Cyder with Eloise

Chocolate Cupcakes

May 022012

This recipe is taken from Bakingmad.com.

This mixture is a lot lighter and fluffier then the American version which uses less eggs and butter.

Ingredients:
150 grams Butter
150 grams Unrefined Light Muscovado Sugar (Billington’s)
3 Happy Eggs beaten
115 grams Self Raising Flour (Allinson Nature Friendly) sifted
35 grams Cocoa Powder sifted
0.50 tsp Baking Powder
100 grams Milk Chocolate Chips (Silver Spoon Create)

300 grams Cream cheese full fat
1 tsp vanilla paste
300 grams Unrefined Golden Icing Sugar (Billington’s) sifted
25 grams Cocoa Powder sifted

Method:
Set the oven to 170°C, 150°C fan, gas 5. Line a muffin tin with large paper cupcake cases.
Place the butter and muscovado sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the beaten egg a little at a time until smooth. Using a large metal spoon fold in the flour, cocoa, vanilla and baking powder and chocolate chips Divide the mixture between the cupcake case.
Bake for 20 -25 minutes until risen and just firm to the touch.
Allow to cool.
To make the icing, beat the cream cheese, vanilla, icing sugar and cocoa together until smooth then swirl or pipe onto the cupcakes

American Style Cupcakes

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May 012012

I’m doing some test recipes for Paul & Nicky’s Wedding Cupcakes.
This recipe is taken from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook by Tarek Malouf and The Hummingbird Bakers.

Ingredients:
For the cake:
120g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
40g unsalted butter, at room temperature
120ml whole milk
1 egg
¼tsp vanilla extract
1 quantity vanilla frosting
hundreds and thousands or other edible sprinkles, to decorate
a 12-hole cupcake tray, lined with paper cases

For the vanilla frosting:
250g icing sugar, sifted
80g unsalted butter, at room temperature
25ml whole milk
a couple of drops of vanilla extract

Method
Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3.
Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) and beat on slow speed until you get a sandy consistency and everything is combined. Gradually pour in half the milk and beat until the milk is just incorporated.
Whisk the egg, vanilla extract and remaining milk together in a separate bowl for a few seconds, then pour into the flour mixture and continue beating until just incorporated (scrape any unmixed ingredients from the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula). Continue mixing for a couple more minutes until the mixture is smooth. Do not overmix.
Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes, or until light golden and the sponge bounces back when touched.
A skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean. Leave the cupcakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Beat the icing sugar and butter together in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed.
Turn the mixer down to slow speed. Combine the milk and vanilla extract in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time. Once all the milk has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high speed.
Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. The longer the frosting is beaten, the fluffier and lighter it becomes.
When the cupcakes are cold, spoon the vanilla frosting on top and decorate with hundreds and thousands.

Japanese Curry – From Bill’s Everyday Asian

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Apr 222012

P141

Crispy Potato & Jerusalem Artichokes

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Mar 072012

The salt I used for this dish was ready mixed salt that we picked up at the Taste of Anglian Food fair, from FlavourMagic.com

Serves 2.

Ingredients:
4 medium jerusalem artichokes
1 medium potato
1 tsp salt (as above)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp breadcrumbs (optional)

Method:
Pre heat the oven to 180C.
Set a pan of water on the stove and bring to the boil.
Peel and chop the artichokes and potato into small cubes (approx 1cm) and parboil for no more then 3 or 4 minutes.
Pour the vegetables out of the pan and into a colander, sprinkle on the remaining ingredients (excluding the bread), shake the colander briefly to mix all the flavours together and roughen up the edges of the vegetables.
Empty onto a baking sheet into a pile in the middle, drizzle over the oilve oil and then spread out evenly over the baking sheet.
If using then sprinkle over the breadcrumbs.
Pop in the oven for 25 minutes, turning once or twice to ensure they brown all over.

I served this with Lamb Chops.

Goat Curry with New Potatoes & Spinich

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Jan 012012

Ingredients
1kg Goat Meat, I used a leg with bone in so the actual weight in meat was about 800g. Chop the meat into 1 inch cubes, anything left on the bone will fall off in the pot.

1 Onion, diced
3 tsp Root Ginger, finely chopped
6 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

The spices I have used are as follows but you can add more or less depending on your tastes & spice rack limitations:
3 tsp Chilli Flakes
1 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds
1 1/2 tsp Yellow Mustard Seeds
3 tsp Ground Coriander
3 tsp Ground Cumin
3 tsp Turmeric
10 curry leaves, crumbled

600ml chicken or vegetable stock, I used home-made but you can use a stock cube but be careful with seasoning as it can be quite salty.

400g Spinach
400g New potatoes, halved

Groundnut oil
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Method
Preheat the oven to low (Gas 3).
Season the goat with a little black pepper and sea salt.
Heat a large frying pan with a little groundnut oil.
Brown the goat in the pan a portion at a time to ensure the meat develops some colour and flavour; if you try to cook it all in one go then it will just sit and cook in it’s own juices. Then set the meat aside.
Heat some oil in a heavy based casserole dish, add the onions and stir gently as they first turn translucent and then start to brown. Add the garlic and ginger and continue to stir for 3 minutes to prevent the garlic from burning; this can give a bitter taste to the dish.
Add all the spices and stir for a further 3 minutes; you may need to add some stock to loosen the dry ingredients into a paste.
Add the goat meat and coat in the spice mixture slowly adding the stock to keep the dish fluid.
When all the stock has been added bring to the boil, then remove from the stove and place in a low oven (Gas 3) for approximately 2 hours. Check on it after around 45 minutes to make sure there is enough stock and if you need to add more do so, repeat until all the meat has fallen off the bone which you can now remove.
Add the new potatoes and cook for a further hour, keeping an eye on the level of liquid, it is best to have some excess stock in the pot to reduce later then have the meat too dry.
When the potatoes are cooked through move the pot back to the stove top and add the spinach, turn the heat up to a simmer, this should not take long as the dish will still be hot from the oven. Simmer for 5 minutes (or longer if you need to reduce the liquid stock) to warm the spinach though before serving.

Veg Box Wednesday

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Jul 062011

Macaroni with Roasted Veg & Cheese
The idea for this came from the roasted veg mac & cheese recipe in this weeks Riverford recipes (no 325).
This is a great recipe for using up left overs in the veg box – I had no crème fraiche, and so I had to improvise so my recipe is quite a bit different – give it a try.

The shallots I used came from Lenny’s dad’s garden and are really tasty. They are so fresh you can use quite a bit of the stalk too.

Serves 2

Ingredients
mixed vegetables – I have used 1/2 red & 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 aubergine, 2 courgettes, 4 wet shallots.
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
150g macaroni
100g parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp pesto
8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Method
Slice the veg into cubes or strips about 1-2cm.
Put the vegetables in a baking dish and toss in the herbs, salt & olive oil to coat. Season well and roast in the oven at 180˚C for about 30 mins, until just tender.
Remove from the oven. While the veg is roasting, cook the pasta, drain and retain some of the water.
Toss the drained pasta in a large bowl with 1/2 the cheese and a couple of tbsp of pasta water.
Spread the pasta over the roasted veg.
Beat the egg with a drop of milk and the remaining cheese and pesto and pour over the dish.
Lay the tomatoes on top.
Bake in the oven at 180˚C for about 10-15 mins, until the top is crispy and turning golden.

Aubergine & Chickpea Curry

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Jun 292011

Completely unrelated to the aubergines – I wanted to post a photo of the progress being made on the barn so I can look back later when it’s all complete.

The idea for this recipe came from “The Best Aubergines Ever” – Madhur Jaffrey’s Ultimate Curry Bible, but has been amended slightly.

Serves 3-4 as a main but works really well as part of a meal served with chapati’s and dal.

Ingredients
400g chickpeas, if using fresh ensure you soak them for 24 hours and then cook for 1 hour in salted water
3 tbsp groundnut oil
1 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
400g chopped tinned tomatoes
2 whole red chillies, sliced (I leave the seeds in – but it depends how hot you like it)
approx 10 curry leaves, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp tomato purée
50ml water
2 Large Aubergines, sliced
2 tbsp chilli oil (or olive oil)

Serve with
150ml greek yoghurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp roasted cumin seeds
1 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp granulated sugar
20ml boiling water

Mix 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds in with the yoghurt and set aside.
Mix the remaining salt and cumin seeds with the tamarind paste, add the sugar and dissolve with enough boiling water so that the tamarind mixture until it is of a consistency that you can drizzle off a spoon.

Method
Heat the oil in a large heavy based pan.
Add the brown mustard seeds and stir for a few seconds, they will start to pop, now add the onion and cook on a high heat until the onion starts to brown slightly, then and add the chickpeas, garlic and remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes (or longer to improve the flavour if you have the time), stir occasionally and add more water if required.
Heat your oven to 180c (Gas 4).
Lay the sliced aubergine out on a baking tray and lightly brush the chilli oil over the top, sprinkle with a little salt. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes or until the aubergine starts to brown, remove from the oven and turn the slices over, brush the second side with the chilli oil and then return to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and layer on a large serving plate.
Spoon the tomato and chickpeas over the aubergines, top with the yoghurt and then drizzle the tamarind mixture over the top.

Goat Curry with Potatoes

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Jun 122011

We were discussing goat meat the other night with some friends and someone said it’s a shame we can’t get goat meat around here, then on Saturday morning at the local farmers market in Oundle low and behold the Wobbly Bottom goats cheese stall was selling goat meat. We couldn’t resist.

This recipe would work just as well with lamb, pork or beef. The original recipe idea was taken from Madhur Jaffrey’s Ultimate Curry Bible however we made quite a few changes.

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 tbsp cumin seeds, roasted & ground
7-10 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 birds eye chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp garam masala (Guyanese Garam Masala Recipe)
2 tbsp curry powder
3 tbsp groundnut oil
1 onion, sliced
4 spring onions, chopped
3 tbsp celery tops, finely chopped
1kg Goat Meat (on the bone), chopped into chunks
600ml water
2 tsp salt
100g new potatoes

Method
Roast and grind the cumin seeds and then mix in a bowl to a paste with the chillies, garlic, curry powder, garam masala and a dash of water.
Heat the oil in a large pan and add the spice paste, fry for two to three minutes and then add the meat, cook for two minutes adding a splash of water as required.
Add the onion, celery and spring onions, then add the remaining water and bring to the boil, reduce to a low heat cover and cook for a minimum of 1 hour either on the stove or in the oven, until the meat falls off the bone.

Pop to the pub for a while as the meat cooks.

When you return add the potatoes and remove the lid to reduce the liquid, this will take approximately 15-20 minutes. When the potatoes are nearly ready cook your rice.

Guyanese Garam Masala

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Jun 122011

1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 1/2 tbsp Cumin Seeds
1 1/2 Fennel Seeds
1 1/2 Fenugreek Seeds
1 1/2 Black Peppercorns
3/4 Brown Mustard Seeds
3/4 Nigella Seeds
3/4 Whole Cloves
1/2 Allspice
3/4 Ground Turmeric

Roast all the spices (Other then the turmeric) and then transfer to a pestle & mortar. Grind the spices to a fine powder.

Paella with Scallops and Wet Garlic

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Jun 082011

A kind friend give us some scallops the other day so here is a simple paella recipe also using in season wet garlic.

Serves 2

Ingredients
1 red pepper
20g butter
2 wet garlic bulbs, with stalks, thinly sliced
1 large white onion, sliced
6-8 scallops, halved depending on their size
175g paella rice
500ml hot stock (I used 400ml Chicken and 100ml Shrimp – but you could use Vegetable also.)
a few sprigs of saffron soaked in a drop of hot water.
1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
1 red chilli pepper, sliced

Method
Grill the red pepper until the skin starts to blacken and blister. Remove from heat and leave to cool slightly, then remove the skins and slice.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan or paella pan.
Add the onion and garlic and fry lightly until soft but not coloured.
Add the paella rice and stir in for about a minute.
Pour over 100ml of the stock, turn the heat down to simmering and slowly add the rest of the stock as the rice soaks it up.
Place a lid on the pan and cook for 5 minutes – keeping an eye on the rice so that it does not dry out, if it does add more stock or water.
Add the sliced red peppers, saffron, paprika and chilli and cook for a further 5 minutes, the rice should now be slightly al-dente, if more stock is required add to it and keep cooking but when the rice is ready add the scallops and cover again for 3 minutes.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Serve.

Older Entries

Cyder with Eloise

Chocolate Cupcakes

American Style Cupcakes

Japanese Curry – From Bill’s Everyday Asian

Crispy Potato & Jerusalem Artichokes

Goat Curry with New Potatoes & Spinich

Veg Box Wednesday

Aubergine & Chickpea Curry

Goat Curry with Potatoes

Guyanese Garam Masala

Paella with Scallops and Wet Garlic

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