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Lamingtons

07 Feb

A Lamington is one of Australia’s national dishes (although dish is probably an overstatement). It is nothing more than a square sponge cake coated in chocolate and dessiccated coconut. For best results use génoise cake… i.e. the sponge used for trifle sponges, ladyfingers, swiss rolls because it has an elastic texture. The génoise recipe here is from 1884….it works better than other recipes I saw the net.

Lamingtons

Ingredients:

8oz/225g plain flour

8oz/225g sugar

4 eggs

4oz/112.5g butter, melted

200-250g plain chocolate, melted

150g dessicated coconut.

Method:

1)Work together briskly in a basin the flour, the sugar, and the eggs.

2) Stir for about 5 minutes before adding the melted butter

3) Line and grease a square baking tin. Pour in the batter.

4) Place in a moderate oven (180C) for about 30 minutes until golden and springy.

5) Whilst still warm, roll flat and cut into squares. Leave to cool.

6) Melt the chocolate, and place the dessicated coconut in a shallow bowl. Coat the sponge squares in the chocolate and then roll in the coconute. Leave to set on a wire rack.

7) When set, store in an airtight container.

 
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Posted in Desserts, quick

 

Elstro’s Christmas Cake

03 Jan

Hey, happy new year to all! And what better way to start 2011 than a recipe for Christmas cake? I posted this on my blog page as November 21′s NaPoBloMo entry, and because it was Stir-Up Sunday. I know you won’t be using this for another 10 months at the earliest!

This is my recipe for traditional Christmas cake, it’s deliciously moist and will keep for a good long while. As I post this (January 3rd), I still have half of mine left – it hasn’t dried out at all. Of course, you don’t have to wait until the fall to make this, it’s an excellent fruit cake, and could be a fab birthday or celebration cake too. Or if you fancy a weekend to yourself, this is perfect with your afternoon brew slobbed out in front of the sofa or laptop.

Ingredients:

12oz plain flour
4oz ground almonds
1 tsp mixed spice
some grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
8oz chopped dates
8oz sultanas
8oz raisins
4oz chopped glace cherries
approx 3tbsp brandy
approx 2 tbsp Fino sherry
6 eggs, beaten with 1 tbsp milk
8oz butter
8oz brown soft sugar
1 tbsp black treacle
Grated zest of a clementine/satsuma (optional)

Method:

1. Soak fruit in brandy and sherry and macerate for about 1 hour.

2. In one bowl mix together the dry ingredients – flour, almonds and spices.

3. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until soft and fluffy. Gradually beat in the beaten egg and milk mixture – it may curdle, but don’t worry about this too much.

4. Beat in the dry ingredients until combined.

5. Add the fruit into the mixture, along with the treacle, and, if using, the citrus zest. Combine.

6. Grease and line a square or round cake tin, and pour in the cake batter. Smooth the top with the back of a spoon. To prevent the cake from burning, make sure the baking paper around the edge is a reasonable amount above the rim of the tin.

7. Bake in a preheated oven for one hour at 180 degrees Centigrade.

8. After this first hour, reduce heat to 150, and bake for 2-3 hours (less time for fan ovens), or until a skewer/knife inserted in the centre comes out clean. Check periodically.

9. When cake has completely cooled, pierce it with a skewer and pour over some more brandy or sherry. Allow it soak in, then, wrap in tin foil and store in cool place in an airtight container.

10. Repeat this every 10 days or so, depending on how moist/boozy you want the cake to be. The longer it matures, the better.

11. Ice it how you wish, the traditional method being wrapping it in a layer of marzipan and then white royal icing.

 
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Posted in Christmas, Desserts

 

Stollenkranz von Dresden

21 Dec

The Germans definitely know how to celebrate Christmas, lebkuchen, Aachener printen, gluhwein, christkindlmarkts….they definitely have us licked for sugar, spice and all things nice. Here in the UK we lap up their traditional baked goods and the supermarkets have all knocked out their own takes with varying results. You can get pretty good stollen and lebkuchen (Bahlsen’s chocolate-coated ones are to die for!) in the shops, but I thought, why not make my own?

As this is Christmas week, here is my Christmas recipe contribution – I based this on Simon Rimmer’s method, but changed a couple of ingredients to suit my own ends.

The title of the recipe translates to Stollen wreath - looks more like a horseshoe! Oh well..

Ingredients:
100ml/3½fl oz warm milk
1 7g sachet dried “bread yeast”
pinch salt
Approx 1-2 tsp icing sugar
225g/8oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tsp ground mixed spice
200g/7oz mixed dried fruit – I used a combo of raisins, chopped glace cherries, sultanas and Ocean Spray Craisins (dried,
sweetened cranberries)
25g/1oz ground almonds
50g/2oz unsalted butter
1 free-range egg, beaten
1 tsp orange squash
250g/9oz marzipan
To glaze:
Icing Sugar
Small amount brandy

Method:
1) Sift the salt, sugar, flour and mixed spice into a large bowl.

2) Add the dried fruit, almonds, yeast and butter and mix well.

3) In the milk, mix the beaten egg and orange squash. Add this milk mixture and mix well. Stir to make a dough.

4) Knead the dough for 5-6 minutes, then cover and leave to prove for 20 minutes.

5) Uncover the dough and turn out onto a clean, floured work surface. Using your hands knock the dough back to reduce the
volume, then knead the dough for 3-4 minutes.
6) Roll out  the dough, preferably by hand, into a flat oval shape about 23cm by 18cm. Roll the marzipan into a sausage-shape (it doesnt really matter), roughly the same length. Place the marzipan into the centre of the dough, then fold over the sides of the dough to seal.

8) Place the stollen seal-side down onto a greased baking tray. Cover and place somewhere warm to prove for one hour.

9)Preheat the oven to 180C/365F/Gas 4.

10)Place the stollen on the baking tray into the oven to bake for 40 minutes, or until golden-brown and cooked through.

11)To finish, remove the stollen from the oven, allow to cool.

12) Mix some brandy with icing sugar to make a glaze and drip across the stollen as in the photograph, and then dust with a snowfall of icing sugar. You can just dust it if you want – it’s up to you how you decorate it!

 
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Posted in Christmas, Desserts

 

Harissa Paste

01 Oct

Harissa is a fiery paste made from capsicum cultivars and can be added to a variety of dishes to give bite. A recipe from North Africa, it is usually made with very hot peppers such as Scotch bonnets, and is also a good way to preserve chilli crops for the home grower.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes, about four medium-sized or six small
4 Garlic cloves
A good handful hot chilli peppers of your choice. I used a mixture of jalapeno, apache and a fiery orange hybrid cultivar growing in my garden
1 tsp of whole spices:
Cumin
Coriander
Mustard
Cinnamon (broken stick)
100g diced shallots/onions
Oil, to prevent oxidation.
Method:
1)Skin & deseed tomatoes. Blitz in a food processor/blender.
2)Destalk the peppers, roughly cut and blend with tomatoes, along with the 4 cloves garlic and the shallots/onions.
3) Toast spices in a dry pan for 2 mins. Bash the seeds and throw into the blender with a little salt.
4) Blitz until a fine paste forms. It doesn’t matter how liquid it seems, the moisture can be cooked off.
5) Fry harissa in a dry pan over a high heat, stirring regularly to drive off moisture until you have a  well-blended thick paste.
6) Allow to cool before spooning into clean, sterilised jars. Top up with oil to prevent oxidation. Seal and label.
Can be used as a spice in many dishes, or simply as a piquant accompaniment to cheese and crackers!
 
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Posted in quick, vegan

 

Fig Rolls

30 Sep
An American recipe slightly modified. These are delicious, but BE WARNED, the dough can be a little fiddly!
Filling:
150g finely chopped dried figs
350ml cups water
50g cup sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
Cookie Dough:
113g unsalted butter, softened
100g sugar
1/2 tsp grated orange zest
1 large egg white
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
180g all-purpose flour
Method:
1. Make the filling: Combine the figs, water and sugar in a medium sauceapan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook at a bare simmer for 1-2 hours until the figs are so soft that they’re spreadable.
2. Transfer to a food processor or blender, add the mixed spice and process until smooth. Remove from the food processor and allow to cool.
3. Make the dough: Cream together the butter, sugar and orange zest in a bowl. Add the egg white and vanilla and beat in. Add the flour and beat until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours, or perhaps overnight.
4. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to a large rectangle shape. Cut into 4 equal strips. Spoon a line of the fig mixture down the centre of each strip. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges together. Place on the parchment-lined baking sheets, seam side down. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes to ensure a clean slice in step 6.
6. Using a serrated knife, slice each log on the diagonal into 10 cookies.  Bake, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, for 12-15 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.
 
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Posted in Desserts

 

Butternut Squash Tart (Vegan)

26 Aug

A pumpkin pie by any other name! I made this during the wet and cold final weeks of August, because to be honest, it felt like November. And I had half a squash to use up! Butternut Squash has lurid orange flesh and a similar sweet, nutty flavour to pumpkin, so if you fancy the Thanksgiving treat when its not pumpkin season, or pumpkins aren’t available, use a butternut. A kabocha squash (looks like a small, dark green pumpkin, also with bright orange flesh) will also work as it also is a very sweet squash.

Ingredients:

Pastry:

224g/80z plain flour

25g/1oz icing sugar

112g/4oz Pure Soya spread (or any good vegan margarine)

water

Custard:

400g silken tofu

Sugar (to taste, about 2oz/50g)

300g finely diced and boiled (for 15 mins approx) Butternut squash/kabocha/pumpkin

2tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp ground allspice

1tsp ground ginger

1tsp ground cloves

1tsp groud nutmeg

1tsp baking powder

2tsp flour

Squirt agave syrup

1 capful vanilla essence

Method:

1) To make the pastry; rub the soya spread into the flour and icing sugar (in a mixing bowl) until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add water until a smooth, pliable dough is formed. If it’s too dry, add a little more water, too sticky, add more flour. TIP: The sides of the bowl should be clean once the dough is formed. Chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.

2) To make the custard; drain the tofu and blitz with the cooled, cooked squash in a food processor or blender until smooth and pale orange. You can also cheat and use tinned pumpkin!

3) Mix the liquidised squash and tofu with the sugar, agave, flour, baking powder, vanilla and spices.

4) When the pastry is chilled, roll out thinly and line a lightly greased pie dish. Make sure the crust is at least level with the top of the dish. Pour the spiced squash and tofu mixture into the pastry shell. Dust lightly with more cinnamon and sugar.

5) Bake in a preheated oven (190 degrees Centigrade/375 Fahrenheit) for 30-40 minutes until the custard is firm. Test by inserting a skewer or knife into the centre of the tart. If it comes out clean, the tart is ready!

6) Enjoy warm or chilled. Will go nicely with some whipped Granovita soya cream :)

 
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Posted in Christmas, Desserts, vegan

 

Semifreddo Con Le Fragole Del Terreno Boscoso

29 Jun

Semifreddo is Italian for ‘Half Cold’, and this interpretations uses Nigella Lawson’s Honey Semifreddo recipe as a basis. It is basically ice-cream without the pain-in-the-ass trips to and from the freezer. Plus this recipe uses just four ingredients – how easy!

Woodland strawberries (fragaria vesca) are seen as a delicacy and idiots are willing to pay £30+ for them in restaurants, due to their small size, and exquisite perfumed flavour that is vastly superior to the bigger cultivated berry. I’m lucky because in my other half’s garden, these dark red jewels grow wild, so I get them for free.

Ingredients:

284ml carton double cream/Elmlea if you’re on a diet

4 eggs

100g icing sugar

Woodland strawberries (you need a fair amount, about 100g, as they are tiny little fruits – I just half-filled an old tupperware and they were enough)

Method:

1) In a jug, combine the fruit and the cream. Liquidise the berries using a hand blender and whip the cream until it forms peaks. (You can do these in separate bowls and use an electric whisk to whip the cream if you prefer, but a hand blender does the job fine and it kills two birds with one stone.)

2) In a bowl over a pan of gently warming water, beat together 3 egg yolks and 1 whole egg with the icing sugar. Beat continously over the heat until a light custard-like mixture forms – be careful to keep the heat mild otherwise the eggs will scramble. Once the eggs and sugar are a smooth pale yellow and the mixture has increased in size, remove from pan.

3) Fold the cream and fruit mixture into the eggs until a very pale pinkish mixture forms.

4) Line a loaf tin with cling film. Tip the mixture into it and cover the top with cling film.

5) Freeze for about three hours until set.

6) When serving, slice into thin slices – one slice is enough as this is a very rich ice cream. Serve with some fresh fragaria vesca as a garnish, like in the illustration..

 
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Posted in Desserts, Uncategorized, quick

 

Cinnamon Liqueur

29 Jun

A recipe I found off www.danish-schnapps-recipes.com, and for the past three Christmases I have created it to be enjoyed on Christmas Eve or at parties, because I think cinnamon is a very Christmassy flavour. I know this is a bit early to put up a Christmas recipe, but the longer you make this in advance, the better it tastes :) Plus now less than 6 months until Christmas!!

Ingredients:

75cl Vodka (any cheap brand, even Value will do)

Approx 6 cinnamon sticks

750ml Sugar Syrup (method at bottom of the page)

Method:

1) Break cinnamon sticks into small shards. Open vodka  bottle and carefully drop the shards in. The more sticks you use, the more pronounced flavour you get. Alternatively combine in a large glass jar.

2) Let steep in a dark place (wardrobe is a good spot) for 3-4 weeks. Remember to shake periodically – once a week is best.

3) Strain and filter the infusion when ready into a bowl. NOTE: This can be enjoyed as a seasonal spirit, without the syrup!

4) Make the syrup (see below). To make the liqueur, combine EQUAL PARTS spirit/infusion and syrup. This should be enough to fill TWO 75cl bottles. Do not shake – let settle naturally.

5) De-Cant into bottles. Mix with lemonade or enjoy neat. Be sure to allow liqueur to settle first.

TO MAKE SUGAR SYRUP.

Combine equal parts caster sugar and water in a pan. Heat gently for 20 minutes until thickened and all sugar as dissolved. Add a dash of lemon juice to prevent crystallisation.

 
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Posted in Christmas, Uncategorized

 

Quick Nachos

29 May

Serves Two.

Inspired by a quick method created by Jed Miller, these Nachos take minutes to do and are delicious!

Ingredients:

1 large bag salted tortilla chips

Soured Cream

Salsa

1 fresh Jalapeno/pickled, sliced peppers

50g cheddar cheese, grated.

Method:

1) Arrange tortilla chips on a decent-size dinner plate.  Cover generously with cheese and sliced chilli peppers.

2) Place in the microwave and heat on full power for one minute until cheese has melted.

3) Cover evenly with salsa and soured cream. Serve warm.

TIPS:-

Endless extra toppings – inc: guacamole, chorizo (for the meat eaters among us) , Chilli Non/Con Carne, etc.

For healthier nachos, slice 1-2 corn tortillas/pitta breads into thin triangular wedges and heat in the oven until crisp.

 
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Posted in Lunch, Starters, quick

 

Carrot Bhajis

18 Mar

I suppose you could also call these fritters as they are light vegetable patties. The base for this recipe was Nigella Lawson’s Courgette Fritters. I’ve named them bhajis because they had a similar flavour to onion bhajis and because it sounds a touch more exotic than ‘fritter’ :P A photo will appear soon!

Ingredients:

3 medium-sized carrots, or 5 small ones.
Bunch spring onions
Large handful fresh coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried coriander leaf
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
114g (about 1 mug full) plain flour
3 eggs

Oil for frying.
Feta cheese (optional)

1) Grate the carrots. Put the resultant orange strands aside.
2) Trim and slice the spring onions. Place these in a large bowl.
3) Roughly chop the coriander and add it to the onions, along with all the herbs and spices.
4) Sprinkle the bowl with the flour, ensuring an even covering.
5) Beat the eggs. Tip them into the bowl and mix well. It should form a reddish-golden lumpy batter. If using, crumble the cheese into the batter.
6) Add the grated carrots and mix until combined. Don’t be alarmed by the lumpy stiffness of the batter, it’s meant to be this way. If it seems dry, beat another egg, and if it’s too sloppy, add more flour. It should stick to the spoon but also fall off.
8) Heat the oil in a large skillet. Dollop roughly palm-sized amounts of the batter into the pan and flatten with a fish slice to patties roughly 1 cm thick. Fry until golden brown on both sides.
9) Serve on a large plate with coleslaw on the side. Enjoy :)

 
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Posted in Lunch, Main Courses, Starters, quick

 
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