Grandma and Grandad are staying at the moment, and made this for tea, after a hard day's work planting potatoes at the allotment.
This makes enough for 4. You'll need:
a carton of whipping cream (about 250-300 ml)
50 ml white wine
juice of a lemon
zest of two lemons
50g caster sugar
Put the caster sugar and whipping cream together into a mixing bowl, and whip until you've got soft peaks of cream. Carefully stir in the wine and lemon juice, and most of the lemon zest (you
need to save a bit to sprinkle on the top of the pudding at the end).
Decant into little ramekins or pretty glasses, sprinkle the remaining lemon zest on top, and serve with some lemony biscuits. It would also be lovely with some raspberries, I suspect.
13 April 2009
11 April 2009
Easter biscuits
We went climbing this morning, and photographed Sweetcorn the bear making his way up the wall. Nursery will either think it's hilarious, or we'll be forever labelled as rebellious parents.
Biscuits were definitely required after all that hard work. These are based on a Hugh Fearnley-Whirligig recipe, and are nicely spicy for Easter - a good antidote to all that chocolate.
You'll need:
100g raisins
juice of half an orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
225g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
a little grated nutmeg
110g sugar
110g butter
1 egg
Stick the oven on at about 180 degrees C, and find a baking tray.
Sling the raisins in a bowl with the orange juice and vanilla extract, and leave to steep for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, mix together the flour and spices in a bowl. Rub in the butter, and then stir in the sugar. Tip in the raisins/juice, and mix well, so that they're evenly distributed. Beat the egg lightly, and then add that too. It'll look like a sticky mess - you'll need to mix it until it comes together to form a ball of dough. Give it a knead for a minute or two, to make sure all the crumbs stick together.
Hugh reckons you should chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes. He's probably right, but I ran out of time and energy, and moved straight onto the next part - rolling out the dough. Once it's about 0.5cm thick (ish), fish out your cutters and start cutting out some rounds (or squares, or whatever).
Place on your baking tray (that you've conveniently lined with a silicon sheet, or some such thing), and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until they've turned golden brown. Sling onto a wire rack to cool. And try not to wolf them all at once.
Biscuits were definitely required after all that hard work. These are based on a Hugh Fearnley-Whirligig recipe, and are nicely spicy for Easter - a good antidote to all that chocolate.
You'll need:
100g raisins
juice of half an orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
225g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon mixed spice
a little grated nutmeg
110g sugar
110g butter
1 egg
Stick the oven on at about 180 degrees C, and find a baking tray.
Sling the raisins in a bowl with the orange juice and vanilla extract, and leave to steep for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, mix together the flour and spices in a bowl. Rub in the butter, and then stir in the sugar. Tip in the raisins/juice, and mix well, so that they're evenly distributed. Beat the egg lightly, and then add that too. It'll look like a sticky mess - you'll need to mix it until it comes together to form a ball of dough. Give it a knead for a minute or two, to make sure all the crumbs stick together.
Hugh reckons you should chill the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes. He's probably right, but I ran out of time and energy, and moved straight onto the next part - rolling out the dough. Once it's about 0.5cm thick (ish), fish out your cutters and start cutting out some rounds (or squares, or whatever).
Place on your baking tray (that you've conveniently lined with a silicon sheet, or some such thing), and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until they've turned golden brown. Sling onto a wire rack to cool. And try not to wolf them all at once.
Spanish omelette with leek and feta
Anyone Spanish would probably die of shock at being served this, but we have a glut of leeks at the moment (especially as the ones in the back yard are finally large enough to eat). You rather like the potato and leek combo too.
You'll need:
half a pack of feta cheese (about 100g), cubed
4 eggs
5 or 6 medium potatoes, peeled
3 or 4 large leeks, washed and sliced into rings
olive oil
fresh parsley, finely chopped
Chop the potatoes into quarters, and throw them into a pan. Cover with boiling water, and cook until tender. Drain, and then slice (thickly).
Pour a good slug of olive oil into a heavy-bottomed frying pan, and add the leeks. Cook them on a low heat until they have softened. At that point, add the potatoes in a layer on top of the leeks, and scatter (a) the cubes of feta cheese and (b) the parsley over everything.
Break the eggs into a bowl, and beat lightly. Pour over the leek/potato mixture, and leave on a low heat until set round the edges. At that point, it's usually easiest to turn the grill on, and plonk the pan underneath - that will set the top layer of egg, and melt the feta cheese slightly.
Liberally apply black pepper, and eat with a tomato salad or winter coleslaw.
You'll need:
half a pack of feta cheese (about 100g), cubed
4 eggs
5 or 6 medium potatoes, peeled
3 or 4 large leeks, washed and sliced into rings
olive oil
fresh parsley, finely chopped
Chop the potatoes into quarters, and throw them into a pan. Cover with boiling water, and cook until tender. Drain, and then slice (thickly).
Pour a good slug of olive oil into a heavy-bottomed frying pan, and add the leeks. Cook them on a low heat until they have softened. At that point, add the potatoes in a layer on top of the leeks, and scatter (a) the cubes of feta cheese and (b) the parsley over everything.
Break the eggs into a bowl, and beat lightly. Pour over the leek/potato mixture, and leave on a low heat until set round the edges. At that point, it's usually easiest to turn the grill on, and plonk the pan underneath - that will set the top layer of egg, and melt the feta cheese slightly.
Liberally apply black pepper, and eat with a tomato salad or winter coleslaw.
10 April 2009
Chard with lemon and olive oil
You wouldn't want to eat this on its own, but (a) it's good with things like sausages and (b) it makes chard taste nice, which is something of a miracle.
You'll need:
chard - much like spinach it cooks down, so you'll need more than you think
a lemon, juiced
a very good slug of peppery olive oil
lots of black pepper
Wash the chard, and roughly slice the leaves/stalks (you could do fine ribbons, but I can't usually be bothered). Plunge into a pan of boiling water for 6 minutes.
Drain, and tip the chard into a bowl. Pour over the lemon juice, and a really good slug of olive oil. Grind over lots of black pepper.
Serve fast, before it has chance to cool down.
You'll need:
chard - much like spinach it cooks down, so you'll need more than you think
a lemon, juiced
a very good slug of peppery olive oil
lots of black pepper
Wash the chard, and roughly slice the leaves/stalks (you could do fine ribbons, but I can't usually be bothered). Plunge into a pan of boiling water for 6 minutes.
Drain, and tip the chard into a bowl. Pour over the lemon juice, and a really good slug of olive oil. Grind over lots of black pepper.
Serve fast, before it has chance to cool down.
09 April 2009
Spring greens soup with feta
I adapted this one from a lovely recipe in Olive. It's very green, and goes well with some freshly baked dough balls. It's also a good way of using up the parsley mountain, which is threatening to take over the front garden.
Makes enough for 3. You'll need:
an onion, finely chopped
a clove of garlic, finely chopped
a small spring cabbage (or spring greens), shredded
a couple of spring onions, chopped into large chunks
a large bunch of parsley, scissored into small strips
half a pack of feta cheese, chopped into smallish pieces
chicken or vegetable stock - enough to cover the cabbage
lots of black pepper
Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil (or whatever there is to hand - I ended up using some bacon fat that was left over after cooking your tea - it gave it a lovely flavour). Once they've softened, tip them into your soup pot.
Add the cabbage, parsley, spring onions and stock, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes until the cabbage is tender. Decant into bowls, sprinkle the feta over the top, and douse with lots of black pepper.
Makes enough for 3. You'll need:
an onion, finely chopped
a clove of garlic, finely chopped
a small spring cabbage (or spring greens), shredded
a couple of spring onions, chopped into large chunks
a large bunch of parsley, scissored into small strips
half a pack of feta cheese, chopped into smallish pieces
chicken or vegetable stock - enough to cover the cabbage
lots of black pepper
Fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil (or whatever there is to hand - I ended up using some bacon fat that was left over after cooking your tea - it gave it a lovely flavour). Once they've softened, tip them into your soup pot.
Add the cabbage, parsley, spring onions and stock, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes until the cabbage is tender. Decant into bowls, sprinkle the feta over the top, and douse with lots of black pepper.
07 April 2009
Mini apple pies
We made these in honour of your Dad coming back from London, where he'd been to a conference. In return, he brought us back some of the best croissants in the world from the Eurostar terminal at St Pancras.
This makes enough for about 12-15 pies. You'll need:
2 or 3 large cooking apples
a teaspoon of cinnamon
a couple of tablespoons of sugar (assuming you don't have sweet pastry)
shortcrust pastry (about 250g)
Stick the oven on at about 180 degrees C.
While you wait for it to warm up, peel and core the apples, and chop into small chunks. Put them into a saucepan with the cinnamon, sugar and a little water, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until they've gone mushy. Leave to cool.
Roll out your shortcrust pastry, and get out your biscuit cutters (or a couple of jam jars of different sizes). You'll need a 12-hole muffin tin too.
Cut out large circles, and line each muffin tin. Cut out some smaller circles for the lids (you could get fancy and do it with strips of pastry too). Dunk a teaspoonful or two of the apple mix into each pie (not too much or it'll bubble over and go everywhere), and lay your lids on top. Cut a little slit in the top of each pie to let the steam out.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or so, until the tops are golden brown. They're rather nice hot, dusted with a little icing sugar and eaten with some creme fraiche on the side.
This makes enough for about 12-15 pies. You'll need:
2 or 3 large cooking apples
a teaspoon of cinnamon
a couple of tablespoons of sugar (assuming you don't have sweet pastry)
shortcrust pastry (about 250g)
Stick the oven on at about 180 degrees C.
While you wait for it to warm up, peel and core the apples, and chop into small chunks. Put them into a saucepan with the cinnamon, sugar and a little water, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until they've gone mushy. Leave to cool.
Roll out your shortcrust pastry, and get out your biscuit cutters (or a couple of jam jars of different sizes). You'll need a 12-hole muffin tin too.
Cut out large circles, and line each muffin tin. Cut out some smaller circles for the lids (you could get fancy and do it with strips of pastry too). Dunk a teaspoonful or two of the apple mix into each pie (not too much or it'll bubble over and go everywhere), and lay your lids on top. Cut a little slit in the top of each pie to let the steam out.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or so, until the tops are golden brown. They're rather nice hot, dusted with a little icing sugar and eaten with some creme fraiche on the side.
03 April 2009
Bacon, leek and potato pie
A ribsticking pie for what turned out to be a surprisingly sunny day. Tea was a bit of a hurried affair yesterday after watching your Dad's promo screening at the Tyneside Cinema, but today was far more leisurely.
You'll need:
4 or 5 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped up
a good wodge of mature cheddar, grated
3 or 4 large leeks, washed and sliced
5 or 6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and halved
lots of black pepper
2 or 3 tablespoons of cream, creme fraiche, or at a pinch some milk
shortcrust pastry - enough to lay over the top of your pie dish
Stick the oven on at about 200 degrees C. Dunk the potatoes in a pan of boiling water, and cook for 12-15 minutes until they're tender. Drain, and then slice.
Fry the bacon pieces until they've coloured and start to go crispy (you shouldn't need to add any extra oil, but check they don't stick). Lift them out of your frying pan, and then chuck the leeks in - fry them for a couple of minutes, until they've started to soften.
Layer the sliced potatoes and leek/bacon mixture in your pie dish. Grate lots of black pepper over the top (and maybe sprinkle with a little dried thyme if you have any). Top with lots of grated cheese, and then drizzle over 2-3 tablespoons of cream/milk/whatever.
Roll the pastry out to the size of your pie dish, and place on top. Cut a couple of holes in the top for the steam to escape, and then stick in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry turns golden brown.
We ate this with some steamed broccoli and cauliflower (but it would be equally good cold, with a green salad - it holds together really well, and makes a good picnic pie).
You'll need:
4 or 5 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped up
a good wodge of mature cheddar, grated
3 or 4 large leeks, washed and sliced
5 or 6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and halved
lots of black pepper
2 or 3 tablespoons of cream, creme fraiche, or at a pinch some milk
shortcrust pastry - enough to lay over the top of your pie dish
Stick the oven on at about 200 degrees C. Dunk the potatoes in a pan of boiling water, and cook for 12-15 minutes until they're tender. Drain, and then slice.
Fry the bacon pieces until they've coloured and start to go crispy (you shouldn't need to add any extra oil, but check they don't stick). Lift them out of your frying pan, and then chuck the leeks in - fry them for a couple of minutes, until they've started to soften.
Layer the sliced potatoes and leek/bacon mixture in your pie dish. Grate lots of black pepper over the top (and maybe sprinkle with a little dried thyme if you have any). Top with lots of grated cheese, and then drizzle over 2-3 tablespoons of cream/milk/whatever.
Roll the pastry out to the size of your pie dish, and place on top. Cut a couple of holes in the top for the steam to escape, and then stick in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry turns golden brown.
We ate this with some steamed broccoli and cauliflower (but it would be equally good cold, with a green salad - it holds together really well, and makes a good picnic pie).
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