All of the UK is basking in wonderfully warm temperatures and golden sunlight. As anyone who has lived over here for any amount of time comes to know . . . you must make hay whilst the sun shines, coz one never knows how long it is going to shine!
So we've been taking full advantage of it, gardening, and cutting the grass. Walking the dog. Lazing about in the garden on our lawn chairs. Watching the gold fish in the pond. Gazing at all the blossoms on our pear, apple and plum trees, and thinking about all the fruit to come. Chasing wasps out of the kitchen who have mistakingly thought that it was a place that they would be welcome.
In short, squeezing every amount of pleasure that we can get out of each day!!
I love it when the warmer weather comes . . . it's time to break out the grill and I start craving crunchy green things and lots of salads, one of my favourites being potato salad.
I love vinaigrette based potato salads most of all. Oh I do love my mother's mayonnaise based potato salad, but . . . somehow mine never tastes quite the same. Must be that extra little love seasoning she puts into it.
I love the dressing on this one. It's fresh and green and tangy and salty, all at the same time! Oh, I do love green olives, capers and lemons . . . tossed together in a dressing and soaked into warm salad potatoes, this is the perfect dish for these warm sunny days. It goes down a real treat with grilled chicken or fish!
*Warm Potato Salad with a Green Olive Dressing*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe
A delicious warm potato salad with a tangy dressing. Moreishly good!
3 1/2 pounds of salad potatoes, scrubbed, but not peeled (Nicola, Pink Fir, Charlotte,
you want a waxy potato, small in size)
70g pack of pitted green olives with herbs and garlic (about 1/2 cup), finely chopped
2 tsp of pickled capers, drained and finely chopped
the finely grated zest of one lemon
the juice of one lemon
2 spring onions, finely chopped
a small handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
125ml of extra virgin olive oil (1/2 cup)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place the potatoes into a large saucepan and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and then cook until just tender, about 15 minutes. (The tip of a sharp knife should slice in and out easily.) Drain and cool slightly.
Place the olives, capers and spring onions in a bowl. Stir in the lemon zest, parsley, lemon juice and olive oil. Beat with a fork to combine.
Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and then gently toss in the dressing while they are still warm. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.
I realize, that to say that something is the World's Best anything is a pretty bold statement to make . . . and I don't make it lightly.
I have been creating and baking Gingerbread Cakes since I was knee high to a grasshopper! Ok . . . so maybe that is somewhat of an exaggeration . . . but I've certainly been testing and baking them since I took high school home economics!! (It wasn't until then, that my mother really let me loose in the kitchen unsupervised!!!)
I've experimented with, devised, and tried many, many recipes through the years. Some might have had the lovely spicy flavour I was looking for, and just the right amount of heat . . . but been sadly dry and lacking in every other respect.
Other's might have been moist, but lacking in spice and character!!!
Nobody likes a dry gingerbread . . . and nobody likes one that's not all gingery and spicy . . . well, this gal doesn't at any rate!
This is my tried and true recipe. The one I came up with, and have been using for years and years. It is no fail, as long as you follow the instructions exactly. It always bakes up deliciously moist. It has just the right amount of spice and heat . . . and it tastes better and better with each day that passes.
It's beautifully delicious served warm, with the accompanying Spiced Lemon Sauce . . . or perhaps a dollop of whipped cream, or creme fraiche, or even lashings of custard, which is how the Toddster likes it . . . but then he is a Brit and if there's no custard involved, it's just not a pudding as far as he's concerned!
It's scrummy yummy, sliced and served cold . . . spread with softened butter.
It's likewise moreishly delightful, sliced thin and lightly toasted and once again spread with butter and . . . ahem . . . a bit of marmalade . . . just a scratching you understand . . . not gobs.
In short . . . this IS the World's Best Gingerbread Cake. Trust me on this. If you like Gingerbread, like I like Gingerbread, I think you'll find that . . . this is the cadillac of Gingerbreads.
World's Best Gingerbread Cake with a Spiced Lemon Sauce
Yield: 9
What makes this the world's best?? It's moist and spicy and moreishly delicious, that's what!
ingredients:
For the cake:
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 280g of plain flour (2 cups)
- 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 310ml of boiling water (1 1/4 cups)
- 60ml of dark treacle (1/4 cup)
- 120ml of Golden syrup (1/2 cup)
- (You may use 180ml of mild molasses instead, or 3/4 cup)
- 3/4 tsp of bicarbonate of soda
- 6 TBS butter, softened
- 150g soft dark brown sugar (3/4 cup packed)
- 1 large free range egg at room temperature
For the Sauce:
- 95g caster sugar (1/2 cup)
- 1 TBS cornflour (cornstarch)
- pinch salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 240ml of boiling water (1 cup)
- 1 TBS butter
- 1 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest
- the juice of one lemon
instructions:
How to cook World's Best Gingerbread Cake with a Spiced Lemon Sauce
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter and flour a 9 inch square baking tin. Set aside.
- Add the treacle and syrup to the boiling water along with the bicarbonate of soda. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
- Cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy with an electric whisk. Beat the egg with a fork, and then beat it into the creamed mixture a little bit at a time. Whisk together the flour, spices, baking powder and salt. Set aside. On low speed add the cooled syrup mixture to the creamed mixture. Stir in the dry ingredients only to blend. Pour into the prepared baking tin.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until well risen and the top springs back when lightly touched, or a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- To make the sauce, whisk the sugar, nutmeg, salt and cornflour together in a saucepan. Slowly whisk in the boiling water. Cook until thickened, whisking constantly. Whisk in the butter, lemon zest and lemon juice. Remove from the burner and keep warm. Serve spooned over squares of the gingerbread.
- Serve the cake warm, cut into rectangles, with the spiced lemon sauce spooned over top. If you are feeling really indulgent you can add a dollop of softly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Delicious any way you choose!
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen
I found myself today with some chicken breasts that needed using up and I wanted to do something tastily different with them. I also had some goats cheese and Parma Ham.
I quite like stuffed Chicken breasts, especially when you stuff them with ricotta or goats cheese. Chicken breasts have a tendancy to dry out, but when you can stuff them with something tasty like goats cheese, it really helps to keep them moist.
I happen to love artichokes and I thought they would go really well with the goats cheese. The tinned ones almost have a tartness to them, so I added some lemon zest to give an added layer of flavour, along with some herbs (basil and oregano), chili flakes and garlic.
A bit of seasoning, and I had a stuffing that anyone could love. I stuffed the chicken and then wrapped it in Parma ham for another layer of flavour, and to help keep the stuffing inside the chicken, and then I scattered some tomato wedges around the chicken and baked it for about half an hour.
My reward??? Deliciously moist chicken breasts with a scrummy stuffing, which, when mixed with the roasted tomatoes, created an almost "sauce-like" delciousness. The Parma ham did it's job and kept everything neat and tidy.
In short . . . these were fabulous!
*Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Artichokes*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Boneless Skinless chicken breasts stuffed with a gorgeous combination of goat cheese, artichokes and herbs, wrapped with some Parma Ham and then baked until scrummy delicious!
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
(I use free range)
6 ounces of artichoke hearts, drained well and chopped
3 ounces of soft goats cheese
2 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest (from unwaxed lemons)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 tsp of dried chili flakes
12 slices of parma ham
4 fresh tomatoes, quartered
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F. Spray a baking dish with some oil spray. Set aside.
Mix together the artichoke hearts, goats cheese, lemon zest, salt, pepper, basil leaves, oregano leaves, garlic, and chili flakes. Wipe your chicken breasts and then carefully cut a pocket into the side of each, making sure you don't cut all the way through. You only want a pocket in each that you can stuff. Take one chicken breast and stuff 1/4 th of the artichoke mixture into the pocket. Wrap with 3 slices of the Parma ham, making sure that the cheese pocket is thoroughly enclosed and covered. Place into the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining three breasts, placing each into the dish when done. Scatter the tomato quarters around each.
Bake in the heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes until done. The juices from the chicken should run clear when pierced with a fork. Serve one breast to each person, along with some of the pan juices and tomatoes. I like to serve this with a mushroom rice pilaff.
The royal wedding countdown is on! To celebrate the forthcoming royal wedding, Tate & Lyle Sugars have launched a “Let Them Eat Cake” campaign, to get the country eating wedding cake. They are hosting a wedding cake exhibition and a baking competition where you could be in with a chance of having your own cake displayed at the exhibition!
The two first place winners will have their cake created by a top cake designer and be on show at the exhibition. In addition, they will be invited to attend the show, and also win a course voucher ,worth £125, for a Squires cooking course. This is a one-day course at Squires Kitchen’s International School in Farnham, Surrey. They will also be given a copy of one of their new baking guide books. To enter, simply go to 'Let Them Eat Cake' website for more information.
I've long been a fan of Tate & Lyle sugars. You mightn't think that there is much difference between one sugar or another, but . . . call me crazy if you will . . . I think that there surely is. I like the Tate & Lyle sugars the best. I prefer their packaging over all the others, and I love that they promote Fair Trade. In celebration of the upcoming Royal Wedding ,they have put out a special Edition of Icing Sugar, To Have and To Hold, and they, very generously, sent me a package to use to bake something tasty to help celebrate the upcoming festivities!
One thing that I really love about this great nation is the way they throw their hearts and souls into all these special occasions!! All up and down the country on the 29th of April ,people will be celebrating the Royal Nuptials with Street Parties, Barbeques, Garden Parties, Tea Parties . . . whatever way they can come up with, to help to celebrate this wonderful event, and wish the newly weds good luck! Britannia Bunting will be spread from the North to the South , and from the East to the West! Hooray to Wills and Kate! May they be truly happy.
I, for one, am really rooting for them! I think it is truly a love match and they are a lovely young couple. I wish them all the best in the world!
We will, of course, be tuning into and glued to our Television to take in all of the wedding from beginning to end (our invitation having been lost in the post of course!) and then I think afterwards, weather permitting, we will be enjoying a lovely little Garden Party to toast the young couple.
I'll spread our outside table with a pretty cloth, and lay on some punch and pretty finger sandwiches, perhaps some sausage rolls and a pork pie or two, and other finger foods and goodies . . . a veritable Garden Party Feast fit for royalty!
I may have one big cake, or I may just bake a bunch of these pretty little Garden Party Fairy Cakes that I came up with to use some of that lovely icing sugar Tate & Lyle sent me. Aren't they cute??? I was going to do something in red, white and blue, but you would be hard pressed right now to come up with anything red, white or blue to decorate your cakes with. They've all been scooped up and sold out, but perhaps I can use some fresh red and blue berries on the day, which might be nice.
In the meantime, I think these fairy cakes fit the bill perfectly, with their cute little flower basket shapes,( thanks to my little brioche roll tins,) a delicious green tinted butter cream and a sprinkling of little blossoms on the top.
Definitely Royal Wedding Garden Party fare, don't you think??? (They would be great for Easter too!) Buttery, rich and really vanilla-ee!! Oh so scrummy yummy!!
*Garden Party Fairy Cakes*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe
Pretty little fairy cakes, flavoured with vanilla, topped with butter cream and then decorated according to your fancy!
4 ounces softened butter (1/2 cup)
4 ounces caster sugar (1 cup plus 1 TBS)
2 large free range eggs, beaten
4 ounces self raising flour (1 scant cup) sifted
2 TBS milk
1 tsp pure vanilla
For the buttercream:
3 ounces of butter, softened (6 TBS)
8 ounces icing sugar (2 cups) sifted
2 TBS milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla
Decorations and sprinkles as desired.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter and flour 12 pretty cupcake molds, or use as I have done, 12 brioche roll tins. Set on a baking sheet and set aside.
Using an electric whisk, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a bit at a time until well combined, adding a TBS of the measured flour if the mixture begins to curdle. Fold in the flour. Stir in the milk and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Divide the batter between the baking cups equally. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until well risen, golden and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Remove from the oven. Let cool in the tins for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
To make the buttercream, measure all the ingredients into a bowl and beat with an electric whisk until smooth and creamy. You can add a drop of colouring if you wish to tint it. Spread some on the top of each cooled cake and then decorate with sprinkles etc. as you wish.
If you are in a baking mood please do check out the We Love Baking page on Facebook by Tate & Lyle. It's wonderful and there's always something delicous baking there! It's one of my favourite pages!
For someone who had only ever tasted lamb once before I moved over to the UK, I have become a fast and firm lover of this glorious meat. The only time I'd had it back in Canada, was the time my mother thought she would try to cook us some lamb chops. They smelled like mittens burning in the frying pan, and that was the end of that. We never had it again. I'm afraid that experience kind of put me off of it . . . for a very long time.
At our wedding meal, which was held in a Brewer's Fayre pub here in the UK, I decided to be brave, and chose Lamb Loins with a Cumberland Sauce as my meal. The rest is history. I fell in love at first bite, and it's been a happy love affair that has grown from strength to strength ever since!
Oh, I do love a nice lamb chop . . . seasoned and seared until it is just pink inside . . . likewise rack of lamb or leg of lamb. Tender and pink and oh so tasty. The Salt Marsh Lamb over here is the best in the world and a real treat to eat. Although it costs more, I try to eat Welsh or British Lamb over any imported lamb. It's rather strange really that home grown lamb should cost more than the foreign stuff . . . but I do have to say, it is well worth the extra expense!
My favourite cut has to be the shoulder. When cooked properly, this has got to be the tenderest, most flavourful cut of meat ever. Rich and succulent, it is just packed full of taste . . . and it's so very easy to cook. It doesn't take special techniques, or talents. It doesn't even take special spices and herbs. You could do a really tasty shoulder, using nothing but salt and pepper as far as that goes! This is the roast that really cooks itself!
A sprinkle of seasalt and pepper, and a gentle massaging with some olive oil . . . then laid to rest on a bed of rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves . . . and gently blanketed with more . . . this is the roast that is quite happy to be ignored until about half an hour before serving.
And then . . . oh my goodness . . . tender deliciousness that falls apart at the touch of a fork . . . oh so scrummy, served up with a big pan of oven roasted root vegetables . . . carrots, swede, parsnips, beetroot . . . oh and a bit of butternut squash thrown into the roasting pan as well, coz it was there . . . and I felt like it. Oh so sweet and delicious . . . and just perfect with this tender lamb. Some freshly mashed potatoes and Bisto on the side and lashings of Mint Sauce proved this to be a most delectably gratifying, if humble . . . Sunday lunch!
*Slow Roast Shoulder of Lamb*
Serves 6 to 8, depending on appetites
Printable Recipe
Deliciously tender. Nothing could be easier. This roast cooks itself. I like to serve this with a pan of roasted vegetables . . . butternut squash, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, swede, and a big pot of mashed spuds.
1 (2kg) shoulder of lamb, bone in
a bunch of fresh rosemary
a handful of garlic cloves, unpeeled
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crack your oven up to the highest temperature it will go. You will need a large casserole roaster with a lid.
Take your piece of meat and cut slashes in a diagonal pattern across the fat on the top of it with a sharp knife. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rub this into the meat with your hands.
Place half of the rosemary sprigs and the garlic into the bottom of the roasting dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Place the lamb on top. This bed of herbs and garlic will act as a trivet and flavour the meat. Top your lamb with the remaining rosemary and garlic.
Cover and place into the preheated oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 170*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Cook, undisturbed for 4 hours. By then it should be deliciously tender. Remove from the oven and set aside, tented with foil to rest for about half an hour. Use two forks to tear off pieces of the meat for eating.
You can make a gravy with the juices, but I find it has an odd green tint which we don't like and it is difficult to get rid of all the fat. So I just use Bisto. You can squeeze some of the garlic out of the skins to mash and serve with the meat though. It's really quite mellow and delicious.
One of the big bonuses of having a food blogg is that I get contacted from time to time by companies asking me if I would like to review their products. Of course I always say yes!
Last week I received a lovely Ryvita Crackers for Cheese Hamper from the folks at Ryvita! What a lovely hamper it was too, containing a sweet little wooden cheese board, three lovely cheeses (Stilton in wax, a Wensleydale and Cranberry in wax, and a beautiful Double Gloucester Cheese in wax), a tasty bottle of Country Garden Chutney and two packets of Ryvita Crackers for Cheese! (Black Pepper and Golden Rye)
We were planning on having some people over for a Family Home Evening tonight and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to give them a try. The Family Home Evening fell though though and so I decided I couldn't wait any longer and Todd and I tried them out for our lunch today.
I chose to top the Black Pepper ones with some sliced Vanilla cured pears and crumbled Stilton. Oh my but they were really delicious.
I topped the Rye ones with the Double Gloucester and some of the chutney. Fantastic combination as well!
As you can plainly see they are quite sturdy crackers and held up well under the stress. They were not crumbly and stayed well together with our bites. I like that in a cracker. There is nothing worse than having a cracker that falls to bits the first time you bit into it.
All in all I was quite impressed with these crackers. Lovely flavour and texture all round. Healthy and wholesome as well, made with wholegrain flours and olive oil They are both low in fat and high in fibre. We both thoroughly enjoyed them. Another thing that I really liked about them was that they were packed in individual packets containing about half a dozen in each. That to me is a big bonus, as with there just being two of us in this household we can never use boxes of crackers up before they get stale. This eliminates that problem and the waste!
Take a look at the advertisement in this month's Sainsbury's magazine, which shows you how very adaptable they are! Some really good ideas there . . . Many thanks to the people at Ryvita for giving me this opportunity.
Oh . . . and knowing, me you just know I had to something different with them as well. Not that I don't like just cheese and crackers . . . but I do love to stretch the envelope a bit as well.
May I present Herb and Butter Toasted Crackers. I know . . . kinda takes away a bit from the low fat qualities of these wonderful crackers, but once in a while, it's nice to do something a bit different. You can use any herb combination you want . . . you can really give them some pizzazz with something spicy and hot, or you can dress them down. Add cheese, or not. You can even turn them into little pizzas by using a bit of tomato paste in the butter and pizza herbs and a dusting of parmesan at the end. It's up to you really! Enjoy!
*Herb and Butter Toasted Crackers*
Makes 2 dozen
These can be as snappy or as mild as you want. They are incredibly moreish. If you like you can go one step further and dust them with some Parmesan cheese as well. Yummily Scrummy!
24 crackers
2 ounces butter, melted (1/4 cup)
2 tsp of herb and spice mixture (I used a M&S mixture year which
contained smoked paprika, garlic, thyme, red peppers, etc. or you can create your own herb
combination)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 5. Whisk together the melted butter and herb mixture. Brush this lightly on both sides of the crackers and place them onto a nonstick baking sheet. Bake in the heated oven for about ten minutes, until lightly browned and crispy. Allow to cool before serving.
You would be quite forgiven if, upon closing your eyes and taking a bite of this lovely cake, you imagined you were eating a baked cheesecake. In fact with that delightful crack on top, and underlying creamy taste, it really does resemble a cheese cake.
Dense and rich, with a wonderful body and taste, this is a fabulous cake! Normally I would serve it with some crushed fresh strawberries or raspberries, but today . . . alas . . . I didn't have any, and I don't really like to eat these fruits out of season anyways. Out of season berries never quite come up to their promise.
It was delicious regardless, simply dusted with some icing sugar and cut into wedges to serve. A dollop of creme fraiche or greek yoghurt would also go very well.
I love the sweet plumpness of the sultanas that dot it's dense, yet creamy . . . crumb.
Each mouthful is delightfully lemony. It was Dorie who taught me to rube the lemon zest into the sugar when baking a cake and it's a delightful top tip that I always follow. It really brings the lemon flavour out of the zest and makes it more pronounced in the most delicious way!
This was the perfect way to end an early spring Sunday afternoon. Oh-so-scrumdiddlyumptious! (Recipe adapted from Cakes, Women's Institute by Liz Herbert)
*Lemon Ricotta Cake*
Makes one 8 inch round cake, serving 12
Printable Recipe
A deliciously dense and moist cake filled with the lovely flavours of lemon and soft sultanas.
50g of sultanas (a generous 1/3 cup)
8 ounces caster sugar (1 cup plus about 2 TBS)
6 ounces softened butter (3/4 cup)
the finely grated zest and juice of one unwaxed lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large free range eggs, separated
250g tub of ricotta cheese (a generous cup)
8 ounces of self raising flour (a scant 2 cups)
1 tsp of baking powder
sifted icing sugar for dusting to finish
Place the sultanas in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain well and allow to cool. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gar mark 4. Butter an 8 inch spring form pan well and then line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
Rub the lemon zest into the sugar until very fragrant. Add the butter and vanilla and cream together until light and fluffy. Whisk the egg yolks together with the lemon juice. Beat the egg yolk mixture in a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the ricotta to make a smooth batter. Stir in drained sultanas. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Fold this into the creamed mixture.
Using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff. Stir 1/4 of the mixture into the creamed mixture and then gently fold in the rest until thoroughly combined, but being careful not to knock out any air.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth over the top, but then make a slight dip in the centre. Bake for 70 to 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. The crust will be cracked on the top and a beautiful golden colour.
Remove from the oven and leave in the pan for 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Dust lightly with icing sugar before cutting into wedges to serve.
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