Tonight we were supposed be enjoying sausages from Hollies Farm Shop in Northwich (a new discovery when we bought a new car from the area a week or so ago).

However, Anthony had to have a tooth out this afternoon so wasn’t up for anything but soup and with sausages on the intended menu, that certainly means he really couldn’t eat anything.

Back to the mushrooms though. Every time I make something like this it is just thrown together at the drop of a hat, no recipe in sight. Tonight’s was quite delicious & I thought it about time I share (& post!).

Mushroom & Thyme Pasta for One

• 6 Chestnut mushrooms
• 1/2 small white onion, chopped
• Sprig of fresh thyme
• 2 Tablespoons low fat creme fraiche
• Pasta

Method

• Put pasta on to cook (10-12 minutes)
• Fry onion in a little olive oil & a small pinch of salt until soft
• Add thyme sprig (a few leaves can be removed from sprig as this will be taken out before serving)
• Add mushrooms until soft
• Season further with pepper
• Stir in creme fraiche, take off heat
• Drain pasta & mix

I say we, but it was Anthony that cooked up a delicious starter. Steamed asparagus spears with quick hollandaise sauce. This sauce is not a traditional way of making hollandaise but is lower fat and much easier and to be honest, tasted just as good

Quick Hollandaise Sauce

• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tablespoon cornflour
• 1 1/2 rounded tablespoon creme fraiche
• 5ml white wine vinegar
• 1/4 tablespoon lemon juice
• 25g butter

Basically you put everything except the butter in a small pan. Whisk together and heat over a medium heat until simmering – whisking all the time. Take off heat & whisk in the butter.

Serve with steamed asparagus tips.

After enjoyed the asparagus I got on with the pie. And as it was Saturday evening I thought I’d use the potatoes I picked up for mash to make dauphinoise potatoes. This is something I’ve had in the back of my mind to try for a very long time and I searched on the internet for a recipe that suited what we had in. The link takes you through to the recipe I used from the bbc website.

We served the pie, dauphinoise with some steamed kale.

It is certainly a dinner to enjoy once every few months as it oozed lots of creaminess. But it went down very well with a nice cold white wine.

Well last night we where in Tesco & I picked up Olive magazine and some corn fed chicken breasts. And it just so happened Olive contained the kind of pie recipe I’ve been craving.

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts
• 8 shallots – 6 whole, 2 sliced
• 100g creme fraiche
• 2 1/2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar – I’d probably use a touch less next time
• 75 ml white wine
• Small bunch chopped tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon cornflour mixed with 1/2 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Ready rolled puff pastry

How to Do It

1. Heat oil in pan
2. Cut chicken into chunks & brown in heated oil
3. Once brown remove chicken & add all the shallots and cook for 8 minutes
4. Add vinegar & cook until reduced by half
5. Add chicken, wine, creme fraiche, tarragon & cornflour mixture – cook for 5 minutes
6. Add mixture to pie dish & cover with puff pastry (cut to just larger than the pie dish)
7. Cook for 25-30 minutes on 180°c
8. Let pie cool for 5 minutes before serving

Enjoy!

1 onion.

1 clove garlic.

Soften in olive oil.

Add a generous glug of vermouth or white wine.

Add spinach (wilted) & a glug of single cream & parmesan.

Serve mixed into tagliatelle.

Not bad as a quick meal.