I am a crumpet lover. I couldn't tell you how many crumpets I have eaten through the years, but it's quite a few . . . . ohhh . . . those soft yeasty, pancake like cakes . . . riddled with holes, just perfect for collecting butter and jam or honey, or . . . I love them. Can you tell?
I had always shied away from making my own however. I don't know why though. They're fabulous and so easy to make and the homemade ones taste infinitely better than store bought ones. Seriously! So what was it that inspired me to conquer my fears and make my own?
This beautiful book . . . that's what! I was recently sent this lovely baking book, Tea & Cake by Lisa Faulkner.
And she knows I have it. See (up there . . . that's her signature. Thanks Lisa!)
This is truly a lovely book. As soon as I saw it I fell in love.
Filled with beautifull photographs and delightful anectedotes, not to mention delicious sounding and looking recipes, this book is a wonderful book for anyone who is either a seasoned or a beginning baker alike!
Two hundred and fifty four pages and six chapters cover just about anything you would want to know about baking things to enjoy in and around that most British of Institutions . . . the taking of tea.
(Oh I do love to take tea . . . and I am not just talking about the drink here . . . for me, it's more about those goodies you have along with it. The tea is secondary to me. I'm a glutton through and through.)
Biscuits: From the Perfect Dunker to Energy Bars, this chapter contains no less than twelve delicious cookie and bar recipes, with hints and tips for making your biscuits the best ever.
Step by step photograph to help guide you through the more complicated moments . . .
Sweet Things . . . thirteen recipes for delightful little bites like these Fondant Fancies and a whole lot more.
Chapter Three brings us Cakes, sixteen recipes for beautiful cakes, including everyone's favourite the Easy Victoria Sponge . . . there are even some lovely ideas for Birthday Cakes . . .
Chapter four is all about chocolate. Who wouldn't be happy about that? From loaves to puddings to cakes, pots, tarts and spreads. It's total chocolate scrum.
Chapter Five is Teatime . . . how to make that perfect cup of tea, savoury bits, sweet bits and refreshing drinks.
Having tackled the crumpets successfully, I just might be tempted to tackle these iced buns next!
I can't wait for the summer months to try these refreshly looking waters! Yum!
Chapter Six brings us tarts and pies . . . mmmm . . . I love pies me . . . Mince pies (with flaky pastry), Deep Dish Apple Pie, Mini Cornish Pasties . . . fourteen different recipes to satisfy your pie and tart cravings.
The book ends with Ingredient Notes and Kitchen Tips. Always hand.
All in all the book is pure teatime baking delight from beginning to end.
All in all the book is pure teatime baking delight from beginning to end.
Like I said, it really inspired me to try to cook some crumpets for the very first time, and they were so easy and tasty, I just know it will not be the last time.
They came out perfectly!
Filled with lots of holes . . . perfect for catching butter and jam . . . little tunnels of loveliness . . .
Mmmm . . . . Mmmm . . . . good!
*Crumpets*
Makes 8
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until tiny bubbles
appear on the surface of the crumpets.
When the bubbles start to burst,
turn the crumpets over and cook for a further minute.
Remove from the
pan to a low oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve warm with butter and jam.
Many thanks to Lisa and the people at TastePR for sending me this lovely book. I think you should all run out now and get one for yourself. It's a keeper!
Tea & Cake
by Lisa Faulkner
Published by Simon and Schuster
ISBN 978-1-47112-560-7
£20 UK
Tea & Cake
by Lisa Faulkner
Published by Simon and Schuster
ISBN 978-1-47112-560-7
£20 UK
This is an easy Vegetarian dish I have had on my list of things to make for a very long time. I can't even remember where it came from now. I think possibly it was a Pillsbury recipe, but I can't say for sure. In any case it I finally got it made the other day and it wasn't half bad!
We have had some really cold weather these past couple of weeks. I know it is not near as cold as the temperatures you hardy North Americans are used to, but over here in the UK, the temperatures don't have to dip very low before we are freezing. We don't have the heating, insulation and windows that you are used to in North America, and it is a lot damper . . . so when it is cold, it is cold. Cold weather is soup weather and when I cook us a pot of soup, I always like to bake some sort of bread to accompany it. A decent piece of bread can turn even the simplest of soups into a hearty meal!
If there is one thing on a buffet table that is very popular, it has to be Deviled Eggs. I hope you don't think I am bragging when I say this, but . . . I do believe that I make the most delicious Deviled Eggs in the world.
If I had a pound or dollar for every Deviled Egg I have made in my lifetime that was enjoyed by someone, I'd be sitting pretty well at the moment with no financial worries for the rest of my life.
In fact when I worked at the manor, I was under express orders to make sure there was a plate of them in the refrigerator at all times. I am sure they must have missed them when I left.
Here in the UK we are lucky enough to have some of the safest egg standards in the world. British Lion Eggs go above and beyond to make sure that the eggs we are buying meet every guideline for safety.
You can be well assured that if you egg has the Lion stamp on it, it's an egg that has passed very strict safety guidelines.
The British Lion is the UK's most successful food safety mark with nearly 90% of UK eggs now produced within the Lion scheme. You can read how the Lion Code of Practice has effectively eradicated Salmonella in British eggs here.
I can remember being really freaked out when I first moved over here and saw that the eggs in the shops were not refrigerated. Turns out the standards are so high, they don't need to be. (I do refrigerate mine when I get them home however, and you really should as the temperatures in our homes are not the same as those in the shops.)
It goes without saying that when eggs are going to be the star of the recipe you want a really good egg! These Deviled Eggs are the best and they are really simple to make.
You need nothing more than some good eggs, some good mayonnaise, some Dijon mustard and some seasoning. That's it! Simple.
People are often very intimidated when it comes to boiling eggs. I have found through the years that if I follow a few simple rules, they always come out perfectly.
For Soft Boiled Eggs with set whites and runny yolks
Fill a saucepan wit enough water to cover the egg, and heat to a gentle boil. Pierce the large end of the egg with an egg piercer or a needle. (This helps to release any pressure which might crack the shell.) When the water is gently simmering, lower the egg on a tablespoon. Set an egg timer. It will take 3 to 4 minutes for a large egg to be soft boiled. If you are cooking many eggs at the same time, it is helpful to lower them into the water in a wire basket, such as those used for deep frying.
For Medium Boiled Eggs with firm opague whites and soft yolks.
Medium boiled eggs can be shelled and used in place of poached eggs. Fill a saucepan with enough water to cover the egg, and heat to a gentle boil Pierce the large end of the egg with an egg piercer or needle. (See above) When the water is gently boiling, lower the egg on a tablespoon into the pan. Cover the pan and remove from the heat. Let the egg stand for 4 to 5 minutes, depending on how firm you want it to be.
For Hard Boiled Eggs with firm whites and yolks
Pierce the large end of the egg with an egg piercer or needle (see above). Put the egg in a pan and fill it with water. Bring it to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately place the egg into cold water.
NOTE: An over cooked egg will develop a harmless dark ring that isn't as appetizing as the bright yellow yolk.
Also for hard boiled eggs, older eggs are easier to peel. If I know I am going to be needing boiled eggs for something I always get them in well ahead of time. I have tried adding salt and vinegar to the water, which is said to help, but the fact remains that the fresher the egg, the more difficult it will be to peel intact.
In any case I hope you will give my Deviled Egg Recipe a go. I am pretty sure you will like them. At least I hope you will!
*Perfect Deviled Eggs*
Makes 12 servings
Makes 12 servings
If you would like some more Boiled Egg Recipes, please check out the link.
I was sent an Andrew James Egg Boiler to use. It came with a measuring cup to measure the correct amount of water to use in order to get your egg boiled to the right level you require . . . soft, medium or hard.
There is also an egg piercer in the bottom of the cup and you can also use it as a steamer to steam vegetables etc. It has enough space in it to boil up to seven eggs at once. Many thanks to British Lion Eggs for sending it to me!
I came across a peanut butter cookie recipe the other day that looked pretty good, on a blog called Julia's Album . I like puffy peanut butter cookies. I prefer my peanut butter cookies to be a bit soft and chewy rather than hard and crunchy. These looked perfect and not only that, but her recipe only made between 12 and 15 cookies, which is just the perfect amount to have here in this house because we are only two. People that is.
As you know we had the Missionary Elders here for their supper the other night. That's when I made that gorgeous Profiterole Cake.
Today I am going to show you what they had for their main course. A delicious Hamburger and Potato Casserole! They both had seconds!
There are not a lot of ground beef and potato recipes out there when you take Cottage Pie out of the mix. This ground beef and potato casserole is amazingly delicious, I kid you not!
I always figure they get enough roast dinners and so when they come to us I always try to cook them a meal similar to one they might get at home from their mums.
Family type of food. Home cooking at it's best.
This went down a real treat. It's simply potatoes, browned ground beef and cheese layered together with a simple sauce made using tinned condensed soup, sour cream and regular cream.
I know it's a bit of a cheat using tinned soup, but I'm not a tinned soup snob. It has it's uses.
There are not too many tinned soups (except maybe tomato) that I would eat as soup, but they do make great sauces for Casseroles in a pinch!!
And this meat and potato casserole is a wonderful way to use it. I simply serve it with some vegetables on the side, a salad and some crusty bread to mop up all that cheesy sauce. Scrumptiously tasty!
*Beef and Potato Casserole*
Serves 4 to 6
Serves 4 to 6
3 TBS grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Whisk together the soup, onion, cream, sour cream, Parmesan Cheese, garlic powder, seasoning salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Begin to layer the ingredients into the prepared baking dish as follows. One third of the potatoes, half of the meat, 1/3 of the soup, 1/3 of the cheese, one third potatoes, remaining half of meat, 1/3 of the soup, 1/3 of the cheese, remaining potatoes, then remaining soup and cheese.
Cover with a sheet of foil which has been buttered on one side, buttered side down. Place on a baking sheet and bake for one hour in the preheated oven. Uncover and bake for about 30 minutes longer until the potatoes are fork tender and everything is nicely bubbling and golden brown.
Note: If you want
you can add an additional handful of cheddar cheese to the top for the
last half hour of baking. I often do and nobody complains at all!
Delicious!
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If you have a jar of jam in the cupboard you have the makings of quite a few things. Delicious Cookies and Tarts . . . Muffins and Cakes . . . and of course that favourite tea time treat . . . . Bread and Jam!
One of my favourite things to make is my Lemon and Jam Slices . . . but I also love making these delicious Strawberry Macaroon Slices!
They have a rich and buttery cake/shortbread type of base . . . and everyone's favourite . . . coconut macaroon topping . . . with sweet strawberry jam baked into the centre.
They have a rich and buttery cake/shortbread type of base . . . and everyone's favourite . . . coconut macaroon topping . . . with sweet strawberry jam baked into the centre.
Altogether they make for a most delightful teatime treat that everyone loves. Perfect for Elevensies . . . for wrapping up and sticking into lunch boxes . . . enjoying during your afternoon break . . . afterschool with a nice cold glass of milk.
There is no time when they won't go down a real treat!
They're super easy to make and store well. You can also freeze them if you don't think you can have them all eaten up within a few days.
Not a problem really . . . as they probably won't last long enough . . . but if you have any worries that they won't get eaten up right away, freeze away!
They are not the easiest things to photograph, but don't hold that against them.
I think you'll find that once baked these will be sure to become a family favourite!
*Strawberry Macaroon Slices*
Makes 16 servings
Makes 16 servings
Whisk together the egg whites, coconut and sugar for the macaroon topping. Dollop evenly over top to cover the jam. I like to just dollop it in small bits and then spread it gently with a fork.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean and the macaroon topping is golden. Allow to cool completely in the tin before cutting into squares to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.
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