THE GAME IS ON ONE

A menu for watching sport, extracted from my cookbook Good Time Cooking.

WARM FRENCH ONION DIP

SCOTCH BONNET, HONEY AND LIME WINGS

SHRIMP PO’BOYS

CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE

Hello and Good February to you all! After an interminably long January, God it feels good to be safely in the bosom of my favourite month. Why yes, this short and grey little space of the year is my favourite for a number of reasons, not least because it is when I have my birthday. Speaking of which, keep an eye out for a juicy discount on annual subscriptions later this month - it’s become a bit of a birthday tradition of mine and I am pleased to offer it again this year.

There are a few new faces around here and I thought it might be a good time to share a little extract from my cookbook for this months Dinner Party. Good Time Cooking, for those who don’t know, is an extension of this newsletter in book form. It is a bible of 20 Dinner Party menus, bursting at the seems with 96 recipes, tonnes of amazing ideas for hosting and some pretty good technical tips, too. If you’re not keen on making a whole dinner party, then the recipes are just as good in their own right. I am so proud of it and so proud that this newsletter is what inspired it, which started out as a chef trying to help out home cooks who love hosting but find it stressful. It’s available in the UK, US and Australia and a few other places too.

Photo credit : Sam Harris

This month I wanted to share a menu that is somewhat relevant to the time of year, that is, Superbowl time. Now, I am not saying I am the kind of person who stays up all night watching it, on the contrary, I couldn’t care less I am afraid. I am, however, the kind of person who enjoys watching sport in a more general way (mostly football), and that unique American tradition of hosting a party around it is actually something that appeals to me greatly. Pubs are great, sure, but I am at the age now where I do think sitting comfortably on a sofa with a cooler of drinks at my side and a ginormous sandwich in my hand is a bit more comfy than a ten minute wait for a warm pint and a bag of stale Frazzles.

So I designed a menu to be enjoyed around a game of some kind, whether that is football, American football, Wimbledon or even the darts. It’s got a hot dip, in the form of Warm French Onion, and it is criminally good. Followed by wings, of course, oven roasted until crisp and drenched in a spicy-sweet sauce that will have you checking into rehab it’s so addictive. Our main is, as I said, a giant sandwich. A Shrimp Po’Boy - filled with crispy fried prawns, a spicy remoulade sauce and other good things, and the best bit is the guests assemble their own. Finally, an OG Dinner Party recipe that made it into the book - Chocolate Cream Pie. It’s been a huge hit with readers and I am proud that the recipe made it this far. So, me writing this Substack is signing off now, over to me who wrote my book 18 months ago. Enjoy darlings and see you next week!

Photo credit : Sam Harris

FROM THE BOOK :

THE GAME IS ON ONE

I am an older sister to two brothers, so enjoying watching sport became a necessity from a young age. There is something very wholesome about getting a load of friends together to crowd around a television and observe greatness (or mediocrity, depending on the day). I think our friends across the pond do it particularly well, so the food for this dinner party is heavily USA themed. The menu is designed so that you can prepare as much as possible ahead, do some cooking and eating before kick off, and then again during half time. It’s a deliciously relaxed affair to be eaten on sofas with plenty of cold beers and napkins.

WARM FRENCH ONION DIP - DURING THE FIRST HALF

Inspired by the hours and hours of Barefoot Contessa episodes I watched in my teens (if you’re reading this Ina, I love you), I couldn’t conceive a menu based on the US without a hot dip. This has two of the main ingredients in French onion soup: deeply caramelised onions and Gruyère, but that’s where the similarity ends. The onions and cheese, along with a litany of other dairy products, are combined and then thrust under a grill until bubbling and unctuous. I’ve suggested a few nibbly bits to serve with this, but you can very much take the reins and do whatever you like; this is so good it would even make a pencil sharpener taste heavenly.

Photo credit : Sam Harris

For the dip

• 1 tbsp butter

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 2 large onions, finely chopped

• 200g (generous 3/4 cup) full-fat cream cheese

• 300ml (11/4 cups) crème fraîche (or full-fat sour cream)

• 2 tbsp whole milk

• 100g (31/2oz) grated cooking mozzarella cheese

• 100g (31/2oz) grated Gruyère cheese

Serving suggestions

• 1 head of celery, cut into chunky batons

• 1 cucumber, cut into chunky batons

• 1 yellow chicory, stalk removed and leaves separated

• Ritz crackers or water crackers

• ridged crisps

• toasted bread

Put the butter and oil in a large saucepan and set over a low- medium heat until the butter sizzles. Add the onions and cook slowly for around 30 minutes, until they are burnished, bronzed, soft and sweet. Stir in the cream cheese, crème fraîche and milk until they are melted in and warmed through. Add all the mozzarella and 70g of the Gruyère and stir to melt. Season well with salt and black pepper, then pour into an ovenproof dish or bowl.

Preheat your grill (broiler) on a medium heat setting. Cover the top of the dip with the remaining grated Gruyère and place under the hot grill for 3–4 minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve immediately with your chosen accoutrements.

MAKE AHEAD

• The onions can be caramelised and then kept in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat them in a pan before adding the rest of the ingredients.

• You can make the dip without the cheeses and chill for up to 2 days ahead. Reheat the dip, melt in the cheeses and then grill.

SUBSTITUTIONS

• If you can’t get hold of Gruyère, then replace it with extra mature Cheddar or comté.

SCALING

• This recipe works well for a group of 6 about to eat more things, but if you’re looking to serve more than this recipe is easily doubled. However, I do suggest splitting the dip into smaller cooking receptacles before grilling so you have the option to top up with more freshly reheated dip rather than grilling the whole lot and it going cold.

SCOTCH BONNET, HONEY AND LIME WINGS - DURING THE FIRST HALF

As with the dip, I couldn’t imagine a menu centred around a sporting event and American food that didn’t include wings. I wanted a wing that was exceedingly easy but addictive to eat, and I am thrilled to say I think these hit the spot. If you prefer to fry your wings before coating them in sauce then by all means do so, I find roasting them works just as well and is easier for big quantities. A word on spice – I love the flavour of Scotch bonnets as much as their heat, hence why I am using them here. If you would prefer a more mellow spice, switch them for red chillies and add a few drops of Scotch bonnet hot sauce for a little bit of the funk instead. It’s worth saying, though, that the creamy dip does level off the bite of the bonnets.

SERVES 6

• 2kg (41/2lb) chicken wings, split at the joint into flats and drums

• 1 tbsp salt

• 2 tsp black pepper

• 60ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil

• 2 chicken stock (bouillon) cubes (I like Maggi), crushed

For the Scotch bonnet sauce

• 250g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) butter

• 2–3 Scotch bonnet chillies, halved and deseeded

• 1 large thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

• finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 2 limes

• 2 tbsp distilled vinegar

• 180g (generous 1/2 cup) runny honey

• 2 tsp all-purpose seasoning

For the dip

• 6 spring onions (scallions), very thinly sliced

• 340g (11/2 cups) sour cream

• 100g (scant 1/2 cup) full-fat cream cheese

• small bunch of fresh dill, finely chopped

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 2 tbsp dill pickle juice

• 1 dill pickle, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C/400°F/Gas 6). Mix the wings with the salt, pepper, oil and crushed stock cubes. Spread the wings out over two large oven trays lined with foil or baking parchment. Roast the wings in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, turning a couple of times during cooking, until they are golden brown. Meanwhile, make the Scotch bonnet sauce. Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and set over a medium heat. Let the butter melt and the ingredients will start to get to know each other. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes before blitzing in a blender until smooth – take care when blending this very hot and spicy mixture not to splash it anywhere.

Combine the dip ingredients, setting aside a few sliced spring onions to sprinkle on top, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. When the chicken wings are cooked, toss them in the Scotch bonnet sauce. They can be served immediately or kept warm in a low oven covered with foil until needed. Top the dip with the remaining spring onions and serve with the spicy, buttery wings, cold beers and plenty of napkins.

MAKE AHEAD

• The sauce and dip can be made up to 3 days ahead. Roast the wings on the day and warm the sauce to serve.

SUBSTITUTIONS

• If scotch bonnets are too hot, you can swap for 1–2 large deseeded red chillies. Unfortunately, the only way to know how spicy a chilli is is by tasting it, so I cut them in half and then touch my finger to the inner membrane and then to my tongue. If it’s hot then you know you’ve got a spicy one!

SCALING

• If you're cooking this for many more people I suggest roasting the wings in batches and keeping warm in the sauce while you continue roasting more.

SHRIMP PO’BOYS - HALF TIME

A DIY option for a help yourself kind of dinner is a really great choice, as all you have to do is prepare the individual elements and let your guests do the assembly and plating. I travelled to New Orleans a few years ago and ate several hundred Shrimp Po’boys while there, which are baguettes heaped full of crispy fried prawns, salad and Cajun remoulade sauce. The prawns cook incredibly quickly so you can jump up at half time, fry them off and then get everyone to fill their boots. The breading for the prawns isn’t entirely traditional, but I found using panko breadcrumbs made them much easier to prepare ahead of time while staying ridiculously crunchy.

Photo credit : Sam Harris

SERVES 6

For the prawns

• 600g (1lb 5oz) large raw tiger prawns, peeled and deveined

• 3 tsp Old Bay seasoning, or 1 tsp celery salt

• 1 tsp chilli powder

• 3 tsp Cajun seasoning

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 700ml (3 cups) vegetable oil

• 100g (2/3 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)

• 3 eggs, beaten

• 200g (42/3 cups) panko breadcrumbs

• 3 tbsp cornmeal

For the remoulade

• 150g (2/3 cup) mayonnaise

• 11/2 tbsp hot sauce, or to taste

• 1 tbsp American mustard

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp hot horseradish sauce

• 2 tbsp dill pickle juice

• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup

• 1 tsp Cajun seasoning

• freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon

• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

To serve

• 3 medium crusty baguettes

• 1 small iceberg lettuce, shredded

• 3 dill pickles, sliced

• 6 vine tomatoes, sliced

Put the prawns in a bowl with the Old Bay, chilli powder, Cajun seasoning and garlic powder. Toss together and leave in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour. Make your remoulade by mixing all the ingredients together – adjust the heat with extra hot sauce if you want something with a bit more gas. If your oven isn’t already hot from cooking the chicken wings, preheat it to 180°C fan (200°C/400°F/Gas 6).

Heat the oil in a large frying pan until shimmering; if you stick a chopstick into the oil it should sizzle when it’s ready. Pop the baguettes into the oven to warm through for 8–10 minutes. Prep a breading station for your prawns: lay out one bowl with the cornflour, one with the beaten eggs and one with the panko and cornmeal combined. Start by tossing the prawns lightly in the cornflour, then through the egg and then straight into the breadcrumbs – you may want to use tongs for this. Pop the breaded prawns onto a couple of trays lined with baking parchment ready to be fried.

When you are ready to fry them, carefully drop some breaded prawns in the hot oil and cook for around 2 minutes, turning a couple of times. You will most likely need to do this in batches to avoid crowding the pan, and it will be quicker if you have two pans going. Drain any excess oil from the cooked prawns on kitchen paper (paper towels) and pile onto a plate to serve with the fillings, baguettes warm from the oven and remoulade. I prefer to scoop the middle out of my baguette before filling it with the good stuff.

MAKE AHEAD

• The remoulade keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days.

• You can bread the prawns and leave in the fridge for up to 2 hours before frying. Once fried, keep them warm in a low oven (120°C fan/140°C/275°F/ Gas 1) for up to 15 minutes.

SUBSTITUTIONS

• Swap prawns for oyster mushrooms.

• For vegans, swap the eggs for 100ml (scant 1/2 cup) plant-based milk, and the mayo and Worcestershire sauce for vegan versions.

SCALING

• If you're cooking for two, reduce the prawns to 200g (7oz) and use 1 egg. Divide everything else by 3.

CHOCOLATE CREAM PIE - A WINNERS DESSERT/CONSOLATION PRIZE

My friend Jess, a gorgeous all-American gal, made me my first ever Chocolate Cream Pie and I was forever hooked. It’s basically a cheesecake crust filled with a thick, moussey chocolate custard and then topped with whipped cream. I love how unashamedly indulgent it is. This makes a large pie – enough to do 12 people – but it keeps really well, and trust me when I say you would be sad if you didn’t have leftovers. Coffee is great here because it makes the whole thing taste really intensely chocolatey and the cardamom is a lovely background spice to lift and refine the flavours. For slicing this, heat your knife! I dip mine in hot water, then carefully dry it off – this will get you the best clean cuts.

Photo credit : Sam Harris

SERVES 12

For the base

• 250g (9oz) digestive biscuits (graham crackers)

• 250g (9oz) speculoos cookies, such as Lotus Biscoff

• 5 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

• 170g (3/4 cup) butter, melted

For the filling

• 4 egg yolks

• 175g (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) caster (superfine) sugar

• 40g (scant 1/3 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)

• 500ml (generous 2 cups) whole milk

• 250ml (generous 1 cup) double (heavy) cream

• 200g (7oz) dark (bittersweet) chocolate, chopped

• pinch of salt

• 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder

• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (optional)

• 2 tbsp cold butter, diced

For the topping

• 300ml (11/4 cups) double (heavy) cream

• 3 tbsp icing (confectioners’) sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)

• 2 tbsp whole milk

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C/400°F/Gas 6).

Crush the biscuits and cookies to a fine crumb, either in a food processor or by bashing them with a rolling pin in a sandwich bag (my preferred, stress-relieving method). Mix the crushed biscuits with the sugar and melted butter in a bowl until they are the texture of wet sand.

Take a deep 23cm (9in) springform cake tin and invert the base, then cover it with a circle of baking parchment that is a couple of centimetres (one inch) larger. Close the tin with the covered upside-down base inside it and the parchment sticking out of the sides underneath – this makes it easier to get the dessert off the base when it is finished and easier to remove the paper, too. Tip nearly all the crumb mixture into the tin, saving 3 tablespoons or so back. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture into the base of the tin and part-way up the sides – I like the uneven line that you get by doing this. It won’t reach all the way to the top but it should make a pretty thick, sturdy base – you want about 2cm (3/4in) thickness on the bottom and 1cm (1/2in) thickness on the sides. Use some of the mix you set aside to help build up the sides if they need it. When you are happy with the state of the base, pop the tin in the preheated oven for 10 minutes to bake, then remove and leave to cool completely.

To make the filling, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour together in a large bowl to make a thick paste. Heat the milk and double cream together in a large saucepan until just steaming, then pour this over the egg-yolk mix, whisking well to combine. Return the hot milk and egg mix to your saucepan over a low-medium heat. The dessert needs your full attention at this point – so do not walk away now! Switch your whisk for a spatula and keep stirring gently, checking there isn’t any mixture sticking and overcooking at the bottom of the pan. Eventually all the bubbles on the top will disappear and it will start to thicken; this should take about 10 minutes. As the mixture thickens, switch back to a whisk to avoid any lumps. As soon as the mixture is thick and gently bubbling, remove it from the heat. You just made a crème pâtissière! Add the chopped chocolate, salt, coffee powder, and cardamom and whisk to combine. The chocolate will melt and turn your crème pat into a glossy, chocolate delight. Finally, beat in the butter until fully melted and combined to make it extra silky. Pour the crème pâtissière into the base of your tin and smooth it out a bit if you like, then cover the surface with cling film (plastic wrap) to prevent a skin from forming. Pop it back into the fridge to set for at least 6 hours. Make sure your fridge doesn’t smell before you do this – if your housemate has left half an onion in there uncovered, or you’ve got some leftover fish curry hanging around, your pie will taste like it – so be very careful to keep your fridge clean and stinky things well contained. Nothing worse than a pudding tasting like old fridge IMHO. When it’s time to serve, gently release your pie from the tin and transfer to a plate, sliding it off the base too (if you’re brave), but don’t be hard on yourself if you don’t – it will still taste and look great! Whip the cream, icing sugar, vanilla and milk together to super soft peaks – you want the cream to just be leaving thick ribbons on its surface, not even peaking really. Top the pie with the cream, then sprinkle over the leftover biscuit base. Serve immediately!

MAKE AHEAD

• You can make the biscuit base up to 1 day before you fill it.

• You can make the chocolate custard and fill the base up to 1 day before you serve it.

• Whip the cream and top the pie up to 2 hours before serving, keeping in the fridge until needed.

SUBSTITUTIONS

• If you don’t want to use dairy, sub out the cream, milk and butter for plant-based alternatives.

• If you don’t like the idea of cardamom or coffee, use ground cinnamon or even a splash of amaretto for a nutty finish.

SCALING

• You can halve this recipe for a smaller pie, it will fit well in a deep 18cm (7in) springform tin.

TIMEPLAN

This first plan should help you see what you can get done in advance, so that for each course on the day you have at least 1, maybe 2 major parts of it taken care of. I appreciate that not everyone’s weeks are easily peppered with dinner party prep, but if you’re hosting after work or on a day where you can’t be in the kitchen, getting ahead is going to save your arse.

MISE-EN-PLACE

This is the fancy name we give to the food prep each section in the restaurant needs to do for their dishes. Hopefully breaking down each dish like this will help you feel organised.

Use the hour before your guests arrive to organise your space too- I find it helpful to group ingredients by dish so it is all in the same place. Little ramekins are really useful for this.