Sigh . . . the sun did not shine . . . it was too wet to play . . . so we stayed in the house . . . all that cold, cold . . . wet day . . .  (Thank you Dr Seuss!) 

The perfect day to bake scones. An English scone recipe is  the epitome of the perfect scone recipe.  There are many other scone recipes that are just as tasty however, and these wonerful scones are what I consider to be one of my best, if not the best scone recipe I have in my portfolio.

 

Boy, oh boy, have we ever had a wet week!  I think it's probably safe to say that drought conditions will soon be lifted in this country . . . we've had more rain in this past week than we had all winter!  

This is the kind of weather than can get you down if you let it . . . really and truly.

 

The grass is really green though!  And the roses are blooming profusely. You have never seen roses til you hav seen an English Rose. 

 Tis something you can really appreciate and admire  from  the comfort of a dry and warm armchair . . . through the window. With a hot cuppa in one hand and a tasty scrummy scone in the other.

 

Yep . . . nothing tastes better on a rainy day.  Well, that's my opinion anyways! 

I adore scones.  Any day really. Dry. Wet and inbetween.  They are just one of those things that get my tastebuds to tingling overtime!

 

You all know how much I love blueberries . . . they are one of my favourite things, hands down!  Mmmm . .. des bluets . . . c'est le monde de mon coeur.  C'est magnfique!!  C'est si si si bon!!  Bien sur . . .




Today I decided to switch out my favourite Strawberry and Mint Scones . . . and change them to  Spiced Blueberry Scones . . . coz . . . one, I love these scones . . . and two, I love blueberries. 

You may want to check out the strawberry version of these as well. They are tres magnifique! And I don't say that lightly.



But for now blueberry and here they are! Ta da!!  

Beautifully buttery and short, with just the faintest hint of spice . . . cardamom and cinnamon . . . and topped with sweet wild blueberry preserves . . .then baked until crisp and brown on the edges.

I like to use Bonne Maman preserves. They are my favourite and have the best flavour as well as having a high ratio of fruit in them. I hate jam that is all sauce and no fruit.



Once cooled, these scrumptious babies are then drizzled with a lightly spiced lemon drizzle icing.

These always, ALWAYS turn out fabulously delicious!  Moreishly Scrummy!!!  Nom Nom Nummy!!!!

 

I bet YOU can't eat just one. If you can, you are a much better person than I am. 

I find it impossible to stop at one, but then again  . . .  it is like that with most things.  I am so naughty. These also freeze well without glazing, just so you know!

Makes 14
Printable Recipe

Crisp on the outsides, soft and buttery on the insides and scrummily moreishly good. 'Nuff said.

280g of plain flour (2 cups) plus more for dusting
95g caster sugar (1/2 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
6 TBS unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
240ml of double cream (1 cup heavy cream)
wild blueberry preserves (I like Bon Maman)

For the drizzle:
130g of icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
pinch ground cardamom
1 TBS lemon juice
hot water as needed

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.  Line two baking sheets with baking parchment paper.  Set aside.

Sift the flour into the bowl of a  food processor.  Add the sugar, baking powder and salt.  Blitz a couple of seconds to mix.  Drop in the butter cubes.  Blitz until the mixture resembles coarse meal.  Transfer to a medium sized bowl.  Stir in the cream with a fork, mixing it in until the mixture forms a soft dough.  Knead several times to bring it all together.  Lightly dust the countertop.  Tip out the dough.  Pat out to a large circle (about 10 inches in diameter) and 1/2 inch thick.  Cut out with a sharp 3 inch round fluted cutter.  Place onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving soem space in between each for spreading.  Reroll any scraps and repeat until you have used up all the dough.

Gently make an indentation in the centure of each with your thumb.  Spoon about half a teaspoonful of blueberry preserves into the centre of each.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are golden brown and they are dry and golden brown on the bottoms.  Remove from the oven and let stand for about five minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Sift the icing sugar into a small bowl together with the ground cardamom.  Whisk in the lemon juice and enough water to give you a smooth and drizzable consistency.  Drizzle this icing across the cooled scones.    Let set for 30 minutes before serving or storing.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days. 

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I was recently asked if I would like to road test a fab product in The English Kitchen.  As you know I get sent things from time to time and I always enjoy trying them out and letting you know what I think of them.

The people from Vitamix recently sent me their Vitamix TNC Black to try out and I have spent the last little week or so really putting it through it's paces!

First a little bit about the machine itself . . .

The Vitamix machine is more than just a blender, it's actually a fabulous machine which can create healthy meals in a very quick and easy way.  The Vitamix Total Nutrition Center® lets you perform more than 50 kitchen tasks easier, faster and with better results than you can achieve any other way.

	VARIABLE SPEED CONTROL & HIGH SPEED SETTING The Variable Speed Control allows for flexibility and creativity; fine chop, grind or fully blend ingredients, all in one container. The High Speed Setting allows for maximum processing, especially for thicker ingredients and larger recipes.
	POWERFUL - 2 PEAK OUTPUT HORSEPOWER MOTOR Propels the blade tip speed up to 386 km/h to blend even the toughest ingredients.
	SHATTER-PROOF 2-LITRE CONTAINER With 2 litres of true blending capacity and specially designed to create a powerful vortex for thorough processing.
	SPILL-PROOF LID WITH REMOVABLE LID PLUG Seals securely allowing ingredients to be added while processing.
	METAL-TO-METAL, CONTAINER-TO-BASE COUPLING For maximum durability and long life.
	UNIQUE TAMPER Allows for processing thick, dense ingredients and prevents air pockets from forming.
	EASY-GRIP HANDLE AND SOFT-TOUCH CONTROLS Ergonomically designed for comfort and control.
	PLUS "LET'S GET STARTED!" DVD, "GETTING STARTED GUIDE" and "WHOLE FOODS RECIPES"COOKBOOK Will have you on your way to creating the most delicious and nutritious meals in no time.
	FULL 7-YEAR WARRANTY An impressive warranty that speaks to the reliability and performance of a Vitamix machine.

I've been taking the "Getting Started Guide" and the "Whole Foods Recipes" cookbook that came with it to bed with me for a week now and studying it up really well.  I wanted to give this impressive piece of kit the best workout possible and I also wanted to be able to give each of you an honest opinion of what it can or cannot do.

 

Today I made a hot soup in it, using a recipe from the cookbook that came with it.    "Harvest Cheddar Soup."    The recipe promised a delicious nutitious soup in with about 10 minutes prep time, and 6 to 7 minutes processing time.  You can see all of the ingredients lined up here, ready to go.

 
(here is everything in the machine, just waiting for me to press the on button!)

I wanted to really give the recipe the best chance possible and so I made sure to have all my "mise en place!"  I didn't want to risk leaving anything out.



I boo booed though.  I got the variable speed wrong.  I thought it said variable speed 4 to 5 for 10 minutes, but it really said variable speed 10 for 4 to 5 minutes!  And so . . .  the first thing I did was to overload my machine!!  The Automatic overload Protection option is a built in feature which is designed to protect the machine from overheating!  I'm happy to say that this option works like a charm.  So my 7 minute soup took me a lot longer than 7 minutes because I had to let the  motor cool down.

 

Nevertheless I persevered and after the motor cooled down, I proceeded as per the recipe instructions (always read a recipe a few times first folks, so you don't mess up!) and I ended up with a beautiful thick and delicious soup in . . . I kid you not . . . just a few minutes!  I was amazed at how how it was.  It was steaming hot!  I tried to get a picture of the steam, but I couldn't.  You will just have to take my word for that.



Doesn't that look good???  It sure does, and let me tell you it was amazingly scalding hot!





It was also amazingly delicious and most importantly very healthy!  There is everything in there, as the recipe used all of two already baked potatoes, skin and all, two whole unpeeled granny smith apples, celery, onion, etc.  Only the potatoes were cooked before adding.  Everything else was added raw and it was absolutely amazing to me that it all ended up as a hot soup!

This is a whole foods machine.  It purpotes to  make light work of tearing down the cell walls of fruits and vegetables, making vital nutrients more readily available for your body to absorb. With a Vitamix machine, even the nutrient-packed peels, pulp and seeds can be pulverised and blended into recipes for some of the most health-protecting, disease-preventing dishes and drinks you've ever had.




And after tasting this delicious soup, I can attest that it did just that.

 *Harvest Cheddar Soup*
Makes 6 cups
Printable Recipe

This recipe can be reduced by half and made in smaller containers.  Garnish with sour cream and diced apple. (From the Vitamix Whole Food Recipes book)

2 cups chicken broth (480ml)
2 TBs white wine
1/4 medium onion, peeled
1 stalk celery, cut in half
2 Granny Smith apples, quartered
2 potatoes, baked and quartered
1/8 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
pinch white pepper
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (115g)

 

Place all of the ingredients, except the cheese into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure the lid.

Select variable 1.

Turn the machine on and quickly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.

Blend for 6 to 7 minutes or until heavy steam escapes from the vented lid.

Reduce the speed to Variable 4 and remove the lid plug.

Drop in the cheese through the lid plug opening.  Blend for an additional 15 seconds.

Per cup (240ml) serving:  224 cal; 10g protein; 8g Tot fat; 28g Carb

Of course, you know I wouldn't serve a bowl of soup all on it's own, would I?



Of course not!  I baked some tasty Cheddar and Marmite Scones to have along with it!They went down a real treat.  Made from a mixture of whole meal and self raising flours, a sharp cheddar cheese . . . and filled with a subtle flavour of marmite, these were fabulous!



*Cheddar and Marmite Scones*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

The perfect savoury scone to have with a hot bowl of soup, or with some cold sliced meats and cheese.  Perfect for in the lunch box too!  Healthy and whole meal.

140g self raising flour (1 1/4 cup)
140g wholemeal flour (generous cup)
1 tsp baking powder
50g cold butter, cut into small cubes (3 1/2 TBS)
85g mature cheddar cheese (scant cup)
1 large free range egg
1 TBS Marmite
2 TBS Greek yogurt
3 TBS milk, plus more to glaze

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas 5.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.

Whisk together the self raising flour, wholemeal flour, and baking powder  in a large bowl.  Drop in the butter and quickly rub it into the flour mixture using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.  Stir in half of the cheese.  Make a well in the centre.

Whisk together the egg, marmite, yogurt and milk.  Pour this all at once into the well in the centre of the flour mixture.  Stir together with a fork to make a soft dough.  If you think the dough is too dry, you may add a bit more milk.  You want a soft, but not sticky dough.

Turn out onto a floured surface,  Pat out to about 1 inch thick.  Cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch round cutter, stamping it straight down and lifting it straight up, re-rolling the scraps as necessary, until you have 8 rounds..  Place the scones on the prepared baking sheet.  Brush the tops with some more milk and then sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack to cool..

The machine is very easy to clean.  You just half fill it with warm water, add a few drops of dish soap and blend for about 2 minutes.  Easy peasy lemon squeasy!



Next, I decided to make the Custard Sauce recipe from the book.  The Toddster loves his puddings, and he always loves them with custard.  The recipe in the Vitamix Cookbook promised to make this sauce in 6 minutes.  This time I had cottoned on to how exactly to use it, so I had no mishaps and true to it's word in about 6 minutes I had a delicious Vanilla Custard Sauce.  I did a video of that too, but somehow I lost it.  (I've never claimed to be a techno genius!)  Of course. . . I didn't serve that all on it's own either.  I made Todd a delicious Steamed Apple Pudding to have along with it.  Yes, I know, he is one very spoilt man!  You'll have to come back tomorrow for that recipe, as I am pooped now and ready to take a rest!

The Vitamix also makes delicious ice cream in only 2 minutes, which I will also show you at another time!

In the meantime I have to say that all told I am very impressed with this beautiful machine.  It is soooooo much more than a blender.  It promises to do the work of 10 kitchen appliances and let you perform more than 50 kitchen tasks easier, faster and with better results than you can achieve any other way.

• Blend fresh fruits and vegetables into tasty, fibre-rich whole food juice in 1 minute
• Cook steaming hot soup from fresh vegetables in under 5 minutes
• Create delicious healthy ice cream in only 30 seconds
• Dice, chop or blend ingredients into healthy, preservative-free salsas, dips and more

And . . . I believe it can.  I do, I do, I do, I do . . . I do. Whether you want to elevate your expertise and creativity in the kitchen, or you're just searching for a simple way to feed your family more nutritious meals, the Vitamix machine is an unbeatable value. From breakfast to dinner and from appetizers to desserts, it is destined to become one of the most indispensible kitchen tools you've ever owned.  I wouldn't be without mine now.  In fact, I am going to be ordering the dry container and blade when I get back from my holidays so that I can make my own icing sugar and grind  my own wheat!

 The Vitamix Total Nutrition Centre® is backed by full 7 year warranty and comes complete with a Getting Started DVD, Getting Started Guide Manual and a Whole Foods Cookbook which all go a long ways towards getting you stuck right into healthy cooking quickly and effortlessly.

Many thanks to Aaron at Publicacity, and to the Vitamix people for affording me this fabulous opportunity!

Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!!

What is that they say about best laid plans and all that??? Our kitchen, which was supposed to be finished today is only half done and because tomorrow is Good Friday the workman won't be back until Saturday, so here I sit with a completely unworkable kitchen . . . no cooking. It better be done by Saturday afternoon . . . I've got people coming for Easter Dinner!

Anyways, in the meantime I thought I would share some of my favourite Easter Treats with you all, and with any lucky by Saturday afternoon, I'll be cooking up a few of my own!

These cupcakes are really cute. I have used those coconut Ferrero Raffaello Chocolates, cut in half. Don't they look cute? The ears are large marshmallows cut into quarters, and then the cut edges rolled in coloured sugars. Pink dragees are the eyes, and those are pink candy balls for the noses. I also had some candied flowers for an additional touch. Enjoy!



*Easter Bunny Cupcakes*
Makes 18
Printable Recipe

Vanilla cupcakes:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
(Crisco, Trex, White Flora)
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 large eggs
A quantity of Vanilla Butter cream icing (see below)
various decorations (marshmallows, coloured candies, etc.)



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl to combine. Add the shortening, milk, vanilla and eggs. Beat with an electric whisk until all the ingredients are just blended. Spoon equal amounts into the paper liners in the muffin cups, filling each one no more than 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until they test done. (A toothpick inserted in one should come out clean and they should bounce back when lightly touched with a fingertip.) Remove from the pans immediately to wire racks to cool completely before continuing.

Once they are completely cooled, frost and decorate as you wish.

*Vanilla Buttercream*

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 cups sifted icing sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

Place the softened butter into a large bowl. Beat in 2 cups of the icing sugar. Then beat in the milk and the vanilla. Gradually beat in the remaining 2 cups of icing sugar until the icing is thick enough to be of the right spreading consistency. You may not need all of the sugar.




Hot Cross Scones
Your favourite Easter bun, except in a tasty spiced and fruited scone, topped with icing crosses.



Easter Chocolate Crispie Nests
Everyone loves these!! Easy and quick to make. They're a complete doddle!



Hot Cross Buns
M&S are pretty good, but why not try making your own? They're not that hard, really. IF I can make them anyone can!!



Simnel Tart
A flakey tart base of puffed pastry, topped with fruit and marzipan. DEEEE-licious! (and easy too!)



Hot Cross Muffins
Tasty fruited muffins, again with icing crosses.



Bun and Butter Pudding
Use your excess Hot Cross Buns to make this delicious version of bread and butter pudding. (Ok, so if you are like me there's never any excess hot cross buns, but never mind, it's worth buying some just to make this delectable dessert!!)



Hot Cross Buns with a delicious Spiced Fruited Butter
And finally . . . a delicious spiced and fruited butter to serve with your toasted hot cross buns for breakfast on Easter morning, a la Nigel Slater!

I think one of my favourite British flavours has to be the Cherry Bakewell Tart . . . and Bakewell Pudding. Bakewell Tart is an English confection consisting of a shortcrust pastry with a layer of jam and a sponge filling with almonds. The Bakewell Pudding on the other hand is a flaky pastry, with a layer of jam and an egg and almond filling. Some versions of the tart are covered with a layer of fondant. I do confess I love them all . . . the tarts, the pudding and the fondant!



I love the flavours so much that I adapted them to create my very own Cherry Bakewell Whoopie Pies a few years back, and I have to confess they were just about the scrummiest whoopie pies I have ever eaten! I've also created Bakewell Scones, and Raspberry Bakewell Cake, quite successfully and I adore them both!



Today for breakfast I decided to take the Bakewell flavours that little bit further and I created Cherry Bakewell Breakfast Oats! Just imagine it now . . .



Wholesome and hearty oats, rich and creamy . . . flavoured with the scrummy tastes of sour cherries, toasted almonds and dark cherry preserves . . .



The oats so filling and nutritious . . . cooked in milk . . . with just a touch of almond extract . . . stogged full of dried sour cherries . . .



Topped with a swirl of beautiful dark cherry preserves and a scattering of toasted flaked almonds, nutty and sweet . . .



Oh how moreish . . . oh how wonderful . . . this is the type of food that Enid Blyton made me dream about when I was a child!



As I sat there this morning devouring every delicious mouthful, I could almost imagine tucking into a scrummy bowl of this with my mates . . . storing up much needed energy for the adventures that the day ahead might hold . . .
Except there is no parrot named Kiki to amuse us . . . just a mad Cocker named Mitzie, who is in all truth probably quite a bit easier to handle and put up with.



Cherry Bakewell Breakfast Oats. Try some today. You won't be sorry you did and I dare to hazard a guess that it will become a firm favourite in your home as well. We loved this . . . we truly did.

Oh I am a very clever clogs to be sure . . .




*Cherry Bakewell Breakfast Oats*
Serves 2 generously
Printable Recipe

All the flavours of your favourite tart in a beautiful breakfast indulgence.

500ml of milk (2 cups)
80g of rolled oats (Old fashioned) (1 cup)
40g dried cherries (1/4 cup)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 TBS black cherry jam
2 TBS toasted flaked almonds

Combine the milk, oats, dried cherries and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, until the oats are softened and the mixture is thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in the almond extract. Spoon into heated bowls. Swirl a TBS of cherry jam into each and then sprinkle with some toasted almonds. Serve immediately. Delicious!