If you were to ask any Canadian what one of their favorite indulgent dishes is . . . and hands down . . . you are sure to come up with more than one answer of Poutine! Poutine, that Canadian dish of hot chips (french fries) topped with squeaky cheese curds, and hot gravy . . . the chips and the gravy melting the cheese so that every forkful is a mix of oozy gravy, hot chip goodness!
Another favourite diner meal would be the Hot Turkey Sandwich. I know I ate a fair few of these in my lifetime! Canadians love to embrace turkey any way they can get it and a hot sandwich with two slices of bread layered with hot turkey and slathered in gravy, and served along french fries, peas and carrots and a pot of homemade coleslaw are up there on the list of favourites as well!
This tasty dish today combines two of those favourite indulgences into something you are going to find yourself asking . . . now, why didn't "I" think of that! DOH! Don't worry about it, I've done all the thinking for you.
What you have here is hot chips (french fries) . . . you can make your own from scratch, or you can use a good oven chip . . . topped with two scoops of poultry stuffing, and some chunks of roasted turkey . . . slathered in hot turkey gravy . . . and then doused with a combination of both cheddar and mozzarella cheeses.
What you have here is a bit of a wicked indulgence perhaps . . . but oh well . . . you don't really have to eat the whole thing do you???
Ok, I'll admit it . . . it's pretty hard not to. ☺ By the way, you have to make my stuffing with this . . . it's really the best, if I don't say so myself, and I know . . . I just did.
*Hot Turkey Poutine*
Serves 4 they're gorgeous!)
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese (about 1 cup)
4 ounces grated mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup
leftover stuffing
*Poultry Stuffing*
Makes 12 servings
This
is delicious. Don't balk at the ingredients. They absolutely work.
Just open your mind and go with it. This is the most delicious
stuffing. It freezes well. I pack it into a loaf tin and chill. I
then dump it out, slice and then wrap each slice individually and
freeze. When we are ready to eat it, I just take out what I want and
cook it (frozen) in some hot butter, browning it on both sides.
Delicious! Alternately you can spoon it into a baking dish, cover and
bake at 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3 for about 25 minutes.
6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 TBS butter
2 slices white bread, crumbled
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 TBS white sugar
1 TBS soft light brown sugar
1 TBS mild molasses
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp dried powdered sage
1 TBS dried summer savory
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Cook
your potatoes until soft in a pot of lightly salted water. Drain well
and mash along with the butter until smooth. Add the crumbled bread to
the mashed potatoes along with the onion, sugars, herbs, molasses,
vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix together well. Pack into a buttered 9
by 5 inch loaf pan. Cover and chill for several hours. This can be
frozen at this point. When ready to serve, melt some butter in a pan.
Slice the dressing and lightly brown for about 5 minutes per side.
This blows stove top stuffing out of the water!
Go on . . . make it, you know you really want to!
I had in mind all week that I was going to make a Pavlova. Food of the God's is Pavlova . . . all light and airy and somehow when you are eating it, you kind of are misguided into thinking there are no calories . . . coz it's kind of like eating a cloud, right??? And everyone knows that clouds have no calories!
I normally top my Pavlova with peaches or raspberries, but this today I decided to do something quite, quite different. I had some apples that needed using and I thought to myself . . . how about a Pavlova that has all the elements of an Apple Crumble . . . and then I thought to myself, who not go one step further and make it an Apple and Blackberry Crumble.
Imagine it . . . a soft cloud of crisp on the outside, mallow like on the inside meringue . . . filled with a rich cloud of softly whipped cream . . .
Now . . . top that cloud with a sweet/tart mixture of caramelized and slightly spiced apples mixed with fresh blackberries . . .
Finally . . . top the whole thing with scrummily sugared, flaked and toasted almonds . . . this is genius, pure culinary genius.
Sigh . . . this is the food of the Gods, all light and ethereal . . . and totally calorie free, I am sure of it!!!
Shhhh . . . please don't burst my bubble! Sigh . . . I do so love it when I am inspired to push the boundaries of the traditional and create something totally familiar and at the same time totally new and refreshing!!
*Apple and Blackberry Crumble Pavlova*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe
All your favourite flavours in one scrummy dessert!
For the Meringue:
3 large free range egg whites
6 ounces caster sugar (a scant cup)
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp white wine vinegar
For the Filling:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 TBS butter
2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
pinch salt
1 punnet of blackberries (about 1 cup)
300ml of double cream (1 1/4 cups)
For the sugared almond topping:
1 1/2 ounces flaked almonds
2 TBS caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 130*C/260*F/ gas mark 1/2. Trace out a 7 inch circle on a sheet of baking paper. Place the baking paper on top of a baking sheet. Set aside.
Place the egg whites into a clean, grease free, glass or metal bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add half of the sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Slowly beat in the remaining sugar (reserving 1 TBS) until it is all amalgamated. Stir the cornflour and remaining sugar together and beat that in along with the vinegar, beating it for about a minute. Spoon the meringue mixture out onto the baking paper, spreading it with a metal spoon to fill the circle and scooping it somewhat hollow in the centre, creating a raised edge all around.
Place into the heated oven and bake for about 1 hour, until crisp on the outside and mallow like on the inside. Set aside to cool on the baking tray. Once completely cooled, carefully peel off the baking paper and set the meringue onto a plate.
For the filling, place the apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into a small skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally over medium high heat, until the apples are somewhat softened and beginning to caramelize, but still holding their shape. Stir in the blackberries and set aside to cool completely.
Make the sugared almond topping by placing the almonds into a skillet along with the sugar. (Have a sheet of baking paper ready and waiting on the counter.) Cook and stir over medium high heat until the sugar melts and begins to coat the almonds, some 2 to 3 minutes. Take care not to burn the sugar. Remove from the heat immediately and pour the almonds out onto the baking paper, spreading them out as much as you can. Allow to cool completely.
When ready to assemble whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Spoon this into the centre of the meringue. Spoon the apple and blackberry mixture over top along with all their juices. Sprinkle with the candied almonds and serve immediately. Delicious!
If you are thinking this is a repeat, then you would be correct. This is a repost from an earlier date. I just didn't have anything new to show you today, but thought you wouldn't mind em re-sharing this! Blackberry season is upon us!
The Basil is going mad in my garden at the moment. I can't use it up fast enough. It's the perfect time to make Pesto!
We love pesto in this house and it's so much nicer when you can make your own.
It's not really practical to make it during the winter months because it's so expensive to buy the fresh leaves and you really need a lot to make a really good pesto.
I will use the jarred kind in a pinch, but I much prefer the fresh if I can get it.
Basil isn't something that winters at all in a garden, so you need to plant it every year. We plant ours from seed in pots outside the kitchen door.
It's really prolific and I like to make great use of it while I can! It comes in ever so handy for all sorts, but making your own pesto is the greatest use of all!
Ready to use in a Summer Pea, New Potato and Pesto Tart! Delicious!
Tomato Pesto Tartlettes, simple and quick to make.
You can spread it onto chicken breasts, top with some fresh mozzarella cheese and and roast them with some baby plum tomatoes. Easy Peasy.
A delicious Spinach, Pea and Gruyere Tart!
You can use it as a simple sauce on top of fish. Just spread it onto the top, sprinkle on some buttered bread crumbs and roast. Also easy.
It's such a versatile ingredient. We like it on sandwiches and all sorts. It's lovely stirred into hot pasta!
It's super easy to make, especially if you have a food processor.
Don't fret if you don't though . . . it is possible to do it in a mortar and pestle, although it is a lot harder work! You need a lot of ooomph!
Just remember air is your enemy when it comes to pesto and make sure you keep a thin layer of olive oil over the top of it, or keep it tightly covered with plastic wrap. It also freezes very well.
I do hope you'll try it. It's just so simple to make, and once you have made your own . . . you'll never be satisfied with it from a jar again.
*A Simple Basil Pesto*
Makes about 2 cupsa small handful of toasted pine nuts
4 peeled and chopped cloves of garlic
3 cups of basil leaves, lightly packedYour pesto is now ready
to use. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For longer
storage freeze. You can freeze this in ice cube trays. Just divide
amongst the little cups, add a thin layer of olive oil on top and
freeze. Pop out into a zip lock baggie and return to the freezer. You
can take out as many as you want to use then, whenever you need them.
I don't do it very often, and my waistline shows it, but occasionally I do like to try to eat something healthy, and by that I mean low fat and filled with fibre. I do eat healthy for the most part . . . just not low fat, which I suppose means unhealthy. I can't win!
The other day I had some cabbage that needed using up and so I decided to make something for our lunch with that. It's amazing what you can do with just a few simple ingredients and a bit of ingenuity.
One potato, a small cabbage, a large shallot and a tin of beans. That's all this is . . .oh and a smattering of Parmesan on the top. So simple and so tasty.
You cut the potato into small cubes and brown them slowly in ajust a touch of of olive oil. Once they have begun to brown you add some thinly sliced shallot, and then a well drained tin of cannellini beans . . .
You let them brown too, or as much as you can do . . . beans are not something which are easily browned. Then you toss in the cabbage and some fresh thyme leaves . . .
Continue to cook until the cabbage is nice and tender and then serve up. If you cut the cabbage really thin, that shouldn't take too long. Of course if you are impatient you can parboil the cabbage first . . . just drain it really well.
Then again, you may enjoy a bit of crunch. I do enjoy the crunch . . . but my tummy doesn't. I'm afraid my cabbage has to be a bit well done . . . getting old is a pain in the pattootie in a lot of ways . . . and the way that things like this affect my innards is just one of them. (I know! TMI!)
Any ways, this was economical, simple, hearty, delicious and quick.
*White Beans and Cabbage*
Serves 4
This is hearty and satisfying and not altogether unhealthy. I love this.
2 TBS olive oil
1 medium floury potato, unpeeled and cut into small dice
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large Eschalon Shallot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 425g tin of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed and drained again (15 ounce)
1/2 of a small cabbage shredded finely, about 3 cups
the leaves from one sprig of fresh thyme
freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Toss in the potato cubes once it is hot and stir fry, seasoning with some salt and black pepper, once the potatoes are tender and have begun to brown, add the shallots. Cook and stir for a few minutes, then scoot them to one side with the potatoes. Add the beans in one layer and allow them to brown slightly, scrape them up and allow them to brown some more. Toss in the cabbage and season again lightly, adding the leaves from the thyme. Cook for another few minutes, until the cabbage is limp, but still maintains it's colour.
The timing of this depends on the kind of cabbage you use. A savoy is not as sturdy as a white cabbage, so will not take as long. Give it all a good toss and then slide the whole bunch into a large flat bowl to serve. Dust with a good dusting of Parmesan Cheese and serve, passing more Parmesan at the table.
The weather has been a lot cooler these past few days, and not so stifling . . . Todd was so happy, even though he really loved the heat. He was getting a bit tired of salads though . . . he was craving some meat and potatoes.
So what's a gal to do? Well, I love my man a lot, and so I cooked him up a real man-pleasing meat and potatoes meal. He loves bangers and mash most of all . . . so that's what I did . . .
But not just any bangers and mash, no. Oven Barbequed Bangers and Mash. This is the best of the best. I do confess to having a certain fondness for it myself.
The sausages are par-boiled on top of the stove in some water, along with some onions to help render out some of that fat. They you lightly brown them in a nonstick pan. The softened onions are put into the bottom of a shallow baking dish. A delicious home made barbeque sauce is poured over top and then you drop in the browned sausages.
The whole thing then gets banged into the oven. The sauce, which appears quite liquidy when you first put it into the dish, thickens into a glossy rich sauce . . . filled with lovely bits of soft onion, coating and glazing the sausages.
The sausages are meltingly tender and in that sauce . . . wowsa, just heavenly . . . and with a side of mash, you just can't go wrong. Winner/winner chicken dinner!
Except it's not. Chicken that is . . . it's Banger's and Mash, but not as you know it. ☺
Try them for yourself. I think you'll agree that this dinner is quite scrumptious indeed! There is nothing that could make this any tastier than it already is. Guaranteed!
*Oven Barbequed Sausages*
Serve 4 to 6
These are plump, juicy and flavourful. Baked in the oven and delicious with mashed potatoes, peas and some crusty bread for mopping up all of that delicious sauce. Simple, easy and economical. This is one of Todd's favourite dinners and it's not surprising that it is These are just wonderful.
8 plump good quality dinner sized pork sausages
(I like Cumberland)
2 medium onions, peeled, halved and sliced in half moons
250ml of tomato ketchup (1 cup)
250ml of water (1 cup)
30ml of cider vinegar (about 1/8 cup)
4 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Bring a pot of plain water to the boil. Add the sausages and onions. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Scoop out the sausages and brown them lightly in a frying pan you have coated with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. While they are browning, strain the onions out of the water and put them in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Whisk together all of the remaining ingredients. Pour this mixture over top of the onions. Add the sausages to the baking dish, turning them to coat them in the sauce.
Bake the sausages for 30 to 40 minutes in the heated oven, uncovered, until the sauce has thickened and the sausages are tender and glazed somewhat. Serve hot with mashed potatoes, peas and some crusty bread!
Tuesday is my birthday. I'm not going to tell you how old I am going to be, well . . . you probably know that already, so there's really no point, and for those of you who don't . . . let me just say one word . . . old.
I can't think of any better way to celebrate it than by baking myself a delicious cake. A traditional butter cake is my choice of cakes when it comes to an occasion like this. You just cannot beat an old fashioned butter cake!
They do say that you are only as old as you feel. There are some days I feel sixteen, and there are some days I feel eighty. I aim for somewhere in the middle most of the time!
And sometimes I actually succeed! I do feel somewhere in the middle. Its that first look in the mirror in the morning that knocks me back! haha
You might be tempted to think that my choice of a Birthday Celebration Cake would be something decadently fudgy and chocolatey. I do love chocolate, but you would be wrong.
Ever since I was a little girl my celebratory cakes have never been chocolate cakes . . . I do love them but . . . I have cakes that I love much more than that. When I am wanting a cake I long for something moist and buttery, and flavoured with vanilla.
When I am celebrating I want something simple and delicious, like this traditional butter cake I am showing you here today.
If I am going to have to bake my own Birthday Cake (and I am coz my husband . . . he doesn't bake!), then I don't want it to take me oodles of time and ingredients. Nobody wants to spend hours in the kitchen on their birthday.
By the time you bake a cake that takes oodles of time and ingredients you don't feel like eating cake any more, and that's not my idea of a celebration!
Is it yours??? I'm sorry if it is. I love to bake but that has its limits. I also LOVE to be baked for.
On a day like this, I just want quick, easy, simple and . . . delicious. This cake fits the bill on all of those counts.
No kidding. Would I like to you? I think not!
This has got to be one of the tastiest and simplest cakes ever going. A simple Butter cake.
You just dump everything into the bowl and beat it up. Pop it into a slow oven and . . . *Presto Chango* . . . one hour later . . . Bob's your uncle!
Even the icing isn't complicated. It's just icing sugar and water, or lemon juice, or orange juice . . . you decide.
My husband doesn't like lemon, but I do. It's my birthday, so this time we are going with lemon.
And a bit of ice cream on the side goes down very well too. Enjoy! I know I will!
In the UK they love lashings of custard with any kind of cake or dessert. On a birthday the North American in me longs for ice cream. Plain and simple, vanilla ice cream.
*A Butter Cake*
Makes one 8 inch round cake
This is a simple, one bowl cake. It's rich and delicious. Easily adaptable to other flavours as well. Nice served plain or spread with a basic icing.Makes one 8 inch round cake
pinch salt
125ml of milk (1/2 cup)
Preheat the oven to 150*C/300*F/ gas mark 2. Butter an 8 inch round baking tin and line with baking paper. Set aside.
Measure all of the ingredients into the bowl, sifting the flour, baking powder and soda in. Add a pinch of salt. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed to combine, then increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is just smooth. Spread into your prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour 5 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire rack to finish cooling. May be served plain or with a basic icing.
Variations:
Coffee Butter Cake: Dissolve 2 TBS instant coffee granules in 1 TBS boiling water and add as above
Orange Butter Cake: Add 1 TBS finely grated orange zest.
Lemon Butter Cake : Add 1 TBS finely grated lemon zest
Spiced Butter Cake: Add 1 tsp either cinnamon or mixed spice.
Basic Icing:
Sift 195g ( 1 1/2 cups) icing sugar into a bowl. Mix through 2 TBS water or 2 TBS lemon juice, plus 1 tsp or lemon zest, or 2 TBS orange juice plus 1 tsp orange zest until you have a smooth mixture. Spoon over cake.
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons