One thing we both love in this house is figs. Fresh, dried, in baked goods, diced on top of our morning oats, fresh in a salad, etc.
Figs are a favourite in our home.
Todd really loves Fig Rolls. Do you know the ones I mean? In North America they are called Fig Newtons. Here in the UK they are called Fig Rolls.
I suppose that is because they are basically a cookie/bar dough rolled around a sweet fig filling, flattened and cut into bars.
They can vary drastically from one brand to another. Some might have more filling than others, but I think they are all a bit stingy with the filling to be honest.
I prefer a much higher filling to cookie ration.
There are quite a few copycat versions of them around the world wide web.
Today I adapted the best of all of them, threw in my own interpretations and made a small batch, from scratch.
Let me tell you . . . these are infinitely better than the fig rolls that you buy.
No, the filling isn't totally encased and rolled up in a biscuit dough . . .
These are more like a bar. There is plenty of filling to cookie dough ratio I think it is the perfect amount.
You get the sweet brown sugar dough, crumbly and buttery . . . both on the bottom as a bar and on the top as a crumble.
NO oats in this I am afraid, but there is whole wheat and plain flours, so a bit more fibre.
The filling is perfectly ample . . . not too much, not too little. Just right.
These are moist and crumbly and incredibly moreish, from that buttery crust to that sweet and sticky filling.
They are filled with sweet fibre, both in the crust and in the filling. These will help to keep you regular which reminds me of an interesting story about my mom.
Mom always kept a special jar of this fig spread in the refrigerator. She bought it at the drugstore I think, or maybe it was the health food store.
She called it her medicine. Nobody was aloud to touch it upon pain of death.
Nobody wanted to to be honest. Medicine? Who would take medicine on purpose!
Now that I am an older woman I begin to appreciate the importance of fibre and figs to help keep things working smoothly.
These are a fabulous way to get in some of that fibre, and in a most pleasant way.
Incredibly moreish. Trust me on this. So much so that I am wishing I had not baked a small batch.
Never mind . . . I just get to bake them again. Fresh, as and when we need want them!
Trust me when I tell you, having tasted one of these, you will never settle for a ready made Fig Newton Roll again! Never!
Homemade Fig Bars, small batch
Yield: Makes 8 bars
This small batch recipe, if anything, is more delicious than the fig bars you can buy. They are also very delicious.
Ingredients:
For the filling:
- 4 ounces dried Turkish or Calimyrna figs (1/4 pound)
- 240ml cloudy apple juice (1 cup)
- pinch salt
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
For the crust:
- 53g all purpose flour (4 TBS)
- 35g whole wheat flour (1/4 cup)
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- pinch salt
- 3 TBS unsalted butter, softened
- 83g soft light brown sugar (6 TBS, packed)
- 1 large free range egg yolk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla
Instructions:
- First make the filling. Trim the hard stem from the dried figs and discard. Cut the figs into quarters and put them into a small saucepan. Add the apple juice and salt. Cook over medium heat until the figs are very soft and the juice is syrupy. This will take 15 to 20 minutes. There should only be about a tablespoon or two left in the pan. Stir in the lemon juice. Puree them in a small food processor until smooth, or use an immersion blander. You should have something with a thickish jam consistency.
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line an 8 by 4 inch loaf tin with some aluminium foil and butter the foil.
- Whisk together the flours and baking powder. Set aside.
- Beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture to combine well. Divide in half and press half of the mixture into the bottom of the loaf tin. Spread the fig mixture over top of this. Scatter the remaining batter evenly over top and lightly press down to help it to adhere to the filling.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown.
- Leave to cool completely in the tin before lifting out and cutting into bars. Store any lefovers in an airtight container.
Does anyone know the story behind Fig Newtons? Here is what I found out. I thought you might also find it intersting: (Source, the Inventors.org)
A machine invented in 1891 made the mass production of Fig Newtons possible. James Henry Mitchell invented a machine which worked like a funnel within a funnel; the inside funnel supplied jam, while the outside funnel pumped out the dough, this produced an endless length of filled cookie, that was then cut into smaller pieces. The Kennedy Biscuit Works used Mitchell's invention to mass-produce the first Fig Newton Cookies in 1891.
Originally, the Fig Newton was just called the Newton. There is an old rumor that James Henry Mitchell, the funnel machine's inventor, named the cookies after that great physicist, Sir Isaac Newton, but that was just a rumor. The cookies were named after the Massachusetts town of Newton, which was close to Kennedy Biscuits. Kennedy Biscuits had a tradition of naming cookies and crackers after the surrounding towns near Boston."
So now we both know.
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@aol.com
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
We have had a rather gloomy and rainy few days now. Soup days. That's what I call them. Today I was feeling very nostalgic for home and I decided to cook us up a delicious Nova Scotia Fish Chowder. A taste of home sweet home for me.
This recipe is not quite as rich as my other recipe for fish chowder, which contains carrots and celery and cream.
This is a really simple and basic recipe which is typically Nova Scotian and was adapted from an old cookery book of mine entitled "Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens" by Marie Nightingale.
It is a treasure trove of historic Nova Scotian recipes. My family has been in Nova Scotia before even the first settlers arrived on its shores.
I have Mi'kmaq ancestry as well as Scottish, English, Irish, German, etc. I am a virtual melting pot of Nova Scotia peoples, as most of us are.
For this chowder I used some beautiful Haddock fillets. I get my haddock from Seafresh
quality foods. I am in love with their fish, and really love their Haddock.
Their Haddock Fillets are skinless and boneless, having been frozen at Sea with just a few hours of being caught. This wonderful process means the fish is as fresh as it can be.
Each fillet weighs in between 130g-170g. There is 900g of Haddock per order (approx. 5-7 fillet), and right now it is on offer for £5 less than the regular price.
Haddock is very versatile fish. Pan fried or poached, oven baked or grilled. It really is beautiful in recipes like this fabulous fish chowder.
The New England States like to claim to be the inventors of Chowders, but there is a strong possibility that chowders were first created by the French settlers at Port Royal.
The word "chowder" comes from the French word, "Chaudiere." This was the name of the cast iron pot that they cooked their soups and stews in.
In any case, this recipe I am sharing with you today is considered to be more than 100 years old, and is in my opinion a fabulous recipe for using some of the beautiful haddock that I have in my freezer.
You know its a simple recipe because it is such an old recipe, using simple ingredients that are readily available.
You also know that it is delicious, because after 100 + years it has quite simply stood the test of time.
Good fish, onion, potato, salt pork/bacon, water and milk are all you need aside from a few other sundries/seasonings.
Soda crackers are not readily available over here in the UK, but you can get Italian crackers that are very similar and they are what I use. They help to thicken it a bit.
My husband enjoys his with a slice of thick buttered bread . . .
The Canadian in me has to have crackers. There is just no two ways about it. I love crackers with my soups. Enjoy!
Nova Scotia Fish Chowder
Yield: 6
Simple, traditional and very delicious.
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds haddock fillets
- 1/2 pound salt pork, diced (alternately use smoked streaky bacon)
- 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
- 1/2 tsp summer savoury (optional)
- 480ml boiling water (2 cups)
- 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced (about 3 cups)
- 960ml whole milk (4 cups)
- 8 small soda crackers, crumbled
- 2 TBS butter
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- chopped fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions:
- Cut your fish into 1 inch cubes. Saute your pork/bacon in a large saucepan until crisp. (I had to add a small splash of olive oil as my bacon was quite lean.)
- Add the onion and cook, stirring, without browning until softened. Add the potatoes, summer savoury (if using) and boiling water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the fish cubes and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
- Heat the milk, crackers, butter and seasoning in another saucepan just to the boil. (DON'T allow it to boil.) Once it is heated combine it with the potatoes, water, onions and fish. Heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Sprinkle with parsley flakes and serve immediately.
Seafresh has the UK covered delivery-wise, and has been providing door to door
contactless delivery throughout the pandemic. This has really meant a
lot to me.
A few things about Seafresh:
- Same Day dispatch on orders received before 1 PM.
- All packages are carefully hand packed.
- Free delivery on orders above £50, £8 on orders below that amount.
- Responsibly and sustainably sourced.
- Air Blast Frozen at source within 4 hours of being caught.
- Wide variety to choose from.
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Note - Although I was gifted with product free of charge for the purposes of review, I was not required to write a positive review in exchange, nor would my integrity allow me to recommend anything if I did not truly like it. Any and all my opinions are my own entirely.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
The old-fashioned Peach Cobbler
is a delicious dessert that you can easily prepare by learning the correct
recipe. There are plenty of variations for Peach Cobbler, but the old-fashioned one is
the most famous one that people have been making around the world. All you need
is fresh or canned peaches and a supporting recipe to help you through. There's
no particular preparation that you need to make for Peach Cobbler. Just remain
true to the recipe and don't forget to use an enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven to get the best results. Get
your kitchen apron ready, and let's dig into the preparation.
About Peach Cobbler
Peaches are available in pretty
much every season, so you won't find it hard to spot it at any supermarket. You
can indeed make plenty of desserts with peaches, but the old-fashioned Peach
Cobbler is one of the easiest homemade preparation. The best part of the Peach
Cobbler is that you only need 5 minutes to get it platter ready.
How To Peel Your Peaches?
The most cumbersome job in
making Peach Cobbler is to peel the peaches. One of the easiest ways to peel your peaches is by boiling them for 2-3
minutes in water and leave them in cold water for at least 30 minutes. After
this give them a good ice water bath, so that you can easily peel out the skin
with your bare hands. It is as easy as it can get. No more struggling with
knives and cutting the edges of peaches and making them shapeless.
Ingredients To Make Peach Cobbler
Before getting into the recipe,
it is essential to understand the necessary ingredients that you will need to
prepare this devouring delight. Here's what you will need-:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 ablespoon sugar (granule)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 pounds fresh/canned peaches
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups milk
Preparation Method For Peach Cobbler
After peeling the peaches and
slicing it evenly, you can get on further preparation. Follow the below steps
to learn the whole recipe and make your homemade Peach Cobbler in just five
minutes.
1. Take a saucepan and put the sliced peaches into it. Add salt
and sugar to the peaches and stir it well. Cook the peaches on medium heat for
a few minutes till the sugar gets dissolved completely and peaches start to
release its juices. Set aside the peaches and move forward.
2. Now the most crucial part of the Peach Cobbler comes in where
you need to bake the peaches. Pre-heat your oven on 350 degrees F. Now slice
the butter pieces and add to the baking dish. Put the pan into the oven for the
butter to get melted. Once the butter is completely melted, remove it from the
oven.
3. Take a large bowl to mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
with milk. Stir the mixture till all the ingredients are blended completely.
Make sure there are no lumps as it can affect the quality of your Peach
Cobbler. Once mixed well, pour the mixture into a pan of the melted butter.
Smooth out the layer and make sure it is even from all sides.
4. Take the cooked peaches and spoon them over the batter. Make
sure to be very careful while placing the peach pieces. You can also sprinkle
some cinnamon powder on the top of the peaches.
5. Time to bake your Peach Cobbler. Bake the batter in the
preheated oven for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F. You can either serve your Peach
Cobbler hot or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
#Cooking Tip: Instead of using a regular oven, you can make this
old-fashioned Peach Cobbler in an enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven to get that
perfectly baked delight.
How To Store Your Peach Cobbler?
If you don't feel like eating
the entire Peach Cobbler the same day, you can store them and eat later. Though
Peach Cobbler is best to relish fresh, you can anyhow eat the leftover for 4-5
days when kept in the fridge. All you need to do is re-heat the cobbler again
in a microwave or oven. Take it out from the refrigerator and keep it at room
temperature for a few minutes before heating it again. Bake the Peach Cobbler
at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes. Make sure it is hot. If it is getting brownie
while heating, place tin foil over it to prevent the excessive browning.
You can always experiment with
your Peach Cobbler. But it is essential to stick to the root and create an
old-fashioned base. The above mentioned is an easy to prepare recipe that you
can rely on any time.
Get your spatulas and pans ready to make that finger-licking
good Peach Cobbler!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons