"I have a mantra that every room should have a floor, a book and at least one natural object." Helen James , designer, chef, mother of three children and now author, strong feelings has, what makes a house a home, and the food is an intrinsic part of the equation.
"It is - something more than food" casa they ask in his first book, a feeling of home: Food - Do - sleep - Li see, which is a collection of recipes - delicious for natural beauty products and as well as "?" cleaning things to eat - and design inspiration, housekeeping tips and suggestions on how to make your home a place to do that you enjoy.
As James grew, the taste of the house was an exotic model. His father was the Islamic conservative to the Chester Beatty Library and his parents traveled to the east - east, brings with it a variety of exotic ingredients that have confused most of the 1970s Irish bosses.
"Lamb tagine, chicken and falafel Peshawari all meals in the middle of the normal weekly at my house were," said James, who admitted that he was thirsty and then the salad friend in the house of his childhood. "Three lettuce leaves, boiled egg, which had been cut into quarters a tomato, a slice of ham, marinated beets and my favorite addition salad cream."
Today, with three boys aged 18 to eight for cooking, and a demanding career as creative director of houseware stores Dunnes , the kitchen is somewhere between these two poles goal of his childhood.
"I try, before preparing food for the week, Sunday, or at least have an idea of what his every meal, but the food for the week is a task that joy. For fun cooking and baking to normally it does one thing, but rather two, every weekend. "
Flat test failure
His family dinner fish pie plate failsafe. "It is not necessarily to do the fastest, but if you store to do for the next day Sunday and in the refrigerator, and is actually one of those things that taste better. Then I can just pop in the oven when you get home. it is a recipe from my mother and my children love.
"The boys older given [18 and 16]. The smallest, who is eight, is certainly a product of the third syndrome child, and far from being picky receive more than his brothers, so I need to strive to get it with him fruit and vegetables. brought home recently one of his older brothers a girl who has taken a shine. "Mom, I want to make the soup, he said, in his head the way of his heart was to make soup. This boy go far, I thought. "
Cooking is a passion of Jacques and treatment of all types. "The kitchen is really a kind of meditation for me and a creative pursuit. I miss. One day in the oven heaven for me.
"There are some years, I have a workshop sourdough bread at Ballymaloe with Chad Robertson of Tartine. As I sat there on the first day listening to him talk about hydration of the dough, tears began to mourn, just started on my face, I was so happy ... I thought I should give every day and bake bread. Maybe one day. "
When he put away his second season working with back Donna Karan in New York, in 2011, bought James a house in Castlepollard Co Westmeath, photos of which - living room, bedroom, bathroom and many arrangements tasteful objects Value - Pop - up throughout the book.
"It was very important to me that we filmed part of the book in my own home, show my aesthetics. In fact, this book is a very personal project is. The style was used by me my personal belongings, not accessories, and all the food look was prepared / baked for me. There is a team of stylists and chefs was behind the scenes.
Family photos'
"There are too many of my own photographs of everyday life and family photos when I my mother showed some tests saw a picture and said." My God, when I purchased wooden bowl in the souk in Sudan it was 50 years ago, not a day when I thought I would look with my daughter in the book. "
She sold the house in Westmeath earlier this year and is looking for a new home in Dublin, be converted into a house.
"I praise the moment is a challenge that find it hard to live in a place that I was not my own. But I did it myself as much as possible. I fill my free time with dreams of what they would do if they really possessed, and what I will do if I have my house next door, "said the former co-host of the popular TV - RTE to Hause,Jahr.
"The most interesting interiors are the ones that have been created over a long period of time without the mark of an external designer. I know that everyone is an easy thing to do, and the best interior designers are the ones who listen to their customers and reflect, rather than have a copy of something they want to do or see. "
- A sense of home: Eat - A - Dream - Live - Helen James, published by Hachette Books Ireland , £ 19.99
COOKIES choclate
When I lived in Brooklyn in 2010, ate a cookie in a small cafe on Smith Street. She was tall, with big chunks of chocolate and caramel color, sharp edges and soft and hard middle.
This recipe is based on cookies New York Times 48 hours the next thing I show in this heaven've found. You can expect anything between 24 to 48 hours to cook this - the longer you wait, richer and more caramelized flavor biscuits. My personal preference is the mark of 36 hours. They do not replace chocolate here, you want good quality chocolate broken into pieces, at least the size of thumbnails. This affects the taste, but the texture of the cookie. These cookies can be frozen as soon as they had been waiting for their time - thaw only at room temperature before cooking. Do not skip the passage of a weight of biscuit dough. Like all my recipes, I have the shortest way to the desired effect.
ingredients
- 18 cookies before
- 480g flour
- Teaspoons baking powder 1 ¼
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 280g unsalted butter
- 280 g brown sugar
- 200 g icing sugar
- 2 eggs of chickens
- 200 g dark chocolate (60-70%), broken into pieces more or less
Measure the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl and mix with a whisk to remove lumps. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
Add the flour mixture into the bowl and mix until combined (do not over mix). Add the chocolate chips and mix through. Now the golf ball of dough rounds of fashion with his hands size (each must weigh 100 g). Covers the container dumplings with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 24 to 36 hours.
When you are ready to bake, place the hob on the balls of biscuit covered with parchment paper, leaving enough space between each - I think four baking sheet works well if you do not want to melt into another. Warm to room temperature (about half an hour), while Preheat oven to 180 ° C bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on the tray.
These cookies are best the day they leave the oven, but if kept in a completely airtight container take up to three days.
Black Olive lemon chicken
This dish has a sense of the Middle East and the combination of lemon and strong salty olives is delicious. It is very easy to implement and can be assembled in advance (the day before would be good) and cooled, then just throws in a hot oven if ready to cook.
four flat
ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs called into life
- 2 medium onions
- 1 lemon
- 2 pieces of candied lemon, chopped (see recipe below)
- Peppers 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 24 Kalamata black olives (gutted)
- 1 tablespoon sea salt coffee
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed, easily crushed
- 1 tablespoon water Coffee sumac
- to serve a bunch of fresh coriander,
before the heat oven to 180 ° C excess fat from chicken legs and remove dry. Peel onions and cut into slices and cut the lemon to keep the slices as thin as possible. preserved lemon in the bottom of the baking dish and evenly disperse garlic, chopped olives and.
Place the chicken thighs on top and sprinkle with salt, coriander seeds and sumac. At this point, you can put it in the refrigerator until they provide to cook, or this procedure. Add enough cold water to cover lemons and onions and roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, coarsely chop the cilantro.
Remove the pan from the oven, make sure that the chicken cooked through and scattered with chopped coriander.
charred lemon confit
Charring lemons before the preservation process starts an extra dimension of flavor adds this basic spice in the Middle East. It is only the skin needs the taste, a recipe - usually a quarter or half a lemon peel enough.
ingredients
- 3 lemons unwaxed
- 4 leaves of fresh laurel
- 1 teaspoon pink peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon sea salt coffee
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed
- 300-500 ml of olive oil (depending on container)
- Cut lemons in half and place the cut side on the fire down into the grate.
Leave for 3-6 minutes, and then on the other side of the grid. The time will depend largely on the temperature of the fire, you will find that having to judge when finished. You want a nice caramelized lemon and blackened (see photo).
Remove from heat and sterilized Kilner into a clean container such as a glass. Add the seeds of bay leaves, salt, pepper and coriander, then enough olive oil Pour the lemon to cover thoroughly. infuse for at least 3 days.
Use this lemon oil quantity added with normal or lemons preserved lemons in tagine or chopped and added to salads or couscous. Another advantage is that the oil is delicious vinaigrette or poured onto the fish or chicken. Lemons in the refrigerator 3 to 5 weeks.
Honey, garlic and thyme PIE FLORES
Cook garlic in vinegar and honey before adding really softens the flavor of this cake that is soft and earthy. Of course, you can also easily at any time of the year do of thyme leaves instead of flowers with.
This is a great cake for a picnic and eat better at room temperature. It is 1 cm x 23 cm pastel comprisies cut eight slices.
ingredients
For the dough:
- 160g flour
- a pinch of sea salt
- 110g cold butter
- 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
- 60 ml of water ice
- 1 egg beaten free path, (in which the surface of the paste brush)
For the filling with garlic cream:
- 3 garlic bulbs (peeled pods)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 200 ml water
- 1 tablespoon of honey
- 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
- grated Cheddar 180g
- 4 eggs of chickens
- 180 ml cream
- 160 ml cream
- a pinch of sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 20 thyme flowers
- 6 leaves of fennel
First make the dough. Place the flour and salt in a bowl and cut cold butter into small pieces. Rub the fingertips until it receives a fine crumb mixture.
In vinegar to frost and sprinkle the flour mixture over water. , Then turn operate quickly and collect into a paste and iron in a row. kept winding dough in plastic wrap and an hour in the refrigerator.
Remove oven to 180 ° C, the dough from the refrigerator and rolled on a lightly floured surface to a 36cm round. Transfer to a field of 23 cm and let false edges. The space in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Remove from the freezer and line the dough with parchment paper and weights or beans cook old. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then remove from the oven, remove the paper carefully and beans or weights and brush the surface with a little beaten egg. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool (but leave the oven).
Now the filling. Put your garlic in a pan, cover with water and bring to a boil and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and drain.
Dry the pan, pour some olive oil and garlic fry for 2 to 3 minutes cooked turn golden. Add the vinegar and water and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Now, the sheet, and thyme honey and cook until the liquid is reduced to a thick syrup coating just garlic (about 5 minutes). Scattering of the cheese on the basis of the dough casing, and then uniformly distributed over the garlic.
In a bowl, mix eggs, cream and cream, season with salt and pepper and whisk until combined are also without egg yolk or egg white, only a creamy golden liquid.
Pour garlic cream in pastry and spread the top with half the flowers of thyme and fennel.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, is set to custard, but still a little wobble in the middle. Garnish with thyme flowers and other fennel leaves and serve hot or at room temperature.
House Cleaning Tips
silver polish
This method is magical - all heavy wash cleaning process takes money. For small items such as silverware or jewelry, you can use a relatively small plastic, glass or ceramic. For large items such as plates and teapots, you can use your kitchen sink.
The bottom of the container or a film include a gloss side. Place your objects silver leaf. Sprinkle generously with sodium bicarbonate. Add enough boiling water to completely cover the products. Leave until the water is cold enough to bring objects with your hands - you should be able to see, modify and brighten the eye color! Wipe with a soft, dry cloth until smooth.
deodorant
This spray is anti-bacterial and fresh, without toxic chemicals used in conventional air fresheners. You get need a 250 ml spray bottle.
- 20 drops of tea tree
- 20 drops of rosemary oil
- 20 drops of peppermint oil
- 10 drops of lemon or lavender oil (depending on preference)
- 6 EL distilled water
- 2 tablespoons vodka
Mix all essential oils in a ceramic bowl. Pour water and vodka in a spray bottle and carefully add the mixture of essential oils. Stir to mix.
Keep this in your bathroom cabinet and sprayed when a breath of fresh air is needed. Make Shake well before each use. Will last indefinitely, but the smell of oil can easily fade over time.
