Some days you just want to bury your face into an indulgent fruity dessert, but having no fruity fruit to hand, you make do with what you do have . . . and today it was bananas.
We always have bananas in this house, them being one of the Toddsters favourite snacks . . . the fact that they are loaded with potassium and good for you not withstanding . . .
I've never been overly fond of raw banana, unless they are sliced on top of my rice crispies, or in a banana cream pie. I do love a Banoffee Pie also . . . a quintessentially British Dessert, composed of Bananas and caramel in a buttery digestive crust and topped with whipped cream!
I suppose it is a British version of Banana Cream, but in true British fashion . . . over the top! ☺ In a very tasty way.
This recipe today is a play on a traditional British indulgence known as Eton Mess . . . a dessert composed of red berries, whipped cream and crushed meringues, all folded together into a . . . well a splodgy mess which is oh so delicious!
In doing some research just now to tell you where the name Eton Mess came from, I have discovered that they have also been known to use Bananas in this indulgent dessert, so I may not be as innovative as I thought I was!
In any case allow me to present Banoffee Mess . . . an indulgent dessert composed of whipped cream, crushed meringues, sliced bananas, toasted pecan nuts and a delicious toffee sauce . . . all moreishly folded together.
Light. Delicious. Satisfying for the sweet tooth. Easy and quick to throw together. Need I say more? Dig in!
Pour the cream into a large chilled bowl. Whip just until soft peaks form. (Don't be tempted to over whip) Crumble in the meringue nests, then gently fold in the sliced bananas. Swirl in the toffee sauce. Divide the mixture between six dessert dishes and then scatter over the toasted pecans and drizzle with a little more toffee sauce. Delicious!
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!
.jpg "Sausage Rolls")
.jpg "Sausage Rolls")
.jpg "Sausage Rolls")
Sausage Rolls
Ingredients
- 500g sausage meat,coarse ground (a generous pound)
- 1 large onion,peeled and finely chopped
- 1 large free range egg, beaten and divided
- 90g of fine dry bread crumbs (3/4 cup)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 500g of ready made ready roll puff pastry (a generous pound)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment.
- Place the sausage meat in a bowl. Add 1/2 of the beaten egg, the onions and the bread crumbs. Mix well together with your hands to combine.
- Roll the pastry out just a tiny bit thinner than it comes out of the package. Cut into three equal strips, crosswise. Divide the sausage meat into thirds.
- Shape each third into a log the length of the strip of pastry, by rolling it between your hands a bit. Place it down the centre of the pastry strip. Brush one long edge of each pastry strip with some of the remaining beaten egg.
- Roll the pastry up over the meat to cover, allowing it to overlap. Press gently closed, turn over and flatten slightly with your hands. Cut each strip into four evenly sized pieces.
- Place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining beaten egg and then snip a couple of times with a pair of kitchen scissors to vent.
- Cook in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Delicious!
When I was growing up my mother used to treat us every now and again to a steak supper called Swiss Steak. It was delicious and one of my father's favourite meals. Easy to do . . . it involved beating tougher cuts of steak to tenderize them, browning them and then braising them in a mix of tinned tomatoes and onions. When I had my own family, I added peppers and herbs to the mix. Everyone loved it.
Once the weather starts to turn warmer, the North American in me starts pining for a good old BBQ! There is nothing like warm temps and the smell of a charcoal grill to get the tastebuds tingling. My Brit husband tends to think that there is nothing like planning a BBQ at the weekend to insure a good sprinkling of rain. After having been over here for almost fifteen years now I don't think a BBQ would be complete with at least the risk of showers!
The people at the Mill Race Garden Centre have put together a really humorous list of 21 Signs You are at a Quintessentially British BBQ! It's brilliantly witty and oh so true! I really had to chuckle when I read it myself, because it is all so true! Do hop on over to their page and get in on the fun. (That's another thing I love about the Brits . . . their ability to poke fun at themselves in a very tongue in the cheek way!)
We had the most delicious chicken for lunch last week when we went to our friend's house. It was incredibly tasty, and I think it's pretty safe to say that nobody was worrying about calories that day! (What with this chicken dish and the Malva Pudding and all!) It's nice to indulge once in a while and this chicken was incredibly tasty. My friend Tina got the recipe from her daughter Kim and it was sooo good that I had to make it for the Missionaries when they came for tea. Once again no complaints. I am calling it Kim's Chicken Dish, but it really should be called the Flippingly Amazingly Delicous Chicken Dish!!
One thing that the British do really well are biscuits, or cookies as they are known in North America. There are whole aisles in the grocery shops devoted to the British Biscuit containing every indulgence under the sun! I was quite amazed when I first moved over here and saw the variety available! It's quite mind boggling, really . . . but after 15 years I have come to have favourites amongst the lot!
Minute, or "Cube" steaks as I believe they are called in North America are from a tougher cut of beef, usually the round or rump or so called frying steaks . . . but they have been tenderized by the butcher running them through a tenderizing machine, which dimples them and makes little cuts in them all over. You can do the same thing by pounding them to within an inch of their lives.
This is a fabulous way of turning a relatively cheap cut of meat into something which tastes anything but cheap. All it takes is a bit of effort on your part and proper cooking.
The pounding helps, but so does the method of cooking. The way to ruin any steak, even the most expensive cuts . . . is to over cook them. By cooking these quickly and for a minimum time at a relatively high temperature you preserve the flavour of the meat . . . searing in all of the tasty juices. Of course when you mingle those juices with a few pats of a delicious garlic and parsley butter . . . well the result is sublime.
Delicious flavours which belie their inexpensive price tag. I paid less than £2.50 for two and they were gorgeous. Cheap eats that feel like a treat. I love it when that happens!
One of our favourite suppers when I was growing up was my mother's homemade baked beans. Oh my but they were absolutely gorgeous. She would start the night before by soaking the dried beans overnight and then early the next morning, often even before anyone else was up, she began her magic with them . . . putting everything together and into her bean crock and into the oven, so that by the time we woke up we could already smell the deliciousness that was waiting for us later in the day!
Salmon and Broccoli have to be one of my absolute favourite flavour pairings! I'm not sure why they work so well together. You wouldn't think they would because both salmon and broccoli have somewhat strong flavours all on their own . . . but somehow it just works and works well!
In my later years I have developed a much more interesting palate and there are things I would cook and try now that I wouldn't have even thought of trying when I was younger. We also have such beautiful produce, eggs, etc. here in the UK, and such a wide variety . . . that I just enjoy cooking and eating with gusto! (And it shows blah . . . )
This may not be the most beautiful cake in the world . . . but it sure is one of the most delicious cakes! It's extremely moist and somewhat dense . . . a cake you can really get yourself stuck into. It's sturdy and picnick-able. (Is that a word?) What I mean is its quite portable and not so fragile that it will fall apart which makes it perfect for picnics!
We eat a lot of chicken in my house. We really like chicken. It is incredibly versatile, and most of the time it is pretty affordable.
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
I was largely inspired in this by a recipe I found in a cookery book entitled, Recipes From My Mother for my Daughter, by Lisa Faulkner. I did adapt it to our own tastes and to what we enjoy.
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
- 10 cups (250g) crisp rice cereal, lightly crushed
- 1 cup (220g) good quality mayonnaise
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon pepper herb seasoning
- salt to taste
- mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, sweet chili sauce, ranch dressing, blue cheese dressing, BBQ sauce,etc. for dipping
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
There are all sorts of herbs that would be fabulous as well, if you are not fond of lemon pepper seasoning, and I appreciate that not everybody is.
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
.jpg "Rice Krispie Chicken")
The end result of this quick and easy recipe is a delicious chicken, that is moist and tender inside, but crisp and crunchy on the outside. Perfect for dipping. Children love this, and I confess, I love to eat it with a salad and drizzle the dip/dressing over everything!
Mediterranean Chicken Bites Mediterranean Chicken bites is a delicious, quick and easy way to get your chicken fix, mid-week. This chicken always turns out tender and is fabulously tasty.
Rice Krispie Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
- 10 cups (250g) crisp rice cereal, lightly crushed
- 1 cup (220g) good quality mayonnaise
- 1 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp lemon pepper herb seasoning
- salt to taste
- mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, sweet chili sauce, ranch dressing, BBQ sauce,etc. for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/gas mark 6. Lightly grease a large baking tray, or line with baking parchment.
- Put the cereal into a large bowl and crush.
- Put the mayonnaise into a shallow bowl along with the mustard and seasonings. Mix well together.
- Put about half the crispies into another shallow bowl.
- Cut the chicken into thick strips.
- Coat the chicken strips first in the mayonnaise mixture and then roll them into the cereal (adding more cereal as you need).
- Place the dipped chicken pieces onto the prepared baking tray. Season lightly with salt if desired.
- Bake in the heated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, turning them over halfway through the bake time.
- Serve hot with more mayonnaise, ranch dressing, sweet chili sauce or barbeque sauce for dipping.
Peanut Butter Cookie Pie! Are you ready for a little bit of decadence? I know I sure am! And whilst this is not over the top decadence, it is still a bit of a tasty treat.
If you love peanut butter cookies, and you love peanut butter and jam (or chocolate) then you will absolutely adore this simple and impressive dessert!
I adore peanut butter cookies. I think they are my favourites. And this is essentially a big peanut butter cookie . . . baked in a skillet (or round pie dish of that is what you have to use.)
You can either sprinkle the cookie with some granulated sugar prior to baking, or do like I have and dust it with some icing sugar afterwards.
I also like to use crunchy peanut butter. But smooth is equally as good.
This goes together in a flash and bakes really quickly.
You cut it into wedges while it is still warm . . . and top it with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream! But that's not where the decadence comes in . . .
When I was a child one of our favourite desserts was when my mother gave us ice cream and then spooned strawberry preserves over top of it.
And we all know how delicious peanut butter and jam is together . . . it is the quintessential combination of flavours . . . okay so yes that is the North American in me coming out . . . but . . .
Just look . . . . doesn't that look fabulously delicious??
The British don't really understand the complexities of peanut butter and jam, or the deliciousness of it. To them it is tantamount to eating fish with custard. Does not compute.
How about this??? Doesn't that look fabulous?
Its a cutural thing I guess, this love of peanut butter and jam. Together. In North American you can even buy it already swirled together. Peanut Butter and Grape jelly. Yum!!
For me of course it has o be strawberry jam. That is the perfect combination and it is perfect on this peanut butter cookie pie as well, especially drizzled over a scoop of good vanilla ice cream.
Of course chocolate sauce would be just as tasty! Go on . . . treat yourself. You know you want to.
Cream
together the butter, peanut butter and both sugars until well combined
and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour and
soda. Stir this in to make a soft dough. Press the dough into the
prepared skillet.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes,
until golden brown and well set. Remove from the oven. Cool in the
pan for 10 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve with a scoop of
vanilla ice cream on top and some strawberry or chocolate sauce.
Delicious!
Enjoy!
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!
It was a little cool today and so Todd wanted me to make him some soup for lunch. I didn't do anything special, just opened a couple of tins of Bean and Bacon Soup. He loves that kind.
Social Icons