Olive Magazine September 2018

I’m going to make a little admission – I don’t eat breakfast. Gasp! I know. Yes, it’s partly because I’m a terrible morning person (apologies in advance to my fiancé for a lifetime of grumpy starts to the day). Yes, it’s partly because I’m lazy and don’t want to rise even a minute earlier than I have to. But mostly, honestly, it’s because it’s a contender – when done right – for my favourite meal of the day. And so I only indulge in brunch on the weekend, when it can be done properly. When I can cook at leisure, eat unhurriedly and put off the washing up, indefinitely, while I potter. Like most of us, I’m a creature of habit and normally my brunching ritual involves avocado – and…

TRENDS TRANSLATOR Each month, the Olive team spots a new trend appearing in restaurants, street-food stalls and supper clubs across the UK, and then translates it for you to cook at home. This time we’re indulging in booze-fuelled, drunken puds. » Kahlúa crème caramel 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES + CHILLING SERVES 4 | EASY | GF caster sugar 200gwhole milk 450mlinstant espresso powder 1 tspeggs 2 largeegg yolks 3 largeKahlúa 50ml • Put 150g of the caster sugar into a pan with 2 tbsp of water and stir over a low heat until fully dissolved. Turn up the heat and cook, swirling the pan, until the caramel turns the colour of a rusty penny. • Put 4 large (200ml) ramekins into a baking dish and pour the caramel into the base of each. Cool completely. • Heat…

DRUNKEN PUDS Boozy bakes are no new thing – back in January we predicted they’d gain even more popularity in our 2018 trend report – but this month we’ve been spotting booze appearing in other sweet treats. From alcoholic ice lollies (frosé popsicle, anyone?) to tipsy tarts and drunken ice creams – booze is officially back (sorry, millennials). In London we’ve been won over by salted caramel and East India sherry tart with cardamom ice cream at St Leonards, and Muscat crème caramel at Leroy. Bristol’s boozy flirting has come in the form of vermouth baba at Root, and mango, chocolate and sherry trifle, and PX espresso martini ice cream, at Bar 44. On the Isle of Skye they love whisky – well, head chef Scott Davies at The Three Chimneys does. He…

LATERAL COOKING What’s it about? While Niki Segnit’s last book, The Flavour Thesaurus, focussed on flavour (and sold more than 250,000 copies, while it was at it), her follow-up looks to the methodology of cooking. This is all about learning to become an instinctive cook. Why you should read it? Broken down into 12 culinary categories – everything from bread to biscuits, cornbread to custard – each chapter starts with an introduction and recipe, before revealing the possibilities. In fact, there are 70 basic recipes, 500 leeways, and 600 flavour variations. That’s some serious good value. But what makes this book really special, just like the Thesaurus, aside from Niki’s impressive expertise, is her humour and personality. It’s a joy to read. Out 20 September (£30, Bloomsbury).…

UUNI 3 WOOD-FIRED OVEN What is it? A compact outdoor oven that gets to temperature in just 10 minutes via some snazzy (seriously energy-efficient) wood pellets, and cooks homemade pizza in under five. Why should you buy it? This is Nordic design at its best – fusing great looks with smart practicality. Made from stainless steel, it can be left outside all year round, and is designed to be portable so you can even lug it to the beach or up a mountain, depending on the scale of your pizza-making ambitions. We’ve been using ours all summer and have become addicted to the crisp bases and subtle smoke that only a wood-fired oven can bring. And while its shape might suggest all it’s good for is pizza, there’s plenty else that will benefit from…

Buttermilk chicken and sriracha mayo Kettle chips The classic Kettle chip crunch with a lingering sriracha kick and warm roast chicken notes. £1.85/130g, Tesco The Happy Pear pesto With an intense flavour and good chunks of cashew nuts, this vegan pesto would be great stirred through orecchiette for an easy midweek meal. £3/145g, Waitrose Crosta & Mollica mini piada durum wheat Italian flatbreads Rich and flaky with a strong olive oil flavour, these flatbreads are great warmed through and topped with tomato and mozzarella for an instant pizza. £1/400g, Sainsbury’s Emily veg crisps We love these moreish, crunchy sweet potato sticks seasoned with fiery chilli and a sharp lime kick. £2.50/100g, Tesco William’s British strawberry conserve We love the thick texture, the bite from the seeds and the well-balanced sweetness of this conserve, made using British fruit. Slather onto…