It should come as no surprise that one of our very favourite teatime treats are shortbreads. They are so buttery and not overly sweet, crumbly and go great with a hot drink, or even milk for that matter.
Scottish shortbread has to be some of the best shortbread on the planet. Just walk into any shop in Scotland and you will find shelves lined with barrels, tins and packets of shortbread biscuits!
Scottish Petticoat Tails are even better, because first of all the name, and second of all the name. haha. How can you not love something called a Petticoat Tail!
That is also no surprise. The fact that Scottish shortbread is so tasty. Scottish cookery historically has been influenced by the French at the court of Mary Queen of Scots, and later through dishes served to British Lords with Scottish Estates.
The story of shortbread begins with a medieval "Biscuit Bread." Originally it began as leftover dough from baking bread. This was dried out in a low oven until it hardened into a type of rusk. Later on, sugar was added, and the yeast replaced by butter, until eventually we had what is the relatively modern shortbread biscuit.
Mary Queen of Scots was said to be very fond of Petticoat Tails, a thin, crisp, buttery shortbread flavovured with caraway seeds.
YUM! Have I told you that Mary Queen of Scots is one of my ancestors? NO? Well now you know that I come by my love for shortbreads honestly. Its in my genes and not just my jeans!
Petticoat tails. How can you not enjoy or be in love with a biscuit named a petticoat tail. There are two theories regarding the naming of these biscuits. It has been suggested that the name “petticoat tail” may be a corruption of the French petites gatelles (“little cakes”).
However these traditional Scottish shortbread biscuits may in fact date back beyond the 12th century. The triangles fit together into a circle and echo the shape of the pieces of fabric used to make a full-gored petticoat during the reign of Elizabeth I.
The theory here is that the name may have come from the word for the pattern which was ‘tally’, and so the biscuits became known as ‘petticoat tallis’.
Shortbread is traditionally formed into one of three shapes: one large circle divided into segments (“Petticoat Tails”); individual round biscuits (“Shortbread Rounds”); or a thick rectangular slab cut into “fingers.”
This version I am showing you today is a version of Petticoat Tails to which I have added a tasty feature. Little divets filled with jam. You could also use lemon curd.
The shortbread is scored lightly with a knife into triangles prior to baking. You bake it for 10 minutes and then remove it from the oven.
At this point you take the end of a wooden spoon and make some "Divets" in the shortbread . . . little dimples. Not all the way through, only about 3/4 of the way through. I have tried this with a chopstick, but it doesn't make a hole large enough . . . the end of a wooden spoon is best.
Then you use a teaspoon to fill the holes with some jam, or curd. Today I used three different kinds. Fig Jam (from Tatiana's mom), Blackberry Jelly and Apricot Jam.
Don't be tempted to make too many divets. Three is about right, and don't be tempted to overfill them. A tiny bit is just enough! After that you pop them back into the oven and bake further just long enough for them to turn golden brown at the edges. No longer.
In the end you will be rewarded with perfectly crumbly delicious shortbread biscuits, with tasty little tidbits of jam scattered here and there!
Yield: 16
Polka Dot Petticoat Tails
A beautiful buttery, sandy textured shortbread filled with little divets of jam. Do not be tempted to overfill the divets, as it will expand on baking and ruin the look of your cookies.
ingredients:
245g of plain flour (1 3/4 cups all purpose flour)
35g ground rice (1/4 cup rice flour)
90g fine sugar (1/2 cup)
1/2 tsp salt
225g butter (1 cup) cut into bits
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 TBS of your favourite jams (a combination of three different ones is nice)
instructions:
Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Have ready an 8-round
tart tin with a fluted edge and removable bottom. Place this onto a
baking sheet.
tart tin with a fluted edge and removable bottom. Place this onto a
baking sheet.
Measure the flour, rice
flour, sugar, and salt into a food processer. Blitz for a couple of
pulses. Drop in the butter and vanilla. Pulse until the mixture forms a
dough. Press the dough into the bottom of the tart tin, smoothing the
top. Lightly score into 16 wedges. Bake for 10 minutes.
flour, sugar, and salt into a food processer. Blitz for a couple of
pulses. Drop in the butter and vanilla. Pulse until the mixture forms a
dough. Press the dough into the bottom of the tart tin, smoothing the
top. Lightly score into 16 wedges. Bake for 10 minutes.
Remove
from the oven and using the tip of a wooden spoon, make small divots
around the surface of the dough, going in about halfway down. Fill the
dots with a small portion of jam, probably only about 1/8 tsp in each.
from the oven and using the tip of a wooden spoon, make small divots
around the surface of the dough, going in about halfway down. Fill the
dots with a small portion of jam, probably only about 1/8 tsp in each.
Return
to the oven and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes , or until golden
brown around the edges. (Don't be tempted to cook longer. You really
only want them golden around the edges.) Place onto a wire rack and
allow to cool before cutting into wedges.
to the oven and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes , or until golden
brown around the edges. (Don't be tempted to cook longer. You really
only want them golden around the edges.) Place onto a wire rack and
allow to cool before cutting into wedges.
Some nice flavours of jam are apricot, seedless bramble (Blackberry),
seedless raspberry, fig jam, etc. Lemon Curd is also very nice.
Created using The Recipes Generator
I really hope you will give this version of Petticoat Tails a go. I think you will really enjoy them. Why not serve them the next time you are having a tea party with the gals! Very impressive! Bon appetit and happy weekend!
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!
I think one of our favourite fishes has to be Cod. It is so mild and sweet and takes well to other flavours. I prefer the loins of course as they are the meatiest. Someone told me once upon a time that flatter fish fillets come from closer to the tail section and are fishier tasting. I do like fish, but I don't like really fishy tasting fish, if that makes sense. I always buy sustainable cod, and I adore British and Icelandic Cod. Thankfully our Cod here in the North Sea has been brought back from the brink and once again been awarded sustainable status. Yay! We can now enjoy it again with a clear conscience!
I love deep fried cod, most of all, but sadly that is a once in a blue moon treat for me these days, so more often than not I opt for a healthier way of preparing it. Today I adapted a recipe which I found on Fashionable Foods for a roasted chili & lime cod. The flavours sounded amazing.
I had actually made it one other time, but found the rub a bit too much for only two fillets of fish, so I have adapted it to make four servings instead. The flavours work much better when spread out over more fish. At least for me anyways.
The rub contains sweet paprika (don't be tempted to use hot or smoked), dried parsley and oregano, MILD chili powder (I can't stress this enough) . . .
Garlic powder, sea salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. The fish gets rolled in olive oil and then in the spice mixture before being placed in a dish and being roasted for just the right amount of time . . .
While it is roasting you create a lime butter using melted butter, more olive oil and the zest and juice of two limes. Again, far too much for just two servings. It worked much better on four. This gets spooned over the fish as soon as it comes out of the oven.
What you end up with is tender, perfectly cooked, well flavoured cod . . . the flavours of the rub not being so over-powering that you cannot taste the fish. In short . . . PERFECTION!
Yield: 4
Cod Fillets with Chili & Lime
Delicious, perfectly cooked fillets of Cod with fabulous flavours! You are going to love, LOVE this.
ingredients:
For the rub:
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp dried parsley leaves
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp mild chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
You will also need:
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 thick cod fillets
1 TBS butter, melted
the zest and juice of two limes
instructions:
Preheat the oven to 230*C/440*F/ gas mark 7. Have ready a baking dish large enough to hold all of the fish in a single layer.
Mix
together all of the rub ingredients. Place 1 TBS of the olive oil in a
dish. Roll the fish fillets, one at a time, in this and then roll them
in the spice mixture, coating them all over. Place into a single layer
in the baking dish. Roast in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes
until the fish is opague and flakes easily beneath the tines of a fork.
together all of the rub ingredients. Place 1 TBS of the olive oil in a
dish. Roll the fish fillets, one at a time, in this and then roll them
in the spice mixture, coating them all over. Place into a single layer
in the baking dish. Roast in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes
until the fish is opague and flakes easily beneath the tines of a fork.
together the melted butter, and remaining TBS of olive oil, along with
the zest and juice of the limes. Spoon this mixture over the fish and
serve immediately.
Created using The Recipes Generator
I served this with a mix of vegetables and rice. It made for a really lovely meal for two.
I really, really hope that you will try this recipe. It is quick, easy and delicious! I just know that if you like fish, you are sure to love this. I think salmon would also be lovely done this way. Bon Appetit!
I do get sent the loveliest things. Recently Lir Chocolates contacted me and asked would we like to try a box of their chocolates, which are now available in the UK. An Irish chocolatier, Lir started producing chocolates in Dublin, back in 1987. Connie Doody and Mary White began on Connie’s kitchen table with a food mixer and a bowl. Those early days instilled a spirit of creativity and attention to detail that are still integral to Lir Chocolates today.
Through the years, that spirit of adventure has made Lir Chocolates a leading provider of premium chocolates to major retailers both at home and abroad.
Since those early days, they have devoted themselves to the magic and the craft of creating hand-finished and hand-decorated chocolates, based on both traditional recipes and gloriously unfamiliar new combinations.
They travel the world in search of the finest ingredients such as Thai lemongrass, Persian lime oil, Spanish pistachios and, closer to home, Irish Atlantic sea salt. A true testament to the skill of the team has come in the form of several Great Taste Awards in recent years.
I was sent a box of the Lir Chocolate’s Discovery Collection. Wrapped in rose gold, delicate pink hues and showcasing eight painstakingly developed flavours. This has just launched in the UK for the first time. The selection box from these much-loved Irish chocolatiers features 16-pieces, each encased in a deliciously smooth Belgian chocolate exterior, from Dark Chocolate Torte, Chewy Pecan Caramel, Praline, Salted Caramel (using Irish Atlantic sea salt) and Coffee to more exotic ingredients like Persian lime.
They are beautiful to look at and Todd says, most delicious. He is really fond of the Cinnamon & Raisin Cream. (No surprise there!)
I confess I had a tiny taste, (Dark Chocolate Torte) and it was gorgeous! The dark chocolate coating on the outside had a lovely snap, whilst the interior was lovely and rich with a beautifully intense chocolate flavour.
The Discovery Collection is available in selected Morrisons, Tesco and Co-op stores for £10, making for a well-priced gift or affordable enough to tuck into all by yourself!
Their website
Note - Although I was sent a box of chocolates free to try, I was not required to write a positive review in exchange. Any and all opinions are my own.
I am always trying to spice up our side dishes a bit, trying to make them a bit more interesting than just boiled or steamed veg. Don't get me wrong, I adore boiled or steamed veg (so long as they are crispy tender and not cooked to death), but every now and then I like to shake things up a tiny bit and add some extra flavours.
Its very easy to do, and it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to add a lot of calories either. Today I added some fresh garden thyme, a bit of honey and some lime zest and juice to the carrots with fabulous taste results. Carrots and Thyme really go well together as does thyme. I was a bit dubious about adding the lime, but with the honey, it went really well. I also added chopped parsley to help pretty them up a bit more as the thyme and lime zest were not showing very well.
These really are delicious and quite adaptable to other flavours as well!
This is a recipe which is very easily doubled or halved as well. I halved it as there are just the two of us, and it worked really well. We had plenty and I still had some to share with Mitzie. She love, LOVES carrots!
Yield: 4
Carrots with Honey, Lime & Thyme
One of our favourite ways to enjoy carrots. These make a great side dish for the holidays. Recipe can be easily doubled.
ingredients:
1 1/2 TBS butter
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into juilienne strips
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried
2 TBS water
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into juilienne strips
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried
2 TBS water
1 TBS fresh lime juice
the finely grated zest of 1/2 lime
1/2 tsp honeyinstructions:
Melt
the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots,
stirring well to coat. Saute, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Add
the thyme, stock, lime juice, zest and honey. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 to 10
minutes until the carrots are nice and tender. Remove with a slotted
spoon and arrange in a serving dish. Delicious!
the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots,
stirring well to coat. Saute, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Add
the thyme, stock, lime juice, zest and honey. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 to 10
minutes until the carrots are nice and tender. Remove with a slotted
spoon and arrange in a serving dish. Delicious!
Created using The Recipes Generator
Recently I've been working hard on trying to control my portions and I got myself this Deluxe Meal Portion Control Tool. I find it is really doing a great job of helping me with this!!
I had moved to a sandwich sized plate for my meals a few years ago, which was a positive step in the right direction, but you know . . . you can pile things up as high as you like on a sandwich plate without really realising what you are actually doing.
Each section is clearly marked. There are two for fruits and vegetables. One for Starch, meaning potatoes, rice, pasta, etc.
It is surprising just how much 1 cup of vegetables amounts to! I have always tended to load up on the carbs and protein . . . but this helps to balance things out a lot better.
It is much easier to be accountable when you know exactly what you are putting on your plate.
The fourth section is perfectly sized for a portion of protein. As you can see, even a portion of meat with some gravy fits into the protein space, so that you are getting just the right amount, no more or no less.
Now that's what I call a well proportioned plate. As a Type Two Diabetic I really need to watch my portion controls, especially when it comes to carbohydrates. This Deluxe Meal Portion Control is really helping me to do that! I am really grateful for it! It is helping me to organise my nutrition, maintain a healthy diet and control my portion sizes, and it is dishwasher safe, which is great! Do check out the link. There is free shipping within the continental US, and there is only a small charge to ship it worldwide. I had mine within a week of ordering it. At the moment it is also available for $8.99 USD, which is lightly less than half of the normal price. You can't lose! Do check out the link to find out more! Thanks!
One thing the month of August always meant, the whole of my life . . . was that fresh CORN season was finally here! I have always looked forward to it the whole year through. There is nothing on earth as delicious as a hot ear of freshly picked corn on the cob with cold butter and salt. Nothing. Okay . . . maybe there are a few things . . . but fresh corn on the cob is definitely in the top ten of my most beloved tastes for sure! Up until this summer it had been 18 years since I had been able to enjoy this delectable delicacy. My friend Eric however, grows beautiful corn, and has gifted me several times this season already! Let me tell you, each time it has tasted like a little bit of Manna from Heaven to me!!!
He gave me some more this past Sunday, and I decided to treat Todd to real Home Style Cream Corn, which is a bazillion times better than what comes in a can! It can be a bit of work to make, with cutting the corn kernels from the cobs and scraping them, but the taste is worth every bit of extra effort! Just make sure you use a large deep bowl when you are scraping the cobs, or you will literally have it everywhere. (That is the voice of experience speaking.)
You will only want to cut off the kernels about 3/4 of the way through, leaving about 1/4 of each kernel on the cob. Then you just take the back of the knife and use it to scrape the milk and pulp from each cob. This is the messy part, but you really want those bits. Those are the very essence of the flavour of the corn. After that it is pretty easy going.
The kernels, pulp and milk get put into a large skillet with some melted butter and a bit of water and sugar. Keep cooking and stirring until your corn is tender. You will have to keep tasting it to test it for doneness, as the time is variable depending on the size and age of your corn. Smaller younger kernels take a shorter time, more mature corn kernels take a bit longer.
Once your corn is tender you add a roux of flour and water to help thicken the corn juices . . . let it cook for a couple of minutes to cook out the flour taste. Oh, and some seasoning also. Did you know that you shouldn't add salt to corn while you are cooking it? Just sugar. Salt toughens it. True fact. You want to add the salt after it is cooked, just to season it.
Once the flour flavour has cooked out of the roux, you will be adding some single cream (half and half) along with a few splashes of hot pepper sauce and some honey. You could also use milk, but I like the single cream. It is really lovely If you do use milk, make sure it is whole milk . . . full fat milk . . . in for a penny, in for a pound!!
The end result is a dish that is fabulously tasty!! Rich and creamy!
I could eat a whole bowl of this and nothing else . . . glutton that I am . . . corn lover that I am . . .
And why not! Its only once a year, or . . . in my case . . . once in 18 years!!! Thank you Eric!
Yield: 6-8
Home Style Cream Corn
I love tinned cream corn and this is a bazillion times better. I really only make it when fresh corn is in season, so its a once a year kind of a treat!
ingredients:
6 ears of freshly picked corn
65g butter (1/4 cup)
3 TBS water
1 tsp sugar
1 TBS plain flour, blended with 1 1/2 TBS water
1/2 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
180ml single cream (3/4 cup half and half)
few splashes hot pepper sauce
splash of liquid honey
instructions:
Remove the husks and silk from the ears of corn. The easiest way to do this
is to cut the cobs off about 1/2 inch from the base end and peel from
that end down to the tip. You will find that the silk comes off
beautifully. Its simple. Trim off about 1/2 inch from the pointed end
to make a flat end. Make sure you use a large deep bowl. When you start
scraping the cobs the corn and its juices will fly everywhere!
is to cut the cobs off about 1/2 inch from the base end and peel from
that end down to the tip. You will find that the silk comes off
beautifully. Its simple. Trim off about 1/2 inch from the pointed end
to make a flat end. Make sure you use a large deep bowl. When you start
scraping the cobs the corn and its juices will fly everywhere!
Stand the corn, one ear at a time, in the bowl and using a sharp knife, cut
the kernels from the cob only cutting about 3/4 of the way through. Once
you have removed all the kernels, using the back side of the knife,
scrape down the cobs to extract all of the milk and pulp from the corn.
the kernels from the cob only cutting about 3/4 of the way through. Once
you have removed all the kernels, using the back side of the knife,
scrape down the cobs to extract all of the milk and pulp from the corn.
You will need a fairly large skillet. Melt the butter in the skillet over
medum low heat. Once the butter has melted, pour in the corn and all of
the juices/pulp. Add the 3 TBS of water and the sugar. Cook, stirring
frequently, until the corn is tender and cooked. This will take at
least 10 minutes or so. Keep tasting to check. At the end of that
time, stir in the flour which has been blended with the water, salt and
black pepper. Stir this into the corn and cook for a further 2 minutes,
stirring constantly. Stir in the cream, pepper sauce and honey. Heat
through for a few more minutes, without boiling. Taste and adjust
seasoning as required.
medum low heat. Once the butter has melted, pour in the corn and all of
the juices/pulp. Add the 3 TBS of water and the sugar. Cook, stirring
frequently, until the corn is tender and cooked. This will take at
least 10 minutes or so. Keep tasting to check. At the end of that
time, stir in the flour which has been blended with the water, salt and
black pepper. Stir this into the corn and cook for a further 2 minutes,
stirring constantly. Stir in the cream, pepper sauce and honey. Heat
through for a few more minutes, without boiling. Taste and adjust
seasoning as required.
Variation - You can whisk in a TBS of lime juice and add a TBS of chopped fresh basil leaves
at the end for another lovely version as well!
at the end for another lovely version as well!
Created using The Recipes Generator
I really hope you are able to procure some freshly picked corn to make this delicious dish. I think you will agree with me when I say, this is one of the best ways to enjoy fresh corn ever!!! Bon Appetit and Happy Corn Season!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons