I found this recipe the other dayon the Boy Who Bakes site. Edd Kimber is the boy who bakes. He was the winner of Britain's Great British Bake Off a few years back.  

The recipe looked really good and I wanted to use my cookie letter stamp thingie again. (Yes, I am like a child with a new toy!)

 

   

They were really easy to make. You just tip everything into the food processor and blitz until the dough starts to come together. 

 

I like easy. Don't you??  If you haven't sussed it out by now, I can sometimes be rather lazy!  Easy works for me! 

The cookies are a lot more like a shortbread biscuit than they are like real custard cream cookies. I found them to be not quite as crunchy.

 

But, having said that, they were still moreishly good!!  Moreishly good also works well for me! 

  

These are buttery short biscuits, with a crumbly texture. They are also lightly flavoured with custard powder, and then filled with a custard flavoured buttercream icing.   

If you are in Canada you can buy custard powder in your grocery stores.  The most common brand is Bird's Custard powder. If you are in American it can easily be found on Amazon. 

  

These are perfect with a hot cuppa for your Elevensies! Elevensies is what they call a coffee-break over here in the UK, generally speaking, it happens about 11 am.

  They are aso quite enjoyable wih an ice cold glass of milk. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate . . . 

  Oh by heck . . . these would probably be pretty scrummy with just about anything! 

 Why not enjoy them with a bowl of ice cream for a special dessert?  You can never go wrong with some of these in the cookie jar!

   

 

You can check out Edd's original recipe here. 

  

 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again! 

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True confession here . . . we like chicken in this house. It is what we eat the most of when it comes right down to it. We only very rarely eat anything else. We may have fish of some sort once a week, and occasionally a chop or some such . . . but frequently, it's chicken.

I admit freely . . . Ibuy only free range chicken. Organic is not so important to me . . . but free range is. I like to eat happy chickens. The Toddster used to work on a battery farm a long time ago, and I worked in one grading eggs many years ago. We both found it very disturbing and neither one of us stuck with the jobs for very long . . . I know that free range costs more . . . but I would rather support an industry which is humane, than one that isn't. If it means we don't eat chicken as often because of the cost . . . so be it.



I can make a little bit of chicken go a very long way. Just ask Todd. I usually buy whole chickens and cut them up myself. After cutting, I separate the parts and place them individually into freezer bags. Nothing is wasted. I freeze the backs for soups and stocks. The wings get bagged up, frozen and used for scrummy appetizers . . . and sometimes soup too. I leave some of the legs as whole quarter portions, with the thigh and drumstick together, and then I cut some of them into thighs only and drumsticks only. The breasts also get portioned, wrapped and frozen. I like to freeze them individually so that I can take out as many or as little as I want. I place them in their wrapping on a baking tray and freeze. Then I pop them into freezer containers which I have clearly marked with dates etc.



Occasionally I will treat us to a whole roast chicken . . . that is a rare treat. I usually buy a large one and it becomes an occasion . . . rubbed with lots of butter and olive oil, stuffed with garlic and lemons and thyme . . . scattered with sea salt and cracked black pepper, and roasted until it is moreishly succulent and hard to resist . . . but even that I squeeze like a penny to get the most out of it . . .

The roast on the day . . . perhaps sandwiches or a tasty casserole the day after . . . and a delicious soup on the next . . . you do what you have to do in today's economy . . . but with a conscience. It is possible . . .



The Toddster loves pie. He doesn't care . . . sweet or savoury . . . he just loves pie. Today I baked him a delicious chicken pot pie as a treat. He was in seventh heaven.

I used chicken breasts for the meat and poached them in the microwave. The method I use keeps them really moist and fills them with lots of flavour. Don't worry about the cayenne pepper. It may seem like a lot, but it isn't. You will find the meat will be perfectly spiced, and veeee-rrrry tender.



You may be asking yourself what is a rapscallion. Well . . . essentially it's an overgrown spring onion, to simplify the descreption. You can eat the tops raw or cooked. The bottom bulb is delicious and not quite as strong as a regular onion, although in truth, if you don't or can't get these delicious rapscallions . . . feel free to substitute leeks or regular onions, bearing in mind that they will have somewhat of a stronger flavour.



In truth . . . I had never heard of rapscallions before I received some in my vegetable box this week . . . and I couldn't find out much about them online either. The only information I had about them was on a little card that came in the veggie box. That's one thing I like about veggie boxes . . . you are always given plenty of opportunity to try out new things . . . like flat nectarines. This week there was a punnet of flat nectarines in ours. I have found a new love.



Back to the pie . . . if you are fond of moist chunks of chicken meat, in a gravy well flavoured with rapscallions, tarragon and lemon . . . along with peas and carrots and laying beneath a blanket of savoury short crust pastry . . . then this pie is for you.

Tarragon, lemon and chicken . . . a truly beautiful marriage of exquisite flavours . . .



*Chicken Pot Pie with Rapscallions, Tarragon and Lemon*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Delicious Pot pie with a rich gravy, tender chicken breast meat and a trio of interesting flavours.

For the Poached Chicken:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup white wine
2 cups of chicken stock
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 celery stalk, with the leaves
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp peppercorns, cracked

For the Pie:
1 rapscallion, washed, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3 TBS butter
3 TBS plain flour
500ml of chicken stock (2 cups)
125ml of dry white wine (1/2 cup)
1 TBS chopped fresh tarragon leaves
the finely grated zest of 1/2 unwaxed lemon
the juice of 1/2 lemon
125 ml of double cream (1/2 cup)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
a large mug full of frozen petit pois
1 carrot, peeled, cut into half moons and cooked until tender
enough short crust pastry to cover your dish
milk
flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper to dust

First poach the chicken. Place the chicken breasts into a deep microwave safe casserole dish which has a lid. Place them in the dish so that the thicker edge of the chicken breasts are on the outside and the thin end on the inside.. Add the sliced onion, celery stalk, broken in half, the seasonings, the water and the wine. Cover and place in the microwave. Cook on high for 15 minutes. Remove from the microwave and allow the chicken to cool completely in the dish, without draining. Once cooled down enough to handle, remove and shred or cut into cubes. Set aside.

Melt your butter in a large saucepan. When it begins to foam, add the raspcallions. Cook, stirring occasionally until the rapscallions have softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute longer. Whisk in the flour and cook for one minute. Stir in the chicken stock, wine, lemon juice, tarragon and lemon zest. Bring to the boil, then whisk in the cream. Reduce to a quick simmer and allow to cook for about 5 minutes or so until thickened. Remove from the heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the peas, carrots and chopped chicken breasts and combine well. Pour this mixture into a deep pie dish, or into 4 individual dishes.

Preheat your oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5.

Roll out your pastry into a round large enough to cover the dish. Wet the edge of your pie dish and apply the pastry top, pressing it gently to adhere. Cut a vent in the middle in order to allow steam to escape. Brush with some milk and dust the top of the pie with some flaked sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is bubbling.

Note: You will probably want to place this pie on a baking sheet to bake as the gravy will most likely bubble out a bit. It's all good.

I was recently sent some sample of the new Munchy Seeds Honey Seeds to try out. I didn't really mind. I love seeds and nuts. They're an excellent source of fibre, minerals, vitamins and oils. When I make my granola I always include a lot of seeds and nuts. I'm really, really fond of them. They also help to keep you feeling full for longer as they are slow releasers of energy.

Munchy Seeds come in seven scrummy varieties. Some are savoury, some are sweet and others are hot. The Honey Seeds are sweet. One packet I ate out of hand . . . as a mid morning snack. They were delicious. Crunchy and sweet, without being over the top, with a lovely mild honey flavour.

The other pack? Well, it was the perfect size for sprinkling on my morning tub of low fat yogurt.



It was very, very good. And healthy too.



Honey Seeds . . . Honey roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds, perfect for healthy snacking in the home, office, school or for a moreish nutritious sprinkle on ice-cream. (or Yogurt!)

This is a new Munchy product to created to help to celebrate the Queen's 60th Jubilee Year and the campaign to bring back the bee. A delicious blend of sunflower and pumpkin seeds delicately roasted and coated in a crispy, honey coating.

Why it's good for you...
Sunflower seeds are low in saturated fat, and contain a healthy combination of Omega 3, 6 & 9 essential fatty acids, crucial to the diet as the body cannot produce them itself – that’s why they’re called ‘essential’. These ‘good fats’ are vital for cell maintenance and helping to regulate blood clotting, blood pressure, immune function and reproduction – all the birds and the bees stuff!

Every little pumpkin seed is packed with the mineral zinc, making this our IMMUNE-BOOSTING mix. Zinc is important for keeping our immune systems strong, and without good immunity, we’re vulnerable to every cough and sniffle doing the rounds. Pumpkin seeds are also good for protein and iron, both involved in keeping your energy levels up, so you’ll feel fit, healthy and ready to take on the world. If your iron stores are low, you could eventually suffer from anaemia, which leaves you feeling weak, tired and lethargic – not the way we want you to be.

But that’s not all – this mix (and all of their nibbles, in fact) is a great source of vitamin E, whose antioxidant effect helps protect your body’s cells from damage, reducing your risk of all sorts of chronic diseases, from heart disease and cancer to arthritis. See their Health Benefits page for more details.

They come in two sizes:

160g tub selling at £3.50

420g tub selling at £8.00

I have to say that out of all of the fishes . . . my favourite is Cod. Fresh Cod is so sweet and flavourful, not fishy tasting at all. We both love it very much.



Of course I only buy sustainable sourced, line caught Cod these days . . . it's not cheap, but it is a real treat, and worth every precious penny spent.



It's a beautiful fish really and needs nothing more really than a simple treatment as far as cooking it goes. That way the real flavour of the fish shines through and that is the way I love it the most. Really good fish doesn't need a lot of fluff and faff . . . in my opinion.



I like to season it simply . . . just a bit of salt and black pepper, a dusting of paprika for colour. I pat it lightly with some flour, which helps to make a simple crust . . .



Then I sautee it until golden brown on both sides in a knob of butter, with a few sprigs of fresh herbs added to give flavour to the butter and also a bit of colour to the finished dish as well . . .



A final squeeze of fresh lemon juice and . . . "Bob's your Uncle!" A delicious fresh fish dish fit for a King or a Queen. Well, for the King and Queen of this house at any rate!



Moist, flakey . . . delicious served with some pan juices, some boiled new potatoes and glazed carrots. This is a truly wonderful meal.
I think simple things in life are best, don't you?



*Pan Sauteed Cod*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Meltingly tender and sweet cod, cooked in butter with the addition of several fresh herbs. Simple, quick and delicious!

4 thick fresh Cod loins (boned and skinned)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh marjoram
Some flour for dusting
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
ground sweet paprika
knob of butter
the juice of half a lemon

Rinse your fish and then dry it very well with some paper kitchen towelling. Dust each loin lightly with some salt, pepper and paprika. Roll them in the flour, patting lightly on both sides to help it adhere and shaking off any excess. Set aside.

Melt a knob of butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, along with the springs of thyme and marjoram. Once it begins to foam, add the fish, presentation side down, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on one side, until golden brown, Flip over and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes, until browned and the fish is just cooked through. (The edges should flake easily with teased with the tines of a fork.) Squeeze the lemon over top and remove immediately from the heat. Swirl the pan to amalgamate the juices of the fish, lemon and butter. Divide the fish between 4 heated plates. Spoon some of the butter from the pan and herbs over top of each portion. Serve immediately.

  This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com 

I was recently asked to take the Blogger's Challenge by Billington's, the sugar company.
Refined versus unrefined sugars
Which is best?? Is there any marked difference between the two??
I was allowed to choose a recipe to cook from their recipes and I was sent the sugar to use in the recipe. All of the other ingredients were my own.

I chose the Muscovado Pudding recipe.



Making "Refined" Cane Sugar involves a two stage process, designed to produce bulk white sugar as efficently as possible. Brown sugars are then manufactured by "surface coating" refined white sugar with syrups. Industrial raw cane sugar for refining is transported in bulk to European refineries, where they are further refined to produce bulk white sugar.

So . . . "Refined" cane sugar is made by processing the sugar cane until it becomes white sugar, then gradually adding molasses, a dark coloured by-product of the processing of sugar cane, to make the different types of brown sugar."

"Unrefined" Sugar is different. How so???
Unrefined Cane Sugar is made using a careful one stage process, converting perishable sugar cane into finished sugar products, in the country of origin.
Minimally processed . . . not remelted, not refined. Packed into bags ready for consumption.
Simply produced with the aim of locking in . . . rather than refining out natural molasses of sugar cane.



What does all of this mean???? Quite simply this, not all brown sugars are the same: many are only brown on the outside; underneath they are really refined white sugar which has been coated to add colour and some flavour.

Billington’s sugars are different. They are unrefined, so the sugars are very simply produced with the aim of locking in, rather than refining out the natural molasses of the sugar cane. It is this difference that gives unrefined sugar its superior flavour and natural colour.

But can it live up to it's promise??



I took two teaspoons of brown sugar. One teaspoon held the Billington's Light Muscovado brown sugar. The other one held an ordinary brand of soft light brown sugar. (Thankfully they had sent me a small amount of an ordinary brand of soft light brown sugar. I quite honestly never have anything but muscovado sugar in the house.)The visual difference between the two is quite noticeable to me.

Can you spot the difference???



Yes, the Billingtons is the one on the left. It's much darker than the other one and looks quite a bit moister to me. You can see white granules in the ordinary brown sugar too, which is not altogether that appealing in comparison. But how does it taste??? Is there a definite taste difference??? Let's see . . .

I tasted each on it's own, and I did wash my mouth out between tastes. I truly found the Billingtons to have a richer, more caramel-like flavour. I much preferred it to the other. The other one kind of just tasted like sugar . . . with no real depth. It was sweet, but that's all. Hmmm . . . was I being biased by having known which was which to begin with?? I decided to ask someone who was completely un-biased and did not know which sugar was which.



Yes, it's a cheesy "thumbs up" picture, but I think you can see that the Toddster clearly agreed with me in finding the Billington's to be superior in flavour, texture and looks than the other brand. He thought the Billington's tasted a lot nicer. More substantial he said, and less "anemic." Richer. Spot on!

Now . . . on to the recipe. (Which is why you're here, right?? )



I have made many similar puddings through the years to this recipe, using ordinary brown sugar. Would this one made with the Billington's taste any different?? Let's see . . .



Going into the oven this pudding didn't look any different than any other chocolate pudding cake recipe I have used. In fact I believe you would be hard pressed to see the difference.



Neither did it look much different coming out of the oven . . . it looked every bit as ugly as any other chocolate pudding cake that I have ever made, in all truth.



The real difference was noticeable as soon as I spooned some of it out into my bowl. HEY!! This pudding was considerably lighter than any other one I had ever made . . . it was not in the least bit heavy . . .



and yet . . . the cake part was incredibly moist, a marked difference . . . and the sauce was really light and rich looking . . .

And it was really light and rich tasting too . . . oh my . . . it's some good. Let's try it with a bit of cream shall we???



Oh yes . . . that is definitely gilding the lily . . . just when you think something can't taste any better . . . you add cream and like magic . . . it does! You're definitely going to want to make this rich and lucious pudding and if you can get the Billington's to make it with DO use it. There is a marked difference . . . both in texture and in taste.



*Billington's Muscovado Pudding*
Serves about 9 people
(depending on how greedy you are)
Printable Recipe

A deliciously light chocolate pudding cake, which bakes it's own chocolate sauce in the oven. Scrumdiddlyumptiously good!

150g plain white flour ( generous 1 cup, or 1 cup +2 TBS)
40g of cocoa powder, not chocolate drink mix (6 TBS), divided
2 TBS baking powder
pinch fine seasalt
110ml of milk (7 1/2 TBS)
175g of golden caster sugar (superfine unrefined sugar, scant cup)
(I used Billington's)
2 TBS corn oil
2 large free range eggs
50g of toasted walnuts, chopped (scant 1/2 cup)
225g of Light Muscovado Sugar (Billingtons) (unrefined cane sugar, 1 cup plus 2 TBS, packed)
425ml of hot water (1 3/4 cup)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 9 inch square baking tin or dish. Set aside.

Sift the flour, 2 TBS of the cocoa powder, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir in the Caster sugar. Whisk together the milk, eggs and oil. Add to the dry mixture and mix together until smooth. Stir in the chopped nuts. Pour this batter into the prepared baking tin or dish.

Stir together the remaining cocoa powder and the light muscovado sugar. Sprinkle this mixture over top of the batter in the pan. Pour over the hot water. DO NOT STIR!! Leave it as it is and pop it into the heated oven. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the cake is risen and bounces back lightly when touched and the sauce is bubbling up around the edges. Serve warm or cold.

Pouring cream is delicious with this! Nom Nom!!

My thoughts on this sugar are quite simply this. We are all supposed to be cutting back our sugar consumption. That only makes sense health-wise . . . but when we are going to indulge, let it be with a sugar that is less refined and more natural.

You know it makes sense.

In truth I have been a user of the un-refined Billington's sugars for a number of years now. It's all I ever really buy, and for that very reason. It tastes better and it's better for you at the end of the day. TWO THUMB'S UP in my opinion . . . and no, there's no cheesy thumb's up picture of me to share. ☺



Many thanks to Billingon's and the people at Baking Mad.Com for affording me this chance to show you how great these sugars really are.



Note - Todd was a bit disappointed that I had chosen a chocolate pudding to test out the sugars in . . . he hates chocolate puddings. I know . . . twas a tough sacrifice for me to make, but I do what I can!! I did not eat this pudding all on my own. The bulk of it was sent over to our local Missionaries to enjoy and they gave it Two Thumb's up as well! (No picture of them either unfortunately!)