I confess I have a penchant for Macaroni and Cheese. I have never met a dish of macaroni and cheese that I did not fall in love with, and I am always keen to try new versions. This version today was adapted from a recipe I got in a newsletter which I regularly receive from Yankee Magazine, which comes from their archives dated to way back when.
As soon as I saw the recipe, I knew that it was something I wanted to make and try. It had all the hallmarks of becoming a favourite for us me. Mustn't forget my husband who is not really fond of pasta at all . . . although once in a while I do get him to tolerate it. It is a real sacrifice for him.
One thing which intrigued me about this recipe was that there was no sauce making involved. Just layering. It was very similar to my recipe for Old Fashioned Escalloped Macaroni and Cheese, with the exception being that there is no cream involved . . .
Instead it relies on the use of soft bread crumbs to thicken up the cheese, milk, etc. These bread crumbs get layered in a buttered dish along with the cooked macaroni and grated cheese. Easy peasy.
A few things to take under consideration . . . use a really coarse bread crumb, from a heavy textured bread. Freshly made, but a bread that won't fall to bits when you pour the milk over top. You want the bread to absorb the milk and melt into the cheese . . . along with the butter, this is what creates the sauce.
You also want to use a really well flavoured cheese for this. Trust me. The cheese is the star of this dish, and you want it to shine brightly! Use extra strong (extra sharp) cheese.
Don't be tempted to stint on the butter either. It asks for 4 to 6 TBS and they mean 4 to 6 TBS. Its mac and cheese, in for a penny in for a pound!
Also use full fat milk. This recipe hails from a time and day where people didn't bother with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. They used milk, and it was full fat. Lots of the time it was farm milk, straight from the cow.
So . . . no, it's not un-calorific to say the least, but it is tasty, and it is worth a once in a blue moon splurge. With a bit of salad on the side, you could almost trick yourself into feeling virtuous because there is no cream sauce, lol. Well, that's the way my mind works anyways . . . or eat it standing up, because as anyone knows, calories consumed standing up, don't count. 😉
*Baked Mac & Cheese *
Serves 4 to 6
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 2 litre/2quart baking dish really well. Set aside.
Cook the macaroni in lightly salted boiling water according to the package directions. Rinse well with cold water and drain again.
Put a layer of bread crumbs in the bottom of the buttered casserole dish. Cover with a layer of macaroni. Season lightly with salt and pepper, remembering that cheese can be salty. Sprinkle on a layer of cheese and dot with butter. Repeat layers until all of the ingredients have been using ending with a layer of cheese, and then bread crumbs. Pour the milk over top and then dot with butter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
I really love simple things . . . time and time again, I am reminded that it is the simple things in life which truly are the best . . . things like the sound of rain falling on the roof when I am laying all toasty warm in my bed, or the smell of roses, or the sound of the dawn chorus when I wake up in the morning. All simple things, and all things which money can't buy and that we, more often than not, take for granted.
Its the same with food . . . it is often the simple things we eat which bring us the most pleasure. Things like the crisp and sticky skin of a perfectly roasted chicken, tasting of salt and pepper and, well . . . chicken. Properly baked potatoes with crispy skins and fluffy insides, broken open and topped with a pat of butter along with some salt and pepper . . .
A crisp grilled cheese sandwich, golden brown and cut into fingers, dipped into hot tomato soup on a rainy day . . . the smell of beans baking in the oven, or . . . and this is the best of all, the smell of a freshly baked loaf of bread, and then a slice of it still warm, with cold butter melting into it . . .
See??? Simple things . . .
Slices of sweet and rich brioche bread, soaked in a mix of cream, eggs and sugar, and then gilded until golden brown in a buttery hot pan . . .
Ddshed up and served warm on china plates . . . topped with dollops of ice cold clotted cream . . . rich Cornish clotted cream . . . scattered with fresh berries and dusted with icing sugar . . .
the heat of that golden eggy brioche melting that cold clotted cream until it runs in milky buttery rivulets . . . deliciously down over those golden buttery crisp edges of bread . . .
pooling into delicious little puddles . . . rich and creamy . . . so good with the sweet/tartness of those cold fresh berries . . .
Oh yes, it IS definitely the simple things in life which bring us the most pleasure, especially when you are sharing them with the people you love. You really can not beat them . . . you really can't . . .
*Pain Perdu with Clotted Cream & Berries*
Serves 4
Melt a knob of butter in a large non-stick frying pan until it begins to foam. Add the slices of soaked brioche and cook first on one side until golden brown and then on the other. (while you are cooking them, you can be soaking the others. Repeat the soaking and cooking until it is all golden brown, keeping the browned slices warm in a low oven until you are done.
To serve divide the toast between four plates, topping each with a dollop of clotted cream and a handful of raspberries. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.
This is fabulous, even made with ordinary bread. Just make sure you choose a bread with a soft crust. Your family will love it, wether you choose to have it for breakfast or for dessert. Either way, its the bomb! Bon Appetit!
I wanted to bake Todd a treat today and I had spied this recipe in a baking book of mine which I have had for a very long time, entitled, "Cakes" by Gina Speer. Its a really good book. Nothing I have ever baked from it has been a dud. Its a rare book that you can say that about!
Its filled with lots of recipes for everything from biscuits (cookies) to scones, to muffins, cakes, and a whole lot more. I am a naughty puppy in that I turn the corners over on pages in my cookbooks if I find a recipe that I want to try out at some point . . . and this book has a corner turned on almost every page.
I was thinking they would be like a cookie . . . despite the fact that the recipe was in section entitled "Buns and Bite Sized Cakes." The picture was what drew me . . . they looked like nice puffy jam cookies.
The dough was quite a stiff dough, but I used my hands and it came together beautifully. I shaped it into a log and then divided it into twelve equal bits, which I then rolled into balls as per recipe instructions. After that you make an indentation in them and drop in a bit of jam. She recommended seedless raspberry, but all I had was seeded raspberry. Not a problem. They were not the most beautiful cakes in the world however . . .
But as women, we all know that a little bit of lippy (or a dusting of icing sugar in this case) always lights up even the dullest composure!
These are very good, and more than a bit wholesome, with the use of both plain and wholemeal (wholewheat) flours. The wholemeal flour gives them an almost nutty flavour . . .
There are also dried cranberries in the mix . . . I chopped them to make them a bit smaller and more evenly distributed throughout. Worked beautifully.
They have a buttery, almost pastry like texture . . . like a cross between a biscuit and a scone . . .
That touch of jam is perfect on these . . . I could not resist eating one while they were still warm . . . with some cold milk, but I think they would go equally as well with a hot cuppa of whatever you like to drink. These were not a cookie, but nobody was disappointed.
*Jammy Buns*
Makes 12 
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a large baking sheet and set aside. (Alternately, line with baking paper.)
Sift both flours into a bowl along with the baking powder. Tip any grains remaining in the seive into the bowl. Add a pinch of salt. Cut the butter into pieces and drop into the flour mixture. Rub in with your fingertips until you have a mixture resembling coarse bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar and cranberries. Stir in the beaten egg and milk to make a stiff dough. (Get in there with your hands. You might think its not going to happen, but it does.) Divide into 12 equal bits and roll each bit into a ball.
Place the balls, leaving plenty of space in between for expansion. Press your thumb down into the centre of each to make a hole. Drop a llittle jam into each. (Don't be tempted to overfill as the jam will spill out if you do.)
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Scoop off onto a wire rack to cool.
If desired, dust with some icing sugar to serve.
You know, when these first came out of the oven I thought . . . ugh . . .ugly buns, but with a dusting of icing sugar they perked right up and the flavour was actually really nice. These have turned into another favourite in our home. I hope you'll give them a try. I guarantee you won't be sorry if you do! Bon Appetit!
This coming Monday will be Saint George's Day. All of the beautiful countries in the United Kingdom have a Patron Saint and the Patron Saint of England (where I live) is Saint George! St George's Day was a major feast and national holiday in England on a par with Christmas from the early 15th century. The tradition of celebration St George's day had waned by the end of the 18th century after the union of England and Scotland. These days it barely gets a nod, except in certain circles, but I, for one, think that it is the perfect day to celebrate our "Englishness," and what better way to do that than by baking up some lovely scones. There are not many more things English than a warm scone smothered with jam and cream!
These scones are particularly lovely, with lots of wholesome nuggets of granola throughout, along with a healthy studding of dried black currants. (Oh we do love our black currants here in the UK!)
The Granola I chose to use today was Lizi's award winnig Granola. Lizi's products supply wholesome food that deliver sustained energy and protein throughout the day.
All Lizi’s Granolas are:
- 100% Natural Ingredietnts
- No GMO’s
- No added salt
- Dairy-free, wheat-free recipes*
- Suitable for vegetarians and vegans (no honey)
- Low glycaemic – GL labelled – good for blood sugar control
Its available in a variety of flavours such as the Original, Passionfruit & Pistachio, Treacle & Pecan, Mango & Macadamia, Belgian Chocolate, Pink Apple & Cinnamon, Low Sugar, High Protein, Gluten Free and Organic. The Original and Low Sugar are also available in portion packs of 10. To find out more be sure to check out their page. I love them!
Today I used their low sugar variety, as I figured with the sugar and honey in the recipe, they didn't need a whole lot more sugar, and it was the perfect choice!
I decided to pull out all the stops today and got out my best tea cloth . . . my Katie Lizzie cups and saucers, tea plates and my pedestal cake stand . . .
Not too sweet, but lovely, buttery and short, almost like a pastry . . .
Studded with lovely dried black currants, and the granola . . . make sure you use a free flowing type of granola. You don't want one which has huge nuggets in it. Lizi's is perfect for this. It is filled with lots of seeds like sunflower and pumpkin as well, adding even more interest . . .
Fruity jam and clotted cream are a must! (If you can't get the clotted cream, you can use softly whipped cream.) I favour berry jam . . . strawberry or raspberry . . .
I like to spread the cream on first . . .
topping it with the jam . . .
Wars have broken out over which is the proper way . . . cream or jam first . . . to me it doesn't matter. Just so long as there is cream and jam!
*Lizi's Granola Scones*
Makes 8
1 tsp vanilla extract
75g dried currants (1/2 cup)
1 TBS double cream for brushing
To serve:
Clotted cream or whipped cream
jam
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. (180*fan) Line a baking sheet with baking paper and set aside.
Sift the flour into a bowl along with the baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into small bits and drop into the flour mixture. Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until you have a mixture resembling bread crumbs. (althernately you can do this in the food processor.) Stir in 2/3 of the granola and the currants. Mix together the cream, egg, honey and vanilla. Add all at once to the dry mixture and mix together to make a soft craggy dough.
Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a round about 8 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut into 8 wedges. Transfer each wedge to the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space in between each. Brush the top of each lightly with cream and sprinkle with some of the remaing granola.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until well risen and golden brown.
To serve split in half and serve with clotted cream and jam.
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