I've been enjoying a series called "Martha Bakes" in bed at night on the iPad. Its on Netflix
She has several students from Culinary schools there with her as she shares some lovely baking recipes, hints and tips with the viewer.
There are thirteen episodes covering everything from fruit curds, to doughnuts . . . ganache, frangipane, sponge cakes, white bread, cookies, pizza dough, one bowl desserts, layered yeast dough, pastry cream, French meringue and press in crusts.
I think I am on episode 10 now, and when I am finished watching them all, I am going to go back and watch them again! I think they are just great!
The other night I watched her make these Scottish Oat Cakes and I was instantly transfixed . . . if it hadn't been the middle of the night, I would have been down in the kitchen baking them right then and there!
I do so love an old fashioned Scottish Oat Cake, don't you?
They looked and sounded delicious! And so, today . . . I decided to bake them.
Oh boy, oh boy . . . oh boy. Are these ever good!! I am in love with them!
The dough is done completely in the bowl of a food processor. I am sure you could also do them by hand, but it would be hard to grind the oats unless you have a spice/coffee grinder.
It is a dampish somewhat sticky dough, but not overly hard to handle. Especially once it has been chilled in the refrigerator.
Do pat it out in a rectangle and wrap in cling film before you chill it. It will be much easier to roll out if you do this.
The dough is made from flour, large flake Scottish oats, unsalted butter, brown sugar, sea salt and coarse black pepper. You toast the oats before grinding them to a flour. This makes them taste even nuttier.
Once chilled you roll the dough out to a larger rectangle, having sprinkled the top with more oats.
A final sprinkle of flaked sea salt, they are then cut into small rectangles and baked in a moderate oven . . .
I was tempted to cut them out with my rectangular cookie cutter, but resisted and left them rustic looking. I am glad I did, they hold a certain charm . . .
The end result is something incredibly moreish . . . INCREDIBLY . . . edibly moreish!
We enjoyed some today (Tuesday) for lunch with cheese and were both in Oat Cake Heaven. If you have never made oat cakes before, or if you have and been disappointed, do bake these.
You won't be sorry! You can also check out an interesting article on Coffee Grinders here.
Yield: makes 32 crackers
Scottish Oat Cakes
prep time: 1 hourcook time: 30 minstotal time: 1 hours and 30 mins
Moreishly oaty. Crisp and delicious.
ingredients:
60g of old fashioned oats (3/4 cup)
150g soft light brown sugar (3/4 cup, packed)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
210g plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
3/4 tsp coarse salt
180g unsalted butter (3/4 cup) cut into small pieces
3 TBS cold water
flaked sea saltinstructions:
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Spread
40g/1/2 cup of the oats on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 8 to
10 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. Let cool, then pop into a
food processor and blitz until finely ground. Add the flour, sugar and
coarse salt. Pulse to combine completely. Drop in the butter. Pulse
again until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 TBS of the water,
pulse, and then pulse, whilst adding the remaining water, until the
mixture forms a soft dough. (You may need additional water.)
40g/1/2 cup of the oats on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for 8 to
10 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. Let cool, then pop into a
food processor and blitz until finely ground. Add the flour, sugar and
coarse salt. Pulse to combine completely. Drop in the butter. Pulse
again until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 TBS of the water,
pulse, and then pulse, whilst adding the remaining water, until the
mixture forms a soft dough. (You may need additional water.)
Shape
into a rectangle, wrap in plastic cling film and chill for 45 minutes.
Transfer to baking parchment and sprinkle with the remaining oats. Roll
out to rectangle approximately 10 by 12 inches in size. Cut into 32
rectangles (2 1/2 inch by 1 1/2 inch) using a sharp knife or fluted
cutter. Sprinkle with the flaked sea salt. Transfer to a baking sheet,
leaving 1 inch space in between each.
into a rectangle, wrap in plastic cling film and chill for 45 minutes.
Transfer to baking parchment and sprinkle with the remaining oats. Roll
out to rectangle approximately 10 by 12 inches in size. Cut into 32
rectangles (2 1/2 inch by 1 1/2 inch) using a sharp knife or fluted
cutter. Sprinkle with the flaked sea salt. Transfer to a baking sheet,
leaving 1 inch space in between each.
Bake for 28 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.
Created using The Recipes Generator
I think I am going to have to put these under lock and key so that I leave them alone! They are that good! Oaty, crisp, buttery, slightly sweet, but also savoury. They are fabulous! What a way to start the year! 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!
After all of the excess of the past few weeks, I wanted to cook us something simple for our tea tonight, and yet I still wanted something delicious.
Its New Years after all . . . and whilst the traditionalist in me was telling me that I needed to be baking a Ham like my mom always did, the lazy person in me said, no, no, no . . . the lazy person won!
I decided that I would try to develop some sort of recipe using frozen chicken nuggets. I had a bag of them in the freezer so why not! I love creating tastiness out of what I have to hand.
Let me introduce Sweet & Sour Chicken Nuggets. I know that sweet & Sour sauce is a very popular dipping sauce for chicken nuggets . . .
And sweet and sour chicken balls are a very popular entree on a Chinese menu. This tasty recipe combines the two, plus has the added convenience of using frozen chicken nuggets.
By all means if you are a purest, do make your own chicken nuggets from scratch. There are plenty of good recipes out there.
There are also some very good quality frozen chicken nuggets available these days as well, made from chunk chicken and not ground chicken. This is what I used.
I have used them before and I was confident that they are a premium chicken product, made with actual chunks of chicken, not regurgitated chicken paste. But if this still bothers you, by all means buy some chicken breast, cut it into chunks, batter it and fry it yourself.
Like I said, with me, today . . . Lazy won out!
If you decide to use frozen, do use battered and NOT breaded.
You simply spread them out on a baking sheet and bake according to the package directions until they are crisp and golden brown.
While they are baking make your sauce. I used three kinds of peppers in my sauce . . . red, yellow and green . . . along with an onion, I cut into chunks and some garlic.
You cook these in a tiny bit of oil until crispy tender and then you pour on the liquid ingredients.
I use a mix of water, pineapple juice, soy sauce and white vinegar . . .
I add tomato ketchup for colour and taste.
You pour this over the vegetables along with the pineapple and you let it come to the boil, and then you whisk in a mix of cornflour/cornstarch and water . . .
Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles, thickens and turns glossy. Sauce done. Once you got the sauce done and the nuggets are golden brown, you layer the two in a baking dish and then pop them back into the oven . . .
Just until the sauce has gloriously coated each nugget with scrumptious flavour and the flavour all meld. It doesn't take much time at all! Dinner is served!
Yield: 4 - 6
Sweet & Sour Chicken Nuggets
A simple, easy and deliciously family friendly entree.
ingredients:
You will need:
1 family sized bag of frozen battered chicken nuggets
(Not breaded)
1 tsp oil
1/2 each red, green and yellow sweet bell pepper, trimmed
and cut into chunks
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tin (435g/14 oz) pineapple chunks in juice, drain and save the juice
For the sauce:
55g of tomato ketchup (1/4 cup)
1 tsp soy sauce
60ml of white vinegar (1/4 cup)
50g soft light brown sugar (1/4 cup packed)
95g of white sugar (1/2 cup)
180ml of water or a mix of water and pineapple juice (3/4 cup) plus 2 1/2 TBS
1 1/2 TBS corn flour (corn starch)
To serve:
1 spring onion, thinly sliced on the diagonal
cooked riceinstructions:
Preheat the oven to the temperature recommended on the
package of chicken nuggets. Spread the nuggets out on a tray in a
single layer and then bake according to package directions. While the
nuggets are baking, make the sauce.
package of chicken nuggets. Spread the nuggets out on a tray in a
single layer and then bake according to package directions. While the
nuggets are baking, make the sauce.
Whisk the
tomato ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, white sugar and
pineapple juice/water mixture together. In a bowl mix together the 2
1/2 TBS of water and the cornflour. Set aside.
tomato ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, white sugar and
pineapple juice/water mixture together. In a bowl mix together the 2
1/2 TBS of water and the cornflour. Set aside.
Heat
the oil in skillet. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, until
crispy tender. Add the pineapple chunks. Pour in the tomato ketchup
mixture. Bring to the boil, then whisk in the cornflour/water mixture
and cook stirring until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy.
the oil in skillet. Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, until
crispy tender. Add the pineapple chunks. Pour in the tomato ketchup
mixture. Bring to the boil, then whisk in the cornflour/water mixture
and cook stirring until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy.
Remove
the chicken from the oven. Place a third of the sauce in a baking
dish. Top with half the nuggets. Pour another third of the sauce over
top of the nuggets. Top with the remaining nuggets, and then finally
the remaining sauce.
the chicken from the oven. Place a third of the sauce in a baking
dish. Top with half the nuggets. Pour another third of the sauce over
top of the nuggets. Top with the remaining nuggets, and then finally
the remaining sauce.
for 10 to 15 minutes until hot and bubbling. Remove from the oven.
Scatter the spring onion over top and serve along with cooked rice.
Created using The Recipes Generator
I served it with some cooked rice and a garnish of green spring onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal. My husband gobbled it up. I love it when that happens! Happy New Year and 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!
Toasted Cheese Rounds. What a dull name for an incredibly delicious finger food appetiser. A fabulously tasty mayonnaise parmesan cheese appetiser. Perfect for your New Years Eve celebrations.
Its hard to believe that here we are on the last day of 2018! I wonder what the new year will bring to each of us. Good things I hope.
I know I have a new book coming out shortly. This one is about half the size of the last one, but I have had nothing but good reports on it, so I am hopeful that it will also be a success, fingers crossed!
So that is one good thing to look forward to, on my part at least. I try always to look at each new year as an opportunity.
I am not one much for making resolutions and such. If I can end the year having done something good, and being a little bit better than I was the year before, then I call that year a success!
I have never been one much for going out on New Years Eve. It was always a bit cost prohibitive for us My parents always went to a dance each year.
As children, we would be just as excited to ring in the New Year as they were. But that was mainly because we knew they would bring us home a party hat and a noise maker to play with the next day. (We were never allowed to play with them much until the 2nd of January due to headaches and such, lol)
Normally what we did when the children were growing up was to have a finger food buffet and watch a few movies that they enjoyed and then watch Dick Clark's Rocking New Years Eve.
My ex husband always had to work New Years Eve, so the children and I partied all on our own. We didn't mind. We enjoyed each others company and some delicious food. It was all good!
Some favourites I would have made would be Chicken Wings . . . .
my Smoked Salmon Spread was another favourite. There would be chips and dips, and pizza rolls, etc. A veritable finger food feast!
Finger food actually takes longer to make than a meal would. Its all the picky bits.
I remember when I worked at the Manor, I had to put together a finger food buffet for 200 when their daughter graduated, and that was tons of work. I was working for days and days to get ready for that one!
I relied heavily on things that I could make ahead and freeze on trays that I was then able to take out and cook on the day.
Tasty nibbles such as these Toasted Cheese Rounds!
These are so quick and easy to make, and very easy to make ahead and freeze (if you need to).
They basically only use three ingredients, four if you count the baguette rounds.
Grated cheese, mayonnaise and chopped spring onions. The original recipe called for twice as much mayonnaise, but I have cut it way back and they work fine with half the amount.
I would not use low fat mayo. You just mix together all the ingredients and then spread the mixture onto French bread rounds and bake. Easy Peasy!
The end result are hot, baked, crispy, cheese rounds of deliciousness! Quick, easy and tasty. I call these triple winners!
Yield: 40
Toasted Cheese Rounds
prep time: 10 minscook time: 15 minstotal time: 25 mins
A quick, easy and delicious nibble for celebrations and get togethers.
ingredients:
220g good quality mayonnaise (1 cup)
240g grated strong cheddar cheese (2 cups)
60g grated Parmesan cheese (1/3 cup)
1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and minced
40 (1/2 inch thick) slices of baguette bread
instructions:
Preheat
the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Mix the mayonnaise, both cheeses
and the onions together in a bowl, mixing together well. Spread on one
side of each bread round and place, cheese side up onto baking trays.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbling and golden
brown. Serve immediately.
the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Mix the mayonnaise, both cheeses
and the onions together in a bowl, mixing together well. Spread on one
side of each bread round and place, cheese side up onto baking trays.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until bubbling and golden
brown. Serve immediately.
Note - You
can make ahead and just bake as needed. You can also freeze these
unbaked in a single layer and pop them into the oven frozen, baking as
above. They will take slightly longer to bake.
can make ahead and just bake as needed. You can also freeze these
unbaked in a single layer and pop them into the oven frozen, baking as
above. They will take slightly longer to bake.
Created using The Recipes Generator
Oh boy but these are some good. I even like them cold and leftover the day after, but then again, I am a bit of a Glutton. (Aren't we all to some degree!) Whatever . . . Bon appetit and Happy New Year!
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 wanted to create something a big special to share on here for New Years Eve. I had rather a lot of egg whites in the refrigerator from when I had made our Egg Nog for Christmas.
It only made sense to do something with them.
I toyed a bit with the idea of doing a Lemon & Blueberry Meringue Roulade . . . but then I decided not to go that route.
My husband is not overly fond of lemon and since he will be eating the majority of it, then I thought I best make something he would enjoy!
I did see a chocolate pavlova that looked really tasty. He is also not a huge fan of chocolate desserts.
I know! How can anyone not like lemon or chocolate desserts??? Its not quite human!
That's when I decided to make him a Salted Caramel Pavlova. You can't beat a Pavlova. People think that they are difficult to make.
Really they are quite simple. We love them.
With a simple billowing marshmallow-like base . . . .I love the crisp layer on the outside.
When you break down into it you are met with a cloud of soft sweetness. Just like a cloud.
Filled with rich softly whipped double cream. I do add a bit of vanilla bean paste, but it is perfectly delicious on its own without any additions.
There will be pleny of sweet on the outside, not to mention in the meringue base.
Over that I drizzled some melted dark chocolate. I used a really good quality one with a high cocoa solids content.
Its often very nice to have something not so sweet as a contrast to what is essentially a very sweet dessert . . . so the cream is not sweetened and the chocolate is not either.
No worries however, as the salted caramel drizzle more than makes up for any lack of sweetness on their parts.
Had I used sweetened cream and chocolate, it might have been too much! Yes, there CAN be such a thing as too much sweetness.
The final addition was a sprinkling of candied flaked almonds. If you have never made these, you are bound to be surprised as just how very easy they are to create!
I always thought they would be quite complicated, but then I had to make them for a salad at a luncheon at the manor once upon a time. Easy peasy.
You just dump some flaked almonds and sugar into a skillet. You then cook them over medium heat until the almonds toast and the sugar melts and begins to coat them in a sugary praline.
Dumped onto a sheet of baking paper and torn apart with a fork, they were the perfect finishing touch!!
This turned out absolutely flipping gorgeous if I don't say so myself! Just try not to burn them.
It was beautiful to look at . . . .
And the textures and flavours were spot on!
Sweet, creamy, crisp, unctuously magnificent . . . moreish . . . delectable . . . well deserving of being served for New Years Eve!
Yield: 6 - 8
Salted Caramel Pavlova
prep time: 25 minscook time: 1 hourtotal time: 1 hours and 25 mins
A simple dessert that everyone loves with a soft billowing marshmallow meringue base, topped with a whipped cream filling and drizzled with salted caramel and dark chocolate. Scrumptious.
ingredients:
4 large free range egg whites
190g caster sugar (1 cup, fine granulated sugar)
1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 tsp white vinegar
For the salted caramel sauce:
200g soft light brown sugar (1 cup packed)
115 ml single cream (1/2 cup half and half)
4 TBS butter
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp fleur de sel
For the almonds:
1 1/2 ounces flaked almonds (1/4 cup)
2 TBS caster sugar
You will also need:
50g dark chocolate, melted (2 ounces)
300ml double cream (1 1/3 cups) instructions:
Make the meringue first. Preheat the oven to 130*C/260*F/ gas mark 1/2. Trace out a 7 inch
circle on a sheet of baking paper. Place the baking paper on top of a
baking sheet. Set aside.
Place the egg whites into a clean,
grease free, glass or metal bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until
soft peaks form. Add half of the sugar and continue to beat until the
egg whites are stiff and glossy. Slowly beat in the remaining sugar
(reserving 1 TBS) until it is all amalgamated. Stir the cornflour and
remaining sugar together and beat that in along with the vinegar,
beating it for about a minute. Spoon the meringue mixture out onto the
baking paper, spreading it with a metal spoon to fill the circle and
scooping it somewhat hollow in the centre, creating a raised edge all
around.
Place into the heated oven and bake for about 1 hour,
until crisp on the outside and mallow like on the inside. Set aside to
cool on the baking tray. Once completely cooled, carefully peel off the
baking paper and set the meringue onto a plate.
circle on a sheet of baking paper. Place the baking paper on top of a
baking sheet. Set aside.
Place the egg whites into a clean,
grease free, glass or metal bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until
soft peaks form. Add half of the sugar and continue to beat until the
egg whites are stiff and glossy. Slowly beat in the remaining sugar
(reserving 1 TBS) until it is all amalgamated. Stir the cornflour and
remaining sugar together and beat that in along with the vinegar,
beating it for about a minute. Spoon the meringue mixture out onto the
baking paper, spreading it with a metal spoon to fill the circle and
scooping it somewhat hollow in the centre, creating a raised edge all
around.
Place into the heated oven and bake for about 1 hour,
until crisp on the outside and mallow like on the inside. Set aside to
cool on the baking tray. Once completely cooled, carefully peel off the
baking paper and set the meringue onto a plate.
While
the meringue is baking make your sugared almonds and caramel sauce. To
make the almonds, place the almonds into a skillet along with the
sugar. (Have a sheet of
baking paper ready and waiting on the counter.) Cook and stir over
medium high heat until the sugar melts and begins to coat the almonds,
some 2 to 3 minutes. Take care not to burn the sugar. Remove from the
heat immediately and pour the almonds out onto the baking paper,
spreading them out as much as you can. Allow to cool completely.
the meringue is baking make your sugared almonds and caramel sauce. To
make the almonds, place the almonds into a skillet along with the
sugar. (Have a sheet of
baking paper ready and waiting on the counter.) Cook and stir over
medium high heat until the sugar melts and begins to coat the almonds,
some 2 to 3 minutes. Take care not to burn the sugar. Remove from the
heat immediately and pour the almonds out onto the baking paper,
spreading them out as much as you can. Allow to cool completely.
To make the caramel sauce, whisk the brown sugar, cream and butter together in a heavy bottomed
saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk constantly for about six minutes,
until the sugar and butter have melted and the mixture has thickened
somewhat. Whisk in the vanilla and salt. Set aside.
saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk constantly for about six minutes,
until the sugar and butter have melted and the mixture has thickened
somewhat. Whisk in the vanilla and salt. Set aside.
Break your chocolate up and melt according to package directions in the microwave. Keep warm.
Beat
the cream until it forms soft dollops. Pile it into the centre of your
meringue base. Drizzle with the cold caramel sauce and melted
chocolate. Break the almonds over top and serve.
the cream until it forms soft dollops. Pile it into the centre of your
meringue base. Drizzle with the cold caramel sauce and melted
chocolate. Break the almonds over top and serve.
Created using The Recipes Generator
Not only was this delicious but it was really very simple to make! Seriously simple really! If you look at each step individually, and then just bring them together at the end, you will find this is a real doddle. Simple ingredients, simple methods . . . put together in a most delicious way! Happy New Year!
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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