Such a lot has changed since the last time we met up! But the desire to join and swap recipes and discuss food stayed strong through the pandemic, and it was wonderful to be finally back in a room together sharing some delicious dishes. We missed Philip and Andrew at the first meeting since they left, and also missed Sue and Janet who couldn’t make it. However a select gathering of 6 had a great evening nonetheless.

Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour was widely praised as a book that we would regularly return to. All the dishes were delicious!

Starters

Karen – Feta and spring onion stuffed potato skins

We enjoyed the tastiness of this starter, with the soft mash combined with the other ingredients. Although not difficult, Karen reported that it was time consuming. The tarragon was a slightly surprising but delicious flavour note.

Jane – Lime and Allspice Paneer with Chilli and Mango Salsa

This was extremely easy to make! It was interesting using whole allspice berries for the first time, I’d only ever seen it ground before. The paneer was crispy and well spiced and the salsa was a great contrast.

Main

Justine – Caramelised onion, feta and olive tart

Justine was concerned that the lack of blind baking had resulted in the infamous soggy bottom. But the general view was that the pastry was well cooked, and the tart was very tasty. We wonder whether the recipe should have suggested blind baking anyway to relieve the anxiety of it being undercooked.

Sides

Tracey – Sweet potato, coconut and thyme bake

This was unctuous and delicious, very much comfort food. Although the coconut milk wasn’t particularly noticeable as a flavour, we think it contributed to the lusciousness of the dish – there was certainly a lot of oil left in the bowl when we finished it. It wasn’t crispy on top like a potato dauphinoise might have been, but Tracey thought this was possibly the result of travelling.

Julie – Garlic and chilli mashed butternut squash

Another dish with lots of garlic, apologies to all who met us the next morning! Julie said that this was very easy to make. The softness of the squash was contrasted very effectively by the pine nuts, with the tahini and sumac as flavoursome additions. And the chilli was very warming too!

Pudding

Debrah – Raspberry and mascarpone no-bake cheesecake

This finished the evening off triumphantly – what a delicious pudding! Some are normally not convinced by a no bake cheesecake, but this was a game changer. Really light and full of flavour, with none of the rubberiness that can sometimes occur. We agreed that it could easily work as a mousse without the biscuit base.