This is one of my infamous Thai Turkey Burgers. We love turkey burgers in this house and I was recently sent a couple of items to help with the preparation from the people at Eddingtons.
First off there was the Prepworks Progressive Perfect Burger Press.
This three piece set is designed to help you create perfect, evenly sized burgers every time. I don't know what your children were like, but when mine were growing up, everything had to be exactly the same, or they would feel cheated. No longer a problem with this delightful press.
- Set includes a removable dimpleinsert, non-skid base and comfort-grip pusher
- The dimple helps burger to cook evenly and prevents swelling.
- This can be used with or without the insert
- This press makes 4.5 inch (11.4cm)/6 oz (170g) burgers
I found it created perfect sized burgers and the dimple in the centre prevented them from shrinking in and swelling up. Great job!
The Burger Press is available from Buy Send with an RRP of £9.49 with free postage.
I was also sent a package of Patty Papers. Dry Wax treated squares of paper perfect for moisture resistance and easy release. As the package says, they prevent meat patties from sticking or freezing together. I have always used cling film and in all honesty these are a lot better than plastic cling film. They seemed like the same papers pretty much that the Grocery Shops use to separate their burgers.
Brand new, these papers are just arriving in the shops at an RRP of £2.99 for 24 papers. Not bad. Barbeque Season will soon be upon us. These will come in very handy then! Available at Good Cook shops and independant stores.
Another nifty article which I have been sent and have enjoyed using over the past couple of weeks is the Oliver Hemming Spice Boy spice grinder.
Available in three colours this award winning design represents an entirely new approach to spice grinding.
It has a uniquely useful and practical mixing and filling bowl that allows the chef to see the mixture before it is ground. With corrosion free ceramic parts that are guaranteed for five years the Spice Boy is suitable for all dried spices as well as sea salt and pepper. You can use the mixing bowl to create fantastic combinations of freshly ground spices and let your imagination run wild exploring the endless possibilities. It is not recommended that you put it in the dishwasher, but it is easily taken apart and cleaned with a soft brush, ready to grind up your next flavour combination.
I love it's sleek appearance and the mixing bowl. I've only been enjoying using it for sea salt and black pepper so far, but I have plans to use it to make my own fresh Garam Masala soon. It works fabulously!
The Spice Boy is available from Proleno at an RRP of £34.95 and is available in red, black and white.
Many thanks to Eddingtons and Miriam from Shrewd for sending me these items. All items were sent for me for review, free of charge, and I was not required to write a positive review.
This old, old recipe is the perfect accompaniment to serve with your Easter Ham or Gammon. Its a bit old fashioned, but it's also very good. Fruit goes really well with the smoky saltiness of Gammon/Ham and this sauce proves that it doesn't have to be pineapple.
I was recently sent a jar of Steens Raw 15+ Manuka Honey and challenged to try one of the recipes that Amber Rose has written which are not only healthy but very easy to make.
I chose to make the Immune Booster Super Berrie Smoothies. Not only was it easy to make but it was incredibly delicious. Especially the Banana part! (and I am not normally fond of bananas)
*The Immune Booster Smoothie*
For two
Steens is the industry leader in Manuka Honey. Raw Steens Manuka honey contains a huge amount of beneficial enzymes. The high NPA level means that the Manuka honey has superior antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, giving it great health credentials.
Steens cold processed honey is 100% pure and sets in it's own natural crystal with all the advantages of natures health benefits.
The rich golden colour, texture, distinct aromas and flavours are testament to the natural processes, freshness and purity of the honey. Unique processing means enhanced health benefits; enzymes and bee pollen are retained in this honey.
Produced by nature in New Zeland and completely natural, each jar is traceable right back to the producer and hive. Their sustainable methods and environmentally friendly production practices have resulted in a quality product which is not only good for you, but ethical and sustainable. To find out more do check out their webpage.
Many thanks to Steens for sending me this. Any opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review.
I was recently sent the popular Aerolatte steam free milk frother to try out.
"When aerolatte founders Alan and Gary realised that even their expensive steam based espresso machines couldn’t make decent frothed milk, they decided to create a solution . . . now globally known as the aerolatte.
Created with a passion for great coffee and frothy milk drinks, the aerolatte “the original steam free milk frother” is a huge success and a firm favourite among top chefs, keen foodies and coffee lovers alike. The aerolatte truly changed the way we are now able to enjoy cappuccino, caffé latte, milkshakes and hot chocolates at home."
The version I was sent was their most popular item, the black aerolatte. Compact and portable, it comes with it's very own sleep storage tube, designed for extra protection.
Do you want to enjoy great frothy milk on the go . . . who doesn’t? That’s why each of the aerolatte® original steam free milk frothers comes with its own storage tube. The hard wearing storage tube means that aerolatte® owners can enjoy great frothy milk drinks and fabulously creamy coffee no matter where they are, with no worries about bangs, drops or breakage. You simply place it in the storage tube, pack it away and bring it with you, enabling you to be able to enjoy the wonders of this little tool no matter where you go.
You can use it for Cappuccino, Caffe Latte, Hot Chocolate, Milk Shakes, Iced Chocolates, and Frappe. Directions for all of these are included with an insert that comes with the aerolatte tool.
There are also a variety of recipes to be found on their website.
I've been using it to create simple low fat milk shakes for us. You simply fill a large mug to one third full of cold milk, add a teaspoon of your favourite jam, or syrup and then froth away.
Within seconds you have a lovely frothy shake that is not only very low in fat and calories, but also quite delicious.
To find out more about this handy too check out their website at www.aerolatte.com
Many thanks to Hava and Aerolatte for sending me this.
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their youtube channel
I was thinking of the lovely Easter Breads my Aunt Thelma used to bake and send over to us when I was a girl. They were so sweet and light . . . slathered in icing with candied cherries on top. They were just gorgeous.
My Aunt Thelma was our mother's oldest sister and she was an expert baker. Her potato buns were to die for. Every Easter she would send us some beautiful breads all decorated and iced. WE really looking forward to them every year.
One thing you can buy in the shops over here are Iced finger buns. When I see them I am always reminded of my Aunt Thelma's iced breads.
This recipe for Iced Buns I am sharing today was adapted from the cookery book I was recently sent, Tea & Cake by Lisa Faulkner. They have been on my list of things to bake and so today I did just that. I have to say that they turned out just lovely!
They were super easy to make too. I often look at the iced buns in the shops and think they look really tasty.
I never buy them though because more often than not, when i have caved into temptation, I have found that they are very disappointing. They always end up tasting stale and dry.
In all reality I am not a yeast baker at heart. I never quite get it right. True confessions here.
PINTEREST FAIL ALERT! You have been warned. Try not to laugh too hard.
PINTEREST FAIL ALERT! You have been warned. Try not to laugh too hard.
I saw these bunny buns on Pinterest a week or so ago. They appeared all cute and cuddly. I thought to myself, I am going to try to make those! (As you do.)
They didn't look too bad sitting on the tray prior to rising and baking. They even half resembled bunnies. Well, sorta anyways.
Once baked however, any resemblance to a cute little bunny was gone. Blah. The ears were hard and dry, but the body parts were okay. Where were the cute little eyes? Those bunny ears?
They looked nothing like the cute little bunny buns I had seen on Pinterest however. I laughed and I laughed when I saw them. It was a bit like ordering something from China.
What you get never even closely resembles the photograph of what you ordered. Never. My friend ordered a beautiful Victorian Santa from there for Christmas and what she got resembled an ugly troll in a Santa suit.
These buns, however, worked perfectly! Just look at how light and fluffy they are. You would expect no less from a recipe by Paul Hollywood, who is a master bread baker here in the UK.
I have always loved watching him in the Great British Bake Off, don't you? He knows his stuff and he's not all that hard on the eyes.
These were everything you would expect an Iced Bun to be. Light. Fluffy. Soft inside.
Just the right amount of sweet icing . . . and that cute little cherry on top, it's just so adorable. They remind me so much of my Aunt Thelma's Easter Breads.
You will really have to bake a batch of these for yourself and see just what I am talking about. I know the recipe makes quite a few, but that really isn't a problem.
I took six of them over to our elderly friend Doreen. my husband and myself have had one and a half, and our landlord who dropped by to fix the door had one. (He ooohed and aaaahed over it.)
And . . . a few hours later there are only seven left. I dare say they will be gone by the end of tomorrow. Even un-iced the buns are gorgeous.
You could also freeze them un-iced and then just thaw and ice as you wish. Easy peasy.
Soft
and yeasty and delicious. Topped with a glace icing and half a
cherry. Based on a recipe by Paul Hollywood, so you know it's good.
40g of butter (3 TBS)
50g caster sugar (4 TBS)
150ml of milk (5 fluid ounces)
140ml of water (4.5 fluid ounces)
2 7g (1/4 ounce) packages of fast action dried yeast
500g strong white flour (3 1/2 cups plus 2 TBS bread flour)
2 tsp salt
2 medium free range eggs
For the glaze and decoration:
200g sifted icing sugar (1 cup confectioners)
water (about 2 1/2 TBS)
7 glace cherries, halved
Heat the butter, sugar, milk and water in a saucepan just to blood temperature. (38*C/100*F) Whisk iin the yeast.
Measure
the flour and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough
hook. Add the milk mixture and the eggs. Mix for about 4 minutes on
low speed. Increase the speed and mix for a further 6 minutes. Turn
dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a bit more. Place
the dough in a clean bowl, cover lightly with a clean tea towel and then
place in a warm place for one hour to rise.
Divide
the dough into 16 equal pieces. Shape into round buns. Place onto the
buttered baking sheet, leaving space between them as they will double
in size. Return to a warm place, lightly covered, and let rise for
about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/gas mark 7.
Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes, then allow to cool completely. They should be light and fluffy and not too dark.
Once
the buns are completely cooled, mix the icing sugar and water together
to get a thick and sticky icing. Dip the tops of the cooled buns into the icing
and then place half a cherry on top.
*Iced Buns*
makes about 16
Butter a large baking tray.
Enjoying one of these I was a child again, enjoying a slice of my Aunt Thelma's Easter Bread. Every mouthful took me back, all yeasty and sweet. These are the famous buns that were baked by the Women's Institute in that film Calendar Girls. Exact same recipe.
I can assure you however, these buns are exactly the right size.
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!
When I was growing up in Canada, weekends would often bring Baked Bean Suppers. These would be held at Church Halls, Volunteer Fire Dept Halls and Community Centers all through the beautiful Annapolis Valley where I lived.
There were not too many people who could resist the temptation of a Baked Bean Supper, cooked by all the best cooks in the community.
These were fabulous social occasions and wonderful fund raisers. People got to enjoy a really tasty and filling meal, catch up on all of the local gossip and help to raise funds for local needs all at the same time.
They have always been win/win/win situations!
There would always be plenty of delicious food on offer. Oven Baked Ham, Scalloped Potatoes, Home Baked Beans, pickles and relishes, home baked brown bread, usually an apple pie or crisp for dessert and plenty of tea and coffee to go around.
Brown Bread and Beans . . . a marriage made in heaven.
Brown Bread is one of those fabulous breads that goes wonderfully with the soups, stews and bakes of colder weather.
It's delicious and wholesome . . . and lightly sweetened with molasses and sugar . . . the molasses helping to give it that characteristic golden color and beautiful flavor.
I've never been really good at baking yeast breads myself . . . I don't think I have the kneading power to make it really light and fluffy. My ex husband used to bake all our bread and our kitchen table would dance across the kitchen floor under his ministrations . . . and his bread was lovely.
I can make batter bread though, which is a lot easier and takes no needing. This recipe for Brown Bread is a Batter Bread. You simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl, let it rise, stir it down, pop it into two bread pans, let it rise again and then bake it.
Your reward?? A delicious, nicely textured, wholesome bread that your family will love. And it is perfect with Baked Beans of any kind . . . stews and soups too.
I can make batter bread though, which is a lot easier and takes no needing. This recipe for Brown Bread is a Batter Bread. You simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl, let it rise, stir it down, pop it into two bread pans, let it rise again and then bake it.
Your reward?? A delicious, nicely textured, wholesome bread that your family will love. And it is perfect with Baked Beans of any kind . . . stews and soups too.
*Brown Batter Bread*
Makes 2 loaves
Printable Recipe
A beautiful golden colored bread with a delicious, slightly sweet flavor, and fine crumb. Perfect with soups, stews or baked beans!
2 tsp granulated sugar
125ml of warm water (1/2 cup)
8g of active dry yeast (1/4 oz packet)
300ml of milk (1 1/4 cups)
60ml of molasses (1/4 cup)
50g of granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
115g of butter (1/2 cup)
2 tsp salt
2 large free range eggs, at room temperature
325g of whole wheat flour (2 1/2 cups)
300g of plain flour (3 cups)
2 tsp softened butter to brush on top of baked bread
Stir the first amount of sugar into the warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over top, and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve the yeast.
Scald the milk in a saucepan. Remove from the stove and stir in the molasses, sugar, butter and salt. Allow the butter to melt, then cool the mixture down to lukewarm. (To scald milk place it in a saucepan and heat just until bubbles appear at the edges.) Stir in the yeast mixture. Pour into a large bowl and then beat in the eggs. Gradually beat in both flours. Cover with a greased piece of cling film and a clean tea towel. Let stand in a warm place for about 1 1/4 hours until doubled in size. Stir the batter down and then divide the batter between 2 well greased loaf tins. cover with the greased cling film and the tea towel again and let rise for 1 hour longer, until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/gas mark 5. Bake the loaves for 30 to 35 minutes, or until they sound hollow on the bottom when turned out of the pan. Turn out onto racks to cool, brushing the warm tops with the second amount of butter. Once cold, store tightly covered.
.
Do you know how much I love blueberries? If you've been reading my blog for any time at all now, you will know it is an awful lot. We have our own bushes in the garden . . . a good half dozen now, and they are great producers . . . but of course they aren't producing this time of year. I do have quite a few frozen however, which is never a bad thing! ☺
Do you love coconut as much as I do? Buttery coconut cakes? Macaroons? Do you love Caramel? As much as I do? If you do then this is YOUR bake. You really must bake these delicious squares.
Well, folks, what with having an early spring and such a lovely March, quite a bit of the rhubarb in our garden is ready to begin harvesting now. Not bundles and bundles of it, but enough for me to indulge in a few rhubarb treats.
If you are looking for something a little bit special for the weekend, or maybe even for Easter (albeit not a traditional Easter Roast) look no further. This Pot Roasted Pork Loin will fit the bill perfectly. Simple enough that just about anyone will be able to easily throw it together, and yet at the same time special enough that people will think you put a whole lot of effort into it. Nobody would guess that you hadn't spent all day in kitchen!
I have a confession to make. I love Grapefruit. No . . . I ADORE Grapefruit! Especially pink grapefruit. I love tinned grapefruit and grapefruit juice . . . but most of all I love fresh grapefruit. When I was a girl, it was considered very classy to serve broiled grapefruits with a cherry on top. The very height of sophistication! (Double confession . . . I still like it done this way!)
Did you know that 79% of women in the UK blame rain and cold weather for making them feel unproductive? It doesn't help that only 39% of these women eat their daily allowance of fruit in the winter! I know it's officially Spring now, but that doesn't mean that eating fruit, and especially Florida Grapefruits! Yum!
I can remember visiting a Great Aunt when I was a girl with my family and she served baked beans for dinner one night while we were there.
A delicious casserole of baked beans, flavoured with bacon, tomatoes and maple. Delicious served with crusty bread.
1 TBS vegetable oil
200g of pancetta, trimmed and chopped (scant cup)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 tsp dry mustard powder
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 TBS soft brown sugar
2 TBS pure Maple Syrup
120ml of chicken stock (1/2 cup)
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice, undrained (14-ounce)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 (240g) tins of butter beans, drained and rinsed (2 14-ounce)
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Have ready a 1 liter (1 quart) casserole dish.
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the pancetta. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly golden. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until beginning to brown.
I can still remember the wonderful smell wafting throughout her kitchen for most of the day and the anticipation of what was to come . . . and the disappointment when my plate was set in front of me. These weren't baked beans like my mother made.
My mother always used the small white haricots beans for baking . . . and my Great Aunt had used Jacob's Cattle Beans. As soon as my brother, sister and I saw them we made up our minds that we weren't going to like them.
You know what kids are like . . . I am sure my mother was terribly embarassed.
They were probably just as delicious as my mother's beans were . . . they may have even been more delicious. I will never know.
Happy to say that I have outgrown that narrow minded squeamishness I had when I was a child. I keep a wide variety of tinned and dried beans in my larder and I love to use them for all sorts.
They are a great store cupboard ingredient and very versatile. Filled with protein they are also very nutritious.
I saw a similar recipe to this on the Donna Hay site the other day. I pinched the best bits of it and adapted it to what I had in my own cupboard with most delicious results.
I used chopped tinned tomatoes in juice, undrained . . . instead of tomato sauce.
I also chose to bake the casserole in the oven for that oven baked flavour. It took a bit longer, but was well worth it I would say.
They turned out fabulously delicious.
I dare say that the ten year old me would have probably turned her nose up at these . . . but the fifty nine year old me loved them!
They made for a really delicious and simple store cupboard supper that I served along with some of those buttermilk biscuits I made the other day. Economical too!
*Maple Baked Butter Beans*
Serves 4Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the pancetta. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly golden. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until beginning to brown.
Add the mustard powder, tomato paste, Worestershire Sauce,
brown sugar, maple syrup, chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to the
boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Stir in the butter
beans. Pour this into the casserole dish. Bang the casserole into the
heated oven.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring about halfway through
the time, until the sauce has thickened nicely and they are lightly
browned on top.
Serve hot with plenty of crusty bread for sopping up
all those fabulous juices!
I was recently sent the most exquisite cookery book for review. Entitled Vanilla Table, and written by Natasha MacAller, it is a culinary celebration of all things vanilla. Containing 100 recipes it boasts contributions from some of the elite of International Award Winning Chefs . . . including the UK's Yotam Ottolenghi, Peter Gordon, William Curley and Galton Blackiston!
You would think that a book based solely on vanilla flavours would be somewhat limiting, but with a forward written by Peter Gordon, Natasha MacAller and her friends have proved that Vanilla is indeed a very versatile ingredient in no less than 9 different chapters covering everything from soup to nuts.
Vanilla is an essential ingredient in my kitchen. I have beans, paste and extract which I use on a regular basis for my baking and desserts. I find it is very easy to use, it gives everything a lift and my cakes always taste and smell delicious. I have also used it in savory dishes . . . my Pot Roasted Chicken with Raspberry Cider is just one example of how I have done this, but it has been really nice to see just how far you really can go with it via the wide variety of recipes contained in this book.
The photography, by Manja Wachsmuth is just beautiful, and you will find that most of the recipes are accompanied with a very tempting photograph. I love cookery books with photos. It's nice to be able to envision what the finished dish should look like.
I was particularly intrigued with the Vanilla Pantry Chapter which shows you how to make your own Vanilla Sugars, Salts, Extracts, Syrups, Oils, etc. I will be making more than a few of these for sure.
Another bonus is that all of the recipes are presented in North American, Metric and Avoirdupois measures, which means that this book can be used with ease just about anywhere in the world. This is a real bonus. There is also a really good source list at the back of the book.
I would stress however that this is not a book which a beginning cook would be able to use with ease. Many of the recipes are what I would consider of a quality restaurant calibre . . . ie. "Cheffy Recipes," but . . . on the plus side, each recipe is well laid out with a paragraph about the story behind the recipe, a table showing the ingredients as well as clear and concise instructions. The photography truly is outstanding and quite helpful in creating an understanding of how the dish should look as well as tempting your taste buds.
NATASHA MACALLER is known worldwide as the “Dancing Chef”. A former professional ballerina, after thirty years of performing with companies such as New York’s Joffrey Ballet, the Boston Ballet and on the stages of Broadway, she decided to move on to what she considered another performing art: cookery. She used her seasonal layoffs from ballet to become a professional cook and eventually set up her own catering business, Dancing Chef Catering, which served TV, theatre, film and food industry folks. In 1996, after graduating number one in her class from The Colorado Culinary Institute, Natasha went from strength to strength, and she now holds her own culinary classes and has become an international chef consultant.
I normally like to share a recipe from the book I am reviewing with my readers and the one I have chosen to share with you from this book is a delicious cake. Two Tone Chocolate Malt Cake. I chose this one because it is a recipe I think most of you could make. The buttercream is a tad bit fiddly, but quite do-able and the cake itself is very straightforward. It's also quite beautiful.
*Two-Tone Chocolate Malt Cake*
Makes one double layer cake
A sampling of some of the recipes in the book which caught my eye and that I want to try:
Starters: Shaved Fennel and KeriKeri Orange Salad, Caramelised Orange Salad, Pate au Poulet with Tipsy Cherries and Heirloom Tomato Bisque.
Main Plates: Slow Roasted Oxtail Pot Pies, Vanilla Lacquer Duck Leg, Seared Scallops with Vanilla Parsnip Puree, Chicken Stroganoff with Chanterelles and Vanilla.
Blue Plates and Brunch Plates: Coronation Chicken on Squashy Poppyseed Buns, Crunchy Cornflake Fried Chicken and Apricot, Almond and Vanilla Clafoutis.
Sharing Plates: Island Crab cakes with vanilla-grapefruit remoulade, The Tonga Trifle, Devilish Eggs with vanilla candied bacon and Saturn Peach, Onion and Blue Cheese Pie.
Dessert Plates: Vanilla Spiced Pineapple Roast, Quince Tarte Tatin, Raspberry Meringue Martinis, Creamy Butterscotch Pudding with Tash's English Toffee and The Anna Pavlova.
Cake Plates: Pure Vanilla Layer Cake, Caramelised Pineapple Carrot Cake, Two-Tone Chocolate Malt Cake and Bittersweet Chocolate Torte.
The Cookie Plate: Chocolate Sticky Bits, Espresso Brownie Bites, Gold Ingots, Cranberry Tweed Cardigans and Black Pepper Chai Truffles.
Bevvies and Bar Snacks: Toasty Coconut Chips and Nuts, Vanilla Passion Martini, Pink Ginger Zinger, Carrot Vanilla Gougeres.
Vanilla Pantry: Vanilla Sugar, Vanilla Salt Flakes, Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Aioli, Raspberry Vanilla Vinegar and Scooter Pastry Cases/Pie Shells.
Personally I think it is a beautiful book. Well written and laid out. Beautiful photos. Well written recipes. Easy to follow for the confident cook.
Vanilla Table, the essence of exquisite cooking from the world's best chefs
by Nasasha MacAller
Photography by Manja Wachsmuth
Published by Jacqui Small LLP
ISBN 978-1-909342-86-6
£25.00 UK/ $40.00 US/ $43.99 CAN
*Special Reader offer
To order Vanilla Table at the discounted price of £20 including p&p* (RRP: £25), telephone
01903 828503 or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk and quote the offer code APG301.*UK ONLY – Please add £2.50 if ordering from overseas.
Vanilla Table officially releases on 19th March
Many thanks to Jacqui Small for sending me a complimentary copy for review. Any and all opinions are my own.
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