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Showing posts sorted by date for query sandwich. Sort by relevance Show all posts
I really love blogging about food. I am often asked how can I do this every day. My response? I eat and cook every day so why not share! If I didn't love doing it I wouldn't do it. Its as simple as that! One thing that I also love about it is that I occasionally get to try some new things and stretch my cooking abilities by coming up with new ways to use familiar products. I was recently contacted by the Heritage Brand Branston Pickle and asked to try to come up with a recipe using their products. As you know I do love a challenge and I adore Branston Pickle, so what else could I say but "Sign Me Up!"
Branston Pickle is one of the nation's most beloved pickle products. It has a flavour that is a tiny bit hard to describe. I could say moreish but that wouldn't be doing it justice. It is a rather unique flavour. It is sweet and tangy and spicy and crunchy and goes wonderfully with cheeses and pies and in sandwiches etc. I love a "Cheese and Pickle" sandwich and when I am talking pickle here I am talking Branston's! I was sent a hamper with three samples of the iconic pickle containing a jar of the original large chunk, a jar of the small chunk and their new smooth version!
Made by Crosse & Blackwell, Branston Pickle has been gracing the UK's tables since 1922. A firm favourite it is still made using the same recipe and in the same manner as always in Suffolk's Bury Saint Edmunds.
I decided to use the new smooth version in my favourite ham and cheese croissant sandwiches. I thought it would add an exciting twist not only spread as a thin layer on the bottom slice, but by including it in the buttery glaze that is a part of this recipe which makes these sandwiches so special and delicious! I normally use a mixture of butter, Worcestershire, mustard and honey, but I thought why not use Branston! It would be perfect!
And it actually ended up being a bit easier than my original versio as well as there was only the two ingredients for the glaze. Branston and melted butter, whisked together and brushed on the outsides of the croissants, and on the inside upper portion of croissant. Other than that there is layers of pure Branston, caramelised onions, sliced ham, crisp bacon and a Swiss style cheese!
Every mouthful is a delight . . . the outsides all flakey and crisp and buttery with a slightly moreish tang that is very appealing!
The sweetness of the caramelised onions atop a thin layer of the smooth tangy Branston pickle . . . yumm . . . then the saltiness of both the ham and the bacon . . . the richness of that creamy Swiss cheese . . .
Altogether very, very nice indeed. Actually I can see me using this smooth Branston pickle a lot.
A dollop here, a dollop there it is sure to enhance the flavours of my savoury soups and stews . . . my Bolognese . . . Mac and Cheese . . . spread on hot dogs . . . in gravies . . . I really can't think of anywhere it couldn't be used except for maybe desserts, but give me time . . . I have an idea it would go really well with apples and raisins! (Sort of like mincemeat . . . )
Oh boy the wheels are really turning now. I wish I had more time! But for now . . . enjoy these tasty sandwiches.
Perfect on their own, or accompanied with some crisps or a salad, they are sure to go down a real treat!
I think they would also be a great hit on Game nights when you are watching the footie or the rugby!
Yield: 6
Spicy Ham & Cheese Croissants
prep time: 15 minscook time: 20 minstotal time: 35 mins
Simple hot ham and cheese croissant sandwiches, made extra yummy with a butter and Branston glaze, bacon and caramelised onions. Just plain good.
ingredients:
6 slices of streaky bacon, cooked until crisp and drained on paper towel
1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
8 TBS butter, divided
3 tsp smooth Branston pickle
Additional Branston for spreading on the croissants
6 medium sized croissants
12 slices of deli ham
6 slices Swiss style cheese
instructions:
Melt 1 TBS of the the butter in a skillet. Add the
sliced onions. Cook over very low heat for 30 minutes until
caramelised, stirring occasionally.
sliced onions. Cook over very low heat for 30 minutes until
caramelised, stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Melt
the remaining butter and whisk together with the Branston pickle
until smooth. Have ready a large enough baking dish to hold all of the
croissants in one layer. Cut each croissant in half through the middles
horizontally. Brush the bottom side of the bottoms of each croissant
with some of the butter mixture. Lay out in the baking dish in one
layer. Spread a bit of Branston pickle on the cut side and then
divide the caramelised onions between each evenly. Top with the sliced
ham, two slices of bacon and a slice of cheese, folded to fit. Brush
the cut sides of the top halves of the croissants with half of the
remaining butter mixture and place on top of the cheese. Drizzle the
remaining butter mixture over top of each. Cover with aluminium foil and
bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
the remaining butter and whisk together with the Branston pickle
until smooth. Have ready a large enough baking dish to hold all of the
croissants in one layer. Cut each croissant in half through the middles
horizontally. Brush the bottom side of the bottoms of each croissant
with some of the butter mixture. Lay out in the baking dish in one
layer. Spread a bit of Branston pickle on the cut side and then
divide the caramelised onions between each evenly. Top with the sliced
ham, two slices of bacon and a slice of cheese, folded to fit. Brush
the cut sides of the top halves of the croissants with half of the
remaining butter mixture and place on top of the cheese. Drizzle the
remaining butter mixture over top of each. Cover with aluminium foil and
bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Created using The Recipes Generator
Branston Pickle is available at all grocery shops and convenience stores across the UK. Do be sure to check out their website for more information and a host of other recipes and ways to use, along with information about their other products and pickles.
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Bon Appetit!
I am always trying to spice up our side dishes a bit, trying to make them a bit more interesting than just boiled or steamed veg. Don't get me wrong, I adore boiled or steamed veg (so long as they are crispy tender and not cooked to death), but every now and then I like to shake things up a tiny bit and add some extra flavours.
Its very easy to do, and it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to add a lot of calories either. Today I added some fresh garden thyme, a bit of honey and some lime zest and juice to the carrots with fabulous taste results. Carrots and Thyme really go well together as does thyme. I was a bit dubious about adding the lime, but with the honey, it went really well. I also added chopped parsley to help pretty them up a bit more as the thyme and lime zest were not showing very well.
These really are delicious and quite adaptable to other flavours as well!
This is a recipe which is very easily doubled or halved as well. I halved it as there are just the two of us, and it worked really well. We had plenty and I still had some to share with Mitzie. She love, LOVES carrots!
Yield: 4
Carrots with Honey, Lime & Thyme
One of our favourite ways to enjoy carrots. These make a great side dish for the holidays. Recipe can be easily doubled.
ingredients:
1 1/2 TBS butter
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into juilienne strips
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried
2 TBS water
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into juilienne strips
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried
2 TBS water
1 TBS fresh lime juice
the finely grated zest of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp honeyinstructions:
Melt
the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots,
stirring well to coat. Saute, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Add
the thyme, stock, lime juice, zest and honey. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 to 10
minutes until the carrots are nice and tender. Remove with a slotted
spoon and arrange in a serving dish. Delicious!
the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots,
stirring well to coat. Saute, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Add
the thyme, stock, lime juice, zest and honey. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 to 10
minutes until the carrots are nice and tender. Remove with a slotted
spoon and arrange in a serving dish. Delicious!
Created using The Recipes Generator
Recently I've been working hard on trying to control my portions and I got myself this Deluxe Meal Portion Control Tool. I find it is really doing a great job of helping me with this!!
I had moved to a sandwich sized plate for my meals a few years ago, which was a positive step in the right direction, but you know . . . you can pile things up as high as you like on a sandwich plate without really realising what you are actually doing.
Each section is clearly marked. There are two for fruits and vegetables. One for Starch, meaning potatoes, rice, pasta, etc.
It is surprising just how much 1 cup of vegetables amounts to! I have always tended to load up on the carbs and protein . . . but this helps to balance things out a lot better.
It is much easier to be accountable when you know exactly what you are putting on your plate.
The fourth section is perfectly sized for a portion of protein. As you can see, even a portion of meat with some gravy fits into the protein space, so that you are getting just the right amount, no more or no less.
Now that's what I call a well proportioned plate. As a Type Two Diabetic I really need to watch my portion controls, especially when it comes to carbohydrates. This Deluxe Meal Portion Control is really helping me to do that! I am really grateful for it! It is helping me to organise my nutrition, maintain a healthy diet and control my portion sizes, and it is dishwasher safe, which is great! Do check out the link. There is free shipping within the continental US, and there is only a small charge to ship it worldwide. I had mine within a week of ordering it. At the moment it is also available for $8.99 USD, which is lightly less than half of the normal price. You can't lose! Do check out the link to find out more! Thanks!
Today is the day I turn 63. However did that happen? Wasn't I just 16 a few days ago? I don't know how it happened, but it has and there is no lamenting it.
I am 63. This is the cake I make myself every year for my Birthday. Raspberry Celebration cake. It makes the aging go down a tiny bit easier.
Every year I say I'm not going to bake myself a cake . . . but then, I beak down and baked one anyway. I have lots of things to celebrate after all.
My Birthday (of course!) for one. I reckon every year after fifty five is a milestone. (Even if the Queen doesn't send me a card.)
A clean bill of health from my Doctor! (Blood Glucose levels 4.1, blood pressure 120/78, Iron Levels normal.) It's all good. Yes, I do need to lose weight, but . . . one thing at a time!
And the anniversary of the arrival of a furry little bundle of joy named Mitzie. (Eight years today!)
Life is good and so is this cake. A deliciously buttery sponge, filled with fresh raspberries and baked into two moist layers.
Sandwiched together with a lovely vanilla butter cream icing and some seedless raspberry jam, and then drizzled with more sweetness. This is one very moreishly scrummy cake.
It won't help my sugar levels, but I reckon one thin slice won't hurt and we will be having a houseful of missionaries over later today to polish off the rest!
shhh . . . don't burst my bubble!
*Raspberry Celebration Cake*
Cuts into 12 scrummy slices
Printable Recipe
This is the cake I always bake for summer birthdays. A light moist sponge, filled with lovely raspberries, butter cream icing and seedless raspberry preserves. Top with a sweet glaze and serve with more raspberries.
For the Cake:
175g of caster sugar (3/4 plus 1/8 cup)
175g of butter, softened (13 TBS)
4 large free range eggs, separated
100g self raising flour (a scant 3/4 cup)
1 tsp baking powder
100g ground almonds (1 scan't cup)
a few drops of almond extract
125g of fresh raspberries (a heaped cup)
For the buttercream:
75g of butter, softened (1/4 cup approx.)
125g icing sugar, sifted (about 3/4 cup)
few drops vanilla
For the glaze:
100ml icing sugar sifted (1/3 cup approx.)
water to thin
Also about 4 heaped dessertspoons of seedless raspberry jam
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/Gas mark 4. Butter two 8 inch sandwich cake tins. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks. Sift the flour and baking powder over the creamed mixture and then fold in using a metal spoon. Fold in the ground almonds and exract. Fold only until all traces of the flour have disappeared.
Beat the egg whites until they just hold their shape. Fold them in gently, by thirds, being careful not to overmix and lose the lightness of the whites. Lightly fold in the berries. Divide between the two prepared cake tins and level off carefully.
Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, just until they test done. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean and they should spring back when lightly touched on top.
Remove from the oven. Let cool in the tins for five minutes, then tip out onto wire racks, peel off the baking paper and allow to cool completely.
Make the buttercream by beating together all the ingredients until smooth and creamy.
Place one cake, bottom side up on a cake plate. Spread completely with all the buttercream. Spread the raspberry jam over top of the buttercream and then top with the other cake layer, placing it right side up. Whisk together the icing sugar for the glaze and enough water to make a smooth drizzable mixture. Drizzle decoratively over the top of the cake. Allow to set, then dust with more icng sugar if desired.
Bon Appetit!
This recipe I am sharing today is one of those utterly simple ones that you are almost embarrassed to share, and yet so tasty that you find yourself having to share because they are just too delicious not to!!! So tasty that you want everyone to have a chance to enjoy them!
You use a tin of refrigerated croissant dough for these delicious Italian Strata type of Sandwiches. Layers of meat, roasted peppers and cheese . . . between layers of croissant dough . . . with a rich golden egg custard baked between the layers and gilding the top . . .
Dead simple to make . . . dead simple . . .
Not the prettiest crayon in the box to be sure . . .
But the flavours . . . impeccably delicious . . . and yet . . . there is nothing extraordinary about the ingredients . . .
Deli ham and deli turkey . . . I get them as thinly sliced as I possibly can . . . and sliced hard salami . . .
A Swiss type of melty cheese . . . I used Dutch Massam on this day, but Gruyere or any nutty flavoured almost sweet . . . Swiss cheese would work beautifully here . . .
A jar of roasted red peppers . . . make sure you drain them well and pat them dry . . . you don't want too much liquid to soak into the croissant dough. You want a crisp crust on the top and the bottom.
Beaten eggs poured over the layers. We've been really lucky in that we have been gifted lately with some beautiful farm fresh free-range eggs at church every Sunday. They are just beautiful.
I guess this is kind of like an Italian Sandwich Pie! Whatever it is, it is hearty and delicious and a simple bake. You are going to love it!
*Italian Layer Bake*
Serves 6
A delicious casserole composed of layered ham, turkey, salami, roasted pepper, egg and croissant dough.
1 container of refrigerated croissant roll dough
8 slices of deli turkey
8 sliced of deli ham
12 slices of hard Italian salami
8 slices of Swiss style cheese
1 (12 ounce) jar of roasted red peppers, drained well
4 large free range eggs, beaten
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Unroll the crescent dough
without separating the triangles. Cut into two squares and press the
perforations together on each square. Press one into the bottom of an
8-inch square baking dish. Top with four slices of turkey, four slices
of ham, 6 slices of salami, 4 slices of Swiss cheese and half of the
roasted peppers. Pour half of the beaten egg over the peppers. Top with
the remaining turkey,ham, salami, cheese and peppers. Lay the other
half of the dough over the peppers, again, pressing the perforations
closed. Pour the remaining eggs over all. Cover lightly with foil. Bake
for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 20 to 25
minutes until golden brown and heated through. Let cool for five
minutes, then cut into squares to serve.
If its in a crust Todd loves it. He is a pie man for sure. This is fabulous and makes for the perfect light supper on these last of the summer days, when you want to be out and about enjoying the sunshine and not chained to the stove. Bon Appetit!
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