Episode 2 Nigella: At My Table


Episode 2

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This is very delicious, too.

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NIGELLA: A table is more than a piece of furniture,

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just as food is more than mere fuel.

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When I moved into my first home many years ago,

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before I did anything else, I bought a table.

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And not just to eat at, but to live around.

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-Chin-chin, amici.

-Chin-chin, everybody!

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-Cheers!

-Thank you.

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At my table, when I'm winding down at the end of a long day...

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They're ready for me, and I'm ready for them.

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..celebrating friendship at weekend feasts,

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or making memories with family...

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..the food I eat is vibrant and varied...

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..but always relaxed.

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Old favourites...

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So far, so good.

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..and fresh discoveries.

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I need to be alone with my sandwich now.

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The comfort of the familiar, combined with the exuberance

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of the new.

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I can hear how good this is going to be.

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The essential welcoming taste of home.

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There's no elegant way to eat them, and that's in their favour.

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Whether I'm pottering about at the stove or sitting at the table,

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I want pleasure, I want flavour, and I want ease.

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Life can be complicated, cooking doesn't have to be.

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I was watching an American TV show recently

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and I missed a crucial part of the plot,

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because I was so deliciously distracted by the

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waffle-eating going on.

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I did try to stop myself buying a waffle machine,

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because I've been down this road before.

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I didn't succeed, but this time I vowed I wouldn't just consign it

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to the cupboard and then give it to a charity shop.

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And actually, I have to say, I've become something

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of a weekend waffler.

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To make my waffle batter, I start off with three eggs.

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Whites here,

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and yolks in here.

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To the yolks...

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..I'm going to add 450ml of full fat milk.

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A splosh of vanilla.

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And 125ml of vegetable oil.

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So much easier than using butter because, you know,

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when you use butter, you have to melt it and then

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let it cool down a bit,

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and this is just faster, and it makes the waffles so crisp.

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And that's what I want from a waffle, really crisp on the outside,

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and light and fluffy on the inside.

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Just a regular whisk here.

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A teeny little...

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..mix together...

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so it's combined.

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Now I can move on to the dry ingredients.

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I start with 225g of plain flour,

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followed by three tablespoons - that's 45g - of caster sugar.

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Then a pinch of salt, and two teaspoons of baking powder.

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Then I just fork everything together.

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And now it's just a case of pouring the wet ingredients into the dry.

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This flat whisk can make sure there aren't lumps.

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I don't want to beat too fast, or I'll splash myself.

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And anyway, going slowly is rather peaceful in the morning.

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But now I'm going to rupture the calm...

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..by whisking the egg whites.

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I want them to get to firm peaks.

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WHISK WHIRS LOUDLY

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And it's not...

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And it's not that noisy.

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I said, it's not that noisy!

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Time for some gentle folding.

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So these fluffy clouds will get absorbed into the

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primrose batter.

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It looks like a sea of marshmallow.

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Just the last bit of white.

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So same again, just making sure, if at all humanly possible,

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that there aren't any streaks of white left in the batter at the end.

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Perfect. This is just what I want from a waffle batter.

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Thick, smooth and airy,

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and it's those bubbles that make these waffles so celestially light.

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Right, I'm going to move along the bus and heat my waffle irons,

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just a couple of minutes.

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I know there's a lot of batter, but I've always found there

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are a lot of takers for these. And actually, what I like to do as well

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is make all the waffles up and then freeze them, and reheat them

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in the oven, from frozen, whenever I feel the need.

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And I can tell you, there is often a need.

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An American cup measure is my tool of choice here,

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and one to be dribbled over this iron.

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And then speedily...

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I'm going to see if I can manage this...

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Ah, more dextrous than I thought.

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That just needs a minute, I'm going to go and get my plate.

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OK, ready to turn.

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And I actually almost forgot my blueberries.

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That would not be a good thing.

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And now for the moment of truth.

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Beautiful!

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All in its golden glory.

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I'm going to ease this out first.

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Over here, my beauties.

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Tumble in a few blueberries.

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And so important, because it's got those pockets waiting for it...

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..the syrup.

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A quiet morning in the garden with waffles.

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What better way to start the weekend?

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When I have friends round my table,

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what I really relish is laid-back informality.

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Now, that doesn't mean I want things thrown together any old how.

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Obviously, I want everything to taste good,

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but I really want it all to look unfussily beautiful.

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Tonight, that means my pomegranate scattered beef and aubergine fatteh,

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and an aromatic bulgur wheat salad.

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And pudding,

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well, pudding's a bit of a lazy show stopper.

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My passion fruit and meringue ice cream cake is, let me tell you,

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a dream to eat, and a doddle to make.

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Unsurprisingly, the ice cream cake has to be made ahead of time,

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and that makes things very much easier on the night, too.

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First off, I scoop the pulp, seeds and all, out of four passion fruit.

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Then I whisk 300ml of double cream until thickened, but not stiff.

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When I'm happy with the consistency of the whipped cream,

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I add the fragrant passion fruit.

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Now I pour in four teaspoons of orange liqueur,

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which seems to bring out the flavour of the passion fruit so well.

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Then I, very enjoyably, crumble in eight shop-bought meringue nests.

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I want a mixture of small pieces and sugary dust.

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Then I gently fold everything together.

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Spoon this mixture into a loaf tin, drapingly lined with clingfilm,

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pressing down on it as you go.

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Then wrap the tin well, before putting it in the freezer overnight.

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And that's all there is to it.

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The beef and aubergine fatteh can be done at the very last minute,

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so I'll get on first with a gorgeous accompaniment that can stand easily.

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I start my nutty and spiced bulgur wheat by warming some olive oil

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in a heavy pan.

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Into that goes a mixture of coriander and cumin seeds.

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Then I add some dried thyme and, well, it would be rude not to,

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a generous hit of nigella seeds.

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I finally grate in the zest of a lemon and then I give everything

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a stir, the warm oil bringing out the fragrance.

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Then all that remains is to tip in the bulgur wheat,

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give it a quick stir and swiftly cover with cold water.

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Add salt. I like to salt very generously.

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Then bring the pan to the boil, clamp on a lid,

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turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.

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Then off the heat, you can just leave it covered till suppertime.

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My Middle Eastern inspired main course starts with pitta,

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toasted simply in the oven.

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Whenever I have friends round,

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I just have to stop myself making this beef and aubergine fatteh.

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I first had a version of it in a Lebanese restaurant and I've been

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obsessed with it ever since.

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Now, I can do this, because I have asbestos fingers and I'm impatient.

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But a wiser person might let these pitta triangles cool a bit

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before arranging them on the plate.

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So, the toasted pitta layer is done.

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Now for the beef and aubergine, which starts off with olive oil.

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A generous amount.

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And some finely chopped onion.

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I want to cook this patiently and gently,

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so that it's soft and golden.

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I'm going to turn the heat up

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and add these dolly-mixture-sized cubes of aubergine.

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It's one aubergine that makes this pile.

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The reason I cut the aubergine into such small dice,

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intensely boring though it is,

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is not only because they'll cook faster that way, but because they'll

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also gave a much more even covering on the pitta later.

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So, now the aubergine confetti has softened

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and fused almost with the onion.

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Some spicing is in order, cumin and coriander.

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I'm using ground cumin and ground coriander here,

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which gives much more pungency.

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And now that glorious Aleppo pepper.

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So beautiful.

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It looks like flakes of terracotta.

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A generous amount of salt.

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Aubergine is quite extraordinary at just drinking up flavour.

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So on top of these toastily spiced aubergines, some minced beef.

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You need the heat up a bit for the beef because I want it

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to brown fast.

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Now, this isn't a sauce,

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I'm not going to add any liquid, because what I want to do

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is to be able to add it in warm, spiced crumbles

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to the toasted pitta bread.

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It isn't going to take very long to cook, but while it does

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I'm going to have a casual tidy-up.

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So the second layer is cooked.

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I'm just going to leave it here...

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..and now we'll get on with layer three.

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For this, I need a small pan with a little bit of hot water

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at the bottom and my bain-marie helmet.

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And, you know, calling it a sauce makes it sound

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so much more complicated than it is,

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because, really, it's just a question of stirring together

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a lovely lot of Greek yoghurt with some tahini.

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Now, the tahini you've got to have at room temperature

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before you use it, otherwise you'll just break a spoon

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trying to get it out.

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Quite a bit of this soft sesame paste.

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And a lot of lemon.

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A real citrus burst here.

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There's one decent size lemon.

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Quite a bit of salt.

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And two fat cloves of garlic.

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This has got a bit of a kick.

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I'm going to turn the heat off now, because the steam from

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the water underneath as it is will be enough to warm this mixture,

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which I want just above room temperature.

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And when it gets there,

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it has the texture of softly whipped double cream,

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and you can see that it's billowingly increased in volume.

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Mm! Perfect! It needs nothing else.

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So, now for the grand assembly.

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So, first, we mound it on,

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the warm spiced crumbles of beef and aubergine.

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And now I'm going to drape it with this creamy tahini sauce.

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I quite like a bit of the beef peeking out underneath, though.

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I want to sprinkle a bit of that Aleppo pepper I used earlier on top.

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Turn over the pomegranates,

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and I'm going to add some in almost...

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..bejewelled clumps.

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And now the toasted pine nuts.

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And there are a lot of pine nuts in there, a lot of pomegranate seeds

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because they're not just decoration, beautiful though they are,

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it's all about adding texture as well.

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And finally, some finely shredded fresh mint.

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You know, I think of this as a refined Middle Eastern version

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of nachos, which I am now going to bear proudly aloft.

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Wow, look at that.

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A slice of fatteh.

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There we go.

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That's a good one. Very, very good one.

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Now my finishing touches to the bulgur wheat -

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a scattering of toasted flaked almonds and roughly chopped parsley.

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I'm going to give you a few more bits.

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Mmm, mmm!

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Mmm.

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Very good.

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I'll leave everyone happy at the table while I busy myself

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stoveside for a moment.

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My passion fruit ice cream cake has a partner in crime,

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and that just happens to be a rather fabulous coconut caramel sauce.

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And for that, I need 50g of soft unsalted butter...

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and then 50g of caster sugar.

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And 50g also of soft, light brown sugar.

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And finally, about the same weight of golden syrup.

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Come on, baby.

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Let this melt now.

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Going to give it a little swirl just to help matters along.

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Just going to give it a little stir to make sure there are no lumps.

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And if I can leave it alone for a moment,

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I'm going to let it come to a simmer.

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Mm, it is bubbling away here like honeycomb.

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Get it off the hob just for a moment.

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And into this cauldron of bubbling caramel,

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I'm going to add 250ml of coconut cream.

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Give it a bit of swirl.

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Don't worry if it doesn't look very smooth at this stage,

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all will come good. Better than good.

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So back on the heat.

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Now it's come to a bubble, and as you can see, it sort of

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spurts and pops like one of those dancing fountains that children

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just love running through and getting drenched.

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Once this is done, I will pour it into a jug and then it can cool.

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And I'm ready to slice the ice.

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So you can see why I added this overhang,

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I can just lift the ice cream cake out.

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I normally don't go in for individual plating

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but this ice cream is so dreamy and soft and I don't want it

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to start melting, so I treat it as a bit of a cut-and-come-again number.

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There we are.

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So first cut...

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You know the rest.

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It has almost an Italian semifreddo texture.

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And the rest, I can wrap up and stash in the freezer

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for greedy people.

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Like me.

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And I'm going to drizzle on the coconut caramel now,

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just a little bit, because there will be plenty more on the table

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for people to help themselves.

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That's perfect.

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I don't think it matters whether it goes on thinly or thickly.

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I'm covering myself, because obviously uniformity is not

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one of my strengths.

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Right, they're done and I don't need this now, so...

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Mmm!

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I'm not silver service, so I can't take them all on my arm,

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so two for now and I'll be back for the rest and my wine.

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Lovely.

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Oh, that's a big mouthful.

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Actually, the coconut comes through incredibly well, doesn't it?

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Do you like it?

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-Mmm. Very passion-fruity.

-Good crunch, I love that.

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Mmm, it is good, the crunch is good.

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Delicious.

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I am cursed with being a very bad sleeper,

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and I have to say I do an awful lot of moaning about it.

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But insomnia does have its benefits.

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As I lie awake, I focus very fruitfully on what

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I could be eating.

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This toasted brie, Parma ham and fig sandwich is a case in point.

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I got the inspiration for it in the otherwise fretful small hours

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one night, and I don't really know why, because in the daylight hours

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it would never occur to me to start cooking with brie.

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And I do realise it's not the chicest thing to be doing,

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but I have to say

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this sandwich turns out to be food for the gods,

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and I'm just that little bit happier

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when I have figs, Parma ham and brie in the house.

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First, the bread.

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I want to cut it generously, but not so thick that it stops the cheese

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from melting in the middle.

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And now...

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I do realise that many French people would think it's a crime

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to make a toasted sandwich with brie, but really they just have

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to have one bite to forgive everything.

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Good, thick spreading.

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I know it's not done to take the nose off the cheese, but...

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it's gone now.

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Ready for my layering up.

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Bit of pepper, bit of white pepper, I feel.

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A plumptious black fig.

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Going to take the end off.

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Just cut it into rounds.

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And that goes on one piece of brie-spread bread.

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Mmm.

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One for me, another one for me.

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It's all for me, frankly.

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And some Parma ham.

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It's quite Italianate, the fig and ham, of course.

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I suppose the brie is the impostor, but it works so well.

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And that's all that matters.

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Mmm. Pink as a kitten's tongue.

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Now, I know I said it was a toasted sandwich, but in fact,

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I'm frying it in butter.

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Just a bit of butter.

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And a smaller bit of oil, to stop the butter from burning.

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So while that's melting, I'm going to squidge my sandwich together.

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Very enjoyable.

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The pan's ready, my sandwich is ready, I am more than ready.

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So I'm going to lower it gently into the pan.

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And I have a special implement for this that I bought in America

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a few years back.

0:27:100:27:12

I can press down.

0:27:120:27:14

The idea is that the bread is golden and crisp on the outside,

0:27:170:27:21

and in the middle, the cheese is warm and oozy,

0:27:210:27:24

the ham tender and the fig juicy.

0:27:240:27:26

I'm going to help this turn.

0:27:290:27:32

Just do the same on the other side, but I need a teeny bit more butter.

0:27:320:27:36

Fair's fair. Got it for the one side.

0:27:370:27:39

A pinprick of oil.

0:27:420:27:43

Now my patting is slightly impatient.

0:27:470:27:49

So that's cooked perfectly.

0:27:540:27:56

So...

0:27:570:27:59

out it comes.

0:27:590:28:01

Back on the board.

0:28:030:28:04

I'm going to cut it in half, so...

0:28:080:28:10

Mmm!

0:28:210:28:22

I need to be alone with my sandwich now.

0:28:240:28:26

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