Wednesday 24 December 2014


Bread sauce

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(8 ratings)

Cooking time

Prep:10 minsCook:25 mins

Skill level

Easy

Servings

A traditional Christmas sauce to serve with your roast

Nutrition per serving

kcalories
141
 
protein
4g
 
carbs
14g
 
fat
5g
 
saturates
5g
 
fibre
0g
 
sugar
0g
 
salt
0.43g

Ingredients

  • 600ml milk
  • 50g butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves
  • 6 peppercorns
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 thyme sprigs
  • 100g white breadcrumbs
  • 4 tbsp single cream or mascarpone
  • pinch nutmeg, freshly grated

Method

Simmer the milk, butter, onion, cloves, peppercorns, garlic and herbs in a pan for 20 mins. Strain and return the liquid to the pan. Add the breadcrumbs and simmer for 3-4 mins. Stir in the cream or mascarpone. Add nutmeg, season and serve. Can be made up to 3 days in advance and heated up on the hob or microwave on Medium for 3 mins.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2005

Saturday 20 December 2014

Homemade mincemeat

Recipe by: Cassandra
 AllRecipes

 (6)
Saved by 377 cook(s)
Easy
 Ready in 21 days 10 mins
Picture by: Diana
Here is a classic mincemeat recipe without any suet. You can mix
up the dried fruits a bit,
substituting dried cranberries, cherries or blueberries
for some of the raisins and sultanas.
Perfect for your mince pies at Christmas!

Ingredients

Serves12
  • 250g seedless raisins
  • 250g sultanas
  • 250g currants
  • 65g mixed peel
  • 250g cooking apples, peeled and finely chopped
  • 125g butter, softened
  • grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
  • grated zest of 1/2 an orange
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • pinch of allspice
  • 250g dark brown soft sugar
  • 250ml brandy or dark rum

Preparation method

Prep: 10 mins | Extra time: 21 days
1.Make sure all of the dried fruits are finely chopped to around the same size. In a large bowl, mix all the fruit, apples, butter, zest and spices together till well combined. Dissolve the sugar in the brandy and pour it over the mixture. Cover and let stand overnight.
2.The next day, stir the mixture again then place in sterile, dry jars for 3 to 4 weeks before using in your favourite recipe.

Provided by:Allrecipes

Sunday 29 June 2014


from http://happyhealthymama.com/2012/11/apple-peanut-butter-snack-bars.html
Apple Peanut Butter Snack Bars
Makes 9-16 bars, depending on what size you cut them
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup shredded apple (one medium apple)
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9×9 baking dish and set aside.
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well.  Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and use the back of a wooden spoon or a spatula to press it down evenly.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the edges are just barely browned.  Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

I can't remember why I posted this. I haven't tried them yet. Perhaps I should.

Monday 30 December 2013

Unbelievably easy mince pies


Ingredients

225g cold butter, diced
350g plain flour
100g golden caster sugar
280g mincemeat
1 small egg
icing sugar, to dust

Method

  1. To make the pastry, rub 225g cold, diced butter into 350g plain flour, then mix in 100g golden caster sugar and a pinch of salt. Combine the pastry into a ball – don’t add liquid – and knead it briefly. The dough will be fairly firm, like shortbread dough. You can use the dough immediately, or chill for later.
  2. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6/fan 180C. Line 18 holes of two 12-hole patty tins, by pressing small walnut-sized balls of pastry into each hole. Spoon 280g mincemeat into the pies.
  3. Take slightly smaller balls of pastry than before and pat them out between your hands to make round lids, big enough to cover the pies. Top the pies with their lids, pressing the edges gently together to seal – you don’t need to seal them with milk or egg as they will stick on their own. (The pies may now be frozen for up to 1 month).
  4. Beat 1 small egg and brush the tops of the pies. Bake for 20 minutes until golden. Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack. To serve, lightly dust with icing sugar. They will keep for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2002

Notes: Use the magimix to combine the butter and flour to breadcrumbs, then add either some of the beaten egg or a bit of water and once it comes together finish kneading it by hand.  It can then be rolled out and cut as normal. Takes minutes to make, the pastry is like shortbread and is delicious (especially with homemade mincemeat).

Monday 16 December 2013


This is the best thing you will put in your mouth for a very long time....

Lindsay's Chocolate Fudge

1lb (450g) granulated sugar
5oz dark chocolate
5oz butter
2oz honey
1/4 pt milk 

All into large, pref heavy-based pan, heat slowly, stirring til sugar dissolved then to boil without stirring to soft ball stage*. Put pan on cold surface for 5 mins then beat (elec. mixer) until thickening. Into tray, into fridge once cooled. Eat + enjoy!

* glass v.cold water - drop a tsp in. Once it forms droplets take out + see if you can roll into a ball

My notes: Smallest ring on the hob, low flame. You can tell the sugar is dissolved when you don't hear the gritty noises as you're stirring. Cold surface = outside my back door in the winter (make sure the lid is on and the dog is inside) or in the sink with cold water in the bottom in summer. It will do nothing for ages and then will suddenly thicken - don't overmix it. If it hasn't been boiled properly and just refuses to thicken, I have put it back on the heat and boiled it a bit longer, then cooled it again - didn't make any difference to the finished fudge. Tray - LINE IT! Either greaseproof/baking paper or clingfilm - makes getting it out and cutting it up soooo much easier.

And then thanks to Carnation - we can also have fudge-flavour fudge! 
http://www.carnation.co.uk/recipes/67/ultimate-fudge
1 tin / 397g condensed milk
1/4pt / 150ml milk
450g / 1lb sugar (Carnation actually state demerara but I just used granulated)
115g / 4oz butter

Then follow the above method. I imagine you could add a teaspoon of vanilla extract as well, but I forgot, and seeing as I could eat condensed milk out of the tin with a spoon, the omission did not detract at all. 

This makes a good proper batch, ideal for presents at Christmas and for school. 


Sunday 17 November 2013




Our (usually rhubarb in our house) Crumble

Ingredients:
1 tin of rhubarb
Any other fruit you like (apple/pear/blackberries etc)
75g butter
175g plain flour
50g granulated sugar
cinnamon
demerara sugar

Method:
Oven = 200C(ish)
Drain rhubarb tin, chuck in dish. Peel and chop the other fruit into dice-size bits, chuck in with the rhubarb.
Rub butter into flour to get breadcrumb-like consistency. Stir in the granulated sugar.
Sprinkle over fruit.
Dust with cinnnamon and a light scattering of demerara sugar.
Bake for about 20-25 mins til golden.