Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Hooray for British Strawberry Season which is just beginning! I try hard not to eat strawberries at any other time of the year. They are always hugely disappointing when compared to British berries in season!
We do grow our own in the garden, but they are nowhere near ready yet. Those are THE best really . . . eaten while the warmth of the summer sunshine is still held in their sweet ruby flesh . . .
We have had beautiful warm weather this past week, almost like a teasing taste of summer to come. We have had to have the fan on in the bedroom so that we can sleep and we brought the big one into the lounge today . . .
There is something about these warmer temperatures that compel you to eat lighter . . . and there is nothing lighter than this fresh dessert, which highlights and makes the best of these early summer berries.
The berries are macerated in a mix of Grand Marnier and orange juice, but don't worry . . . if you don't use alcohol (and we don't without cooking it first) you can feel free to use all orange juice. They are still delicious.
The mousse is light and sweet . . . using white chocolate which goes so well with the berries. Because the egg whites are not cooked be sure to use a pasteurised egg white if you are feeding the young or the elderly, just in case . . .
I think our eggs are pretty safe these days, but with Todd's health and age, I never want to take any chances, so I use the pastuerised ones that you can get in the chiller section of the shops. (Over here they are called Two Chicks.) They are great for Pavlovas and all sorts.
In any case if you are looking for a lovely fresh dessert this weekend that is simple and easy to make and oh so delicious, look no further. This fits the bill on all accounts!
*White Chocolate Mousse with Strawberries*
Serves 4100g good quality white chocolate (3 1/2 ounces)
Oh, I do so love a good Caesar Salad, but more often than not, unless I make it myself, I am always always disappointed. Limp lettuce. Stale croutons. Too much dressing. I don't understand why most restaurants get it so wrong, when it is such a simple thing. I refuse to pay a small fortune (and they charge a small fortune) for something which is so poorly executed, but no matter. I just make my own at home, and then I am always, always happy with it.
Our soft fruit is going great guns in the garden at the moment. It all seems to be ripening at once. We have never gotten so many strawberries as the bumper crop we are enjoying this year!
We moved them into large pots on the patio, which seems to have agreed with them. Trust me when I say that I am not complaining!
With so much coming at once however, it can be somewhat of a challenge to use it. At present I am drying strawberries, raspberries and black currants in our food dehydrator, and I have frozen bags of them as well.
With so much coming at once however, it can be somewhat of a challenge to use it. At present I am drying strawberries, raspberries and black currants in our food dehydrator, and I have frozen bags of them as well.
This weekend I decided to make a summer fruit cordial with some of them . . . something delicious for us to remember summer with in the colder months ahead. The nice ones that you can buy in the shops are so very expensive . . . I thought it would be nice to make some of our very own.
A Cordial is a thick syrupy fruit drink, very concentrated. It can be drunk on it's own in small quantities, or mixed with sparkling water and poured over ice for a refreshing drink. You can also make an alcoholic cordial.
If you are familiar with the Anne of Green Gables story, you will remember that on a lovely October day Anne invited her friend Diana over for tea in the afternoon.
Marilla had told her they could have the raspberry cordial that was leftover from the church social. Anne took the wrong bottle and the pair proceeded to get very drunk!
Mine is not of the alcoholic variety! (Although you could probably use it to make a cocktail with if you were so inclined!)
It is sweet and delicious . . . and not so hard to make as one should suppose! Truly!! It tastes fabulous diluted with sparkling water and poured over ice on a nice summer day!
Deliciously refreshing I would say! It went down a real treat today!
It's also delicious served straight up in a small cordial or liqueur glass. I can see us enjoying it this way when the winter winds begin to blow . . . oh, but it would make a lovely dessert sauce as well.
It also makes the perfect hostess gift, decanted into a pretty glass container, for all of those summer parties and barbeques you are going to be invited to this summer!
I hope you will give it a try! You will just LOVE it!
*Summer Berry Cordial*
Makes 1 scant litre
This
is a delicious drink that will be lovely in the months to come. A
little taste of summer. You can drink it full strength, or dilute it
with some sparkling water and serve over ice, for a refreshing summer
drink.
Bring slowly to the boil over medium low heat.. Simmer on low
heat for about 20 minutes, or until the fruit is very pulpy. Remove
from the heat.
Place a large fine meshed strainer over a deep bowl. Carefully pour the fruit and all of the liquid into the strainer. Cover with a clean cloth and leave to drain overnight.
Place a large fine meshed strainer over a deep bowl. Carefully pour the fruit and all of the liquid into the strainer. Cover with a clean cloth and leave to drain overnight.
The
next morning remove the strainer and discard any pulp inside. Pour the
juices into a clean pot. Add the sugar. Heat over low heat, stirring
constantly until all of the sugar is dissolved.
Pour immediately into
warm sterile bottles. Leave a 1/3 inch gap at the top. Seal and store
in a cool dark place or the refrigerator for up to 6 months.
I made us a deliciously light supper tonight of some golden, tender and moist . . . lightly sauteed chicken breasts and a fabulous avocado and tomato salad! It is a recipe meant to feed only two, but could very easily be doubled if you have more to feed, but you might want to use two skillets for sauteeing the chicken. Easy peasy.
These Chicken Caesar Wraps make a really lovely and quick light supper or lunch for those days that its just to hot to cook, or when you are lacking in time and inspiration. Wit a bit of salad on the side, you have a delicious meal that is really very simple to make.
If you are looking for a really quick, simple and adaptable dessert this summer look no further! 10-Second Cheesecakes fit the bill on all counts!
Quintessentially British, these recipes will help Wimbleton tennis fans across the UK to celebrate the grand slam in style, with some indulgent sweet treats. Who needs strawberries and cream when you have cake and pavlova?
I am a great fan of Mediterranean flavours . . . oregano, feta cheese, olives, lemons, tomatoes, cucumbers . . . coriander. Greek salad. Yum! Yum!
I was in the mood for something quick and easy the other night and so I threw together these delicious foil packets, BBQ Chicken Packets. So simple to make and so tasty when done! You can either cook them in the oven or on the BBQ. Its all up to you!
I found that I had quite a few sweet potatoes and white potatoes in the potato bin the other day and I thought to myself why not make a potato salad using both of them and this is what I came up with. Honey Mustard Two Potato Salad! It was delicious!
I picked up some lovely flat peaches at the shops at the weekend, and they weren't too hard, and not mealy. They were just right. We had a couple just eaten out of hand and then I used several to make this delicious salad which we enjoyed for lunch!
Hooray for the warmer weather and salad season. Salad cream is an ingredient which is used frequently over here in the UK, and quite traditional when it comes to salads. You can buy it in jars and bottles at the shops.
More often than not if you eat out in a medium priced restaurant, salad cream will be the only salad dressing on offer. It also comes in little packets like the ketchup and vinegar and brown sauces.
I often use it in Potato Salads, and coleslaw types of salads. It is a lot tangier than mayonnaise and adds a really special touch.
It can be somewhat difficult to find in North America however and so today I am showing you how you can very easily make your own. In all truth, I like the homemade salad cream much better than the storebought variety, but that is often the case with most things.
Its very simple to make actually. I am betting you most likely have everything in your house right now that you need to use to make some for yourself.
It uses very simple ingredients. A bit of flour, white sugar, dry mustard powder, eggs and white wine vinegar, whisked together and cooked over simmering water.
You might be surprise to know that there is actually real cream in it. There is nothing artificial here! It gets whisked into the thickened mixture after cooling it. A bit of lemon juice and some seasoning and Bob's your Uncle!
You have the perfect mixture for all of your summer salad needs! It will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator and makes about 1 1/4 cups. So no waste here either.
*Home-made Salad Cream*
Makes about 10 ounces or 1 1/4cup (will last 1 to 2 weeks)
This
is delicious. Perfect for drizzling over salads or using in potato and
pasta salads, sandwiches, etc. It is a bit tarter than mayonnaise.
And just to whet your whistle and let you know that it won't be a waste once you have it made, here are some of my recipes which use it.
All of them are delicious and will serve to help you use up some of that delicous salad cream you have made.
Creamy Macaroni Salad
As an adult I have come to love pasta salads, and none better than plain old macaroni salad. There is so much you can do with it. Macaroni is the perfect canvas on which to play with your favourite flavour combinations.
This salad is a combination of what I think are the best elements of any macaroni salad I have ever eaten. Simple and delicious.
Mom's Potato Salad
Some people add too much to their potato salad . . . it's like a free-for-all of potato and colour. I don't think chopped peppers and the like add anything much to it . . . nor do olives.
When it comes to a great potato salad . . . simple is the best of all. Just like mom's. And sorry folks, my mom's was the best potato salad ever. Oh how I miss her.
Baked Potato Salad
Baked Potato salad has always been one of my favourite types of potato salad. I have a tried and true recipe that I have been making for years and years. It's very good and everyone I make it for just loves it.
It's quite, quite delicious . . . but then you would expect a salad loaded with mayo, sour cream, cheese and bacon to be rather scrummy wouldn't you! This is a lightened up version. You can find my original full fat recipe here.
Creamy Potato Gnocchi Salad.
I am of the opinion that you can treat gnocchi in just about the same way as you would treat a boiled potato, or any other type of pasta. I love to stretch boundaries of cooking.
I thought I would try turning it into a type of potato salad, except it would be a gnocchi salad, a creamy Potato Gnocchi Salad. It totally worked!
Enjoy!
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