Several months ago I was contacted by McArthurGlen (Designer Outlet) and asked if I would like to participate in the Le Creuset Cast Iron Challenge. Of course I jumped at the chance. I just love Le Creuset cookware, and I love a challenge! Win/win!
My gift for participating, a 20cm round Le Creuset Casserole Dish in my favourite colour Cerise! Just call me a happy camper. Beginning May 13th, people will be able to vote for my recipe via this link on the McArthurGlen website! Here is the link! The winner of the challenge will win £250 gift voucher for Le Creuset products, and each vote via twitter will be put into a draw for a £50 gift voucher.
The recipe I have developed for this challenge is Pot Roasted Loin of Pork with a Prune, Apricot and Ginger Stuffing. I have been doing a Prune Stuffed Loin of Pork for years, which is very flavourful, easy to do, and impressive. I have updated it a bit for this challenge.
First of all I decided to remove the rind from the roast. I then butterflied it, which is very easy to do. I give some very precise instructions in the recipe.
I adapted my stuffing to include not only prunes, but dried apricots, some garlic, ginger root and thyme, all of which bring out and enhance the flavour of pork beautifully and add a wonderful moistness. As pork loin is a very lean meat this is important.
I spread the stuffing over the cut surface of the pork and then rolled it up. Not too tightly as you want to leave a bit of room for expansion and you don't want the stuffing to leak out. Then I tied it with bakers twine to hold it all together.
I then created a lovely rub, using powdered ginger, fine sea salt, black pepper and thyme which I rubbed all over the surface of the meat. Don't forget the ends! They benefit from the rub as well.
I place the stuffed and rubbed pork loin on a bed of sliced onion in the casserole dish, added some beef stock, covered it and then roasted it for about half an hour. I then removed the lid and roasted it for a bit longer, about 45 minutes for a two pound pork loin.
The end result was a perfectly cooked pork loin, filled with fabulous flavours, and presenting beautifully . . . you have a ring of succulent, moist pork, long with a beautifully bejewelled ring of delicious fruity stuffing. The drippings were used to make a tasty gravy/sauce to go along with the meat. (Again very easily cooked in the casserole dish. That's what I love about Le Creuset . . . Stove top to oven, and vice versa!)
I served it along with some steamed new potatoes (Jersey Royals are in season now), along with some oven roasted carrots, parsnips, swede and sweet potato. Yumm!!
I think you will agree that this is a meal that would be fit for serving to company. It's so easy to make, and quick to put together, and the best thing about that is the presentation is so beautiful they will think you slaved all day over a hot stove to do it. They don't need to know you didn't. ;-) It can be our little secret.
*Pot Roasted Loin of Pork with a Prune, Apricot and Ginger Stuffing*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe
Delicious loin of pork, butterflied, stuffed with a savory fruited stuffing, rolled and roasted. Tender, delicious and filled with flavor. This is not so hard to do as you would think. Soon to become a family favourite.
Something deliciously different for the Sunday Lunch crowd!
1 (2-pound) boneless pork loin
salt and black pepper
For the Stuffing:
12 dried apricots, chopped
12 dried pitted prunes, chopped
1 tsp of finely chopped fresh ginger root
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
For the rub:
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp fine black pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
500g beef stock (about 3 cups)
3 TBS plain flour
pinch ground ginger
125ml milk or white wine (1/2 cup)
The first thing you will have to do is to butterfly the pork. This is very easy to do. Remove any of the string which it has been tied with and discard. Carefully, using a sharp knife, remove any crackling rind and discard. Working very carefully begin cutting through one side of the loin about 1 inch down and working from right to left, almost all the way to the other side, stopping about an inch from that edge. Turn the meat around and cut down about 1 inch and then begin cutting back to the side you started at, again stopping about an inch from the edge. You should now be able to open it up flat. Open it flat and sprinkle it lightly with some salt and pepper.
Combine all of the ingredients together for the stuffing. Spread it out evenly over the cut surface of the meat. Roll it up tightly and then tie it at even intervals with some butchers twine to hold it together. Don't tie it too tightly.
Mix together all of the ingredients for the rub. Rub mixture all over the pork, remembering the ends.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a large flameproof casserole dish. Place the sliced onion in the bottom of the casserole. Place the stuffed pork roll on top. Pour the beef stock into the casserole dish. Cover with the lid. Roast in the heated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the cover. Return the casserole to the oven and roast, uncovered for an additional 35 to 40. minutes. The roast should by that time be cooked through and nicely colored. Remove the roast from the pan and set aside on a plate to rest. Cover lightly with foil and keep warm.
Place the casserole on top of the stove and add the white wine. Bring to the boil and boil for about 5 minutes, Reduce to a simmer. Whisk in the flour and ginger, working quickly and whisking constantly to help prevent lumps. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Strain into a gravy boat.
Remove the butchers twine from the pork and cut into slices to serve. Pass the gravy at the table. I like to serve this with some boiled new potatoes and roasted root vegetables. Delicious!
I was sitting here this afternoon and craving something. I wanted something sweet and yet a bit savoury at the same time . . .
I decided to toast some English muffins and then cover them with milk chocolate chips, toasted pecans and marshmallows . . . which I then popped back under the grill until the milk chocolate was oozing, the marshmallows were stickily bubbling and the nuts were toasty brown.
Think S'Mores, but in pizza form.
Incredibly, edibly, moreishly good!
I think I may have created a monster with this one . . . the possibilities are endless . . .
Really.
*Nutty Chocolate and Marshmallow Mini Pizzas*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe
Oh, this is sinful . . . sweet and sticky yum!! Almost instant and incredibly moreish!
2 English muffins, sliced in half through the middle
2 heaping TBS single cream
15g plain chocolate, grated or shaved, or good quality chocolate chips
15g pecan nuts, chopped
25g mini marshmallows
Heat the grill to medium. Place the muffin halves, bottom side up, under the grill and toast them. Remove them from the frill. Sprinkle the cream over each, dividing it equally. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips, nuts and marshmallows. Place under the grill again, goodie side up. Toast until golden and bubbling. Remove from the grill and allow to sit for a few minutes before eating.
*Note* - Eat with some caution as the toppings will be hot, but oh so scrummy!
I saw something similar to this on Kevin and Amanda the other day. She used refrigerated crescent rolls.
It did look rather scrummy, if I don't say so myself . . . but . . .
I didn't want to use refrigerated crescent rolls. I wanted to make something from scratch. Most of the ime I want to make things from scratch.
We also don't have the same type of crescent roll dough here in the UK. Ours is more like real croissants. I didn't want that.
I used the concept on Kevin and Amanda, but I used my own buttermilk biscuit recipe for the dough, instead of crescent rolls.
My mother always made cinnamon rolls using biscuit dough. It is what I grew up with. We always loved them. One thing I have learned in life, is this. Don't mess with perfection.
They turned out fabulously scrummy! Probably quite a bit sturdier and filling than the ones on Kevin and Amanda . . . more like a coffee cake.
With no additives and preservatives. I think they're even better. (I know, there's no modesty in my family! I got it all!)
These are not at all difficult to make. They actually go together very quickly. They don't call biscuits a quick bread for nothing.
They were also not hard to make. They were baked and on the table in a jiffy too!
We were enjoying them in quick time. Faster than you can say Jack Rabbit. Well, maybe not quite that fast, but you know what I mean.
These were buttery, cinnamony . . . flakey good. YUM YUM!!
Todd loved them. So they are man pleasing. You can count on that!
I loved them. So they are also glutton pleasing.
Something else you can count on.
Everybody loved them. 'Nuff said!
*Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Cake*
serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe
Golden brown and scrummy with lots of cinnamon flavour, a brown sugar topping and a vanilla glaze! Best served warm.
280g of plain flour (2 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 TBS sugar
110g of white vegetable shortening, cut into bits (1/2 cup)
156ml of buttermilk (2/3 cup)
4 ounces butter, softened (1/2 cup)
50g of soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup, packed)
50g of white sugar (1/4 cup)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the vanilla glaze:
130g of icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
4 TBS heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat
the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Melt half of the butter in the
bottom of a pie dish. Stir in the brown sugar to combine. Spread all
over the bottom. Set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt
and soda into a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender,
until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in the sugar. Add the
buttermilk all at once and stir with a fork, just until the dough comes
together. Tip onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times.
Pat out into a 12 by 6 inch rectangle. Spread with the remainder of the
softened butter. Mix the white sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle
this evenly over top. Roll up tightly from the long side. Cut into 8
slices with a sharp knife. Place them, cut side down into the prepared
pie dish.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and the
brown sugar butter mixture on the bottom is bubbling up. Remove from
the oven and tip immediately onto a serving plate.
Whisk
together all the ingredients for the glaze until smooth. Drizzle half
of this over top of the whole cake, reserving the rest for serving.
Serve warm, cut into wedges with the remainder of the glaze spooned over
top.
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!
I had some fish that needed using up today, and so I decided to make my husband some fish cakes for his tea. He loves fish cakes, and so he was a very happy man.
Serves 6
Printable Recipe
A delicious mixture of fresh haddock, smoked haddock, potato and finely shredded cabbage.
1 pound of baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
salt and black pepper
4 ounces of finely shredded savoy cabbage (1/4 pound) (about 3/4 cup)
8 ounces un-dyed smoked haddock, skinned (1/2 pound)
8 ounces fresh haddock fillets, skinned (1/2 pound)
a squeeze of lemon juice
2 TBS low fat mayonnaise
1 to 2 TBS grainy mustard
2 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
2 TBS chopped fresh dill
2 slices of bread made into crumbs
A knob of butter for cooking
Boil the potatoes in a pan of lightly salted water to cover until nearly tender, 15 minutes or so. Add the shredded cabbage and cook for a further 3 minutes. Drain very well. Return to the pot and shake over the residual heat of the burner to dry further, then mash. Season to taste with some salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Butter a large piece of foil. Place on a baking sheet and then arrange the fish on top of the foil. Season with pepper and lemon juice. Wrap the foil tightly around the fish so that none of the juice will excape and then pop into the oven. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked.
Remove the fish from the foil, reserving the juices. Break into large chunks in a mixing bowl, discarding any bones. Leave to cool. Stir the cooled fish, along with any juices, the mayonnaise, mustard, chopped onions and dill, and a touch of salt and pepper into the mashed potato mixture. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Place the bread crumbs onto a shallow plate. Divide the mixture and shape into 12 small cakes. Pat the cakes all over in the bread crumbs.
Heat the butter in a nonstick frying pan, just until it begins to foam, over medium heat. Add the fish cakes and cook until golden on the bottom. Flip over and continue to cook until they are heated through and golden on the other side. Serve immediately with some salad.
It's a well known fact that oats are good for your heart. They are very healthy. They are a very good source of soluable and insoluable fibre.
Insoluable fibre helps to fight cancer. It helps to fight certain bile acids, thereby reducing their toxicity.
Soluable fibre helps to reduce LDL cholesterol. That is a good thing. Soluable fibre also helps to slow down the digestion of starch, which means it helps you to feel full longer. (Also a good thing!)
People who eat more oats are found to be less likely to develop heart disease. That can't be bad either! I'm all for that!
Now when you add all that to the fact that Oats are a good source of protein and full of vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium . . . eating oats means you are on to a real winner healthwise!!
So the next time your mother tells you to eat more oats . . . give her this recipe and tell her to get baking! It's guaranteed to encourage you eat your oats every time. In fact . . . you will have a hard time keeping your fingers away . . .
*Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cake*
Makes one 12 by 8 inch tray bake
Printable Recipe
A deliciously moist and scrummy oatmeal cake, filled with chocolate chips and then topped with more chocolate chips and toasted nuts.
100g (1 cup) quick cooking rolled oats
14 ounces ( 1 3/4 cups) boiling water
200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
170g (1 cup) packed brown sugar
4 ounces (1/2 cup or 1 stick) of butter, cut up
2 large eggs
245g (1 3/4 cup) plain flour
1 TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (I use an extra TBS of flour as Todd does not like chocolate cakes)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
12 ounces (2 cups) semi sweet chocolate chips
100g (3/4 cup) chopped toasted walnuts
Place the oats in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water over them. Slice the butter onto the top. Let stand for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ Gas mark4 while you are waiting. Butter a 12 by 8 inch tray bake pan and line it with baking paper.
Add the sugar and brown sugar to the oats. Stir until the butter is melted. Stir in the eggs, baking soda, cocoa (if using) cinnamon, salt and flour. Mix well until combined. Fold in half of the choclate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remainder of the chocolate chips and the toasted walnuts ontop.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean and the top springs back when lightly touched. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares to serve.
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!
It has been said that cupcakes are becoming very passe. What a fickle lot we are . . . I expect that the Macaron will be the next thing to go out of culinary fashion . . .
What cupcakes and macarons once were, the Whoopie Pie now is!! These little babies are taking the country by storm!
Coming from North America I am no stranger to the Whoopie Pie. I have been making the chocolate ones for years.
You won't miss it a bit!!!! I think I'm on the cutting edge of something really wonderful here.
*Bakewell Whoopie Pies*
Makes about 20
Printable Recipe
Delicious double almond cake/biscuits with a filling of seedless raspberry jam and lucious marshallow cream, drizzled with an almond drizzle icing and topped with flaked almonds and glace cherries. Oh my but these are some good. I believe if I opened my lunch bucket and found one of these, I'd be shouting "Whoopie" too! To make perfectly round whoopie pies use a piping bag with a wide piping nozzle.
75g unsalted butter, melted (5 TBS)
1 large free range egg
150g of caster sugar (3/4 cup)
125g sour cream (slightly more than 1/2 cup)
25ml of cold milk (about 3 TBS) Plus 1 TBS if needed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
275g plain flour (2 cups, less 1 TBS)
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g of ground almonds (1/2 cup)
For the marshmallow cream filling:
100g mini or regular marshmallows (18 large ones)
50ml of milk (1/8 cup)
125g of very soft unsalted butter (8 1/2 TBS)
about 4 heaped TBS of seedless raspberry jam, stirred to loosen
For the drizzle:
200g icing sugar, sifted (about 1 1/2 cups)
cold water
few drops of almond extract
To finish:
10 glace cherries, halved
flaked almonds
Preheat the oven to180*C/350*F/Gas mark4. LIne some large bakign trays with nonstick baking paper and set aside.
Whisk the egg with an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy. Continue to whisk adding the sugar a bit at a time until thick and glossy. Beat in the melted butter, sour cream, milk, vanilla and almond extracts. Sift the flour and baking soda together and then add this to the liquid mixture, beating it in until smooth. Fold in the almonds and if need be the additional TBS of milk. You want a fairly thick batter, not too runny. Spoon into a piping bag with a wide piping nozzle fitted.
Pipe walnut sized balls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 1/2 inches between each. (Alternately you can spoon walnut sized blobs onto the sheets) This will take a few batches of baking so don't worry if they don't all fit on the trays at once.
Bake for 12 to 13 minutes, until slightly browned and crisp around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling. Repeat with remaining batter until it is gone.
To make the marshmallow cream, place the marshmallows and milk in a small saucepan. Cook, stirring, over low heat, until the marshmallows have melted and completely amalgamated with the milk Remove from the heat and cool. Add the butter and beat together until smooth and light.
To assemble, sandwich two cookie/cakes together with a layer of raspberry jam on the bottom, topped with a dollop of marshallow cream. Place the sandwiched whoopie pies onto a baking rack. Whisk together the icing sugar, a few drops of almond extract and enough cold water to make a runny drizzle. You don't want it too runny or too thick. Just add it a bit at a time until you get the proper consistency. Drizzle this over the whoopie pies, topping each with 1/2 of a cherry and some flaked almonds before it sets. Allow to set before serving.
These will keep for several hours once filled and iced. Best eaten on the day they are baked! (Not a problem I'd say!!)
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