Ever since I read about Coddled eggs on Dorie Greenspans page, back in April of this past year, I have been wanting to experience and taste what looked like a rich and lucious concoction. She made it sound so easy and delicious.



The first thing I needed to do was to procure myself some egg coddlers. An egg coddler is a small porcelain or pottery cup with a lid, that is used to prepare and cook coddled eggs, which are very similar to poached eggs, from what I could see. It took several months and a lot of searching and I was finally able to procure some that fell within my affordability range. Sure, I think I could just have used plain ramekins, but I really wanted to experience that whole coddled egg experience, and to me . . . that meant with a real coddler.

I always use free range eggs. I have never actually tested the taste difference between free range and ordinary eggs myself, so I can't say with any truth that one tastes any better than the other, but I have a conscience, and having had hens myself in the past, I much prefer to pay a bit more and have an egg from a happy hen.



Dorie had suggested the inclusion of little tempting taste additions such as some cream and cheese. Once I had buttered the coddlers and added the eggs, it became clear that adding anything much in addition to the eggs was going to be very difficult indeed, and so I simply spooned a bit of cream on the tops, added some sea salt and cracked black pepper and popped on the lids.



Into the pot they went, all lidded and propped up on some paper kitchen toweling, just to make sure these lovely little coddlers wouldn't crack under the pressure and heat of the stove, and then I poured in some freshly boiled water, just to come about halfway up the sides of the cups. Dorie suggested a steaming time of 5 to 6 minutes.



Now is where the taste additions came in. I wanted to add cheese and spring onions, but lacking any space for this in the actual coddling cup I decided to add them by putting them on the toast fingers that I imagined Todd and myself romantically dipping into the golden silken egg yolk . . .



I'm afraid I took so much time putting those together that our eggs, were a bit more than softly done, and so dipping would not be possible today . . .



but all was not lost though . . . my . . . oh . . . my . . .



What a delightful breakfast we had this morning.

Two lovely free range eggs, accompanied with little buttery toasted fingers of bread, topped with some strong cheddar cheese, a bit of chopped spring onion and popped under the grill until meltingly golden and toasty.



I have not had such a tasty breakfast in a long, long time . . .

In my mind, we were Cathy and Heathcliff sitting at our kitchen table, looking out over the Yorkshire moores . . . he in his nightcap and gown . . . myself, glowing and dewy eyed, and wrapped in a gossamer gown, all soft and cottony and sprigged with delicate pink roses . . .



the reality may have been far, far more different . . .

but these eggs were delicious all the same.



There is no recipe. Just butter yourself some ramekins, drop in some eggs and cream, and any other tasty bits you care to indulge yourselves with . . . and then steam them for several minutes in a covered pot. Add some cheese toasted fingers . . . and voila . . . you have reached heaven!

As I may have mentioned before, or maybe not, we live in a little cottage in the rural English countryside, surrounded on three sides by beautiful English Orchards.

In the springtime, the area is a beautiful sea of pink and white blossom, in the summer a sea of green, filled with tiny miniature apples and pears and about this time of year the air rings with the sound of fruit pickers and is filled with the smell of ripening fruit.



Every intake of air fills the mind and heart with remembrances of the home of my childhood, the beautiful Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, Canada . . . and dreams of apple pies, puddings and cakes . . .



One of the nice things about it all, is that we are free to help ourselves to the windfalls, and every few days one often finds a big pot of applesauce or apple butter simmering away on the top of my country kitchen stove . . .



In late August and early September my house permanently smells like cinnamon, and nutmeg, and cloves . . .



and apples . . . drying and hanging on strings, all strung across the back of the Aga . . . baking up all sweet and spicy into buttery apple pies . . . or into a cake stogged full of the lovely flavours of sweet sultanas, crunchy toasted walnuts, and moist with applesauce and spice . . .



*Applesauce Spice Cake*
Serves 10 to 12
Printable Recipe

This is a lovely cake that the whole family will enjoy. Deliciously moist and full of the wonderful flavour of spice, studded with soft raisins and crunchy walnuts, this truly is a joy to bake and to eat. The smell of this when it is baking is truly heavenly!


2 ½ cups plain flour
1 cups caster sugar
2 cups unsweetened applesauce
½ cup vegetable shortening such as Trex, White Flora or Crisco
½ cup water
2 large eggs, beaten
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 cup sultantas
FOR THE ICING:
¾ cup of softened butter
5 cups icing sugar, sifted
¼ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp lemon essence



Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 by 15 inch baking pan and set aside.

Sift together the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, spices and sugar into a large bowl. Drop in the shortening, applesauce, water and eggs. Beat it all together with an electric mixer until it is all smooth, beating well. Fold in the sultanas and walnuts. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake for approximately 34 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned and the top springs back when lightly touched. Alternately you may use a toothpick to see if it is done, which when inserted will come out clean.

Remove from the oven and place in the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
Once completely cool make the frosting. Beat the butter until light and fluffy and then beat in the remaining ingredients, beating until smooth and fluffy. Spread evenly across the top of the cake. (leave the cake in the pan and serve from there) If you want you can sprinkle more toasted walnuts over the top of the finished cake. Delicious!

*Note - You can also bake this lovely cake in two 9 inch rounds, giving you one delicious one to frost and eat right away and another tasty one to wrap up and store in the freezer for a delicious treat a few months down the road. ☺

When I was growing up, my mother only ever made pancakes once a year, on Shrove Tuesday in February, Pancake Day. It was a day we looked forward to all year and we would gorge ourselves on them until we couldn't eat any more. We never ever had them for breakfast, ever . . . and we never ever had anything but ordinary plain pancakes, there was never anything added . . . like buttermilk or blueberries . . .



When my own children were growing up I think I made pancakes every Saturday morning for years and years. I began to appreciate why my mother had only made them once a year. It's an arduous job standing at the stove for what seems like hours, flipping pancake after pancake, only to watch them consumed and inhaled as soon as you scoop them out of the pan! But then motherhood has it's rewards and so you do it . . . and I always made buttermilk pancakes and often added blueberries, much to my children's delight.



If I hadn't added blueberries, I served them up with a big bowl of chilled tinned sliced peaches. Oh, they are lovely spooned over top and covered with lashings of maple syrup . . .



As an adult, pancakes are a treat that I splurge on every once in a while. Never for breakfast . . . I am never all that hungry first thing in the morning, a bowl of cereal usually does me fine, although I do confess to occasionally indulging in an entirely hedonistic fry up . . . Pancakes for supper suits me very well.



Perhaps its a throwback to my childhood . . . or not. But I do like them for supper every now and then. The other day I sprinkled blueberries and granola over top as I cooked them. It was lovely . . . sweet and berry-like and scrummily crunchy and nutty. It almost felt like dessert . . .



Especially when I added the butter and the maple syrup. Right now I am in live with Dorset's Honey Granola, which was perfect as there isn't huge lumps of nuts like my homemade version. Oh they were lovely, and I am thinking now that a dollop of greek yoghurt and some honey drizzled over would have been even lovelier than the maple syrup and butter . . .



Be warned however, the granola will soften upon standing so you will want to eat every scrumptious bit on the day/night. Don't let your imagination stop there though . . . a cooking pancake is the perfect canvas for lots of things . . .



dried cherries and chocolate chips . . . chopped toasted pecans or walnuts . . . sliced bananas and flaked coconut . . . slices peaches, pears and cardamom . . . chopped apples, sultanas and cinnamon . . . fresh raspberries and blackberries . . . dried cranberries, and white chocolate chips . . . poppy seeds and lemon zest . . . why not let your imagination go wild!!



*Blueberry and Granola Buttermilk Pancakes*
Makes about nine 6-inch pancakes
Printable Recipe

I love buttermilk pancakes full stop, but when you top each one with a sprinkle of blueberries and granola they take on an entirely new life. You get the sweetness of the berries, and then the crunch of the granola. Healthy, healthy, healthy! With the anti-oxidants from the berries and all the vitamins and goodness from the granola you almost feel like mother earth herself! Of course a pat of butter and some pure maple syrup complete the picture!

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 TBS white sugar
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
(I use only free range organic)
3 cups buttermilk
4 TBS butter, melted
plus butter for greasing the skillet
a small punnet of fresh blueberries
about 1 cup of crunchy granola



Sift the flour, baking powder, soda and salt into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar. Beat the eggs, buttermilk and melted butter together. Pour over the dry ingredients and whisk together until combined. The mixture will have small to medium lumps and that is ok, it's what you want.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat until very hot. Brush with some butter, and then ladle in about 1/2 cup of the pancake batter. Sprinkle with a few blueberries and about a TBS of granola. When the surface of the pancake is covered with tiny bubbles and they appear dry around the edges, flip over and cook on the other side until golden brown. Place on a heatproof plate in a warm oven to keep warm while you cook the remainder of the pancakes. (Brush the pan with a bit more butter each time) Serve hot with butter and Maple Syrup.

We don't always eat hedonistic, calorie laden, sumptious meals in this house. Actually, we do try to eat quite healthily most of the time.



I was trying to think yesterday about how often I cook the same thing twice, and I do really from time to time, but on the whole, Todd is treated to something different most nights of the week. It might only be a salad, or a side dish, but it's something different.



Such is the life of a food blogger's husband.

Destined to be a guinea pig, and never allowed to eat . . .



until the photographs have been duly taken and noted.



He draws the line in restaurants, although I'll be honest here . . . I do embarass him from time to time.

It's all in the line of duty . . . I just knew you'd understand.



I made this fabulous fish dish the other night that was incredibly delicious. Yes, we do try to eat fish several times a week, and we try not to eat it fried. I usually grill or bake it. My mom always said that fish was brain food. I don't know if that's true or not . . . but, I do feel a bit smarter after eating it, from time to time . . .



*Baked Haddock with a Walnut Salsa Verde*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Any mild flavoured white fish can be used in this recipe, but we especially like it with Haddock. Tender and flaky fish with a delightfully tangy and nutty salsa. Delicious!

For the Salsa Verde:
60g of walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2 heaped tsp of nonpareille capers, finely chopped
40g of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
the grated zest and juice of one fat unwaxed lemon
2 Heaped TBS of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

4 haddock fillets
paprika to dust
Bart's fish seasoning
olive oil to drizzle



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Lightly butter a baking dish. Place the haddock fillets in the dish and lightly dust with some paprika and the fish seasoning. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickeness of your fillets. Check halfway through the baking period. The fish is done when it flakes easily with the tines of a fork. Remove from the oven and keep warm.

To make the salsa verde, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, seasoning to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

Serve the fish with some of the salsa verde spooned over top and the rest on the side so that people can help themselves to more if they wish. We like this with boiled new potatoes and haricots vert on the side.

Every cook who loves to entertain should have an easy little dessert recipe up their sleeve, that's, not only easy to execute, but also pretty failproof, delicious and impressive.



I make a lot of these up at the big house where I work. They entertain a lot up there, and to a high standard. This is one of their favourite desserts that I make and serve.



I like it because I can make it up several days ahead of time and then just put it quickly together on the day of the party.



You need to plan the baking carefully. If you leave them in the oven too long, they will not be melting in the middle, and they do start to solidify upon standing and cooling down, so serve them almost as soon as you take them out of the oven.

They're good the next day though, just fudgy and a bit more solid, not melting.



Up at the big house, they like them with a dusting of icing sugar and sitting in a pool of homemade raspberry coulis.

Myself . . . I just like them full stop, but a dollop of clotted cream is my preferred choice. Can you spell H E A V E N??? I thought so . . . well, now you can taste it.



*Melting Middle Chocolate Fondant Cakes*
Makes 10
Printable Recipe

These are tasty little chocolate treasures, with a gooey chocolate centre, just heavenly for any chocolate lover. You can accompany these with some fresh raspberry coulis, which is delicious, but for myself, I prefer them with a dollop of clotted cream, and why not? In for a penny, in for a pound! This is a very popular dessert for the dinner parties where I work. One great thing about it is that the batter can be made several days in advance and chilled, covered. Then on the day you just spoon it into the prepared ramekins and bake, easy peasy, lemon squeasy!

12 ounces good quality dark semisweet chocolate
8 ounces unsalted butter
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup plain flour
6 large eggs
To serve:
sifted icing sugar (optional)
clotted cream
vanilla ice cream
raspberry coulis



Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Cook and stir until melted and well combined. Set aside to cool. Place the sugar, flour and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until it is very thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Fold in the melted chocolate mixture. (At this point you can cover it and place it in the refrigerator to chill. Proceed as follows when you are ready to bake them.

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter 10 individual ramekins very well. Divide the batter amongst them evenly. Place on a baking tray and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are just firm and the centre is loose. Remove from the oven immediately. (They firm up upon standing, so you want to pretty much serve them right away!) Dump them out onto individual serving plates and serve with your desired garnish.

One of the things that is both a pleasure and sometimes a pain in the month of August, is the inevitable glut of things in the garden. It seems that everything seems to ripen all at once and you spend days and hours searching for new and interesting ways to prepare them . . .

I mean . . . you can only make so many courgette loaves, before you are tired of them . . .



and only so many tomato tarts . . .



and just so many casseroles . . . Right now we are experiencing a tasty glut of lovely cherry tomatoes. I love tomatoes . . .



Especially cherry tomatoes . . . all that tasty ripe tomato goodness, concentrated into one tiny and delicious mouthful . . .

I could eat them like grapes . . .



and, I confess, I often do. I will have a huge bowl of them sitting on the counter, and within a few hours, I have whittled them away into half a bowl . . . ending up with nothing to show for it, but a smile on my face.

Ahh . . . summer . . . I hope it never ends, even though I know it must.



*A Salad of Cherry Tomatoes and Olives*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Sweet and tart with the flavours of delicious cherry tomatoes, black and green olives, herbs and delicious Balsamic vinegar . . . spring onions. Eat this with some crusty white bread on the side to mop up all those tasty juices.

40 or so cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup oil cured green olives, halved
1 cup oil cured black olives, halved
2 spring onions, chopped, green and white parts
3 ounces pine nuts, toasted
1 TBS good quality balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil, preferably greek
1 TBS dried oregano
1 TBS white sugar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the tomatoes, olives and onions into a large bowl and mix together lightly with your hands. Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, sugar and oregano. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Pour over the tomato mixture, adding the toasted pinenuts. Toss together lightly, till all are coated with the dressing. Chill for at least an hour before serving to allow the juices to form and the flavours to meld.