This really is an easy cake. To roast the nuts use a dry frying pan but watch them very carefully as they take no time at all to burn! I always line all my cake tins with baking parchment, even if they are non stick, it just makes life that much easier. I think I have said before but cakes are much more successful when all the ingredients are room temperature, so do not use butter etc. straight out of the fridge.
Continue reading “October Recipe: Pear and Cobnut/Hazelnut Cake”
If you do not want to make your own pastry you could buy either shortcrust or puff. You do not have to use a pie plate either, you can of course use a pie dish and you do not have to line it with pastry, you can just put a pastry lid on your pie. Pies are all the rage now and I think they are lovely in the Autumn / Winter months.
All three dips can be made up to 3 days ahead, kept covered and chilled. The beetroot dip can be served with sour cream and blinis, or as an accompaniment to roast duck, pork or goose. The carrot dip can be used as an accompaniment to roast vegetables for a great veggie main course. Continue reading “August Recipe: A Plate Of Three Dips – Beetroot & Date, Feta & Fennel, Carrot & Cumin”
Do have a go at making this jam, we made it in one of my cookery classes and everyone had good results. It is quite a loose French style jam. I have included a cake recipe as well where you can use your newly made jam. The cake recipe is very versatile, you could in fact use any type of jam that you may have made. I am into cutting down on sugar in recipes at the moment so with the cake recipe I would probably actually use only half of the sugar stated and it does not have to be golden caster, it can be ordinary. Continue reading “July Recipes: Really Fruity Strawberry Jam & Fruity Strawberry Traybake”
A seasonal quiche recipe for this month. Once again you can either make your own pastry or buy a good quality pastry. Baking blind requires you to fill the uncooked pastry case with baking beans (if you have them) or rice, which weighs the base down. Put baking parchment in first to line your tin and then you can easily lift out the beans or rice. This method prevents ‘soggy bottoms’ When you remove the beans give the case another 5 minute bake to dry the bottom out. You can paint it with egg wash first if you like to seal it, or sprinkle with a fine layer of semolina (a tip of my late Mother’s). This can be a main meal served with salad and new potatoes and is good for vegetarians. Continue reading “June Recipe: Roasted Aubergines, Goat’s Cheese and Smoked Paprika Tart”
This is a somewhat different recipe but I can assure you it is delicious and it keeps so well. To sterilize your jars use your dishwasher and then put them in a low oven so they are just warm when you fill them. If the top of your jars is metal make sure a paper disk is between the sauce and the lid as the vinegar will affect the metal. I also cover mine with clingfilm. I have kept the sauce for over a year and it has still been fine. You can obviously halve the recipe. You might want to use rubber gloves when deseeding the chillies. Do not touch your eyes etc. as the juice will burn. The heat in chillies is in the seeds and pith.
This is a delicious tart. If you are worried about making your own pastry by all means buy shortcrust pastry. Most bags of spinach are pre-washed but if yours is not, do make sure that you dry it really well before chopping (wrap in a teatowel or use kitchen paper). Tarts of any description cook better in a metal tin rather than china if you have both to hand. Do let it cool a little before serving as it will be much easier to slice. Continue reading “April Recipe: Blue Cheese and Spinach Tart with Caramelised Onions”
