Apple, Bramble and Ginger Crumble

Fruit crumbles are the closest thing you can get to a cuddle from a pudding. I loved them when I was a wee girl and I love them still. On top of that, you can call them healthy without crossing your fingers behind your back!

I like to make mine even more wholesome by using wholemeal flour, brown sugar, and putting some oats and chopped nuts into the crumble topping.

This is the first time I have used frozen fruit when baking. I needed apples and blackberries - the supermarket and my fruit and veg cupboard were lacking cooking apples, and blackberries are out of season and extortionate. So, frozen it had to be. I must say, I would do so again - for the berries anyway. The apples are decidedly better when fresh because the frozen ones had a bit of a weird tang. Let's call it a nuance and smile :)

Nigella Lawson suggests using ground almonds in with the fruit, in order to soak up excess liquid and to give that wonderfully smooth, deep almondy flavour and texture. I did exactly that and I will never look back. It's lovely.

Apple, Bramble and Ginger Crumble


2lb Bramley or Granny Smith apples
1lb blackberries
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp demerara sugar
1 heaped tsp ground ginger
75g ground almonds
1 tbsp lemon juice


Put the apples, lemon juice and granulated sugar in a pan with a enough water to just cover the base of the pan.
Cook for about 5-7 minutes, until the apples just begin to soften on the outside. 
Arrange the apple mixture in an ovenproof dish along with the blackberries. Scatter the demerara sugar, ginger and ground almonds over the top, and give everything a good shake to settle and disperse.

Top with your favourite crumble topping, and bake at 180 degrees C/350 degrees F/Gas Mark 4, until the crumble goes light brown and the fruit is releasing juice and begins to bubble.

Salmon topped with Sundried Tomato Pesto

First of all, I'm going to put something out there - I love fish. I really do. I think it's the simplicity of it that appeals, its cleanliness and versatility. A good piece of fish can carry itself quite beautifully, unadulterated it is naturally delicious. But it also promises potential for a plethora of creations - curries, fish stews, goujons, fishcakes, sandwiches, salads...Equally yum, but all very different. 

Salmon is a staple in my home. Usually we bake it in foil, with some lemon juice and zest, and let it speak for itself. However, sundried tomatoes and chillies are not such a staple, and when nearing their expiry date, I simply have to use them up. 

I called this topping pesto. I exaggerated. It's a paste, really. A paste of stuff that tastes good and strong. It is also easy peasy to whizz up. Job done :) 

Sundried Tomato Pesto

100g sun dried or sun blush tomatoes

just under a tablespoon of olive oil (or the oil the tomatoes come in)

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 tsp finely chopped chillies 

1 tsp garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp root ginger, chopped

2 tbsp fresh parsley

1 tbsp fresh coriander

1 tbsp toasted pine nuts 

Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion for about 2 minutes.

Add the ginger, garlic, and chillies, followed by the tomatoes. Keep everything moving so that the garlic does not burn. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the herbs and pine nuts, cook for 2 minutes more. 

Blitz the mixture using a stick blender or a food processor, until you get a rough paste. Add a little water if it is too dry and thick. Season to taste.

Spread on top of salmon fillets (or whichever fish you like) and bake, in foil, for 10-15 minutes. 

Cherry & Coconut Loaf

Today has just been one of those days and the only things keeping me from curling up in a ball and weeping are making this loaf and the prospect of this evening's episode of Nigella Kitchen. 

In true frugal foodie fashion, I raided the cupboards and used up an old tub of glacé cherries and the dregs of a bag of desiccated coconut to make this cake, which I am going to take into work tomorrow. 

Ahh, Cake Fridays how I love you :)

This is a Martin Wishart recipe from a tear-out from a 2006 (haha!) issue of The Herald Magazine. I stuck fairly loyally to the recipe, just adding some lemon zest to the loaf mixture and some lemon juice to the glacé icing.

Cherry & Coconut Loaf 

325g self raising flour

175 g butter

175 g caster sugar

2 eggs

100 ml milk 

200g glacé cherries, quartered

50g desiccated coconut

pinch of salt

abound 1 tbsp lemon zest 

icing sugar, lemon juice, and water to make a thick glacé icing.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F/Gas Mark 4

Sift the flour and salt and then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Toss the cherries in the coconut to coat them and add to the flour mixture.

Stir in the sugar and lemon zest.

Beat the eggs and add them, followed by the milk, stir well until fully combined (use enough milk to achieve a fairly stiff, dropping consistency).

Transfer the mixture to a loaf tin (greased and lined), smooth the top and bake for 80-90 minutes. 

*You may find you have to cover the top of the loaf with some kitchen foil after about 50 minutes to avoid burning.*

When the loaf is cool, spoon over the icing and gently spread it out. 

I have to admit, I was kicking myself somewhat for leaving it to cool, uncovered, for most of the day whilst at work, because when I came home it had dried out a little and the outer 'shell' has gone very hard and biscuity! However, the inside remained soft and pale, studded with those translucent, glistening rubies...

Autumnal Chutney

I love the idea of giving homemade presents at Christmas, even more so if they are foodie ones. So, this October I made a batch of apple, date and walnut chutney and left the jars of intense, chunky, vinegary fruitiness to mature in the larder. Similar to that melting stage when you make the Christmas cake, when all the dried fruit, alcohol and stem ginger gets stirred into the pot of melted butter and muscovado sugar, I was rewarded by a big glossy pot of fruit, nuts and onions and a deliciously promising aroma whilst the chutney was reducing down. Mmmmm!

The recipe is from a big hardback book of farmhouse recipes, that I found in my mum's plentiful cookbook cupboard, and I was very impressed with its ideas and depth of instruction (e.g. tips on potting and sealing your chutney). I will get the recipe up asap! 

Anyway...now that it has been maturing for the recommended minimum period, I decided to dress up my jars in plenty of time for present giving, one of which is going to my designated Secret Santa recipient from the office! 

Thank You, Tesco!

Tesco has launched a Christmas Cupcake decorating competition and as soon as I found out I simply had to get started on my entry. Despite my tenacious belief that Christmas should not be rushed (this year I noticed the shops getting into festive mode in September! September!)...I made an exception, considering the deadline is 29th November!

Veering away from the idea of snowmen and Christmas trees, I wished to make something really rustic and  reminiscent of a Christmas Wreath. This also meant that I got to have my very first fruit-crystallising experience! I was extremely tempted to dip half the clementine slice in dark chocolate but I controlled myself, for the sake of the cake's appearance. Simplicity all the way!

The sponge is flavoured with clementine zest, cinnamon and cloves and the buttercream icing has a squeeze of lemon juice in it.

Spiced Clementine Cupcakes (makes 6)

2oz butter, very soft

2 oz caster sugar

2oz self-raising flour

1 egg

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp warmed milk

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch ground cloves

1 tsp clementine/orange zest

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C/375 degrees F/Gas Mark 5.

Beat together the butter and sugar.

Add the dry ingredients (sifted) and beaten egg, and beat well.

Stir in the milk and orange zest.

Fill muffin or bun cases about half full and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Have fun decorating the cakes as you wish! (I used lemon buttercream, crystallised clementine, dried cranberries, and golden balls, finished with a tiny snowdrift of icing sugar and ground cinnamon!).

Chicken Mole

Tonight for dinner I made an authentic Mexican dish - Chicken Mole. It is a recipe that I have always wanted to try out because it uses so many spices and other delicious things (e.g. dark chocolate, almonds and raisins). I am always drawn to flavoursome, casserole-esque recipes and this was right up my street for that reason. I had some long grain rice lurking in the larder that was fast approaching its use-by date (I must mention that I cannot abide waste, especially where food is involved!), so I threw in some peas, broccoli florets, and diced mushrooms, along with a knob of butter, and served that up along side the chicken.

Regrettably, I did not take a photograph of the finished meal (partly because we were pushed for time and partly because I was so keen to see what it tasted like!) but I can think of worse things, because it isn't the most aesthetically pleasing of dishes! Nevertheless, I am thrilled to say that it was absolutely yummy and the method of blending together all the sauce ingredients (including the tomatoes, spices, garlic, onion, ground almonds,  and dark chocolate) made for a really unctuous, rich sauce. I will admit that I was unsure of what the dark chocolate would add to the overall flavour of the dish, but it really does work - it adds a distinguishable nuance that I can't describe, but I could certainly taste it and it was certainly to its advantage. I shall definitely be making this again!

French Fancies

French cakes are the epitome of fairy tea party food. There is something touching about their pale pastel coats and featherlight innards. Fiddly they may be but, with a little patience and a delicate hand, the end result was so rewarding that I could justify the frivolity of the whole idea!

I have sampled their supermarket counterparts many a time, with great childish delight, but it came to me that all you need is a basic sponge cake recipe and a bit of imagination to make your own. I have just adapted a recipe for little lemon cakes from GoodFood magazine (thank you!) and, against usual fondant fancy rule, added a layer of jam (which I think is essential to prevent them being cloying).

I coloured the pink ones naturally using sieved raspberries, which I think gives a much pleasanter flavour than artificial food colouring. I went a bit overboard with the blue colouring (which I discovered you must be extremely sparing with!) as you can probably tell...! But even so, I was really proud of these but, as they are soo time consuming, would probably only make them again for a very special occasion!

French Fancies (makes 10)

4oz butter

6 oz self raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

6oz caster sugar

2 eggs

5 tbsp milk (warmed)

zest of 1 lemon and 1 tsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C/Gas 4/Fan 160 degrees C.

Put everything in a bowl and beat really well until perfectly smooth. Pour into a square or rectangular baking tin and bake for about 35 minutes.

Take the cake out of the baking tin after resting for only a minute or so or else the corners will turn out like toast!

When the cake is cool, cut into appropriately proportioned squares and then cut each square in half across the middle and sandwich together with jam (I used raspberry but apricot, strawberry or perhaps lemon curd would work well too). Top the centre of each square with a blob of basic buttercream icing (it's a wise idea to put the buttercream in the fridge before using it so that it's firm and easier to ice over).

Now for the fun bit!

Prepare as many different colours of glacé icing as you wish but don't make the icing too runny. Use a teaspoon to dollop some icing on top of the buttercream peak and gently coax it down the corners and the sides of the cake with the spoon. Eventually...(!) you shall end up with perfectly coated little cakes, ready for you to jazz up as you so desire (stripes, chocolate polka dots, sugar flowers...).

Introduction

My brand new blog! It looks rather sparse and uninspiring at the moment but I promise that will change soon!

Cooking is a main part of my life - I spend most of every day thinking about cooking, dreaming up recipes, scribbling them down, if I'm not actually in the kitchen making something. My family kitchen is indeed the heart of the home. It's a room that oozes memories, tradition, laughter and entertainment. I love how it adapts itself to the seasons - when the garden is lush and green and the evenings are balmy, the work-top is scattered with summery fruits and colourful salads. When the trees are bare and the windows are frosted, you can smell cinnamon, saturated dried fruit, and clementines.

My view of food is simple - it should be satisfying, scrumptious, nourishing and comforting. Every mouthful should fill you with easy warmth and happiness!

I hope you enjoy my ideas and culinary experiences...