Vodka Apple Cake

This started out as something like an apple crumble cake but because the Mrs didn't get home with extra butter quick enough, I had a quick change of tactics midway!

5 Medium apples

225g Butter

225g Caster Sugar

225g Self-raising Flour

4 eggs

1tsp Baking Powder

Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka

1 Vanilla Pod

Pinch Mixed Spice

I used British Royal Gala apples, they're nicely balanced with sweetness and a crisp bite. Chop the apples into 8ths and take the core out, don't bother peeling them, I find the skin keeps the texture a bit and holds the flesh together (I'm also prone to bouts of laziness). Soften the apples in some butter and sugar and flambe them with some Zubrowka Vodka. Set aside.

Its really just a basic old 2-2-2-2 sponge cake with a twist so cream the butter, sugar and seeds from the vanilla pod until fluffy and light in colour. Add the eggs and beat together. Sift in the flour and Baking Powder and fold in until you have a smooth mixture. If you find it too stiff loosen it with a little milk but not too much as it needs to hold up the apples somewhat. If you're a slow cake eater it's quite a good idea to substitute about 50g of butter with 50mls sunflower oil as this really keeps the cake moister for longer.

Place the apples evenly across the surface of the mixture, finish by sprinkling with caster sugar and a dusting of mixed spice. Bake in a pre-hated oven at GM4 for about 45 mins checking for wobble regularly.

While the cake is baking, reduce 100ml of apple juice with 6tsp sugar and a splash of vodka. Put the vanilla pod in for about 2mins of boiling but not much longer as it can be a bit sickening in an already sweet cake. Reduce until you have a thick syrup which you can drizzle over the cake when it's cooled.

Gran Sasso Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2005

I picked this up in Peckhams at the weekend after a member of staff recommended it. Rarely a good way to buy wine admittedly, given the propensity of the greasy-haired student staff to feign knowledge of the good stuff. This however turned out to be a little gem. In the sub £15 category, Monte's are frequently young and promising but ultimately a bit tame. This effort however really delivered above it's £12 tag.

Depth of flavour like an old Syrah, big fruity, chocolatey nose and a warm, spicy finish. I had it on it's own, which I felt suited it perfectly. Why is there always a need to match food and wine? A meal requires wine much more than a good wine needs a partner.

Gran Sasso
100% Montepulciano D'Abruzzo
Colline Teramane
2005
£12.75 at Peckhams

8/10

Peasant Lamb

Since the season has obliged us with a massive dose of 'welcome-to-winter', the time has never been better to sit on your backside with a glass of red and something hearty on your plate. The TV is rot (although a damn sight better without the abhorrent Ross spoiling our Friday nights with ill concieved interviews of genuinely interesting folk) so have a bash at this.

It's the best time of year for using lamb for stews, the meat has plenty of fat and is developing a bit of an older flavour without being really muttony. I get my meat from George Bower in Stockbridge, accountability and high quality.

Half a lamb shoulder (about 1kg including the bone which goes in too)
Tin Borlotti beans
Tin Cannellini beans
Tin chopped tomatoes
2 Celery sticks
2 Carrots
2 Onions
2 Garlic cloves
2 Bay leaves
1 Dried Chilli
Small bunch of Oregano
1 tbsp tomato puree
700ml Vegetable stock
Balsamic vinegar

Take the meat and fat off in large chunks and keep the bone. Let's not fanny about with the fat, leave it in because it has so much flavour and will be completely rendered down in the cooking. Dredge the meat in flour and brown it really hard in olive oil and butter. Don't turn it too much and don't worry about it sticking as it will all unstick in the oven. In generating a really dark golden colour you 're causing reactions (the Maillard reactions) between carbohydrates and proteins that result in hundreds of other complex, aromatic compounds which give the meat and the resulting stew depth and rich, roasted meat flavours and smells.

Chop the veg extremely roughly; bashed garlic cloves and carrots, onions and celery into four or five diagonal bits. Tie up the oregano inside a ribbon of leek with the bay leaves into a simple bouquet garni. That's all the prep you need, put everything together in the pot with the meat, give it a quick stir, let it come to the boil and put it in the oven on gas mark 4 for anything between 2-6hrs. I use veg stock because it leaves more room for the flavour of the lamb and tomatoes, and you're putting the bone in there with the stock veg anyway.

I like it served with a stack of sauteed winter greens; curly kale, cavalo nero, chard and some crusty wholemeal, all from the Farmers Market on Castle Terrace. The last time I made it i washed it down with a Ravenswood Zinfandel. There is a lot of cooking time but prep is about 10mins and it's well worth the wait. A real belter.

What's it all about?

Food, frankly. My intention here is to amuse myself and anyone who stumbles across these amateur pages with ramblings, rantings, reviews and recipies. Inspiration will be taken from a plethora of sources; hunting and fishing, travels and literature. Successes and failures in my own kitchen. Movements across Edinburgh's diverse restaurant scene and all the best places I find to buy, browse and gather food and booze, indeed I'm rather fond of a tipple too!

Gourmand