New beginnings (and Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes)

I don't know how, but something has changed fast. 

Previously...

Things are plodding along for a while, little things building up at the back of your mind, and then suddenly something big and bad happens. You go through this horrible time and it genuinely feels like the be all and end all. You react like a crazy person; you do things you will undoubtedly regret and cringe at in the future. But you do it anyway because it makes you feel better for a minute at that the time and that minute feels like temporary relief. Then you feel doubly horrendous for not coping with the horrible situation in a dignified manner. But eventually, you realise that you are only human: you have to make exceptions: you were not yourself. You start to morph back into the original 'you'. Once again, you can think clearly before you act, and you understand your own emotions. You begin to see possibilities, instead of that dark abyss. 

When that day comes, I'm willing to bet that it's sunny outside. Jetted blue sky, balmy air, smell-of-suncream - the real thing. Summertime. 

On this day, you may do a number of things:

Listen to music, for one. Undemanding, uplifting music. Ukeleles are very welcome. 

Take photographs of everything pretty and everything not. Even regular stuff is rendered beautiful in the sunshine. 

Pull on a pair of shorts and confidently leave the house with short sleeves. Realise that showing neck-nape is effortlessly cute and decide to get your hair cut short and tousled. 

Read the most unchallenging book you can find. It must defy academia. Beach huts in pastel shades on the front cover, most likely. Every chapter laden with soppy scandals that keep you glued to your garden chair until your face is freckled. 

Make one of those incredibly lazy lunches that can only be achieved and enjoyed on sunny days. Hunks of bread, mustard, corned beef, sundried tomatoes, rocket salad, parmesan. Long glass of fruit squash. 

After lunchtime, consider the remains of the day. The whole afternoon lies before you. Get out your recipe books and choose something to make, to cook, to bake. Take all the time that you need to leisurely create. 

As you have probably guessed, I recently encountered such a day. Either that, or I have far too much time to sit and conjour up how that would really be. 

On said day, I made chocolate cupcakes filled with raspberry cream and drizzled with a white chocolate web. They were adorable to look at and far too easy to eat. Recipe coming soon! 

: )

Plum Clafoutis

It has been eight months since I wrote in my blog but now I am back and keener than ever! By no means have I been avoiding the kitchen in these eight months, however. I am happy to say (as there would be something seriously wrong if I had 'gone off' cooking!) that I am still brimming with culinary passion :)

This afternoon I made my first ever clafoutis, making some use of our glut of garden plums. The recipe I used is from Michel Roux's Pastry book and thus has a pastry crust (much to my surprise, as a clafoutis neophyte!). I was extremely pleased with the way my pate briseée turned out (it is delicate, flaky and beautifully short even on the base - I was also pleasantly surprised to find it relatively easy to work with) and the baked custard element of the clafoutis was utterly delicious, flavoured generously with vanilla and a splash of brandy. However, all of that was slightly overpowered by the wince-worthy tartness of our homegrown plums :/ I think that if I had used the traditional cherry or another, sweeter soft fruit (such as peach, pear or apricot) it would have been a real star, so I would still thoroughly recommend this recipe :)

full recipe coming soon...

Lemon Squares

Do you like lemon curd? I love lemon curd. However, it has to be as sharp and zesty as possible, otherwise you end up with a clacky mouthful of buttery egg. 

These squares are utterly delicious. Their dainty size and citrussy freshness makes them ideal for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up but the butter-rich shortbread base and the set-but-still-squidgy lemon curd layer makes them incredibly moreish.

I must admit, I was a little disheartened when I removed them from the oven - the lemon custard had baked set and was reminiscent of an omelette, with air bubbles and sporadic brown freckles over the surface. All it took was for me to slice the traybake into squares, to reveal the creamy middle layer, and I knew it was going to be good. And that is what renders these squares eye-wideningly scrumptious.

N.B. - when storing these, make sure you separate the layers with some greaseproof paper because if the shortbread base of one square comes into contact with the sticky topping of another, you end up with soggy bottomed squares - a sorry waste!

Lemon Squares (makes 30 pieces)

from Cakes & Slices - Murdoch Books

125g (4 1/2 oz) butter, softened 

75g (2 1/2 oz) caster sugar

155g (5 1/2 oz) plain flour, sifted

4 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten

250g (9oz) caster sugar

3 tbsp lemon juice (I used a fair bit more to make them really zingy!)

1 tso grated lemon zest

30g (1oz) plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 F/Gas 4). Lightly grease a 8x12 inch rectangular shallow baking tin and line the base with baking parchment, leaving the paper to hang over the long sides.

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Fold in the flour with a metal spoon until roughly combined. Press into the tin. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and firm. Leave to cool in the tin. 

Beat the eggs and sugar for two minutes, or until light and fluffy. 

Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Sift together the flour and baking powder and gradually whisk into the egg mixture.

Pour onto the base. Bake for about 25 minutes (mine didn't take this long) or until just firm and slightly golden. Leave to cool in the tin. Once cool, cut into squares. Dust with icing sugar just before serving, if desired.

N.B. - this full recipe will make around 30 squares, contrary to what my photograph shows - I halved the quantity, put it into a smaller square tin and it yielded 16 pieces, so do not be confused!

Guinea Fowl with Mushrooms and Red Wine

Yesterday I visited my very first farmers' market. There is one but 20 minutes away every two weeks but I had never got around to going before now. There is something so quaint, traditional and quintessentially British about a farmer's market and I am a great advocate for anything that supports local farmers and their produce. So much more inspiring than the supermarket aisles, I came across rough and dirty vegetables, all healthy specimens, sturdy oatmeal loaves, fresh scallops, homemade honey and preserves, to name but a few, as well as Guinea Fowl. 

I have never cooked with Guinea Fowl before, although I do not know why as it is, when in the kitchen, just a small, gamier-flavoured chicken. So, I was convinced to purchase such a healthy little bird from a highly helpful and knowledgeable farmer. And boy, am I glad that I had my arm twisted?!

I searched through my recipes books for a recipe, because I wanted to make the most of this unusual (for me, anyway) item. However, I had to resort to the Internet, and came across this extremely successful recipe by Waitrose. The meat is much darker and richer than chicken and the flavour very gamey and earthy, well suited to a red wine-based, lightly spiced, fruity sauce and lots of seasonable root vegetables.

P.s. Apologies for this mound of food - presentation of savoury dishes has never been my strong point...

Guinea Fowl (serves 3)

adapted from Waitrose

1 guinea fowl (jointed into 4 pieces)

a small knob of butter

1/2 tbsp olive oil

4 shallots (or, I used 1 red onion)

5 white mushrooms, quartered

1 heaped tbsp fresh thyme (leaves only)

150ml red wine

1 tbsp caster sugar

1/2 tbsp cornflour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

a pinch ground cloves

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

juice of 1 clementine

200ml boiling vegetable stock (or use stock from the carcass)

1 tbsp redcurrant jelly

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C/Gas 3. 

Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan, add the onion a two of the guinea fowl portions. Turn the pieces, heat up high, until golden brown and sealed. Transfer to a casserole dish and take the onions with them once softened and lightly browned. Brown the remaining guinea fowl pieces and add to the casserole pot.

Cook the mushrooms and thyme in the pan for a few minutes and add to the casserole.

Bring the wine and sugar to a simmer in the pan, stirring to collect the leftover flavours. Pour over the guinea fowl and squeeze over the clementine juice. Sprinkle over the cinnamon and cloves.

Combine the cornflour with the soy sauce and add to the stock. Add to the casserole with the redcurrant jelly, then cover with a lid.

Cook in the oven for roughly 2 hours, checking, basting and turning often.

Maple Granola

It seems like forever since I last updated my blog and I am quite certain of the cause of that - the fullness of our larder at the moment! There is still so much left over food from Christmas that I have not been baking or cooking for weeks. It is a bittersweet situation because enjoying Christmas leftovers is one of my favourite parts of the holiday season, but I have really been missing the kitchen as I cannot justify making more food that is probably going to see the dark abyss of the rubbish bin before it has been fully appreciated. However, things are beginning to wind down a little and I have embraced the kitchen once again, this time to cater for my favourite meal of the day - breakfast =D

Ahh breakfast, how I anticipate your wholesome bounty. Cereal, always. Fruit, always. Porridge, when the weather outside is frightful. Honey, with most things. Eggs and soldiers, when I have the whole day to do with as I please. Pancakes, to go with silk pyjamas and a birthday party. Tea, of course. 

Granola. Glorified cereal. With yoghurt and stewed fruit. Glorified breakfast.

Oh, and did I mention this crunchy, fruity, chewy, treacly, toasted, rugged, healthy, and downright scrumptious recipe came from the latest issue of Delicious. ? This all bodes rather well...

Maple Granola (makes enough for 16 bowlfuls)

2 tbsp light olive oil

150ml apple juice ( I used freshly squeezed orange plus the zest)

100ml maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract (the lid on mine got stuck so I used almond extract!)

350g rolled oats

100g oat bran (I missed this out as I have none...and used Rude Health multigrain flakes instead!)

50g each sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

25g each golden linseed and hulled hemp seeds (again, I had to compromise by using more of the above and some nuts)

200g dried cranberries or raisins (or a mixture of that and other dried fruit of your choice)

Preheat oven to 160 degrees C/fan140 degrees C/gas 3 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment.

Combine the oil, juice (and zest if using), syrup and vanilla in a small pan, add a pinch of salt, and heat gently, stirring occasionally.

Mix the oats, oat bran and seeds together in a large bowl and pour over the liquid mixture. Stir quickly and thoroughly to coat evenly. 

Spread the granola over the trays and distribute well.

Bake for 30 minutes (but keep a close eye on it, stirring every 10 minutes or so, or else it will suddenly start to burn). 

When it is lightly golden, stir in the dried fruit and bake for 15 minutes longer (I found that mine needed a little less time, but I made half the quantity).

Leave to cool, then store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 

Serve with yoghurt, milk, fresh fruit or a fruit compote (for example, I used pears, apples, spices, dried figs and prunes).

Orange Mincemeat Cake

I just cleaned out the fridge. Not cleaned out its contents by checking expiry dates, but actually cleaned the entire vessel. It was completely gutted, then refilled, and now it is sparkling and fresh. It was stomach-turning, to be honest. We had to clean out jars of condiments that were shockingly out of date and it's not like bog-standard chutney smells good at the best of times. A prune yoghurt fell on the floor and exploded. Yoghurt on the skirting board. But it has all been cleaned up now and my head is happy. Organised and diligent start to the new year.

Anyway, I made a cake for Hogmanay. It is a recipe out of one of the many beautiful recipe books I received at Christmas : ) 

I revisited crystallised orange slices, after I was introduced to them at the time of my festive cupcakes. 

It was a very pretty cake, I have to say, although I was slightly worried about how it would taste as I was taking it to a party and I had never tried this recipe before. Thankfully, it was received with delight. At least, people made yummy noises. Whether they were merely a reflection of good breeding or whether they were genuine, I do not know! The sponge was surprisingly fluffy and light for a recipe that does not use any raising agents other than self-raising flour and a fairly standard quantity of egg. 

Orange Mincemeat Cake (serves 8)

adapted from the recipe for  Rum and raisin cake in Cakes & Slices - Murdoch Books

200g mincemeat

1 small apple, grated

1 tbsp orange juice

185g (6 1/2 oz) self-raising flour

1 tsp each of ground cinnamon and ground ginger

140g (5oz) butter

95g (3 1/4 oz) soft brown sugar

2 tbsp golden syrup

3 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F/Gas 4). Lightly grease a deep 8 inch round cake tin and line the base with baking parchment.

Sift the flour and spices into a large bowl, mix and make a well.

Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a small pan over a low heat. Stir gently until all the sugar and butter has dissolved. Remove from the heat.

Add the melted mixture and the eggs to the flour alternately, folding them in gently until just combined - do not over beat. Stir in the grated apple, mincemeat, and orange juice.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.

Bake for 40 minutes or so, until a skewer comes out clean. 

Turn out onto a cooling rack until completely cooled.

To decorate:

I used a simple glacé icing made with orange juice. Spoon it over the top of the cooled cake and let it drizzle down the sides. 

Then, top with slices of crystallised orange (Put 2 tbsp water in a pan with 4 tbsp granulated sugar and bring to the boil. Place the orange slices in the pan and continue to simmer for about 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the pith begins to turn transparent. Remove from the heat and allow to cool until they can be safely handled. Toss them in a little lemon juice and then lightly toss them in granulated sugar. Dust off any excess, so that you can still see the attractive orange cross-section). 

Christmas Leftovers Noodle Soup

One of my favourite parts of Christmas is all the leftover food. Boxing Day tea usually consists of stuffing, a bit of bread sauce (yuuuum), a spoonful of braised spiced red cabbage, a slice or two of cold turkey, perhaps a roast potato for good measure, with a slice of Christmas cake, a mince pie or a chunk of Panettone or Stollen for pudding. And these makeshift meals are always delightful and relaxed. 

This year one of our usual Christmas Day guests did not manage to attend, so we ended up with a little more leftover turkey than usual. We had a fair few of the controversial Brussel's sprouts left as well. 
After rising at a relaxed hour and pottering about the house leisurely for a few hours, I was ready for some lunch and ready to do some gentle cooking. So these were two of the ingredients that I dug out of the fridge today, when I rustled up a warming bowl of noodle soup. 
Now, I am certain that the Japanese have a culinary title for such a soup/noodle dish, however I do not wish to insult anybody by pretending I know the authentic term nor do I wish to embarrass myself, so I will settle for Noodle Soup, as twee and affected as it may sound!

I apologise for my quantities being very vague and inexact but I literally just threw this together and hoped for the best. To be honest, there is little that you can do wrong with this, it is very much a matter of taste and what you happen to have in your fridge at the time. So get using-up and get experimental - so long as it is hot, contains noodles, some meat, some veg, and plenty of flavour, we are on the same page!

Noodle Soup (serves 1)

Half a 'nest' of dried egg noodles 

1 tsp vegetable stock powder (I used Bouillon powder) 

1 tsp olive oil

4 Brussel's sprouts, sliced

3 broccoli florets, halved

1 generous handful of spinach leaves

1/4 tsp root ginger, finely chopped/grated

1 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped

a handful of cooked turkey strips/chunks 

1 egg yolk (optional)

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

a splash fish sauce

one miniscule pinhead droplet of truffle oil 

salt and black pepper

a squeeze of lemon juice

Fill a small pan with enough water to cover the noodles (about half full), add the stock powder and bring to the boil.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok and add the sprouts and broccoli. Stir-fry gently. 

Once the water is boiling, add the noodles, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about 4 minutes.

Back at the wok, add the parsley and ginger. Cook for just a minute. 

Add the spinach, soy sauce, lemon juice and season well. 

Once the spinach has wilted and everything is cooked but definitely al dente, transfer to a heat-proof serving bowl and put this on top of the pan you are cooking the noodles in. This will keep the veg and bowl warm while you free up the wok for the turkey and egg.

Put the turkey in the wok, turn up the heat, and heat for a few minutes until piping hot. Add the lightly beaten egg yolk and stir briskly and roughly, keeping it on the move so that it cooks quickly and does not stick, and so that it coats the pieces of turkey. This will just take a minute - once the egg is cooked and the turkey is heated well all the way through, it is time to serve up. 

Drain the noodles and put them in the bowl with the vegetables. Add about a third of the stock/cooking water (or whatever seems appropriate with regard to the amount of water you used) and then put the turkey and egg on top. Season well, add the fish sauce and truffle oil (be extremely sparing, you should barely add any at all, it is so potent!). 

Enjoy the comforting, warming homeliness and smile at the assurance that you have not wasted any of the good things you served on Christmas Day : )