tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47602939857418990652024-03-04T20:44:22.712-08:00Cooking and recipes from a Nonna's KitchenMy recipes will be mainly Italian as every good Nonnas with a sprinkling of Welsh as I live in Wales and a dash of anything else that I have liked.Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-78973039614787621912018-03-05T10:58:00.001-08:002018-03-05T10:58:43.763-08:00Kefir, the king, or Queen, of probiotics<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Kefir, the king of probiotics.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I don't make this claim lightly. I have watched several programmes and YouTubes on the properties of kefir and I must say that I am convinced that drinking some kefir every day has done me a great deal of good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Have you seen, <i>Trust Me I'm a Doctor</i> on the BBC? Well, if you can watch the episode on probiotics you will be convinced that drinking it is the way to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last year I started to have very painful tummy pains after I ate clementines. This really did upset me as I do love a sweet, juicy clementine. Rather than give up on this treat I decided to investigate what could be causing the problem. Surfing the internet, I came upon KEFIR. I haven't looked back. I bought some and started to produce this probiotic doing in my own kitchen. I make it every two days and I then have enough to last me about three days. Hubby has his on his breakfast cereals rather than drinking it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The two pictures below are of the kefir grains that you need to start production.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You don't need this much, I spoonful will do. It will grow and you will have this much after a week or two. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAFkiEoNkO3uUo2x4T493kWqzAUjCYyDumwszvaGMT9sGhjjcWmSP6GOG3ckErkEriTMZyWqC8Uw-rCr92TpzkyioYpjpzmkjQzSiDqaCtQCr1nz6wSL74wmlHiC5Dch2gMlIUJP6mP0/s1600/kefir+in+jar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1185" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAFkiEoNkO3uUo2x4T493kWqzAUjCYyDumwszvaGMT9sGhjjcWmSP6GOG3ckErkEriTMZyWqC8Uw-rCr92TpzkyioYpjpzmkjQzSiDqaCtQCr1nz6wSL74wmlHiC5Dch2gMlIUJP6mP0/s320/kefir+in+jar.jpg" width="236" /></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I have to admit that it is a rather sharp taste as the kefir has used all of the lactic acids in the milk to survive and produce the probiotics. What I do is make the kefir into a delicious fruit shake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The jar is full of fermented milk. It has not been strained and contains both the grains and milk. It will need to be strained through a plastic sieve before it is drunk.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is how I drink my kefir in the morning.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I buy 1 pack of berries, frozen are fine and add enough cornflour to thicken it slightly. (I generally find that 1 kg of fruit will thicken with 1 tablespoon of cornflour.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Then I add about 3 tablespoons of sugar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Mix the above well and microwave on full power until the mix turns from opaque to bright. If you don't cook it properly it will taste powdery.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I use about 250ml of strained kefir and add a generous tablespoonful of fruit. Blend with a stick blender and you will have a delicious breakfast drink.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">This is all that I have for breakfast. It keeps me full until lunchtime. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If you want to buy some grains they are available from eBay:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">They are on auction now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162928157705</span><br />
<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-2700953861740407572015-11-06T08:05:00.000-08:002015-11-06T08:05:21.819-08:00Sweet Little Treats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I wonder how many of you could resist this plate of cakes?</div>
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I don't think that I could. In the midddle of November, I have been asked to make cakes for a fashion show audience. I am delighted to do this as I love making cakes. I decided to look back over the cakes that I had made and photographed this summer and I fould this plate of tempting beauties.<br />
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Some of the recipes for these cakes have been published earlier in the blog. The sponge drops are here:<br />
<a href="http://Summer in Italy and Sponge Drops">Summer in Italy and Sponge Drops</a><br />
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The only thing that I changed for the ones on the plate, was to use apricot jam instead of blackcurrant.<br />
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Couldn't find the others so the next couple of posts will be recipes for the other cakes.Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-69239792918620608122015-11-05T07:29:00.002-08:002015-12-03T07:10:40.674-08:00Sourdough Bread, Perfected, I thinkKneeding bread is a good exercise. No kneed bread is fine but a little kneeding makes better bread.<br />
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<u>IMPORTANT INFO: Using antibacterial spray on your work surfaces prior to kneeding bread will kill the yeast. It makes no difference if it's bakers yeast or sourdough.</u><br />
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Those of you who have been following this blog over the years will know that I have been dabbling with sourdough for quite some time. I've had lots of failures as using sourdough is not as straightforward as using yeast. Now we need a drum roll as I believe that I have it sussed. The result is a light soft bread with a crunchy crust that is all too good to eat. I just wish that I could share it with you all.<br />
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I actually cooked this bread in a cast iron pan as this helps to steam the outside of the loaf and create this crust.<br />
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Now, it takes time to make sourdough bread but it doesn't take much effort. A little weighing and mixing and leaving is all you have to know. It's the way that you do theses things that gets the results. You can even go wild and kneed it for a bit. I promise that it will make better bread if you do.<br />
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You will need a sourdough starter.<br />
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200g (100% hydration starter) This should be active and bubbly.<br />
250g white bread flour<br />
250g wholemeal flour<br />
2 or 3 level teaspoons of salt. This depends on how salty you like your bread.<br />
260g water. I always weigh mine as it is the most accurate way of doing it.<br />
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Put everything into a large mixing bowl. Mix together vigorously.<br />
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Cover with clingfilm or a damp cloth and leave to stand at room temperature for about half an hour.<br />
Now you will need to lift the dough on one side, pull it up as high as it will go and fold it over the middle remaining dough. Turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat this. Repeat the turning and pulling until all four sides of the dough have been folded over the middle of the dough.<br />
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<u>If you can't be bothered to do this, I have found that if you turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and give it a kneed for about ten minutes, it achieves the same thing.</u><br />
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Cover and set aside for about another half an hour and repeat either of the stages that you choose from above.<br />
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Now cover and leave at room temperature for about 12 hours. By this time your bread will have tripled in size. It's a good idea to start this dough in the late evening and leave it overningt to bake next day. This way, you won't be tempted to cook it too early.<br />
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Shape your bread and leave to at least double in size. This could take anything up to 4 hours so be prepared to wait.<br />
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When you think that your bread is about half an hour away from being ready to cook, put your cast iron pan in the oven and heat the oven to 240C.<br />
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Remove the pan from the oven pop in the bread. Slash the top return to the oven with the lid on and bake for about 45 minutes. You should remove the lid about 25 minutes into the bake. This will help to crisp the crust.<br />
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Enjoy<br />
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<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-24723182254992158982015-09-30T11:50:00.000-07:002015-09-30T11:50:00.053-07:00ChestnutsMy husband came in today and asked me if I had seen the hundreds of chestnuts ripening on the tree that over hangs our garden. To be honest, I hadn't looked as the start of the chestnut season brings both pleasure and pain. I love the taste of the fresh chestnuts every year, but I can't deny that they are a pain to get ready and I feel that it is wrong to waste them. Our freezer is still bursting with the cleaned chestnuts that I put in it last year. I hasten to add that I gave some to friends as well as the ones that we ate at the time.<br />
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So, watch this space.<br />
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If you can suggest recipes I would love to hear about them.Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-59409857675093384572015-09-29T06:08:00.000-07:002015-09-29T06:08:26.240-07:00Pizza on a focaccia baseIn the last post I gave you the recipe for focaccia, but what I didn't tell you is that this dough makes an excellent base for pizza.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn71Y41VJjez121cpM3Ap7S0ADgyvBphyphenhyphenqcrViwFoGtzsp5WC_Y-t9ikQYVdOHbZqjmheY1cU5FjEGpyJ5pV9dVeFNUcXjrUd2BQyZbIFhEyE8sy8c_VMvTZsxHlsfw5JTv_SG2ms_Un4/s1600/pizza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn71Y41VJjez121cpM3Ap7S0ADgyvBphyphenhyphenqcrViwFoGtzsp5WC_Y-t9ikQYVdOHbZqjmheY1cU5FjEGpyJ5pV9dVeFNUcXjrUd2BQyZbIFhEyE8sy8c_VMvTZsxHlsfw5JTv_SG2ms_Un4/s320/pizza.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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All I did was roll it out thinner than the focaccia and top it with some:<br />
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tomato passata,<br />
stoned olives,<br />
thinly sliced chorizo<br />
grated mozarella cheese<br />
a few dried herbs: origano or thyme<br />
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Allow it to rise for about 30 minutes and cook in a very hot oven until brown and bubbling.<br />
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One of the advantages of pizza over all other doughs is that you don't have to leave it to get cold before digging in.<br />
<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-19348512551169416762015-09-27T01:00:00.000-07:002015-09-27T11:58:35.667-07:00FocacciaI've given this post a simple title but it is another of those foodie things that is simple but tastes wonderful. The wonderful comes from the ingredients. Good olive oil, rosmary from the garden and light bread dough. What could be better?<br />
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Well. in truth the addition of mashed potatoes to the dough helps it along quite a bit as it makes it last longer and it has a softer crumb which means that it is good to eat even on the second day.<br />
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Traditionally focaccia that you buy in Italy only stays fresh for a couple of hours. It is over yeasted to make it rise but this results in a bread that dries quickly. My Focaccia has the advantage of lasting but still tasting good.<br />
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What you will need:<br />
500g strong bread flour<br />
40g instant mash potato, this is about half a sachet.<br />
7g fast action yeast<br />
300ml water for the bread dough and'<br />
150ml boiling water to reconstitute the potato<br />
12g salt<br />
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<b><u>Salamoia</u></b><br />
30ml olive oil plus 30mil water<br />
fresh rosmary<br />
1 teaspoon of rock salt.<br />
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Into a large bowl put the flour, 300g of water and the yeast. mix to a rough dough, cover and leave for about 10 minutes while you get on with the next stage.<br />
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Put the instant mased potatoes in a bowl and reconstitute with 15ml of boiling water. Mix well. You will have a dryish mixture. Do not be tempted to add more water. Add the salt to the potatoes and mix well. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and then add to the flour mix. Beat it all together until you have a smooth but slightly tacky dough.<br />
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Leave in the bowl, covered with a damp tea towel or a plastic bag and then remove the bag and mix well for about 30 seconds. It will be soft enough for you to do this by hand. Sort of put your hand in the bowl, under the dough and mix it well. If you can't work this out then fold the dough over itself for about 8 turns. Should achieve the same outcome.<br />
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At 15 minute intervals, repeat this short kneeding process at least twice. By this time the dough shouldbe rising up the bowl and be soft and pillowy.<br />
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When the dough has at least doubled in size, put it in a greased baking tin. I tend to use a 26cm x 35cm baking tray that has 3cm sides. This makes a focaccia of the depth that you can see in the picture. If you want a thinner one then cook it in a larger tray.<br />
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Make sure that you have switched on your oven so that it is good and hot when you are ready to cook the focaccia.<br />
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Whisk the salamoia oil and water together and pour over the focaccia. Now dimple it with your fingers to get the charicteristic dimpling the you see on the focaccia surface. push some rosmary sprigs into the top of the focaccia and leave uncovered for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the rock sale.<br />
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Cook in a hot oven approx 250 celsius for adout 30 minutes. Check to see if it is cooked. It should be crisp and brown. If it isn't then leave it in the oven and check every 5 minutes until it is done to your liking.<br />
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<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-42618544480205200612015-09-24T08:26:00.005-07:002015-09-24T08:26:43.058-07:00Apricot and chocolate chip loaf cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFm8xRHs-6tnoQX0pkhEGVHOXzlWh2EFehtozIEEq9dWN1zaWCBKk0qd7o3yFUwBE8YExBR3KWlOB7rOmLdmNscUPKtmWkZuBTHA-1UR5tuPHJm0ic3vxmukdxeQIr4DXd3kzRe6CBzo/s1600/apricot+and+chocolate+chip+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFm8xRHs-6tnoQX0pkhEGVHOXzlWh2EFehtozIEEq9dWN1zaWCBKk0qd7o3yFUwBE8YExBR3KWlOB7rOmLdmNscUPKtmWkZuBTHA-1UR5tuPHJm0ic3vxmukdxeQIr4DXd3kzRe6CBzo/s320/apricot+and+chocolate+chip+cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Do you really always want elaborate cakes? Sometimes I do and sometimes it is the downright simple that really hits the spot. So, on that note, this cake is going to be one of the downright simple variety and no less good for that. It is perfect with a hot cup of tea.<br />
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One thing that my mother taught me about cooking was:<br />
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If you don't put good things into your food don't expect a good result.<br />
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So this cake is made with all good things but the making is simple.<br />
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What you'll need:<br />
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250g self raising flour<br />
120g butter<br />
120g sugar<br />
2 eggs<br />
perhaps a splash of milk<br />
100g dried apricots, the no soak variety. Chop them up a bit<br />
75g chocolate chips<br />
a teaspoon of vanilla extract<br />
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To make:<br />
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heat your oven to approx gas mark 4 or 160 C.<br />
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Put the flour and sugar in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients until it resembles small peas. No need to be too fine with this.<br />
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Add the apricots that should be about the size of peas, and the chocolate. Stir in.<br />
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Break the egg into the mixture and stir well. Do't over stir as this mix is a bit like a muffin mix and you can toughen it if you over mix. Only add a splash of milk if you find that it's dry.<br />
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Put the mix into a greased a lined 2lb loaf tin and bake at approx gas mark 4 or 160 C. It will be cooked when as knife or cake probe is insirted into the middle and it comes out dry. Approx 30 - 40 mins. It depends on your oven.<br />
<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-91378927562183612242015-06-23T09:36:00.001-07:002015-06-23T09:39:37.093-07:00Mincemeat and Apple Streusel SliceMincemeat and apple streusel, what could be more comforting? Perhaps the addition of a big bowl of softly whipped cream or a jug of steaming yellow custard.<br />
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<br />
Without further ado I will give you the recipe as I know that this is a cake that you will want to make immediately.<br />
<br />
175g self raising flour<br />
125g sugar<br />
1 egg<br />
125g unsalted butter<br />
a pinch of salt<br />
1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and sliced<br />
Half a jar of mincemeat, better if it is homemade.<br />
Crumble about 6 digestive biscuits.<br />
<br />
1 baking tin approx 18cm x 27cm. It will not be a problem if it is slightly larger or smaller. Not too much though.<br />
<br />
Heat the oven to C160 fan or C170 top and bottom heat.<br />
<br />
Put the butter, sugar and egg in a largish bowl and beat well to combine. No need to cream really as this is not going to be a sponge.<br />
Fold in the flour to make a fairly stiff mixture. Sort of half wak between a sponge and pastry.<br />
Spoon into a buttered baking tin. Smooth out with the back of a spoon or a spatula.<br />
Top with spoonfulls of mincemeat and then with slices of apple. Finally top with the crumbled biscuits.<br />
Cook for about 40 minutes. Check with the point of a knife, if it is not cooked then leave to cook for a few more minutes.<br />
Leave to cool and cut into slices to serve.Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-77167588924973936302015-06-14T08:41:00.000-07:002015-06-14T23:54:14.026-07:00Creme PatissiereThis pastry cream is a standard of patisserie cooking and can be used in many of the cakes that you can buy in your favourite pastry shops. If you don't want as much as this then scale the recipe down.<br />
<br />
So to make it you will need:<br />
<br />
400ml of whole milk<br />
100ml of cream<br />
150g egg yolk, this is approximately 7 yolks. It is best to measure as not all eggs are created equal.<br />
150g sugar<br />
36g cornflour<br />
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Put the egg yolks and sugar into a bowl and mix lightly. </li>
<li>Add the cornflour and whisk together fo a few seconds until evenly blended.</li>
<li>Now add the cold milk and cream and mix to combine the ingredients. </li>
<li>Cook in the microwave for 2 minutes at high power. Open the microwave and mix well. This makes sure that the heat is evenly distributed.</li>
<li>Replace the cream into microwave and cook for a further minute. Remove and mix well. Do this twice more and by the time that you have cooked it for 5 minutes in total it should be cooked. If you are nervous, you can cook for 30 seconds at a time. You should mix every time that you open the oven. You will know that it is cooked when it is thick and it has lost the taste of raw cornflour. </li>
</ol>
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<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-51635757960635649842015-06-14T08:20:00.002-07:002015-06-14T08:20:58.932-07:00Genoise Sponge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://lakelandcamel.scene7.com/is/image/LakelandCamel/16435_1?$300$" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://lakelandcamel.scene7.com/is/image/LakelandCamel/16435_1?$300$" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
Yesterday I demonstrated how to use a thin sheet of genoise sponge to my wonderful WI. I had already made the sponge. To cook it I used the sheet that you can see in the image. I bought it last year or even the year before from Lakeland and luckily they still have them. So click the image to go to the Lakeland site.<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
To make a thin sponge to just fill the sheet:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1 egg yolk</div>
<div>
2 whole eggs</div>
<div>
75g plain flour</div>
<div>
75g caster sugar</div>
<div>
25 butter melted and allowed to cool. It should still be liquid</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li>Grease and flour the silicone tray. If you don't do this, it will stick, I don't care what claims the manufacturers make.Put the sugar onto a sheet of ovenproof paper and warm gently. </li>
<li>Whisk the eggs until they are starting to lighten in colour. </li>
<li>Add the warm sugar and continue to whisk to the ribbon stage by which time the mixture shold be cool.</li>
<li>Now remove about a quarter of the mixture and fold in the melted butter. Add this back into rest of the egg mixture and fold it gently into the mix.</li>
<li>Pour into the tray and level off with a spatula.</li>
<li>Bake at 220 C for about 7 minutes. It will not take long as it is thin and the oven is hot.</li>
</ol>
</div>
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Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-48721573446574428852015-06-13T12:08:00.003-07:002015-06-13T12:09:10.886-07:00Luscious Lemon Curd<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lemon curd is one of my favourite preserves and one that I try to keep in the fridge for when the urge takes me to make a lemon cake. Light sponge filled with a generous layer of lemon curd is one of life's real pleasures. So to make lemon curd you will need:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 lemons. If your lemons are small then up this to 5. All in all you will need about 300g.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">250g Unsalted Butter</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">350 g Sugar, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 Eggs lightly whisked</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zest of 2 - 3 lemons, Again this depends on the size.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Put the butter and sugar into a saucepan and heat to about 40 degrees C. Don't get worked up about this, it is just a little warmer than body temperature.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Remove from the stove and beat in the eggs a little at a time. Now return to the stove with the lemon juice and zest. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bring to the boil, stiring all of the time. When it comes to a rapid boil it is ready. Remove from the heat.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Delia suggests adding cornflour to the mix. If you do this, add it to the lemon juice before </span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 17px;">mixing into the butter and sugar mixture.</span></span>Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-69969846456305846782014-11-10T13:27:00.000-08:002014-11-11T10:01:22.315-08:00The Porcini Season is almost overI have just realised that I forgot to blog about the mushroom season. I think that it was because the season started so late this year and we had almost given up on being able to find any. We missed them in the middle of September as they grew before we came back from Italy. So we had to wait until the next growing cycle and from that time on we have been lucky.<br />
<br />
I wish that I could say that we were lucky enough to have picked these beautiful fungi porcini in Italy, but we didn't instead we were lucky enough to find them right here in Wales.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR3TZTlo1qn7pNm3iI6bNjWxVAGxNODafH3LUvimJQmV8meknjHSC_5sYq3ntxnd7PGCy06wvSJgL-_acVMIQQygbzq946Gn3qu3hx0BRUfi1SxHi-UcSTmlWZclWvzgZOMziRqcgn0A/s1600/P1000796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLR3TZTlo1qn7pNm3iI6bNjWxVAGxNODafH3LUvimJQmV8meknjHSC_5sYq3ntxnd7PGCy06wvSJgL-_acVMIQQygbzq946Gn3qu3hx0BRUfi1SxHi-UcSTmlWZclWvzgZOMziRqcgn0A/s1600/P1000796.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
These two little beauties were growing together and refused to become detatched from each other. I love it when the mushrooms grow like this it's so very fairy tale. I left them until last to cut up as I didn't want to destroy the close relationship. I really do think that I'm getting sadder and sadder.<br />
<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-85896191386058804332014-02-08T13:12:00.001-08:002014-02-08T13:12:55.711-08:00Marmalade Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The arrival of Seville oranges must be one of the few seasonal food events left to us who live in the world of strawberries in December. I couldn't wait for them to arrive this year as my supply was well and truly depleted. Not a spoonful left to glorify my morning toast or add to my favourite fruit cake. That said they did sit in my fridge for a few days as you really need time to make marmalade. It can't be thrown together in minutes. Marmalade requires time to prep all of the ingredients but once that is done it can be switched on and left to its own devices for a couple of hours.<br />
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<br />
I coerced my husband to help me get the fruit ready. Out came the fruit juicer and we were away.<br />
<br />
To make a lip puckering marmalade and why make anything else, you will need:<br />
<br />
1kg of Seville oranges. Make sure that they are fresh as the fresher the oranges the easier it is to get the marmalade to set.<br />
<br />
1.9kg sugar.<br />
<br />
The juice of 1 lemon<br />
<br />
2 Lt water.<br />
<br />
You will need at least 6 jam jars. If they are small you will need more. They should be sterilised. I do mine by washing them in the dishwasher just before I need them.<br />
<br />
Now comes the fun and this is why help is appreciated.<br />
<br />
Cut the oranges in half and juice. Remove the pips and pith and pour into a bowl. The rinds should be sliced thinly, only you will know how thick you like your rind. This will take a while, but while one person juices the other can slice. Add the rind to the water along with the juice of the fruits and bring gently to the boil. This will simmer for 2 hours. It really does need this as it takes that long for the rind to soften.<br />
<br />
Now, convention would have it that the pith and pips should be put into a cheese cloth tied with string and then added to the boiling marmalade. When this is cooked the bag is squeezed to get out the pectin which is a thick gel that oozes out of the bag. Well blow that. I put my pips and pith together with about half a pint of the water from the 2lt into a microwave bowl and cooked until mushy. This may take a few minutes. It depends on your machine. Put the resulting mush into a fine sieve and, using a large spoon, push as much as you can through the sieve. You will see the pectin coming out with ease. Scrape the pectin off the bottom of the sieve. If it gets to be too thick, take a ladle of the hot liquid from the pot, avoid the rind, and pour onto the sieve. Stir and push again. You get the idea I'm, sure. When you have removed as much pectin as possible give it a good stir and whisk into the boiling marmalade. Allow it to finish its 2 hour simmer.<br />
<br />
Put a side plate in the fridge to cool.<br />
<br />
Now add the sugar and mix to dissolve. Bring the marmalade up to the boil and, if you can do it, a good rolling boil. No namby pamby simmering needed here. You really need to get up to a temperature of about 105C. This is the setting point of most jams. However, any time from 99C on you can test for setting. Do this by putting a spoonful on a cold plate, put the plate in the fridge and when cool the jam is ready if the jam on the plate wrinkles when pushed with your finger. It is a good idea to switch the jam off while you do this other wise it may over cook.<br />
<br />
Ladle the marmalade into the jars. Screw the tops on firmly and turn upside down. this will help prevent the jam from going off. Leave to cool and when cool get out the toaster and enjoy.<br />
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<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-5207504047395005132014-01-18T10:16:00.004-08:002014-02-03T14:52:24.254-08:00Crumbly Ginger Shortbreads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAiPWs7IVnVMOrvUFgR9KgmHZwIhmskVXLO9dyCxiH4Q0CIeyt6c142MShUWBUg140GsX3REgxImWoVrd01KCA-qg2-gPRDhtHLZ_2WdiCsMlqdeFS2zPVAcLZvV19zg73Er7O3Mcpm10/s1600/ginger+shortbreads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAiPWs7IVnVMOrvUFgR9KgmHZwIhmskVXLO9dyCxiH4Q0CIeyt6c142MShUWBUg140GsX3REgxImWoVrd01KCA-qg2-gPRDhtHLZ_2WdiCsMlqdeFS2zPVAcLZvV19zg73Er7O3Mcpm10/s1600/ginger+shortbreads.jpg" height="180" width="200" /></a></div>
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Who doesn't like biscuits? Crumbly ginger biscuits are my current favourite especially when they are made with preserved stem ginger. These aren't the traditional gingernuts but something different as they arfe light and buttery with a hint of ginger in the shortbread and a punch of it in the chunks of stem ginger.<br />
<br />
You will have all of the ingredients in your store cupboard so let's get on.<br />
<br />
To make approx 12 biscuits.<br />
<br />
110g butter<br />
70g castor sugar<br />
1 large egg yolk<br />
200g plain flour<br />
pinch of salt<br />
1 tsp ginger powder<br />
80g chunked preserved stem ginger<br />
<br />
Heat the oven to 180C.<br />
<br />
Cream the butter and sugar. Doesn't need to be too light. Beat in the egg yolk.<br />
Mix in the chopped stem ginger.<br />
Gradually add the flour, salt and ginger powder and mix until the mixture all comes together in a firm lump.<br />
Roll into a log shape about the size that you want your finished biscuits. About 6cm is good. Wrap and chill in the fridge for about half an hour.<br />
Remove from the fridge and slice into medallion shaped biscuits. They should be about 1 cm thick.<br />
Place on a baking sheet and cook for about 20 minutes. Check on the cooking as not every oven is the same. You will want them a light golden brown.<br />
Cool until they become crisp and enjoy with a nice cup of tea. What else?<br />
<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-14799985747873009372014-01-07T08:49:00.001-08:002014-01-07T08:49:42.640-08:00Lasagne al FornoYesterday my brother phoned me and asked me where he could find my recipe for lasagne. He pointed out that there wasn't one on my blog. A big omission in hie eyes. Thinking about it, I suppose that lasagne has been done so much that I didn't feel the need to add a recipe here. However, to keep my brother happy, here's a recipe for lasagne with a few tips from a Bolognese lady that I used to work with.<br />
<br />
I'll start with the Ragu alla Bolognese.<br />
<br />
For the sugo or ragu as it is called in Bologna.<br />
<br />
500g of mince meat. A mixture of pork and beef mince is the best option and the one most used in Italy. Keep it as one lump. You'll see why later. The meat should not be too lean or it will be dry.<br />
100 g pancetta, or failing that, chopped bacon.<br />
1 large onion, finely diced<br />
1 stalk of celery, finely diced<br />
1 medium carrot, finely diced<br />
1 tablespoon of butter<br />
1 clove or garlic<br />
1 glass of red wine<br />
1 stock cube<br />
1 - 2 tablespoons of tomato puree this will depend on how red you like your sauce.<br />
A bouquet garni. Make sure that it is tied up so that the rosemary does not come apart and end up in the sauce. You only want the flavour.<br />
Either water or milk to add to the mixture<br />
a good glug of oil for frying<br />
<br />
What you do<br />
<br />
Put the oil in a heavy pan and heat up until just beginning to smoke. Add the meat in one flattish lump. Do not break up or move around. Allow it to brown on one side and when it has done this, use a meat slice to flip it over so that it can brown on the other side. The browning of the meat in this way stops the eventual sugo from being un unappetising grey.<br />
<br />
While the meat is browning, you can heat the butter and fry the diced veg, except the garlic in a separate pan. Cook until soft and put aside until you need it. Add the diced garlic now.<br />
<br />
Add the tomato puree to the meat and begin to break it up. Fry until it is all brown. Cooking the concentrate this way sweetens it and makes the sauce taste better. The pan should be fairly hot at this point so now add the wine to the meat and bring it back to the boil so that the alcohol boils off and you are left with the flavour of the wine rather than the raw taste of the alcohol.<br />
<br />
Add the cooked veg to the pan and top up with water or milk. The liquid should cover the meat by about an inch. It will probablt be about 1 litre. It may seem like a lot, but this should cook long and slow and much of the liquid will boil off. Put on a low heat for about an hour and a half. Check from lime to time to give it a stir and to make sure that the liquid has not boiled away. Do not cover as you want the liquid to evaporate.<br />
<br />
If you want a good sauce, then it needs to cook for at least and hour and a half. After that you cana decide if it is dense enough or if it needs to have a little stock added to it.<br />
<br />
When you are happy with your sauce add the stock cube and salt and pepper as necessary.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-75407471522332425162013-12-21T11:36:00.000-08:002013-12-21T11:36:22.776-08:00More Vanilla Beans than SenseRecently I decided to buy some vanilla. Ok, one or two beans. No such thing, I bought 500g. That's a lot of vanilla. So, when I do this sort of thing I have to use it up so that it does not go dry. My two ideas of choice are:<br />
<br />
Vanilla Bean Paste<br />
<br />
and<br />
<br />
Vanilla Extract<br />
<br />
The vanilla bean paste is for those who have no patience. It is quick to make and can be used immediately. If the smell in my kitchen was anything to go by even before it was finished would have been good.<br />
<br />
Simply take about 12 vanilla beans, (a lot, I know but his will make enough for a year at least.<br />
<br />
Cut the beans in to pieces of about 2cm.<br />
<br />
Weigh out 500g of sugar and mix the beans with the sugar. Put the whole lot into the bowl of a blender and blend until all of the beans and sugar are reduced to a fine powder. You will need to have the sugar in with the beans or it will not work. Trust me don't bother to try it.<br />
<br />
Next I sieved the whole lot to separate it out into the sugar with the vanilla seeds and the chopped up beans. Now this is where reality and desire become confused. What I should have done at this point is added the sieved vanilla and sugar to the water and proceeded from there. Did I do this? Not really. I actually changed my mind and threw the lot into the pot with the water. I boiled it up and when it came to the boil I sieved it again.<br />
<br />
Then I boiled it up until the mixture became syrupy.<br />
<br />
Bottle and it can be used straight away.<br />
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Now, I'm not too sure whether this is the best way, but it certainly gets a very dark paste.<br />
<br />
Vanilla extract is another matter alltogether. This time I used very strong alcohol. A flavourless Vodka is good. No need to buy anything good as it is really only a carrier for the vanilla flavour.<br />
<br />
It is simplicity to make as all that you have to do is cut 4 vanill beans in half put them in a jar with 200 - 250 ml of vodka. Put on the top and wait, and wait, and wait.<br />
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It will be about 6 months before the extract is ready to use.<br />
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My suggestion is to do both the paste and the extract. use one straight way and the other when the first is finished.<br />
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<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-64808196872948267732013-11-17T08:28:00.004-08:002013-12-21T11:34:38.827-08:00Montersino Rules for Bread. These may well be 'Montersino Rules for Bread' but for me Montersino really does rule over the kitchen. So when I was watching one of his Accademia Montersiono programmes on Alive TV<br />
( Italian language only) I gleaned several things form him that I think are important to note down here before I forget them.<br />
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<ol>
<li>The longer the raising time the smaller the quantity of yeast needed.</li>
<li>A biga must be left to develop for 18 to 20 hours. </li>
<li>Add the salt at the end of the kneading process as the salt crystals make the gluten strands rigid and inhibit their production.</li>
<li>The amount of salt in the mixture affects the time that the dough takes to prove. If you want to lengthen the proving time of the bread add extra salt. This has to be within reason. I didn't quite catch the rule so I'll watch the programme again to get the formula right.</li>
<li>Use a medium gluten content flour if you want to have a crisp crust. The protein in the flour absorbs humidity and makes even the crispiest crust go soft.</li>
<li>These may well be 'Montersino Rules for Bread' but for me Montersino really does rule over the kitchen. So when I was watching one of his Accademia Montersiono programmes on Alive TV<br />
( Italian language only) I gleaned several things form him that I think are important to note down here before I forget them.
</li>
<li>The temperature of the dough should not go above 27 C as it will inhibit the yeast growth. If the dough is mixed in a machine, the action of the dough hook can raise the temperature significantly. This is why many bakers tell you not to use warm water to make bread. (Paul Hollywood being a case in point).</li>
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There's a fantastic tretis on the science of it all here:</div>
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http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/06/the-food-lab-the-science-of-no-knead-dough.html</div>
Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-17245354275026032952013-10-15T14:10:00.004-07:002014-11-09T11:33:12.722-08:00Great British BakeoffI watched the bake off this evening and, I'm afraid that I predicted that Becca would go. It's a pity as she has worked so hard and I think that what she has made has been terrific.Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-16888960686479313972013-10-09T07:28:00.004-07:002015-06-12T23:47:55.352-07:00Plums and apples the flavours of autumnIn recent years I feel that we have lost sight of the seasons. The supermarkets bring us whatever fruit or vegetables that we want at any time of the year. Strawberries at Christmas being a good example of what I mean. So, for this post I want to cook exactly what's in season and today that is apples and plums. The apples were given to my by a dear friend and the plums come from our garden in Italy. We picked them ourselves after waiting eagerly for them to ripen up to our satisfaction.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNv9RjYoqlqo8WEPGXXb4v-rezw8yQnT4B1-saynE0RI04lZwL_Iqsr7Cw4mmb7sYF0LRJ2IQAiDOfNBFOJRQLtmGp49C7GRKWiv8w9rKMtTYaiCol_1Ka8QqIQ9q6fIjtZesTOqkw5o/s1600/plum+and+apple+tartlet_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNv9RjYoqlqo8WEPGXXb4v-rezw8yQnT4B1-saynE0RI04lZwL_Iqsr7Cw4mmb7sYF0LRJ2IQAiDOfNBFOJRQLtmGp49C7GRKWiv8w9rKMtTYaiCol_1Ka8QqIQ9q6fIjtZesTOqkw5o/s320/plum+and+apple+tartlet_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I decided to make small tartlets as I can contain myself to one rather than scoffing a large piece of a tart. I also wanted them to look pretty. Not too sure that I achieved that though. They certainly look homemade.</div>
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I tend not to weigh out too much when it comes to the filling as I just make use of what I have on hand. If I make too much, I freeze it until I can use it up in a different way.</div>
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<ol>
<li>Make the filling by peeling, quartering and cubing some apples. I used Bramleys.</li>
<li>Remove the stones from an equal weight of plums and mix in to the apples. Add enough sugar to sweeten to your taste. I like mine sharp so I don't add too much. You can always taste after they are cooked and add more.</li>
<li>I cook mine in the microwave for as long as it takes to soften the fruit. All microwave ovens will differ.</li>
<li>Cool the mixture before using it to fill the pastry shapes.</li>
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Pastry:</div>
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200g plain flour</div>
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120g butter</div>
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60g sugar</div>
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1 egg</div>
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<ol>
<li>Rub the butter into the flour and sugar.</li>
<li>Add the egg and bring the mixture together into a ball of dough. If there is not enough liquid try adding a small spoonful of water at a time until the ball of dough forms.</li>
<li>Put the dough into the fridge to firm up. About 30mins should be enough.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahVeIbn5Dlo1gCvrXBUqJhORgVG9DE3v7j4u26inE8V-dDAjZ2vv_doqqtdaDrvXpf2zLLfNGC2zIxkihyphenhyphenTuDQ_TpL2reGfxXDeNCN9NFv5tXCqlVIE1o73MqjgN5OoEYm-KBsbgH_zk/s1600/plum+and+apple+tartlet_edited-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgahVeIbn5Dlo1gCvrXBUqJhORgVG9DE3v7j4u26inE8V-dDAjZ2vv_doqqtdaDrvXpf2zLLfNGC2zIxkihyphenhyphenTuDQ_TpL2reGfxXDeNCN9NFv5tXCqlVIE1o73MqjgN5OoEYm-KBsbgH_zk/s320/plum+and+apple+tartlet_edited-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Heat the oven to 180 degrees C.</div>
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On a floured surface roll out the pastry until it is about 3mm thick. Cut into rounds big enough to fill small muffin tins. Line the tins with the pastry.</div>
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Fill the moulds with enough of the apple and plum filling to just below the top of the moulds.</div>
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Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into strips. decorate the tops of the tartlets with the pastry.</div>
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Cook in a preheated oven until well browned.</div>
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Wait until the tartlettes have cooled a little before turning out.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Now for some custard or should it be cream?</span></div>
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<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-88692162226252612013-10-03T07:01:00.001-07:002021-01-18T11:40:43.123-08:00Kugelhopf or Gugelhupf call it what you will.<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Two ways of spelling one cake. Well it all depends on where you live in the world. So you can go with whichever name you choose. When it's spoken I believe that the pronunciation is almost the same.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DXlNzOvb8zzC5yvGPVA71eDdDNtQe006df2_mRfKqpUzWIn5TXPcw-NAs3JGG9ZOuNuZI-6Dkrr6ttw_gLlZpFE6uqhenPk5GjP_HvM0onNFgjwM-abg6yonzum7RP54PLDUSQ-4YVc/s1600/kugelhopf+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DXlNzOvb8zzC5yvGPVA71eDdDNtQe006df2_mRfKqpUzWIn5TXPcw-NAs3JGG9ZOuNuZI-6Dkrr6ttw_gLlZpFE6uqhenPk5GjP_HvM0onNFgjwM-abg6yonzum7RP54PLDUSQ-4YVc/s1600/kugelhopf+2.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This piece of deliciousness is a rich yeast bread although you could be forgiven for thinking it's a cake. I first saw them in the Alsace in France and I just knew that I had to make one or eventually two or three. The first hurdle was getting the right pan. They are traditionally baked in a terracotta mould that is glazed on the inside so that the bread does not stick. However, you know me, I prefer to use silicone and this year when I was in a market in Borgo Val di Taro, I saw just what I was after and snapped it up straight away.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This recipe that was given to me by a friend fits the shape perfectly and it has the benefit of being really, really easy. What more could you ask for?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><u><b>So let's get cooking</b></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">20g fresh yeast or 1 pack of dried</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">500g Plain Flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">8 tablespoons Vegetable Oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">80g Sugar </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">125ml milk</span><br />
125g Dried apricots. I used the semi dry variety.<br />
50g Sultanas<br />
3 Eggs<br />
grated rind of half a lemon<br />
a pinch of salt<br />
50g Flaked or whole almonds<br />
dusting sugar to finish<br />
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<ol>
<li>Warm the milk to body heat and crumble in the yeast with a spoonful of sugar. Cover and leave somewhere warm to rise for about 10mins. If I am sure that the yeast is active I frequently miss out this step and carry straight on as soon as the yeast has dissolved. </li>
<li>Beat the eggs with the sugar to break them up and mix into the yeast mixture. You are not aiming for a foam here, just mix enough to disperse the egg mixture.</li>
<li>In a large bowl put the flour, lemon rind, remaining sugar, oil and salt. Pour over the milk mixture and mix really well to incorporate everything. This is not really kneading as the mixture is too soft, but you will need to beat it until it is smooth.</li>
<li> Cover the mix and leave it to rise somewhere warm for about 45mins to 1 hour. It should at least double in size.</li>
<li>Cut the apricots into smallish cubes, about 1 cm is good. Pour some boiling water over the sultanas and leave to cool. Strain. The sultanas should have plumped up by now.</li>
<li>Add them both to the yeast mix along with 30 g of the almonds.</li>
<li>Butter the gugelhupf mould well. Yes even if it is a silicone one. sprinkle with the remaining flaked almonds. Distribute the mixture into the mould. Cover and leave to rise for at least 30 mins. </li>
<li>About 10 minutes before the gugelhupf is to go into the oven turn it on to 200 degrees C. Cook for about 45 mins. Cover with greaseproof paper if it is getting too brown.</li>
<li>Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 mins. Then turn out onto a cooling rack and dust with icing sugar. If you can get it high humidity sugar is best as it remains white. Icing sugar often disappears into the cake.</li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasdyYqPKlxtKjCHr_oZfiSAhwy9DMu0zXTH3EjZxHLisHQuEGT2lKmjPwZCGNcpNv2nm5g2A_UwEhnpGe_hztGzp2FGCqkZZB8u3alFrzqOAgvFL7UesBWx4faY-2VzlwtcIHsUjLsik/s1600/IMG_0763.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhasdyYqPKlxtKjCHr_oZfiSAhwy9DMu0zXTH3EjZxHLisHQuEGT2lKmjPwZCGNcpNv2nm5g2A_UwEhnpGe_hztGzp2FGCqkZZB8u3alFrzqOAgvFL7UesBWx4faY-2VzlwtcIHsUjLsik/s320/IMG_0763.jpg" width="320" /></a>Eat for breakfast with some butter and apricot jam.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxxVQcc1r6BKTQ8AxMBvVwOkPnD7faxUagVWHzfErovd1G4hndLuy28P7hir2gdCoyaDumMM0RUHqBC7IVQFyt99stRrLbMfp-xMiEjo0vebypwR23mnX05bdOrw35buRZFC_Vp_zjVM/s1600/IMG_0766.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxxVQcc1r6BKTQ8AxMBvVwOkPnD7faxUagVWHzfErovd1G4hndLuy28P7hir2gdCoyaDumMM0RUHqBC7IVQFyt99stRrLbMfp-xMiEjo0vebypwR23mnX05bdOrw35buRZFC_Vp_zjVM/s320/IMG_0766.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zWqaIT5a9tocBkYkavl9o5oqf70xPPciJMkKrkzwCKXwNSSIBK5sKw3jC4M2HTBpSPvC9Ss6M5cUIOOWx0LzFdMKb-PzQFnVQDFZFyuBrwzPrISk5HFIaGf7g2Zfgfv5rZDOtnSjKMQ/s1600/IMG_0767.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6zWqaIT5a9tocBkYkavl9o5oqf70xPPciJMkKrkzwCKXwNSSIBK5sKw3jC4M2HTBpSPvC9Ss6M5cUIOOWx0LzFdMKb-PzQFnVQDFZFyuBrwzPrISk5HFIaGf7g2Zfgfv5rZDOtnSjKMQ/s320/IMG_0767.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-33798578115731454662013-10-03T06:15:00.000-07:002013-10-09T07:15:37.759-07:00Mushroom TimeThe wonderful porcini have finally made a decent appearance. They have been scarce of well hidden up till now but hubby came home with a good haul on Sunday and boy was I pleased.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2N7z9CHXosgCCAecH8t9mfULO-e4EkELT3zrD7E3rLZRKRijP1CwyaEzTWlVNa5oWxjW0TOxK4n2K9q9hppQu3aPGnhqiS0thMS_IddTGwdMLtlvDiVinnHeprmLGGFVZ_xwzoFnXxgU/s1600/IMG_2145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2N7z9CHXosgCCAecH8t9mfULO-e4EkELT3zrD7E3rLZRKRijP1CwyaEzTWlVNa5oWxjW0TOxK4n2K9q9hppQu3aPGnhqiS0thMS_IddTGwdMLtlvDiVinnHeprmLGGFVZ_xwzoFnXxgU/s320/IMG_2145.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span id="goog_223966233"></span><span id="goog_223966234"></span>Now, picking the mushrooms is only the first step. Drying them is equally important as, if you don't do it, they will decay and turn to mush. Not good.<br />
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Recipe suggestions:<br />
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<h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="background-color: white; color: #cc6600; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.25em 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 4px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://nonnasrecipes.blogspot.co.uk/2007/10/sugo-con-fungi-porcini.html">Sugo con Fungi Porcini</a></h3>
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<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-60474776792888177742013-06-19T09:06:00.004-07:002013-06-19T09:06:59.297-07:00Broccoli and Cauliflower SoupI love soups. As far as I am concerned, they warm the sould as well as the belly so this is why I am particularly pleased with this broccoli and cauliflower soup as it does both of those things and then some. Now there is an added bonus to this soup and that is .... it is very low calorie. This is wonderful for those days, and we all have them, when you need to cut back and take a little fat off the belly. This soup is a way of filling your belly but not adding inches to it.<br />
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Let me tell you that you will love this enough to make it any time not just on the days when you want to reduce. Serve with hot buttered toast for a wonderful not skinny treat.<br />
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I worked out that this soup in total has only about 300 calories so that's just 75 calories per serving.<br />
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You will need?<br />
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400g of broccoli and cauliflower florettes. I tend to buy the ready prepared packs in the supermarket,<br />
1 onion (about 100g)<br />
1 medium carrot<br />
1 stalk of celery<br />
1 knorr stock cube<br />
100ml milk<br />
water<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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Basically all that you need to do is put all of the above ingredients except the milk into a saucepan. Cover with water. Just cover is best as you can adjust the liquid later.<br />
Bring to the boil and simmer until all of the vegetables are really soft.<br />
Blitz with a stick blender.<br />
Add the milk and enough water to bring the quantity up to 1200ml. This will give you enough for 4 mugs full of soup. Reheat and serve.<br />
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Hunger pangs will be staved off and you will not feel at all guilty. Now where's the toast?<br />
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<br />Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-935351655449193492013-04-13T06:16:00.000-07:002015-06-12T23:48:52.493-07:00Boston Cream Pie with a twistI just love Boston Cream Pie. It's soft sponge is filled with creamy custard that melts in your mouth. If this is not good enough this flavour overload is enhanced by a topping of fabulous chocolate ganach. It is a cake of dreams and begs to be eaten alone so that you can sigh over every mouthful.<br />
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The twist? Use rum to flavour the cream.<br />
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To start you will make a light crumbly sponge. There are two possibilities for this cake: a Victorial sponge or a genoise. I chose to make the genoise as it is the lighter of the two. Also, as this cake needs to be stored in the fridge, the lower butter content of the genoise stops the sponge from firming up.<br />
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So start by making your cake.<br />
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<u>Heat your oven to C 180.</u><br />
<u>Have a 23cm or 9 inch tin ready. Grease and flour it in readiness for your sponge.</u><br />
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I used 3 large free range eggs which were at room temperature.<br />
100g caster sugar<br />
100g SR flour<br />
30g butter melted<br />
a pinch of salt<br />
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract<br />
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Start by breaking the eggs into a very clean and grease free bowl that is large enough to allow the eggs to expand when they have been beaten. Using a hand held whisk, beat the eggs until they are foamy.<br />
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The next step is to add the sugar. I was once told to heat the sugar before adding it to the eggs as this helps to create volume in the whisked eggs. I have always used this method when possible. It means that you don't have to have the eggs over boiling water and to my mind this is no bad thing. Boiling water and electricity are not always good bed fellows. Whist the sugar and eggs together until they reach the ribbon stage. This will take about 10 minutes.<br />
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Now fold the sifted flour into the mix and then fold in the melted butter. Make sure that there are no streaks of flour or butter left. Be careful not to over mix as the sponge will not rise.<br />
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Cook in your preheated oven until golden and the sponge springs back when touched gently with your finger tip. I did say gently. This is what it should look like when turned out onto a cooling rack.<br />
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NB I used a silicone baking form. I greased and floured it first as there is so little fat in the songe that I didn't want it to stick. As you see, it didn't.<br />
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I left the cake upside down as it gave a better surface to ice later on.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRpiYgAmgCc_cnJM2i038hPcCjymv5anxJs-Pkb3czukp_da6ztsHuD7EOPrkQWEJfc9WMq0QHbtMhG3RdY-_jASK-tWgB0hZW63I13D2rjcqHGRKWpxTz0bJhf7T9uzdY0FnVjwu0d8/s1600/sponge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRpiYgAmgCc_cnJM2i038hPcCjymv5anxJs-Pkb3czukp_da6ztsHuD7EOPrkQWEJfc9WMq0QHbtMhG3RdY-_jASK-tWgB0hZW63I13D2rjcqHGRKWpxTz0bJhf7T9uzdY0FnVjwu0d8/s320/sponge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Allow your sponge to cool. Then transfer to a serving plate. Do it before you fill it an ice it. You will find that it is too soft to do it later. You will thank me for this advice.</div>
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While it's cooling make the pastry cream.</div>
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2 large egg yolks.</div>
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2 heaped tablespoons of sugar</div>
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1 heaped tablespoon of cornflour</div>
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1 teaspoon of vanilla or, for a real treat, 2 tbsp dark rum. Yumm</div>
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200ml whole milk</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1em; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In a large mixing bowl, mix together the eggs and sugar until they are well blended. Beat in the flour and cornflour and set aside. Add the vanilla essence.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="line-height: 13px;">Bring the milk to the boil. I did mine in the microwave. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1em;">Slowly pour half of the hot milk onto the egg mixture, whisking all the time, then add the remaining milk.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1em; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Bring the mixture back to the boil and simmer for one minute, whisking continuously, or until smooth.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 1em; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Pour the cream into a clean bowl and top with cling film to prevent a skin forming. Cool as quickly as possible. When cooled, refrigerate until needed.</span></span><br />
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So by this tile your cake will be well and truly cooled. Cut through the middle horizontally and fill the bottom half with the cooled pastry cream. Plese remember that the cream sets as it cools so if you put it on too soon it can run out and spoil the effect of the cake. As you can see, mine is fairly thick. If you have stouble setting your custard I have found a quick cheat. Mix half of the custard with some instant custard (about a tbs will usually do the trick) and heat in the microwave until thick. Then add to the remaining custard and leave to cool. Works a treat.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscALrzC2gI8sx6vP0xxzLHfvLOV_vynG4KOLLlISE0c0DTFPU55GWA3aE0hsSxbwh5G7P71PfNX6w1KyJqZ8ak3rY5rp8Xan4_GshqPS2Fc84K86kgBzUZ7M7YHwwFxDzEyN4Um20Vy8/s1600/cream+pie+filled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgscALrzC2gI8sx6vP0xxzLHfvLOV_vynG4KOLLlISE0c0DTFPU55GWA3aE0hsSxbwh5G7P71PfNX6w1KyJqZ8ak3rY5rp8Xan4_GshqPS2Fc84K86kgBzUZ7M7YHwwFxDzEyN4Um20Vy8/s320/cream+pie+filled.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Put the top of the cake over the cream.<br />
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Now you can ice the cake with the chocolate ganach.<br />
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50 g dark chocolate of your choice chopped<br />
75 ml double cream<br />
1 teaspoon of oil.<br />
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This is simplicite itself.<br />
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Bring your cream to just below the boil. Add the chopped chocolate and oil and mix well. The chocolate will melt in the hot cream and will not need to be reheated. Allow to cool to a point where the ganach is still pourable but not so liquid that it will run straight off the sides of the cake.<br />
Allow to set and then get a knife and dive in. You won't be disappointed.Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-18220218310298916262013-04-11T14:16:00.000-07:002013-04-11T14:16:36.545-07:00A plea for a recipe<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In February I bought the <em style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;">Waitrose</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"> Kitchen Magazine, February 2013. from it I made a pear, caramel and peacan crumble tart. My husband said that it was one of the best tarts that I had ever made. My grandaughter thought it look so good that I must have bought it. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">Well what's the problem?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">I lost the magazine....</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">Can anyone help?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">Please!!</span></span>Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4760293985741899065.post-23001050791156024802013-01-13T08:53:00.003-08:002013-02-21T14:28:27.874-08:00Crispy Chick Pea and Mackeral CroquettesThis is another in the series of 'Simple Supper' recipes even though I actually ate it for lunch.<br />
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The name of this post is quite a mouthful but the croquettes themselves are small, flavoursome and beautiful. I made them, gulp, because now is the time to reduce the tummy fat and these are low gi food. They are tasty though. So you won't feel hard done by for eating healthily.<br />
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So, Simply take:<br />
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1 tin of chickpeas<br />
1 small tin of mackerel fillets.<br />
1 tbsp capers<br />
1 small egg. If your egg is large, then don't use it all as the croquettes will be too soft<br />
Oil for frying.<br />
A salad to serve.<br />
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All I did:<br />
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Put the drained chick peas in the bowl of the food processor with the entire contents of the tin of mackerel fillets. No need to drain the oil. Pulse until semi smooth.<br />
Add the capers and the egg and pulse again, This will break up the capers and mix in the egg.<br />
Turn out into a bowl and refrigerate for about 30 mins.<br />
Fry large spoonsful until crisp on both sides and cooked through.<br />
Serve with a dresses salad.Yvonne Randallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03612325052352540698noreply@blogger.com0