping cream
1-tablespoon olive oil
4 slices white bread
125 grams (4.5 oz) ripe Brie
6-8 basil leaves

1. Sauté the red onions in olive oil until they are slightly brown & tender, remove from the heat then reserve.
2. Using a thick-bottomed saucepan, sweat down the potatoes, diced white onion, in butter on a medium heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
3. Add the chicken stock and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
4. Puree the soup in a food processor, return to the saucepan and add the cream, red onion and chopped rocket leaves.
5. Season the soup with salt & pepper.
6. Lightly toast the slices of white bread just on one side.
7. Cover 2 of the slices with the Brie cheese (on the un-toasted side).
8. Stack the basil leaves, slice them thinly and sprinkle onto the Brie.
9. Top with the two remaining slices of toast (toasted side up) to create two sandwiches.
10. Using a sharp bread knife trim off the crusts then cut each sandwich into 4 toast fingers.
11. Reheat soup, and warm up the Brie toasties on a low heat, just until the Brie starts to melt.
12. Serve the toasties on the side so they can be dipped into the soup.

Chef's Tip
I make stock once in awhile at home then freeze it either in 500ml (1 pint) containers so it's ready for use when a recipe calls for it. I also freeze fresh stock down in ice cube trays so when a small amount is needed I don’t have to thaw a whole pint.

Whenever I am having a dinner party at home I don’t go to the shop with one “set in stone” menu. I will try to write down 3-4 ideas ahead of time and take that piece of paper with me to the market. I do this to see what looks good and build my menu this way.

Of course I cook for a living therefore I’m experienced enough to change my menu at short notice, never the less if you doggedly stick to your original menu when the ingredients are second rate you can only expect second rate results.

Cooking like any other skill only improves through practice...so do practice
Unless you are a very experienced cook stick to dishes you have already tried and are happy with,particularly when you have important guests coming. Practise new dishes on family or your close friends.

Remember to enjoy yourself...When I was living in Bermuda I used to stress myself out about the menu, believing that the food had to be exceptional because I’m a chef and people would expect it! Thus my menus were too ambitious, too costly for what I could afford, hence the stress and my lack of enjoyment.

Be honest with yourself about the results. Though we all like praise, we can often learn more from a mistake, but only if we are honest with ourselves. Write yourself a few notes afterwards if that helps, such as....Did the courses go together well?

If your dinner party is for 10 or more people then expect at least one vegetarian in the group since 10% of the adult population is now vegetarian. If you don’t own a vegetarian cookbook consider buying one.

If you have a complex main course then make the other courses simple to help the flow of the evening go smoothly. Perhaps choose a starter that you make earlier in the day and is simple to serve.

If you don’t have a spouse or partner to share the workload of a dinner party then try to write a menu that keeps you in the dining room as much as possible. Often a casserole type main course can help you achieve this because you can cook it in advance but also the guests can help themselves. If your guests are close friends or family, that’s another good reason for a menu that keeps you in the dining room

Be sure to check in advance with your guests to find out if there are any allergy problems or food intolerances.

(c) 2006. All rights reserved. No content on this website including, but not limited to, text and photography may not be reproduced without prior explicit written consent.

Sometimes a fresh fruit salad can be a great finish to a big meal, but there is a little more to it than chopping it up. Taking time in the way you cut up the fresh fruit will have a big impact on the appearance. In keeping the fruit in larger pieces it becomes possible to arrange the fruit rather than just serve it. Making stock syrup for it helps to slow down the oxidation and keep in the flavours. It’s interesting and different to serve a fruit salad warm, though you can also serve this cold if you wish.

200 grams castor sugar
1 vanilla pod
250 ml cold water
peel of 1 lemon
peel 1 orange
1 ripe pineapple
12 Fresh lychees
! ripe mango
1 small punnet blackberries
2 large ripe nectarines or peaches
passion fruit sorbet

1. Put the sugar, water and vanilla pod into a stainless steel saucepan and bring to a boil,then turn the heat to low.
2. Using a very sharp knife or peeler peel the orange and the lemon, trying to make sure you peel only the skin and not the white pith.
3. Add the peel to the syrup and simmer for 3-4 more minutes, then cool.
4. Peel the pineapple well then cut in half lengthwise and into quarters if the pineapple is large.
5. Using a corer if you have one, cut out the woody centre from the pineapple, then cut the pineapple into 1/4 inch thick slices.
6. Peel and cut the mango into slices rather than dice... so you can arrange the fingers in a fan shape.
7. Lychees peel relatively easily if ripe, just try to remove the skin without damaging the flesh.
8. Cut the nectarines in half and carefully remove the stones. Then cut into similar slices like the mango (peel them before slicing if you wish).
9. Preheat oven 120 C (gas mark 1) then divide and arrange the fruit (except the blackberries) onto large dessert plates or shallow pasta bowls. Take your time so you can arrange the fruit nicely. *If you wish you could do this before your dinner guests arrive and cling wrap the plates.
10. Discard the citrus peel from the stock syrup, cut the vanilla pods lengthwise then each half into 2 and keep to decorate with.
11. Carefully place the dessert plates into the oven for 4-5 minutes & reheat the stock syrup until warm.

To serve
Remove the desserts from the oven adding 4-5 blackberries in a neat stack on each plate then pour over about 2 Tbsp of the syrup on each plate, making sure all of the fruit is covered. Decorate with the vanilla pod and serve immediately, offering the cold sorbet on the side.

Chef’s Tips
The point of this dish is the contrast between the warm ripe fruits and sharp refreshing flavour of the passion fruit sorbet. If you can’t find passion fruit sorbet then use lemon and spoon a little fresh passion fruit on top.
If you prefer you could serve it with a good quality vanilla ice cream (offered on the side). It’s paramount that you buy the pineapple, mango, lychees and peaches at least 3-4 days before hand to give them chance to ripen up.

Warm Fruit Salad (serves 4-6) © Kevin Ashton 2005

Don't forget-If you live in the Midlands (UK) you can follow my weekly recipe column in the Sunday Mercury

First let me take a moment to thank everyone who has taken up my invitation and has joined this blog. This has made my decision easier…. you see I had run out of space having quickly used my 10megabytes for pictures. Should I remove earlier posts to make room or throw caution to the wind and turn pro?

I have decided to turn pro (tart) so I can continue to post decent sized photos of my recipes. I will even try with Google adsense and find what that is all about.

As I have mentioned before although I’m a good chef I’m a novice blogger but I do have a strong desire to make this blog worth visiting. Thanks again for all your kind wishes,I will answer all the emails …ASAP.
I will be posting a recipe in an hour or so.

About once a month I do a recipe shoot for the Birmingham Sunday Mercury, which from start to finish can take most of the day. I spend the day or so before the shoot brainstorming for ideas writing lots of notes, and then throwing most of them away. I try to come up with 3-4 dishes, then those 3-4 recipes will feature in my column for the next 3-4 Sunday’s. Just like any other creative endeavour sometimes the ideas flow and other times (usually after a long hard week) my brain is mush. On those occasions I stare blankly at a piece of paper seemly waiting for the invisible ink to show it’s self, but it never does so I then run a few ideas past my big sister, bless her. My sister Lynn is a very good cook in her own right, so chatting with her helps me clarify my thoughts. Shopping also influences the final choice of dishes; it greatly depends finding quality ingredients so I always go to the store with 1-2 backup ideas.

Besides the need to do a shoot I have been promising for months to give some cooking lessons at a local school (it’s something I do at various local schools from time to time). Then the idea hit me!!!!!!!! Why not combine the two? So the kids could see how the process works as well as getting a cooking lesson or two.

So that’s how I spent my day yesterday, I really enjoyed it, my host Maggie Skinner could not have been more helpful, the children paid attention and asked lots of intelligent questions. Even the food editor turned up and decided to write a feature story about it.

Yesterday was a Shoot © Kevin Ashton 2006