Beet that!

A little while ago I arrived home from work and no sooner had I stepped through the door Dani Bristol texted me enquiring what I was up to. Pushing all thoughts of a nice bubble bath and a nap aside I wheeled right round and met her at my favourite cafe, 'The Bridge,' for a hot chocolate. One thing led to another and we ended up round her friend Rachel and Colin's Shoreditch flat tucking into the abundant contents of their fridge.

Now the recipes featured today may seem a little lux for my everyday readers (what, no fish finger sandwich?) but rest assured they seemed quite easy. Not that I was cooking. I'm just dinner entertainment these days.

From ingredients genuinely already lying around Colin whipped us up a wonderful 'oven cooked beetroot risotto.'

500ml veg stock

5tbsp extra virg olive oil

25g unsalted butter

2 small pink onions chopped

3 garlic cloves crushed with a little sea salt a la jennifer paige

5 small beetroot peeled, halved, sliced, plus the leafy tops to cook and serve with.

3 fresh lemon thyme sprigs

300g arborio rice

200ml dry rose wine

5 tbsp mascarpone

100g grana padano, finely grated.

Preheat oven 200c, bring stock and 350ml water to boil, heat olive oil and butter and fry garlic and onions until softened. Add the beetroot and thyme and cook for five mins, stirring often.

Stir in rice, wine, 200ml of the stock, you know how to do this part surely. Heat until bubbles appear round the sides, lid, oven 10mins. Stir in rest of stock, stir in mascarpone, grana padano-although leave a bit for serving. If anyone is reading this method I don't actually know what grana padano is.. ssh.

Wilt beetroot leaves serve on top with a little more grana p. Oh it must be the cheese.

Then his beautiful co-host Rachel plunged into a rhubarb and ginger brulee. 800g rhubarb, 1 dessert spoon ground ginger, 2 pieces stemmed ginger finely chopped, 3 tbsp dem sug, 200 greek yog, 300 thick double creme. oops i've just realised I didn't copy down the rest of the recipe.. I think it was just more sugar.

Preheat oven, gas 4, trip chop rhubarb into 2.5 cm chunks, add sugs and ginger in bowl and toss all together. Bake for 20 mins. Stir then 10-15 mins more. Drain juice when cooled. Heat grill for 15 mins on highest. Combine yog and cream, spoon over top, spoon more sugar over evenly, and grill till bubbling like hot sand.

Doesn't it look sumptious! Well it was.

Thank you ever so much Dani and Rachel and Colin.