Flavour Kitchen: 3 unique hybrid recipes that offer new twists on old favourites

Crystelle Pereira's tiramisu pancakes

Credit: Vanessa Lewis

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Flavour Kitchen: 3 unique hybrid recipes that offer new twists on old favourites

By Annie Simpson

2 years ago

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10 min read

Can’t choose between your favourite dishes? With these unique and creative hybrid recipes you don’t have to. 


Sometimes, things that you wouldn’t think would naturally go together can make something so much greater than the sum of their parts. Before the days of salted caramel being commonplace, the pairing was a revelation. The same can be said for a plethora of other combinations: bacon and maple syrup; honey and feta; miso and just about anything.

They’re those flavours that make you go: “Why didn’t we think of this before?”

Flavour Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes with Creative Twists by Crystelle Pereira

Credit: Kyle Books; Vanessa Lewis

And someone who’s a pro at doing just that is Bake Off finalist Crystelle Pereira. 

Her debut cookbook, Flavour Kitchen, includes a collection of vibrant recipes with creative twists, featuring everything from curries, pastas and salads to desserts, brownies and cakes – with every single dish offering fresh and unique flavour combinations. And to prove just that, we’re sharing three hybrid recipes from the book.

From a new take on mac and cheese to a spicy, curry pie and a breakfast-meets-dessert mash-up, add these crowd-pleasing hybrid recipes to your repertoire.

Crystelle Pereira's Spanakopita-inspired mac ’n’ cheese

Spanakopita-inspired mac ’n’ cheese

Crystelle says: “Mac ’n’ Cheese has got to be one of my favourite comfort foods of all time – I usually love to bake it with a really crispy breadcrumb topping to encase that warm, gooey and bubbling filling. So one day, I thought – what if we could make that breadcrumb topping even crispier, and use filo pastry instead? And for me, filo pastry goes hand in hand with spanakopita – those crispy, aromatic pastry parcels encasing a beautifully flavoured spinach and feta filling. So, I’ve combined the two. And it works! I’ve also added some chopped artichokes, which is not conventional by any means. In my opinion, however, their nuttiness and slightly meaty texture pair beautifully with the spinach and feta, but feel free to leave them out – it’s up to you!” 

Serves 6 

Ingredients

For the spinach:

  • 1 tablespoon oil from the artichoke jar (or olive oil if not using artichokes)
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 200g baby spinach
  • pinch of fine sea salt and ground black pepper
  • 10g fresh dill
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 6–8 jarred, precooked artichokes (optional), diced

For the bechamel:

  • 1 tablespoon oil from the artichoke jar (or olive oil if not using artichokes)
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons plain flour
  • 520ml full-fat milk
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 11/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 250g mozzarella, grated
  • 75g Cheddar, grated

For the macaroni:

  • 270g uncooked macaroni
  • 200g feta
  • 7–10 sheets of filo pastry
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • extra oil for brushing the filo pastry

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.

First, prepare the spinach. Warm the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and fry for 3–5 minutes until fragrant, then add the spinach, with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for about 30 seconds until just wilted. When cooked, transfer to a large sieve and place over the sink to allow the juices to strain.

Now make the bechamel sauce. Place the oil and butter in a large saucepan and melt over a low heat. Add the garlic and fry for 3–5 minutes until fragrant. Stir through the flour and cook until slightly browned. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Add the bay leaves, salt, pepper, mustard and nutmeg, then cook over a low-medium heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Once thickened, remove from the heat and stir through the Cheddar and half the mozzarella.

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to the boil and cook your macaroni until just before al dente (so about 3 minutes less than the packet instructions).

Remove the bay leaves from the bechamel. Add the cooked and drained macaroni to the bechamel, and stir to combine.

Squeeze as much water from the spinach as possible. Transfer it to a chopping board and finely chop along with the dill and oregano, add the artichokes and mix to combine. Stir the mixture through the macaroni, stirring really well to combine. Finally, crumble in the feta and stir to combine.

Transfer half of the macaroni mixture to a deep, 25cm wide casserole dish and flatten. Sprinkle over the remaining mozzarella, then top with the remaining macaroni and flatten.

Brush one sheet of filo liberally with artichoke (or olive) oil. Scrunch this into a rough ball, and place on top of the macaroni. Continue doing this with the remaining filo sheets until the macaroni is fully covered. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 25 minutes, until the filo is golden and crispy. Serve warm and enjoy!


Crystelle Pereira's Red Thai chicken pie

Red Thai chicken pie

Crystelle says: “I love a good comforting pie – they are quintessentially British – but as I also love using fresh, vibrant flavours taken from international cuisines, out came this creation: my Red Thai Chicken Pie. Please don’t be intimidated – there are lots of shortcuts in this recipe to make it as simple as possible. For example, some shop-bought curry pastes are actually really good, so all we’re going to do is spruce it up slightly with fresh lemongrass, fish sauce and a hint of maple syrup to balance out the spiciness. We’re also using ready-made puff pastry and, by layering in a little curry-flavoured butter, you end up with an even flakier and more flavour-packed pastry, with minimal effort!”

Serves 6

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons coconut oil, for frying
  • 1 large brown onion, thickly sliced into strips
  • 1 leek, finely sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 6 spring onions, cut horizontally into thirds
  • 2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (600g), cut into chunks
  • 2 tablespoons good quality red Thai curry paste
  • 2 tablespoons plain flour
  • 175g baby corn, cut diagonally into thirds
  • 100g sugar snap peas, cut diagonally into thirds
  • 250g chestnut or shiitake mushrooms, cut into quarters
  • 1 x 400ml can full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 stick lemongrass a good pinch of fine sea salt and ground black pepper

For the puff pastry lid:

  • 1 heaped teaspoon Thai curry paste
  • 60g unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 x 320g ready-rolled puff pastry
  • 1 egg (for egg wash)
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Method

Gently melt half the coconut oil in a large saucepan over a low-medium heat, then fry the onion for a minute or two until softened. Add the leek and fry for a further minute. Add the spring onions, garlic and ginger and fry until soft, a further 2 minutes. Transfer this mixture to a dish and set aside.

Add the remaining coconut oil to the pan and brown the chicken for about 5 minutes. Add the leek and onion mixture back in, along with the curry paste, stir to coat and fry for a couple of minutes until fragrant.

Sprinkle over the flour to coat everything and fry for 5 minutes, then add the vegetables, coconut milk (reserving the can), fish sauce and maple syrup and mix to combine. Bash the lemongrass with a pestle to release its aromas, then add this to the pan and give everything a good stir. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the mixture into a 24cm-wide dish and leave to cool down to room temperature, then place in the fridge.

At this point, preheat the oven to 200°C fan/425°F/gas mark 7. Now prepare the puff pastry. In a bowl, mix 1 heaped teaspoon curry paste with the butter and beat until well combined. Roll out the puff pastry and spread this mix over one half of the pastry, then fold the dry side over the buttered side and roll this out to be slightly larger than the size of your casserole dish.

Chill the pastry in the fridge for 10 minutes, to allow the butter layer to harden, then lay the pastry over the casserole dish and fold any overhang inside the rim of the dish.

Beat the egg with any remaining coconut milk in the can and brush lightly over the pastry. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and cut a small cross in the middle of the pastry, to allow some of the steam to escape.

Bake the pie in the oven for around 30 minutes, until the pastry has puffed up and is a golden brown colour. Slice and serve. Just don’t forget to remove the lemongrass after slicing. 


Crystelle Pereira's tiramisu pancakes

Tiramisu pancakes

Crystelle says: “You know those breakfasts that are so tasty and indulgent that they make you question whether they could double up as a dessert? Well, these tiramisu pancakes fit that brief perfectly! Many of us need a caffeine hit in the morning, so these fluffy, coffee-infused pancakes, studded with chocolate chips for little bursts of sweetness, layered with silky smooth mascarpone cream, and drenched in a coffee maple syrup are just… lifechanging. I don’t think I can ever eat a normal stack of pancakes again and, whether you make this for breakfast or dessert, make sure you savour every bite.” for the pancakes

Ingredients

For the pancakes:

  • 4 tablespoons instant coffee granules
  • 2 tablespoons hot water
  • 120ml full-fat milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
  • ½ teaspoon coffee extract (optional)
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter (cooled slightly) or olive oil, plus extra for frying
  • 120g self-raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 tablespoons light soft brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 42g milk chocolate chips (or more if you want it more chocolatey)
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, to dust
  • 20g dark chocolate, cut into thin shards, to decorate

For the mascarpone:

  • 250g mascarpone
  • 2 teaspoons coffee liqueur (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons runny honey
  • 100ml double cream
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

Method

First make the pancake batter. In a large bowl, whisk the coffee with the hot water to dissolve, then add the milk, vanilla and coffee extract and mix again. Add the egg and melted butter and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and mix to combine. Make a well in the centre and slowly pour in the wet mixture, whisking the batter constantly until there are no lumps. Add in the vinegar and mix to combine, then set aside at room temperature for about 15 minutes.

To make the mascarpone cream, in a bowl, combine the mascarpone, coffee liqueur, honey and vanilla and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream to soft peaks, making sure not to overwhisk. Using a spatula, gently fold this into the mascarpone and place in the fridge until ready to assemble.

For the coffee maple syrup, combine the coffee granules with 1/2 tablespoon hot water in a small saucepan and stir until dissolved. Add the maple syrup and place over a low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and pour into a small dish.

Now it’s time to fry the pancakes! Place a large non-stick frying pan over a medium-low heat and melt 1 tablespoon butter. Once the pan is warm, spoon three large circles of batter onto each corner of the pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over each pancake (about 10 chips per pancake) and cook for 2½ minutes – bubbles should form on top. Carefully flip the pancakes and cook for a further 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate and keep warm. Repeat this process with the rest of the batter, topping up the pan with more butter if needed when frying.

Now, you’re ready to see this masterpiece come together. Place one pancake on a plate and spread 1 heaped tablespoon of the mascarpone cream on top. Repeat this stack-and-spread process with the pancakes, until you have a tall stack, with the top layer being mascarpone cream.

Using a small sieve, dust the stack with cocoa powder, and sprinkle with your wonderfully thin chocolate shards. You can either drench the entire stack or each individual pancake in coffee maple syrup and then of course tuck in immediately. 

Flavour Kitchen: Vibrant Recipes with Creative Twists by Crystelle Pereira (£22, Kyle Books) is out now


Photography: Vanessa Lewis

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