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
So I had some leftover brisket the other day and I thought about making a hash with it and the leftover veg, or hot sandwiches. I quite like a hot roast beef sandwich, but then the wheels started turning in my head and I thought to myself . . . what if I used large yorkshire puddings instead of bread??? What if Indeed! WOWSA!
This is probably the most inspired idea I have had in ages. The Yorkshire puddings are perfect for this. They have lovely built in cups to hold whatever you put into them. I put a quantity of heated leftover cooked swede/rutatabaga in the bottom one and ladled on hot roast beef and gravy. You could use any vegetable you want or even no vegetable if you wanted . . .
That was topped with another Yorkshire pudding into which I ladled additional gravy . . .
Just look at how it lovingly cups and holds that hot gravy . . . and how it sits to pretty atop that beef filling on the bottom . . .
A few homemade oven chips or roasties on the side and some additional veg and we had a dinner fit for a King, or at the very least a Prince, and everyone was very, VERY happy! Do plan ahead as the yorkshire pudding batter mix needs to sit at room temperature for about an hour prior to using.
*Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches*
Serves 4
This
is a hot roast beef sandwich that I came up with to use up some
leftover brisket last week. I though to myself why not use yorkshire
puddings instead of bread. Why not indeed? Delicious!
about 1 pound of leftover roast beef, thinly sliced
a quanitity of leftover cooked veg (I used mashed swede/rutabaga)
(Shake together in a jar until smooth)
salt and black pepper to taste
For the puddings:
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups milk, at room temperature (308ml)
1 cup flour (140g)
a little oil or dripping
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp salt
1 1/3 cups milk, at room temperature (308ml)
1 cup flour (140g)
a little oil or dripping
To serve:
cooked vegetables
fat oven chips or leftover roasties 
If you are baking oven chips, or making your own, put them
into the oven with the oven for about 15 minutes before you put in your
yorkshire puddings.
Preheat your oven to 230*C/450*F/ gas mark 7.
To make the puddings - Make
sure all your ingredients are at room temperature before beginning.
Beat your eggs together in a large measuring jug until very light.
Whisk in the milk. Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt.
Make a well in the middle and add the wet ingredients all at once,
pouring them into the well, and then whisk them in, slowly incorporating
the dry mixture from the sides until you have a smooth batter. Now,
this is the important bit . . . COVER IT AND LET IT SIT ON THE SIDEBOARD
FOR ONE HOUR.
Place a small amount of oil or dripping into each cup of 2 yorkshire pudding pans, each with 4 holes. (Alternately you can bake it in a large shallow roasting tin as one piece which you cut into squares later). Place the tins into the hot oven to heat up until the fat is hot and sizzling. Remove from the oven and quickly divide the batter amongst each hole, filling them about 2/3 full. Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until well risen, browned and crispy, reducing the oven temperature by 5*C/10*F every five minutes.
Place a small amount of oil or dripping into each cup of 2 yorkshire pudding pans, each with 4 holes. (Alternately you can bake it in a large shallow roasting tin as one piece which you cut into squares later). Place the tins into the hot oven to heat up until the fat is hot and sizzling. Remove from the oven and quickly divide the batter amongst each hole, filling them about 2/3 full. Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until well risen, browned and crispy, reducing the oven temperature by 5*C/10*F every five minutes.
While
they are baking make the gravy and heat the meat and vegetables. To
make the gravy bring the beef stock to a simmer. Whisk in the
flour/water mixture. Cook, whisking constantly until the mixture
bubbles and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk in the
onion powder, garlic powder, horseradish and onion chutney. Add the
cooked beef and heat gently.
Its very easy to make your own oven chips. Just peel some large potatoes and cut into large wedges. Shake them together in a bag with some seasonings (I use seasoned salt, garlic and onion powders and black pepper) and then throw them onto a lightly oiled baking tray spreading them out. Bake for about 30 minutes at a high temperature until golden brown, giving them a stir every now and then.
Altogether this is a really delicious way to make leftovers taste even better than the original meal. You will find your family really loves these! If you don't want to make your own yorkies from scratch, then use a good quality already baked one that you just re-heat. But do try to make your own. They are not all that hard. I promise! You could also use leftover gravy if you happen to have any instead of making your own. This is really good anyway you make it! Bon Appetite!
I have a long standing love affair with corn bread of any kind. As a bread, as a muffin, as a cake, as stuffing . . . corn bread and I have had a very long relationship with each other.
This particular recipe I am sharing with you today is one of my long time favourites!
It is a basic corn bread batter, filled with sour milk (for moistness), butter, some corn for added texture, and of course the usual flour, cornmeal, etc.
But it goes beyond that because, it also has all of the appeal of a corn pudding!
You generously butter the baking tin and pop it into the oven while you stir together the bread batter.
Take the hot pan out, pour in the batter, and then you pour a whole cup of delicious heavy cream right into the middle of it . . . no mixing, no stirring . . . just leave it be . . . a puddle of cream in the middle.
I'm not sure how it works or why it works, but . . . that cream somehow forms a delicious rich custard layer in the bread as it bakes . . . .
This has to be my favourite of all the cornbreads I make and it makes a beautiful holiday breakfast when you serve it warm, cut into squares with Maple syrup for pouring over the top.
You get the crunch of the cornmeal . . . the moist cake batter, the chewiness of the corn niblets and that rich custard . . . and then the smoky sweetness of the maple syrup gilding that most delicious lily.
It reminds me of one time when we were driving through Vermont, and we were up very close to the Quebec border.
We were starving because we had been out and about very early that morning and so we stopped at a little cafe near the road . . . there was a lake across the road . . .
We had beautiful crisp edged pancakes . . . with a slight crunch of cornmeal in the batter . . . with lots of butter and warm Vermont Maple Syrup.
They were so delicious. So much so that I still think about them today.
Nothing has ever quite come close to that memory, but then taste memories are like that aren't they?
We look at them through the rose coloured glasses of bygone days and romanticise them a bit I think.
Everytime I make this I think about those pancakes . . . . so this must be tweaking my Vermont Pancake tastebuds in a good way.
In any case, this is very, very, VERY good!!
*Custard Filled Cornbread*
Makes 1 8-inch square pan
Makes 1 8-inch square pan
This is the most delicious and moist cornbread you will ever eat. It goes wonderfully with stews and soups, and to be perfectly honest . . . a piece of this all warm and covered with Maple Syrup is a wonderful, wonderful breakfast . . . one bite and you will be totally smitten. I kid you not.
2 large free range eggs
3 TBS sweet butter, melted
(plus extra to butter the pan)
3 TBS sugar
3/4 tsp salt
480ml whole milk (2 cups)
1 1/2 TBS white vinegar
140g plain flour (1 cup)
130g yellow cornmeal, or polenta (3/4 cup)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
225g tinned sweet corn, well drained (about 1 cup)
240ml heavy cream (double cream) (1 cup)
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. gas mark 4. Butter an 8 inch square
pan really well with some butter, and then put the pan into the oven to
get it hot while you mix up the batter.
Beat the eggs together in a mixing bowl. Beat in the butter and the sugar until well blended. Stir in the milk, salt and vinegar. Beat well.
Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix well. Pour this mixture all at once onto the wet mixture. Mix together just until the batter is uniformly moist, fairly smooth with no lumps. Stir in the corn kernels. Pour into the hot dish. Immediately pour the cream right into the middle of the dish. Don't stir it at all. Just pour it in and leave it.
Bake in the heated oven for 50 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool for about 15 minutes before cutting into squares to serve. Serve warm.
Mmmm . . . this is so very good. I hope you will try it at some point in the coming months. I think you'll agree with me! Bon Appetit!
I picked up a new cookbook the other day. Yes, I know . . . I couldn't resist. It was Nigel Slater's Christmas book, The Christmas Chronicles.
I expect there will be a television series to go with it over the holidays, which will be good, but I wanted to make sure my collection of his books was complete.
He had a recipe in it for Brandied Mincemeat that looked quite promising and was quite different than my old recipe for mincemeat.
As well as the regular vine fruits . . . sultanas and currants . . . it called for dried apricots and prunes. I love both those fruits and so I decided to give it a go. There is also some chopped apple in there, plenty of spice, good beef suet, lemons and . . . gulp, brandy!
I found that I had to use almost twice as much brandy as the recipe called for, and hopefully it will all have cooked off. *hiccup*
The prunes dissolved and the mixture was catching on the bottom, and so I just kept adding little bits of brandy to keep that from happening.
The end result was quite tasty however! If you don't want to use alcohol you can use some fruit juice. Just enough to keep it from catching as you cook and stir it on the stove. Orange or apple would be great!
*Brandied Mincemeat*
Makes about 3 pounds
This is what worked for me. Put the suet in a large saucepan and melt.
Stir in the sugar, half the brandy, the lemon juice and the spices.
Stir to melt the sugar. Stir in all of the fruit and the zest of the
lemon. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium low heat for about 15
minutes. Check it frequently to make sure it doesn't catch, it if it
catching, add additional brandy a bit at a time. You may not need it
all. Have ready several large sterilized jars or containers. Allow the
mincemeat to cool completely. Divide it amongst your chosen containers
and seal. Store in a cool dark place until needed.
It makes quite a lot and so I am set for mincemeat this year! Let the Mincemeat Fest begin!
Mincemeat and Marzipan Tea Bread. If you like mincmeat you will love this moist and tasty tea bread. We
like it spread with cold butter. You just can't beat a slice of this,
enjoyed next to teh fire on a cold and windy evening. Comfortingly
delicious!
Mincemeat Rolls. Fluffy buttery cresent rolls filled with tasty mincemeat, baked and
then dusted with icing sugar and served warm. A delicious holiday
breakfast addition!
Spiced Cranberry, Mincemeat and Almond Eve's Pudding. I combined a mixture of cooked Bramley apple, along with some
cranberries and the leftover mincemeat, and then topped it with a
buttery almondy frangipane batter. Oh my . . . but this is some
good. The tartness of the bramley apple and cranberries, offset the
sweetness of the mincemeat just perfectly . . . each mouthful is
wonderfully buttery, and sweet and tart at the same time.
Mincemeat Tarts. I just adore these delicious holiday treats! Crisp and buttery pastry
encasing a delicious filling of spiced fruits, and dusted with icing
sugar. Oh, so very wonderful. It just would not be Christmas without a
breadbox filled with these!
Mincemeat and Apple Brown Betty. A delicious mix of mincemeat, apples and buttery soft bread crumbs. Serve warm
with cream or ice cream. Yum!
Holiday Split Seconds. Called split seconds because they can be thrown together quickly and
baked just as quick as a wink. These are lovely additions to your
holiday cookie trays. Great keepers and very tasty.
And that's just for starters!
Bon Appetit!
I thought this weekend I would make our Christmas pudding for this Christmas and get it done and put away so that it is nicely ripened for the big day. Christmas puddings are a really big deal over here in the UK.
Back home we might have had a Carrot Pudding with Brown Sugar Sauce, but we didn't really do Christmas Puddings as such. The carrot pudding would usually have to be made on the day, although admittedly, my MIL used to make it and freeze it, and then just reheat it in the top of a double boiler.
Christmas Puddings are a very traditional thing here in the UK. Christmas (or Plum) Pudding is the traditional end to the British Christmas dinner. But what we think of as Christmas Pudding, is not what it was originally like!
Christmas pudding originated as a 14th century porridge called 'frumenty' that was made of beef and mutton with raisins, currants, prunes, wines and spices. This was quite liquidy, would need to be eaten with a spoon like a soup, and would have been a fasting meal during the preparations up to Christmas.
By 1595, frumenty was slowly changing into a plum pudding, having been
thickened with eggs, breadcrumbs, dried fruit and given more flavor with
the addition of beer and spirits. It became the customary Christmas
dessert around 1650, but in 1664 the Puritans banned it as a bad custom. (Those old Puritans were a bunch of party-poopers!)
In 1714, King George I re-established it as part of the Christmas meal,
having tasted and enjoyed Plum Pudding, and by Victorian times, Christmas
Puddings had changed into something very similar to the ones which are prepared and eaten
today.
The Plum pudding is a national symbol – It does not represent a class or
caste, but the bulk of the English nation. There is not a man, woman or
child raised above what the French would call proletaires that does not
expect a taste of plum pudding of some sort or another on Christmas
Day.
~London Illustrated News, 1850
Traditionally a Christmas Pudding is prepared on the last Sunday before Lent, which is lovingly referred to as "Stir Up Sunday." Stir-up-Sunday is usually a family affair.
Each family member is supposed to stir the mixture from East to West to honour the journey of the Magi. This ritual is also thought to bring the family luck and prosperity in the coming year.
At one time it was also customary to hide a number of small trinkets in the mixture, a bit like the twelfth night cake. These charms often included a silver coin (wealth), and a ring (future marriage).
Woe betide the guest who stumbled across a thimble in their serving. A future of Spinsterhood was a cert for them! Nowadays this generally isn't done, although Todd does remember his mom putting coins into theirs.
I am doing mine a bit earlier this year so that I can present you a tutorial on it and give you time to get in any necessary ingredients, etc. "Stir-up-Sunday" this year will be the 19th November.
125g dried figs, quartered (3/4 cup)
100g raisins (2/3 cup)
75g golden raisins (scant half cup)
75g dried currants (scant half cup)
50g glace cherries (1/3 cup)
65g candied ginger (scant half cup)
100 ml brandy (6 1/2 TBS)
125g butter, softened (1/2 cup)
140g soft light brown sugar (2/3 cup)
1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
1 large free range egg
25g blanched almonds chopped roughly (3 TBS)
25g toasted pecans, chopped roughly (3 TBS)
90g soft white bread crumbs (1 generous cup)
30g plain flour (1/4 cup)
15g self raising flour (1/8 cup)
1/2 tsp each ground mixed spice and ground cinnamon
pinch salt
Mix
all of the dried fruit together in a bowl. Add the brandy and stir,
mixing well together. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave on the
counter overnight to macerate.
The next day bruht a 1 litre
pudding basin (5 cup) well with melted butter and place a round of
baking paper in the bottom. Set aside.
Cream the butter,
sugar and orange zest together until light and fluffy in a large bowl.
Beat in the egg. Stir together both flours, nuts, spices and bread
crumbs. Add the macerated fruit and stir together to combine. Stir this
mixture into the creamed mixture combining well together. Spoon into
the prepared pudding basin, pressing it down to compact, smoothing the
top withthe back of a wooden spoon. Tap on the counter several times to
remove any air holes.
Place a large sheet of tinfoil on
the counter. Top it with an equal sized piece of baking paper. Butter
the paper. Make a pleat in the centre of both sheets together. Wrap
them over top of the pudding, leaving room for expansion. Secure
tightly with either a rubber band or kitchen string.
Place a
small heat proof trivet in the bottom of a large saucepan (with a tight
fitting lid). Lower the pudding into the saucepan, placing it on top of
the trivet. Fill the saucepan with enough boiling water to come 3/4 of
the way up the sides of the pudding bowl. Cover tightly and simmer over
low heat for 4 to 4 1/2 hours, topping up as necessary with boiling
water. Do NOT let it boil dry.
At the end of that time,
carefully fremove it from the saucepan. Leave to cool overnight. The
next day remove and discard the messy wrappings and rewrap in some clean
baking paper, foil and string. Store in a cool dark and dry place
until Christmas.
On Christmas Day, boil or oven steam (in
the container) for about an hour until heated through. Unwrap and turn
out onto a serving plate. Serve with your favourite sauces.
(You can serve it with Brandy Butter, Brown Sugar Sauce, Cream, Custard, etc.)
This was fun. I hope you will give it a go and make your own Christmas Pudding this year. It's really not that hard to do, and when you make your own, you know exactly what has gone into it! Bon Appetite!
I am doing mine a bit earlier this year so that I can present you a tutorial on it and give you time to get in any necessary ingredients, etc. "Stir-up-Sunday" this year will be the 19th November.
The fruit mixture of the pudding is a mix of dried figs, currants, raisins, golden raisins, cherries and candied ginger.
All are mixed together in a bowl the night before you go to make your pudding and a portion of brandy is poured over top and the fruit left to macerate in this overnight on the counter top.
A clean towel over top to keep it safe from dust and insects. If you don't like to use alcohol, you can use orange juice in an equivalent amount.
The next day softened butter is creamed together with soft light brown sugar, orange zest, ground cinnamon and ground mixed spice.
You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon,
1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger,
1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an
airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.
An egg also gets beaten into this, a bit at a time so it doesn't curdle.
Fresh soft white bread crumbs are mixed with chopped blanched almonds and toasted pecan nuts.
Two kinds of flour are stirred into this mix of nuts, bread crumbs and spice. Plain flour and self raising flour.
You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour.
You then mix the macerated fruit together with the flour/nut/bread crumb/spice mixture.
This mixture then gets added and stirred into the creamed mixture to combine. Make sure everyone gives it a stir and makes a wish.
Don't forget East to West, just don't ask me which is which, lol! If you are putting trinkets in this is when you would do it.
I would wrap them in cling film first or waxed paper, and don't forget to warn any guests that they are there when it comes to eating!
The pudding basin is prepared by generously brushing it with melted butter and placing a round of baking paper in the bottom.
Pack the pudding mixture into the prepared pudding basin, smoothing the top out with the back of a wooden spoon.
Once you've done this tap the bottom of the basin on the countertop a few times to settle and work out any air holes.
This is the most complicated part of the pudding. Creating the lid to wrap it in. Lay a large piece of foil on the table, and top it with an equal sized piece of baking paper.
You then make a pleat in the paper, bearing in mind that the baking paper will be the side against the pudding. Butter the paper.
I fold them in half with the paper on the inside, and then, from about 2 inches down, I fold them back on themselves.
It should look like this on the paper side, and like the top picture from the foil side.
Wrap this over the top of your pudding basin, leaving plenty of room for expansion, paper side towards the pudding. Tie it tightly onto the bowl with some kitchen twine, bakers twine or even using a rubber band.
I use bakers twine and using a generous length, after I have knotted it, I fashion a handle with the excess that I bring back over the top and secure on the opposite side. This makes it easier to lift out of the pan when its done.
Trim off the excess paper and foil so it looks nice and neat.
You will need a large saucepan that is large enough to hold your pudding basin, with a tight fitting lid.
If you have a small trivet you can place it in the bottom of the pan, or you can do like me and fashion your own using a canning jar ring and some balls of foil.
The pudding basin gets set on top of this and boiling water gets poured down inside the saucepan just to come up 3/4 of the way of the sides of the pudding basin.
Tightly covered, the saucepan is then put on a low heat and the pudding simmers away for about 4 1/2 hours. Make sure you check it periodically and top it up with more boiling water as needed. You don't want it boiling dry.
At the end of that time, remove the pudding basin and let it cool on a rack overnight. Once it is cold you can remove the old wrappings and wrap it with clean new wrappings and then store it in a dark, cool and dry place until Christmas Day! Instructions for re-heating are in the recipe.
And there you have it . . . . Christmas Pudding!
*Christmas Pudding*
Serves 6 to 7
It
wouldn't be Christmas without one. I try to make mine in November so
that it is nice and matured by the time Christmas rolls around.
(You can serve it with Brandy Butter, Brown Sugar Sauce, Cream, Custard, etc.)
This was fun. I hope you will give it a go and make your own Christmas Pudding this year. It's really not that hard to do, and when you make your own, you know exactly what has gone into it! Bon Appetite!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons