0:00:02 > 0:00:04Across the country, lots of us are working out what to cook tonight
0:00:04 > 0:00:08from the ingredients in our cupboards.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11To inspire you, we're throwing away the cookbooks
0:00:11 > 0:00:12and going back to basics.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17We're pitting three resourceful and creative home cooks
0:00:17 > 0:00:21against one another, to see what they can come up with.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Whoever does it best will be our cook of the day.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35Ready to prove they can make fantastic dishes
0:00:35 > 0:00:37out of anything we throw at them
0:00:37 > 0:00:40are today's three cooks.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Louise, a firefighter, from Shrewsbury.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45I just love entertaining, I love cooking,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48I love partying, to be honest. It all goes hand in hand.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Daniel, a dad of four from Essex
0:00:51 > 0:00:53who likes to keep it simple in the kitchen.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Most of my food would be two-pan cooking.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58It tends to revolve around opening the cupboards,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00seeing what we've got and what we haven't got -
0:01:00 > 0:01:01then trying to make stuff up.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05And project manager Elaine, who's not used to cooking under pressure.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07I've never really cooked for anyone
0:01:07 > 0:01:09apart from my family and friends,
0:01:09 > 0:01:11who are always really nice about it.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14So, we'll see what they say.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16First they have to cook from a box of ingredients
0:01:16 > 0:01:19put together by today's guest -
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Dame Esther Rantzen.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26- Esther.- Yes.- Welcome to The Box.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27What are you like in the kitchen?
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Well, you could say there's two Esther Rantzens, James.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Cos there's the Esther Rantzen who, as a kid, who loved cooking
0:01:33 > 0:01:37and then, when I started to get rather a lot of responsibility
0:01:37 > 0:01:40and the work became more tiring,
0:01:40 > 0:01:42I would just come home in the evenings
0:01:42 > 0:01:45and flop on the sofa and eat a cheese sandwich.
0:01:45 > 0:01:46I like plain food.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50I don't like salt, I don't like pepper and I don't like spices.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53- OK, all right. Well, that bodes well for what's in here, then.- Yeah.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55What have you gone shopping for?
0:01:55 > 0:01:58- Well, first of all that looks like turkey to me.- Yes, free-range.
0:01:58 > 0:01:59Why turkey?
0:01:59 > 0:02:03Turkey's such a fabulous meat, but you only tend to eat it, you know,
0:02:03 > 0:02:05at Christmas or Thanksgiving,
0:02:05 > 0:02:07or a celebration.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09And I'd love to know if there are other ways
0:02:09 > 0:02:12that even I could cook it and eat it more often.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14Is there any country which you love? A style of cooking...?
0:02:14 > 0:02:16- I love Italian food.- OK.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20I like cookery when the actual ingredients speak for themselves.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Well, we've got three home cooks
0:02:22 > 0:02:24ready to create some wonderful food with this.
0:02:24 > 0:02:25- Shall we find out?- Yeah.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28This is going to be interesting. I'll see you in a bit.
0:02:28 > 0:02:29I look forward to it.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Starving hungry, actually, as it happens.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Esther will be keeping an eye on the cooking from the guest room.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40OK, guys, welcome to The Box.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Well, first of all, we've got three boxes in front of us -
0:02:42 > 0:02:46all exactly the same - that have been bought by our guest,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48who is waiting in the wings, watching your every move.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51You've got to create one dish using the ingredients
0:02:51 > 0:02:53in that box, in 50 minutes.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55- Are you all happy now?- Yes.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Off you go. 50 minutes. Open your box. Good luck.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04I've got sea bream.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08I usually find fish a bit boring, until I happened across sea bream.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11It's got such a lovely flavour
0:03:11 > 0:03:13that I slightly fell in love with it.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Free-range turkey, broccoli, asparagus...
0:03:17 > 0:03:18I love asparagus.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Usually, if it's on the menu as a starter,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23I will normally choose asparagus. I love it.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Peas, carrots, new potatoes.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29For herbs, I've got mint and thyme.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Dark chocolate, raspberries,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34vanilla ice cream and pastry.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36I like a good pudding.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40Particularly if it's got ice cream in it.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44There's plenty of ingredients for our cooks to choose from.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46They can also raid our store cupboard,
0:03:46 > 0:03:50packed with the sort of stuff many of us will have at home.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52I'm so excited about the ingredients in this box.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54You can go with so many different avenues
0:03:54 > 0:03:55whether you go sweet or savoury.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Really, you could do the pie with a pastry.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59There's great dessert in there,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02particularly with the chocolate, the raspberries and ice cream,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06so it'll be interesting to see what these lot are going to create.
0:04:06 > 0:04:09It's rather fun watching all this.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12It's always nice on the people doing the hard work,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16but I must say they're making me feel really quite hungry.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Whoa. She's attacking the sea bream.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Right, Elaine. What are we making?
0:04:23 > 0:04:26OK. I touched a fish, so I thought I'd follow through
0:04:26 > 0:04:27and actually cook it.
0:04:27 > 0:04:28- You touched a fish?- Yeah.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32I'm going to go to my roots of Philippines and...
0:04:32 > 0:04:33I'd let you carry on cooking
0:04:33 > 0:04:36but tell me what Filipino food is about.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39In history, we've been colonised by
0:04:39 > 0:04:42the Spanish, the Chinese, Indonesians, from way back,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44so our flavours are very diverse.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48Using the key ingredients - garlic, soy sauce and ginger.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Giving it that, sort of, flavour to the fish.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Well, it sounds interesting. It's not a curry.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57I like ginger. We'll see.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00So, what are we going to do, then? You've got that...
0:05:00 > 0:05:02- Yeah, I need your help. - What do you need my help for?
0:05:02 > 0:05:04I tried to get rid of the fish bones,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07cos I don't want whoever's eating it to get choked on a fish bone.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09- It is actually really difficult to fillet...- Yeah.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10..so, the easiest thing is to cook the fish
0:05:10 > 0:05:13and remove it afterwards, which I'll show you.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15So, are we going to use the asparagus for this and the potatoes?
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I haven't decided yet. Is it too late to decide?
0:05:18 > 0:05:21No, it's not too late, but time's ticking on, so you better hurry up.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24- All we've got is a bit of fish here, at the moment.- Yeah, exactly.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26- Nothing else. - Yeah, I'll think of something.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28I'm looking forward to this, a taste of the Philippines.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30- Hopefully, yes.- Ish.- Yes.
0:05:30 > 0:05:31Sort of.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36I think I'm safe in Elaine's hands.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40I don't think she's going to put masses of spices in that.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Elaine started, funnily enough,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47trying to fillet the fish, then realised how difficult it is.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51The easiest way is actually to fillet it or take the fillets off
0:05:51 > 0:05:52once it's cooked.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Now, the key to that is actually cooking it perfectly
0:05:54 > 0:05:56and that requires real concentration.
0:05:56 > 0:06:03- Louise has also chosen the sea bream. Louise.- Hello. Hi, James.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06- You look as if you know what you're doing.- Well, I think I do.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- If I don't burn anything.- You're a firefighter?- Yes. Firefighter.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11How on earth do you become a firefighter?
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I wanted a change in direction, so I applied about nine years ago
0:06:14 > 0:06:18and was so lucky to get into Shropshire and, yeah,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20I've been very happy ever since.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Wow.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25What's the idea of this dish, then? What are you going to be doing?
0:06:25 > 0:06:28I'm actually doing a basic risotto. I've got Garlic, onions, etc.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31I am going to be sticking some lemon, thyme
0:06:31 > 0:06:34and I am going to be doing asparagus peas, actually.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35I'm intrigued by the risotto.
0:06:35 > 0:06:39She's using my favourite vegetable, so that's all very nice.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42I was once in the jungle...
0:06:42 > 0:06:44for another programme
0:06:44 > 0:06:47..and we tried to make a risotto. It was not successful.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49What are you going to do with the fish?
0:06:49 > 0:06:51I am actually going to bake it whole.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I'm going to stuff it with lemon and use some of the mint.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56I'm going to be squeezing lemon juice over the top,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59so I'm hoping to get the flavours of lemon through the risotto. Keep it fresh.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02The idea is to keep it nice and simple, is that right?
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Yeah, I was doing, to be quite honest,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06because I just want fresh flavours.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12I actually like the sound of Louise's dish.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14She's cooking that sea bream en papillote.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18If it's prepared properly, it's the best way to cook it.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21That paper bag - it keeps all the moisture in there.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23So, while Elaine and Louise have gone for the fish,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26it looks like Daniel wants to win Esther over
0:07:26 > 0:07:28with her favourite poultry.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- Bread-crumbed and escalloped. - Oh, lovely. This is the...
0:07:31 > 0:07:35That's the plan with a little bit of a hint of paprika through it,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37just to try and lift the flavour, cos turkey's a bit bland.
0:07:37 > 0:07:38So, the idea of this is what?
0:07:38 > 0:07:41We're going to do a little turkey pan-fried?
0:07:41 > 0:07:43The key to that is cook it in plenty of butter.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Yeah, well there's a little butter in there, just starting to soften.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48That'll go on very shortly.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50- If I was cooking that, I would do it in half a block of butter...- OK.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52..in a pan, rather than a griddle pan.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55In...not a griddle pan, OK. I would certainly listen to your advice.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Just a little advice. It seems like a lot of butter - and it is -
0:07:58 > 0:08:00but one thing you don't want to do is dry it all out. All right?
0:08:00 > 0:08:02I'll go with your experience on that.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05You see, there's a lot of butter, a lot of breadcrumbs,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07a lot of flour,
0:08:07 > 0:08:09a lot of calories.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- Mmm.- Careful with your potatoes. You're burning them.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14- Yeah, thank you.- That's all right.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Which is what I've just done to the carrots. Don't look at them.
0:08:17 > 0:08:18Well, they're slightly caramelised.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21They were perfectly inoffensive carrots. What's he done to them?
0:08:21 > 0:08:23They could taste really nice, actually.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26They should be slightly dark, cos they're covered in honey,
0:08:26 > 0:08:27but not really burnt.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Why is he covering his carrots with honey?
0:08:30 > 0:08:32So, where does your love of food come from, then?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Proper farm cooking. Grandad was a farmer
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and everything I'm doing here today would be, more or less,
0:08:37 > 0:08:38what we would eat on the farm.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41You describe your house as a bit of a zoo.
0:08:41 > 0:08:42It's a massive zoo, to be honest, yeah.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46My wife can't stop saving animals. She's a bit of a Dr Doolittle.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49She saved a dog years ago from almost certain death -
0:08:49 > 0:08:51a long-legged Jack Russell.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53And then, she saved a ginger cat that we found
0:08:53 > 0:08:55outside my mum and dad's, in a bush.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59And then, one more that she saved from... It was dumped behind a car.
0:08:59 > 0:09:00Fantastic.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04It sort of keeps everyone relatively happy and relatively busy.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10I think this is what you might call 'machismo cooking'.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Well, Daniel could have pulled off a good move here
0:09:13 > 0:09:15by going for the turkey Milanese style.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17The key to cooking anything Milanese style is
0:09:17 > 0:09:19to start it off in foaming butter, first of all.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Make sure you're escalope is nice and thin before it's coated.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Place it into the pan.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Basically, don't touch it. Don't even...
0:09:25 > 0:09:28Just leave it. As the butter starts to brown,
0:09:28 > 0:09:30the lovely crumb starts to colour underneath and, then,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33and only then, do you flip it over and cook the underside.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35One thing you don't want to be doing is keep flipping it
0:09:35 > 0:09:38over in the pan, otherwise the breadcrumbs, kind of, fall off.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50'With just five minutes to go,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53'Elaine's sea bream is out of the pan.'
0:09:53 > 0:09:54I want to get rid of the bone.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- Well, you've got to make sure it's cooked first of all.- Yep.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00- I can see... Look, that is perfectly cooked. So, all you do...- Ah, yeah.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02..if you take... Lift your knife underneath.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Ever so carefully, just lift this off.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06You've got your bones removed.
0:10:06 > 0:10:07See how difficult that is to fillet?
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- Yeah.- Now you've got a nice piece of sea bream.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18- What have you hidden?- I've hidden my risotto.- Can I take a look?
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Yeah, I just want to take a little bit...just absorb some of steam,
0:10:21 > 0:10:22stop it going as much.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Are you going to finish that off with a touch of cream or...?
0:10:25 > 0:10:28- I actually want it to be quite a dry risotto.- OK.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31And Daniel's being all chefy, turning his peas into a puree.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Needs more...something.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46- Thanks, man.- Cheers, Dan.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Let's just hope our cooks have done enough to impress Esther.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54Now, Elaine is putting some rather nice looking sauce on it.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Dan is balancing... SHE LAUGHS
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Very modern.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00Out comes the origami.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Do I get the whole fish? I'd like the whole fish.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06That's your lot, stop cooking.
0:11:06 > 0:11:07Well done.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Now, you're probably wondering who put that impressive
0:11:12 > 0:11:13box of ingredients together.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Well, the wait is over, cos I can now tell you
0:11:16 > 0:11:20this lady started in television in 1968.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23She's then gone on to win OBE, CBE and, more recently,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26she's now officially a dame.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28It's Dame Esther Rantzen.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36- Well... - Esther, Welcome back.- Look at this!
0:11:36 > 0:11:38What did you think of it when you were watching?
0:11:38 > 0:11:40I thought they were brilliant, all of them.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43And I was so pleased it wasn't me having to do the cooking
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and having to invent so quickly. I thought you were fantastic.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48So, first of all, Daniel. What have you created?
0:11:48 > 0:11:50A pan-fried escalope of turkey, with roasted vegetables
0:11:50 > 0:11:52and a pea and mint puree.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55- Wow.- OK. - Caramelised carrots, I understand.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57Caramelised with honey.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Yeah. Very caramelised, yeah.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Mmm. Very crunchy. It has a certain gritty quality.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07It's supposed to be the breadcrumbs, but I think he turned the heat up
0:12:07 > 0:12:08a little bit too much.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12- Right, I'm going to try some of this delicious, um...- Pea puree.
0:12:12 > 0:12:13Pea puree.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17It's a healthy pea and mint puree.
0:12:17 > 0:12:18That is really rather nice.
0:12:18 > 0:12:23No, I actually think it's a very interesting combination of flavours.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26For me, there's a bit too much butter and a bit too much cream.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28I think, with the breadcrumbs, it was the right thing to do.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30If anything you've probably just,
0:12:30 > 0:12:32ever so slightly, overcooked the turkey,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35just coloured it too much - which has then overcooked the filling.
0:12:35 > 0:12:36I like the pea and mint puree.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38- Good effort.- Well done.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39- Well done, thank you.- Thank you.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51- Elaine, meet Esther. - Hello, how do you do?
0:12:51 > 0:12:53- Lovely to meet you. - And you.- What have you done?
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Because you decided to use the sea bream. What have you made?
0:12:56 > 0:12:58I made a pan-fried sea bream,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00with garlic, ginger and soy.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04Also, with the broccoli, I just fried it in garlic and oil
0:13:04 > 0:13:05and, then, boiled potatoes.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I didn't mention the fact that, when I eat garlic,
0:13:08 > 0:13:12I have actually anaesthetised a whole row of people
0:13:12 > 0:13:14- sitting in the theatre in front of me...- Right.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17..and all I have to do is breathe out.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- So, you're feeling strong are you?- Yeah.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- So, the garlic's in the broccoli, is it?- And in the fish.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24- And in the fish.- And in the sauce.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Everywhere you look, there's garlic.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33That's rather fascination.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35- Is that a good thing? - It's a good thing.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38- Oh, I'm glad. - I think this is nice.- Thank you.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40You've, kind of, got it right with that dish.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41I think she's got it right.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44You've got the Asian, sort of, flavours which is wonderful,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46I love what you've done with the broccoli.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Potatoes are just, well, they're just nice potatoes. Nicely cooked.
0:13:49 > 0:13:54- What can you say?- You see, I think that the fish is the start.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58- And the sea bream is just simple, but it works.- Clever, isn't it?
0:13:58 > 0:14:00- Very clever. Well done. - Thank you very much.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- So, we've gone from Asia to Italy, by the looks of things?- Yes.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09What have you created with the sea bream?
0:14:09 > 0:14:11Sea bream with mint, lemon, tiny bit of seasoning -
0:14:11 > 0:14:14then I'm serving it with spring risotto.
0:14:14 > 0:14:15I do like sea bream, a lot.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18It's a really nice fish, isn't it?
0:14:20 > 0:14:25- You see, that tastes gorgeous! - Good.- That tastes gorgeous.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29Hopefully, each forkful, you're still getting different flavours.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32- Hmm. Really nice!- You were right to cook it en papillote.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35You've got to keep it whole, it keeps it lovely and moist.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36You've got the flavour of the fish.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38There's very little other flavours
0:14:38 > 0:14:40other than the fish, the lemon and the few herbs.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42- That's exactly what you want with this.- I agree.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Now, THAT'S worked.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47The risotto, to me, hasn't. Risotto should be quite loose and liquid.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49It should have cheese in it.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51If it hasn't, finish it off with a bit of double cream.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54You've got to decide which is your favourite dish
0:14:54 > 0:14:55out of the three that you've tasted.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57It's really difficult, isn't it?
0:14:57 > 0:15:00- So, do you want time to think about it?- I need time.- Good.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02Thank you.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09- Now, Esther, you seemed to enjoy that.- Yeah.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12What did you think of everybody's dish in general?
0:15:12 > 0:15:16- Well, I think they were all very interesting.- Interesting.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Which one would you prefer to eat? Which one would you go back to?
0:15:19 > 0:15:21I think I'm still relishing the memory of the turkey,
0:15:21 > 0:15:24so I don't need to relive that now,
0:15:24 > 0:15:25though it was delicious.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29And I did love the Filipino sea bream
0:15:29 > 0:15:33but, you know, I'm going to have to pick your fish, Louise.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35- It was just so delicious. - Well done, Louise.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42I love it when the ingredients are so lovely they do the talking.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46OK, guys. Round two.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Now, in front of me, I've got three boxes that I've gone out
0:15:49 > 0:15:51and shopped for the contents for.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54Now, Louise, what Esther has done is given you the power to decide
0:15:54 > 0:15:57what everybody else will be cooking.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59We've got pasta,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02pudding
0:16:02 > 0:16:04and a posh box.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07I can see Daniel there has got his very special poker face on.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11So, first of all, what would you like Daniel to cook with?
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Does he look like a pudding man?
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Or does he look like a posh man?
0:16:21 > 0:16:24I think I'm going to go for posh.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27- You're quite happy with that, aren't you?- Yeah.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Anything but pudding, I was quite happy.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31So your poker face definitely worked.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35That just leaves Elaine and two boxes to go,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37what would you like Elaine to cook with?
0:16:45 > 0:16:48I'm going to be brave myself,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50so I'm going to give Elaine pasta.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Thank you so much(!)
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Why have you chosen those two boxes?
0:16:55 > 0:16:56For Daniel, first of all. Why's that?
0:16:56 > 0:16:57I've got to be honest,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01I wasn't too sure if you'd be that keen on the posh box.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03I was trying to be calculated.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05You haven't seen his car. He's an Essex lad.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08It's blinged to heaven outside. I've seen it. Why the pasta for Elaine?
0:17:08 > 0:17:12As I said, I'm going to try and be brave and try tackle a pudding.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15OK, guys. Just to remind you, you're cooking for me this time
0:17:15 > 0:17:16and I get to choose,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20based on what you're creating with these three boxes of ingredients,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22the cook of the day.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Collect your boxes. Good luck.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Which one would you have picked?
0:17:34 > 0:17:36- I think I would have picked the pudding...- Really?
0:17:36 > 0:17:39- ..cos I like puddings.- OK.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Inside the pudding box, Louise has got mangos, passion fruit,
0:17:43 > 0:17:48desiccated coconut, Greek yoghurt, fresh chillies and white chocolate.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Louise, why did you choose the pudding box for yourself?
0:17:51 > 0:17:53I do genuinely enjoy baking,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57and that's where I started, I suppose - baking. Baking cakes, etc.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00And yeah, I was up for the challenge.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04Because we've done savoury dishes, I was quite happy to try a sweet dish.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07I'm going to try and cook a little white chocolate tart.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09I've got a little bit of pastry I've just done
0:18:09 > 0:18:12with some coconut, in white chocolate, double cream.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14I think it sounds gorgeous.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Chocolate? What could be wrong with chocolate?
0:18:16 > 0:18:19- Put it in a little tart. What could be wrong with that?- Exactly.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23Sounds very nice. Needs a bit of testing.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25- That's all right, that'll work. Mm-hmm.- Let's see.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27I'll see if there's any left over.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30There's not going to be much left over if I don't get Esther
0:18:30 > 0:18:31out the way. Come on.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36White chocolate isn't, in fact, chocolate.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39It's gorgeous cocoa butter, really. There's no cocoa solids in it,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42so when you're actually cooking with it, you almost have to add
0:18:42 > 0:18:43double the amount of white chocolate
0:18:43 > 0:18:46to a dark chocolate recipe - which enables it to set.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48Now, also, when you're cooking with white chocolate,
0:18:48 > 0:18:50you've got to be really careful,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53because it can burn really fast.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Now, there's no question Louise is a confident cook,
0:18:55 > 0:19:00but getting that tart cooked and set in the time is a real tall order.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09'Louise chose the pasta box for Elaine...'
0:19:09 > 0:19:11(I've never made pasta before.)
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- You've never made pasta before?- No.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17'Inside, it's got double zero pasta flour, baked potatoes,
0:19:17 > 0:19:22'gorgonzola, pork sausages, tomatoes, pine nuts and basil.'
0:19:22 > 0:19:25- Looking at what's in your box...- Yes.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28..there's another famous Italian dish that's not pasta...
0:19:28 > 0:19:30- Gnocchi?- Yes.- Yes.
0:19:30 > 0:19:31Gnocchi. Do you know how it's made?
0:19:31 > 0:19:36So, we've got some baked potatoes here. Stick that on. Squeeze.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Salt and pepper.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42- Whole eggs or egg yolks?- Egg yolks.
0:19:42 > 0:19:43Correct answer.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45For this, about two egg yolks
0:19:45 > 0:19:48- and we use some of this double zero flour, OK?- Yep.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50And we mix all that together.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Just one hand, one hand. That's it.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56You see, it's starting to come together now, a bit more. That's it.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59- Make sure it's all mixed in.- Yeah.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Now, you take a little knife...
0:20:07 > 0:20:11- ..like that. So, the key to this is, cook it like pasta.- For sure.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Boiling salted water. And make sure that is boiling first.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17It'll sink to the bottom and then it'll rise to the top
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and the minute it rises to the top, take it out, into cold water,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22and then what you do is, very quickly pan-fry it -
0:20:22 > 0:20:25- but no more than 30 seconds in the water.- OK.
0:20:25 > 0:20:29See, and you've now made gnocchi, for the first time in your life.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30Well, I say, "you..."
0:20:30 > 0:20:32- No, yeah.- ..mainly me. - SHE LAUGHS
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Yeah.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37Elaine's definitely chosen the simple option
0:20:37 > 0:20:39with the gnocchi and that's really the key to this dish.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Simple flavours, classic Italian favours,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45all brought together in one plate.
0:20:45 > 0:20:46Finally, Dan got the posh box.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Inside, it's got fresh halibut,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52samphire, cockles, capers, chorizo,
0:20:52 > 0:20:55wild rice, hot pepper sauce,
0:20:55 > 0:20:58spinach and fresh Parmesan cheese.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00So, what makes this posh, James?
0:21:00 > 0:21:03The key to this, really, and where I spent all the money -
0:21:03 > 0:21:06the entire budget in all three boxes - was on that halibut.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10Because halibut really is the king of all flatfish. That and turbot.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12What are we going to do, Daniel?
0:21:12 > 0:21:15I'm doing a samphire and cockle risotto,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17with a pan-seared fish filet,
0:21:17 > 0:21:18with chorizo on the side
0:21:18 > 0:21:20and I'll run that through with some lemon juice,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22to pull it all together, hopefully,
0:21:22 > 0:21:24and some butter, some cream and some Parmesan.
0:21:24 > 0:21:28- What's in there? - Mainly vegetable stock...- OK.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32- ..and some white wine, some garlic and some mushrooms.- Oh, wow.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Some garlic and onion, sorry, softened down.
0:21:35 > 0:21:36And there's a little bit of butter,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39but there will be some cream and Parmesan going on at the end.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41- He's cooking for me, Esther. - SHE LAUGHS
0:21:41 > 0:21:42What can I say?
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Halibut is such a wonderful fish.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50Nowadays, it's farmed around the UK, particularly in Scotland.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53And because it's farmed, the price has come down,
0:21:53 > 0:21:55but you've got to keep the flavours really simple around it.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59That's why I've chosen the cockles and the samphire and the chorizo.
0:21:59 > 0:22:00Because you get this amazing oil with it
0:22:00 > 0:22:04and, then, just a classically pan-fried bit of halibut on the top.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Our cooks still have half an hour to go
0:22:07 > 0:22:10and Elaine is blanching her gnocchi...
0:22:11 > 0:22:14..but I think she's frying it way too soon.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17- How long have we got left? - Um... half an hour, isn't it?
0:22:17 > 0:22:20- Yeah, does it take half an hour to cook gnocchi?- No, probably not.
0:22:20 > 0:22:21SHE CHORTLES
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Thank you.
0:22:24 > 0:22:25What else are we doing?
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Well, I want to just make a simple Italian basil and garlic,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33and tomatoes, with broken sausages -
0:22:33 > 0:22:37just very nice, kind of, true to the flavours and...
0:22:37 > 0:22:39- That sounds good. - It sounds delicious.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44OK, 12 minutes left, guys.
0:22:44 > 0:22:4512 minutes.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Out of all of them, I think, certainly,
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Daniel's got the best one, with the posh box,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57because halibut is really the king of all flatfish to me.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59I thought the pasta one looked gorgeous,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02with the tomatoes and cheese and everything, but,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04unlike Elaine, I wouldn't know the first thing
0:23:04 > 0:23:06about making pasta, at all.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08I thought pasta comes in packets.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10It, kind of, comes in packets,
0:23:10 > 0:23:12but you've got to make it before it goes in the packets.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Yeah, well, I understand. Not me, but I know what you mean.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34OK, that's your lot. Stop cooking.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35Well done.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44'Daniel had to come up with a dish from the posh box.'
0:23:44 > 0:23:46What did you do?
0:23:46 > 0:23:49I made a risotto, with cockles and samphire,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51and I've pan-seared the halibut
0:23:51 > 0:23:55with some spinach, just wilted down in some butter and lemon -
0:23:55 > 0:23:56and then, just the chorizo on the side,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59- which is just dry seared in a pan.- Sounds pretty good!
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Well, let's dive in. Tell me what you think of it, Esther.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08Mm! That is good!
0:24:09 > 0:24:11That is very nice.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13- What do you think? - It's a cracking dish, that.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15- Excellent, thank you.- Well done.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17And I'll tell you why.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20First of all, the fish is perfectly cooked.
0:24:20 > 0:24:21And the risotto's gorgeous.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24The risotto is really nice. You haven't added too much seasoning
0:24:24 > 0:24:27in that, because you've got the samphire, which is really good.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30You've wilted down the spinach.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33The chorizo, kind of, works with it, on the side.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36Probably could have done with going into the risotto a bit, maybe.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38You've got a nice flavour in that,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40but certainly, with the cockles, you got the seasoning
0:24:40 > 0:24:41absolutely bang on. I like it.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44- Well done. - Fantastic, thank you. Thank you.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Elaine had to create a dish from the pasta box.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00- What have you made? - We have gnocchi and tomato basil.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03I used the sausage for pork meatballs,
0:25:03 > 0:25:05a bit of pine nuts
0:25:05 > 0:25:08and topped it off with Parmesan cheese.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10The key to this, like all Italian food,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12is to keep the flavours nice and simple.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15- It's all about the taste. - I hope you like it.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Mm.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23- Mmm.- Thank you.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Mm. That's good.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29It's good, cos it's a lovely savoury taste in the tomato and everything.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32It's not too greasy. It's just... I think it's delicious.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34I think you've done the right thing.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36You've taken the sausages out of the skins,
0:25:36 > 0:25:37cos otherwise they can toughen up.
0:25:37 > 0:25:38That's the first thing.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Now, you know how to make gnocchi and how easy it is,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44that's another one. You've pan-fried it, which is the right way to do it.
0:25:44 > 0:25:45You get a nice colour on there.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47The pine nuts were great.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49The key to this dish is all about the sauce, though,
0:25:49 > 0:25:51and you did that fantastically well.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54Tomato-based sauce - simplistic.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Garlic, tomato, basil, olive oil.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Nothing else, but you've pulled it off, cos that tastes fantastic.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03- Thank you.- Well done. - Thank you very much.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05- It's delicious.- Thank you.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14And, finally, it's Louise. She chose the pudding box.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15So, what have you done?
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Coconut pastry, white chocolate ganache with lovely fresh mango,
0:26:19 > 0:26:21passion fruit and lime. And I did check the chillies.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23They're not too hot at all,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25so I just used them as a slight garnish and colour.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27- Looks pretty good to me. - Looks gorgeous.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Mmm.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35That's very interesting, isn't it, with the coconut?
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Well, I'm enjoying it. I'm going to have a bit more.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42Now, I like the idea, with the mango and passion fruit with the lime.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45The little sauce there with the chilli, that's a great idea -
0:26:45 > 0:26:46but to me, the tart could have done...
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Not any longer cooking time,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50it's just that the base needs a little bit longer.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54But I think, as a dish, that's a great effort, so well done.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Well, Esther, I thought the standard today was fantastic,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02- don't you think?- Ooh, brilliant. I don't know how they did it.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Inventing from scratch in that time,
0:27:04 > 0:27:06I don't know how they did it.
0:27:06 > 0:27:07Do you fancy having a go?
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Certainly not. HE CHUCKLES
0:27:10 > 0:27:14'I now need to make a decision based on these three dishes.'
0:27:20 > 0:27:23The cook of the day, for me...
0:27:27 > 0:27:28..is Daniel.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32- Well done.- Thank you.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35Great combination of flavours and the samphire in there
0:27:35 > 0:27:39really did work, so congratulations and well done.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41- There you go.- Thank you.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43- Thank you.- Congratulations. - Thank you very much.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45So, what's this going to be full of - pet food? -
0:27:45 > 0:27:47when it gets back home?
0:27:47 > 0:27:49With four children and three dogs, probably bric-a-brac.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51- Bric-a-brac or sweets.- Yeah.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53- More than likely sweets.- Exactly.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55Well, Elaine, Louise, come on over.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Well, thank you very much for Daniel.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00- Thank you very much for DAME Esther Rantzen.- Thank you.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03Thank you, James, and well done, all of you. Brilliant.
0:28:03 > 0:28:04Thank you for watching.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Join is again next time, where we'll meet three more great home cooks,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10but also some more boxes of unusual ingredients.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12I'll see you again soon. Bye for now.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18For more budget recipes and tips, go to bbc.co.uk/dishup