I picked up a couple of punnets of nectarines in the shops on Saturday. They looked so good sitting there and nectarines are one of Todd's favourite fruits.

I do confess. I like them too.



Once I got them home though and inspected them a bit closer, I realized that these "ripen at home" stone fruits were never going to ripen at home . . . I could tell that they would stay hard as could be and then by the time they were soft enough to each out of hand they would actually be mealy and tasteless . . .




Tis an all too familiar story, that I read far more often than I would like I'm afraid. Why oh why do the grocery shops do that to us. I am sure that they spray these fruits with something to retard their ripening so as to keep them on the shelves longer . . . and in the process actually ruin the fruit completely . . . sigh . . .




I then had the brilliant idea to cook them. I felt that cooking them would bring out all those beautiful nectarine flavour!!!

Actually when cooking with fruit, they should be a bit on the hard side in my opinion in order to be at their best.




I thought at first a crumble of sorts . . . we do love our crumbles here.

But then I felt a bit lazy and so I just bunged them into a baking dish, poured some sweetened vanilla cream over top and dusted them with toasted flaked almonds.

Easy peasy, lemon squeazy. Hot dang!!! These were scrummily delish!Q Just goes to prove that it is usually the simplest of things in life that brings us the most pleasure . . .



*Nectarines Baked in Cream*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Quite simply tasty.

6 fresh nectarines
300ml of double cream (a generous cup)
4 ounces caster sugar (a generous half cup)
1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthwise or 1 tsp vanilla paste
a generous handful of toasted flaked almonds

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Lightly butter a shallow baking dish, large enough to hold all the fruit.

Skin the nectarines by dropping them into boiling water for a few minutes. After a few minutes, the skins should just slip off. Remove the stones by running a knife blade around the fruit and then twisting the two halves in the opposite direction. Discard stones and cut each half in half again, to give you quarters. Drop them into the prepared dish.

Heat the cream over medium low heat, along with the sugar and Vanilla pod or Vanilla paste ( if using). Heat only until the sugar is dissolved. Pour this mixture over top of the nectarines, leaving the vanilla pod in if you used one. Sprinkle the flaked almonds over top.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the fruit is gorgeously tender. Allow to cool before serving.

a drizzle of honey



Place the roasting tin in the oven and roast for 35 to 40 minutes.   Give the vegetables a stir and then drizzle some honey over top of the chicken.  Return the tray to the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer until all of the vegetables are tender and beginning to caramelize on the edges and the chicken is golden brown and cooked through so that the juices run clear.





Divide the vegetables and chicken between two heated plates and serve immediately.

Any purists out there in blog land had best look away now!! I am quite sure that what I am about to show you today will upset you, and perhaps even send you off the deep end. Some of you might even consider these to be blasphemous . . . as far as Scones go!



I will agree that peanut butter and chocolate together is quite, quite a North American thing, somewhat along the similar lines of peanut butter and jam . . . but very delicious nonetheless!!



Think Reeses Pieces and Peanut Butter Cups. Altogether a scrummy idea indeed!



The Toddster is still not quite convinced that Peanut Butter and Jam belong together, but he quite happily scarfs down these tasty scones when I bake them. I think I can quite safely consider him to be a peanut butter and chocolate convert. ☺



Imagine short peanut buttery scones . . . oh so scrummily flakey and peanutty . . . warm from the oven . . . a tall glass of milk . . . You break one in half to eat and what a delightful surprise!!! A molten river of dark chocolate oozes out onto your plate and fingers . . .



You lick your fingers off . . . off one by one, and then you smile . . .



This is very, very . . . very good! Traditonal . . . almost certainly not. Different . . . absolutely. Delicious . . . most definitely YES!




*Chocolate Stuffed Peanut Butter Scones*
Makes 12 (2 1/2 inch) scones
Printable Recipes

A quintessentially delicious duo that are somewhat surprising in a scone, but very scrummy indeed!

280g of plain flour (2 cups)
85g of soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup firmly packed)
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine seasalt
2 ounces of unsalted butter, chilled (1/4 cup)
3 heaped dessert spoons of creamy peanutbutter (about 3/4 cup)
2 ounces whole milk (1/4 cup)
2 large free range eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
60g chopped unsalted peanuts
2 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, broken into 12 equal squares

Optional - a few whole peanuts to garnish the tops of the scones

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Take out a large baking sheet and set aside.

Whisk the flour, brown sugar, salt and baking powder together in a large bowl. Cut the chilled butter into bits and drop them into the bowl with the flour. Rub them into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, milk, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Pour over the crumbed mixture and knead in until well combined. Knead in in the chopped peanuts. Pat half of the mixture out about 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 12 (2 1/2) inch rounds, gathering scraps and repeating until you have all 12. Place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Place a square of chocolate on top of each in the middle, pressing it down lightly. Pat out the remaining half of the scone mixture, again about 1/2 inch thick. Cut out 12 (2 1/2 inch) rounds. Place each on top of each of the chocolate topped bottom rounds. Press lightly around the edges to seal.

Bake in the heated ovem for about 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the oven and let cool for five minutes, before scooping the scones off with a spatula to finish cooling on a wire rack. Serve warm or cool. Store in a tightly covered container.

This is a simple and delicious traditional type of tart that is perfect for people who are not really fond of desserts that are overly sweet.



The combination of a rich frangipane type of filling, a crisp crust and buttery textured poached pears are just wonderful together. Tinned pears are actually perfect in this, but do dry them off very well before using.



It's also the perfect tart to use stoned fruits with . . . cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots . . . all go equally as well. Just make sure they are very ripe. You can also use poached pieces of apple and quince.



I like to bake this tart with the bottom of the tart ring removed, so that the bottom of the crust lies directly on the baking sheet. This ensures a crisp bottom. The filling is quite moist and I find that the crust doesn't crisp up as much as I would like if I keep the bottom in the tart tin. The contact of the bottom of the crust with the baking sheet conducts the heat much better. Don't worry about anything leaking. It just won't happen.



It's really quite easy and not at all complicated. It just looks that way! They'll think you slaved all day over it!

It can be our little secret!!



*Pear and Almond Tart*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

This is a delicious pear tart that is not overly sweet. A classic tart that works well with other fruits also. You can use peaches, cherries, apricots or berries as well quite successfully. (Raspberries are really wonderful this way.) Sliced apples and quince also work very well.

enough flaky pastry to line a 9 inch tart tin
(your own or ready made)

for the almond cream:
200g of sliced almonds (2 cups)
200g of caster sugar (1 cup)
7 ounces butter, room temperature (3/4 cup plus 2 TBS)
4 tsp brandy (optional)
2 large free range eggs
2 TBS whole milk

You will also need:
a tin of pear halves in juice, drained well
(You'll need 6 to 8 halves, depending on the size of the pears)
3 TBS apricot jam



Preheat the oven to 190*C/ 375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick liner. Place the ring to a 9 inch tart pan, with a removable bottom, on the paper. (This tart works out best when you use only the ring, and not the bottom. Due to the moistness of the filling the pastry browns nicer on the bottom when you do this.)

Roll out your pastry to fit into the ring and place it into the ring, trimming as necessary. Chill while you make the almond cream.

Combine the almonds with 50g of the sugar (1/4 cup) in a food processor. Process until finely ground. Set aside. Beat the butter on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the remaining 150g (3/4 cup) of sugar and mix to incorporate. Add the almond/sugar mixture and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the salt, brandy (if using) and 1 egg. Mix thoroughly. Add the remaining egg and the milk and mix until light and fluffy.

Fill the tart shell with the almond cream, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Arrange the fruit attractively on top. Bake in the heated oven until the crust is golden brown and the filing is set, about an hour and twenty minutes to an hour and a half. The filling should be firm and spring back when lightly touched. Transfer to a wire rack.

Warm the jam in a small saucepan over low heat, just until it is liquid. Press it through a sieve to make a glaze. Brush the warm glaze over the fruit tart right away while it is still hot.

Allow the tart to cool completely before unmolding. Serve at room temperature.

A dollop of clotted cream goes very well!

Something that my mother could never get any of us to eat for breakfast when I was a child, was . . . good old oatmeal porridge.



A bowl of porridge used to be met with groans and moans of disgust . . . there was no way . . . we hated it, absolutely loathed it. It didn't matter that is was healthy, stick to your ribs, energy building or even that it would put hair on your chest . . . (yeh mom, duh . . . )

Oatmeal cookies . . . we loved.

Oatmeal cake . . . we gobbled down with ultimate speed.

Oatmeal porridge . . . call out the exorcist, coz we just weren't havin it! No way . . . no how. It was slimey and . . . blecch.



In all honesty I don't think we ever gave it a fair chance. It was just one of those things that we had made up our minds ahead of time that we just weren't going to eat.



If she had had this tasty recipe in her bag of breakfast treats, it might have been a completely different story!



Mildly spiced with warm sweet spices . . . cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice . . .

Homey, only slightly sweet, and almost custardy . . . with the mild flavour of pumpkin . . .

And then there's that sweet, nutty and crunchy topping . . . sigh . . .



I can't even remember where I found the recipe for this. IF I pinched it from you, I apologize . . . I only know for sure that I have had it scribbled onto a little piece of paper in my purse for ages and only just now got around to making it.



Breakfast will never be the same again!

If you are like me, right about now the courgettes in your garden or allotment are going nutso! Mine are ripening fast and furiously!!



It's just wonderful. I like to use them when they are fairly small and so we have been having courgettes in one form or another most days.



They are very versatile and generally speaking take on the flavour of whatever you happen to be cooking then with. We like them raw and in salads, or lightly sauteed until crispy tender with a bit of garlic . . . sprinkled with a bit of Parmesan . . . mmmm . . . mmmm . . . good!!



Cut into sticks or rounds and rolled in seasoned flour, then dipped in egg and coated in spicy breadcrumbs, they make excellent dippers!



I stog them into soups and lasagnas and casseroles!



My favourite thing to do with them though is to bake them into lovely muffins and loaves. They have the wonderful capacity to create wonderfully moist and tender loaves and muffins!



This is one of my best recipes, creating a moist and spicy loaf, chock full of toasted walnuts and sweet/tart dried cranberries! It's also very pretty with little green flecks and ruby morsels . . . almost festive in appearance. In fact, I keep small bags of grated courgettes in my freezer to use for this very type of thing when the winter winds begin to blow!



I hope that you'll try this and I hope that it becomes a favourite with you too!



*Courgette Loaf with Dried Cranberries and Toasted Walnuts*
Makes one 8 inch loaf
Printable Recipe

I like to use small courgettes for this, but if you have larger ones, just be sure to scoop our the seeds and discard. Moist, spicy and chock full of lovely dried cranberries and wanuts!

2 small courgettes (about 1 pound altogether), washed and ends trimmed off
10 ounces plain flour (2 cups)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
10 1/2 ounces caster sugar (1 1/2 cups)
6 TBS butter, melted and cooled
2 large free range eggs
1/4 cup of plain yoghurt
the juice of one half lemon
2 ounces toasted walnuts, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 small handfuls of dried cranberries

To finish:
the juice of half a lemon
3 TBS caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark4. Butter an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf tin. Line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Grate the courgettes on the large holes of a box grater. Place into a clean cuptowel and squeeze as much moisture out as you can. Set aside.

Measure the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and allspice into a bowl. Whisk together well.

Measure the sugar, melted butter, eggs, yoghurt and lemon juice into a small bowl. Whisk together well. Using a rubber spatula, fold into the dry ingredients along with the grated courgettes, mixing only to combine. Gently fold in the nuts and cranberries. Spoon into the prepared baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour, turning the pan around halfway through the baking time. It should be well risen, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Stir the lemon juice and sugar together until the sugar dissolves. Remove the loaf from the pan and brush the lemon syrup all over, allowing it to soak in completely. Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 1 hour before serving.

 


Todd and I are going to take a little trip into Wales today, a day trip as it were.  We are supposed to be having a beautiful day weather-wise and it may well be one of the last few we get before the weather turns.  

You can never tell over here.  I think it was Bob Hope who said about our weather . . . "Don't like the British weather?  Wait five minutes!"



I recently bought a little booklet at the grocery store, entitled Delicious Pastries.  I fear I have been in love with puff pastry my whole life.

This love has been fueled by trips made to my French Grandmaman's home where we would feast on caramel filled puff pastry squares dolloped with thick sweet cream . . . mmmm . . . so good. That was the first time I saw people eating cream dolloped onto pastry.



I don't generally make my own puff pastry.  If you buy a good quality all butter brand, there is no need to do so. It's as good as any you can make.  

There was a recipe in the booklet that I had been eyeballing since I got it home for some  delicious looking Sugar and Almond Pastries and I thought they would be perfect for our picnic.



As well, they appeared very quick and easy to make, and y'all know how lazy I am, lol.  The filling is a very simple almond frangipane filling.

It is rich with egg yolks, melted butter, sugar and almonds (of course!)  Two different kinds, both ground and flaked.



You may think they look a bit strange and you would be right.   I didn't seal the edges of my pastries well enough and they blew open as they baked.

Which isn't really as big a disaster as you might think. They just aren't very perfect looking, but I can assure you they taste fabulous all the same.



So why am I showing you them if they aren't perfect???  For several reasons.  One . . . you need to know that not everything I touch turns to gold.  

And two . . . it's a sound recipe and They taste fabulous, no matter how they look.  So there. 



This is how they are supposed to look. ☺

Arrange the squares on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake in the heated oven for 20 minutes, until golden and starting to brown.  Remove from the oven and brush immediately with the melted butter and sprinkle with the caster sugar.   Leave to cool on the baking sheet.  Serve warm or cold.  Store any leftovers in an airtight container.