Monday, August 28, 2023

Cherry Jam Steamed Pudding

A steamed jammy pudding is the loveliest surprise dessert that you can cook for the special people in your lives. Every mouthful brings back nostalgic childhood memories for me, as my Mum often cooked steamed puddings with various toppings: jam, golden syrup and treacle, and probably mainly in Winter, however, change of seasons in either hemisphere is still the perfect time. Cherry Jam is the perfect topping, sweet and yet very slightly tart, but any thick homemade jam would also work.

Thursday, August 24, 2023

Beef and Red Wine Stew, in the slow cooker - oh my!


Today I present to you one of the most delicious Beef Stews I've ever made, and I've made a lot of them. I've been working on a stew that has all the essential elements of the beef falling off the fork, perfectly balanced flavours, and with a rich, red wine and mushroom gravy. However, I wanted a stew that would also be perfect as a filling for Beef Pies, which we love.  The meat filling in a Beef Pie needs to have a tanginess to its flavour, and this is where the Worcestershire Sauce's umami properties make a big difference to this beef dish.

Saturday, August 19, 2023

Chicken with Miso, Ginger, and Lime

Yotam Ottolenghi is well reputed for his Middle Eastern style meals, but this Japanese inspired meal with white miso, ginger and lime is delicious, sticky, tangy, savoury and full of flavour. It's another recipe which showcases Yotam's talent by combining delicious Japanese flavours to produce a showstopper of a dish which in my opinion is restaurant worthy. Children will also love this dish, what child or teenager doesn't love a tasty and tender chicken leg, and the flavours aren't too overpowering. The tantalising aroma wafting through your home when this dish is cooking will have everybody excited about what you have cooked, so be ready for the rush.

Sunday, August 13, 2023

Very tasty Cauliflower Cheese Steaks

 

Baked cauliflower, dressed in shredded Red Leicester Cheese, more eye-catchingly orange than red, with tasty spices added, and for the finishing touch, a crunchy parmesan crumb strewn throughout. This dish can confidently go solo taking centre stage, for a delicious vegetarian meal, perfect for Meat Free Monday. When baked, cauliflower becomes such a sweet vegetable, and keeps its shape and firmness beautifully. We really enjoyed it just on its own, but feel free to eat it with a salad, or any other side dish of your choice. 

Friday, August 11, 2023

Chinese Chocolate Chews

 

Do you ever need to bake something quickly on the weekend when you hear that friends are coming over later, and you have a lot going on? Or you just feel like something chocolatey and easy to bake, that sounds like me.  This is an iced chocolate biscuit slice to solve that problem. So quick, easy and delicious as well, and who doesn't love a chocolate slice with lots of chocolate icing. If you have nuts on hand, crush a few and sprinkle them across the top while still warm, or sprinkle coconut over the top. If you are cutting down on sugar, I think that a sugar substitute would also work well in this recipe. This recipe is from one of my Mum's original recipe books which I was reading through just the other day, and I spotted this one. I don't think a recipe like this one ever dates.

Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Sultana and Apple Scones with Lemon Curd #ISW2023

 

International Scone Week 2023 is a celebration of scone making, and a shout out to all those cooks who have enjoyed baking a great scone over the years. The perfect scone is a joyeus thing.  Let's have a sconversation about scone making, over a cup of tea and a delicious scone with lemon curd, or jam and thickened cream if that's what you prefer. The perfect scone should have puffy height, a soft, tender crumb, and shouldn't flake like a biscuit. This Sultana and Apple scone ticked all of those boxes.

Friday, August 4, 2023

In My Kitchen, August 2023

 In our part of the world, the Tropical Queensland Winter is such a great time to cook, eat and be merry,  to garden, read great books, listen to music, play the piano, and attend concerts etc. There are lots of favourite pursuits competing for my time, however cooking in my kitchen is my happy place when the weather is nice and cool. Our garden thinks it's Spring already, as the temperatures by Winter standards have been quite warm. I'm still slightly under the influence of my recent French experience, so I'm still sharing with you a few treasures and memories from the two months I was over there with my son and his family.