Smy Rhubarb Curd & Lemon Curd Tart

I'm all about experimenting when I cook and I love to find new ways to use my homemade chutneys, jellies and jams...and curds!  It's exciting times in the studio as I am sharing space with some interesting and creative people as seen in the above video - Aimee, Lucia and Sam.  I mentioned to one of said interesting people, Aimee, that I really fancied making...and eating...a rhubarb tart.  It wasn't until later on in the evening that I realised I didn't have enough butter to make the pastry.  I think I need to stop right now and say that this NEVER happens as I adore and believe in butter.  This is mainly as I've been taking a bit of a break since Christmas and I always have kilos of butter in the fridge to satisfy lemon curd orders.  Back to tonight's tart, I was feeling a bit lazy and couldn't face popping to the shops when it occurred to me that I had a half pound kilner jar of lemon curd in the fridge and that essentially there was a lot of butter in there.  So I decided to make an alternative pastry with lemon curd binding it together rather than butter.  For the pastry I used:

100g of rice flour

50g of plain flour

50g of strong brown flour

100ml of lemon curd

4tbsp of water

I blended them all together and left it to sit and rest in the fridge for about half an hour.

I then lightly dusted the pastry, board and rolling pin and rolled the pastry to about a half a centimetre in thickness and placed in on a dish that I had lightly dusted with rice flour.  I like using rice flour in pastries as I think it gives it a lighter texture.  I then lightly pressed the pastry into place and used a fork to flute the pastry.

I put about four tablespoons of lemon curd and spread this over the pastry.  I then took four tablespoons of Smy rhubarb curd and gently layered that on top of the lemon curd.  I then repeated another layer of about four tablespoons of lemon curd and arranged rhubarb segments in the curd layers.

Then I popped the tart into an oven that had been preheated to 180℃ for half-an-hour and then I left it to cool.

The tart was light and tangy and proved a perfect Friday afternoon treat for the studio.  Rhubarb season is just about to kick off and it's one of my favourite ingredients and you can expect rhubarb chutney, rhubarb curd and rhubarb and ginger jam to all be back in stock shortly.  You can also expect more tasting videos this year and lots of new and exciting flavours and recipes.

and remember...

it's not your chutney...

it's Smy Chutney.

please follow Smy Chutney on

facebook

and

twitter

...

I want these for the market!

Photographer Fulvio Bonavia’s shot ‘Food Dresses’ for

Garage Magazine

which was styled by Giovanna Battaglia and featured Prada, Louis Vuitton, Alexander MQueen and Moncler dresses that were recreated with food!

 Orange and Lemons say the gowns of

Miuccia Prada

Walnuts whipped into Louis Vuitton 

 Lettuce greens for McQueen

(Via Fashionista)

Happy New Year!!!

Hoping that 2012 is a stellar year for everyone and thanks to everyone for making 2011 such a great year for me and Smy Chutney.  I absolutely love this video and I hope it encapsulates what 2012 will be all about!

My New Friends - Jimmu and Retromarche

Here are my two new friends, Jimmu (yellow) and Retromarche (orange), who were very sweetly given to me as a Christmas present.  

Many years ago I had a much larger fish tank with several fish and filter prawns in there and they were great fun but inevitably and eventually they all died and I moved and left the fish tank there.  I'm in a bit of a quandry as I'm not sure how humane it is for these two fish to be in their fishbowl and two minutes worth of googling confirms that it isn't very.  I'm hoping to get another tank but in the meantime I'm changing water every other day and keeping a close eye on them.  Perhaps these would make nice alternative fish gifts:

Joost Elffers and Saxton Freymann's bok choy fish from their brilliant book Food Play.

This video and Riusuke Fukahori's work is incredible and can be seen at the ICN Gallery on Leonard St until 11 Jan 2012.

"Goldfish Salvation" Riusuke Fukahori

from

ICN gallery

on

Vimeo

.

Duckie Christmas Market - throughout December at the Barbican

I will be trading on

Tues 13th, Wed 14th, Tues 20th, Wed 21st December

from 6-930 pm

at the

Duckie Christmas Market

held in the

Barbican

Foyer.  The market accompanies the

Duckie Christmas Show

,

a

spectacular new Christmas show in the Barbican theatre

.

  Duckie

produce Event Culture: shows that mix the boundaries between theatre, nightclubs and new mode pop and arty show business.

This Christmas season I'm trading at loads of super cool venues for super cool organisations and I'm super looking forward to the Duckie Market because it's right down the street from me and right up my alley.  The Duckie Christmas show and market will be running throughout December as well as lots of fun workshops on the weekends, details below:

________________________________________________________

10 - 30 December

Week nights 6pm – 9.30pm

Weekends 2pm – 9.30pm

Free Entry

The Barbican foyers are transformed

into an indie Christmas gift market with 60 homespun stalls showcasing

cult crafters, artisans, designers, hawkers, butches, bakers and candlestick makers.

Dodge the chain stores and do your Christmas present shopping at Duckie

for original homemade housewares, kit, jewels, potions, cards, curios & nosh.

Duckie Christmas Market

Barbican, Silk Street, London EC2

Closed on 12, 19, 24, 25 & 26

Plus 1:  Crafty workshops at weekends - create your own:

Christmas cards, calligraphy, wrapping paper, corsages, pennants, decorations and fairy lights.

An inspiring Letter Lounge, gift-wrapping station and ‘Poortraits’ too!

Plus 2:  Free 

Duckie Christmas Party

 on Friday 16 December 9.30pm till 1a

m

Plus 3:  Spectacular new Christmas show in the theatre

Duckie Christmas Show

more details at

duckie.co.uk

For current chat, trader info & product images, join the

Facebook Duckie Christmas Market

___________________________________________________

I love not having to cycle Smy Chutney trailer too far, I love the Barbican and I love the Duckie ethos and vibe.  It's going to be a lot of fun with amazing stalls, come along, see the show and do some Christmas shopping!  I'll have my luxury homemade

Smy Chutney

, jelly and jam as well as Christmas items such as:

If you can't make it to the Duckie Christmas Market you can also

order online

or visit me at

Whitecross St Market

on Thursday's and Friday at the Barbican and Waitrose end of the market and sample all the yummy flavours before you buy.

and remember...

it's not your chutney...

it's Smy Chutney.

please follow Smy Chutney on

facebook

and

twitter

...

and if you haven't seen it already, here's a little video made by

Emma Crouch

about Smy Chutney:

Crafty Fox Christmas Market at the Dogstar in Brixton 10/11 Dec

I'm really looking forward to trading at the Crafty Fox Christmas Market at the

Dogstar in Brixton

.  The market is a two-day affair and although

I will only be trading on Saturday 10 December

it will also be held on Sunday 11 December, here is the super cool flyer:

I'll have my luxury homemade

Smy Chutney

, jelly and jam as well as Christmas items such as:

Check out the all the other amazing stall-holders

here.

Here's a little taste of the Crafty Fox Night Market held at the Dogstar in Brixton on the 1st September 2011:

If you can't make it to the Crafty Fox Christmas Market you can also

order online

or visit me at

Whitecross St Market

on Thursday's and Friday at the Barbican and Waitrose end of the market and sample all the yummy flavours before you buy.

and remember...

it's not your chutney...

it's Smy Chutney.

please follow us on

facebook

and

twitter

and if you haven't seen it already, here's a little video made by

Emma Crouch

about Smy Chutney:

Nags Head Christmas Spectaular - Sunday 4 December

Nags Head Christmas Extravaganza

This free event caters for all the family to celebrate the launch of Christmas in the

Nags Head Town Centre with the switching on of the Christmas tree lights.

There will be a craft and food market, enjoy music and dance performances

on the community stage, mingle and enjoy street entertainment, meet Santa's

reindeer, sample fantastic hot food or tackle the climbing challenge and rides.

4th December 11:30-5:30

Holloway Rd between Camden Road and Parkhurst Road

I'll have my luxury homemade

Smy Chutney

, jelly and jam as well as Christmas items such as:

If you can't make it to the Christmas Spectacular you can also

order online

or visit me at

Whitecross St Market

on Thursday's and Friday at the Barbican and Waitrose end of the market and sample all the yummy flavours before you buy.

and remember...

it's not your chutney...

it's Smy Chutney.

please follow us on

facebook

and

twitter

and if you haven't seen it already, here's a little video made by

Emma Crouch

about Smy Chutney:

Alison Pearson's Sausages with Apple & Pepper Chutney Recipe

My amazing and dear friend Alison Pearson kindly gave me a massive bag of bramley apples a few months ago that she had collected from her mother-in-law's garden.  From the apples I made a lovely Apple and Pepper Chutney with pink peppercorns and a secret ingredient - Smy Chutney six-pepper jelly.  The resulting chutney proved really tasty and became a popular seller at Whitecross Street Market with the apples, pink peppercorns and six-pepper jelly combining to create a lovely crisp chutney with just a tad of background heat

.  I gave Alison several jars to enjoy with her family and to give to her mother-in-law.  Alison and I used to work together and it was one of, if not the best working relationships that I have ever had.  I love Alison and totally respect everything about her; she is so professional, creative and family oriented and has been such a good friend to me the entire time I've known her.  My last gush is that she also has an utterly wicked sense of humour. 

Cooking and mealtimes are a total family affair at the Pearson residence and Alison rang me to tell me that everyone was really enjoying the chutney and she gave me the following recipe that her family had created using the apple and pepper chutney.  It sounded so lovely that I had to try it right away and I have since made it several times and wanted to share it here.  It couldn't be easier, couldn't be tastier and is perfect for chilly autumnal evenings.

You simply grill sausages in a bit of olive oil for 15 minutes or until they are nicely browned and then transfer them to a tray lined with a large piece of aluminium.

Using the pan that you cooked your sausages in, add a little more olive oil, heat it and add sliced brampley or cooking apples, a sliced onion and lightly grill for a few minutes until they have a nice colour.

Add the grilled sausages back into the pan and grill all together for a minute or two.

Transfer the sausages, onion and apple back to the aluminium foil and place two big tablespoons worth of apple and pepper chutney on top.  For an extra kick you could add a bit of six-pepper jelly as well.  Fold the aluminium to create a sealed parcel and place in an oven preheated to 180 ℃ for 15-20 minutes.  Remove the tray from the oven and carefully open the parcel.  Serve with creamy mashed potatoes and peas or broccoli, delicious!

Thanks again Alison for the apples and inspiration!

and remember...

it's not your chutney...

it's Smy Chutney.

please follow us on

facebook

and

twitter

and if you haven't seen it already, here's a little video made by

Emma Crouch

about Smy Chutney:

Wheelz' Six-pepper baked chicken

Thanks to Sarah for sending this recipe suggestion for six-pepper jelly.  She marinated some chicken breasts in six-pepper jelly and then baked them.  A nice gravy resulted during cooking and she served them with boiled potatoes. Thanks Wheelz!!!

and remember...

it's not your chutney...

it's Smy Chutney.

please follow Smy Chutney on

facebook

and

twitter

...

View Tube Christmas Craft Market - Saturday 3 December 2011

I'll be at the View Tube Christmas craft market on Saturday 3 December, from 10am-3pm with lots of beautiful craft gifts and a festive feast and mulled wine available from the Container Cafe.   I'll be selling my luxury homemade chutney, jelly and jam as well as lots of gift boxes which make a perfect present for family members, friends and colleagues. You can find more information on

Smy website

but things like:

I love the View Tube and was lucky enough to attend a craft market that they had last year.  You may have read about it as it is one of

my most read blog posts!

There were loads of amazing items available and the backdrop is one of the most exciting areas of London with a stunning view of the Olympic Park.  They are along the cycle path, have an amazing cafe and offer all sorts of events, exhibitions and activities.  You can find out a lot more about them by

watching some brilliant films here.

Why not check out their new exhibition series

Sparked

while you are at the Christmas Market.  Inspired by

'Art in the Park'

, the Olympic Delivery Authority programme of public art across the Olympic Park, The View Tube will welcome

Tomas Klassnik

and

Riitta Ikonen

as the first curators of the

Sparked

series.  Exploring the physical landscape as an organic canvas, this interactive exhibition looks at biological drawing devices, giant seedballs, hidden paths and the UK landscape and heritage.  There is a free activity sheet to go with the exhibition for any young person who visits.

Inspired by

Fantasticology

from The Klassnik Corporation,

We Made That

and Riitta Ikonen, a series of wildflower meadows, which act as a floral celebration of the industrial heritage of the Olympic site. The exhibition will run from

25 November 2011 – 22 January 2012

and is FREE!

Also on 3 December View Tube are offering a fantastic free art workshop for you and your family (suitable age 7-14yrs) with artist Riitta Ikonen.  Drawing on her Sparked exhibition you'll explore the heritage of the Olympic Park and learn how to create your own seed garden card you can take away.  The

morning session is from 10.30am-12pm and the afternoon session is from 1pm - 2.30pm in the

Education Classroom at View Tube.  Limited space available so please book your space on either the morning or afternoon session by emailing info@theviewtube.co.uk

Here is a

map

of where the View Tube is located on The Greenway, Newham, Stratford, East London. The best bet is to take public transport or cycle to the View Tube as there is no parking or vehicle access to the Greenway. The nearest public transport is Pudding Mill Lane DLR, one stop from Stratford. When reaching Pudding Mill Lane DLR, please:

• Exit station and turn immediately left
• Go down short flight of steps and cross the road
• Follow the blue hoardings round to the left
• Go up the tarmac ramp/path to the Greenway
• You can't miss it!

There's also time to sell your amazing craft items at the Christmas craft market, if you'd like a stall, please contact info@theviewtube.com for more details.

and remember...

it's not your chutney...

it's Smy Chutney.

please follow us on

facebook

and

twitter

and if you haven't seen it already, here's a little video made by View Tube friend

Emma Crouch

about Smy Chutney: