0:00:02 > 0:00:05We've got some of the greatest dishes from your favourite TV chefs
0:00:05 > 0:00:09and we're serving them up alphabetically here on The A-Z Of TV Cooking.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Today we're looking at things linked by the letter A.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30So let's start where every good alphabet starts -
0:00:30 > 0:00:33A is for apple.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36And here's Nigel Slater with a savoury take
0:00:36 > 0:00:38on a good old-fashioned apple crumble.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41I'm not the sort of cook who travels the world
0:00:41 > 0:00:43trying to find weird things to eat.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46But I do like to ring the changes,
0:00:46 > 0:00:48and much more fun, to my mind,
0:00:48 > 0:00:49is to take something I know very well,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52something familiar...
0:00:52 > 0:00:54and give it a new lease of life.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Give it a surprise.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02So I'm taking an unusual approach to one of my favourites -
0:01:02 > 0:01:03apple crumble.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05I want to play with the flavours
0:01:05 > 0:01:07and make a savoury version.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Something to try with a Sunday roast,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11or even alongside some sausages.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Half a dozen apples should be enough.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19There's two ways to approach the filling for a crumble.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21You either cook the fruit from raw
0:01:21 > 0:01:23with the crumble topping on it
0:01:23 > 0:01:25or you just give the fruit
0:01:25 > 0:01:27a few minutes in a pan with a little bit of butter
0:01:27 > 0:01:29to start with.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36So often cooking is about
0:01:36 > 0:01:38getting something on the table at the end of the day.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41It's about feeding the hungry hordes.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42But I think it can also be about
0:01:42 > 0:01:44having a little bit of fun.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46A rainy afternoon...
0:01:46 > 0:01:49a few ingredients, and just...
0:01:49 > 0:01:51just playing a bit.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57These apples just need a few minutes to stew.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Plenty of time to make my crumble topping.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03It starts in the usual way,
0:02:03 > 0:02:04with butter and flour.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Rub the butter into the flour,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11which you can do in a food processor and it takes seconds.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17But I like the feel of food in my hands, particularly baking.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21I just end up with a good, rich, basic crumble.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Check the apples, see how they're coming on.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Now, they're looking good. They're looking nice and soft.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33I'm going to put in a little bit of Madeira.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35You could use Marsala.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Just something to give it a grown-up flavour.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43So far, so traditional.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46But I want my crumble to be a bit different.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Time for the savoury twist.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Apples and cheese...
0:02:50 > 0:02:52are one of life's perfect marriages.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55So, I'm going to grate into that
0:02:55 > 0:02:58a little bit of Parmesan cheese.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02A good, strong Parmesan will add real flavour to this.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Probably need three or four tablespoons.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Breadcrumbs will add to the savoury edge
0:03:13 > 0:03:15and crisp up beautifully.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21I'm just thinking of something that will work with the apples.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Maybe a little bit of thyme. I've got some lemon thyme.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26It just has that little extra bit of freshness.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Lemon thyme works well in stuffing
0:03:31 > 0:03:33and will add a delicate freshness.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38So, the apple's really quite soft.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41And it's soaked up a little bit of that alcohol.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43And then it gets its crumble topping.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48A final shower of Parmesan
0:03:48 > 0:03:50and into the oven it goes.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53I'm grateful for the rain today.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56It's a wonderful excuse to stay inside,
0:03:56 > 0:03:58pour myself a drink
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and just enjoy the scent of baking.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04It's deeply savoury from the cheese and thyme,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07but there's definitely the sweetness of apple in there too.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Looks like a crumble.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Something very familiar and friendly about that.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22I'm expecting pudding,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24but I'm actually getting something that reminds me
0:04:24 > 0:04:27of an old-fashioned ploughman's lunch
0:04:27 > 0:04:29with a big lump of cheese and an apple.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30It would be a really nice thing
0:04:30 > 0:04:33to have on the side with some cold roast meat.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Quite unusual, but it's a success.
0:04:41 > 0:04:43The cheese has made a classic apple crumble
0:04:43 > 0:04:46into something intriguing, for very little effort.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49I'd happily eat this for supper any day of the week.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51And especially with sausages.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Now, A is for avocado,
0:04:58 > 0:05:03and here with a recipe, Jamie Oliver getting ready for a barbecue
0:05:03 > 0:05:07that's going to feature a potato, avocado and cress salad.
0:05:07 > 0:05:08Right, second salad, yes?
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Check if these old boys are done...
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Beauty.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17I just chuffed up the potatoes
0:05:17 > 0:05:20with a scrubber, sort of roughed it up a bit,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22to clean it and to scrub it.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25And cooked it in nice salty boiling water
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and then you drain them.
0:05:29 > 0:05:30And what I'm going to do
0:05:30 > 0:05:33is put olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper on it now.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35You could use vinegar if you liked.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38And because it's all sort of chuffed up and really hot,
0:05:38 > 0:05:41it'll suck up all the dressing and just make it really taste nice.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44So, good pinch of salt...
0:05:45 > 0:05:46..good pinch of pepper...
0:05:47 > 0:05:50..olive oil - about sort of six tablespoons.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Enough to dress the salad.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56And a lemon.
0:05:56 > 0:05:57Any particular sort of potatoes?
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Well, these are just new potatoes,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02but basically, any small, waxy potato is really good.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05Put the lid back on, just give it a...
0:06:08 > 0:06:11So that's kind of nicely dressed. Let that cool down a bit.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13And while that's cooling down,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17it's kind of... I suppose it's a bit of a retro salad, yeah?
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Cos it's kind of, er...
0:06:19 > 0:06:21It's got avocado in it.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24And, like, you know, avocado is massively '70s, isn't it?
0:06:24 > 0:06:26And in my business, like, you know,
0:06:26 > 0:06:30it's quite old-fashioned to have avocado on the menu.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Tell you what really winds me up,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35it's like no-one seems to sell them ripe any more, or just ripe.
0:06:35 > 0:06:36They're always hard.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38You've got to buy them a week in advance.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40I don't know. I just don't think
0:06:40 > 0:06:42people's buying habits are like that any more.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- How do you ripen them?- They ripen very quickly
0:06:45 > 0:06:46if you put them in a dark cupboard.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50I've got a mad friend who said you put them in a bag with a banana.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52So are you doing all the cooking yourself this evening?
0:06:52 > 0:06:55This evening? No, not really. I've done most of it already.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56For the actual barbie,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Ben's going to come and help us very shortly.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01But, um...
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Then again, it's his party, so he should do!
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Plus, if anyone can do a good barbie,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- it's an Aussie, do you know what I mean?- Is Ben a good cook?
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Yeah, Ben's a brilliant cook.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11He's quite mad.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15He cooks fine food, but he's got a secret soft spot for offal.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Cos when we used to cook together
0:07:17 > 0:07:21and we used to get a whole pig come into the kitchen
0:07:21 > 0:07:22that we had to break down,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24the head would always go missing,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26and I'd be doing a fridge list two days later
0:07:26 > 0:07:28and you go into this big bucket which said "Ben's bucket"
0:07:28 > 0:07:30and you'd open it up
0:07:30 > 0:07:32and there'd be this big pig's head going like this...
0:07:32 > 0:07:35And you'd be like, "Oh, my God, what's he doing?"
0:07:35 > 0:07:38And he'd be, like, soaking it in spices and stuff like that.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39Then he'll take it home
0:07:39 > 0:07:41and he'll be kind of,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44dismembering it and making some fantastic concoction out of it.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Listen, this has cooled down a touch.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48And I think...
0:07:48 > 0:07:50nice thing about this salad is
0:07:50 > 0:07:52it should be pretty last-minute, really.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54And I think the best potato salad in the world
0:07:54 > 0:07:59is just put in some fennel tops or dill from the window box, yeah?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Beautiful.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05But I think to have it, not necessarily hot, but warm-ish.
0:08:05 > 0:08:06I think that makes all the difference.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08I need a big plate.
0:08:10 > 0:08:11Right, so what you have to do
0:08:11 > 0:08:13is now these potatoes have cooled down a bit,
0:08:13 > 0:08:18and all the dressing's been warmed slightly...
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Get some of these big ones
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and just slice them up a bit, cos you don't want them all to be huge,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25and, um...
0:08:25 > 0:08:28So they're nice, mouth-sized pieces.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30Pick up the avocados and just put them on top.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32And we'll mix it up in a sec.
0:08:34 > 0:08:35The avocados don't discolour?
0:08:35 > 0:08:38No. The thing is, I'm going to dress them in a sec
0:08:38 > 0:08:40and the oil and lemon will protect them.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42Right, so here's for the last part, yeah?
0:08:42 > 0:08:44You're going to laugh.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46Cress!
0:08:46 > 0:08:48And, like...
0:08:48 > 0:08:52I know cress is the most hated thing in the restaurant world,
0:08:52 > 0:08:54- but I love it.- Why's that?
0:08:54 > 0:08:56- I don't know... What, in the restaurant?- Mm.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58It's just tacky, isn't it?
0:08:58 > 0:09:01It was always like 1970s cookbooks
0:09:01 > 0:09:03with kind of a garnish of cress.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06A bit kind of poached salmon with aspic jelly.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08It's just like, "Oh, my God"
0:09:08 > 0:09:10But we used to grow them on cotton wool.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13We used to scatter the seeds in special shapes and stuff
0:09:13 > 0:09:16to get, like, shapes and rude words and stuff.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20I mean, the taste is...
0:09:20 > 0:09:22It's well up there with rocket, I think.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Nice and peppery and mustardy. Interesting.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26But all we do now
0:09:26 > 0:09:28is kind of dress it. Let's move it up here.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Just kind of toss it over
0:09:31 > 0:09:32and dress it.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37The idea is that it's like a really relaxed sort of salad, really.
0:09:37 > 0:09:38Just sort of...
0:09:38 > 0:09:40You know, it's three ingredients. Not much to it.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42It's not exactly classy,
0:09:42 > 0:09:44but it tastes damn good.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46So...
0:09:46 > 0:09:47I think it's good for barbies.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Good summertime thing.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51And then all you do is kind of
0:09:51 > 0:09:53put it out on the plate.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56Beautiful salad.
0:09:56 > 0:09:57So we're done, mate!
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Get ready for barbecue fever.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05And now, our final dish of the day.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07We started today with a savoury apple crumble.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09So let's end with a sweet apple crumble,
0:10:09 > 0:10:11courtesy of Sophie Dahl.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17I think the ultimate in...
0:10:17 > 0:10:20pudding nostalgia, British pudding nostalgia,
0:10:20 > 0:10:22the award would have to go to
0:10:22 > 0:10:24the crumble.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27It's one of those things that everyone has a memory of.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Walking into a grandparent's house with their mum and dad
0:10:30 > 0:10:34on a Sunday, with the smell of a roast in the oven...
0:10:36 > 0:10:38..and a crumble on the next shelf down.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41So in order to recreate and bring that feeling back,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43apple and pear crumble.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46But it's a toffee apple and pear crumble.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Four apples, four pears.
0:10:49 > 0:10:50They're in there.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Next, 125g of butter
0:10:54 > 0:10:55with an equal amount of sugar.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59This is soft dark brown sugar.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01You want the zest of one orange.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06And along with the zest of the orange,
0:11:06 > 0:11:07you want the juice.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11I was thinking about Bonfire Night.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15All the things that you associate with Bonfire Night.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20And that sugary, dense, caramelly bite of a toffee apple.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23And wondering if that could translate into a crumble,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25and the answer is it can.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Basically, what's going to happen to this is it's going to turn into
0:11:31 > 0:11:33a thick, syrupy toffee sauce.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38To add to this, to make it that bit stickier...
0:11:38 > 0:11:40here I've got some dried dates...
0:11:43 > 0:11:45..and a few dried figs.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Obviously, dates are in sticky toffee pudding,
0:11:47 > 0:11:50so we've got dates, apples, pears, figs,
0:11:50 > 0:11:51toffee.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01We're going to just soften it in this toffee sauce.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03That's going to take about five to ten minutes.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06And while that's cooking, I'm going to make the crumble mix.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Spelt flour...
0:12:09 > 0:12:11100g.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13It has a very nutty, sweet taste
0:12:13 > 0:12:16and it works particularly well in puddings.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19100g of oats.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23The brilliant thing about oats in a crumble is
0:12:23 > 0:12:24it gets really brown and caramelised,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27more so than just the plain flour crumble.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32And to add to that 100g demerara sugar.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36Into there,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38and it's good for your butter to be cold,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40so 100g of butter.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44I think the whole point of nostalgia is
0:12:44 > 0:12:45it's almost quite ironic,
0:12:45 > 0:12:46because...
0:12:46 > 0:12:49we tend to rose-tint everything.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52I seem to find myself a lot these days
0:12:52 > 0:12:55sort of tutting and talking about when I was a child.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Might be a bit pre-emptive.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02In my day, the summers were hot.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Didn't have rainy summers in my day.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07It snowed at Christmas, always, in my day.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10In my day, we didn't have crime.
0:13:12 > 0:13:13So the fruit is...
0:13:13 > 0:13:16soft, but it's still firm.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Got all of this amazing
0:13:19 > 0:13:22syrupy...
0:13:22 > 0:13:23juice.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28All of that is going to bubble up
0:13:28 > 0:13:29through the top.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40This is going to go into the oven at 180 for about 25 minutes.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43And it's a pretty good 25 minutes,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47because your house will be filled with this incredible...
0:13:47 > 0:13:49fragrance of...
0:13:49 > 0:13:51the crumble
0:13:51 > 0:13:53merrily blistering away in the oven.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59MUSIC: "Sunday Girl" by Blondie
0:13:59 > 0:14:01# Hurry up
0:14:02 > 0:14:04# Hurry up Hurry up and wait
0:14:04 > 0:14:06# Hurry up... #
0:14:07 > 0:14:09The moment of truth.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11And the smell is really like
0:14:11 > 0:14:14condensed everything that's good in the world.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21That's my childhood on a plate.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25That's the last of today's dishes.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27Now it's your turn to get cooking.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29Thanks to all our chefs
0:14:29 > 0:14:32and do join me for more remarkable recipes next time.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34See you soon.