Showing posts sorted by date for query bread pudding. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query bread pudding. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Sausage wasn't something I enjoyed very much when I was growing up. I am not sure why. I never really began to enjoy them at all until I was a grown woman and cooking my own. I liked them almost burnt on the outside with catsup for dipping. My father enjoyed them dipped in mayonnaise. As a child growing up in Canada, in my experience at least, there was only one kind of sausage. Ordinary breakfast sausage, long thin cylinders of meat, stuffed into skins, fatty and flavoured with nutmeg and poultry seasoning. That was it. Growing up in the 50's /60's and early 70's in small communities meant that we were not exposed to outside flavours or choices. We had what we had, and that was that.
It was not until I was an adult that I experienced another kind of sausage. My sister-in-law who lived in Toronto had studied at the Cordon Bleu and was considered to be an expert in cooking. We spent the weekend at hers once, and she cooked sausages for us for breakfast. These were not the sausages of my childhood, they were plump and fat and had a fabulous flavour. She simmered them slowly in lemon water first and then browned them off in a skillet. That is when I learnt to love sausage, and in the intervening years have come to enjoy all sorts and varieties. What she served us that weekend were British Butchers Sausages and they were quite simply gorgeous in my opinion.
One of the most exciting foods I was introduced to moving over here to the UK was the great British Sausage, or Bangers as they are also lovingly called, and let me tell you, they have about as many different kinds as they do areas and counties here, a whole cornucopia of wonderful flavours, some of them quite spectacular. I have my favourites.
The word "sausage" comes from the Latin, "salsicius", prepared by salting, which in turn comes from Salsus, meaning "salted."Sausages have been produced, eaten and enjoyed in Great Britain since Roman times. The Anglo-Saxons developed their own varieties and the Normans brought French ideas into the mix, including pure pork sausages, black puddings (made with blood) and the andouille, an entrail sausage known in England as chitterlings.
You will find sausages in just about every country in the world, each with their own spin on this meat, fresh, dried and everything in between. What is it that makes British sausage stand out from the rest? What is it about British sausage that makes it so great?
For one we have such a wide variety to choose from . . . Yorkshire, Oxford . . . Cambridge, Cumberland . . . Country Pork, and those are just the basics. We stuff them with leeks and cheeses, spring onions, caramelised onions, mustard, honey, etc. We enjoy them for breakfast and we enjoy them for lunch. We love them for teatime, or high tea, and dinner. We eat them in baguettes and rolled up in puff pastry. Here in the UK, we just love our sausages, full stop!
In days of old they would have been dried and salted, perhaps even smoked, for preservation. These days for the most part however, with the modern wonders of refrigeration, we tend to enjoy them fresh. You can find them in other countries, but I have heard again and again how much people miss British Sausages where they live and how they can't find them, so first up I am going to give you a recipe which you can use to make your own homemade Basic British Pork Sausages
Basic British Pork Sausage
Yield: Makes about 16
You should be able to buy the skins for these at a butchers or from an on line sausage making source. They will have been salted, which helps to preserve them, so do soak them in cold water first, preferably running water, running the water through the actual skins, and then dry with a cloth. Also cut them into 10 inch lengths, tying a knot in one end before filling. This will give you a bit of an excess but this will shrink during cooking and help to prevent them from bursting. You will need a meat grinder, or a good food processor.
ingredients:
- 2 pounds of boned and skinned shoulder of pork
- 4 pig's cheeks, trimmed
- 1/2 pound skinned pork back fat
- 1 brown onion, peeled and very finely chopped
- 1 1/2 TBS unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/4 tsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced (optional)
- pinch ground mace
- 2 slices of stale good dry white bread, crusts removed and crumbled
- 1 medium free range egg, beaten lightly
- Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
- about 4 meters (4 1/2 yards) sausage skins, well washed
- 25 - 50g of lard for frying (2 - 4 TBS)
instructions:
How to cook Basic British Pork Sausage
- Put all of the meats through the meat grinder on a medium mince. This should give you a medium coarse finish. If you prefer a smoother texture, you can pass the meat through the grinder several more times. Cover and place the minced meat into the refrigerator.
- Saute the onion and garlic in the butter along with the herbs and the mace over low heat, without browning for two to three minutes until quite soft. Let cool completely.
- Take the meat out of the refrigerator and mix completely with the cooked onion mixture. Stir in the bread crumbs and egg, adding a few drops of Worcestershire sauce and some seasoning. Take care not to over do the Worcestershire sauce. To check your flavours, take a small amount and fry it in a skillet, taste and then adjust the mixture as needed.
- To fill the sausage skins, you can use a sausage skin filler, or you can use a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tube, filling the bag only half full for better control.
- Take the sausage skin and pull it back to the knot. Sit it over the end of the piping tube and squeeze. Once the sausage skin has been filled to the size of a standard sausage, remove the piping bag and push the meat further down the skin to give a good plump shake, pushing out any air left in the skin, then tie at the end. Repeat to fill all your sausage skins. Place onto a plate, cover and allow to rest in the refrigerator before proceeding to cook them.
- They are ready to be grilled or pan-fried. Pan frying is my preferred method of cooking. Melt the lard in a heavy bottomed skillet. Lay the sausage in the hot fat and fry gently, for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until they are golden brown and cooked thoroughly. Enjoy!
Note - you can replace the shoulder and cheeks with 2 1/2 pounds of pork belly, reducing the amount of pork fat by about 1/3 of a pound.
My absolute favourite of all the sausages has to be Cumberland sausage. It is said to be the meatiest of all the sausages and has a very distinctive peppery flavour that I really enjoy. At one time they used to be made from a special breed of pig, which unfortunately died out back in the late 50's/early 60's.
One of the most recognisable features of Cumberland sausage is that it is not twisted into links, but rather long length are shaped and rolled into a "Catherine Wheel" shape. Some of them can be quite long and in Cumbria you actually buy the by the length rather than the weight. We have had some really delicious ones when we have been staying up in Cumbria, that I have never been able to find anywhere else. Traditionally they are flavoured with a mix of cayenne pepper, white pepper, ground nutmeg and salt, a combination which I find extremely delicious. Its nice and peppery. If you want to have a try at making your own (and I hope that you do), it is best for you to just pipe the meat into two or three long sausages and then coil them into Cumberlands when done. You can then pan fry, grill or roast them as desired.
Yield: Makes 2 to 3 good sized Cumberlands
Cumberland Sausage
Delicious. There is no other word for them. They are lovely kept in the coil shape and secured with a skewer and cooked whole, for cutting into sections at the table.
ingredients:
- 1 pound lean pork shoulder, cut into rough dice
- a generous 1/2 pound pork belly, rind removed, cut into rough dice
- 1/3 pound pork back fat, cut into rough dice
- 100g soft fresh white bread crumbs (1 2/3 cup)
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tsp chopped fresh sage
- 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 - 3 yards sausage skins, soaked and washed in water, cut into 2 to 3 lengths
- butter, lard or cooking oil for frying
For the special Cumberland seasoning:
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground white pepper
- pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
- pinch of cayenne pepper
instructions:
How to cook Cumberland Sausage
- Mince the meats to your choice using a meat grinder on a coarse disc for one turn, and the on a medium disc for another. Mix in the bread crumbs, herbs and seasonings.
- To fill the sausage skins, you can use a sausage skin filler, or you can use a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch plain tube, filling the bag only half full for better control.
- Tie a knot in one end of each length of skin.
- Take the sausage skin and pull it back to the knot. Sit it over the end of the piping tube and squeeze. Once the sausage skin has been filled to the size of a standard sausage, remove the piping bag and push the meat further down the skin to give a good plump shake, pushing out any air left in the skin, then tie at the end. Repeat to fill all your sausage skins. Shape into coils and place onto a plate, cover and allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour before proceeding to cook them.
- To bake, preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Brush with butter and place in a roasting tray. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes basting every so often with some butter.
- To pan fry, heat a skillet and add a drop of lard or cooking oil. Place the sausage into the pan and gently fry until golden on the underside (12 to 15 minutes), flip over and fry gently on the other side for 8 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
- To grill, brush with butter and place under a medium hot grill, cooking for 8 to 10 minutes per side.
- Serve hot.
TOAD IN THE HOLE - a British Comfort-food Favourite
A delightful and tasty comfort-food-recipe I discovered shortly after I arrived here
was a lovely dish called Toad in the Hole. I had often heard about this
British delicacy but had never had any idea of what it was let alone
ever had the chance to try it. I soon learnt that it had nothing to do
with holes, dirt, or even toads for that matter!
The origin of the name 'Toad-in-the-Hole' is quite vague. Most suggestions are that the dish's resemblance to a toad sticking its little head out of a hole provide the dish with its somewhat unusual name.
Yield: 2 - 3
Toad in the Hole
To be sure, this is quite simply sausages baked in the oven with a delicious Yorkshire pudding batter baked around them, but there is an art to making a good one. Serve with plenty of fluffy mashed potatoes, onion gravy and a vegetable on the side.
ingredients:
- 2 large free range Eggs
- 125g Plain Flour (1 cup, minus 2 TBS)
- 150ml Milk (2/3 cup)
- 150ml Cold Water (2/3 cup)
- Salt & Pepper
- 6 Good Quality Herby Sausages of your choosing (I like Cumberland myself)
- 2 tbsp Lard or Dripping or Cooking Oil
instructions:
How to cook Toad in the Hole
- On a low heat cook the Sausages in a frying pan on all sides until nicely browned and sticky. Do not prick the skins! Allow to cool.
- Crack open the eggs into a large measuring jug and beat well. Add the milk and water together, mixing it all together really well. Set aside.
- Sift the the flour into a large bowl and season with a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Make a well in the centre. Gradually whisk in the liquid mixture, whisking until you have a stiff but smooth batter with no lumps. Allow to rest for half an hour.
- Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Slip the lard or oil into a deep sided baking tin and place just this in the oven. Once it is quite hot and the fat is sizzling, quickly, but carefully, take it out and rest on the top of the hob. Pour in the Batter mixture. Then add the Sausages, parallel to each other, the length of the tin.
- Place back into the oven and bake for around half an hour until the batter is puffed up, golden brown and crispy. Serve cut into squares with fluffy mashed potatoes and a delicious gravy of your own choosing.
Sticky Sausages with Cream & Mustard Mash
And there you have it, all I know about sausages. How to make your own British Sausages, and a few ideas on how to cook them once you have them made!
Up Tomorrow: Crispy Herbed Potato Rosettes.
I never got anything new baked to share with you this weekend. The weather has been uber hot here and I just can't bring myself to do much in the way of cooking. I thought it would be another opportunity to share some of the recipes from my old Oak Cottage Blog that I used to have years ago. Although the photography is not the best, the recipes are all sound and delicious. There's a little something here for everyone!
You can't beat a delicious Sticky Marmalade Loaf. It has a beautiful flavour and texture. Filled with toasted pecan nuts, with more adorning the top and a final glaze of marmalade, this is one you will want to enjoy with a nice hot cuppa! We like to spread slices of it with butter when we eat it!
*Sticky Marmalade Tea Loaf*
Makes 1 2-lb loaf (serves approx. 12)Printable Recipe
I like to use extra chunky marmalade in this delicious tea bread. It helps to give extra texture to the baked loaf and prettifies the top! Yorkshire Tea company does make a lovely marmalade loaf of their own, which is quite good, but you just can't beat homemade! It's always infinitely better! (Besides my own is twice the size and half the price, not to mention just that bit tastier!)
140g of marmalade (reserve 1 TBS for later) (2/3 cup)
170g of butter, softened (3/4 cup)
170g ounces light soft brown sugar (3/4 cup)
3 large free range eggs, beaten
280g self rising flour (2 cups)
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
100g pecan halves, divided (scant cup)
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4. Lightly butter a 2 pound loaf tin and then line it with greaseproof paper. Set aside, along with 1 TBS of the marmalade (in a small sauce pan.)
Put the butter, remaining marmalade, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and spices into a large bowl. Blend with an electric beater for two minutes or so until smooth and light. Stir in 2/3 of the pecan nuts.
Tip the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining pecan nuts over top evenly. Bake in the heated oven for about 1 - 1 1/4 hours until a skewer inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly touched. (If it is browning too much you can cover it with foil after 45 minutes) Once cooked remove it from the tin and allow to cool slightly on a wire rack.
Gently heat the reserved marmalade and then brush it evenly over top of the warm loaf. Allow to cool and serve cut into slices.
This is a lovely refreshing pie in the summer months. You do need to bake it briefly in the oven, but not long enough to really heat up the kitchen!
Serves 8
Printable Recipe
This pie is not only easy and quick to make, but oh so very tasty. With it's wonderfully scrumptious lemon filling and it's spicy gingersnap crust it is moreishly delicious! A real pleaser on all levels! Another one from my big blue binder.
FILLING:
the grated zest and juice of 3 lemons (I always use unwaxed)
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten (freeze the whites to make a pavlova or meringues at a later date)
1 14-ounce tin of sweetened condensed milk (400g)
1 TBS sugar
a pre-baked gingersnap crust (see below)
TO SERVE:
1 cup heavy cream, chilled (240ml)
1/4 cup sugar (45g)
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4. Stir the lemon juice, lemon zest and the egg yolks together in a bowl. Whisk in the condensed milk and sugar and combine thoroughly.
Pour the filling into the prepared crust and then place on a baking tray. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. Cover with cling film and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
When ready to serve, beat the cream with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and beat just to combine. Cut the pie into slices and garnish each slice with a nice dollop of the sweetened cream to serve.
*Gingersnap Pie Crust*
makes one 9 inch pie crust4 ounces of gingersnap cookies, crushed into fine crumbs (about 1 cup of crumbs)
(Over here I use gingernuts and crush them in my blender)
1/2 cup finely ground almonds or pecans (50g)
5 TBS unsalted butter, melted
Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Stir the gingersnap crumbs and almonds together in a bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to mix evenly together. Turn into a 9 inch pie plate and press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides to form a crust.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it feels dry and firm. Let cool to room temperature before filling.
What was your favourite flavour of pudding (North American Pudding) when you were a child. Mine was chocolate pudding. It was actually rather strange because I hated really did not like chocolate milk, but chocolate pudding, I was in love with!
*Chocolate Pudding*
Serves 4Alternately, don't cover it with the cream and instead serve it with whipped cream. Its also very nice with some crumbled cinder toffee sprinkled on top of the whipped cream. Just saying!
*Cinder Toffee*
Every child's delight this is a wonderful
concoction that magically turns from a thick syrup into a heavenly light
sponge of delicious sweet confection once you add the magic ingredient .
. . baking soda. One feels a bit like a mad scientist when they are
making this. It's soooo sweet and soooo good!
3 1/2 TBS salted butter, plus extra for greasing
300ml water (1 1/4 cups)
4 teaspoons malt vinegar
3 tablespoons golden syrup
450g granulated sugar (2 1/3 cups)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 bar of good quality chocolate, *optional (I use green and blacks organic milk chocolate)
Grease a large baking tin well with butter and set it aside. (mine was an 11 by 7 inch tin)
Place the butter, water, and vinegar into a large saucepan. Heat until the butter has melted. Add the golden syrup and sugar. Heat and stir until the sugar completely dissolves. Once it has dissolved and it is all mixed well together, STOP stirring. Clip your candy thermometer onto the side of the pan if you have one. Bring the mixture to the boil and allow to boil without stirring it until the mass reaches the hard crack stage on your candy thermometer. (if you don't have a candy thermometer a teaspoon of the molten toffee dropped into a saucer of cold water at hard crack stage will form brittle strands and crack when you try to shape it)
Be very careful as this mixture is very hot and can be dangerous. This is not a recipe for children to be making.
Remove the mixture from the heat and carefully stir in the baking soda. It will immediately froth up. Keep stirring gently until the bubbles begin to subside. Working very quickly, pour it into the prepared pan. Wait for between ten and twenty minutes until the mixture is set up but still warm, and then knock it out of the pan and break the toffee into pieces. Lay these pieces out on a wire rack until completely cooled, then transfer to an air-tight container (or your mouth).
*If you wish to coat yours in chocolate, break up your chocolate into small bits and melt it in a bowl set over simmering water. Dip each piece of cooled cinder toffee into the melted chocolate to coat, and then place the coated pieces on a rack to dry completely before storing in an air tight container.
3 1/2 TBS salted butter, plus extra for greasing
300ml water (1 1/4 cups)
4 teaspoons malt vinegar
3 tablespoons golden syrup
450g granulated sugar (2 1/3 cups)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 bar of good quality chocolate, *optional (I use green and blacks organic milk chocolate)
Grease a large baking tin well with butter and set it aside. (mine was an 11 by 7 inch tin)
Place the butter, water, and vinegar into a large saucepan. Heat until the butter has melted. Add the golden syrup and sugar. Heat and stir until the sugar completely dissolves. Once it has dissolved and it is all mixed well together, STOP stirring. Clip your candy thermometer onto the side of the pan if you have one. Bring the mixture to the boil and allow to boil without stirring it until the mass reaches the hard crack stage on your candy thermometer. (if you don't have a candy thermometer a teaspoon of the molten toffee dropped into a saucer of cold water at hard crack stage will form brittle strands and crack when you try to shape it)
Be very careful as this mixture is very hot and can be dangerous. This is not a recipe for children to be making.
Remove the mixture from the heat and carefully stir in the baking soda. It will immediately froth up. Keep stirring gently until the bubbles begin to subside. Working very quickly, pour it into the prepared pan. Wait for between ten and twenty minutes until the mixture is set up but still warm, and then knock it out of the pan and break the toffee into pieces. Lay these pieces out on a wire rack until completely cooled, then transfer to an air-tight container (or your mouth).
*If you wish to coat yours in chocolate, break up your chocolate into small bits and melt it in a bowl set over simmering water. Dip each piece of cooled cinder toffee into the melted chocolate to coat, and then place the coated pieces on a rack to dry completely before storing in an air tight container.
You have heard of Lemon Drizzle Loaf, this is a Jaffa Drizzle Loaf. Flavoured with orange and drizzled with chocolate!
Cuts into 8 - 1 slices
Printable Recipe
Chocolate and orange are an unbeatable combination. This light and zesty cake makes the best of those two lovely flavours.
FOR THE CAKE:
140g of butter, softened (2/3 cup)
280g self raising flour (2 cups)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
225g sugar (1 cup + 3 TBS)
3 large free range eggs
6 TBS milk
the finely grated zest of 1 large orange
TO FINISH:
3 TBS fresh orange juice
5 TBS sugar
2 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a medium loaf tin and line the bottom with some baking parchment. Butter the parchment.
Put all the cake ingredients into a large bowl and beat with your electric mixer until light and fluffy. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf tin and level the top. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch when lightly touched with a fingertip. Alternately you can stick a toothpick into the centre. If it comes out clean . . . the cake is done!
In the meantime, heat the orange juice and sugar gently in small pan. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
Remove the finished cake from the oven and set aside on a rack. Do not remove from the pan. Take a toothpick or a fork and punch holes into it all over the top. Spoon the orange/sugar mixture all over the top, waiting for it to soak in before adding more. Leave to cool completely in the pan. Once cool, remove from the tin and place on the rack again.
Melt the chocolate bits in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave on medium for 1 to 2 minutes, depending on the strength of your microwave. (I microwave it at 30 second intervals until it is meltingly soft) Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cake with a fork and then leave to set before slicing.
Our Blueberries are ripening at the moment. Time to make this lucious Blueberry Sour Cream Cake.
*Blueberry Soured Cream Cake*Serves 10
Printable Recipe
Moist yellow cake studded with luscious blueberries . . . all topped with a delicious cream cheese icing and more fresh blueberries. This is a winning cake on all counts!
180g butter, softened (3/4 cup)
170g caster sugar (14 TBS)
3 large free range eggs
280g self raising flour (2 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
75g carton of sour cream, divided (9 1/2 TBS)
375g punnets of blueberries Scant 4 cups)
FOR THE FROSTING:
Moist yellow cake studded with luscious blueberries . . . all topped with a delicious cream cheese icing and more fresh blueberries. This is a winning cake on all counts!
180g butter, softened (3/4 cup)
170g caster sugar (14 TBS)
3 large free range eggs
280g self raising flour (2 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
75g carton of sour cream, divided (9 1/2 TBS)
375g punnets of blueberries Scant 4 cups)
FOR THE FROSTING:
2 TBS butter
2 TBS cream cheese
195g sugar (1 1/2 cup)
drop of vanilla
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch round deep cake tin and line the bottom with baking parchment. Butter the parchment.
Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder and vanilla into a bowl. Beat for 2 to 3 minutes with an electric beater until it is pale and well mixed. Beat in 4 Tablespoons of sour cream, then carefully fold in half of the blueberries.
Spread the batter in the prepared pan and level it off. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 50 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly pressed or a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool in the tin for 1o minutes, then take out of the tin and peel of the parchment paper. Leave to finish cooling on a wire rack.
Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla with the icing sugar until you have a smooth and creamy mixture. Spread over the top of the completely cooled cake. Scatter the remaining half of the blueberries on top.
This cake will keep well in the refrigerator for several days. (If it lasts that long!) Deliciously moreish!
I scream. You scream. We all scream for Ice Cream! Especially if it boasts a lovely Maple Walnut topping!
*Maple Walnut Ice Cream Sundaes*Serves 1
Printable Recipe
This hardly seems a recipe, it is so simple. You can multiply the amounts according to however many people you are wanting to serve it to. Once you taste how delicious it is, and see how easy it is to do, you will wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself!
¼ cup of pure maple syrup (60ml)
¼ cup chopped walnuts of pecans (35g)
1 large scoop of vanilla ice cream
Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat for a few minutes and then toss in the nuts. Toast them in the heated skillet for about two to three minutes. Once they are toasted and begin to smell all fragrantly nutty, pour in the Maple syrup and let it bubble up. Remove it from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes, until it is just warm. (Not hot, unless you want soup, instead of ice cream!)
Scoop vanilla ice cream into a dish andthen pour the maple nut sauce over top and enjoy!
I love it with walnuts myself, but that is probably because it reminds me of the maple walnut ice cream from home. That was always my father’s favourite flavour and every mouthful always reminds me of him.
This hardly seems a recipe, it is so simple. You can multiply the amounts according to however many people you are wanting to serve it to. Once you taste how delicious it is, and see how easy it is to do, you will wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself!
¼ cup of pure maple syrup (60ml)
¼ cup chopped walnuts of pecans (35g)
1 large scoop of vanilla ice cream
Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat for a few minutes and then toss in the nuts. Toast them in the heated skillet for about two to three minutes. Once they are toasted and begin to smell all fragrantly nutty, pour in the Maple syrup and let it bubble up. Remove it from the heat and let it cool for a few minutes, until it is just warm. (Not hot, unless you want soup, instead of ice cream!)
Scoop vanilla ice cream into a dish andthen pour the maple nut sauce over top and enjoy!
I love it with walnuts myself, but that is probably because it reminds me of the maple walnut ice cream from home. That was always my father’s favourite flavour and every mouthful always reminds me of him.
Our Strawberries are all but done now, but you can still load up on fresh Scottish strawberries at the shops!
Printable Recipe
Easy to make and a beauty to behold. This lovely tortecombines a wonderfully crisp and buttery shortbread crust with all the decadence of a luscious cream filling, topped with gorgeously sweet strawberries. A final dusting of powdered sugar is it’s crowning glory. It’s hard to believe that something so easy can be so impressive, but it’s true!
CRUST:
½ cup of pecans or walnuts, toasted (45g)
1 ½ cups plain flour (210g)
2 TBS caster sugar
¾ cup cold butter (180g)
8 ounces of cream cheese, at room temperature (230g)
½ cup caster sugar 45g)
1 cup whipping cream (240ml)
3 cups fresh strawberries, halved
Icing sugar to dust over the top and a few whole berries for a garnish
Pre-heat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Place the nuts in a food processor and pulse them until they are finely chopped, taking care not to turn them into a paste. It should only take 4 or 5 pulses. Add the sugar and the flour and pulse to mix. When well blended, add the butter, 2 TBS at a time through the hopper, pulsing until the mixture forms a crumbly consistency, and the butter is worked well throughout.
Remove the crumbs from the processor and spread into a 10 inch spring form pan. Press evenly on the bottom and pushing one inch up the sides of the pan to form a shallow crust with one inch sides. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven, place on a wire rack and let cool completely in the pan.
Once the crust is cooled, place the cream cheese and sugar in a small bowl and beat together until fluffy and well blended. Place the whipping cream in another bowl and whip until soft peaks form, taking care not to over beat it. You don’t want it to be granular. Slowly fold the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream, until well blended. Spread evenly in the cooled crust and then refrigerate for an hour or so to firm up.
When ready to serve, arrange the sliced berries on the top of the chilled cream mixture in a decorative manner, placing a few berries in the centre to garnish. Remove the sides of the spring form pan and place on a serving plate. Dust lightly with icing sugar.
*Note - Don’t ever wash strawberries. They become soggy and waterlogged. Just lightly wipe them with some damp paper towelling if they are dusty and dirty. Also, don’t refrigerate them. The flavour is so much better at room temperature, and if you can leave them out in the sun for a bit until they are lovely and warm and juicy, so much the better!
I reckon that's enough for you to be getting on with this weekend! Hope you are having a good one! Its Grace's first birthday party today and we are looking forward to going to that. I hope the sun shines for it!
I have always loved prunes. I used to make a beautiful Prune & Apricot Coffee Cake, which I haven't made in a very long while. Note to self: As soon as the oven is fixed, bake one.
We tend to associate prunes with the elderly and care homes . . . tinned yucky prunes that have a really pasty consistency and are blecch. (Sorry, don't like tinned prunes!)
Ready to eat, dried pitted prunes however, are lovely. Sticky and sweet, sightly chewy. As appealing as raisins or dried apricots.
This recipe I am sharing today is one that comes from this book. A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband, by Louise Bennett Weaver and Helen Cowles LeCron. It was originally published in 1917, and reads like a diary. Its quite good actually. I have cooked a few things from it, and all are very good.
The original recipe actually called for finely chopped Dates. I couldn't find any in my larder, so I used prunes instead . . . with great success!
I also added chopped toasted walnuts . . . for a bit of interest and crunch.
A simple batter containing soft bread crumbs, flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, sugar and suet . . . beaten together. I added some vanilla and lemon extracts.
Some people don't like to use Suet, or have a problem finding it. You can use frozen vegetable shortening, grated if you wish, and you could also use butter, but, personally, I think butter would make it very rich.
It is a steamed pudding . . . you simply mix the batter together and then pop it into a buttered pudding basin, or buttered individual pudding basins. If you do it as one large pudding, it will take roughly twice the time as the individual ones.
Don't worry if you don't have individual pudding basins, you can also use custard cups . . . even small tins, about the size of a mandarin tin. Just make sure you butter them well.
There is a lovely lemon sauce that you can also make to spoon over the finished puddings . . .
Its lush and low in fat . . . but large on flavour . . . don't be tempted to skip it. Its gorgeous.
You could of course also serve it with ice cream or even pouring cream . . .
Just don't skip the lemon sauce!
When I make it again (and I WILL!) I am going to add some chopped dried apricots . . . they are so jewel-like and taste fabulous with prunes!
Bottom line . . . with prunes, or prunes and apricots . . . with dates . . . toasted nuts or not, this is one very gorgeous pudding.
Your family is sure to love it.
Steamed Prune & Walnut Puddings
Yield: 4
These lovely steamed puddings are studded with sticky bits of prune and crunchy toasted walnuts. Don't skip the lemon sauce. They go perfectly, deliciously together!
ingredients:
- 40g soft fresh bread crumbs (2/3 cup)
- 80g plain flour (2/3 cup)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 85g finely chopped suet (2/3 cup)
- 125g granulated sugar a92/3 cup)
- 1 large free range egg
- 100g finely chopped prunes (2/3 cup)
- 40g chopped toasted walnuts (1/3 cup)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
- 156ml milk (2/3 cup
Lemon Sauce:
- 95g sugar (1/2 cup)
- 1 TBS plain flour
- 240ml water (1 cup)
- the juice of one lemon
- 1 tsp butter
instructions:
How to cook Steamed Prune & Walnut Puddings
- You will need a steaming pan, and four individual molds, or custard cups. (heat proof). Butter the four molds or cups really well. Have ready 4 squares of tinfoil which you have also buttered and pleated in the middle, and which are large enough to wrap over the tops of the cups securely.
- Measure all of the ingredients for the pudding into a bowl, in order given. Stir well for several minutes. Divide between the four cups. Place boiling water in the bottom of the steamer. Secure the tops of the cups with the pleated and buttered foil, covering them completely. Place them into the rack of the steamer. Cover and steam over simmering water for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours. To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into one. If it comes out clean they are done.
- About 15 minutes before they are done make the sauce. Measure the sugar and flour into a small saucepan. Whisk together and then whisk in the water. Cook, stirring for about 2 minutes over moderate heat, at which time the sugar should have melted and it will have slightly thickened. Beat in the lemon juice and the butter.
- Run a knife around the inside rim of each mold. Insert over serving plate (s) and gently tip out. Spoon a bit of sauce over top and pass the remainder at the table.
- Serve hot.
NOTES:
Any leftovers can be reheated gently in a steamer for about 10 to 15 minutes.
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