Cheesy Sweet Potato Bites

June 27, 2011January 15, 2012 / Polka Dot Kitchen / Leave a comment

A few weeks ago I noticed a post on one of my favourite blogs that sounded so good I just had to make it! Tina over at Carrots ‘n’ Cake was raving about a recipe she’d come across (How Sweet It Is) involving sweet potatoes, cheese and rosemary. They sounded so delicious I headed straight for the kitchen where I was thrilled to discover we had pretty much all the ingredients!

We didn’t have any parmesan so I used cheddar, and I used a whole egg instead of liquid egg whites because if I’m honest, I only remembered I was meant to use just the white after I’d put it all in! Hate when that happens.

They were so easy to make and made the house smell incredible as they were cooking! One thing I will say though is I added slightly too much rosemary and as me and my boyfriend were munching away on them in the garden, they started to get a bit overpowering and we had to stop. Which was probably a good thing as I could quite easily have demolished the entire batch and nipped back into the kitchen to repeat the whole process multiple times. So next time I make them I will go easy on the rosemary as it turns out less really is more! I urge you to try these out though, they make the perfect pre-dinner drinks accompaniment! I think they’d also be great really tiny as well, little bite-sized crispy mouthfuls!

Baked Camembert

June 7, 2011January 10, 2012 / Polka Dot Kitchen / Leave a comment

This is one of my favourite dinners of all time. We only recently discovered the delights of baked camembert which is why I try to make up for lost time by making it as often as possible! I was searching for cheese fondue recipes and instead came across this super easy faux fondue. We just use a cheap Sainsburys whole camembert as we are far from cheese connoisseurs, but I’m sure if you used an expensive cheese it would taste very very good as well!

I tried to get an ‘innards’ shot! To make the camembert all nice and flavourful, I first carefully slice the top rind off and set it aside (don’t throw it away because it’s going back on!). I cut a garlic clove into thin slices and stuck them into the soft inner cheese, along with salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and the top slice of rind. The cheese bakes in it’s box for about half an hour in a hot oven. When I took it out it smelt AMAZING and all the inside had fully melted, engulfing the now soft garlic slices and transforming the hard cheese into a gooey dip.

To accompany the camembert we usually choose a selection of goodies to dip in and top the lovely fresh bread we buy. On this occasion we have (clockwise, from top) roasted red peppers, falafal, Quorn roast beef slices (remember our Royal Wedding party platter?) sliced chorizo, coleslaw and sundried tomatoes. Seems like a bit of a medley but trust me, it works!

Although, to be honest, is there any food that wouldn’t be improved by a smothering of ooey, gooey, garlicky melted camembert?

A Right Royal Wedding

June 6, 2011January 10, 2012 / Polka Dot Kitchen / Leave a comment

Now this isn’t really very gourmet but I wanted to post it as it was a very enjoyable occasion and an excuse for me to make some really fun, kitsch foodie items. Kitsch should really be my middle name; I love anything retro, vintage and 1950’s/60’s and aim to surround myself with things that fit these categories at all times.

So, as many of you will know unless you have been kickin’ back under a rock since 2010, April 29th was the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. I decided to throw a small “soiree” and to mark the event, I was determined to resurrect some forgotten food superstars of yesteryear. I originally envisioned a full spread of vintage goodies on commemorative platters and saucers, but the soiree was just for two of us and I eventually had to downsize my dreams and select a few of the most appropriate dishes.

Coverage of the wedding started at 9am. We started our festivities, naturally, with a glass of Bucks Fizz! (I have to add, there was a national shortage of Bucks Fizz and after getting down on my hands and knees in Sainburys in a desperate attempt to check the back of the shelf, I had to admit defeat only to be surprised with my mother producing a bottle when I got home! Perfect.)

After the ceremony and before the “balcony scene,” we moved into the kitchen where I had prepared a little spread for us, complete with super cheesy photos of the happy couple and of course, the ever present Union Jack flags and a Keep Calm and Carry On poster. I had searched the ends of the earth for flag bunting in the weeks before the wedding but there was also a national shortage for these which meant only the super organised and keen had been able to secure a string or two.

Here is our brunch spread!

A selection of goodies…

This is the main platter! We had crackers with that 1970’s classic of Coronation Chicken, as well as crackers with a very English topping of cheese, pickle and… *cough Quorn roast beef slices…. (my boyfriend is vegetarian!) and the tiny pinwheels are made with smoked salmon and cream cheese and Quorn roast beef and cream cheese respectively. They were really easy to make; I just flattened some sliced bread with a rolling pin, layered the fillings on and rolled it up tightly, wrapped it in clingfilm and left it overnight in the fridge to chill. In the morning I unwrapped the clingfilm to reveal a perfectly form tube which I just cut into tiny bitesize pieces! Easy peasy. We had some other, not-so-photogenic food too; mini chicken kievs, prawns in filo pastry and breaded cheese (which I think you’ll agree is a must have at any reputable soiree!) but these sadly didn’t make the final blog cut!