Children's party food needn't default to the safe and bland – young palates can be surprisingly adventurous, as Coral Davis' Jamaican-inspired recipes for her son Joshua prove
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*What was the occasion?*
It was my son Joshua's fourth birthday party at our home in north-east London and we invited his friends and their parents for a West Indian meal. My mother-in-law is Jamaican, so Joshua has been used to eating varied, spicy foods since he was six months old. My work as a childminder has taught me that kids should try different flavours and textures early on. I grew up eating bad food, so for me it's really important to cook everything from scratch for the children in my care. Goat curry might seem unusual for a kids' party, but there weren't any leftovers!
*What was on the menu?*
Many years ago, my husband's mum taught me how to make curried goat, which I always marinate overnight. At first I made it with curry powder, but as I grew to understand the different spice mixes, I started making my own blend with cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom and chillies. The smell of freshly ground spices really envelops the house and is so fragrant. The goat is cooked slowly on the bone on the hob for a few hours. When making it for children, I tend to leave out salt, deseed the chillies and cut the meat into smaller pieces after cooking – but that's the only difference, and there were no complaints.
Joshua's birthday cake was a chocolate sponge with vanilla cheesecake filling and chocolate ganache on top. As my mother-in-law would say, everyone "yummed" it up!
*What did you talk about?*
Most of the kids were either just about to start school, or had begun the term before, so between the parents there was a lot of discussion about first choices, areas to live and the stresses of it all. We all care so much about getting them on the right path with their education. The kids were just running around and playing with balloons while the adults chatted. We didn't really bother with organised party games – "mine" was a popular word that afternoon!
*Curried goat*
Make the rub the day before and marinate the goat overnight so the flavours have time to fuse and mature.
Serves 4-6
For the rub
*1 tbsp cumin seeds*
*1 tsp white mustard seeds*
*1 tsp black peppercorns*
*1 tsp fennel seeds*
*2 cloves*
*2 cardamom pods*
*1kg goat, on the bone*
For the curry
*1 tsp turmeric*
*1 tomato, roughly chopped*
*1 red pepper, diced*
*1 green pepper, diced*
*4-5 garlic cloves, crushed*
*2cm piece of ginger, finely chopped*
*6 allspice berries*
*1-2 chillies, to taste. I usually remove seeds when cooking for children.*
*1 medium-sized potato, cubed*
*Fresh coriander, to serve*
*1 *For the rub, grind the spices together to make a fine powder, and rub in to the meat. Put in a large ziplock bag and leave in the fridge overnight.
*2 *The next day, take the meat out of the fridge an hour before cooking, then put in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan with the other curry ingredients. Cook on low for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste, though I tend to leave out salt when cooking for children. There is no need to add any liquid as plenty comes from the meat and the bones (not all of it is fat). Scatter with coriander, then serve with rice and peas.
*Rice and peas*
The perfect pairing for curried goat.
Serves 4
*400g tin kidney beans in water (if using dried kidney beans, soak overnight) *
*2cm slice of creamed coconut block*
*A few sprigs of thyme*
*A pinch of salt*
*225ml boiling water *
*260g rice *
*900ml water*
*1* In a large saucepan, add the kidney beans and creamed coconut, thyme, salt, and the boiled water and cook until the beans are soft and the water has almost evaporated.
*2 *Add the rice, stir to get it nice and coated, then add 900ml water and bring to the boil. Cover and turn the heat right down. Cook until the rice has soaked up all of the liquid.
*Cheesecake cake*
That's not a typo – the filling is the cheesecake element!
Serves 8
For the sponge
*225g plain flour*
*350g caster sugar*
*85g cocoa powder*
*1½ tsp baking powder*
*1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda*
*2 eggs*
*250ml milk*
*125ml vegetable oil*
*2 tsp vanilla extract*
*250ml boiling water*
* *For the cheesecake filling
*125g full-fat cream cheese *
*25g icing sugar *
*1 tsp vanilla extract *
*50ml double cream, lightly whipped*
For the ganache
*200ml double cream*
*200ml dark chocolate (at least 70%)*
*Cocoa balls or chocolate shavings, for decoration*
*1 *Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Add all the cake ingredients apart from the boiling water to a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the water and mix with a wooden spoon, then divide between two greased 18-20cm sandwich tins and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. When cooked, allow to cool while still in the tins.
*2 *To make the filling, mix the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla with a wooden spoon until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream and chill until constructing the cake.
*3* To make the ganache, heat the cream and chocolate together in a pot and mix until all of the chocolate has melted. Leave to cool.
*4 *To assemble the cake, put one half of the cake on a plate, then spoon on the cheesecake mixture and spread evenly to the edges. Lay the other sponge layer on top, then pour the cooled ganache over. Use a spatula or palette knife to smooth the ganache evenly around the sides. Sprinkle with cocoa balls or chocolate shavings.
*Why not invite us to your get together?*
Would you like to feature on this page? Just email cook@theguardian.com with "get-togethers" in the subject line and tell us what you've got planned. For each get-together we feature, the host will receive a selection of delicious Hotel Chocolat chocolates. Reported by guardian.co.uk 11 hours ago.
Invite us to your get-together!
*What was the occasion?*
It was my son Joshua's fourth birthday party at our home in north-east London and we invited his friends and their parents for a West Indian meal. My mother-in-law is Jamaican, so Joshua has been used to eating varied, spicy foods since he was six months old. My work as a childminder has taught me that kids should try different flavours and textures early on. I grew up eating bad food, so for me it's really important to cook everything from scratch for the children in my care. Goat curry might seem unusual for a kids' party, but there weren't any leftovers!
*What was on the menu?*
Many years ago, my husband's mum taught me how to make curried goat, which I always marinate overnight. At first I made it with curry powder, but as I grew to understand the different spice mixes, I started making my own blend with cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cardamom and chillies. The smell of freshly ground spices really envelops the house and is so fragrant. The goat is cooked slowly on the bone on the hob for a few hours. When making it for children, I tend to leave out salt, deseed the chillies and cut the meat into smaller pieces after cooking – but that's the only difference, and there were no complaints.
Joshua's birthday cake was a chocolate sponge with vanilla cheesecake filling and chocolate ganache on top. As my mother-in-law would say, everyone "yummed" it up!
*What did you talk about?*
Most of the kids were either just about to start school, or had begun the term before, so between the parents there was a lot of discussion about first choices, areas to live and the stresses of it all. We all care so much about getting them on the right path with their education. The kids were just running around and playing with balloons while the adults chatted. We didn't really bother with organised party games – "mine" was a popular word that afternoon!
*Curried goat*
Make the rub the day before and marinate the goat overnight so the flavours have time to fuse and mature.
Serves 4-6
For the rub
*1 tbsp cumin seeds*
*1 tsp white mustard seeds*
*1 tsp black peppercorns*
*1 tsp fennel seeds*
*2 cloves*
*2 cardamom pods*
*1kg goat, on the bone*
For the curry
*1 tsp turmeric*
*1 tomato, roughly chopped*
*1 red pepper, diced*
*1 green pepper, diced*
*4-5 garlic cloves, crushed*
*2cm piece of ginger, finely chopped*
*6 allspice berries*
*1-2 chillies, to taste. I usually remove seeds when cooking for children.*
*1 medium-sized potato, cubed*
*Fresh coriander, to serve*
*1 *For the rub, grind the spices together to make a fine powder, and rub in to the meat. Put in a large ziplock bag and leave in the fridge overnight.
*2 *The next day, take the meat out of the fridge an hour before cooking, then put in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan with the other curry ingredients. Cook on low for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste, though I tend to leave out salt when cooking for children. There is no need to add any liquid as plenty comes from the meat and the bones (not all of it is fat). Scatter with coriander, then serve with rice and peas.
*Rice and peas*
The perfect pairing for curried goat.
Serves 4
*400g tin kidney beans in water (if using dried kidney beans, soak overnight) *
*2cm slice of creamed coconut block*
*A few sprigs of thyme*
*A pinch of salt*
*225ml boiling water *
*260g rice *
*900ml water*
*1* In a large saucepan, add the kidney beans and creamed coconut, thyme, salt, and the boiled water and cook until the beans are soft and the water has almost evaporated.
*2 *Add the rice, stir to get it nice and coated, then add 900ml water and bring to the boil. Cover and turn the heat right down. Cook until the rice has soaked up all of the liquid.
*Cheesecake cake*
That's not a typo – the filling is the cheesecake element!
Serves 8
For the sponge
*225g plain flour*
*350g caster sugar*
*85g cocoa powder*
*1½ tsp baking powder*
*1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda*
*2 eggs*
*250ml milk*
*125ml vegetable oil*
*2 tsp vanilla extract*
*250ml boiling water*
* *For the cheesecake filling
*125g full-fat cream cheese *
*25g icing sugar *
*1 tsp vanilla extract *
*50ml double cream, lightly whipped*
For the ganache
*200ml double cream*
*200ml dark chocolate (at least 70%)*
*Cocoa balls or chocolate shavings, for decoration*
*1 *Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Add all the cake ingredients apart from the boiling water to a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the water and mix with a wooden spoon, then divide between two greased 18-20cm sandwich tins and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. When cooked, allow to cool while still in the tins.
*2 *To make the filling, mix the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla with a wooden spoon until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream and chill until constructing the cake.
*3* To make the ganache, heat the cream and chocolate together in a pot and mix until all of the chocolate has melted. Leave to cool.
*4 *To assemble the cake, put one half of the cake on a plate, then spoon on the cheesecake mixture and spread evenly to the edges. Lay the other sponge layer on top, then pour the cooled ganache over. Use a spatula or palette knife to smooth the ganache evenly around the sides. Sprinkle with cocoa balls or chocolate shavings.
*Why not invite us to your get together?*
Would you like to feature on this page? Just email cook@theguardian.com with "get-togethers" in the subject line and tell us what you've got planned. For each get-together we feature, the host will receive a selection of delicious Hotel Chocolat chocolates. Reported by guardian.co.uk 11 hours ago.