The Sacred Art of Eating

A very special meal in honour of two very special friends who have recently got engaged to be married.

• Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon
• Lamb Shanks with Beans
• Blackberries in Muscat Jelly

We kicked off with a little non-Nigella, a round of Bellinis made with some posh Peach Nectar my parents had bought me.    The starter was potato cakes topped with smoked salmon and served with some ice cold Polish wodka. The potato cakes were made with Smash, of all things, but you mustn’t let that put you off. The mixture was a bit thick to dollop and it was therefore hard to judge whether the potato cakes were the right size. However they cooked up a treat and tasted fantastic. Fabulous Rory then stepped into the kitchen for a bit of dancing round the cooker but also to array the salmon and dill atop the pancakes. In the end we used half of the salmon called for but the amount seemed just right when we were eating them.          We couldn’t source enough shot glasses to go round and so half of us had our vodka from espresso cups! I had been prepared to grimace as I knocked my vodka back but was pleasantly surprised to really enjoy the combination. Clearly, served properly cold and with suitable accompaniment, vodka can be tasty!

The main course was Lamb Shanks with Tuscan Beans. Super Rory had braved the foul weather on Saturday to pick up happy lamb from the Farmers Market and then cycled it down to us in order that we could get it marinating. (Not only did he pick it up but he then refused to accept any payment for it. A truly gentlemanly gesture and greatly appreciated.)    These roasted up a treat and made the kitchen cosy and rich-smelling. We served a multi-coloured tomato salad on the side, layers of red and yellow tomatoes- some from Carluke, home of the great DI Drain- presented beautifully in the glass bowl I bought for the Quail with Layered salad which has served me well since. These added a juicy freshness alongside the earthy rich flavours of the meat and beans. A blob of my mother’s finest redcurrant jelly on the side and we were truly spoiled!

Pudding was something particularly special. I was really excited when K&B chose this part of the menu (I’d given them lots of menu options and they made the final selection)  as the dish in question not only appealed greatly to me, but deserved a properly special occasion. I am indebted to K&B for providing me with such an occasion.Blackberries in Muscat Jelly included another Nigella Express-led first for me; cooking with leaf gelatine.

The Muscat wine is heated up with vanilla sugar; the pre-soaked sheets of gelatine are melted with some hot wine and  then the whole lot is mixed together to give your jelly mixture. After a little cooling the jelly was poured over the fruit (much like the West Barns Primary School Dinner Hall only without the tinned pears) in posh glasses. At this stage I noticed lots of little bubbles collecting round the edges of the brambles. Not only did these spoil the aesthetic (I knew they’d burst before the photoshoot) but every good microbiologist knows that bubbles in your agar get in the way of good growth…they had to go. A bunsen burner I did not have, but I made light work of the pesky blighters with my cook’s blow torch. To think Lawrence mocked me for owning one!

These sat quietly in a carefully emptied fridge (you try fitting eight martini glasses into your fridge!) all afternoon, ready to be pulled out at just the right moment, a ready prepared jug of cream on hand to accompany. We all fell into one of those lovely silences as we ate these.Nigella says they are a very soft set (presumably on account of the alcohol) and during the post-preparation washing up I’d found that the mug I’d melted the gelatine sheets in had a solid lump of jelly at the bottom, so I’d been really worried these wouldn’t set at all. However they were actually as firm as you would expect any jelly to be. A little softer wouldn’t have gone wrong at all- perhaps next time I’d use a tiny bit less gelatine.

We finished up with coffees and M&S chocolates, just the thing. All in all this evening was a fabulous success. Great company (one notable absence but it wasn’t to be,) and fabulous food which will certainly be repeated. Both the potato cakes with salmon (and vodka!) and the blackberry jellies had really good faff : fancy ratios- not too fiddly to make, preparable in advance, and then just amazing at the crucial moment.Good stuff. (With apologies that the post’s been so long coming)

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