Gill's Recipe Journal

Pampered Chef Party for my hen at home!

2013-05-04T12:31:00.000+01:00

As part of my hen party next weekend my lovely friend Kelly is doing a Pampered Chef party. It's a really fun home party with gorgeous kitchen products, no pressure to buy and as part of the party they will cook a couple of recipes to show and tell the products. So I thought this was a good opportunity to list some of their yummy recipes and some of their yummy products too. These are my favourites from their current recipe list:

To find out more please go to the Pampered Chef website:

And/or Kelly's Facebook page:

Plum & Rum Jam

2012-12-02T14:15:00.002+00:00

The most delicious jam with just three ingredients: Over ripe plums, same amount (by weight) of sugar (granuated, caster or jamming) and a shot of rum - yummy!

Nightmare accidental deletion from stupidly set up phone! - Warning!

2012-11-28T17:47:00.001+00:00

FYI - I use a Samsung Galaxy S2 and had to take the phone back to factory settings and delete everything in order to solve a battery life problem I was having. I, as part of this went into my gallery, on my phone and deleted all photos stored there so I could start a fresh. Little did I know that this would delete, and irreversibly!, all my Google picasa online albums, because it syncs with my Google account! This is where all my blog photos for both my blogs were stored and sourced from! And basically means that I am now going to have to individually re-upload all photos for both my blogs :(

This will take forever, but at least I have all these photos stored on my PC, but I will work through this when I can, best I can to try and reinstate each photo in turn. Please bare with me and please heed my warning, do not make the same mistake as me.

I have now gone through my Google account settings on my phone and un-ticked the box which states "sync with Google picasa" - in the phone it does not (STUPIDLY) separate your photos taken on your phone from the ones on your picasa online photo album - something that really should be addressed (@Samsung). Anyway, what's done is done, rant over on both blogs :) I just wanted to give an explanation as to why all my blog photos have disappeared.

xx

Abel & Cole Pesto

2012-10-06T15:11:00.004+01:00

My own version of Abel and Cole pesto made with kale, rocket, Parmesan garlic, olives, sun-dried tomatoes and oil from the jar and sunflower seeds, just taste tested and it's yummy! Now time to as it to left over roast chicken and pasta...

mixed with leaf over roast chicken, pepper and onion...

Add pasta...

Put the left over pesto in a jar.....

(it keeps in the fridge for a week)

Philly Meatball Pasta

2012-09-20T18:47:00.003+01:00

Seriously yummy dish, add sundried tomatoes for extra flavour and texture and kale to the pasta for extra greens and texture - both these additions work really well. Also you can you sausages out of their skins if you don't want to use pre-made meatballs, or left over burgers work well too.

Ingredients

300 g spaghetti/ or any other pasta

300 g ready-made meat balls/ or sausages

1 dsp sunflower oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

150 g Philadelphia Original

2 tsp wholegrain mustard or 1 tsp English mustard

approx. 75ml beef stock

Instructions

Fry the meatballs in a little oil until browned all over and cooked through. Remove the meatballs from the pan.

Add the onion to the frying pan and cook gently for several minutes to soften the onions.

Add the Philly to the onions with the stock (or a little water) and mustard. Gently heat until the Philly has melted then stir in the meatballs.

Meanwhile drain the pasta and divide between 4 pasta bowls. Top with the meatballs and spoon over the Philly sauce to serve.

Philly user tipsIf you've got any hints or tips for making this, or any of our other featured recipes, we want to hear from you. Please use the link below to drop us a line, and we will do our best to include your suggestions on the site.

Squash, goats cheese and walnut pasta

2012-08-26T19:07:00.001+01:00

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil
Butternut or kombucha or spaghetti squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g pasta
1 cup (8 ounces) soft goat cheese
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted in honey (see Cook's Note)
1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions

Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.

Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

Cook's Note:

To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.

Broccoli & Goats Cheese Soup - YUM!

2012-03-13T22:45:00.004+00:00

So I got my first Abel & Cole veg box this week and therefore had a bunch of veg which I wouldn't usually (actually one of my reasons for buying it, to challenge myself with different ingredients), so broccoli, not exactly exotic I know but not something I usually buy either and when I do I tend to just cook the same cheesy pasta and broccoli recipe which I found in Jamie at Home and haven't stopped cooking it since. It is delicious but it was time to try something different. I found this Broccoli with Goats Cheese recipe in one of my many 101 recipe Good Food books and liked the sound of all the ingredients so thought I would give it a go. Very impressed with the very yummy result, this is how I did it! (PS. I also love that you use every part of the broccoli, no waste at all!).

Ingredient

900.0g broccoli
50.0g butter
1 large onion , finely chopped
generous grating fresh nutmeg or ¼ tsp dried
1.0l vegetable or chicken stock
pint of semi skimmed milk
100.0g medium-soft goat's cheese , chopped (rind and all)
a splash of sherry

Enough for 4 for lunch or 6 as a starter

Preparation and cooking times

Takes 40-50 minutes

Chop the broccoli stalks and florets, but keep them separate. Melt the butter in a pan, then add the onion, broccoli stalks and nutmeg and fry for 5 minutes until soft. Add the broccoli florets and stock, then the milk. Cover and simmer gently for 8 minutes until the broccoli is tender.
Splash in a little sherry to make everything golden and take the carmelisation off the bottom of the pan
Blend with a hand blender, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste (The soup will keep in the fridge for 2 days or you can cool and freeze it and keep the croutons in a plastic food bag.)
To serve, reheat if necessary and scatter with croutons and goat's cheese.

Per serving

435 kcalories, protein 23.0g, carbohydrate 24.0g, fat 28.0 g, saturated fat 15.0g, fibre 7.0g, salt 1.99 g

A nice gift idea...

2011-12-31T17:48:00.000+00:00

I saw these at the Spirit of Christmas fair in London and liked them so much I made and gave them as several gifts.

Buy some vintage jars and fill them with layers of all the dry ingredients for your favourite cake or cookie. Then attach a gift card with the recipe attached. The one I used is written below:

Ingredients

175g plain flour , plus extra for dusting
½ tsp baking powder
85g porridge oats
175g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
140g butter , chopped (you will need to add this)
70g dried raisins
1 egg , beaten (you will need to add this)

Tip the flour, baking powder, oats, sugar and cinnamon into a bowl, then mix well with your hands. Add the butter, then rub it into the mixture until it has disappeared.
Stir in the blueberries and pecans, add the egg, then mix well with a cutlery knife or wooden spoon until it all comes together in a big ball.
Spoon teaspoon sized dollops, evenly spread onto a baking sheet
Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/ gas 4. Bake for 14 mins golden, leave on the trays to harden, then cool completely on a wire rack before tucking in.

Job done! Lovely and great value gift. :)

My first attempt at Cranberry Sauce (adapted from Nigella)

2011-12-31T17:29:00.000+00:00

Can't actually believe I haven't tried to make this before, and can't believe that anyone buys the ready made stuff now I know how easy it is to make!

It makes a really great addition to Christmas hamper presents as well.

I used Nigella's recipe below as my guide, but had to work out the measurements as I had bought 3 small crates of cranberries so I had to work it on percentages, but it seemed to work fine. I also didn't have any Cherry Brandy so I just used regular brandy in its place. Preserving really is one of the most therapeutic and satisfying pass times and cranberries are the most beautiful festive colour too, I imagine even more so if you have picked the fruit yourself, that is my challenge for next year.... Anyway here is the recipe and the photos below:

Ingredients

1 x 340g pack fresh cranberries
200g caster sugar
45ml cherry brandy
75ml water

Method

Serves: 8-10

Put everything into a pan and let it bubble away until the berries start to pop,stirring every now and again with a wooden spoon. This will take about 10minutes.
The one thing you should bear in mind, though, is that the pectin-rich nature of the fruit means it solidifies enormously on cooling, so although it will be cooked when the berries have burst, it will still look runnier than you think cranberry sauce should.
At this stage, give the sauce a final, vicious, whipping stir to help crush the berries into the liquid, and taste – making sure not to burn your mouth – to check whether it needs more sugar; if you find it too sweet, which is unlikely,just spritz in some lemon juice. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
If you cook this sauce way in advance, it will jellify a lot so thrash it through with a fork before serving.

MAKE AHEAD TIP:
Make the sauce up to 1 week ahead. Cover and keep in the fridge. Stir well before serving.
FREEZE AHEAD TIP:
Make and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight at room temperature. Stir well before serving.

Butternut Squash & Goat’s Cheese Lasagne (adapted from Nigella Christmas recipe)

2011-12-31T16:59:00.000+00:00

I was looking through my cook books for something festive and tasty to cook for my girls the other day, as there were going to be 7 of us for a festive meal later that week, when I came across Nigella's Pumpkin & Goats Cheese Lasagne in her Nigella Christmas Book.

I exchange the pumpkin for a butternut squash as I couldn't get a pumpkin and I knew they were part of the same family. Other than that - I split the recipe in half as her original version was to serve 12. I would really recommend this recipe and would definitely cook it again. The rich cheese was perfectly complemented by the freshness of the squash and all my girls loved it too.

Serves 12-15

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PUMPKIN FILLING

2 x 15ml tablespoons olive oil
30g unsalted butter
8 sage leaves
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2.2kg pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into 3cm rough cubes (this is about half a decent-sized pumpkin – a proper eating one, not the Hallowe’en kind. When prepared, it yields just under 2 kilos)
75ml vermouth or white wine
60ml water
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper

FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE

1 x 700g (700ml) bottle passata
500ml water
2 x 15ml tablespoons sugar
2 x 15ml tablespoons Maldon salt or 1 x 15ml tablespoon table salt
good grinding of pepper

FOR THE CHEESE LAYER

450g soft fresh goat’s cheese
500g ricotta cheese
3 large organic eggs
good grating of fresh nutmeg

TO ASSEMBLE

2 x 300g packets fresh lasagne sheets, 600g total
2 balls mozzarella
125g pine nuts toasted in a hot
dry pan
salt and pepper

NOTE
I use a soft goat’s cheese log, sold
as Chevrissime blanc, that has
no skin and a texture more like that
of a goat’s curd cheese.

METHOD

To make the pumpkin filling: heat the oil and butter in a shallow casserole and fry the sage leaves over a gentle heat for about 2 minutes. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the pan and fry very gently for another 10 minutes or so. Add the pumpkin pieces, turn well in the oniony oil and, after about 5 minutes, add the vermouth (or wine), the water and chopped tomatoes. Simmer, covered, for an hour, stirring occasionally so the pumpkin cooks evenly. Taste for seasoning – I tend to add quite a bit of salt here – and leave to cool.
For the tomato sauce: simply pour the passata and water into a large jug or bowl, and stir in the sugar, salt and pepper, whisking it all together.
To make up the cheese layer: in a separate bowl beat the goat’s cheese and ricotta with the eggs, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400F/gas 6, slipping in a baking sheet as you do.
To assemble the lasagne, begin by putting 500ml of the cold tomato sauce in the bottom of a roasting tin (measuring approx 36cm x 26cm x 6cm). Then layer with a third of the lasagne sheets, overlapping them well (Italians do it with the tin horizontal but the pasta vertical, if that makes sense, but I don’t know that it truly matters). Leave the rest of the tomato sauce aside for the time being.
Layer a third of the pumpkin filling over the lasagne, and dollop on a third of the cheese mixture, coaxing with a rubber spatula. It won’t cover completely; think more of spreading blobs about. Then start again with a layer of lasagne, followed by pumpkin, then the cheese. Repeat once more – lasagne, pumpkin, and the last of the cheese mixture. Pour the remaining cold tomato sauce over, letting it sink down and be absorbed in the layers. Slice and chop the mozzarella balls and dot over the top.
Cook in the oven, on the baking sheet, for 1 hour. Once cooked, take out of the oven and let it stand for 15-30 minutes to make cutting and serving easier. (I love this when it’s been standing for an hour or so, too.) As you cut and slice, you will notice a shallow tomatoey cheesy pool at the bottom of the tin; bread dunked into this is gorgeous.
Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts over the lasagne, and cut into squares to serve.

MAKE AHEAD TIP Up to 2 days ahead, make the pumpkin filling, leave to cool and keep, covered, in the fridge. Make the cheese layer and keep, covered, in the fridge. When ready to use, assemble the lasagne and cook as directed.

FREEZE AHEAD TIP Cook, cool and freeze the cooked pumpkin for up to 1 week. Thaw overnight in the fridge. When ready to use, assemble the lasagne and cook as directed.

THIS REALLY IS A BEAST TO CHOP UP!

I JUST LOVE THE COLOUR OF SQUASHES

I ADDED SOME FRESH TOMATOES TO THE TOP FOR EXTRA JUICINESS

Pumpkin Soup (based on Valentine Warner's recipe - with a couple of adaptions)

2011-11-13T21:20:00.001+00:00

We had a Halloween evening round my friend Anna's a couple of weeks ago and after the pumpkin competition there was a pumpkin left over which I was allowed to take home. I had seen this Valentine Warner recipe for Pumpkin Soup a week or so before on Saturday Kitchen and had been meaning to try it since. Made a couple of changes to the original recipe - but it was/is so yummy!

Here's how I did it:

Ingredients

1 x 4kg/8lb 13oz pumpkin
125g/4oz butter
2 medium onions, peeled, finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick (or ground cinnamon)
freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.7 litres/3 pints chicken stock (vegetarians may substitute vegetable stock) - adapt this depending on how big your pumpkin is, I used an average tupperware container or pre made chicken stock, but did add an extra bit of boiling water and a vegetable stock cube later on.
3 tablespoons sherry (or port or wine - whatever you have handy)

organic vegetable stock cube

good splash of milk (optional)

Preparation method

Cut the top off the pumpkin and set aside. Scoop out the seeds and fibres from the middle, save seeds (as there are so many things you can do with them, not least grow more pumpkins!)
Peel then dice the whole of the pumpkin.
Melt the butter in a large pan with a lid over a low heat and add the onions. Cook the onions gently for 10-15 minutes, until they are softened and golden-brown.
Add the pumpkin flesh, the cinnamon and nutmeg, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Increase the heat to medium and cover with the lid. Cook for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the base from burning, until the pumpkin is cooked through.
Add the stock and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Transfer the soup to a food processor in batches and blend until smooth or use electric hand blender, I did this and found it easier as it meant I didn't have to remove from the pan, nice and easy.
Return the soup to the pan (if you did choose to remove it) and bring to a low simmer and cook for a further half an hour.
Add sherry (or port or wine) and about another 100 to 200ml of boiling water and an organic vegetable stock cube. I did this second part after taste testing and deciding to change the recipe to suit a little bit as a result. It's so easy to cook without testing but if you do you will really learn what flavours you like and what seasoning you like and in my opinion become a better cook as a result - so give it a go!
Serve and enjoy! - (this soup also works very well reheated). Also if you want to bulk it up a little add some milk to give it a really lovely creamy texture.

Italian cookery course (Birthday present from my Mummy)

2011-11-05T00:35:00.000+00:00

It's taken me ages to post these pictures. My Mum got me a fabulous birthday gift this year of going to a local cookery school (Inspired Gourmet) and doing an Italian cookery course.

The evening consisted of cooking a three course, pretty elaborate, meal from scratch, learning lots of new skills along the way and then sitting in their lovely dining area to tuck in.

For Starters we did: Scallops wrapped in bacon and basil

For Mains we did: Pork fillet topped with balsamic onions and fennel gratin

For Desert we did: Peppered Strawberries with Italian Vanilla Custard

We had so much fun as you can see from the photos below. Inspired Gourmet do all sorts of different courses and I would definitely go back to do another course, given the opportunity. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, as did Mum...

Apple Chutney!

2011-09-04T20:25:00.000+01:00

My parents bought some apple trees last year and so this year they had their first harvest, of so many apples I don't think they knew what to do with them! So Mum delivered me a bucket load of home grown apples to my delight last weekend! Right - time to give preserving a go....

I bought my first preserving book last year.

I have always loved the idea of it and have been meaning to have a go for a while. I also have a plan to make Christmas hampers full of these kind of things this year for friends and family so this looked to be the perfect opportunity to try...

Having looked through the book at all the possibilities of things to do with apples I concluded that this recipe...

...for Apple, sultana and date chutney (or at least an adaption of it) was the best way to go as I already had all of the ingredients or at least subsitutes for the things I didn't in the pantry.

Here's how I did it...

I started off by peeling, chopping and coring all the apples...

I then weighed them and found that I had around half of what the recipe stated, so I then halved all the quantities of all the other ingredients too.

I found a suitable pan for everything to fit and cook in...

I went for my faithful stock pot which I have had for so many years now, I bought when I was a student on eBay for around £10 and it has been one of my most useful and reliable pans ever since, perfect for soups, pasta, especially spaghetti and now preserving too!

I then added the following....


2 ONIONS

DICED

2CM OF ROUTE GINGER

DICED

AROUND 50G OF RAISINS (IN PLACE OF THE SULTANAS AS THEY WERE WHAT I HAD IN)

AROUND 50G OF PRUNES

DICED

THEN HALF A TEA SPOON OF MUSTARD SEED

Then I gave it all a good stir together before adding....


500ML OF VINEGAR, WHITE BALSAMIC INSTEAD OF CIDER AS IT WAS WHAT I HAD IN


AND FINALLY 250G OF GRANULATED SUGAR

I then gave it all a good stir again and brought it up to the boil before leaving it all to simmer for 1 & 1/2 hrs with the lid on.

This is what it looked like when I came back....

It suggested in the recipe that you should stir for the last 5 minutes of the cooking time, so that is what I did.

Once it had cooled a little I divided it up in my jam jars using my jam funnel (an incredibly useful item which every kitchen should have)...

I then labelled them all using some of my lovely Cath Kidston labels...

Job done! So pleased with the result. Recipe states to store for a month before using for the best results so that's what I intend to do....

I could really get into this preserving thing! Please let me know what you think.... I always love to hear from you. xx

Chicken Soup for the Soul - with a few added extras!

2011-09-04T15:02:00.000+01:00

Chicken Soup is still one of my most comforting comfort foods, and when I'm feeling a little under the weather there is nothing better to make me feel so much better too. My Grandma Jo started the tradition of chicken soup in my lifetime and then my Mum carried it on from there. They would both refer to it as Jewish penicillin due to its healing properties, and placebo or not placebo it always seems to work for me when I am feeling one degree under. Here is my basic method for chicken soup - but tonight I'm going to add a bunch of extra ingredients to make it into a proper meal... it's still cooking right now but smells yummy and as it is at the simmering stage I thought I would take the time to blog the method whilst I was waiting for it to finish cooking. I hasten to add all of this is complete guess work so I just hope it tastes as yummy as it smells as I'm getting seriously hungry....

So I started with frozen batch of home-made chicken soup which I knew I had in the freezer (defrosted in the microwave for 5 minutes before adding straight to the pan to defrost fully and warm through)...

To this I added 2 carrots...

Half a pepper (diced)

Half an onion (diced)

Handful of runner beans from Mum & Dad's garden (diced)

2 small courgette, also from Mum & Dad's garden (diced)

2 of these handfuls of brown spaghetti, snapped in half

1 glove of garlic (crushed)

A good grind of both salt and pepper

Chopped fresh herbs from our garden (I used thyme, basil, chives and oregano, but whatever you have would be fine)

All the lovely ingredients now in the pan....

Bring to the boil....

Then place the lid on and leave to simmer for an hour or so...

After a taste test I then decided to add an organic vegatable stock cube (this is fine as there is nothing artificial in it at all so all it does is add a little more natural flavour)

I also added a swig of milk (modelled here by my Adam)

Done!

It was absolutely gorgeous, so nourishing and really filling too. I even, once cooled, kept a second portion in the fridge and heated it up for dinner the following day, the flavours had only intensified and it was even yummier again! So please with the result. Completely made up method - definitely one I will cook again and again!

Cupcake Tower!

2011-07-19T13:23:00.000+01:00

Love this crafting project featured on Annie's Eats. Looks relatively simple to make too....

From this:

To this:

DESERTS: Rum Balls

2011-06-22T17:15:00.001+01:00

Another one to try from my lovely friend Cat....

Rumballs

1.) 2 pkt Marie biscuits

2.) 2 tin condensed milk

3.) 1/2 cup cocoa

4.) 2 cups coconut +

5.) a couple of tiny drops of white rum (optional) I prefer without.

Crush 1.) to resemble fine crumbs. Mix in 2.), 3.) & 1 cup of coconut, mix well until all ingredients are fully combined, moist & sticky ;)))

Using a desert spoon or teaspoon, scoop small (bite size) spoon fulls & drop into a large dish of the remaining coconut, (hint: keep a cup of boiling water handy, for dipping the spoon, this will help the mixture slide easily of the spoon)

Coat each chocolate ball thoroughly in coconut and roll firm in the palms of your hands.. It gets messy, so you'll need to stop & wash a few times...

makes about 40.. & you can eat them all in a day! ;-)))

CAKES, BAKES & COOKIES: Chocolate & Ginger Cake (to try)

2011-06-22T17:12:00.001+01:00

My dear friend Cat just sent me this recipe that I definitely want to try, so I thought I would post before I go and lose it....

Chocolate Ginger Cake

One Christmas, Margaret Ruhl created this recipe as a surprise for her husband who is a connoisseur of chocolate-coated ginger. It tastes and looks fantastic with spikes of ginger rising up out of the icing and is an absolute must for any ginger and chocolate fiend.

Preparation time:	15 minutes
Cooking time:	1 hour
Use:	18 or 20cm (7in or 8in) round cake tin

CAKE

150g (5oz) caster sugar
150g (5oz) unsalted butter
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons of syrup from a jar of stem ginger
150g (5oz) self-raising flour
35g (11/4 oz) cocoa powder
100g (31/2 oz) stem ginger, finely chopped

ICING

100g (31/2 oz) crystallised ginger
100g (31/2 oz) dark chocolate, minimum 60% cocoa solids, broken into pieces

To make the cake, preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Line the base of the cake tin with greaseproof paper. Cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the stem ginger syrup, and lightly beat again. Sift the flour and cocoa, fold them into the mixture, then fold in the finely chopped stem ginger.
Pour into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack, leaving the paper on. Allow to cool before making the icing.
To make the icing, finely chop the ginger. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Add the ginger and stir well. Once the cake has cooled pour the icing over the cake using a palette knife to spread it.
HINT: This cake is just as delicious with melted Maya Gold Chocolate poured over it.

I'll of course let you know once I've tried it, how it turns out. x

CAKES, BAKES & COOKIES: Nigella Flourless Chocolate Lime Cake (with Margarita Cream)

2011-06-13T19:33:00.000+01:00

Adam's Mum, Jacky, cooks this cake fairly frequently and it is just divine! It is definitely on my list of ones to try for myself. I will update this post when I get round to doing it at last but for now, here's the recipe (source: Nigella.com)

Ingredients

CAKE

150g dark chocolate, chopped
150g soft unsalted butter, plus some for greasing
6 eggs
250g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
4 teaspoons best-quality cocoa powder, sifted zest and juice 1 lime icing sugar, to dust (optional)
1 x 23cm springform or other round cake tin

MARGARITA CREAM

60ml lime juice (2-3 limes) or from a squeezy bottle
1x15 ml tablespoon tequila
1x15 ml tablespoon triple sec or Cointreau
75g icing sugar
250ml double cream

Method

Serves: 8-10

Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4, line the base of your cake tin with baking parchment and butter the sides.
Melt the chocolate and butter together either in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, or in a microwave (following manufacturer’s instructions), then set aside to cool slightly.
Beat the eggs and sugar together until about tripled in volume, pale and moussy. I do this using a freestanding mixer, but a hand-held electric model would be just fine too; obviously, by hand is possible but would demand tenacity and muscle.
Mix the ground almonds with the cocoa powder and fold this gently into the egg and sugar mixture, followed by the slightly cooled chocolate and butter. Finally, fold in the zest and juice of your lime.
Pour and scrape this mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 40–45 minutes (though start to check at 35); the cake will be just firm on top, but still have a bit of wobble underneath.
Remove from the oven and sit the cake in its tin on a wire rack to cool. Once the first heat has left it, drape a clean tea towel over the cake to stop it getting too crusty, though a cracked and cratered surface is to be expected; it’s crunch I’m avoiding here.
When cold, unmould, dust with icing sugar if you wish and serve with the jaunty Margarita Cream that follows.

MARGARITA CREAM

Stir the lime juice, tequila and orange liqueur togather in a good-sized bowl, then whisk or fork in the icing sugar and let it dissolve in the sour, strong liquid.
Slowly whisk in the double cream and keep whisking until you have a light, floaty, aerated mixture, then serve with the Chocolate Lime Cake above.

CAKES, BAKES & COOKIES: Yummy Scrummy Carrot Cake

2011-06-11T16:55:00.001+01:00

This has to be one of my favourite cakes, I found it on Good Food Magazine's website - it is just so yummy every time. The only changes which I make to the recipe is that I tend to use Lemon in the place of Orange and Standard Soft Brown Sugar in the of Muscovado...

Ingredients....

175g light muscovado sugar
175ml sunflower oil
3 large eggs , lightly beaten
140g grated carrots (about 3 medium)
100g raisins
grated zest of 1 large orange
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated will give you the best flavour)

Method...

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment. The easiest way to do this is to cut two long strips the width of the tin and put each strip crossways, covering the base and sides of the tin, with a double layer in the base.
Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.
Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl. Lightly mix all the ingredients - when everything is evenly amalgamated stop mixing. The mixture will be fairly soft and almost runny.
Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. (You can freeze the cake at this point.)
Beat together the frosting ingredients in a small bowl until smooth - you want the icing about as runny as single cream. Set the cake on a serving plate and boldly drizzle the icing back and forth in diagonal lines over the top, letting it drip down the sides.

I've actually fallen in love with these flower cupcakes!!

2011-06-10T09:24:00.000+01:00

Not that I could probably make them in a million years but they are just the prettiest things I have ever seen so I did just have to, HAVE TO, post them....


Featured on Emmaline Bride

And these ones too, also featured on Emmaline Bride

More Fabulous Cupcakes this time featured on Belle Maison

Mediterranean stuffed peppers (adapted from BBC good food)

2011-06-07T21:11:00.000+01:00

Here is the link to the original recipe which inspired me on BBC Good Food...

And here is what I did with it...

PRESERVES: Onion Chutney Recipe which I must try at some point soon...

2011-05-07T23:35:00.000+01:00

Easiest thing ever :)...

Used 12 red onions, chopped them (I used quite chunky pieces) put them in a pot with some olive (or sunflower) oil and cook them until tender, then I added 3 cups (or 22 table spoons) of brown sugar (white one works, too) and 500ml of vinegar (used red wine as it was cheap but sherry or balsamico works,too), some bay leaves, 15 crushed pepper corns and then let it simmer for around 1.5-2 hours until it has nice chutney consistence. (you can also add some garlic, mustard or cranberry jelly). Then when still warm put it in sterilised jar)
This made one big jar of chutney. Tomorrow I will try to make pumpkin apple cognac cinnamon jam :) a bit in preserving mood at the moment

Shopping list:
12 red onions (got them for 1 pound)
1 bottle of re wine vinegar (1.19 pound)
Pack of brown sugar
Bay leaves
Black pepper corns

As donated by my lovely friend Christina...

SHOPPING: Excellent value funky hand mixer by Bodum

2011-02-25T10:50:00.000+00:00

Going to get myself one of these in March.

The cheapest that I have found it is at this online store Posh Rosh @ £29.95 with £4.99 shipping totalling £34.94 - which I don't think is bad at all.

Bodum Electric hand mixer

Bodum Bistro Electric Hand Mixer, Green - 11151-565:
Why bring out the big guns when a little whipping is all it takes? Clumsy machines are too complicated 
to use, a big mess to clean, and can leave you wondering if it was worth the effort. This handy little mixer 
can handle anything from whipped cream to mashed potatoes, kneading bread dough or mixing cake batters. 
The powerful 5-speed Bistro Hand Mixer is made from stainless steel, plastic, rubber and silicone. It not 
only looks fabulous, it takes care of business. It makes your mixing chores feel more like fun and less like work. 
The cord rolls up inside the mixer for easy storage. 

- Powerful motor with ergonomically designed handle for comfort and control
- Push button power control for easy, one-handed blending
- Includes 3 stainless steel attachments to mix, blend and puree.

Speed Settings:
- Step 0: Appliance is switced off
- Step 1: For mixing and kneading dough
- Step 2: For sauces and blancmange, flans, etc.
- Step 3: For a variety of baking mixtures.
- Step 4: For beating butter and sugar, biscuit doughs, cake mixes and icing mixtures.
- Step 5: For incorporating air into mixture to make it light and fluffy, such as mashed potatoes or eggs.

Recipe for Happy Children. A Happy Home Recipe. To Preserve a Husband

2011-01-31T12:14:00.000+00:00

This first one, or something very like it, was printed on the inside of my Grandma's Recipe Box, which I hope to inherit one day but I love the other two recipes/poems too:

RECIPE FOR HAPPY CHILDREN

1 lg field 1 pinch of brook

6 children, mixed sizes A few pebbles

2-3 dogs

Mix children and dogs well together and put them in a field, stirring constantly. Pour the brook over the pebbles. Sprinkle the field with flowers. Spread blue sky over all and bake in the hot sun. When children are very brown, they should be set in the bathtub to cool

A HAPPY HOME RECIPE

Take love and loyalty, mix thoroughly with faith. Blend it with tenderness, kindness and understanding. Add friendship and hope. Sprinkle abundantly with laughter. Bake it with sunshine and serve generous helpings daily.

TO PRESERVE A HUSBAND

Be careful in your selection, do not choose one too young, and take only such varieties as have been raised in a moral atmosphere. When once decided upon and selected, let that part remain forever and settled and give your entire time and thought to domestic use. Some insisit on keeping them in a pickle while other are constantly keeping them in hot water. But even poor varieties may be made sweet and good by garnishing with patience, well sweetened with smiles and flavored with kisses to taste. Then wrap them up in a mantle of charity, keep warm with a steady flow of devotion and serve with peaches and cream. When thus prepared, they will keep for years

Gizzi's healthy pasta (with some adaptations)

2011-01-30T23:17:00.000+00:00

I am a big fan of Gizzi, she takes regular recipes and reinvents them in a healthier less fatterning way.

This is the second time I have cooked her Chicken, Courgette and Lemon Pasta Bake and I did make a couple of adaptions but I will highlight these as I write.

Here's the recipe:

Serves 4

Preparation time 10 minutes

Cooking time 35 minutes

Nutritional Breakdown

Chicken, Courgette and Lemon Pasta Bake – 596kcals and 18.1g of fat per serving

Ingredients

• 4 large portabella mushrooms (or whatever mushrooms you have)

• 350g dried linguine (or whatever pasta you have)

• 300g courgette, grated

• 300ml low fat crème fraiche

• 200ml low fat Greek yoghurt

• 1 large free-range egg yolk

• 35g Parmesan cheese

• zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 200g cold roast chicken, shredded (or a couple of pre-cooked chicken breasts)

• A small bunch of fresh chives, snipped (a handful of fresh rocket works very well here too)

Method

If you are pre-cooking chicken breasts as an alternative to using left over roast meat then do this in a small frying pan on a high heat with a couple of spritzs of olive oil and some garlic (nb. doesn't matter if the meat isn't cooked all the way through at this point because you will cut it and then add it to the rest of the ingredients to cook again in the main pan later in the recipe).

Heat the oven to 200C. Heat a pan and spritz in a few spritzes of olive oil. Fry the mushrooms then remove from the pan and set aside. Fry the grated courgette for a couple of minutes. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet, but cook it for a minute or two less so it’s a little underdone.

Meanwhile mix together the crème fraiche, yoghurt, egg yolk, Parmesan, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

Drain the cooked pasta, leaving a few tablespoons of water in the bottom of the pan. Return the pan to a low heat and pour in the sauce.

Toss the pasta in the sauce, then add the roast chicken and chives, giving it all a good mix round until it’s evenly incorporated.