tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43918824585865243302024-03-18T19:52:05.921-07:00JamMKA range of handmade preserves made in Milton Keynes from fruit & vegetables grown in Milton Keynes.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger288125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-41781975382957443282022-09-23T06:23:00.001-07:002022-09-23T06:24:01.987-07:00Getting Your Child Equipped For University on a Budget<p>By some strange set of circumstances, in the past fortnight I have packed both my daughters off to university for the first, leaving me suddenly with an empty nest. An emotional shock to the system, for sure, and also a financial challenge. Oh, and shall we throw the words "cost of living crisis" and "energy price hike" into the mix too?! But, amazingly, we managed to do it without breaking the bank so I thought I would share my tips for anyone looking to get their children off to university in the near future.</p><p>It is a bit weird, what with my two girls being 21 months apart in age, that they should both leave home for university at the same time. Because the eldest was born in October and the youngest in July, they ended up only being one school year apart, something we have become used to over their 13 years in school. However, with the pandemic and the distruption to university life, my eldest decided she didn't want to start university in 2021, whilst a lot of lectures were still being held remotely. Instead she spent a year, living a home but commuting into London to complete a one year Art Foundation course. In the meantime, my youngest completed year 13 and so it came about that they both started their degrees in September 2022, fortunately a week apart so we were able to help both of them move.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxOq9UMOvpxayMwdDI9CWHQ8HB7lbDnzFe7bBu1OwN74iPn3uQnLvlHhAvxe2NDy52UCMvywdQnHLZpOj5IVBZAsPBDXA69yEYeLUk7wCURdybv_poNxvEpQ7hlZm3q3LtPuTc-GSbRtr-VyDnCd-kxoOlVMRKlRP7jRav0yrwwRJb9qMqt37luDv/s969/University%20blog%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="727" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPxOq9UMOvpxayMwdDI9CWHQ8HB7lbDnzFe7bBu1OwN74iPn3uQnLvlHhAvxe2NDy52UCMvywdQnHLZpOj5IVBZAsPBDXA69yEYeLUk7wCURdybv_poNxvEpQ7hlZm3q3LtPuTc-GSbRtr-VyDnCd-kxoOlVMRKlRP7jRav0yrwwRJb9qMqt37luDv/s320/University%20blog%201.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Having realised in September 2021 that this scenario was going to play out, I also realised that if I were going to send them both off with all the necessary equipment and living essentials I would have to start working on that straight away. So, should you have a child in Year 13 or college then I would recommend planning and acting early.</p><p>One of the first things that I would recommend, if you haven't got these things in place already, is to make sure you have supermarket reward cards, a Nectar card and other point earning schemes in place on anything that you already use. I mean, if you are already spending money in a particular way, in a particularly place, then you may as well earn some rewards from it, and it is suprising how well these things accumulate into useful amounts. </p><p>For example, we have a Tesco loyality card and credit card so that just earns us Tesco points without us trying and these can be spent on useful things such as a student railcard, should you not get one as a perk from opening a student bank account (e.g. like you do with the Santander student account). Even if you can't find a reward like that to spend it on, then you can spend the points in store on anything you can buy in a supermarket (which is quite a lot of varied stuff). Having accumulated lots of points over the years I was able to buy them each a pack of 3 pans for £10 and £25 worth of essentials such as foil, sandwich bags, kitchen towel and toilet paper, all paid for with my Tesco vouchers and therefore costing nothing.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikCWNGg8Y_1sFacMLNmW0-pyB7GJ9TC_0_M3sRh1H4lAckBUzPvLLXIQmfGZf1tXwXCpVcsxrSSm6uZId8OBFTrJoG8v7or4FoDOxonbJS9SnnTVgDA-JJAeLsKJ2lH_TjFwWK02xU3oaHxuUFIT0i2MQIa1lZlCh4NqNLLzHH777nyhZpxYU_NXB/s912/University%20blog%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjikCWNGg8Y_1sFacMLNmW0-pyB7GJ9TC_0_M3sRh1H4lAckBUzPvLLXIQmfGZf1tXwXCpVcsxrSSm6uZId8OBFTrJoG8v7or4FoDOxonbJS9SnnTVgDA-JJAeLsKJ2lH_TjFwWK02xU3oaHxuUFIT0i2MQIa1lZlCh4NqNLLzHH777nyhZpxYU_NXB/s320/University%20blog%204.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgva4ApnKKKG_wb915o5JKUQ5JnIVU-Cs3hSL1z-gI14Db2HNTa_iQ7zDKddXucthua2W-XGuyoDREvBnUUW8G2EtxQqWiy9LW5PWxO8xIsKt2-97CnHl_rgwmqN_gkxE8DB1RtK78MEPvqKK0vX_PHrYWhQkOrtgAz6f1YjTItD04XFgWUYbb3SCIL/s1216/University%20blog%206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="1216" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgva4ApnKKKG_wb915o5JKUQ5JnIVU-Cs3hSL1z-gI14Db2HNTa_iQ7zDKddXucthua2W-XGuyoDREvBnUUW8G2EtxQqWiy9LW5PWxO8xIsKt2-97CnHl_rgwmqN_gkxE8DB1RtK78MEPvqKK0vX_PHrYWhQkOrtgAz6f1YjTItD04XFgWUYbb3SCIL/s320/University%20blog%206.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Similarly, I have my Nectar card linked to my ebay account, my energy bill and Avanti Trains so you can imagine that those points accumulate well too, especially during the year that my daughter was commuting into London 3 days a week. As it happens I ended up cashing those in as part payment on a new washing machine after our last one broke, but given that you can spend them in Argos, Sainsbury and ebay, that gives quite a bit of scope for getting more student essentials for nothing.</p><p>The next thing I would recommend is joining Freecycle or Freegle, or Olio, or Facebook Marketplace, or whatever local groups you have where people give away stuff they no longer want for free. I started to keep a keen eye open on these groups right from last September and over time I managed to pick up crockery, cutlery, kitchen utensils and airers for no money and as much effort as it took me to drive over to pick the stuff up. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcfH726TYsPtLsPyhiu5uox0HJQsbN0rVtA6TlrwMKwQrbzgxwmgFuEjBLf6KvucPk_9yw6aaSQo_GZL2YN2jBcWsMTPwZurh4G6WF7dQJm_5VnWRkZuIiGWu0OIxVljERkKKmoduY7_PDg0ApnBhXgsAvvNjH8oG4lwy4JjgrMadhbhQ6C4b8tGY/s912/University%20blog%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcfH726TYsPtLsPyhiu5uox0HJQsbN0rVtA6TlrwMKwQrbzgxwmgFuEjBLf6KvucPk_9yw6aaSQo_GZL2YN2jBcWsMTPwZurh4G6WF7dQJm_5VnWRkZuIiGWu0OIxVljERkKKmoduY7_PDg0ApnBhXgsAvvNjH8oG4lwy4JjgrMadhbhQ6C4b8tGY/s320/University%20blog%202.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>I would also recommend asking your family if they have any spare bits and pieces, and also to have a good rummage in your own cupboards. It is easy to accumulate stuff over the years, some of which you never or hardly use. After 19 years of being a parent, it is hard to imagine how your house will work when there are less people in it, but you just won't need as much stuff so it is worth viewing it as a good opportunity to have a bit of a sort out and declutter. My two took frying pans, knives and a few other bits from the kitchen. It's when you realise they already have a preferred sharp knife that you realise they are very much becoming adults! In addition, my mum and their elder sister found things in their kitchens to donate, and my mum gave them bedding and towels and over-purchased cleaning supplies too. Not only did this benefit my daughters but it helped with decluttering too so it was win, win.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4nB5sFmAuE7vRv_qtk0vhVW8ahmZr8LiC3iSh_zCUT4ZSAb1yjp6TiiD5VUXxYCe64mwZ58o1GM82Co0wHogFQq5NkoKvp0iXyjppTjGMDUG-gYERkAZHcGHGZWZ2LyXdAymE5Z5_p9eZONJskNyTp6GZwwFDRidB-C1wJBxYy8Uyp41DYLAiZY9/s912/University%20blog%205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt4nB5sFmAuE7vRv_qtk0vhVW8ahmZr8LiC3iSh_zCUT4ZSAb1yjp6TiiD5VUXxYCe64mwZ58o1GM82Co0wHogFQq5NkoKvp0iXyjppTjGMDUG-gYERkAZHcGHGZWZ2LyXdAymE5Z5_p9eZONJskNyTp6GZwwFDRidB-C1wJBxYy8Uyp41DYLAiZY9/s320/University%20blog%205.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Despite all this, I realised that there would be a few things that we would need to buy new so I viewed Christmas as another opportunity to boast their equipment. No 18/19 year old wants their Christmas to be dominated with boring domestic equipment so I didn't make it their main presents. Instead, I made them an advent calendar. These days there are all kinds of novelty adult advent calendars you can buy containing everything from socks to beer so I decided to make them a university kit advent calendar instead and gave them things such as potato peelers, mini air freshener (for those trips to the shared bathroom facilities), bottle openers etc. I confess that neither them found it very exciting to open their advent calendars last Christmas but they told to me that it all made sense and that it was all useful stuff when we got it all out again at the beginning of September ready for packing.</p><p>Also at Christmas they received a voucher for The Natural Collection website from their aunt and uncle. They had received the same vouchers the year before and it had been a bit of struggle for them to find things they wanted to buy that year but, having familarised ourselves with the website previously, I decided to pin the vouchers on the noticeboard for a few months (they were valid until December 2022), and we came back to it in August when they used them to buy dried food goods, stocking up on lots of pasta, rice, sauces and soups. I wouldn't necessarily recommend The Natural Collection as a go-to student website as it is all ethical, eco and organic so pricer than the usual student food of choice, but I would suggest that if you have any influence over what gifts your relatives give at Christmas/birthday then vouchers that could be used in this way are a good idea.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzjo7HIOnR3xOdRKWGenjYpzIh4KhehzcADVgx7Th6VBMLkG8Ix7oVFiayNww-9kGyHHhmfj11TGi-6HLorKCs5RdiT3-7U_1jdQRUffUSB-NHfBTgc5PwKzMV1tfZKL3O8h4Y7MXVzZ6EmjjdXDxw4IqQhRM0du_nJbjaZylLUodmnO-1-Q9YC0v/s912/University%20blog%207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkzjo7HIOnR3xOdRKWGenjYpzIh4KhehzcADVgx7Th6VBMLkG8Ix7oVFiayNww-9kGyHHhmfj11TGi-6HLorKCs5RdiT3-7U_1jdQRUffUSB-NHfBTgc5PwKzMV1tfZKL3O8h4Y7MXVzZ6EmjjdXDxw4IqQhRM0du_nJbjaZylLUodmnO-1-Q9YC0v/s320/University%20blog%207.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Oh, and a final thing to suggest, is that a few weeks before the move date you start saving boxes and maybe jars too. It can be handy to decant a small amount of spice or flour or whatever into a jar from the family stocks rather than buying them their own whole container. And you are going to need boxes for all their stuff!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRjfrQGKY22dzfC7t00hDNhVLJZ47Y-YuGAfiR6lsQBxd-hilXgWipCy7RRZkYauIiDqJcWlyYuLUtt28ZHespnyWbGW4xuflQ4OUqz92nOL6-41cjYcbD2cYTaRBgKtPqbx3RISeGX0wCgK6uxDKI16JH7JEf8i7mySZ7iJZCzeOGrbc9R2bOZZX/s912/University%20blog%203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoRjfrQGKY22dzfC7t00hDNhVLJZ47Y-YuGAfiR6lsQBxd-hilXgWipCy7RRZkYauIiDqJcWlyYuLUtt28ZHespnyWbGW4xuflQ4OUqz92nOL6-41cjYcbD2cYTaRBgKtPqbx3RISeGX0wCgK6uxDKI16JH7JEf8i7mySZ7iJZCzeOGrbc9R2bOZZX/s320/University%20blog%203.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>So off they went with everything (and possibly more!) that they need to become independent and it had cost us very little. Not only financially savvy but environmentally friendly and immensely satisfying. And you know what, should any of it get broken or stolen this coming year, none of us are going to cry about it.</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-108039102419826882022-04-26T03:06:00.003-07:002022-04-26T03:07:44.588-07:00Growing Turmeric<p>It was several years ago that Laurence, from <a href="https://wharfdistillery.co.uk/">Wharf Distillery</a>, gave me some turmeric root. Before then I had only ever thought of turmeric as a dried, ground powder in a jar, although since then I have seen the root become more readily available in specialist food shops. It is a knobbly rhizome that very much resembles root ginger, which is hardly surprising as they are related. </p><p>I didn't know what to do with the bit of turmeric root that Laurence gave me so I decided to plant it. I had previously planted root ginger and, after some delay when I figured it was dead, that had grown. Indeed, it had grown very large, very quickly and buckled the flower pot it was in as it formed new root. Then, all of a sudden, it died back. It turned out this was quite normal and meant that the root was ready to harvest, which I did. A proud moment - harvesting my own homegrown root ginger.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lk4nYADl4RXJyS6LuXv80679jzaV7hv5fAnjyyxvOgmIZSOxNyGVQkHWDwd31rWeUX-gngsrnQWlAy6awfCpAfIz0s6YzdGkkqBvhKqdpKn4fuXzBQY05t-eNTwS_Q53GMIAFEgCCwZPtr8LUy05362EBCtxvvFd3JC9Hwx2-9fAfSz7d1GJM_8M/s850/Root%20ginger%20plant%202015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lk4nYADl4RXJyS6LuXv80679jzaV7hv5fAnjyyxvOgmIZSOxNyGVQkHWDwd31rWeUX-gngsrnQWlAy6awfCpAfIz0s6YzdGkkqBvhKqdpKn4fuXzBQY05t-eNTwS_Q53GMIAFEgCCwZPtr8LUy05362EBCtxvvFd3JC9Hwx2-9fAfSz7d1GJM_8M/s320/Root%20ginger%20plant%202015.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><p>In contrast, the turmeric root started to grow much more quickly. It soon became an attractive, slightly jungle-like house plant. And over time, it grew quite well. It had a tendency for the ends of the leaves to brown so I realised I wasn't watering it enough. Soon I was watering it every few days and it become a lush looking house plant. And it has continued to grow on my window sill ever since.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi--IIXfxEPpsZPgP54ZSU7j7pS57Agw3eQKNd3XyAS7iKLix-xh2Btcif5aqyfbmJFcjOoLhXr9rk7mS-VTMTpQn8lQiH1t6QL6tamaACD3KjHI4XJAh-8aHac_QFgZB6VZ2SUWMtA3mAgFg9805G5RX0Gh0BL9LHb7UyFASmD_TvWRMG7THXAR39C/s912/Turmeric%20plant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi--IIXfxEPpsZPgP54ZSU7j7pS57Agw3eQKNd3XyAS7iKLix-xh2Btcif5aqyfbmJFcjOoLhXr9rk7mS-VTMTpQn8lQiH1t6QL6tamaACD3KjHI4XJAh-8aHac_QFgZB6VZ2SUWMtA3mAgFg9805G5RX0Gh0BL9LHb7UyFASmD_TvWRMG7THXAR39C/s320/Turmeric%20plant.jpg" width="128" /></a></div><p>Well, it had, until this winter when it started to die back. I thought I was neglecting it so I upped the watering but it continued to die so I figured maybe I had over-watered it so I cut back and it still continued to die. So then I wondered if it was just too cold, although it had previously survived winters in the same place. Then I figured maybe the compost in the pot was just exhausted as I hadn't repotted it for years and I usually neglect to add fertiliser to my house plants. </p><p>So last weekend I decided to tip it out and see what was going on and maybe repot it in fresh compost if there was anything there that looked viable. To my surprise, I found some very healthy looking rhizomes that smelt amazing so I decided to take a harvest and to put some of the roots in fresh compost to see if they would grow again.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuLjSnm2tSCdkWgV0-yRfiub9obuIbKxVYALSCdO9TV0gEp9YrcCsNgGcCB7owAkKrvYjZ3g7XhZtIGqIsuXAs6qgh7I9QssKWL2VDp43kqnksPBGn1VsII1mBRvqj2TIdsf1ajARY63SJpCrRdG91PEkboMIA4UfiAJUlbFMwAvJRUGqwDFFCgvh/s4000/20220418_164828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJuLjSnm2tSCdkWgV0-yRfiub9obuIbKxVYALSCdO9TV0gEp9YrcCsNgGcCB7owAkKrvYjZ3g7XhZtIGqIsuXAs6qgh7I9QssKWL2VDp43kqnksPBGn1VsII1mBRvqj2TIdsf1ajARY63SJpCrRdG91PEkboMIA4UfiAJUlbFMwAvJRUGqwDFFCgvh/s320/20220418_164828.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Although several years have past since I was first given the root, I still have no idea how I would use fresh turmeric. I'm sure that if I was into curries or other spicy food, I could probably grate it into a dish and use it that way. But I'm not. Indeed, the only reason I have turmeric in my cupboard is because I use it fairly often in chutney recipes and occasionally as an amazing yellow natural dye. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaxNz8_mVkM6a3csinfz0D81OUGhaMtVj0jDszPIREDoNMMnepw9D0prLauYigeSjxK6vz3fKpwUQTd_wDns9pO1g-CxDpjyXqGNQWTuEHGAaLGhYcTjBhnsXbP0flc2_TGD2N_ZBLAg4bIYnPAmavxMlT4C4dwrv6vSvFP1veqIbmqndQi9ONmVT/s4160/Natural%20dyes%206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEaxNz8_mVkM6a3csinfz0D81OUGhaMtVj0jDszPIREDoNMMnepw9D0prLauYigeSjxK6vz3fKpwUQTd_wDns9pO1g-CxDpjyXqGNQWTuEHGAaLGhYcTjBhnsXbP0flc2_TGD2N_ZBLAg4bIYnPAmavxMlT4C4dwrv6vSvFP1veqIbmqndQi9ONmVT/s320/Natural%20dyes%206.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>It was at this point that I decided to see if it was possible to make ground turmeric at home from fresh turmeric. A bit of Googling later and I had learnt a few things, including finding out that the die back is part of the natural process of the plant and it occurs when the rhizomes are reclaiming the nutrients from the plant. I guess in more tropical conditions this would happen as part of a short cycle over several months, in much the same way as the root ginger had, but on my cool window sill it had taken several years for the process to complete.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6lfkUwCw2RSDRU07B_pBPbZSL2MEwdLxV7YU9lpYcFfxKzumotzW3qq-LcFVdMG7MTK_jmqsj5MStzP7m_X0qu1PoBELiAFvxugzhpekjzDF_cx_yg4ZcWeb8Wd8LUOjCzkWh7rwKyW6Nx7EHQKBkiMAYDCadXfsUgJ-t1cyni85WmqBRWkQUWWj/s4000/20220422_091758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF6lfkUwCw2RSDRU07B_pBPbZSL2MEwdLxV7YU9lpYcFfxKzumotzW3qq-LcFVdMG7MTK_jmqsj5MStzP7m_X0qu1PoBELiAFvxugzhpekjzDF_cx_yg4ZcWeb8Wd8LUOjCzkWh7rwKyW6Nx7EHQKBkiMAYDCadXfsUgJ-t1cyni85WmqBRWkQUWWj/s320/20220422_091758.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>The next step was the wash and peel the turmeric and then I used a potato peeler to par the root into thin slices. These I laid out in my dehydrator and after just a few hours they had turned very dry and brittle. Next I put it into my handheld food processor and blitz away until it formed a powder. And there it was - 8g of homegrown turmeric powder. And it smells amazing too - so fresh and spicy.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3j1HLQdWlPc2ABNNqXCN7aMLThSpO1FTBV0elLegOkXJ-1hYmZpjsFTCxNvlT2Mixp2o_k-VMfTvpHx2gUeblZYL-MnnmBYUjliTzZy0IbveDB0Gw8KC1PSnBlj4DcfRB9ix8h0eU5zHO6k3oliHKKyH3ks_zoi7-1rHurTaeinit-n2VzG5Yr8Kt/s4000/20220422_093208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3j1HLQdWlPc2ABNNqXCN7aMLThSpO1FTBV0elLegOkXJ-1hYmZpjsFTCxNvlT2Mixp2o_k-VMfTvpHx2gUeblZYL-MnnmBYUjliTzZy0IbveDB0Gw8KC1PSnBlj4DcfRB9ix8h0eU5zHO6k3oliHKKyH3ks_zoi7-1rHurTaeinit-n2VzG5Yr8Kt/s320/20220422_093208.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>I'm not sure how the economics of this stack up, given that I have created about 15p of turmeric powder over about 4 years but it is one of those things that amuses and interests me. First there was the "I wonder" moment when I stuck it in a pot of compost and then there was the joy of the plant growing and thriving, and finally another "I wonder" moment when I managed to create my own dried spice.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDDrQKCTsCFd8675lX0ph-rtOm8ZsoxyOsmfyt7kmJrMDzdZHuO4FmkErOV8WfJeo1kukCGjRuq-FbR9JDRT9auzYLlMeCvXjCIzCPm449oi4zPS-mBy5NsTdqJLbvMsXUv3mQHl566we_RFrS_G-xAj45cAs5GPFJv06wsJqeAk8ziTFADeC9grr/s4000/20220422_181637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="329" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDDrQKCTsCFd8675lX0ph-rtOm8ZsoxyOsmfyt7kmJrMDzdZHuO4FmkErOV8WfJeo1kukCGjRuq-FbR9JDRT9auzYLlMeCvXjCIzCPm449oi4zPS-mBy5NsTdqJLbvMsXUv3mQHl566we_RFrS_G-xAj45cAs5GPFJv06wsJqeAk8ziTFADeC9grr/w240-h329/20220422_181637.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p>Never let economical good sense get in the way of the wonder of growing.</p><p>P.S. Should you ever try this - wear gloves!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdcr6s5DKivOWvXTySWpNKoWQFWTpCF63egU3UN-mezTnvht8K5nivsISa7rp2Ael09Skusl-X3cdpRChi1q7e3USEBFzXHaK3rF3l8QiEkpmAEnNFZDInn9U53zH9dynf22gGaHVu9LU20gfsKuPE1-j4P8FJKBuXl4CnfQv5GIBU0hNb9MnE0_0/s4000/20220422_093220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikdcr6s5DKivOWvXTySWpNKoWQFWTpCF63egU3UN-mezTnvht8K5nivsISa7rp2Ael09Skusl-X3cdpRChi1q7e3USEBFzXHaK3rF3l8QiEkpmAEnNFZDInn9U53zH9dynf22gGaHVu9LU20gfsKuPE1-j4P8FJKBuXl4CnfQv5GIBU0hNb9MnE0_0/s320/20220422_093220.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-67487034715609864982022-01-18T02:08:00.001-08:002022-01-18T02:08:37.048-08:00Passionfruit Curd And Other Delights<p>My eldest loves passion fruit, although she complains about the flavours that it is often paired with. It is true that it is hard to find it unaccompanied by mango, and she strongly believes that dark chocolate is too strong a flavour to put with it, preferring white chocolate. And so, despite her love of passion fruit, it is hard to find things of that flavour that she actually wants.</p><p>A while back she asked me to make some passion fruit curd so I duly obligued but we all found it a little bland. Despite using six or seven fruit, the flavour really was quite subtle so I gave up on that as an idea. However, just before Christmas, I received five passion fruits in my Odd Box delivery. It being so close to Christmas, there were other festive bakes that needed to be made so I knew we wouldn't have the capacity to eat a passion fruit dessert as well. So instead I decided that preserving them was the best thing to do and curd was the most logical option.</p><p>This time, however, I took the delicate flavour of the passion fruit into account and decided to modify my lemon curd recipe to suit and, success! A beautiful light orange curd with a distinct passion fruit flavour, if maybe a little too sweet.</p><p>With the curd made and the fruit temporarily preserved, we got on with Christmas and all that that entails. Then, on New Year's Eve I made a passionfruit cheesecake, or rather a plain cheesecake that I topped with passion fruit curd. And this weekend, I stirred some passion fruit curd into my white chocolate mousse recipe to make a white chocolate and passion fruit mousse. Surprisingly, there is still some curd left so I think next week it might make the filling of a Victoria Sandwich Cake.</p><p>Passion Fruit Curd</p><p>35g butter, melted<br />200g granulated sugar<br />2 eggs<br />5 passion fruit, juice/pulp only<br /><br />Put the melted butter in a dish suitable for going inside a pressure cooker, then use a whisk to stir in the sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, ensuring that it is thoroughly mixed in. Sieve the passion fruits and add the juice/pulp to the mixture and stir well. Put two cups of water into the pressure cooker then place the container on a trivet inside the pressure cooker and seal. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes then allow it to naturally release pressure. Remove, whisk well to recombine then ladle into warmed jars and seal.</p><p>Passion Fruit Cheesecake</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">For the base<br />
150g digestive biscuits, crushed<br />
75g butter, melted<br /><br />For the topping<br />200g white chocolate<br />30g butter<br />1/4 vanilla pod<br />250g cream cheese<br />90ml whipping cream</p><p class="MsoNormal">Passion fruit curd</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the biscuit base combine the crushed biscuits and the melted
butter in a bowl then press into the greased base of a 20cm circular tin or
dish. Place in the refrigerator for at least half an hour to solidify. Next,
melt the chocolate, butter and the seeds from the vanilla pod in a bowl over a
pan of simmering water. Leave to cool. In another bowl, mix together the cream
and cheese and beat until smooth. Once the chocolate mix is suitably cool add
it to the cream mix and stir thoroughly. Spoon onto the biscuit base. Return to the refrigerator to chill for a few
hours or over-night then spoon on passion fruit curd on top before serving.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxl-3Gsq4h7nKcJm-khNsbjSzpZe6JARE2ekGXPfxkCVezlDev63SixAKviqSEPeO3NaJxdwODj-FEpcBAbI36Y89pUAH5Gu6AQrqWanMFuVbVWzkIK5f2evLpafOpeZWvJ7DX38AGRxWl5gqxmrWs0AuiAzd8BncC7p4CemKh8LJu3QLOfknKwcpR=s4160" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxl-3Gsq4h7nKcJm-khNsbjSzpZe6JARE2ekGXPfxkCVezlDev63SixAKviqSEPeO3NaJxdwODj-FEpcBAbI36Y89pUAH5Gu6AQrqWanMFuVbVWzkIK5f2evLpafOpeZWvJ7DX38AGRxWl5gqxmrWs0AuiAzd8BncC7p4CemKh8LJu3QLOfknKwcpR=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">White Chocolate and Passion Fruit Mousse</p><p class="MsoNormal">2 gelatine leaves<br />200g white chocolate<br />300ml double cream<br />2 tbsp yoghurt<br />2- 3 generous tbsp passion fruit curd</p><p class="MsoNormal">Put the gelatine in a small sauce pan with some water and leave to soak for a few minutes. In the meantime, break up the white chocolate and melt it over a pan of hot water. Remove from the heat and squeeze the water out of the gelatine then use the residual heat of the hob to melt the gelatine in the pan. Add a little double cream to the gelatine and leave on the hob a little longer as this will make it easier to pour out of the pan later. Whisk the remaining double cream in a large bowl then stir in the yoghurt. Pour in the gelatine and then the melted chocolate and fold in. Spoon in the curd and stir through then taste, adding more curd if necessary but being cautious about making it overly sweet. Spoon the mixture into glasses or other suitable containers then refrigerate for a few hours before serving. It should make 8 servings.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-CxXjYi3FISaxs8wKrv_4P2rVc7diXIoEhgr8QS_cVHyQiJdaWpXLrxPHyxyYv-Bdg1JVVnzPrbZpEWc1CCD4u8GqfRmkuLMTIlIHbOWRkTCjqQ7bo8Tkgoo0Fb6DS0Gyld7Yv5cKdbv_dLJZvvxEE4CbDa27Gn6HbDZlaIuUxYLUlAH-kIYXOC1M=s4160" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-CxXjYi3FISaxs8wKrv_4P2rVc7diXIoEhgr8QS_cVHyQiJdaWpXLrxPHyxyYv-Bdg1JVVnzPrbZpEWc1CCD4u8GqfRmkuLMTIlIHbOWRkTCjqQ7bo8Tkgoo0Fb6DS0Gyld7Yv5cKdbv_dLJZvvxEE4CbDa27Gn6HbDZlaIuUxYLUlAH-kIYXOC1M=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-35006069887278729292022-01-17T02:17:00.000-08:002022-01-17T02:17:18.016-08:00Cheese & Pumpkin Flapjacks<p>I cut into the biggest of our homegrown pumpkins yesterday. It did appear to be storing perfectly even though it was harvested three months ago but at some point it will start to rot and I wanted to use it whilst still in good condition. Of course, once you cut into a pumpkin you have to use it up quickly so I already had plans to make a couple of chutneys and some other delights.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5QjJ4NWjdO6we8KnSdXrqBxm7tMU4iL4Gd1Mxz1Pi4hY2ESMueLTjdjjxTkDr2RBbzVs1cgmtfI-3rAhipmwFnMCdcicQyuW6ABFv0IHmxXyZarlixlwZUJFrQrkMAllJOvBEsCuFQ-vCHShKmPycRqUrX9Kx_JNJCeOMRJtV-2l3HpoHW1mmUj5A=s4160" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5QjJ4NWjdO6we8KnSdXrqBxm7tMU4iL4Gd1Mxz1Pi4hY2ESMueLTjdjjxTkDr2RBbzVs1cgmtfI-3rAhipmwFnMCdcicQyuW6ABFv0IHmxXyZarlixlwZUJFrQrkMAllJOvBEsCuFQ-vCHShKmPycRqUrX9Kx_JNJCeOMRJtV-2l3HpoHW1mmUj5A=s320" width="240" /></a></div><p>Late on Sunday afternoon, as I washed up the chutney pan, I began to contemplate packed lunches for Monday. We have our shopping delivered on Tuesdays so the hideous Hovis white bread that my eldest chooses to eat is always a bit iffy for sandwiches by Monday so if possible Monday packed lunches don't feature sandwiches.</p><p>I was just contemplating whipping up a batch of couscous when I remembered the savoury flapjacks I had made last year. I couldn't remember the recipe so I had a quick Google. That failed to find the recipe I was thinking of but threw up a whole bunch of other savoury flapjack recipes and that led me to start conjuring up my own ideas.</p><p>Just in time for the Sunday roast to go in, the flapjacks came out of the oven. We each had a small taster piece on our plates at dinner time just to check that they would meet with approval and then this morning they were duly packed into lunchboxes.</p><p>Cheese & Pumpkin Flapjacks</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">100g butter<br />
1 generous tbsp Bovril (or Marmite)<br />
250g porridge oats<br />
250g raw pumpkin, grated<br />
2 tbsp milled flaxseed<br />
100g mature Cheddar, grated<br />
2 large eggs, beaten<br />
Dried herbs<br />
2 tbsp sunflower seeds<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas 4 and grease and tin a 20 cm
square baking tin. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Melt the butter in a
large bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds then add the Bovril and microwave
for another 30 seconds. Add the oats, flaxseed, and grated pumpkin and stir to
combine. Add the cheese, eggs, herbs and seeds and stir again until well mixed.
Tip into the tin and press down with wetted fingers to level out. Bake for 25
to 30 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin then cut into 12 pieces.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhp-ub8HUJuk0EpO2LAtaS2b-sNX0WT6nf-VhWABwzgCWJSKtWKSbGlRWynqFZwq0-eO8XXloslI0Kxa_GSWFu23Dk8XyWrv6OQQWVt1DzJrwSi58UoqJ_f22DpKEpnrNllP0wK2r_xzc5a04_W8ehdExBmT7jSP33Bf1QzAhwN37qSco1bRrkrN_gZ=s4160" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhp-ub8HUJuk0EpO2LAtaS2b-sNX0WT6nf-VhWABwzgCWJSKtWKSbGlRWynqFZwq0-eO8XXloslI0Kxa_GSWFu23Dk8XyWrv6OQQWVt1DzJrwSi58UoqJ_f22DpKEpnrNllP0wK2r_xzc5a04_W8ehdExBmT7jSP33Bf1QzAhwN37qSco1bRrkrN_gZ=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-63829273567830130362021-09-27T02:19:00.003-07:002021-09-27T02:19:51.346-07:00Sweet Potato & Courgette Bake<p>I got some sweet potatoes in my Oddbox order recently but I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with them. As it is also courgette season, I decided to do a search on the internet for sweet potato and courgette recipes and came across a sweet potato and courgette bake that sounded interesting. It didn't seem like something Steve would like to eat so I figured it might make a nice lunch or dinner for my daughter when we were eating something she didn't fancy. </p><p>Well, she's not a huge fan of lamb so when Steve and I decided to have a rack of lamb for our Sunday dinner last night, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make the bake - just ram it in the oven with everything else that was cooking.</p><p>With the recipe to hand, I started by getting some sweet potato on to boil to make some mash. Then I finely sliced the remaining sweet potato and the courgette. It was now time to start assembling the bake but to be honest it all suddenly seemed a bit bland. As it happened, my daughter was in the kitchen, getting herself a glass of water and she asked what I was making. I explain, as I layered the courgette into the bottom of the dish, that I was making the sweet potato and courgette bake but I was thinking of adding a few more flavours. With that, I poured a little passata over the layer of courgette and sprinkled on some dried Italian herbs and dried onion flakes.</p><p>"It needs cheese sauce," she commented. </p><p>My shoulders slumped. I had been gardening all afternoon, it was getting late, I had roast potatoes to prepare and get into the oven, a rack of lamb to cook and I wanted to fit in a bath before it was all cooked too. I did not have time nor energy for a cheese sauce.</p><p>"It's OK," she said, "I'll make it."</p><p>So as I prepared the roast potatoes, she put together the ingredients I would have used to make a cheese bechemel sauce but instead of making a roux, adding the milk and then the cheese, she just bunged it all into a sauce pan and stirred. </p><p>"That's really not how to make a cheese sauce," I said, as she stirred the unconvincing lumpy ingredients together.</p><p>"Oh, isn't it?" she asked, frowning, "but it worked the last time I did it like this."</p><p>And to my surprise, a few minutes later she had a cheese sauce. She poured this over the layer of sweet potato and we continued to layer up the bake, finishing with the mashed sweet potato and cheese.</p><p>By this point the potatoes were in the oven so I went off for a quick bath whilst things cooked. And upon my return, she had a beautiful bubbly bake, ready to serve. Definitely a lot tastier than the original recipe and full of her favourite flavours.</p><p>Sweet Potato & Courgette Bake (serves 1)</p><p>1 sweet potato<br />1 small courgette<br />300 ml vegetable stock<br />100ml passata<br />Dried onion<br />1 tsp Italian seasoning<br />25g butter<br />25g flour<br />Dash of mustard<br />100ml milk<br />Cheddar<br />Salt & pepper</p><p>Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a small ovenproof dish. Peel the sweet potato then cut in half. Cut one half of the sweet potato into small chunks and boil in a pan with the vegetable stock until soft. Drain, but keep the vegetable stock. Season the potato lightly then mash. To make the cheese sauce, put the butter, flour, mustard and milk into a small pan and heat gently. Stir constantly until it forms a smooth sauce then grate in Cheddar to taste. Thinly slice the remaining half of the sweet potato and then do the same to the courgette. Starting with the courgette, layer up the bake ingredients. On top of the courgettes, add some passata, Italian seasoning and dried onion, then layer sweet potato on top and spread on a layer of cheese sauce. Repeat until you have used up all the sliced vegetables. Carefully pour vegetable stock down the edge of the dish until you can see it amongst the layers but without disturbing them. Put the mashed sweet potato on top and finish with a little grated Cheddar. Bake for 1 hour or until golden and bubbling.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYZv7kC0ghsnhyphenhyphenqFoe1SlLKaFsKp230QxCeHXGd6s4Smnz8JYXcFmPQMEO365N9PW_t70X7KrdI9fAfjDS8QsWkNk0vArlOqvU3bRkx9Y4D2hN7GRs-vHJVOS2I8x3mhmCW9FQj-CY_A/s3211/IMG_20210926_190921686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3211" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizYZv7kC0ghsnhyphenhyphenqFoe1SlLKaFsKp230QxCeHXGd6s4Smnz8JYXcFmPQMEO365N9PW_t70X7KrdI9fAfjDS8QsWkNk0vArlOqvU3bRkx9Y4D2hN7GRs-vHJVOS2I8x3mhmCW9FQj-CY_A/s320/IMG_20210926_190921686.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-89714252082603575662021-06-29T09:44:00.000-07:002021-06-29T09:44:04.159-07:00Ramped Up Strawberries and Cream<p>We are reaping the rewards this year of the work we put into sorting out the strawberry patch last year and we are getting a pretty decent crop. Mind you, the recent weather hasn't been helping and the rain, drizzle and general dampness means that some of the fruit are going mouldy. Although some are beyond help, others have just a patch that could be cut out if tackled immediately.</p><p>With this is mind, back in the kitchen I set about processing the strawberries that I had picked that morning. First I sorted them into perfect and imperfect and then I cut up the imperfect ones, removing the areas of damage. I allocated 300g of the better ones for strawberry cheesecake, which I would make the next day. The cut strawberries needed to be eaten within hours to avoid further spoilage. So, I used 100g of them straight away to make strawberry and vanilla muffins. </p><p>Strawberry and Vanilla Muffins (makes 8-9)</p><p>175g self-raising flour<br />85g caster sugar<br />2 eggs<br />2 tbsp sunflower oil<br />150ml natural yoghurt<br />2 tsp vanilla extract<br />100g strawberries, chopped</p><p>Preheat oven to 200°C and line a muffin tin with 9 cases. Place all the ingredients, except the strawberries, into a bowl and mix until just combined. Add the strawberry pieces and gently mix in. Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin tin then bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUwyjxT4kdjlqpGn6HebI_qzd0qwqQ9nMPQMCuNlSnvyTAa_mqXOQHuTJcr4xQ0DZNEsERxK8QF_cnOLeIF_B4HZgI5jkNx8IowE4PtawHVN-XRMsq5Z7RPc6FxjHySFd3UGPAYexKws/s4160/IMG_20210626_175206054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUwyjxT4kdjlqpGn6HebI_qzd0qwqQ9nMPQMCuNlSnvyTAa_mqXOQHuTJcr4xQ0DZNEsERxK8QF_cnOLeIF_B4HZgI5jkNx8IowE4PtawHVN-XRMsq5Z7RPc6FxjHySFd3UGPAYexKws/s320/IMG_20210626_175206054.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>That left about another 100g. These I mixed with some strawberry jam. Then I whipped up some cream and layered them into tumblers. These went into the fridge and after dinner I served them up with a cherry on top and some chocolate sauce. Strawberries and cream - just ramped up! </p><p>A quick and easy dessert and coincidently the colours of the England flag, just in time for match day, or failing that, the perfect accompaniment to Wimbledon!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNQV6OT_8HZfUbhBRwe54kO56rJ8PUeVL251-L2OP9jyY29_Rg0Md-yTp739nxWXJcALeFvN0Rk36ThUT2BCMRN0OqVLkupOcVBM2RGu3kbgnBThzahlsZ9SvXZDERuKw7iO-AF1xJ1k/s4160/IMG_20210626_174949261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNQV6OT_8HZfUbhBRwe54kO56rJ8PUeVL251-L2OP9jyY29_Rg0Md-yTp739nxWXJcALeFvN0Rk36ThUT2BCMRN0OqVLkupOcVBM2RGu3kbgnBThzahlsZ9SvXZDERuKw7iO-AF1xJ1k/s320/IMG_20210626_174949261.jpg" /></a></div><p>Ramped Up Strawberries and Cream (makes 4)</p><p>100g strawberries, chopped<br />50g strawberry jam<br />200ml whipping cream<br />50g icing sugar<br />85g dark chocolate<br />50g water<br />4 glace cherries</p><p>Add the icing sugar to the cream and whisk until thick. Spoon a third of the mixture evenly between 4 glasses. Mix the jam and strawberries and spoon half of this on top of the cream. Add another third of the cream on top of the strawberries, then add the remaining strawberries and jam before topping with the rest of the cream. Chill until ready to serve. Over a pan of boiling water, melt together the chocolate and the water then pour into a small jug and leave to cool to room temperature. To serve, top with a cherry and pour over the chocolate sauce.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMwGVrZn-cFwyc0H7hfkAeLkeeVNpiCW4_rHqapJLPwcDk2TAipYTALCSi24HeybQEXYVWoo54bfONPONJiuix45kWPN4fXIruL79Xd-72d8l_mLxcdqxkvn21XDgKyXInaejja0wDCLw/s4160/IMG_20210626_204030318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMwGVrZn-cFwyc0H7hfkAeLkeeVNpiCW4_rHqapJLPwcDk2TAipYTALCSi24HeybQEXYVWoo54bfONPONJiuix45kWPN4fXIruL79Xd-72d8l_mLxcdqxkvn21XDgKyXInaejja0wDCLw/s320/IMG_20210626_204030318.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-73517628574055184732021-06-23T09:09:00.002-07:002021-06-23T09:09:44.110-07:00Variations on the Victoria Sandwich Cake<p>When I was a child, we would visit my grandparents about once a month for a weekend. On departure we would be loaded up with goodies. There would be pocket money and sweets pushed into the hands of my brother and me, and a box of food for my parents. My grandad was not only an extremely generous man who would give you the shirt off his back if he felt that you needed it, but he was also a pastry chef. When he had signed up during World War II, he had requested to be a mechanic... so they had assigned him to the catering corps. After the war, with this training behind him, he had been in continual employment as a baker and pastry chef. Therefore, staples in the food parcel would be his amazing steak pie and his strawberries and cream sandwich cake, made with a filling of fresh whipped cream and slices of strawberries. I don't know whether it came frozen or whether my mum dealt with the vast quantities of generosity by slicing it and freezing it, but I have memories of eating slices of the cake, not quite thawed out in the middle, the cold cream still slightly resisting my teeth. Happy memories.</p><p>I'm in no way a pastry chef but I have been making Victoria Sandwich cakes for years now. Like scones, people seem to have preferrence for either strawberry or raspberry jam in the middle of their cake, but, in the absence of my grandad's cake, I have always preferred raspberry jam, especially as my version is seedless. </p><p>I make a cake once a week generally and we eat some every afternoon as a snack. It might be fairy cakes or muffins or fruit cake or layer cake but there is always something in the cake tin. In order to decide what to bake each week I have a scan around the kitchen, seeing what's in the fruit bowl in need of using up or what else we seem to have too much of. Currently, we have too much jam. </p><p>Inevitably, when I make a batch of jam, there is always a bit at the end that doesn't make a whole jar full. This I decant into lidded plastic pots and, under normal circumstances, I use these as my taster samples at events. Or, when my daughter eats porridge at the weekend, I stir in some jam to flavour it. But, I'm not attending events currently and even if I were, tasters would not be allowed. And, my daughter has decided that porridge for breakfast is too filling.</p><p>So, in order to find ways of using up jam, I have been making various sandwich cakes, based around a basic Victoria sandwich cake recipe, and inspired by the flavour of the jam I have to hand and anything lurking in my fruit bowl. It has been a fun and tasty experiment and I share the recipes below. And now, come June, I finally have fresh strawberries to pick so a chance to relive my childhool memories.</p><p>Basic Victoria Sandwich Cake Recipe</p><p>225g butter or margarine<br />225g caster sugar<br />4 eggs<br />225g self-raising flour<br />Pinch of salt<br />Raspberry jam<br />100g unsalted butter<br />225g icing sugar<br />1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br /><br /></p><p>Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and line two 20cm sandwich cake tins. Cream together the butter (or margarine) and the sugar then stir in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and salt and stir until it forms a cake batter. Divide the batter between the two tins and level out then bake for 25 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Soften the butter then slowly mix in the icing sugar and vanilla to create butter icing. Spread one cake with jam and the other with butter icing then sandwich them together.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCCKghI0N3hVQcVr4yhPKnfZeEgXuN-7IHFkmhq7X72vSnXBDKWzFHltwWj1VRYbSHQuMXxbGgjvergqD3pwMjqQWkzykzjl8w7QiO9iAa5zTeCfe_ztwAlzIpl967AOabukKLLW2GpQ/s500/Victoria+sandwich+cake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXCCKghI0N3hVQcVr4yhPKnfZeEgXuN-7IHFkmhq7X72vSnXBDKWzFHltwWj1VRYbSHQuMXxbGgjvergqD3pwMjqQWkzykzjl8w7QiO9iAa5zTeCfe_ztwAlzIpl967AOabukKLLW2GpQ/s320/Victoria+sandwich+cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Plum & Orange Sandwich Cake Recipe</p><p>225g butter or margarine<br />110g caster sugar<br />110g plum jam<br />1 orange (zest and juice)<br />4 eggs<br />225g self-raising flour<br />Pinch of salt<br />Plum jam<br />100g mascapone<br />2 tbsp honey</p><p>Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and line two 20cm sandwich cake tins. Cream together the butter (or margarine) and the sugar then stir in jam, followed by the zest and juice of half an orange. Next add the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and salt and stir until it forms a cake batter. Divide the batter between the two tins and level out then bake for 25 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Stir the remaining orange juice and zest and the honey into the mascapone. Spread one cake with jam and the other with mascapone icing then sandwich them together.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutMjPYJo0pDJ8dteFoD_fycctQTxw5FJU9qG_zUf_bgs7JEP4NwcOx2W7Zc6z9RWZ8P_IhQObWTIiffoNNIxbcvli6R7JdnlRL5FyWs2fHbv0Uh8lYOCf8UV3qix6XmAdtcd4aZIW0iQ/s728/Plum+%2526+Orange+Sandwich+Cake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="728" data-original-width="727" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutMjPYJo0pDJ8dteFoD_fycctQTxw5FJU9qG_zUf_bgs7JEP4NwcOx2W7Zc6z9RWZ8P_IhQObWTIiffoNNIxbcvli6R7JdnlRL5FyWs2fHbv0Uh8lYOCf8UV3qix6XmAdtcd4aZIW0iQ/s320/Plum+%2526+Orange+Sandwich+Cake.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Toffee Apple Sandwich Cake Recipe</p><p>225g butter or margarine<br />110g caster sugar<br />110g apple jam (preferrably Toffee Apple Jam)<br />1 apple<br />A little brown sugar<br />1/2 tsp cinnamon<br />4 eggs<br />225g self-raising flour<br />Pinch of salt<br />Toffee Apple jam<br />100g mascapone<br />2 tbsp honey<br />1 tsp cinnamon</p><p>Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and line two 20cm sandwich cake tins. Peel, core and slice the apple then toss in a little brown sugar and cinnamon. Scatter this into the base of one of the cake tins. Cream together the butter (or margarine) and the sugar then stir in jam. Next add the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and salt and stir until it forms a cake batter. Divide the batter between the two tins and level out then bake for 25 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack, making sure that the apple layer is facing up. Stir the honey and cinnamon into the mascapone. Spread one cake with jam, then carefully spread the mascapone icing on top. Place the apple cake on top, with the apple layer forming the top of the cake.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KVVzHG8JjACP6CXoovvdplQTRwJ9Ry1m_I5sBEQvu5cFTvuJCj50sWEfEayViNy1eJRBowC6LA03mqQp0idybzpPxV6t4ejAtx4wEdwlZPYh9YVsOozVxqYMVEEsIqGAXeuk8wUuTCA/s743/Toffee+Apple+Sandwich+Cake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="743" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_KVVzHG8JjACP6CXoovvdplQTRwJ9Ry1m_I5sBEQvu5cFTvuJCj50sWEfEayViNy1eJRBowC6LA03mqQp0idybzpPxV6t4ejAtx4wEdwlZPYh9YVsOozVxqYMVEEsIqGAXeuk8wUuTCA/s320/Toffee+Apple+Sandwich+Cake.jpg" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>Rhubarb & Ginger Sandwich Cake Recipe</p><p>225g butter or margarine<br />110g caster sugar<br />150g rhubarb<br />2 tbsp of giner syrup from a jar of stem ginger<br />4 eggs<br />225g self-raising flour<br />1 tsp mixed spice<br />Pinch of salt<br />Rhubarb & Ginger Jam<br />100g unsalted butter<br />225g icing sugar<br />1/2 tsp ground ginger or two drops of ginger extract</p><p>Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and line two 20cm sandwich cake tins. Chop the rhubarb and put in a small saucepan with the ginger syrup. Cook with the lid on for a few minutes until the rhubarb has broken down and gone mushy. Set aside to cool. Cream together the butter (or margarine) and the sugar then stir in the rhubarb.. Next add the eggs one at a time. Add the flour, mixed spice and salt and stir until it forms a cake batter. Divide the batter between the two tins and level out then bake for 25 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Soften the butter then slowly mix in the icing sugar and ginger to create butter icing. Spread one cake with jam and the other with butter icing then sandwich them together.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymEnwCJUpNMLcuEr_tdh96rmei2NMgzSbGewzIpPWcht6EEg3z6lTLYgf3ssYfr4pTSdjwLdRgbf-BIL2ivBiNh5gZiJHWCa5Q9fqVlWueluhfQI28rBIULBhdG0E9eobdMUe5X3zv2I/s691/Rhubarb+%2526+Ginger+Sandwich+Cake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhymEnwCJUpNMLcuEr_tdh96rmei2NMgzSbGewzIpPWcht6EEg3z6lTLYgf3ssYfr4pTSdjwLdRgbf-BIL2ivBiNh5gZiJHWCa5Q9fqVlWueluhfQI28rBIULBhdG0E9eobdMUe5X3zv2I/s320/Rhubarb+%2526+Ginger+Sandwich+Cake.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Chocolate Orange Sandwich Cake Recipe</p><p>225g butter or margarine<br />110g caster sugar<br />1 orange - juice and zest<br />4 eggs<br />225g self-raising flour<br />25g cocoa powder<br />Pinch of salt<br />Orange curd<br /><br /></p><p>Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and line two 20cm sandwich cake tins. Cream together the butter (or margarine) and the sugar then stir in the orange juice and zest. Next add the eggs one at a time. Add the flour, cocoa and salt and stir until it forms a cake batter. Divide the batter between the two tins and level out then bake for 25 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Spread one cake with orange curd then sandwich them together.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFfwfe9UaORFjED0KU6RN9HK-PYFST7tvLenpag0gxG0kuT7hPK563nQgrK6XjVPLmmMF1AyTjLOFZ8q-adyTBjoiHiCzPGKeQAsqr2FAahW1aI4RxZ6ti_GNxYiLjWHMpSnzeVDixho/s4160/IMG_20210603_170122981.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFfwfe9UaORFjED0KU6RN9HK-PYFST7tvLenpag0gxG0kuT7hPK563nQgrK6XjVPLmmMF1AyTjLOFZ8q-adyTBjoiHiCzPGKeQAsqr2FAahW1aI4RxZ6ti_GNxYiLjWHMpSnzeVDixho/s320/IMG_20210603_170122981.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Strawberries & Cream Victoria Sandwich Cake Recipe</p><p>225g butter or margarine<br />225g caster sugar<br />4 eggs<br />225g self-raising flour<br />Pinch of salt<br />Strawberry Jam<br />100g mascapone<br />50g icing sugar<br />1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />A few fresh strawberries, sliced</p><p>Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and line two 20cm sandwich cake tins. Cream together the butter (or margarine) and the sugar then stir in the eggs one at a time. Add the flour and salt and stir until it forms a cake batter. Divide the batter between the two tins and level out then bake for 25 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the tins and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Slowly mix the icing sugar and vanilla into the mascapone to create a creamy texture. Spread one cake with jam and the other with the mascapone. Layer the slices of strawberries on top of the mascapone then sandwich the two cakes together. Finish with a dusting of icing sugar if you like.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbNU5hvK9rmJEt0ssdbWQYE_lyoiTEE-m5PkcBZis-J1LWVnxolXk6V5bx90q5TIGmvheuzoCL5rqD4yymC6y8feHQC8VRSlG1rgTdCSy9Ylxt199V-b6tFBSdv3yGnsD4MTlieIXgmw/s4160/IMG_20210622_171249684.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXbNU5hvK9rmJEt0ssdbWQYE_lyoiTEE-m5PkcBZis-J1LWVnxolXk6V5bx90q5TIGmvheuzoCL5rqD4yymC6y8feHQC8VRSlG1rgTdCSy9Ylxt199V-b6tFBSdv3yGnsD4MTlieIXgmw/s320/IMG_20210622_171249684.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzY6WlppGFrybFAire5IsLQ8eshHd6Ima2Qocz56bdGd854b5BcJC3pbZNbg1HgIVD28x6-32jqwy61WHNVovh8ie6tVKj3_rOxProiv9VTawyLD1ImP5Rn9qPfQCrHXKcUVXE03X5dWQ/s4160/IMG_20210622_171850974.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzY6WlppGFrybFAire5IsLQ8eshHd6Ima2Qocz56bdGd854b5BcJC3pbZNbg1HgIVD28x6-32jqwy61WHNVovh8ie6tVKj3_rOxProiv9VTawyLD1ImP5Rn9qPfQCrHXKcUVXE03X5dWQ/s320/IMG_20210622_171850974.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-24522066153528056502021-05-28T04:03:00.001-07:002021-05-28T04:03:34.400-07:00Rhubarb Mousse<p>Rhubarb is a peculiar thing - peculiarly English too. You just don't see it used much in other countries and I have struggled to explain what rhubarb jam is to non-native customers at my stalls over the years.</p><p>I have always regarded it as a cheap food too - something so easy to grow that you can plant it once and just let it get on with its own thing from then on. Certainly I imagine that everyone who was "Digging For Victory" back in the day must have had some on their plot. </p><p>Having never felt the need to buy rhubarb before I really couldn't have told you how much it would cost but this week, out of curiousity, I looked it up on both the Tesco and Ocado supermarket sites and found that it was £6.88 per kilogram on that particular day. Having already harvested 3kg of rhubarb this year, I realised that would have set me back about £21! Astonishing, especially as there is still time to pick some more this season.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8IJr0LJcO0crdAHj9acbg-w3a810pxXQYkCgEdqJi-vL-Q7zzlwmwVoJNs5MkcrxEI7XxnuMvO-rb8zk0DITr1j0i5qJpU1jvnW5UEuRfse-z7hPq2JMF-RsMFT6wqGtr2ax7tB0RV4/s2048/Spring+rhubarb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji8IJr0LJcO0crdAHj9acbg-w3a810pxXQYkCgEdqJi-vL-Q7zzlwmwVoJNs5MkcrxEI7XxnuMvO-rb8zk0DITr1j0i5qJpU1jvnW5UEuRfse-z7hPq2JMF-RsMFT6wqGtr2ax7tB0RV4/s320/Spring+rhubarb.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>So, was I wrong all along to think of rhubarb as a cheap food? Well, with fresh raspberries coming in at roughly £12 per kilogram, it certainly doesn't compete with those price-wise. But then again, rhubarb isn't as squishy and hard to transport as raspberries so maybe that isn't a fair comparison. What about the other stems that we eat? </p><p>Celery comes in at roughly £3 per kilogram so in comparison, rhubarb is something of a luxury food! And, remarkably, on the day I was checking prices, asparagus was being sold for £6.59 per kilogram. So, like for like, asparagus and rhubarb are the same price. And yet I would have considered asparagus to be... a bit posh!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQ9_8GZGli-7fQ2Cl74O4-4aHajMDC1W6v5sleCoyl78XGK04YFy4xZgFKKypaYqZchSFss0Sp2a4Y70-P0FCNU5-wfOqeE9ciD6t_1gOqcffsYVq0jKnHh19K2YW4E4jShWLGVVN-so/s4160/IMG_20210512_174925273.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQ9_8GZGli-7fQ2Cl74O4-4aHajMDC1W6v5sleCoyl78XGK04YFy4xZgFKKypaYqZchSFss0Sp2a4Y70-P0FCNU5-wfOqeE9ciD6t_1gOqcffsYVq0jKnHh19K2YW4E4jShWLGVVN-so/s320/IMG_20210512_174925273.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Having discovered that I should be showing more respect to my rhubarb, I decided that I needed to elevate it further than the humble crumble. As such, I combined it with some double cream and some fancy ruby chocolate to create Rhubarb and Ruby Chocolate Mousse, and scattered some homemade granola on top as a nod to rhubarb crumble. There you go, rhubarb, the fancy dessert you deserve!</p><p>Rhubarb and Ruby Chocolate Mousse (makes 6)</p><p>150g rhubarb<br />1 tbsp caster sugar<br />1 tbsp water<br />2 gelatine leaves<br />150g natural yoghurt<br />200g ruby chocolate (use white chocolate if your prefer)<br />300ml double cream<br />Granola or similar to scatter</p><p>Cut the rhubarb into pieces and place in a small pan with the sugar and water. Cook gently with the lid on for several minutes until very soft. Leave to cool then use a stick blender to puree. Next, cover the gelatine with water for a few minutes to soften. Put the chocolate in a small bowl over a pan of hot water to melt. Next, squeeze the water out of the gelatine then put it in small pan over a low heat until melted. Add a little of the cream to the gelatine and heat gently to incorporate the two as this will make the gelatine easier to pour. Whisk the remaining double cream in a large bowl until thick. Add all the ingredients to the cream (apart from the granola) and gently fold together until mixed. Spoon into suitable containers/glasses and put in the fridge to set. When ready to serve, scatter the granola on top if using.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6jtFOpF8yuT_nnoHtLltcs74qMz22r_JsO-f7FFwa6NjrYZusH-u5k-MHjWVEGAO43Ou1pl0Y__ef4xhyphenhyphenPvpcUJ-Eg9P194GovKA20Cam7jXlzwIKdKzk63FEK-biGmmrpwHfyI1bsQ/s4160/IMG_20210523_202734215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6jtFOpF8yuT_nnoHtLltcs74qMz22r_JsO-f7FFwa6NjrYZusH-u5k-MHjWVEGAO43Ou1pl0Y__ef4xhyphenhyphenPvpcUJ-Eg9P194GovKA20Cam7jXlzwIKdKzk63FEK-biGmmrpwHfyI1bsQ/s320/IMG_20210523_202734215.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-30561530033992857982021-05-20T03:23:00.000-07:002021-05-20T03:23:20.548-07:00Potato Bread<p>Sometimes we make too much mashed potato to go with our sausages. There are, of course, plenty of things you could do with leftover mashed potatoes, including making bubble and squeak or fashioning it into potato cakes. One of my favourites is to use it as an excuse to make mashed potato doughnuts (as previously blogged). However, when my husband makes mash potato, he tends to season it quite heavily, including adding celery salt and garlic powder and these residue flavours aren't really what you want in your freshly fried doughnuts!</p><p>So, having gathered a small box of mashed potatoes from the dinner plates last night, today I decided the best use to put it to would be in a loaf of bread. I usually make bread on a Thursday anyway as Friday is the only day of the week where my daughter has lessons in the afternoon and can't come home from sixth form at lunch time, thus she is in need of bread fresh enough to take as a sandwich.</p><p>Once the bread is cooked, you would scarcely notice that it has potato in it. I find it tends to rise enthusiatically and it has a lovely soft texture and I guess that has something to do with the starches from the potato. It is a very satisfying way to make use of waste food.</p><p>Potato Bread</p><p>225g water<br />3 tbsp sunflower oil<br />425g white bread flour<br />75g malted bread flour (or use a total of 500g white flour if preferred)<br />175g cold cooked mashed potato<br />1 1/2 tbsp skimmed milk powder<br />1 tsp salt (add an extra half a teaspoon if there isn't salt in your mashed potato)<br />1 1/2 tsp sugar<br />1 1/2 tsp easy blend yeast</p><p>Load the ingredients into your bread machine and set to dough. Alternatively, mix by hand and knead for 10 minutes or use a dough hook on a food processory. Leave to prove for one hour. Knock back and shape dough to fit into a 2lb loaf tin then cover with greased Clingfilm and leave to prove for half an hour. Preheat oven to 190°C. Slash the top of the bread with a knife several times then put the tin in the oven. Through some water into the bottom of the oven to create steam and shut the oven door. Cook for 45 minutes until golden brown and it sounds hollow when tapped. Leave to cool on a wire rack.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mWj37EAFB1Sm8dAEA8na6sMVVAMOeB0Ol4PvNXNKdI2KQ6Gudpl2y1lwx9zpbgLeqITx7CnD_AnfYJJx-J-WPnSRcALvuUgLXolfzrlGdE9AanfsuwD32FpxOv4yMo1yo5LPJfqwLxo/s461/Potato+bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="450" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mWj37EAFB1Sm8dAEA8na6sMVVAMOeB0Ol4PvNXNKdI2KQ6Gudpl2y1lwx9zpbgLeqITx7CnD_AnfYJJx-J-WPnSRcALvuUgLXolfzrlGdE9AanfsuwD32FpxOv4yMo1yo5LPJfqwLxo/s320/Potato+bread.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-53282666226993529452021-04-15T02:54:00.000-07:002021-04-15T02:54:42.915-07:00The Endless Loop of Leftovers<p>Sometimes I find myself in a endless loop of leftovers. I make something, which leads to leftovers and then I find a way to make that into something else, but it leads to more leftovers and on it goes.</p><p>I had a meat delivery last week. Mostly I just bag it all up into suitable portions and get it into the freezer to last a few weeks. However, I turned the 700g of stewing steak into steak pies before freezing them, cooking up the pie filling that afternoon and adding some puff pastry once cooled. The pies had circular lids so I was left with some offcuts of puff pastry. </p><p>The meat box was also supposed to contain 12 sausages, which I would normally divide into 8 and 4. We eat 8 sausages between us as one meal, and the other 4 I might turn into sausage egg muffins or add them to a mixed grill. However, I only received 1 pack of 6 sausages, which doesn't work for me in terms of numbers. Fortunately, there was a rather delicious <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sausage-pasta-bake" target="_blank">sausage pasta bake recipe</a> in the BBC Good Food Magazine this month that feeds four with 6 sausages so I bought some mozzerella and made that. That left a little bit of mozzerella that I boxed up and popped in the fridge.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmt1TEBZOAxmpSi77EJ3mcn9DV4k2BRIDJO1NvZy7lBm8WnAE5VVFmd9s-PvkLVAmJ6C4mqGWBzuFICZxkwfb536ygyxU5THWpIZEOOUshpL1Pq6jK4slt_SsuzuEzCgoapl-T0bgnhE/s4160/IMG_20210401_193348035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmt1TEBZOAxmpSi77EJ3mcn9DV4k2BRIDJO1NvZy7lBm8WnAE5VVFmd9s-PvkLVAmJ6C4mqGWBzuFICZxkwfb536ygyxU5THWpIZEOOUshpL1Pq6jK4slt_SsuzuEzCgoapl-T0bgnhE/s320/IMG_20210401_193348035.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Later, I added to the off-cuts of puff pastry when I made a batch of sausage rolls (also destined for the freezer). One tray of sausagemeat only needs three quarters of a sheet of puff pastry, leaving an odd bit. Sometimes I make this into 3 or 4 cheese straws just to be done but this time I added it to the offcuts from the pies. But what to do with the puff pastry?</p><p>I had seen a recipe for <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/homity-pie" target="_blank">Homity Pie</a> in the BBC Good Food Magazine too and I wondered if it might be nice to replace some of the Cheddar in it with my leftover mozzerella and maybe give it a lid of puff pastry instead of shortcrust. It certainly seemed like the perfect way to use up some of the rubbish potatoes from our allotment, along with some onions and leeks from my Oddbox delivery. However, it did mean I had to buy a pot of double cream.</p><p>With the double cream purchased, I re-read the recipe and realised it was more a tart than a pie, being without a lid, so that ruled out using up the puff pastry. I also decided that Cheddar would work much better than mozzerella in terms of flavour so I didn't use that either. The pie was really delicious, and definitely one to add to my favourites, especially at this time of year when potatoes, onions and leeks are seasonal stars.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyylIkoA54QKn3Xp6gFsGZD8kotqA5uP04tIPo4CzUE7SDrneA_q_2zxZMA7fuiT0wKA1lwTCgOpeHYJiOLKCmX7Cy-OffMRHVjEOoz3h8Y-A3ncJQshH2cTIGtyhBePmczrSu_mvc4I/s4160/IMG_20210409_133457560.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXyylIkoA54QKn3Xp6gFsGZD8kotqA5uP04tIPo4CzUE7SDrneA_q_2zxZMA7fuiT0wKA1lwTCgOpeHYJiOLKCmX7Cy-OffMRHVjEOoz3h8Y-A3ncJQshH2cTIGtyhBePmczrSu_mvc4I/s320/IMG_20210409_133457560.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>I tried it out as a lunchtime dish for my youngest daughter and me as we like being guinea pigs for new recipes but my husband was so taken with the thin slither he tried that he decided to eat some of it for his dinner. And the remaining two portions, my youngest and I ate for lunch on Sunday. All good, except it only used half a pot of double cream so I had to think of something to do with that now.</p><p>Looking around the kitchen for inspiration, my eyes fell upon some tired looking apples in the fruit bowl so I typed "apple pudding" into Google and found a recipe for <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/sticky-toffee-apple-pudding">Sticky Toffee Apple Pudding</a>, served with cream. I whipped this up on Sunday afternoon and put it into the oven to cook once I had served up the roast dinner. Despite the moment of doubt as I pour sugar water over the top of the cake batter before it went into the oven, it turned out beautifully, creating its own lovely toffee sauce at the base. And it was particularly tasty served with cream. I just had the headache of trying to fit a half eaten pudding into the fridge where a pot of double cream had previously been!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FMrZSPQoQn1XktA6HmSIMxETFNwKFdYPrZk7YGp5nx7Pu5MObxhQ8CCjJlie2rVTcaYy7z6NVjBgQ0DZAXOqlXkwCUSqeYT_EggxuMDu654fRgmzdQ85fZpAKqK2Ty2Ivxjzn1QaR30/s4160/IMG_20210411_201415447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FMrZSPQoQn1XktA6HmSIMxETFNwKFdYPrZk7YGp5nx7Pu5MObxhQ8CCjJlie2rVTcaYy7z6NVjBgQ0DZAXOqlXkwCUSqeYT_EggxuMDu654fRgmzdQ85fZpAKqK2Ty2Ivxjzn1QaR30/s320/IMG_20210411_201415447.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Fortunately, we reheated the apple pudding after dinner on Monday and finished off the last of the cream with it too so that at least was now out of the fridge. We had had leftover pork from the Sunday roast for dinner too so it was a good day for eating leftovers. In addition, I had a moment of inspiration Monday morning and decided to turn the puff pastry and mozerella into a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/courgette-mushroom-mozzarella-tart">mozerella and courgette tart</a> for lunch for my youngest daughter and me. This also used up half an OddBox courgette but it meant I opened a jar of red pesto but didn't use all of it! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVK5ob9mWVo1kqzzCum04sl1_oa7pkdqAne7fbL55t6tLYJ3UIpsXfxMG8dtrnyHKs6Wl0mE0C5MBdbMlMlT7KBLIltHJ3wrmt6GWsmjjWLdRqvXafNghO4_98YMHTDyevXcXJCSd1H0/s4160/IMG_20210412_125856185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDVK5ob9mWVo1kqzzCum04sl1_oa7pkdqAne7fbL55t6tLYJ3UIpsXfxMG8dtrnyHKs6Wl0mE0C5MBdbMlMlT7KBLIltHJ3wrmt6GWsmjjWLdRqvXafNghO4_98YMHTDyevXcXJCSd1H0/s320/IMG_20210412_125856185.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>So on Tuesday I decided to try cooking up some <a href="https://lucasitaly.com/2016/03/08/pasta-ncasciata-montalbanos-favourite/" target="_blank">Pasta 'ncasciate</a>. I thought this would not only use up the aubergine I had just bought but maybe the tired looking mushrooms, the half courgette and the red pesto. I found a recipe and set about making it, realising it didn't contain either mushrooms or courgettes and that red pesto wasn't really the right thing to use for the sauce either. It turned out to be a very tasty dish and I'm pleased to have found another way to eat aubergine. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOE0G1dORXgkQoCelsb3_wPiGeZe7LyJiF4OVxwdCknKFl_ghuqOEOpIUFtcHxsoLTBgdIddFSNn9WAoMVaizLkDH6bGCLeKkoVhwzMMSfF_d0UfmaiO5dWvNITzfU62E6TKBYubRQME/s4160/IMG_20210413_192351464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTOE0G1dORXgkQoCelsb3_wPiGeZe7LyJiF4OVxwdCknKFl_ghuqOEOpIUFtcHxsoLTBgdIddFSNn9WAoMVaizLkDH6bGCLeKkoVhwzMMSfF_d0UfmaiO5dWvNITzfU62E6TKBYubRQME/s320/IMG_20210413_192351464.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>However, it made way more than I needed and once again I found myself scratching my head, wondering how to fit the leftovers in the fridge! Still, that's lunch sorted on another day, and you know what, I might even cook up the half a courgette and tired mushrooms and add the red pesto to it when I serve it up this time!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-74683675204795850552021-04-01T09:38:00.000-07:002021-04-01T09:38:01.763-07:00A Vegan Birthday Feast<p>It was my step-daughter's birthday on Saturday so I cooked her up some of her favourite food. She loves Japanese food and she loves sticky toffee pudding, so that's what went on the menu. As she is vegan, she obviously required that all her food was vegan but she also requested that the whole meal was vegan, i.e. that we all partook. </p><p>The main meal was a buffet of different Japanese foods. I cooked sticky rice in my Instant Pot, baked a nasu dengaku aubergine, fried some shop bought vegan gyoza, and whilst she stir fried some tofu and veg noodles, I deep fried some tempura - pumpkin, mushroom and onion. The other addition at the table was a jar of radishes that I had pickled the weekend before. </p><p>I had received some radishes in my first Oddbox veg delivery. Despite being one of the easiest things to grow, we don't usually bother because no one really likes them. So I figured I may as well try pickling them to see if that made them more palettable. After all, my step-daughter is generally a fan of pickled things and she likes pickled diakon, and diakon (or mooli) are just very large radishes. I have to say, after they turned a pretty pink colour during the course of the week, I was actually quite excited to try them. Yes, definitely nicer pickled and definitely a very similar taste to pickled diakon.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrurfVGU98ZAHgH59GTWBWU9h9fuGm8ZTAqON2fBlBFJ1-LberzeY9Vq6fmi9Azkgbk4mgzZUUb7_q6luCYbNbYAC8ia36gAJ3aJJcTNL5Nn-Jzlvs7xtQGbV94gKxJwSRsTqjbKKypLI/s4160/IMG_20210321_115143487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrurfVGU98ZAHgH59GTWBWU9h9fuGm8ZTAqON2fBlBFJ1-LberzeY9Vq6fmi9Azkgbk4mgzZUUb7_q6luCYbNbYAC8ia36gAJ3aJJcTNL5Nn-Jzlvs7xtQGbV94gKxJwSRsTqjbKKypLI/s320/IMG_20210321_115143487.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Pickled Radish</p><p>1 bunch of radish<br />175ml cider vinegar<br />175ml water<br />2 tsp salt<br />3 tbsp maple syrup (or honey if not for a vegan)<br />1/4 tsp chilli flakes<br />5 garlic cloves (whole)<br />1 tsp mustard seeds<br />1 tsp peppercorns<br /><br />Wash the radish and pat dry then slice very thinly. Separate the slices as you drop them into a suitable jar. Add all the other ingredients and put the lid on then slosh it about a bit to mix. Leave for 1 week before eating. Eat within 3 weeks.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUQZ7HThjUb9QylH1lL9hUcK5BR5kMT1BjRw6gYyYR8vHjHPirI9vcXVZW50CB8-rIoTurZRLF5GzFA3NK2XJTOvZ0CYnhECA6ZOk-qgrqILL5FuARc-PsyJ2LQfALhsr18iLkuE0PaE/s4160/IMG_20210327_165731533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUQZ7HThjUb9QylH1lL9hUcK5BR5kMT1BjRw6gYyYR8vHjHPirI9vcXVZW50CB8-rIoTurZRLF5GzFA3NK2XJTOvZ0CYnhECA6ZOk-qgrqILL5FuARc-PsyJ2LQfALhsr18iLkuE0PaE/s320/IMG_20210327_165731533.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>I have made vegan sticky toffee pudding a few times over the years and, in fact, I think I prefer it to conventional sticky toffee pudding because it is soft and gooey and satisfying without being overly heavy. Usually I make it as a single cake in a square cake tin and I have even made it in a hemisphere cake tin at Christmas to look like a Christmas pudding. However, on this occasion I decided to use some individual pudding tins from Lakeland. Normally I glaze the cake with some pear jam or similar but on this occasion I started by putting some of my pear sauce in the bottom of each pudding tin. To serve, I topped with a bit more pear sauce and a dollop of Oatly Oat Fraiche, although vegan custard, cream or ice-cream would have worked well too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22rN4V2W-_wmqaD4YYreRb32PjLeY0NARUjBPjSj6TbH16j3JpnviyXTUxN0e7S0CWdfQfkivSjZBqlss7k1scHMgnHWK0YSvsCN8Gm-POnhfm9xcjik7-Wb659HekWxAAFK655wlbTo/s4160/IMG_20210327_203440830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22rN4V2W-_wmqaD4YYreRb32PjLeY0NARUjBPjSj6TbH16j3JpnviyXTUxN0e7S0CWdfQfkivSjZBqlss7k1scHMgnHWK0YSvsCN8Gm-POnhfm9xcjik7-Wb659HekWxAAFK655wlbTo/s320/IMG_20210327_203440830.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Sticky Toffee Pudding (makes 8)</p><p>250g dates<br />2 tbsp linseed breakfast topper<br />300ml soya milk<br />200ml vegetable oil<br />175g dark muscovado sugar<br />200g self-raising flour<br />Pinch of salt<br />1 tsp bicarbonate of soda<br />1 tsp ground mixed spice<br />100-200 g pear sauce or golden syrup or date syrup or jam<br /><br />Put the dates, linseed and milk in a saucepan and simmer for 2-3 minutes until soft. Use a stick blender to blitz until smooth. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Put the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix well, breaking up any lumps in the sugar. Add the date mixture, the oil and 50 g of jam/sauce. Stir well to form a batter. Pour more sauce/syrup into the bottom of each individual pudding tin then dollop in the cake mixture until about three quarters full. Put the tins onto a baking tray and bake for 30-35 minutes until springy to the touch. To serve, run a knife around each pudding and tip into a serving bowl/plate then heat each one for 30 seconds in the microwave. Add more syrup to the top if necessary and serve with creme fraiche, custard, cream or ice-cream.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWESbGd7DsAB_CTRDDBlslosyKWXtST7gpCFHR_MCE42eWudJ-QSrfCa4xUnoryOgyb5c3QFqwswv_Hhp6Pbg0v1D3Y2WlvEge1eFwIX2yu0SF0WNhNthdVT2CBWkw5iHgL1_HT_7iBQ/s4160/IMG_20210327_203459059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWESbGd7DsAB_CTRDDBlslosyKWXtST7gpCFHR_MCE42eWudJ-QSrfCa4xUnoryOgyb5c3QFqwswv_Hhp6Pbg0v1D3Y2WlvEge1eFwIX2yu0SF0WNhNthdVT2CBWkw5iHgL1_HT_7iBQ/s320/IMG_20210327_203459059.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-65603714800591058482021-03-15T10:04:00.000-07:002021-03-15T10:04:07.171-07:00Cooking with Honey<p>I have known Carol for probably getting on for ten years now. We met because I was looking for some local honey to go into local food hampers I was putting together but we quickly became friends and I thoroughly enjoy standing on the doorstep nattering for an hour. Yes, I would invite her in but she always insists she won't stop! </p><p>Carol's honey is an essential ingredient in my Honey & Lemon Marmalade and during February's monthly orders I sold all the stock I had of that and I could have sold more. So I emailed Carol to ask to buy another jar so that I could make a fresh batch. To my surprise she rung me up to say that she had some honey that would be suitable for cooking that I could just have.</p><p>The smell and flavour of honey varies tremenously depending on what the bees forage from. This is why Scottish Heather Honey is so prized, of course, but sometimes the foraging isn't quite so desireable. Honey foraged from ivy, for example, can have a flavour that no everyone likes. Carol didn't know what the bees had foraged on for this particular batch but it had an unusual smell that she felt some people wouldn't like and, although it tasted nice, she thought a customer opening a jar and getting that aroma might be put off.</p><p>A short while later she dropped off half a bucket of the honey and said I was welcome to have it for cooking. She also gave me a sample of some flapjacks she had made with it to demonstrate that the flavour wasn't unusual when used in cooking.</p><p>With good quality honey being a relatively expensive commodity, I was excited to have a larger than expected quantity available to me and an invitation to use it in cooking. Normally I would use a cheap supermarket honey in cooking and even then be fairly sparing with it.</p><p>I sniffed it and tasted it and, although I could see Carol's point about the smell being slightly odd, it wasn't unpleasant. In fact, it reminded me of the complex floral notes you get when sniffing real ale. From my experience with that I know that what I can smell bears very little resemblance to the flavours I taste, and so it was with the honey, which was very mild and just generally pleasant.</p><p>Happy with my tests, I used some to make the batch of Honey and Lemon Marmlade. After that it was time to experiment. </p><p>The first new recipe was steamed honey puddings for dessert on Saturday. I made individual puddings that we served with custard and it was a delightful, light sponge.</p><p>On Monday, whilst my youngest daughter filled some time before her return to school, she made a honey cake to refill the cake tin for the week. We ate a slice in the afternoon as a snack. It was a little underdone in the middle, which was my fault as I had judged it cooked. However, the gooey middle was like a sticky sauce, similar to the "sauce" in a chocolate fondant. Later, when I came back from a walk to the postbox, my eldest asked what the cake was. She'd had helped herself to a slice whilst I was out and had puzzled over the flavour as it was almost like a ginger cake but she had liked it, unlike ginger cake. It is true, the complex flavours in the cake are deceptive, and suggest that a subtle combination of spices were used. She also said that the gooey middle was the best bit!</p><p>On Thursday I made some honey biscuits to have with my elevenses and for my husband to enjoy was his after dinner cup of tea. These proved to be soft and chewy, again with hard to pindown flavours. Over dinner my eldest told me she liked the biscuits I had made, which puzzled me as I didn't know she had tried one. Turns out that she had seen the photo I had posted onto Instagram and had fancied eating one, then gone into the kitchen whilst I had been answering the door! </p><p>After that she asked if I could made some honey flapjacks - nice thick and properly sweet ones, not like the "healthy" ones I often make. So on Friday afternoon I whipped up a batch of flapjacks too! </p><p>Wow! What a sweet week but a lovely week of experimenting and creating.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Individual Steamed Honey Puddings </p><p class="MsoNormal">(makes 6)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">100g plus 12 tsp honey<br />
100g unsalted butter, softened.<br />
100g caster sugar<br />
3 eggs <br />
110g self-raising flour<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
1 tsp baking powder<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Butter 6 mini pudding basins. Put two teaspoons of the honey
into the bottom of each pudding basin. Cream together the butter and sugar then
stir in the 100g of honey and then the eggs, one at a time. Add the dry ingredients and
stir well until a smooth batter in formed. Divide the mixture evenly between
the six pudding basins. Put the lids loosely on the basins or cover with foil
then stack on a trivet inside a pressure cooker, with two cups of water in the
base. Put the lid on and bring to pressure then cook for 40 minutes. Leave for
the pressure to release naturally then remove the puddings to cool. When ready
to serve, reheat in the oven for 30 seconds for each pudding and serve with hot
custard.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8R_2Nqujc6VT70g6po0r1AZay_UxNpgzFvpAbo-XdJuj5_IJ3Ov4yMVZjg9GLTJbtDdUk1nVAenhnAUU4HJV9PJC_AJ7zTRDwZ0IgDMSrPXN9NirH0U2bqLMQ-oYkIifKbmitFf4Nco/s4160/IMG_20210306_201619706.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8R_2Nqujc6VT70g6po0r1AZay_UxNpgzFvpAbo-XdJuj5_IJ3Ov4yMVZjg9GLTJbtDdUk1nVAenhnAUU4HJV9PJC_AJ7zTRDwZ0IgDMSrPXN9NirH0U2bqLMQ-oYkIifKbmitFf4Nco/s320/IMG_20210306_201619706.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Honey Cake</p><p class="MsoNormal">250g honey plus extra for glazing<br />225g unsalted butter<br />100 dark muscovado sugar<br />3 eggs, beaten<br />300g self-raising flour<br /><br />In a pan, melt together the butter, honey and sugar over a low heat. Once melted, increase the heat and boil for 1 minute then set aside and leave to cool for 20 minutes. Preheat then oven to 170°C and line a circular cake tin. Pour the cooled mixture into a large bowl then beat in the eggs. Add the flour and stir until it forms a smooth batter. Pour into the cake tin then bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes or so then turn out onto a wire rack. Glaze the top of the cake with honey until sticky. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKKlFPzKENwh8GuOn4MuqV4yZo1_iLDDOzLcQncaMexJlRnq5IgLw6dt9GxOP2A3MJahUt6zvvcq8l0-WH0O1aLWiqrUTCxEfhh_7LLLq8xX5iB8xEkpafF1UPHTFBGlIUY-mg2ItFBY/s4160/IMG_20210308_162321328.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWKKlFPzKENwh8GuOn4MuqV4yZo1_iLDDOzLcQncaMexJlRnq5IgLw6dt9GxOP2A3MJahUt6zvvcq8l0-WH0O1aLWiqrUTCxEfhh_7LLLq8xX5iB8xEkpafF1UPHTFBGlIUY-mg2ItFBY/s320/IMG_20210308_162321328.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Honey Biscuits (makes 10-12)</p><p class="MsoNormal">100g unsalted butter, softened<br />
50g light brown sugar<br />
25g caster sugar<br />
2 tbsp of honey<br />
1 egg yolk<br />
1 tsp mixed spice<br />
150g self-raising flour<br />
30g oatbran<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal">Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking sheet. Cream
together the butter and the sugars then mix in the honey and the egg yolk. Add
the dry ingredients and mix to form a soft dough. Use an ice-cream scoop to remove
a ball of dough then place it on the baking tray. Don’t squash it flat. Repeat
with the rest of the dough then bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Leave to cool on the
tray for a few <o:p></o:p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">minutes
then transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedvtuKdoz6yYoU9UdOuNtayNToz4H6fFKmhU7po0TEA7IsUobn0rOPRpo_gPV_quWsqv1AvkuDyKvFz4jlMvfViMFLq0T3SKb1SA_iek_S5h-EX2immnZ6WUKcsEOmJjt0l1n-G4WauU/s4160/IMG_20210311_121620806.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiedvtuKdoz6yYoU9UdOuNtayNToz4H6fFKmhU7po0TEA7IsUobn0rOPRpo_gPV_quWsqv1AvkuDyKvFz4jlMvfViMFLq0T3SKb1SA_iek_S5h-EX2immnZ6WUKcsEOmJjt0l1n-G4WauU/s320/IMG_20210311_121620806.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Honey flapjacks (makes 12)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">200g unsalted butter<br />
200g light brown sugar<br />
200g honey<br />
400g oats<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
50g sunflower/pumpkin seeds<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal">Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 20 by 30 cm tin. In a
saucepan, melt together the butter, sugar and honey. Remove from the heat and
add the oats, salt and seeds. Stir well then spoon into the tin and level out.
Bake for 15 minutes then turn out the oven and leave for another 5 minutes in
the oven. Remove from the oven and cut out 12 bars then leave to cool in the
tin.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvPJ6WJvU1jr3JokVP1UKJJsCdBgqcRtZGnWmYlzgDGZYFKHe-Q7c8kDCRFOT30NHTALDp1S_dD1lXRtarRO4mV8AfdaYCb8MVbzm6ZjnvXFw7kRphNkKlJTRhP3fOd-NOTTRluUb8n0/s4160/IMG_20210315_161335666.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvPJ6WJvU1jr3JokVP1UKJJsCdBgqcRtZGnWmYlzgDGZYFKHe-Q7c8kDCRFOT30NHTALDp1S_dD1lXRtarRO4mV8AfdaYCb8MVbzm6ZjnvXFw7kRphNkKlJTRhP3fOd-NOTTRluUb8n0/s320/IMG_20210315_161335666.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-66212694695355137872021-03-03T09:46:00.001-08:002021-03-03T09:46:36.372-08:00Over ripe Bananas<p>Normally I buy 5 bananas a week and my youngest eats one banana every day at break when at school. I know that it became a bit of a joke during Lockdown 1 that everyone was making sourdough and banana bread, but I just stopped buying bananas and we didn't have any over ripe bananas to worry about. However, in Lockdown 3, my daughter decided to make herself elaborate breakfasts of chopped fruit in natural yoghurt, flavoured with vanilla extract and maple syrup. As such, I bought different combinations of fruit each week, including blueberries, nectarines, grapes, melon and bananas.</p><p>My husband likes a banana too... occasionally. Mostly he doesn't eat bananas and then suddenly he will fancy one - particularly if the bananas in the fruit bowl are the perfect ripeness for his tastes. This, as you might imagine, is hard to cater for. When I only buy 5 bananas during school times, he knows that if he eats one our daughter will go without at break time. However, if I buy extra, especially for him, he may not fancy one at all during the time that they are in the fruit bowl.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccScLGyTXiTgyhhgpLucQpQUt7jpCCEePHufFk6bllI884yQ8XeOAIlxMADgEE_hxrid88VfMmzuukykepES7utUlQ4a5hX98rrF3YFXOADuEfvB92oNP-zi33ECDfN7jgV5t9ydVHsw/s2048/Ripe+bananas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhccScLGyTXiTgyhhgpLucQpQUt7jpCCEePHufFk6bllI884yQ8XeOAIlxMADgEE_hxrid88VfMmzuukykepES7utUlQ4a5hX98rrF3YFXOADuEfvB92oNP-zi33ECDfN7jgV5t9ydVHsw/s320/Ripe+bananas.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>One week recently, I bought five bananas and he decided he fancied eating bananas again, so that week we had eaten all the bananas before the end of the week. As such, the following week I decided to buy 10 bananas... but that week he didn't really fancy any and then they went overly brown and he definitely doesn't like an overripe banana - or banana bread for that matter.</p><p>As you can imagine, it has been very hard to buy the correct number of bananas during Lockdown 3 and as such I have had over ripe bananas to deal with on numerous occasions. Yeah, I have a banana bread recipe but I don't make that very often because I have other recipes I prefer - banana and fudge yoghurt cake, banana and carrot cake, banana and maple muffins, chocolate banana loaf cake, and so on. Usefully the muffins and the yoghurt cake freeze particularly well so I can make them before the bananas go completely to mush and freeze them for another day regardless of what we already have in the cake tin.</p><p>In fact, in the middle of last week, my daughter made a chocolate banana loaf cake using three over ripe bananas, leaving 2 in the fruit bowl, demanding attention. As we already had the chocolate cake to be eating, I figured I would make a banana and mincemeat loaf cake at the weekend and stick it in the freezer until the chocolate cake was finished. </p><p>It seemed a particularly useful recipe because it would also get the half a jar of mincemeat off the work surface that had been knocking around since Christmas. So that's what I did, except I forgot to freeze it and two days later we had finished the chocolate cake anyway so we went straight on to eating the mincemeat one. Probably just as well, as I still have 24 muffins and a loaf cake in the freezer anyway!</p><p>Banana & Mincemeat Loaf Cake</p><p>150g unsalted butter, softened<br />90g caster sugar<br />2 eggs, beaten<br />150g self-raising flour<br />1 tsp baking powder<br />1 tsp mixed spice<br />Pinch of salt<br />2 over ripe bananas, mashed<br />150g mincemeat</p><p>Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 2lb loaf tin. Cream together the butter and sugar then add the eggs, one at a time. Put in the dry ingredients, then the bananas and the mincemeat then give it a thorough stir until well combined. Spoon into the tin and bake for 1 hour. Test with a skewer and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsGn_McEpPOpUqXKcuf5TPViKQ1ERyHvXLKEXnV0Y2ctpbt318mdm-H-t8WgZpwVXd14gy7UZXbtLFn0sffK0VOIA60PkmrCiSoGTdroPVybizRjJentmsyLNSPstvkpDjZY_pyddEzY/s4160/IMG_20210302_164129996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnsGn_McEpPOpUqXKcuf5TPViKQ1ERyHvXLKEXnV0Y2ctpbt318mdm-H-t8WgZpwVXd14gy7UZXbtLFn0sffK0VOIA60PkmrCiSoGTdroPVybizRjJentmsyLNSPstvkpDjZY_pyddEzY/s320/IMG_20210302_164129996.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Chocolate Banana Loaf Cake</p><p><br />3 over ripe bananas<br />3 eggs<br />100ml sunflower oil<br />175g caster sugar<br />175g self-raising flour<br />1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda<br />Pinch of salt<br />4 tbsp cocoa powder<br />100g dark chocolate chips<br /><br /></p><p>40g softened butter<br />1 tbsp cocoa powder<br />1 tsp vanilla extract</p><p>Preheat oven to 160°C and line a 2lb loaf tin. Put the mashed bananas, eggs and oil into a large bowl. Add 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks to the mixture in the bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the two egg whites until stiff. Add the dry ingredients to the mixture in the large bowl and combine until just mixed. Fold in the egg whites. Spoon into the loaf tin and backe for 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool in the tin for a few minutes then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. In the meantime, make the butter icing with the butter, remaining cocoa powder and vanilla extract. Once the cake is cool, thinly ice the top of the cake with the butter icing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLy-LDTip2wKvYd3fkcoZwYAMlO5lqQ-pseWYH343-QagoIvzk1eiRzgIhplP-rXRZHdalG4sqUlmyDnlZRpGF-ZmA6c73o7CAry8jEIbrRw3RvcBRpUsvjdDEfuHBvshRKC10SAfj3c/s800/Banana+chocolate+cake+edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="486" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLy-LDTip2wKvYd3fkcoZwYAMlO5lqQ-pseWYH343-QagoIvzk1eiRzgIhplP-rXRZHdalG4sqUlmyDnlZRpGF-ZmA6c73o7CAry8jEIbrRw3RvcBRpUsvjdDEfuHBvshRKC10SAfj3c/s320/Banana+chocolate+cake+edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Carrot & Banana Cake<br /><br /></p><p>150g sunflower oil<br />150g light muscovado sugar<br />2 eggs<br />225g self-raising flour<br />2 tsp baking powder<br />Pinch of salt<br />50g sultanas<br />2 over ripe bananas, mashed<br />100g carrots, grated</p><p>Preheat the oven to 180°C and lightly grease and line the bottom of a 20cm square tin. Add all the ingredients in the order listed, stirring where appropriate. Once completely combined, spoon the batter into the tin and bake for 50-60 minutes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7IvOF5Qu6DmvJd8G_wlwnUWxBYK9indX9LJMJATgw1cPcKO8_W3j3EmWPnGcu9Hb_0befbdm31-gqMg9V-Q4Ag8pfqGoBqCzUFUSKmMmWW8a_CvDYygwqZ1U4BSlIWWDX-M8XL0Np6c/s1000/Banana+courgette+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="875" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_7IvOF5Qu6DmvJd8G_wlwnUWxBYK9indX9LJMJATgw1cPcKO8_W3j3EmWPnGcu9Hb_0befbdm31-gqMg9V-Q4Ag8pfqGoBqCzUFUSKmMmWW8a_CvDYygwqZ1U4BSlIWWDX-M8XL0Np6c/s320/Banana+courgette+cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Banana & Fudge Yoghurt Cake</p><p>2 pots of self-raising flour<br />1/2 pot of light muscovado sugar<br />1/2 pot of sunflower oil<br />1 pot of natural yoghurt<br />2 eggs<br />4 tsp maple syrup<br />1 over ripe banana<br />50g vanilla fudge, cut into small pieces<br /><br /></p><p>For this recipe you will need a 120g pot of natural yoghurt and then you will need to use the yoghurt pot as the measure. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 2lb loaf tin. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until well combined. Spoon the batter into a loaf tin and bake for 45 to 60 minutes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUAXYvUw2CV4S6LUuxLo5ARwkt6KvmqA8oCR1dXULlijzmTWzBLnKewJemdoVAEbaOgRM9AyhmfYKqyNHNmGKqw15b0AyCr1MqMxT0_5BSgiN5b4R5GOzSzyMub80sWF3lV1kqxdEX_PY/s4160/IMG_20210211_231947729.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUAXYvUw2CV4S6LUuxLo5ARwkt6KvmqA8oCR1dXULlijzmTWzBLnKewJemdoVAEbaOgRM9AyhmfYKqyNHNmGKqw15b0AyCr1MqMxT0_5BSgiN5b4R5GOzSzyMub80sWF3lV1kqxdEX_PY/s320/IMG_20210211_231947729.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Banana & Maple Muffins (makes 12)</p><p>115g softened butter<br />115g caster sugar<br />2 eggs<br />2 tbsp maple syrup<br />2 over ripe bananas, mashed<br />225g plain flour<br />3 tsp baking powder<br />Pinch of salt</p><p>Preheat oven to 190°C and put paper cases into a muffin tin. Cream together the butter and sugar then add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the syrup. Stir in the bananas. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Spoon into paper muffin cases and bake for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesTdW8hv0_xPzYmaDhm34LYttDHCqEc6Owqj3RYwEj3s_bw56R2tbaVpLTNHtwFDeDUckAHg9wRjRpFBHD6TBihrOSeNcoTvObawBt48aRq6JmlHBZZCC9htg74SwoHC6x34XjIGqd6E/s2048/Maple+%2526+banana+muffins+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiesTdW8hv0_xPzYmaDhm34LYttDHCqEc6Owqj3RYwEj3s_bw56R2tbaVpLTNHtwFDeDUckAHg9wRjRpFBHD6TBihrOSeNcoTvObawBt48aRq6JmlHBZZCC9htg74SwoHC6x34XjIGqd6E/s320/Maple+%2526+banana+muffins+1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-36434081717472422222021-02-17T10:14:00.002-08:002021-02-17T10:14:19.791-08:00Apple Strudel<p>I had a piece of pork to roast the other day and I knew it would create leftovers. Some leftover meat is easier to deal with than others and I often find myself a little lacking in inspiration when it comes to cooked pork. As such, I had a look at what Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall recommended in his leftovers book. </p><p>As a result, we had pork rissoles on Monday. Never made them before but I particularly liked them as they also used breadcrumbs - another leftover ingredient. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOV91WZH-wr0JhAWQCYsi-m-GSIVhCaV3McnL8ul11hC8bqQx8p54d7SMcqSGGVROivSNFq9-cyiR9Kwxj4zg9BbKglaBCEN8XfpvvDgWRyaZW5zySKbVQoG9J63kyEirwji9MxT0RIM4/s4160/IMG_20210208_192004381_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOV91WZH-wr0JhAWQCYsi-m-GSIVhCaV3McnL8ul11hC8bqQx8p54d7SMcqSGGVROivSNFq9-cyiR9Kwxj4zg9BbKglaBCEN8XfpvvDgWRyaZW5zySKbVQoG9J63kyEirwji9MxT0RIM4/s320/IMG_20210208_192004381_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg" /></a></div><p>On Friday it was Chinese New year so I saved a small piece of the pork to try Hugh's suggestion of pork wontons. He said that mixing pork with brown sauce worked surprisingly well as a wonton filling. So, I bought a pack of filo pastry, cut up a little bit of pork into small pieces, dolloped on some homemade brown sauce and created some wontons. And, you know what, he was right - I was surprised by how well it worked.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7LhfO2d4RkV0HFaj60Q9U4J2ppl_01YzjLVzr_aLHhbJ6Xh7V7L38z3EJZrMjsJYGPJ1Q_nLplebAIZHssvA5166h57PZQTg6LJ31oII9GgEK0DCbwmLPLg6KIOcoZNcwwnEfjCQM6s/s4160/IMG_20210212_170152354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS7LhfO2d4RkV0HFaj60Q9U4J2ppl_01YzjLVzr_aLHhbJ6Xh7V7L38z3EJZrMjsJYGPJ1Q_nLplebAIZHssvA5166h57PZQTg6LJ31oII9GgEK0DCbwmLPLg6KIOcoZNcwwnEfjCQM6s/s320/IMG_20210212_170152354.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2IH9iIJJJHCiGIhdNjWLDD53dvpx6k3L-Qycmr2XubAVZybTIIsDiU4Ge9esxKMkp7UY3FUw4xfBF-dVSw0W9bKUZK3ICQlagZo7b_kAWtt5zkvQXjuKEM6ANNQTDQOgBA3cDI-nzRU/s4160/IMG_20210212_192504709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2IH9iIJJJHCiGIhdNjWLDD53dvpx6k3L-Qycmr2XubAVZybTIIsDiU4Ge9esxKMkp7UY3FUw4xfBF-dVSw0W9bKUZK3ICQlagZo7b_kAWtt5zkvQXjuKEM6ANNQTDQOgBA3cDI-nzRU/s320/IMG_20210212_192504709.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>However, I had a pack of 10 sheets of filo pastry and I had only needed one sheet for my wontons.</p><p>Asking around the internet for filo pastry inspiration, I decided to give apple strudel a go. I'd never made it before but I don't really know why. The only thing was I didn't have any apples left in storage - just bags and bags of cooked apples in the freezer.</p><p>So on Sunday morning I took a bag of frozen apples out of the freezer and tips its contents into a sieve over a bowl. I figured I didn't want it particularly runny as a filling so I would drain out the excess moisture as it thawed. </p><p>I was pleased to see a mention of breadcrumbs in this recipe too, both because I like using up stale bread in useful ways, and because I figured it would help stablise the potentially sloppy mixture.</p><p>It was simple enough to turn the cooked apples into strudel filling and it was easy to layer the filo pastry up, with generous brushings of melted butter in between. I was also pleasently surprised by how easily and neatly I managed to fold and roll the pastry into a self-contained bundle. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3enKRMGnqj3nP3htP1Lw-IO1j6tRkBU5Y4GLU1Mhu5tVB3TYYxAoBYD6-jLtdLD8i1mk1-1RUtLn9gmplPfHWPh-kYTy0LWZeD0V8QkMf3r7iUFeIMwBENzEoPeALTEL-CqwNUn8JKA/s4160/IMG_20210214_160141137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3enKRMGnqj3nP3htP1Lw-IO1j6tRkBU5Y4GLU1Mhu5tVB3TYYxAoBYD6-jLtdLD8i1mk1-1RUtLn9gmplPfHWPh-kYTy0LWZeD0V8QkMf3r7iUFeIMwBENzEoPeALTEL-CqwNUn8JKA/s320/IMG_20210214_160141137.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>I figured that the wet filling probably wouldn't do the pastry any good if I left it to sit so I got it into the oven straight away then put it back into the oven later to reheat in the residal heat after removing the roast. I served it with the last of the pumpkin ice-cream. An excellent use of ingredients for the perfect winter dessert.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MXJUU7JQmPXrmvzQN9M-7HL1IZ7PzhNCN0sc4Vec0GAET_5F0PJIEQnLp50Ce4r1SEMIBPETQay4mYm_hh7tIfyqwcjt7IvzxgUKMyX1w-SSdjVEWGqmN51i-6fRZxjn-BBxxK48Yuo/s4160/IMG_20210214_200116813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3MXJUU7JQmPXrmvzQN9M-7HL1IZ7PzhNCN0sc4Vec0GAET_5F0PJIEQnLp50Ce4r1SEMIBPETQay4mYm_hh7tIfyqwcjt7IvzxgUKMyX1w-SSdjVEWGqmN51i-6fRZxjn-BBxxK48Yuo/s320/IMG_20210214_200116813.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Apple Strudel</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">1 pint cooked Bramley apples (weighing about 450g) <br />
1 tsp ground cinnamon <br />
2 tsp lemon juice<br />
80g caster sugar<br />
60g sultanas<br />
20g butter<br />
40g white breadcrumbs<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">9 sheets filo pastry<br />
50g butter, melted<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Preheat the oven to 190C and line a baking tray with baking
parchment. Mix the apples with the cinnamon, lemon juice, sugar and sultana. In
a small frying pan, melt 20g butter and fry the breadcrumbs until golden-brown,
then add to the apple mixture. Melt the remaining butter in a pan. On a clean,
dry tea-towel or silicone baking mat, lay a sheet of the filo and brush with
some of the melted butter. Lay another sheet on top and repeat until all the
filo pastry is used. Pile the filling along the length of the pastry along one
side about 2 cm from the edge and carefully fold in the ends of the pastry then
roll the pastry up to enclose the filling, finishing seam side down. Brush with
the remaining melted butter. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until golden-brown. Leave
to cool to room temperature and dust with icing sugar. Slice and serve with
cream, ice cream or custard.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhInIiGz7EeGHzBauW3RRC-yw0xTv0CWhwG__7D-ARGlnj8wDo_GUodB8_j7F9a-YXrWavWZ56tulcq_yx2QY5588zuEWBEpyXFIqul6dhn56JnG3CsErCL7MFd6lvea-m_1yn7UEDEc/s4160/IMG_20210214_185354698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqhInIiGz7EeGHzBauW3RRC-yw0xTv0CWhwG__7D-ARGlnj8wDo_GUodB8_j7F9a-YXrWavWZ56tulcq_yx2QY5588zuEWBEpyXFIqul6dhn56JnG3CsErCL7MFd6lvea-m_1yn7UEDEc/s320/IMG_20210214_185354698.jpg" /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-5151448620558967472021-02-09T08:05:00.004-08:002021-02-09T08:05:50.350-08:00Cheese and Potato Pasties<p>I made steak pie last week and sausage rolls on Saturday morning and on both occasions I was left with some scrappy bits of puff pastry from the rolls of ready-made pastry. </p><p>It's always a bit of a dilemma as to what to do with odds and ends like this as I don't want to put them in the bin. Sometimes I just make a few cheese straws and sometimes I make mini cheese and pickle pasties but folding some pastry over a cube of mature Cheddar and a dollop of onion chutney and crimping it shut at the edges.</p><p>This time I decided to make some cheese and potato pasties, suitable for making an interesting lunch the next day. Honestly, they couldn't be simpler (or cheaper) and particularly great if you are carb-loading!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofeGvPrIHPS8yGpjnDlduvZhcn9oEtpHQPAl27fICH2M2lL94lzTlhCyM2-01xn01O2zt9pJnyJ0uDw_nq3T9l_yuwmp6EEDEm-YELMcjQ68AQUHYDgq-684VwiEdDkctn6hL58UwFBw/s4160/IMG_20210208_131250172.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofeGvPrIHPS8yGpjnDlduvZhcn9oEtpHQPAl27fICH2M2lL94lzTlhCyM2-01xn01O2zt9pJnyJ0uDw_nq3T9l_yuwmp6EEDEm-YELMcjQ68AQUHYDgq-684VwiEdDkctn6hL58UwFBw/s320/IMG_20210208_131250172.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Cheese & Potato Pasties (makes 2)</p><p>Two pieces of ready rolled puff pastry, measuring about 16 by 8cm each<br />1 potato, weighing around 150g<br />Butter<br />Cubes of Cheddar cheese<br />2 teaspoons of dried onion<br />Salt and pepper</p><p>Peel and dice the potato then boil for 10 minutes or so until soft enough to mash. Drain and mash with some butter and salt and pepper. Leave to cool. Once cool, add cubes of Cheddar cheese, the dried onion and a little more seasoning then mix it all together with your hands until it moulds. Divide the mixture into two and place them to one end of the pieces of pastry. Use a pastry brush to moisten the edges of the pastry with milk then fold the pastry over the filling and crimp down. Brush with more milk. Can be refrigerated or frozen at this point for future use. To cook, place in an oven at 200°C for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYfME-ia0-sCnXSecPyw3FR02XGHX5BGl6ACmEnym1WBIumVgeJ_ZFlc8UMdCd9l72O91nGHxVwNSCqFJQxra_BA7PnEzNsTYfZGE0qbaW0Ks9BCI9x0J31Qtko-Mhp4H2iawY3jaKgs/s4160/IMG_20210208_131648081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKYfME-ia0-sCnXSecPyw3FR02XGHX5BGl6ACmEnym1WBIumVgeJ_ZFlc8UMdCd9l72O91nGHxVwNSCqFJQxra_BA7PnEzNsTYfZGE0qbaW0Ks9BCI9x0J31Qtko-Mhp4H2iawY3jaKgs/s320/IMG_20210208_131648081.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-22574663717364579352021-02-08T12:55:00.003-08:002021-02-08T12:55:37.571-08:00Salted Caramel Bramley Apple Pudding<p>There is a notice on the allotment gates currently stressing, in no uncertain terms, the importance of maintaining social distance when on site. This is not particularly tricky to abide to, especially at this time of year when trips to the allotment tend to be fleeting and rarely coincide with anyone else. Even if there are other people on site, each allotment plot is 10 m by 10 m and I have never, in the 24 years of having a plot, felt the need to tend to the edge of my plot at the same time as my neighbour is tending to the equivalent edge on theirs. Even when we have stopped to have a conversation, it has always been within comfortable shouting distance rather than face to face.</p><p>So, on a recent trip to dig up potatoes, it was vaguely nice to see someone else on site rather in the least bit alarming. She was three plots away and tending to her apple tree. In fact, she was there with her husband, which in itself is rare as the plot is very much her hobby rather than his, but he had clearly been called in for some heavy duty work and she seemed to be pointing to various bits of the tree that needed pruning. They were fully engaged in their task and I wasn't even able to wave hello as I seemed to have snuck in unnoticed.</p><p>It was nice to see her caring for the tree as it had produced an absolute bumper crop in 2020. So much so that she had asked several of the plotholders, including myself, to help themselves to apples from it next time it was safe to do so. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQd2bDenAMnQDHaTIdn8P5vnyOWtQnTs86L86hNP_H0e6H7cAddx-F4S6I0S7PtuC_mnp8BUTw0TmrYTMZzhYdjpiONzW4NxRZut3hb5PBSUtCwkjBpKlsdlRUr6FxmWDCrCsyW1svko/s2048/Large+bramley+apple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQd2bDenAMnQDHaTIdn8P5vnyOWtQnTs86L86hNP_H0e6H7cAddx-F4S6I0S7PtuC_mnp8BUTw0TmrYTMZzhYdjpiONzW4NxRZut3hb5PBSUtCwkjBpKlsdlRUr6FxmWDCrCsyW1svko/s320/Large+bramley+apple.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Now, I love a Bramley apple, especially the way they mush down when cooked, so I had taken her up on this, at first filling a bucket with windfalls each time I came to visit and eventually, on her insistance, helping to finish picking apples from the tree itself. These I packed carefully into open boxes in the garage whilst I worked my way through them, cooking them up and freezing them in 1 pint portions ready for use in jam, chutney or pie. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDW4R6LPxPjyvx4KoAmRGc-aOzDK2ZzS7Q1QcS2cDOQs75Cs0Ya0eGuwcBmtZ46OC2N20xLHZeU0apMcbxzNLS2lCq38NX_bbHea8Oa9kSHOG5AvDyAN8J5hqM3SOudKLx5OWt9h6_Kc/s2048/Apples+in+storage+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDW4R6LPxPjyvx4KoAmRGc-aOzDK2ZzS7Q1QcS2cDOQs75Cs0Ya0eGuwcBmtZ46OC2N20xLHZeU0apMcbxzNLS2lCq38NX_bbHea8Oa9kSHOG5AvDyAN8J5hqM3SOudKLx5OWt9h6_Kc/s320/Apples+in+storage+1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>With the general other abundances from the allotment during the autumn to attend to as well, I only made slow progress on the boxes of apples but in fact they stood very well as they were, only needing the occasional eviction of a mouldy one. Indeed, it was only last week that I took the last two apples out of the box to use in a recipe for salted caramel apple pudding. Here's hoping that with its winter care and attention, the tree will go on to crop as heavily again this year, and maybe by then I will have used up the apples in my freezer!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeGY9ymF6CChgjSybzD8-BfgOPoZzpVmEIRYxsJp3jM5WP_ufrDQr84dAzoyji9mC-2swC_1RTKon0UBrxcb-EO4tFmSlb_HBsCDfAFFx4xA_-N2HDBc9HkYuEqxpFicTNmuRado4Lk0/s4160/IMG_20210131_184950184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeGY9ymF6CChgjSybzD8-BfgOPoZzpVmEIRYxsJp3jM5WP_ufrDQr84dAzoyji9mC-2swC_1RTKon0UBrxcb-EO4tFmSlb_HBsCDfAFFx4xA_-N2HDBc9HkYuEqxpFicTNmuRado4Lk0/s320/IMG_20210131_184950184.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Salted Caramel Bramley Apple Pudding</p><p>2 Bramley apples<br />3 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks<br />50g dark brown sugar<br />200ml whole milk<br />300ml double cream<br />375g tinned caramel<br />2 tsp vanilla extract<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />75g plain flour</p><p>Preheat oven to 180°C and butter a 30 by 20cm ovenproof dish. Peel, core and slice the apples then scatter over the base of the dish. Put the eggs, yolks, sugar, milk, cream, 200g of caramel, vanilla and salt in a large bowl and stir with a whisk until well combined. Gradually stir in the flour to form a smooth batter. Pour the batter over the apple pieces. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until set all the way to the centre. Heat up the remaining caramel and serve up portions of the pudding with a drizzle of caramel and scoops of ice-cream.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXw1M9cbQzbUZIix_7uZr5lh77n3XnKU5qOpdWQugDeE1zlhb4k22u1eB9eFb9m55gkh4IiSPRj-ndqRChxBwbA0Nl2T4uqIY5uWeGl7RI-jigcvycfvmjkJOXO157rwv5rQBBQYgCg9I/s4160/IMG_20210131_201327108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXw1M9cbQzbUZIix_7uZr5lh77n3XnKU5qOpdWQugDeE1zlhb4k22u1eB9eFb9m55gkh4IiSPRj-ndqRChxBwbA0Nl2T4uqIY5uWeGl7RI-jigcvycfvmjkJOXO157rwv5rQBBQYgCg9I/s320/IMG_20210131_201327108.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-88567437131873244642021-02-05T03:42:00.001-08:002021-02-05T03:42:21.599-08:00What to do with yellow beetroot<p>It was a funny coincidence that the day after I had grated part of an enormous yellow beetroot into beetroot and potato rostis, my mum mentioned that she had what she thought looked like yellow beetroot delivered in her veg box.</p><p>She had just signed up for <a href="https://www.oddbox.co.uk/?gclid=CjwKCAiA9vOABhBfEiwATCi7GBR48qaSORt9AkO-XbpbHaHzoJQCC0bRv2QL-wEpRuG8ySwf_tox2hoC-QwQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">OddBox</a> deliveries and she was really chuffed with her first box, although she wasn't entirely sure what she was going to do with the sweet potatoes and she wasn't sure she had correctly identified the yellow beetroot. She took a photo and texted it over to me and from what I could see she definitely had two large yellow beetroots not much smaller than the two monsters I had just harvested.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5E9WE8G-Otdwy5giwISJ5uVy95s2JD0aXtq0m-86w-npPfq4olq2xHjJWC5PMOzsGlyENzRBRtjyrb_9CKKAZu8ZasYKJ0fPnOiSEjk0uazWd7Da__3n9RAlRuxIVx6whw3ZBA5shfc/s2016/Mum%2527s+beetroot+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5E9WE8G-Otdwy5giwISJ5uVy95s2JD0aXtq0m-86w-npPfq4olq2xHjJWC5PMOzsGlyENzRBRtjyrb_9CKKAZu8ZasYKJ0fPnOiSEjk0uazWd7Da__3n9RAlRuxIVx6whw3ZBA5shfc/s320/Mum%2527s+beetroot+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Her next question was, what should she do with them and how could she cook them. I have a bit of an eye for cooking times with beetroot, having practised this mysterious craft for more than 20 years now and I told her that hers would take 40 minutes of boiling or 30 minutes in the pressure cooker.</p><p>It wasn't long after that that she sent me a photo of her freshly cooked cubes of yellow beetroot. I was shocked! There is an unwritten law in beetroot-craft that states that a beetroot must be cooked whole, unpeeled and not even so much as shown the blade of a knife. Everyone knows that you twist (no cut) the leaves from the top of a beetroot and you leave its root in tact and boil it whole, or so I thought. With this assumption I had neglected to include these details when explaining the cooking times to my mum so not only had she peeled it, she had cubed it and cooked it like that for 15 minutes.</p><p>"You shouldn't peel or cut beetroot before cooking," I texted curtly back (I was working at the time).</p><p>"Why's that?"</p><p>"They 'bleed' when cut."</p><p>"Well, being yellow, there was no blood! So I haven't made it toxic?? Is it OK to eat??"</p><p>This made me laugh and also to take stock for a moment. It is one of the issues with ancient practises such as kitchen gardening. "Wisdoms" get passed down from generation to generation without people necessarily questioning why they are done and if they are indeed useful or necessary. So did is actually matter if your beetroot bleeds, especially if it yellow? It definitely wouldn't make it inedible or toxic, maybe it would lose some nutrients, and, worse case scenario, it might stain your kitchen (if its purple).</p><p>I reassured her that she hadn't rendered the beetroot inedible and she went on to enjoy it in salad for the next couple of days.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuA3hSn6BNCXXZmn0zwP5SQlZhlJc4cVXd4Sa0kPBM6-3eYl_AdGSFNVmvWPpcGTSXy8zsvQxv1w9AegLgCjnsDnHq5GKRUu3ukhozjiwWWySsI8CJCz7-C2tEWnS7YvmsAr5022Z1_I/s2016/Mum%2527s+beetroot+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1512" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuA3hSn6BNCXXZmn0zwP5SQlZhlJc4cVXd4Sa0kPBM6-3eYl_AdGSFNVmvWPpcGTSXy8zsvQxv1w9AegLgCjnsDnHq5GKRUu3ukhozjiwWWySsI8CJCz7-C2tEWnS7YvmsAr5022Z1_I/s320/Mum%2527s+beetroot+2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>In the meantime I had one enormous yellow beetroot left on my draining board (and several still in the ground), so what should I do with it?</p><p>The thing about yellow beetroot is that it is different from purple beetroot. I mean, it tastes the same and it could be used in exactly the same way as purple but the colour really makes a difference. Whereas I might turn large purple beetroot into chutney, no one wants a weirdly off-putting light brown beetroot chutney. On the other hand, a yellow beetroot can be used in a casserole without causing the whole thing to turn an alarming colour. So how best to enjoy this particular shade of beetroot.</p><p>Having made the beetroot and potato rostis and a medley of roasted vegetables with the other one, I was warming to the idea of using it in a way that wouldn't give a purple result.</p><p>So the following weekend I made a beetroot and orange cake. It is actually a recipe carrot cake I have been using for years but I figured that yellow beetroot and carrot are interchangeable and it proved to be the case.</p><p>Beetroot & Orange Cake</p><p>140 ml sunflower oil<br />130g dark brown sugar<br />2 eggs<br />1½ teaspoons vanilla extract<br />Grate rind and juice from 2 oranges<br />225g grated raw beetroot<br />85g sultanas<br />285g plain flour<br />25g wheat germ or bran (optional)<br />1½ teaspoons mixed spice<br />2 teaspoons baking powder<br />1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Preheat oven to 160ºC (gas 2) and place the cake tin liner
in a cake tin. In a large bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla,
orange rind and juice. Peel and grate the beetroot and stir it into the mix. Add
the sultanas. Sift in the flour, spice, raising agents and add the wheat
germ/bran. Stir well then spoon the mix into the cake tin. Bake for 60 to 70
minutes, test with a skewer. Cool in the tin.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYl8EoeAbCgXazwqPA3_B8XDyBU-YPd_NF5R3YqIW7WRincw2XhERQtFW-jZI902TJcLgl5qOhnd0SbBg3eaR5G6lSHyCQVMYs5td2Mm-lfp_I5SkehNcEXjkM6AKee_pYfPcpiTzICE/s4160/IMG_20210130_201535043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYl8EoeAbCgXazwqPA3_B8XDyBU-YPd_NF5R3YqIW7WRincw2XhERQtFW-jZI902TJcLgl5qOhnd0SbBg3eaR5G6lSHyCQVMYs5td2Mm-lfp_I5SkehNcEXjkM6AKee_pYfPcpiTzICE/s320/IMG_20210130_201535043.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">And later in the week I enjoyed inventing the pleasing sounding Bacon, Beetroot and Brie Muffins, which we had for lunch with salad and crisps. </p><p>Bacon, Beetroot & Brie Muffins (makes 10)</p><p>4 rashers of streaky bacon<br />175g plain flour<br />1 teaspoon baking powder<br />1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda<br />1/2 teaspoon mustard powder<br />50 ml milk<br />1 egg<br />100ml vegetable oil<br />100g grated raw beetroot<br />75g brie, chopped</p><p>Chop up the bacon and fry quickly to brown then set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a muffin tin with paper cases. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. In a jug, beat together the milk, egg and oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and add the beetroot, brie and bacon before quickly stirring together until just combined. Dollop the mixture into the muffin cases then bake for 25 minutes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5We3LVGib4bLRjIM8K8lACTWx_4v_EXB-ygi1uOdlYpHX1_bCe_iWT468Ere41qg21004tLTFUfKai-GLAz91Z7GM9ofrlMINQxxRRHIWKQVRioWfJ5XLjKmz1hx-Xp71TEIWsPI3nlo/s4160/IMG_20210202_132307342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5We3LVGib4bLRjIM8K8lACTWx_4v_EXB-ygi1uOdlYpHX1_bCe_iWT468Ere41qg21004tLTFUfKai-GLAz91Z7GM9ofrlMINQxxRRHIWKQVRioWfJ5XLjKmz1hx-Xp71TEIWsPI3nlo/s320/IMG_20210202_132307342.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Although I am sure that little flecks of purple in either of these would have been fine or even amusing, it was nice to stealthly ninja beetroot into baked goods in such as way as to not draw it to anyone's attention. Maybe useful to know if you are trying to feed someone who would be put off by its presence if they knew it was there?</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-34554333507248550262021-02-04T05:02:00.000-08:002021-02-04T05:02:20.242-08:00A glut of potatoes<p>When I give my talk "Growing Food, Not Gluts", I talk about how it is easy to grow gluts of some things and hard or impossible to grow gluts of others. In the list of the impossible I include potatoes. They are so useful and versatile in the kitchen and they store so well that is seems impossible to grow too many or have to use them up quicker than the natural course of things.</p><p>Or so I thought. 2020, a year of the unusual, proved to be the year I grew a glut of potatoes. But, how? Well, firstly, we grew quite a lot of potatoes, but there isn't anything particularly unusual in that. Secondly, we didn't dig them up and use them as quickly as we might have done in previous years. I think this might be down to Steve's dodgy knee and his general lack of inclination to dig currently. And thirdly, and most importantly, there was a weird combination of cold and warm temperatures in the autumn that caused the potatoes to start to regrow whilst still in the ground.</p><p>We have never had this before, with potatoes generally being quite happy to sit in the ground until March before they start to regrow. As such, I wasn't sure whether a potato that had regrown would be inferior in quality to one that hasn't. It turns out that they are - with the area that has sprouted forming a very hard "eye" that has to be dug out of the potato before use, and the central area of the potato taking on a slightly different texture. They are still edible, especially if rendered down into mash, but it is harder work and for a less satisfactory result. As such, it seems only sensible to eat the potatoes quickly or process them in some way to make use of them before they deteriorate any more. Hence, I now have a glut of potatoes to deal with.</p><p>So, having identified the glut, it is now necessary to deal with it. Therefore, I have decided to dig up a whole bucket of potatoes (two rows) every time we need to restock our potato supplies. This is about double the amount I would normally have in the house at any one time. It means that I have an abundant supply of potatoes, which in turn means I am more likely to cook potatoes for dinner rather than rice or pasta or bread, and I can cook double portions and freeze some should I wish to.</p><p>I went out to dig up a double row of potatoes one sunny Friday afternoon, aware that the weather forecast for the weekend was grim. I'm so glad I did it as the allotment was covered in snow by Sunday! Whilst I was there I harvested a couple of leeks and some enormous yellow beetroot.</p><p>On Saturday morning I made a batch of leek and potato soup. This is Steve's favourite soup and it really feels as if it is made from nothing, being nothing more than homegrown potatoes, leeks, an onion and some stock. There was enough for lunch and some leftover to go into the freezer.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQcBv6Xp_P92-wuTYJS-49bD-VfcaIs4EgepAS-nHSibrGh4AyEXsO31rjRVfVl2Xf1-CSEqJaZiKXv3HfjLYCMrydP8SqmoSM8-3XtAzHX96QRz0qF0N9jlnE3NsnXMpBoSghD6YeRg/s937/Leek+%2526+Potato+Soup+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQcBv6Xp_P92-wuTYJS-49bD-VfcaIs4EgepAS-nHSibrGh4AyEXsO31rjRVfVl2Xf1-CSEqJaZiKXv3HfjLYCMrydP8SqmoSM8-3XtAzHX96QRz0qF0N9jlnE3NsnXMpBoSghD6YeRg/s320/Leek+%2526+Potato+Soup+1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Saturday afternoon I made some beetroot and potato rostis, using the yellow beetroot, creating rostis that looked much more normal than the slightly unsettling purple beetroot ones. I made a big batch and we had a couple each with our hot dogs and I put the rest in the freezer.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjKmQ9wjPnZWix9N28a55ZEYwy1L2JIzuNfRO4kP5uWXOt4N3MZLClQcz7ZW3cAF0QL29hh37a2H8JKEgBh82OCAxYGh9vHwpHjLDuw2o3X5wwFropRkkFDsDsdfm3_HaZNCkb5U24SY/s4160/IMG_20210123_165842649.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdjKmQ9wjPnZWix9N28a55ZEYwy1L2JIzuNfRO4kP5uWXOt4N3MZLClQcz7ZW3cAF0QL29hh37a2H8JKEgBh82OCAxYGh9vHwpHjLDuw2o3X5wwFropRkkFDsDsdfm3_HaZNCkb5U24SY/s320/IMG_20210123_165842649.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>On Sunday we had a roast dinner so I peeled and par boiled twice the usual amount of potatoes and made roast potatoes out of half of them and smothered the other half in goose fat (from Christmas) before putting them on a tray and freezing them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7as8WC5scNwFBkiIy9-cpt8ujeQ4OeVSv6mMVcMj7q6vXJiPtFI3V7d20LpL_bq0SDxYnrQEQJ98Vf_7TINZFer3vBTNm2LWbW0V-MMAE6VNeRRl9Hct6m0sd1r_wGScvbqfmcMBG_YI/s4160/IMG_20210124_183301436.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7as8WC5scNwFBkiIy9-cpt8ujeQ4OeVSv6mMVcMj7q6vXJiPtFI3V7d20LpL_bq0SDxYnrQEQJ98Vf_7TINZFer3vBTNm2LWbW0V-MMAE6VNeRRl9Hct6m0sd1r_wGScvbqfmcMBG_YI/s320/IMG_20210124_183301436.jpg" /></a></div><p>Monday was sausages and mash and, yes, you guessed it, I made double the usual quantity of mash and put half of it in the freezer. It was an unusual evening in that my eldest was in the kitchen whilst I was cooking dinner. Normally she keeps herself tucked away in her bedroom, busily working on her creative A-levels. I say bedroom, there is a bed in there, but the rest of the space is dedicated to art so it feels like a choatic, creative workshop when I dare to venture in there. She had been working on a Klimt inspired oil painting solidly for several days and she had just finished it so had brought it down the kitchen to show it to me. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-y9eONMTrA1_BGqK3wx3yOIZFrWB8jDXyi_Etb4pgSarQIbh5DVZl4NVKYeXoO0r5VMyfG0HT6bINiiNM6idrnOZHVQMRkAO1V1RfWBMeV7YDXvoLND6Hxdsl1LwtguKZCEEFb520TBY/s2753/IMGP4229.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2753" data-original-width="1142" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-y9eONMTrA1_BGqK3wx3yOIZFrWB8jDXyi_Etb4pgSarQIbh5DVZl4NVKYeXoO0r5VMyfG0HT6bINiiNM6idrnOZHVQMRkAO1V1RfWBMeV7YDXvoLND6Hxdsl1LwtguKZCEEFb520TBY/s320/IMGP4229.jpg" /></a></div><p>With only a few minutes until dinner was due to be served, she had stayed. As she was on hand I asked her to run a fork over the top of the mash whilst I started to dish up. Needless to say it was the fanciest forking I have ever seen!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVihMBkeuUcQl_W9jGkBiJNTTD0BXf4Fj0ct2GOH5VVZssEqjMmNcsRDS8W5oUFIRcI6xcLXPOjbGyM1mVRDMU-JahH0jrxkFQgm97IfEEHa5UjZTvc2Vd1HvOSbt9V9nfxrwkdA9np3o/s4160/IMG_20210125_192111783.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVihMBkeuUcQl_W9jGkBiJNTTD0BXf4Fj0ct2GOH5VVZssEqjMmNcsRDS8W5oUFIRcI6xcLXPOjbGyM1mVRDMU-JahH0jrxkFQgm97IfEEHa5UjZTvc2Vd1HvOSbt9V9nfxrwkdA9np3o/s320/IMG_20210125_192111783.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDwKcon7bdafqOp_iE7h2is9OPn8DcIcYVXlyXj5l5SQqc8hi1C_gZix3Z2Zs3dCKCPWACuPxwQb3h_hrrmUEbZ4CvV6QUsN1dPk1PyQ5LY0mu8RQgiKSQ4zmnlsN2KfO-CsdFUVNfeM/s4160/IMG_20210125_194728532.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKDwKcon7bdafqOp_iE7h2is9OPn8DcIcYVXlyXj5l5SQqc8hi1C_gZix3Z2Zs3dCKCPWACuPxwQb3h_hrrmUEbZ4CvV6QUsN1dPk1PyQ5LY0mu8RQgiKSQ4zmnlsN2KfO-CsdFUVNfeM/s320/IMG_20210125_194728532.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>After that followed a rather fancy and very tasty potato and mushroom gratin, served up next to sirloin steak. And I also made a rather successful chicken and mushroom hotpot, where Steve particularly noted how tasty the potatoes were.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1DE34Yns8-HNwfBLG5lCVEeH9X7b7nS1kvauhRJYROXQzqlRRaLHeKXjF7kKTEFv2FRatKbLUQ52aqLGiJAzdVJmJIaERo90GV0DPARIBft_5MNJPMJ0NWZWGFywQuN_5aQWzHHUWbw/s4160/IMG_20210130_192944882.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_1DE34Yns8-HNwfBLG5lCVEeH9X7b7nS1kvauhRJYROXQzqlRRaLHeKXjF7kKTEFv2FRatKbLUQ52aqLGiJAzdVJmJIaERo90GV0DPARIBft_5MNJPMJ0NWZWGFywQuN_5aQWzHHUWbw/s320/IMG_20210130_192944882.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_8SEmXKZbvTs-DdG7CMoNXmHmxKVZ9IlAddIlV-m4RSAz3szjMefrn7A4VAeG-Np3k_YdNzPkZBCkhC4-gfZkLDrqsDM8ERgQ_VgE5Qjt24pLOkJi3FEjmsNtZDDHMcZ70aKxQ33PlA/s4160/IMG_20210201_193944523.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA_8SEmXKZbvTs-DdG7CMoNXmHmxKVZ9IlAddIlV-m4RSAz3szjMefrn7A4VAeG-Np3k_YdNzPkZBCkhC4-gfZkLDrqsDM8ERgQ_VgE5Qjt24pLOkJi3FEjmsNtZDDHMcZ70aKxQ33PlA/s320/IMG_20210201_193944523.jpg" /></a></div><p>Anyway, it had been a productive few days in the potato glut battle, and I'm almost at the bottom of the bucket. Some inspired meals and some lovely gifts to my future self in the freezer.</p><p>Ironically, in the midst of all this, the postman knocked on the door with a parcel that proved to be our supply of seed potatoes for this year. </p><p>"Careful, it's heavy," he warned as I bent to retrieve it from the doorstep.</p><p>"Oh, it's our seed potatoes," I said. Previous conversations with our postman had led us to discover that he too has an allotment. </p><p>"Oh, yeah, right," he said, "yeah, probably should think about getting some myself."</p><p>"Well you'd better be quick because apparently the seed companies are inundated with orders this year," I told him.</p><p>"Oh well," he said, "doesn't matter as I haven't dug up the last lot yet. Might just let them regrow!"</p><p><br /></p><p>Beetroot & Potato Rostis</p><div>4 medium to large potatoes</div><div>2 medium beetroot</div><div>Dried onion</div><div>Garlic salt or powder (optional)</div><div>Seasoning to taste</div><div><br /></div><div></div><div>Peel the potatoes and cut into large roast potato sized pieces then par boil for about 10 minutes (depending on your potato variety). Once cooked, drain and run under a cold tap to cool the potatoes down enough to pick them up. Grate the potatoes into a large bowl, using long strokes on the grater. Wash and peel the raw beetroot then grate into the bowl with the potato. Add the seasoning. Combine well until it all sticks together. Use a circular pastry cutter to squash balls of mixture into the rosti shape. Place them on a floured plate, cover with Clingfilm and refrigerate for at least an hour or put in the freezer at this point. To cook, heat some oil in a frying pan then fry for about 2 minutes on each side to brown then place in an oven for 20 minutes to cook through.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqq2zcK38PQECBigSl3Y5fQf-XVt1m-Kv5spwTd635uw_RIFyEALHzOHPFtMaDKP0c-09CmlSeyf1protrNLDQ2s7msfjfYQd-5Qpcf6sy-Zmkbiw9wtMbsX1luEKRN6Db3aHlC-c4fBM/s4160/IMG_20210123_191452793.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqq2zcK38PQECBigSl3Y5fQf-XVt1m-Kv5spwTd635uw_RIFyEALHzOHPFtMaDKP0c-09CmlSeyf1protrNLDQ2s7msfjfYQd-5Qpcf6sy-Zmkbiw9wtMbsX1luEKRN6Db3aHlC-c4fBM/s320/IMG_20210123_191452793.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>Potato & Mushroom Gratin (serves 4)</div><div><br /></div><div>800g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced</div><div>1 onion, finely shopped</div><div>200-300g mushrooms, thinly sliced</div><div>Vegetable oil<br />Salt & pepper</div><div>Garlic powder or crushed garlic (optional)<br />300ml double cream</div><div>Grated Parmesan</div><div><br /></div><div>Preheat the oven to 180°C and have a square casserole dish ready. Once you have prepared the potatoes, put them into a large bowl with the oil, salt and pepper and garlic and swirl it all around until the potatoes are evenly coated. Put a single layer of potato into the dish then scatter over some onion and mushrooms then repeat, finishing with a layer of potato. Carefully pour over the double cream, moving the dish to make sure it flows around the potatoes. Scatter over some parmesan then bake for 1 hour to an 1 hour and a quarter.</div><div><br /></div><div>Chicken & Mushroom Hot Pot (serves 4)</div><div><br /></div><div>Handful of dried mushrooms<br />800g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced</div><div>3 chicken breasts or 6 thighs<br />60g butter</div><div>1 onion, finely chopped.</div><div>100g closed cup mushrooms, sliced</div><div>40g plain flour</div><div>1 teaspoon mustard powder</div><div>1 stock cube (chicken or vegetable)</div><div>Salt & pepper</div><div>Grated Parmesan</div><div><br /></div><div>Put the dried mushrooms into about half a pint of boiling water and leave to soak for twenty minutes or so. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Once your potatoes are prepared, put them into a saucepan of boiling water, bring back to the boil then turn off the heat and allow the potatoes to sit in the hot water. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and gently fry to brown. As they begin to colour, add the closed cup mushrooms and fry for a further two minutes then transfer the chicken and mushrooms into a large ovenproof dish. Melt half the butter in a sauce pan then fry the onions in it until just beginning to colour then transfer this into the ovenproof dish. Using the same saucepan, melt the rest of the butter then add the flour, mustard powder and crumbled stock cube to it. Cook for a minute to make a roux then gradually incorporate the water from the dried mushrooms into the roux to make a sauce. Use more hot water if necessary until the sauce is the consistency of a thick gravy. Chop up the soaked mushrooms and add those to the ovenproof dish too. Taste the sauce and add seasoning to taste. Pour the sauce into the dish. Drain the potatoes and arrange in a couple of layers over the chicken. Season the potatoes and sprinkle over the Parmesan then bake for an hour.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-50830475128636138202021-01-18T04:41:00.000-08:002021-01-18T04:41:13.265-08:00Toffee Apple Doughnuts<p>If there is one thing that COVID times have taught me, it is never put off until tomorrow something which you can do today. Clearly as this is an ancient saying, it is not an original thought or revellation but it is so much more obvious now than under normal circumstances. I'm sure we have all experienced a moment when we thought, oh I'll do that next week or see that person soon, only to have restrictions put in place that meant that it was no longer possible.</p><p>So when it was sunny briefly last Tuesday I asked Steve if he fancied digging up some potatoes that afternoon as we were running low. It wasn't an immediate problem as I had planned a rice meal for dinner that night and noodles for the day after that. However, it was still a surprise when Steve said he didn't fancy digging up potatoes that day. With rain forecast Wednesday and Thursday, I decided I would regret missing the opportunity to dig up potatoes in the relatively pleasant conditions of Tuesday so I pulled on some warm clothing, grabbed a bucket and a fork and marched off to the allotment myself.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdyI8GxysTAJSEfSyoI8xExzEt-HyjN83rxdWBpXPrQRLrKyuuehFlYgqF3SH_LL9PNSLVwZC-D47Q4ue-JJ24505VE4FzvMia-Mkvw4YIUX-M-40oCSricml110Y2qbWmOkEw8SDXBc/s4160/IMG_20210112_145541739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDdyI8GxysTAJSEfSyoI8xExzEt-HyjN83rxdWBpXPrQRLrKyuuehFlYgqF3SH_LL9PNSLVwZC-D47Q4ue-JJ24505VE4FzvMia-Mkvw4YIUX-M-40oCSricml110Y2qbWmOkEw8SDXBc/s320/IMG_20210112_145541739.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>And yes, I was very pleased at the end of a wet Thursday when I was able to grab a few potatoes to make mashed potatoes to go with our sausages for dinner. In fact, I was so enthusiatic about my haul of potatoes that I used way too many of them and we couldn't eat all the mash.</p><p>Never fear, mashed potatoes are well worth keeping and I put them in the fridge whilst I dithered about which leftovers recipe I would use them in.</p><p>The previous weekend Jaclyn had recorded a vlog about making doughnut using up some of the apple sauce we made before Christmas, based on <a href="https://www.greatbritishfoodawards.com/recipes/apple-custard-doughnuts-with-maple-syrup/">a recipe in the Good Food Magazine</a>. We enjoyed custard and apple doughnuts after our Sunday roast whilst watching The Great Pottery Throwdown. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxuqqBERJgpoT0jTgpAHOkBq8DqR9w7pxdqdSr-TSRYXr4JaANm9rUd2n6fQMaC9o6TK5uP1UhqPkX2mVQiSWROC8sbADG4-ESVVBef-I9PhJ0ZwgU7FAgIHt2v1qsux9bD1cDWKLt3g/s4160/IMG_20210110_181243768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqxuqqBERJgpoT0jTgpAHOkBq8DqR9w7pxdqdSr-TSRYXr4JaANm9rUd2n6fQMaC9o6TK5uP1UhqPkX2mVQiSWROC8sbADG4-ESVVBef-I9PhJ0ZwgU7FAgIHt2v1qsux9bD1cDWKLt3g/s320/IMG_20210110_181243768.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Maybe that was why the nag in my brain kept coming back time and time again to using the mashed potato up in doughnuts. This was something we had first tried years ago, based on a recipe from <a href="https://sorted.club/">Sorted Food</a>. Having said that, the recipe had failed and we had had to add way more flour to it to get it to work but I didn't weigh the amount we had used so I had never written the recipe down.</p><p>So this Sunday I went back to Sorted Food and found the recipe unaltered and just as soppy but this time I sensibly noted how much extra flour I needed and how much mashed potato I used and I altered the method, based upon the success of the previous weekend's doughnut making.</p><p>With the doughnut dough knocking around in the bread machine I gave in to the call of the sunny weather and went outside for a bit. I didn't know what I would do when I got round to the allotment but I knew there would be plenty that needed doing. Indeed, one of my fellow allotmenteers was sat in the boot of his car, pulling his whellies on when I got to the allotment gates and he commented on what a lovely afternoon it was for it. For what? It turned out neither of us knew but we both knew we would be busy.</p><p>So I pottered around for a bit, tidying away bamboo canes, still stood upright with dead plants tied to them. I pulled up a few easy weeds and spread some black plastic over a patch of ground to suppress more weed growth. And I said a cheery hello to my allotment neighbours before we settled in to a conversation at a respectful distance about the struggles of lockdown and our gratitude for a piece of mud that offered a reason to be outside on a sunny January afternoon.</p><p>Back inside, the dough was ready for knocking back, shaping and another prove and whilst I waited for the rise, I peeled and chopped 3 pounds of Bramley apples from storage. With the phone wedged under one ear whilst I talked to my mum, I fried the doughnuts then turned the apples into Toffee Apple Jam. Then squirted some of the suitably cooled jam into the centre of each doughnut.</p><p>And so, as we watched The Great Pottery Throwdown, Ros said, "Am I having deja-vu or were we eating doughnuts this time last week too?" </p><p>"I have created a new tradition," I explained, "of eating doughnuts whilst watching the Pottery Throwdown. What flavour would you like next week?"</p><p>Mashed Potato Doughnut (makes 12)</p><p>200ml milk<br />2 tbsp vegetable oil<br />400g plain flour<br />100-125g mashed potato<br />80g caster sugar<br />Pinch of salt (unless there is salt in your mashed potato)<br />7g dried yeast</p><p>Sugar for dusting<br />Oil for frying<br />200g of jam<br /><br />Load the doughnut ingredients into your bread machine and set to dough. When finished, knock back the dough and roll out to about 1cm thick. Use a 7cm circular cutter to cut out the doughnuts and place them on a well floured board/tray. Cover with greased Clingfilm and leave to prove in a warm place for half an hour. Heat 2-3cm of oil in a deep frying pan until hot (aroun 170-180°C) then fry the doughnuts in batches for about 2 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with sugar whilst still hot then put on a rack to cool. Once cool, use a piping bag or syringe to fill each doughnut with jam or custard or sauce of your choosing.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgdVs3Ah78Enki_0gEQlQgF9Ypq-AazM4eNEKbVvYsIMjKycW1pjmBuRR66-pnEud2dmNeRCmjzu0AfHswFPVRBPNllD4RdK-f4JVzL_CxONbJedKWDHzC6tuVhZj6SOIEWiNFoyoTEg/s4160/IMG_20210117_191219660.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgdVs3Ah78Enki_0gEQlQgF9Ypq-AazM4eNEKbVvYsIMjKycW1pjmBuRR66-pnEud2dmNeRCmjzu0AfHswFPVRBPNllD4RdK-f4JVzL_CxONbJedKWDHzC6tuVhZj6SOIEWiNFoyoTEg/s320/IMG_20210117_191219660.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-9150267248954993962021-01-15T05:49:00.001-08:002021-01-15T05:49:40.323-08:00Flapjack Topped Plum Ginger Cake<p>Cooking with the seasons is a way of life for me and this extends into my home baking too. We like to have some kind of cake or biscuit in the tin for an afternoon snack or an after dinner dessert so I bake most weekends in order to keep the tin topped up. As the seasons pass I look at what I have to hand and what is in need of being used and this usually helps me decide what I shall bake. Sometimes this is as simple as some over ripe bananas in the fruit bowl or sometimes it is to use up a glut from the allotment.</p><p>In that regard January is an odd time of year because the available produce from the garden isn't going to make a tasty treat. Sprout flapjacks anyone? Or how about a leek mousse?! </p><p>However, what I do have to hand is odds and ends of things in jars - little bits of mincemeat leftover from Christmas pies, some cranberry sauce, a bit of apple sauce, and half filled jars of jam.</p><p>Before Christmas I made quite a lot of Plum & Mulled Wine Jam. In fact, I sold out twice so had to restock, which was fantastic. It was a great way to make a dent in the bags of frozen plums in the freezer too after a bumper crop and in fact the only hiccup in the supply and demand loop was the rather slow delivery of some jam jars. As a result, I didn't have quite enough of my little 110g jars available at the time to bottle the whole of the third batch of jam so I had decanted it into spare 340g so as not to waste it.</p><p>Plum & Mulled Wine is certainly a flavour that screams Christmas but, as you might expect, it doesn't sell that well after Christmas. Even harder to sell two 340g jars of the stuff. So, time to find a way to use it up. </p><p>A January tidy-up of the book shelf required a rather pleasant afternoon thumbing through past editions of The Good Food Magazine; ripping out recipes to try and recycling the rest. In an October edition I found a recipe for a plum and ginger cake that sounded like one I would like to try next August when the plums are back in season. Although, having said that, my experience of pieces of plums in cakes is that they are glorious on the first day and progressively soggy on the subsequent days, and eventually fluffy with mould. So, yes, nice idea if you want an impressive dessert for a family meal or cake for an afternoon tea with friends but not ideal when trying to restock the weekly cake tin.</p><p>And so I wondered if replacing the fresh plums with jam might help to avoid the sog, and maybe Plum & Mulled Wine Jam would be even better, complimenting the spices in the cake. So, with that change and some fiddling around with the sugar quantities and spice mixes, I came to make a Flapjack Topped Plum Ginger Cake on a Sunday afternoon. And I can confirm this Friday morning as I tuck into a slice for elevenses that there still isn't a hint of sog.</p><p>Flapjack Topped Plum Ginger Cake</p><p>140g unsalted butter<br />75g dark brown sugar<br />50g golden syrup<br />25g black treacle<br />2 eggs, beaten<br />140g plain flour<br />1 tsp baking powder<br />1 tbsp ground ginger<br />1 tsp mixed spice<br />Pinch of salt<br />85g oats<br /><br />100g plum jam </p><p>25g plain flour<br />25g oats<br />1 heaped tsp ground ginger</p><p>Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and line a small rectangular cake tin. Put the butter, sugar, syrup and treacle into a large bowl and place in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time until the butter is melted then mix thoroughly together. Stir in the eggs then add all the dry ingredients and stir well. Spoon the batter into the cake tin, leaving about 2 tbsp of the batter in the bowl. Dollop the jam over the top of the batter until mostly covered. Add the remaining flour, oats and ginger to the remaining batter and mix together. Carefully drop/crumble this mixture over the jam until mostly covered. Bake for 25-30 minutes then leave to cool completely in the tin. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGd0WSBXTDgqXhhjYy4tqkUT5WheEZWVNHPM8EV38nRtR3MPPfWhgYsLm71JapykBoxn-ekOCa5Tpy74s7d0L2ZFBj544_veOGjQB_giBSwq4G6445D6NhG63zLCPchHfORiGSX9eOwyM/s4160/IMG_20210110_143108734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGd0WSBXTDgqXhhjYy4tqkUT5WheEZWVNHPM8EV38nRtR3MPPfWhgYsLm71JapykBoxn-ekOCa5Tpy74s7d0L2ZFBj544_veOGjQB_giBSwq4G6445D6NhG63zLCPchHfORiGSX9eOwyM/s320/IMG_20210110_143108734.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-83176230164109283122021-01-14T09:22:00.000-08:002021-01-14T09:22:46.249-08:00Cream of Tomato Soup<p>I had a lovely box of fresh fruit and vegetables delivered last week from <a href="https://jaspersdirect.com/">Jasper's Catering</a>. It is very exciting to get a mixture of fruit and vegetables that you might not otherwise have chosen but it can be slightly inconvenient if it contains something that you don't like or duplicates something you already have. As it happens, between us we like everything that was in the box but unfortunately, we already had quite a few tomatoes in. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDhKze6b390bJ9h36t1tN8lzqSCEyXfwS_bkrORxniew49KdTYg6vJHJ91PyCe5o4sLiODQ7sybqfaZKwYJCUWErHxy6np8oox2v-8vlGq536j-yxqf-NtjLPxlKUCffQFx8RmZqPDeU/s4160/IMG_20210108_143422955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDhKze6b390bJ9h36t1tN8lzqSCEyXfwS_bkrORxniew49KdTYg6vJHJ91PyCe5o4sLiODQ7sybqfaZKwYJCUWErHxy6np8oox2v-8vlGq536j-yxqf-NtjLPxlKUCffQFx8RmZqPDeU/s320/IMG_20210108_143422955.jpg" /></a></div><p>With the fresh box containing a nice selection of small tomatoes in both red and yellow varieties that my youngest said actually tasted like the tomatoes from the allotment, it was, inevitably, the large tomatoes from the supermarket that got neglected - and they were older to start with!</p><p>Nobody in this house seems to want anything to do with a tomato once the skin goes wrinkly so I figured the only way to save them from the compost bin would be to cook them into something. With food and garden waste bin collections temporarily halted due to a lack of staff after two binmen died of COVID and others had to isolate, and with COVID and Brexit disrupting food supplies, there is no way I'm throwing anything away if I can help it! </p><p>And so, with both my girls tied up with "live" online lessons until half past one today, I decided to rustle up some tomato soup ready for our slightly late lunch.</p><p>Four wrinkly tomatoes, half an onion, a little pasta sauce and some leftover single cream later and I had a batch of "Cream of Tomato Soup".</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzeqnFuj_0TKC0ziObesYZEQGzf_eEfHUefySABDSdu8PqD2iAh7nAS6sBXXthMgLWIhuQIRYhxwPlhgk-FVzmg61ZadJ7WAWcAcqzkGi7OwSExw7YJKWZaTrHIOhSebEhLOfqoG9oOM/s4160/IMG_20210114_130909780.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzeqnFuj_0TKC0ziObesYZEQGzf_eEfHUefySABDSdu8PqD2iAh7nAS6sBXXthMgLWIhuQIRYhxwPlhgk-FVzmg61ZadJ7WAWcAcqzkGi7OwSExw7YJKWZaTrHIOhSebEhLOfqoG9oOM/s320/IMG_20210114_130909780.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>"Well, it ain't Heinz," declared my eldest upon a tentative sampling, then went and opened herself a tin of Heinz.</p><p>My youngest, on the other hand, rather liked the herby flavour and was grateful for it after an "awkward" morning of Teams meetings. </p><p>What was left I bagged up and froze, ready for another day. Four tomatoes saved!</p><p>Cream of Tomato Soup (serves 4)</p><p>Half a medium onion<br />1 small garlic clove, finely chopped<br />2-3 slices of red pepper, chopped<br />4 large tomatoes, deskinned and chopped<br />200ml vegetable stock<br />200ml pasta sauce<br />2-3 tbsp single cream, yoghurt or creme fraiche</p><p>Finely chop the onion and saute for 3-4 minutes then add the pieces of red pepper and fry for another minute before adding the garlic. Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for a minute or two then remove the skins before chopping. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and continue to fry for a couple of minutes until they have started to soften. Add the stock and the pasta sauce then bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until it is all soft then remove from the heat. Use a stick blender to blend until smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary. Return to the heat then pour in the cream and stir through until warmed. Serve hot with bread.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBj6NeWuifKAEsQ6dUmQ3i62_mUb0greSBC3VltzpN-69YTJzDxSJqgcQQgPOOsLOnJaopgpYgyutgUIBw2_nrFYcBGhw8ZqigVeRno26mYSWzS0fn0e7ON5Lfg2rM1PZiHYPO8IGvqO0/s4160/IMG_20210114_135358577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBj6NeWuifKAEsQ6dUmQ3i62_mUb0greSBC3VltzpN-69YTJzDxSJqgcQQgPOOsLOnJaopgpYgyutgUIBw2_nrFYcBGhw8ZqigVeRno26mYSWzS0fn0e7ON5Lfg2rM1PZiHYPO8IGvqO0/s320/IMG_20210114_135358577.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-78171221442357020422021-01-08T06:23:00.001-08:002021-01-08T06:23:59.796-08:00Pea and Ham Soup<p>I guess people react to the news of entering another lockdown in various ways, although we are all universally unnerved by it to some degree. I think we all feel we need to react to it in some way - to feel as if we are doing something useful in a situation that is very much out of our control. For me, my inner response is to not waste any food. It's not a great big shouty voice but rather a little whisper that I'm barely even aware is there but is nonetheless informing my behaviour. This perhaps explains why in March 2020 as we entered the first lockdown I found myself pickling the end of season beetroot whilst others were out buying excessive amounts of toilet roll.</p><p>Lockdown 3 is an interesting one because it coincides with the end of the Brexit transition period and the completely bizarre events around the transition of the American presidency. There is definitely a feeling of worldworld unrest and uncertainty. Although we are told to continue to shop as normal and to not hoard for the sake of all of us having enough, it is hard not to wonder what might run out or be delayed at the ports. Although I don't have a feeling that we are going to be plunged into something along the lines of World War shortages, I am used to my life of relative privelage and don't want to struggle to find daily essentials (or even luxuries, if I'm honest) in the shops.</p><p>So, here I am in January 2021 feelings as if it is my absolute duty to avoid food waste and to make the most of what we have. I mean, this is not a massive change in behaviour as I can't stand food waste anyway and do what I can to make sure that very little gets put out in our food bin each week. </p><p>One of the things I had in my fridge recently was a 750g smoked gammon. I had bought it before Christmas because it stores well and I figured I could use it if my meal planning went awry some time between food deliveries. Anyway, it was still there on Sunday and we didn't have a piece of meat for a roast dinner (this was deliberate as I figured we needed a break from roasts after Christmas dinner) so I decided it would be a good day to cook it. </p><p>I like baked potatoes with boiled gammon, a bit of purple coleslaw and a salad. As it happened, I had tried going around to the allotment on the Friday before only to discover that someone had vandalised the padlock to the gates and it was jammed locked. I guess it could have been worse but it was vaguely annoying because I was trying to empty the kitchen vegetable scraps bin into the compost bin so that wasn't possible. I would also have liked to have harvested some more potatoes, some of our abundant watercress and another beetroot. All plans scuppered, I returned home and reported the problem to parish council who told me they would send their warden out on Monday to replace the lock. It wasn't a big deal and not a very long wait between Friday and Monday but it certainly added to my feeling of unease about food supply issues, at least on a subconscious level.</p><p>So, when it came to the Sunday gammon meal, I had to make do with the last few potatoes in the bucket that we had harvested before Christmas. Not ideal because it can be hard to find a suitably large, blemish-free potato for baking from an abundance of potatoes; harder still from just a handful. But as it happens, I was in luck and managed to find 4 just about big enough, undamaged potatoes for baking. However, there was no watercress for the salad and no beetroot for the purple coleslaw so we had frozen peas and sweetcorn instead. Yeah, first world problems!</p><p>Anyway, with food waste in the back of my mind, I save the gammon cooking water to make the basis of pea and ham soup. Then the next day I made a quiche using some of the leftover gammon and leftover Christmas cheese, and I kept just enough gammon to use in the soup the following day, along with some marrowfat peas. I had forgotten that the recipe also called for a small leek so it was handy that the allotment gate padlock had been replaced on Monday as promised and I was able to go round and harvest a leek. And from that I was able to make 3 portions of pea and ham soup - out of cooking water, leftover gammon, a tin of peas and a homegrown leek. It felt like food for nothing!</p><p>Well actually, it was £3.75 for the gammon, from which we had a dinner for 4, a quiche for 4 and 3 portions of soup, and it was 50p for the marrowfat peas. Excellent for making use of ingredients and wasting nothing and even better for our pockets in these days of less income. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNv8JctLIfnqBq3wUVsjZL58XA_nM1uDvwy8djVytTMCoGSI__7WDtCHvJfT87DUScc8xEnjSh2sQQFLir_I5C-C0rBgj-3ECuTPKbwbuZauxvRWfKVcRy5ZUk7EQWDNZWgTXb7fF72tc/s4160/IMG_20210106_123917240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNv8JctLIfnqBq3wUVsjZL58XA_nM1uDvwy8djVytTMCoGSI__7WDtCHvJfT87DUScc8xEnjSh2sQQFLir_I5C-C0rBgj-3ECuTPKbwbuZauxvRWfKVcRy5ZUk7EQWDNZWgTXb7fF72tc/s320/IMG_20210106_123917240.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Pea and Ham Soup (serves 2-3)</p><p>250ml water from a boiled gammon<br />300g tinned marrowfat peas plus liquid<br />1 small leek<br />Some pieces of cooked ham/gammon<br />2 tsp cornflour mixed into cold water<br />3 tsp mascapone cheese or a bit of grated Cheddar and a slurp of cream<br />Black pepper</p><p>Put the water, peas and leek into a large saucepan and cook for 20 minutes. Use a stick blender to blend until smooth then add the remaining ingredients and taste. Bring back to the boil and simmer a little longer if necessary to thicken or serve.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbV6_arE054LJnHdWO0P7D_ZAxHcNEHSnwi0oY7hkkYH7AAlDQcD4qQxso8-sahY4bjPQHsXXCcSflgzwNdiknhGhihyV3ZOeNHVvt0Y_byOB0ZHUnBiPIh4o3VZ_RKF7U5y23Wtgevqs/s2048/Pea+%2526+ham+soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbV6_arE054LJnHdWO0P7D_ZAxHcNEHSnwi0oY7hkkYH7AAlDQcD4qQxso8-sahY4bjPQHsXXCcSflgzwNdiknhGhihyV3ZOeNHVvt0Y_byOB0ZHUnBiPIh4o3VZ_RKF7U5y23Wtgevqs/s320/Pea+%2526+ham+soup.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-36820312124483026822021-01-04T13:34:00.001-08:002021-01-04T13:34:41.351-08:00Turkey SoupAlthough pumpkins are a symbol of Halloween, we usually have several left in storage in December. It is not uncommon to clear the pumpkins to one side to make space for the Christmas tree, resulting in a weird juxaposition of Halloween and Christmas.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxsBTAeJeM2oWE5tKqpKCjTF89USIF9NvnWWHF2Sk0RIF-DJcQBDeCSjrYyRN7iuenhzZkwkMNcYylbdYfSIPGfBxfrLK-Tjs2PwMBp9kZ9O802vXx5AhM7Z5wYX4WRI7LQDg2pdTs74/s969/Christmas+pumpkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="727" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJxsBTAeJeM2oWE5tKqpKCjTF89USIF9NvnWWHF2Sk0RIF-DJcQBDeCSjrYyRN7iuenhzZkwkMNcYylbdYfSIPGfBxfrLK-Tjs2PwMBp9kZ9O802vXx5AhM7Z5wYX4WRI7LQDg2pdTs74/s320/Christmas+pumpkins.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><div>Once Christmas festivities are out of the way, I turn my attention to the stored fruit and vegetables. By new year there is approximately six months until the new soft fruit season when demands on freezer space will be at their highest. So I see this at an opportunity to pace myself to clear the previous year's harvest ready for the new. </div><div><br /></div><div>The most pressing place to start is with the stuff just in open storage. This includes onions and shallots already attempting to regrow with green shoots, garlic bulbs in danger of drying out to an empty papery shell, apples slowly turning wriggly, and pumpkins looking prestine one moment and mouldy the next. Once they are safely converted into preserves or eaten, I then turn my attention to the freezer contents.</div><div><br /></div><div>I don't know about you but I find myself drawn to making soups during the winter. They are so warming and wholesome and often turn ingredients that are past their best into something convincingly nurishing. Sprouting potatoes and a leek can be quickly turned into leek and potato soup. Leftover gammon and some dried peas make a glorious pea and ham soup. I made a lovely minestrone soup the other day from a potato, a carrot, some leftover pasta sauce and stock and some dried spaghetti. </div><div><br /></div><div>As for all that leftover turkey at Christmas, it seems almost compulsory to make it into soup. It is even better if you can boil up some of the skin and bones to make turkey stock before you start but a stock cube or two can be used instead. And it is another occasion for Halloween and Christmas to collide with the addition of chunks of pumpkin. If you don't have stored pumpkin then butternut squash works well too. Once cooked, enjoy it hot with some fresh crusty bread or decant it into suitable containers and freeze.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqTWQ6eh7KmQWAAliAsVOC0bAUYCcIsN7SYd-O_hyphenhyphenXJ2x-rtJ-qR8Yip_dLYA5c-Xx1yNGX7LC42qXOTL6Gf6AKQANV1e56ZiUkpdjKaL5Sn8aUnw_VX0xMT1-hNwyN44m3NL0ZrdxHY/s2048/Turkey+stock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqqTWQ6eh7KmQWAAliAsVOC0bAUYCcIsN7SYd-O_hyphenhyphenXJ2x-rtJ-qR8Yip_dLYA5c-Xx1yNGX7LC42qXOTL6Gf6AKQANV1e56ZiUkpdjKaL5Sn8aUnw_VX0xMT1-hNwyN44m3NL0ZrdxHY/s320/Turkey+stock.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Turkey Soup</div><div><br /></div><div>1 onion</div><div>1 carrot</div><div>300g pumpkin (or squash)</div><div>2 cloves garlic</div><div>300g cooked turkey</div><div>2 tsp Japanese curry powder</div><div>1 tin chopped tomatoes</div><div>1 pint of turkey (or chicken) stock</div><div><br /></div><div>Saute the vegetables for a few minutes until softened then add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or cook in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK05BO2r9tw-OYCF-2vTbzp4OccHVo1NIjAbrJ0yl8eIrhn_gheaSCz93uS6Ms32wgmTE0CWRFI8ypQticYTbhv4dXc8MUQWr_NHVQDieFDjDMyOAFYHzljyJrXojPhWd6XYpuEw1_pQE/s2048/Turkey+soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK05BO2r9tw-OYCF-2vTbzp4OccHVo1NIjAbrJ0yl8eIrhn_gheaSCz93uS6Ms32wgmTE0CWRFI8ypQticYTbhv4dXc8MUQWr_NHVQDieFDjDMyOAFYHzljyJrXojPhWd6XYpuEw1_pQE/s320/Turkey+soup.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-79701100196679891322021-01-04T12:41:00.000-08:002021-01-04T12:41:18.366-08:00Christmas Pudding<p>I know a lot of people aren't fans of Christmas pudding these days but I do like a little bit at Christmas. And I think that's the key - a little bit. Certainly one of the reasons I thought I didn't like Christmas pudding when I was a kid was because it was just so filling. After an enormous Christmas dinner, quite frankly the last thing anyone needs is a big helping of Christmas pudding with custard and cream. But with many Christmas puddings being large and designed to feed a whole household of festive visitors, it can be hard to only serve up a little bit.</p><p>We never have many people over on Christmas Day and of those there is only really my husband and myself who might want some Christmas pudding. But then again, when we also have mince pies, Christmas cake and yule log all on offer, it isn't a dead cert what anyone will select. As such, it has always seemed sensible to me to cook individual Christmas puddings rather than a massive one. This also enables me to give my mum her own pudding in her hamper of Christmas goodies. </p><p>It is normally sometime in the late autumn to early winter when I make the Christmas puddings. If properly cooked and well wrapped, they can keep for months, if not years, so it is fine to make a month or two before Christmas. It also means there is no urgency to eat them up at Christmas too, so often we wait until the yule log and mince pies are eaten up before eating the Christmas puddings so they frequently make a nice New Year dessert instead. Anyway, with autumn fruit to hand, I like to grate some into the Christmas pudding - maybe an apple, occasionally pumpkin, sometimes a quince, but preferrably a pear - a lovely way to make use of these awkward fruit and prefectly complementing the ginger wine soaked dried fruit.</p><p>Christmas Pudding (makes 5-6 individual)</p><p>250g dried mixed fruit<br />200ml ginger wine<br />75g butter<br />75g dark muscovado sugar<br />1 tsp mixed spice<br />70g self-raising flour<br />70g breadcrumbs<br />2 large eggs<br />150g fined grated fruit<br />1 tbsp black treacle</p><p>Soak the fruit in the ginger wine overnight or for several days. Cream together the butter and sugar then add the other ingredients. Spoon into well-butter mini pudding basins and cover with a layer of parchment and foil. Lower onto a trivet in a pressure cooker and pour in boiling water to almost cover. Steam with the vent open for 10 minutes then pressure cook on low for 35 minutes. Leave to cool and depressure then remove. To store, wrap in Clingfilm. To serve, microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute and serve with hot custard and/or cream or brandy sauce.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63VBxrbRNOPY2TkGFc2NUJrjP70IqzdK7f5I0I1AyI5T4yi3_ooKfvRHqnxDRKIb7BKNFr9RKJO9zKdBhKJJfVTrSPowqOk_fwn6XYeJhRJMyJfdjsSm7rlWjbcjdxUGh3GhLfN1uZMQ/s2048/Christmas+pudding+and+custard+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63VBxrbRNOPY2TkGFc2NUJrjP70IqzdK7f5I0I1AyI5T4yi3_ooKfvRHqnxDRKIb7BKNFr9RKJO9zKdBhKJJfVTrSPowqOk_fwn6XYeJhRJMyJfdjsSm7rlWjbcjdxUGh3GhLfN1uZMQ/s320/Christmas+pudding+and+custard+2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHnLgZSbvpK8LcZ24TvZtFqe5PSAvEw1HdjvwH-RPi7Lpy2nmis4cNHyabeFj5hHm_G3HXKFlZZF7MieHGOgircgCVZizcLmIXef-jb0fuJVLaBVf4dhFoPPqZE3Fd2lv04AlhjtIm4s/s2048/Christmas+pudding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYHnLgZSbvpK8LcZ24TvZtFqe5PSAvEw1HdjvwH-RPi7Lpy2nmis4cNHyabeFj5hHm_G3HXKFlZZF7MieHGOgircgCVZizcLmIXef-jb0fuJVLaBVf4dhFoPPqZE3Fd2lv04AlhjtIm4s/s320/Christmas+pudding.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJ0qyZoTfL-Fy6Ui8W789r4E2GUpTSGrTnZl45y27LJx66TgkaD2bJfSQf94rhIPNRzXvfc0KhP7HPsji59K2YxY5JibHVAXt3u5SyRk7M9NOrcHmI5IRnmCRFQHPlFNm9XVsbxrnaNs/s2048/Christmas+puddings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOJ0qyZoTfL-Fy6Ui8W789r4E2GUpTSGrTnZl45y27LJx66TgkaD2bJfSQf94rhIPNRzXvfc0KhP7HPsji59K2YxY5JibHVAXt3u5SyRk7M9NOrcHmI5IRnmCRFQHPlFNm9XVsbxrnaNs/s320/Christmas+puddings.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWGgUG0a3blRpLH08QxRmTrKFEBTFqWdlIjVa8Oykj8lSazhf2w-91ENKM9pD3yTYn97K2iJyKlEikWJFC07V2SlcrWUTrCkRrkYZwatsDPFoWmEKODw5FlsMnWuuyP8Hw4Jc2dQLpDw/s2048/Christmas+puddings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWGgUG0a3blRpLH08QxRmTrKFEBTFqWdlIjVa8Oykj8lSazhf2w-91ENKM9pD3yTYn97K2iJyKlEikWJFC07V2SlcrWUTrCkRrkYZwatsDPFoWmEKODw5FlsMnWuuyP8Hw4Jc2dQLpDw/s320/Christmas+puddings.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4391882458586524330.post-21289257183276888522020-11-14T14:41:00.000-08:002020-11-14T14:41:10.987-08:00Pumpkin Cheesecake With Pumpkin Ice-cream<p>With Halloween done and dusted on Saturday, it seemed a little brutal to get stuck in to cutting up the pumpkin lanterns the next day but it was a Sunday, so there was time to do some processing and start making good use of the stuff whilst it was still fresh.</p><p>I started by turning a pound and a half of a lantern into pumpkin soup. Normally I would use 1lb of pumpkin and 1lb of butternut squash to make the soup but I didn't have any butternut squash so I used a pound and a half of pumpkin and 8 oz of potatoes to add the creamy texture usually provided by the butternut squash. With all the usual flavours added, it wasn't noticeable that I had changed the recipe.</p><p>Pumpkin & Potato Soup</p><p><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">1
lb 8 oz cubed pumpkin flesh<br />
8 oz peeled and cubed potatoes<br />
2 garlic cloves, chopped<br />
10 fl oz vegetable stock<br />
5 fl oz sieved tomatoes (or passata) or 2 tbsp tomato puree<br />
1 tsp curry powder<br />
Salt & pepper to taste<br />
<br />
Put some oil in the bottom of a large saucepan and gently saute the cubed
vegetables for about 5 minutes then add the garlic and fry for another
minute. Pour in the stock and tomatoes and add the curry powder. Put a lid on
the pan and simmer for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Blend until
smooth, taste and season as necessary. Eat hot or cool and freeze in portions.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrCL7ArhBsf0VNQW9GY1185eXBbyopTW83tcY7QPvgsuZjZ26VAeMHPGY_we3wZmJRD3PFLv3alG4SSMfrVV0dr_IHJLYIy0TdPemmaNgmYBUPNNJsP1zrMJIQpJHvJtxiaf4Dzta1LY/s2048/Pumpkin+%2526+Potato+soup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtrCL7ArhBsf0VNQW9GY1185eXBbyopTW83tcY7QPvgsuZjZ26VAeMHPGY_we3wZmJRD3PFLv3alG4SSMfrVV0dr_IHJLYIy0TdPemmaNgmYBUPNNJsP1zrMJIQpJHvJtxiaf4Dzta1LY/s320/Pumpkin+%2526+Potato+soup.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><p></p><p>Whilst the soup was cooking, I put another lot of pumpkin chunks on to steam so by the time we had finished lunch, it was possible to use some to make pumpkin puree for the cheesecake and ice-cream ideas I had in mind. </p><p>Pumpkin Ice-cream</p><p class="MsoNormal">450g fresh pumpkin<br />
300ml whipping cream<br />
120g light brown sugar<br />
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger<br />
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg<br />
Pinch ground cloves<br />
Pinch of salt<br />
<br />
Peel and chop the pumpkin then steam until soft. Mash until a smooth puree is
formed. Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend for about a minute until
well mixed. Pour into suitable containers and put in the freezer. Take out of
the freezer after 2-3 hours and whip up with a fork to break up the ice
crystals before returning to the freezer.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p><p>With the ice-cream in the freezer, I turned my attention to the cheesecake. I had made pumpkin cheesecake a few years back but it was a baked one and I think on the whole we prefer non-baked cheesecakes - they are certainly easier to make! The previous weekend I had made a totally delicious pear and gold chocolate cheesecake, served with pear and vanilla ice-cream and I really wanted to repeat the dessert this weekend but with the seasonal ingredients of pumpkin. So, stocked with luxury chocolate from The Chocolate Mill MK, I decided to pretty much follow last week's recipe but use ruby chocolate this time.</p><p>I was confident about the flavours but I really wasn't sure what colour the cheesecake would end up and I thought there was a possibility that the orange of the pumpkin puree, mixed with the pink of the ruby chocolate would make an unpleasant brown colour but in fact it turned into an attractive golden brown, just enough of a colour to hint at the pumpkin and spice flavours, and perfectly complimented by the gingerbread-like spiced ice-cream. Lovely!</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">For the base<br />
150g digestive or ginger biscuits, crushed in a blender<br />
75g butter, melted<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the topping<br />
100g pumpkin puree<br />
1/2 tsp mixed spice<br />
200g ruby chocolate<br />
30g butter<br />
250g cream cheese<br />
90ml whipping cream<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the biscuit base combine the crushed biscuits and the
melted butter in a bowl then press into the greased base of a 20cm circular tin
or dish. Place in the refrigerator for at least half an hour to solidify.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Next, melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of
simmering water. Leave to cool. In another bowl, mix together the cream and
cheese and beat until smooth. Once the chocolate mix is suitably cool add it to
the cream mix and stir thoroughly. Add the pumpkin puree and mixed spice and stir in.
Spoon the mixture onto the biscuit base. Return to the refrigerator to chill
for a few hours or over night.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip19Jw1dpXoi8KmGCovE3vTuvHNCKsahMxav-_Bvhz4ZY0kTlxxrRQrqRTNjPGLJym7y9V95h6wr_xznZCkV-bmnfvthE6gHUypZmpAV3u92OXjD2NTJaxxaD4tHZQexX5of8QGgfG1eY/s2048/Pumpkin+cheesecake+and+icecream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip19Jw1dpXoi8KmGCovE3vTuvHNCKsahMxav-_Bvhz4ZY0kTlxxrRQrqRTNjPGLJym7y9V95h6wr_xznZCkV-bmnfvthE6gHUypZmpAV3u92OXjD2NTJaxxaD4tHZQexX5of8QGgfG1eY/s320/Pumpkin+cheesecake+and+icecream.jpg" /></a></div><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0