Two Hungry Men and Miles from Nowhere Food

Quesadillas

2009-12-08T11:11:00.003Z

Pronounced 'kee-sa-de-yas' these have become a Friday night favourite. They are so quick and handy and it isn't that hard to keep the wherewithal to make them in the fridge and larder. They're the sort of dinner that everyone eats with their fingers and a napkin in dribs and drabs. I warn you - you'll have to keep them coming. It's hard to give a recipe as what you put in them depends on your taste; it would be like giving a recipe for a sandwich. Consider this more of a method. I've specified our favourite combination but I also make a ham and cheese one for the little man and have on occasion made them with chicken if that's what I have lying around (and of course you can do a vegetarian version). Make them as hot or as mild as you like.

Quesadillas

Ingredients:
Tortillas (at least 1.5 per person)
Cheese
Spring onion, chopped
Chorizo
Red Jalapenos, chopped (for heat)

Method:
1. Lay your ingredients out on half the tortilla.

2. Put a frying pan on over a medium heat.

3. Fold the empty side of the tortilla over the filled side and brush the outside of the bread with a little olive oil.

4. Place the tortilla, oiled side down, on the frying pan. (I can fit two tortillas in my pan but if you can't just do one at a time).

5. Brush the other side of the tortilla with oil and flip over after a few minutes (you can peek at the underside to see if it's browned).

6. Cut into three and serve.

Enjoy!

You can make them by covering the whole tortilla with filling then placing another on the top and frying it unfolded but I find this way much easier to manage.

Sauage, Apple & Potato Casserole

2009-11-18T15:45:00.006Z

I invented this dish when I was on maternity leave before JT was born. I had four weeks leave and had planned loads of baking and cooking only to find that I couldn't stand on my feet for any length of time. So this was a way of preparing a hearty dinner without having to stand over a chopping board or hot stove for any length of time. The chopping is minimal (everything is in wedges) and I cook this in the oven, although you could do it on the hob to speed things up. Don't worry about precise quantities in this dish - you can adjust the quantities to suit your personal taste/requirements without doing any damage.

SAUSAGE, APPLE & POTATO CASSEROLE
Serves 2

Ingredients:
3 pork sausages
2 apples
5 potatoes (or as many as you want per person)
1 onion (red or white)
Hot chicken stock (about 300ml)
Handful of chopped rosemary
1 tblsp honey
2/3 tblsp olive oil

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 210oC

2. Cut the potatoes into wedges (I don't bother to peel them) and the sausages into bite-sized chunks.

3. Place in a casserole dish (I use a large rectangular one) and coat in a few tblsp of olive oil.

4. Put in the oven for 10 mins. During this time cut your onion into wedges.

5. After 10mins add the onion to the dish, toss to coat in the oil and return to the oven.

6. Chop the apples into wedges and after a further 10mins add them to the dish, again tossing everything around. Add the hot stock, pouring in just enough to come about half way up the dish. Add the chopped rosemary and return everything to the oven for 1/2 hr.

7. Finally drizzle a tablespoon of honey over the whole dish and return to the oven for 10mins. (I sometimes mash the apples roughly at this stage to thicken the sauce a bit).

Meaty Nachos

2009-10-15T20:52:00.002+01:00

This is one of my favourite quick and easy suppers. It's become very popular with my two men so I always keep the wherewithal to make this in the cupboard and freezer. It's easily adapted to suit JT. I like to fire it up and add lots of heat but you don't have to and if you prefer you can keep things on the mild side. In fact, treat most of the ingredients as optional, that is except for the tortilla chips, mince, salsa and cheese. Think of this a bit like a pizza - the tortilla chips are the base, the mince and salsa the toppings and then finally the cheese. I assemble at the last minute but frequently fry the mince mixture ahead of time and let sit in the pan (although it only takes a few minutes to fry it anyway). Although I recommend that you eat this fresh if you're having it for your main meal, we nearly always have a little bit left over that I cover with cling film and put in the fridge for the next day - a quick blast in a hot oven will do the necessary re-heating.

I must add that my knowledge of nachos and mexican cooking is practically zilch. I know the general make-up of it and I enjoy eating it but I don't know the finer details and distinctions. In fact, I don't know if these count as nachos at all but that's what they look like to me!

Meaty Nachos
Serves 2 (plus a baby)

Ingredients:
200g (approx) bag of Tortilla Chips
500g minced beef
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic*
1/2 tsp cumin*
1 tsp paprika*
1/2 tsp ground coriander*
1 tsp cayenne (you could substitute this with some chilli flakes or chopped jalapenos)*
Dash of worchester sauce*
Dash of soy sauce*
1 tblsp sweet chilli sauce*
1 jar salsa
Cheddar, grated to top the nachos

*You could simply replace all these with a sachet of mexican spice mix

Method:

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic then fry over a medium heat for a few minutes.

2. Add the mince and continue to fry until the mince is cooked. Note: At this point lift out some 'plain' mince mixture for any babies or young children and set aside.

3. Add the spices and then the sauces to the pan and continue to cook for another minute.

4. Pre-heat the grill to high.

5. Spread the bag of tortilla chips over a large platter. Don't forget to put a few chips on a plate(s) for any bab(ies). Spoon the plain mince mixture onto their chips now to give it time to soak into the chips and soften them a little.

6. Spoon the meat mixture over the top of the tortilla chips.

7. Using a teaspoon, dot the salsa as evenly as you can over the meat mixture.

8. Finally top with the cheese and grill for about a minute - keep an eye on it the chips can burn easily. Any babies dishes I simply top with a little grated cheese and don't bother melting it.

I use a fish slice to serve it on to plates but your hands would do just fine. It's really a tear and share sort of dish. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

2009-10-05T09:00:00.000+01:00

This was the September Nigella Cookalong. I like taking part in the Nigella Cookalong because it pushes me to try some of her recipes that I wouldn't otherwise. And these were exactly one of those recipes. Cupcakes can be much-a-do about nothing and while I love decorating them actually eating them doesn't excite me all that much. But these were such a surprise. They're lovely and moist - almost fudgey. And since I used a red and black cherry conserve instead of the specified morello cherry jam (simply because I couldn't get it) ther're wasn't an overpowering sour cherry taste. To top it off they're so simple. This is a one-pan recipe. Everything gets melted in one saucepan then poured into paper cases. Such a simple but delicious crowd pleaser to have up your sleeve.

Ingredients:
(For The Cupcakes)

125g soft unsalted butter
100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
300g cherry conserve
150g caster sugar
pinch of salt
2 large eggs, beaten
150g self-raising flour
12-bun muffin tin and papers

For The Icing
100g dark chocolate
100ml double cream
12 natural-coloured glacé cherriesServing Size : Makes 12

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4.

2. Put the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan on the heat to melt. When nearly completely melted, stir in the chocolate. Leave for a moment to begin softening, then take the pan off the heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the butter and chocolate are smooth and melted. Now add the cherry jam, sugar, salt and eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon and when all is pretty well amalgamated stir in the flour.

3. Scrape and pour into the muffin papers in their tin and bake for 25 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before turning out.

4. When the cupcakes are cool, break the chocolate for the icing into little pieces and add them to the cream in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, remove from the heat and then whisk – by hand or electrically – till thick and smooth. Ice the cupcakes, smoothing the tops with the back of a spoon, and stand a cherry in the centre of each.

September Daring Bakers: Vol-Au-Vents

2009-09-27T09:00:00.004+01:00

The September 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Steph of A Whisk and a Spoon. She chose the French treat, Vols-au-Vent based on the Puff Pastry recipe by Michel Richard from the cookbook Baking With Julia by Dorie Greenspan.

Puff pastry is in the ‘laminated dough” family, along with Danish dough and croissant dough. A laminated dough consists of a large block of butter (called the “beurrage”) that is enclosed in dough (called the “détrempe”). This dough/butter packet is called a “paton,” and is rolled and folded repeatedly (a process known as “turning”) to create the crisp, flaky, parallel layers you see when baked. Unlike Danish or croissant however, puff pastry dough contains no yeast in the détrempe, and relies solely aeration to achieve its high rise. The turning process creates hundreds of layers of butter and dough, with air trapped between each one. In the hot oven, water in the dough and the melting butter creates steam, which expands in the trapped air pockets, forcing the pastry to rise.

To be honest, I wasn't sure how I felt about this challenge. I was pleased that I was being pushed to make puff pastry and as a result would extend my skills but I wrestled with a filling. I wanted to do something sweet but couldn't get away from savoury ideas and finally settled on two fillings. One was a chicken,vegetable and cream cheese filling so that the vol-au-vents I made would become a complete meal for us and hopefully please JT. The second was caramelised red onion and creme fraiché to create a more elegant side dish or canapé.

I haven't included a detailed recipe or instructions for the puff pastry the reason being that I figure no-one is coming here looking for that level of expertise. I have given details of the fillings because perhaps you'll buy a block of puff pastry and make the vol-au-vent cases or even buy the pre-prepared cases to fill. If anyone wants details on making puff pastry I'll gladly email you the recipe.

I enjoyed the challenge of it but I'm not sure I'd do it again. The all-butter puff pastry you buy in the shops is a great substitute and, since the recipe requires a whole block of butter, it's not much more expensive.

CHICKEN, VEGETABLE and CREAM CHEESE FILLING

Will fill SIX 3" Vol-Au-Vents

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts, chopped
2 Handfuls of Frozen Veg
3 tblsp Plain Flour
200ml Hot Chicken Stock
125g Cream Cheese
Small handful of fresh thyme

Method:

1. Fry the chicken in a little olive oil in a large frying pan until cooked.

2. Add the frozen veg to the pan and cook for a few minutes more.

3. Add the flour and toss everything to coat.

4. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the hot chicken stock. Continue to cook for a few mins stirring until the liquid thickens (add more hot water if necessary).

5. Add the cream cheese and stir to incorporate. Add the thyme and season to taste.

6. To plate up, spoon some mixture into each vol-au-vent.

CARAMELISED RED ONION AND CREMÉ FRAICHÉ FILLING

Will fill FOUR 3" Vol-Au-Vents

Ingredients:
1 Red Onion
200g tub cremé fraiché (whole tub not required)
1 tbslp balsamic vinegar
1tsp soft brown sugar
1 tblsp butter

Method:

1. Halve and then slice the onion finely.

2. Sauté the onion in the butter in a frying pan with the lid on over a low heat until soft (about 5 mins).

3. Add the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and stir. Continue to sauté with the lid on for a few mins more.

4. To plate up, put a tblsp of cremé fraiché into each vol-au-vent then top with the red onions.

Bacon & Cheese Muffins

2009-09-21T13:35:00.003+01:00

These were yet another attempt to create little handy morsels for JT. And what winners there were (with everyone). They would be absolutely delicious with soup. And they're great for lunchboxes because a few seconds in the microwave softens and reheats them without much damage. I like them warm with butter. JT likes them with red sauce (which goes without saying for those who are familiar with JT's eating habits).

I made a full tray of 12 and stuck what was leftover in the freezer, then just reheated then from frozen in the microwave on medium setting. Enjoy!

Cheese and Bacon Muffins

Ingredients:

1 packet of bacon (6-8 rashers)
1 sm or 1/2 large white onion, chopped finely
250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
125ml vegetable oil
150ml yoghurt
1 egg
80g cheddar

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6/200oC and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.

2. Fry the bacon until starting to crisp. Remove from the pan, finely chop and set aside.

3. Fry the onion in the bacon grease over a low heat until softened. Set aside with the bacon.

4. In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

5. In a jug mix together the yoghurt, egg, and vegetable oil.

6. Add the bacon, onion and cheese to the dry mixture and give it a good stir. Then pour in the contents of the jug and stir until just mixed - do not overmix!

7. Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases and bake for 25-30mins. You can test with a toothpick if you like. Don't let them brown too much on the top - you don't want them to be crunchy, although if they are they're still lovely.

Smashed Potaotes

2009-09-14T13:30:00.004+01:00

Elegant name isn't it? But that's literally what these are and the 'smashing' makes all the difference. It give the potatoes a crispy edge when finished. I've been trying to squeeze these in before all the baby potatoes disappear from the shelves. These are just perfect for now when the baby potatoes on the shelves aren't the quality of the first summer crop.

This is more a method than an exact recipe as how much you make depends on how many you're feeding. I first came across this idea in a food magazine years ago. It was an article written by Jill Dupleix and I logged it in my mind but never got round to trying it out. Then another food blogger posted about this very method at the start of the summer. I gave it a go and we've been having these practically every Sunday since with our roast dinner. I tend to boil and prep them mid-morning and then pop them in the oven for 20mins when I come home from church (i.e. you could make them in advance up to roasting point if you're having guests then just finish off when they arrive).

Make more of these than you think you'll need - I guarantee you they'll be eaten.

Smashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

Baby Potatoes (do not peel)
Salt
Fresh Rosemary, chopped (you could replace this with thyme)
Oil (olive, vegetable or sometimes I use garlic oil for the flavour)

Method:

1. Par-boil the baby potoates until just tender - you don't want them mushy and they will be getting a while in the oven later. Drain.

2. Drizzle oil over a baking tray and spread with your hands. Place the potatoes on a single layer on the tray.

3. Using a potato masher, press on each potato to flatten. You don't want them flat as a pancake but you do want them to burst open and their flesh to start spreading.

4. Sprinkle salt and chopped rosemary over the potatoes and drizzle them with oil.

5. Roast in a hot oven (about 210oC though if your oven is at something close to that for the meat don't change it, just roast the potatoes for slightly longer/less) for about 20mins. I say 'about ' - when you see the edges starting to brown and crisp they're ready.

Winner!

2009-09-12T21:01:00.002+01:00

And the winner is........Comment #2: JoL !!!!!

Congratulations JoL. I hope your future other-half enjoys the benefits of this. I'll contact you by email for your address and post the book out to you at the start of the week.

To the rest of you - keep an eye out. I had fun with this and hope to do it again soon.

Giveaway!!!!

2009-09-07T13:44:00.007+01:00

This is to encourage all you lurkers and skulkers out there to make a comment - you know who you are!!!

Just for fun I'm giving away a brand new copy of James Martin's 'James Every Day'. I really like this book and was so tempted to keep it but I really don't need another cookbook. I have made a mental note of some of the recipes however. There's some real nice stuff in there. How about 'Roast Celeriac with Vanilla and Garlic' or 'Caramelised Beetroot' or 'Chorizo, Butter Bean and Truffle Oil Soup' ?It's a whole collection of meat, chicken, fish, salads and desserts.

I'm leaving it open until Saturday afternoon to give those who check in here weekly a chance to enter. All you have to do is leave a comment on my blog telling me what's your favourtie recipe I've posted so far (you don't have to have made it).

All entries before 5pm (GMT) on Saturday evening. The winner will be randomly selected (using a random number generator) and I'll announce the winner on the blog on Saturday night.

Banana Tea Bread

2009-09-01T16:23:00.006+01:00

I had my eye on the banana bread recipe in 'How To Be a Domestic Goddess' for a while before I got round to baking it. The original recipe required rum or bourbon, which I don't keep, so I went on the Nigella forum asking for suggestions for a replacement. One forumer in the Middle East replied that until she got her alcohol licence she just soaked the sultanas in tea. "Of course!" I thought. I have a tea loaf recipe that I've made time and time again which requires you do the same and the tea gives it a lovely flavour. Using tea instead of rum/bourbon makes this a very affordable recipe and I confess to actively checking out the reduced section of the supermarket for reduced overipe bananas purely to make this.

And the all-important factor is that my two men love this. I like it toasted with butter as breakfast, JT gets it just plain at any time of the day and Daddy likes a slice buttered in his lunchbox. It would make a great dessert too, slightly re-heated with a scoop of ice-cream.

BANANA TEA BREAD

Ingredients:

100g sultanas
A cup of strong hot black tea
175g Plain Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
125g unsalted butter, melted
150g sugar*
2 large eggs
4 small, very ripe bananas (about 300g weighed without skin), mashed
60g chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
23 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin, buttered and floured or with a paper insert

Serving Size : Makes 8–10 slices

Method:

1. Put the sultanas into a smallish bowl and pour over the hot tea. All the sultanas should be covered. If there's not enough tea just add some more boiling water. Set aside while you go ahead with the rest.

2. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3.

3. Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a medium-sized bowl and, using your hands or a wooden spoon, combine well.

4. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas. Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts and vanilla extract. Drain the sultanas and stir them in too. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit.

5. Scrape into the loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1–11/4 hours. When it’s ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish. Leave in the tin on a rack to cool, and eat thickly or thinly sliced, as you prefer.

*I have made this with caster, granulated and brown sugar and there is little difference. I found that using granulated provided a slightly cumblier texture.

August Daring Bakers: Dobos Torte

2009-08-27T09:30:00.000+01:00

The August 2009 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Angela of A Spoonfulof Sugar and Lorraine of Not Quite Nigella. They chose the spectacular DobosTorte based on a recipe from Rick Rodgers' cookbook Kaffeehaus: ExquisiteDesserts from the Classic Caffés of Vienna, Budapest, and Prague.

The Dobos Torta is a five-layer sponge cake, filled with a rich chocolate buttercream and topped with thin wedges of caramel. (You may come across recipes which have anywhere between six and 12 layers of cake; there are numerous family variations!) It was invented in 1885 by József C. Dobos, a Hungarian baker, and it rapidly became famous throughout Europe for both its extraordinary taste and its keeping properties. The recipe was a secret until Dobos retired in 1906 and gave the recipe to the Budapest Confectioners' and Gingerbread Makers' Chamber of Industry, providing that every member of the chamber can use it freely.

When my sister decided to come up and visit for a few days I decided that it would be a good opportunity for me to make this month's challenge. She could keep an eye on JT for an hour, if needed, and we could have the torte as dessert. My poor sister ended up looking after JT most of the afternoon and was still waiting on her dessert at 9pm! It took much longer than expected and I didn't get it finished until dark which is why I have only one decent photo to show for all my efforts.

Aside from time issues I found it to be a success. I'm not a cake person - a big lump of sponge just doesn't do it for me - but I found the whole layered cake thing very pleasing. It meant each forkful contained a blend of both buttercream and sponge. It wasn't a difficult project I was just juggling it with dinner and time at the park. I divided the sponge mixture into 6 and just poured each sixth into an 8" sandwich tin (lined with greaseproof paper) to give each layer a nice uniform shape. I hope to give it a go again only this time I would make mini dobos tortes by making one large sheet of sponge and cutting out rounds using a cookie cutter. I wouldn't bother with the caramel topping - nobody ate it and it was too hard and stuck in our teeth. I'm just waiting on the right guinea pig!

DOBOS TORTE

Sponge cake layers
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups (162g) icing sugar, divided
1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (112g) sifted cake flour (SUBSTITUTE 95g plain flour + 17g cornflour sifted together)
pinch of salt

Chocolate Buttercream
4 large eggs, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
110g bakers chocolate or your favourite dark chocolate, finely chopped
250g unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Caramel topping
1 cup (200g) caster (superfine or ultrafine white) sugar
12 tablespoons (180 ml) water
8 teaspoons (40 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon neutral oil (e.g. grapeseed, rice bran, sunflower)

Finishing touches
a 7” cardboard round
12 whole hazelnuts, peeled and toasted
½ cup (50g) peeled and finely chopped hazelnuts

Directions for the sponge layers:
NB. The sponge layers can be prepared in advance and stored interleaved with parchment and well-wrapped in the fridge overnight.

1.Position the racks in the top and centre thirds of the oven and heat to 400F (200C).

2.Cut six pieces of parchment paper to fit the baking sheets. Using the bottom of a 9" (23cm) springform tin as a template and a dark pencil or a pen, trace a circle on each of the papers, and turn them over (the circle should be visible from the other side, so that the graphite or ink doesn't touch the cake batter.)

3.Beat the egg yolks, 2/3 cup (81g) of the confectioner's (icing) sugar, and the vanilla in a medium bowl with a mixer on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale yellow and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted a few inches above the batter, about 3 minutes. (You can do this step with a balloon whisk if you don't have a mixer.)

4.In another bowl, using clean beaters, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the remaining 2/3 cup (81g) of confectioner's (icing)sugar until the whites form stiff, shiny peaks. Using a large rubber spatula, stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remainder, leaving a few wisps of white visible. Combine the flour and salt. Sift half the flour over the eggs, and fold in; repeat with the remaining flour.

5.Line one of the baking sheets with a circle-marked paper. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 3/4cup of the batter in an even layer, filling in the traced circle on one baking sheet. Bake on the top rack for 5 minutes, until the cake springs back when pressed gently in the centre and the edges are lightly browned. While this cake bakes, repeat the process on the other baking sheet, placing it on the centre rack. When the first cake is done, move the second cake to the top rack. Invert the first cake onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the paper. Slide the cake layer back onto the paper and let stand until cool. Rinse the baking sheet under cold running water to cool, and dry it before lining with another parchment. Continue with the remaining papers and batter to make a total of six layers. Completely cool the layers. Using an 8" springform pan bottom or plate as a template, trim each cake layer into a neat round. (A small serrated knife is best for this task.)

Directions for the chocolate buttercream:
NB. This can be prepared in advance and kept chilled until required.

1.Prepare a double-boiler: quarter-fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.

2.Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the sugar until pale and thickened, about five minutes. You can use a balloon whisk or electric hand mixer for this.

3.Fit bowl over the boiling water in the saucepan (water should not touch bowl) and lower the heat to a brisk simmer. Cook the egg mixture, whisking constantly, for 2-3 minutes until you see it starting to thicken a bit. Whisk in the finely chopped chocolate and cook, stirring, for a further 2-3 minutes.

4.Scrape the chocolate mixture into a medium bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. It should be quite thick and sticky in consistency.

5.When cool, beat in the soft butter, a small piece (about 2 tablespoons/30g) at a time. An electric hand mixer is great here, but it is possible to beat the butter in with a spatula if it is soft enough. You should end up with a thick, velvety chocolate buttercream. Chill while you make the caramel topping.

Note: Make sure the butter is of a very soft texture i.e. running a knife through it will provide little resistance, before you try to beat it into the chocolate mixture. Also, if you beat the butter in while the chocolate mixture is hot you'll end up with more of a ganache than a buttercream!

Directions for the caramel topping:

1.Choose the best-looking cake layer for the caramel top. To make the caramel topping: Line a jellyroll pan with parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the reserved cake layer on the paper. Score the cake into 12 equal wedges. Lightly oil a thin, sharp knife and an offset metal spatula.

2.Stir the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved into a smooth syrup, turn the heat up to high and boil without stirring, swirling the pan by the handle occasionally and washing down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a wet brush until the syrup has turned into an amber-coloured caramel.

3.The top layer is perhaps the hardest part of the whole cake so make sure you have a oiled, hot offset spatula ready. I also find it helps if the cake layer hasn't just been taken out of the refrigerator. I made mine ahead of time and the cake layer was cold and the toffee set very, very quickly—too quickly for me to spread it. Immediately pour all of the hot caramel over the cake layer. You will have some leftover most probably but more is better than less and you can always make nice toffee pattern using the extra to decorate. Using the offset spatula, quickly spread the caramel evenly to the edge of the cake layer. Let cool until beginning to set, about 30 seconds. Using the tip of the hot oiled knife (keep re-oiling this with a pastry brush between cutting), cut through the scored marks to divide the caramel layer into 12 equal wedges. Cool another minute or so, then use the edge of the knife to completely cut and separate the wedges using one firm slice movement (rather than rocking back and forth which may produce toffee strands). Cool completely.

Assembling the Dobos

1.Divide the buttercream into six equal parts.

2.Place a dab of chocolate buttercream on the middle of a 7 1/2” cardboard round and top with one cake layer. Spread the layer with one part of the chocolate icing. Repeat with 4 more cake layers. Spread the remaining icing on the sides of the cake.

3.Optional: press the finely chopped hazelnuts onto the sides of the cake.

4.Propping a hazelnut under each wedge so that it sits at an angle, arrange the wedges on top of the cake in a spoke pattern. If you have any leftover buttercream, you can pipe rosettes under each hazelnut or a large rosette in the centre of the cake. Refrigerate the cake under a cake dome until the icing is set, about 2 hours. Let slices come to room temperature for the best possible flavour.

Broccoli Slaw

2009-08-18T13:55:00.005+01:00

The first time I saw this recipe I knew I'd love it. In fact, since my two men don't eat broccoli, despite my best efforts, I made up a whole bowlful for myself. This is a great extra to bring to the table. It is delicious in sandwiches but most often I make a bowl of it for the table when I'm serving ham (and I have visitors). It keeps well for a few days and is very easily put together. I make it ahead of time and just keep it, covered in clingfilm, in the fridge until needed.

Broccoli Slaw
(Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1 head broccoli
50g flaked almonds*
50g dried cranberries*
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
*You can add more or less of these according to taste

Dressing:
60ml buttermilk
80ml mayonnaise
1 tblsp cider vinegar
1 tblsp maple syrup

Trim broccoli, cut into chunks then finely chop. I use a food processor and I throw in most of the stem.

Toss the chopped broccoli, almonds, cranberries, and red onion together in a large bowl.

Whisk the dressing ingredients in a small bowl with a pinch of salt.

Stir the dressing through the broccoli mixture. That's it!

Think Pink!

2009-08-11T21:21:00.004+01:00

Last week I promised my neice, Cousin Soph to JT, that she could come up a day to bake. Today, when I was out shopping, I noticed a jar of pink edible sprinkles and I immediately thought of Soph. Soph LOVES pink. Everything has to be pink. I threw them in the trolley and made a mental note to keep that promise a day soon. Later on when I was at home unpacking the groceries I lifted out the sprinkles and thought, "Why not now?" So I texted her mum and she arrived within the hour. We discussed the design brief, pink, and settled on watermelon lemonade and cupcakes with pink icing with pink sprinkles and she got to work with uncontained excitement.

And I mean she got to work. I am a firm believer in letting children have a go in the kitchen. So what if she weighs out a bit too little flour or a bit extra butter, what's the worst that can go wrong? I guarantee that no matter what's missing or what extras are in the mix it'll taste a million times better than anything else because she made them. I help and advise, of course. It's amazing the teaching opportunities that an hour of baking holds.

She weighed and beat and spooned and piped. You want to have seen the delight on that little girls face when I filled a piping bag up with pink icing and told her, "Here you do it yourself!" And she added the red food colouring to create the perfect shade of icing, which I think deserves the description 'shocking pink'.

The watermelon lemonade was less exciting - just watermelon, sparkling water and a squeeze of lemon and sugar to taste but it was the fact that she was making a pink drink that pleased her.

No recipes today because everyone has a cupcake recipe somewhere and doesn't need another one.

Foodie Gifts

2009-08-08T13:03:00.004+01:00

Isn't this just so pretty? What do you think it might contain?

Chocolate-coated Honeycomb!

I love giving and I love receiving food gifts. They don't have to be home-made, I'm always delighted with a box of chocolate or a few buns lifted from the giver's local bakery. Home-made ones do have an edge, of course. But homemade or not I think it's the thought process that goes into food gifts that make them such a delight to receive.

Like the Raspberry and White Chocolate scones that my mum nearly always brings when she comes to visit because she knows I love them. Or the bag of coffee beans a friend brought a couple of months ago because she knows I'm fanatical about good coffee. Or the time my sister brought a pot of chilli because my baby had just been born and she knew that my OH isn't a great cook (sorry honey)! I could go on and on but you get the point, each of these gifts had a thought process behind them that conveyed the givers efforts to please.

I think my favourtie to date has been the box of macarons that my friend brought one Sunday we were having her and her husband for dinner. She knew I had been tackling macarons and that I was a bit obsessed with them. So she arrived with these:

What a delight! And the box really finished it off. What a lovely way to present them. I'm always giving food away in tupperware boxes or tins and it kind of bugs me. They just don't do the food justice. And then there's the awkwardness of having to ask for your box back because you know if you don't you won't see them for months and it'll be forgotten about. So recently, I've made more effort in the presentation department. I went to my local bakery and they sold me a few plain white boxes which already look so much better. And then I started making boxes from some fancy papers I have in the house. As a Maths Teacher I've been making cube and cuboid nets for years but this is even less complicated than those. I literally cut out a square/rectangle (size determined by prospective contents) and score it 1" from each edge then fold the edges up and stick in place to form the base. Repeat with another piece of card to form the top and voila - a very pretty box. You can adorn it as you fancy (ribbon, diamante etc) or just leave it plain. Despite looking very fashionable and expensive it actually works out cheaper than buying a gift bag. Of course you don't need fancy papers you could just use two contrasting or complementary sheets of plain card (e.g. pink and brown). Or you could even just cover a box you have. And the next time you see some cheap tissue paper - buy it and throw a bit in your box before you put in the food.

Last night we were out at friends for tea. I knew that the host would go to a great deal of effort to make at least one (probably two) desserts and she wouldn't want to see me arriving with a third as there is only her and her husband to eat the leftovers (there's that thought process). So, I opted for chocolate-coated honeycomb that I knew they could nibble at over the next few days. And guess what? - I made a box to make it look special.

So go and glam up your foodie gifts!

P.S. Chocolate -coated Honeycomb is simply half the quantity of hokey-pokey dipped in 200g milk chocolate (use whatever chocolate you think the recipients will like).

Maple Pecan Muffins

2009-08-04T13:41:00.004+01:00

I think I may just have found the muffin recipe I have been looking for. I love sweet bread (e.g. banana bread, wheaten bread etc) for breakfast and recently I have taken to making muffins to satisfy this craving. For a number of reasons (a) they are easy to make and bake fresh in the morning and (b) I generally have the wherewithal to make them in my cupboards.

Now while I have had some very pleasing results with the muffins I have baked of late, a lot of them have been too sweet for breakfast. But not this one. It is from Nigella Lawson's book 'Feast' adapted slightly, of course. She describes the maple pecan combination perfectly as having a 'smoky austerity'. I will re-iterate though - they are breakfast muffins. The maple syrup give them their sweetness and the wheatgerm and pecans gives them a sort of 'wholesome' taste. If you want something sweet as a dessert, it's not these.

And when I say bake fresh in the morning I mean I measure all the dry ingredients into a bowl and cover with cling film and similarly measure all the wet ingredient into a jug and leave, covered with cling film, in the fridge. I even put muffin cases into a tin. Then in the morning I mix the contents of the jug and the bowl, pour into the cases and stick in the oven. By the time I have my little one up and changed they're ready for us (yes, he's a fan too). I spread a little butter on mine but you don't have to or you could, of course, drizzle over a little maple syrup.

MAPLE PECAN MUFFINS

Ingredients:

125g shelled pecans
275g plain flour
4 tsp baking powder
50g wheatgerm
pinch salt
125ml yoghurt
125ml maple syrup
125ml sunflower/vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tblsp dark brown sugar

Serves 12*

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6/200oC. Line a 12-bun muffin tin.

2. Chop the pecans roughly, reserving about a quarter of them to use later to strew on top. Combine the rest of them with the flour, baking powder, wheatgerm and salt in a large bowl.

3. In a measuring jug (or another bowl), whisk together the yoghurt, maple syrup, oil and egg.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix to combine but do not overmix. The mixture will still be lumpy. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin.

5. Chop the reserved nuts a bit finer and mix with the brown sugar and then sprinkle a little on to the top of each muffin. Don't skip this step as it just completes each muffin beautifully. Bake for 20 mins. They will have risen but will not be very brown apart from the sugary topping.

6. Remove from the tin to a cooling rack and eat while they are still warm (with butter or maple syrup)!

*I halved this recipe without any difficulty or ill-effects. I just added what I thought to be half of the beaten egg (and used the other half to dip my little ones bread in for lunch)!

Blueberry & White Chocolate Cheesecakes

2009-08-01T14:04:00.005+01:00

I was so delighted at how good these were. I can never get enough cheesecake and being so small I ate far too many of them!

These were an attempt to make the most of some lovely ripe blueberries and some leftover pastry. I had made Nigella's Chocolate and Raspberry Tarts from 'How to Eat' last week for visitors. However, there was only four of us and half of the chocolate pastry was enough so I made little 'tartlettes' out of the leftover pastry, baked and then froze them to be filled at a later date for a handy dessert.

My chance to use them came this week when we had more guests for tea. I came across some wonderful ripe blueberries in the supermarket at the start of the week and since my little one loves them I bought 8(!) punnets. I knew my little pastry cases would make the perfect containers for some white chocolate cheesecake topped with blueberry compote. The blueberry compote doesn't come easier - literally throw the blueberries in a pan with 1/2 tblsp sugar and boil. I added the topping at the last minute, not knowing if it would run down over the cases but I could actually have done it in advance.

The recipe can obviously be made with other berries such as raspberries without much adaption or you could even just top each case with uncooked fruit.

NOTE: The pastry makes 24 'tartlettes' but the filling is only enough for 12. This is because the pastry recipe requires 1 egg yolk so it is difficult to halve. But make up the full recipe, divide it into two and put half in the freezer for another time. Or do as I did and actually make and bake 24 tartlettes and freeze 12 for a quick dessert another day.

BlueBerry and White Chocolate Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

For the blueberry compote
1 punnet (about 150g) blueberries
1/2 tblsp caster sugar (you may need slighly more than this depending on how sweet your bluberries are)

For the white choc cheesecake filling
125g cream cheese
125ml double cream
1 tbslp icing sugar
75g white chocolate

For the chocolate tarts
175g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
50g caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
125g unsalted butter
1 large egg yolk
1 tblsp iced water

Method:

To make the pastry:
1. Put the flour, cocoa, sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse to blend. Cut the butter into small pieces and pulse with the flour mixture until it looks crumbly. Beat the yolk and iced water together and add, down the funnel, to bind the pastry. When it starts to clump together, turn it out of the processor and work it together with your hands into two discs. Wrap them in clingfilm and rest the pastry in the fridge for at least 30 mins (put one disc in the freezer at this stage if you wish).

2. Grease a 12-hole bun tin.

3. Roll out one of the dough discs. Cut out 12 circles using a round 3" diameter pastry cutter (I used a fluted one). Ease each pastry disc into the bun tin. Prick the base of each case with a fork. Place the tray of uncooked pastry cases in the freezer for 30mins.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 180oC/gas 4. Bake the pastry cases in the oven for 10-15 mins until the pastry feels cooked and dry. Leave to cool in the bun tin.

5. When the pastry cases are cool, slip them out of the bun tray and store in an airtight container until needed.

To make the cheesecake filling:
1. Put the cream cheese in a bowl and beat with a fork for a minute.

2. Add the cream to the cream cheese and whisk until combined.

3. Melt the white chocolate and add to the cheese and cream mixture, stirring as you add it so that it is swirled through the mix before it sets. Taste the mix and add 1 tbslp of icing sugar if you would like it slightly sweeter.

4. Store in a bowl, covered with cling film in the fridge until needed.

To make the compote:
1. Place the blueberries and tablespoon of sugar (if using) in a small saucepan. Heat gently until the blueberries burst and release their liquid.

2. Increase the heat and simmer for a few mins.

3. Pour into a bowl and leave to cool. Store in the fridge, covered with clingfilm until needed.

Assembly:
Pipe some cheesecake filling into each case (or just use a teaspoon) and top each one with blurberry compote.

July Daring Bakers: Milano Cookies

2009-07-27T14:00:00.000+01:00

The July Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Nicole at Sweet Tooth. She chose Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies and Milan Cookies from pastry chef Gale Gand of the Food Network.

I chose to do the Milano Cookies as they looked like just the sort of thing I would enjoy with a cup of coffee in the morning. I actually had intended to give the mallows a go as well but I ran out of time with being on holidays and, well, I didn't want to make up huge quantities of mallows when I didn't envisage anyone but ourselves being about to eat them (the freezer is brimming over with food at the minute). The recipe makes a HUGE quantity - when it says 3 dozen it is at least 3 dozen sandwiched cookies.

I was really pleased with these the day I made them. The biscuit was delicious - light and crispy, and you can never go wrong with a ganache filling. However, these didn't store for me. I put them in an airtight container in the fridge and the next morning they were soft. I don't know if it was because I put them in the fridge (which I don't normally do - I don't know what posessed me) or if my container wasn't airtight or if it was just the cookies themselves. I do know a few other daring bakers experienced the same thing.

But I stuck them in the freezer anyway, as I didn't want to waste them, and, hey, they taste good soft!! Not as good but I'm currently having one each morning with my coffee. They make nice dunking biscuits.

I haven't given up on these yet. They were really delicious if I could just find out how to keep them crispy. And they would be great for a party or other event where you want a large quantity of biscuits. I'll work on it!

Milano Cookies

Serves: about 3 dozen cookies

Method:

Biscuit:
12 tablespoons (170grams/ 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups (312.5 grams/ 11.02 oz) powdered sugar
7/8 cup egg whites (from about 6 eggs)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons lemon extract
1 1/2 cups (187.5grams/ 6.61 oz) all purpose flour

Cookie filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 orange, zested

1. In a mixer with paddle attachment cream the butter and the sugar.

2. Add the egg whites gradually and then mix in the vanilla and lemon extracts.

3. Add the flour and mix until just well mixed.

4. With a small (1/4-inch) plain tip, pipe 1-inch sections of batter onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart as they spread.

5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges. Let cool on the pan.

6. While waiting for the cookies to cool, in a small saucepan over medium flame, scald cream.

7. Pour hot cream over chocolate in a bowl, whisk to melt chocolate, add zest and blend well.

8. Set aside to cool (the mixture will thicken as it cools).

9. Spread a thin amount of the filling onto the flat side of a cookie while the filling is still soft and press the flat side of a second cookie on top.

10. Repeat with the remainder of the cookies.

Our First Eggs.

2009-07-25T20:10:00.000+01:00

"I can't find the hen," hubby said worriedly to me yesterday morning. "But I haven't heard any commotion or anything. Unless maybe she's laying?" And he was right. She has started to lay again after having her chicks and these are our first eggs. She had found herself a cosy little nook down the field to lay.

Now the only question is, "What to bake with them?"

Hokey Pokey Ice-cream

2009-07-22T20:40:00.001+01:00

I may never buy ice-cream again. Well, honeycomb ice-cream anyway. This is gorgeous. So rich and loaded with honeycomb in every mouthful.

I'm not a huge ice-cream fan. Yes, I always have it in the freezer but its always relatively inexpensive stuff to accompany dessert. I would never dream of sitting down to a bowl of ice-cream as dessert. For that reason I have always skimmed over ice-cream recipes in books. Most of them require copious amounts of egg yolks and a lot of time and effort. So for someone who wasn't a big fan it was too expensive and energy-consuming given that I don't have an ice-cream maker.

However, in my latest edition of delicious the Hokey-Pokey ice-cream caught my eye and I logged it into the might-give-it-a-go catalogue in the back of my mind. And that was that. Then a week or two later I made a recipe that require 6 egg whites. And since I had put all the yolks into the same bowl they had sort of merged into one big orange gloop. What on earth would I do with six egg yolks? And then that little flash bulb lit up and I ran to check the ingredients for the Hokey Pokey ice-cream. Guess what - 6 egg yolks!

Like most terrifying culinary activities, this did not live up to my expected level of difficulty. The hokey pokey (what I call honeycomb but it is NOT comb honey nor even made with honey) can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container (which is what I did). Then you take 15mins out of your day to make the custard which sits in the fridge until the next day. On the day you freeze it the only real difficulty is that you are about (which is what I usually am) to give it a stir every hour or so.

Hokey Pokey Ice-cream

Ingredients:

Ice-cream:
750ml whole milk
450ml whipping cream
6 large free-range egg yolks
100g caster sugar
Hokey-Pokey
butter, for greasing
250g caster sugar
125g golden syrup
1tbsp bicarbonate of soda

Method:

For the Honeycomb (Hokey Pokey):
Note: I made this 2 days in advance but you could make it the same day as the ice-cream in between setting stages.

1. Line a shallow baking try with baking paper and butter it well. Set aside.

2. Put the caster sugar and the golden syrup into a large, shallow pan, and heat gently stirring as you go, until everything is dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes until it starts to turn a light caramel colour. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda. The mixture will bubble and slowly rise to the top of the pan.

3. Pour the honeycomb onto the baking tray and allow it to cool completely and harden. This will take an hour or so. At this point, bash the honeycomb carefully into chunks with a rolling pin. Put it into an airtight container until needed.

For the ice-cream:

1. Heat the milk and cream in a pan to just below boiling point. Remove and set aside.

2. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar. Add the warm milk, stirring, and return the custard to a clean pan. Heat gently, stirring all the time, until it begins to thicken and coat the back of a spoon. You should be able to run your finger down the spoon and leave a track. DO NOT LET IT BOIL - the eggs will scramble.

3. Turn off the heat and continue whisking the custard for a few minutes to remove some heat, then transfer to a container, and place in an ice bath (or a sink of very cold water as in my case), in order to cool the custard as quickly as possible.

4. Once the custard is cool, cover the top of it with cling film (to prevent a skin forming) and chill it for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.

5. Churn the custard in an ice-cream machine*, if you're lucky enough to have one, until almost firm.

6. When the ice-cream is almost firm, add the honeycomb, and keep churning until it is firm (or if you're not using an ice-cream maker, add the honeycomb, stir to mix and return to the freezer.

7. Store in a sealed container, covered with baking parchment in the freezer. Freeze until needed

*If you don't have an ice-cream machine (like me) place the ice-cream mixture into a sealed container and put it into the coldest part of the freezer (if you know where that is). After 1-1.5 hrs, remove the container and beat with a fork or electric whisk (WARNING: this can be messy - I learned the hard way) to make a uniform slush. Return to the freezer and repeat this proces twice, at intervals of 1-1.5hrs. After it has been beaten 3 times, return to the freezer for a further hour and it should then be ready. Mine actually took longer than this but I reckon it had something to do with my tightly packed freezer.

Raspberry Ripple Cheesecake Muffins

2009-07-20T20:38:00.000+01:00

I love the way recipes bounce from one blog to another each time with the blogger's adaptions made to it. As Nigella Lawson puts it, "All my recipes are refracted through the prism of my own tastes and prejudices." I picked up this recipe on Granny's blog and she had got it from Rosie's.

The first time I tried it I was a bit disappointed. I was contemplating making the muffins one Saturday when my mother-in-law sent up a box of reduced-price raspberries so it seemed just perfect to make them with raspberries instead of Strawberries. However, I wasn't that enamoured by the pocket of cheese or the baked fruit. That's when I started to toy with the idea of mixing the cream cheese and raspberry throughout the mix and replacing the raspberries with raspberry jam to facilitate this (I had recently made some soft-set raspberry jam which would be perfect).

I also have one important rule when making muffins - use yoghurt!

Success! For me, these adaptations made all the difference. Enjoy.

Raspberry Ripple Cheesecake Muffins

Ingredients:
350g (12oz) plain flour
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
115g (4oz) castor sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
250ml (9fl oz) natural yoghurt
75g (3oz) butter, melted

Filling:
175g (6oz) soft cheese
3tbsp caster sugar
6 tblsp soft-set raspberry jam

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan oven 180°C/400°F/gas Mark 6.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, add the sugar and salt and mix through with a wooden spoon or whisk then leave aside.

In another bowl beat the eggs and yoghurt together, and then stir in the melted butter. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid ingredients, now gently mix until everything is incorporated - the mixture will still be lumpy and seem a bit dry. Do not over mix or the muffins will not be light and airy.

Beat (just quickly with a fork) the cream cheese and sugar for the filling together in a small bowl. Pour the cream cheese mixture and the raspberry jam into the bowl of muffin batter. Stir to blend - you want the cheese and raspberr ripple throughout the batter. Fill the muffin cases with the muffin mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until well risen and golden on top. Leave to cool for 5 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to finish cooling.

P.S. This recipe scales to 6 muffins perfectly.

Chicken and Cashew Mini Quiches

2009-07-08T21:00:00.000+01:00

These are perfect for children....or picnics....or parties. They're so easy and so versatile. And my two men think they're great which is my main concern. They are, in fact, a lazyman's quiche.

The first time I read about these I was kicking myself - why didn't I think of that before? All you do is make up quiche batter, pour it into greased muffin tins and bake. And you have little individual (pastryless) quiches.

Now don't get me wrong, I love pastry, in fact, I think my last supper would involve a tart of some kind, but these are perfect when you don't have the time to make pastry (and aren't organised enough to have a baked pastry shell in the freezer). And if that's not handy enough, you freeze the leftover quiches to be removed and re-heated as an easy lunch/supper some other time.

You could, of course, make these in mini-muffin tins and you would have double the quantity of bite-sized morsels for a party. Adapt the ingredients to suit yourself.

Chicken and Cashew Mini Quiches
(adapted from the book Chocolate&Zucchini)

Ingredients
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
150g cooked chicken, chopped
250g cherry tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
3 large eggs
375ml whole milk
90g plain flour
100g cheddar, grated
2 tblsp parsley chopped
90g cashews, chopped
1 red pepper, roasted and chopped (if from a jar use about 80g)

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220 oC and grease a regular size muffin tin (or a mini-muffin tin in which case you would be able to make two batches) with olive oil (I used garlic oil to add a hint of garlic to the mixture).

2. Whisk the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the milk and whisk again. Sift in the flour, season and whisk until blended (the batter will be thin). Add the chicken, cheese, tomatoes, parsley, red pepper and cashews. Stir to blend.

3. Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared tin. You can fill them to the top of each mould as they puff up but do not overflow. Bake for 25-35 mins, depending on the size of your moulds, until golden and puffy. Transfer to a rack to cool for 2 mins. Unmould and serve warm or allow to cool further and serve at room temperature.

Notes:

You can make the batter up in advance and leave in the fridge, just be sure to give it a good stir before pouring into the tin.

Rugelach

2009-07-04T12:59:00.000+01:00

This is what I had for breakfast this morning. Not that anyone really wants to know!

What are they? Rugelach!

Rugelach is a Jewish pastry of Askenazic origin. It looks a bit like a mini chocolate croissant but it doesn't taste like one and if you expect it to then you will be disappointed. It's not as sweet as a chocolate croissant and not flaky at all. The dough can be made with cream cheese, and indeed mine is, but those who want to eat them after meat and keep things Kosher will leave out the cream cheese. I have used yeast in my dough but this is not bread and it does not require kneading. The yeast is just added as an extra ingredient.

My recipe comes courtesy of Nigella Lawson's Feast and are filled with dark chocolate, which was why I was lured to them in the first place, but they can be made with a variety of fillings such as walnuts, raisins, cinnamon etc. The recipe makes 36 but this isn't a problem as you can freeze two thirds of the dough to make another small batch later (which is a very simple thing to do).

RUGELACH

(Nigella Lawson: Feast)

FOR THE DOUGH
425g plain flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
50g caster sugar
1 packet (3 teaspoons) easy-blend yeast, optional
250g cold butter, diced
100g cream cheese, cut or spooned into pieces
1 egg
60ml sour cream

Briefly process the flour, salt and sugar, and yeast if you're using it, just to combine them, and then add the diced butter and cream cheese pieces, and process again until the mixture resembles damp sand.

Beat the egg and sour cream together, and with the engine running, pour down the funnel of the processor. Continue running the motor until it comes together in a silky dough; it will seem like it won't make a dough, but leave the motor running and be patient.

Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface, and divide into three, forming each one into a fat disc. Put the discs into freezer bags and leave in the fridge to rest for an hour though you can leave them there for longer - just taking them out about 10-15 minutes before you want to get rolling. (It's at this point that you should put 2 of your 3 discs in the freezer if you want to make them up another day.)

FOR THE FILLING
250g dark chocolate
50g light brown sugar
50g butter

FOR THE EGG WASH
1 egg, beaten with a pinch of caster sugar

FOR THE SUGAR GLAZE
3 tablespoons caster sugar
3 tablespoons boiling water

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Process the chocolate until it's battered into rubble, and then put these dark brown crumbs into a bowl with the sugar, using your fingers to mix them together.

Melt the butter separately and let it cool slightly.

Roll out one of the discs of the dough on a lightly floured surface to a circle 25cm in diameter. With a knife, divide the circle into 12 triangles, like you would divide a pizza, only don't pull apart the triangles yet.Brush the circle of triangles with the melted butter, and then spread or sprinkle a third of the chocolate filling to cover the circle. Then very carefully pull away one triangle at a time, rolling each one up from the thick end to the narrow end to form a bulging curly-whirly crescent; think of a croissant.

Follow this procedure with all the dough discs and their filling.Put the rugelach on to lined baking sheets (if you've used yeast, let stand on the tins as they are for 20 minutes) and brush each one with the egg wash, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

When they come out of the oven, browned and puffy, mix the sugar and water together for the glaze, and brush the rugelach with this to make them shiny. Let them cool on a rack.

P.S. I also had some fruit so it wasn't a completely non-nutritional breakfast!

Cheese Straws

2009-07-01T21:01:00.000+01:00

These are really good.

Don't believe me? Just ask this man -

I set about making these as a snack for him (I'm trying to get more calcium into him via cheese etc). I had these made before I would have even got the length of the shop.

When I first set out blogging food I used to think that I should only blog my own original recipes but I've since laid that notion to rest. First of all, I cook far too many other people's recipes and, secondly, I actually like reading other people's experiences and twists of 'celebrity's' recipes and so must assume others like reading mine.

Here's Debs recipe for Cheese Straws (adapted ever so slightly). She's not a celebrity but she does have some seriously good recipes.

Cheese Straws

1 1/2 cups (about 6 ounces) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) unsalted butter, softened and cut into 4 pieces
3/4 cup flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dbl cream (milk would probably work just as well)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a food processor, combine the cheese, butter, flour, salt and red pepper in five 5-second pulses until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the half-and-half and process until the dough forms a ball, about 10 seconds.

3. On a lightly floured surface, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife (or a pizza or pastry wheel; both worked great), cut the dough into thin 8-inch strips, each 1/4- to 1/3-inch wide (dipping the knife in flour after every few inches ensures a clean cut). Gently transfer the strips to an ungreased cookie sheet (though I lined mine with parchment), leaving at least 1/4-inch between them. The dough may sag or may break occasionally in the transfer, but don’t be concerned — just do your best. The straws can be any length, from 2 to 10 inches.

4. Bake the straws on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the ends are barely browned. Remove from the oven and set the cookie sheet on a rack to cool.

5. Serve at room temperature. (I stored some in an airtight container for eating over the next day or two and bunged the rest in the freezer.)

Roasted Tomato and Basil Pasta

2009-06-30T21:26:00.000+01:00

As you can see I am still coming up with ways to use the crop of basil I have in my back garden and well, the tomatoes just seem to creep in there everytime. This dish was soooo simple. The tomatoes just sit in the oven for hours until you're ready. I served cheese straws alongside (recipe to follow another day) but obviously you don't have to and any a nice crusty piece of bread will be just lovely.

Roasted Tomato and Basil Pasta

serves 2

1 punnet cherry plum tomatoes

pinch caster sugar

1 tblsp sea salt

1 tsp dried thyme

2 large bunches basil (a whole supermarket pot)
1 clove garlic, peeled

2 tblsp creme fraiche

2 tblsp grated parmesan (plus more for serving)

Olive oil (or garlic oil works well)

150g fusilli

Optional: 150-200g cooked chicken

1. Pre-heat oven to 100C

2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and place on a baking tray cut side up. Drizzle with 1 tblsp olive oil (I used garlic oil here but you don't have to) and scatter over the sea salt, dried thyme and sugar. Place in oven and leave for about 4 hours until they have wilted. Leave until needed on the baking tray with any juice.

3. Put half of the basil in a food processor with a lug of olive oil (again I used garlic oil), the garlic clove and the 2 tblsp parmesan. Process to a paste and set aside.

4. About 20 mins before serving put your pasta on to boil. Pick the leaves from the rest of your basil.

5. Put your basil paste in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the chicken, if using, and the creme fraiche. Stir to combine and check seasoning. Add a splash of the pasta's cooking water and then drain the pasta. Toss the pasta in the sauce then stir through the remaing basil leaves.

6. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Cherry Tomato and Basil Roast Chicken

2009-06-29T13:03:00.000+01:00

Because (a) almost every Sunday I cook roast chicken for lunch and (b) we have a bumper crop of basil in the garden. I decided to make this.

It's from 'Jamie's Dinners' (with one or two 'tweaks'). I'm not a huge Jamie fan (despite having 4 of his cookbooks), as I've found quite a few of his dishes disappointing. However, this turned out to be a wonderful summery, dish.

Apart from tasting great, it has the added bonuses of being made in one pan (less washing up) and you don't need to make any gravy when it's ready - the tomatoes sort of 'melt' into juice and take care of that.

I would have loved to have made this with some home-grown tomatoes but until we find someone willing to donate us a greenhouse we'll have to make do with good-quality store-bought ones. If you do have a crop of shiny little red marbles in your greenhouse then I urge you to make this, that is, of course, if you haven't already eaten them!

Cherry Tomato and Basil Roast Chicken

(aka Crispy Everyday Chicken)

1 whole chicken (1.5-2kg) jointed into 10 pieces

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

a big bunch of fresh basil, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped

2 packets of cherry (preferably plum) tomatoes (about 500g), halved,

1 whole bulb of garlic, broken up into cloves

1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped

olive oil

500-750g new potatoes (depending on how many you are serving)

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

Put your chicken pieces into a snug-fitting pan in one layer. Throw in all the basil leaves and stalks, then chuck in your tomatoes and potatoes. Scatter the garlic cloves into the pan with the chopped chilli and drizzle over some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Mix around a bit, pushing the potatoes underneath. Place in the oven for 1½ hours, until the chicken skin is crisp and the meat falls off the bone.

Chicken, Arrowroot and Gingerbread Muffins

2009-06-27T21:26:00.000+01:00

Q: What do you get when you combine, chicken, arrowroot and gingerbread muffins?
A: A very eventful Saturday!

I wasn’t meant to blog again today – My Daring Bakers took care of that (and besides I have way too much housework to do). But some of today's events were too good to forget!

First of all this lady arrived....

with this little guy....

and this one.....

In fact, we are now the proud owners of a mother hen and eight little chicks! (Names anyone?)

Then, while I was playing the domestic goddess and baking gingerbread muffins this little guy did this!!!!!!!!!!

Boy did he enjoy himself.

What's the matter mummy?

I just concentrated on my baking for 3 SECS and that's what happened!

Well, at least I had gingerbread muffins to console me.

Gingerbread Muffins

250g plain flour

½ teaspoon bicarb of soda

1 teaspoon baking powder1

½ teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1 egg

50g dark muscovado sugar

50g light muscovado sugar

150ml full-fat milk

¼ teaspoon balsamic vinegar

6 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil

4 tablespoons golden syrup

4 tablespoons black treacle.

Preheat oven to 200c.

Line a 12 hole muffin tin with muffin papers.Combine the flour, bicarb, baking powder & spices in a large bowl. Whisk the egg in a large measuring jug then add the sugars, breaking up any large lumps. Add the milk and vinegar then measure in the oil with a tablespoon. Use the same oily spoon to add the syrup & treacle so they don’t stick to it. Whisk the mixture to combine and add to the flour mix. Stir until mixed but still fairly lumpy. Spoon into muffin papers & bake for about 20 minutes until the tops are dry.

(I made half the mixture to produce 6 muffins)

June Daring Bakers - Bakewell Tart

2009-06-27T10:07:00.000+01:00

The June Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Jasmine of Confessions of a Cardamom Addict and Annemarie of Ambrosia and Nectar. They chose a Traditional (UK) Bakewell Tart... er... pudding that was inspired by a rich baking history dating back to the 1800's in England.

If I was superstitious I would say I am not meant to be a Daring Baker. Last month's recipe wasn't a great success for me so I embraced this month's recipe (I love almonds) and put quite a lot of time into considering how I would put my own little twist on these.

In fact, one evening I went for a long walk on my own. Later in bed that night OH asked me, "Why did you go for a walk this evening?" "I needed some time to think," was my reply. He rolled over concerned and asked me, "What about?" "What I'm going to put into my Daring Bakers Challenge this month!" He groaned, rolled back and went to sleep.

I finally decided that I would make little tartlets. I couldn't choose between Raspberry Rose Jam (which I would make using rosewater) and a rich chocolate ganache, using a 100% cacao stick I had been saving, so I decided I would make both. But despite my best efforts, my local supermarkets and delis just would not cough up rosewater. So I ordered some rose syrup online. However, after waiting two weeks for it to arrive I gave up and went ahead and made plain raspberry jam (it did, of course, arrive that very afternoon)!

Then to top it all off, the morning I was in the middle of making my tartlets, my mum phoned to say my granny had died. I was in the middle of making them so I finished them off but all intentions of variations went out the window. And sadly to say, Bakewell Tarts will now always bear the association with my Granny's death.

Bakewell Tart…er…pudding

Makes one 23cm (9” tart)
Prep time: less than 10 minutes (plus time for the individual elements)
Resting time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Equipment needed: 23cm (9”) tart pan or pie tin (preferably with ridged edges), rolling pin

One quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (recipe follows)
Bench flour 250ml (1cup (8 US fl. oz))
Jam or curd, warmed for spreadability (I made my own Raspberry Jam)
One quantity frangipane (recipe follows)
One handful blanched, flaked almonds

Sweet Shortcrust Pastry

Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Resting time: 30 minutes (minimum)
Equipment needed: bowls, box grater, cling film

225g (8oz) all purpose flour
30g (1oz) sugar
2.5ml (½ tsp) salt
110g (4oz) unsalted butter, cold (frozen is better)
2 egg yolks
2.5ml (½ tsp) almond extract (optional - I used it but would leave it out next time as the taste was too strong for me along with the extract in the frangipane)
15-30ml (1-2 Tbsp) cold water

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Grate butter into the flour mixture, using the large hole-side of a box grater. Using your finger tips only, and working very quickly, rub the fat into the flour until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Set aside.

Lightly beat the egg yolks with the almond extract (if using) and quickly mix into the flour mixture. Keep mixing while dribbling in the water, only adding enough to form a cohesive and slightly sticky dough.

Form the dough into a disc, wrap in cling and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes

Frangipane

Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Equipment needed: bowls, hand mixer, rubber spatula

125g (4.5oz) unsalted butter, softened
125g (4.5oz) icing sugar
3 eggs
2.5ml (½ tsp)
almond extract
125g (4.5oz) ground almonds
30g (1oz) all purpose flour

Cream butter and sugar together for about a minute or until the mixture is primrose in colour and very fluffy. Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. The batter may appear to curdle. In the words of Douglas Adams: Don’t panic. Really. It’ll be fine. After all three are in, pour in the almond extract and mix for about another 30 seconds and scrape down the sides again. With the beaters on, spoon in the ground nuts and the flour. Mix well. The mixture will be soft, keep its slightly curdled look (mostly from the almonds) and retain its pallid yellow colour.

Assembling the tart

Place the chilled dough disc on a lightly floured surface. If it's overly cold, you will need to let it become acclimatised for about 15 minutes before you roll it out. Flour the rolling pin and roll the pastry to 5mm (1/4”) thickness, by rolling in one direction only (start from the centre and roll away from you), and turning the disc a quarter turn after each roll. When the pastry is to the desired size and thickness, transfer it to the tart pan, press in and trim the excess dough. Patch any holes, fissures or tears with trimmed bits. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Remove shell from freezer, spread as even a layer as you can of jam onto the pastry base. Top with frangipane, spreading to cover the entire surface of the tart. Smooth the top and pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Five minutes before the tart is done, the top will be poofy and brownish. Remove from oven and strew flaked almonds on top and return to the heat for the last five minutes of baking.

The finished tart will have a golden crust and the frangipane will be tanned, poofy and a bit spongy-looking. Remove from the oven and cool on the counter.

Serve warm, with crème fraîche, whipped cream or custard sauce if you wish.When you slice into the tart, the almond paste will be firm, but slightly squidgy and the crust should be crisp but not tough.

Seared Salmon and Singapore Noodles

2009-06-20T14:01:00.000+01:00

The Nigella Cookalong has been resurrected and this was the first challenge chosen by 'ManicMummy'. When I bought Nigella Express at Easter I had earmarked this recipe to try sometime but the truth was I didn't think it would go down too well with my two men so I wan't sure how I was going to get round to it. So I was delighted to have to make it for the Cookalong.

True to form though, my two men surprised me and thoroughly enjoyed this meal so I'll be making it again in the future. Both recipes could be made independent of each other. The noodles don't even need anything to accompany them but are a quick, comforting dish on their own. Using madras curry powder to form coating on the salmon is delicious and is great when you want something hot but low effort and quick. It's also a great way of jazzing up a less flavourful piece of salmon.

I made my own curry powder for this recipe (gasp!) but only because I couldn't get Madras curry powder and I had all the ingredients to make it in my spice drawer. It really wasn't much hassle (although I don't reccommend doing it if you can get your hands on Madras curry powder) and now I have quite a potful so I won't be doing that for some time again. I was liberal with the cayenne since I like to be but you can be as restrained as you like.

SEARED SALMON WITH SINGAPORE NOODLES

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons medium Madras curry powder
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4 salmon fillets, approx. 200g each
1 x 15ml tablespoon garlic oil

FOR THE NOODLES:
250g vermicelli rice noodles
50g dried shrimp (I couldn't get these so I used small cooked prawns and chopped them up)
125ml Chinese cooking wine
1 x 15ml tablespoon garlic oil
100g finely sliced Chinese leaf
125g baby corn, sliced into thin rounds
2 spring onions, finely sliced
2 teaspoons medium Madras curry powder
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
250ml chicken stock (from concentrate)
3 x 15ml tablespoons soy sauce
150g beansprouts
4 x 15ml tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

METHOD

1.Mix the curry powder, salt and sugar in a wide, shallow dish and dredge the salmon in this, turning the pieces all over in the rub.

2.Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan and cook the salmon fillets on a high heat for about 2–3 minutes a side, searing the sides of the fillets too if they are very thick.

3.Put the rice noodles into a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave them to soak for 4 minutes and then drain them.

4.Soak the dried shrimp in the wine, then heat the oil in a wok and fry the Chinese leaf, baby corn and spring onions for a few minutes.

5.Add the curry powder and finely chopped ginger to the wok, and then the chicken stock and soy sauce. Pour in the shrimps, with their wine, and the drained, soaked noodles, tossing and shaking everything all together in the wok.

6.Finally, stir in the beansprouts and give a final toss, before turning out into a bowl and sprinkling with the coriander.

Madras Curry Powder

Ingredients (1/2 pound)

8 tablespoons coriander seeds
6 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seed
4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons peppercorns
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon whole cloves
2 tablespoons ground cardamon
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon cayenne (or less if less heat is desired)

Method:

1. In a dry skillet over very low heat, place the coriander, cumin, mustard and fennel seeds. Roast the seeds gently, shaking the pan occasionally, until they begin to pop. When about half the seeds have popped, add the cinnamon, peppercorns, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, ginger and cayenne.

2. Continue to heat and stir gently until the mixture is quite hot but not burnt. Pour into a dry blender or food processor, or use a mortar and pestle. Grind into a fine powder. Pour into a clean, dry jar, seal, and let it cool before using

Dough

2009-06-17T21:44:00.000+01:00

My surprise finally arrived today. And how delighted I am. Hubby was clever enough to go to my Amazon wishlist and this was right at the top of it. (How I love my Amazon Wishlist - it means someone can buy me something and be spot on everytime!).

Just two problems:

(a) I don't have time to bake bread right now;

(b) I don't have time to read it right now.

Things are busy at the moment (mainly because of two certain people's birthdays this month)!

So I'm trying to save it till I can curl up and indulge in it for at least an hour.

I'm guessing it'll make it till tomorrow.

A very special thank-you to my two favourite men.

xoxoxoxoxo

Hot Potato, Bacon and Spinach Salad

2009-06-12T13:18:00.000+01:00

This is the dinner I was trying to make last night while Jacob was occupying himself with the pegs. Maybe that's why it turned out so good. But I'll definately be making this again and again and again.

When those beautiful little Jersey Royal gems show themselves in the shops at the start of the summer I immediately think salad! Now if I'm going to make salad for dinner and I want my two men to it then it has to be substantial, it has to contain meat and it has to be warm (unless it's a real scorcher of a day). This salad has the added bonus of being incredibly easy to make. The bacon and onions can be fried and chopped ahead of time, the potatoes can sit in a pan of cold water ready to be turned on half an hour before you want to serve (using just one hand, if like me you're carrying a baby around) and the spinach just involves opening a bag (if you buy the ready washed version). The dressing comes from Pioneer Woman .

Hot Potato, Bacon and Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

100g Fresh Spinach

350g Jersey Royal Potatoes, washed (or other salad potatoes)

1 small red onion

1 packet of bacon (about 6 rashers)

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Olive oil to taste

Method:

1. Put your potatoes on to boil.

2. Fry the bacon with a little butter or oil. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE GREASE. Strain the grease into a container for later (you can leave a little in the pan for frying the onion). Set aside to cool down and when cool, chop up.

3. Peel, half and then slice the onion and fry in the same pan. Set aside with the chopped bacon.

4. Make the dressing: Put the vinegar, sugar, mustard and grease into a small pan (I use a metal measuring cup). Whisk together while heating gently. Taste to see if you need some oil (this will depend on how much grease came out of your bacon). Season accordingly. Set aside until the potatoes are ready.

5. When your potatoes are ready, drain them and assemble the salad: Put the spinach in a large shallow bowl, topple the potatoes over the top, followed by the bacon and then the onions. Finally pour over the dressing (re-heated if necessary).

Perfect All Butter Pastry

2009-06-09T21:20:00.000+01:00

Today is a notable day in my culinary achievements. I have finally mastered all-butter pastry. I have tried so many techniques over the years and never been totally satisfied. Sometimes I would blind bake the pastry, sometimes I would use a mixer, sometimes I would add an egg.... you get the picture. But I have finally settled on the necessary ingredients and techniques to make the perfect all-butter savoury pastry. And here it is:

All-Butter Pastry (for a savoury filling)

Ingredients (for a 23cm tart tin)

260g plain flour

115g butter fridge cold

pinch of salt

1 large egg

Technique

1. Weigh the flour and salt into a bowl.

2. Grate the butter into the flour (using the large holes in the grater).

3. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

4. Add the egg to the mixture and work together with a knife - add some iced water as required to bring it together.

5. As soon as the pastry comes together (do not overwork it), press it into a 2cm thick disc, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 mins.

6. Lightly flour the table and roll out the pastry until 3mm thick.

7. Roll the pastry over the tin, tuck it into place and gently press against the 'corner' of the base to ensure a complete fit. Leave some pastry hanging over the edge. Prick the base of the pastry all over, then chill in the fridge for another 30mins.

8. Remove the pastry case from the fridge. Line the base of the pastry with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Place on a baking tray and blind bake for 20mins.

9. Remove the beans and parchment from the pastry case and return to the oven for another 5mins to cook the base.

10. Brush the pastry base with egg white to seal the holes. Trim the pastry around the edges and leave to cool or fill with your desired filling. (Today mine was asparagus and goat's cheese).

Now to master the sweet one!

Lemon Brioche Croissants

2009-05-02T21:50:00.000+01:00

This week has been a busy week for me in food terms. Some of the successes were Fennel Crusted Fish-Fingers and my first Basic White Loaf:

However, the highlight of the week had to be these. I have been on a bread making quest recently and, true to form, I had to choose one of the more skilled breads before I've perfected the basics, but hey! I discovered a wonderful blog and website during the week, http://www.thekneadforbread.com/, and when I saw these it was one of those, 'I have to make these' moments. Being a Bank Holiday weekend I thought it was the perfect opportunity to make some of these for a slightly more luxurious breakfast ( I don't say lazy because with an 11month old lie-ins are non-existent). My kind husband was determined that I should get some sort of break over the weekend so he emptied the ironing basket for me on Friday afternoon (and I don't mean he just hid it somewhere else)! That cleared the slate for my Friday night so I took the opportunity and got to work on these beauties. It was a wonderfully peaceful Friday night stirring and kneading. I decided to make my own lemon curd for these as I had the ingredients and I didn't want anything to hinder their success. I bottled the curd and left the dough to prove overnight in the fridge. The work on Saturday morning was minimal -I managed to squeeze it in between giving my little one his bottle and his breakfast. I then popped them in the oven, showered and got baby off for a nap before sitting down to one of these with coffee. Sublime!

I'm not going to give you the recipe for these as they're right here http://www.cookingbread.com/classes/class_lemon_brioche_croissants.html in a printable version with photograph instructions so to prompt you to follow my instructions instead would be to do you a disservice.

Rosemary and Sea Salt Chicken Nuggets

2009-04-28T13:24:00.000+01:00

Those of you who have read Nigella Lawson's Feast will recognise this recipe as very similar to her 'Ritzy Chicken Nuggets' and that is because that is how this started out. But not being able to get my hands on packet of Ritz crackers without an hour round trip to the supermarket, I had to improvise and, is so often the case, necessity is the mother of invention. The main adjustment is that I use Rosemary and Sea Salt crackers in place of plain ones (or any other herby crackers). This adds a slightly more grown-up dimension to the chicken nuggets while still being suitable for children and I am always pleased with a recipe that I can give my son without feeling we had to compromise on the taste. I served this up alongside Nigella's New Orleans Coleslaw and a potato gratin. (Can anyone tell I'm reading my way through Nigella Express at the minute?) With expectant hope, it was slightly more summery than I have been serving in recent days. I will definately be serving up a large batch of these the next time I have a large gathering of people.

INGREDIENTS
2 chicken breasts
1 x 284ml tub buttermilk
150g Rosemary and Sea Salt crackers (I used Jacobs)
125ml vegetable oil

METHOD
1. Put the chicken breasts one at a time into a freezer bag so that they lie flat. Bash with a rolling pin until the chicken is quite thin, and then take it out and slice into about six to eight slices or goujons. Repeat with the other chicken breast.

2. Put the sliced goujons into a freezer bag with the buttermilk and leave in the fridge to marinate for up to 2 days.

3. When you are ready to cook them, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Put the crackers into a bag, seal the end, then bash them as above and, once they have broken down a little, roll them with a rolling pin still inside the bag.

4. Tip the crumbs into a wide shallow bowl, and then shake off the excess buttermilk from the nuggets and dip them in the crumbs. Coat them well before laying gently in the hot oil, and cooking for about 2 or 3 minutes a side until they are golden brown. Try to fry in two batches or you may have to change the oil.

5. Transfer to some kitchen towel on a plate to blot the excess oil. Pop them in a warm oven to keep warm while you do the next batch.

These adequately served me, my husband and my baby son and they freeze perfectly though I doubt there'll be any leftovers.

Hot Discovery

2009-04-22T18:19:00.000+01:00

I am gravely aware of the lack of posting that has taken place recently but such is the result of over indulgence during the Easter period. All cooking recently has been rather simple or else stolen (by that I mean I have used others recipes unadulterated and, hence, do not feel justified to post about them as if they are my own). However, I would like to share one of my recent food discoveries.

I have made Quesadillas for years but having bought Nigella Lawson’s ‘Express’ over Easter I noticed she uses Jalapeno Chilli Peppers in them. They weren’t hard to find – I got them at the supermarket but I don’t buy ready-made sauces so I don’t often venture down that aisle. I love a ‘kick’ in my food and I always have chilli flakes in my spice cupboard and am forever throwing a pinch into various dishes. But these are a different way of instilling heat into a dish. They don’t so much infuse a dish with heat as chilli flakes do but rather give a heat explosion when you bite into one. They give a real fiery bite to quesadillas, chilli and pasta. They are bottled in vinegar, ready sliced, so itis as simple as opening the jar. You can see the brand I tried above but I am sure there are various brands and varieties which I will be looking out for in the future.

Easter Feasting

2009-04-15T20:43:00.000+01:00

In the run up to Easter I planned a marathon of baking and cooking to provide for the various guests that would be coming through our doors. I just love the cooking and baking that each annual festivity demands if we are to meet its culinary traditions. Unfortunately, however, I am suffering for it now. By the time Easter Sunday night came round all my visitors had eaten sumptuously in their prior visits of the day and just passed themselves politely at my table by nibbling a few bites. Thus, I have been left with a hoard of sugar-laden delights to share with my husband. Needless to say, right now all I wish for is a slice of plain bread and butter.

Easter Sunday is the day when everyone is focused on the Lamb. (I opted for a leg of lamb and was lazy enough to get my butcher to bone it for me.) While the lamb was a success I was secretly most pleased with the stuffing. It was a moist, fruity stuffing which accompanied the lamb perfectly. It's been a while since I've cooked a leg of lamb and I had in my memory some vague recollection of a stuffing I made at the time consisting of apricots, dates and pinenuts. With this in mind, I set about to create a similar stuffing. I had attempted to make hot cross buns the day before, with less than perfect results, so being determined not to let them go to waste I decided I would use them in my stuffing. I can vaguely remember what it tasted like before so, while I am not sure if this is similar, I do know it was delicious.

Apricot, Date and Pinenut Stuffing (for Lamb)

Ingredients:

2 stale hot cross buns

1 onion

handful of apricots

5/6 dates

1 rosemary sprig

Method:

1. Process each of the above ingredients individually in a food processor. As each ingredient is processed add it to a large bowl.

2. Mix all the ingredients together (the mixture should be damp).

3. Stuff your leg of lamb with the stuffing and put any extra in a small dish.

4. Cook the lamb according to your timings and the extra dish for 20-30mins uncovered in the same oven as your lamb.

Fennel Bread

2009-04-03T10:26:00.000+01:00

Well, the bread making experiment continues and yesterday it was Fennel Bread. This was provoked by two things: (i) the desire I have to use up some close-to-expiry fennel seeds and (ii) the urge to try out a supposedly very simple bread recipe (http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/ ). I must confess I was a sceptic about the bread recipe. You’re always told to treat bread dough with care, commonly, “Treat it as you would a woman…..” This recipe seemed too simple to be a success but a success it was! And the fennel was wonderfully aromatic. Now perhaps in a few years time when I have mastered the art of bread making at home I will look back and think this is a poor alternative to the loaf that comes from a perfectly kneaded , elastic dough but as yet I’m not that discerning. Warm, soft with a crispy crust, it was the perfect accompaniment to my baby version of spag bol and both daddy and my little one loved it!

Fennel Bread

Ingredients:

One 7g sachet yeast

1 tbsp table salt

3 cups of room temp. water

6½ cups of plain flour
1 tbsp fennel seeds lightly crushed

Method:

1. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together using a big wooden spoon (the mixture will be quite tacky). Cover with cling film and leave out for about two hours to rise (or store immediately in the fridge for a long rise).

2. Pre-heat oven to 230° and place a roasting dish (or some other metal dish that will hold a cup of water) in the bottom of the oven. Grease and then dust with flour two 2lb loaf tins.

3. Divide half the mixture into each tin (no kneading required). Make sure you keep dusting dough with flour while shaping so doesn't stick. Putting it into a loaf tin requires minimal shaping so I just floured my hands and the top of the dough before I took it out of the bowl.

4. Let it rest for about half hour or until it's a bit puffy. It won't double in size but it puffs up really well in the oven.

5. Dust the top with flour (and a few more fennel seeds if you wish) then slash the dough down the middle. Immediately place in the oven and as you do so throw a cup of hot water into the roasting dish in the bottom of your oven and quickly close the door.

6. Bake for about 50mins-1hr. Check by removing a loaf from its tin and knocking the bottom with your knuckles. If it sounds hollow it’s ready.

Norwegian Cinnamon Buns

2009-03-28T14:40:00.000Z

So I finally put my intentions into practise and tackled bread making. Of course it wouldn't do to start with a simple white loaf. No, I flicked straight by those pages to something sweeter. Something that would make a delicious Saturday morning brunch with my espresso. And there they were. Looking so tempting and warm and delicious, Nigella's 'Norwegian Cinnamon Buns' (How To Be A Domestic Goddess).

Now being my first time approaching this recipe and especially since I have hardly baked bread at all I decided I would just have to implement the recipe as it was. No tweaks or additions. As far as a bread recipe is concerned this is fairly simple. There isn't as much kneading and punching and more kneading and punching as other recipes. Yes, you do have to let it prove twice, which means if you want them on the morning side of the day you need to get stuck in as soon as you get up. If I hadn't been out last night I would have left it to prove overnight in the fridge so that half the work was done in the morning.

The result was a delight. Warm, moist, soft rolls filling my kitchen with the aroma of cinnamon. Because of my insaitable sweet tooth I would like them even stickier and sweeter and for that reason I plan to try 'Schnecken' in the near future. Described as, "..the Norwegian cinnamon buns, only more so. ...they are stickier, puffier, gooier and more over the top." Not, however, before I have tried a chocolate version of these by replacing the cinnamon with cocoa and drizzling white choc over the top to finish. Ummmm!

Buttermilk Birthday Cake

2009-03-22T08:38:00.000Z

I have been looking for an opportunity to decorate a cake in fondant for some time now. So when my husband and I decided to host Mother's Day lunch for my mother-in-law I saw my chance. The main reason for the cake was to practise my decorating skills so I wasn't going to opt for a fancy cake. I just wanted something sturdy enough to hold the icing which also tastes good. After some deliberation on Nigella's forum (http://www.nigella.com/) I opted for the buttermilk birthday cake out of How To Be A Domestic Goddess. I baked this on Friday eve and then on Saturday night, after I got my little one to bed, I spent the evening decorating it. And I am delighted with the results. It took a lot longer than I had anticipated but I imagine that was my lack of experience. It is far from perfect and I'll have to make some inquiries as to how to iron out a few wee problems but all in all it was a success. At least to look at - I still have to serve it up!

Starting a Blog!

2009-02-28T20:55:00.001Z

It has taken me considerable time to gear myself up to actually put this notion into motion. I have toyed around with the idea of a blog for some time now. Life, in relation to food, has taken quite a few twists and turns over recent months and years. I've lived in the city where I could get almost any ingredient I wanted with little effort. I've put lots of effort and enthusiasm into creating exotic and elaborate experimental dishes. But times have changed. I now live in rural Fermanagh where most of the time it would cost me double the price of the ingredient to drive to get it (that's if the assistant behind the desk knows what I'm talking about). I have also come to accept that despite my best attempts at sun-dried tomato stuffed monkish wrapped in prosicutto and chocolate, chilli and lime bread, my husband prefers steak and chips and chocolate fudge cake. To add to these hurdles I now find myself cooking bland mush for a 9 month old baby (granted it is more interesting mush than most babies receive). To add to all these suppresants of my culinary ambition our nation has been hit with the credit crunch and I now find myself trading in those luxury ingredient for cheaper alternatives.

But I have contemplated recently that I can't be alone in my situation. Many people live in rural areas of our 'wee' country. And more often that not we are slow at catching up with the latest food trends so that we struggle getting that now common ingredient in mainland UK. And there are definately thousands of women (or men!) out there who would love to create all sorts of exciting dishes and fancy desserts but who find themselves catering for the fairly reserved tastes of their family. So I considered how wonderful it would be if I could discuss these issues with other likeminded food-a-holics. If someone out there could tell me where to find the ingredient I've searched high and low for and if I could give others suggestions on recipes etc.

Initially I moaned a bit about my situation. But now I see it as a challenge I embrace everyday. Cooking for a husband, a baby, miles from anywhere, with a tight purse and pushing the boundaries just that little bit to allow my creativity to signature the dish.

Fruity Lamb Tagine

2009-02-28T20:55:00.000Z

I am blessed with a son whose will eat just about anything. Apart from licking the spatula after I've been baking, this seems to be his favourite meal. Now for all conisseurs of Moroccan food this does not adhere to the strict rules of making a tagine (firstly, it has been made in a casserole dish) but it is for a baby whose palate can't quite manage ras-el-hanout or preserved lemons! And it is an extremely tasty alternative if I do say so myself. It may also suit someone who would like to give a tagine a go but has a more reserved palate.

Firstly, I sweated an onion in a casserole dish then added about 500g of diced lean* lamb which I had dusted in a tablespoon of plain flour. Then I added a tin of chopped tomatoes, about 150ml of chicken stock**, 200g of chopped apricots, 50g of sultanas and 1 tsp of mixed dried herbs. For the mixed herbs I used a mixture of basil, thyme and oregano simply because that's what I had in the cupboard. These would not be the herbs of choice for a tagine but I needed something mellow that my sons taste buds could cope with. The apricots can be as big or finely chopped as you like depending on your dinner guests. The whole thing then went in the oven at 180 degrees for a couple of hours (I had it in for 2hrs today). Obviously, the longer you have it in the more tender your lamb will be but do keep checking it to make sure it hasn't dried up. Serve with rice.

*When choosing meat for babies it needs to be lean.

**You may need to add some water when the dish is in the oven if it starts to dry up.