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...