First cooking evening: Pickly Cucumber and red onion salad with loads of dill, Big Beefy tomato salad, Glasgow potato scone with best Scrambled Eggs & Smoked Salmon and Citrus Cheesecake Possets

Hello folks,

This was cooking day one and I am really pleased with the result, a smashing success!!

I started the day with a "jolly good clean" as you would say and cleaned the house. I am super fussy and won't cook unless the kitchen is immaculate.

Here are some pictures of my kitchen:

Then I started with the dessert: Citrus cheesecake possets. I squeezed the juice from 7 lemons, peeled one in small strips and boiled them with golden caster sugar and a vanilla pod. Before all of that I crushed almonds (blanched and toasted) and digestive biscuits together with butter and put them in nice tall glasses in the fridge. Lemons cooking, I added double cream. I must say, I am not much of a dessert person but this is superb!

For the main course I made  Glasgow potato scone with best scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. What to say? Perfection.

This dish was accompanied by 2 salads, Pickly Cucumber and red onion salad with loads of dill and the big beefy tomato salad.

If you haven't bought the book yet, please buy it. It is amazing!!!

I invited my mother in law and Ken, a friend over, along with my husband. It was a lovely evening, finished with coffee and warm hearts. Good food makes the heart grow fonder.

If you don't know how to blanche almonds here goes the tip of the day. Boil water in a saucepan, turn the heat off and add the almonds for 1 minute. If you leave longer almonds will get soggy. If you the squeeze the almonds the skin should peal off easily. That is what blanche means, remove the skins.

I am adding pictures of my cooking today.

Tomorrow I think I am cooking toad in the hole. I had a change of heart just today.

See you tomorrow,

Gisele

RECIPES 2,3,4,5.