Because its nice to be nice

Ive been lucky enough to have been sent a few items lately so its only fair they get a mention and a review.

First up i was sent a pot of Thai Taste Red Curry Paste.  I usually make my own paste however used this one as a quick tea fix, the paste was punchy and easy tyo use with plenty of flavour.  I sweated some onions in a pan then added a few tablespoons along with some chicken and a little coconut milk and simmered for around an hour, serving the finished dish with sticky rice.  When ive used pre bought pastes in the past ive had to top up the ginger/garlic/chilli to give a round flavour however this was spot on and made a perfect quick tea.

Next up we have Bottle Green cordial, you can find the brand in all good supermarkets, ive been a fan for ages, their winter spiced cordial which i served with hot water is out of this world, kind of like a none alcoholic mulled wine.  I drank buckets of the stuff over Winter.

I was sent a bottle of their new pomegranate cordial to try and it was beautiful, the kind of thing you would imagine drinking at Wimbledon.  Its light and super refreshing   Whatsmore the brand is doing its bit for charity.  The new range, featuring super stylish bottles are actually in support of Breast Cancer, check the web for more details or go buy a bottle and do your bit!

My final and favourite is Fancies cupcakes in Sheffield.  I was given a box after a recent visit and they were awesome, big enough to share, their buttercream is unreal, really light and creamy, almost like an Italian meringue.  If your in Sheffield check them out, they've got shops all over the city.

Bearnaise sauce

I cant believe i didnt already have this on, its my favourite sauce for steak!  Its basically a hollandaise with tarragon mixed in except you dont whisk this over hot water (with a hollandaise you make a sabayon i.e whisk the eggs over boiling water to make it lighter)  a bearnaise is the same recipe without all the carry on!  Truly the ultimate sauce for a steak or a piece of salmon.

Ingredients
Serves 22 egg yolks (save the whites, they will freeze very well for months)
2 tablespoons of white wine or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
125g of butter melted
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon of dijon mustard
tarragon to taste, i like quite a bit, a tablespoon i suppose...

Method
In a saucepan heat the wine and lemon juice over a high heat until its reduced to half the volume, i.e 2 tablespoons of liquid.
Pour the hot liquid over the egg yolks, add the mustard and seasoning and whisk to combine for a few minutes to make the sauce light.  You will notice the colour of the egg yolks starting to change to a lighter yellow as you whisk.
Now continuing to whisk pour in the melted butter in a slow steady stream until its all combined.
You will notice there will be a solid white matter at the bottom of the container which you had the melted butter in, DONT put this into the sauce, stop before it tips in, this is the fats from the butter which seperate during melting.
Stir in the tarragon, taste for seasoning, add more tarragon if you like, and serve either in a put on the side of the plate or poured over the steaks/fish