Recipes

Honey Roast Salmon and Gnocchi

In addition to the recipe ingredients, I also add in a couple of cloves of garlic and a splash of white wine and I leave out the dill because I don't like the taste but that's purely my choice, either way ...... it's delicious.















Mary Berry's Delicious Scone Recipe 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/recipes/8737895/Mary-Berrys-Devonshire-scones-recipe.html
Makes eight to 10

The secret to good scones is not to handle them too much before baking, and to make the mixture on the wet, sticky side.

450g (1lb) self-raising flour
2 rounded tsp baking powder
75g (3oz) butter
50g (2oz) caster sugar
2 large eggs
about 225ml (8fl oz) milk

To serve
raspberry jam
clotted cream or double cream, whipped

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Lightly grease two baking-sheets.

Put the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Beat the eggs together and make up to 300ml (10fl oz) with the milk, then put about 2 tbsp aside in a cup for later. Gradually add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring it in until you have a soft dough. It is far better that the scone mixture is on the wet side, sticking to your fingers, as the scones will rise better.

Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and flatten it to a thickness of 1-2cm (½-1in). Use a 5cm (2in) fluted cutter to stamp out the scones by pushing it straight down into the dough (as opposed to twisting it), then lifting it straight out. This ensures that they rise evenly. Gently push the remaining dough together, knead lightly, reroll and cut out more.

Arrange on the prepared baking-sheets and brush the tops with the reserved beaten egg mixture to glaze. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until well risen and golden, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool, covered with a clean tea towel to keep them moist.

Serve as fresh as possible, cut in half and spread generously with strawberry jam. Top with a good spoonful of thick cream as well, if you like.

From 'My Kitchen Table: 100 Cakes and Bakes' (BBC, £7.99), by Mary Berry



Easy White Bread

Ingredients

500g/1lb 1oz strong white bread flour, plus a little extra flour for finishing

40g/1½oz soft butter

12g/2 sachets fast-action dried yeast

2 tsp salt

about 300ml/10¾fl oz tepid water (warm not cold – about body temperature)

a little olive or sunflower oil

Preparation method

Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the butter. Add the yeast at one side of the bowl and add the salt at the other, otherwise the salt will kill the yeast. Stir all the ingredients with a spoon to combine.

Add half of the water and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add water a little at a time, combining well, until you’ve picked up all of the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all of the water, or you may need to add a little more – you want a dough that is well combined and soft, but not sticky or soggy. Mix with your fingers to make sure all of the ingredients are combined and use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl. Keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough.

Use about a teaspoon of oil to lightly grease a clean work surface (using oil instead of flour will keep the texture of the dough consistent). Turn out your dough onto the greased work surface (make sure you have plenty of space).





Fold the far edge of the dough into the middle of the dough, then turn the dough by 45 degrees and repeat. Do this several times until the dough is very lightly coated all over in olive oil.

Now use your hands to knead the dough: push the dough out in one direction with the heel of your hand, then fold it back on itself. Turn the dough by 90 degrees and repeat. Kneading in this way stretches the gluten and makes the dough elastic. Do this for about 4 or 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Work quickly so that the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands – if it does get too sticky you can add a little flour to your hands

Clean and lightly oil your mixing bowl and put the dough back into it. Cover with a damp tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and set it aside to prove. This gives the yeast time to work: the dough should double in size. This should take around one hour, but will vary depending on the temperature of your room (don’t put the bowl in a hot place or the yeast will work too quickly).

Line a baking tray with baking or silicone paper (not greaseproof).

Once the dough has doubled in size scrape it out of the bowl to shape it. The texture should be bouncy and shiny. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knock it back by kneading it firmly to 'knock' out the air. Use your hand to roll the dough up, then turn by 45 degrees and roll it up again. Repeat several times. Gently turn and smooth the dough into a round loaf shape.




Place the loaf onto the lined baking tray, cover with a tea towel or lightly oiled cling film and leave to prove until it’s doubled in size. This will take about an hour, but may be quicker or slower depending on how warm your kitchen is.

Preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan assisted)/425F/Gas 7. Put an old, empty roasting tin into the bottom of the oven.

After an hour the loaf should have proved (risen again). Sprinkle some flour on top and very gently rub it in. Use a large, sharp knife to make shallow cuts (about 1cm/½in deep) across the top of the loaf to create a diamond pattern.

Put the loaf (on its baking tray) into the middle of the oven. Pour cold water into the empty roasting tray at the bottom of the oven just before you shut the door – this creates steam which helps the loaf develop a crisp and shiny crust.

Bake the loaf for about 30 minutes.

The loaf is cooked when it’s risen and golden. To check, take it out of the oven and tap it gently underneath – it should sound hollow. Turn onto a wire rack to cool.

Recipe Courtesy of http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/paul_hollywoods_crusty_83536

Flapjack

Ingredients

175g/6oz butter
175g/6oz golden syrup
175g/6oz muscovado sugar
350g/12oz porridge oats
½ lemon, finely grated zest
pinch ground ginger

Method

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2 and line a 20cm/8in square baking tin with baking paper.

Melt the butter in a medium pan over a low heat. Dip a brush in the butter and brush the baking tin with a little bit of it. Add the golden syrup and sugar to the butter and heat gently. Once the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the porridge oats, lemon zest and ginger.

Pack the mixture into the baking tin and squash down. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from the oven, leave to cool for 15 minutes, then turn out on to a chopping board and cut into squares.

Pasta and Cauliflower Bake

This is actually a recipe I tweaked after watching Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute meals. It’s basically the Cauliflower Macaroni recipe with the addition of Philadelphia cheese, which I add  because it gives the sauce a richer, creamier texture.  I also have to confess that I usually leave out the breadcrumbs because I can never be bothered to get the food processor out, but that’s just me being lazy. I also never use a whole cauliflower head and I don’t bother weighing the pasta, I just use enough florets and pasta to fill my favourite baking dish. I have to be honest, I never measure things when I’m cooking unless I’m making cakes or cookies or bread. Usually I do it by eye and it seems to work. The quantities are from Jamie Oliver, minus the sprigs of rosemary which I don’t like but you could add if you wanted. I don’t know how many it’s supposed to feed but I imagine the Jamie quantities would feed a fair few. I usually cook enough for 2 or 3 so enough for supper and enough for lunch the following day.  It’s also not cooked in the 30 minute way because I love to cook, I find it relaxing to potter in the kitchen with a glass of wine and my favourite DVD in the background  and I feel a bit cheated if I have to rush around like a lunatic when I’m cooking.




Ingredients 

8 rashers of bacon or pancetta
500gms Pasta
1 Head of cauliflower
1 tub of Phliadelphia cheese ( I like the garlic and herb one but whatever you like)
250gms Mature Cheddar
1 250g tub of crème fraiche
2 Cloves of garlic crushed
3 tablespoons breadcrumbs
Parmesan cheese to top.

Method

Divide the cauliflower into smallish florets and put into a saucepan of salted water along with the pasta and cook until almost done and the pasta is slightly al dente still.

In the meantime grill the bacon until crispy and when done chop into pieces.

Drain the pasta and cauliflower, retaining about 1 cupful of the cooking liquid and place the pasta and cauliflower into an ovenproof dish.

Gently cook  the garlic in a pan with a tiny bit of oil and then put the cooking liquid back into the saucepan and add the bacon, Philadelphia cheese,  grated cheddar and crème fraiche to make a cheesey sauce. If at this point the sauce is really thick, add a little milk to make a sauce that is kind of like double cream. It will thicken in the oven when it’s cooking.

Pour the sauce over the pasta and cauliflower and mix the grated parmesan with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top.

Cover with foil and cook in the oven for about 20 mins until the pasta and cauliflower are tender and then take the foil off and brown the top.

Mars Bar Rice Crispy Cakes 


When I make these, I get my rice crispies from Morrisons and I buy their value range which are about 80p for a 440gm bag and I also buy the Morrisons own brand Mars Bar equivalent thingies, which are about £1.80 for 8 which makes these little crispy cakes quite cheap and really really quick to make. 


Ingredients
5 MarsBars
1 and a half oz butter
Enough rice crispies for the chocolate/caramel mixture to coat
1 bar milk chocolate

Method
Melt the Mars Bars and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water.
Add enough rice crispies for the chocolate/caramel mixture to coat each one
Press into a buttered tin and chill.
Melt chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of hot water
Spread melted chocolate on top of crispy cakes and put back in the fridge to chill until set.
Cut into squares and enjoy :-)



Chocolate Chip Cookies



Ingredients

125g unsalted butter
100g caster sugar
75g soft light brown sugar
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
100g dark or milk chocolate, chopped into smallish chunks

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment. Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan. Put both sugars into a mixing bowl, pour in the melted butter and beat well with a wooden spoon. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into the bowl and stir them in, then add the chocolate. You should have a pretty sloppy sort of mixture. Dot heaped dessertspoonfuls of the mixture on to the baking sheets, leaving a good 4cm between them as they really spread out. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are turning pale golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave on the baking sheets for a couple of minutes to firm up. Then carefully lift the baking parchment on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Jambalaya 

Recipe. 


The recipe is in USA measurements and apparently, a cup is about 1/2 pint or 8 fl oz in liquid or 8oz or 225g in solids. There is a good conversion chart HERE if you want to check.

1 Chicken Quartered (I used chicken pieces)
1lb sausage (I used Chorizo to add spice)
2 medium onions finely chopped
5 cups of water
6 shallots chopped
2 1/2 cups of rice
2 cloves of garlic crushed
2 tablespoons of salt (Use however much you think it needs)
1 green pepper chopped
1/2 cup sherry ( I used white wine)
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I missed these out as my daughter doesn't like them)
Hot pepper sauce
1 small can of tomatoes (I used a normal 400g sized can)
1/2 cup of Olive Oil

Method

Preheat oven to 400F 200C or Gas 6
On the hob, brown the chicken and sausage in olive oil over a Medium heat.
Remove chicken and sausage ans then saute the onions. mushrooms, green pepper, garlic and shallots in the oil that you browned the chicken and sausage.
Cook until slightly brown. 
Add salt and pepper, bay leaf, tomatoes and a few dashes of hot pepper sauce and cook slowly for 6-7 mins.
Add the chicken and sausage back to the pan. Add the rice. water and sherry, turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to boiling point and then add the mushrooms.  
Cover the saucepan and put in the oven for 45 mins until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. 

All Bran Cake

This is a really simple cake and it's also fat free. The recipe says cups. It doesn't necessarily have to be a standard "cup" measurement. What it actually means is .... grab a cup or a mug and as long as you use the same cup or mug for all the measurements it will be fine. Just remember though, the bigger the cup or mug, the bigger the cake. Also, in the recipe it says use mixed dried fruit but I don't particularly like the mixed peel part of he dried mixed fruit so I added some glace cherries and some chopped dates but you can add currents, sultanas or whatever you fancy. A tip I got from The Barefoot Contessa is that if you coat your fruit in a dusting of flour, it stops them sinking to the bottom of the cake. Now I have never actually tried because usually, my fruit doesn't sink to the bottom but if anyone has tried this ..... I would be interested to know if it works or not. Anyway, here is the recipe, it's probably the simplest cake you could possibly make and I think it tastes fabulous sliced and spread with butter. Delicious!


















Recipe

1 cup of All Bran 
1 cup of mixed dried fruit (or whatever you fancy)
1 cup of milk
Three quarters of a cup of sugar ( I use a combination of white and brown sugar so it's not too sweet and obviously if you don't like it too sweet add a little less sugar)
1 cup of Self Raising Flour.

Method.

Put the All Bran, fruit, milk and sugar into a bowl and leave to soak for at least an hour, it doesn't matter if it's longer just as long as it's at least an hour.

Mix in the the flour and put into a greased loaf tin

Bake on the oven on 180C, 350F of Gas 4 for about an hour or until the top is golden and a skewer comes out clean. 



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