Curry Powder isn’t ‘one’ thing.  It’s a house mix and would seem to be a Western invention, but it’s a ready-mix which has been around for a long time.  It  was certainly available in London in the mid 1780s as there’s an advert for it in ‘The Morning Post’.  That  must have been powerful stuff because it promises “it contributes most of any food to an increase of the human race”.  I don’t make any such claims for mine … although I do have five children …

You can buy Hot, Medium or Mild, but your own will always be better.  Whole ground spices are more flavourful and zingy than anything you buy ready ground.  Plus, you can customise your mix to your own taste.

This is mine.  (If you happen to be one of my children – this is the curry powder I send you to university with to put on your spicy popcorn ..)

I’ve made choices.  If you buy it, depending on the brand you buy, you may find coriander, turmeric, curry leaves, cumin, fenugreek, chilli, ginger, garlic, asafoetida, fennel seeds, caraway seeds, cinnamon, cloves, mustard seeds, green cardamom, black cardamom, nutmeg or black pepper.  I think I spotted celery salt in one the other day.

This is my go-to mix.  Since the shelf life of ground spices is no more than 3 months at most I like to grind mine in small quantities.

Lightly toasting the spices does make the kitchen smell wonderful, but the real reason to do it is because it alters the flavour of the spice.  It’s not better, just different.  I like it for this.

For my curry powder I place coriander seeds, cumin, black mustard seeds, fenugreek, fennel seeds, black peppercorns and cloves  in a small cast iron frying pan.

Over a low heat, warm through until the spices release their aroma and they appear slightly darker.  Transfer to a bowl.  If they stay in the pan they might burn in the residual heat.  Leave to cool.

I’m sure a purist would opt for a pestle and mortar, but I keep a bamix dry blender for the purpose.  (Don’t even think of grinding coffee beans in what has become a ‘spice mill’ or they’ll taste peculiar!)

I add a few freeze-dried curry leaves and a couple of dried chillies.

And whiz.

A little turmeric.  Then, mix.

That’s it.  A fresh and zingy curry powder.  Eat.

Home-Made Curry Powder

• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon turmeric
• 1½ teaspoons black mustard seeds
• 1½ teaspoons fenugreek
• 6 freeze dried curry leaves, crushed
• 2 dried chillies, seeds included
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• ½ teaspoon whole cloves
• ½ teaspoon of black peppercorns

Set the curry leaves, the chillies and the turmeric to one side.

Place the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, fenugreek, cloves and peppercorns in a small cast iron frying pan and place over a low heat.  (Don’t use a non-stick pan for this as the coating may smoke.)  Keep watching and shaking the pan as spices burn quickly.  You want everything to roast evenly.  Warm through until the whole spices have darkened slightly and an aromatic scent has filled your kitchen.  Immediately transfer them to a bowl to cool.

Once cool, add the crushed curry leaves and roughly chopped dried chillies.  Grind in a pestle and mortar or whiz in a spice grinder.

Add the turmeric and stir.  Store in a sealed container and use within weeks.

Eat.

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Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding is a close relative of Clafoutis.  So close I wouldn’t be remotely surprised to learn it made it’s way to England via some invading Normans.

Clafoutis comes from the Limousin region of France and is made with griottes, or sour morello cherries.  Traditionally, it’s a stone-in dessert.  The cherry stone contains amygdalin which is an active chemical in almond extract and keeping them in adds a little something.  Annoying, though.  I haven’t got the hang of spitting out cherry stones elegantly … and I’ve reached an age and stage where I’m worried about my teeth.

(Incidentally, if you make it with a different fruit you should called it flaugnarde.)  I have absolutely no idea why I retain that kind of information so effortlessly when working out how to use pdf on this blog is so entirely beyond me.

Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding is made with dessert cherries – which are much easier for me to get hold of.  It’s ‘Kentish’ not so much because batter puddings are a Kent thing but because it’s the county where the cherries are grown.  That’s Henry VIII’s fault.  A gluttonous monarch, he instructed cherry trees to be planted in Tenyham, Kent, in 1533.  Before the second world war there was something like 40 000 acres of beautiful cherry orchards in Kent, but the 12 metre-plus high cherry trees became uncommercial to harvest and 90% of the orchards vanished.

There were twenty tough years for the British cherry but now things are looking brighter, if not quite as photogenic.  Cherries are grown on dwarf shrubs and the short season has been extended by using polytunnels.  You can now buy British cherries from June to September – which is a source of great delight to my nephew, Josiah.

With the exception of the cherries themselves, a Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding requires store cupboard ingredients.

And a cherry stoner.  Unlike it’s continental cousin, it’s stone out.  I love my Westmark Cherry Stoner.  It works.

One the advantages of removing the cherry stones is that the cherry is now receptive to receiving a spike of something.  I steep my cherries in home-made cherry brandy.  Kirsch would be good.  Vanilla extract, I guess, would also be lovely.

Put the flour in a bowl, add the sugar and a pinch of salt.

Whisk the dry ingredients together.  Add a splash of milk and one of the egg yolks.

When that’s lump free, add the second egg yolk and another splash of the milk.  Whisk until there are no visible lumps.

Into the smooth mixture, add the remaining milk and melted butter.  Drain the cherries and add any leftover brandy.

Batter done.

I use a 26cm pie dish (1.5 litres) to cook my batter pudding.  Into the greased pie dish I place half the steeped cherries and give them 5 minutes in a hot oven.

Whisk the reserved egg whites to stiff peaks.

It’s easiest if you whisk in one third of the billowy egg whites before gently folding in the remainder.

Remove the pie dish from the oven and pour the soufflé-like batter on top.

Then, plop in the remaining cherries.  Back into the oven.

Want a peak?

Exact cooking times will depend on your oven and you may have to fiddle a bit.  In my conventional oven I bake for 20 minutes at 200ºC, then I lower the temperature to 190ºC/375ºF/gas mark 5 and cook for a further 20 minutes.  (My oven is truly hopeless and I have to use an oven thermometer.)

In my Aga I cook for 10 minutes on the rack on the floor of the Roasting Oven and then place on the rack on the floor of the Baking Oven for 20 minutes.  The depth of your dish will make a difference.  You are looking for your batter pudding to be puffed up and golden with the custard just-set but still having a seductive wobble.

Dust with icing sugar.

Serve warm or room temperature.  I like it warm best.  With a vanilla custard or with cold pouring cream.

Eat.

Kentish Cherry Batter Pudding

Serves 6

• 500g/1lb ripe dessert cherries
• 1 tablespoon cherry brandy (or kirsch/almond extract)
• 50g/1½oz plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 50g/1½oz caster sugar
• 25g/1oz unsalted butter, melted
• 300ml/½pint full-fat milk or single cream
• 2 eggs, separated

Stone the cherries.  Spoon over 1 tablespoon of cherry brandy and give the cherries a stir.  Set aside to allow the cherries time to absorb the alcohol.  (This can even be done the night before.)

Place the flour, salt and caster sugar in a bowl and whisk together with a balloon whisk.

Make a well in the centre and add one of the egg yolks, together with a splash of the milk/cream.  Using the balloon whisk, start to incorporate the flour and whisk until there are no lumps.  Add the second egg yolk and another splash of milk and continue whisking until you have a smooth thick batter.

Add the remaining milk, the melted butter and whisk together.  (If you wish to get-ahead with the batter, it will sit in the fridge perfectly happily.)

Grease a 1.5 litre pie dish and drop half the soaked cherries in the bottom.  Cook for 5 minutes in a 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6.  (Aga:  On a rack on the floor of the Roasting Oven.)  Drain the remaining cherries and add the brandy to the batter.

Whisk the egg whites until the stiff peak stage.  Whisk in one third into the batter and then, gently fold in the remaining two-thirds.

Take the hot dish from the oven and pour over the batter.  Drop the second half of cherries over the top.

Back into the oven for a initial 20 minutes.  (Aga:  I find 10 minutes is enough for the batter pudding to be golden and puffed up.)  Reduce the temperature to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas Mark 5 for a further 20 minutes.  (Aga:  Baking Oven for a further 20 minutes.)

Dust with icing sugar.

Eat.

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