When I saw this recipe for a One Pan Farmers Market Pasta on The View from The Great Island, I knew it was something I wanted to make.  It looked so fresh, delicious and healthy.  Just one problem.  Hubby loathes pasta and isn't overly fond of a lot of vegetables either.  He was brought up on School Dinners and rationing and our modern vegetables/combinations/pasta dishes don't excite him in the least.

Its now Great British Bake Off Season here in the UK, and in honor of that each week Betty's will be sharing a delicious recipe, plus a video and their baking tips to go with each recipe. The kind of thing you won't find in any cookery book! Here is week five of their delicious hints and tips, and week four on how to create a delicious Croquembouche.

NOTES IN THE MARGINS

Sparkling Spun Sugar, The Betty's Way 

 

Make a Mess

Create Spun Sugar in a friend's kitchen.
Why?  It's messy

Golden Syrup 

Temperature is important

It mix is too cold, the strands will be too thick.  If too hot, they will be too thin.

The ideal consistency is like warm Golden Syrup.

 

Stand Up Tall 

You'll need a little height to work with the sugar. (In the film, Lisa is stood on a kick stool!)

Don't make it too early, it will only last for an hour or so.

Cleaning Up 

Cleaning up can be tricky, but not if you do this:  Fill the pan with water, bring it to the boil, then tip it away.

Sparkling!

If only washing up was so easy.



This is the final part of our series about how to create a Croquembouche. Find out how to create spun sugar to decorate your masterpiece in next week's episode of Betty's Baking Secrets.

www.bettys.co.uk/bettysbakingsecrets

Yesterday I promised to show you something today that you can use up some of the leftover roast turkey in and here it is, a delicious Hot Turkey Taco Salad.  It should be noted that you can also use freshly ground turkey as well, so you don't have to have leftover cooked turkey for this, but if you do, this is a really tasty way to use some of it up!

The Canadian Thanksgiving is coming up in just a few weeks now and the American about a month or so later and then of course Christmas is on top of that.  If you are a small family that don't want to cook a whole turkey, or a larger family that wants a bit extra on top of the family turkey, or even if you just want to cook some turkey to have for the week ahead to use in sandwiches or casseroles, I have a real winning recipe for you here today.  This always results in a moist and well flavoured roast, which is perfect sized for all of those needs!

One of the things I love most about this time of year is PLUMS!  Yes the plus are ripe and for a change this year we have had a bumper crop of them.  Although Todd for the life of him can't figure out what he did that was any different than any other year.  Last year we had two plums, exactly.  No more, no less, but at least we each got to enjoy one.

Every cook who loves to entertain should have an easy little dessert recipe up their sleeve, that's, not only easy to execute, but also pretty failproof, delicious and impressive. I used to bake a lot of these when I worked at the Manor.   They entertained a lot , and everything always had to be done to a high standard. This was one of their favourite desserts that I made for dinner parties and ladie's luncheons.  They were very popular.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret this morning. A family secret. A secret recipe that I have been hoarding, baking and enjoying for about 35 yeara now . . . or maybe even longer if you count the years my ex husband and I dated before we actually got married . . .

I love chicken and I love sweet potatoes and I love the two of them put together.  Often when I roast poultry I will bake some sweet potatoes on the side, so it seemed a really natural thing for me to put them together into a casserole.  A very delicious casserole, I hasten to add.

Renshaw (a leading UK baking company) has launched The Great Renshaw Bake Off, a full nine weeks of fun competitions.

The Great Renshaw Bake Off is your chance to join in a series of nine fun weekly challenges and win some fantastic prizes. You don’t have to be a baker extraordinaire to take part. That’s because they will be testing you with games and quizzes as well as asking to see your best - and worst! - culinary creations.

Sounds like fun!

#RenshawBakeOff

Its now Great British Bake Off Season here in the UK, and in honor of that each week Betty's will be sharing a delicious recipe, plus a video and their baking tips to go with each recipe. The kind of thing you won't find in any cookery book! Here is week four of their delicious hints and tips, and week three on how to create a delicious Croquembouche.
 
Cracking Caramel, the Bettys way

INGREDIENTS (makes approximately 300ml)
75ml water
145g caster sugar
60g glucose syrup

METHOD
1. Place the ingredients in a small, heavy base saucepan and set over a medium heat.

2. Stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved and then increase the heat to bring up to the boil. Do not stir anymore.

3. Brush the sides of the pan using a wet pastry brush to prevent grains of sugar getting stuck to the side of the pan. The grains of sugar may crystallize the syrup.

4. Boil until the syrup turns a light golden colour and stop the cooking process by briefly plunging the pan into a bowl of very cold water. Do take care as this is a dangerous process. The caramel is ready to use. If the caramel cools down and sets, place over a gentle heat to melt. 




Notes in the Margins

Cracking Caramel

WET SAND
Your heavy base pan must be immaculately clean.
Keep some hanging water in the pan so the caramel doesn’t burn.
Use your finger to stir the sugar – create the texture of ‘wet sand’.

SWIRL
The glucose is a vital ingredient.
It keeps the spun sugar flexible later on.
 Pick up the glucose with a wet hand so it doesn’t stick. Do this off the heat.
Once you introduce the caramel to the heat, don’t stir it - swirl.

GOLDEN BLONDE
You’ll see it go to a blonde caramel with a hint of colour.
Watch for it turning to a honeycomb, golden blonde – then remove from the heat.
Be careful – caramel is red hot! Let the choux touch the sugar – not your finger.

This is part three of our series about how to create a Croquembouche. Find out how to create spun sugar to decorate your masterpiece in next week’s episode of Bettys Baking Secrets. www.bettys.co.uk/bettysbakingsecrets 


For nearly 100 years, people have been flocking to Yorkshire for a taste of Bettys. Bettys was founded by Frederick Belmont, a Swiss baker and confectioner who came to England in search of opportunities to develop his craft skills. He opened his first Café Tea Rooms in Harrogate in 1919 and named it 'Bettys'. The reason why remains a mystery to this day.

We do eat a lot of chicken in this house.  You've probably noticed.  That's because it is pretty economical and very versatile.  Especially chicken breasts.  They are a virtual canvas for many flavours and textures.  I love to play with them and come up with delicious ways of preparing them.  This turned out to be one of our favourites!   Chicken with Cheesy Leeks and Spinach!

This is a recipe that I have made on here before, but it was so long ago and the photos are so poor I wanted to do it again, using the fresh tomatoes from our garden.  This is a winner of a recipe and one I just love.  It is so good that I felt it deserved a new write up and updated photographs!

I was supposed to get a large order of frozen curries to trial on Friday and I had to go through the freezer to make room for them.   I realised I had an awful lot of blueberries and decided to bake Todd a delicious blueberry cake with some of them.   I also sent half of it over to our friend Doreen, who is celebrating her 86th Birthday this weekend!  This is a very old recipe, but fabulously delicious!