Well, it is finally here! Today is the beautiful day my brand new book, The Best of British Baking, is officially out in the world for all of you to read and enjoy!
Creamed Potatoes is a old fashioned dish and is not something you see much of these days. It makes a fabulous side dish, but add some cooked chicken, turkey or ham and it becomes a wonderful main dish that the whole family will love!
This recipe for creamed potatoes and chicken is sinfully delicious and makes for a wonderful midweek meal on a cold Winter's night. It is comfort food pure and simple.
The recipe is one that I adapted from The Vintage Church Cookbook: Classic Recipes for Family and Flock. Not only did I adapt it but I downsized it to serve only two people.
I also took advantage of the fact that I had both leftover cooked turkey and ham in the fridge and so I used both of those in it. But you can use chicken, on its own, or turkey or even ham on its own.
You can also leave out the protein entirely and what you end up with is a perfect side dish for any dinner!
You can also make this completely ahead, ready to pop into the oven when you need it. I do not recommend freezing it because of the potatoes which are in the dish.
I am always amazed at how you can put together a few simple ingredients, and even leftovers to come up with something that it so totally delicious as to become a family favorite!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CREAMED POTATOES AND CHICKEN
Like I said, very simple ingredients, put together in a totally delicious way.
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 TBS butter
- 1 1/2 TBS plain, all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt or as desired
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1/2 cup (60g) grated strong cheddar cheese
- 1 cup (115g) chopped cooked chicken (or turkey, or ham, or any combination of these)
As I said I cut the quantities of the original recipe in half so that it made enough for only two people. If you are wanting to serve more, simply double the amounts.
I also took the liberty of using both turkey and ham in mine because I had both of those in my fridge leftover from our holiday meals.
I also added a crunchy topping of 6 square saltine crackers, crumbled and mixed with 1/2 TBS melted butter. I think any casserole with a crunchy topping added is automatically better!
The cheese I used was orange in color but feel free to use white cheddar. Also I did reserve a TBS of it to scatter over the top with the cracker crumbs.
I also chose to spread it out in a thin layer in a casserole dish which was about 6 by 8 inches in size so I got more crunchy bits and edges.
HOW TO MAKE CREAMED POTATOES AND CHICKEN
If you can make a simple béchamel or cheese sauce, then you can make this tasty casserole. It forms the basis of this delicious dish.
You need to begin by peeling and cubing some potatoes into a 1/2-inch dice. This gets boiled in lightly salted water until it is tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Don't over cook it or they will fall apart.
You want the potatoes to hold their shape, so only cook them until the tip of a sharp knife inserts itself easily. Drain well and set aside. This should take no longer than 10 to 15 minutes.
To make the sauce, melt the butter in the same saucepan and then whisk in the flour. Cook for a minute to cook out the flour taste and then slowly whisk in the milk.
Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. You do this to prevent the sauce from forming lumps or catching on the bottom.
Stir in the cheese (reserving a bit for the top) and blend it in until it melts.
Carefully fold in the potatoes, taking care to hold their shape.
If you are wanting to use this as a side dish, you can just pour it from this point into a baking dish, top with the reserved cheese and then bake it as per the recipe.
But if you are wanting it as a main dish, fold in the chicken, or ham, or turkey or both. (You can also add bacon, which is nice.) Spread it into your buttered casserole dish.
Like I said I really enjoy a crunchy topping on my casseroles. For this one I crumbled about 6 saltine crackers and mixed them with some melted butter.
These got sprinkled evenly over the top along with the reserved cheese before popping the whole thing into the preheated oven. (350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4)
20 minutes later you will be rewarded with a delicious main-dish casserole that you are sure to love. If you want it a bit more golden brown, pop it briefly under a hot grill.
This is excellent. Rich. Creamy. Delicious. As a main or as a side!
Today I enjoyed this creamy dish as a main dish, along with some corn and some turnips that I reheated that were leftover from our Christmas Dinner. With the cost of food going up and up and up, I don't want to waste anything!
This was quite simply delicious. Quick and easy to throw together. I call this a winner winner/chicken dinner! (Except it was turkey, and ham.)
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.
Next to fish and chips, the one thing everyone in my family really loves is pie. We are pie aficionados! We will pretty much eat anything in a crust, be it savory or be it sweet, and we all have our favorites!
My mother always made beautiful pies. That is one thing which we could be sure of having after any kind of a roast dinner, some sort of pot pie. Beef, pork, chicken, turkey. She made them all and we loved them.
Everything I know about making tasty pies I learned from my mother.
I remember one time, when I was about 14, (so so so long ago now!) my mother had to go away for a few days. She left meals for us to eat, and of course I was in charge of heating them up. One of the things she left was a pot pie she had made.
I can remember heating it up to perfection and then doling it out to everyone. They all thought I had saved the largest piece for myself. Perhaps I did, I can't remember, but I do remember at the time protesting that I hadn't.
I probably doth protest too much. Knowing my love for pie, I probably did save the largest piece for myself!! To this day everyone accuses me of such. But who can blame me. Pie after all is pie!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN PIE
This pie has a lovely butter and shortening pastry. Its rich and flaky and goes very well with the filling. Of course, next to the crust, the most important part of any pie is the filling, and this chicken pie is filled with a lovely rich and delicious filling that is very simple to make!
For the filling:
- 2 TBS butter
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 parsnip, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 large handful of mushrooms, finely sliced
- 2 TBS flour
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp summer savory
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1 1/2 cups (350ml) of chicken stock
- 1/4 cup (60ml) of double cream
- 3 chicken breast fillets, poached and broken into chunks (you could use the equivalent amount of cooked turkey if you wanted to.)
This chicken pie does not have a bottom crust, but don't worry, you won't miss it. The filling is ample and delicious enough to make up for its lack.
For the pastry:
- 1 1/4 cups (175g) plain flour
- pinch of salt
- 2 TBS butter
- 2 TBS vegetable shortening
- 2 TBS cold water
- 1 egg beaten together with 2 TBS water (to glaze)
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN PIE
You will want to begin by making the pastry first so that it can rest while you make the filling. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.
Rub together the butter and vegetable shortening and then add this mixture to the flour/salt in the bowl. Rub the fat into the flour with the tips of your fingers, lifting it up as you go. This helps to aerate the flour somewhat.
Rub in lightly until the mixture looks crumbly. Don't over mix.
You then need to add the cold water all at once, stirring it in with a fork. Blend it in quickly until the mixture clings together in a ball, leaving the sides of the bowl clean.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a couple times, lightly, to make a smooth fairly stiff dough. Leave it to rest, covered, for at least 10 minutes before using.
The filling look like it uses a lot of ingredients, but trust me when I tell you, despite its length, it is very simple to make and oh-so-tasty!
You begin by melting the butter for the filling in a large skillet. Add all of the vegetables to the skillet. Cook and stir them until the onion softens and turns translucent and the vegetables begin to just soften.
Sprinkle the flour over top of the vegetables. Whisk in the chicken stock. Cook and stir until the mixture thickens. Add the seasoning and herbs.
Fold in the chicken. Pour this mixture into a pie dish large enough to hold it. My dish was an oval 9-inch pie dish. A round one would work just as well. Or any casserole dish large enough to hold the filling.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a size large enough to cover the pie dish amply with a bit of an edge.
Brush the edge of the pie dish with some of the beaten egg/water mixture. This will help the pastry to adhere. Place the pastry on top.
Trim, flute and press the edges. I always cut several slits in the top of the pie to vent, or (if you have one) you can add a pie bird.
Brush the top with beaten egg. Place onto a baking sheet.
Pop the baking sheet into a preheated oven, 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5 and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.
Spoon this pie out hot to enjoy with your favorite sides! Many people like to serve mashed potatoes with a pie like this and why not! The gravy lends itself beautifully to being enjoyed with a nice pile of hot mash.
Its also good with boiled potatoes or rice, or even chips. At the end of the day, its just plain good eating. Enjoy!!
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.
Merry Christmas everyone! I just wanted to wish you all the best holidays ever and thank you for your continued support and let you know how much it means to me. Be happy. Be blessed. Be safe and eat lots of great food! Have a wonderful day!
I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas Eve and a Happy Christmas. I also wanted to thank everyone who took the opportunity to enter the giveaway!! I wish I could give each and every one of you a copy of my book, but alas there could only be one winner!
The winner of the book was Comment #13 which was left by Lois:
Lois18 DECEMBER 2021 AT 14:36
I love your recipes! We had friends from England stay for a summer and got a taste of British Cooking which started my love for it. Here's hoping I win...
Lois, please send me your personal details ( full name, address, etc.) and I will pass them onto the publisher! Congratulations!
The reviews of the e-book are rolling in and I am so grateful for them. One which I really enjoyed was this one:
I am so very appreciative. If you have ordered the e-book, or have pre-ordered a print copy would you please consider leaving me a review!! Each and everyone has an impact and plays a direct role in helping others to find the book too. Can I count on you for your support?
Get the book and leave a review here: https://amzn.to/32xZKCx
Thanks very much to everyone for participating in the giveaway. A very Merry Christmas to each and every one of you!
Here we are again on the precipice of Christmas 2021 and once more it is not the Christmas we had hoped for. My son and his family were supposed to drive over from New Brunswick to spend Christmas with me.
He had a car rented and everything. I bought air beds, bedding, pillows, etc. and it has all been for naught because of that darned virus. We do what we must however, hope for happier times in the future, and dream of a day when we can all once more spend time together safely.
Just because it is not the Christmas of our dreams however, it doesn't mean it cannot still be Merry and if you are lucky enough to have people, be it family or friends in your bubble that live close by, you can still celebrate it in a more subdued form.
Even if you are only you, that doesn't mean that you can't still enjoy the day and eat some of the foods that make you happy.
I had bought this gingerbread man mini waffle maker in anticipation of whipping up gingerbread man waffles for the grandsons and family on Christmas morning. I will still get to do that at some point, but in the meantime decided to treat myself anyways!
I just used the waffle recipe which came with the waffle maker. It makes 8 tiny round waffles, or you can make 4 regular sized waffles if that is the only size machine you have.
Aren't they just the cutest thing? I thought so. They will still be cute in March if my family can come over then.
They sure gave off a heavenly aroma when they were baking! I really love the smells of gingerbread. Ginger, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and these waffles have all of that.
They are lightly sweetened with molasses, which is another flavor you expect in a gingerbread. If you cannot get molasses, for instance if you are in Europe or the UK, you can mix equal parts of dark treacle and golden syrup to give you something approximating the flavor.
Or you could use honey or maple syrup. All work well.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GINGERBREAD WAFFLES
Simple ingredients put together in the most delicious way!
- 1 cup (140g) all purpose plain flour
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- 1 large free range egg
- 3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk
- 2 TBS molasses
- 2 TBS light olive oil
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THE LEMON CREAM
Lemon goes wonderfully with the spicy flavors of gingerbread. I often serve my gingerbread with a lush lemon butter sauce. Today I served these delicious waffles with a delightful Lemon Cream.
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy or whipping cream (double cream)
- 2 TBS prepared lemon curd
I usually make the lemon cream before I start making waffles or pancakes. Its very easy to make and goes together quickly. You could even make it the night before, ready for the morning.
Whip the cream using an electric hand whisk until the cream forms stiff peaks. Fold in the lemon curd, cover and chill until needed.
HOW TO MAKE GINGERBREAD WAFFLES
Nothing could be easier than making these simple waffles. The batter is as easy as stirring together wet and dry ingredients which is the case in most quick breads, waffles, pancakes, etc.
Measure the flour and all of the spices and baking soda into a large bowl. Give them a good whisk together to combine. An excellent way of making sure they are really mixed perfectly together is to sift them together using a fine sieve into the bowl.
Next you need to combine your wet ingredients. I measure them into a large beaker and just beat them together with a fork.
If you don't have any buttermilk, don't fear. You can make your own facsimile by measuring 1 TBS of lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup and adding whole milk.
Let the mixture sit for about five minutes so that it clabbers/sours. Easy peasy.
Now pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat everything together with a fork or a whisk until well combined. It is okay if a few small lumps remain. You expect that in a quick bread such as this.
What you don't want is huge streaks of dry flour or large lumps. They would not be very appealing taste wise.
Once your batter is all mixed all you have to do is to spoon it into your waffle maker and bake them according to your waffle maker's instructions.
I like to spray my waffle maker first with a spritz of low fat non-stick cooking spray. Just in case. I don't want anything to stick.
If you wanted to dress them up you could add mini chocolate chips to the batter or you could add chopped raisins, cranberries or walnuts. All would be very nice.
Chopped candied ginger would give them a nice ginger zippidy do dah! I'm going to do that next time. I think you could fold some ginger syrup into the whipped cream as well, for another level of ginger flavor instead of the lemon curd.
Just a few ideas there to tempt you!
I served mine with little heart shaped pats of butter, the lemon cream, pure maple syrup and some fresh berries. Altogether this was very delicious.
Any extra waffles can be wrapped and frozen for a later date. They are very easy to reheat. Just pop them frozen into the toaster until thawed, heated through and crisped up!
Delicious! Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you all so very much for your support over the last year! Its been a real pleasure cooking with and for you!! I am looking forward to more tastiness in 2022!
Christmas Crack is a delicious candy that I make only once a year. Using only four basic ingredients (not counting the toppings), it goes together very quickly and I have to say it is so tasty that its darn near impossible to eat only one piece!
One year I thought that if I froze it, I would be able to keep it untouched until Christmas, but its even delicious frozen, so that was not any kind of deterrent for me at all! I know. I am incorrigible!
It truly is a treat, both for the family and for the cook. I made this a week or so back when I thought my son and his family were going to be coming for Christmas. I thought it was something the boys would enjoy!
My children always enjoyed it. I was really looking forward to being able to spoil at least two of my grandchildren this Christmas. Oh well, better safe than sorry! I am not the only person who has had their Christmas plans disrupted by this virus!
One bonus that I really like about this candy is that you don't really need any specialized equipment except for a baking sheet, some aluminum foil and a saucepan.
As far as making candy goes, it truly is a cook's dream!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHRISTMAS CRACK
As I said, there are only four basic ingredients required. The toppings are additional and subject to taste and desire. Very adaptable.
- 40 soda crackers (You can use salted or unsalted. In the UK, use Italian crackers)
- 1 cup (240g) butter (if you are using salted crackers use unsalted butter)
- 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar
- 12 ounces (340g) semi sweet chocolate chips
The brand of cracker I used in the UK was Doriano Crackers. They were just like the soda crackers here in North America, except maybe a tiny bit smaller width wise. Not enough to make a significant difference.
You can also use other types of crackers. Club House. Tucs. Even Ritz, however Ritz crackers will leave big gaps. I would only use square or rectangular crackers given the choice.
HOW TO MAKE CHRISTMAS CRACK
Nothing could really be easier. If you keep the timings to my suggestions you will have no problems with this candy at all!
Begin by preheating your oven to 425*F/225*C/ gas mark 6.
You will need a lipped baking sheet large enough to hold all of your crackers in one layer. I like it with aluminum foil for ease of clean up.
Line your crackers up on the baking sheet in even rows. I did mine about four across and ten down.
You will need a saucepan with a fairly heavy bottom. If your saucepan is too thin your candy may scorch.
Measure your butter and brown sugar into the saucepan. Use a medium-large sized one so that when the candy mixture comes to the boil, it doesn't boil over.
Allow both to melt over medium heat. The sugar will no longer feel gritty. Once they have melted and are well whisked together bring them to the boil.
It is important to let them boil, undisturbed without stirring, for five minutes. This will bring the candy almost to the hard crack stage.
At the end of that time you will need to carefully pour it over the crackers on the sheet pan. Try to pour it evenly over them. You can use the back of a metal spoon to help you spread it out. (Remember this mixture is VERY hot!)
Pop the sheet pan into the preheated oven and bake the candy for only five minutes. At the end of that time it should be nicely bubbling away, and will have achieved the hard crack stage.
Remove it from the oven and immediately scatter the chocolate chips evenly over top. The heat from the caramel will cause it to melt and you will be able to spread it out evenly over top. I use an offset spatula, but the back of a metal spoon also works very well.
You will want to sprinkle your toppings on while the chocolate is still warm and melty. You can use any number of toppings. Today I used chopped toasted pecan nuts, but walnuts would also be nice, or chopped toasted almonds.
You can use white chocolate chips and top this with crushed Christmas Candy or Candy Canes.
You can use broken up Peanut Butter Cups, Smarties, M & M's, cupcake sprinkles.
Crushed pretzels are nice. Crumbled ruffles potato chips are nice. Combinations of these things are nice. Just go with the things you know your family will enjoy.
Once topped, it is only a matter of leaving everything to sit at room temperature to set up. This will take at least an hour if not longer. You can hasten this time by popping the baking sheet into the refrigerator.
Once it has set and hardened, you can break it up into pieces. Store it in an airtight container, and like I said, it does freeze well.
This is a wonderful Christmas treat! Its salty and sweet, crisp and crunchy. Incredibly moreish indeed! It makes great hostess or neighbor gifts as well. My family has always loved it and I am sure yours will as well!
I make another recipe which I got from one of my father's lady friends one year that is equally as good. Its called Almond Florentine and is made using graham crackers or digestive biscuits. Its topped with the caramel toffee and flaked almonds.
Both varieties are exceptionally delicious!
All of the content you see here on this page, both photography and written, are the sole property of The English Kitchen, Marie Rayner. 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.
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