Golden Syrup Puddings. This is one of my husbands absolute favourite desserts. Its very old school and very reminiscent of the type of dessert which might have been served to him at the end of a school dinner during his school days.
He loved his school dinners. I think I might have as well. His mother never cooked a hot meal at night. She totally relied on him being fed with school dinners. A lot of family's were like that during and after the war in the UK.
Old fashioned and comforting, it was well worth getting through overcooked cabbage and boiled mystery meat if you knew this was waiting for you at the end!
The promise of a bit of something sweet can make almost anything bearable.
It is very similar to a dessert we have in Canada called Pudding Chomeur, which is made with maple syrup. Maple syrup is the syrup of Canadians.
It runs through our veins. If you cut us that's what leaks out.
Here in the UK you are more likely to strike a vein of Golden Syrup. Its a very British ingredient. It is very similar to corn syrup and you can use that instead.
Golden syrup has a very distinctive pronounced buttery caramel flavour. That's because corn syrup is made from corn starch and golden syrup is made from sugar! Caramelised sugar.
This is a self saucing pudding. You end up magically with a cake on top and a thick sweet sauce on the bottom . . .
I adapted the recipe from one I found in one of my absolute favourite cookery books. Every Day, by Bill Granger. I love Bill Grangers recipes. He's Australian.
You do have to fiddle a bit with his measurements, because they are Aussie, and there is a slight difference, but no worries, I've done the fussing for you and the measurements you see here are what work.
They should call it surprise pudding . . . looking at that you think to yourself, hmmm . . . cake. And not even any icing.
Then you dig your spoon into it pulling up from the bottom and SURPRISE!!
This is much more than just cake, and it needs no icing whatsoever!
A scoop of vanilla icecream goes very well however, as does pouring cream and I dare say warm custard would also be nice.
That's a photo of his on the far right. Mine was not quite as dark. Perhaps his sugar was more brown? I don't know.
You could try muscovado sugar and see what happens.
The cake itself is highly flavoured with warm ginger and vanilla. That is somewhat of a surprise, because you are expecting caramel . . . but instead you get ginger caramel.
This smells heavenly when it is baking . . . you almost can't wait to dig your spoon in, but do wait a few minutes as the sauce can burn your mouth . . . just sayin'
I wish I had four matching baking dishes. Todd and I, having gotten married late in life and both having begun over again with practically nothing but suitcases don't have four matching baking dishes. When you eat at ours you get what you get . . .
I do so like these little stripey ones however. I think they are quite pretty don't you? Besides its not the dish that counts so much as whats actually in the dish!
Golden Syrup Puddings
Yield: 4
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
These are delicious, very old school. Comfort food puddings that create their own sauce. Flavoured with ginger, vanilla and golden syrup.
Ingredients
for the puddings:
- 140g self raising flour (1 cup)
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 100g soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
- 60g unsalted butter, melted (1/4 cup)
- 1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
- 125ml milk (1/2 cup)
- 1 TBS golden syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
for the sauce:
- 100g soft light brown sugar (1/2 cup packed)
- 2 TBS golden syrup
- 310ml boiling water (1 1/4 cups)
to serve:
- vanilla bean ice cream or pouring cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter 4 deep oven proof dishes, each capable of holding a generous cup. (9 fluid ounces/240ml) Set onto a baking tray.
- Whisk the flour, ginger, and sugar together in a bowl. Whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, golden syrup and vanilla. Add all at once to the dry ingredients and whisk together until smooth and well combined.
- Divide the batter between the four cups.
- Whisk together the brown sugar, boiling water and golden syrup for the sauce. Divide between the four cups carefully, pouring it over top of the batter using the back of a spoon to diffuse it somewhat so it doesn't break apart the batter.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until the sponge has risen and is golden brown.
- Serve warm with ice cream or pouring cream.
If you are looking for a simple pudding, homey and comforting, this be your dessert! Enjoy!
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Lemon Ginger Biscotti. If you love Biscotti, these fabulously flavoured Biscotti are destined to take place as one of your favourite versions!! I confess, I have had a long-standing love affair with Biscotti since the 1980's!
True Biscotti, or "Twice Baked" biscuits, in their very primitive and un-fettered state, are also known as Cantucci. Italian Almond biscuits, originating in Prato, Tuscany . . . they are twice baked, oblong shaped, and beautifully dry and crunchy. Meant for dipping in sweet wine or coffee.
There are of course many versions now, in just about every flavour you can imagine . . . each one as crisp and delicious as the next.
My first experience with Biscotti was in a coffee-shop on the ground floor of my ex SIL's luxury apartment on Young Street in downtown Toronto. She had given it to my husband and I to use for the weekend. Oh, but didn't we feel special staying overnight in an apartment that overlooked Lake Ontario and which boasted a swimming pool and personal gym.
Not that we used either thing. I was far too afraid of breaking anything or putting a foot wrong. There were incredibly famous people living in that building and we were country yokels from hicksville!
We did, however, decide to enjoy a coffee in the coffee shop the next morning and I spied these things called biscotti standing in jars next to the cash register. The cost of each was more than our usual Egg McMuffin from our local Golden Arches, but such was the longing on my face to try something new that my ex bought me one to enjoy with my coffee.
Love at first bite. It was a very simple Almond one, very traditional. I have loved them ever since. Of course back then I had no idea that you could make them very simply in the comfort of your own home and enjoy them every time you wanted to. Progress . . .
These beautiful crisp biscotti are flavoured with plenty of lemon beginning with rubbing lemon zest and sugar together to release the natural oils of the lemon zest. (A trick I learnt from Dorie Greenspan.)
More lemon flavour comes from the use of Lemon Extract, as well as vanilla. Vanilla and lemon are perfect partners . . . but . . . . add ginger to the mix, and you have a true marriage made in heaven!
There is plenty of lemon zip from the use of chopped candied ginger in the cookies themselves as well as powdered ginger. Add to that the nutty moreish crunch of toasted walnuts . . . and yes, do toast your nuts before baking.
I always toast my nuts before baking with them. This simple singular step enhances the nuttiness of any nuts in your baked goods. Unbelievable that such a small act would make such a big difference, but trust me on this. Not necessary, but once you have tasted the difference, you will always be toasting your nuts first. Trust me on this.
The original recipe comes from a little book I have entitled "The 50 Best Biscotti Recipes," by Barbara Karoff. Its not an expensive book and is filled with many gems worth baking. If you love Biscotti, you need this book. Its been around since 1995.
The melted semi-sweet chocolate dip and tinly accent of a thin sliver of perserved ginger are my own idea and finished these beautiful biscotti off beautifully.
Lemon Ginger Biscotti
Yield: 24
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 35 Mtotal time: 45 M
Crisp and moreish with plenty of lemon and ginger spark!
Ingredients:
- 95g sugar (1/2 cup)
- 60g butter, softened (1/4 cup)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon extract
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
- 1 large free range egg
- 125g chopped candied ginger (1/2 cup)
- 115g chopped toasted walnuts ( 1 cup)
- 210g plain flour (1 1/2 cups)
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Optional finish:
- Melted semi-sweet chocolate
- finely slivered pieces of preserved ginger
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line several baking sheets with baking paper. Set aside.
- Rub the sugar together with the lemon zest until very fragrant. Cream together with the butter. Stir in the lemon and vanilla extracts and then the egg. Stir in the crystallized ginger and nuts. Sift ogether the flour, baking powder and ginger. Add to the creamed mixture mixig all well together. Divide in half and shape into two logs about 1 inch in diameter and 8 inches long. Place onto one baking sheet. Leave plenty of space between and flatten slightly unil it is 2 inches wide.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown and firm. Remove to a rack to cool for about 5 minutes. Cut into diagonal slices, 3/4 inch thick.
- Place onto both baking sheets, cut sides down, leaving plenty of space between each biscotti. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. Cool completely on a rack.
- If desired dip one side in chocolate and lay a thin sliver of preserved ginger on top.
Aside from the gorgeous moreish crunch of biscotti, another thing which I love about Biscotti is that they are so simple to make and bake. Two logs, bake, slice and bake again until crisp . . . couldn't be simpler or tastier.
Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes for Two. This year I have decided to share my small batch recipes as much as I can.
There are only two of us in our home now and we only seldom have company for supper, especially since the Virus hit! I think a lot of us older people are in the same boat . . . empty nesters, or even singletons.
We don't necessarily want full sized recipes. This Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes is my latest small batch recipe!
Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes is the perfect size for two people to enjoy and makes great use of store cupboard ingredients.
Frozen mashed potatoes, crumbled cooked bacon, minced chives, sour cream, cream cheese . . . a bit of cheddar on top.
Rich and delicious this casserole is perfectly sized for two people, but can also very easily be doubled to feed more.
You can also use leftover mashed potatoes in which case you will need about 1 1/2 cups.
You can also leave this with full fat dairy ingredients, or substitute the full fat ones for low fat ones, with no discernable difference in either the texture or the flavour! Yay!
I am all for cutting calories (and corners) if I can!
It goes together in a flash. Lickety split! Quick as a wink!
You just mix the warmed potatoes with the sour cream, cream cheese, bacon (can't low fat that unfortunately) seasoning and chopped chives all together and spoon it into a buttered baking dish.
A sprinkle of cheese on top and quick bake in the oven and about half an hour later you are enjoying it.
And trust me, with this when I say enjoy, I really mean ENJOY! (Yes, the potato is my favourite vegetable)
If you don't have chives you could use minced spring onions.
If you don't like bacon (as if!) or are a vegetarian, leave the bacon out completely, or use the equivalent in a vegetarian style of bacon.
I know, so delicious. I am a through and through glutton. I love food. I can't help it.
We enjoyed a Caesar salad on the side as well.
The Caesar salad is my favourite salad of all time. I adore it.
The potatoes were rich and creamy and oh so delicious!
The leftover chicken was also oh so delicious!
In between mouthfuls my husband kept exclaiming . . . "This is a really, really delicious dinner!" I love it when I can please my meat and potatoes loving husband!
Twice Baked Mashed Potatoes (small batch)
Yield: 2
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 20 Mtotal time: 30 M
This fabulous casserole is a cross between twice-baked potatoes and rich mashed potatoes. Down-sized to feed two, this makes an elegant yet favourite side dish any time of the year and on any occasion. Easily doubled to feed more. Quick and easy as well! You can also use full fat or low fat ingredients with no problem.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 of a four serving sized bag of frozen mashed potatoes
- 60g cream cheese (2 ounces)
- 30g dairy sour cream (1/4 cup)
- 2 TBS chopped fresh chives
- 2 slices cooked streaky bacon, crumbled
- 1/4 tsp seasoned pepper (see below)
- pinch salt
- 30g grated cheddar cheese (1/4 cup)
- chopped fresh chives to garnish
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a 2 cup sized casserole dish.
- Heat the mashed potatoes in the microwave according to package directions. Stir in the cream cheese, sour cream, chopped chives, seasoned pepper, crumbled bacon and salt. Combine well together. Spoon into the buttered casserole dish and sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes uncovered. Sprinkle with the chive garnish and serve.
notes:
To make your own Seasoned Pepper: Whisk together 1 cup of ground pepper, 2 TBS ground paprika, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1/2 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp mace, 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg and 1/2 tsp onion powder, until well combined. Store in an airtight covered container in a dark place for up to 2 years (alternately you can make seasoned salt, by subsituting the pepper in this recipe for salt and the salt for pepper.)
I always keep bags of frozen mashed potatoes in my freezer. They come in handy for so many things and are a great store cupboard ingredient for me.
I have to say that I almost never mash potatoes from scratch anymore if I can help it. These work so well and with a few additions are always, always as good as from homemade.
When making them just to use as mash, I always stir in a knob of butter, some warm milk and seasoning. You really can't tell the difference.
Easy to use. Quick to make, and easy to adapt for all sorts of uses. You really can't lose by keeping several bags of these in the freezer!
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We have a great fondness for Tex Mex food in this house, especially enchiladas. Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas are a real favourite!
Whenever we have leftover roast chicken, turkey, pork, or even beef, I will often make enchiladas or tacos or something Tex Mex with it.
In fact when my children were growing up if I didn't make Turkey Enchiladas after Christmas, there was hell to pay! I think they loved them more than the Turkey dinner itself!
That was merely a means to an end and the end was . . . Enchiladas!
Cooking Tex Mex has always been a bit of a challenge here in the UK as you can't always get the ingredients you need.
I am happy to saw that is improving somewhat, which is great. You still can't get canned green chilies however, but I live in hope.
In the meantime I use fresh chillies and roast them myself. They are somewhat expensive however to buy.
I keep telling myself that one year I am going to grow my own and then roast the lot and pop them into the freezer!
This was not a good year for that . . . what with virus and all . . . getting seeds for the garden were next to impossible to find if at all.
I did get some for parsley, basil, chives and lettuce. But unfortunately the slugs have eaten everything but my chives! C'est la vie!
Back when I was raising a family I used to make large trays of Enchiladas. Now there is only the two of us, its just not practical.
Oh sure you can freeze them, but we have them so rarely it just makes sense to downsize these old favourite recipes of mine.
So yes, this is a small batch recipe for Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas! And let me tell you, they are sooooooooome good!!
Traditionally I think they use corn tortillas for enchiladas, but corn tortillas are also something you have trouble getting ahold of here in the UK.
I generally use flour tortillas and we are okay with that.
I use the Gran Luchito Green Enchilada sauce. It works perfectly.
It has a nice zippy flavour and is chock full of fresh tomatillos, jalapenos, garlic and coriander. Its the real deal, and goes beautifully with chicken.
1 jar of it is the perfect size for these.
If you were making a larger amount you would need more. I really love their products. They are bang on when it comes to Mexican flavours.
I make the filling with plenty of chopped cooked chicken, grated cheese, some spices and seasonings and of course a bit of that sauce.
The rest of the sauce gets layered on the bottom of the filled tortillas and then drizzled over top before baking. Of course I scatter cheese on top as well.
Oh boy but these are some good served hot with sour cream and a splash of green tabasco!
Small Batch Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas
Yield: 2
prep time: 15 Mcook time: 45 Mtotal time: 60 M
You can make this as spicy or as mild as you wish. Delicious and built just for two.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 180g grated jack cheese (1 1/2 cups)
- 60g grated strong cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)
- 4 soft flour tortillas (street taco sized)
- 1 (380g) jar green enchilada Sauce (13 1/2 ounces)
- salt and black pepper to taste
To serve:
- Sour cream
- green tabasco sauce
- chopped fresh coriander (optional)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Butter a small rectangular baking dish, large enough to hold the enchiladas in a single layer.
- Mix the cheeses together.
- Put the chicken into a bowl and combine with 1/2 of the cheese, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 1/3 of the green enchilada sauce. Mix all well together.
- Lay out the tortillas. Divide the chicken filling amongst them and roll up to enclose.
- Pour half of the remaining enchilada sauce in the base of the casserole dish. Top with the filled tortillas. Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over top. Sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 until golden brown and heated through. Sprinkle the chopped coriander on top, if using.
- Divide between two heated dinner plates and serve hot, garnished with some sour cream and green chilli Tabasco sauce, if desired.
I used street taco sized tortillas for these. They are only 6 inches in diameter and work perfectly when it comes to feeding two people on their own! These always go down a real treat!
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