CHEESY BISCUITS

these turned out really nice.

225g flour 50-50 plain and spelt/wholemeal, 175g butter, 150g cheese (75g cheddar and 75g blue veined semi-hard) Pinch mustard, pinch cayenne, semi-dried tomatoes – a few, ground pepper. 15 mins @ 230C

Just trying a new version a la Parish. 225g OO flour; enough olive oil to make a sort of dough, cheese Wensleydale, cheddar, parmesan, Szechuan pepper, baking powder and salt and parsley.

RECIPES – FEB 19

Normal bread dough but roll out, spread with herb, garlic, cheese and butter mixture – then bake – adapted from

Breakfast yoghurt

Granola –

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free granola)
  • 1 ½ cup raw nuts and/or seeds (I used 1 cup pecans and ½ cup pepitas)
  • 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (if you’re using standard table salt, scale back to ¾ teaspoon)
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
  • ½ cup maple syrup or honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup dried fruit, chopped if large (I used dried cranberries)
  • Totally optional additional mix-ins: ½ cup chocolate chips or coconut flakes*

Yoghurt cream, sticky mango or apricots and filo wafers.

LIMONCELLO BLUEBERRY CAKE

INGREDIENTS175g (6oz) margarine or softened butter175g (6oz) caster sugar3 large eggs175g (6oz) self-raising flour, sifted1tsp baking powder1tsp vanilla extractpinch of salt. Dried blueberries soaked in a miniature of limoncello overnight.

METHOD

Step 1

Heat the oven to 180°C (gas mark 4). Lightly grease an 18cm (7in) round cake tin with a little extra butter or margarine and cut a piece of greaseproof paper or non-stick baking parchment to fit the base of the tin.

Step 2

Put all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or a hand-held mixer for 1 minute, or until just combined. It’s important not to beat the batter too much – just long enough to make it smooth.

Step 3

Pour or spoon the mixture into the tin, smooth the top and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for about 45-50 minutes. The cake is cooked when it looks well risen and golden; the top should spring back when lightly touched with a fingertip. Another test is to insert a skewer into the centre of the 

COOKIES WITH Middle East TASTE?

I was thinking dates and limoncello – possibly with lemon flesh (might be fiddly getting rid of the pith, or maybe just the zest? I would actually like to put dried apricots (but Kate would make horrible yuck noises!) in – maybe do both?  I like lemons lots!!So 100g chopped dates – cook slowly in a little lemon juice to soften100g butter 30g cane sugar – this is reduced as the dates are sweet.100g oats100g flour Limoncelli miniature plus 2 lemon, juice and zest1 tsp cinnamon1/2 tsp baking powder


I will try the following again https://www.facebook.com/jamieoliver/videos/moroccan-n-mhanncha-jamie-oliver-friday-night-feast/10155531797404807/


And I came across this https://www.facebook.com/jamieoliver/videos/3062152197359368/. Which I will definitely do when I get my mini-avocado’s from crowd farming.

A TASTE OF THE CARIBBEAN

A Caribbean take on oat cookies. Soak dried pineapple and coconut flakes in a miniature of Admiral’s Old Spiced Rum, normal 20-20-20-20-20 recipe, but I also added cinnamon and flaked coconut and used cane sugar. 180C for 14 minutes. Cane sugar gave it a treacly feel and with the cinnamon a Caribbean Christmas feel.

Caribbean rum cake

This Caribbean rum cake recipe is written by Caribbean chef, Keshia Sakarah. Keshia says: “Black cake is a rich, luxurious and traditional dessert made at Christmas. Originally called the empire Christmas pudding, this cake is an evolution of the British plum and Christmas puddings. It’s a clear reference to the British colonial interests in the Caribbean as it’s found mostly on islands of the former British West Indies – for example, Barbados, Montserrat and Guyana, following the introduction of Christianity during which new religious holidays and practices were observed.

“Dried fruit, a range of spices, rum, sugar and molasses were all high-value trade items during the colonial period that have remained key components of this recipe. The ritualistic process of soaking fruits in alcohol then grinding into a rough paste, which can start as early as the Christmas before, is key to maintaining the cake’s richness and density.”

FRUIT BASE

  • dried prunes 50g
  • sultanas 65g
  • glacé cherries 25g
  • raisins 50g
  • mixed peel 35g
  • cinnamon 2 sticks
  • spiced rum 150ml

CAKE BASE

  • unsalted butter 225g, plus extra for the tin
  • dark brown muscovado sugar 225g
  • eggs 5
  • vanilla extract 1 tsp
  • almond extract 1 tsp
  • lemon 1, zested
  • orange 1, zested
  • plain flour 150g
  • ground almonds 25g
  • baking powder 1 tsp

BROWNING

  • molasses syrup or sugar 45ml
  • spiced rum 45ml

SOAKING

  • spiced rum 100ml

Method

  • STEP 1For the fruit base, put the prunes, sultanas, cherries, raisins, mixed peel and cinnamon sticks into a bowl. Pour over the spiced rum then mix together well, ensuring the fruit is coated. Put in an airtight jar or container and leave to soak for at least 48 hours or as early as a month in advance. Once the fruits have soaked (they will have absorbed the rum), discard the cinnamon sticks and pour the rest into a blender or food processor and whizz until about three-quarters smooth (you want to keep some texture in the fruit).
  • STEP 2Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line a 20cm springform cake tin with baking paper. To make the cake base, cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, 
  • whisk the eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, and citrus zests until combined. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the creamed butter and sugar, a little at a time, whisking lightly so you don’t knock out the air. It may curdle a little but that’s okay. Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture along with the ground almonds. Gradually fold in using a metal spoon, to retain the air. Add the blended fruit mixture and fold in until evenly combined, then set aside.
  • STEP 3For the browning, put the molasses and spiced rum in a small pan and bring to a low boil. Turn down the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes or until syrupy and reduced by a third. Quickly pour into the cake mixture. Mix well to ensure the browning is distributed throughout.
  • STEP 4Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, then use a knife to level the top and ensure the mixture sits evenly in the tin. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes-1 hour 20 minutes or until the cake is an even dark brown colour across the 
  • top and a knife or skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre. Put the cake on a wire rack to cool.
  • STEP 5Now the cake is ready to be fed. Once the cake has cooled, remove the cake from the tin (keep the baking paper intact), put on a plate or tray then, using a skewer, poke holes across the surface of the cake. Pour the rum over the surface of the cake gradually, focussing on the areas that have been poked with the skewer to ensure the rum reaches the bottom of the cake. Feel free to add as much rum as you like when feeding the cake – the more you add the stronger the flavour will be over time. Now it is ready to serve.

A Parish recipe

A cake – butter 175g, 225g caster sugar.2 eggs, plain flour 250g. ,baking powder, dried fruit (pineapple and coconut). soaked in alcohol – rum? lemon juice, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg. To be modified!

VEGETABLE FRITTERS

Key is to get oil hot for the final cook (I am told), My take today is as follows:-

Put a 250g potato through the grater attachment of a FP. Same with 250g onion. Gently fry, then finely slice a red or green or yellow or orange pepper, and a chilli. Add to frying pan for a couple of minutes. 50g flour and 50g gram flour. 1 1/2 tsp salt. 2 eggs.

MY SPICE CAKE

Heat oven to 175C

200g plain flour: 1 1/2tsp bicarb: 1. 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon: 1/2tsp salt: 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg: 115g soft butter: 200g soft brown sugar: 100g light caster sugar: 2 eggs: 1 tbsp treacle: 50g chopped walnuts: 20g chopped dates.

Cream sugar and butter for 5 mins. mix rest. Cook for 30+mins