INGREDIENTS

4 pounds roasting chicken, spatchcocked

10 whole garlic cloves, crushed

1/3 cup runny honey, or any good-quality honey

1 1/2 tablespoons lavender honey (if you have)

1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme

1 small onion, chopped

1 lemon, juiced

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 medium potatoes, rinsed & skin-on, quartered (1 red, 1 yukon gold, 1 purple, if possible)

1 broccoli crown, florets cut small

1 cauliflower head, florets cut small (purple or yellow if available, for color)

1 large carrot, peeled & sliced

1 1/2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender

 

METHOD

In a bowl, make your marinade. First, crush your dried lavender to release their oils. You can do as I do: Crush and roll the dried lavender back and forth in your hands, or you can use a mortar and pestle for this. (A wooden spoon, bottom of a cup, etc., also work fine.)

Once the lavender is crushed in your bowl, add in the honey (both regular and lavender, if you have it), olive oil, lemon juice, smoked paprika, thyme, crushed garlic cloves, chopped onion, Kosher salt and black pepper. Give it a good stir until all are combined, and add then add in the bay leaves.

MARINATE:

In a large Ziploc refrigerator storage bag or plastic tupperware, place in the spatchcocked chicken and pour in the marinade. Make sure the pieces are completely coated. (I like to best do this by sealing the Ziploc bag, and massaging the chicken with the marinade. Less mess!) The chicken will be best marinated overnight, or for at least 5 hours.

When the chicken is done marinating, remove the bay leaves and discard. Remove the chicken and set aside; reserve the marinade. Preheat your oven to 425° F.

In a roasting pan, place in your chopped and colorful vegetable medley (potatoes, carrot, broccoli, and cauliflower). Douse them with a bit of olive oil and the reserved chicken marinade (garlic, onions, and all), a dash of both salt and pepper, and toss until all are coated. Spread out on the bottom of the pan.

Lay the chicken flat, skin-side down (not up), on top of the vegetables. Season the chicken with a bit of Kosher salt & pepper, and put the entire roasting pan into the oven to cook for about 30-minutes.

After the 30 minutes are done, take the roasting pan out of the oven and carefully flip the chicken over with tongs, so it is now skin-side up. Season the surface of the chicken skin with salt and pepper, and put the roasting pan back into the oven to cook for another 25-30 minutes, or until the meat on the chicken thigh reads 165° on a meat thermometer (150° F on the breast meat). Or, if you don't have a meat thermometer, pierce the thickest part of the meat with a fork and see if the juices run clear (and not bloody).

Once the chicken is done, take the roasting pan out of the oven and carefully remove the chicken to rest on a plate for about 10-15 minutes. Take this time to stir around the pan-dripped roasted vegetables and season them to your liking. Remove from the roasting pan, and to a serving plate.

Once the chicken is rested, carve up to your liking (half, quarter, however you want). Serve atop the roasted vegetables.

 

INGREDIENTS

 600g wholemeal flour

 150g plain flour

 75g raw oats, plus extra for sprinkling

 2 ½ tbsp soft brown sugar

 2 ½ tsp baking soda

 1 tsp salt

 40g unsalted butter, softened

 480ml milk

 280ml Guinness draught

 300g black treacle

METHOD

Pre-heat oven to 170°C / 150°C fan assisted and line 2x 2lb loaf tins with parchment paper.

2.Whisk together dry ingredients in bowl of stand mixer. Add the butter and mix on low speed until worked through the dry ingredients.

3.Add the milk, Guinness and treacle then mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. (The batter will be very liquid.)

4.Divide batter between prepared loaf tins then generously sprinkle the tops with raw oats.

5.Bake in pre-heated oven until a skewer inserted comes out mostly clean, sticky crumbs are fine, between 40-50 minutes.

6.Remove from oven and leave to cool in tins on wire rack for 10-15 minutes before turning out and cooling further.

7.Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also freeze individual slices, simply place slices in a single layer in freezer bags to freeze.

8.Remove slices as needed and leave to defrost at room temperature, or give a quick blast in the microwave.

INGREDIENTS

2 300g/10oz New York Strip / Porterhouse steaks (or other of choice, Note 1)

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

SAUCE:

1/3 cup (85 ml) brandy or cognac (or marsala) (Note 2)

3/4 cup (185 ml) beef broth/stock , low sodium (important! Note 3)

1/2 cup (125 ml) cream , heavy/thickened

2 - 3 tsp coarsely crushed whole black peppercorns (or canned green peppercorns, drained) (Note 4)

METHOD

Take the steaks out of the fridge 20 minutes before planning to cook.

Crush the pepper using a rolling pin, mortar and pestle or the side of a hardy knife.

STEAKS:

Just before cooking, sprinkle both sides of steak generously with salt and black pepper.

Heat oil in a skillet over high heat until smoking.

Add steaks and cook the first side for 2 minutes until it has a great crust, then flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes (for medium rare).

Stack the steaks on top of each other, then use tongs to sear the fat strip.

Transfer to plate, cover loosely with foil to rest while you make the sauce.

SAUCE:

Add brandy or cognac into the same skillet and let it simmer rapidly, scraping the bottom of the pan, until it has mostly reduced and you can no longer smell the harsh alcohol smell (~1 min).

Add broth, bring to simmer and let it simmer rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes or until it reduces by half.

Turn heat down to medium. Add cream and pepper, stir, then simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until it thickens (do not let it boil rapidly).

Taste sauce, adjust salt (and pepper!) to taste.

Transfer steaks to warmed serving plates. Spoon over sauce. Serve immediately!

INGREDIENTS

4 cups / 360 g rolled oats (not steel cut or quick cooking)

1 cup coconut flakes (or more nuts or oats)

1 cup raw nuts (eg. sliced almonds, chopped pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)

1/2 cup dried fruit (eg. chopped apricots, apple, pineapple, raisins)

1 tsp your favourite spice (eg. cinnamon, pumpkin spice, gingerbread mix)

1 pinch salt

1/3 cup sweetener (eg. honey, maple syrup, agave, see note 2 for Brown Sugar)

1/3 cup fat (eg. melted butter, canola oil or coconut oil)

1 1/2 tsp flavouring (eg. vanilla, almond essence, orange blossom)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 150C/300F.

Combine Dry ingredients, excluding dried fruit.

Combine Wet ingredients.

Combine Wet and Dry ingredients. Do a taste test. Adjust to taste - more sweet, more fat etc.

Spread on baking tray and bake until golden, approximately 35 - 40 minutes, tossing twice.

Stir through dried fruit. Cool. Store in an airtight container.