(A tasty salad from the archives for a delicious Bank Holiday weekend! For 56 other tasty salad offerings check out The Tumblewood Contessa Blog!  http://www.tumbleweedcontessa.com/blog/salads-saturday-dishes/)

I haven't been really able to do a lot of cooking this week during the day, what with all of this work going on in our bathroom, and at night I'm far too tired. You wouldn't think that renovating just one room would create such chaos, but it does . . . happy to say though, things are well  on the way towards being done, and there should only be a few more days of mither.  It's looking great so far!!  Anyways, simple food has been the rule of the day with as little cooking as possible.  You can't really plan much with the power being turned on and off haphazardly . . . it would be terrible to have a cake or a roast in the oven and have the power shut down.

 

Today I was really craving salad and oddly enough grilled cheese sandwiches.  I got to thinking and we all know what happens then . . . my creative mojo goes into overdrive and you just never know what I am going to end up with.  Most of the times it's something quite, quite delicious . . . others maybe not so delicious, but always interesting largely edible.  I'm happy to say that today I ended up with something quite, QUITE delish!

 

Think about it . . . crisp salad greens scattered across a nicely chilled plate . . . and topped with some of your other favourite salad ingredients . . . crisp and peppery radishes . . . crunchy cucumber . . . snappy and sweet red onions . . .

 

Now top that with a fantastically devilishly moreish fresh Lemon Thyme and Honey Mustard Vinaigrette dressing . . . not a lot . . . just a drizzle . . . coz there's more to come.  Oh sure you could use regular thyme if that's all you have . . . but the lemon thyme just adds just a teensy bit more depth to the flavours . . .



Finally . . . top all that goodness with a crisp freshly toasted Cheese Sarnie, deliberately sliced on the diagonal . . . some of the cheese oozing out . . . just laid here and there on the top . . . now a final drizzle of that scrummy dressing . . .

 

Presto!  A deliciously easy, scrummily edible, moreishly wanton Grilled Cheese Sarnie Salad.
And you thought salads were mostly boring???  Aha!!  Not in this house!  This just could not get any better!

 

*Grilled Cheese Sarnie Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Don't knock it til you try it.  This salad rocks!  Fresh salad fixings, topped with toasted cheese sarnie croutons and drizzled with a lemon thyme honey mustard vinaigrette!

4 small heads of baby gem lettuce, washed trimmed and leaves separated
(tear any larger leaves into bite sized pieces)
4 large radishes, washed trimmed and slivered
1/2 small red onion, peeled and slivered
1/4 of a medium sized English cucumber, washed, unpeeled, cut in half lengthwise and
then sliced into half moons
8 slices of fresh bread
4 ounces of good strong cheddar cheese, grated (a heaped cup)
softened butter
For the dressing:
4 1/2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 TBS liquid honey
1 TBS Dijon mustard or to taste (grainy or smooth, it's up to you)
a few springs of lemon thyme (you may use ordinary fresh thyme if that's all you have)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
A few springs of thyme for a garnish (optional)



First make the dressing.  Strip the leaves from the thyme sprigs and whisk half of them together the olive oil, vinegar, honey and mustard until thoroughly amalgamated.  (Reserve the remaining thyme leaves for the sarnies.)Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Wash and dry the lettuce.  Scatter the leaves onto four plates, tearing any larger leaves into bite sized pieces.  Scatter the radish, onion and cucumber over top.

Spread the softened butter onto one side of each slice of bread.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Toss together the cheese and remaining thyme leaves.  Place 4 of the bread slices, butter side down into the heated pan.  Top each with an equal amount of the cheese/thyme mixture.  Top the cheese with the remaining slices of bread, butter sides up.  Toast over medium heat, until golden brown on the outsides and the cheese is melted.  Cut each sandwich into 3 or 4 pieces diagonally. 

Give the dressing a quick whisk and then drizzle some of the dressing over each salad.  Top each with 1 cut sandwich, and then drizzle the sandwiches with some of the dressing.  Garnish each salad with a small sprig of thyme if desired.  Serve immediately!

If you are like me . . . there will always be a jar of lemon curd, homemade or not . . . lurking about the cupboard somewhere, or in the fridge . . . or maybe even under the bed. (shhh . . . don't tell)



Just waiting for your spoon to dip into it . . . umm . . . for medicinal purposes you understand. In Grade 7 history I learned that citrus fruits was necessary for those hardy sailors on their journey discovering the new world to eat . . . helping to prevent them from getting scurvy on the long trip over . . . ahem . . .



God forbid anyone in my family ever suffer from a fate such as this . . . why . . . the mere thought of such a thing strikes fear into my heart . . .




That's why I have lemons and lemon curd on hand at all times! (Would I lie?)



Besides . . . however would I make these tasty little cookies without having some lemon curd to hand. Now that my friends is a fate not to be trifled with . . . (no pun intended)



Imagine buttery short textured biscuits with just the hint of crinkle . . . redolent of tart lemon and orange zests . . . with a tangy sweet jammy centre of baked lemon curd . . . all topped with the delicious crunch of toasted almonds . . .



Every bite is bliss . . . of course! And . . . we'll be preventing the scurvy from ever taking hold at Casa de Rayner!!!




*Lemon Drops*
Makes 20
Printable Recipe

These are soft and cake-like, and wonderfully tangy with orange and lemon zest. A sweet filling of lemon curd with the added crunch of flaked almonds make the perfect finish!

6 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
(3/4 cup)
5 ounces caster sugar
(3/4 cup superfine)
the finely grated zest of one lemon and one orange
2 large free range egg yolks
(Freeze the whites in an ice cube tray to use at another time)
2 ounces ground almonds
(1/2 cup)
8 ounces self raising flour
(2 cups)
lemon curd
milk for brushing
flaked almonds for sprinkling
sifted icing sugar (optional)

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ Gas mark 3. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Rub the citrus zests into the sugar until very fragrant. Add the butter and cream together until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks. Stir in the almonds and flour, mixing in well. Divide the mixture into 20 pieces and shape each into a ball between your palms. Place, evenly spaced, on the prepared baking sheets. Using the handle of a wooden spoon make a deep depression in the centre of each. Fill each centre with 1/2 tsp of lemon curd. Pinch the opening semi closed to almost cover the curd. Brush the tops with some milk and then sprinkle with flaked almonds.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until a pale golden brown. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.

If you like you can dust with a bit of icing sugar to serve. 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@aol.com 

I think one of our favourite types of fish to eat is Cod. It's got a really mild flavour and almost a sweet flesh. Sustainability is important though, when it comes to choosing fish nowadays, and the cod fisheries have just about fished themselves out by overfishing, which is really sad . . .



The thing to do is to only buy responsibly fished cod, from sustainable sources and from a good and reputable fish monger that you can trust. You must always ask the question: "Is this fish responsibly fished and from a sustainable source?". If you can't get a clear and honest answer, it's time to take your business elsewhere.



When buying fresh fish there are a few things to keep an eye out for. Fresh fish should NEVER smell fishy. It should smell fresh and of the sea. If it does smell off or fishy, then that's not really fresh fish, and you would be wise to avoid buying it. The eyes should be bright and clear, never sunken and dried. The gills should be a vivid pink or red inside. The flesh should be firm and the skin, shiny and vibrant.



If you're buying fish from a supermarket, look out for the blue Marine Conservation Society (MSC) logo that guarantees that the fish comes from a sustainable source.

Frozen fish can be just as good as fresh fish and, in many cases even fresher, as it will have been fileted and frozen shortly after having been caught. More often than not is even better than "fresh" fish which often is at least a few days old before it gets to your market.



This is a delicious way to prepare Cod, or any other mild flavoured white fish. I usually buy the loin pieces which are thicker. If you have thinner pieces you should adjust the cooking time accordingly as it will cook in less time.

The Dijon mustard, cream and gruyere cheese make a delicious sauce that goes so very well with the sweetness of the cod . . . and then of course you get the added buttery crunch of the bread crumb topping.



Usually we have this with potatoes of some sort . . . baked, boiled, mashed . . . and a steamed green vegetable . . . peas, broccoli, spring greens, sting beans, spinach . . . it's all good.

If you're thinking fish for supper tonight, I hope you will try this, coz I just know you will love it as much as we do. It's a real winner!




*Creamy Baked Cod*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

This is a delicious and quick way to prepare cod fish. Actually you can cook any mild white fish in this manner. It is so easy and tasty. We love it!

6 cod fish sillets
1 lemon
salt and white pepper to taste

200g emmenthaler cheese, grated
300ml of cream (A healthy cupful)
1 TBS dijon mustard
1/2 cup soft fresh bread crumbs (1 slice of bread, crumbed)
1 TBS butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a baking dish large enough to hold all of the fish fillets in one layer. Place the fish into the baking dish, presentation side up. Season well with salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over top. Sprinkle the grated cheese over all. Whisk the cream and mustard together, Pour evenly over top of the fish. Toss the bread crumbs with the melted butter. Sprinkle evenly over the fish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until lightly browned on top and the fish flakes easily with the tines of a fork. Serve hot. This goes very well with mashed potatoes or rice.

(Another repost from an earlier date!  Tis one is my favourite one!)

One day last year I was baking this lovely loaf and I went out the front door to check on something and the wind from the back door blew the front door shut. This was somewhat of a disaster as if the front door closes and you don't have a key . . . you can't get back in. There I was stuck in the front garden, with a loaf in the oven, a small puppy at large inside, no cell phone on my person . . . and a padlocked 10 foot tall back gate that I had no hope of scaling. Thank goodness it wasn't raining.



I knew the back door was open but I was so worried about Mitzie, who wasn't very old at that point and also the cake in the oven. What to do . . . what to do . . .



In the end, I did what anyone would do . . . I knocked on the next door neighbor's front door and asked him if he had a ladder I could use to get over the back gate. He had a ladder of course, but better than that, he did the climbing! Then he just walked through the house to the front door and let me in. Whew!! You cannot imagine how grateful I was.



Once the cake was finished, and cooled . . . I packaged it up and took it over to him and his wife as a thankyou. I think they were somewhat surprised . . . I don't think it's something that a lot of people over here do, but in North America we are always taking casseroles, cakes and other baked goodies to neighbours as welcome to the neighbourhood gifts, thank you's, helping out when someone has a new baby or has been sick, or when someone in the family has passed away. It's just a neighbourly thing to do.



They must have really liked it because just before Christmas this year he asked Todd if I would be willing to bake them another one that they could take to their sons. They said they would pay for the ingredients, etc. I baked one and gave it to them as a thankyou for all the nice things they do for us through the year . . . keep an eye on our house when we are away, take in mail and other deliveries when we are out, etc. I was quite happy to bake them one and then I thought to myself . . . sometime I better bake one for myself, if it's so delicious!



Today was the day. I had enough ripe bananas and I was in a baking mood.




The recipes comes from a cookbook I have had for quite a while, called Everyday Easy, Cakes & Cupcakes by DK publishing. Everything I have baked from this book has been just fabulous and this beautiful banana loaf is no exception!



It's moist and filled with flavour . . . lovely banana, sweet dried cranberries, toasty chopped walnuts. I'm not surprised that the man next door fell in love with it, for I have too. This has become my favourite banana loaf of all time, and I don't say that lightly! I made two small loaves today and I am struggling with the thoughts of giving one away . . .



The recipe does state that you can freeze it up to 3 months . . . hmmmm . . . should I be selfish and keep them both??? Nahh . . . I have an elderly friend who will just adore this and I think she deserves a bit of a treat! (We all need a little pick me up from time to time.)

I really DO hope you will bake this too. I think you'll find that my claims about it's scrumminess are NOT exaggerated in the least!



*Banana, Cranberry & Walnut Loaf*
Makes 1 large loaf, or 2 small loaves
(one for keeping and one for giving!)
Printable Recipe

A moist banana loaf chock full of sweet cranberries and crunchy walnuts.

4 ounces butter, at room temp (1/2 cup)
175g of caster sugar (3/4 cup)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
1 tsp milk
300g of plain flour (scant 3 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp mixed spice (see my recipe in the side bar on the right side
of the page)
3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
85g dried cranberries (generous 1/2 cup)
60g toasted walnuts, chopped (scant 1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter 2 small loaf tins, or 1 large loaf tin and line with baking parchment.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Beat in the eggs and the milk, mixing all together well.

Whisk together the flour, salt, soda and spice. Stir this mixture into the creamed mixture. Stir in the bananas, cranberries and walnuts. Divide the mixture between the two small tins or spread into the large tin. Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes for small loaves, or 1 to 1/1/2 hours for the large tin, until well risen and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes, then lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely. This cake will keep for up to 1 week when stored in an airtight tin.

(Not sure why, but there seems to be an issue with some of my cooking photos. They have disappeared and I can't get them to show up. Finger's crossed that these ones do!! Computers can be so frustrating at times!)

(Another repost from an earlier time.  A delicious blueberry cake.  We love blueberries, and I try to incorporate them into our diet as regularly as I can.  We have about six of our own high bush berry bushes now, and they really produce a lot during picking season. Yum! Yum!)

I wanted to use up some of the blueberries that I have stored in my freezer. I always have some there. Whenever the store puts them on special I buy up extra punnets of them and stick them straight into the freezer.

That makes them ever so handy to use in cakes and puddings, crumbles and pies.



You can use them straight from the freezer without thawing them out. They work like a charm as long as you are using them to cook with.



I have never tried eating frozen blueberries, except in smoothies, and they work pretty well in those as well. A little frozen fruit makes a smoothie a beautiful thing in my opinion.



I remembered this fabulous recipe I have for a blueberry crumb cake, that has a wonderfully moist texture and is topped by a delicious crumble crunch.



You will love this. Your family will love this. Your guests will love this.
EVERYONE will love this!!



It's a KEEPER. Need I say anymore???



I think not! Let the pictures speak for themselves.



*Blueberry Crunch Cake*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

A delicously moist cake, stogged to overflowing with blueberries and topped with a lovely sweet crunch! This is fabulous.

280G (2 cups) flour
300g (1 1/2 cups) caster sugar
5 1/2 (2/3 cup) ounces butter
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
250ml (1 cup) milk
2 large eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 X 200g (approx. 2 cups) blueberries

To serve:
pouring cream or custard

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a 9 X 13 inch nonstick baking pan. Set aside.

Whisk together the flour and sugar. Rub in the butter with your fingertips, until the mixture resembles fine dry bread crumbs. Remove 3/4 of a cup of this to use for the topping, and set it aside. To the remainder add the salt and baking powder. Beat in the egg yolks, vanilla and milk. Blend together well.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold them into the batter. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the blueberries evenly over top of all. Sprinkle the reserved crumb mixture over top of the blueberries.

Bake in the heated oven for 40 top 50 minutes, until the cake is well risen and golden brown along the edges and is completely set in the middle and tests done. Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool and serve warm from the pan with some pouring cream or custard.

Note - the leftovers are delicious!