I enjoyed taking part in the first instalment of the Ready Steady Cook! challenge so much that when I found out Tandy was hosting the second instalment I signed up immediately. The premise of the challenge, like the TV show that inspired it, is that each contestant is given a mystery bag (list) of seven ingredients along with a pantry full of staples with which they are to create a three course meal. My list was supplied by Jessica from Tiny Oven Adventures.
- Sweetcorn
- Red Onions
- Bacon
- Butternut
- Plums
- Exotic Mushrooms
- Any cheese you choose
Here is what I made.
Starter: Sweetcorn Fritters
Based on this recipe, I used the sweetcorn from my list, cornflour and coconut oil to make these crispy fritters. I mixed a tin of cream style sweetcorn with four heaped tablespoons of cornflour. Once thoroughly mixed I shallow fried spoonfuls of the mixture for a few minutes on each side until golden and crispy.
Main Course: Stuffed Butternut
For my main course I chose to make stuffed butternut. I removed the seeds from the bowls of two small butternuts and filled the cavities with roughly chopped red onion, bacon lardons, the cubed flesh from the butternut stems, shimeji mushrooms and some fresh thyme (from the pantry). I then baked them covered in foil for an hour at 180°C. Removing the foil after forty minutes and placing a slice of chevin cheese on top of each butternut to melt into the filling.
Dessert: Plum Tarts
For dessert I chose to make plum tarts based on this recipe. I cheated a bit here by using ready made puff pastry instead of using the pantry ingredients flour and butter to make my own. I cut squares out of the pastry, folded the edges in using a little water to help stick them down and then arranged slices of yellow and red plums on top. I brushed the tarts with a diluted honey (from the pantry) mixture before baking at 200°C for twenty minutes. I glazed them with the remainder of the honey mixture while they cooled.
