Cakes, Bakes, & Other Bits

Sticky Gingerbread

2012-02-27T21:20:00.002Z

Another family party loomed large again on the horizon, and, having made ginger loaf before, I decided to do another one, but this time, on a much larger scale.

The original recipe for this Classic Sticky Gingerbread is by Mary Berry, who is THE Queen of Cake!

I added more ginger, and the extra spices. She used just 4 teaspoons of ginger.

You will need:-

225g (8 oz) of each of the following -

Unsalted Butter
Light Muscovado Sugar
Golden Syrup
Black Treacle
Self-Raising Flour
Wholemeal Flour
5 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Mixed Spice
2 Eggs
300ml (10fl oz) Milk

Grease and line a 33 x 23 x 4cm (12 x 9 x 1 1/2) tin. My tin measures 32.5 x 23 x 2.5 cm, (12 3/4 x 9 x 1")

Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 3/160C/325F

Put the first four ingredients above into a medium-sized pot/pan, and heat through gently, stirring, and keeping a close eye on it. The reason for this is the treacle will burn very easily if left for a moment too long. When the mixture has melted, set aside to cool.

Put the flours and spices into a bowl and mix together. Beat the eggs and the milk together. Pour the syrup mixture into the flour, along with the egg & milk mixture, and combine thoroughly.

Give the tin a gentle tap on a work-surface, to get rid of the little air bubbles.

Bake for 50 minutes, and test to see if it has cooked through. If not, leave it for 10 minute intervals until it has.

Turn out and leave to cool completely, before attempting to cut in to the finished cake.

I cut this into 20 squares, measuring about 2 x 2" (5 x 5cm).

Ms. Berry's advice is it will yield 16 generous pieces

Sitting proudly with the other cake contributions

Enjoy!

Chocolate Cake with a Twist

2012-02-14T20:09:00.000Z

Chocolate Cake = Cake for St. Valentine's day. Agreed? Add some Potatoes to the mix.......yes, potatoes, and it makes for a very luscious cake indeed.

We use Carrots and Courgettes (Zucchini) in cake mixes, so why not potatoes? Used instead of flour, it can be incorporated as the basis for a really good cake (or cupcake) batter.

Intrigued? So was I, until I tried it myself. Here is my adaptation of various recipes which I have come across using potatoes.

Pre-heat your oven to 325F/170F/Gas Mark 3

Butter and flour a baking tin. A shallow tin is best, as there is no raising agent in this cake. I used a heart shaped tin, which, at the widest point measured 8" across, and 1" deep.

300g Potatoes*
100g Milk Chocolate
40g Cocoa Powder
3 Eggs, seperated - keep both the yolks and whites
1 tspn Vanilla Extract
1 Tspn Instant Coffee Granules (mixed with a little boiling water and left to cool)
3 oz Caster Sugar

*I used the Rooster variety. You can use whatever floury potato is available where you are. Don't use a waxy variety.

Peel and boil the potatoes, mash them and set aside to cool. A potato ricer is a useful gadget to have, as it ensures no lumps.

Melt the chocolate over a pot of simmering water, and stir this through the mashed potato.

In your food mixer, cream the egg yolks and sugar together. Then add the vanilla, coffee, and sift in the cocoa powder. Using a wooden spoon, mix these together. Add this to the mashed potato, and mix again, until fully combined.

Next, whisk up the egg whites until stiff peaks have formed. Add one third of the egg whites to the mashed potato mix, and fold in gently. Then fold in the remainder.

Place the mixture into your baking tin, and bake for 30 minutes until cooked through.

The texture of the cake is that of a Chocolate Truffle, and seems as if dark chocolate was used, and not Milk Chocolate as per the recipe.

Decorate as you wish, and serve with whipped cream.

Happy St. Valentine's day!

Enjoy!

The Liebster Blog Awards

2012-02-11T13:51:00.000Z

I was delighted to be chosen by Claire from Rolling Pin Tales as one of her 5 Liebster Blog Award winners. Thank you Claire, it was much appreciated.

This Award is about promoting smaller blogs with less than 200 followers, which you think deserves special recognition.

There are a few simple rules to follow. In order to accept the award, the recipient will:-

Thank the person who gave you the Award, and link back to that person's Blog

Copy and Paste the Award to your Blog

Choose 5 more blogs to award, and let the writers know by leaving a comment

I have a few in mind, so, in the spirit of the Award, and the prize of being able to use the Liebster Blog Award Badge on my blog, here are my 5 winners.

Magda's Cauldron - Magda, who lives in Ireland, gives us delicious recipes and photographs from her native Poland.

Cook and the Fly - Emilio is a Chef and Fly-Fisherman, and posts about his life, and of course, his recipes from Mexico.

Crostini and Chianti - Greg's recipes are Italian-influenced, and he likes to share healthy-eating recipes too, so you are sure to find one you like amongst his collection.

Foodborn and Bred - Maggie gives us her twist on recipes, and writes about different aspects of food, and not just about eating it.

Yummynom's Culinary Adventures - Sarah likes to write about her foodie travels, and also posts delicious recipes to try.

So, to my winners, pay it forward and nominate your top 5.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

2012-02-08T20:59:00.000Z

I make cauliflower cheese as a side dish for dinners, but never bothered with the idea of turning it into a soup, until I read fellow-food bloggers, Sharon and Magda's delicious sounding Cauliflower soup recipes a while ago, and am slowly getting around to trying those out.

There are lots of recipes out there. Some have milk, some have cream, some have potato, and more have all of these! Variations are endless.

So with the addition of some chopped streaky bacon, here is my version, which will serve 4.

I Cauliflower, cut into florets
1 Large Potato, peeled and diced
1 large Onion, finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Sunflower Oil
1.2L Chicken Stock
100g Grated Cheddar Cheese (I used a Mature White cheese)
1 Rasher of Streaky Bacon, fried and chopped finely (Parma Ham would be good too)

Using a stock pot, sauté the potato and onion in the oil on a low heat, until the onion is soft, and translucent.

Add the florets of Cauliflower, not forgetting the stalks where you cut it from the core, as there is a flavour there too.

Pour in your stock, bring back to the boil, then let it simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked through. Check for seasoning throughout the cooking of the soup, and correct as you go along. Never be tempted to season all at once, as you can always add, but not take away!

While the soup is simmering, fry the rasher of bacon, and chop finely. Next, grate the cheese and set aside.

When the vegetables have cooked through, add some of the cheese, stir, and taste. Add as much, or as little at you like, but save some for a garnish.

Using a Liquidiser or hand-held Stick Blender, blitz the soup, until smooth and creamy.

Top with a little more cheese and a few pieces of the fried bacon. Serve with some crusty bread. My Spelt rolls would be a perfect accompaniment.

Enjoy!

"Half and Half" Spelt Bread Rolls

2012-01-23T14:09:00.001Z

I bought a few packs of wholegrain Spelt flour a while back, and was not really sure where, or how to use it. However, with a bit of lateral thinking, I came to the conclusion that it could be substituted in any recipe which would lend itself to the nutty flavour of Spelt.

After a few (well, lots, if the truth be told!) trials and taste-tests, I eventually came up with this recipe for "Half and Half" bread rolls. Half Spelt, half strong white bread flour.

250g Wholegrain Spelt Flour
250g Strong White Bread Flour

10g Salt
10g Dried Yeast

2 1/2 tspns Runny Honey (Oil your teaspoon and the honey will glide off)

2 tbspns Sunflower Oil

350 mls. Warm Water

4 oz Mixed seeds* (Optional) I used seeds on, and in, a few of mine just to keep it on the "half and half theme"!

Place both flours in to a large bowl and combine well. Then, add the salt, yeast, honey, oil, and warm water and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated. Bring together to form a dough.

Either, place the dough on a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes, or, put it in to the bowl of a food mixer, and, using the dough hook attachment, let the machine do the work for 5 minutes.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with a tea-towel and leave it in a warm place for at least an hour to rise. Once risen, punch the dough to knock it back, (take the air out). Add the seeds to the dough at this point, and knead again for a further 5 minutes, or you could just sprinkle them on top when you make the individual rolls.

*I used a packet of ready-mixed seeds, containing Golden Linseed, Sesame, Pumpkin and Sunflower. You can use whatever mix you like.

Weigh your dough to calculate how many rolls you require per batch. The concensus from my Twitter pals was between 50 -80g for small rolls, and 150 - 160g for sandwich-sized ones.

Cut off pieces from the dough, weigh each one, and form in to rounds. As my dough weighed 933g after proving and knocking back, I will admit, I made 9 rolls, weighing between 93 and 95g each, with some dough left over to make a Cook's Perk! This is a good size for a child's lunch for school, or 2 rolls for an adult, if you are hungry!

Put these on an oiled baking tray, cover, and set aside again to rise in a warm place for a second time. I let them prove for around an hour.

Ready for the oven, looking all pale, and somewhat and interesting!

Pre-heat the oven to Gas mark 5/375F/190C. Brush the rolls with a mix of milk and beaten egg, sprinkle the seeds on top, and bake for 10 minutes, then turn the tray, and bake for a further 10 minutes. As usual, test with a skewer to see if they are cooked through. Also, tap the bottom of the roll. If it has a hollow sound, then it is cooked. If not, leave in the oven (turned off) for a further 5 minutes to finish.

My grateful thanks the following guys and gals for their hints and tips regarding weights for each roll:-

Dean Coppard, Edward Hayden, Yvonne Carty, David Semple, Zack at Irish Food Guide, Emilio Fracchia, Armelle, and Kenny Rorie for his tip on yeast/salt ratio for another recipe, which I used here.

I have tasted these with butter and marmalade for breakfast, and with cheese for lunch. They really do suit savoury and sweet toppings, and I think Spelt flour tastes just that little bit nicer than Wholemeal. I was really pleased how mine turned out. Tell me, what do you think?

Enjoy!

The Gardens at Strokestown Park House

2012-01-16T15:16:00.000Z

Following on from my post on Viewmount House, we whiled away a few hours during that week-end by visiting the beautiful gardens at Strokestown Park House. Even though it was late October, there were still views and visitas all around. The rain tried it's best to ruin our visit, but as we had the gardens all to ourselves, we didn't let a spot of rain bother us.

Here are some photographs of our visit. It is most likely a lot more pleasant on a bright sunny Summer's day, but there is beauty too in the rain!

Baileys & Chocolate Mousse with Honeycomb

2011-12-29T13:56:00.000Z

My obsession with buying cookbooks, does not stop there. It also extends to the monthly food magazines too!

This has resulted in a tower of magazines which are destined for recycling. Before I send them on their way, I will be trying out and posting a recipe or two from each one!

This retro-style dessert is from BBC Olive Magazine, and I have made it quite a few times since it appeared in the February 2010 issue. However, this time, I decided to use some Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur, just to add a little more Pzazz!

This recipe will serve 6

The first thing to do is make the Honeycomb

5 tbspns Granulated Sugar
2 tbspns Golden Syrup
1 tbspn Bicarbonate of Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)

Heat the sugar with the golden syrup in a heavy-based pot/pan, until the sugar and syrup has melted. It will change colour to a golden caramel.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in 1 tablespoon of Bicarbonate of Soda. Be careful at this point, as the mixture will immediately foam up. That's the chemistry bit! Pour it, really quickly, on to an already-oiled baking tray and place on a wooden chopping board with a tea towel underneath the tray, or any heat resistant surface, to cool. I used Sunflower oil for the baking tray. Once cooled, gently prize the honeycomb from the tray. It should lift off easily.

Now, to make the Baileys & Chocolate Mousse. Please note the mousse is made with uncooked eggs, and, therefore, not suitable for all.

200g (30%) Milk Chocolate (I used Áine Chocolate. Use your favourite)
4 Eggs Seperated (keep both yokes and whites)
150ml Double Cream
100ml Bailey's Irish Cream Liqueur

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pot/pan of just-boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. Mix in the egg yokes. Add the Baileys Irish Cream liqueur. Whisk up the double cream, and fold it in to the chocolate mixture. Beat the egg whites until firm and add these in too, folding gently, until all has combined.

Snap the honeycomb into pieces, and place some in to each of the serving glasses.

Pour in the mousse mixture, and place in a refrigerator for a few hours to allow it to set.

Sprinkle any left-over pieces of honeycomb on top of each mousse before serving.

Enjoy!

It's Christmas!

2011-12-11T00:31:00.001Z

So, boys and girls, what are your memories of Christmas Past? Life was a little more simple then, compared to today, far less commercialised, and, since the shops shut for at least a week, stocking up on food and drink was imperative!

Santa visited our house for quite a few years when we were children. Off down the stairs, we would propel ourselves, at some unearthly hour on Christmas Morning, each encouraging the other to open the "magic" sitting-room door, just to see if "HE HAD BEEN". And, of course, he always had! The squeals of delight from us may have woken up our neighbours, but, as kids, we did not care!

Scalextric cars and tracks, sewing boxes, bead kits, jewellery boxes, Etchasketch, Spyrograph, watches books, pens, pencils, and outfits for Barbie, (I didn't want Sindy stuff, Dad brought Barbie back from the U.S!) that was all we wanted. But Santa was always full of surprises and usually left a few extra presents too.

As for our festive dinner, well, that was started very early on Christmas Day. Mam had it all under control, and, with precision timing, the meal would be presented as darkness decended outside.

Our own fireplace has played host to Santa for quite a long time now too. Babs turned out just like me, and tried her best to get up at the very same unearthly hour as I used to do, just to check if the Big Man had visited. But she as she is an adult now, Santa still manages to wave at us, as he passes our house, on his merry way to visit the little ones around and about. We always wave back, as he flies by, on his very busiest of nights!

So, wherever you are, and whoever you are spending Christmas and the Holidays with, I wish you all the very best of times, and don't forget to put out a mince pie and glass of milk for Santa, and a carrot or two, for Rudolf, and Dancer, and Prancer, and Donner, and Blitzen......! You just never know!

Enjoy, and I wish each and every one of you a very Happy Christmas, and Holiday Season, and very best wishes for 2012.

Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo!
Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo!
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
Frohe Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr!
Vrolijk Kerstfeest en Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!
God Jul och Gott Nytt År!
Priecīgus Ziemassvētkus un Laimīgu Jauno gadu!
С Рождеством и Новым Годом!
Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!
Світлого Різдва та щасливого ового Року!
Selamat Natal & tahun baru bahagia!
Nollaig Shona, mo chairde go léir!

Taste of Christmas Exhibition - Dublin

2011-11-27T20:02:00.006Z

So, my winning streak continued last week, when I was lucky enough to win two tickets to "Taste of Christmas" from The Irish Food Bloggers Association recent Give-away. Babs and I headed off on the train for our day out in the City.

After walking from Connolly Train Station, we found ourselves at the Convention Centre in Dublin, and headed in to sample all that was on offer.

While browsing around just to get our bearings, an alarm was activated, and an announcement to "Evacuate the Building" was triggered. Thankfully, after a few minutes, what ever drama had ensued, the order for staff to "Stand Down" was given, as it had been a false alarm, and normal service resumed!

Exhibitors were offering goods and foods, from Poultry to Chocolate, hampers, wines, cakes and crafts, and surprisingly, some totally non-food related items. As it was billed as "Taste of Christmas", I did expect there to be mainly food producers exhibiting, and, perhaps, more than were actually at the show.

Crean's Lager from Dingle Brewing Company, Cupcakes and the fabulous Dog cake from Bake My Cake, and Chocolates from Cocoa Atelier

I spoke to some of the producers and asked them if their products were available to purchase where I live. Disappointingly, each time, the answer was no. Still, some of the products are available online, so that will have to suffice for the moment.

Free range turkeys and chickens from Carlow Foods Ltd.

Cooley Collection of Independent Irish Whiskeys from Cooley Distillery, and Keogh's Crisps

Edward Hayden

Oliver Dunne

I wanted to see some cookery demonstrations before we left. We sat in for Edward Hayden's Meringue Roulade and Oliver Dunne's Chestnut Soup with Soft Poached Hen's Egg recipes respectively. Both of these dishes will grace my Christmas table this year.

As our tickets expired at 2 p.m., we made our way back to Dublin City Centre, where we landed into the middle of an Austerity Demonstration, but, that's another story.....

Taste of Christmas was not as well attended by food producers, as I had hoped, but there was another food exhibition running in Dublin at the weekend.

I enjoyed finally meeting and chatting with Edward Hayden. Hopefully, next year's show will be bigger and better.

Blog Give-Way Winners!

2011-11-18T21:42:00.000Z

Our Babs has drawn the winners and drawn the prizes for each as follows:

yddib has won the set of 3 Cookie Cutters & 2 Cookie Boxes

Elaine has won the Children's Cookbook

Cross My Apple Tart has won the Macaron and Hummingbird Books

Well done, and I hope you enjoy your prizes.

Please send me your address details so I can post your prizes to you as soon as possible.

Thank you to all who entered, and I hope to have another Give-Away for you soon.

My First Ever Blog Give-Away!

2011-11-11T01:24:00.028Z

I have been lucky enough recently to have won prizes in two blog competitions. I won a lovely set of 3 mini-tagines on Babaduck's Blog and a Cath Kidston Matching Apron and Oven Glove on Cooking in Mammy's Kitchen's Blog, and with that in mind, whilst doing some Christmas shopping this week, I picked up a few gifts I thought you might like.

So, for my first ever Blog Give-Away, I have 3 prizes for you. Here is what's on offer:-

A really lovely book - Macarons by Annie Rigg - it is so good, I bought an extra copy for myself! This book has beautiful flavour combinations to add to your creations, such as, Banoffi, and Coconut & Mango, to name but two! The other book is a mini Hummingbird Bakery Book of Cupcakes and Muffins. I particularly like the Muffin Section, which contains such savoury (as well as sweet) goodies as Carrot & Courgette (Zucchini) Muffins, and Spinach & Cheese ones too. These would be perfect with soups.

I also have an easy to follow, and very well-illustrated cookbook for any Junior Chef or Chefette you might know. It contains photographs of how the finished dishes should actually look, and uses cartoon-form to demonstrate the method for the recipes.

And finally, I couldn't resist this set of 3 Festive Cookie/Pastry Cutters and set of 2 Cookie Boxes

All you have to do be in with a chance of winning one of these prizes is leave a comment below by clicking on "Comments". It's that simple!

Competition will close one week from today - Friday, 18th November, 2011 at 6 p.m. Winners and Prizes will be chosen at random by Our Babs. One entry per person please. Apologies, but just for this first one, it is open to Ireland and UK residents only.

Good Luck!

A Year Well Spent

2011-11-09T09:25:00.003Z

November 9th, 2010, was the day I stepped on board the Good Ship "Twitter", and sailed away from my own comfy shore, only to find lots of new horizons along the way.

I tentatively started "following" people with whom I had shared interests, wondering if anyone would "follow" back. But follow back they did, and within a short time, I had encountered lots of people from all walks of life.

This Twitter voyage has taken me to parts of the country I have never previously visited. It has re-awakened interests I once had, and to which I never thought I would return. It also made me step up a gear with my other love, baking.

I have met quite a few of my Twitter Pals through various visits and meetings, and they are just as interesting and pleasant in real-life as on Twitter! Funny that, considering we have always taught our daughter not to speak to strangers over the internet!!!

Through encouragement from lots of Twitter folk, I started my Blog in April, 2011, and have had 5600+ hits so far. Who knew so many readers would pop by to look at my recipes and read about my encounters!

So here's to all my Twitter Pals and readers of my blog, up and down the country, and across the world. Thank you for the laughs, the tears, the jokes, the recipes, the information, the advice, the support, the chit-chat, and the company. I have thoroughly enjoyed it, and I hope you have too.

Tricky, but such a Treat

2011-10-31T18:38:00.016Z

There has been much talk on Twitter lately regarding Macarons. Somewhat of a challenge was launched after my Twitterpal, Paula, mastered the art of Macaron-making last week, but not without a few challenges of her own. You can find her lovely recipe and even more lovely blog here.

From what I have read on the subject, Macarons are notoriously tricky to get right. The temperature in your kitchen will also play a key role in the success or failure of the Macarons - cool/cold kitchen, rather than a warm one. Overall technique, i.e. gentle folding of the almond mix into the egg white, is also essential.

So, for Hallowe'en, or anytime, here is my version of Macarons.

Orange Macarons with a Dark Chocolate Ganache Filling

100g Icing Sugar
75g Ground Almonds*
2 Eggwhites
75g Caster Sugar
3 Drops Yellow food colouring
1-2 Drops Red food colouring
3 drops Orange Extract Food Flavouring

*Pre-ground almonds tend to have flecks of almond skin in them, and these need to be removed, as it spoils the overall look of the macaron.

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2

Line a baking tray with a sheet of non-stick paper (parchment) and draw circles 1 1/2" wide, and 1 1/2" apart. Turn the paper over.

In a food processor, blitz the icing sugar and almonds together, until they are very finely blended.

In a free-standing mixer, whisk the egg whites, until they form stiff peaks. Slowly, and a little at a time, add the caster sugar. Next add the colourings and flavourings, and whisk again, to ensure all are combined.

Sift the icing sugar and almonds into the egg whites, fold in gently, again, a little at a time, until the mixture has been used up.

Put the mixture into a piping bag with a nozzle attachment. I used a Wilton No. 12 piping tip. Holding the piping bag firmly and vertical to your baking tray, place the nozzle in the centre of the circle on the paper, and pipe out the discs.

Tap the tray on a work surface to remove any little air bubbles which may form.

Leave to stand for between 15 and 20 minutes, so that the surface of the macarons form a thin skin.

Bake in the oven for between 18 and 20 minutes. Allow to cool on your baking tray before placing on a wire rack. The tell-tale sign of the macaron being cooked is the little frill, or foot, around the base.

For the Chocolate Ganache filling, I used a recipe from the esteemed Mr. David Lebovitz.

Tricky, yes, but the treat is in the tasting.

Enjoy!

Viewmount House - The Perfect Break Away

2011-10-28T18:35:00.004+01:00

Our week-end breaks, like many other folks with kids at school, are fairly seldom. However, with a school trip for our Babs looming, I looked at heading away ourselves for two days, and having a mini stay-cation.

Not wanting to travel too far from home, I decided on Viewmount House. Located just outside the town of Longford, it proved to be just right.

Huge tail-backs met us on the main route in to Longford that Friday night, and, even after taking a detour, we still managed to meet another tail-back. We eventually arrived at the beautiful Viewmount House, with about 45 minutes to spare before our dinner reservations.

We were greeted at the front door of this magnificent Georgian house, by Beryl, who is the owner, and in charge of all things "front of house". A charming and graceful lady, she showed us to our room. Up the staircase, which leads from the main hall-way, our room was, as she put it "at the top of the house".

The room was elegantly furnished, complete with an ensuite, tv, and wi-fi. A lovely view out across the front lawn was a bonus.

It was now time for dinner. We made our way to the bar area, where we were given the menus and wine list, and happily perused these over a pre-dinner drink. The suppliers of produce to the restaurant, many of which are local to Longford, are clearly listed on the menu. After a chat regarding the dishes, our order was taken.

Then, out of the blue, Beryl asked how did we hear about Viewmount House. Well, she is so lovely, I had to tell her exactly how. "I follow Gary O'Hanlon on Twitter", I admitted. Gary is the Head Chef at the VM Restaurant in Viewmount House. "Oh, I see" she said, smiled, and went off to attend to other guests.

I regret to tell you that I do not have any photos of the amazing dishes which were presented to us. The reason being, the lighting in the restaurant was ambient, and therefore not conducive to taking pictures. If I had done so, it would not have given a true representation of the dishes, and have done an injustice to the Chef and his team, and the work involved. I will leave that to the Chef himself, or professional photographers! Lets just say that any adjective describing food you can think of, would be suitable when describing Gary's cooking. Here are two of mine : Sublime and Superb!

As service finished for the evening, Gary found time to come out from the kitchen and chat to diners. My husband and I really enjoyed meeting and chatting with him, and sampling his food too.

Our first night in the restaurant was relatively quiet. However, on Saturday night, it was a very different story. Large parties (18+) at two tables, the main restaurant was completely full, and, later, Gary told me they had another room of diners, which was full also. The same standard and quality was maintained for this extremely busy service, as was the case on the previous evening.

Breakfast at Viewmount House is a treat. Beryl's own-recipe Muesli, fresh segmented grapefruit, orange juice, mixed fruits, and cereals, to name but a few, are laid out for guests to help themselves. The Hot Breakfast selection is cooked to order, and the sausages, rashers (bacon), and eggs, are all sourced locally.

The following day, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, and a monsoon ensued. However, undeterred, we ventured out, over the county border, to Roscommon, and spent a fascinating few hours visiting Strokestown House, Garden, and Museum.

Our week-end away, proved just the tonic we were looking for. The service was impeccible, and, at the same time, non-intrusive, and friendly. To be "tourists" in our own country is always a bit of fun, and to find such a hidden gem as Viewmount House is priceless.

A Grand Day Out at Oldfarm

2011-10-17T21:44:00.008+01:00

Some food bloggers were recently invited by Margaret and Alfie, who own and run Oldfarm, to come along and taste some flavour combinations for Pork Burgers which they are working on at the moment. They hope to include these burgers on the existing list of their own Free-Range Pork and Bacon products, which are available to order online.

When I was asked to take part, I gladly agreed. So, on Saturday, The Hubs and I headed off early to Co. Tipperary. Two and a half hours after setting out, we found ourselves sitting in the kitchen at Oldfarm, chatting over cups of tea, awaiting the arrival of the other guests.

Introductions over, we settled around the kitchen table, and chatted some more. I brought two cakes, My Mam's Boiled Fruitcake, and a Banana, Hazelnut, & Chocolate Chip Loaf.

Alfie lit the "Green Egg", (BBQ), and left it to come up to temperature, while he and Margaret took us on a tour around Oldfarm to meet the pigs.

We were shown the young male piglets, who have a large area in which to run, and root about.

We came across this specimen growing under some trees on the lawn. Best leave well alone, unless you are an expert forager, and know exactly what you are looking at!

Over on the other side of the farm, we were shown the sows. Then, from down the field came another sow, and her two female piglets. They obviously heard us chatting, and came along to investigate, hoping for some tasty windfall apple treats too!

Margaret showed us her vegetable garden and polytunnel, with which she has had a successful growing season this year.

We headed back to the house, where Margaret and Alfie had prepared a mini-feast for lunch. Alfie made two Foccacia, one topped with potato and the other with tomato. Margaret had prepared a potato, chorizo, and green-bean salad, a beetroot and yoghurt salad, topped with almonds, and a really fresh-tasting carrot 'slaw, with a honey and mint dressing.

It was amazing to think that at least 90% of the food on the table was from their own garden.

Margaret also made her "Now Famous" Sausage Rolls, which were highly sought-after at the Irish Food Pix Event, held earlier this year, at Bórd Bía. So very delicious, and one is just not enough!

The burgers were now ready for tasting. We each gave our opinion, and helped ourselves to the rest of the food on the table.

Dessert was a delicious Baked Pumpkin Cheesecake, made by Chef Ron. Not too sweet, it looked and tasted great.

The remainder of the afternoon, and, indeed, in to the evening, was spent talking, mainly about all things food!

As it was getting late and time to head home, Margaret and Alfie gave each of us a piece of Mossfield Cheese to sample.

Fellow tasters were Móna and her husband Ron, and Lily and her husband Alan.

The beautiful Autumnal views from Oldfarm

The Hubs and I headed off too, and arrived home, tired but happy. All in all, another lovely day, spent in good company, with great food too.

Quick and Easy Oatmeal Biscuits

2011-10-13T19:50:00.000+01:00

With so many biscuits for cheese on the market nowadays, it's always nice to make your own.

This is my own adaptation, as the original recipe was one of those rogue ones, which I seem to come across more and more these days in books and magazines.

You will need:-

120g Spelt flour

Half tspn. Bicarbonate of Soda

Half tspn. Gluten-Free Baking Powder

Half tspn. Fine Sea Salt

60g Gluten-Free Porridge Oats

50g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

2 tbspn. Milk

60ml Cold water

Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and sea salt into a bowl. Mix in the porridge oats. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Add one teaspoon of milk, and bring together. Add the other teaspoon of milk, and bring together again.

Add the cold water, and combine until the mixture forms a dough ball.

Roll out, quite thinly, on a gluten-free floured surface. Cut into rounds. Place the rounds on to a floured (using GF flour) baking tray. Bake in the oven at 180C/350F/Gas mark 4 for 15 minutes. Turn the tray around, and bake for a further 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes:

All of the gluten-free and wheat-free ingredients listed in the recipe can be substituted for ones which contain gluten.

The spelt flour can be substituted with gluten-free White Self-Raising flour (Doves Farm). If using this mix, omit the baking powder.

Spelt flour (also by Doves Farm), and gluten-free Baking powder (Dr. Oekter) are available in the Home Baking aisle of larger supermarkets. The gluten-free porridge (Kelkin) can be found in the GF or "Free-From" section.

The porridge oats are much more crisp and dry, compared to porridge containing gluten, but give a crunchy texture to the biscuits.

Serve with your favourite cheese, apple slices, and a good chutney.

Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Scones with Cheese and Chives

2011-09-29T14:10:00.000+01:00

Some new ingredients found their way into my latest (and seperate) baking box this week.

I have been chatting to a Twitter pal, who very kindly complimented me on the Pecorino, Chive and Walnut Scones I made for my previous post. She also commented that she was following a Gluten-Free Diet, so ordinary baked items were not for her.

Having promised to look for something which she could make, I found a Gluten-free scone recipe on the Odlums Website, which is by Catherine Leyden. I added the Pecorino and chive combination, but you can use any cheese which suits you.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6

225g Tritamyl Gluten Free White Bread Mix
50g Softened margarine
50g Pecorino cheese (or cheese of your choice)
3 tspns. Snipped Chives
150ml Milk

The use of the White Bread Mix cuts out the need to find gluten free baking powder, etc.

Place the Bread Mix, margarine, and cheese into your mixing bowl, and rub through until it resembles bread crumbs.

Next, add the chives, and mix in. Pour in the milk, and bring together to form a dough. Roll out gently to approximately half an inch thickness.

Using a 2" (5cm) cutter, press out your scones. I managed to get 10 scones here.

Place the scones on a baking tray which has been scattered with some of the Tritamyl Gluten Free Bread Mix.

Bake at 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for 25 - 30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

The texture of the scones is not dissimilar to gluten ones.

My first attempt at gluten-free baking was interesting, insofar as, I had no idea how the scones would turn out and how they would taste.

They looked fine, and tasted great!

Enjoy!

Pecorino Cheese and Chive Scones with Walnuts

2011-09-24T22:21:00.000+01:00

As you know by now, I love to try out cake recipes. However, as the days are getting shorter, and the nights a little longer, I thought it was time to move into the realm of all things Savoury for a while.

This recipe comes from the book Red Velvet Chocolate Heartache, by Harry Eastwood. First published in 2009, this book was her first solo creation. Harry Eastwood also collaborated on the Cook Yourself Thin books, and TV series. She spends her time between New York and Paris, working on numerous television and writing projects.

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

You will need:

250g Wholegrain Spelt Flour

40g finely grated Pecorino Cheese, plus extra for sprinkling on the top of each scone

2 tspns. Baking Powder

Half tspn. Bicarbonate of Soda

Quarter tspn. fine grain sea salt (if liked)

A few twists of Black Pepper (again, if liked)

3 tbspn. Clear Honey

220g finely grated Courgette (Zucchini)

40g Walnuts, roughly chopped

3 tspns. of chives, finely chopped

A little milk or beaten egg

The original recipe uses White Spelt flour, but as I only had Wholegrain, that is what I used.

Also, only 1 tablespoon of honey was used in the book, but, to me, it looked too dry, so I upped the quantity to 3 tablespoons.

Tip: Cutting chives is much easier using a kitchen scissors

Place the flour, pecorino cheese, baking powder, bicarb. of soda, salt and pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Then add in the courgette and honey. Blitz these in until all ingredients are combined. Then, finally add the walnuts and chives. Blitz again, until the dough is formed.

Turn the dough out, and bring together gently. Roll out to approximately 4cm thick, and then cut into circles. I used a 2" (4.5cm) scone cutter) and achieved 12 scones, with a little left over (cook's treat)!

Brush each scone with the egg, or milk, and sprinkle over some pecorino on each one.

Place on a well-floured baking sheet, and bake.

Harry's recipe states baking these in the top of the oven for 17 minutes. She suggests serving them with Vegetable Soup, or filling them with goat's cheese and some sweet caramelised red onions.

There is also very helpful nutritional information at the back of the book, regarding calorie counts and the amount of saturated fat for each recipe. This one contains 141 kcals, and 4.6g. saturated fat (using only 1 teaspoon of honey).

There are really lovely recipes in this book, both savoury and sweet, and I know this is just the first of many which I will be doing.

Enjoy!

Orange and Lemon Polenta Cake

2011-09-21T20:53:00.004+01:00

This version of the cake was borne, once again, out of trial and error. Just like my Baked Chocolate & Ginger Cheesecake, which I also had to completely re-do, this one was just as annoying.

Being a fan of all things Dr. Oetker gave me the idea on how to salvage this recipe. I had a bottle of Citrus Flavoured Strands, and that was the answer to my problem!

The original recipe included boiling orange and lemon slices in syrup to soften them, arranging fruit slices on the base of the tin, and then pouring the syrup over the base. After I cleaned up the mess which ensued, I did a bit of re-working, and came up with a much simpler version!

For the cake batter, you will need:-

8" x 4" cake tin, (I used a loose-bottomed tin) greased and lined on the base

125g butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon lemon rind

220g caster sugar

3 eggs (room temperature)

60g finely ground hazelnuts

75g Plain Flour

75g Self Raising Flour

125g Polenta

80g Sour Cream

30ml Lemon Juice

30ml Orange Juice

Begin, as always by preheating your oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 4.

Place the butter, and sugar in a bowl and cream together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, adding a little flour, to prevent curdling. Add the hazelnuts, the rest of the flour, polenta, sour cream, and juices. Give this a quick mix until all the ingredients are combined.

Pour the mixture into your tin, and bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Leave the cake to cool for about 15 minutes before turning out.

If the cake has risen slightly, trim this off, in order to decorate the top. For this, I warmed through 2 tablespoons of lemon curd in the micro-wave and painted this over the top of the cake, and sprinkled on quite a lot of citrus flavoured strands.

Serve, on its own, or accompanied by a little fresh cream or custard.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-09-16T23:52:00.016+01:00

I don't usually make Cookies, but after making Peanut Butter Cups several times now, from a recipe on Likemamusedtobake's blog, I decided to try something else with Peanut butter.

My Daughter and her friends (teenagers!) all adore the Peanut Butter Cups, and declare them to be "just like the real thing"!

These cookies, are really simple and quick to prepare, and only take about 17 minutes in total to bake.They come from a book from the Love Food range of publications, called 1001 Cupcakes, Cookies, and other tempting treats.

You will need:-

4oz Unsalted Butter (softened)

4oz Peanut Butter (use either Crunchy or Smooth)

4oz Light Brown Sugar
4oz Golden Caster Sugar

1 beaten Egg
Half tspn. Vanilla Extract
3oz Plain Flour

Half tspn. Baking Soda (Bicarbonate of Soda)
Half tspn. Baking Powder
A pinch of salt
4oz Rolled Oats

Pre-heat your oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.

Then, all you do is combine the butter and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth, add in the sugars, and beat again. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Then sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, and finally, the rolled (porridge) oats, and give it all a mix to ensure the ingredients are combined.

Take teaspoons of the mix and place them about 2" apart on the baking tray and flatten slightly with a fork. I baked these in three batches of 12 per batch. I rotated the tray after 6 minutes, and left them in the oven for a further 5 minutes. Leave the cookies to set on the tray before placing them on a wire rack to cool.

Tip: Do not be tempted to be over-generous with the amount you take up for each cookie. They will spread as they bake, so a little of the mixture goes a long way.

It's as easy as that.

Enjoy!

It's a long, long, way from Clare to here.....

2011-09-05T00:24:00.006+01:00

The envelope popped through the letter-box about two months ago, and, upon opening, discovered it was a Wedding Invitation. However, the Ceremony and Reception were to be held in Co. Clare on the South West Coast. As we live on the North East Coast, I began to have second thoughts about the journey ahead. We decided, in the end, to go and just enjoy the weekend.

Off we went, and about three and a half hours later, we arrived at our destination. Doonbeg Golf Resort located just outside Doonbeg Village, Co. Clare. Doonbeg Lodge was opened in 2006, and is a golfer's paradise. With 5* luxury, a fabulous golf course in a stunning location, what more could you ask for?

And so to the wedding itself. The music and singing were an absolute delight, with, amongst others, Nella Fantasia and O Mio Babbino Caro, (two of my personal favourites) which were just right for the occasion.

Upon our return to the hotel, we were treated to a Champagne and Canapé reception. I just managed to take a quick picture of one of the canapé selections being offered to the guests, the Tempura of Fresh Salmon with Coriander Aioli, laid out on a slate serving platter. Delicious!

The tables were beautifully decorated, and each had a card with a romantic line from a film or poem thereon. I thought it was a lovely touch.

Dinner was about to be served, so we took our places at the immaculately dressed tables, and had our first glimpse of the menu.

Fresh Burren Smoked Salmon, with white crab meat and salad argume

This was followed by Carrot & Coriander Soup, and then a really refreshing Mojito Sorbet

The main course was a choice of either Roast Sirloin of Beef, with a Bourguignon garnish and red wine jus, or Pan Fried Monkfish, celeriac and truffle, langoustine velouté.

Dessert to finish was so light, delicious, and full of flavour.

A Strawberry & Champagne Chibouste, elderflower jelly, strawberry & cracked black pepper sorbet.

Empty plates, and high praise at our table said it all.

The wedding cake was a work of simple, elegant, art. The fact that inside was the most delicious chocolate biscuit cake, was an added delight!

I was honoured to be asked earlier in the day by the Groom's Mum and Dad to take photographs with my "fancy" camera, on their behalf. After sorting through all the images, I was really pleased with the results. Alas, I cannot publish most of my other pictures, to protect the anonymity of my fellow-guests. Being a "photographer" on the day was a great experience!

All in all, it was a fabulous day with great company and lots of fun, and we had an amazing wedding banquet courtesy of Chef Wade Murphy, and his team.

We hope to return to Co. Clare, one of these days, to sample lots more of what this county has to offer.

The iconic Bunratty Castle

Baked Chocolate & Ginger Cheesecake

2011-08-29T21:11:00.001+01:00

Chocolate and cake, two lovely words, don't you think? So, what better way to combine the two, than a Chocolate Cheesecake!

Chocolate and Stem Ginger stood out for me in this recipe, as I already had some stem ginger and always have a few bars of chocolate and cocoa powder in the baking box. It came from one of those supermarket books which sneaks into your shopping trolley, and follows you home!

However, I have to tell you that the original recipe and method in the book does not, and would never, work. Whether it was misprinted, or just that the recipe was not tested, I do not know. What I do know is, after following the original recipe, it was a complete waste of time and ingredients. It also looked nothing like the glossy photograph which accompanied it.

After much trial and error, here is my version, and it really does work!

For the base, you will need:

8" spring-form/loose-bottomed cake tin, greased and lined

200g pack of Ginger Biscuits

80g Unsalted Butter (add a little more, if too dry)

For the Topping, you will need:

80g Cocoa Powder

4 eggs, lightly beaten

175g Caster Sugar

300g Cream Cheese

1-2 pieces of Stem Ginger, finely chopped (optional)

2 tbsp sifted plain flour

Grated Dark or Milk Chocolate to finish

Preheat your oven to 170C/325F/Gas mark 3. Prepare the base of the cheesecake as you would with a non-baked one, by blitzing the biscuits in a food processor, melting the butter, and stiring in the biscuit crumbs until completely coated. Press the mixture into the prepared tin.

Mix together the sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Then add the beaten eggs, followed by the cocoa powder, sifting it in to the mixture, and finally, add the sifted flour and stem ginger (if using).

Pour the mixture over your biscuit base. Bake for 50 minutes. Turn off your oven, open the door, and leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool.

Once cooled, turn out onto a plate, and decorate with finely grated chocolate. Serve with fresh cream or ice-cream.

Really indulgent, but, then again, you wouldn't be eating it every day..... or would you?!

Enjoy!

Part 3 - Eastern Seaboard Bar and Grill

2011-08-18T19:00:00.057+01:00

So, Part 3, dinner at the Eastern Seaboard Bar and Grill was next, an informal dinner and a fitting end to a wonderful visit. As I was driving that night, I took our beautifully boxed gifts and placed them, lovingly, in the boot/trunk of the car, and sent Babs on ahead to get us a seat at the Bloggers table.

I asked for Reuven's permission (Head Chef and Co-owner) to take a few pictures in the restaurant. "No problem, help yourself" he said, so happily, I clicked away. Off he went, to change into his Chef's Whites, and begin the immensely busy Saturday evening service.

We were looked after extremely well that evening. As I have been a customer in the restaurant on previous occasions, this attention to detail was not just reserved for the Bloggers, it is the way all customers are treated every time they arrive.

After being seated, we were provided with the menu and our attention was drawn to the Specials available that evening. The Specials board is actually one of the supporting columns in the dining room, and the dishes are written up on all four sides.

My most favoured item is the seeded salt-crust bread offered while you wait for the starters, and is also available to purchase at the Brown Hound Bakery.

Plenty of chat then ensued, and then the first starters arrived. What an array! There was chicken broth with lots of fresh parsely, jam-packed with vegetables, and served with brown bread on the side. Pig's cheek terrine with celeriac remoulade and rocket, ploughman's plate, fish cakes, garlicky crab claws...

I was happy enough, on this occasion, not to order a starter, and just concentrate on the shards of bread placed at the table with the Spanish olive oil and sea-salt on the side, whilst my fellow-diners were enjoying theirs.

For mains, I chose the rabbit loin, with a broad bean and bacon ragú. Very tasty indeed.

The Sea Trout also looked very good!

The Créme Brulee, served with Candied Orange and Pistachio Biscotti was the perfect end to my meal.

The Chocolate Pots were also very enticing indeed!

So, as the other Bloggers made their way to the Bar area, we said our farewells, and headed home. I really enjoyed my first ever blog visit, and am looking forward to many more. Thanks to Jeni, Reuven and staff for a great evening, and if you would like read some more, you can on the following lovely Blogs:

An American In Ireland

Lovin' from the Oven

I Can has Cook?
The Daily Spud
Gunternation
Magda's Cauldron

Part 2 - Mo's To Go!

2011-08-16T22:39:00.001+01:00

Continuing the chronicle of our Food Visit, Part 2 was a quick trip out the door of the Brown Hound Bakery and across the hallway to Mo's To Go.

This is a Take-Away, but not in the conventional sense. Chatting to Jeni, (co-owner with Reuven) she explained the concept. To paraphrase, she said Mo's To Go is an extension of the Eastern Seaboard Restaurant. If you don't feel like having the full dining out experience, you can come here and get taste of some of the dishes from the restaurant menu to take home.

It works really well. It is being run the same as the restaurant kitchen, with the Chef calling and cooking the orders as they come in. I have been a few times now, and it is a pleasure to watch them all in action. Whilst at first, it seems like a limited choice, I understand the fact that what is being offered here is done really well.

What you will find is fresh food, cooked properly, and strictly to order. The "chips" are really good too, potatoes cut into fries and cooked with the skins on, and a nice selection of salads as sides. Good old U.S. of A., naughty (but nice!) treats like Hush Puppies, and Coney Island Corn Dogs also feature. The onion rings, which are a particular favourite of mine, have the lightest, crispiest coating I have ever had. Customers can help themselves to a variety of seasonings available on the counter top.

Again, I am totally blown away by this whole concept, and am delighted to keep on returning, time and time again.

Part 1 - The Brown Hound Bakery

2011-08-14T20:51:00.044+01:00

The IFBA (Irish Food Bloggers Association) recently organised an outing to the Eastern Seaboard Bar and Grill, and two newly- opened sister-businesses, The Brown Hound Bakery and Mo's 2 Go Take-Away, located in Drogheda, Co. Louth. As I am already a customer, I just had to go along, to learn a little more about them.

Part 1 of our visit started in The Brown Hound Bakery. Since it opened only a few weeks ago, it has become an instant success. Beautifully designed, the interior is relaxed and homely, but very sophisticated. The building, which houses both the Bakery and Mo's 2 Go, was purpose-built, and the bakery kitchen is located above. All of the baked goods sold in the shop are made on the premises.

Many of cakes were created by Craig Thompson, Baker, and owner of Shandaken Bake Shop, New York. The recipes are inspired by those of his Grandmother, and he spent three months here in Ireland, baking and training the staff to make his beautiful creations. His input played an integral part in the opening of The Brown Hound Bakery.

As well as the fabulous cakes, there are muffins, cookies, doughnuts, (and the middles!) scones (biscuits) - both savoury and sweet, and coffee too. A good selection of teas are also available.

We were each very kindly given a lovely box containing a selection of mini cookies and cakes to sample later.

Owners Jeni and Reuven (who is also the Head Chef) have created three "neighbourhood" businesses here. They have built a steady reputation and a loyal clientele for their restaurant, and now are doing the same with The Brown Hound Bakery and Mo's. Long may their success here continue.

I stole a march on most of the people who were also on the visit, as I have already sampled the food in all three business. The cakes, as does everything else, taste gorgeous.

There is a beautiful display area inside the door of the Bakery containing lots of lovely gifts to purchase. Here are some which caught my eye.

How lucky am I to have these places to visit, any time I want? Very lucky, I would say!

Coming soon - Part 2 (Mo's To Go Take Away) and Part 3 (Eastern Seaboard Restaurant).....

Prosecco Punch

2011-08-07T19:58:00.002+01:00

Before going on holiday this year, I bought a few food magazines to take with me. A little stash of reading material to while away lazy afternoons by the pool! I have already written a post regarding some of the food we had in Lanzarote, but on one particular evening, we decided to have some Tapas and Sangria.

The inspiration for this Punch recipe comes from a few sources. The Cava Blanca (above) we had with the lovely selection of Tapas, and a recipe I found in Good Food Network Magazine, which has been slightly adapted. The original recipe used a bottle of dry white wine.

My choice of Prosecco was influenced by one of my Twitter Pals , The RestaurantPimp, who tried this particular Prosecco, and recommended it to his followers. I have to say, I totally agree. It is a really inexpensive, and acceptable fizz, which is available at branches of Lidl, priced at €6.79/Stg£5.95).

A large jug, and long spoon

1 Bottle Prosecco

60mls. Elderflower Cordial

60 mls. white rum
Teaspoon of Sugar (if liked)
Pomegranate & Elderflower Sparkling Drink (Optional)

Sliced Fruits of your Choice
I used:
Sweet Red Apple

Nectarines

Plums

Strawberries

Couple Slices of Unwaxed Lemon

Soda/Sparkling water

Plenty of Ice

Start by putting the rum, sugar, and elderflower cordial in a large jug, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Next add the half the bottle of Prosecco, some slices of fruit, add the rest of the Prosecco (or however much your jug will take), and top up with a little sparkling water. Add the rest of the fruit, a little of the pomegranate & elderflower drink and finally, the ice. Pop in the long spoon for stirring every now and then.

A little indulgence for a Summer's evening. Enjoy!

Madeira Layer Cake

2011-07-24T21:21:00.000+01:00

Sounds simple enough, I suppose, how difficult can it be? After thinking long and hard about which type of cake to use for a layer cake, I decided on Madeira. Home-made Madeira cake tends to be very unlike the shop bought variety, and is a little more robust.

I made this as you would a Victoria Sponge, in two 8" (20cm) round cake tins.

The cake recipe comes from Quick & Easy Celebration Cakes by Joanna Farrow.

10oz Unsalted softened Butter

10oz. Caster Sugar

5 Eggs

4 Tablespoons of milk

13oz of Self Raising Flour

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

Pre-heated oven Gas mark 3/160C/325F

Cream the butter and sugar together. Beat the eggs in another bowl, add the milk, and mix. Gradually alternate the egg mix into the butter and sugar mix, adding the flour in small amounts. Put the batter into the tins and bake for 1 hour. Leave to cool a little in the tins and turn out onto a wire rack.

When the cakes are cooled, cut whichever cake you judge to be the larger (risen slightly more) with a serrated edged knife (this gives a better cut.

The recipe for the filling and icing/frosting is from Gorgeous Cakes by Annie Bell

For the frosting/icing you will need:

120g butter

100g Icing Sugar

300g Cream Cheese

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract

Again, beat together the butter and sugar, and work in the cheese and vanilla extract with a whisk.

Taking the cake which you cut in half, use the bottom half as the bottom of the cake. Using the serrated knife, trim the top half of this cake to create a flat surface.

Spread the filling over the first layer (bottom layer), and place the trimmed cake on top, spread the remainder of the filling and top with the other cake.

Ice/frost the cake, and leave it in the fridge for at least a half hour, to allow the frosting/icing to set a little. It will not set rock hard, just set sufficiently to be able to decorate it.

The cake in Annie Bell's book is decorated with multi-coloured chocolate flavoured beans. As I already had a pack of these, I used the pink ones on top of the cake, and for the sides, pink and lilac, to tie in the with raspberry jam in the filling. I also used some edible pink holographic glitter. This can be bought from any good cake accessory/decorating shop.

The finished cake, for me anyway, is quite rich with cream cheese and mascarpone. The flavour in the jam cuts through all that creaminess. This is more of a dessert cake than a 'slice-with-a-cuppa'.

The search for THE cake which I will make for the special celebration happily continues.

Enjoy!

Rainbow Cupcakes

2011-07-20T20:09:00.004+01:00

Most days, my kitchen table is taken up with baking books in my search for a cake for a celebration which I will be hosting early next year.

I can usually refer to the many, many baking books in my possession for inspiration, but today this was not the case. My daughter wanted Rainbow Cupcakes to take to a themed birthday party, and had found a recipe from an interesting site called Cut Out and Keep. There are other recipes for cupcakes in my blog, but it's the 'Rainbow' effect in these ones which sets them apart.

The recipe is a classic sponge-cake one, and uses the following:

125g/1 cup/4.5 oz. Softened Butter (I usually use unsalted)
125g/1 cup/4.5g Self-Raising Flour
125g/1 cup/4.5g Caster Sugar
2 eggs (left to come up to room temperature is best)
1 tspn Vanilla Extract
3 Tbspns. Milk
4 Food Colours - Red, Yellow, Blue and Green

Pre-heat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6, and line a 12-hole cake tray with paper cases.

Using the creaming method, beat together the sugar and the softened butter, until totally combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix in well, adding a little flour between each egg, until there is no more flour left.

Next, add the Vanilla Extract and beat in to the mixture. The milk needs to be added one teaspoon at a time, mixing thouroughly between each one.

Now the next part of the recipe is a bit time consuming. Lay out 6 bowls. Divide the cake batter equally into each one.

The colour sequence is supposed to give the colours of the rainbow in the correct order, but due to the chemical element to baking, some colours may sink into others during the baking process.

My advice regarding adding the colours is this. Start with the following, and build up the colour you like as you go along.

Bowl 1 - 1 capful Red
Bowl 2 - 2 capfuls Red and 3 capsfuls Yellow - This will produce Orange
Bowl 3 - 1 capful Yellow
Bowl 4 - 1 capful Green
Bowl 5 - 1 capful Blue
Bowl 6 - 1 cap Blue and 1 cap Red. - This will produce Purple

Starting with the Purple batter, add 1 teaspoon to each paper case, and continue adding the coloured batter in the following order:

Blue

Green

Yellow

Orange

Red

Bake for approximately 20 minutes, and, skewer test as usual, to check they are cooked through.

Leave to cool in the tray for about 5 minutes, before placing them on a wire rack.

Here's how mine look on the inside. Interesting, to say the least. Enjoy!

I'll Bring Some Cakes

2011-07-13T14:56:00.005+01:00

We recently had a family gathering to mark the anniversary of a dearly loved and sadly missed one of our number. There was dinner, and chat, and kids playing, adults talking, lots of laughter, memories, stories, tea and of course, cakes.

I was trying to come up with something which would be easy to whip up, and came across two very handy recipes to have in your collection, one of which I have slightly changed.

The first is for Cupcakes, or as we used to call them, Fairy Buns! It comes from a lovely publication (one of many) from The Australian Women's Weekly, entitled "Cupcakes and Fairycakes". I have already done a recipe for cupcakes in another post.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4

12 hole baking tray lined with cases

90g Softened Butter

110g Caster Sugar (I used Golden unrefined)

2 beaten eggs

150g Self-Raising Flour

2 Tablespoons of Milk

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon*

2 Teaspoons of Orange Extract*

*My own additions

Place all the ingredients (except for the Cinnamon and Orange Extract) in a bowl and beat on a low speed until almost combined. Add the Cinnamon, and the Orange Extract and beat on medium speed until everything is well incorporated.

Divide the mixture into your baking cases, and bake for 20 minutes. This mixture will also make 6 muffin-sized cakes, but would require 30 minutes cooking.

That's all there is to it.

Packed up, & ready to go!

My Dad loves Ginger Cake. I thought I better make one to take with the Fairy Buns after coming across a jar of stem ginger in the press. After a quick search, I came across this one by Australian author, David Herbert. His recipe was exactly what I was looking for.

1 greased and lined 2lb loaf tin

60g butter, cubed

125ml Golden Syrup

100g Plain Flour

25g Self-Raising Flour

1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 heaped tsp Ground Ginger (make it 2, if you like it really gingery!)

Half tsp Mixed Spice

100g Caster Sugar

Pinch of Salt

125ml Milk

1 beaten egg

Pre-heat your oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3. Next, melt the butter and golden syrup slowly in a saucepan. Stir occasionally, and once melted, remove from the heat.

Sift together the flours, soda and spices. Then stir in the sugar and salt, followed by the milk and then the beaten egg. Mix together until smooth. Gradually, add the melted butter mixture, until well incorporated.

This batter will be very liquid, and looking at it, I never thought it would work, but it did.

Pour the batter in to your tin, and bake for 50 - 55 minutes. Skewer test, and allow to cool for about 5 minutes in the tin.

Pierce the cake with the skewer. The jar of stem ginger came in handy here, as I spooned some of the syrup in the jar over the cake.

It went down a treat at the family gathering. Hope you like it too.

Chocolate Cola Cake

2011-07-04T22:26:00.009+01:00

Until recently, I had not tasted Chocolate Cola Cake. On the evening we arrived in Tipperary, a restaurant was recommended to us for dinner. Feeling hungry, we headed off in the rain. A short drive later and we found The Fairways Bar & Orchard Restaurant. What a gem! The food here is delicious, and to say the portions were generous would be an understatement.

No matter how full you are after dinner, I feel it would be rude not to leave room for dessert. After being told what was the selection for that evening, I jumped at the chance to try their Chocolate Cola Cake. It was really light-tasting, and moreish. Naturally, further investigation was required on my return home. I really should have asked for their recipe!

My version on Chocolate Cola Cake is a combination of every recipe I have come across. The quantities have been adjusted to suit my baking tray.

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4. Line and grease a 9 " x 7" baking tray. I line my trays and tins with re-usable teflon sheets.

110g softened butter

275g Light Soft Brown Sugar

2 beaten eggs

200ml Cola

175g Plain Flour

50g Cocoa Powder

1 Teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

Half Teaspoon Cream of Tartar

Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time. When this is done, add the Cola and mix everything well.

Meanwhile, in another bowl, I sifted in the flour, cocoa powder, bicarb, and cream of tartar.

Now, add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix well, and pour the mixture into your prepared tin.

Cook for 40 - 45 minutes, (checking after 30 minutes). Test with a metal skewer to see if it is cooked through.

The consistancy was that of a brownie, and perhaps using more cocoa powder next time will dry it out.

Here's a recipe for icing. It comes courtesy of James Martin .

200g Icing Sugar

100g Butter

2 Tablespoons Cola

2 Teaspoons Cocoa Powder

Melt the butter over a low heat. Seperately, sift the icing sugar. Stir the Cola and Cocoa into the butter and bring to the boil.

Pour this over the icing sugar and beat together until smooth. Pour the icing over the cake, while the cake is still in the tin, and leave to cool completely.

I did not ice my version. Instead, to serve alongside it, I whipped up 125ml of cream, and added 2 tablespoons of Crossogue Preserves Lemon Curd, one teaspoon at a time, and mixed in gently. This lemon curd has a beautiful flavour, and partners really well with the cake.

A little tip: Take it slowly with the lemon curd. Adding lemon to cream tends to set it, and, if you are not careful, even turn it, in some cases.

Makes a lovely dessert, or on it's own with a cuppa. Enjoy!

What's in a word?

2011-07-01T18:56:00.006+01:00

One of the strawberries from our garden

The idea of 'local' and 'local produce' has been in the back of my mind for some time. Being encouraged by the media to shop local and buy local, has only really come to the fore since the dreaded recession hit.

My idea for this post was borne out of my visit to Tipperary last weekend. I live in a county where there are food producers, but, unfortunately there are only a handful. I thought the people in Tipperary were so lucky to have lots of producers on their doorsteps.

The lovely Saddleback pigs at OldFarm

I mulled over the idea after we got home, so I asked Twitter Friends for their opinion on a question which was going around and around in my head: "What does the word 'local' mean to you, in terms of 'local produce'?

I received a few answers, and to be honest, I was a little disappointed at the lack of response. Perhaps people didn't see the question, or were not on Twitter at the time. Whatever it was, I was still a little perplexed at the small amount of responses.

Some of those people who took the time to reply made the following comments:

Richard Speedie said "I've seen a restaurant define it as European!! For me, it's the whole island of Ireland since we're a pretty small country"

Patricia said: "To me it's anywhere within a ten mile radious of where I live!!"

Susan said: "Local to me used to mean Dublin (where I is at) but definitely since recession it means Irish as a whole - strange that:/

Macconraoi said "I am NOT a foodie, I hate the term. Local means nothing. Artisan means less. All trust is lost in the real world"

Ann Marie said "Local to me is that the cows in the field next to me end up in the buchers in the next village where I buy my meat"

All of the above comments are valid ones, with the exception of the European one. That, I think, was stretching it!

I buy from a Fishmonger whose fish comes up from the quay a few hundred yards from their shop.

I called there the other day, and they were delighted to show me the what was on offer, and happy for me to take photographs.

I buy vegetables from a family who are located a couple of miles from where we live. Their shop is on their property, and you can see what is being grown in the field next door. I buy meat from a butcher, who gets his supplies from neighbouring farms.

So, back to the question, what exactly is 'local'? I have come to the conclusion that the word lost its meaning, as it can be relative to you, where ever you are, at any given time, if that makes sense.

My own opinion is that the word is bandied about to mean lots of other things too. The perception of local is important too, as is a whole variety of other words used in relation to food products. Here are some of them : Homegrown - Homemade - Freshly Cooked - Artisan - Gourmet. All fine in in their own right, but my other problem with these words is homegrown by whom and where, homemade by whom and where, all food should be freshly cooked, and as for artisan, this is a person who makes something. As a consumer, these words seem to imply an added value where there is really none, and it is down to us to decide if we believe it or not.

The over-riding thought is provenance. I feel that not enough consumers are asking where exactly the food is coming from. Having said that, there are those who do, which is a real beginning. Local can mean the country in which you live, the county in which you live, how far you are willing to travel to find such food.

This whole subject has many, many layers, as I have discovered, and doesn't stop at the meaning of words.

My thanks to those contributors who gave permission for their comments to be used in this post.

We grew these in our back garden

Made a fine addition to our dinner!

This post was a out of the norm for me, they are my own thoughts as a consumer. I am certainly not Journalist (can you tell!) nor am I a person with an agenda. I simply like to ask questions. As someone once said to me "If you ask, you will get one of two answers"

Our "Trip to Tipp!"

2011-06-27T20:48:00.005+01:00

We decided (ok, I decided!) that we should head to Tipperary to check out the Food Festival to be held in Cloughjordan. Hosted by the Sarah Baker Cookery School, and held in the grounds of Cloughjordan House, it proved to be worth the visit. To put everything that happened into writing would take a lot longer than we have time for here. So, the following is a snapshot (or a few, even) of our time spent in Tipperary.

Lots of events were planned for the day, including demonstrations of recipes, made with local ingredients, presented by some foodie friends. We sat in on the demonstrations given by Joanna Schaffalitzky and Yvonne Carty of Hey Pesto.

Ella McSweeney chatting to Joanna before the demonstration.

Joanna begins her recipe.

Joanna's dish consisted of Chicken Breast, stuffed with Inch House Black pudding,wrapped in bacon, and served with a lovely apple gravy.

Having purchased the Inch House Black Pudding, and various apple juices from The Apple Farm , I will certainly be trying out this recipe.

Next, we watched Yvonne Carty. She presented Mediterranean Pasta, Inch House Bites, which were canapés with black pudding, red onion marmalade, and she topped each one with a little Cashel Blue Cheese. Yvonne also made Cashel Blue cheese and onion tart. We managed to get to taste the canapés, and they were gorgeous.

Yvonne puts the finishing touch to the cheese and onion tart

The evening entertainment was an Argentinian evening of music, entertainment, and a BBQ, with pork supplied by Crowe's Farm.

The lamb, which we had, was reared by Michael Seymour on his farm at Sheepwalk Farm, Borrisokane, Co. Tipperary. It was absolutely beautiful.

Huge bowls of salad were also available.

As we were in Tipperary, the following day, I arranged to call to see the owners of Oldfarm, with a view to purchasing some of their beautiful pork. My Husband and I were treated to a wonderful afternoon of hospitality & chat, which we will not forget in a hurry, from two people who are committed and passionate about their animals and the meat produced from them. The Saddleback pigs here are happy and contented, are free to roam about and generally do what pigs do, as are the hens, turkeys, ducks, the two dogs, and a cat!

Having a little lie-down! It was hot that afternoon.

Reluctantly we had to head for home, but not before we packed our lovely pork chops, joint, mince, and sausages into the coldbox. Guess what we had for our tea when we got back!

They were divine, absolutely delicious.

We learned so much on our Trip to Tipp, met lovely people, sampled lots of food, and came away happy, and wanting to go back one of these days.

Postcard from Lanzarote

2011-06-22T21:00:00.003+01:00

Having recently returned from a break in Lanzarote, I have been thinking about what to write in this post. I toyed with the idea of doing a Sangria recipe, or maybe a Gazpacho Andaluz. However, after accidentally finding a great little restaurant on the Marina Rubicón, I knew I had the material for the post right there!

This charming restaurant called El Maño, located right on the marina, was just what we were looking for. The food there is beautifully cooked and presented, the staff so discretely attentive, and the atmosphere, whilst sophisticated, was suited to tourist customers looking for something a little less ordinary.

We visited this restaurant on numerous occasions, just to keep sampling what was on offer. The menu was extensive without being overstretched, and the ingredients used were local and fresh.

On arrival, customers are greeted at the door and shown to their table. A pre-starter is presented, along with hot bread rolls.

The crushed tomato flesh mixed with raw garlic and salt, served alongside canellini beans, to be piled onto a torn piece of bread, was delicious. Starters also included a plate of baby squid, sautéed in olive oil, garlic and parsley. Also on offer was the signature dish of Lanzarote - Prawns in sizzling olive oil, with lashings of garlic slivers and a pimento or two, thrown in for good measure! The Chef cooked them in Tio Pepe which added an extra dimension to the dish. Muy Sabroso!!

Another great treat was a starter of Jamón Ibérico de Bellotta (acorn fed pigs), which was shaved, wafer-thin from the leg of ham, by the Head Waiter. Expensive, but the taste was sublime. A hint of saltiness, sweet, but not too sweet, and and background hint of, what I can only describe, as Hazelnut.

Main courses consisted of a variety of steak and fish dishes. The sole, simply grilled, with a salted butter poured over, fell away from the bone with such ease, and was melt-in-the mouth.

All of these lovely dishes were washed down with a sensible amount of White Rioja, and on other occasions, a lovely bottle of Lanzarotian Malvasia.

Desserts were something to write home about too. What to choose? Did we have the sorbet of crushed fruit with Cava, or the pears poached in red wine with vanilla ice-cream, or perhaps the chocolate mousse ice-cream with "mint crystals", or indeed my Husband's all-time favourte, profiteroles? All of them, after all we were on our holidays.

So, as the sun has finally set on our holiday for this year, all I can say is I thoroughly enjoyed my time sampling the food in Lanzarote, and, if you ever get the chance, you should try it too.

A Stroll through a Market

2011-05-29T17:20:00.001+01:00

I have developed a penchant lately for visiting Farmer's Markets, and local outdoor foodmarkets. In our part of the country, they are few and far between, and have to be sought out.

I love looking at the lovely produce on offer, from near, and a little farther away, made, grown and reared by passionate people who love what they do.

On Saturday 28th May, my Daughter and I decided to visit Sage & Stone Summer Fair. I had been to one of the fairs there once before. This time there were different stalls with yummy goodies on offer.

Our first stall to visit was that of the wonderful Mr. Georg Heisse. He is a Master of Culinary Art, has two Delis, and produces the most wonderful bread and pastries. We chose a Sourdough loaf, a Health Mix Loaf with Seeds, a huge Prezel, and three Brioche Turnovers with a mixed berry filling.

Moving on, we spotted a trailer in the corner of the yard. Pizza. No ordinary Pizza. Wood-fired Pizza. Daughter was suddenly very hungry. So, lunch came courtesy of Gourmet Street Pizza.

Her choice was a topping of tomato sauce, Parma Ham (which was then cooked in the wood-fired oven), and topped with Rocket, and fresh Parmesan shavings on top. Just like in Italy, the flavour of a pizza cooked in this way is incomparible to any other.

Pizza demolished, we decided it was time to move on, so we headed over to the Egg Stall.

A lovely man who breeds rare-breed chickens, and rears ducks was there with eggs for sale. He usually sells duck eggs too, but told me that a lady had bought six dozen earlier and all his stock for the day was gone. "Probably a baker", I said. He thought so! So, having purchased the hens eggs, I vowed to return a little earlier next time.

Over in the other corner, we spied a hot food stand. Rogan's Smokehouse, Rathowen, Co. Westmeath.

They were selling their Applewood smoked sausages and Whiskey smoked rashers, either vacuum packed, or, as hot snacks in large bread rolls. We sampled both the sausages and the rashers, and they were just gorgeous.

I had a chat with the stall-holder about where he was selling in to. He went on to tell me about being with a huge UK Supermarket until they decided to squeeze down the price of his other range, smoked fish. Not viable to continue with them, is what he said. They wanted the lowest possible price they could get. Very dis-heartening to hear that, as he is not the only one. He went on to tell me how they came on the idea of applewood, and whisky barrels for smoking after trying out several combinations, and how they just keep going with their ideas.

He is hoping to get a deal with a large Irish Supermarket chain in the near future.

Our final stop in the Market was at The Cake & Crumb Stall. They make gluten-free products. They had cupcakes, and Macarons and more besides. But it was the mini macarons which caught my Daughter's eye. Delicate little discs of loveliness, with different flavoured centres.

I wonder where next my travels will take me?

Never-Fail Muffins, he said....!

2011-05-21T19:59:00.000+01:00

When someone uses the words "Never- Fail", I am intrigued.

I recently added a new book to my "library" of cookbooks. "Food to Love", written by Edward Hayden has found its way into my collection. To date, he has written two books, his previous one being "Edward Entertains".

I had a quick look through this lovely book and found myself, as usual, at the baking section ,which, appropriately enough, is entitled "Sweet Temptations".

I had to give the "Never Fail Muffins" a try.

To make 12 muffins, you will need:-

1lb/450g Plain Flour

6oz/175g Caster Sugar

1 rounded teaspoon Baking Powder

4oz/110g Butter

2 Large Eggs

6floz/175ml milk

Any flavour combination of your choice

(I used 3oz/75g White Chocolate and 3oz/75g Fresh or Frozen Raspberries)

I decided to use the White Chocolate and Raspberry combination. This gave a lovely raspberry ripple effect to the batter mixture. You will find other suggestions with quantities for flavour combinations in the book.

As ever, pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 4/180C/350F, and line your muffin tin with cases.

Little Tip! Eggs will work better at room temperature, to take them out of your fridge well in advance. Butter, as with all rubbing- in method recipes, works best cold.

Mix the dry ingredients together. Then, you need to rub the butter in to the dry ingredients. When the dry mixture resembles breadcrumbs, add in the eggs and milk, and mix to form a stiff batter. At this point, you can add your own particular flavour combination.

Decided to give the Stand Mixer a little go here!

Divide the mixture into the cases, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on your own oven. I allowed the cooking time stated in the book, but needed to add a further 10 minutes, turning after 5, to ensure an even bake.

He said they were "Never-Fail" and he was right!

Seafood Chowder - Done!

2011-05-19T19:07:00.000+01:00

On a visit to Galway during the Easter holidays in 2010, we "Seafood Chowdered" our way across Connemara, and loved every minute of it. From Oughterard, out to Spiddal, and over to Roundstone, it never failed to make us smile each time we had it.

I had to make it when we returned home. I found a fabulous recipe from Mr. Tim O'Sullivan, Head Chef at Revyle House Hotel . He has won Best Chef in Connaught 2008, and 2007 at the National Food & Wine Awards, and is also a member of Eurotoques.

I used Tim's Recipe, with a few changes in quantities, and fish choice, to suit the family.

The quantities used here should easily serve 3 adults.

You will need:

A large pot, such as a Stock Pot

50g 2/oz Butter

1 potato per person (diced or cubed)

2 small to medium onions

50g/2oz. each Carrot, Leek and Celery

300g/12oz cubed fish (I used Smoked Coley, Salmon and Hake)

Salt and Pepper

2 Bay Leaves

125ml Cream

1 litre Fish Stock (Not having any fresh stock, I used a stock cube)

1/2 Glass Brandy

1/4 Litre Milk

Chopped Parsely to Finish

I have made Tim's Recipe once before. I say once, as, on that occasion, it was a sensational disaster. Not thinking, I grabbed the cream from the fridge and put it into the hot chowder. It was a sorry sight, as the cream immediately split, and curdled. Such a shame. Twitter friends, Tricia Doyle, Edward Hayden, Donal Skehan, Hey Pesto, and The Tasty Tart rescued me this time with their advice on when & how to add the cream.

First, melt the butter

Then add the diced vegetables and sauté for a few minutes

Next, add the potatoes, bay, and brandy and continue to sauté for about 3 minutes

It's just about now, I realised we needed a bigger pot! Add the fish stock and milk and bring it up to a boil.

The star of the show, the fish, is next, add this to the pot and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes

No trouble this time, while the fish is cooking, gently heat the cream in a separate pot

Add the cream, season to taste, and bring back to the boil. Give it a quick stir, and serve, garnished with parsley

Note: If you find the consistancy a little thin, thicken using cornflour or arrowroot

Serve with "Granny Ann's Brown Bread", recipe to follow in the next blog.... Enjoy!

Granny Ann's Brown Bread

2011-05-16T19:19:00.001+01:00

Everyone has their favourite Brown Bread recipe. Yes, they are similar, but each one is particular to your family, and the way you like to make it.

This recipe is the one which Granny Ann uses all the time. She has made her bread in this way for a good few years now.

It's not a secret, and she won't mind if it's shared. It is easy, and tastes really nice.

You will need:

1 lined (or greased & floured) 2lb Loaf Tin

8oz Self Raising Flour

8oz Coarse Wheaten Meal

1/2 Tspn Bread Soda

3/4 Tspn Salt

1/2 pt. Fresh Milk

1 egg

1 x 125ml carton of Hazelnut Yoghurt

Pre-heat your oven to 150c/350/Gas 6

Put the Flour, Wheaten Meal, Bread Soda and Salt into a large bowl

Measure the milk into a measuring jug, and crack in the egg, and whisk the two together

Add the milk and egg mixture to the dry ingredients, along with the carton of yoghurt. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together. It will be a wet, tacky dough, so just pour it straight in to your loaf tin. Using the flat of a knife, make a little well across the length of the loaf. This will help to give an even rise to the finished bread.

Bake in the centre of your oven for 40 - 45 minutes. Do the skewer test to check if it's cooked through. Leave to cool in the tin, for about 5 minutes, and turn out. That's it!

Who is Granny Ann? She's my Mam, of course!

Can you make me some Blondies.....!

2011-05-08T18:46:00.000+01:00

The other night, our lovely Daughter, came in to the kitchen, and, out of the blue, asked could I make Blondies to put in her lunch-box for the next day. "Sure", I said, "no problem, I'll just wave my magic wand..."!

Never having made Blondies, I was at a little bit of a loss as to what they were. Were they just Brownies with white chocolate? Well, yes, but the recipe I found had an extra ingredient!

Out came the trusty Notebook, and off I went on a quick hunt for said Blondies. Well, I found, almost straight away, this one on the Good Food Channel website, adapted from a recipe by the lovely Ms. Rachel Allen

Delighted with myself, I set about making these Peanut Butter Blondies, the recipe for which, was amongst the first few to come up on the Search Engine. So, here's the-run down on how to make them.

You will need:

A lined & greased 20cm/8" x 20cm/8" Brownie Tin

125g/5 oz approx. Plain Flour

100g/4 oz approx. Softened Butter

175g/7 oz approx. Light Brown Sugar

150g/6 oz approx. Crunchy Peanut Butter

1 Beaten Egg

1 tspn Vanilla Extract

75g/3 oz. chopped White Chocolate

Note: On this occasion, the white chocolate used was a cooking chocolate.
I allowed 25g = 1 oz.

First of all, as usual, you need to pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 3/170C/325F.

Sift the baking power and flour into a bowl.

In a second bowl, combine the the peanut butter and ordinary butter together until it is soft. Then, add the sugar, egg & vanilla, combine, and finally add the flour (with baking powder), the chocolate and bring together to form a dough.

Put the dough mixture in to the Brownie tin, place on the middle shelf of your oven for approximately 30 minutes. I had to leave it for at least 45 minutes, but that's just my oven! Test with a skewer to ensure it is cooked through.

The longer cooking time resulted in "Bronzies" rather than Blondies, but it didn't matter, they still tasted great.

Enjoy!

What memories are made of....

2011-05-02T19:21:00.000+01:00

Now this takes me back!

A couple of weeks ago, a blog post was posted by a dedicated foodie, who wanted to revive the idea of Sunday Tea, like we all had when we were kids. likemamuse2bake asked her twitter followers to send her our pictures of recipes we remembered as children for Sunday Tea. The results can be seen, in all their glory, over on her Blog. Take a look, it's well worth it, believe me.

It was a great idea, and rekindled memories for lots of people, including me, of perhaps, long forgotten tea-time treats on Sundays.

With that in mind, I went through my "collection" of recipes, you know the kind of thing I mean, the scraps of paper in a file or a box that you've not looked at for ages, but you know are in there somewhere! And there it was, a piece of long forgotten paper, with my Mam's Boiled cake recipe.

I sent my a picture of the freshly baked "My Mam's Boiled Cake" which I remember being made on a Saturday evening in readiness for Sunday tea. If there was any left on Monday, a piece would end up in our lunch-boxes for school! I was delighted my picture was included in the Sunday Tea Blog.

So now I feel it's time to post the recipe. A word about the spices used. Mam didn't add spices, and just used water. After baking another great recipe from Cooking in Mammy's Kitchen, Irish Porter cake, I found that the use of the spicing and the use of Stout suited my recipe too.

You will need:

A greased & lined 2lb loaf tin (I used a paper liner)

1lb/454g Raisins

6oz/170g Margarine

1 Cup/7oz/200g Brown Sugar

1 Cup/7 fl.oz/200ml of Stout (Black Beer)

1 Tspn. Nutmeg

1 Tspn. Mixed Spice

1 Tspn. Cinnamon
(Spices are to taste)

2 Eggs, lightly beaten

2 Cups/14oz/400g of Self-Raising Flour

Tip: Soak the raisins in some orange juice for a few hours, if you can spare the time, just to plump them up. Don't forget to drain off the orange juice before adding the raisins to the saucepan.

Just a quick note about the quantities in a cup measurement. My own set of kitchen-cups gave me the above quantities, so I have been as accurate as I can with that.

Method:
Pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 4/180C/350F. Put the raisins, margarine, brown sugar and stout (black beer) into large saucepan, and bring to the boil. Stir occasionally, to incorporate the margarine. It is not the prettiest of sights, but like all good things, it will come right in the end, so stick with it. Boil for 20 minutes, and allow to cool.

I said it wouldn't be pretty!

Boiling away nicely!

Now that's better...

As soon as the mixture has cooled, add the beaten egg and mix gently. Add the spices to the flour and slowly sift the flour into the bowl, and mix again until completely combined. It will seem as if that will not happen, but, again, stick with it, as it will combine, I promise.

See, I knew it would.....!

Pour the mixure into a 2lb loaf tin, place on the middle shelf of your oven, and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to Gas Mark 2/150C/300F, and bake for 1 hour and 50 minutes. Test it has cooked through by using a skewer. Leave on a wire rack to cool. It will last, if wrapped in baking paper and tin foil, for about a week.

Just a thought, if you are looking for ideas as to what to do with the left-over stout, hop on over to Cooking in Mammy's Kitchen and have a look at her Chocolate Guiness Cake, you might be glad you did!

My Mam still makes this Boiled Cake for herself & Dad. Although, if any of us call by for a cuppa and a chat, it doesn't last too long!

Cut into slices, and serve, with or without butter, it's up to you!

Cupcakes....!

2011-05-01T21:28:00.000+01:00

CUPCAKES, WHAT COULD BE NICER....!

Indeed, what could be nicer, than a well made, and beautifully iced cupcake. Well, I don't claim to have been able to master the "beautifully iced" part, but at least I tried. However, the same cannot be said about the cupcake itself. After using my Mother's tried and tested 4, 4, 2, formation, I added a drop or 2 or 3 of lemon extract, and it was transformed! You can also have a 6, 6, 3, mix. 6oz. flour/sugar/butter to 3 eggs, for a larger quantity of buns.

TO BEGIN

I try to be organised when baking anything. I like to have all the ingredients to hand, instead of making several trips to my baking boxes. Baking boxes, for anyone who is interested, is where I keep my Flours, and other dry ingredients. The other boxes house baking tins, cases, liners, etc. The very first thing I do, after many a disaster with my, affectionately termed, wonky oven, is pre-heat. This mix requires a pre-heated oven to Gas Mark 4/180C/350F. Line a 12-hole bun or muffin tin with paper cases.

You will need:

4oz/115g Self Raising Flour

4oz/115g softened butter

4oz/115g Caster Sugar

2 lightly beaten eggs

2 - 3 drops Lemon Extract (Not Essence)

1 tablespoon of Milk

Method

Cream together the sugar and butter in a bowl until totally combined. Slowly, add the eggs, and sift the flour in between each addition of beaten egg. Add the milk. At this point, I added the Lemon Extract.

Put the mix into your paper cases. I find using two teaspoons, one to scoop, and one to scrape works best. Place on the middle self of your oven and bake for 20 minutes. Test with a cocktail stick or metal skewer to see if they are cooked. Leave to cool on a cooling rack.

Lemon flavoured butter-icing

6oz/175g Softened unsalted butter

3 tspns Lemon Extract

10oz/280g icing sugar

Pink Edible Cake Glitter

Beat the butter and lemon extract together, until light and well combined. Sift the icing sugar in, and give the mix a good whisk each time you add the sugar.

After the buns have cooled, ice them, using a piping bag and a small to medium nozzle, or simply spread the icing over each bun with a palette knife. Decorate with whatever decorations you like.

So, there you go. Cupcakes. Easy...!

Where it all began.....

2011-04-26T22:23:00.000+01:00

Having done Science subjects at school, I was never that interested in, what was then termed, Home Economics.

My Mother comes from a generation who watched their own mothers cook, bake, sew, knit, grow veg, and if you were lucky, keep chickens. So, I suppose my lack of interest of all things domestic was born out of laziness. It really was a case of Mam does all that. I could always cook, having watched my Mother, but was not taught in any way. Just observing, and taking it all in, without even realising it.

About a week before I was married, my Mother gave me the gift of a cookbook. This cookbook was to start me on a journey I am still on today.

Now, I am just obsessed with cookbooks. They are all around my house. They are on the coffee table, they are on the kitchen floor, there are some in the attic. I just don't have room for any more, but I just can't help myself. And, after a conversation on Twitter one evening, it seems I am not alone!

I have a myriad of titles, by Chefs, Home Cooks and reference books, books relating to TV series, you name it, I probably have it.

But there is one book which I have identified as the root of it all. One book to which I constantly refer. One book which, literally, taught me how to cook. There are also two ladies to thank for starting me on this journey.

Thank you Ms. Brenda Costigan

And thank you, Mammy!

Anyone for a Peanut Butter Muffin?

2011-04-26T20:48:00.000+01:00

The first recipe for my blog is one from a book I found while wandering around Sainsbury's Supermarket. Very simply entitled "Home Baking Cookbook" - Consultant Editor Jacqueline Bellefontaine, this unassuming book, for me, holds many treasures! The recipe title in the book is Fudge Nut Muffins, but as I had no fudge, well... new title.. and slight tweaking to suit what ingredients I had to hand.

You will need, for 12 muffins:-

250g/9oz Plain Flour
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
85g/3oz Caster Sugar
6 tablespoons Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 egg - beaten
55g/2oz Butter, melted and allowed to cool
176ml/6 fl. oz milk
2 or 3 drops of Vanilla Extract (not essence)
2-3 tablespoons of roughly chopped unsalted peanuts

First of all, you will need to pre-heat your oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Fill your tin with 12 cases.

Sift the flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Add sugar next and combine. The add the peanut butter, and rub the mixture through your fingers as you would for scones, until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Whisk the milk, vanilla extract, butter, and egg together in a separate bowl or jug, and then add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix gently, taking care not to overwork the batter.

Using two dessert spoons (one to scoop up the mix from the bowl, and the other to scrape the mix into the cases) fill the cases. Scatter the top of each muffin with the chopped peanuts.

Bake in the centre of the oven for between 20 and 25 minutes. Test with a cocktail stick or metal skewer to make sure they are cooked through. Remove from the oven, and leave to cool on a wire rack.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

It was my birthday...:)

2011-04-25T21:03:00.000+01:00

The morning of my (non-significant) birthday dawned. Tea, toast, on a tray promptly arrived, with cards, and a mysterious gift-wrapped box. Jewellery, I thought, how lovely.

First attempts at removing the wrapping paper in a genteel and lady-like manner were unsuccessful and frustration was setting in. Second attempt was successful, and it was revealed that my gift was not jewellery, but was about to connect me to a whole other world. Technology had not just caught up with me, if I I didn't learn fast, was about to overtake me.

My very own, all singing, all dancing phone had arrived. I would soon be on my way.

My lovely Twitter baking and cooking friends could tweet about their creations, backed up by wonderful pictures, and I was not keeping up. Not all those I follow blog, they just do what they do, and generously let the rest of us share in the form of photographs.

Oh, I tweeted too about all the lovely things I was making, but with no evidence with which to support my tales, I felt like a bit of a fraud. These creative and talented people were putting up pictures... and finally I was about to do the same.

When technology sneaks up on you......!

2011-04-18T18:41:00.000+01:00

So, it's a year ago. Mobile phone in hand ready to make a call. Yes, friends, that's about all my phone was able to do, calls & texts, & a few other bits of insignificance.

So, another six months go by. Mobile phone still doing it's job. No problem there, then. Until, that is, the day I signed up for Twitter. In a fit of pique, I wanted to understand what my Daughter was on about most of the time, and why she constantly had her "all singing-all dancing" phone in her hand at all times.

Suddenly, the old computer upstairs was looking a bit dated, and Christmas was coming. Santa was very kind to me, & gave me a shiny white Notebook to play with. So, having mastered the art of Notebooking, my thoughts turned, once again, to that old mobile phone.

Having "met" lovely people on Twitter, they have something in common with each other, and not me. They are bloggers. And they have good cameras. And they write brilliant blogs. They write about food, they write about their lives, they write about fashion, each in their own individual style.

I needed a new phone, and, guess what, it was almost my Birthday......!