Showing posts sorted by date for query Banana Bread. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query Banana Bread. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated in the UK every year on November 5th. This is a UK celebration which marks the failed attempt in the 17th century to blow up the houses of Parliament and assassinate King James 1st.
It is marked by the lighting of bonfires all over the country and great fireworks displays. Usually a stuffed figure, known as the Guy is thrown onto the Bonfire.
It commemorates a story of failure, as all over the UK people relive the night that Guy Fawkes, Robert Catesby, and their small band of followers failed to succeed in their plans.
In a way this is an annual celebration of Thanksgiving by the British people, which has been going on since just one year after the failed plot in 1605, so as you can see it is an old, old tradition.
When I first moved over to the UK, Halloween was hardly celebrated at all. In the weeks leading up to the 5th of November you would get children coming around door to door begging for "Pennies for the Guy." You had to make sure you had a supply of pennies in to meet the demand.
You were more likely to get a child knocking on your door on the 31st of October wanting pennies than you would a child wanting candy. This has changed a great deal over the last 20 years and Halloween is now a very big thing.
The pennies that the children gathered would be used to buy their fireworks. Also in the weeks leading up to the 5th of November people would be gathering things they wanted burned into a pile on the village green, or another open space on which they would build the bonfire.
It was a great way to get rid of unwanted cartons, tree limbs, wooden furniture, crates, etc. It was quite fascinating watching the pile of goods grow in the few weeks prior to the night.
As well as Bonfires and Fireworks the occasion is also marked by the eating of special foods and treats, usually intended to inject some warmth into cold bodies and hands as people stand around in the cold watching the fires and fireworks.
Things like hearty stews and soups. Jacket potatoes. Sausages in the buns and Parkin, which is a is a soft and moist cake/bread traditionally served up with hot cups of tea. This is a traditional Cake from the North East of the UK.
Another traditional Bonfire night treat is Honeycomb Toffee. Also known as Cinder Toffee, Angel Toffee, Hokey Pokey (favorite name for it) Honeycomb Toffee is a type of sponge toffee that is most addictive!
Its also very easy to make and uses only a few ingredients. This sponge toffee literally melts in the mouth!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HONEYCOMB TOFFEE
Nothing too outrageous that is what!
- finely granulated white sugar
- golden syrup
- butter for buttering the tin
You can find golden syrup in many groceries here in Canada. You can also find it on Amazon in the US, as well as Amazon in Canada. Although you can use regular golden corn syrup, if you can get the Lyles Golden Syrup, you really should.
It really does have a unique and delicious taste that is quite unbeatable.
You also don't have to worry about being able to use it all up. I have a lot of recipes here in The English Kitchen which use Golden Syrup.
Some of them include:
And these are only a few of the golden syrup delights on my page! As you can see it is a favourite ingredient in British Cookery.
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
HOW TO MAKE HONEYCOMB TOFFEE
You might find the idea of making your own honeycomb toffee somewhat intimidating, but I can assure you it is really very easy.
First of all you want to make sure that you use a really deep saucepan as when you add the baking soda to the sugar mixture at the end, it almost doubles in volume. Also make sure you have your pan buttered and ready for you to pour the finished toffee into it.
You begin by measuring the sugar and corn syrup into the saucepan. You need to begin on a very low heat. You want to melt the sugar completely before you go any further. You can stir it slowly over medium-low heat until the sugar melts completely. This will probably take about 10 minutes. You can't rush this process.
Try not to let the mixture boil while you are melting the sugar. You will know your sugar is melted because the mixture will become slightly translucent and no longer feel gritty.
At this time you can increase the heat a bit and allow it to bubble and boil. You want it to bubble until it starts to turn amber in color. Don't walk away as this can happen quite quickly.
As soon as it turns amber take the pan off the heat. Now you can beat in the baking soda with a wooden spoon. Beat it through until it has completely dissolved into the molten sugar mixture.
This is quite magic really because the baking soda causes the mixture to expand and fill with little bubbles of air. It is the magic ingredient which makes this moreish toffee to light and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
Immediately scrape it into your prepared pan, spreading it out as best as you can. Do be careful with this process as molten sugar can really burn the skin.
And that's it. You only need to leave it now to cool. This can take anywhere between an hour and an hour and a half.
Once it has completely cooled you can snap it into pieces and shards, ready to enjoy. Crisp and crunchy, meltingly delicious.
You can also top the finished toffee with melted chocolate, which is very good. Trust me on this.
You are probably wondering about my little Jack-O-Lantern. It is made with a rutabaga/swede/turnip. Long before the pumpkin became the Jack-O-Lantern of choice, people in Great Britain used to carve out turnips.
People across the British Isles carved out ghoulish faces and then placed the carved out turnips near their doorways and on gate tops to help to ward away evil spirits in the beginning of November when it was thought that the spirits of the dead were actually quite lively.
The practice originated from an Irish folk tale about a man named Jack who, after trying to trick the devil, was cursed to roam the earth with only a burning coal held inside a hollowed-out turnip.
Its really not that hard to do with a melon scoop. Plus you can cook the parts that you take out of the turnips/rutabaga/swede and have a tasty side dish or soup to enjoy.
So there you have it a delicious treat for Bonfire Night, or for any night! It is not hard to make, uses very simple ingredients and melts in the mouth.
I am sure it is bound to be a very popular treat with the family, or with friends on game nights, or whatever. It also makes an excellent garnish to crumble over iced cakes etc.
Honeycomb Toffee, a moreish treat that is more than a cut above the rest!!
Honeycomb Toffee
Yield: Makes an 8-inch square pan
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min
A British Bonfire night tradition! Sweet, crunchy, light as air and melts in the mouth!
Ingredients
- Butter for the tin
- 1 cup (200g) finely granulated sugar
- 5 TBS golden syrup
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
Instructions
- Butter an 8-inch square tin really well and set aside.
- Measure the sugar and golden syrup into a deep saucepan. Stir together and heat over a gentle heat until the sugar has melted. Don't allow the mixture to bubble until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Increase the heat a bit and then simmer at a slow boil until the mixture turns an amber color. Keep an eye on it as this can happen in the blink of an eye.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda. Beat it all in with a wooden spoon until it has completely been amalgamated into the hot mixture. (Be careful as it is very hot!)
- Scrap this mixture into the tin immediately and with care not to burn yourself.
- Leave to set for about an hour an hour and a half. The honeycomb will be hard and easy to crumble or snap into chunks.
It's that time of year again! Pumpkin season. The time of year that we all enjoy baking with pumpkin. Nothing says Autumn more than a pumpkin bake, and this simple recipe makes for the best pumpkin bread you could ever want to eat!
It's an adaptation of a recipe I received from my Canadian Mother-in-Law back in the 1970's. It started off pretty plain and basic, but through the years I have gradually fiddled with it to create something of my own.
It was moist and pretty delicious back then, but I have to say it is even more delicious now! And I don't mean to sound like I am bragging when I say that, but it's true.
When I first moved over to the UK tinned pumpkin was a very difficult thing to find in the shops. I remember the first year I was there I had invited some Missionaries over for Thanksgiving dinner and I wanted to make them a traditional pumpkin pie for dessert.
I could not find pumpkin anywhere at all. I ended up roasting sweet potatoes and pureeing them to use for the pie. It worked out well, but it was not really pumpkin pie.
Then when I worked at the Manor, I used to use pumpkin which I bought from an American food supply company. It came at a premium price but was worth every penny to me at the time.
Gradually pumpkin became more and more available and by the time I left there you could pretty much buy tinned pumpkin most of the time and in many of the shops.
You can of course make your own pumpkin puree from scratch, but it is very labor intensive to get it to the right consistency. You need to first roast your pumpkin.
Then you need to puree it. Once pureed you then need to strain it and squeeze as much liquid out of it as you can. This is where all of the labor comes in. Tinned pumpkin is very dry and if you don't get your homemade pumpkin puree just as dry, the integrity of your bakes will be ruined.
It is just so much less work to use the ready tinned pumpkin. Trust me on this. Tinned pumpkin comes in handy for many things. Pies, cakes, cookies, breads, etc.
My boss at the manor used to ask me to make pumpkin soup with it every American Thanksgiving.
This pumpkin bread recipe makes the best pumpkin bread ever and that is all down to my mother-in-law's secret ingredient, which is frozen orange juice concentrate. Yes, frozen orange juice concentrate. This was not something I could get in the UK either, but it was an ingredient that I learned to adapt.
You can do this either one of two ways. One, you can take fresh orange juice and boil it down to make a very concentrated form (again, labor intensive) or two, you can take a fresh orange (peeled and segmented) and puree it in a blender until smooth.
I will choose to puree the fresh fruit over boiling down juice every time. It is just so much easier and quicker. In any case, don't skip it because it is what makes this an incredibly tasty and moist loaf!
There is also plenty of spice in the loaf, but not obnoxiously so. My mother-in-law used to just add cinnamon to hers. I added some nutmeg and ground cardamom, which we always loved. I also added some vanilla.
On a side note, now that the kittens are jumping up onto things they are a bit of a nuisance when it comes to taking my food photos. haha. Not quite the same as Mitzie. She liked to hold onto the edge of the table and watch.
She couldn't actually jump up onto the table. I think I must have had to take this little monkey down a bazillion times while I was taking these photos. I think it's time to buy a squirt bottle.
My mother-in-law used to add raisins to her pumpkin bread. I switched them out for dried cranberries a number of years back. Cranberries are a very autumnal thing, and the dried ones work very well in this delicious pumpkin bread!
You can also use dried cherries (chopped) or even toasted walnuts, pecans or yes, even chocolate chips. Also raisins if you want. I love this with the cranberries.
I know that everyone thinks their pumpkin bread is the best, but I think mine is the very best and that is for a number of reasons. One it always turns out. I have never had this fail.
Two, it is incredibly moist and dense, without being soggy. This means that it cuts into perfect slices every single time.
Three it is very family friendly, not too spicy and not too sweet. I know that young mums want to make sure their children are not eating too much of the sweet stuff. This loaf has a perfect balance.
Another reason that I really love this loaf is because it is totally freezable. You can make it ahead, or make several loaves of it when you have the pumpkin and freeze them.
I like to cut mine into slices and place the loaf, pieced back together with a piece of wax paper in between the slices and the whole thing popped into an airtight freezer container. That way I can take out a slice as and when I want to indulge myself.
It will keep for several months this way. I can tell you it is really awfully nice to have this in the freezer ready to take out when a friend stops by unexpectedly. 10 seconds or so in the microwave and you have something incredibly tasty to enjoy with a hot drink.
Or course like any true Nova Scotia gal I enjoy mine sliced and spread with softened butter. That's how I like all of my quick breads like this one.
Banana bread, date and nut loaf, even lemon loaf. I know it is a bit hedonistic, but you only live once.
I really hope that you will bake this loaf and that you will enjoy it as much as I do. To me, it's quite simply, the Best Pumpkin Bread ever invented.
It's even better on the second day. In fact I usually bake it on one day and leave it to ripen overnight before cutting into it. It always cuts into beautiful slices and the flavor is even better on the second day. Trust me however, first day, second day, even third day, you are going to love this delicious pumpkin bread!
Pumpkin, Orange & Cranberry Bread
Yield: 8
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 60 MinTotal time: 1 H & 4 M
This easy and delicious loaf is an annual autumn favorite. I got the recipe from my mother in law many years ago. It’s the best pumpkin bread recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) pumpkin puree (from the tin, not pie filling)
- 2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup (120ml) canola oil
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 3 TBS frozen orange juice concentrate, undiluted (see note)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 3/4 cup (245g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup (75g) dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf tin and line with baking paper, leaving an overhang to lift the finished loaf out with when done.
- Whisk the eggs, sugars, oil, orange juice concentrate, pumpkin puree and vanilla together in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder, spices and salt until combined. Add all at once to the wet ingredients. Stir everything together just to combine and no dry streaks remain. Stir in the cranberries.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking tin, smoothing over the top.
- Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until risen and a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before lifting out to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve.
Notes:
If you cannot get orange juice concentrate. Peel and segment a large orange. Puree the orange in a food processor until smooth and measure out three TBS.
Well, its the weekend and I always like to share a new baking recipe with you at the weekend. This week I am sharing an easy shortcake recipe, which has a very autumnal feel to it.
Apple & Blackberry Shortcake. Apple and Blackberry season is upon us now and this is a really delicious way to use some of those lovely fruits.
I have always felt that there is a very good reason that certain fruits, vegetables, proteins, etc. come into season at the same time. That is because they are a perfect fit for each other.
Or maybe we have made them into a perfect fit for each other because they come into season at the same time. Whatever it is, apples and blackberries go together like peas and carrots.
Although apples do stay with us throughout the winter, blackberries are with us for only a short time. I try to use them as often as I can when they are in season.
I was very spoilt in the UK as they grew wild and free for the picking in all of the hedgerows! This time of year you will often see people standing by the hedges with buckets picking berries to their hearts content.
They are called Brambles over there and there are only two rules to follow when picking them. One wear a long sleeved shirt and gloves if you have them. This protects you from the prickles. Two soak them in water when you get them home. This helps to remove any worms or insects. They float to the top.
We are all familiar with strawberry shortcake. Every year we treat ourselves to that old favorite and enjoy it immensely.
This year I thought why not an apple and blackberry shortcake? Why not indeed!!
It puffs up golden brown on top of that biscuit dough and provides a beautiful backdrop for the apples and berries as you can see.
Some other recipes you can use it in include:
In fact you could serve this with any fruit topping. I cannot think of any fruit or berry it would not go with. Use your imagination!
Peaches and raspberries would be lovely! Roasted plums! Pears and cranberries. Mango, pineapple and banana . . . just pick any type of fruit you enjoy!
You do need a six inch round cake or pie tin to bake it in, however. That is the only drawback, unless you double the recipe and bake it in a 9-inch pan. Its up to you.
The recipe cuts into four nice slices, which is enough for two with leftovers for another night. Or for a small family of four on the night.
The biscuit base is very easy to make and uses a boxed biscuit/baking mix, or you can make your own baking mix as I usually do.
I have included the recipe for that. I often have a container of it in my freezer ready to use when I need it. It comes in really hand for all sorts.
One way that this recipe for the shortcake base differs from others is that it boasts a sweet meringue topping. It bakes on top of the biscuit base.
It puffs up nice and brown and goes really well with whatever fruit you are using.
It puffs up nice and high in the oven, but don't worry, it does sink as it cools.
It just give a lovely crisp yet marshmallow-like base in addition to the biscuit. Something a tiny bit different.
The fruit topping is also very easy to make. Its as simple as sautéing some apple slices in some butter in a skillet, along with some brown sugar and warm baking spices.
Once they have softened slightly and begun to caramelize you throw in some blackberries and take it off the heat. The blackberries cook only the slightest in the heat of the pan, maintaining the integrity of their shape, etc.
I have kept the fruit topping a bit on the tart side because of the sweetness of the base with the meringue and all.
There is such a thing as too much sweet.
This was beautiful served with some vanilla ice cream on the side. Whipped cream or clotted cream would also go very nicely.
Oh my, I miss the luxury of clotted cream. I am going to have to try to make my own sometime, but I do have my doubts about that. Somehow I don't think it will ever taste the same.
Anyways, if you are looking for a nice, quick and easy dessert to serve this labor day weekend, you cannot go wrong with this one!
Blackberry & Apple Shortcake
Yield: Serves 2 with leftovers
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
This autumn shortcake is a beautiful dessert, with a quick and easy biscuit base topped with a meringue topping prior to baking. Served with lush blackberries and apples spooned over top, a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream goes very nicely with this dessert!
Ingredients
For the shortcake:
- 1 1/4 cups (160g) baking mix (see my recipe or use a brand like Bisquick)
- 1 1/2 TBS granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 TBS melted butter
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk
- 1 large free range egg white
- 2 TBS granulated sugar
- 2 TBS icing sugar
For the fruit topping:
- 2 sweet eating apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch each of ground cardamom and grated nutmeg
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup (145g) blackberries
Instructions
- First make the shortcake base. You will need a six inch round cake tin. Butter it well and line with two strips of parchment paper, in a cross shape. (Leave an overhang to lift the cake out with when done.)
- Preheat the oven to 375*F.
- Stir the baking mix, 1 1/2 TBS of sugar, melted butter and milk together until a dough forms. Press the dough into the bottom of the cake tin.
- Whisk the egg white together until foamy. Keep whisking adding both the granulated and icing sugar, a bit at a time, until stiff peaks form and the mixture is glossy.
- Spoon this mixture over top of the biscuit base, swirling it decoratively.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until golden brown and puffed.
- Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 10 minutes before loosening the edges and lifting out onto a cooling rack or a plate.
- To make the fruit topping, place the apples, butter, brown sugar, spices and salt into a small skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally over medium high heat until the apples are somewhat softened and beginning to caramelize, but are still holding their shape. Remove from the heat and stir in the blackberries. Let cool to room temperature.
- Cut the cake into wedges and serve with some of the fruit topping spooned over top, along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Delicious!
Homemade Baking Mix
Yield: Makes about 6 cups
This is so easy to make. I like to keep mine in the freezer, but you can keep it at room temperature for several months.
Ingredients
- 700g plain flour (5 cups, all purpose)
- 3 TBS baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 220g of solid white vegetable fat (Crisco or Trex, 1 cup)
Instructions
- Put the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a food processer and blitz for a couple seconds. Add half of the fat and blitz for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining fat and blitz again for about 30 seconds. The mixture should resemble fine bread crumbs. Store in an airtight container.
- Use as per any recipe requiring a baking mix.
Notes:
Note: You can also do it by hand using a pastry blender.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons