We went to South Cerney this evening to see Jimbo and Louise. They rented out a nice house right by the lake with a lovely kitchen, that I wouldn’t mind at all. With 2 little Blackhams now, Louise has rather little time to cook and entertain, so I made starters and a dessert and the boys cooked (!!!!) the steaks on a gas BBQ.  I’ve taken no photos of steaks, as they turned out to be super well done, but the meat was good quality, so we ate them all regardless, plus some nice sausages and lovely white bread.

For the starter I’ve made a classic roquefort, pear and walnut salad with my own addition of parma ham, to make it a bit more substantial. I used rocket salad, rather than poncy frissee, like Janet Street-Porter in Masterchef.  The walnuts, when slightly toasted have another flavour dimention and the dressing was Raymond Blanc’s, minus measuring stuff, haha.  Some roquefort mashed with olive oil, chardonnay vinegar and black pepper.  Parmesan shavings on top.Done. Liked it a lot, might make it for the upcoming Weekend Of The Year.

For dessert I’ve made a wild cheesecake, again, with no scales or other equipment in sight. Made the base out of crushed biscuits, amaretti and butter and flash-baked it, then melted most of a white chocolate bar in some double cream with vanilla paste and 3 gelatine leaves, added that to a tub of ricotta cheese and blizted, sweetened to taste and threw lots of fresh raspberries in. All that went onto the base, fresh raspberries on top, a touch of raspberry coulis and into the fridge to set. Right before serving I sprinkled some toasted flaked almonds on top. Was enjoyed.