One of the tastes I have come to really enjoy over here is Golden Syrup. A pale thick amber coloured syrup, it is a form of inverted sugar syrup, made in the process of converting sugar cane juice into sugar. Oh, it is soooo scrummy and has a lovely caramel like, almost buttery flavour.
I have a cookery book I really love. It's called The Country Cooking of Ireland, by Coleman Andrews and it's a real winner. I have always felt that if you want to get a real sense of what a country is like, you will embrace the food of that country . . . and to do that you really need to get into the thick of the countryside.
Let me tell you . . . the Irish countryside is a very delicious place! Especially if this recipe is a fair representation of that, and I believe it is. I thought it would be very fitting to share this with you as this week we will be celebrating St Patrick's Day, and since discovering this past year that 27% of my DNA is Irish, what better reason to celebrate!
I have a friend Jo, who has very deep Irish roots and she has always gone on about Irish Bacon and Cabbage, so when I saw this recipe it was one of the first ones which I wanted to cook. Jo always made it sound so delicious.
Simple ingredients put together in a simple way with extraordinarily delicious results!
I made a mustard sauce to serve with it, and boiled new potatoes . . . but a parsley sauce is just as delicious. I do hope you will give it a go.
*Bacon and Cabbage*
Serves 4 to 6
Anyways, I hope you will make try this delicious recipe out. Mustard Sauce or Parsley Sauce. This is an Irish winner! Bon appetite!
After a really busy and full week last week, I found myself craving something simple for tea on Saturday evening. A store cupboard meal and something which would not take a lot of time to knock together. I have this recipe binder that I have had kicking around for a very long time and this recipe comes from that. It is perfect for those lacking in inspiration nights and for nights when you are feeling very lazy but still want to eat something delicious! Tex-Mex Bean Bake. I have no idea where the original recipe comes from, as it is hand written and I didn't make note of the source back when I was doing my binder. All I can tell you for sure is it is very tasty and very old . . . written on a page that is splattered and torn! A testimony to it's deliciousness!
I never make a Jam Roly Poly for dessert but what I don't think of one of my favourite childhood stories, The Tale of Samuel Whiskers and the Roly Poly Pudding by Beatrix Potter. Its kind of a gruesome story really when you think about it . . . rats
capturing an innocent little kitten and rolling him up in pudding dough
to bake and eat . . . it sent shivers up my spine at the thought. A tale really of a lesson learned about the perils of disobedience and the consquences which follow!
I've been really cracking the whip with myself this month, writing, writing, writing . . . trying to hit the deadline for my new cookbook and write the best book possible for all of you.
Between that and my husband's radio-therapy, this month has been chocker block so far with no end in sight. I did have a chance to bake a really delicious pie today however, that I just cannot resist showing you! Man oh man, this was gorgeous!
It comes from a hand-written recipe that I have had in my recipe binder for some 20 odd years now and which I had never gotten around to baking.
I am not sure why, because let me tell you, after having baked it today I can assure you it won't be the last time! Wowza doesn't begin to describe it . . .
You line a 9 inch pie dish with your favourite short crust pastry and then fill it with a delicious butter cake . . .
Then a spiced apple custard gets poured on top of the cake batter . . . before baking it in a moderate oven and that is when the magic happens . . .
That delicious spiced apple custard somehow sinks to the bottom and gets nestled between that buttery layer of cake and crisp flaky pastry . . .
The custard almost takes on a caramel-like quality . . . mmm . . . some good. SOME good . . .
That cake . . . tender and buttery with a moist delicious crumb . . . that goes very well with the apple custard filling . . .
And then if that all isn't good enough . . . you drizzle a coffee flavoured drizzle icing over it all. MMM . . . hot diggity dog! Eee . . . Haw!
If this isn't the best pie you've ever eaten, I'll eat my hat! But don't take my word for it, bake it. You will not regret it and your family will surely crown you the pie baking Queen of your Castle!
*Spiced Apple Custard and Cake Pie*
Serves 6 to 8
To serve:
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
Roll out the pie crust to fit your pie dish. Fit into the dish. Trim and
flute the edges. Set aside.
Combine the sugar, flour and apple pie spice for the custard in a bowl, mixing together well. Add the remaining ingredients, blending in well. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar for the cake filling. Beat in the buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Beat this into the creamed mixture until smooth. Pour this mixture into the pie crust lined pie dish, smoothing it out. Carefully pour the custard over top.
Bake for 50 to 65 minutes, until the centre springs back when lightly touched and the top is golden brown. The custard should have sunk to the bottom.
Whisk the icing sugar together with enough coffee to give you a drizzle icing. Drlzzle over warm pie. Let set.
Serve pie warm, cut into wedges, with or without whipped cream or ice cream.
Make Your Own Apple Pie Spice: Mix together 1/4 cup ground cinnamon, 1 TBS ground allspice, 2 tsp ground nutmeg, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cardamom. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.
If you only bake one recipe this weekend, let it be this! I only had a small sliver myself, trying to be good, but hot damn if I didn't have to go back and have another! I could not resist. Thought I would take a photo like this so you could see all the layers better.
This is beautiful. Scrumptious, Easy to make and oh so delicious.
Some other delicious pies on here that you might enjoy are:
MAPLE WALNUT VINEGAR PIE - Maple Walnut Vinegar Pie is a Canadian twist on the American Pecan Pie. Maple and walnuts are naturally a brilliant flavor combination, and one that my family just loves! You can either chill this and serve it cold from the refrigerator, or you can serve it at room temperature. Either way it is totally scrumptious, especially with a dollop of whipped cream on top!
BEST BUTTERSCOTCH PIE - My ex-mother-in-law's recipe for one of the best from-scratch butterscotch pies you could ever want to eat! Simple to make and oh so delicious, this is a pie I have been making for my family for over 40 years now. It was always my ex-husband's choice for his birthday dessert, rather than a cake! And who could blame him? Its fabulously tasty!
Coffee & Cardamom Loaf. I really love teabreads, loafs. By that I mean a sweet quick bread that is meant to be served with a hot cuppa, not a bread made with tea.
One of my favourite cooking magazines over here in the UK is the Good Food Cooking magazine. I used to have a subscription, but when I lost my job it wasn't something I could afford and so now I only pick it up when there are recipes in it that I am particularly interested in.
The latest issue had a great recipe in it for a basic loaf cake right on the very last page, with some variations on it. I thought this variation sounded delicious!
I just love coffee flavoured cakes and cookies. One of my favourite Canadian Candy Bars is the Coffee Crisp and I always call dibs on the coffee flavoured chocolates in the Roses Chocolate Box!
(They are in the green wrapper!) I have not had a coffee crisp in a very long time now. Sigh . . .
Back to the cake. This is a very simple all in one cake, meaning you just pile all of the ingredients into the bowl and beat them together, then scrape the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake. Easy peasy.
I love all in one cakes. Especially when they combine flavours such as this one has. Coffee? Love that flavour. Cardamom? Love that flavour also. Coffee & Cardamom together? This HAS to be great!
I had some instant vanilla flavoured coffee left from my last Degustabox and that is what I used for the coffee needed for the cake and the frosting. Some good!
I didn't have any plain yogurt and so I used buttermilk with excellent results! Handy tip here, if you have a recipe calling for yogurt, or buttermilk or sour cream, you can usually interchange them, or make your own sour milk as well.
It makes a cake which is just the right size. Loaf size. Cutting into 8 thick slices. Just perfect for us.
The coffee icing gets spread onto the cooled loaf and I created a white cardamom flavoured drizzle to decorate it with. It looked very nice when it was all done.
The two together looked really pretty I thought. Tasted nice too! This is a really fabulous cake. I highly recommend!
*Coffee & Cardamom Loaf*
Makes one 2 lb loaf cake
For the cake:
175g unsalted butter (3/4 cup)
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter and base line a 2 pound loaf tin. Set aside.
Place the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, buttermilk, coffee, cardamom and salt into a bowl. Beat with an electric whisk until smooth. Spread into the prepared baking tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before tipping out onto a rack to finish cooling completely.
To make the Coffee Icing, whisk the ingredients
together until smooth. Spoon over the cooled cake. Allow to set before
proceeding with the optional cardamom drizzle. To make the cardamom
drizzle, whisk those ingredients together until smooth, only adding
enough water to give you a smooth drizzle. Flick it over the top of the
set coffee icing. Allow to set before cutting the loaf into thick slices
to serve.You should get 8 servings.
We both really loved this cake. It went down well with a hot drink and had a lovely coffee flavour. I think next time I will increase the cardamom in the batter slightly. The original recipe called for the seeds from four pods ground, and I erred on the side of caution by adding what I did of the ground. next time I might add a bit more. I hope you will bake it. I am sure you will love it! 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 Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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Weeknights I try to keep things really simple. I am very busy during the week and after having worked as a chef for many years, I quite honestly don't want to spend all my days in the kitchen cooking.
Simple, quick and easy works well for me . . . but simple, quick and easy doesn't mean that food has to be tasteless or even unhealthy. It is more than possible to cook a delicious meal without a lot of effort and from scratch.
That is why I tend to favour simple dishes like this Chicken with Apricots and Almonds that I am showing you here today. Quick and easy to make and very delicious, it is also quite healthy.
That is why I tend to favour simple dishes like this Chicken with Apricots and Almonds that I am showing you here today. Quick and easy to make and very delicious, it is also quite healthy.
With only 1 TBS of fat which is used to brown the onions and chicken meat and four servings that means the fat content is about 1/4th of a tablespoon, which is pretty good for something so delicious!
The whole thing cooks in one pot on top of the stove.
The whole thing cooks in one pot on top of the stove.
Lovely flavours are included by using ginger, cinnamon and tumeric . . . so it has a bit of an Middle Eastern flare, but without going over the top.
The addition of dried apricots adds a nice natural sweetness, and helps to thicken the juices into a virtually fat free sauce, whilst the sprinkling of some flaked almonds on top just prior to serving adds a bit of nutty crunch.
The addition of dried apricots adds a nice natural sweetness, and helps to thicken the juices into a virtually fat free sauce, whilst the sprinkling of some flaked almonds on top just prior to serving adds a bit of nutty crunch.
You can use the coriander or not as you wish. Some people are not very fond of coriander I know. Personally I don't really mind it.
All together this makes for a very delicious and simple supper. All you need with it is some steamed rice and a vegetable.
All together this makes for a very delicious and simple supper. All you need with it is some steamed rice and a vegetable.
I like broccoli, but you can have whatever vegetable floats your boat. I am sure you and your families will really love this so I hope that you will give it a go!
A
lightly spiced dish with tender chunks of chicken and sweet and sticky
apricots. It makes for a delicious low fat weekday meal, which is quick
and easy to prepare. You will need a large skillet with a lid.
1 TBS unflavoured cooking oil
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground tumeric
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes.
450ml chicken stock (2 cups)
250g pack of dried apricots, halved (about 1 2/3 cup)
Heat
the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion.
Cook, stirring, until softened. Add the spices and the chicken. Cook
for several minutes, stirring to coat the chicken with the spices...
Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15
minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the lid, stir and add the
apricots. Cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes, until the chicken
is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste and add
salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle the
almonds over top and garnish with some chopped fresh coriander if
desired.
*Chicken with Almonds and Apricots*
Serves 4
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
25g of sliced almonds (1/4 cup)
chopped fresh coriander to garnish (Cilantro, optional)
Steamed rice to serve
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.
Eddingtons recently sent me some kitchenware from Epicurean to try out and I have spent the last month putting it through it's paces in a big way. I could have told you about it right off the bat, but I wanted to really use it before I spoke to you about it.
Epicurean Cutting Surfaces are a world-class kitchenware brand committed to creating responsibly sourced, design lead and innovative kitchenware. The Epicurean brand was the inspiration of a custom skate park manufacturer who realised the potential for its use outside the skate parks when he was asked by friends and family to create chopping boards from the almost indestructible new materials used in the build process.
I received one of the large chopping boards in the natural colour and two utensils, a large spoon in the slate colour and a sauté tool in the natural colour.
The Kitchen Series Chopping Boards are made from an eco-friendly, organic, wood fibre composite, available in a variety of sizes and colours; natural, slate and nutmeg. The wood fibre provides cooks with a knife friendly smooth surface upon which they can carry out all their food preparation. The boards are extremely durable, nonporous, heat resistant and dishwasher safe. The Kitchen Series boards really are the “go- to” board for all your cooking and chopping needs
- Dishwasher safe
-Heat resistant to 350*F/176*C
-Knife friendly
-Non-porous wood fibre
-Limited lifetime warranty
I have really loved using this board. Not only does it perform well as a chopping board, but it also makes a great and attractive surface for me to lay out hot dishes on at the table, and I have to also add that this large one makes a great back drop for food photos. (Just sayin!)
The Kitchen Series Utensil Range has the look and feel of traditional wooden utensils, but has the added benefit of being fade, split and stain resistant. This is due to the innovative wood fibre composite that they are made from. The Kitchen Series utensils are gentle on pans and won’t harm non-stick surfaces whilst also being easy to clean and dishwasher safe. The utensil collection is available in two colours, Natural and Slate and includes three sizes of spoon, a sauté tool, paddle and angled turner.
- Dishwasher safe
-Heat resistant to 350*F/176*C
- Safe for non-stick pans
-Lifetime warranty
The utensils have also performed well. At first I was a bit concerned that they might absorbe food flavours, colours, the way that traditional wooden spoons do, but that has not happened. The sauté tool was a bit faded when I received it, due to the portion of it that had been covered with the label, but it has not taken on any colours or tints from anything I have used it with, tomatoes, tumeric, etc. Nor have they taken on any smell from what I have used them to cook with either. My pots and pans have remained scratch and scrape free. Also the board has not taken on any smell from onions or garlic and its surface remains scratch free even after a month of daily use.
I was also a bit concerned that they might warp in the dish washer. I mean wood, right? This has also not happened and I have been using and dish washing them almost on a daily basis. I have to add that I have a smaller, bar-sized board that I have been using for several years now and it has also performed well, never warping, scratching or taking on any smells. I highly recommend these products. You can purchase them at Borough Kitchen Cookshops.
The Kitchen Utensils can be purchased at Gill Wing Cook Shop on 190 Upper Street, Islington. London. N1 1RQ.
As most of you know these past few months I have been kept very busy testing recipes and writing for my new cookbook which will be published soon. This is one of the recipes which I have developed for it and one which really give the cutting board a real work out, as everything in it was chopped fine! I used my handy dandy spring loaded food chopper and it did not scratch the board at all. The durability of these products is amazing! And so is this tasty recipe. A great way to use up the leftovers from a roast ham dinner!
*Baked Ham Hash*
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a
shallow 1 litre (2 quart) baking dish. Set aside.
Mix the ham, onion, potatoes, worcestershiare sauce and black pepper in a bowl. Spread in the buttered baking dish. Scatter the grated cheese evenly over top.
Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes until heated through and golden brown. Serve hot.
A tossed salad on the side goes very well!
Note - you could also serve this with either a fried or poached egg on top.
Mix the ham, onion, potatoes, worcestershiare sauce and black pepper in a bowl. Spread in the buttered baking dish. Scatter the grated cheese evenly over top.
Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes until heated through and golden brown. Serve hot.
A tossed salad on the side goes very well!
Note - you could also serve this with either a fried or poached egg on top.
Many thanks to Eddingtons for sending me these nifty kitchen tools to try out. Eddingtons are purveryors and suppliers of quality kitchen merchandise. They pride themselves in finding fun, innovative and practical kitchen and housewares that are just that little bit different
I am a huge fan of one an suppers. The less washing up the better! Less mess, less stress. I recently came across this recipe for Turkey Meatballs and Lemon Rice and thought it sounded delicious and the fact that it was a one an supper made it even more appealing. Adapted from the Cookbook entitled One-Pan Wonders from Cooks Country.
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