I guess I have always held a soft spot for England. As a child I used to devour anything I could get my hands on that was written by Enid Blyton, and as I read those books they carried me away to a land I could only dream about.
I read about boarding schools and tuck boxes and lovely treats like cherry cakes and cinder toffee. Those kids had wonderful adventures and to a budding foodie, even better food . . . much more exciting than anything that I had ever experienced at home. I would dream of tucking into sticky toffee puddings with lashings of cream. Don't you just love that word . . . lashings . . . it conjures up such a wonderful image of a lovely dessert just swimming in rich goodness and lip smacking delight.
There are two types of treacle over here, dark treacle, which is very similar to molasses, but much, much stronger. When I first came over here I made the mistake of thinking that it was just the same and made some gingersnaps for some of the ladies at my church one evening when they came over and they were horrible!!!
Highly inedible. One only needs a little bit of it to get the same impact as the mild molasses we are used to in North America. Lesson learned. When I use it now I mix it half and half with the other Treacle, light treacle, or Golden Syrup. Much much more palatable.
Golden syrup is one of my great discoveries over here in the UK. Quite similar to corn syrup from back home, but so much more flavourful, with a delicious caramel undertone. I could easily eat spoonfuls of this stuff, which I could never do with plain old corn syrup.
It's also the basis for the perfect British Pudding, which over here is another name for dessert . . . Treacle Sponge Pudding . . . a delicious steamed pudding crowned with glorious golden syrup, seeping down a soft rich sponge and soaking into it's surface and gilding it with luscious thick syrupy caramel goodness. This is the stuff that comfort is made of . . . this is the ultimate dessert of all my Enid Blyton inspired childhood dreams . . .
Dig out your scales for this one and don't forget the custard . . . lashings of it are a given!!!
*Treacle Syrup Sponge*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
75g softened unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing
75g light-brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
100g self-raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder
1tbsp milk
For the sauce:
3tbsp Golden Syrup, plus extra to serve
4tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
Butter a one-pint pudding basin. Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until they’re soft and light. Gradually add the beaten egg, sieve in the flour and baking powder and add the milk. Beat until it’s thoroughly blended, and you have a dropping consistency. Pour the mixture into the basin, making a nice level surface with the back of a spoon.
Line a sheet of foil with a sheet of greaseproof paper and fold to make a pleat in the centre this will allow for expansion as the pudding rises. Cover the basin with the foil and wrap it firmly around the rim. Then tie with a piece of string to secure it in place. (I actually use a rubber band. The post man is always leaving them behind and they come in very handy for all sorts!)
Stand the basin in a steamer or a pan of simmering water, put the lid on the pan and steam for 1½ hours, topping up with boiling water if necessary.
Combine the syrup and orange juice in a small pan and heat gently.
When the pudding’s cooked, remove it from the pan, unwrap it and ease the pudding away from the basin with a palette knife. Turn out onto a warmed plate and spoon over loads of golden syrup. Finally, pour the warm orange syrup over and serve.
My Todd grew up here in the south of England during World War 2. One of the things they ate a lot during the war was rabbit. Things like meat were very scarce and one could hardly afford to be squeamish about what they ate. In fact, most people kept rabbits in their own back garden specifically for the purpose of eating them.
I have never had a fondness for game and rabbit. Probably because I have been fortunate enough to have grown up in a time when fresh meat and vegetables are quite available and affordable to a degree. Obviously there are still some things that are a bit prohibitive in cost, but then again they are considered luxuries and not something you would eat on a daily basis anyways!
Todd often talks about the rabbit pies his mum used to make for them and how delicious they were. Indeed my own mother loves rabbit pie and I can remember her sneaking some into our diet from time to time by telling us it was chicken pie. It would not be until after we'd enjoyed it and were done that she'd tell us the truth. We'd always thought it delicious up to that point . . .
I made Todd a rabbit pie for his tea yesterday and he thoroughly enjoyed it. I did have a taste and it wasn't bad, but . . . I couldn't make myself eat much of it. I mostly made it for him and by the satisfied look on his face while he was digging in . . . it was rather good, I'd say!
*Rabbit Pie*
Makes one large enough to serve 4
Printable Recipe
You will need a 2 pint pie dish for this. I use tinfoil ones I brought over from Canada a few years back, but any pie dish will do as long as it holds about 2 pints.
1 rabbit, skinned and gutted (you could shoot your own,
but if you are squeamish like me, get it at a good butchers)
2 leeks or 1 onion
225g (8oz) smoked bacon, or a small ham hock
Zest of ½ lemon
50g (2oz) butter
40g (1½ oz) plain flour
570ml (1 pint) of stock from cooking the rabbit
2 tablespoons cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
275g (10oz) shortcrust pastry
1 beaten egg
Place the rabbit, along with the bacon or ham hock and the leek or onion, in enough water to barely cover, and simmer for an hour or so until very tender. A wild rabbit will take a lot longer to cook than a domesticated one, as they are alot tougher.
Once tender, remove the rabbit from the cooking water, reserving the cooking liquor for later. Strip all the rabbit meat from off of the bones, tearing it into bite sized pieces. Chop up any bacon meat or ham hock and add to the rabbit meat.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour. Mix well and cook for at least a minute before adding the strained cooking liquid, adding it a bit at a time, and stirring it well with each addition. Cook and stir until nicely thickened. Stir in the cream and lemon zest. Season to taste with some salt and pepper.
Add enough of this sauce to the rabbit and bacon mixture to bind it nicely. You may not need it all. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Pre-heat the oven to 190*C/375*F. Roll out half of the pastry thinly, and line your pie dish with it so that it overlaps the edges. Place the filling inside and then dampen the edges with a bit of water. Roll out the other half of the pastry to fit over top and place on top to cover the filling. Trim around the edge. Press the edges together and crimp with a fork to seal. Make several slashes in top of the pie, being careful not to cut down all the way through to the bottom. Brush the top with the beaten egg.
Bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes and then lower the temperature to 170*C/325*F for a further 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden and crisp, covering with foil during cooking if it is browning too quickly.
My Todd likes his with some chips and peas, but you can serve whatever you want with it. Some people like mash and gravy with it.
With the onset of cold winter weather, one automatically longs to immerse oneself in comfort and part of that is comfort foods such as soups and stews and rich desserts or puddings as they call them over here in England.
One of the most loved puddings over here has to be Sticky Toffee Pudding. Todd and I were so lucky to have spent several holidays up in Cumbria which is the home of Sticky Toffee Pudding. Nestled in the quaint countryside of the Lake Districk is the Cartmel Village, the home of the original sticky toffee pudding, or so they claim.
Sticky toffee pudding is a rich cake that is moist with dates and covered in a lusciously sticky toffee sauce that soaks down into it's wonderful richness and creates something quite magical to eat.
The origins of sticky toffee pudding are a bit mixed. It has been rumoured to have come from the Sharrow Bay Hotel in the Lake District and yet others have claimed it comes from the Udny Arms Hotel in Aberdeenshire. Having traversed the byways and laneways of the Lake District myself, it is not hard to imagine how very cold and bleak it might well be in the winter months and how comforting a pudding such as this would be, and I can well believe it's origins spring from the Sharrow Bay on the banks of Lake Ullswater.
The very first time I tasted Sticky Toffee Pudding was when we were up in cumbria on holiday, and let me tell you . . . I was hooked at first bite! We bought one of the Cartmel Village Shops sticky toffee puddings at a service station on the M6 and brought it back to our holiday cottage. That night I served it up after our tea , all hot and sticky and smelling wonderfully of treacle and brown sugar, all slathered with lashings of double cream . . . I was in heaven . . . so much so that, in fact, I had Todd driving me back to that shop every couple of days the whole rest of the time we were there, just so that I could treat myself to some more!!
Upon returning home I just had to search out a recipe for it myself and I believe I have managed to find one that is equally as good if not better than the Cartmel one we had on holidays. Homemade is always better right? Right!!
Just wait til you get stuck in to this delicious pudding . . . you'll be hooked too. I'd stake my life on it . . .
*Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake*
Serves 6 to 8 (or 4 if you are like me and a bit greedy)
Printable Recipe
75g soft butter (1/3 cup)
175g dark brown demerara sugar (14 TBS)
200g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting (1 1/2 cups)
1 TBS golden syrup
2 TBS dark treacle
(if you can't get either of these, substitute with
3 TBS light molasses)
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
200g pitted dried dates, chopped (1 1/3 cup chopped)
1 TBS baking soda
For the Toffee Sauce:
100g soft light brown sugar (8 TBS)
100g butter (7 TBS)
200ml double cream ( scant 7 fluid ounces)
Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Grease a 9 1/2 inch round or square baking tin thoroughly with 25g of the butter, then dust lightly with flour, tapping out any excess.
Place the remaining butter into a bowl and cream it together with the sugar with an electric mixer. Slowly beat in the golden syrup, treacle, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Turn down to a slow speed and beat in the flour until totally combined.
Place the dates in a saucepan with 300ml of water. Bring to the boil. Cook for several minutes until the dates have softened and the mixture is thickened. Stir in the baking soda while still hot and then quickly add this mixture to the batter mixture. Combine quickly and completely and spread it into the prepared tin. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is just firm to the top. Don't over cook.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool to warm.
To make the sauce, melt the butter and sugar together in a small pan. Add the cream and bring to the boil. Simmer for a few minutes until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Pour half of the hot sauce over the warm cake, allowing it to soak in somewhat.
Serve the cake cut into squares with the rest of the sauce spooned over and don't forget the lashings of double cream!!
Up until I moved over here to the UK, the mention of the word Parkin used to conjure up a completely different image . . . warm summer nights, soft music, a handsome lad, an open topped car sitting on a knoll . . . but I digress . . .
Here Parkin is something completely different and was something I have long wanted to try. In fact I can't believe I hadn't tried it until just now!
Parkin is a soft and moist cake/bread traditionally served up with hot cups of tea and hails from the North of England, and is particularly associated with Yorkshire. Parkin is generally moist and even sometimes sticky. In Hull and East Yorkshire, it has a drier, more biscuit-like texture than in other areas. Parkin is traditionally eaten on Bonfire Night, but is also enjoyed year-round.
We've been up to the Yorkshire Dales several times on holidays in the past few years and I have to say I fell in love with the area. Rolling dales, stone walls and meandering sheep as far as the eye can see, it is a place of great natural beauty.
Our first trip up there we took a day out one day and drove across the dales from one end to the other, a journey that took us some three hours and took us through some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen, and a journey that also left me feeling quite ill with car sickness as it was up hill and down and around and about . . . to a person that gets ill on a swing, it was not very pleasant as lovely as the scenery was. After that day out, I learned to dose myself up with dramamine and subsequent journies were a lot more pleasant!
One of my favourite shows I love to watch over here is a little joy called Last of the Summer Wine. It's been showing on the telly over here since 1973 and is one of Britians most loved sitcoms, as well as longest running. The show centres around a trio of old men ,who have changed somewhat through the years, as actors have retired and or left this veil of existance. The men never seem to grow up and develop a unique perspective on their equally eccentric fellow townspeople through their youthful stunts. The cast has grown to include a variety of supporting characters, each contributing their own subplots to the show and often becoming unwillingly involved in the schemes of the trio. It's absolutely delightful.
It's not hard to imagine them sitting in their local cafe enjoying a thick slice of this lovely yorkshire treat spread with soft butter whilst drinking cups of hot and steaming tea . . . if one were to close their eyes, they could almost be there with them . . .
*Parkin*
Makes one loaf, 10 servings
Printable Recipe
It is said that this loaf gets better with each day it ages. I can only imagine how tasty it is going to be in a couple of days time as it was most delicious today! This version makes a rather heavy loaf, moist and full of tasty spice. I have heard that this is a must on a cold winter's day.
2 cups flour
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
8 ounces ground oats
10 TBS butter
1/2 cup molasses (or dark treacle)
a generous 1/2 cup of soft light brown sugar
2/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Pre-heat the oven to 170*C/340*F. Grease a large loaf tin, and then line it with some parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, spices, salt and soda. Whisk in the ground oats. Place the butter, treacle and molasses in a saucepan. heat until the butter melts and all are mixed well together. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk and the beaten egg. Pour this mixture over the dry mixture and mix briskly together. Pour into the prepared loaf tin.
Bake on the middle shelf of your oven for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and remove the paper. It is said that this gets better tasting as the days go on, and it will keep quite well, tightly covered for up to a week. (If you can keep it around that long and it is doubtful that you will!)
Because we are going away on holiday for a few weeks, I was busy this past weekend trying to use up any produce that I thought might go off while we are away . . . there is nothing worse than coming home to rotten fruit and veg . . . or worse yet, having it go to waste when half the world is starving . .
I had a bunch of baby carrots that needed using badly. They were very small and I just knew that they would not last two more weeks without being used.
I decided to make a delicious salad.
A salad with decidedly Moroccan Flavours . . . cumin, coriander, mint, harissa, green olives . . . a salad that appeals to all my senses . . .
I love Moroccan food . . . spicy and warm . . . sensual and appealing . . . fragrant. It feeds the eyes, tongue, and soul.
*Moroccan Carrot Salad with Green Olives and Mint*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
I love salads and I adore combining unusual ingredients and flavours to make interesting salads. This is really delicious and a bit spicy. A real treat to eat on a warm summer's day!
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 TBS red wine vinegar
2 TBS olive oil
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp harissa paste
1/4 tsp orange flower water
1 1/2 pounds of baby carrots, trimmed and well washed
1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounce) large green olives, pitted and thinly sliced
2 TBS shredded fresh mint
1 ounce of Salad leaves (rocket, spinach, watercress etc.)
Dry fry the cumin and coriander in a small skillet until quite fragrant, about 30 seconds or so. Place in a large mixing bowl and whisk together with the vinegar, olive oil, garlic, harissa and orange flower water. Set aside to allow the flavours to meld.
Place the carrots in a pot of boiling salted water and cook until crispy tender, about 5 minutes. Drain into a colander and allow to air dry for several minutes. While still hot, add them to the red wine dressing in the bowl, tossing gently to coat. Allow to cool to room temperature. Toss in the green olives and mint. Season with some salt and pepper if desired.
Place the salad leaves on chilled plates and divide the carrot mixture evenly amongst them.
Note - I will be away on holiday for the next few days, so I am bringing over some of my posts from my old page, Marie Cooks Britain. More tasty recipes to enjoy!
I always have a big bowl of lemons in the house. I reckon that the lemon is probably one of my most used ingredients . . . in salad dressings, desserts, breads and cakes . . . sauces, squeezed over fish, etc. I go through a LOT of lemons, I really do!
Lemon anything is just about my favourite flavour as well! Oh, how I love Lemon Meringue Pie, and Sticky Lemon Drizzle cake . . . not to mention Lemon Curd, Lemon tuiles, Lemonade . . . well, you get the picture, I am sure!
We're going on holiday tommorrow so I had a bunch of lemons that I wanted to get used up before we go.
What to do . . . what to do . . .
And then I had a brainstorm! Lemon Mousse! The perfect dessert for these hot and sticky days we've been having lately. Light, and cool and oh so heavenly!!!
*Lemon Mousse*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
I love lemon anything and this is a tasty version of a lemon mousse, chock full of delicious lemon flavours and light as air!
the finely grated zest of 3 lemons
1/4 cup (60ml) fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup (185g) caster sugar
4 large eggs, separated
5 1/2 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Place the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar and egg yolks in the top of a double boiler, over simmering water, and cook over a low heat. Stir constantly, cooking for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture coats the back of a metal spoon. Whisk in the butter, piece at a time. Remove from the heat and cool.
Whisk the egg whites in a clean and great free bowl, until stiff.
Fold half of the egg whites into the lemon mixture with a metal spoon, then fold in the remaining egg whites. Divide amongst 4 serving dishes and chill until firm. Serve with a small cake or crisp cookie on the side.
One of the things I love most over here are Cream Teas, and of course when you think of a cream tea you must think of a scone. That delicious light bun thing that closely resembles the baking powder biscuits (not to be confused with a cookie) from back home in appearance, but is nothing like them at all in taste or texture.
I had my first cream tea when my husband and I were on holiday down in Devon. They brought the tea to our table in a lovely porcelain pot on a tray along with some dainty china cups and a plate full of lovely light scones, and bowls of red berry preserves and lucious clotted cream. I was hooked from first bite. I had never tasted anything so lovely in my life.
Scones come in many flavours. There's lovely cheese ones, currant ones, plain ones and I've even seen cherry ones. I prefer the plain ones myself, but then, I am a plain kind of gal!
*The Plain Scone*
Makes 6 to 10, depending on how large you cut them
Printable Recipe
These are anything but plain. They have a lovely light texture and a delicious buttery flavour. I'd call these the perfect scone!
8 ounces self raising flour (I like to use organic flour)
1/4 tsp salt
2 ounces lightly salted butter, quite cold and cut into small bits
1 ounce of soft golden brown sugar
4 ounces buttermilk
4 TBS whole milk
extra flour for dusting, or more milk for brushing on the tops
strawberry jam and clotted cream to serve.
Heat the oven to 220*C/425*F. Measure out the flour and then tip it into a bowl along with the salt.
Drop in the bits of butter. Rub it into the flour using the tips of your fingertips. You want a fairly reasonably fine crumb. Lift it up into the air as you rub so that you get lots of air into the mixture.
Add the sugar and stir it in.
Measure the buttermilk in a small beaker and then add the milk. Mix well to slacken it. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and tip in most of the buttermilk mixture, holding some back just in case it's not needed.
Tip it all out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead 3 or 4 times until smooth. Pat the dough gently out to a 1 inch thickness.
Dip a round fluted cutter into some flour and cut the scones out by giving the cutter a sharp tap directly down onto the dough with the palm of your hand. Don't twist the cutter as you lift it or you will end up with lopsided scones.
Place onto a baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, cutting out more scones. Gather the trimmings, pat down lightly and cut more until you have used it all up.
Sift over a light dusting of more flour, or brush lightly with milk, just on the tops. Don't let it run down the sides.
Bake in the heated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until risen and golden brown.
Remove to a wire rack to cool, uncovered if you want crisp tops, covered loosely if you prefer soft.
Serve with strawberry preserves and a generous dollop of clotted cream.
We've been having a real heat wave this week with our temperatures soaring up into the high 20's, accompanied with high humidity. I don't handle the heat well. It saps all my energy. Todd, on the other hand, soaks it up like a sponge.
This is barbeque weather . . . salad season . . . stay out of the heat of the kitchen season . . .
Yesterday I made this delicious fruit salad that was really refreshing. I just took whatever fruit I had on hand in the kitchen and chopped it up into a bowl. What makes this just a touch different than an ordinary fruit salad though . . .
is the tasty spicy marinade. mmmm . . . red chili and ginger . . .
*Spiced Fruit Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Nothing could be more refreshing in the summer than a delicious fruit salad for dessert. Healthy, colourful and, in the case of this one, sweetly spiced! It's a real pleaser!
110g (1/2 cup) of caster sugar (superfine)
4 slices of fresh ginger
1 small red chili, cut in half
4 ounces (1/2 cup) water
Juice and zest of 2 limes
fruit, a mixture of watermelon, honeydew melon, mango, banana, cherries,pineapple, kiwi fruit etc., sliced and chopped
(enough for 4 portions)
Put the sugar into a saucepan over medium heat along with the water, ginger and chili. Heat until the sugar melts. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Add the lime juice and zest. Remove the chili and ginger.
Put the fruit into a bowl. Pour the syrup over. Place in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes. Serve chilled on it's own or with some ice cream or sorbet if desired.
I'm not sure who it was that first recognized that if you beat egg whites together with a bit of sugar and then baked it that you could come up with a heavenly concotion as light as a cloud and quite blissfully as tasty . . .
I only know that I am glad that they did.
Simple ingredients, simple techniques . . . marry together in a wonderful union of un-parralled success . . . eat them plain, or whip up some heavy cream and sandwhich them together. You could break them up and fold them into some gently whipped cream along with some crushed berries, or like me . . . you could just sit there and bit into it, relishing every glorious, meltingly sweet pillow like bite . . . the choice is yours.
A few things to remember . . .
Always start with eggs that are more than a few days old. Very fresh eggs will not create as voluminous mixture.
Make sure your whisk and bowl are scrupulously clean. Any hint of fat at all will prevent your whites from reaching their full potential.
*Big and Fluffy Almond Meringues*
Makes about 6 large or 12 small
Printable Recipe
These lovely meringues are light and crisp. You don't have to add the toasted almonds, but I think they add a nice touch. These are delicious served with fresh berries and softly whipped cream, or make smaller ones and sandwich them together with some whipped cream in the middle.
4 large free range organic egg whites, at room temperature
115g caster sugar
115g sifted icing sugar
1 small package of flaked almonds (optional)
Pre-heat the oven to 110*C/ 225*F. Line a large baking sheet with some parchment paper. Set aside.
Place the egg whites in a large glass mixing bowl. Whip with an electric whisk until they resemble fluffy clouds and hold their shape when you life the beaters out of the bowl. Gradually start beating in the caster sugar, one tablespoonful at a time until the mixture is thick and glossy. (Try hard not to overbeat it) Fold in the icing sugar a third at a time, being careful, once again, not to overmix. You want it to be fluffy and cloudlike.
Spoon large dollops of the mixture onto the baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches or so between each one. If you are making smaller ones, spoon tablespoonful's onto the baking sheet. Scatter the flakes almonds over all, if using. Bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until they are very crisp on the bottom and sound hollow when tapped on the bottoms. They should be very lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
You may now use them as you wish.
I just love Balsamic Vinegar. It's rich and slightly sweet flavour lends itself to all kinds of prepartions . . . wonderful vinaigrettes, delicious sauces . . . beautiful desserts. It's wonderful flavour and heady fragrance lift it far above it's counterparts, which pale in comparison.
Although some may consider it a wine vinegar, it is not a wine vinegar at all, but is created from grape pressings that have never been allowed to ferment into wine. Sweet white Trebbiano grape pressings are boiled down to a dark syrup and then aged under rigid restrictions, in wooden casks made of oak. It ages for years, gradually progressing to smaller and smaller casks made of a variety of woods, until it is finally ready to use.
All of these woods progressively add character to the vinegar. As it ages, moisture evaporates out, further thickening the vinegar and concentrating the flavor. Some of the really good ones have been aged for as long as a hundred years.
Really good Balsamic vinegar doesn't come cheap and no wonder, when you consider how much has gone into it's production. It's a good thing that a little goes a very long way. Sure . . . you can get really cheap Balsamic vinegar, but why settle for a pale imitation of something that is worth it's weight in gold. This is one case where you truly do get what you pay for . . .
I try to settle for something in between the most expensive and the cheapest and it always serves me well, especially in a simple preparation such as this one. Strawberries, simply macerated in some sugar and then some good Balsamic. Heavenly Bliss . . .
It's just amazing how something so simple can taste so wonderful.
*Strawberries With Balsamic Vinegar*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
If you are looking for a dessert that is fresh, easy and delicious, then look no further. This tasty dish fills the bill on all counts!
750g of ripe small strawberries
60g of caster sugar (superfine sugar)
2 TBS good quality balsamic vinegar
125g of mascarpone cheese
Wipe the strawberries clean with a damp cloth, and then carefully hull them. If your berries are somewhat on the larger side, cut them in halves or quarters. Place them all into a glass bowl. Sprinkle the caster sugar on top and toss them gently to coat. Let sit, covered loosely with a cloth, for 2 hours to macerate. After 2 hours, drizzle the balsamic vinegar over top. Toss gently again, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Spoon the berries into 4 glass dishes. Drizzle each with some of the syrup left in the bowl. Spoon a dollop of mascarpone cheese on top of each and serve.
If you had told me when I was a child that I would one day love blueberries, I would not have believed you. Nova Scotia, Canada, the place where I grew up, has some of the nicest wild blueberries in the world, just ripe and free for the picking. You can stop just about anywhere at the side of the road and find them just waiting to be picked.
I should know, because every summer my parents put us kids into slave labour, picking wild blueberries until we thought our arms would fall off. Hours and hours in the hot sun, bending down, and pick, pick, picking . . . I hated it. It seemed to take forever to fill up those gallon sized ice cream tubs.
My mom would put them into the freezer and all winter long we would be treated to blueberry pies . . . and cakes . . . and muffins.
When I first moved over here to the UK, blueberries were very hard to find and I discovered the magic of not being able to find certain food items that you have always taken for granted . . .
You start to crave them . . . things like all beef hotdogs and all beef bologna, not to mention Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Dinner and Captain Crunch cereal . . . but then I digress . . .
Blueberries . . . did you know that if all the blueberries grown in North America in one year were spread out into a single layer, they would cover a four lane highway that stretched all the way from Chicago to New York City? Neither did I until this morning. I reckon as a child I must have picked that four lane highway all the way to New York City and back again . . .
I'm happy to say I quite love them now and in recent years they have become readily available over here in the UK. In fact they are now grown and cultivated here.
I made this delicious blueberry tart yesterday for dessert as we had company and I confess . . . I ate a whole slice before dinner . . . even before the company came. It started out that I wanted to just take a picture without anyone being there . . . my guests are quite used to seeing desserts etc. with pieces missing you know . . . I couldn't help it though once I had one taste . . . before I knew it the slice was gone, the only sign of it ever having been there . . . the empty space in the tart tin and the tell tale blue around my lips . . .
I didn't even feel guilty having a second piece when it came time to serve dessert at the end of our dinner. I enjoyed . . . every . . . SCRUMMY . . . moreish mouthful!!! (and I'd do it again, if given the chance, so there!)
*Crunchy Blueberry Tart*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe
Imagine a tasty oatmeal cookie crust, filled with tart blueberries and topped with an oat crumble. This is to die for and quite simply the most delicious blueberry tart I have ever eaten. Adapted from a recipe in the book, "A Piece Of Cake," by Leila Lindholm.
For the crust:
6 ounces unsalted butter, softened
6 1/4 ounces of plain flour
4 3/4 ounces of caster sugar
2 1/2 ounces rolled oats
For the Filling:
9 ounces fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup of blueberry jam
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 TBS cornflour
For the Topping:
3 ounces unsalted butter
4 ounces rolled oats
4 3/4 ounces caster sugar
Creme Fraiche for serving
Begin by making the crust. Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Place the butter in a saucepan and melt. Whisk together the flour, sugar and oats. Stir this mixture into the melted butter, stirring well to completely combine. Press the dough into a 10 inch tart tin with a removable bottom. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
To make the topping, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in the oats and sugar. Mix together well, and then set aside while you make the filling.
To make the filling, gently stir together the blueberries, jam and balsamic vinegar, mixing well. Stir in the cornflour. Pour this mixture into the oat pastry case.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over top and then place the tart onto a baking tray. Bake in the heated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.
Remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool. Remove the side from the pan before serving. Serve cut into slices with some creme fraiche for spooning over if desired.
DELICIOUS!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons