We’ve all had favourite recipes that we’ve cooked on repeat over the last year, so we’ve asked our Orchestra members what their ‘go-to’ recipes have been during this time!
Speedy One Pan Brownies
For Ruth McNamara (first violin) the standout recipe are these Speedy One Pan Brownies. Her daughter has made these almost every week for the past year.
If you want to give them a try they only take 15 minutes to prepare, 30 minutes in the oven and only need one pan - so there’s not much washing up!
1. Preheat the oven to 190˚C/gas mark 5
2. Grease and line a 20cm square cake tin
3. Melt the butter and dark chocolate over a low to medium heat
4. Take off the heat, add the sugar and eggs and stir with a wooden spoon
5. Stir in the flour
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into the lined tin.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, until just set with a slight wobble (don’t test with a skewer). Leave in the tin to cool completely before cutting into pieces
For the drizzle
1. Melt the white chocolate over a pan of simmering water (check the bowl is not touching the water)
2. Once almost melted, take the pan off the hob and stir to finish melting the chocolate
3. Drizzle over the brownies and enjoy!
Homemade Flour Tortillas
In her normal job, Josephine Frieze is the Orchestra’s Associate Principal Percussion but at home with her children she’s become a pro at making her own flour tortillas. For Jo, there’s an added plus – these are much better for the environment as she’s trying to cut back on plastic-wrapped food.
Jo’s top tip is to weigh everything – including the water to make the process quicker.
1. Combine the mixture in a large bowl and knead by hand.
2. Leave to prove for 2-3hrs.
3. Separate the large dough ball into ten small, equally sized balls.
4. Roll each out very thinly with a rolling pin, until almost translucent.
5. Fry each tortilla wrap in a lightly oiled frying pan, flipping after about 20 seconds to make sure both sides are warmed.
6. Stack the hot wraps on a cooling rack until cool; store in the fridge or freezer when cold.
Beans on Toast
You may have spotted Scott Lumsdaine, percussionist, in the Orchestra. This lockdown, he has been cooking and has come up with a twist on the nation's favourite lunchtime dish, beans on toast.
Try out Scott’s Spotify recommendation: https://open.spotify.com/track/2EjYHYgaZpt80CN0lYrCxO
Recipe (serves 2)
Blackberry, Honey and Bay Tart
Frances Evans is a violinist in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. She lives on her own so has been perfecting the art of ‘small baking’. Frances’ top tips for baking for one include halving raw egg, buying tiny tins, and increasingly favouring the 1/8 teaspoon.
In normal times, she bakes a normal amount and shares them around the second violin section for “cake in the break”. However, in the current climate, Frances is adapting and living by Nigella Lawson’s mantra: “Living solo will not stop me from having pudding”!
For the pastry:
For the filling: