Karmel - Annabels kitchen: my first cookbook

CONTENTS

Annabels Kitchen is a delightful world, full of energy, excitement and surprises, where children have fun cooking with me and my quirky helpers.

Jimmy is my often unreliable intern (or trusted kitchen companion) from the South Pole, a calamity-prone, fish-mad penguin whos made his home in my fridge. Hes incredibly enthusiastic about food, cookery and everything he does.

Pearl is my right-hand penguin who commutes in on her scooter from the zoo to run the Kitchen, organise the website and deal with everything from ordering ingredients to booking my social engagements. Shes confident, organised and reliable the opposite of Jimmy! I often say I dont know what Id do without her.

Each week, children come to hang out with me in my kitchen and discover the importance of food and its ingredients. Why dont you join us by cooking some of the delicious recipes in Annabels Kitchen? Read on and I will show you the wonders of cooking and inspire you to make your favourite meals. And, yes, in spite of Jimmys constant disruptions, we always succeed in making fantastic food. In fact, we have a Yummy Scrummyometer which judges the food for its yumminess a huge nose has a sniff and lets the children know what level of deliciousness the dish is at.

Im here with Jimmy and Pearl to take you on a culinary journey of exploration and come up with winning solutions in a fun and light-hearted way, proving that cooking really can be childs play. I love it, Jimmy and Pearl love it so were sure youll love it, too!

Even penguins who eat fish all the time dont always like it to look too fishy! These lollipops look fun AND taste lip-smackingly good.

YOU WILL NEED

MAKES 8 SKEWERS

Glaze

75 ml (2 fl oz) fresh orange juice

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

Lollipops

2 150 g (4 oz) salmon fillets, skin removed

8 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes

Put the orange juice, maple syrup, soy sauce and vinegar into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and boil hard for 23 minutes, until syrupy. The bubbles will become quite large in the pan a sign that you should check how much the glaze has reduced.

Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl and leave to cool. Pre-heat the grill. Cut the salmon into 4 pieces each (total 8 pieces) cut the salmon in half, then each half in half again, lengthways.

Toss the salmon in the glaze to coat, then thread the pieces onto skewers. Put on a baking sheet lined with foil and grill for 2 minutes. Turn over and spoon over any glaze left in the bowl. Grill for a further 23 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly before serving. If you like, you can pour over any syrupy juices that have collected in the foil.

JELLY BOATS

Another thing penguins dont always like is swimming everywhere! These jelly boats are good enough to sail away on, and gobble up once youve arrived at your destination.

YOU WILL NEED

MAKES 16 JELLY BOATS

8 leaves leaf gelatine

300 ml ( pint) cranberry and raspberry cordial

300 ml ( pint) water

4 large oranges

Rice paper

Cocktail sticks

Soak the gelatine in 250 ml (9 fl oz) of cold water for 5 minutes, until it is soft. Meanwhile, measure the cordial and water into a saucepan and warm it until it is hand-hot (make sure an adult tests this). Squeeze the water from the gelatine leaves and then add them to the warm liquid. Stir until they are dissolved, then leave them to cool completely.

Cut the oranges in half using a sharp knife be careful of little fingers! Separate the flesh from the skin and carefully scrape out the membrane, taking care that you dont pierce the skin.

Put the empty orange halves into a muffin tin to keep them steady. Then pour the jelly mixture into the cases. Put them in the fridge for about 6 hours, or leave them there overnight, until they are set.

Cut the oranges in half again, to make quarters. Cut triangles out of the rice paper to make little sails and then attach these to the boats using cocktail sticks. Add paper flags for a final touch, if you wish.

The gelatine wont set if the liquid is not hot make sure it is lukewarm.

CUPCAKES GALORE

Make these delicious cupcakes with me and decorate them to look like animals. Theyre perfect for parties, or just if you feel like a treat!

ANIMAL CUPCAKES

My all-in-one method for baking cupcakes never fails. For the best results the butter and eggs should be at room temperature.