Showing posts with label jam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jam. Show all posts
I found myself with half a loaf of stale white bread this week. I had bought it to make sandwiches with the other day and it didn't get all used up. I don't like waste so I thought I would make one of Todd's favourite desserts. Bread and Butter Pudding. He doesn't get it very often because most of the time we use whole wheat bread with a bit of rye in it and that doesn't translate very well into a bread and butter pudding. Although having said that I have never really tried. Food for thought there folks, food for thought . . .
I think Bread and Butter Pudding has to be one of the easiest puddings to make. If you can butter bread, you can make bread and butter pudding!
You want your bread to be quite stale. (NOT moldy.) If it is a tiny bit dry, so much the better. That allows it to soak up the custard better.
Of course you can make it just with slices of buttered bread, but why not add something special and make it with buttered jam sandwiches . . . apricot jam sandwiches!!
Having said that any jam would work. Strawberry. Raspberry. Black currant. Blueberry. Cherry. Apricot is especially fine however, plus you have the added bonus of it not dying your pudding an un-godly freakish grey colour.
Other than the setting time for the custard to soak into the bread, it goes together really quickly and is delicious served slightly warm with lashings of double cream. Rich. Delicious. The perfect pud to spoil a husband with on a rainy day.
*Apricot Bread & Butter Pudding*
Serves 4
Serves 4
A delicious bread and butter pudding with the added twist of a layer of sweet apricot jam.
2 TBS softened butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
8 thin slices of sturdy white bread (stale is best)
good quality apricot jam
the grated zest of one lemon
330ml whole milk (1 1/3 cup)
60ml double cream (1/4 cup)
2 large free range eggs
30g caster sugar (2 1/2 TBS)
freshly grated nutmeg
demerara sugar for sprinkling
Butter a 2 pint pie dish with butter. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4.
Trim the crusts off of the bread and butter each slice on one side. Spread half of the slices thickly with some apricot jam, on the unbuttered side. Put together with the other half of the slices like little jam sandwiches, with the buttered sides showing on the outside of each. Cut each sandwich in half diagonally and then place into the prepared dish.
Place the milk in a pan over low heat. Add the lemon zest. Scald. (Heat just until you see bubbles appearing around the edges. Do not let it boil.) Whisk in the cream.
Break the eggs into a bowl, add the sugar and beat together well. Whisk in the heated milk slowly. Strain the resulting custard into a beaker, then pour this custard over the bread mixture. Let stand for about 30 minutes so that it is absorbed somewhat. Sprinkle with some freshly grated nutmeg and a dusting of demerara sugar.
Place into the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the custard has set and the top is a golden brown. Serve warm.
You know, I really believe that it is the simple things in life which bring us the most joy, don't you? Bon Appetit!
Note - I did dust it with a bit of icing sugar for photography purposes. Its not really necessary to do that.
Delicious Cherry Granola Breakfast Buns.
A drop type of scone, all short and buttery . . . each crumbly buttery
mound filled with delicious cherry preserves and topped with some
crunchy granola.
Baked until golden brown and then glazed with a
delicious vanilla icing drizzle.
Oh so good! Sweet and savoury at the same time, with some crunch and meltingly buttery goodness.
What's not to like??
Oh, and did I remember to tell you that they are quick as a wink to
make, easy and you can have them on the table in about 20 minutes???
Well . . . You can! Go on . . . what you waiting for??? Your family will thank you for them!
*Cherry Granola Breakfast Buns*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe
Buttery drop scones, filled with cherry preserves and granola crumbles, and then glazed with a delicious vanilla drizzle. Yummo!
280g plain flour (2 cups)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 TBS caster sugar
3/4 tsp salt
8 TBS butter, melted
225ml of cold buttermilk (1 cup)
cherry fruit preserves
1 crisp granola bar crumbled (I used Nature's Valley honey and oat)
to glaze:
2 heaped dessertspoons of icing sugar
milk
vanilla
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, soda, salt and sugar. Stir together the melted butter and cold buttermilk. Stir this into the flour mixture. You should have a somewhat sticky dough of dropping consistency. Drop this mixture by heaped tablespoonful's onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space inbetween for spreading. You should get 12 mounds.
Using the back of a wet teaspoon, make a shallow hollow in the centre of each. Drop a scant teaspoon of cherry preserves into each hollow. Sprinkle some of the crumbled granola bar over each.
Bake for about 15 minutes, until browned on the bottoms and golden on the tops. Remove from the oven. Allow them to cool for a few minutes.
Whisk together the icing sugar along with a few drops of milk and vanilla, to make a drizzable consistency glaze. Drizzle over top of the breakfast buns. Serve while still warm. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Reheat briefly in the microwave before serving. (Not too long as you don't want the jam to get too hot, about 15 to 20 seconds should do the trick.)
These are the perfect thing to bake for your sweetheart (s) this month, don't you think? Bon Appetit!
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@aol.com
I didn't think I was going to have time to do anything heart shaped this Valentines Day as my days have been so busy, but I did have a chance today to do these little Lemon & Berry Hand Pies for my Todd. He does love a jam tart and he really enjoyed these!
One thing that Todd and I are both really crazy about is Jam. We eat a lot of it here. I use it for baking and all sorts, and sometimes when we are both feeling really lazy we have nothing but bread and jam for a light supper. We both really enjoy it and it feels like a real treat. Especially if I have some crusty or homemade bread in the house!
I think my youngest son had to be the pickiest eater ever born. The youngest of five he took on, not only all of his own food dislikes, but also the food dislikes of his older brothers and sisters. Getting him to eat was somewhat of a nightmare. He went through periods of time where he would only eat hot dogs . . . and then mashed potatoes . . . peanut butter sandwiches . . . corn and rice. I used to really despair of him ever growing up to be healthy . . . thankfully my fears were for naught and he is now a pretty healthy eater and normal in every way!
He used to love pizza pockets and those Pillsbury Toaster Strudels. I think he practically lived off them for a time. I do confess that I kinda liked them too . . . but only in a lazy, "I can't be asked to cook and yet I am starving" kind of a way. I only mention this because these delicious Easy Cheese Danishes I am showing you here today almost remind me of those toaster strudels, except . . . of course they are better. Because you make them yourself.
And oh how very easy they are to make. With just a bit of ready roll puff pastry, some cream cheese, a few store cupboard essentials and some jam . . . and less than half an hour later you can be munching on one of these very delicious pastries.
You can use whatever kind of jam you want . . . I have a penchant for strawberry and cherry . . . today I used blueberry because I didn't have any cherry . . . apricot would be very tasty as well. Just pick your favourite flavour! mmmmm ..... plum preserves would be gorgeous.
It's as simple as cutting your puff pastry into rectangles, dolloping on a simple to make cream cheese filling . . . swirling it with a bit of jam and baking. Oh . . . there are a few other little steps in there as well, but nothing too complicated. I hope you'll give them a go and that you enjoy them as much as we do! I do like to pull out the stops at the weekend and make us a breakfast treat now and again! I haven't had any complaints yet!
*Easy Fruit and Cheese Danish*
Makes eight
Makes eight
Bake for 13 to 14 minutes, until golden brown on the edges and nicely risen. Remove from the oven and lift off carefully onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the pastries are cold, whisk together the icing sugar and enough lemon juice to make a thickish drizzle. Using a spoon, drizzle some of this decoratively over each pastry. Allow to set and then serve.
I confess to being rather lazy at times. That's why I just love strips cookies. You know the kind I mean? You shape them into two flat logs on a baking sheet, create a dip in the middle and then fill that dip with something scrummy and bake.
The magic happens when you take them out of the oven and slice them into diagonals . . . what once was two becomes two dozen. Bingo! No fuss. No muss. It's as simple as cutting them with a knife. Quick as a wink.
I just adore this chocolate and cherry version . . . with it's rich chocolate dough and it's sweet Morello Cherry Jam filling. So delicious! I just adore jam . . . especially if it is in, on or around biscuits and cakes. tarts . . . toast, scones . . . I just adore jam full stop.
These have the added scrumminess of a white chocolate drizzle over top. Soooo good. Love, Love, LOVE white chocolate too!
Altogether, these were quite scrumptious. I hope you will give them a try. Resistance is futile. You will fall in love. I promise.
*Chocolate and Cherry Diagonals*
Makes 4 dozen
Printable Recipe
Scrummy chocolate cookies, stogged full of chocolate chips, cherry preserves and a drizzle of white chocolate. Very quick and easy to make!
280g plain flour (2 cups)
2 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder (not drink mix) (1/2 cup), sifted
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
150g of caster sugar (3/4 cup)
85g of soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
6 ounces butter, softened (3/4 cup)
2 large free range eggs
12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
about 6 TBS Morello cherry preserves
To drizzle:
4 ounces white chocolate, cut into bits
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line two large baking sheets with baking parchent. Butter the parchment lightly. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Sift together the flour, salt, cocoa powder, and soda. Stir this into the creamed mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Shape the dough into 4 (12 inch) long logs on the baking sheets, leaving lots of space in between them for spreading. Using your thumb, make a shallow trough down the middle of each. Spoon the cherry preserves into the troughs.
Bake for 14 to 18 minutes in the heated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the centre of one of the logs comes out clean.
Remove the baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely.
Carefully melt the white chocolate in a bowl over simmering water. (Don't allow the water to touch the bottom of the bowl, not to get into the chocolate or it will seize.) Drizzle this over the cooked cookie logs. Allow to set completely before proceeding.
Once completely cooled and the white chocolate has set, cut the logs diagonally into 1 inch wide strips. Store in an airtight container.
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