Remember that cookbook I got the other day, "The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook?" I didn't tell you this at the time, but my copy arrived with a whole bunch of blank pages in it. I contacted the Yeo Valley Family Farm and told them about it and asked could they e-mail me the missing recipes.
They went one better and sent me a whole new cookbook! I was so impressed, considering I hadn't gotten it from them in the first place but from Amazon. I never expected them to mail me a whole new one. I just wanted the missing recipes. Thank you YEO VALLEY! You're the best. (Plus they threw in a money saving coupon for their tasty yogurt. So what else could I do but bake these lovely scones and give them a shout out of thanks!
I have to say, no word of a lie . . . these are the nicest scones I have ever baked. They rose really well. The finished scones were about 4 inches tall!
Flaky and deliciously stogged full of lovely dried sour cherries and white chocolate chunks. I used a bar and a half of Green and Blacks White Chocolate in mine and it was just perfect. I just broke each little rectangular piece of chocolate in half. The perfect little treasure, tucked inside the perfect scone . . .
I baked them for our breakfast the other morning . . . the tasty smell of them baking wafted up the stairs and got the Toddster out of bed lickety split! You got to do your baking early in the morning on these hot and sticky days . . . just sayin' is all . . .
They made the perfect breakfast topped with a dollop of clotted cream and some M&S Turkish Black Cherry Jam with Vanilla. (Oh my goodness I love that stuff! It's my favourite jam!) Oh boy, was that a breakfast made in heaven . . . and in all honesty, they didn't really need the clotted cream and jam because I have been eating one every morning for breakfast ever since, cold, out of the tin with no embellishment whatsoever and they are still fabulous!
Next time I am going to use dried blueberries and a bit of lemon zest along with the white chocolate bits and then serve them with clotted cream and lemon curd. I can't wait!!
*Yogurt, White Chocolate and Sour Cherry Scones*
Makes one dozen
Adapted from the Yeo Valley Farmhouse Cookbook. Deliciously tasty!Makes one dozen
Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead briefly until just smooth. Pat out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into rounds using a sharp 3 inch cutter and using a direct up and down tap with the cutter, taking care not to twist it, cutting as many as you can from this first cutting. Remove to the prepared baking sheet, leaving space between. Gently re-knead the scraps and pat out, repeating the cutting process, until you have 12 rounds.
Eat on the day with lots of soft butter for spreading, dollops of strawberry jam and cups of hot tea, herbal or otherwise!
Now THAT'S a tasty ♥ mouthful ♥ !!
It's hard to believe that it's Friday already and we have had one glorious week of beautifully sunny and warm weather. My salad loving heart has been having a hay day!
I had a few ripe white nectarines in the fridge today that needed to be eaten pronto and with all of this gorgeous weather my strawberries are ripening in spades! I wanted something for supper that I could use both in . . . and I didn't want it to be a dessert.
I remembered a salad I had made a very long time ago using fruit, ham and Gruyere cheese. It is far too hot to cook at the moment so I thought I would try to recreate something similar to that salad, using the nectarines . . . and creating a strawberry balsamic dressing to drizzle over it.
Strawberries and balsamic vinegar go so well with each other. They go together like rama rama lama ka dinga da dinga dong! (Don't you just love Grease?) And so I took two heads of baby gem lettuces . . . with their slightly bitter edge, a red leaf and a green leaf . . . and tore them into a bowl. On top went the nectarines and a scattering of torn ham . . .
Sprinkled with toasted walnuts (Do toast them, the flavour is so much nuttier!) and a smattering of crumbled salty and tangy feta cheese, it went down a real treat. Not boring at all, and that dressing ♥♥♥ Love. Sigh.
Well . . . I could just eat that . . . with a spoon, drizzled over ice cream even . . . seriously. Now THAT would be very good too . . .
*Nectarine Salad with a Strawberry Balsamic Dressing*
Serves 4
Refreshingly
different. If you can get white nectarines use them. I think they are
much sweeter than the yellow ones. The dressing is a pleasant mix of
sweet and sour with a bit of a bite.
Tear your lettuce into a large bowl. Cut the nectarines in half, discard the pits and then slice into wedges. Scatter over top of the lettuce. Tear the ham and scatter it over top. Drizzle with some of the dressing. Sprinkle the feta cheese and toasted walnuts over all. Serve immediately and pass the extra dressing at the table.
More Al Fresco dining here in the English Kitchen today. This warm weather we've been enjoying calls for meals that are light, refreshing and that help to keep the kitchen cool!!
I often pick up small free range chickens at the shops when they are on special and then bring them home and cut them into serving size pieces . . . the breasts, bones, skin on and supreme attached (That is the first bone of the wing. This allows for a brilliant presentation and a convenient handle to flip them with!), leg quarters (thigh and drumstick left together), and then the rest gets banged into a container to use for making stock at some point. You can see a brilliant video on how to that here.
This salad here today is fresh and light and quick to make. It uses fresh baby spinach leaves and baby snap peas. The snap peas are lightly blanched so that they stay crispy tender and hold that brilliant green colour.
The chicken breasts are lightly seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, and then seared on both sides over high heat, so that you get crisp golden skin and a beautiful presentation. They are finished by briefly roasting them in a hot oven. Don't worry they won't be in there long enough to heat up the kitchen!
The salad is dressed with a fat free . . . YES fat free coconut milk dressing, which goes wonderfully with the crisp chicken, tender spinach leaves . . . and all of those crispy tender sugar snaps!
I don't think this could get any better . . . seriously. It's that good. I hope that you'll take advantage of this lovely weather and give it a go!
*Crispy Chicken, Sugar Snaps and Spinach Salad*
Serves 2
1/2 tsp minced garlic
100g of sugar snap peas, trimmed and blanched (1/4 pound)
Set aside.
Brush the chicken with some olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
Whisk the coconut milk, basil, garlic, some salt and some pepper together well. Place the peas and spinach into a bowl. Add the coconut dressing and toss to coat. Divide the pea mixture between two plates, slice the chicken into bits diagonally and place atop the salad mixture. Serve immediately.
OH boy, I do so love summer, don't you?
I am just loving this summer heat wave we are having. We have had several really poor summers in a row here in the UK, so this sunny warm weather is lovely to see!
A few weeks back we planted lots of salad leaves in portable troughs by our back/kitchen door. They are doing beautifully along with the variety of herbs I have planted . . . and this weather is just perfect for using them!
We holidayed in the South of France one year and had a lovely time. It was so quiet and sunny . . . and filled with beautiful medieval walled towns, cobbled streets . . . and gorgeous bistros where you could get the loveliest simple dishes . . .
Dishes very similar to this salad . . . the type of thing that you might served in someone's home were you to drop by for a meal . . . simple food, using beautiful fresh ingredients, simply and well prepared.
Delicious flavours. This salad uses lovely baby salad greens . . . fresh herbs . . . today I used mint, dill, tarragon, parsley and chives, and a few spring onions . . . a few thinly sliced crisp garden radishes complete the picture . . .
Do use a good quality Sherry Vinegar . . . and a good quality Dijon mustard. It goes without saying that you want a good salad quality extra virgin olive oil. Some boiled new potatoes. A couple of sliced hard boiled eggs . . . and you have a meal fit for a king.
As the Toddster tucked into his tonight he said to me . . . "Your salads are never boring!" That made my day. I hate boring salads . . . don't you?
And I loved that he notices. Mind . . . the barbequed Bratwurst on the side didn't hurt . . .
*Bistro Potato Salad *
Serves 2
A refreshingly light supper salad filled with herbs and dressed with a sherry vinaigrette. Serves 2
Arrange the salad leaves on a large serving dish, leaving a space in the centre for the potatoes. Sprinkle with the herbs, spring onions and chives. Season with salt and drizzle with a bit more sherry vinegar. Put the potatoes in the centre and arrange the egg quarters around them.
Whisk together the mustard, vinegar and oil for the vinaigrette. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the potato salad. Sprinkle with a few extra herbs and the radish slices and serve.
We seriously made short work of this in no time . . . it was unctuously delicious. Creamy new potatoes, crisp and peppery radishes, herby salad leaves . . . and a dressing with punch. Glorious!
I love summer. Our garden is filled to overflowing with fresh produce and fruit. It's one of my favourite times of the year. I know . . . I know . . . I say that all year round. I guess I just love food, no matter what time of year it is . . . but in the summer when it is fresh, it's even better!
There are a few things that have a tendency to come on in a glut though . . . like courgettes and tomatoes. It's a bit early for the tomatoes just yet . . . but the courgettes are coming on fabulously!
It helps to have delicious recipes like this one here today to help keep things from getting boring. I mean who wouldn't like a tasty casserole which bakes like a pudding . . . but a savoury pudding . . . topped with the buttery crunch of crisp croutons.
A deliciously savoury pudding chock full of lovely green courgettes, garlic, onions and cheese. Yep. Two kinds. A rich strong cheddar and a punchy Monterrey Jack . . . use the peppered one if you are feeling especially up to it . . .
Oh, and there are green chilies in it too . . . just for an added kick. I guarantee nobody is going to be bored with this one . . . trust me on this.
*Courgette and Cheese Bake*
Serves 5 to 6
This is a fabulous way to use up the glut of courgettes which should be appearing in the gardens about now.
4 medium courgettes
3 medium free range eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 TBS flour
small handful flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 TBS flour
small handful flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 green jalapeno chilies, trimmed, seeded and chopped
1 cup grated strong cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Monterrey jack cheese
1 1/2 cup seasoned croutons
2 TBS butter, melted
2 TBS butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a shallow 1 litre casserole. Set aside.
Whisk
together the eggs, milk, salt, baking powder and flour until smooth.
Toss the courgettes together with the parsley, garlic, onion, chopped
chilies and cheese in a bowl. Pour the egg mixture over all and stir
to combine. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish. Combine
the melted butter and croutons. Sprinkle these over top of the
casserole, spreading them out evenly. Bake, uncovered in the heated
oven for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown and set in the middle. Let
stand for ten minutes before serving. Delicious!
I can't remember the first time I tasted Buffalo Chicken Wings, but I do remember it was love at first bite. Of course I love any kind of chicken wings . . . why oh why are the things that are so tasty so bad for you? It's just not fair!
There is something pretty special about Buffalo Chicken Wings . . . you get all the richness of a fried chicken wing . . . with that crisp crunchy skin, that succulent chicken meat . . . slathered in a buttery hot and spicy sauce . . . and then the cool richness of blue cheese dressing. The three things just go soooo well together. Quite, quite irresistible really!
This delicious casserole combines the fabulous qualities of those wings, but in a casserole form. What could be better??? Not much I tell you! (Except for maybe the real thing!!)
You start by creating a delicious hot sauce/marinade, which you combine with cubed chunks of baking potato to coat. You then roast these in a hot oven until they are nicely browned . . . cooked through and tender on the insides, but crisp on the outsides.
While those have been roasting, you marinate leftover roast chicken in another portion of that hot sauce. Once the taters are all crisped up and down you sprinkle the chicken mixture over top and then sprinkle the whole lot with cheese . . . both blue and cheddar cheeses.
And that's not all . . . oh no . . . that's not all. You then sprinkle the cheese topping with crisp nuggets of pancetta bacon and chopped spring onion.
The whole thing gets banged back in the oven until the chicken is heated through and the cheese is all melty gooey . . . oh my . . . oh my.
Tis a mighty delicious way to deal with chicken leftovers is all I can say . . . mighty delicious indeed.
*Buffalo Chicken Casserole*
Serves 4
Serves 4
1 TBS freeze dried parsley
100g of crumbled blue cheese (1 cup)
240g of grated medium cheddar cheese (2 cups)
Remove all from the oven. Scatter the sauced chicken over top of the potatoes. Crumble the blue cheese over top of the chicken and sprinkle with the grated cheddar. Drain the pancetta and sprinkle this over top. Scatter with 2/3 of the spring onions. Bang back in the oven and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until the chicken is heated through and the cheese is all bubbly.
Note - I served this with wedges of iceberg lettuce with a homemade creamy dressing.
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