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
My husband and I have been members of the National Trust for about 10 years now. We both just love visiting historical homes and gardens so it has always been worth it to us. A yearly membership works out a lot cheaper than having to pay entrance fees each time we visit one of the National Trust places.
We recently visited Erddig, which is near Wrexham in Wales. "Widely acclaimed as one of Britain's finest historic houses, Erddig is a fascinating yet unpretentious early 18th-century country house reflecting the upstairs downstairs life of a gentry family over 250 years.
We both thoroughly enjoyed our visit to this great historical home. We found it quite astonishing that the orignal owner of the Estate was simply a "Mr" and not a person of noble birth. Judging by everything that was on this property, he was one very wealthy individual, and one could tell by all of the photographs and paintings that, although they had lots of money and servants, their servants were very much cared for and well treated.
We spent a wonderful day there exploring all the nooks and crannies and the beautiful gardens. So much so, that we plan on going back again soon. There was so much still left to explore, and one visit just didn't do it enough justice.
One of the things we both look forward to when we are visiting these places is having a light lunch in the cafes that are, in most cases, right on the grounds. Lovely little places where you can get everything from soup to nuts . . . always very tasty stuff!
We shared a delicious cheese and onion sandwich and some hot cocoa the day we were there, but right next to the cash register in the cafe was a little leaflet for sale,, containing some of the recipes from Erddig House, dating back to the 1700's.
It was only a pound, so how could I resist!! Of course I had to pick it up!
That night I made us the carrot soup for our tea from the leaflet, and let me tell you . . . it was the MOST delicious carrot soup I have ever, ever eaten! It should have served at least 4 people but Todd and I polished it off between the two of us. NOT A PROBLEM! It was rich and creamy and had the most wonderful flavour. Carrots, potatoes, celery, turnips, onions and lettuce . . . a delicious combination of simple garden fresh ingredients!
This is now our 'alltime' favourite soup.
*Erddig Carrot Soup*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe
Taken from a 'Receipt Book 1765', the second oldest Erddig cookery book.
2 ounces butter
2 large onions
2 large potatoes
2 pounds carrots
1/2 pound turnips
1/2 head celery
1/4 lettuce
3 1/2 pints (about 7 cups) vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
Peel and chop all of the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large pot. Add the onion and saute until golden. Add the potatoes and stir well. Add the remainder of the vegetables and the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Liquidise. Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
I also baked up some very delicious Cheese Scones to have with the soup. They went down a real treat!! You can find the recipe HERE.
I spent most of my life living in Armed Forces housing, most of my homes being cookie cutter stamps of the same house . . . the only thing different being it's location, having lived in almost every province in Canada. My father was in the Air Force as was my ex husband. Small, comfortable and sadly lacking in space, something I always wanted to have was a . . . larder.
A lovely room, however large or small, that I could stuff to the rafters with all of the provisions that I could possibly want or need to be able to provide tasty meals for my family . . . something along the same lines as those tasty tuck boxes I used to read about in all those Enid Blyton stories I devoured as a girl . . . but on a much larger scale.
My nan had one as did my first mother in law . . . the shelves filled with jars of preserves, boxes of apples and potatoes, all safely tucked into their newspaper sleeves and beds of straw, nylon stockings full of onions hanging from pegs and smoky hams and sausages hanging from the rafters . . . my grandfather even had
barrels of his own homemade kraut.
Finally I have been blessed with a small room that we call the larder here at Oak Cottage . . . a tiny room with shelves along it's walls which lays just off our back entrance, tucked away behind a sliding wooden door. My shelves are lined with all sorts of food stuffs and I pride myself on being able to go inside and produce a tasty meal out of the goodies on it's shelves without much problem at all.
Here are some of the items I would never be without and that I think all kitchens should have in their storecupboards and larders. My favourites list and things I always have at hand here at Oak Cottage.
Good Quality chocolate, for baking and for eating. Although Todd doesn't really like chocolate cakes or the like, I do like to keep a good quantity of nice chocolate on hand to bake brownies and the occasional chocolate cake. Something with at least a 70% cocoa content. I also like to keep a variety of cocoa powders, both natural and Dutch process.
A good quality Balsamic Vinegar, along with an assortment of other vinegars. Sherry, White and Red wine, Apple Cider, Malt, and Rice Wine. You really do get what you pay for here. I also make my own tarragon and other flavoured vinegars, using a good white wine vinegar.
An assortment of mustards, including a good Dijon, grainy, English, and Dry mustard powder. I use them in vinaigrettes, marinades and you just can't beat a nice ham sandwich on a rustic loaf and adorned with a good slather of a tasty mustard.
Capers. I keep several varieties on hand, salt preserved, regular, those exquisite little non pareil capers and delicious caper berries. They are fabulous in sauces and dressings and salads. A Nicoise salad would not be the same without the adornment of caper berries.
Dried mushrooms, an assortment . . . all woodsey and earthy and just waiting to be steeped and made into a delicious soup or tucked into a tasty stew.
Dried pasta. Of course it is nice if you have the time and energy to make your own pasta, but one cannot overlook the blessing of having good quality dried pasta to hand. I like to keep a variety in my larder, some short kinds such as macaroni, and then the longer ones like Spaghetti, linguine, some noodles of various widths, farfelle, lasagna, and of course fusilli and other twisty types. I prefer Italian brands myself.
French Cornichons. Great with cold cuts and cheeses and an indispensable ingredient for making tartar sauce and certain salsa verdes. I also keep several other pickles and chutneys . . . pickled cipoline onions, mango chutney, Branstons and a good quality piccalili.
Dried Spanish Chorizo sausages. These are fantastic additions to omelets, sauteed potatoes, salads, stews, the possibilities are endless. I wouldn't be without them.
Italian tinned plum tomatoes, whole, chopped and pureed. A tin of them and you always have a ready soup to hand, or a tasty pasta sauce . . . the uses are endless.
I love French Mayonnaise. Rich and glossy and in a class of it's own.
Extra Virgin Olive oil, in a variety of guises. I like a nice mild one for cooking and a stronger more full flavoured one for use in salads. I prefer Greek.
A variety of olives, black and green. I love Greek Kalamata, the tiny nicoise olives of France, spanish black and green. I adore oil cured and dried black and green olives and always have several packets of them to hand, ready to be tossed into salads, baked into loaves or pizzas, and to be used as tasty hors d'ouevres and tapas, or eaten out of hand . . . just because . . . 
Finally I have been blessed with a small room that we call the larder here at Oak Cottage . . . a tiny room with shelves along it's walls which lays just off our back entrance, tucked away behind a sliding wooden door. My shelves are lined with all sorts of food stuffs and I pride myself on being able to go inside and produce a tasty meal out of the goodies on it's shelves without much problem at all.
Here are some of the items I would never be without and that I think all kitchens should have in their storecupboards and larders. My favourites list and things I always have at hand here at Oak Cottage.
Good Quality chocolate, for baking and for eating. Although Todd doesn't really like chocolate cakes or the like, I do like to keep a good quantity of nice chocolate on hand to bake brownies and the occasional chocolate cake. Something with at least a 70% cocoa content. I also like to keep a variety of cocoa powders, both natural and Dutch process.
A good quality Balsamic Vinegar, along with an assortment of other vinegars. Sherry, White and Red wine, Apple Cider, Malt, and Rice Wine. You really do get what you pay for here. I also make my own tarragon and other flavoured vinegars, using a good white wine vinegar.
An assortment of mustards, including a good Dijon, grainy, English, and Dry mustard powder. I use them in vinaigrettes, marinades and you just can't beat a nice ham sandwich on a rustic loaf and adorned with a good slather of a tasty mustard.
Capers. I keep several varieties on hand, salt preserved, regular, those exquisite little non pareil capers and delicious caper berries. They are fabulous in sauces and dressings and salads. A Nicoise salad would not be the same without the adornment of caper berries.
Dried mushrooms, an assortment . . . all woodsey and earthy and just waiting to be steeped and made into a delicious soup or tucked into a tasty stew.
Dried pasta. Of course it is nice if you have the time and energy to make your own pasta, but one cannot overlook the blessing of having good quality dried pasta to hand. I like to keep a variety in my larder, some short kinds such as macaroni, and then the longer ones like Spaghetti, linguine, some noodles of various widths, farfelle, lasagna, and of course fusilli and other twisty types. I prefer Italian brands myself.
French Cornichons. Great with cold cuts and cheeses and an indispensable ingredient for making tartar sauce and certain salsa verdes. I also keep several other pickles and chutneys . . . pickled cipoline onions, mango chutney, Branstons and a good quality piccalili.
Dried Spanish Chorizo sausages. These are fantastic additions to omelets, sauteed potatoes, salads, stews, the possibilities are endless. I wouldn't be without them.
Italian tinned plum tomatoes, whole, chopped and pureed. A tin of them and you always have a ready soup to hand, or a tasty pasta sauce . . . the uses are endless.
I love French Mayonnaise. Rich and glossy and in a class of it's own.
Extra Virgin Olive oil, in a variety of guises. I like a nice mild one for cooking and a stronger more full flavoured one for use in salads. I prefer Greek.
A variety of olives, black and green. I love Greek Kalamata, the tiny nicoise olives of France, spanish black and green. I adore oil cured and dried black and green olives and always have several packets of them to hand, ready to be tossed into salads, baked into loaves or pizzas, and to be used as tasty hors d'ouevres and tapas, or eaten out of hand . . . just because . . . 
I love honey and I always have several jars in the larder. Runny varities, Italian, French sunflower and lavender, Greek with it's lovely licorace flavour and good old clover honey. I also love set honey, all creamy and white and spread onto thick slices of toasted and buttery home made bread . . . carrots are delicious steamed and then glazed with butter and honey . . .
A variety of flours, organic and stone ground, French, plain, self raising, strong (both white and brown) whole wheat, malt, spelt. They all have their uses, but, please, only keep what you are going to use within a few weeks to hand on the shelves. Store the rest in the freezer as it can go rancid very quickly.
I like to keep quite a few different sugars . . . light and dark soft brown, caster and granulated white, golden caster, icing sugar, dark and light muscovado, demerara, lump sugar. They all have their uses. I also keep a variety of syrups such as Golden, Dark Treacle, Molasses and Maple.
I love Maldon Sea Salt and French fleur de sel. I use them in almost all my cooking. I do keep a large tin of household salt as well, along with a variety of pepper corns . . . green, pink, black and a lovely mixture of the three.
Garlic both regular and smoked, and shallots and onions, both brown cooking and red. These are a must for me, and used often.
A variety of good quality dried herbs and spices. I have quite a few different ones and I use them all frequently. I do love fresh herbs, but the uses of a good quality bottled herb cannot be underestimated.
One thing that I absolutely love and adore is unearthed barrel aged feta cheese. I know this is kept in the fridge but I just couldn't not mention it. It's wonderfully delicious and worth every penny. I also keep a good Parmesan Reggiano that I grate myself and a variety of different strengths of cheddars.
I also have a weakness for Danish butter. It's very good, and I always have several pounds of it in the fridge and freezer, sweet and salted, not to mention some good vegetable shortening.
This is by no means an extensive list of all the things that one should have in their larders, but just a few of my favourite things. It goes without saying that one should keep a variety of tinned fishes as well as fresh fruits and vegetables amongst other things, and I do. I just thought it would be fun to talk about some of my most beloved ingredients.
One thing that you are never short of if you keep bananas, eggs and milk around is a tasty bowl of bananas and custard, my Todd's dessert of choice. Old fashioned yes, delicious yes, satisfyingly comforting, yes . . .
*Bananas and Custard*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
You can call it many names . . . creme de la vanille, creme anglaise . . . it matters not. It's all vanilla custard and it is wonderfully delicious when properly made and homemade. Why anyone would ever bother with the powdered version when they can make it so easily from scratch is beyond my comprehension!
1 pint whole milk (2 cups)
1 vanilla pod
4 egg yolks
1 TBS caster sugar
4 medium bananas
Put the milk in a saucepan. Slit the vanilla pod down the centre and scrape out the seeds into the milk with a sharp knife. Drop the split pod into the milk as well. Heat the milk over a medium heat, just until you see bubbles forming around the edges. Remove from the heat and remove the vanilla pod. (Just rinse it off and dry it and you can then stick it into your sugar bin where it will give your sugar a lovely flavour and fragrance . . . no worries and no waste.)
Beat together the egg yolks and the sugar. Pour the hot milk over top of it very slowly, whisking constantly. Strain the mixture into the top of a double boiler. Place over the top of the bottom of the double boiler over simmering water and cook ove rvery low heat, stirring all the time. When it thickens to the consistency of double cream (it should coat the back of your spoon), remove it from the heat and pour it straight into a bowl to reduce the heat. Let cool to warm, before proceeding.
The secret to successful custard is to not be in a hurry. If the worse happens and it starts to separate, whizz it in the blender. You can of course, pre-empt this problem by adding a small teaspoon of cornstarch to the egg yolks before adding the milk.
Peel and slice the bananas into four dessert dishes. Spoon the warm custard over top of them and serve.
A variety of flours, organic and stone ground, French, plain, self raising, strong (both white and brown) whole wheat, malt, spelt. They all have their uses, but, please, only keep what you are going to use within a few weeks to hand on the shelves. Store the rest in the freezer as it can go rancid very quickly.
I like to keep quite a few different sugars . . . light and dark soft brown, caster and granulated white, golden caster, icing sugar, dark and light muscovado, demerara, lump sugar. They all have their uses. I also keep a variety of syrups such as Golden, Dark Treacle, Molasses and Maple.
I love Maldon Sea Salt and French fleur de sel. I use them in almost all my cooking. I do keep a large tin of household salt as well, along with a variety of pepper corns . . . green, pink, black and a lovely mixture of the three.
Garlic both regular and smoked, and shallots and onions, both brown cooking and red. These are a must for me, and used often.
A variety of good quality dried herbs and spices. I have quite a few different ones and I use them all frequently. I do love fresh herbs, but the uses of a good quality bottled herb cannot be underestimated.
One thing that I absolutely love and adore is unearthed barrel aged feta cheese. I know this is kept in the fridge but I just couldn't not mention it. It's wonderfully delicious and worth every penny. I also keep a good Parmesan Reggiano that I grate myself and a variety of different strengths of cheddars.
I also have a weakness for Danish butter. It's very good, and I always have several pounds of it in the fridge and freezer, sweet and salted, not to mention some good vegetable shortening.
This is by no means an extensive list of all the things that one should have in their larders, but just a few of my favourite things. It goes without saying that one should keep a variety of tinned fishes as well as fresh fruits and vegetables amongst other things, and I do. I just thought it would be fun to talk about some of my most beloved ingredients.
One thing that you are never short of if you keep bananas, eggs and milk around is a tasty bowl of bananas and custard, my Todd's dessert of choice. Old fashioned yes, delicious yes, satisfyingly comforting, yes . . .
*Bananas and Custard*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
You can call it many names . . . creme de la vanille, creme anglaise . . . it matters not. It's all vanilla custard and it is wonderfully delicious when properly made and homemade. Why anyone would ever bother with the powdered version when they can make it so easily from scratch is beyond my comprehension!
1 pint whole milk (2 cups)
1 vanilla pod
4 egg yolks
1 TBS caster sugar
4 medium bananas
Put the milk in a saucepan. Slit the vanilla pod down the centre and scrape out the seeds into the milk with a sharp knife. Drop the split pod into the milk as well. Heat the milk over a medium heat, just until you see bubbles forming around the edges. Remove from the heat and remove the vanilla pod. (Just rinse it off and dry it and you can then stick it into your sugar bin where it will give your sugar a lovely flavour and fragrance . . . no worries and no waste.)
Beat together the egg yolks and the sugar. Pour the hot milk over top of it very slowly, whisking constantly. Strain the mixture into the top of a double boiler. Place over the top of the bottom of the double boiler over simmering water and cook ove rvery low heat, stirring all the time. When it thickens to the consistency of double cream (it should coat the back of your spoon), remove it from the heat and pour it straight into a bowl to reduce the heat. Let cool to warm, before proceeding.
The secret to successful custard is to not be in a hurry. If the worse happens and it starts to separate, whizz it in the blender. You can of course, pre-empt this problem by adding a small teaspoon of cornstarch to the egg yolks before adding the milk.
Peel and slice the bananas into four dessert dishes. Spoon the warm custard over top of them and serve.
I just have to tell you about this delicious pickle we have been enjoying these past few weeks from the people at English Provender! English Provender Proper Pickle, Beetroot! Naturally delicious, crunchy and all grown up, English Provender Co.’s Proper Pickle taps into the nostalgic taste of traditional sandwich accompaniments, but with an altogether more refined flavour and texture for the more discerning palate.
I have always love LOVED beetroot in any way shape or form, and I am happy to say I am loving this Beetroot proper pickle also!
Packed full of flavour and having just the perfect amount of punch, earthy English Provender Beetroot Proper Pickle is made with authentic, natural ingredients that champion British produce, with no added preservatives, colours or flavours. This is pickle as it should be. If you’re looking to add a twist to your ploughman’s lunch or daily salad then Beetroot Proper Pickle could be the pickle for you. Rich and fruity, crunchy British beetroot is combined with a unique blend of pickle spices. We've been enjoying it on sandwiches and with cold meats. I've even been tucking into it with a spoon when nobody's looking. Shhh . . . don't tell anyone!
Other flavours are Proper Pickle Chunky, Proper Pickle Finely Chopped and Proper Pickle Pickled Onion. If they are anything near as tasty as the Beetroot one, I am sure they are gorgeous too! I would buy this pickle. Many thanks to English Provender Co for sending me a jar to try.
These tasty pickles are available online in the English Provender Co online store or instore at Waitrose and ASDA.
To find out more about English Provender and their products be sure to check out their Homepage.
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Note - although I was sent a jar of pickle free of charge to try out, I was not required to write a positive review. Simply put. I really liked this.
(The kitchen in my doll house)
Moving onto the second part of my collection of recipes which you should know by heart. I know that a lot of us already know these things off by heart and indeed have our own ways of doing most things, but the beginning cook might not know these things and I felt this could be an invaluable resource for them.
Whilst may of us older guys and gals probably learned these things from our mum's and grandmum's . . . the art of cooking from scratch seems to be disappearing these days. People do rely a lot on convenience foods. Heck you can even buy frozen mashed potatoes today, which is surely a lot better tasting than dried potato flakes . . . but when mashed potatoes are so easy to make . . . why not make your own.
I know . . . for the working mum, frozen might be more convenient and I can't say that I blame them for using them . . . but if you are so inclined and have the time to want to do things from scratch, these are the recipes you should know by heart. You can find Part one here.
There is nothing nicer on a plate then a perfect pile of soft, creamy
and fluffy mashed potatoes. They go so well with many dishes and are
the perfect holder to cradle lashings of delicious gravy.
They
are not as hard to make as some people would suppose. Simple and
straightforward, as long as you follow a few simple rules.
- use the proper potato. You want a floury type of potato, that is to say one that breaks down well once cooked. You do not want a waxy type of potato, or one that holds it's shape well when cooked. Some great examples of floury potatoes are Maris Piper, Estima, King Edward or Desiree (In North America use a Russet, Idaho or baking potato)
- Do not make the mistake of not cooking the potatoes long enough. Better to err on the side of overcooking than undercooking. You cannot mash a hard lump no matter how hard you try!
- Never add cold butter or milk to cooked potatoes. Always use room temperature or melted butter and gently warmed milk or cream
- Add any liquid to the cooked potatoes slowly. Some days you may need more, some days you may need less. How much can only be determined by adding it slowly.
*Perfect Mashed Potatoes*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe
Simple and perfect!
2 pounds of large floury potatoes (In the UK a Maris Piper is ideal, in North America
I would use a russet or idaho)
4 ounces unsalted butter (1/2 cup, or one stick)
4 fluid ounces of single cream or full fat milk (1/2 cup) gently warmed
fine seasalt, freshly ground pepper and freshly grated nutmeg
Peel and quarter the potatoes then place the potatoes into a pot of lightly salted water to cover. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until fork tender. Drain well in a colander and then return them to the hot pot. Cover with the lid and give them a good shake, which will help to break them up. Add the butter and warmed cream or milk, adding the latter a little at a time, whilst mashing the potatoes, only adding as much as is needed to give you the correct consistency. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. The potatoes should be light, fluffy, creamy and ready to eat.
Note - I often use my electric handwhisk to mash the potatoes. This helps to insure a smooth mixture without lumps. I also have a potato ricer, which does a fabulous lump free job.
Cream Sauce, or Bechamel (which is the French name for basically the same thing) is the most basic of sauces and the basis for many other sauces such as cheese sauce, mornay sauce, lemon sauce etc. Once you have mastered a good cream sauce you are free to explore the many other options available. I often make it and add cooked baby peas to it and serve it ladled over cooked fish. It's the basis for macaroni and cheese, and many other delicious dishes, and very easy to make. These are the quantities for one cup of sauce, to make more just multiply the ingedients. I normally would not more than double it.
*White Sauce or Bechamel Sauce*
Makes 225ml or one cup
Makes 225ml or one cup
A good bechamel is the basis for many dishes
such as souffles, or macaroni and cheese. The foolproof way to achieve a
perfectly smooth sauce is to have the milk hot when you add it to the
butter and flour. It uses an extra pot, but perfection is perfection.
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Mornay
Sauce - Add 2 TBS of grated Parmesan Cheese and 2 TBS of grated Swiss
cheese during the last two minutes of cooking. Stur until blended.
Just before removing from the heat, beat 2 TBS of the sauce into 1
lightly beaten egg yolk. Stir the yolk/sauce mixture back into the
sauce and add 2 TBS butter. Continue to cook, stirring, for one
minute longer.
There is nothing nicer than a nice plate of warm biscuits, North American Style (similar to scones) resh from the oven and just waiting for you to spread them with a pat of cold butter and a drizzle of honey.
These are one of the most basic of the quick breads and I have never known anyone to turn a well made biscuit down. The important thing to remember about biscuits is to use a light touch with them. Over working them toughens them.
Pat them out gently and cut them out with a sharp cutter, using a very sharp quick straight up and down motion and your biscuits will always be perfect!
*Baking Powder Biscuits*
Makes 16
Printable Recipe
Golden brown and crusty outside, meltingly tender inside.
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp baking powder
1 TBS sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
2/3 cup of milk
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 6. Grease two 8 inch cake tins. Set aside.
Whisk
the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar together in a bowl. Drop in
the shortening and cut it into the flour mixture with two knives or a
pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the milk
all at once and stur just until the dough forms a ball around the fork.
Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead about 14 times. Pat
out to 1/2 inch thickness. Stamp out rounds with a 2 inch biscuit
cutter, giving it a sharp tap straight down and up again. Do not
twist. Place touching each other in the cake pans and bake for 15 to 20
minutes.
If you like biscuits with crusty edges all around, place them 1 inch apart on a baking sheet to bake instead.
The
amount of milk you use will determine how thick these pancakes will
be. Start off with the smaller amount which is suggested and add more
only if the batter seems too thick.
I try to have all of my ingredients
at room temperature before starting and as with most quick breads, take
care not to over beat. A few lumps are quite acceptable.
You can
make lighter, fluffier pancakes by separating the egg yolk and white,
adding the yolk with the milk, and then beating the white until stiff
and folding it in last of all. Serve with maple syrup or honey.
120 to 150ml of milk (1/2 to 3/4 cup)Variations:
There is no more welcome or finer dessert cake than the traditional sponge cake, or Victoria Sponge as it is lovingly called over here in the UK. It needs no more adornment than a dusting over the top with some confectioner's/Icing sugar and a filling of butter cream and jam. Using equal amounts of butter, sugar, eggs and flour, it is the simplest of cakes, and yet also the tastiest.
*Traditional Victoria Sandwich Cake*
Makes one 7 inch cake
Printable Recipe
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! Don't be tempted to use all butter. This is one recipe that is better for the use of a mixture of butter and margarine.
3 ounces of butter, softened (6 TBS)
3 ounces soft margarine (6 TBS)
6 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, beaten
6 ounces self raising flour (a scant 1 1/2 cups)
To finish:
3 TBS raspberry jam
buttercream to fill (optional)
icing sugar or caster sugar to dust the top
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, margarine, 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, leveling 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.
Once cooled, place one layer on a cake plate. Spread with raspberry jam and buttercream (if using). Place the other cake on top, pressing down lightly. Dust with icing or caster sugar and serve.
I will be back tomorrow with a new and fresh recipe. I hope you have enjoyed these tried and true recipes and that you have found them useful. It's a start at any rate!
One meat my husband really loves is Pork Chops. He loves nothing better. Cooking pork chops can be a bit tricky I find. There is an optimum length of time to cook them and it varies from chop to chop, depending on the type and the thickness of the chop.
In the old days people were really afraid of under-cooked pork and so had a tendency to way overcook their pork. My poor mum used to feed us chops that were so overcooked, you needed a ton of gravy or applesauce just to make them edible. Bless her . . . she meant well and had only our safety in mind. Everyone had the same fears with pork and overcooked their meat. It wasn't just her.
One thing which helps with the tenderness of chops is to brine them prior to cooking. This is a technique that I have only discovered in recent years and I have to say that it really makes a huge difference! My chops were never dry anyways, but now they are even better!
Its amazing what the magic solution of cold water, salt and sugar and an hour of time can do!
For this recipe today you will want bone in rib loin chops that are at least 1 1/2 inches thick. The reason you want them this thick is that you will be stuffing them . . .
I don't think you can get much tastier than a stuffed pork chop!
The stuffing for these is a really simple one . . . using simple ingredients. Butter softened onion and celery, with a mix of herbs . . . thyme, parsley, sage and a bit of garlic . . . some salt and pepper . . .
Mixed with some white bread crumbs and some cream to moisten everything and get it to stick together. I also add some chopped raisins for a hint of sweetness, but you can leave them out if you wish, or replace them with chopped apple, or dried apricots, or even dried cranberries. All work well.
You will want to cut a deep pocket in the brined chops. I make only a tiny incision on the fatty edge, and then move the knife around inside to carve a pocket . . . carefully. You want a sharp knife and you don't want too large of an opening. Too large and you run the risk of your stuffing bursting out during cooking.
You want all that tastiness to stay inside, which is why you want only a tiny opening on the edge. I recommend no larger than you index finger. It is quite doable, trust me on this.
Once you have the pocket cut you can stuff the chops. I pop it in through the opening and then massage it around from the outside of the chop so that it fills the whole pocket. Do take care not to let the stuffing get too close to the opening and press it well shut when you are done. You could of course close with toothpicks, but its really not necessary and it actually makes them harder to brown if you do.
Once they are stuffed you simply brown them on both sides, pop them into a baking dish and then finish them off in a hot oven. Easy peasy.
Yield: 4
Stuffed Brined Pork Chops
prep time: 1 hourcook time: 40 minstotal time: 1 hours and 40 mins
You will need thick, bone in pork chops for these (at least 1 1/2 inches thick). They are brined first for an hour prior to stuffing, browning and baking. Let assure you that all the fuss is worth it. Succulent, tender and delicious! Note you will need to brine the chops for one hour prior to starting.
ingredients:
- 1/5 litres of cold water (1 1/2 quarts)
- 3 TBS kosher or sea salt
- 3 TBS granulated sugar
- 4 bone-in rib loin chops, 1 1/2 inches thick
- (12 ounces each)
- 3 TBS butter
- 1 medium onion, peeled and minced
- 1 stalk celery, trimmed and minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 TBS dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp each dried thyme and sage
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 sliced sandwich bread, crusts trimmed and cut
- into small cubes
- 4 TBS raisins, chopped (optional)
- 2 TBS heavy cream
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 TBS vegetable oil
instructions:
- Whisk together the cold water with the salt and sugar until both the salt and sugar dissolve. Place the chops into the mixture, making sure they are completely submerged. Leave for 1 hour. At the end of that time, remove them from the water and pat dry.
- To make the stuffing, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened. Add the garlic and herbs. Cook for a further half a minute or so until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and toss together with the bread cubes and chopped raisins. Season with some salt and black pepper. Add the cream and mash well together until you have a fairly solid mass that you can handle easily without it crumbling too much.
- Take each chop and cut a pocket into each. Use a very sharp knife and just using the tip, puncture the chop on the fat edge, making a small opening, and then by carefully manoeuvring the tip of the knife, cut a pocket inside the chop without enlarging the cut on the edge, or poking through the surface of the chop. (This will help to make sure that the stuffing stays inside when the chops are cooking.)
- Preheat the oven to 230*C/450*F. gas mark 7. Have ready a shallow baking dish large enough to hold all four chops.
- Stuff each chop with 1/4 of the stuffing, massaging the chop on the outsides to work it through to fill the pocket entirely. (I try to keep it at least 1/3 of an inch away from the pocket incision.) Season your chops on both sides.
- Heat the vegetable oil in the skillet and brown the chops on both sides, about 3 minutes or so per side. Transfer the browned chops to the baking dish.
- Bake the chops in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and tent for about 5 to 10 minutes with some aluminium foil.
- Serve hot with your favourite sides.
Created using The Recipes Generator
These really are very good. Tender and delicious . . . succulent. I guarantee your family will love them. I served them with mashed potatoes, some gravy, a bit of cauliflower cheese that I had leftover from another day and some frozen peas. Todd was in pork chop heaven! Bon Appetit!
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