This Week’s Lessons: Baklava, Jackfruit, Tempeh & Sourdough Adventures
Another week of cooking, experimenting and learning what I would — and definitely wouldn’t — make again!
This week on my cooking course I made orange blossom baklava, Jamaican jackfruit curry and Korean-spiced tempeh lettuce cups with crushed edamame salsa.
The baklava was probably the biggest success. It was delicious and really simple to make. I had some orange blossom syrup left over, so I used it in a cocktail that evening — equally delicious! Orange blossom water isn’t an ingredient I’ve experimented with much before, but I absolutely loved its floral flavour and would really like to find some other ways of using it.
The Jamaican jackfruit curry wasn’t quite such a hit in our house. I think the chilli I used was a little too mild, while the clove flavour really dominated the dish. I’m definitely not writing jackfruit off, though. I recently cooked with it at a Korean plant-based class and absolutely loved it, so I think this was more about the particular combination of flavours than the jackfruit itself.
Next came the Korean-spiced tempeh lettuce cups with crushed edamame salsa. The sauce was gorgeous and included doenjang paste, which was completely new to me. It had such a lovely savoury depth and I’d definitely make the marinade again.
The lettuce cups themselves were incredibly fiddly to assemble — although I think that may have been partly down to my lettuce leaves being a little too small! And then there was the tempeh…
I’ve tried. Twice now. But I just can’t take to the texture. I find it really dense and stodgy, so I think it’s safe to say tempeh just isn’t for me. I would, however, make exactly the same recipe again with crispy tofu. The flavours were great!
Sourdough experiments
I’ve also been experimenting with my sourdough and trying to bulk up my starter a little. I may have got slightly carried away this time — I think I caught it just before it escaped all over the fridge!
Unlike two weeks ago, when it actually did!
Birthday pie
Finally, it was my father-in-law’s and my son’s birthday, and the family requested chicken and leek pie. I decided to get a little creative with the pastry and added “HAP-PIE BIRTHDAY” across the top.
Very pleased with the idea — slightly less pleased with how much colour the lettering took on!
A note to myself, and a tip for anyone trying something similar: next time I’d egg wash the main pastry lid first and give the pie a head start in the oven. I’d then add the more delicate pastry lettering, egg wash it and finish cooking for the final ten minutes or so. That should hopefully keep the letters golden rather than quite so well done.
But that’s exactly why I’m doing these courses and experimenting at home. Some things work brilliantly, some need tweaking, and occasionally you discover that no matter how good the recipe is, you simply do not like tempeh!
And I think that might be my biggest lesson of the week.
