I can remember back in the late 1980's my ex and I went to Toronto one weekend to stay at my ex sister in laws apartment. She lived in a fabulous place downtown on Young Street. It was a wonderful apartment and I believe that Lloyd Robertson lived in the same apartment. (A famous Canadian Newscaster of the day.) There was a gym and a spa in the building . . . but most special of all, there was a fabulous coffee shop downstairs on the ground floor.



That was back in the day when I drank coffee. I remember how wonderful this all seemed to me . . . a coffee shop on the ground floor. When you walked into it your nose filled with the most delicious scents . . . fresh ground coffee . . . freshly baked cakes and rolls . . . it was all pretty special and eye opening to this little country gal.



I remember seeing a jar on the countertop that was filled with these fabulous looking biscuits called Biscotti. Oh how exotic they sounded. They were really expensive . . . but we ended up buying one for me to try. It was lovely . . . crunchy and almondy with just the merest hint of citrus . . . orange I believe . . . it was love at first bite.



I have loved biscotti ever since. That was also the first time I ever had a cappuccino as well . . . oh what a sheltered life I had led up to that point!!



I baked some fabulous biscotti this afternoon . . . just for a treat. These are wonderful . . . flavoured with vanilla and cardamom . . .



. . . and stogged full of dried blueberries, white chocolate, and chopped toasted hazelnuts. Very scrumptious indeed! They're crisp and crunchy, but not dry. In short . . . they're perfect.



And not so hard to make as you would think. Trust me on this. If I can make them . . . anyone can. Tis true . . .



*Blueberry & Hazelnut Biscotti*
Makes 25
Printable Recipe

Crisp and moreishly filled with lovely dried blueberries and sweet lumps of white chocolate. Lightly spiced with ground cardamom, these go down a real treat.

115g of unsalted butter, softened (1/2 cup)
125g of golden caster sugar (2/3 cup, superfine sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature and lightly beaten
275g of plain flour (2 3/4 cup)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g of dried blueberries (2/3 cup)
100g of finely chopped chopped Hazelnuts (a generous half cup)
100g of white chocolate chips (generous half cup)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line two large baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside.

Beat the softened butter, and sugar together with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, beating them in a little bit at a time, so that the mixture doesn't curdle. Stir in the vanilla. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and ground cardamom. Stir this into the creamed mixture using a wooden spoon. Stir in the dried berries, toasted nuts and white chocolate chips. Work in evenly.

Tip the mixture out onto a lightly floured board, Dust your hands with flour. Divide the dough in half and then shape each half into a rectangle. Transfer one half to one each of the baking sheets. Using your hands, lightly pat each out to a rectangle about 4 inches by 110 inches in size, squaring off the edges.

Bake for 25 minutes in the heated oven, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. REmove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes, before using a very sharp knife to cut each log crosswise into 12 equal slices, each about 1/2 inch thick. Gently tip the slices over so that they are resting on the cut edges, and leaving some space between each. You may need to carefully slide some slices around to the edges of the pan. Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes, until just beginning to colour. Remove the pans to wire racks and allow the biscotti to cool completely on the pans. Once they have cooled they will be less fragile and can be stored in an airtight container.

 

 I found this recipe the other dayon the Boy Who Bakes site. Edd Kimber is the boy who bakes. He was the winner of Britain's Great British Bake Off a few years back.  

The recipe looked really good and I wanted to use my cookie letter stamp thingie again. (Yes, I am like a child with a new toy!)

 

   

They were really easy to make. You just tip everything into the food processor and blitz until the dough starts to come together. 

 

I like easy. Don't you??  If you haven't sussed it out by now, I can sometimes be rather lazy!  Easy works for me! 

The cookies are a lot more like a shortbread biscuit than they are like real custard cream cookies. I found them to be not quite as crunchy.

 

But, having said that, they were still moreishly good!!  Moreishly good also works well for me! 

  

These are buttery short biscuits, with a crumbly texture. They are also lightly flavoured with custard powder, and then filled with a custard flavoured buttercream icing.   

If you are in Canada you can buy custard powder in your grocery stores.  The most common brand is Bird's Custard powder. If you are in American it can easily be found on Amazon. 

  

These are perfect with a hot cuppa for your Elevensies! Elevensies is what they call a coffee-break over here in the UK, generally speaking, it happens about 11 am.

  They are aso quite enjoyable wih an ice cold glass of milk. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate . . . 

  Oh by heck . . . these would probably be pretty scrummy with just about anything! 

 Why not enjoy them with a bowl of ice cream for a special dessert?  You can never go wrong with some of these in the cookie jar!

   

 

You can check out Edd's original recipe here. 

  

 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again! 

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I got myself another baking book the other day. (Don't roll your eyes!) I know . . . I didn't really need one, but this one looked really yummy, the price was right and I am a sucker for any Australian Women's Weekly cookery book. They are that good! Seriously.



I was not disappointed with this one either. It arrived yesterday and then I went to bed with it last night. (Sorry Todd! I often go to bed with cookery books.) I devoured each and every page. The pictures are fabulous and the recipes all look really scrummy, but then it is called The Cake Stall. Scrumminess is to be expected!



I decided to bake these cookies today. They immediately grabbed my attention. We love jam in this house and if we can have it stogged into the middle of cakes or with cookies, we are in seventh heaven!



The original cookies look so pretty . . . with raspberry jam petals and apricot jam centres . . . but I wanted to use up the rest of my blueberry jam and some lemon curd that I had. Blueberries and lemon go very well together, and so that's what I did.



They may not be as pretty as the others . . . but what they lack in looks they more than make up for in flavour . . . buttery almondy short biscuits with the flavours of lemon curd and blueberry jam . . . ohhhh so luverly!!



Really! (I got my book from Amazon.uk. It has a hard cover like a real cookbook and was a lot cheaper than the cover price.)



*Jam Drops*
Makes 24

Very pretty cookies, resembling flowers with jam petals! You can use whatever kind of jams you wish. I have even used lemon and lime curds with success.

125g of butter, softened (1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
110g of caster sugar (1/2 cup)
120g of ground almonds (1 cup)
1 large free range egg
150g plain flour (1 cup) sifted
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
110g of raspberry jam (1/2 cup) for petals
2 TBS apricot jam for centres

Preheat the oven to 180*C/.350*F/ gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside.

Cream together the butter, vanilla, sugar and ground almonds until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and lemon zest. Stir in the flour to make a soft dough. Shape heaped TBS of the dough into round balls and place them onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches in between for spreading. Flatten them slightly with your hands. Using the end of a wooden spoon make six indentations into the biscuits. (One in the centre and five around the outside.) Fill each hole with a little jam using raspberry jam for the petals and apricot for the centres. (Don't be tempted to over fill them. It will run over when they are baking and create a mess.)

Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly golden brown on the bottoms and nicely set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on wire racks completely before eating. Store in an airtight container.

I love this book, there are tasty sections such as The Lemonade Stand, Gifts for Mum, Treats for the Kids, Tis the Season, Grandma's Kitchen and Jams and Preserves, as well as the usual glossary, conversion charts and index. Some other recipes includePassionfruit Buttermilk Cake, Chocolate Freckle Slices, Fig Mince Pies, Crunchy Bubble Bars, Apple Cinnamon Tea Loaves, Date and Walnut Rolls and many, many more, all triple tested Good old fashioned flavour that can never be replaced by a packet. £10.53 from Amazon.



Over in The Cottage Today some delicious Easy Peasy White Batter Rolls!

Considered to be one of Cumbria's most popular village, Grasmere sits about halfway down the ambleside area of Lake Windemere. (The most popular of the Lakes in the Lake District.) This is due in large part to the fact that the writer William Wordsworth lived here from 1779 to 1850. It was also sometimes the home of Coleridge and Thomas de Quincy.



There is a lovely museum there where you can read their works and see photos etc. You can also visit Dove Cottage where Wordsworth lived with his sister Dorothy. A very worthwhile place to visit as well.



Another thing that Grasmere is famous for, and maybe even more famous for than it's Wordsworth connections is that it is the place that Grasmere Gingerbread is made! (Since the 1850's) The shop that makes it is tucked into a corner of the churchyard where Wordsworth now sleeps, and unmistakingly surrounded by the delicious smell of baking gingerbread.



The recipe, of course, is a very close held secret, but there are a few versions about, all claiming to be as good as the orignal. Jamie Oliver has a version here. (It looks very, very good too, I might add.) I also found another recipe on the BBC Good Food site, which I have adapted to American ingredients and measurements below.



In any case, this was my first opportunity to try out the Gingerbread, having come up here on some threee separate occasions now, and I can say . . . unequivically, without a doubt, it is some of the best Gingerbread I have ever eaten. Somewhere between a gingerbread cookie and a cake . . . it's quite unsual and quite, QUITE delicious! (I have not baked this recipe, but the picture on the BBC Good Food page looked very delicious and quite close to the original!)



*Grasmere Gingerbread*
Makes 12 slices
Printable Recipe

Adapted from a recipe on BBC Good Food.


First mix:
95g shortbread biscuits (generous 1 1/2 cups)
95g oatcake biscuits (generous 1 1/2 cups)
30g soft light brown sugar (2 1/2 TBS packed)
4ml of ground ginger (about 3/4 tsp)

Second mix:
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground allspice
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
40g mixed peel
35g crystallised Ginger (minced)(2 1/2 TBS)
40g oat flour (porrige oats put through a coffee grinder)(1/2 cup)

Toffee Mix:
55g golden syrup
30g treacle
(In North America use a scant 4 TBS of mild molasses instead
of the syrup and treacle)
70g soft light brown sugar (Generous 1/3 cup packed)
55g butter (1/4 cup)

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Grease a 7x11 inch baking tin. Set aside.

Put the "First Mix" ingredients into a food processor, and blend to a fairly fine crumb. Remove 40g of this, and put in a small bowl (to be used after the baking stage). Put the remainder into a large bowl.

Add the "Second Mix" ingredients to the large bowl. Mix in.

Put the "Toffee Mix" ingredients into a small pan. Slowly bring to boil while stirring. Using a thermometer, slowly heat until the boiling point reaches 119*C. (This temperature is quite critical.) Add this hot liquid mix to the large bowl, and mix in thoroughly. Pour this mix into the baking tin, and smooth down firmly. Bake near the middle of the oven for 15 minutes.

Spread the reserved mixture evenly onto the hot ginger slice, and press down gently. Leave to cool completely and then cut into slices. Enjoy!



If you'd like to read a little bit more about our holiday and see a video I took of the Cumbrian Fells, do hop on over to the Cottage to see more!

I've been doing the happy dance these past couple of weeks because it is strawberry season over here. It's been a bit early this year, due to the warm and sunny April we had, and right about now the shops are absolutely bursting with oodles and oodles of those lovely gorgeously sweet English berries!!!



English Strawberries and Asparagus are the BEST in the world. I know . . . I've not really tasted strawberries ALL over the world, but when I take into consideration all the ones I have tasted . . . I'm putting my money on English Berries . . . so sweet and juicy and . . . well . . . strawberry-ee!!



You cannot beat a fresh English berry, ripe and still warm from the sun, with straw still clinging to it . . . no sugar needed, the fruit tastes fabulous just as it is. We are so blessed to have some in our garden, and whilst there are not enough to satisfy my total indulgences at this time of year . . . there are certainly enough there for Todd and I to enjoy a handful or two, fresh from their canes and warm from the sun.



I thought I would make some delicious Strawberry Shortcake Rock Cakes with some that I picked up yesterday at the shops, for only 99p a punnet!

What is a rock cake??? It is like a cross between a cookie and a scone. Crisp on the edges, softly indulgent and rich on the insides, they are Harry Potter's favourite thing. Ordinary ones, stogged full of raisins, cherries and dried fruit are really scrummy, but I thought I would try some filled with chopped berries.



Oh my, what a tasty idea that was! These are wonderfully fruity and soft and crunchy from the sugar sprinkled on top before baking. Two of these, warm from the oven with a nice cold glass of milk went down a real treat.



Only one thing you need to know. Rock Cakes always taste best on the day they are baked . . . so you'll need to eat them up quickly.

So NOT a problem!



*Strawberry Shortcake Rock Cakes*
Makes about 3 dozen
Printable Recipe

Tender, sweet and chock full of sweet strawberries! As with any rock cake, they are best eaten on the day, but will keep in an airtight container for up to one day.

12 ounces fresh strawberries cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 2 cups)
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
9 TBS granulated sugar, divided
280g plain flour (2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine seasalt
6 TBS cold butter, cut into small bits
140ml double cream (about 2/3 cup)
demerara sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Stir together the diced berries, lemon juice and 2 TBS of the sugar. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Drop in the butter and then rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the cream just until the dough begins to come together and then fold in the berry mixture until combined.

Drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets by heaped tablespoons, leaving some space between each one. Sprinkle with some demerara sugar.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen and golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before eating. Your family will love you.

At first glance these don't seem very remarkable . . . do they? Rather plain looking even . . .



One might even be tempted to quibble as to the fact that they be called buns . . . they don't look much like buns after all . . . except that they are somewhat round and perhaps a bit puffy . . .



They look more like a cookie actually, and rather an ordinary looking one at that!

Except for that light dusting of caster sugar scattered across their buttery looking tops . . .




I dare to suggest that they be a little nibble that would make a wonderfully elevenses snack served up with a nice cup of something hot to dunk them in . . . or an afterschool teatime treat, with a tall glass of cold milk . . . again . . . for dunking.



Dare to break one in half though, and you'll soon see that they are anything but ordinary! Oh what a sweet surprise lurks beneath that buttery crust!



Oh how scrummily delish! Crisp and buttery on the outside and sweet and fruity on the insides. Oh my . . . these are good . . . very . . . very . . . good! I'd even hazard to say that they are scrumdiddlyumptiously moreishly addictive!

I bet you can't eat just one!

Go on . . . have a bite. You know you want to!



*Rasberry Buns*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

A deliciously buttery teatime treat, just stogged full of raspberry jam!

225g of self raising flour (1 1/2 cups plus 2 TBS)
1 tsp baking powder
75g of butter (a scant 1/3 cup)
75g of caster sugar (1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 TBS)
1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
a little milk
raspberry jam

To glaze:
a little extra milk
a little extra sugar

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a large baking tray. Set aside.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Drop in the butter and then rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips, rubbing until the mixture resembles dry bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar. Beat the egg and stir it into the flour mixture with a fork, along with just enough milk to make a soft dough. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball. Flatten the ball and place a dab of jam in the middle of each. Bring the edges of the dough up around the jam to cover it completely enclosing it. Flatten slightly and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Brush each with a bit of milk and sprinkle with more sugar.

Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Scoop off onto a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before tucking in as hot jam can really give you a nasty burn!

One thing that I have enjoyed since moving over here to the UK, is learning about and how to cook traditional dishes from all over this wonderful land. There is a wonderful variety of recipes available and most are steeped in wonderful history and tradition.

I just love learning the traditions and histories of different food stuffs, don't you?



Over here in the UK they call cookies biscuits and there are many delicious and scrummy regional varieties.



Like these Cornish Fairings . . . a sweet and gingery biscuit commonly found in Cornwall. Their name is said to have orginated due to their having been sold at feeast and fair days down in Cornwall. A 'fairing' is basically any type of gift bought at a fair, edible or otherwise!

Most town or village fairs over here have a certain type of food attributed to them and more often than they are spicy things . . . probably going back to Medieval times when spices were greatly loved and widely used.



According to Wikepedia, this particular recipe is reputed to have originated at the "maid hiring" fair, held the week after Christmas in Launceston.

Whatever their origin, they are quite tasty! Kind of like a spicy gingernut biscuit, but with added little bits of candied mixed peel.

Very easy to make, quick to bake and really scrummy with a hot cup of tea, herbal or otherwise I am sure!



*Cornish Fairings*
Makes 20
Printable Recipe

A traditional biscuit from the West Country. Sweet and spicy, with the added surprise of chopped mixed peel. Using two sources of raising agents makes the biscuits crack. Scrummy!!

100g plain flour (about 3/4 cup)
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp mixed spice
40g of caster sugar (about 1/4 cup)
50g of unsalted butter, chilled and diced ( 3 1/2 TBS)
1 TBS very finely diced mixed peel
3 TBS golden syrup

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter several baking sheets and set aside.

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl along with the salt, baking powder, soda, ginger and mixed spice. Stir in the sugar. Drop in the butter and rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the mixed peel and then the golden syrup, mixing it all to a stiff dough.

Using your hands, roll the dough into 20 marble sized balls. Place them well apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 7 minutes until golden brown and cracked on top. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before scooping off to finish cooling on a wire rack. Let cool completely and then store in an airtight container.