What can I say about Ratatouille. Umm . . . it's not a rat that can talk. It's delicious. I love it. In all seriousness it is a very tasty dish, and other than all of the chopping of the vegetables, it's very simple to make!
I love risotto, and I totally adore oven baked risotto's. I bet you are wondering why. It's no mystery really. there is a very simple reason . . .
This is a lovely dessert I made the other night when we had some company for dinner. I had other plans, but the time got away from me.
I decided to whip up an Eve's Pudding, which makes a quick and easy dessert, and is quite a traditional pudding here in the UK.
This recipe, however, is not just an ordinary Eve's Pudding, but an Apple and Blueberry Eve's Pudding. Slightly different then the original traditional Eve's Pudding, but incredibly delicious!
Eve's pudding is a traditional British pudding made from sliced cooking apples with a sponge cake mixture spooned over top.
The apples are allowed to stew at the bottom of the baking dish while the cake mixture cooks on top. In this case, I sprinkled some blueberries over the apples to give it a bit of colour and variety!
You could add some spice to the apples if you wished, perhaps a bit of cinnamon, but that day I left them plain.
I like to start the apples cooking in the dish in the oven while I whip the sponge mixture together.
The sponge mixture goes together very easily . . . . and results in a lovely sponge with a moist crumb. I flavoured it with a bit of orange, both some juice and some finely grated zest.
Served warm from the oven with lashings of cream, it went down a real treat, but custard, or vanilla icecream would also be delicious!
*Apple and Blueberry Eve's Pudding*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe
A slightly different version from the traditional Eve's Pudding. Easy Peazy, and oh so scrummy yummy! Serve warm with lashings of cream or custard poured over top each serving.
1 1/2 pounds cooking apples, peeled, quartered,
cored and cut into thick slices
4 ounces blueberries, fresh or frozen (1/4 pound)
3 ounces of caster sugar (a scant 1/2 cup)
1 TBS water
Topping:
4 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature (1/2 cup)
4 ounces of caster sugar (a generous half cup)
2 large free range eggs
4 ounces self raising flour (a scant 1 cup)
2 TBS fresh orange juice
the grated zest of one small orange
Icing Sugar for dusting
Warm custard, or cream for serving
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Place the apples and cranberries into a 2 1/2 pint baking dish, at least 2 inches deep. Sprinkle the caster sugar over top along with the water. Place into the heated oven and allow to cook for about ten minutes while you make the topping.
To make the topping measure all the ingredients into a bowl and then whisk together until smooth with an electric whisk. Remove the fruit from the oven and spread this batter evenly over top. Return to the oven and cook for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown and the top springs back when lightly touched.
Dust with icing sugar and serve warm with custard or cream.
The dish I used to bake my Eve's Pudding in was the Wade Ceramics 12 inch Oval Pie dish. It was the perfect size and shape for this dessert. Its really meant for pies, but worked very well for this as well.
The rim of this dish provides ample support for a pie lid; seals pastry and prevents pie from shrinking back during cooking. There is also an indented space to place pie funnels. Pie funnels work effectively to release steam which helps in keeping the pie crust crisp
It is made from the finest porcelain, in an attractive off white colour for a timeless classic look. It has an accurate depth design which is created to contain various ingredients ensuring that the pie filling cooks well and evenly. It is microwave, oven and dishwasher safe.
Another handy piece of kit I was able to use on the day was was the Daisy Food Cover. This particular item is designed to protect food from pests, whilst adding that finishing touch to picnic and barbecue tables.
Another handy piece of kit I was able to use on the day was was the Daisy Food Cover. This particular item is designed to protect food from pests, whilst adding that finishing touch to picnic and barbecue tables.
This is going to come in really handy during the warm weeks ahead. I love eating out of doors, but I hate the idea of flies and other assorted pests crawling over my food prior to our eating.
As you can see it was large enough to amply cover this 12 inch pie dish with plenty of space overhead and around. And it's really pretty. I love it.
As you can see it was large enough to amply cover this 12 inch pie dish with plenty of space overhead and around. And it's really pretty. I love it.
This really was a beautiful pudding. Not only was it quick and easy to make and very, very attractive . . . but it was quite, quite delicious!
Note - although I was sent free product from Eddington's to use and review, I was not required to write a positive review. Any and all opinions are entirely my own.
If you are looking for a simple cookie that is easy to make and delicious. Look no further. Cinnamon Slice and Bakes have to be one of the simplest cookies around and they are totally scrumptious!
You are going to love these delicious cheese and oat scones. Not only are they very comfortable sitting down next to a hot bowl of soup, but they are equally as comfortable next to a plate of salad, or being slathered with butter and jam!
I thought I better post this recipe before the weather gets too hot to enjoy a bowl of soup. This is a delicious soup we had for supper the other night along with some homemade scones. It went down a real treat on a cool and rainy day!
These were always a real favourite when I was growing up. When my mother made these we were all very happy! Of course she could never make enough of them! She used to only make them if she had cold leftover boiled potatoes. Nowadays I boil potatoes purposely just so that I can make these!
Generally speaking, I like to cook simple and easy things for dinners here in our house. I had more than my fill of fancy cooking when I cooked at the Manor, enough to last me a lifetime. Todd and I are simple folk with simple tastes. Ordinary food suits us just fine!
That doesn't mean that I don't cook delicious food of course. I think all of my meals are delicious . . . but then again I am a tad bit biased.
Delicious needn't be complicated or expensive. Delicious food comes in many forms.
My husband thinks so too. He was just saying to me yesterday about how lucky he was that he has a wife who loves to cook and who is good at cooking.
Mind you if you asked him on a pasta night, his opinion might be a tad bit different!
These Lasagna Buns are fun, fun, fun!!! Easy and quick to make, and oh so very delicious!!
You could eat them with your hands, if you really wanted to get down to earth . . . but I recommend being a bit more civilized and eating them on a plate, with a fork and a knife!!
Crisp bread shells holding all the elements of a delicious meaty lasagna, minus the pasta.
Ohhh soooo cheesy and rich and scrumdiddlyummy!!!
Your family is sure to love these hearty fun buns. I guarantee they will become a real favourite and much requested entree!
Simple enough for every day, but something you also might want to feed friends when they come for dinner.
*Crusty Lasagna Buns*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe
Crisp hollowed out crusty rolls filled with a mixture of a delicious meat sauce and a variety of cheeses, and then baked until the cheese is ooey gooey and scrumdiddlyumptious!!
8 round crusty rolls
350g of extra lean ground beef
1 small jar of pasta sauce
(your favourite kind. I like one with a gutsy flavour such as an
arrabatia or a puttanesca)
garlic powder to taste
2 tsp of dried oregano
2 tsp of dried basil
1 tsp onion powder
pinch of cloves
salt and black pepper to taste
250g packet of ricotta cheese
8 ounces strong cheddar cheese grated
8 ounces grated mozzarella cheese
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
Cut a thin slice off of the top of each bun. Hollow out the centres, leaving a 1/4 inch thick shell. (Discard the centres and tops, or feed to birds, or make breadcrumbs with them and put them in the freezer.)
Brown the ground beef in a hot skillet, cooking and mashing with a fork until it is nicely browned. Stir in the garlic powder, oregano, basil, onion powder, cloves, salt, pepper and pasta sauce. Allow to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes over low heat until flavours meld.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark4.
Mix together the ricotta cheese with half of the cheddar cheese and half of the Mozzarella cheese, and all of the Parmesan.. Stir together well.
Place the hollowed out buns on a shallow baking tray. Divide the meat sauce between them. Top with equal amounts of the cheese mixture. Cover loosely with foil and then pop into the heated oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the foil and top with the remaining cheese and then bake for another 5 minutes or so, or pop under a hot grill for 3 to 4 minutes.
Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Delicious!
All you need on the side is a bit of salad! Quite simply delicious. Bon Appetit!
This may not look like much . . . its just rice after all, but don't let the simplicity of it fool you into thinking it isn't very special! This is a fabulous side dish!
I have no idea at all why this is called Spanish Cake. There doesn't seem to be anything particularly Spanish about it.
I only know that it has always been called Spanish Cake. It is flavoured with lots of cinnamon and topped with a Maple Icing.
You would think that it should be called Canada cake, but its not. Its quite simply Spanish cake.
Its a rather old recipe which has been kicking about in my Big Blue
Binder for a very long time. That means that this is a tried and true,
and a favourite recipe.
I probably picked up somewhere along my travels across
Canada. Possibly from one of my friends, but it was so long ago that I can no longer
remember where or when. I only know that its delicious.
It is buttery and moist. It has a lovely cinnamon flavour, but it is not a large cake. It is a very moreish cake, which more than makes up for its lack of size.
This is a cake you will find yourself wanting to cut a slice from again and again . . . and maybe even again. I once cooked it three times in one week. (Don't judge me, lol)
It's a single 8 inch square layer . . . topped with a maple sugar frosting that you pour over the cake while the icing is slightly warm. You do it when it is warm so that it spreads out easily across the cake.
You could use soft light brown sugar if you cannot find maple sugar. I am partial to the flavour of maple myself.
I did manage to buy it in a shop here in the UK. I think it was Asda, but I can't remember for sure. You can also buy it on Amazon.
My sister sent me over a kilo of it a while back. I treat it like gold. But it is always worth using it for this delicious cake. I like to top the finished cake with toasted walnuts . . . maple and walnuts go together like peas and carrots.
*Spanish Cake*
Makes one 8-inch cake
A lovely little cake flavoured with cinnamon and topped with a lucious maple cream icing.
For the cake:
140g of plain flour (1 cup)
1tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
120g of butter, at room temperature (1/2 cup)
190g of sugar (1 cup)
2 large free range eggs, separated
120ml milk (1/2 cup)
For the icing:
60g butter (1/4 cup)
80g of maple sugar (1/2 cup, can use 1/2 cup loosely packed brown sugar)
2 TBS milk
130g of icing sugar (1 cup)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter an 8 inch square baking tin and line with baking paper. Set aside.
Beat the egg WHITES until stiff and set aside.
Sift
the flour, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl. Set aside. Cream
together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg
YOLKS one at a time. Beat in the flour along with the milk making
alternate additions. (3 dry and two wet) Mix well.
Fold in the egg
whites. Spread the batter in the prepared baking tin. Bake in the
heated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top bounces back when
lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
The cake should also have begun to pull away from the sides a bit.
Remove from the oven. Cool in the pan for five minutes then lift out
onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Place
the butter for the icing in a saucepan and melt. Add the maple sugar
and heat gently over low heat for 2 minutes, until the sugar has
melted. Add the milk. Bring to the boil, then remove from the stove
and let cool. Beat in the icing sugar and spread onto the cooled cake.
Note - I like to sprinkle chopped toasted walnuts on top, but that is the Canadian in me liking the flavour of maple walnut.
I hope you will make this cake. When you do I think you will agree that Spanish or not, its one very delicious cake.
I hope you will make this cake. When you do I think you will agree that Spanish or not, its one very delicious cake.
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!
We had some people over for dinner tonight, and I cooked a pretty nice meal I guess. I did Chicken Savoyarde and Lemon Rice. I also cooked carrots, and some green beans, a pea salad and some crusty french bread on the side. I think everyone was pretty happy with the meal.
Nan's Sugar Scones. I think this has to be one of the best, if not the best scone recipe! I adapted this delicious recipe from one in the April issue of Delicious magazine.
These
are delicious! For soft sided scones, place them close together on the
pan, for crisp crusted ones place them on the baking sheet with some
space in between. Adapted from a recipe found in Delicious magazine.
400g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting (3 1/2 cups)
50g caster sugar (1/4 cup)
1 tsp salt
60g cold unsalted butter, cut into bits (1/4 cup)
310ml buttermilk (1 1/3 cup)
the finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons
the juice of one lemon
15 sugar cubes
buttermilk to glaze
Preheat the oven to 230*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Set aside.
Measure
the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar and salt. Drop in the
butter. Rub the butter in with your fingertip until the mixture
resembles fine bread crumbs. Stir in the lemon zest. Add most of the
buttermilk, stirring it in with a round bladed knife. Only add the
remaining buttermilk to give you a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured
surface and knead gently 2 or 3 times. Pat or roll out to 1 inch
thickness.
Place
the lemon juice into a bowl. Working with one sugar cube at a time dip
them into the lemon juice, turning to coat, and then push them down
into the centre of each scone.
Bake for 12 to 15
minutes until they are risen and golden brown. Serve warm or cold, on
the day, with some cream and jam. Delicious!
From the moment I saw it, I knew it was something I wanted to bake. A fairly ordinary buttermilk English scones recipe which have lemon soaked sugar cubes pushed into their centers!
The scone dough is fairly simple. It was quite damp, so if you want scones that look more like baking powder biscuits, don't add all of the liquid. I found it very tacky.
I did not want to add too much extra flour to them, so I just patted them out on a well floured surface and used a well floured cutter to cut them out.
Because the dough was kind of tacky they spread a bit . . . the ones in the magazine were straight up and down.
I actually liked them spread out a bit, and soft sided . . .
The lemon soaked sugar cubes melt and end up tasting sort of like lemon curd. It's like magic really!
I love magic in cooking, don't you?
In the magazine they recommended serving them with cream and jam, but I can tell you, they were positively delicious all on their own.
Even the day after. In fact we found them quite, quite moreish!
*Nan's Sugar Scones*
Makes 15 medium scones
Cut into 2 1/2 inch rounds using a sharp round cutter and
using a sharp tapping up and down motion. Do not twist the cutter and
flour the cutter in between cuts.
Place the scones onto the baking
sheet as desired. Gather the trimmings and re-pat and cut until you
have used up all the dough, and placing them on the baking sheet.
Once you have finished this, brush the
scones with a bit more buttermilk.
Hope you will give them a go and let me know what you think!
Bon Appetit!
Bon Appetit!
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.
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Todd just loves his Banger's and Mash. If I want to make him happy, that's all I have to cook up. He could very easily eat them more than once every week!
If you are looking for a delicious way to cook some lovely spring lamb cutlets look no further! I adapted this delicious recipe from a cookery book of mine entitled, "Secrets from a Country Kitchen" by Lucy Young. The original recipe called for studding two 7 chop rack of lamb with garlic and roasting them for about 25 minutes in a hot oven. I didn't have a rack of lamb, but the recipe looked so tasty that I really wanted to try it, and so I did what any good cook does . . . I switched it out for what I did have which was . . .
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