Wintery sweet treats!

I've put my baking head on recently. It's not something I've really done in a very long time (except for the odd 5 minute mug cake but more of that another time!!) and I am constantly surprising myself with just how easy it is, not to mention how satisfying. I have to admit the main reason I don't bake is becaused then I would have to eat all those lovely muffins, pies and puddings but ah well, it is Christmas!!

Homemade pastry is certainly something I have not made in a very long time and as my Mother-in-Law's pies are easily the best in the Northern hemisphere, I have indeed been daunted. But no more!! This recipe is from my trusty bible Prue Leith's Cookbook.

Mince pies - makes 12-24 depending on the size of your cutter!!

Jar of mincemeat (for me) and a jar of jam for the rest of the household
6oz plain flour
pinch of salt
3 1/2 oz of butter
1 egg yolk
2-3 tbspn very cold water

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and crumble with your fingers to a fine crumb. Mix 2 tbspns of very cold water to the egg yolk and add to the flour mixture. Start stirring with a rounded knife and then mix with one hand. Add a very small amount more of very cold water if the mixture is still dry but you will not need a great deal more. Do not overwork the pastry. Cover and place the dough in the fridge for half an hour.

Roll out, cut your bases out, place in a baking tray (pie tray), place a small amount of mincemeat or jam in and then place a smaller shape (circle of maybe a star, depending on your cutters) on top. Brush with milk. Place in a preheated oven - gas mark 6 - for 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove pies from the tray and place on a cooling rack until you can no longer bear it and then EAT! Mmmm...


We are also enjoying a homemade treacle sponge after Sunday lunch at the moment. So quick to whip and once again so satisfying, particularly on a gloomy winter's afternoon in front of the fire. Although you can steam treacle puddings, this baked recipe is a firm favourite - the sponge is lovely and soft with a crisp base and a wonderfully sticky topping of treacle. Best served with custard. Recipe to follow...

And talking of steamed puddings my Dad and I are in agreement; our family recipe for Spotted Dick is the one and only recipe for this particular dessert delight. No other recipe beats it. This is best served with cream (or custard if you must) and an extra dollop of treacle. Another recipe to follow!

Tasty muffins galore!

My son had an inset day from school, so I planned a day of activities to keep them entertained.

We started off with some baking sessions which worked a treat. First off, banana muffins which worked well as a breakfast treat and then some rather special blackberry and chocolate chunk muffins.

If you've never made muffins before, they are incredibly easy to make, with very good results. I have to admit that they taste much better on the day of baking but they do last well and freeze well too.

The blackberry recipe actually makes 18 muffins, so we weren't going to get through those in a day (although I was seriously tempted!!). This was also a good way of using up a glut of blackberries picked from the allotment and then frozen. I think the fact that they were semi defrosted when they went into the recipe may have helped the final outcome but I could be kidding myself! This recipe could be adapted to many other berries, I imagine, with similarly tasty results.

Banana muffins (makes 12)

200g (7 oz) plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 large bananas, mashed
150g (5 oz) caster sugar
1 egg
75g (2 1/2 oz) butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4 & place 12 paper cases in a muffin tin. Place the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in one bowl. Combine mashed bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter in another bowl. Fold in flour mixture and mix until smooth. Spoon evenly into baking cases. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until muffins spring back when lightly tapped.

So simple! I shall be making these again.

Courtesy of allrecipes.co.uk


Blackberry and chocolate chunk muffins (makes 18)

This recipe has been adapted by a recipe from the Goddess's Kitchen blog. It is a classic example of a muffin mix - combining all the dry ingredients, then the wet ingredients and finally combining altogether. If you're using frozen fruit, allow it to defrost but not fully so that the fruit holds its shape when cooked.

250g blackberries (fresh or frozen)
30g bar of chocolate (milk, plain or white depending on taste)
2 eggs
240ml milk
120ml vegetable oil
200g caster sugar
375g plain flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
50g brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 200°C (gas mark 6, 400°F)  and put the baking cases into the muffin tray. Place the eggs, oil, sugar and milk in a large mixing bowl and beat together.
Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon and add to the wet mixture, stirring thoroughly. Smash the bar of chocolate into chunks - bigger than chocolate drops. Gently stir the chocolate and blackberries into the mixture. Spoon the mixture (about two thirds full) into the cases. Sprinkle sthe brown sugar over the tops of the muffins. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Delicious!!

A Sunday Lunch to look forward to!

A little squeal of excitement was heard in our housethis afternoon when I discovered that our favourite pub The Exeter Arms is going to be serving meals on Sundays now. I can't wait!

We've already sampled some of their amazing food which is locally sourced, freshly cooked and served with a smile: Their Great British tapas board is amazing - thick cut, skins-on chips served with a beautiful scotch egg, sausage roll, pork pie, all of which are homemade, a chunk of locally made cheese and a picallili which is probably the best I've ever tasted! We've also had a beetroot cured salmon served with wasabi cream (part of the fish board), a humous grazing board and a chip shop platter (fish and chips with a twist). Their burgers are calling me and I could go on... and on... and on...

It was borne from their micro brewery, The Dancing Duck and you're always guaranteed a good ale (or wine). It's a lovely welcoming traditional pub with roaring fires in the winter and a lovely courtyard to sup in, in the summer. They have bands playing regularly which I have yet to experience but all look interesting  and their Monday night quiz (Dr Pippen's Paradoxical Perlustrations - not as scary as it sounds!) packs the pub out.

You just can't fault the place and my only complaint is why can't there be more places like this that take their food, ales, environment and clientele seriously - with a cheeky twist. Oh and prices (as we must consider in these straightened times) are very good. Considering the standard, you're not going to get any better for your pounds!

Anyway, looking forward to trying a Sunday lunch there in the not too distant future!

A meal with friends

It's been a while since I posted unfortunately but this meal is worth writing about! We'd had a lazy day getting things ready for the evening which always help our creativity when putting a food together I think!

Chris had recently presented me with a lovely little book of ice cream recipes and browsing through I found a recipe for brown bread ice cream. It took me back to the times my parents made it for special occassions... excellent, that was pudding sorted! To top it off it's a very simple recipe which needs to be prepared hours before, leaving you more time for friends. If you've never had it before bear with me. It's a lovely delicate, toffee-like ice cream. Well, Phil came back for seconds so that says it all really!

I wasn't going to do a starter but Chris came back from a foraging expedition (some call it a trip to the supermarket I think) and proudly presented me with smoked duck breast; tiny, delicate slices of cured meat. We had a fresh seeded loaf which I thinly sliced and lightly toasted, placed a couple of slices of the duck on top, added a garnish of salad leaves and finished with a honey and walnut dressing.

Main course was a slow roasted affair which added to the general air of tranquility! Slow roasted pork with star anise, cinnamon and coca cola. Done right, the meat is tender and juicy and the crackling, well, crackles! This was served on a bed of wilted spinach which complemented the meat beautifully, together with roasted vegetables; carrot, parsnip and apple which had been tossed in olive oil, lemon juice and chilli flakes.

Honey and walnut dressing
100ml olive oil
50ml white wine or cider vinegar
50 ml runny honey
chopped walnuts
seasoning

Mix well and leave to marinate for half hour for all the lovely flavours to infuse.

Brown bread ice cream, serves 6-8
3 thick slices of brown bread
4 oz brown sugar
300ml double cream
150ml single cream
2 eggs separated
1 tbsp whisky, rum or brandy (optional) 

Crumb the bread in a processor, removing any difficult to crumb crusts. Spread on a baking tray and lightly toast, turning every few moments for an even toast. Leave to cool. Pour the cream into a bowl and whisk with the sugar until thick but not stiff. Separate the eggs and add the alcohol to the egg yolks, if using, mix and fold into the cream. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and add to the cream mixture together with the breadcumbs. Pour into a freezer container and freeze for at least 4 hours. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving and enjoy!

I actually couldn't taste the rum when I made it, so maybe add another tablespoon but you have to be careful as alcohol will prevent it from freezing if too much is used. Other flavours to add could be honey or ginger. And I may try a version where some of the brown sugar is mixed in with the breadcumbs when they're toasting for an extra toffee explosion...

And a note to self: I must invest in some walnut oil!!