I've been thinking about what students cook over the past while. Talking to my 21 year old and her friends some things need to be addressed and I hope to address them over the next while in blog.
If you have any specific questions please comment and I'll do my best to reply to them as soon as I can.
Remember You only get one shot at life so make the best of it!
30.8.10
4.7.10
It’s Raining Currants
I know it has been awhile since I posted, but I’ve been busy more of which in a later post. The garden is bursting with life, here are some of the things that I’ve been collecting, cooking and watching.
I went to weed the onions a few days ago and got distracted when I noticed the two redcurrant bushes I put in the year before last had fruit on them. I got a good tub of fruit. To celebrate I made a large tart. It must have been good, it was gone the next day.
The gooseberries are ripening and the elderflowers are out, and they go very well together, so I mixed some flowers with halved gooseberries and sugar and put them in a buttered Pyrex dish and as the oven was on I put the dish in, covered with a buttered paper. This gave them time them soften while I made the sponge. It’s the same as the bun recipe I wrote about here before. I topped the softened gooseberries with the sponge mix and baked it for about 20 minutes at GM4/180˚C. When the sponge is browned and bounces back when pushed with a finger it is ready. I’d forgotten to buy cream so we had it with Birds custard. The evening had turned blustery and it made a really comforting old-fashioned pudding.
The blackcurrants are ready too and I have promised to make jam with most of them, but some will end up in a summer pudding some time soon. We have two self-seeded blackcurrant bushes that are both producing fruit this year. This means we have six bushes in total.
While I was out I saw quite a lot of butterfly activity including Meadow Browns and what seem to be Ringlet butterflies. Yesterday as I was having coffee outside I saw a Cinnabar moth flutter by and the grasshoppers were in full “song” too. Summer is delightful!
I went to weed the onions a few days ago and got distracted when I noticed the two redcurrant bushes I put in the year before last had fruit on them. I got a good tub of fruit. To celebrate I made a large tart. It must have been good, it was gone the next day.
The gooseberries are ripening and the elderflowers are out, and they go very well together, so I mixed some flowers with halved gooseberries and sugar and put them in a buttered Pyrex dish and as the oven was on I put the dish in, covered with a buttered paper. This gave them time them soften while I made the sponge. It’s the same as the bun recipe I wrote about here before. I topped the softened gooseberries with the sponge mix and baked it for about 20 minutes at GM4/180˚C. When the sponge is browned and bounces back when pushed with a finger it is ready. I’d forgotten to buy cream so we had it with Birds custard. The evening had turned blustery and it made a really comforting old-fashioned pudding.
The blackcurrants are ready too and I have promised to make jam with most of them, but some will end up in a summer pudding some time soon. We have two self-seeded blackcurrant bushes that are both producing fruit this year. This means we have six bushes in total.
While I was out I saw quite a lot of butterfly activity including Meadow Browns and what seem to be Ringlet butterflies. Yesterday as I was having coffee outside I saw a Cinnabar moth flutter by and the grasshoppers were in full “song” too. Summer is delightful!
3.6.10
Good Luck Corina!
I have added my friend Corina to the blog list http://corinaduyn.blogspot.com/ . She has a wonderful imagination. She creates pictures and multi media sculptures. She also writes wonderful stories about Cloud Fairies. Take a look and reconnect with the 'child inside'. Good luck Corina.
25.5.10
All Day Breakfast Salad
All Day Breakfast Salad
Per person
60g bacon pieces
half a slice of bread cut into cubes
2 slices of black pudding
2 handfuls of washed salad leaves
3 cherry tomatoes quartered
1 egg
French dressing
Fry the bacon pieces in a spoonful of oil till browned, remove the bacon from the pan and gently fry the bread cubes in the remaining fat till golden. Grill the black pudding.
Put the salad and tomatoes into a large bowl.
Fill a small saucepan two thirds full with water and bring to the boil turn down to a simmer.
When the bacon, bread and pudding are cooked set aside to cool a little.
To poach the egg you will need a fresh free range or organic egg, a ramekin and a slotted spoon.
Crack the egg into the ramekin and slide it into the simmering water. After 30 to 40 seconds lift the egg out of the water with the slotted spoon and poke it gently with your finger. It will be runny at this stage, gently replace the egg in the simmering water and check it again after another 30 seconds. When you feel the egg is poached to your liking take it out of the water and rest it on some kitchen-paper to absorb any extra water.
Crumble the black pudding over the salad and add the bacon and fried bread, dress this with French dressing and toss.
Top with the poached egg and serve.
This salad is a completely over the top and indulgent meal in its self. Once in a while it makes the most wonderful brunch or supper dish. Sometimes we replace the fried bread with fried cooked potatoes. Home grown salad is a must for this, you can vary the mix depending on the time of year. I love rocket and nasturtiums mixed with lettuce at this time of year.
The most important thing is to get a really good fresh free range / organic egg. If you are lucky enough to know someone who keeps hens and they can let you have an egg or two you will really taste the difference.
Per person
60g bacon pieces
half a slice of bread cut into cubes
2 slices of black pudding
2 handfuls of washed salad leaves
3 cherry tomatoes quartered
1 egg
French dressing
Fry the bacon pieces in a spoonful of oil till browned, remove the bacon from the pan and gently fry the bread cubes in the remaining fat till golden. Grill the black pudding.
Put the salad and tomatoes into a large bowl.
Fill a small saucepan two thirds full with water and bring to the boil turn down to a simmer.
When the bacon, bread and pudding are cooked set aside to cool a little.
To poach the egg you will need a fresh free range or organic egg, a ramekin and a slotted spoon.
Crack the egg into the ramekin and slide it into the simmering water. After 30 to 40 seconds lift the egg out of the water with the slotted spoon and poke it gently with your finger. It will be runny at this stage, gently replace the egg in the simmering water and check it again after another 30 seconds. When you feel the egg is poached to your liking take it out of the water and rest it on some kitchen-paper to absorb any extra water.
Crumble the black pudding over the salad and add the bacon and fried bread, dress this with French dressing and toss.
Top with the poached egg and serve.
This salad is a completely over the top and indulgent meal in its self. Once in a while it makes the most wonderful brunch or supper dish. Sometimes we replace the fried bread with fried cooked potatoes. Home grown salad is a must for this, you can vary the mix depending on the time of year. I love rocket and nasturtiums mixed with lettuce at this time of year.
The most important thing is to get a really good fresh free range / organic egg. If you are lucky enough to know someone who keeps hens and they can let you have an egg or two you will really taste the difference.
17.5.10
Buns not cup cakes.
Someone on the radio was wondering where all the buns had gone. Or rather when did they get replaced by cup cakes.
I got a longing for old fashioned buns or queen cakes then. My Mother use to make buns. They were either plain or had caraway seed in them, it was easy enough to tell them apart if they were iced as she tended to only ice the plain ones. Sometimes if there wasn’t time to ice them we would have to turn the buns upside down to see if we could see the seeds through the bun paper. This was not always a foolproof way of telling, and an unlucky bun eater would end up with a mouthful of caraway seed. Caraway is a grownup taste and some people never like it.
The other buns that I love are coffee walnut ones well really coffee walnut cake, but buns are mini cakes.
Here is the recipe for the ones I made today make sure the butter is soft leave it to reach room temperature for an hour if you can, but don’t let it turn to oil. All you need is a bowl, a wooden spoon, a dessert spoon, a sieve and a scales.
Buns
6 oz/170 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
6 oz/170 g soft butter
6 oz/170 g sugar
3 eggs
1 oz/30 g chopped walnuts
1 tsp caraway seed
Icing for the walnut buns
3 tbs icing sugar
1 tbs very strong black coffee or Irel coffee
walnut pieces to decorate
Set the oven to GM 4/350˚F/180˚C and line 2 bun trays with bun papers.
Makes about 24 buns.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the sugar, eggs, and butter. Beat these together until well blended and divide the mix in two parts add caraway to one half and the walnuts to the other half. Spoon a good dessert spoonful into each bun case you should get about 11 or 12 of each. Bake for about 15-20 minutes in the centre of the oven, the top will spring back when poked gently with a finger. Take out of the oven and put the buns onto a wire rack, leave to cool.
To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the coffee beat together to make a smooth thick paste. Spoon over the cooled walnut buns and decorate with walnut pieces.
I got a longing for old fashioned buns or queen cakes then. My Mother use to make buns. They were either plain or had caraway seed in them, it was easy enough to tell them apart if they were iced as she tended to only ice the plain ones. Sometimes if there wasn’t time to ice them we would have to turn the buns upside down to see if we could see the seeds through the bun paper. This was not always a foolproof way of telling, and an unlucky bun eater would end up with a mouthful of caraway seed. Caraway is a grownup taste and some people never like it.
The other buns that I love are coffee walnut ones well really coffee walnut cake, but buns are mini cakes.
Here is the recipe for the ones I made today make sure the butter is soft leave it to reach room temperature for an hour if you can, but don’t let it turn to oil. All you need is a bowl, a wooden spoon, a dessert spoon, a sieve and a scales.
Buns
6 oz/170 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
6 oz/170 g soft butter
6 oz/170 g sugar
3 eggs
1 oz/30 g chopped walnuts
1 tsp caraway seed
Icing for the walnut buns
3 tbs icing sugar
1 tbs very strong black coffee or Irel coffee
walnut pieces to decorate
Set the oven to GM 4/350˚F/180˚C and line 2 bun trays with bun papers.
Makes about 24 buns.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the sugar, eggs, and butter. Beat these together until well blended and divide the mix in two parts add caraway to one half and the walnuts to the other half. Spoon a good dessert spoonful into each bun case you should get about 11 or 12 of each. Bake for about 15-20 minutes in the centre of the oven, the top will spring back when poked gently with a finger. Take out of the oven and put the buns onto a wire rack, leave to cool.
To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add the coffee beat together to make a smooth thick paste. Spoon over the cooled walnut buns and decorate with walnut pieces.
27.4.10
Blossoms
There are lots of white blackthorn blossoms out at the moment in the hedges. I must make a note of the easily reached ones so I can collect some sloes for sloe gin this autumn.
Our greengage and damsons have a few blossoms too. Neither of these three trees have ever had much blossom and therefore no fruit.
The pears and apples are beginning to blossom too. One apple has the most wonderful scent, quite delicate, but rose like. I hope the apples are better this year than last.
I have been reclaming the red currant bushes since the hedge cutter gave them an impromptu “pruning” while doing the laurel hedge. As they were quite over grown it has been great to get in at the brambles some of which have the most massive gnarly roots. Very satisfying to get these out. I don’t think we’ll get any fruit from them this year. Not that we get much from them anyway, as the birds tend to get there first.
The black currants are in flower and as they got a proper pruning we should do well from them this year.
The strawberries are in flower in the poly tunnel and outside I wonder which will give us the first ripe fruit?
Our greengage and damsons have a few blossoms too. Neither of these three trees have ever had much blossom and therefore no fruit.
The pears and apples are beginning to blossom too. One apple has the most wonderful scent, quite delicate, but rose like. I hope the apples are better this year than last.
I have been reclaming the red currant bushes since the hedge cutter gave them an impromptu “pruning” while doing the laurel hedge. As they were quite over grown it has been great to get in at the brambles some of which have the most massive gnarly roots. Very satisfying to get these out. I don’t think we’ll get any fruit from them this year. Not that we get much from them anyway, as the birds tend to get there first.
The black currants are in flower and as they got a proper pruning we should do well from them this year.
The strawberries are in flower in the poly tunnel and outside I wonder which will give us the first ripe fruit?
23.4.10
Green Leaves
As our purple sprouting broccoli PSB was nonexistent this year, I tried steaming the flower buds that appeared on the Brussels sprouts in the leaf axels at the top of the plants. Steamed for a few minutes and tossed in butter they are almost as tasty as PSB. They also are a reasonable replacement for Chinese greens in a stir-fry. The leaves at the top of the sprout plants make a good substitute for cabbage or kale in this hungry gap.
For other greens at this time of year I like Swiss chard, but ours is in the poly tunnel and is beginning to bolt, still it has lots of leaves still to be eaten and the leaf stalks take well to the stir-fry treatment too.
Wild garlic or ramsons are delicious too, the local roadside is about to become a mass of white flowers. I don’t pick them from the roadside as we have some growing in the woods. A handful sliced and added to an omelette and a salad makes a perfect lunch.
For other greens at this time of year I like Swiss chard, but ours is in the poly tunnel and is beginning to bolt, still it has lots of leaves still to be eaten and the leaf stalks take well to the stir-fry treatment too.
Wild garlic or ramsons are delicious too, the local roadside is about to become a mass of white flowers. I don’t pick them from the roadside as we have some growing in the woods. A handful sliced and added to an omelette and a salad makes a perfect lunch.
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