Easter Sunday Dinner Menu – Recipe for Roast leg of Lamb with Redcurrant Glaze.

Posted on 2 Apr 2013 | 0 comments

Ours doesn’t ever change much – most year’s we have the grandparents with us for Easter Sunday Lunch, and we’ll have a traditional Roast lamb with all the trimmings, followed by dessert of choice. Often it’s our infamous (and delicious) Pavlova, but sometimes one of the boys – who are always in charge of Easter Dessert – wants to try something new. This year, our menu looked like this:

Roast leg of lamb with redcurrant glaze (recipe below)

Hasselback potatoes (aka Hedgehog potatoes in this house) – method down at the bottom

Steamed baby carrots, french beans and spring cabbage.

followed by

Raspberry & chocolate mousse

Verdict? Eight resounding versions of “mmm, delicious!” and eight clean plates. Not sure you get much higher praise…

Roast leg of lamb with redcurrant glaze recipe

1 hr 55 mins to cook and 20 mins to rest

• 2·3kg (5lb 1oz) leg of lamb (I used a boned & rolled joint)
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 large onions, thickly sliced
• For the glaze
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 3tbsp redcurrant jelly
• 2tsp mustard powder

First make the glaze. Finely chop the leaves from half the rosemary. Mix with the redcurrant jelly and mustard powder, whisk to combine, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Pierce the lamb all over with a sharp knife, making pockets about 4cm (1½in) deep in all the fleshy parts. Put a slice of garlic and a couple of uncut rosemary leaves in each pocket. Season.

Spread the sliced onions in the base of a sturdy roasting tin, big enough to hold the lamb. Lay the lamb on top and cover loosely with foil.

Roast for 30 minutes then turn the oven down to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C and roast for a further 30 minutes. Take the lamb out of the oven, remove the foil (reserve this) and brush the redcurrant glaze mixture thickly over the lamb. Return to the oven for 25 minutes for rare lamb, 40 minutes for medium or 55 minutes for well done. Check periodically, and replace the foil if the meat browns too much or if the glaze looks as though it might burn.

Transfer the leg of lamb to a warmed platter (if you’re making gravy, you will need the tin and its contents), tent with the foil and rest for 15-20 minutes before serving.

(recipe from the Tesco Real Food site here)

For Hedgehog (sorry, Hasselback) potatoes, simply wash the potatoes then with skins on carefully make small vertical slits, 2mm apart, three quarters of the way down each potato, all the way along.  I find that putting a skewer into the potato can stop you cutting all the way through by mistake!

Then simply put the potatoes in a roasting tray, and brush with a mix of melted butter and olive oil. Season well with freshly ground black pepper and salt flakes, and roast for 45 minutes, until golden and crispy around the edges.

Easter Hot Cross Buns – Recipes lie. Also, they take 3hrs people.

Posted on 1 Apr 2013 | 4 comments

Okay – first note. I always forget how long hot cross buns take to make. Never mind the cooking time (we’ll get to that bit) – but if you make them properly with yeast and such like, you need 3 hours for rising and proving. That’s THREE HOURS. So if you want them for, say, Easter Sunday afternoon tea, don’t start them after lunch. Just saying.
So. Recipe.
I used Tesco’s Real Food Easter Hot Cross Buns one – I admit it, the picture alone lured me in. See, when a recipe says at the top “Takes: 20 mins to prepare and 15 mins to cook, 3 hrs 00 mins to cool” I actually, y’know, believe it – and naturally I scoffed at the whole 3-hrs business. I mean, come on, what takes 3hrs to cool?

Wrong.

What it actually means is “Takes 3 HOURS to make and whilst the recipe tells you to bake them for 25 minutes, the 15 minutes at the top is a better guide”… Read on, and you’ll find out why. I’ll not put you off yet.

Method

Sift the bread flour, caster sugar and salt together in a bowl then mix in the yeast. Gradually add the mixed milk and warm water and mix to achieve a smooth pliable dough. Lightly flour a work surface then tip out the dough and knead for 5-6 minutes until pliable. Place back into the bowl, cover with a  clean tea towel and allow to prove (rise) for 1 hour.

Carefully mix the peel, orange zest, sultanas and ground cinnamon into the dough and make sure they are evenly distributed. Then leave to rise in the bowl for another hour.

Lightly grease 2 large baking sheet and then pull off 75g pieces of the dough and make them into balls. Weigh one to get an idea of how much dough constitutes 75g. Place the balls onto the baking sheets and allow to rest and prove for another hour. Slightly flatten the tops.

Preheat the oven to 220°C / Gas Mark 8.

Make the flour piping by combining the plain flour, tablespoon of caster sugar and 80ml of water and blend until the mixture is smooth**. Transfer to a piping bag and with a small plain nozzle pipe a cross over the top of the buns.

Bake the buns for 10 minutes at 220°C then turn the oven down to 200°C (180°C Fan) / Gas Mark 6 and bake for a further 15 minutes.*

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes and serve warm. The buns can also be sliced in half, toasted and served with butter.

* if you do this, this is what your buns will look like.

Mmmm. Tempting.

Actually – they ARE tasty. Light and fluffy on the inside, with a delicious warm cinnamony fruity hot-cross-bun-y type flavour. That’s if you can get through the overdone crust and burnt-to-black outside raisins.

Also, that picture at the top clearly shows the buns are glazed – this is not mentioned at all in the recipe, and my buns were decidedly un-shiny. I’m starting to suspect foul play in the recipe-writing-and-photographing division.

**PLUS – the pastry-ish white cross is rather runny. I suggest you don’t add all the water in one go, to ensure your pastry cross remains stiff and cross-like.

I shall be making them again, but next time I shall NOT be baking for a further 15 minutes – rather I shall simply do a 15 minutes on 180 degrees) in my fan oven, and take it form there.

Easter Egg Biscuits – perfect afternoon baking with the children

Posted on 30 Mar 2013 | 2 comments

I spent the most perfect Good Friday making these – the 6yr old did the whole thing with me (after three boys, the patience of a girl with the fiddly bits constantly amazes me) and the big boys came in for the ‘fun’ bit.

What you need:

• 200g butter, at room temperature  (using a buttery spread makes the dough softer when chilled, and easier to roll by small hands)
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 400g plain flour

  To decorate

• 250g royal icing sugar (we used 500g in the end)
• assorted food colourings
• assorted cake toppings

What you do:

Preheat the oven to Gas 4, 180°C, fan160°C.

1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl with the caster sugar. Using a wooden spoon beat until light and fluffy.

2. Gradually beat in the egg until well mixed, then gradually add the flour. Use your hands to bring the mixture together to a stiff dough (I actually did the whole of this in my stand mixer). Gather into a ball and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Roll out the dough on a work surface lightly dusted with flour until it’s the thickness of a £1 coin (-ish. When a 6yr old is rolling, we don’t fuss about perfection).

4. Using an oval cutter, a cardboard egg-shaped template, or – as we did – use a cookie cutter and a bottle top to make the outline of two circles, and then cut round them together with a knife to make egg-shaped biscuits, using rolled out trimmings to make more. Don’t worry about the circle marks on the top – they’ll be covered by icing anyway.

(Fluffy Bunner Slippers and too-short PJ’s are entirely optional for this part)

5. Place on baking trays and bake in the oven for 6-10 minutes, depending on size, until just golden brown. Ours took the full 10 minutes.

The recipe states ‘makes 18′ – we made 30, and they’re quite large biscuits. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the baking tray to cool completely.

6. Now for the fun part: to decorate, make up the royal icing as directed on the packet; we used the whole 500g pack as we had so many biscuits. Divide between 3-4 bowls adding a little food colouring to each bowl. Now just place the bowls plus the toppings on a table, and let the children loose with their imagination.

all set and ready to go

Five different easter-egg-y colours of icing, and an array of cake toppings.

Yes, even the teen couldn’t resist getting involved with a few.

Tubes of writing icing made fine decoration really easy

The dismissive don’t-fancy-baking-today boys also couldn’t resist the lure and spent a happy half an hour making some. None of them were a patch on the supremo 6yr old daughter though.

And just look what you end up with…

These biscuits will keep for between one and two weeks when stored in a sealed cake tin.

Thanks to Tesco for the ingredients - Easter Egg Biscuit Recipe from Tesco’s Real Food site.

New Ken Hom recipes, just for #EarthHour – Crackling Rice Paper Wrapped Salmon.

Posted on 20 Mar 2013 | 1 comment

These recipes from chef Ken Hom are in support of WWF Earth Hour.  The theme of this year’s Earth Hour is ‘Do It In The Dark’, so Ken Hom has created recipes people can share over a candlelit dinner during the hour. yesterday we showed you the Clay Pot Caramel Pork, but today we have a delicious wrapped salmon meal.

Rice paper rounds are made from a mixture of rice flour, water and salt.  Rolled out by a machine to paper thinness, they are then dried on bamboo mats in the sun, giving them their beautiful cross-hatch imprint or pattern.  They are available only in dry form.  They come in a round or triangular form that is dry, semi-transparent, thin and hard. They are very inexpensive and are available in many Chinese grocers and supermarkets and well worth the search.

Serves 4

Ingredients

450g (1 lb) boneless salmon fillet

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground 5 pepper mix

1 packet 22 cm (8 ½ in) Bánh Tráng dried rice paper rounds

4 large fresh sorrel leaves

16 fresh coriander leaves

2 tablespoons groundnut or peanut oil

1 fresh lemon cut into wedges, to serve

Method

1. Divide the salmon fillets into 4 equal pieces, about 7.5 cm x 7.5 cm (3 in x 3 in) pieces. Combine the salt and pepper and sprinkle the mixture evenly over the salmon pieces.

2. Fill a large bowl with hot water and dip one of the rice paper rounds in the water to soften, this will take but a few seconds. Remove and drain on a linen tea towel.  Put in the centre of the round two coriander leaves, then a piece of salmon, and finally 1 fresh sorrel leaf on top.

3. Fold the first edge over the ingredients, then fold in the sides.  Then fold the entire package in half, leaving a flap at the corner away from you.  Finally push the flap to secure the package.  Repeat until all the packages are filled.

4. Heat a large heavy frying pan over high heat until it is hot, then add the oil.  When the oil is hot, add the four packages and pan-fry on the seamless side for about 3 minutes or until they are golden brown. Turn over to the other side and continue to cook until these sides are also golden brown.

5.            Arrange the packages on a platter with fresh lemon wedges and serve at once.

New Ken Hom recipes, just for #EarthHour (are you joining in?) – Clay Pot Caramel Pork.

Posted on 19 Mar 2013 | 1 comment

WWF’s Earth Hour – Saturday 23rd March at 8.30pm 

Ken Hom has teamed up with WWF to provide three exclusive recipes for Earth Hour – here’s the first, a totally delicious-looking Caramel Pork that I cannot WAIT to try.

Clay Pot Caramel Pork

Serves 4

What You Need:

50g (1/3 cup) brown sugar slabs or ordinary brown sugar

(3/4 cup) chicken stock

6 tablespoons (1/3 cup) fish sauce

100g shallots, finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

3 spring onions, trimmed

450g pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 teaspoon black pepper

What you Do:

1. Cook the sugar in a heavy saucepan over a moderate heat until it starts to melt into a deep golden caramel. Pour in the stock and fish sauce. Add the shallots, garlic and the white part of the spring onions and simmer for 4 minutes.

2. Toss the pork with the black pepper and add to the sauce. Cover and simmer the pork over a low heat for 1¼  to 1½ hours until very tender.

3. Garnish with the spring onion’s green tops and serve at once.

The Perfect Lemonade Recipe

Posted on 28 May 2012 | 2 comments

Provided by The Linen Works – for us, it’s the Best Drink Ever on a hot day…
Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
¾ cup of sugar
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup lemon juice
3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Method
1. Make a simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.
2. While the sugar is dissolving, use the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.
3. Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. If you prefer the lemonade sweeter, add a little more sugar.
Serve with ice and sliced lemons and enjoy!
Serves 6.

If it were us, we'd be serving it up in the shade in these beautifully decorated stainless steel tableware from Kashmir.

Sunday Recipe – The Best Family Fruit Cake

Posted on 25 Mar 2012 | 5 comments

There are times when nothing will quite do but a bit of comfort baking (oh yes, we know for a fact half the nation is at it on a Sunday). And when I’m having one of *those* days weeks, there’s one recipe I head to first. It’s an old one from the classic Dairy Diary Book of Home Cookery – a recipe book which every kitchen should contain.  I remember my Mum regularly using the original 1968 version, I received a copy of the 1992 version as a wedding present, and this recipe is still in the latest 2011 edition.
Dead simple to throw together, no fancy schmancy ingredients I don’t already have in the cupboard (totally essential for Lazy Sunday Baking), and it’s unfailingly delicious. So if, like us, you’ve had a bit of a stressful one this week, fret no longer. Throw the ingredients in a bowl, mix em up, and let the magic sprinkle through your house as it cooks (does anything actually beat the smell of a fruit cake baking?). And honestly – one slice of this, still warm, with a scalding hot mug of tea, and the world will just seem that bit brighter. I promise.

Simple and delicious, the Family Fruit Cake

Serves 8 (but it’s go-o-o-od, so I often double the ingredients  and bake a big one which can last more than one day for my family)

Takes 20 mins to prep, 1h 15 mins  to bake.

Oven – 180ºC / 170ºC Fan / 350ºF / GM 4

What You Need:

225g (8oz) SR flour
100g (4oz) butter
100g (4oz) caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling.
100g (4oz) raisins or sultanas
(optional) 5ml (1tsp) grated lemon rind (if I have no lemons, I use 1tbs lemon curd instead which makes a wonderfully moist cake)
1 egg
75ml (5 tbs) milk

What you Do:

1. Prep a 15cm (6inch) round cake tin or a 450g (1lb) loaf tin by greasing and lining.
2. Sift flour into a bowl

3. 

   3. Rub butter into flour until it looks like breadcrumbs (I hate this job, and usually use the hand mixer).

4. 

   4. Add sugar, fruit & lemon rind, and lemon curd if using (do if you have some, makes it sticky-moist and lush)

5. 

   5. Mix using a metal spoon with egg and milk, do not beat, until evenly combined.

6. 

   6. Transfer to your prepared tin (I always stop to poke any ‘top’ raisins down a little and cover with mix to avoid that burnt raisin thing on top).

7. Sprinkle top with a little extra sugar if you like a crunchy topping.

8. 

   8. Bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until a skewer comes out clean (Fan ovens check it just after an hour).

9. Leave in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack.
   

   Cutting when hot will cause it to fall apart - restrain yourself until it is only slightly warm if at all possible.

10. Stores in an airtight container for a few days. If, you know, it got the chance.

(Baked using the Silicone Oblong Cake Pan from Lakeland, which as you can see did a MARVELLOUS job!)

The Great British Sunday – we know what you’re ALL doing…

Posted on 4 Mar 2012 | 2 comments

It always makes me smile that this is how our ‘Most Visited Posts’ page looks most Sundays…

A nation of Sunday Comfort Food cooks, perchance?

(by the way, if you’re looking for the deliciously yummy recipes you remember from your school days, you can see them here – School Dinners Recipes)

Sunday Recipe – Easy Dorset Apple Cake traybake

Posted on 13 Nov 2011 | 0 comments

Just perfect for a Sunday morning bakefest – so simple that my 4yr old does most of this herself.

What you need:

• 450g cooking apples (though I use any from the freezer, cookers or eaters)
• juice of ½ lemon
• 225g butter , softened
• 280g golden caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 350g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Demerara sugar, to sprinkle

How long it will take:

Prep 20 mins
Cook 50 mins

What You Do:

1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a rectangular baking tin (approx 27cm x 20cm) with parchment paper. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples then squeeze the lemon juice over. Set to one side.
2. Place the butter, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour and baking powder into a large bowl and mix well until smooth. Spread half the mixture into the prepared tin. Arrange the apples over the top of the mixture, then cover with remaining cake mix. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar.
3. Bake for 45-50 mins until golden and springy to the touch. Leave to cool for 10 mins, then turn out of tin and remove paper. Cut into bars or squares.
4. Will keep for a week in an air tight container, but best eaten whilst still warm with a dollop of clotted cream and a large pot of scalding hot tea. Nom nom nom.

FREE Food. Yes – we said FREE.

Posted on 20 Sep 2011 | 0 comments

At this time of year, you'll find us doing THIS quite a lot (no children were crushed in the making of this picture)

And we always have a bag or two in our pockets for these little juicies (it's a BUMPER crop this year, have you SEEN them all?). Weird how much small people LOVE berrying, isn't it?

But while we're out we ALWAYS look for this on the roadside. These apples were delicious eaters. And totally free. Yes - you just have to Pick Them Up. There is a glut this year, owners of apple trees are at a loss to store them all. How much would THAT little lot cost you in Sainsbury's?

And even when we go to do this...

There is a tree like THIS in the car park (cookers this time). Just hanging around, for the want of a good picking.

Three hours, one fab walk in the fields, one play in the park, one bag of blackberries (leaking juice all over the car), five bags of apples, and one bag of pears.

What are we going to DO with all those apples?

Ah.

Well…

Obviously some will be for pies/crumble/ Worlds Best Apple Cakes EVER… But most of them will be meeting a far messier end…

Sunday Recipe – Super lush coleslaw with raisins

Posted on 15 May 2011 | 0 comments

With the barbecue season upon us, I’m going to share my staple BBQ-gift food. Again, it’s another of those recipes which isn’t really a recipe, just something that my mother taught me, and which I make as a foolproof “ooh, that’s delicious” dish to share (and keep a large tub on the go in the fridge all summer). It IS the ultimate Barbecue accompaniment, but it’s also fab with salads, obviously, and just delicious in a sandwich too.

Coleslaw is one of those things you really ought to make yourself – I know you could say “why bother when I can just buy a tub?”. Well, honestly – shop-made pappy bland sloppy stuff? Making your own is so easy & so cheap that the question is really Why Wouldn’t You? Once you’ve tasted this, you’ll not eat the shop stuff again, honest. And this is just your base, there are so many variations you can make with it. These measurements are approximate – adjust according to your own taste.

Basic coleslaw of course is this recipe wihtout the raisins, but this is MY recipe, and mine ALWAYS has raisins in. So there.

Standard Coleslaw Recipe with Raisins.

Makes one large tub (2/3 a standard mixing bowl).

What you Need:

1/2 White Cabbage
1 Onion (I like to use red onion)
2 Medium Carrots
Raisins
2 heaped tbs Mayonnaise

What you do:

• In a large mixing bowl slice the cabbage finely (I find my ‘V’ slicer fab for this, or the ‘cheese slicer’ side of my grater, cutting across the layers to end up with fine shreds).
• Grate the carrot on top – I grate at an angle for longer shreds
• Add the onion diced VERY fine (again, I use the ‘V’ slicer)
• Add two large handfuls of raisins
• mix it all together with your hands
• Add the mayonnaise, and mix well with a large spoon – it’s dry at first, but keep mixing until everything is coated.
• You’re done!

Best eaten fresh on the same day while it’s really crunchy, but keeps for a few days in an airtight container.

Suggestions for variations (but use your imagination – it’s very hard to get it wrong):

• Add any/all of the following; celery, apple, cheese, all kinds of nuts, pineapple, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds.
• Halve the mayo and mix with creme fraiche or greek yogurt.

(If you don’t know what I mean by a V slicer, you can see them here – it’s an essential tool in my kitchen)

Sunday Baking – Laura’s Family Fruit Cake Recipe

Posted on 1 May 2011 | 5 comments

After the stressful week we’ve had, we felt seriously in need of some comfort baking. And actually, there’s only one recipe I reach for when I’m having one of *those* days weeks. It’s an old classic – a family fruit cake – which I’ve tweaked a bit over the years. Dead simple to throw together, no fancy schmancy ingredients I don’t already have in the cupboard (totally essential for Lazy Sunday Baking), and it’s unfailingly delicious. It’s also a great basis for all sorts of other favourites too – the alternatives are underneath, so don’t miss them.

So if, like us, you’ve had a bit of a stressful one this week, fret no longer. Throw the ingredients in a bowl, mix em up, and let the magic sprinkle through your house as it cooks (does anything actually beat the smell of a fruit cake baking?). And honestly – one slice of this, still warm, with a scalding hot mug of tea, and the world will just seem that bit brighter. I promise.

Laura’s Family Fruit Cake With A Twist of Lemon.

Serves 8 (but it’s go-o-o-od, so I usually double the ingredients  and bake a big one which can last more than one day for my family)

Takes 20 mins to prep, 1h 15 mins  to bake.

Oven – 180ºC / 170ºC Fan / 350ºF / GM 4

What You Need:

225g (8oz) SR flour
100g (4oz) butter
100g (4oz) caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling.
100g (4oz) raisins or sultanas
5ml (1tsp) grated lemon rind
(optional) 1tbs lemon curd
1 egg
75ml (5 tbs) milk

What you Do:

1. Prep a 15cm (6inch) round cake tin or a 450g (1lb) loaf tin by greasing and lining.
2. Sift flour into a bowl
3. rub butter into flour until it looks like breadcrumbs.
4. Add sugar, fruit & lemon rind,  and lemon curd if using (do if you have some, makes it sticky-moist and lush)
5. Mix using a metal spoon with egg and milk, do not beat, until evenly combined.
6. Transfer to your prepared tin (I always stop to poke any ‘top’ raisins down a little and cover with mix to avoid that burnt raisin thing on top).
7. Sprinkle top with a little extra sugar if you like a crunchy topping.
8. Bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until a skewer comes out clean (Fan ovens check it just after an hour).
9. Leave in tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack.
10. Stores in an airtight container for a few days. If, you know, it got the chance.

And here’s some idea for variations which have proved popular over the years:

Date & Walnut – add 5ml mixed spice to the flour. Omit lemon and fruit, and instead add 75g (3oz) chopped dates and 25g (1oz) chopped walnuts.

Cherry – add only 50g (2oz) raisins, and add 50g (2oz) chopped glace cherries.

Coconut & Lemon – Omit all fruit. Add 50g (2oz) desiccated coconut and increase lemon rind to 10ml (2tsp).

If you have any other variations, do share!

Best Pavlova Recipe – simple, delicious and NEVER fails

Posted on 23 Apr 2011 | 2 comments

I know we usually do a Sunday Recipe, but I thought today would be better for this one, as you can beetle out to get the few things you’ll need and make it as the perfect Easter Sunday Dessert. It really is the most amazing thing – and it’s funny, I didn’t make pavlova for years because I thought it was really hard and complicated. Not so! It’s dead easy. And universally popular – everyone always comes back for seconds, there really won’t be any leftovers.

Serves a family of 8 two moderate helpings each.

How long it will take:
20 minutes prep,
1hr baking,
10 minutes construction

What You Need:

For the Meringue:
4 medium egg whites
225g (8oz) caster sugar (I’ve used granulated before with no bad effects)
5ml (1tsp) Cornflour
2.5ml (1/2 tsp) White Wine Vinegar (I use any wine vinegar in the cupboard, red or white)
2.5ml (1/2 tsp) vanilla essence

Simple Topping:
Your choice of soft fruit – we LOVE raspberries and blueberries. But straight strawberries are good, as is a tropical topping with kiwi, banana and mango. The choice is yours: Three punnets of soft fruit is needed.
600ml Double Cream

What you Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 150ºC / 140ºC fan / 300ºF / GM 2.
2. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment, and draw round a dinner plate (20cm-ish circle) in the centre of the paper. Turn the paper over so the marking is underneath and won’t transfer to the meringue! (NB – I have used foil in a baking-paper-less crisis, and it worked just fine)
3. Place the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl and whisk them until stiff and dry.
4. Add the sugar, a spoon at a time, whisking until the mixture is smooth, glossy and holds stiff peaks.
5. Gently fold in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla with a large metal spoon.
6. Spoon the mixture onto the parchment. With the back of the metal spoon, spread it to just within the circle, making decorative swirls, leaving a shallow dip in the centre.
7. Bake for 1hr until the meringue base and sides are crisp. Leave to cool on a cake rack – cracking is totally normal as it cools.
8. Whilst it is cooking prep your topping; for the simple version, just whip your cream until it is nice and stiff, and chop any large fruit into bite size pieces.
9. Place the pavlova on a large serving plate and scatter with a couple of handfuls of your fruit.
10. Spoon the cream into the dip in the centre, spreading thickly and evenly almost to the edge
11. Arrange the rest of your fruits on top (I find topping it a fab job for small helpers)
12. Nom nom nom.

Alternative Special Topping:
Choice of soft fruit as before
25g (1oz) caster sugar
6 sprigs fresh mint
2 cinnamon sticks, halved
juice from 1 orange
450ml (16fl oz) Double Cream
150ml (5fl oz) Greek Yogurt

• For the Special Topping – Remove all stalks from fruit, halve/quarter any strawberries and place all in a large bowl together.
• Mix in the sugar, 3 minute sprigs, cinnamon sticks and orange juice
• Leave to stand for 2 hrs to infuse.
• Just before eating, whisk the cream until soft peaks form. Fold in the yogurt, and the mixture will thicken into stiff peaks.
• Add cream to the pavlova base as usual
• Drain the fruits (reserve the juice in a serving jug), discarding the mint leaves and cinnamon sticks.
• Spoon the fruit mixture over the cream mix
• As you serve, spoon a little juice over the fruit, and sprinkle with the remaining mint leaves.
• Serve with the reserved fruit juice.

Bummer. Forgot to Defrost.

Posted on 9 Apr 2011 | 0 comments

Yesterday afternoon I was supposed to be making steak pies for dinner… mmmmmm…. *sigh*. Forgot to get the steak out of the freezer. It’s 4pm. Wah!

So, as we all do in such situations, I raided the cupboard and fridge for whatever I’d got and invented! Here is my recipe for a simple but luscious work-with-what-you’ve-got pasta bake… and I’m going to call it…

Katy’s Forgot-To-Defrost Aubergine & Pancetta Pasta Bake

(for 4 people so scale for more or less)

Ingredients (measurements are very, very approximate);

Pancetta (100g-ish) – you could also use lardons or chopped up bits of bacon

1 Aubergine

1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes

2 Shallots

Dried Herbs (I used an Italian mix that’s heavy on the Oregano)

Fresh mozzerella (one packet – the type with the ball in water)

Mature Cheddar – grated (you can use whatever cheese you like/have) – I used about 150g but feel free to use more or less as you like.

Parmesan – a good sized chunk was grated to cover the top of the dish

Pasta – whatever shape you like – I used 300g for 4 people

Method (again, very approximate and ad hoc);

Cook the pasta in boiling water for about 8 minutes (timing will depend on the type of pasta you’re using). You don’t want it too soft because it’ll be doing more cooking in the oven later.

Chop up the shallots very finely.

Scoop out the inside of the aubergines and chop all that up finely too (discard the skins).

Fry off the pancetta, shallots and aubergine.

Once the pasta is cooked, plonk it all into a suitable pasta bake dish (I use a rectangle glass dish).

Add the pancetta, shallots, aubergine, tin of chopped tomatoes, dried herbs (good pinch or two) to the dish and mix it all up.

Rip or chop the mozzerella into bitesized morsels and scatter over the dish, sprinkle over the cheddar/cheese and mix them all in.

Finally, grate the parmesan all over the top, this will give a lovely crispy topping.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes at about 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. When the top is looking golden and it’s all smelling divine – serve and enjoy!

Oh, it went down well in our house with cries of “More! More!”. I’m going to try it again but add more aubergine I think and possibly a second tin of tomatoes. Definitely the kind of dish that you’ll welcome seeing in the fridge the next day when a boring old ham sandwich just won’t cut it.

If you give it a go let me know how it went.

Sunday Recipe – BEST Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe

Posted on 27 Mar 2011 | 2 comments

Thanks to the Archers, I’ve been wanting one of these all week. And today, feeling rather *cough* fragile (in a gin-and-dancing induced fashion), I succumbed. Oh, the joy. The sheer heavenly perfectness that is Lemon Drizzle Cake. Be careful though – one slice is just never enough. With a large mug of tea (and a hangover *ahem* ), TWO slices may not do it either.

*supposedly* Serves 10… (yuh. right.)

Prep Time – 15 minutes

Cooking time – 35 minutes

What you Need:
2 small lemons (unwaxed, scrubbed)
275g granulated sugar
175g butter, softened (plus some for tin greasing)
200g self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
3 large eggs

What You Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 ºC/fan 160ºC/Gas 4.
2. Line the base of a 900g (2lb) non-stick loaf tin with baking parchment and butter the tin well.
3. Finely grate the zest of the lemons.
4. Put 175g of the sugar in a food processor with the butter, flour, baking powder, eggs and lemon zest and blend on the pulse setting until the mixture is just combined and has a thick, smooth texture.
5. Spoon the cake batter into the prepared tin and level the surface.
6. Bake for 35 minutes or until well risen and pale golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 5 minutes.
8. Squeeze one of the lemons to get about 3 tablespoons of juice and mix this with the remaining 100g of granulated sugar.
9. Turn the cake out onto a wire rack set about a tray or plate. Remove the baking parchment and gently turn the cake the right way up.
10. Stab the cake with a skewer, making around 50 deep holes.
11. Slowly and gradually, spoon over half the lemon sugar, allowing it to thoroughly coat the top of the cake and drizzle down the sides.
12. Leave the cake to stand for 5 minutes, then do the same with the remaining lemon sugar.
13. Leave to set for at least an hour or until the sugar and lemon has crystallised.
14. Serve the cake in thick slices with a good strong cup of tea.
15. This cake actually improves on leaving for a day. So I’m told. Mine never seem to make it that far.

Sunday Recipe – School Dinners Jam and Coconut Sponge Squares.

Posted on 20 Mar 2011 | 8 comments

One of my own personal favourites, and as usual so easy you can whip it up yourself or easily cope with small helpers too. My bigger helpers can manage this one on their own. Of course, tray bakes are ideal for school/cubs/scouts/brownies/guides cake requests, but just as good when feeding a hungry horde. If you’re doing this one the proper school dinner way, it MUST be served with a lashing amount of thick custard of choice (try our school dinners pink custard perhaps).

Time to prep – 10 minutes

Time to Bake – 20 minutes

What you need:

• 8 oz butter
• 8 oz sugar
• 10 oz SR flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 4 eggs
• Jar of Red jam (Yes it must be red, it’s the rules. Seedless raspberry is best, we think)
• Pack of Desiccated Coconut

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4, Fan 170. Grease and line a roasting tin with greaseproof paper.
2. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy – an electric mixer is best for this. Add the eggs one at a time beating well with each addition. If the mixture starts to separate, add a little flour with the egg. Fold in the remaining flour and the baking powder.
3. Pour the mixture into the tin and level the surface. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until well-risen and golden, and coming away from the sides of the tin.
4. Turn the cake out of the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.
5. Spread your jam of choice over the top of the cake and sprinkle with desiccated coconut.
6. Cut into individual small cakes.
7. To be VERY popular, serve while still slightly warm with custard of choice.
8. Sit back and bask in the glow of approval.

You can see our other school dinners recipes here – the cornflake tart is a very popular choice.

Sunday Recipe – quick and easy Cheats Lasagne

Posted on 13 Mar 2011 | 1 comment

I very nearly didn’t post this – I hadn’t ever really considered it a ‘recipe’. But I mentioned it in passing to Katy and she “oooh-ed!” in glee at my genius, and went away and made it. So I mentioned it to another friend in the playground – three Mums overheard and there was a collective “OoooH! I know what I’M cooking for tea tonight!” from them, too.

So – maybe, just maybe, you’d like the ‘recipe’ too.

Stand by – it’s dead easy, totally yummy, but it’s NOT scientific, and it’s all about guesswork…

Serves Family of 6 (I usually double these ingredients and have 2nd day leftovers)

Time to Prep – 10 Minutes

Time to Bake – 40 Minutes

400F/200C/fan 180º/Mark 6

Ingredients

500g Minced Beef

1 onion, chopped

1 jar Bolognese Sauce of choice (We like Seeds of Change)

1 tub Creme Fraiche

1 slab of cheddar cheese

Pack dried lasagne sheets

Method

1. Brown the mince with the onion in a large pan, add the sauce and mix thoroughly. Leave pan to one side off the heat.
2. Place tub of creme fraiche in a pan, heat until it is melted.
3. Grate around three generous handfuls of cheese into the melted creme fraiche – the amount is up to how cheesy you like it – and mix thoroughly. You now have your meat sauce and your cheese sauce, and are ready to construct in the normal way:
4. In a large baking dish place a thin layer of the meat sauce.
5. Top with lasagne sheets – cover the sauce but try not to overlap.
6. drizzle some cheese sauce over the pasta sheets.
7. repeat steps 4-7 until you have used up your fillings as layers. Remember that the thinner the layers of sauce, the more pasta you have, and the sturdier the lasagne will be.
8. Finish off with a cheese sauce layer, and add a topping of grated cheese. Pop in the oven for 40 minutes or so, until the lasagne is golden and bubbling.
9. Serve with heaps of crunchy fresh salad.
10. (*whispers* 2nd day leftovers are rather popular when served with chips…)

And before you say anything yes, I do know I’ve just made an entire nation of Italians shudder. BUT. My 8yr old can make this unaided. It tastes delish. And it’s quick enough for an emergency hot meal on a school night. All of which means it’s good enough for us.

Tis Pancake Day again…

Posted on 8 Mar 2011 | 1 comment

(First published last year – but I plan on the same this evening!)

Okay – here it is. Our Pancake Day effort. This morning, tempted by some really very evil Tweets this morning, I decided the boys might like a change from their usual Golden Syrup-fest. So I surprised them with this :

Once the boys had polished off one each of these, only No.1 managed a 2nd. Boy went for his more usual plain (yes, as in just-the-pancake; no toppings at all. Odd child, I know), and Jolly had a mini one with his favourite maple syrup. Never before have they been contented with so few pancakes! Win!

Sunday Recipe – Easy (and lush!) Carrot & Pineapple Muffins

Posted on 6 Mar 2011 | 1 comment

Image © What's Cooking

This recipe is one of those I have jotted down on a scrap of paper, copied from a friend who had it from a friend… it never ever fails.(eta – I have since discovered this is actually an  Annabel Karmel recipe from her book Complete Party Planner)

Fably muffin-recipe-easy, and the only way I can get Jolly to voluntarily eat ANY kind of carrot. And they are so moist too; they never need storage instructions because they simply don’t last long enough…

Time to Mix – 10 minutes

Time to Cook – 25 minutes

Oven to 180ºC/ GM 4

200g (8oz) plain flour (Half and Half with white and wholemeal is lovely)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
200ml/7fl oz vegetable (or rapeseed) oil
100g (4oz) caster sugar
2 eggs
125g (4fl oz) finely grated carrots
225g/8oz tinned crushed pineapple, semi drained (I often chop/mush up tinned pineapple chunks)
100g (4oz) raisins

1. Sift ALL dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
2. Oil, sugar and eggs in another large bowl and beat until blended.
3. Add grated carrots, pineapple and raisins to the wet mix.
4. Slowly add dry mix into the wet, stirring just enough to combine (don’t worry about lumps).
5. Pour batter in to muffin cases and bake for 25 minutes (I find 20 in a fan oven is fine).

Sunday recipe – School Dinners Chocolate Concrete

Posted on 27 Feb 2011 | 18 comments

This is the recipe the Husband has been asking and asking for. Remember it? A hunk of hard chocolate deliciousness, smothered in the custard of choice. Happily, it’s so flippin EASY to make, it’s not really any wonder we all had it so often. I make it with a certain Pink 4yr old, and am only allowed to do the heavy mixing bit. It still takes less than ten minutes to get it into the oven.

So – here it is, the original real life genuine School Dinners 1970′s Chocolate Concrete recipe…

Time needed – 10 minutes prep (even when assisted by 4yr old), 45 minutes cooking.

•    160g/5 1/2 oz Butter
•    1 Egg
•    25g/1 oz Cocoa powder
•    225g/8 oz Self Raising flour
•    175g/6 oz Granulated sugar

Pre heat oven to gas mark 3/170ºC (160ºC fan)

Melt the butter in a pan – do NOT let it bubble and/or burn!

In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients together, so it looks like chocolate flour.

Make a well in the centre, and pour in the melted butter. Beat well (small hands will need help here) to combine.

Beat the egg and gently stir into the flour mixture.

Put the greasy doughy mixture into a greased 30cmx18cm (12″x7″) baking tray, gently press into the corners and flatten into the tin (the mix is quite stiff, and I often cheat and use 2/3 of a bigger tin. It holds it’s shape quite happily).

Brush with water and sprinkle with sugar.

Place in the top half of the oven for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 mins, then cut into required slices/pieces/hunks/slabs and place on a wire tray to cool.

You can eat it as it is – but if you want to be authentic, it really needs the School Dinners Pink Custard for true Comfort Pudding lushness.

If you really do need the recipe for a school, here’s an old one I found for 100 people:
5lb 4oz (84oz) self raising flour
4lb (64oz) margerine
3lb (48oz) sugar
5oz Cocoa Powder
8 Eggs

1. Mix Flour, Sugar & Cocoa Powder together
2. Melt Margerine but don’t let it boil, only melt
3. Pour into flour, sugar, cocoa you’ve already mixed well
4. Add Eggs slowly until you get the right consistency