A Trip to Billingsgate Fish Market

At 4am on Tuesday morning with my alarm ringing in my ears I hopped out of bed ready and raring to take on Billingsgate Fish Market.  This historic destination has been operating for hundreds of years supplying London’s restaurants, fishmongers and citizens with beautifully fresh fish from all over the world.    I was met at the market by Adam, a living and breathing maritime encyclopaedia whose sheer passion for fish was not only infectious but starkly apparent when he tenderly picked up angry crabs and became wide eyes upon spying the largest Red Snapper he had ever seen. 

There was an incredible variety of fish on the market with stalls specialising in produce from the Mediterranean to the North Atlantic.  However, my nose naturally drew me to the smoked fish counter where I sampled the most deliciously succulent hot smoked mackerel that fell off the bone.  All that was needed was a piece of toasted sourdough and I would be in foodie heaven!

Interestingly, the freshness of the produce meant that the market had the salty fragrance of the sea, evoking memories of the wild Cornish coastline.    

Get One Step Closer to Becoming a Food Writer

I had an amazing moment at the beginning of this week when I was flicking through the latest edition of Good Housekeeping and I was greeted with a picture of my face beaming out of page 86!  Last summer I had the most fantastic work experience with the GH cookery team, doing my dream job for 2 weeks.  I worked on photo shoots, recipe tested and accompanied the team on Christmas press events.  The magazine has re-launched their 'Foot in the Door' scheme and I would urge anyone interested in following their passion for food writing to send in their application. 

Check out the link to my work experience blog on the Good Housekeeping website:

http://www.goodhousekeeping.co.uk/news/work-experience-with-the-good-housekeeping-cookery-team

Pistachio and Rose Meringues

As the magnolia trees are happily coming into bloom it is safe to assume that spring is on its way!  Henceforth, now is the opportune moment to embrace floral notes in your cooking by experimenting with the delicate flavours of rose, lavender and orange blossom.  Perhaps I am being overly optimistic but a little bit of springtime goes a long way and these characteristically Middle Eastern scents evoke memories of springs gone by, providing a feast for all the senses.

These bit sized meringues not only satisfy sugar cravings but are also a novel way of bringing a splash of colour to your table. 

Makes 25 meringues

-          3 egg whites

-          150g caster sugar

-          2 tsp rose water (Neilsen Massey is my preferred brand)

-          50g shelled, unsalted pistachio kernels

-          pink food dye (or the colour of your choice)

-          300ml double cream

-          2-3 tbsp icing sugar

Method:

1.      Preheat your oven to 150ºC.  Line a baking tray with silicone paper and whizz the pistachio kernels in a food processor until roughly chopped.  

2.      In a medium bowl whisk the egg whites. Start on a slow speed and gradually increase the speed as the whites grow in size until they have reached stiff peak.

3.      Whisk 1 tbsp of caster sugar into the stiff egg whites, bringing the mixture back to stiff peak.  Repeat this process 3 times and then gradually add the remaining sugar and 1tsp of rose water until it is fully incorporated.  Take care not to over whisk the mixture as this will cause sugar beading once the meringue has cooked.

4.      Paint 4 vertical lines down the length of the piping bag with a medium sized, circle attachment. 

5.      Fill the piping bag with the meringue mixture and pipe into ‘kisses’ approximately 1cm wide, leaving a 1cm gap between each.  Sprinkle with the pistachio kernels and bake for approximately 1hr and 2mins. 

6.      To test the meringue remove one from the oven, let it cool and then crack open the centre.  The meringue should be chalky throughout.  Remove from the oven and cool completely.

7.      Meanwhile, whip the cream to medium to stiff consistency, the cream will thicken when it is piped.  If you have over whipped your cream let it down with a splash of milk.  Add icing sugar and rose water to taste and pipe onto the cooled meringue through a small star shaped nozzle and sandwich together.