Our local shops are filled with these lovely flat peaches at the moment. I am not sure what they are called, but I have heard them called donut peaches too. They're so sweet and delicious . . . and well, flat. They look like regular peaches that have been squashed. They ripen beautifully on the countertop and I just can't get enough of them. They've been selling them locally for £1 a punnet and I find myself buying 2 punnets each time. So fresh and sweet and juicy.



You are probably wondering what the heck these peaches have to do with fish and salad. Well, nothing really. I was just saying how much I am enjoying them is all . . . I love summer food. Fresh and light and filled with delicious summery flavours.



Like this delicious Gazpacho Salad. Fresh cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, red onions and garlic in a tangy sherry vinegar and olive oil dressing, tossed together with home baked croutons . . . oh so scrummy, and quite healthy too. You don't need any special bread do this with. I just used a hunk of baguette we had leftover from when the missionaries were over for their tea the other day.



I simply pan fried a couple of chunky cod fillets to go along with it and we were set to go. A delicious tasty and light supper, put together in no time at all. With a couple of flat peaches for dessert we were both very happy. ☺ (Well Todd was looking for some potato or some such . . . I think I'll have to heat him up some soup or something to make of for it later on.) Me?? I'll probably have another lucious peach or two or three. ♥



*Crispy Cod with a Gazpacho Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A deliciously fresh salad filled with lovely flavours served up with some cod, pan fried until crisp and golden brown on the outsides.

85g of rustic bread, torn into chunks
(about 1/4 of a baguette, about 2 cups)
4 TBS olive oil
4 large tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 English cucumber, cut into chunks
1 yellow sweet pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
1/2 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 TBS sherry vinegar
2 garlic, cloves, peeled and crushed
salt and black pepper
4 skinless boneless chunky cod fillets
2 TBS plain flour

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.

Toss the bread cunks with 1 TBS of the olive oil and spread out on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Mix together the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper, and onion with 2 TBs of the oil, the vinegar and the garlic. Season well with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

Dust the cod fillets with some salt, pepper and a bit of flour, patting it on and shaking off any excess.

Heat the remaining TBS of olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan. Add the cod fillets and cook for 4 minutes, flip over and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the fish is crispy and golden and cooked through.

Toss the croutons with the vegetable mixture. Divide between 4 plates and then top each with a crispy cod fillet. Serve immediately.

One of the things I love most about summer is all the fresh fruit that is available . . . right now in the shops we have tons of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, currants (both black and red) early plums, nectarines and lovely apricots!

Just right for eating out of hand, or sandwiched between sponge cakes with cream. I especially love raspberries and strawberries in cakes.



Stone fruits such as peaches, plums, nectarines and apricots are beautiful when lightly poached. I found a recipe in the Summer 2011 issue of BBC Easy Cook magazine for some vanilla poached apricots and they looked so delicious I just had to try them out.



The recipe called for a bottle of dry rose wine. Now, I know nothing much about wines. I'll admit it right now. We don't drink alcohol. I do have a few bottles in my larder that I use for cooking though . . . and oftimes when the grocery shops offer those two can eat for a tenner deals, I always pick up the bottle of wine with the deal. Coz . . . like I said I like to use it in cooking.



I used a bottle of Prosecco for this today. It was rose in colour so I thought it would go very well. I think also, from watching Giada, that Prosecco is an Italian Dessert wine?? (Am I right??) In any case that is what I used and they turned out fabulous.



Nice and tender with a beautifully flavoured syrup. Todd enjoyed his warm with a nice scoop of vanilla icecream on top.

I think simple fruit desserts are the best desserts of all!



*Poached Vanilla Apricots*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Delicously tender apricots in a sweet vanilla syrup. Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream for a real treat.

750ml bottle of dry rose wine (6 cups)
175g of caster sugar (2/3 cup)
1 vanilla pod, split open lengthwise with a sharp knife and then cut into 4 (leave seeds intact)
700g of ripe apricots (about 12)


Pour the wine into a pan along with the sugar and the vanilla pieces. Stir over low heat until the sugar melts. Add the apricots. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat just until the apricots have softened, about 15 to 20 minutes for whole fruit, and 10 to 15 minutes for halved fruit.

Lift the apricots out of the wine mixture with a slotted spoon and place them in a bowl. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and boil for 8 to 10 minutes until syrupy. Pour over the apricots and leave to cool. Serve warm or cold with vanilla ice cream if you wish.

I know what you are probably thinking right now . . . what on earth does Boston Cream Pie have to do with an English Kitchen, and you would be right in thinking . . . not a heck of a lot!



Other than the fact that's it's MY English Kitchen, and that's what I baked yesterday for the missionaries when they came to tea! I do not always cook traditional food here in my kitchen, anymore than anyone else does. Sometimes I cook an Indian meal, or hmmm . . . a Chinese . . . sometimes I even cook Spaghetti Bolognaise!



Oh heck, that is an English Kitchen!!! Or at least it is today's English Kitchen . . . a happy melting pot of the traditional, mixed with all the new flavours brought to our verdant shores by it's wide and diverse immigrant population!



And I think you'll find that there are a heck of a lot of us North American's over here . . . so why shouldn't we embrace some of the goodies from our homelands from time to time???



Oh, and by the way . . . there was a Boston over here before there was one in America. Boston, UK, is situated near the south-east coast of Lincolnshire, where the River Witham becomes the Haven on its short journey to The Wash. The town is approximately 120 miles directly north of London and 32 miles south-east of Lincoln. (and now you know!)



Boston Cream pie is not a pie. It is a cake. A very delicious sponge cake, split in the middle and filled with a tasty vanilla custard cream, and then topped with a scrummy chocolate glaze . . . deeeeeee-licious! And we ate the whole thing. Traditional no. Moreish . . .yes!



*Boston Cream Pie*
Makes one 9 inch round cake
Printable Recipe

It's not a pie . . . it's a cake, filled with a delicious vanilla custard cream and topped with a scrummy chocolate glaze!

2.5 ounces of vegetable shortening (1/3 cup)
7 ounces caster sugar (1 cup)
1 large free range egg
6.5 ounces plain flour (1 1/2 cups) sifted
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 ounces milk (2/3 cup)

For the cream filling:
3.5 ounces granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
3 TBS flour
1/4 tsp salt
375 ml of milk (1 1/2 cups)
3 large free range egg yolks
1 TBS butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

For the glaze:
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 TBS vegetable shortening
4 ounces sifted icing sugar (1 cup)
2 TBS hot water
1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch cake tin and dust with flour, tapping out any excess. Set aside.

Cream together the shortening and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the vanilla to the milk. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk mixture. Turn the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes before turning out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely.

To make the filling, combine the sugar, flour and salt in a saucepan. Whisk in the milk. Cook over medium low heat until the mixture bubbles and thickens, whisking constantly. Boil for one minute. Beat the egg yolks slightly. Gradually stir in about half of the boiled mixture, whisking constantly and then stir the mixture into the cooked mixture, whisking it in well. Continue to cook for several minutes longer, stirring until thick and creamy. Whisk in the butter and vanilla. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before proceeding.



Cut the cake in half horizontally. Place the bottom half on a plate. Cover with the cooled creamy mixture. Place the other half of the cake on top.

To make the glaze, melt the chocolate and shortening in a small pan over very low heat. Remove from the heat and blend in the sugar and hot water. Stir until smooth and slightly thickened, without beating. Stir in the vanilla and immediately spread on top of the cake, spreading only to the edges. Chill in the fridge for several hours before serving. Cut into wedges to serve.

We had the missionaries coming over for their supper this evening and I wanted to cook them something a little bit different. I picked up some tasty sausages at our local butchers . . . the Irish 4 Nations ones, his own herby mix and oh so delicious!



It's not a great time of year for mashed potatoes though . . . and I have a ton of new potatoes from the garden that I need to use, and so I decided that I would make a sausage dish that would stand up well on it's own, with perhaps a few boiled new potatoes on the side.



I did a search and found this fabulous one in one of my Jamie Oliver cookbooks. I liked it because it's just kind of thrown together loosely and it all bakes in one dish. It's herby and moreishly tasty . . . the tomatoes get all meltingly tender and squishy . . . just perfect for sopping up with some crusty bread.



The sausages get all crusty on the outside, whilst remaining tender and moist on the insides . . . oh so good. All in all it was pretty wonderful and the lads really ate it up! If you're looking for something tasty and delicious to do with your sausages, look no further! This is it. (I know the pictures are not the greatest. It didn't photograph well and Todd wouldn't let me take photos at the table!)



I served this along with a pan of sauteed new Potatoes Lyonnaise and some fresh peas from the garden and of course a crusty loaf. MMMMM . . . good!



*Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Beautifully baked sausages on a bed of sweet cherry tomatoes, flavoured with balsamic and herbs. Oh so scrummy! You'll want some crusty bread with this to help sop up all the juices!

You will want a 10 by 12 inch baking dish
Enough cherry tomatoes to cover the bottom of the baking dish
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and mashed
2 long sprigs of rosemary, cut in half
2 sprigs of thyme, separated into 4 bits
2 small bay leaves
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
extra virgin olive oil
good quality balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 good quality pork sausages

Preheat the oven to 190*C/374*F/ gas mark 5.

Fit all the cherry tomatoes into the baking dish snugly. Tuck the springs of rosemary and thyme in here and there, along with the mashed cloves of garlic. Tuck in the bay leaves and sprinkle the whole thing with the oregano, some sea salt and black pepper to taste. Drizzle with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar, again to taste. Lay the pork sausages on top.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes until the sausages are beginning to brown. Take out of the oven and flip the sausages over. Return to the oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the sausages are cooked through and the tomatoes are meltingly tender and juicy. Serve some of the tomatoes on each heated plate along with several of the sausages on top. Pass the bread!

I am always up for chicken. Its not something I ever get tired of. I could eat it every night of the week. I'm not fussy about which part I eat either . . . I love the thighs, I love the breasts, I love the wings. I adore roasted chicken, fried, baked, simmered . . . I just love chicken in any way shape or form!




I was really excited when I found a video on YouTube of Jamie Oliver making some really simple, and tasty Parmesan Chicken Breasts with Crispy Posh Ham! It looked quick, easy and so delicious! I'm always looking for different ways to cook chicken breasts. They are like a blank canvas that takes to all sorts of flavours and textures.



Of course that is one of Jamie's talents isn't it??? He makes cooking look fun and easy, and delicious as well! He's done a lot to inspire young people to want to cook and to eat better!



I made this for our supper last night and it was fabulous! This would work very well served up with some mash and a vegetable, or even alone with a tossed salad. It was moist and delicious and had a wonderful crust of cripsy ham. Oh so yummy!!



*Parmesan Chicken Breasts with Crispy Prosciutto*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

Moist and tender chicken underneath a crust of crisp Prosciutto ham and meltingly tasty Parmesan cheese. What's not to like?

30g of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese (about 1/3 cup)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 skinless boneless free range chicken breasts
freshly ground black pepper
1 free range lemon
6 slices of prosciutto
olive oil
good quality balsamic vinegar

Place your chicken breasts between some sling film and bash them out with a rolling pin so that they are an equal width throughout. Sprinkle each with some freshly ground black pepper and a little freshly grated lemon zest. sprinkle the leaves of one sprig of thyme over each. Cover with the Parmesan cheese, dividing it equally amongst the chicken breasts. Lay 3 slices of prosciutto over each breast, overlapping them slightly and covering the cheese. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with the remaining thyme leaves.

Put a non stick frying pan over medium heat. Carefully transfer the chicken breasts to the pan, prosciutto side down. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, turning halfway through the cooking time until the ham is crispy and the chicken is cooked through.

If desired drizzle with a bit of balsamic vinegar and some olive oil to serve.

 

If you only bake one muffin this summer, let this be the one. These are just wonderful!! Moist and delicious and stogged full of summer berries!



They rise really high, like wowowow! You will be amazed, I guarantee.



You can use any combination of summer berries, or even just one kind if you prefer. I used raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and black currants today and they were extra scrummy!



I also like to scatter some baked granola cereal on the tops for added texture, a bit of crunch . . . and I just love how it looks!



So wholesome and oaty . . . almost healthy.



The yoghurt makes them really moist and then there are some oats in the batter as well, which is good for your heart. If you use no fat yoghurt (like I did) then this keeps the calorie count down as well, whick equates to only about a tsp per muffin.



Fruit, oats, yoghurt, granola . . .what more could you ask for in a muffin???



*Berry Yogurt Muffins*
Makes 6 large muffins
Printable Recipe

Moist and delicious and stogged full of berries. I used a mixture of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries and black currants today. Scrummo!

225g self raising flour ( 1 1/2 cups)
30g old fashioned rolled oats (1/3 cup)
3 large free range eggs
165g soft light brown sugar (3/4 cup packed)
200g of plain yoghurt (3/4 cup)
80ml vegetable oil (1/3 cup)
180g of fresh or frozen berries (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 TBS of granola cereal

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Grease a six hole Texas size muffin tin really well. Set aside.

Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the oats. Beat together the brown sugar, yoghurt, oil and eggs. Stir gently into the flour mixture, mixing only to combine. Fold in the berries. Spoon into the greased muffin tin. Sprinke about 1 TBS of granola over top of each.

Bake for 20 minutes, until well risen , and the tops spring back when lightly touched. ALlow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before turning out to cool completely. Store in a tightly covered container for up to two days.

Last night I cooked the last of the meat that I had left from my visit to Jimmy's Farm earlier this week. As you know we got to attend a special Butchering Class in which Joe Collier and Jimmy showed us all the different cuts of pork and advised us on the best way to cook each cut for optimum enjoyment and flavour!



I found it to be a really interesting class, as having grown up in North America we call different cuts of meat by different names and also cut the meat in different types of cuts, so I really found it quite informative and fascinating.



I came home with a rolled pork belly, which I proceeded to cremate by accident (Seriously. It occasionally happens to even the best of us!! It still tasted good, but was not that attractive in all sincerity!), and a lovely Rack of Pork and the tasty pork chops with you see here today. If you want to see how the Rolled Pork Belly should have looked, you can check out Julie's photo here. We shared it between us and she didn't forget hers in the oven until it was burnt to a crisp like I did! (DO go take a look. Her's looks wonderful!)



Earlier this week I did the Rack of Pork and last night I did the chops. I didn't want to just fry them. I wanted to do something special with then . . . and I think I did!

Deliciously moist and sticky! With a wonderful hoisin marinade and glaze. Perfect!



Of course starting off with a quality cut of pork makes all the difference in the world. Rare breed free range pork is the way to go! Oh so lovely and full of flavour!
All I did was add some icing to an already very, very tasty cake! You'll be licking your fingers with enjoyment wanting to get every scrap opf those delicious flavours with these! Trust me on this!

Once again many thanks to Jimmy and the Put Pork On Your Fork people!



*Grilled Chops with a Hoisin Marinade and Glaze*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Lovely free range pork chops marinated in a wonderful marinade chock full of Oriental flavours and then grilled and basted with the same marinade until finger lickingly scrummy delicious!

4 free range pork chops, rind trimmed off, each about 1/2 inch thick
(Leave some fat around the edges)
125ml of hoisin sauce ( 1/2 cup)
60ml of dark soy sauce (Scant 1/4 cup)
2 TBS toasted sesame oil
2 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 TBS minced garlic
1 TBS minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp hot chili powder
4 TBS runny honey
vegetable oil

Whisk the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger and chili powder together in a large shallow dish, mixing all together well. Add the chops and turn them around to coat them well in the sauce. Allow to sit at room temperature for about an hour to marinate, given them a quick swish and turn every time you walk past them.

At the end of that time, remove them from the marinade, letting any excess drip off. Place the marinade into a saucepan along with the honey. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a quick simmer and simmer for about 10 minutes, while you grill the chops.

Heat your grill pan and brush it with some cooking oil. Also, preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a baking dish.

Place your chops onto the heated grill and sear well on both sides, until golden brown and the fat on the edges has begun to crisp. (About four to five minutes per side.) Place into the baking dish. Pour the thickened marinade over top and then bake in the heated oven for about 10 minutes longer, until just cooked through, but still moist. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Place one chop on each of four heated plates. Spoon a bit of sauce over top and pass the rest at the table. Delicious!