We've been suffering with a "Heat Wave" here in the UK over the past week. The temperatures have been downright almost unbearable. I am not a person that copes well with heat, especially when you combine it with high humidity. It just saps all of my energy and I don't feel like doing much of anything at all. On top of that we have had a really poor telephone connection these past couple of weeks and really bad internet connection all this week, which meant about two days ago it stopped working pretty much completely, only allowing us to get online for about 2 minutes at a time. Just long enough to tease you. Very frustrating to say the least. Happy to say an engineer was here for most of this morning and we are now back to snuff, telephone and internet.
The upshot of this is I was able to finish a commissioned piece of artwork, a new cook-booklet (Just Desserts) and I made no less than three different ice creams to tempt you with! Yes when the temperatures rise, I want ice cream! I never seem to crave it any other time of year . . . but during the dog days of summer, ice cream is my friend.
My ice cream maker never gets used near enough. Probably because it's one of those type that you have to freeze the churning bowl first. Half the time I never have room enough in the freezer to use it. This week I made room.
This first ice cream is Rocky Road. Not Rocky Road as it is known in North America, but Rocky Road as it is known over here in the UK, a delicious square made from chocolate, marshmallows, biscuit bits, cherries etc. (If you click on that link it will take you to my rocky road recipe)
This delicious chocolate ice cream incorporates all of those flavours. I have to say chocolate ice cream is not my favourites, but this went down a real treat! Probably because it has been so flippin' hot!
*Rocky Road Ice Cream*
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Where do I start, marshmallow, chocolate, coconut, candied cherries and peanuts. What's not to like!
450ml of double cream (2 cups)
450ml of milk (2 cups)
250g of bittersweet or dark chocolate, coarsely chopped (70% cacao, 8 ounces or 1/2 pound)
4 large free range egg yolks
100g sugar (1 cup)
30g unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (1/4 cup)
40g roasted peanuts (1/4 cup)
45g candied cherries (1/4 cup
a handful of mini marshmallows (about 1/4 cup)
2 TBS shredded coconut
Heat the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to the boil, then remove from the heat. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour in half of the hot cream. Stir until it is melted and combined. Beat the egg yolks, sugar and cocoa together in a medium bowl, until pale and creamy. Gradually pour in the remaining hot cream and the chocolate mixture, whisking to combine well together.
Return the custard to the saucepan and simmer over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the heat and let cool, about 30 minutes.
Pour the custard mixture into an ice-cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions as per your machine, until almost frozen. Add the peanuts, cherries, marshmallows and coconut. Churn for a further 3 minutes. Transfer to a freezer container, cover with baking paper and freeze until you are ready to serve.
Next I made coconut ice cream. I do love the flavour of coconut. Mounds bars are one of my favourite chocolate bars. If you drizzle chocolate sauce on this delicious coconut ice cream . . . well, it be just like a Mounds Bar! It's a very simple recipe which doesn't involve making a custard.
*Coconut Ice Cream*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
If you love the flavour of coconut, this delicious ice cream is for you. It uses coconut milk and palm sugar for a real depth coconut taste! Coconut Palm sugar can be purchased via Amazon, or at health food shops.
100g of granulated sugar ( 1/2 cup)
100g of grated Palm sugar (1/2 cup)
180ml of water (3/4 cup)
400ml of coconut milk (1 1/3 cups)
225ml of heavy cream (1 cup)
shredded coconut or coconut curls to garnish (toasted)
Combine the sugar, palm sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Bring to the boil. Remove and stir in the coconut milk and cream. Refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturers directions for your particular machine. Transfer to a freezer container, cover with cling film and freeze until you are ready to serve it.
I have to say that one of my all time favourite desserts has always been Rice Pudding. So when I found this recipe for a Rice Pudding Ice Cream, years and years ago in our local newspaper I had to clip it out and save it. I can't believe it took me this long to make it! This was my absolute favourite of the three ice creams. Do make the chocolate sauce. It's just wonderful!
*Rice Pudding Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce*
Serves 4
One of your favourite pudding flavours in a delicious ice cream. Don't skip the chocolate sauce! It's great!
450ml of milk ( 2 cups)
150g of short grain or pudding rice (3/4 cup)
1 vanilla pod, slit open lengthwise
50g of sultana raisins (a generous 1/4 cup)
pinch salt
the finely grated zest of one orange
the finely grated zest and juice of one lemon
2 TBS honey
For the sauce:
250g of bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped (8 ounces)
374ml of milk (1 1/2cups)
2 scant tsp of corn flour (cornstarch)
50g of sugar (1/2 cup)
Combine
the milk, rice, vanilla pod, and raisins in a heavy bottomed saucepan
over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat. Stir in the
salt. Simmer, stirring constantly, until the rice is tender and has
absorbed most of the liquid, about 15 minutes. Take off the heat and
discard the vanilla pod. (I rinse these off, dry them really well and
stick them in my sugar canister.) Let cool, stirring it from time to
time.
Stir in the orange zest, lemon zest,
lemon juice and honey. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and
churn according to the manufacturers instructions.
To
prepare the sauce the sauce, combine the chocolate and half of the milk
in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to the boil. Dissolve the
corn flour in the remaining milk and whisk this into the hot mixture
along with the sugar. Stir constantly over low heat until smooth and
thickened. Keep warm.
Spoon the frozen ice cream into serving dishes and drizzle with hot chocolate sauce to serve.
I hate to be a party pooper, but they say the heat wave will come to an end tomorrow, and I for one am welcoming the prospect of being able to sleep without feeling too uncomfortable!
(source)
Everybody
wants to eat healthy, and even websites that aren't related to food will try to
give you advice about
how to get rid of that bingo belly. However, those recipes aren't
necessarily really healthy. Here, we will give you a truly healthy recipe that
includes the four food groups and is also tasty.
Swap the Pan for a Grill
A
key factor in eating healthy is to start using the grill instead of rushing to
your frying pans. Frying pans cook food by simmering the contents in fat. And
where does that fat go? Your food absorbs it and forces you to consume much
more saturated fat than you should. But that’s where your grill comes in!
Required Ingredients
·
1 diced plum tomato
·
1 cup of rinsed black beans
·
1 cup of fresh corn kernels (two ears)
·
2 tablespoons of cornmeal
·
1 pound of prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
·
1/3 cup of barbecue sauce
·
1 cup of shredded mozzarella
For
the black beans, you can purchase a can. They will still taste great, and will also
make the cooking process that little bit easier – but don’t forget to rinse
them first. Otherwise you risk exposing your pizza to unpleasant dark goo,
which will surely put off any kids from sampling what is a delicious dish.
Another
recommendation is to use
smoked mozzarella to help contribute to the overall smoky vibe of the
pizza. However, you can just make to do with regular mozzarella if you find the
smokier kind difficult to source.
A
final piece of advice for the ingredients is to stick to the prepared
whole-wheat pizza dough, as preparing your own from scratch is an incredibly
difficult task. Do yourself a favour and just buy the premade. There will be no
battling against the stickiness of the dough.
Advanced Preparation
Simply
the cooking process by undertaking some advanced preparation of your
ingredients. The sure-fire to not delivering the best possible dish is by
leaving yourself too much work to do during the cooking process. Instead, why
not have all of your ingredients ready to go? You can toss those black beans
and diced tomatoes with salad greens and healthy vinaigrette in advance.
Core Cooking Process
Preheat
your grill to a medium temperature, taking care to leave the door open. The
oven and then your kitchen will only fill with smoke if you leave the door
closed.
Take
all of the pre-prepared ingredients – the tomato, beans and corn – and mix them
together in a bowl. Let those wonderful flavours combine while you sprinkle the
two tablespoons of cornmeal over a large baking sheet.
Position
the pound of dough on the baking sheet and start to knead it into a circle,
taking care to leave the cornmeal in position underneath. The aim is to coat
the entire underside of the dough so that it can later be removed seamlessly
from the sheet.
The
time to remove the pizza base comes when you are ready to place it on your
grill tray. The next stage is to cook the base for four to five minutes and
without any of the other ingredients. Cook the dough until the crust rises and
the bottom is lightly browned.
Take
the base out of the oven once it has been browned and the crust has risen.
Spread the barbeque sauce on the base, then following by adding the mixture of
tomatoes, corn, and black beans, closely followed by the smoky mozzarella
cheese.
Return
the pizza to the grill and let cook for another four to five minutes, by which
point the cheese will have melted and the crust browned further. Finish by
letting the pizza stand for a minute before cutting it into six scrumptious
slices.
Alternative Ingredients
The
original recipe gives you protein, grains, fruit, and vegetables from the
beans, whole-wheat dough, tomatoes, and corn. However, you can make simple
tweaks to add or replace ingredients, as you so desire.
For
instance, people that don’t like barbeque sauce can replace this ingredient
with salsa. A different option is to increase
the lean protein consumption by adding chicken or Quorn and taking away the
mozzarella. The beauty of cooking is that you can explore the possibilities
with your friends and family.
Here we are with day three of the Crispy Chicken recipes. This is the second recipe using the leftovers from that delicious Crispy Chicken with Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce.
If you didn't cook extra you are going to regret that decision now!
Imagine a deliciously simple hot chicken sandwich composed of a brioche bun, split and toasted and slathered with a spicy garlic mayo . . .
Imagine a deliciously simple hot chicken sandwich composed of a brioche bun, split and toasted and slathered with a spicy garlic mayo . . .
topped with a crispy coated and tender well flavoured chicken breast . . .
Now top that crispy coated and tender well-flavoured chicken breast, sitting on that spicy garlic mayo, sitting on that toasted brioche bun . . .
with a delicious pile of sweet and tangy coleslaw vinaigrette! Then of course the toasted top of the bun.
If THIS is not the best hot chicken sandwich you have ever eaten . . . I'll eat my hat.
'Nuff said. Try it. You will love it. I guarantee.
*Crispy Chicken Sandwiches*
Serves 4
These are delicious. I need say no more. If you don't make these, you are missing out on something really special. Serves 4
and pounded to an even thickness
salt and black pepper
oil for frying
For the coleslaw:
(Use a knife so you get strands)
1 medium carrot, peeled and shreddedsalt and black pepper to taste
You will also need 4 toasted buns (I used brioche buns, lovely)
Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet. Once it is hot, add the chicken pieces one or two at a time. Cook on one side until golden brown, about 4 minutes, flip over and cook until golden on the other side. Repeat until they are all done. Drain on paper towelling.
Note - If you have saved chicken from cooking the other day you will not need to bread and fry the chicken, as it will already be done. Simply reheat in a medium oven until hot through.
You remember those delicious crispy fried chicken breasts I showed you yesterday? Well I hope you cooked extras because today I am going to show you something delicious to do with the leftovers!
I told you I always cook extras and today and tomorrow I am going to show you just why I do that!
.jpg "Crispy Chicken Salad with a Blueberry Vinaigrette")
This is a delicious salad with crisp fresh salad greens . . . I used baby rocket (arugula), baby gems and baby spinach . . .
crisp French radishes, fresh cucumbers from the garden, crispy salad onions, toasted pecans, and crumbled feta cheese . . . and yes, fresh sweet blueberries that are coming into season now!
.jpg "Crispy Chicken Salad with a Blueberry Vinaigrette")
You top all of that with some sliced crispy chicken . . . of course you can use frozen crispy chicken that you buy at the shops.
I am really hoping you have saved some from yesterday because that's the best. But that's not all . . . I have created a delicious blueberry dressing to drizzle over the salad . . .
.jpg "Crispy Chicken Salad with a Blueberry Vinaigrette")
Sweet and tangy with a bit of heat from the Dijon mustard, it goes so well with all of the elements of this salad.
he sweet berries . . . bitter greens . . . hot little radishes . . . the salty creaminess of feta cheese . . . those crunchy toasty roasted pecans . . . crisp fried chicken chunks . . . the bland almost melon-like coolness of those crisp edged cucumbers.
.jpg "Crispy Chicken Salad with a Blueberry Vinaigrette")
There is nothing about this salad that isn't pleasing. Easy and quick to make. Pretty to look at with all of those colours and textures . . . delicious to eat.
Plus the added bonus of being a tasty way to use up leftovers. And pretty darned healthy if I don't say so myself.
BON APPETITE! (As Julia would say!)
.jpg "Crispy Chicken Salad with a Blueberry Vinaigrette")
*Crispy Chicken Salad with a Blueberry Vinaigrette*
Serves 4
You can either make your own breaded chicken breasts for this or use frozen breaded chicken breasts that you cook at home from frozen. Either way it is delicious. Serves 4
and handful of radishes, trimmed and quartered
.jpg "Crispy Chicken Salad with a Blueberry Vinaigrette")
For the dressing:
1/4 tsp garlic powder
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Whisk all of the salad dressing ingredients together to combine. Set aside.
.jpg "Crispy Chicken Salad with a Blueberry Vinaigrette")
Place your salad greens into a shallow salad bowl. Add the cucumber, radishes and blueberries, toss to combine. Top with the toasted nuts, the chicken, the onions and the feta cheese. Drizzle with the dressing and toss together to combine. Serve immediately.
Alternately the ingredients can be layered into individual salad bowls and the dressing passed at the table.
Alternately the ingredients can be layered into individual salad bowls and the dressing passed at the table.
We're having a heat wave. Normally I would like to be cooking on the barbeque, but the Toddster doesn't really "get" barbequing, and I am afraid of the barbeque. (gas) One of these days we will make it pay for itself, but until then I am trying my best to stay as cool as I can in the house and wishing we could barbeque. I shall just have to overcome my fears and get with the program!
I contend that there is no such thing as a boring salad. When we were first married Todd would moan when I would say that I had made a salad. He soon learned that my salads were nothing to turn your nose up at and more than a little bit interesting!
WE do love a good cobbler in this house. We grow all of our own soft fruits in our back garden . . . black currants, strawberries, raspberries, tayberries, gooseberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. We don't get a lot of anything at any one time . . . not yet anyways. The bushes are all still young and so at best we get things in dibs and dabs.
I tend to freeze a lot of it so that eventually I end up with enough to make a pie or some such with them. Hopefully with each year that passes, and as we add more bushes and plants, we will one day end up with a plethora of berry goodness. We do have a lot of strawberries now each season. It's taken almost four years to get to that point. The rest will eventually catch up as well, but in the meantime I make a lot of bumbleberry goodies.
There really is no such thing as a bumble berry . . . it's basically a name you give to a pie or dessert which has been created using at least three different berries . . . all "bumbled" together, and so it was with this Bumbleberry Cobbler which I baked for the missionaries when we had them for supper last Tuesday evening.
Containing random bits of all of the berries we have available at the moment . . . this cobbler had blueberries and blackberries from last year in it (we are still waiting for ours to ripen this year) mixed with black currants, tayberries and raspberries . . . the only real requirement being that there be at least three different types of berries . . .
Lightly flavoured with lemon sugar and topped with a crumbly buttery, vanilla infused scone topping . . . and baked until the berries are all bubbling up and sweet . . . the scone topping is browned and crisp . . . and the whole thing together is one delicious mass of tasty cobbler goodness . . .
Served warm . . . each bowl holding a portion of that thickened sweetened fruit, along with some of that buttery cobbler topping . . . and topped with a dollop of clotted cream, this dessert delights all of the senses. In short . . . it went down a real treat and the platter was licked totally and completely clean. I love it when that happens. Job done.
*Bumbleberry Cobbler*
Serves 8 to 10
A gorgeous juicy mixed berry filling topped with a crumbly, butter, vanilla infused scone topping. What's not to like about this?
For the filling:
850g of mixed summer berries (raspberries, blackberries, tayberries, blueberries, etc.) (6 cups)
200g granulated sugar (1 cup)
the finely grated zest of one lemon
3 TBS plain flour (all purpose)
For the topping:
158g of plain flour (1 cup plus 5 TBS all purpose)
6 TBS granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
6 TBS butter, chilled, cut into bits
1 large free range egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
To finish:
1 TBS granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
To serve: (all optional)
clotted cream
pouring cream
ice cream
whipped cream
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a deep nine inch square baking dish. Set aside. Alternately you can use a 10 inch round quiche dish.
Mix together the sugar, lemon zest and flour for the filling. Place the berries into a bowl. Toss together with the flour mixture and pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading them out evenly and making sure all of the sugar, etc. is evenly distributed.
Whisk the flour for the topping together with the sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Drop in the butter. Rub it in with your finger tips until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Whisk the egg and vanilla together with a fork and then toss this into the flour mixture, tossing it all together until evenly moistened. It should be clumpy. Scatter this over top of the fruit as evenly as you can. Mix together the granulated sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle this evenly over all.
Bake in the preheated oven until the topping it golden brown and the filling is cooked through and bubbly, some 45 to 50 minutes. Cover lightly with some aluminium foil halfway through the baking time to prevent the topping from over-browning. Serve warm with clotted cream, ice cream, whipped cream or pouring cream.
The rain is bucketing down today. It's not a great day to go out and do much of anything. How fitting for the first day of the summer school holidays. I hope it's not a portent of things to come!
After baking these delicious bars today I may never bake regular chocolate chip cookies ever again. Seriously. These are fabulous!
I had in my mind to make Friands today, but not just any friands . . . raspberry and marshmallow friands. I went to the shops and picked up some lovely fresh raspberries and a bag of pink and white mini marshmallows and got home only to discover I had no ground almonds. I hate it when that happens.
There are some days when you just don't feel much like cooking. We all get them. Even I have those days once in a while.
Those are the days when I just can't be bothered to do much of anything, and yet . . . I am still hungry and we do need to eat.
That is when recipes like this beautiful Lemon French Toast come in really handy.
That is when recipes like this beautiful Lemon French Toast come in really handy.
This day I accompanied it with the last of the berries from our garden, but you could use any fresh berry and it would be just as lovely.
Even poached rhubarb would be nice.
Lemon is a wonderful fruit enhancer. I adore the flavour of lemons and I try to incorporate them in a lot of my cooking.
Lemon is a wonderful fruit enhancer. I adore the flavour of lemons and I try to incorporate them in a lot of my cooking.
Today it's this fab French Toast. You will want to use nice thick bread for this. You don't necessarily need an artisnal loaf, but you don't want really cheap bread either.
I used Roberton's EXTRA thick white bread . . . each slice is about 1 inch thick. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
I used Roberton's EXTRA thick white bread . . . each slice is about 1 inch thick. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
I think the American equivalent is Texas Toast. This extra thick bread is perfect for toasting as well. Yum!
It's a pretty simple recipe. You can make more than the servings I have suggested quite easily.
It's a pretty simple recipe. You can make more than the servings I have suggested quite easily.
Just follow the basics of 1 large free range egg, 1 TBS single cream and 1 tsp of sugar for each serving. One slice of thick bread, a bit of lemon extract and lemon zest.
A pinch of sugar and Bob's your uncle. You will have the tastiest French Toast ever!! I kid you not!
You don't need to serve fruit with it, but it is awfully nice with some fruit. Just sayin' is all.
You don't need to serve fruit with it, but it is awfully nice with some fruit. Just sayin' is all.
This is the perfect excuse to use some of those fresh summer berries in the most delightfully delicious way!
Lemon French Toast with Strawberries and Maple Syrup
Yield: 2 - 4
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 15 Min
French toast, nicely flavoured with lemon and topped with delicious summer berries. This is quite simply fabulous!
Ingredients
- 4 really thick slices of bread (you can use brioche if you want for a richer result,
- I like to use the extra thick sliced soft white bread, or Texas Toast as I think it is called in North America)
- 4 large free range eggs, beaten
- 4 TBS single cream (light cream)
- the finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 TBS sugar
- 1/2 tsp lemon extract
- butter for cooking
For the fruit:
- 1 small punnet of fresh strawberries, halved or quartered if large
- 1 TBS sugar
You will also need:
- Maple or your favourite syrup to serve
Instructions
- Mix the berries with the sugar and set them aside to macerate until your toast is done and you are ready to eat.
- Whisk together the eggs, cream, lemon zest, 1 TBS of sugar and lemon extract.
- Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add a knob of butter and once it begins to foam start cooking the French toast.
- Soak the bread in the egg mixture, one slice at a time. I like to cook this one slice at a time, keeping the already cooked warm in a low oven until I am done.
- Fry the soaked bread in the knob of butter for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Repeat until all of your toast is cooked.
- Serve the cooked French toast with the strawberries and a drizzle of maple syrup. Delicious!
Notes:
I would say that as a breakfast this recipe would serve four amply, especially with a link or two of sausage or a couple of rashers of bacon on the side. As a light supper, I don't feel it would feed much more than two regular eaters.
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