I was the happy competitor in a baking competition recently. I say ‘happy’ because how could you ever not be happy when you have a genuine excuse to make sweet delicious treats several times over? And the competition was for a great cause too…Good Bitches …
I know, I know, vegetables and chocolate. My reflex reaction is ‘blurgh’ too. But bear with me, these brownies are good, contain lots of dark chocolate and are a handy way to use up beetroot if you find yourself needing to do so. Not that I often …
What to do with sage? Make buttery, cheesy sage and cheddar biscuits? Yes please.
I’ve found myself with a reasonably plentiful supply of fresh sage, which is a new thing. I have always managed to grow parsley and been left perplexed at how to use the stuff up, but my previous sage attempts have all turned into sad little heaps.
It seems I’m not the only person to pose this question. The lovely Chocolate and Zucchini blog has very helpfully compiled a list of suggestions. Those of you who have read some of my other cheese-laced ramblings can probably imagine that sage and cheddar biscuits were a stand-out.
Mmm, cheddar. Do you know what I love most about cheddar? It’s those delightful little crunchy bits amongst the dense, savoury cheese. And recently, I was fascinated to learn from this wonderful cheese blog, Fromage Homage, that they have a special name….calcium lactate crystals.
These little biscuits are adapted from this recipe. They provide a lot of bang for their buck, being so very simple to make but looking most classy served up as a home-made nibble to accompany drinks. I need to provide you with a warning: they are incredibly buttery. So much so that you need to have at least two.
Here’s how to make your very own:
Ingredients:
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius and line two baking trays.
Combine the butter, cheese, flour, sage and pepper in a bowl. Mix until it forms a ball (I find it easiest to use my hands for this).
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll out to 0.5 cm thickness. Use a cutter to make into rounds, treating it like a cookie doll by rolling up the offcuts and cutting out more biscuits.
Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until crisp and golden. Cool for one minute and then transfer to a baking rack.
Makes 16 biscuits.
I always loved visiting Wales when I lived in the UK, and what’s not to love? Beautiful countryside, that lovely lilting accent and, most importantly, Welsh cakes. To the uninitiated, these little morsels may present like just another baked good. I promise you, they are …
The busy run-up to Christmas is paved with good intentions, namely my intention to publish this post. So forgive me for missing the boat a little with this one. I think we can still consider this timely though, as many of us will have tin-foiled lumps …
You all know how much I love a good, old-fashioned cookbook. So I was naturally delighted when this little gem, ‘The Cookin’ Woman: Irish Country Recipes’ arrived in my letter box, thanks to my little sister (Science teacher extraordinaire and blogger at Einstein’s Kitchen).
It’s appropriate not just because I love unusual cookbooks, but also because my better half is Northern Irish. Florence Irwin is the author, lauded as Ulster’s first travelling domestic science instructor. She came to write this book after her expeditions throughout County Down. Her recipes include not only traditional fare and specialties such as dulse, but also suggestions for the modern-day cook such as the outlandish ‘imaginative and healthy vegetable dishes,’ and some household tips.
I myself would be interested to know quite how this little book found its way to this side of the world. The original sales sticker on the back says it is from Four Provinces Bookshop (sadly now closed), 244 – 246 Grays Inn Road, London. From there to Port Chalmers…who knows how that happened?
One of my favourite Irish treats is Soda Bread, or Soda Farl. The leavening agent is baking soda, and the bread itself is dense and wholesome with a pleasant soda twang.
Naturally, the Cookin’ Woman has a recipe for Soda Bread. It’s surprisingly easy to make, being rather like whipping up a batch of scones, and it resulted in a delicious little loaf. I am pleased to report passed the Northern Irish test – all gone rather quickly and washed down with plenty of tea.
You will need:
Preheat your oven to 375 Fahrenheit or 190 Celsius, leaving the tray you will be using for the soda bread in the oven to warm up.
Sift the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre.
At this point, Florence becomes very firm on instructions to ensure a light loaf. One is not to add it ‘drop by drop.’ Instead, start with adding about half the buttermilk to the well in the centre. Using a knife, draw the batter from the sides and add more liquid as the batter thickens.
To ensure a light loaf, you don’t want it over-worked ‘ragged’ in the centre. And so I stopped mixing at about the point where it was lumpy and not to dry.
Spread the warmed tray with flour. Tip out the dough, dredge it in flour and knead lightly, tucking in the edges to form a circle as you go, and doing so ‘very lightly indeed.’ When the top is smooth, turn it upside down (to distribute flour to what is now the top of the loaf) and roll it to about 1 inch thick.
Cut it into farls. Yes, I had to check this out too – ‘farl’ is an old Scottish word for quarter.
Florence doesn’t specify a time, but just that one bakes it until it is ‘risen, nicely brown and cooked to the centre.’ This took my farls 30 minutes.
Delicious hot with butter and tea!
A friend in need is a friend indeed, do you think? I don’t know the exact origin of this phrase (although the finger is pointed at a certain Quintus Ennius), but I do know that anyone in any kind of need can do with a tasty …
How do you like them apples? That’s how I feel I should be addressing you, because we really have had a lot of apply recipes by this point in the Edmonds A section. But I love a good flan and this little number is easy …
You may be a bit tired of my Winter and Autumn range of stodgy, warming things that include root crops and apples, and trust me, I’m just tired of Winter, but this is quite a pleasing little loaf and really easy to make. Don’t be put off by the ‘bread’ in the title, it doesn’t involve any of that pesky rising or kneading and no yeast goes near it, it’s really more of a cakey loaf in a bread shape.
I would really love to bring you an interesting little history on Apple Bread, but truth is, I can’t find much (so anyone who can fill us all in would be most appreciated, comments below please). Recipes for Apple Bread appear on a number of US-based sites for home-style or pioneer baking and sometimes it is referred to as Dutch, so perhaps this is where it has its origins. I suspect its inclusion in the Edmonds book is because it makes good use of something that grows well in this neck of the woods and is easy to whip up quickly, should you be caught unawares when Doris from over the fence pops over for a cuppa.
I decided to bake this on a Monday night when I was in a bit of a frump (a cross between grumpy and frazzled) and it met the requirements of providing soothing sifting and mixing activities and a nice smell of baking throughout the house. I don’t know about anyone else, but I find baking transforms a bad mood into a feeling of satisfaction and peace very quickly.
It only calls for a few ingredients, and all things you are likely to have to hand:
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease a 22cm loaf tin. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in sugar and add the apple and enough milk to make a smooth, soft dough, mixing it together quickly.
Place into the tin and bake for 1 hour or until the base of the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. You are instructed to wrap it up in a tea towel until cold.
This makes a sturdy little loaf with flecks of apple throughout. It’s very satisfying for breakfast, and particularly nice with a little butter or jam. I suspect it would nicely with a little cheese or chutney too.
Happy eating ’til next time.
You know something’s a winner, don’t you, when you’ve adapted from our national treasure, Dame Alison Holst. As you’ll all know, I have a bit of a thing for old-school cook books and recipes. So you can imagine I could not leave Alison Holst’s Simply …