Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sandwich. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query sandwich. Sort by date Show all posts
One of the things I like most about being sent different things to try, is the challenge of creating new recipes in order to use them. I was recently sent two new mustards from The English Provender Co. to try out. We love mustard in this house, and I especially love grainy mustards. More about my recipe a bit later on, but first . . . let's talk mustard!
Its my husband's 81st Birthday today. Its also the anniversary of the day we first met in person. I always tease him and tell him I am the best Birthday Present he ever received. Most of the time he would agree with me . . . unless we are in the car. Then it becomes quite debatable. He says he doesn't drive. He just steers.
Two of Todd's favourite things are Victoria Sponge Cakes and Raspberry Jam Tarts, well any jam tart really . . . he just loves anything with jam in it.
You know how you create ideas in your mind of things you want to do . . . and you picture them all out and in your mind they come out looking fantastic . . . but in reality, they don't even come close to touching what you had envisioned them as being?
This is one of those things. Every time I look at it I laugh. In my mind I saw this beautiful Victoria sponge with two layers of butter cream along with a layer of sweet jam in the middle. ✓✓
Two ticks . . . one for the Victoria Sponge . . . two for the butter cream . . . and wait a third . . . ✓ for the jam, raspberry jam. Bonne Maman, only the best for my man.
Normally I don't put butter cream on top of a Victoria Sponge, just in the middle. The top is usually dusted lightly with either icing sugar or caster sugar . . .
But today I had the idea in mind that I was going to decorate the top with raspberry jam tarts, again Bonne Maman ones (I could have made from scratch, but was stretched for time). I wanted to put a layer of vanilla butter cream on the top as well, to hold the jam tarts in place.
I decorated each jam tart with a small dollop of butter cream and a sprinkle of hundreds and thousands cake sprinkles . . . and then placed them lovingly all around the outside of the cake. I had an extra one and so I cut it up into little bits to decorate around the candle in the middle of the cake.
I just used one big fat candle in a tiny Bonne Maman jam jar as a holder. (Bonne Maman figured big in my cake plans today!)
You would have to have a really big cake to sport 81 candles, so I reckoned one big fat one was as good as 81 smaller ones.
Its not the prettiest Birthday Cake in the world. Not near as pretty as I had envisioned when I was dreaming it up . . .
But it didn't really matter because Todd loved it . . . two of his favourite things . . . plus all of the love I put into it. He was quite happy with it. He's not hard to please.
The cake itself is a really good cake, with a lovely moist crumb and beautiful texture . . .
Homemade Vanilla Butter cream Frosting? You can't go wrong. Its delicious too . . .
Bonne Maman Jams, next to homemade, they are the best in my opinion . . . .
And their jam tarts on their own are also rather moreish . . . not sure if it worked all together. I dare not hazard a taste because the sugar in all of this would send me into a Diabetic coma, but my dear husband was one very happy Camper, and that's what counts.
Yield: 8
Raspberry Jam Tart Birthday Cake
This is the kind of cake you bake for someones birthday when their favourite things are a Victoria sponge and raspberry jam tarts!
ingredients:
For the cake:
- 170g butter (12 TBS)
- 170g caster sugar (1 cup)
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 large free range eggs, beaten
- 170g self raising flour (a scant 1 1/4 cups)
For the butter cream:
- 225g butter, softened (1 cup)
- 390g icing sugar, sifted (3 cups, confectioners, powdered)
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 to 2 TBS double cream
To finish:
- 6 TBS of raspberry jam
- 8 raspberry jam tarts, plus one crumbled if desired
- hundreds and thousands cake sprinkles
instructions:
How to cook Raspberry Jam Tart Birthday Cake
- Butter and base line two 7 inch sandwich tins. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
- Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together until light in colour and fluffy. Gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, beating well after each addition. If the mixture begins to curdle, add a spoonful of the flour.
- Fold in the flour with a metal spoon, taking care to use a cutting motion so as not to knock out too much of the air that you have beaten into the batter. Divide the batter evenly between the two cake tins, levelling off the surface. Make a slight dip in the centre of each.
- Bake on a centre rack of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the sponges have risen well, are golden brown, and spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool in the pan for five minutes before running a knife carefully around the edges and turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the butter cream, beat the butter and sugar together on low until well blended and then continue to beat on medium for another few minutes until it begins to become fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and 1 TBS cream, only adding the second one if needed until you have a frosting of spreading consistency.
- Pipe a tiny bit of butter cream in the centre of each jam tart and sprinkle with the cake sprinkles.
- Place one layer of cake on a cake place, top side down. (I like to anchor it in place with a bit of butter cream. ) Spread with half of the butter cream you have left. Spoon the jam over top of the butter cream and spread it out a bit with the back of a spoon. Top with the other cake layer, bottom side down. Spread the top of the cake with the remaining butter cream. Place raspberry jam tarts decoratively around the top edges of the cake and sprinkle the centre of the cake with some more cake sprinkles and some chopped jam tart if you wish.
- Serve cut into wedges.
Happy Birthday Todd. I am going to be spoiling you all the day through with little things. We doing his proper celebration on Wednesday next when Tina and Tony are coming over for a slap up roast dinner.
Up tomorrow: Homemade Gingernut Biscuits/Cookies
With every year that passes I am more determined to be able to cook my family the best Holiday/Thanksgiving dinner possible. I am very much a traditionalist and there are some things that just make our holiday meals. Things that are must haves, much beloved and cherished amongst us all.
When I was a child, we could always count on a few things for our holiday meals. One was a perfectly cooked bird, then my mother's stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, winter squash and gravy.
Mom was a simple cook and these things were just a matter of routine for her, which is not to say that everything was not delicious because it certainly was.
Through the years I have developed my own ways of doing some things and my own favorites. With only one week to go before the American Thanksgiving celebration, I thought it would be fun today to share with you my Thanksgiving/Holiday Dinner must haves!
Most of these things can be made well ahead of time and then reheated on the day!
Whether I am cooking a simple Turkey Crown or a whole Turkey, the turkey is the center of the meal, but I also like to surround it with fabulously delicious side dishes, from the rolls down to each of the vegetables being served on the side.
Many of these things can be made up ahead of time and simply reheated on the day. Here are my favorite Holiday Sides!
SAGE AND ONION STUFFING - Whether it is cooked in the bird or in a dish on the side, no holiday meal would be complete without stuffing. In fact, I could happily eat a plate of this stuffing and nothing else. It is essential, and not only with the meal, what would a turkey sandwich be without a nice layer of this stuffing added. This Sage and Onion Stuffing is simple to make ahead of time and one of my absolute favorite go-with's!
PERFECT CREAMY MASHED POTATOES - In the UK they love to have their roast potatoes with all of their holiday meals, but here in my home it has to be mashed potatoes. Don't get me wrong, Classic Roast Potatoes are very nice, but nothing beats a pile of fluffy mash with a nice hollow scooped into the center to hold all of that delicious gravy! My mother made the best mash. Her secret? She always grated a bit of raw onion into them.
SAUTEED RUTABAGA/SWEDE/TURNIPS -We grew up calling these turnips. In the UK they call them Swedes. In all truth, they are known as Rutabaga. A rose by any other name and all that, for me, it simply would not be a proper turkey roast dinner without this beautiful vegetable.
My mother used to simply boil and mash them, adding a bit of potato at the same time. Myself, I like to finely grate them and then sauté them in butter. I also add a bit of brown sugar to take away from any bitterness. These are very easily made ahead of time, and are fabulously tasty! I learned how to do them from a Mennonite restaurant once upon a time. Delicious!
OVEN ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH - This is another dish that can be made well ahead of time and then simply reheated on the day. There is something about roasting root vegetables like this that really helps to enhance their natural sweetness. If I am feeling particularly indulgent, I will add a bit of Maple Syrup. Oh boy, some good.
GREEN BEAN & ALMOND CASSEROLE - I first tasted green bean casserole at my mother's cousin Polly's home in Vermont back in the 1960's. It was love at first bite and is something I have been carrying on a love affair with ever since! This casserole recipe is particularly nice in that it boasts a homemade sauce and a crunchy almond topping. Again, you can make this up well ahead of time and reheat on the day.
CREAMY PARMESAN BRUSSELS SPROUTS - Love them, or loathe them, its just not a holiday meal without some Brussels Sprouts to enjoy with your turkey! I am from the love camp and this version is particularly yummy! These are quite simply fabulous. Cooked only until crispy tender, so that they retain some of that beautiful nuttiness that is present in a perfectly cooked sprout. And that sauce they are in is to die for. Best of all, everything cooks all in the one pan. No fuss, no muss!
OLD FASHIONED PULL APART DINNER ROLLS - Homemade Dinner Rolls tell everyone at the table that you love them enough to want to make them something really delicious from scratch. Light and fluffy these are the best dinner rolls! You can make them a week ahead and freeze them, wrapped tightly. Simply thaw and reheat in a low oven on the day!
Other than these must haves we will always, always have my sister's special baked Sweet Potato Casserole, homemade gravy (from the turkey drippings), and of course cranberry sauce or chutney. If I am really on the ball I will make my own special cranberry chutney, or even homemade cranberry sauce, both of which can be made well ahead of time. And yes, we will also have boiled carrots. Because we love them.
As you can see our holiday table will be groaning, but most of these things are very easily made ahead of time, leaving you only to cook the turkey on the day and perhaps make the gravy, boil the carrots. There is also plenty of leftovers to enjoy for turkey sandwiches on the night and of course on the following day!
And not a marshmallow in sight.
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
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
These cold dismal and dreary January days can get one a bit down after a while. Day after day of drizzle or snow . . . very little sun . . . blah, blah, blah.
Here's one way to perk them up and bring a bit of sunshine into your life! Have a tea party! You don't need anything special . . . or even to invite a whole bunch of people over. Some of the best tea parties of all happen when there's just two of you and a dog!
All you need is a table spread with a fine cloth and some tea . . . in a pot of course, (today we had blackberry and mint and it was delicious!) and cups and saucers.
The perfect afternoon tea should begin with some delicious savouries . . . finger sandwiches, sausage rolls, little toasts, savoury pastries . . . followed with scones (if you wish) and a selection of fancies and cakes.
I decided early on during this particularly dreary day that I was going to treat Todd and I to a traditional English Afternoon tea party. He had no idea what I was up to, as he sat upstairs engrossed in his war games on the computer.
Things don't always go to plan though . . . do they. The dog mischeviously ate half of my first Victoria Sponge when my back was turned. Bad doggie. I seized the engine on my new baby sized food processor, chopping the glace fruit for the florentines. Bad idea. Chop it by hand.
Never mind we got there in the end and Todd was so surprised when I called him down to lunch and he saw what I had been up to.
We sat there smiling and sipping and nibbling . . . all was right with the world, drizzle or not, dog eaten cakes . . . it was fun, plain and simple.
Don't forget to use your pinkies!
*Finger Sandwiches*
makes 18 to 24
Printable Recipe
What would afternoon tea be without a plate of tasty sandwiches? (Choose 3 of the below fillings)
12 thin slices of white or wholemeal bread, crusts removed
(I just buy the bread that already has the crusts removed,
easy peasy, lemon squeasy)
room temperature butter, for spreading
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper as desired
For the egg and cress filling:
2 TBS good quality mayonnaise
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest from an unwaxed lemon
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
a handful of mustard cress
For the Gentleman's Morsels:
1/4 pound shaved roasted ham
apricot jam, seived
Dijon mustard
For the Roast Beef:
1/4 pound thinly sliced rare roast beef
horseradish mayonnaise
a handful of rocket leaves
For the Parma Ham and Fig filling:
1/4 pound of parma ham
1 ripe fig
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp olive oil
handful of rocket leaves
For the Stilton and Pear filling:
50g of Stilton cheese, thinly sliced (1/4 pound)
1 ripe firm pear
To cut sandwiches, lay your hand on top of the sandwich and lightly press down. Using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut diagonally into quarters or lengthways into 3 fingers.
For the egg and cress sandwiches, thinly butter 4 slices of the bread. Combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest, egg and season with some black pepper, folding together well. Spread evenly on half the slices of bread. Sprinkle with the cress and top with the remaining 2 slices of bread. Cut as above.
To make the Gentlemen's Morsels., thinly butter 4 slices of the bread. Spread 2 slices with seived apricot jam. Spread the other 2 with Dijon mustard. Lay the ham evenly over top of 2 slices and top with the other 2. Cut as above.
For the Roast Beef, thinly butter 4 slices of the bread. Spread 2 slices with the horseradish mayonnaise. Top with the roast beef and season to taste. Sprinkle with the rocket and top with the other 2 slices of bread. Cut as above.
For the Parma Ham and Fig sandwiches, thinly butter 4 slices of bread and fold ham on top of two of them. Cut the fig into thin wedges, remove and discard the skin and then arrange the wedges on top of the ham. Whisk the vinegar and oil together. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Drizzle over the figs. Top with rocket and the remaining slices of buttered bread and cut as above.
To make the Stilton and Pear sandwiches, thinly butter 4 slices of bread. Arrange the stilton over 2 slices of the bread. Slice the pear into thin wedges, removing and discarding the core, then arrange on top of the cheese. Season with black pepper, then top with the remaining slices of bread and cut as above.
*Dark and White Chocolate Florentines*
Makes about 24
Printable Recipe
Sticky, crisp, chewy, gooey. Moreishly addictive.
50g of butter (3 1/2 TBS)
50g of caster sugar (2 TBS)
3 TBS double cream
25g of flaked almonds (1/4 cup)
75g of mixed nuts, chopped (Pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.) 3/4 cup
4 glace cherries, chopped
50g of mixed glace fruits (apricots, pineapple, peel, angelica) chopped (1/3 cup)
25g of plain flour (1 heaped TBS)
50g of white chocolate
(2 ounces)
50g of dark chocolate
(2 ounces)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ Gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Gently heat the butter, sugar and cream together until the butter melts. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. Stir in the nuts, cherries, fruit and flour. Mix thoroughly. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them well apart.
Bake for 10 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and gently press back the edges with a rounded knife to keep a round shape. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before carefully peeling off the paper and setting on a wire rack to cool completely.
Break the white and dark chocolates into individual bowls. Melt carefully in the microwave without over-heating. (Be careful as white chocolate burns easily.) Alternatively melt in bowls over simmering water. Spread over the bottoms of the florentines, coating half with white and half with dark. Let set before serving.
Ohhh . . . doesn't she have a longing look in her face? I think half a cake is more than enough don't you?
If there is one thing that the people in my family love even more than fish and chips, it has to be Maple Syrup. We are all crazy about the flavor of Maple. My son even taps his own Maple trees and is really proud of the gallon or so of syrup he gets from them every year.
When we were children we loved to go and visit my father's mother in Northern Quebec. This was real Maple Country and we got to enjoy real Maple treats, such as Maple Candy and fudge.
We also used to get these little cone things, that were like small stale ice cream cones but they were filled with a really thick maple syrup and topped with maple fudge icing.
We did not care that the cones always tasted stale. We just loved the maple.
I wanted to bake a treat for my father and so I decided to bake him this buttery chewy maple walnut cookies recipe from out of my Big Blue Binder. I knew they would go down a real treat with him.
If there is anything that he loves even more than maple, it is when maple is combined with walnuts. It is his favorite flavor of ice cream (mine too!) He love LOVES maple walnut anything.
The Big Blue Binder is a blue vinyl recipe folder which has travelled all around the world with me since I was a very young woman. It is filled with recipes that I have gleaned through the years from family and friends, magazines, books etc.
In the days before the computer, these recipes were laboriously written down by hand. They are my tried and trues and the best of the bests. You know that if someone cares to share a recipe with you, it is probably one of their best.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE BUTTERY WALNUT COOKIES
You don't need anything extraordinary to make and bake these cookies. There is nothing fancy or off the wall required, unless you consider Maple syrup to be an unusual ingredient!
You just need the usual cast of characters, butter, egg, brown sugar, flavorings, flour, soda, baking powder, flour, salt and walnuts.
At the risk of repeating myself and for those who are just discovering me, I want to say. Always toast your nuts before baking with them. Toasting your nuts always makes them taste nuttier.
It doesn't take much of an effort and you will note a real difference. About 8 to 10 minutes on a baking sheet in a moderate oven usually does the trick sufficiently. You will know they are done because you will smell their nutty fragrance permeating the air!
Of course you will need to let them cool down before using them to bake with. That's why I always do mine a large bag at a time and then store them in an airtight container in the freezer, ready to scoop out and use for anything I might be baking/cooking.
I do this with all my nuts. They taste better. It saves time. They keep longer and never go rancid.
HOW DO YOU MAKE BUTTERY MAPLE WALNUT COOKIES
You start by beating together brown sugar and room temperature butter until it is light and fluffy. Once that has been achieved you can beat in the egg and flavorings. The mixture may look split or curdled, but don't worry, it will come back together as soon as you add the flour.
I always sift my flour, baking powder and soda together with the salt. This ensures even distribution of the soda and baking powder, so you don't end up with it in only one area of the dough. There is nothing worse than biting into a baked good that tastes overwhelmingly of baking powder or baking soda.
Next you need to stir the flour into the creamed mixture. This is done alternately with the maple syrup, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. The batter will be nice and light and fluffy.
Finally you stir in the toasted nuts. Of course you can use more if you wish. I sometimes do. 1/2 cup is only a suggestion. You can also add things like raisins or chocolate chips if you really want to go whole hog.
Today I contemplated adding chopped cooked bacon, but then didn't because they are for my dad and he likes things simple. But think bacon, wow!
Anyways, once everything is combined it is as simple as scooping the dough by double tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets and baking. I do top with a few extra walnuts. Make sure you leave at least 2 inches in between each cooking for spreading.
I also use my cookie scoop for scooping them out.
You can of course also make a delicious drizzle icing to flick over the top of these if you want. Just begin by sifting a cup of icing sugar into a bowl.
Whisk in a few drops of maple flavoring and enough milk to give you a thin drizzle icing. Spoon or flick it over your cookies and then let them sit until the drizzle is set. Delicious!
You can leave the maple flavoring out if you want or cannot get any, but you can taste the maple more when you use it.
Sweet and Spicy Chicken
When I first moved over to the UK in the year 2000 I brought a big 4 litre can of Maple syrup with me on the aircraft. You could do that in those days. There was no way I was going to live without my Maple syrup!
Canadians love LOVE their Maple syrup. It had become quite easy to find in the UK by the time I left to come back to Canada 20 years later. I was always really happy about that!
I have a fair amount of recipes on here that use Maple syrup in them if you are interested. Not all are desserts. Let me share just a few with you:
As you can see Maple lends itself to all sorts of applications, both savory and sweet.
gttttttttttttttttXzzz2 (kitten speak)
My kittens have found their way to the top of the table. Oh my. I left the room for a minute and came back to find them prancing across my computer. Thank goodness they didn't erase anything.
Now they are sleeping like angels. Go figure! Never a dull moment!
Buttery Maple Walnut Cookies
Yield: 24 cookies
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 12 MinTotal time: 22 Min
These tender and delicious cookies are an old family favorite from my Big Blue Binder, adapted to show British measurements.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (172 g) butter
- 1/2 cup (100g) soft light brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
- 1/2 tsp maple flavoring
- 2 1/4 cups (315g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup (120ml) pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup (45g)chopped toasted walnuts
- some extra chopped walnuts to top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C. gas mark 6. Have ready several large baking sheets. No need to butter.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until well combined and light. Beat in the egg, maple flavoring and vanilla.
- Sift the flour, salt, soda and baking powder together. Add this mixture to the creamed mixture, alternately with the maple syrup. Blend together well and stir in the chopped toasted walnuts.
- Drop by 2 TBS (I use my cookie scoop) onto the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches in between each. Top each cookie with a few extra chopped walnuts.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown around the edges and on the bottoms. Cookies will be set. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before scooping off to wire racks to cool completely.
- Cookies will keep in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.
All nutritional data is calculated by the recipe card program and may not be entirely accurate.
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