"You can't grow hairs on a duck egg,
Hairs only grow on an ape,
And it's only the hairs on a goosegog,
That stop it from being a grape."
~author unknown
Both fruity and floral, the scent of simmering gooseberries is one of my favourite summer scents. They do closely resemble green grapes except that they are covered in funny little hairs, and don't come in clusters. One would almost expect them to feel all prickly when you touch them, but they don't . . .
The gooseberry season is very short, only lasting from 3 to 4 weeks, so it is best to grab them while you can. We have a lovely u-pick place not far from us, and so we pick lots, cleaning them and putting them up in the freezer in freezer bags to bring out in the coming winter months and remind us of these warm and sunny summer days when the cold winds are blowing . . . I open freeze them on baking trays and then I can just pour out as many as I need without having to thaw out the lot.
I like to top and tail my gooseberries before eating them, although it's not really necessary. It's very easy to do with a pair of kitchen scissors. (I do this before freezing them) Rinse well in running water to remove any dust or debris. Then lightly pat them dry with some paper kitchen toweling.
Eaten raw . . . they are hard and sour, but when cooked ( add some sugar, or honey and a splash of elderflower cordial) they have a wonderfully muscat flavour. Simply stewed, they make delightful fruit fool and they are also wonderful spooned over cold vanilla ice cream.
But my most favourite way to eat them of all is this . . .
*Gooseberry Crumble*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
This is an excellent summer pudding. Who doesn't like crumble? This is a wonderfully delicious way to showcase these lovely berries that are only available to eat fresh for a few weeks durin gthe summer months. Elderflower helps to bring out and enhance their rich wine-like flavour.
2 pounds of gooseberries (4 to 5 cups)
4 to 6 TBS of caster sugar (depending on how tart or sweet you like your gooseberries)
3 TBS elderflower cordial
Crumble Topping:
175g plain flour
85g butter
50g rolled oats
55g brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Top and tail your gooseberries and place them into a shallow ovenproof glass baking dish. Sprinkle the caster sugar evenly over top and drizzle with the cordial.
Place the flour in a food processor, add the butter, cut into cubes, and then blitz until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the oats, brown sugar and cinnamon and pulse a couple of times until mixed together well. Sprinkle this mixture evenly over top of the berries.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and cooked and the crumble topping is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit before serving.
Serve warm, on it's own or with lashings of custard, pouring cream or a tasty dollop of creme fraiche.
Lancashire hotpot is a culinary dish consisting essentially of meat, onion and potatoes left to bake in the oven all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat. Originating in the days of heavy industrialisation in Lancashire in the north west of England, it requires a minimum of effort to prepare. It is sometimes served at parties because, not only is it easy to prepare for a large number of people, it is also relatively inexpensive.
There are many regional variations, and it is frequently found listed amongst the usual pub grub dishes in various hostelries around Britain. The basic recipe consists of a mix made up of meat and vegetables (carrot, turnip, potatoes, onions or leek) which are then covered with a buttery thatch of sliced potato or pastry. (Don't you just love the idea of a "thatched" roof of potato covering the top?)The type of meat to be used in a true Lancashire hotpot is a matter of some controversy, with many being of the opinion that it should be lamb (with optional lamb kidneys) and some thinking it should be beef. As much food can be added as will fit in the pot.
Flavour can be enhanced with seasoning; salt and pepper would be the most traditional, and any other ingredients available in the kitchen. Some stock is usually added to cover the contents while it cooks to help keep them moist and aid in the tenderizing, although some recipes rely on a well sealed pot on a low heat to retain enough moisture within the meat, onion and potatoes.
The hot pot referred to is a brown pottery dish with straight sides used to cook casseroles in British cuisine. The basic recipe formerly included oysters at one point, when they used to be more affordable, but more often than not nowadays they are left out. (Good thing too because I am not overly fond of the little boogers, ooops I mean buggers!)
Can you believe that in all the seven and a half years I have been over here I had yet to experience this culinary delight until yesterday when I baked my very own hot pot for the first time???? Neither can I, but I can tell you this, it won't be another seven and a half years before I bake another one. It was absolutely delicious! I now know why people line up at the bar at the Rover's Return to sample this Lancashire piece of golden cuisine!
*Lancashire Hot Pot*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
I guess you could call this the English version of Irish stew. One pot cooking of the most delicious persuasion.
1 TBS olive oil
750g diced lamb
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunky pieces
1/2 medium swede (rutabaga) peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
500ml lamb stock
1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
750g of potatoes, peeled and cut into thin slices
butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pre-heat the oven to 160*C/350*F. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the meat in batches and fry it until browned on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large casserole dish (one with a lid) as it browns. Set aside.
Once all the meat it browned and removed from the skillet add the vegetables to the pan. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring them occasionally. Return the lamb to the skillet and pour over the stock. Add the Worchestershire sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix it all in well and then carefully pour the mixture back into the casserole dish. Tuck the two sprigs of thyme into the mixture, burying it.
Cover the top of the mixture with a layer of half of the sliced potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and then dot with butter. Finish layering with the remaining potatoes and adding a final dusting of salt and pepper and dot once again with some butter. Put the lid on.
Bake in the heated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lid and bake for a further hour until the meat is very tender and the "thatch" is nicely browned in places and tender as well. Serve hot spooned out onto hot plates along with seasonal green vegetables on the side and plenty of crusty bread and butter to mop up the delicious juices.
A delightful and tasty recipe I discovered shortly after I arrived here was a lovely dish called Toad in the Hole. I had often heard about this British delicacy but had never had any idea of what it was let alone ever had the chance to try it. I soon learned that it had nothing to do with holes, dirt, or even toads for that matter!
The origin of the name 'Toad-in-the-Hole' is quite vague. Most suggestions are that the dish's resemblance to a toad sticking its little head out of a hole provide the dish with its somewhat unusual name.
From wilkepedia I learned that Toad in the hole originated in the town of Alnmouth in Northumberland. Alnmouth has a links golf course which can at certain times of the year be overrun with Natterjack toads. It was at just such a time, that a golf tournament was being played and the leader made his put only to have the ball promply ejected by a rather vexed toad that had been quietly asleep in the bottom of the cup. On hearing of the players misfortune, the chef at the towns hotel where the players were staying devised the dish, thinking it would resemble a toad rising from the eighteenth, and served it that night.
Now that is what you call a dish with an interesting history to go along with it. But then again, I am discovering that this is true of most of the food over here. It all has a lovely history to go along with it, which is truly delightful!
I found a recipe in a Delia cookbook, her "How to Cook" series and I tried it out. (You can always rely on Delia) This was the cadillac of Toad in the Hole recipes and included a lovely version of an onion gravy as well. I was hooked!!! It quickly became a family favourite, although I have since found a much easier way of doing it.
To be sure, it is quite simply sausages baked in the oven with a delicious Yorkshire pudding batter baked around them, but there is an art to making a good one. I made this for my boys the first time they came over for a visit and they fell in love with it. I always serve it with mashed potatoes and steamed carrots . . . and a good gravy is a must!!!
*Toad In The Hole*
Serves 2 to 3
Printable Recipe
2 large Eggs
4 oz (125g) Plain Flour
1/4 Pint (150ml) Milk
1/4 Pint (150ml) Cold Water
Salt & Pepper
6 Good Quality Herby Sausages of your choosing (I like Cumberland myself)
2 tbsp Lard or Dripping or Cooking Oil*
On a low heat cook the Sausages in a frying pan on all sides until nicely browned and sticky. Do not prick the skins! Allow to cool.
Crack open the eggs into a large measuring jug and beat well. Add the milk and water together, mixing it all together really well. Set aside.
Sift the the flour into a large bowl and season with a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Make a well in the centre. Gradually whisk in the liquid mixture, whisking until you have a stiff but smooth batter with no lumps. Allow to rest for half an hour.
Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Slip the lard or oil into a deep sided baking tin and place just this in the oven. Once it is quite hot and the fat is sizzling, quickly, but carefully, take it out and rest on the top of the hob. Pour in the Batter mixture. Then add the Sausages, parallel to each other, the length of the tin.
Place back into the oven and bake for around half an hour until the batter is puffed up, golden brown and crispy. Serve cut into squares with fluffy mashed potatoes and a delicious gravy of your own choosing.
I baked this lovely cake to take with us on our trip. We had some of it that night and then the rest of it was sliced and packed away, wrapped up in some cling film.
Trust me when I say, that this got tastier with every day that passed . . .
*Speedy Berry Cake*
Makes one 9 inch cake
Printable Recipe
Is this a cake or a tart? I don't know for sure. It goes together like a cake but ends up looking a bit like a tart. All I really know for sure, is that it's rich, and buttery and very, very delicious!
120g ( 4 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter
135g ( 4 3/4 ounces) caster sugar
120g ( 4 1/2 ounces) flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 large egg
90g ( 3 1/2 ounces) fresh or frozen berries (any kind will do, or even a mixture)
1 TBS plain flour
softened butter, to grease the tin and some dried bread crumbs as well
Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a 9 inch cake tin with a removable bottom well, and then dust it with some dried bread crumbs. Set aside.
Place the butter and the sugar into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Stir this into the cooled butter mixture. Beat in the egg. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin and smooth the top.
Toss the berries together with the remaining TBS of flour. Shake off any excess, then sprinkle them evenly over top of the batter. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 25 minutes, or until the cake is golden and tests done.
There is nothing on earth as simple or as delicious as a bacon sarnie, bacon bap or bacon buttie, bacon sandwich . . . no matter what you call it, it's heavenly bliss.
When we were living up in Chester and working at a very busy service station together, my husband and I sold literally hundreds of bacon baguettes every single morning to hungry customers that would line up around the shop, mostly builders and truckers I think. We sold them by the halves and by the wholes, crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, stogged full of *greasy bacon* baguettes. We also sold sausage ones, and bacon and sausage ones. Six and twelve inches of white breaded goodness crammed full of grease and cholesterol. I used to go home stinking of bacon and sausage each night, and wonder what the big deal was. I tried one once, and it didn't taste all that good to me, probably because they used cheap sausages and bacon. As anyone who is a Connoisseur of the finer things in life can tell you, cheap meat is just plain nasty, especially when it comes to sausage and bacon...
One must be sure however, to use really good quality bacon. I like to use free range organic dry cured bacon myself. It satisfies my tree hugging need to be a responsable consumer of things, and I happen to think happy pigs taste better.
As far as bread goes, I think good old soft white bread tastes the best, not the cheapest but neither the most expensive. A good middle of the range bread works just fine, something like aKingsmill's Everyday medium white loaf works wonderfully for me!
*The Worlds Best Bacon Buttie*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe
Soft white bread, grilled bacon with crisp edges, brown sauce . . . delicious . . . need I say more?
6 - 8 rashers of rindless smoked or unsmoked back bacon
light olive oil
4 slices of white bread
HP brown sauce or Heinz Ketchup (whichever you prefer)
To get a really crisp edge on your bacon, snip a few small cuts in the fat around each rasher. This also helps to keep it from curling up too much when you are cooking it.
Put a large skillet over medium high heat and heat until it is hot. Add the olive oil and heat to a shimmer before adding the bacon. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until it's as crispy as you like it.
Lay two slices of bread out on the counter and divide the bacon between them, allowing the juices to soak into the bread. Spread the remaining two slices of bread with either the brown sauce or the ketchup and place sauce side down into the pan drippings. Cook for several minutes until all the pan juices are soaked into the saucy bread. Place the bread slices, sauce side down on top of the bacon covered slices. Place onto warm plates, cut in half and serve straight away. Enjoy!
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.
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