…this week, my episodes in which I am judging with the beautiful Lucy Taylor from Top table are airing. So check out iron chef, on channel 4 at 5pm.

Also, I can officially announce now that I have just finished filming the new series of Cook yourself thin, which I am now presenting on my own. It airs on channel 4 in June and I saw a cut of it today and it looks awesome. Really 60s and bloody hilarious. I hope you all enjoy it.

xx

Just wanted to say a massive thanks to all of you who have been supporting me over the last few weeks since the book came out. It’s doing brilliantly thanks to you all. I can tell you all now that I am in the midst of filming a new show (my own show) for channel 4 as we speak hence the radio silence. I stop shooting at the beginning of May and will be back to my usual bloggy self, but at the mo I am shooting all day and writing recipes and testing them all night. Its a problem I am happy to have and feel like the luckiest girl in the universe.

Iron chef starts in a couple of weeks and I think my week is at the beginning of May so keep a look out.

Big Love and peace out!

Gizzixxxx

So onto the next thing, the crab claws. I debated about what to do with them. I toyed with doing a modern twist on a classic by making a twist on cocktail sauce and serve some Avocado and little Gems, then I swayed towards making a beautiful salad with the whole crab claws, some endive and grapefruit, but I finally went in with making a proper Singapore Chilli crab, which is always a bummer to do with whole crabs at home. So with the thinking that crab claws would make the whole thing a load easier and that I just love making anything you can cook from start to finish in 10 minutes, I chose that.

Singapore Chili crab

Serves 2 hungry people as a main or 4 as a starter or part of an Asian feast

1 banana shallot or 1/2 an onion

4 cloves garlic

2 red chillies, (I like it hot though so you may prefer 1 -2 or simply deseed them

a small knob ginger

2 tablespoons groundnut oil

200ml Passata

100ml water

1 tablespoon tomato puree

1 tablespoon rice wine vinager

2 tablespoons light Soy sauce

2 tablespoon golden caster sugar

salt and peper

8-10 prepared crab claws

Place the shallot or onion, garlic, chilli and ginger into a food processor and blitz for about 30 seconds or until it becomes a paste.

Heat the oil in a wok until it starts to shimmer, then gently pour the paste into the pan. Keep stirfrying for about 5 minutes or until all the liquid has come out of the paste and its beginning to gently go golden brown.

Add in the passata, water and tomato puree and cook for 2-3 minutes or until  the sauce has thickened and is looking really rich. Add the vinegar, soy, sugar, salt and pepper and taste. Finally stir the crab claws in and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the whole dish is piping hot. Serve with steamed rice and make sure you eat with your hands.

So my favourite Fishery, fish for thought, (www.fishforthought.co.uk) sent me a surprise package last week on the protence that I cam up with some cool recipes to demonstrate quite how fantastic the produce is. Fish for thought are my heros, basically because they fish the freshest Cornish fish and dispatch it to you that day to guarentee its freshness. I have never seen fresher fish anywhere. The first batch of fish I ever got from them were in full blown rigamortis, glossy eyed and clean scented glory and they have never failed to impress since.

They sent me some fresh white crab meat, some crab claws, (how retro, but brilliant), 6 of the most beautiful hand dived scallops I had ever seen and and 2 sea bream that had been filleted. I put the feelers out on twitter and consulted my friend Tom, chef at Trinity and got to work.

So I decided to make the best of my crab by turning them into crab cakes. I have cooked many a crab cake in my time, Maryland style, classic style with potato and I particulary love Nigella’ Asian ones with Sake and wasabi, but I wanted to combine all my knowledge of the crab cake and make the best. So here is it…

The BEST blooming crab cake in the world

250g fresh, cooked and picked white crab meat

1-2 spring onions, finely chopped, (not sliced)

50g fresh white breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 free range egg yolk

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

6-8 dashes of Tabasco

1 teaspoon mustard

zest and juice 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

salt and pepper

Olive oil, for frying

For the mayonnaise

2 tablespoons good quality mayonnaise, make fresh if you can be bothered

1 teaspoon chipotle chilli in adobo sauce

a squeeze of lime juice

limes to serve

Mix all the ingredients together, bar the oil in a mixing bowl, then shape into small patties about 3cm x 2cm.

Heat the oil in a frying pan then fry the crab cakes for 2-3 minutes on each side in batches until golden.

To make the mayonnaise mix together the mayo, chipotle and lime juice together. Serve immediately with lime wedges.

So the book is launched - aaahhhhh! Had the best party thanks to the lovely Guys at Sketch! It was a rock and roll tea party with the most amazing finger sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and cakes. The blueberry macaroons were INSANE!!! Had the best night with all my friends and family and got to thank all the people who have been so supportive in my career. I really hope you guys like it.

To check the shenanigans out and hear more about my book check this out…

Book launch

The best cookery show in the World has finally hit our fare shores and yours truly is one of the Judges. Was in glasgow on and off for the last two weeks filming and it was one of the best experiences I have EVER had. Will fill you in when I know the TX date, but it should be on very soon…

So Finally after 2 years, (pretty much) of a slogging it out my first solo cookery book is out this week. We kick of with a launch party at Sketch tomorrow, Monday 1st March where a whole bunch of people I love are going to come and celebrate with me. I am filled with a mixture of fear and excitement. It means so much to me that this book works. There are a lot of people doing what I do who see books as part of it, but for me its everything. 

I first came up with the concept for the book about 5 years ago after coming across a vintage mini cooks companion that was filled with all of the recipes that we dont seem to see in todays modern cook books. Cookery timings, oven temperatures, knife skills, how to make pastry, sauces, gravy, yorkshire puds, pancake batter, you name it, it was in this pocket book. I wanted to write a book that was filled with useful information as well as recipes that had my stamp on them, so Gizzi’s kitchen magic was born.

I hope everyone likes it as I worked so hard on it. I wrote it with both new cooks and competent cooks in mind, but have written it in a way that I hope ween people into the skill and gives a bit of an insight into how I see food and how I cook.

A bit of sneaky advice. If you want to buy it go to the Amazon website as its discounted massively at the moment. Do let me know what you think to guys. I want to know if there is anything I could do better next time. Love to you all.x

Just wanted to say the biggest thank you to all of you who have been so supportive of me during my time on This Morning. It has been one of the most fun shows I’ve ever worked on and hope to be back on some time soon.

I know loads of you have had trouble finding the recipes on line and you can rest assured they will be posted on this site. I need to shoot them and with my schedule looking increasingly busy its simply about squeezing a shoot in. Hopefully by the middle of February but if you can’t wait the simply go to the ITV website. Click on this morning and you will find them there or try this…

Good lord! To say I’m terrified is an understatement. Come down and don’t make me look like a looser. 

http://www.selfridges.co.uk/index.cfm?page=1316&articleID=18391&artname=Gizzi%2520Erskine%2520Book%2520Signing

Well kinda. In Vogue.com. Check it. You may have to scroll down.

http://www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/the-vogue-blog/default.aspx