Last night A was busy video editing, so I wandered around the damp kitchen (the sealant on the freezer remains broken, the floor remains disgusting), and attempted to make something from what we had left.
A had requested "something with bacon and cheese if you can" and we've spent most of this week eating pasta, so I wanted to do something exciting.
I found potatoes and eggplant in the fridge, and some double cream that was supposed to have been used on the 11th.We had some leftover bacon that needed using up and onions- we always have onions until we don't. I've been missing France, and I know A likes cream and bacon, so I decided to attempt a tartiflette- although I called it a gratin in my head.
I sliced the potatoes fine and boiled in salted water. I fried the bacon and onions with some olive oil in the wok, and threw in the eggplant. I also added the ends of a bottle of white wine we had in the fridge, some salt, pepper, and rosemary (the rosemary pot was the closest to the front of the cupboard).
While this was cooking I decided I wanted more veg, and put on water for boiled cabbage. In hindsight, I should have done this when I put the potatoes on, because cabbage, as ever, takes much longer to cook than I anticipate.
Once everything was cooked I drained the potatoes and added them to the bacon mix with grated strong cheddar cheese and a splash of lemon juice. I mixed this together, and then dished out half of it into a bowl, which I had with some parmesan on top.
For A, I added a big splash of cream, to make a saucey dish, and kept it on the heat until it was cooked.
I made the cabbage the way A's dad likes it, with lots of butter and pepper, and served this on the side.
The creamy dish was definitely much better than mine, mostly because it stopped it being a random collection of food stuffs. Cabbage remains one of my favourites.
While I was waiting for all this to cook, I got started on a cake. (I've been promising work for some time, and my notice became official today...).
I planned on strawberry and lemon, for summer flavours, but the strawberries were furry, so I replaced them with honey.
I made a basic sponge mix- 200g of self-raising flour, butter, and sugar, a spoon of baking powder, and 2 eggs. In hindsight, I probably could have gone to 250g or 300g, as it's a little eggy in places. I was going to sandwich it, but I decided on a drizzle instead- cream would have been to much.
I added healthy amounts of lemon juice and honey to this (and also had my first experience of microwaving honey- great fun, but you have to remember it's in there), and whisked. It made a lovely yellow, thick and smooth batter.
I baked it in a sandwich tin at 150 - 180C (ish) until it bounced back when touched, and left it to cool. I made a lemon drizzle to go over the top, and sliced it into squares to take into work.
I'm pleased with it. A bit eggy, and I could have whisked for longer, but it's a beautiful yellow, and tastes pretty good, especially with the crunch of the drizzle on top. Something with cream and fruit next, I think.
