Bonfire night 2016

With firework sound lively at the background, I made us something which tasted pretty amazing tonight. It's worth making a note.

Slow-roasted lamb shoulder

I got a carvery ready lamb shoulder, about 1.2 kg. Seasoned the lamb inside out with a mixture of olive oil, garlic powder. thyme and oregano leaves, black pepper and salt. Put the lamb in a wide and shallow casserole on top of 3 red onions and pour 1 cup of liquid consisting of half sherry and half water. Cover the casserole with a lid and roast the meat at 160C for 4 hours. The lid is on for the first three hours but off for the last one for the meat to crisp up. Before serving, I reduce the pan juice with a tiny amount of sugar and vinegar. Best lamb I've ever had.

Carrot puree

Boil 500g carrots in chunks for 30 minutes (or until they are tender). Drain the carrots (save 1 1/2 cup of water for couscous later) and let them steam dry for 5 minutes. Put 2 tablespoons of butter in and mash the carrots. Adjust the taste with salt and a pinch of sugar. I usually further season the carrot puree depending on what goes with it. For the roast lamb tonight, I added 1/4 teaspoon of homemade Baharat spice (see below). Harissa is a good substitute or just cumin powder. It's a nice and different way to serve carrots as a side dish.

Baharat spice mix by Melissa Clark: combine 2 tablespoons sweet paprika, 1 tablespoon ground coriander, 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon ground turmeric, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom and 1 teaspoon allspice.

Couscous with raisins and peas

Boil 1 1/2 cup of water (I used the water saved from cooking carrots) in a saucepan. Season the water with 1/4 teaspoon of Baharat spice and a pinch of salt. When the water comes to boil,  add in a handful of raisins and half cup of frozen peas. Bring the pot back to boil and pour in one cup of couscous. Stir, cover and turn the heat off. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and fluff the couscous with a spoon/fork.

Apricot and brioche tart

This dessert makes use of store-bought brioche and canned apricots. The preparation is merely an assembly job, layering the brioche slices, spreading the filling and topping with apricot slices. I added two tablespoons of amaretto to the filling. The brioche remains soft but firm enough to be a tart base. The taste is simple but elegant, a very good dessert indeed.