Gordon Ramsay on my 'bun in the oven'

If you've been reading my blog for a while, or if you know me in person, you'll know I'm somewhat enamoured with Gordon Ramsay. I watch all his shows, have interviewed both Gordon and his wife, Tana Ramsay, and own several of their cookbooks.

So you can imagine my delight when my colleague presented me with his new cookbook at work the other day. Gordon Ramsay was in Toronto on a promotional tour for his latest book, Healthy Appetite, and he had just appeared on a television show at my workplace.

I clapped my hands in glee, but my colleague urged me to open the book. Inside, I found a personalized inscription from Gordon himself that told me "Well done on your bun in the oven."

I bounded down the stairs (as quickly as a pregnant woman can bound down stairs) and hugged my colleague's lovely girlfriend, who was the producer that made it happen for me. This is one cookbook that will never be blemished by an oil splatter.

Ham, spinach, and Gruyere croissant ring

After my recent interview with Tana Ramsay, Gordon Ramsay's wife, I told her I'd be trying the ham, spinach and Gruyere croissant ring from her new cookbook "Home Made." She leaned in, as if she'd be letting me in on a family secret and said, sincerely, "It's delicious."
And she was right. When I pulled the croissant ring out of the oven, after serving leek and potato soup, along with an arugula, cherry tomato salad with raspberry vinaigrette, pecans and Stilton cheese, my husband's eyes widened. It looked like I'd slaved all night. Truth was, while it looks impressive, all it takes is chopping up a bunch of ingredients and laying the filling atop the croissant dough, folding the dough, then baking it. In this case, the ingredients include two packs of croissant dough; blanched spinach; 10 slices of honey-roasted ham, cut into strips; 10 halved cherry tomatoes; 5 chopped spring onions; 10 small button mushrooms, sliced into quarters; 50g of arugula; 5 tbsp mascarpone cheese; 50g Gruyere cheese, finely grated; black pepper. The result is a crusty golden croissant ring, cherry-red tomato halves and oozing sweet mascarpone cheese peeking out of the crevices. While I'm not usually a fan of Gruyere cheese, or any Swiss cheese for that matter, it gave the croissant ring a subtle smoky flavour rather than masking it.

My substitutions:
I didn't make any, everything was easy to find. Please note, however, that British packs of croissant dough may contain more or less dough than the Pillsbury ones we find in Canada do. I ended up with just enough leftover dough to make an extra croissant and even more leftover filling. I think you can safely cut the recipe for the filling by a third and still have enough.

Would I make this again?
Probably next week. It was that good. It also passed the leftover test although the dough wasn't quite as crusty and crispy after being microwaved as when I first took it out of the oven.
Next time, however, I may try different ingredients for the filling - maybe feta, roasted red peppers, olives and spinach; or even chorizo sausage, tomato, kale. Really, once you have the technique down, the possibilities are limitless. And it's also a sneaky way to include leafy green vegetables.

Grade: Five stars out of five. This may sound like fawning but even after I ate this for lunch the next day, I was wishing I had packed more.

On a side note, this cookbook is fabulous. It's not Tana Ramsay's first cookbook for time-pressed families, nor will it be the last, I'm sure. Her tone is casual and relatable as she details easy-to-follow recipes, includes tips on freezing recipes, and recounts family anecdotes.

As the mother of four, she understands how home cooks must adapt to challenges as they arise. And also as the wife of one of the most famous chefs in the world, one who made a career out of perfection and fresh food, it warms the very cockles of my heart that this idealism is alive and well in his own household.

Other recipes I'd like to try include: Grilled cod with home-made red pesto; spring greens with nutmeg butter; and banana tarte tatin. I'll keep you posted if I do.

Cookbook Review: Gordon Ramsay's 'Cooking for Friends'

I felt inexplicably nervous while trying out recipes from Gordon Ramsay's latest cookbook. And then, it hit me as I carefully basted roasting Campari tomatoes with their pan juices. I was expecting Ramsay, the foul-mouthed celebrity chef who I both adore and fear, to point out I was doing something wrong. (This, despite the fact I have met and interviewed the multi-Michelin starred chef and he was nothing but gracious, and gentlemanly.)
When I finally acknowledged my irrational fear, and stopped waiting for someone to call me "You donkeh!", I set to work and the evening's dinner unfolded as it should. I also have Ramsay's "Fast Food" cookbook and while that one has been sitting on my shelf for several weeks now, this cookbook already has several post-it notes marking pages. Last night, I tried three recipes from "Cooking for Friends," in which Ramsay shares the meals he loves to cook when he's off-duty.


Broccoli, Stilton and pear soup
This recipe was even easier than I imagined. Ingredients consisted of two large heads of broccoli; 800 ml hot chicken or vegetable stock; 100g crumbled Stilton; 2 firm but ripe pears; 25g butter; a handful of flaked almonds to garnish. After boiling the broccoli in the broth, and pureeing it with half the Stilton, the cookbook advises seasoning the soup to taste. I found it needed an extra kick - so I added some freshly ground pepper and that did the trick.
The recipe also called for caramelizing pears as garnish, and I found it necessary to leave them cooking in the butter for longer than suggested (1-2 minutes each side.) Once topped with the pears, Stilton, and almonds, the result was elegant and delicious, the perfect starter when entertaining.

My substitutions:
I should have used homemade stock, I know, but I used the ready-made broth for convenience's sake.

Would I make this again?
I'm already planning my next dinner party so that I can show this off. Next time, however, I will boil the broccoli for a shorter amount of time to maximize the beautiful green colour.


Roasted tomatoes with marjoram
The photo of this recipe was so beautiful I couldn't resist trying it out, particularly because I always seem to have some extra tomatoes lying around that get stodgy and squishy before I use them.
The list of ingredients is, once again, short and to the point: vine-ripened plum tomatoes; two large garlic cloves, thinly sliced; leaves from handful of fresh marjoram; 3-4 tbsp olive oil. Basically, you cut the tomatoes in half, place the garlic slices on top, then scatter marjoram, salt, pepper, and olive oil on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 150 C and baste with pan juices halfway through.

My substitutions:
I used Campari tomatoes as there were no plum tomatoes at the grocery store. I also left the tomatoes in the oven for something closer to 45 minutes and finished them off with 5 minutes under the broiler, as I like them slightly browned, but that's a personal choice.

Would I make this again?
There's no reason not to - it's easy and adds a dash of colour to the table. Particularly comforting when served warm as the cold weather begins to set in. They're tasty as a side dish, but I also added these tomatoes to the pasta (below), and my leftovers for lunch were moist and fresh.


Farfalle with bacon, peas, and sage
This is Ramsay's adaptation of an easy pasta carbonara, one his kids request once a week. The list of ingredients is short, and likely to already be in your refrigerator and pantry: 400g dried farfalle, 3 tbsp olive oil; 8 rashers of streaky chopped bacon; 1 large garlic clove; 300ml double cream; 150g peas, thawed if frozen; 60g freshly grated Parmesan, and more to sprinkle; small handful each of sage and flat-leaf parsley.
While I followed the steps carefully, I found the sauce was quick to thicken and that there wasn't enough of it.

Substitutions:
I didn't use parsley, I just doubled the amount of sage as I love the taste.
I must admit to adding a dash of white wine near the end to loosen the sauce. If possible, add the cream after leaving it out for a bit to avoid the ugly cottage-cheese-type curdling. I also added some of the roasted tomatoes to add colour and this helped to keep the pasta moist when I heated it up for lunch the next day.

Would I make this again?
I will likely attempt it again, but I will make more sauce, and simmer it for a shorter amount of time to keep it from thickening too much.

Grade: Five stars out of five. This cookbook is relatable, the ingredients are readily available, and best of all ingredient lists are short. The recipes are also written with time-pressed home cooks in mind, and it shows, keeping directions simple and to the point.