*Roly Poly Rhubarb Pudding*
Serves 8 Kind of like a rolled rhubarb dumpling baked in a delicious sauce. Serve with lashings of custard or cream for a delicious treat! For the dumplings: 280g plain flour (2 cups) 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 1/2 TBS butter 7 fluid ounces of milk (7/8 cup) For the filling: softened butter for spreading 95g caster sugar (1/2 cup) freshly grated nutmeg 3/4 pound rhubarb, chopped (2 cups) For the Sauce: 190g caster sugar (1 cup) 4 tsp plain flour 1/4 tsp salt 240ml hot water (1 cup) 1 TBS butter freshly grated nutmeg Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a deep 9 inch square baking dish and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into little bits and drop it into the flour. Rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the milk to make a soft dough. Tip out onto a floured board. Knead a few times and then pat out to a rectangle that is 1/4 inch thick. Spread the top with softened butter. Sprinkle the sugar over top and pat down. Sprinkle with some freshly grated nutmeg and then cover with the chopped rhubarb. Pat it down a bit then roll up as for a jelly roll, pinching the edges shut. Cut into 8 slices with a sharp knife. Place each slice, cut side down into the prepared baking dish. Whisk together the sugar, flour and salt for the sauce. Whisk in the hot water. Cook on high in the microwave for about a minute. Take out and whisk. Cook for a further minute, until boiling. Pour this over top of the rhubarb rolls in the dish. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes in the heated oven, until the rolls are cooked through and the whole thing is nice and bubbly. Serve warm, spooned into bowls, along with some custard or pouring cream. |
One of the things my husband really loves is a good curry. I confess I like it too. He loves a good hot and spicy Madras, whereas I like a mild curry, where I can actually appreciate the flavour of the protein involved. SO I usually pick something in the middle, which pleases us both.
Today it was a Chicken Tikka. Nothing special, just some cubed chicken breast and . . . . I confess . . . a jar of Lloyd Grossman Tikka curry sauce.
I like the Lloyd Grossman sauces. They do cost a bit more, but they are really quite good. I did make homemade Naan breads however, which was not as hard as I thought it would be.
My Swedish friend Marie (well she is an Australian Ex-Pat who married a Swede and lives in Sweden) had sent me the links to a couple of naan bread recipes a couple of weeks back, and I printed them out.
I couldn't find the printouts or the links today however. (That is just like me, and now you know how totally disorganized I can be at times most of the time.)
In any case, I did a search for a Yeast Free Naan Bread and found this recipe, which might be one of the links she sent me, or might not. In any case it worked really well.
It was a very simple dough, using very simple ingredients, and I will confess right now, I didn't have any yogurt in the fridge (How did that happen? I always have yogurt!), but by then I was into it already and so I used sour cream instead which I felt would have approximately the same acidity and consistency needed, and as you can see it worked out really well.
You make the dough and then roll it out to a thin (1/8th inch thick) oval and then you "bake" the ovals on a hot pan/griddle.
First on one side, over medium heat just until you get blisters showing up as you can see above. It will be light golden on the under side. This only took a few minutes.
I used my Pampered Chef griddle pan. Do NOT grease it. No oil needed. Then you flip them over and bake them on the other side, for a further minute . . .
At which time they will be perfectly cooked.
They are largish, about 6 by 9 inches in size so you can really only bake one at a time, so you will want to wrap the finished ones in a clean tea towel to keep them warm while you finish baking them all.
Which won't take long. The recipe only makes 4, and they are the nicest, softest, most delicious Naan breads you could ever want.
Nice and fresh . . .
These were really lovely. Nice and soft and beautiful. I liked them much better than the ones you buy that are already baked.
Actually there is no comparison really . . . these blow those nasty dry things out of the water!
These are so soft and pliable . . . you could never do this with one from the shops. These were lovely. Just look how easily you can fold them up.
They went down a real treat and were so easy to make. I will never buy shop bought again.
*Yeast Free Naan*
Makes 4 breads
Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Warm the milk gently with the butter (cut into bits) to melt the butter. Cool to lukewarm and whisk in the yogurt. Stir this into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon to make a soft dough.
If the
dough is too stick, dust lightly with flour. Knead in the bowl for a
few minutes, then cover with a clean tea towel and let sit for half an
hour. At the end of that time, divide into 4 equal portions and shape
into balls. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch
thickness. Rotate slightly as you roll them, sprinkling lightly with
flour as you go until you have a rough oval shape.
Heat a large non-stick skillet or flat pancake griddle pan over medium high heat. Once it is hot you can start to bake the Naan's. Pick up and remove any excess flour by slapping the dough between your hands and flip it onto the pan.
Cook until the surface is covered with bubbles,
and it is lightly toasted on the bottom, flip over and repeat. Remove
to a clean tea-towel and cover to keep warm while you cook the rest.
This helps to keep them soft. Serve warm.
Note - if you want a garlic flavoured Naan, you can rub the surface of the finished breads with the cut side of a clove of garlic and brush with butter.
We enjoyed these so much, they have set a new standard for us in what we expect in a Naan! I hope you will try them. I am positive you will fall in love with them too! Bon Appetit!
When I was a child I could hardly wait for Rhubarb Season to roll around. My mom would make us our favourite rhubarb pies. They were so tasty, served warm with vanilla ice cream all melting down into that buttery crust and the sweet/tart juices of that beautiful fruit . . .
But that was not the bestest part. The bestest part was eating it raw.
Oh what a treat that was. Mom would carefully wash and trim each of us
a stalk and then we would each be given a little bowl of sugar. We
would sit there at the table and dip the ends of the rhubarb into the
sugar and then suck and munch away . . . a jaw aching, mouth puckering
right of spring. It was soooo good.
We have a rather large rhubarb patch out back here in the garden. We
brought up the rhubarb that we had had down in Kent when we moved up
here 8 years ago, and we added it to the patch that was already here. Its never really done well here however, producing only spindly stems. Its rather early in the season of course, so for this pudding toay, i took advantage of the early pink Yorkshire forced rhubarb we can get in the shops this time of year. It has a beautiful colour.
These first tender pink and ruby coloured spring shoots are so
delightful, and a wonderfully welcome taste after the long cold wet winter we have had. When I was married before, in what seems like eons ago, we used to summer on PEI most years. I used to walk along the beach near my es-husbands American relatives cottage in Malpeque and pick wild rhubarb, which grew there in abundance.
As with most fruits, the wild stuff was smaller in size, but larger in flavour. I wonder why that is? Have we slowly grown the flavour out of things? Or is it just the flavours are more concentrated in a smaller fruit . . . in any case this early pink rhubarb very much reminds me of that Malpeque rhubarb.
Today we had company for dinner and I made a sort of a roly poly rhubarb pudding for dessert, with a rich buttery scone type of batter, spread with butter, sprinkled with sugar and nutmeg and then scattered with the chopped pink stalks of this delightfully tart fruit.
Rolled up and then cut into slices like a
jelly roll, they were placed in a buttered pan, and topped with a sweet, lightly
spiced sauce and then baked. It was oh so wonderful, served up warm and
covered with lashings of warm homemade custard. You could also serve it with pouring cream.
I tried to tempt Todd with a stalk rhubarb and a bowl of sugar once . . . so he could dip it, like a natural pixie stix, but he wasn't having any of it! Lets just say it didn't appeal!
*Proper Custard*
Makes about 3 cups
This is also known as creme anglaise. Be sure not to let the mixture boil once the eggs are added, or you wil end up with a curdled mess. You only need to heat it up enough to cook the eggs. The custard is ready when it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
8 egg yolks
75g caster sugar (a generous 1/3 cup)
300ml whole milk (1 1/4 cup)
300ml double cream (1 1/4 cup)
1 vanilla pod, split
Beat the egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl until well blended. Place the milk and cream in a saucepan with the vanilla. Scrape the insides of the vanilla pod into the mixture before you add it. Bring the mixture just to the boil.
Pour a little of this mixture into the eggs to temper them, and beat it together well. Pour this back into the pan and whisk together. Return to the heat and using a whisk, lightly stir until it begins to thicken. DO NOT BOIL.
As the egg yolks warm, the cream will get thicker and create a custard. Keep stirring until it coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and pass through a fine sieve. Leave to cool a bit before using. Serve warm or allow to cool completely,stirring occasionally.
If you only make one dessert this spring, it really should be this one. You won't regret it! Bon Appetit!
Going out for one of these was always a real treat. With tender roasted meat with gravy between two thick slices of white bread with more gravy ladled over top, they would be served up hot, on large platters, with plenty of hot chips, veg and coleslaw on the side. You could also have gravy on your chips (fries), or not as per your choice. In Canada we love gravy on our chips, and here in the UK, they also like gravy on their chips, or curry sauce. (Something I have yet to try.)
I had some leftover roast chicken today and so I made us Hot Chicken Sandwiches for a change, instead of the usual casserole. Of course with there only being two of us and with neither of us having huge appetites these days, we basically only each ha half of a sandwich, along with the suggested trimmings. It looks like rather a lot, but we only ever use a sandwich plate for our meals these days, never a full dinner plate. And it is plenty for us.
2 TBS of appropriate stock
about 720ml (3 cups) of hot leftover or fresh gravy 
Good chips/fries are a must! If you want to make your own from scratch this is a cracking recipe. You can also use oven chips. I like the crinkle ones in that case, or if you are really lucky and have a chippy close by, you can just send hubby out to pick up a large portion of chips. By the time you have the remaining elements ready, he'll be back and you'll be set to go!
There
are two things you need for perfect chips. One a really good potato.
You want a nice floury one, such as a Maris Piper. You cannot make good
chips with new potatoes. Old ones are best. Second you want to start
with pure hard fat or dripping, preferably an animal fat. Third . . .
patience. Good chips require several cookings. The first is a quick
poaching in lightly salted water. . Let them cool and then fry for
about five minutes just until cooked through, then a final fry in hotter
fat to brown and finish cooking. See . . . patience.
a good solid fat to half fill your pan when melted
a frying thermometer
a frying thermometer
I added a dollop of cranberry sauce to the top of mine . . . coz I'm crazy like that, and I love cranberry sauce with both roast chicken and turkey. You will want a nice gravy to serve with your hot sandwiches. You can of course use Bisto granules and make it that way, but if you have leftover drippings, etc. its really quite easy to make a better tasting gravy from scratch!
2 TBS plain flour
360ml pan juices, broth, water, wine or a combination ( 1 1/2 cups)
Coleslaw is a must. You won't get any meal at a diner in North America, that doesn't come with a small container of coleslaw on the side. At some places it might be a vinaigrette coleslaw, but more often than not it will be a delicious creamy slaw. Just like this.
*Creamy Coleslaw*
Serves 8 to 10A deliciously cream coleslaw that has just the right amount of crunch and flavour! There is no sogginess here!!
10 ounces of white cabbage, trimmed, cored and very thinly cut
(about 1/2 of a medium cabbage)
5 ounces of carrots, peeled, trimmed and julienned
(1 medium carrot)
4 inches of an English Cucumber, trimmed, seeded and cut into small dice
(Do not peel)
2 - 3 large dessertspoons of good quality mayonnaise
1 TBS of Dijon mustard
2 TBS white wine vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp celery salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp onion powder
Place the vegetables into a large bowl. Whisk together the mustard, mayonnaise, white wine vinegar, sugar, celery salt, black pepper and onion powder. Mix well. Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.
Note - the amount of mayonnaise you use depends on the cabbage, some cabbages take more mayonnaise than others. It also depends on how creamy you like your coleslaw!
Of course there may be times when you don't have any leftover gravy, or even gravy granules, but don't worry! That doesn't mean you can't still make a delicious gravy as this next recipe proves quite deliciously! Adapted from a recipe found in the Fanny Farmer Cookbook. (So you know that it just has to be good!)
*Improvised Gravy*
Makes about 360ml (1 1/2 cups)
360ml beef or chicken broth or stock (1 1/2 cups)
leftover drippings or butter |
This isn't something which we have very often, maybe only once a year. Back in the day I could eat a whole one of these sandwiches, and then a polished of a slice of cream pie as well. Mind you, back in the day I was a very busy and active mother of five. Things change . . . Bon Appetit!
I confess I have a penchant for Macaroni and Cheese. I have never met a dish of macaroni and cheese that I did not fall in love with, and I am always keen to try new versions. This version today was adapted from a recipe I got in a newsletter which I regularly receive from Yankee Magazine, which comes from their archives dated to way back when.
As soon as I saw the recipe, I knew that it was something I wanted to make and try. It had all the hallmarks of becoming a favourite for us me. Mustn't forget my husband who is not really fond of pasta at all . . . although once in a while I do get him to tolerate it. It is a real sacrifice for him.
One thing which intrigued me about this recipe was that there was no sauce making involved. Just layering. It was very similar to my recipe for Old Fashioned Escalloped Macaroni and Cheese, with the exception being that there is no cream involved . . .
Instead it relies on the use of soft bread crumbs to thicken up the cheese, milk, etc. These bread crumbs get layered in a buttered dish along with the cooked macaroni and grated cheese. Easy peasy.
A few things to take under consideration . . . use a really coarse bread crumb, from a heavy textured bread. Freshly made, but a bread that won't fall to bits when you pour the milk over top. You want the bread to absorb the milk and melt into the cheese . . . along with the butter, this is what creates the sauce.
You also want to use a really well flavoured cheese for this. Trust me. The cheese is the star of this dish, and you want it to shine brightly! Use extra strong (extra sharp) cheese.
Don't be tempted to stint on the butter either. It asks for 4 to 6 TBS and they mean 4 to 6 TBS. Its mac and cheese, in for a penny in for a pound!
Also use full fat milk. This recipe hails from a time and day where people didn't bother with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk. They used milk, and it was full fat. Lots of the time it was farm milk, straight from the cow.
So . . . no, it's not un-calorific to say the least, but it is tasty, and it is worth a once in a blue moon splurge. With a bit of salad on the side, you could almost trick yourself into feeling virtuous because there is no cream sauce, lol. Well, that's the way my mind works anyways . . . or eat it standing up, because as anyone knows, calories consumed standing up, don't count. 😉
*Baked Mac & Cheese *
Serves 4 to 6
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 2 litre/2quart baking dish really well. Set aside.
Cook the macaroni in lightly salted boiling water according to the package directions. Rinse well with cold water and drain again.
Put a layer of bread crumbs in the bottom of the buttered casserole dish. Cover with a layer of macaroni. Season lightly with salt and pepper, remembering that cheese can be salty. Sprinkle on a layer of cheese and dot with butter. Repeat layers until all of the ingredients have been using ending with a layer of cheese, and then bread crumbs. Pour the milk over top and then dot with butter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons