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
I felt a bit blue a few days ago. Its not easy to go from living with a whole house filled with people, down to two people and then down to just one. Especially under the circumstances.
I decided I needed a bit of cheering up! One thing which I really enjoyed when I was living in the UK was the traditional Afternoon Tea. I decided that if I needed cheering up, I needed a traditional Afternoon Tea!
Just because you live on your own, it doesn't mean that you can't enjoy some of the finer things in life which other people get to enjoy, right? Right!
I resolved this year to get as much joy out of life that I can for whatever time I have left. Alone or not. Covid or not. I can make each day an adventure with just a tiny bit of effort!
Most people confuse the term Afternoon Tea with High Tea. They are not the same thing, nor are the terms interchangeable.
Afternoon Tea is very much the British tradition of sitting down mid or late afternoon to a treat of tea, finger sandwiches, scones and cake. It was very much an upper class thing and was not intended to replace dinner.
The Upper Classes usually ate their dinners much later in the evening, so as an attempt to fill the gap in between lunch and dinner they indulged in afternoon tea.
High tea came about largely to appease the working class in the 19th century. Working class people had no time, nor the luxury to stop working for such a treat as afternoon tea. Often they would arrive home starving at the end of the day.
At that time tea was served with heartier dishes. Dishes meant to sustain a people who had been working their pegs off all day. Something hearty, perhaps a tidbit of sweet, washed down with hot cups of tea. Supper is still called "Tea" in working class Britain.
Unless you are on Scotland of course where a Afternoon Tea will take on some sort of hot and savory foods. A mix of High and Afternoon Teas.
One thing you will want to serve with your Afternoon Tea is something savory. Nothing hot, but a mix of finger sandwiches and other cold savories are fine.
Today I made a mix of my favourites. Cucumber with mayonnaise on white bread rounds. Cheddar Cheese and Branstons Pickle on whole wheat squares. Both were bite sized. You don't want huge sandwiches. Only tiny bites.
One thing with sandwiches is you must always spread any filling right to the edges. Nobody wants to be eating a dry piece of bread without any filling. Bite sized is right for a tea. Something which can be consumed in only one or two bites.
Dainty fare. I have wonderful memories of my mother making sandwiches for tea parties when I was growing up. Crusts always removed. She would give us the crusts to eat. We loved them
Everything was always dainty and genteel.
I also took the liberty of boiling an egg so that I could make myself a deviled egg. This time I cut the egg in half crosswise instead of lengthwise. That created tiny little cups. With a tiny sliver cut off the end of the rounded end so that they stood perfectly upright.
Rule of thumb when making deviled eggs. One don't overcook or undercook your eggs. I use an electric egg boiler. Two use 1/2 TBS of mayonnaise and 1/2 tsp grainy Dijon mustard for each egg yolk used. Mash together until fairly smooth and stuff your eggs.
A sprinkle of paprika and everything looks so pretty.
Some other sandwich ideas would be, deviled ham, egg with cress, tomato and cheese, tuna salad, etc. Just make sure your bread is fresh, buttered to the edge and the crusts are cut off.
Of course Afternoon Tea requires that there be some scones present. I made a small batch of my classic English Scones.
These are the scones you will see at every tea room across the UK. They are beautifully buttery and crumbly. Perfect in short.
As you can see my recipe rises nice and tall and is studded with sticky raisins. You can leave them out if you wish, but raisins are quite traditional.
I remember thinking it was rather odd to be having raisins in your scones when you were going to be having cream and jam with them, but it totally works. Trust me on this.
These are meant to be served at room temperature, split and then spread with butter. You will want to have some whipped heavy cream to serve with them along with some jam.
In the UK traditionally they would serve clotted cream with these along with the jam. Clotted cream is such a gorgeous thing. Heavy cream which has been heated just to the point where it forms thick sweet clots, with a buttery crust on top.
It is almost impossible to replicate anywhere else in the world. Trust me on this. Once you have had the real thing, nothing else comes close. Today I made do with just whipped cream, and some cherry jam.
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Classic English Scones (small batch)
Yield: makes 5 scones
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min
These are buttery and flakey tender with just the right amount of sticky sultanas. Serve with cream and jam for a real treat!
Ingredients
- 175g self raising flour ( 1 1/4 cups)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 37g of cold butter (2 3/4 TBS)
- 15g Caster sugar (1 1/4 TBS, superfine sugar)
- 40g sultana raisins (1/4 cup)
- approximately 75ml milk (scant 1/3 cup)
- 1 large free range eggs, beaten
- granulated sugar to sprinkle plus flour for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Butter a large baking tray. Alternately line it with greaseproof paper.
- Measure the flour into a bowl along with the baking powder. (Pour the flour in from on high to aerate it.) Whisk together. Drop in the cold butter in bits. Using your fingertips rub the butter in quickly until the mixture resembles fine dry bread crumbs. Stir in the sugar and raisins.
- Beat the egg. Remove and set 1 TBS aside. Add 60ml (scant 1/4 cup) of the milk to the eggs and beat together. Add this to the flour mixture. Mix together with the rounded end of a butter knife to form a soft but slightly tacky dough. Only add the remainder of the milk if your dough is too dry and you want to absorb any dry bits in the bowl. The dough should NOT be too wet, but not too dry either.
- Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a couple of times to bring well together. Gently pat out to 1 inch thick. Using a sharp round 3 inch cutter, cut out rounds, using a direct up and down motion.
- Do not twist the cutter. Place the cut out scones an inch or so apart on the baking sheet. Gather any trimmings together and repeat until you have 5 scones.
- Brush the tops of the scones with the reserved beaten egg and sprinkle with a bit of granulated sugar. Don't let the egg drip down the sides.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until risen and golden on top and bottoms. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container. Best eaten on the day. Any leftovers can be frozen for several months.
Of course the center attraction of any Afternoon Tea, aside from the scones, is the cake. There is always a cake to be enjoyed. Usually a Victoria Sponge. But any cake will do.
Any cake that can be enjoyed with hot cups of tea. Today I small-batched my Traditional Victoria Sponge Cake to make a cake that is only 4 inches in diameter, which is perfect for just one person. Yes, there will be leftovers. Ask me if I care. 😋
This was the perfect size for me. It cuts into exactly four slices. One for me to enjoy today with my tea party and three more for another time.
They are not overly large slices, but after you have eaten several finger sandwiches and a scone, you don't really need an overly large slice of cake.
Classic Victoria Sponge Cake (small batch)
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
Popular during the reign of Queen Victoria, this cake remains popular to this day, which is a huge testament to it's taste and ease of baking! This is a smaller sized version of the original. You will need two four inch baking tins.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 85g butter (6 TBS)
- 85g caster sugar (scant 1/2 cup)
- few drops vanilla extract
- 1 large free range egg plus 1 egg yolk, beaten
- 85g self raising flour (a scant 3/4 cup)
To finish:
- 2 TBS raspberry jam
- icing sugar or granulated sugar to dust the top
Instructions
- Butter and base line two 4-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 color 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, leveling off the surface. Make a slight dip in the center of each.
- Bake on a center rack of the oven for about 20 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.
- Once cooled, place one layer on a cake plate. Spread with raspberry jam. Place the other cake on top, pressing down lightly. Dust with icing or granulated sugar.
HOW TO MAKE A PROPER CUP OF TEA
1. You will need a kettle to boil your water in and a good clay or ceramic tea pot. These have the best heat retention.
2. Warm your tea pot with some boiling water and discard. Never make tea in a cold tea pot. The flavor is much better when you warm the pot first.
3. For black tea, your water needs to be boiling in order to make a proper cup of tea. Don't be tempted to use hot water dispensers and the like. Only a proper kettle will do.
4. Measure your tea into the warm tea pot and add boiling water. How much depends on how many cups you are making.
5. Cover and leave to steep for four to five minutes for strong tea, or three minutes for a weaker infusion.
Have your tea cup ready along with any add-ins such as milk, cream, sugar, lemon wedges, etc. I like a china cup or a mug.
This was the perfect way for me to enjoy my afternoon and a wonderful distraction from all of the sorrows of the world, real and imagined.
I was able to sit and enjoy a nice hot cup of tea and a few treats that I normally wouldn't indulge in, all by myself. And it didn't matter that I was all alone with it. And why not After all, I am more than worth the effort. You are too.
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
These have to be my favourite Christmas Cookies of all time! Mind you, if there's jam involved in any way at all, be it cake, cookie, pie or sandwich . . . I'm one very happy camper!!
I have a thing about jam. I just love, Love, LOVE it!!
I got this recipe from a very old friend of mine quite a number of years ago. Mildy spiced, buttery and filled with ground hazelnuts, these are fabulously delicious!
You could dust them with icing sugar of course, which looks really nice also, but I like to use caster sugar . . . because I enjoy the extra texture . . . and the glittery finish it gives.
Buttery nutty and lightly spiced dough . . . sweet/tart raspberry jam. What's not to like? Well, you may have to bake them twice, coz . . . umm . . . if you are like me they kinda disappear before you know it, but what's a gal to do???
I can't help myself . . . Cookie + Jam = my only weakness. (Shhhhh . . . )
*Linzer Cookies*
Makes about 2 dozen
Printable Recipe
The quintessential Christmas Cookie. Tender sweet cookies filled with tart raspberry jam. Delicious!!
3 ounces (2/3 cup) hazelnuts
3.75 ounces (1/2 cup packed) light brown sugar
10 .75 ounces (2 1/2 cups) sifted plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 large free range egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces raspberry jam, seived
caster sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 180*C/ 350*F/ gas mark 4. Place the hazelnuts into a shallow baking pan and bake for about 6 minutes until the skins are beginning to loosen and the nuts are fragrant. Turn off the oven. Dump the hot nuts into a tea towel and rub with the towel to loosen as much of the skins as possible. Discard any skins. Place half the brown sugar and the nuts into a food processor. Process until the nuts are finely ground.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
Cream together the butter and remaining brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the nut mixture and beat until well combined. Beat in the egg and the vanilla. Work iin the flour mixture, just until combined. Divide the dough in half, shaping each half into a round flat disc. Wrap in cling film and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
Heat the oven again to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark4. Roll out 1 disc of the dough to 1/8 inch thickness between two sheets of cling film. Cut out as many cookies as you can with a 2 1/4 inch fluted round cookie cutter. Repeat until all the dough has been cut out/ Using a smaller shaped cutter, cut shapes out of the centre of half of the rounds. Place one inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Dust the top halves with some caster sugar . (these are the ones with the centre cut out.) Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely before proceeding. Repeat until all the dough has been used up, only rerolling the scraps once. Discard any scraps after that.
Spread about 1 teaspoon of jam on the solid halves of the baked cookies. Top with the flat side of a windowed cookie. Repeat until all cookies are put together. Store between sheets of parchment paper in a tightly covered tin.
I just love sandwiches . . . and I'm not alone in that either. The British all love sandwiches! They're a big business over here. They're sold in all the shops, convenience stores, grocery shops, coffee shops etc. Of course if you hadn't guessed already . . . Sarnie is another name for sandwich!
Makes it sound like something quite exotic doesn't it?
One of my favourite places to buy a ready made sarnie is in M&S. Their sandwiches are the best. The bread is always fresh and the filling generous, and spread to the edge . . . not like some of the cheaper places where you get a dollop of filling in the middle of two slices of dry bread . . . with more bread than filling! Ugh! Nasty.
I was quite suprised when I moved over here to the UK at the different varieties of sandwiches that were on offer as well. Cheese and onion . . . delicious! Cheese and tomato . . . likewise! There's salad sandwiches, sandwiches made with crab, or prawns or tuna. Tuna and Cucumber seems to be quite popular. As is Tuna and Sweetcorn.
Then there are Egg & Cress, Coronation Chicken, Corned Beef (made with tinned corned Beef, which is actually quite nice), and a host of others . . . too many to list here I think, but you get the idea, I'm sure!
Anyways, the point of all of this is that I made Todd and myself a couple of very tasty sandwiches for our lunch one day at the weekend. In my quest to cut back a bit, I made them open faced sandwiches, so only half the bread.
I added some sliced ham, sliced turkey, half fat swiss cheese, lettuce, a delicious homemade dressing . . . kind of tangy and yet at the same time a bit sweet . . . some sliced egg, tomato and . . . naughty but nice crisply cooked streaky bacon. (Really nice . . . dry cured and unsmoked is my choice!)
A gal can't be 100% good all of the time can she?? I thought not!!
*Dressed Club Salad Sarnie*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe
An open faced, knife and forker! Delicious! (Easily upped or downed to serve more or less people.)
2 slices sour dough bread
2 slices of baked deli ham
2 slices of Leerdammer cheese (Swiss type of cheese, I use the low fat one)
2 slices of deli turkey
1 cup of shredded cos lettuce (Romaine)
1 hard boiled egg, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
4 slices of streaky bacon, rind removed and cooked crisp
For the dressing:
1 heaped dessert spoon of low fat mayonnaise
1 tsp of tomato ketchup
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp of chopped sweet pickle
1/2 tsp of finely grated onion
pinch of salt and black pepper
Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Lay one slice of bread onto each of two plates. Top each with 1 slice of ham. Top the ham with the cheese. Top the cheese with the turkey. Divide the lettuce between the two and drizzle each with half of the dressing. Top each with half of the sliced egg, sliced tomato and two slices of bacon criss crossed. Serve immediately. Pass the knives and forks!
We are huge fans of Tex Mex in our house, especially tacos! We love our Tacos. I will take a Taco any way, any how.
Especially when they are homemade. There is something about making them yourself that makes them tastier!
My husband however doesn't like eating hard or really crunchy things. I usually do soft taco boats, or use soft tortillas these days.
To be honest, I have broken a tooth before on a tortilla chip, so as you get older, softer is probably a better way to go, and a lot easier on your teeth!
I especially love baked Tacos . . . Tacos that you fill and then bake in the oven until all the flavours meld together and everything is scrummy yummy!
But then again, I will take a taco any way I can get it!
I recently discovered the Deli Kitchen's folded flat breads. These are really innovative and delicious soft flat breads that are very convenient to use, fill and eat!
For these tasty Tacos today I used their Corn Folded Flatbreads. They come six to a pack and are soft and delicious! They are perfect for these kind of tacos.
At only 113 calories per flatbread thin, they are lower in calories than traditional crisp taco shells (which have been fried you know!) containing 19.9g of carbs, of which only 1.3g are sugars. Low in fat and saturates I think they are a fairly healthy choice!
I find them to be delicious and easy to use. You can't lose!
Today I used leftover cooked chicken breast meat to make a fabulous Chipotle Lime Chicken filling!
It is a really simple filling to make . . . just chopped chicken, some chipotle chili in adobe sauce, a bit of mayonnaise, tomato salsa (you pick the heat) and some lime juice . . .
I layered that in the folded corn flatbreads with some packaged four cheese blend, but you can easily grate your own cheese, some Mexican Spicy Jack would be fabulous.
I just used what I had on hand . . .
I do like a tiny bit of crunch myself, so I did crumble some tortilla chips and sprinkle some on the top of each taco . . . one per taco did the job perfectly . . . they ended up just slightly crunchy without being overly hard. In short perfect.
You don't need to bake them for very long. Less than half an hour, which is just enough time to make your go-withs!
I have included directions to may your own Chipotle Cream, which is the perfect accompaniment!
I sprinkled the finished tacos with some finely sliced spring onions when I took them out of the onion. Scrumptious . . .
And then served them with some of that Chipotle Sour Cream sauce, some guacamole (I adore guacamole) and additional salsa!
Oh boy, that was one very VERY tasty mouthful! I could have eaten all six myself, but I didn't. I promise you. I shared these with my husband, no word of a lie! He thought they were really good too!
Yield: 6
Chipotle Lime Chicken Flatbread Tacos
prep time: cook time: total time:
A wonderfully spicy chicken taco filling tucked inside some Deli Kitchen Corn Folded Flat Breads and baked. Deliciously served with a Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce, Guacamole and Salsa.
ingredients:
- 200g chopped cooked chicken breast meat (2 cups)
- the juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 TBS Chipotle in adobe sauce
- 3 TBS mayonnaise
- 3 TBS Tomato salsa
- 1 tsp Mexican spice seasoning (I used Swartz Mexican Street Food seasoning)
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 6 Deli Kitchen Corn Folded Flat Breads
- 4 cheese blend as required
- 6 Tortilla chips, crumbled
For the Chipotle Sour Cream Sauce:
- 120g sour cream (1/2 cup)
- 2 tsp Chipotle in adobe sauce
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- pinch salt
You will also need:
- prepared guacamole
- prepared salsa
- chopped spring onions
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready a baking dish large enough to hold all your tacos.
- Using a fork, mash together the chicken, lime juice, salsa, mayonnaise, chipotle, Mexican seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Open your flatbreads slightly. Place a couple of tablespoons of four cheese blend on one side. Top with 1/6th of the chicken mixture and then another couple of tablespoons of cheese blend. Divide the crumbled tortilla chips between them, sprinkling them on top of the cheese. Place the filled flat breads into the baking dish and cover with a sheet of foil that you have sprayed with a nonstick spray.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes until heated through and the cheese has melted.
- While the tacos are baking, make the chipotle sour cream sauce, by whisking all of the ingredients together.
- Remove the tacos from the oven, sprinkle with chopped spring onions and serve with the sour cream sauce, guacamole and salsa for spooning on top. Delicious!
Created using The Recipes Generator
I love these Deli Kitchen Folded Flat Breads, both the Corn ones and the Brioche ones. Totally yummy! You can buy them at Sainsbury's here in the UK. Their delicious range also includes Sliced Focaccia, Plain Subwich, Skinni Wraps and three kinds of sandwich thins.
As a diabetic I do try to watch my carb intake most of the time and I have found these thinner, healthier options really helpful in doing that, plus they are also delicious. I can have my sandwich and eat it too!
You can find their products in a variety of different shops, to find out which products are available where, do check out their website.
One might be tempted to ask if Whoopie Pies belong in an English Kitchen. I know they are an American Invention, or more specifically Pennsylvania Dutch.
Whoopie Pies are coming in to vogue over here now though, and there are a few recipes floating about. I believe they are on the verge of becoming the new cupcake or macaron . . . but I could be wrong.
This is my recipe that I have been using for a very long time now. In fact my sister and I once both won blue ribbons at our respective county fairs by making these very same whoopie pies. I think we also each got a set of pot holders and an apron from Fry's Cocoa. It was quite a thrill at the time.
Moist, delicious and chocolatey, these are bound to become a real family favourite. You can use purchased Marshallow Cream in them or you can make the recipe for a homemade version of it, which I have included. I had a jar of marshmallow cream that needed using up so that is what I used the other day. In all honesty afterwards I wished that I had made the mousseline buttercream "marshmallow cream" instead . . . but . . . oh well.
They still went down a treat.
*Whoopie Pies*
Makes six 3 1/2 inch whoopie pies
Printable Recipe
More like little chocolate cake sandwiches rather than cookies, I don't know anyone that doesn't love these.
1.5 ounces dark chocolate (at least 60% cacao) chopped
4.2 ounces dark brown muscovado sugar (1/2 cup firmly packed)
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 TBS canola or safflower oil, room temperature
2 TBS butter, room temperature
125g flour (1 cup plus 1 1/2 TBS)
18g cocoa powder (3 TBS plus 2 tsp)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 fluid ounces of buttermilk (1/2 cup)
For the marshmallow filling:
50g sugar (1/4 cup)
2 TBS corn syrup or golden syrup
1 TBS water
1 large egg white, at room temperature
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1 TBS unsalted butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 ounces of butter, slightly softened (1/2 cup)
1/5 ounces of icing sugar, sifted (1/4 cup plus 2 TBS)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Butter two baking sheets. Set aside.
Place the chocolate into a microwaveable bowl and melt it in the microwave, stirring every 15 seconds, or place it in the top of a double boiler, set over hot, not simmering water, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool until it is no longer warm to the touch but still fluid.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift to remove any lumps.
Cream together the brown sugar, egg, oil and butter with an electric mixer until smooth and pale in colour.
Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, and beating only until just incorporated, starting on low speed and raising it only to medium speed. Scoop out in 2 TBS rounds onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving lots of space in between.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. They are done when the tops spring back when lightly touched in the centre.
Remove the cakes to wire racks to cool.
To make the marshmallow filling: Have a pint glass heatproof measure ready. In a small heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cornsyrup and water. Stir until all the sugar is moistened. Heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar is dissolved, and the mixture is bubbling. Stop stirring and turn out the burner. If using an electric range, remove the pan from the heat altogether.
Beat the egg white in a mixing bowl, on high speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form with the beater is raised slowly. Increase the temperature under the sugar syrup and boil until an instant read thermometer reads 120*C/248*F. Immediately transfer the sugar syrup to the glass measure to stop the cooking.
Beat the syrup into the meringue in a steady stream, trying to avoid letting the syrup hit the beaters as they will spin it onto the sides of the bowl. Lower the sped slightly and continue to beat until the outside of the bowl no longer feels hot. Beat in the 1 TBS of butter until smooth and then beat in the vanilla. Chil for 9 to 10 minutes, until it is cool, but still soft.
In a clean bowl, beat the 4 ounces of butter along with the powdered sugar until soft and creamy. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is very light in texture. Lowser the speed to medium and add all the meringue, beating it in until incorporated and the buttercream is smooth.
Place about 3 gently roundes tablespoons of cream between two cakes to make a sandwich, pressing down slightly so that the cream reaches the edges of the cakes. Repeat with the remaining cakes.
and then . . . they were gone.
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