Hello retro food lovers and welcome (back) to November 2003! This month I am using Delicious Magazine to prepare a menu where we use the oven for each component. I know a heap of people who never use their oven so I was hoping this might inspire some people to do so. Unfortunately, this didn’t quite turn out as I was a bit disappointed with a few items on the menu. There were many items to choose from, so maybe I just chose badly. But before we get there, let’s take a little look at what was happening in the world in November 2003.
The War on Terror, the occupation of Iraq, and Paris Hilton’s sex tape were big news in November 2003. There were also some cracking movies out. Matrix Revolutions was number 1 at the box office, followed by Elf at #2 and Love Actually at #7.
The DaVinci Code was still the best-selling book and Baby Boy by Beyonce was #1 on the charts. Personally, Outkast’s Hey Ya (#3) is a much better song but each to their own!
The Menu – November 2003
Crab and Gruyere Tart
I was very surprised to find that the Crab and Gruyere Tart (I made one large tart instead of a few small tartlets) was largely tasteless. This was a Rick Stein recipe and I normally find him very reliable. This is not what I expect from a Rick recipe. I feel this needed a herb or something to liven it up a bit! Neither crab nor gruyere is a cheap item so this also did not rate on value for money.
Interestingly, Nathan Outlaw who, apart from having an amazing name, has worked with Rick Stein and, like Stein has a restaurant in Cornwall, has a recipe for a Crab and Cheddar Tart. His recipe also contains spring onions and leeks. I wonder if this would provide the flavour boost I felt was lacking in the Rick one.
Crab and Gruyere Tart Recipe
Fish in a Herb Crust with Lemon Oil
In total contrast to the above, this is a Jill Dupleix recipe which I loved. Personally, I don’t rate Jill Dupleix. She hosted a night in conversation with Nigella Lawson I went to once and she came across as a bit obnoxious. I really liked this recipe though! It was quick and easy to make and was packed with flavour! It was a lovely weeknight dinner.
Fish In a Herb Crust with Lemon Oil Recipe
Madeleines
I love a Madeleine. So, as soon as I saw that there was a recipe for them in Delicious for November 2003 I knew I would have them as part of my menu. In retrospect, maybe I should have chosen something else as this was not a good Madeleine recipe. I have read many recipes for Madeleines and all, except for this one, call for the cake batter to be refrigerated for about an hour before baking. This one didn’t. It also only said to grease the Madeleine pan, not grease and flour it, again something that is in all the other recipes I have seen.
These were a nightmare to get out of the pan. They also lacked the nice crust that you usually get on the outside. I think that was mostly stuck to the pan. So another disappointment from this magazine.
Madeleines Recipe
My Nigella Moment – Turkish Pizza
For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in because it is too good not to share.
My Nigella moment this month came in the shape of a Turkish Pizza, which is not a pizza in the traditional sense but a totally yummy combination of spinach, feta, and mozzarella in Turkish bread. I loved this! So easy to make and so tasty! I will defintely be cooking the Turkish Pizza again!
Turkish Pizza Recipe
So, it was very much a mixed bag from Delicious Magazine from November 2003. The oven did not deliver the loving I was hoping for with two of the four recipes not worthy of keeping. The fish was quick and easy and I will make it again. That Turkish pizza though? Perfection! I have already made it twice more and it continues to delight me!
Have a great week!
