Sides and Sauces

So I mentioned on Wednesday that I’d be sharing my recipe for the salted caramel sauce featured in my last post (cue the salivating tongue). Chocolate and caramel just seem like the obvious marriage for me. I’m not sure about elsewhere, but in the UK (especially London), this was the craze that seemed to come unannounced and became the foodie obsession. Everything from cakes, brownies and pies, to ice cream, doughnuts and milkshakes have had the salted caramel ‘makeover’ and I’ll admit, I’m in with the crowd.

It’s no easy task when it comes to working and cooking with sugar at high temperatures – it can easily go wrong but don’t let that put you off. This method doesn’t use a thermometer as I don’t think it’s necessary (just watch the pan continually!) It’s a simple four-ingredient recipe: brown sugar, salted butter, sea salt and single cream. It’s heavenly.

I recommend this with (pretty much everything) and if you don’t use the whole batch up in one day which is likely, it’ll last a week in the fridge. It’ll get thicker when it cools into a fudge-like texture, perfect for drizzling over ice cream, pancakes or on my favourite dark chocolate and hazelnut brownies.

For the sauce:

3 tbsp softened salted butter
140ml double cream
160g soft dark or light brown sugar
1 tsp good quality flaked sea salt

Makes one small jar full (as pictured) Cooking: 15 mins

Step one: Melt the sugar on a low heat for five minutes until it has dissolved and starts to become caramelised. At this stage, add the butter.

Step two: The butter will begin to bubble in the pan – just keep the pan moving for a minute and stir to avoid burning.

Step three: Slowly pour in the cream and continue to stir. Turn up the heat to a medium heat, add the salt and stir for a few more minutes as the sauce thickens and becomes glossy. Allow to cool.

No Mexican fare is complete without this delicious side. It has to be one of my favourite things to eat at any time of day, whether it’s partnered with spicy fajitas, piled onto melting cheese nachos or simply spread on thickly sliced toast – a personal favourite. Made right, this is comfort food at it’s best and it’s super healthy. Avocados do have one of the highest fat and calorie contents a fruit can have, but it’s all good healthy fats to make you glow. Your hair, skin and nails will thank you for this one.

The first trick to making a decent guacamole is using ripe avocados. It sounds obvious enough, but people often get this part wrong. You’ll know they’re ripe if they give a little when squeezed. If it’s under-ripe, it’ll be firm and quite unappealing, almost bitter to eat. I always get my avocados fresh from a market stall because they usually have better quality, size and price over regular supermarkets. One of my favourite local fruit and veg markets is Kingston’s Ancient Market in the suburbs of London – a quaint historical location, friendly traders and great value – I’ll do a post on my favourite London markets soon.

In true form, this recipe uses all the classic flavours that go into a tasty homemade guac and there’s the second trick – salt for balance, crushed garlic for a kick, diced tomatoes for freshness, chilli for heat, spring onions for texture, lime juice to cut through the rich buttery avocado and good quality olive oil to bring everything together. That’s it! It’s such a simple recipe but will bring your meals to life with vibrant green colour, fresh flavours and a beautifully creamy texture. Try it with my American sweet potato pancakes – it’s a dreamy combo. If you’re not keen on avocados, you’ll be hooked once you’ve made this guacamole.

Serves 2-4 | Prep: 10 mins

For the guacamole:

1 ripe avocado
1 beef tomato
1 spring onion
1/2 lime
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp chilli flakes or 1/2 a fresh chilli
Sea salt and black pepper
Olive oil

Step one: Run a sharp knife along the middle of the avocado, around the entire fruit til it meets the start point. Twist in opposite directions with your hands and it should come apart, stone intact. Use a sharp knife to tap and remove the stone. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon into a bowl and mash gently. Tricky part, done!

Step two: Chop and remove the flesh of the tomato then dice into small chunks. I ended up using half of the tomato because they’re quite big and juicy, but you could add more if you wish. Chop the spring onion and crush the garlic cloves. Add all three ingredients to the avocado.

Step three: Season to taste with salt, pepper, chilli, a good squeeze of lime juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix everything together, but not too much as you want some texture remaining.

Step four: Garnish with a few spring onions and chilli flakes, then devour.