Vegan Panna Cotta with berry compote (AD: with Alland & Robert #acaciagum)

I don’t eat gelatin, so panna cotta is something I’m not usually able to try. A common feature on restaurant menus (it’s super easy and quick to serve and can sit in the fridge until a customer orders it), I’ve always had to pass.

Vegans have been experimenting with gelatin alternatives for a long time and it’s agar agar that is usually the setting agent of choice. True, agar agar (a seaweed derivative) will set a milky mixture but it lacks much of the gentle set and lovely texture you get with gelatin.

I was invited to France in December by Alland & Robert, a family firm founded in 1884 who import and produce Acacia Gum products and who were keen to share their findings in this area.

Acacia gum (aka Gum Arabic) is sourced in the ‘Gum belt’ of Africa, in the south of the Sahel. From Senegal to Eritrea, the harvest zone covers Mali, Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Sudan and Ethiopia. The gum harvest provides a revenue to millions of people in this region and the way the gum is harvested requires no industrial equipment - it is done by hand and the small cuts that are made in the (wild) tree bark to collect the harvest are not harmful to the tree. It is relatively unknown to the general public but it’s a completely natural ingredient found in many common food products. Look on food and drink labels and you’ll start seeing it everywhere! It is given the E number E414 as it is an ‘additive’ but it’s really important to know that not all E numbers are bad! I was definitely guilty of this, but I was wrong. All sorts of E numbers are totally natural products, simply assigned an E number to show they have been tested as safe for consumption and that their use is regulated. Beeswax, for example, is E901. Lanolin is E913. Castor oil is E1503. As a highly safe additive used for many years, acacia gum offers numerous functional properties (Gum arabic is used in the food industry as a stabilizer, emulsifier and thickening agent and to bind the sweeteners and flavorings in soft drinks). You might also have heard of ‘gomme syrup’ - a solution of sugar and gum arabic in water which is sometimes used in cocktails to prevent the sugar from crystallizing and provide a smooth texture.

What Acacia Gum can’t do, is set pannacotta alone, but what it can do is combine with agar agar to really closely mimic the texture of gelatin. This is pretty revolutionary stuff and is the result of lots and lots of experimenting on the part of Alland and Robert.

We (I was fortunate enough to be sharing the experience with Miriam Nice from BBC Good Food) joined the Alland and Robert team at their test kitchen an hour north of Paris and spent time learning more about Acacia Gum before tasting a range of products both with and without the gum added.

Results were interesting; a tiny amount of Acacia Gum added to bread recipes made it stay softer for longer. Two day old bread was noticeably more chewy with the addition.

Next up was ketchup. Removing sugar from products is not as simple as literally taking it out; the sweetness can be replicated with things like Stevia but the texture needs to be adjusted to get the same mouth-feel. Again, a small amount of acacia gum made a noticeable difference.

We then did a blind taste test of the various vegetarian pannacotta recipes their team had been working on. All used agar agar to set. One used dairy milk and cream, the others used various plant based milks; soya, almond and coconut.

They provided us with samples of each version with and without added acacia gum.

Adding the acacia gum to the agar agar made a very noticeable difference - texture was vastly improved and mouthfeel was much, much nicer. Creamier, smoother - basically much better!

I wanted to create a totally vegan recipe so the cow’s milk option was out. My personal favourite from the versions we tasted was the coconut but I had a feeling oat would be even better.

Once I got home, I set about experimenting. After trialing various recipes, this is my ultimate vegan panna cotta. I’m delighted with it and I really hope you give it a try.

Panna Cotta (vegan)

500ml Oatly cream (available in many health food shops and online here, here and here)

50g golden unrefined caster sugar (I used Billington’s, which is certified vegan. The processing of white sugars sometimes uses animal products, so check the label if cooking for vegans)

2g agar agar flakes (1.5 level tsp) (sea vegetable gelatine) - (I used the organic Algamar brand, which I found in my local health food shop)

10g acacia gum (aka Gum Arabic) powder - (this one available on Amazon is recommended)

0.5 tsp vanilla extract or the seeds from 1 vanilla pod.

For the berry compote

175g mixed frozen berries (I used half blueberries, half raspberries)

15ml lemon juice

15ml water

1 heaped tsp sugar

Method

Makes 6-8 small glasses

Start by measuring out all your ingredients very carefully using digital scales and accurate kitchen measuring spoons.

Mix the agar agar in a small bowl with the sugar and mix well.

Shake the oat cream before opening and tipping into a small saucepan.

Add the rest of the ingredients into the pan and turn the heat on low.

Start mixing with a rubber spatula. Keep stirring consistently and slowly bring the mixture to a gentle simmer (95 degrees Celsius if you have a thermometer).

Once it has come to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes, moving the pan off the heat every now and then to keep the mixture from getting any hotter.

After 5 minutes, remove from the heat and leave to cool for a couple of minutes before pouring the mixture into a blender (make sure to scrape every last drop out of the pan) and blitzing on high for 10 seconds.

Immediately (so the mixture doesn’t start to separate), pour the mixture between 6 small glasses. Tap on the counter to remove any air bubbles and leave to cool for 10 minutes before moving to the fridge to set. This will take about 3 hours.

While the panna cottas are setting, make the berry compote.

Add the frozen berries, lemon juice, water and sugar to a small saucepan. Mix to combine and bring to a boil for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally.

Leave the pan uncovered and over a very low heat, cook on a very low simmer, until most of the water has evaporated. Stir regularly.

Put to one side.

When the compote is cool and your panna cottas are set, you have two options; either spoon the compote on top of each glass or run a small, sharp knife carefully around the top of each panna cotta glass and tip out onto a plate. Spoon a little compote onto the plate and serve immediately.

Thank you to Alland & Robert for sponsoring this post. You can find more information on Acacia Gum and Alland & Robert here on their site.

Quick pickled Beetroot & orange carpaccio with radicchio and a clementine & lemon dressing (AD: WITH SARSON'S #PICKLEIN15)

Welcome back!

I’m delighted to be bringing you a whole series of new recipes, thanks to Sarson’s. I’m sharing my ideas for dishes using their brill new product - Sarson’s Pickle in 15 Mediterranean vinegar blend. It’s very simply a ready-to-use pickling blend that means you can create all sorts of pickled things really easily and quickly. Instead of making your own pickling liquor (by adding sugar and spices to vinegar, basically), this product means you cut out a whole stage in the recipe process and simply pour it over the veg/fruit, straight from the bottle. Wait (you guessed it) 15 minutes, and it’s done!

This fourth post is for a really impressive yet super easy Winter salad. The salad includes quickly picked thinly sliced raw beetroot, made using the Sarson’s Pickle in 15 vinegar blend. Use a mixture of colours if you can find them, but regular red beetroots alone will also work fine.

The quick-pickled beets are balanced with the sweet/sour blood orange slices and I’ve included bitter leaves and a citrus dressing to bring in even more layers of contrasting flavours. If you can’t get hold of blood oranges (they have quite a short season), you can happily use normal oranges. Navel work well and are a good size.

I hope this dish brings some much needed brightness to these dark weeks, and do let me know if you try it!

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 Candy stripe beetroot (or use regular beetroot if you can’t find them)

• 1 Golden beetroot (or use regular beetroot if you can’t find them)

• Sarsons Pickle in 15 blend (I used the Mediterranean blend)

• 1 Blood orange (or use a regular orange if out of season)

• 1 handful Bitter leaves (look for rocket, endive or radicchio)

• a pinch of pul biber red pepper flakes

For the dressing

• Juice of 1 clementine

• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt flakes

• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• a few grinds of black pepper

Directions

Peel the beets and slice them very thinly using a mandolin or sharp knife.

If you are using different colours, put them into separate bowls and cover with the Sarson’s Pickle in 15 Vinegar blend.

Put the beets to one side while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Cut a slice off the top and bottom of the orange then, using a small sawing motion, working from top to bottom and working your way around the orange, cutting sections of peel off.

Cut the orange into very thin slices and put to one side.

Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and whisking well.

Taste and adjust the seasoning. You’ll have more dressing than you need for this salad but it will keep fine in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be used to dress leaf or grain salads.

After 15 minutes, remove the beet slices from the vinegar mixture and lay on kitchen roll to absorb excess liquid. You can reuse the vinegar, so sieve it (if necessary, to remove any small pieces of beet) and pour it back into the bottle / a small jar and keep in the fridge.

Arrange the salad by alternating slices of beet and orange on a large platter and tucking a few salad leaves between them all.

Drizzle with the dressing, sprinkle with sea salt flakes and pul biber and serve.

Sarson’s Pickle in 15 Minutes Mediterranean vinegar blend is available to purchase from all Morrisons stores.

Tuscan-style cannellini bean stew from Let's Eat!

The full recipe can be found in my second book, Elly Pear’s Let’s Eat! and also here

Roasted gochujang tofu and red onion rice salad

Serves 2

1 x 225g block of smoked tofu, drained and pressed firmly in a clean tea towel to remove excess moisture

2 tsp maple syrup

2 tsp olive oil

2 tsp gochujang paste (available in Korean supermarkets, in big supermarkets and online)

1 medium red onion

1 tbsp olive oil

2 portions cooked brown rice (I like short grain brown rice best)

2 big handfuls of kale, leaves pulled off the stalks and roughly ripped into bite sized pieces

1 tsp sesame oil

 1 tsp sesame seeds

Pre-heat oven to 200C (fan)

Cut the dried tofu into 1-2cm cubes.

Combine the maple syrup, olive oil and gochujang paste in a bowl and toss the tofu in it.

Peel the onions and cut into wedges.

Put the onions into a baking tray lined with baking parchment and drizzle with the olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Push the onions to one side of the baking tray and tip the coated tofu onto the other side.

Put into the middle of the oven and roast for approx 20 minutes until the edges of the onion and the tofu are both charred.

While the tofu and onion are roasting, wash the kale in warm water and drain well. Massage the sesame oil into the kale and place into a large bowl. Add the cooked rice and mix well.

Once the tofu and onion are ready, combine with the rice and kale mixture, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.

Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 days.

Quick Pickled Carrot and Parsnip Salad with nuts and soft Goat’s Cheese (AD: WITH SARSON'S #PICKLEIN15)

Hi again! I’m delighted to be bringing you a whole series of new recipes, thanks to Sarson’s. I’m sharing my ideas for dishes using their brill new product - Sarson’s Pickle in 15 vinegar blend. It’s very simply a ready-to-use pickling blend that means you can create all sorts of pickled things really easily and quickly. Instead of making your own pickling liquor (by adding sugar and spices to vinegar, basically), this product means you cut out a whole stage in the recipe process and simply pour it over the veg/fruit, straight from the bottle. Wait (you guessed it) 15 minutes, and it’s done!

This third post is for my ideal Christmas Eve dinner. A cold, no stress spread of nibbles and an easy, quick, vibrant salad. A light meal before the Big Feast of Christmas Day! The salad includes quickly picked carrot and parsnip ribbons, made using the Sarson’s Pickle in 15 vinegar blend.

As you can see in the pictures, I think the perfect accompaniment to the salad is simply some cheese and crackers, a plate of smoked salmon and delicious bread and a big bowl of satsumas! Maybe a Lindt ball or 5…

I’ll be at my mum’s this Christmas Eve and so we’ll no doubt still manically be wrapping presents late into the evening (last minute merchants, always!), but there’ll be a bottle of cold Tio Pepe by my side and a bag of Twiglets very nearby at all times!

I hope you’re eating well, whatever you are doing over the holidays, and do let me know if you try this!

Quick Pickled Carrot and Parsnip Salad with nuts and soft goat’s cheese

Serves 4

4 medium Carrots (multicoloured if you can find them)

1 small Parsnip

Sarson’s Pickle In 15 (I used the Mediterranean Blend for this)

2/3 Red chicory, base trimmed, core removed, leaves separated

50g rocket

125g Soft Goats cheese

Small handful Walnuts pieces, toasted in a dry pan and roughly chopped

Small handful hazelnuts, toasted in a dry pan and roughly chopped

2 tbsp Olive oil

2 tsp Honey

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

Start by peeling your carrots and parsnip and discarding the peel. Continue to peel your veg, working your way around, making long thin ribbons. Stop when you get to the cores (and bin them!). Divide the different coloured carrots (if using multicoloured ones) and the parsnip between separate bowls and cover all the veg with the Pickle In 15 vinegar blend.

Meanwhile, arrange the chicory and rocket on a large salad platter.

After 15 minutes, drain (reserving the liquid). Squeeze the vegetable ribbons over the sink to get rid of excess liquid. Lay the pickled vegetables on the salad, tangling it all together.

Dot the goat’s cheese all over the salad and scatter the nuts on top.

In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, mustard and 1 tbsp of the pickling liquid with a generous pinch of salt and a good few grinds of black pepper . Drizzle all over the salad and serve immediately.

You can find the Sarsons Pickle In 15 vinegar blend in stores now. The Lightly seasoned variety is in Tesco Extra & Morrisons stores and the Mediterranean variety is exclusively in Morrisons.

Chocolate Puddles

Whatever anyone tells you, making homemade gifts will rarely save you money, especially if you’re as easily swayed as I am by lovely boxes and bags and bottles and tags and end up spending as much as if you’d just popped down the shops. Whoops. However, of course, it’s really about the time, effort, creativity and thought that’s gone into it.  These very quick and easy chocolates puddles are not ‘tempered’ (Google it) which will mean they need to be kept refrigerated before gifting. They can be topped with whatever you like. I used up loads of bits from my cupboard (after a mammoth granola making session!) but you’re limited only by your imagination  - dried fruit, seeds, nuts, even broken pieces of pretzels. I love to include at least one salty element to counterbalance the sweetness of the chocolate.

Makes approx. 25 x 1” puddles

150g dark chocolate (look for approx 70% Dark), broken into chunks

Mixture of toppings (total weight approx. 200g) – I used raisins, salted almonds, hemp seeds, goji berries, pumpkin seeds, desiccated coconut, dried rose petals and bee pollen

1.      Slowly melt the chocolate, either in a microwave or in a bowl set over (but not touching) very gently simmering water.

2.      When it’s totally melted, stir and spoon teaspoonfuls onto a tray lined with baking paper. While still wet, gently top with a combination of toppings on each one.

3.      Place in the fridge to set, then place in a small cellophane gift bag. They will need to be kept refrigerated until you gift them.

• DRIED CRANBERRIES make a particularly Christmassy topping

• GIVE A BAG AS A GIFT with a bottle of the deliciously Christmassy Pedro Ximenez sherry. Look out for Noe from Gonzalez Byass

• MAKE THESE IN ADVANCE they’ll be fine in the fridge for at least a week

This recipe originally appeared in my column in InStyle Magazine in 2015

Quick Pickled Pear & cheese toasties with cranberry jam (AD: WITH SARSON'S #PICKLEIN15)

Hello again! I’m delighted to be bringing you a whole series of new recipes, thanks to Sarson’s. Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing my ideas for dishes using their brill new product - Sarson’s Pickle in 15 Minutes. It’s very simply a ready-to-use pickling blend that means you can create all sorts of pickled things really easily and quickly. Instead of making your own pickling liquor (by adding sugar and spices to vinegar, basically), this product means you cut out a whole stage in the recipe process and simply pour it over the veg/fruit, straight from the bottle. Wait (you guessed it) 15 minutes, and it’s done!

This second idea is for a pretty epic toastie – it uses three different cheeses, a quick homemade cranberry jam (use shop-bought cranberry sauce if you want to) and some super quick and ridiculously easy pickled pears, using the Sarson’s Pickle in 15 Minutes.

Use any cheese combination you like for this – a great way to use up the remnants of a Christmas cheeseboard! Adding at least some mozzarella into the mix will give you those sexy stretchy cheesy bites!

Serves 2

For the cranberry jam (makes about 6 tablespoons)

200g Frozen or fresh whole cranberries

100g Sugar

3tbsp (45ml) Water

3 tbsp (45ml) Orange juice

Put all ingredients in a medium saucepan, stir to combine and heat over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for approx. 20 mins, stirring occasionally to burst the berries.

Use a stick blender to blitz until smooth then pass through a fine sieve.

Pour into a jar and cool. Once cold, move into the fridge and it will keep for 2 weeks.

For the pickled pears

1 medium pear

1 bottle Sarson’s Pickle in 15 Minutes (I used the ‘Lightly Seasoned’ variety).

Halve the pear lengthways from stalk to base, then thinly slice widthways and place in a bowl.  Simply cover with the Sarson’s Pickle In 15 and put to one side for 15 minutes.

This will make enough pickled pear for at least 2 sandwiches.

For the toasties

50g Mature cheddar, grated

50g Gruyere, grated

75g Mozzarella, finely chopped.

4 slices of Sourdough

4 tsp Mayonnaise

4 tsp Cranberry jam

Quick pickled pear slices, drained

Blitz all the cheeses together in a food processor. Spread the outside of your bread with mayonnaise and the insides with the cranberry jam. Lay the slices jam side up and divide half the cheese mixture onto two slices, top with a few slices of pickled pears and then the rest of the cheese. Season with plenty of black pepper and a bit of sea salt. Close the sandwiches, mayo side up. If you have a sandwich press, now’s the time to use it! If you don’t then you can fry the sandwiches in butter in a large frying pan, weighing it down with something heavy like a heavy bottomed saucepan, then flipping it over and repeating until golden on both sides.

Serve with the remaining pickled pear slices and the extra jam on the side.

Smoked tofu nugget rice bowl with pickled plum and red onion slaw (AD: with Sarson's #PickleIn15)

Hello! I’m delighted to be bringing you a whole series of new recipes, thanks to Sarson’s. Over the next few months, I’ll be sharing my ideas for dishes using their brill new product - Sarson’s Pickle in 15 Minutes. It’s very simply a ready-to-use pickling blend that means you can create all sorts of pickled things really easily and quickly. Instead of making your own pickling liquor (by adding sugar and spices to vinegar, basically), this product means you cut out a whole stage in the recipe process and simply pour it over the veg/fruit, straight from the bottle. Wait (you guessed it) 15 minutes, and it’s done!

This first idea is for a really delicious rice bowl topped with smoked tofu nuggets and piled up with loads of veggies, including a simple quick pickled plum and red onion slaw. Loads of veg, full of protein and fibre and it’s also totally vegan and gluten free, for those of you that need those things.

Make sure all your ingredients are prepared and ready – this is going to come together quickly once the cutting has been done!

For the nuggets

225g box smoked tofu

2 tbsp cornflour

¼ tsp Chinese five-spice powder

Large pinch smoked paprika

300ml vegetable oil

For the slaw

1 plum (halved, stoned and thinly sliced into half moons)

½ red onion (finely sliced)

1 tsp sesame oil

100g Red cabbage, finely shredded

1 small raw beetroot, peeled and cut into matchsticks

Sarson’s Lightly Seasoned Pickle in 15 Minutes

To serve

Brown rice (short grain is my favourite)

Baby leaf spinach

Edamame (frozen and cooked according to packet instructions)

To garnish

Fresh coriander

Hoisin and/or sriracha sauce

Toasted sesame seeds

Nori seaweed flakes (optional)

Method

Cook the brown rice according to packet instructions

Meanwhile, prepare the nuggets: Lay the block of tofu on a few sheets of kitchen paper. Fold another sheet of kitchen paper in half and use to gently press out the liquid. Cut into 8 equal-size cubes. Put the cornflour in a shallow bowl, add the five-spice powder and paprika, then mix well. Toss the tofu cubes in the spiced cornflour until they’re evenly dusted on all sides.

To make the slaw, mix the plum slices and red onion in a medium bowl with the sesame oil and the Sarson’s Lightly Seasoned Pickle in 15 Minutes vinegar blend. Leave for 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Add the cabbage and the beetroot and mix it all up. Place to one side while you get on with the tofu.

Pour the vegetable oil into a wok and put over a high heat. Once hot, shake off any excess cornflour from the tofu, then carefully lower each nugget into the hot oil using a slotted spoon or tongs. Deep-fry, turning regularly (and carefully), for 4-5 minutes until all sides are golden brown and crisp. Remove the tofu cubes from the pan using a slotted spoon or tongs, then drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle the cubes with flaked sea salt while they’re still hot – this helps to keep them crisp.

Fill a third of your bowls with the cooked brown rice. Add a big pile of the pickled plum slaw and a handful of baby spinach and the edamame beans. Sit the nuggets on top and garnish with coriander, the toasted sesame seeds and nori flakes and serve with hoisin and/or sriracha sauce so you can adjust the flavour as you like.

Shaved fennel, blood orange, pomegranate and roast pistachio salad

My full recipe is now on the Meat Free Week website link here

I'm very pleased to be supporting Meat Free Week. Basing your meals around seasonal vegetables makes sense for your own body and the environment. If you can see meat as the luxury it should be and during Meat Free Week, expand your ideas about what a vegetarian diet looks like, you're onto a winner.