I always keep a few packs of all butter puff pastry in the freezer. It always comes in handy. I do have to say it's really fussy to make your own from scratch and a lot of chef's don't bother, unless they are pastry chef's and it's their forte. It is not my forte. Besides . . . as I've always been quick to say, I am rather lazy about certain things, and puff pastry is one of them.
It turned rather cold and rainy today (Tuesday as I write this) and so I made us a nice pot of soup to help to warm our innards. A delicious Parsnip, Apple and Thyme Soup. I have made this many times and it always goes down a real treat. I also always have Parsnips and Apples in the house, so it was very easily done.
It turned rather cold and rainy today (Tuesday as I write this) and so I made us a nice pot of soup to help to warm our innards. A delicious Parsnip, Apple and Thyme Soup. I have made this many times and it always goes down a real treat. I also always have Parsnips and Apples in the house, so it was very easily done.
I decided to create some Puff Pastry bread sticks to go with the soup. You could also serve them as tasty appetizers with drinks. They are ever so easy to make and go together very quickly.
It's as simple as spreading some puff pastry with mustard, folding it over and cutting the pastry into sticks . . . glazing it with an egg yolk wash, sprinkling with some coarse sea salt and sprinkling with grated gruyere cheese.
Fifteen to eighteen minutes later you are rewarded with buttery crisp sticks . . . with the slight tang of Dijon in the middle and the satisfyingly rich crunch of toasted Gruyère on top. They were absolutely perfect with the soup, and I do confess . . . I ate another one . . . okay . . . so it was two . . . in the evening as we sat and watched the telly. I know . . . but I truly couldn't resist them!
*Gruyère and Mustard Sticks*
Makes 12
These are beautiful served with soups or drinks. Crisp and buttery with a hint of spicy mustard inside and tangy cheese baked on the outside. Makes 12
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.
Unroll the pastry and spread the mustard over the bottom half of it, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Brush all around the edges with the beaten egg. Fold the top of the puff pastry down over the mustard covered half, lining up the edges to meet. Press lightly together on the edges, then trim with a pastry trimmer to even everything out.
With the folded edge away from you cut once down the middle of the pastry from top to bottom, then across six times, creating 12 even batons Place them onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure there is plenty of room between each for rising. Brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg, taking care not to let it drip down the sides. Sprinkle evenly with first the Gruyère cheese and then the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle a bit of flaked salt over top.
Bang into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Serve warm
With the folded edge away from you cut once down the middle of the pastry from top to bottom, then across six times, creating 12 even batons Place them onto the prepared baking sheet, making sure there is plenty of room between each for rising. Brush the tops lightly with the beaten egg, taking care not to let it drip down the sides. Sprinkle evenly with first the Gruyère cheese and then the Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle a bit of flaked salt over top.
Bang into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Serve warm
Everyone needs a tasty recipe like this up their sleeves! It is so simple and so delicious and uses things I always have in the house, and I am betting that you do too!
It's as simple to make as combining a few marinade ingredients in a heavy zip lock bag, adding some chicken, smushing it around a bit in the bag, letting it sit in the refrigerator for several hours and then dumping it all into a baking dish and baking it until it is deliciously meltingly tender.
I always buy my chickens whole when there is a deal on them and then I bring them home and cut them up and repackage them in serving size packs of legs, breasts, thighs, wings, etc. and bang them into the freezer. That way I not only save money, but always have a variety of chicken pieces at my finger tips ready to use. I freeze the backs and necks for soup as well. It's win/win all around!
On this particular day I used a mix of drumsticks and thighs. You will love this marinade/sauce. It's filled with lovely oriental flavours . . . soy, honey, garlic, ginger . . . which bakes into a finger licking sticky glaze.
Wings would be really good done in it as well. I wouldn't do breasts though as the long cooking time would dry them out too much. Chicken breasts are not really suited to this type of dish at any rate. You want a nice piece of chicken meat which gets succulent and tender under a long slow cook period that allows the marinade to cook down into that delicious rich and sticky glaze. I like to serve these with some steamed basamati rice and maybe some broccoli on the side, also lightly steamed. Enjoy!
salt to taste
Mix the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, pepper and salt together in a large plastic food bag with a zip lock top. Add the chicken pieces and smush them around a bit to coate well in the bag. Close the bag and place in the refrigerator to marinate for half an hour to an hour. (Obviously the longer you leave it the more the flavours permeate the chicken.) Give it a smush every once in a while.
When you are ready to cook it, preheat the oven to 220*C.425*F/ gas mark 7. Dump the chicken into a large baking dish and separate the pieces. Bake for 25 minutes. Turn the pieces over and bake for a further 15 minutes. Turn a final time and bake fur a further 10 to 15 minutes, until the skin is nicely crisped and the chicken juices run clear. Serve hot or cold.
One thing I look forward to each year . . . as much as I hate to bid goodbye to the heartier Winter time fare . . . is salad season! Right now we are teetering on the doorstep . . . ready to abandon ourselves and fall full faced into it! I do so love salads!
One of my all time favourites has to be Caesar Salad. I just adore them . . . crisp slightly bitter romaine lettuce, crisp and buttery croutons, Parmesan cheese, bacon bits . . . that tangy and garlicky dressing! It's just a beautiful melange of flavours, which lends itself to all sorts of adaptations!
I just adore a Grilled Chicken Caesar . . . but it is so often poorly done when you are eating out . . . and the prices they charge for it are absolutely ridiculous! It's positively criminal! I was looking at the menu of a certain restaurant the other day and they were charging £8.95 for a simple Caesar salad, and if you wanted some chicken with it, they wanted another £3.50 on top of that! LUDICROUS! I could see paying £8.95 for the whole salad with chicken, but for some lettuce and dressing? Nah! And chances are it wouldn't even be very well done either . . . rant over.
I had some cheese tortellini in the refrigerator that I had bought for something and couldn't remember what it was . . . do you ever do that??? Maybe I am losing my mind. In any case I decided to incorporate them into a Caesar type of salad. I also added some lightly blanched fresh broccoli florets . . .
I added a few chopped cherry tomatoes, which I know are not strictly Caesarian . . . (Can I use that term??? I guess I just did.) and I made my own garlic croutons from a stale French loaf I had hanging about. Homemade croutons are so easy to make. Just trim the crusts from your bread, cut it into cubes and then toss it with some garlic olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley and then spread them on a baking sheet and toast them in a hot oven until they are crisp and golden brown. So good, so good . . .
Some chopped red onion, a few large flakes of fresh Parmesan cheese for texture . . . and some grated for flavour . . . crisp smokey bacon bits, a hefty grind of black pepper and Bob's your uncle!! You have a salad fit for a king, or a queen! Really, it was quite quite good. Oh yeh, there was plenty of lettuce as well . . . crisp and slightly bitter . . . Baby Gems. Perfect!
*Caesar Tortellini Salad*
Serves 4
A delightfully quick and deliciously different Caesar Salad!
1 package of refrigerated cheese filled tortellini (about half a pound in weight)
2 baby gem lettuces
a handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/4 of a small red onion, peeled and chopped finely
1/2 a small bunch of broccoli, separated into florets
to finish:
crisp garlic croutons
bacon bits
grated and shaved Parmesan cheese
your favourite Caesar Salad Dressing (I like Newman's own)
coarsely ground black pepper
Bring
a large pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Drop in the
tortellin and broccoli florets. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until done, as
directed on the package. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the
cooking process. Drain again. (I spread it out on a large baking sheet
which I have lined with a clean tea towel.
Separate
your baby gems into individual leaves, cutting any larger ones in half
if necessary. Wash and dry. Place them into a large salad bowl. Top
with the red onion, cherry tomatoes and broccoli. Sprinkle on the
garlic croutons, bacon bits and cheese. Toss with your favourite
Caesar Salad dressing and then grind some pepper over top. Serve
immediately. You may pass extra croutons and cheese if you wish. It
makes a lovely light lunch! For a heartier meal add strips of grilled
chicken or beef.
One potato, two potato, three potato, four . . . five potato, six potato, seven potato more.
Bubbling and creamy on the insides and crisp and golden on the outside with cheese and a hidden layer of bacon and onion in the middle.
What's not to like?
2 TBS olive oil
a pound of smoked back bacon, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 TBS chopped fresh thyme leaves
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound of white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
1 pound of sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
300ml of single or regular cream (about 1 1/2 cups)
50g grated Gruyere and cheddar cheese, mixed (about 1/2 cup)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6 Butter a shallow baking dish, or gratin dish. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the bacon and fry for about 5 minutes until crispy. Stir in the onion, and cook for several minutes longer to soften the onion. Stir in the garlic and thyme. Cook until very fragrant.
Begin to layer the potatoes in the casserole dish, layering in half of them. Season lightly with salt and pepper as you go, bearing in mind that bacon is salty. Once you have half the potatoes in. Spread over the cooked bacon and onion mixture.
Did you play that game when you were a child? I did.
I found myself with an abundance of potatoes and sweet potatoes in the potato bin at the weekend and wanted to use some of them up, so I decided to make a tasty gratin with them.
A one potato, two potato gratin. A one potato, two potato gratin with bacon and thyme! Lush!
With any luck the weather will soon be changing and getting a lot warmer ('tis been cool this weekend!) and we won't be eating many things that come from the oven.
I thought I would take the opportunity to get one more oven bake in before that happens, and we start eating salads.
In the warmer months, we eat a lot of salads. We like salads, so its all good.
I love gratins . . . you can turn almost any vegetable into a gratin.
A gratin is simply thinly sliced vegetables, layered in a shallow casserole, covered with seasoned cream, and cheese (yes please!) and then baked until the vegetables are deliciously tender.
The cream has thickened into a rich unctuous sauce . . . and the cheese bakes all scrummily golden brown on top.
This time I added the glorious treat of a middle layer of fried bacon and onions . . . for two reasons.
One, because I could, and two, because I had some back bacon that needed using up as well . . . and because . . . well, it's BACON!
Why not! I can't think of a single thing on earth that doesn't improve when you add bacon!!
Bacon has that thing about it you know. That thing where it automatically makes everything taste somehow better. Even sweet things.
Candy coated bacon. Yum. Chocolate dipped bacon. Yum. Bacon Jam. Yum. Bacon Cookies. Yum.
Don't laugh, I've found recipes for all these things which sound crazily delish . . . but I digress . . .
Two Potato, Bacon and Thyme Gratin. Delicious.
Layers of tender sweet and white potatoes, with a middle layer of bacon, onions and thyme . . . doused in cream, slathered with cheese, and baked until it is meltingly, richly, unctuously delicious.
What more could a person ask for . . . I reckon not much!
Well, maybe a hunk of crusty bread to mop all those tasty juices . . . sigh . . . yes, I am THAT glutton!
*Two Potato, Bacon and Thyme Gratin*
Serves 6 to 8What's not to like?
Top with the remaining potatoes, seasoning lightly. Pour the cream over top.
Cover tightly with foil and place into the heated oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle on the cheeses.
Bake for a further 30 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the casserole is lightly browned and a bit crispy on top. Serve warm.
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Crumpet BLT's. This is not smashed avocado on toast. This is not smashed avocado on toast with egg. This is one of the most delicious things I have made for us to eat however.
This is such a simple idea, however delicious, but I am betting you haven't thought of doing it yet yourself, or maybe you have. Forgive me for being presumptuous if you have
We love crumpets in this house . . . grilled until toasty golden brown and then spread with lashings of butter.
We love crumpets in this house . . . grilled until toasty golden brown and then spread with lashings of butter.
The butter melting and nestling into all of those crisp golden nooks and crannies.
It is impossible to eat them without getting your fingers and chin all buttery. They are sooooo good! If you don't love them you just ain't human!
Yesterday I had a craving for a BLT . . . you know . . . that internationally known favorite sandwich!!
That sandwich which consists of toasted bread, mayonnaise, crisp bacon, lettuce and ripe tomatoes, all sandwiched deliciously together!
There was not a slice of bread to be found in the house . . . how did that happen?
I did have a packet of crumpets however. If you know me at all, you know I am the type of person that would never let a thing such as having no bread stop them from going for it.
I did have a packet of crumpets however. If you know me at all, you know I am the type of person that would never let a thing such as having no bread stop them from going for it.
I decided to stretch the boundaries of the traditional BLT and do us Crumpet BLT's!!
Of course these are BLT's that you need to eat with a knife and fork. Not traditional, but they were so good.
Of course these are BLT's that you need to eat with a knife and fork. Not traditional, but they were so good.
The crumpets all toasted yeasty as the base . . . slathered with a pesto mayonnaise I created from scratch.
I am not a real fan of pesto eaten straight up, but mixed with mayonnaise it mellows out and bit and becomes much more palatable to me.
And topped with fresh baby lettuce leaves, sliced ripe tomatoes and crispy fried bacon . . . sooo delicious. So tasty. So easy and quick to make.
And topped with fresh baby lettuce leaves, sliced ripe tomatoes and crispy fried bacon . . . sooo delicious. So tasty. So easy and quick to make.
We both tucked in quite happily to these. I think I discovered a new favourite. What do you think?
Are you up for them? I sure hope so, coz they are . . .
FAB-UUUU-LOUS!
FAB-UUUU-LOUS!
*Crumpet BLT's*
Serves 2
The quantities given are for two people, but can easily be multiplied up or down. Deliciously different fork and knife BLT. Simple and easy.
2 crumpets
4 rashers of streaky bacon grilled to desired doneness
and kept warm
several ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced
a handful of baby salad leaves
Black pepper and sea salt if desired
For the Pesto Mayonnaise:
2 dessertspoons of low fat good quality mayonnaise
(or regular if you are not bothered)
1 tsp of prepared Basil Pesto
Have all of your ingredients assembled and ready to go. Whisk the mayonnaise and pesto together. Cut your bacon rashers in half crosswise. Slice your tomatoes.
Toast your crumpets under the grill/broiler until crisp and lightly golden brown. Place onto heated plates and spread each with half of the mayonnaise. Top with the lettuce leaves and sliced tomatoes.
Grate a bit of sea salt and black pepper over top if desired. Finally lay the bacon over top. Tuck in.
But that's not all I like to do with my crumpets you know . . .
Sometimes I go all "Elvis" on them and enjoy them with peanut butter, honey and bacon . . . you haven't lived until you have tried that! Seriously!
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I recently was lucky enough to receive two pieces from the Eddingtons Bakeramics Bakeware Range. Combining classic design with the latest technology in PFDA-free ceramic coatings, these lovely pans are oven proof to 280*C (about 475*F) and have a super stick/non-stick coating, which promises to be tough, durable, safe and easy to clean.
They are quite a few different varieties available.
To find out more about availability and prices, please check out the Bakeware stockists.
Stylish and functional this range features cream coloured ceramic interiors and a beautiful blue brushed steel exterior. In short, they are beautiful pans.
One piece which I received was the 2 pound loaf tin. It is a nice large size. I wanted to bake a loaf in it that would be challenging and put the non-stick qualities of this pan to the test.
My Caramel Glazed Apple-sauce Bread was perfect for the job. It is filled with lovely sweet apple-sauce and lots of toasted nuts. Plenty of potential for stick-age there . . . in fact when I use an ordinary loaf tin, I make sure I really butter and flour the tin well. This time all I did was spray the tin with a bit of cooking spray.
It released perfectly once baked, with nothing left behind in the tin at all, making for a very easy and simple washing up.
This is one of the Toddster's favourite bakes of mine. He loves the apple flavours and the warmth of the baking spices used . . . cinnamon, cloves, allspice. They not only flavour the loaf, but give it a really nice colour as well.
The dark and light brown sugars in the batter along with the apple sauce ensure a deliciously moist loaf, with a wonderful crumb . . . and the toasted pecans add a bit of nutty crunch. It's crowning glory of course is that lovely caramel glaze icing on top. So wonderfully scrummy . . . just like a caramel apple!
*Caramel Glazed Apple-sauce Bread*
Makes one 2 pound loaf
This dark hued apple sauce bread is a real favourite in this house. Moist and flavourful. You can leave the glaze off if you wish, but it adds a very nice touch.
280g of plain flour (2 cups)
115g chopped toasted walnuts or pecans (1 cup)
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 large free range egg, beaten
45g soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup packed)
45g of dark soft brown sugar (1/4 cup packed)
475g of apple-sauce (1 1/2 cups)
110ml of vegetable oil (1/2 cup)
Caramel Glaze:
2 TBS butter
45g soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup, packed)
1 TBS cream
pinch salt
1/4 tsp vanilla
70g of sifted icing sugar (1/2 cup)
Preheat the oven to 160*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter a loaf tin well or line with paper and butter the paper. Leave some overhang for lifting out.
Whisk the flour, nuts, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, spices and salt together in a large bowl.
Whisk together the egg, sugars, apple-sauce, and oil. Beat until smooth. Make a well in the dry ingredients and then tip in the wet. Mix together with a spatula just to combine evenly, about 25 strokes. Don't over mix. Scrape into the prepared pan. Bake in the centre of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until the loaf tests done. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean and the top should spring back when lightly touched.
Let cool in the pan for five minutes prior to lifting out of the pan onto a rack to finish cooling. Store at room temperature, wrapped tightly.
To make the glaze, melt the butter together with the brown sugar and cream. Cook over medium low heat for one minute. Remove from the stove and allow to cool for several minutes. Whisk in the vanilla and icing sugar. You may need a bit more sugar or a bit more cream. You want a nice drizzle. Drizzle it over the cooled loaf.
The Toddster likes his plain, but glutton that I am . . . I like to have mine warm and buttered.
I also received their six cup muffin tin. It has all of the same non-stick qualities and cream ceramic interior and blue exterior as the loaf tin.
Once again I chose a muffin recipe that would have lots of potential for sticking and with bits. I normally end up using muffin papers when I bake muffins, because most have a tendancy to stick to the tin and there is nothing worse than putting in all that work to make a muffin and then having half of it stick in the tin when you go to tip them out! Annoying!
These muffins are lovely and rich, stogged full of banana, and sour cream for an extra moist texture . . . as you can see they came out of this pan perfectly also. Result!
Just look at that perfectly formed muffin, with is lovely base and that domed top . . . all covered with crunchy toasted meusli and sweet dried cranberries! If you are fond of banana muffins, you will love, LOVE these little babies. The recipe only makes six, but you can double it if you wish without any problems at all. Six is just perfect for us, because there are only two of us and . . . these are dangerously good. Too good to have too many of them sitting around for very long!
*Meusli Topped Banana Muffins*
Makes 6 medium muffins
This just may be the nicest banana muffin you will ever eat. Moist, not too sweet, with a crunchy meusli and dried cranberry topping. You will need 1 large very ripe banana for this. Makes 6 medium muffins
Beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and creamy. Beat in the egg. Sift together the dry ingredients and then add to the creamed along with the sour cream, banana and milk. Mix just to combine. Divide the mixture between the buttered muffin cups.
Mix together the meusli and cranberries. Sprinkle an equal portion over the top of each muffin.
Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to stand in pan five minutes before tipping out onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
These would be great in lunch boxes as well. So would the loaf for that matter! You could make Apple-sauce Loaf sandwiches by sandwiching slices of it together with some cream cheese. In that case I would leave off the icing though, just in case the teacher confisticated them! (That's a Todd word. I know. It doesn't exist, but I love it when he says it in his British accent!)
Many thanks to the people at Eddingtons for sending me these lovely pans and to Miriam. I give them both a hearty two thumbs up. These are winner/winner pans all round. Great performance. Easy to clean up. Sturdy and beautiful.
These would be great in lunch boxes as well. So would the loaf for that matter! You could make Apple-sauce Loaf sandwiches by sandwiching slices of it together with some cream cheese. In that case I would leave off the icing though, just in case the teacher confisticated them! (That's a Todd word. I know. It doesn't exist, but I love it when he says it in his British accent!)
Many thanks to the people at Eddingtons for sending me these lovely pans and to Miriam. I give them both a hearty two thumbs up. These are winner/winner pans all round. Great performance. Easy to clean up. Sturdy and beautiful.
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