0:00:03 > 0:00:06CHATTER
0:00:06 > 0:00:08- This is very delicious.- Yeah.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11A table is more than a piece of furniture,
0:00:11 > 0:00:13just as food is more than mere fuel.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19When I moved into my first home many years ago,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22before I did anything else, I bought a table.
0:00:22 > 0:00:25And not just to eat at, but to live around.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28- Chin-chin!- Chin-chin, everybody. - Cheers.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34At my table, when I'm winding down at the end of a long day...
0:00:35 > 0:00:38They're ready for me, and I'm ready for them.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41..celebrating friendship at weekend feasts,
0:00:41 > 0:00:44or making memories with family,
0:00:44 > 0:00:48the food I eat is vibrant and varied,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50but always relaxed.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Mmm!
0:00:54 > 0:00:55Old favourites...
0:00:55 > 0:00:57So far, so good.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59..and fresh discoveries.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02I need to be alone with my sandwich now.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04The comfort of the familiar,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06combined with the exuberance of the new.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11Ah, I can hear how good this is going to be.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14The essential welcoming taste of home.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17There's no elegant way to eat them and that's in their favour.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Whether I'm pottering about at the stove or sitting at the table,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26I want pleasure, I want flavour and I want ease.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Life can be complicated - cooking doesn't have to be.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04Bitter radicchio, salty blue cheese, sweet chestnuts -
0:02:04 > 0:02:07this is an essentially wintry salad
0:02:07 > 0:02:10that I eat very happily all the year round.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19I just want to tear these ruby leaves into bite-sized pieces.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Normally when I make a salad, I just
0:02:22 > 0:02:24add a glug of extra virgin olive oil,
0:02:24 > 0:02:29a spritz of lemon juice and a sprinkling of sea salt flakes,
0:02:29 > 0:02:34but this is a special salad and it deserves a special vinaigrette.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39And it really deserves star-billing in its own right.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42It's become, in a way, my house dressing.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47It starts off aromatically and astringently with orange juice -
0:02:47 > 0:02:51freshly squeezed - and I want two teaspoons.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00And after that, the same amount of lime juice.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03I'm giving you the measurements
0:03:03 > 0:03:06because it's actually very helpful to know the ratio.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14And now I want a teaspoon of grain mustard.
0:03:20 > 0:03:21And a teaspoon of honey.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36I'm using a tablespoonful of olive oil,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38just ordinary olive oil, not extra virgin.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45I'm not using extra virgin,
0:03:45 > 0:03:51because I want a teeny drop of toasted sesame oil.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53It's got such a strong, nutty flavour,
0:03:53 > 0:03:57it really wouldn't be worth using extra virgin olive oil.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00A teeny pinch of salt, because, remember, the blue cheese is salty.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05And now, a bit of a shake.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12And before I do anything else, I'm going to dress the salad,
0:04:12 > 0:04:13just as it is.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18It may not look like a lot of dressing,
0:04:18 > 0:04:23but the trick is to toss it patiently, and take your time.
0:04:26 > 0:04:31And, in fact, often when I'm a bit impatient and go too fast,
0:04:31 > 0:04:35I add too much dressing and end up with an overdressed salad.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45Time for the chestnuts, which I'm very glad to say I buy like this,
0:04:45 > 0:04:47peeled and vacuum-packed.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50I don't cook them myself and peel them very painfully like my mother
0:04:50 > 0:04:53always did, and very bad-temperedly, too.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Just crumble them in.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Such an underused ingredient.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11This salad is also very good with walnuts in place of them.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Ah, but nothing can substitute for the blue cheese.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20It doesn't really matter what blue cheese you use,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24as long as it's sharp and crumbly rather than too creamy.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27This is Gorgonzola, a real treat.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30And normally, I wouldn't condone
0:05:30 > 0:05:32putting cheese like this in the fridge,
0:05:32 > 0:05:36but it has to be cold or I wouldn't be able to crumble it.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Right, I'm going to toss this together again.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44So...
0:05:45 > 0:05:51..the little bits of chestnut and the nuggets of blue cheese
0:05:51 > 0:05:53are dispersed throughout the salad.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04I make this an awful lot when I have people over, but I have to say,
0:06:04 > 0:06:07as a solo treat, it is unparalleled.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32I want some seafood, mama,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34and this is a dish that always delivers.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42My mussels with tomatoes and pasta is really rather like a rich red and
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Italianate moules mariniere studded with stubby pasta.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50I like to use ditalini, or ditaloni.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52You can use macaroni - I won't punish you for it,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55but there's something fantastic about this shape with the mussels.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57They're sturdy, but they're small.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02I just want to warm some oil - just regular olive oil.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09And slice these cherry tomatoes across the equator.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13When I was younger,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17I had such shuddering contempt for the combination of tomatoes and
0:07:17 > 0:07:20seafood, but now I embrace the union.
0:07:23 > 0:07:28The honeyed acidity of these cherry tomatoes provides a wonderful
0:07:28 > 0:07:31balance to the silky umami depth of the mussels.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37I know I chop slowly, but it doesn't really matter.
0:07:37 > 0:07:38It matters in a restaurant when
0:07:38 > 0:07:40you're feeding 60, but not just at home.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Add the tomatoes to the pan.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Now, they will splutter a bit, so I'm going to keep at arm's length.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Look at them spritzing jubilantly.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58I just want them to soften.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04You can see that as they ooze their viscous juices into the pan,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07they're turning the oil an orangey colour.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15And on top, I want some garlic.
0:08:15 > 0:08:18I've got two cloves - just grate it straight on top.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26And the reason why I cook the tomatoes first a bit
0:08:26 > 0:08:29is that I don't want the garlic to burn and get bitter.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31I want sweetness as well as heat.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41And next, some chilli flakes, bought from a Malayan airport.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44I know this is unconventional,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48but it's just because I wear contact lenses and it'll be agony tonight
0:08:48 > 0:08:49if I use my hands.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55A little bit of salt, not too much -
0:08:55 > 0:08:58because the mussels bring the salinity of the sea themselves.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08And now a sloosh of red vermouth.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16There's something about all vermouth, but particularly red,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19that gives a near instant hit of slow-cooked flavour.
0:09:25 > 0:09:27This can bubble up a bit just while I get the mussels.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Using a spider, just a wire mesh ladle,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34just going to add them to the pan.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54Now the mussels can steam in all that wonderful aromatic liquid.
0:09:57 > 0:09:58Going to give it a bit of a shake.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11And then, while I wait for them, I'm going to chop some parsley,
0:10:11 > 0:10:12just roughly chopped.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26I always love a bit of mezzaluna action - it's curiously therapeutic.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40Perfect! The mussels have cooked and looking like baby birds
0:10:40 > 0:10:42with their beaks open.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47And actually, the pasta - yup, it is...
0:10:47 > 0:10:50It could do with another minute, which is what it's going to get.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52So in it goes directly.
0:10:56 > 0:10:58The pasta, even though the heat is now off,
0:10:58 > 0:11:04will carry on cooking and drinking up the winey, briny juices.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09The starch from the pasta water thickens the liquid.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21OK, I must leave it and, actually,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23I could do with doing a bit of clearing up as I wait.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35And that looks just lovely.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39I like it when the bits of pasta nestle inside the shells.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41A generous scattering of parsley.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Now, obviously you can eat this however you want,
0:11:51 > 0:11:58but the way I think is best is first to eat these golden mussels,
0:11:58 > 0:12:01and then slurp up the sauce-soused pasta.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27I've got more or less all I need for supper,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30but I'm just on the search for a few final ingredients.
0:12:40 > 0:12:41When I come to a place like this,
0:12:41 > 0:12:46I really have to try and practice uncharacteristic restraint,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49because I always end up wanting one of everything in the shop.
0:12:57 > 0:13:02Ah, it's all so beautiful, but I think I want this one - yeah.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06I've got some girlfriends coming over and they have been very precise
0:13:06 > 0:13:08about what they want me to cook for them,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10so, by popular request, CHATTER
0:13:10 > 0:13:13I am making my chicken, red grapes and marsala.
0:13:15 > 0:13:20And afterwards, I'm giving them a deeply divine sunken chocolate
0:13:20 > 0:13:25amaretto cake and, to be dolloped alongside, crumbled amaretti cream.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35I need to get on with the cake ahead of time.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42I want four large eggs and 125g of caster sugar,
0:13:42 > 0:13:43and I whisk these together.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00This is a flourless cake made with ground almonds.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02I need 75g
0:14:02 > 0:14:04and then two tablespoons of cocoa.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08I just fork to mix.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Meanwhile, my eggs and sugar should be thick and moussey,
0:14:19 > 0:14:21and at least doubled in volume.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26Then I slowly add the almond and cocoa mixture.
0:14:29 > 0:14:34I add three tablespoons of amaretto liqueur to melted dark chocolate and
0:14:34 > 0:14:38butter, 100g of each, slightly cooled in a bowl.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44Whisking gently now,
0:14:44 > 0:14:48I pour this in a slow and steady stream into the batter.
0:14:57 > 0:15:00The combination of ground almonds and amaretto
0:15:00 > 0:15:03gives this rich chocolate cake a marzipaney depth.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16When I've got what looks like a billowy chocolate mousse,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20I pour and scrape it into a lined 20cm springform tin.
0:15:26 > 0:15:32This needs 20-25 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 degrees.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53When the cake's baked and cool,
0:15:53 > 0:15:55I can set about supper in leisurely fashion.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59A splosh of olive oil.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12Full of mellow fruitfulness,
0:16:12 > 0:16:17the oaky richness of marsala and the sweet-smelling woodsiness of thyme,
0:16:17 > 0:16:22my chicken with red grapes manages that rare and wonderful thing,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25which is to be elegant and cosy at the same time,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28which makes it just right when the nights are drawing in.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34The chicken I'm using are supremes,
0:16:34 > 0:16:39and a supreme is the skin on chicken breast with the peg bones still
0:16:39 > 0:16:43attached, and that bone makes the chicken so much juicier
0:16:43 > 0:16:46and gives a lot of flavour.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48I'm going to leave these here just for a short while
0:16:48 > 0:16:50to help the skin get a bit golden,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53and I'm going to get on with the sauce.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55It's not very labour intensive.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00I've got some chicken stock there and I'm adding some marsala,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02gloriously amber coloured.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06It's got an almost caramelly smokiness.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09And into that,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11I want some wine-tangy Dijon mustard.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19I'll give it a little whisk here.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27And the chicken juices will add to this in the pan.
0:17:27 > 0:17:32And now, it's so unlike me to be putting grapes with chicken,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36but the thing to remember is in fact what these grapes give
0:17:36 > 0:17:39is a puncture of fruity sharpness.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41They're not terribly sweet, or not sweet at all.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46And along with the grapes,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49I'm going to give a fragrant scattering of thyme.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53So, let's see how this is doing.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Perfect. You see, they're starting to get gold.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00They'll bronze up more in the oven.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10And now, these golden juices.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I'm going to wait till the liquid comes to a bit of a bubble.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20And once the grapes and thyme are in,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23this just needs to go into a hot oven for about 20 minutes,
0:18:23 > 0:18:26and the chicken will be juicy and cooked
0:18:26 > 0:18:27and the skin bronzed and crisp.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31And we're off.
0:18:47 > 0:18:51Hold some back to sprinkle on later, but, ah!
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Such beautiful autumnal colours.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Beautiful.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21OK, mind your backs.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26CHATTER
0:19:26 > 0:19:27OK.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Jolly good. Yes.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43THEY LAUGH
0:19:45 > 0:19:46OK.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49CHATTER AND LAUGHTER
0:19:50 > 0:19:55I'm going to dunk some bread in - I highly recommend it.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58I'm going to do a bit of a dippage.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00Oh, yeah, that's good. It's good.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02That's really good!
0:20:09 > 0:20:12So, you can see why I call this my sunken chocolate amaretto cake,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16and it leaves a rather pretty frill around the outside.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20And I'm going to give this rich, squidgy-bellied cake
0:20:20 > 0:20:22a velvety dusting of cocoa.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30I want it thickly covered, like a bitter chocolate truffle.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40And underneath this powdery Aztec brown,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43its interior is dense and dark.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Now, actually, this cake is a twofold pleasure,
0:20:48 > 0:20:51because with it comes my amaretti cream.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57I've got 250ml of double cream here,
0:20:57 > 0:21:02and I'm going to add a slug of amber amaretto liqueur,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05answering the sweet song of the cake.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12I'm going to whip this until it's thickened but still soft and floppy.
0:21:21 > 0:21:22It doesn't take very long.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26When I called this amaretti cream,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29I meant amaretti cream, not amaretto,
0:21:29 > 0:21:34because I'm now going to add some crumbled amaretti biscuits.
0:21:37 > 0:21:38Just crumble them in.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45Like the cake, they seem to have that balance
0:21:45 > 0:21:48of bitterness and marzipaney sweetness.
0:21:51 > 0:21:56Fold these in and the cream will thicken a bit more as I fold.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03It adds an almost honeycomb crunch to the smoothness of the soft cream.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08And that's exactly right.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15I'm going to fill up an old favourite of mine.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28And before I take this to the table,
0:22:28 > 0:22:31I'm just going to add one final golden crumble.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44- Wow!- Right.- Ooh.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45That's the sound I want to hear.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59That's very eager. THEY LAUGH
0:22:59 > 0:23:02That's a good thing - I didn't mean to sound at all critical!
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Oh, you're putting it on top - that's radical.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Looks beautiful. That's... Yes!
0:23:14 > 0:23:17I think Claire's got a future as everything.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19CHATTER
0:23:19 > 0:23:23I want to know where you're going to put them now.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26- Yeah, go on!- I want one on top, I want one on top, come on.
0:23:26 > 0:23:27Yeah.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Brilliant.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31- So good!- Excellent.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38I'm getting... I don't know what I'm doing, I'm so excited.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42- Mmm.- I like the cream.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Yeah, the cream.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47It's lovely, isn't it? I think the cream really makes it.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50I love cake, but I think with the cream...
0:23:50 > 0:23:52Could you make an amaretto ice cream?
0:23:52 > 0:23:55You can make anything you want.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57THEY LAUGH
0:24:18 > 0:24:20You find me in the hot spot because
0:24:20 > 0:24:22I'm after a bit of fire with my food.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24I have quite a collection of hot sauces.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Now this one is Jamaican,
0:24:26 > 0:24:31and it in fact has more of a heady sourness rather than heat and it's
0:24:31 > 0:24:33great for marinades, so I don't need it now.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37I've got this blueberry hot sauce,
0:24:37 > 0:24:40which I thought would be tangy and fruity when I got it,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42but not a bit of it.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45I mean, I consider myself something of a fire eater but I have to warn
0:24:45 > 0:24:49you that any more than a pinprick of this, fabulous though it is,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52will leave your mouth numb for a week.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56But I'm making my egg tortilla pie now and for that I want sriracha.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05My egg tortilla pie is so much simpler than it sounds.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09Instead of pastry, I use soft flour tortilla wraps.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11I just want to oil the dish first
0:25:11 > 0:25:14to make sure the bottom layer doesn't stick.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Help it crisp up.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23And there we are. Here is the bottom layer, just eased into the bowl.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30And I've got some ham to throw in.
0:25:30 > 0:25:34But really, this is not a recipe.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38I mean, it's just something I make when I'm too tired to cook
0:25:38 > 0:25:40but I want to eat well.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44So use whatever you have lying about the place.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48But the one thing I always add are the eggs - just two -
0:25:48 > 0:25:49cracked on top of the ham.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00I'm adding cheese to this, so I don't want too much salt
0:26:00 > 0:26:03but I cannot eat eggs unless there's salt on the yolks.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09And now the cheese - again, any hard cheese you've got,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12but I've got some palate-burningly strong cheddar here.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Just letting it fall on top here.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23It has a kind of crystalline crumbliness.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27And now, the top layer.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34This makes me feel very, very artistic.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Just brushing on to make it nice and crisp when it goes in the oven.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44So the roof goes on -
0:26:44 > 0:26:46squeeze it in a bit.
0:26:47 > 0:26:53Not pressing on the eggs and cheese, but just into the sides
0:26:53 > 0:26:57and down to help seal it, like you were crimping a pie.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03I've got some oil left, so I'm going to give a bit of extra here.
0:27:03 > 0:27:04That will go really crunchy.
0:27:07 > 0:27:08Now it thinks it's a pie.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11It also thinks a bit that it might be a pizza,
0:27:11 > 0:27:15so more cheddar on top.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20And because of the crumbly texture of this particular cheddar,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24I will get some lumps falling off as well as these ribbon flakes,
0:27:24 > 0:27:25but that's just fine by me.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38A bit more artistry coming up - the all-important hot sauce.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Jackson Pollock it in.
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Well, that wasn't exactly work, and now all it needs -
0:27:47 > 0:27:48about 15 minutes in a hot oven.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24Crisp crust, soft-yolked eggs, salty ham and melted cheese,
0:28:24 > 0:28:26it's got my name on it!