There is nothing that brings me more satisfaction than being able to pull together a few simple ingredients and come up with a delicious dish that has people ooohing and aaahing and, well . . . wanting more . . .



You can't really go wrong with the combination of onions and cheese.
They are the perfect marriage.



Onions have a natural sweetness that goes so well with the tang of a good cheddar!
You see it in French Onion Soup . . .


With the added crunch of a toasted crouton on top . . .



This delicious casserole has all of the same elements . . .
except there's a tasty, creamy sauce as well.



Make this today.  You will love it.  I kid you not.  Go on . . . you know you want to.




*Cheese Scalloped Onions*
Serves 4 to 6

This is a lovely side dish.  Cheese and onions go together so very well.  They also go very well with most things.

3 large onions, peeled and sliced
6 ounces grated strong cheddar cheese
2 cups croutons, crushed a bit
2 ounces butter (1/4 cup)
2 ounces flour (1/4 cup)
500 ml of whole milk (2 cups)
salt and black pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg
a knob of butter

Place the onion in a large saucepan.  Cover with lightly salted boiling water and allow to sit on a slow simmer while you make the sauce.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook for one minutes.  Slowly whisk in the milk.  Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble.  Season to taste with salt, black pepper and some freshly grated nutmeg.  Remove from the heat.

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F/gas 4.  Butter a 2 litre casserole dish.

Drain the onions well.   Place half of the onions into the buttered dish.  Sprinkle with half the cheese and half the croutons.  Pour on half of the sauce.  Layer on the remaining onions and cheese.  Pour the remaining sauce over top.  Cut into it a bit with a dull knife to distribute the sauce evenly through out.  Sprinkle on the remaining croutons.  Dot with butter.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving.  Delicious!

Oh, I am so very annoyed with myself. I told myself the other day that I wasn't going to bake anything scrummy for a while . . .



I wasn't going to bake anything that I couldn't resist stogging into my cake hole for a while . . .



I wasn't going to bake anything so scrumptiously moreish that I would find it hard to resist for a while . . . and then what do I do???



I go and create something so moreishly, decadently, scrumptiously magnificent that NOBODY would be able resist it!!




I know . . . I'm one bad puddy tat! But then again . . . I can't stay mad at me for long.

One bite and you will be in flap jack heaven. Buttery, sweet, nutty and oh-so-very hard to leave alone. Resistance IS futile.



*Cranberry, Pecan and White Chocolate Flap Jacks*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

Sweet and scrummy. Just perfect for those times when you want a little something to give you some extra energy.

5 ounces butter, plus extra for greasing (1/2 cup plus 2 TBS)
200g of porridge oats (2 cups)
25g of dessicated coconut (1/4 cup)
50g light muscovado sugar ( generous 1/3 cup packed)
5 TBS golden syrup
6 ounces toasted pecans, broken into chunks with your hands (1 1/4 cups)
2 ounces dried cranberries (1/3 cup)
100g bar of white chocolate (about 3 1/2 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 7 by 11 inch baking tin and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.

Melt the butter together with the sugar and golden syrup, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool.

Stir together the oats, coconut, pecans and cranberries. Pour the cooled butter mixture over top. Stir to combine well. Break up 2/3 of the chocolate into bits and stir into the mix. Press into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and mark into squares while still warm. Allow to cool completely, then cut all the way through. Melt the remaining white chocolate and drizzle it over top of the bars. Store in an airtight container.

Note - this is a repeat, but I think you'll forgive me when you see what I have been working on.  Something special, a three course dinner for St Patricks Day.   Watch this space!

This has to be our favourite weekday breakfast in the winter time. Not only is it filling, giving us much needed energy to combat the colder winter temps, but it also is belly warming and immensely satisfying without being high in calories or fat.



It really doesn't take much effort to make your own oatmeal from scratch and let me be honest here . . . homemade from scratch tastes infinitely better than prepacked/instant . . . seriously.
It's comforting and heartwarming. It's delicious.



I think it is the vanilla and spices that make this so special. I also happen to like raisins and they also add something wonderful to the mix . . . and as for those toasted pecan nuts on top, well they give an added dimension of flavour and crunch.



You really can't go wrong with this . . . lightly sweetened with brown sugar and juicy plump raisins . . . it is the perfect winter breakast. And if you are really in a rush, you can spoon yours into a cup and take it with you when you dash out the door to begin your day.

It's a good thing . . . not to copy Martha or anything . . . but it IS a good thing! (Don't throw away any leftovers . . . I've got something fantastic to show you tomorrow that makes good use of them!)



*Vanilla Spiced Breakfast Oatmeal*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This makes a frequent appearance on our seasonal Winter breakfast table. Spiced with warm spices and topped with crunchy toasted pecans, it's filling, delicious and always welcome!

60g of shelled pecan nuts (1/2 cup)
825ml of water (3 1/2 cups)
160g of old fashioned rolled oats (2 cups)
75g of raisins (1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
freshly grated nutmeg
2 TBS firmly packed soft light brown sugar
250ml of low fat milk to serve (1 cup) or to taste
ground cinnamon to dust over top

Place the pecans in a dry skillet over medium high heat. Cook and stir, until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool and then chop them coarsely. The toasting should only take about 5 minutes.

Combine the water, oats, raisins and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce to a slow simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the oats are tender and cooked. Remove from the heat. Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla and freshly grated nutmeg to taste. Divide into heated serving bowls and serve with some milk poured over top (if desired), a dusting of cinnamon and 1/4 of the toasted pecans.

Hooray!  Tomorrow is pancake day, one of my most favouritest days of the year!  I love pancakes and a day that celebrates these little lovelies is just a great day altogether.   When I was a child, believe it or not . . . pancake day was the only time my mom ever made pancakes!  I know!!!  I had a deprived childhood!  Seriously, they were a real treat!

When my own children were growing up, pancakes was the breakfast I cooked for them every time they had a sleepover and also the breakfast we had whenever we went to Uncle Ewen's for a visit.   He made the most delicious buttermilk pancakes, and he always served them with canned peaches, maple syrup, sausage and bacon.  Sooo good!

I have a lot of pancake recipes on here.   There are Irish Pancakes,  Strawberry Buttermilk Pancakes, Bacon and Polenta Pancakes, Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, Silver Dollar Pancakes,  Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes, Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes, Honey and Raspberry Pancakes, Cranberry and Oats Buttermilk Pancakes, Applesauce Pancakes with a Spicy Apple Syrup, Blueberry and Granola Buttermilks, Sticky Toffee Pancakes, and an Autumn Apple Pancake. 

What can I say???  It's CLEAR we adore pancakes!



This year we were challenged by the people who make Tefal pans to come up with something new for Pancake Day and I was sent this lovely Tefal Jamie Oliver Pan to cook them in.

 

With it's unique 10th anniversary pattern on the bottom of the pan, it's new prometal hard non-stick coating (engineered for the rigours of every day use) and durable hard enamel exterior this is a dream pan.



It also sports the Thermo-Spot, optimal cooking dot in the centre, which changes colour when your pan is at the right temperature for cooking.   I have never had one of these before and was very excited about this.

 

Just look at that spiffin handle!  Can you tell how excited I am about this pan.  I hope so because it's an excellent pan and it cooked like a dream.  No sticking whatsover, and great cookin' and it cleaned up fantastically!

I was also very excited about this pancake day challenge too, so excited in fact that I came up with not one, but two different pancake recipes for us and all of you to enjoy!  Yay!



First up a little something healthy.  Whole Wheat and Cheddar Pancakes with a Spiced Apple Topping and Syrup.   Oh boy, sooooo good!

 

So tasty and so fluffy, using both plain and white flours and the tasty addition of wheat  bran for extra goodness . . . and then just a touch of strong cheddar . . .



And that delicious topping . . . wowsa, with nice crispy tender wedges of tart Granny Smith Apple and maple and cinnamon.  Oh so tasty.   These were gorgeous.   Absolutely gorgeous.  And it was nice to know that the gorgeousness also came along with a bit of healthiness!  Apples and Cheese, a marriage made in heaven!

 

Divide the pancakes amongst four heated plates, topping each serving with 1/4 of the apples and syrup.  Serve immediately.



Another favourite of ours is rice pudding and so I thought . . . why not Rice Pudding Pancakes???   Why not indeed!!

 

All the flavours of a rice pudding . . . custardy rich egg . . . nutmeg, vanilla . . . rice . . . cooked into a tender and fluffy pancake . . .



And you all know how much we love Blueberries in this house, so it just seemed that a delicious sweet/tart blueberry syrup would be the perfect addition to crown these tasty little babies!



I could go on and on about how very tasty they were, but you'll just have to make them for yourself and see!  These are winner/winner/chicken dinner's!!!  Ceptin they are not chicken dinners . . . they're pancakes, and they're luciously scrumdiddlyumptiously good!

 

Heat a large nonstick pan or griddle over medium heat.   Butter if necessary.    Spoon 1/4 cup fuls of the batter onto the heated pan, leaving space for spreading.   When the undersides are golden brown and the surfaces are covered with tiny bubbles, flip over and cook just until the other side is golden brown.  Keep warm in a low oven until you have cooked all the pancakes.

Serve hot and pass the blueberry syrup! 

Many thanks to Tefal  for sending me this lovely pan to work with.  It really is a lovely pan.  I adore it.   And also for issuing the challenge.  I had a lot of fun, and for Nicola at Yomego for contacting me about it in the first instance.

Now what are you all waiting for???  Treat yourself to a new pan and get flipping!

Note:  Although I was sent a new pan, any and all opinions are my own and in no way prejudiced because of this.

 

To help celebrate British Pie Week, The English Provender Co. has put together some delicious pie recipes, which are sure to be a big hit at the dinner table.  The traditional dish is a British institution and a favourite to be enjoyed by households all up and down the country, so how about giving the pie the respect it deserves and cook up the following winter warmers in celebration!

These easy to follow pie recipes are the perfect way to celebrate British Pie Week, which this year will run from the 3rd of march to the 9th of March, so get the whole family involved and create some new family favourites this year!



*Butternut Squash, Sage and Stilton Pie*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe   


A delicious vegetable pie with a crisp crust, mellow sweetness from the butternut squash and onions, somespicy sweetness from the chutney, some richness from the cheese and crunch from the walnuts.  Altogether quite tasty indeed.

750g cubed butternut squash (1 2/3 pound)
2 small red onions, each quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
50g butter, melted (3 1/2 TBS)
6 large sheets filo pastry
220g jar The English Provender Co. Apple, Pear and Fig Chutney (about 1 1/2cup)
125g stilton or blue cheese, crumbled (8 1/2 TBS)
50g walnut pieces (Scant half cup)
6 sage leaves


Preheat the oven to 190* C/375*F/Gas Mark 5. Place the butternut squash and onions in a roasting tin, drizzle with the oil, and season with freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 15-20 minutes until just tender.

Meanwhile, brush a 28cm round loose - bottomed flan tin with some of the butter. Lay a few sheets of filo across it, slightly overlapping. Brush the overhanging filo with more butter. Continue layering the filo, buttering as you go and slightly overlapping the sides of the tin.

Place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat.

Spoon the apple, pear and fig chutney over the bottom of the pastry. Top with the butternut squash and onions. Scatter over the stilton and walnuts and sage leaves. Fold in the overhanging edges.

Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 20- 25 minutes until golden. Serve in slices, with a crisp green salad.

  

*Mushroom, Chestnut, Stilton and Cranberry Pies*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

A delicious seasonal vegetarian pie.

30g butter (2 TBS)
 250g field or chestnut mushrooms, sliced (generous half pound)
 1 tsp Very Lazy chili (optional)
 1 tsp Very Lazy garlic
 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
 3 tbsp English Provender wild cranberry sauce
 70g stilton, crumbled (Generous half cup)
 100g chestnuts, crumbled (1 cup)
 375g ready rolled shortcrust pastry (1/2 pound)
 1 medium free-range egg yolk, beaten  

Preheat the oven to 200*C/4))*F/ gas mark 6.  

Melt the butter in a frying pan. Fry the mushrooms over a high heat until soft. Add the garlic and chili and cook for another 40 seconds.  Place in a mixing bowl and stir in the rosemary, wild cranberry, stilton and chestnuts.

Cut out 8  (4-inch) circles from the pastry and place in a muffin tin. Place 2 tbsp of filling into each pastry case. Cut out 8  (3 1/2 inch) circles and press these lids onto the pies. Brush with egg, then cut small steam holes in the lids.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden.


Naturally delicious and extremely versatile, this chutney is brilliant with blue cheese & spicy foods. Superb with sausages and un-smoked ham too.




 Naturally delicious with traditional roast turkey & the perfect accompaniment to duck, goat’s cheese and even apple pie! 

Find out more at The English Provender Co

Can there be any more comforting pudding on earth than Bread and Butter Pudding?  I think not.
Essentially designed to use up all the stale bread in the house, this quintessential British pudding was created by an epicurian of genius proportions back somewhere in the 17th century, having evolved from it's tasty ancestor . . . bread pudding. Bread pudding used up stale bread as well, and along with a varieity of sweet spices, currants and raisins was simply steamed and then devoured. When more luxurious items like eggs, butter and cream became more readily available, it was only a matter of course before they found their way into the mix, and we ended up with the deliciously tasty dessert that we have come to know and love today.



I am always one for trying and adapting things to the currant situation in my larder. I have made this lovely pudding with dates and nuts. I've also used stale brioche and studded the pud with chunks of Green & Blacks milk chocolate. After Christmas is all over, it's wonderful made with the last of the Pannetone . . . stale gingerbread and chunks of roasted apple . . . I've deliciously been there.

Essentially, it's the perfect pud to use up all sorts of stale bread, cakes and loaves . . .



Today I came home from the shops armed with several punnets of juicy, dark, ruby coloured plums . . . on offer at two punnets for three quid. How could I resist?

We just love plums in this house, and they looked so beautiful sitting there in their little baskets, just begging to be bought.



I've done plum cakes and tarts recently and today I thought . . . mmmm . . . Bread and Butter Pudding with Plums . . . why not?



*Plum Bread and Butter Pudding*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

What could be any better than Bread and Butter Pudding? Why Plum Bread and Butter Pudding of course! Rich and creamy and indulgently delicious, not to mention stogged full of tasty roasted plums. What's not to like?

1 punnet of dark red plums
(about 8 plums)
1 cup of caster sugar, plus a bit to spoon into the plums (190g)
1/2 loaf of coarse stale bread sliced
softened butter
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (335ml)
1/2 cup of whole milk (120 ml)
4 large free range eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla paste (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)



Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Wash the plums and cut in half. Remove the stones and then place them into a baking dish, skin side down. Place approximately 1/2 tsp of caster sugar into the centre of each. Bake in the heated oven for 15 minutes or so, just until the juices begin to run. Remove from the oven and set aside. Turn the oven temperature down to 180*C/350*F.

Trim all the crusts off of the bread. (I always give them to the birds) Cut the bread into 1 inch wide strips. Butter them on both sides generously. Lightly butter a 6 by 8 inch glass baking dish.

Whisk together the eggs and the sugar, whisking until the sugar is almost dissolved. Whisk the milk and the cream together in a large beaker along with the vanilla paste. Slowly whisk in the egg mixture, whisking until you have a nice creamy custard like solution. Sit aside.

Place the bread into the baking dish, by placing three strips across, almost upright, but not quite. Place a plum half on each. Place another three strips in front of the plums. Place another three plum halves on each. Repeat until all the bread strips and plum halves have been used. I also cut several strips into smaller pieces and tuck them in all the way around the pudding, kind of like a frame.

Pour the custard slowly onto the bread in the pudding, in and around the plums. Allow the bread to absorb the custard, before pouring on more. Add custard until the bread can't absorb any more. Drizzle any plum juices over top and then place into the oven. Baked for 30 to 35 minutes, until the sides of the pudding are set and the top is nicely puffed and lightly browned. The centre should still be a bit jiggly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to warm. Cut into slabs to serve. We like to serve this with additional cream for pouring over top.

Nigel, Nigel . . . Nigel . . . we have to stop meeting like this. My husband is soon going to start suspecting something is going on . . . and he would be right. I am in love . . . with anything that comes from the kitchen or culinary mind of Nigel Slater . . . he is a man who thinks, breathes and lives and eats food with much the same passion of myself. I'd even go so far as to say we are twins . . . truly. We must have been separated at birth.



Cheesecake has always been something that I could kind of take or leave. On a scale between one and ten, it falls somewhere about a 5 or a 6. There are other desserts which I have always favoured far more . . . until now, that is!!

If you only make one dessert this year . . . let it be THIS one!



Imagine crunchy buttery shortbread biscuit crumbs . . . layered in a pretty glass between an unctuously billowy and rich cheese filling composed of sweetened whipped cream, rich mascarpone cheese and delightfully creamy philadelphia cream cheese, delicately flavoured with orange zest and vanilla. Full fat and why not! In for a penny in for a pound!



Now top that moreish combination with the wonderful tang of early spring rhubarb, lightly poached and sweetened with a touch of honey (my own addition and I just know Nigel is saying right now to himself . . . why didn't I think of that???) and more orange zest. Oh soooooooo scrummy!!



I could quite happily never eat anything else but this for the rest of my life . . . but then again, I am quite fickle, and when next month's Sainsbury's magazine pops through my post box, I will be waxing raphsodic about another Nigel creation . . . I am sure. You probably don't want to know how many calories are in this one!

Ladies and gentlemen may I present . . . Cheesecake in a glass with rhubarb syrup. Try not to all gasp at once!



*Cheesecake in a Glass with Rhubarb Syrup*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe  


If you only make one dessert this year . . . let this be the one! Easily made the day before (without the topping). Top with the rhubarb just before serving.

Crumbs:
50g of butter (1/4 cup)
200g shortbread type of biscuits, made into fine crumbs (about 2 cups)

For the cheese filling:
350ml of double cream (1 1/3 cups whipping cream)
150g of caster sugar (2/3 cup)
250g of mascarpone cheese (1 cup)
300g of soft cream cheese (1 1/4 cup)
the finely grated zest of a well scrubbed orange
1/4 tsp vanilla

For the rhubarb topping:
450g of rhubarb (1 pound)
150g of caster sugar (2/3 cup)
1 TBS honey
the finely grated zest of 1/2 well scrubbed orange

First make the crumbs. You want the biscuits really crushed fine. (A biscuit is a cookie.) Melt the butter and mix it together with the biscuit crumbs. Set aside.

Measure the cream along with the sugar into a large bowl. Whisk with a balloon whisk just until it begins to thicken. Do not over whip as you will have problems. Fold in the mascarpone cheese and cream cheese, along with the orange zest and vanilla. Set aside.

Wash the rhubarb and trim. Cut into 1 inch lengths. Place into a large pan along with the sugar, orange zest, honey and 4 TBS water. Bring to the boil then reduce heat and gently poach the rhubarb until softened. This will take about 15 minutes or so. Remove the rhubarb with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Bring the juices back to the boil and reduce until it is thick and syrupy. Watch carefully as you don't want it to burn or disappear. Set aside to cool.

Spoon a tablespoon of the cheese mixture into the bottoms of some pretty glasses. Top with 1/3 of the crumbs. Spoon half of the remaining cheese mixture over top. Top with 1/3 of the crumbs. Add the remaining cheese mixture, once again spooning it on top. sprinkle with the remainder of the crumbs. Divide the poached rhubarb between all the glasses and spoon it on top of the crumbs. Drizzle with a bit of the rhubarb syrup. Serve.