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December, 2023

  1. Buttermilk Biscuits V2

    December 30, 2023 by Lisa

    I’ve been struggling with biscuits. Every recipe says they are “so easy” but I can assure you they kind of aren’t. This version isn’t perfect, but it’s getting there. A few things helped. One, freeze the butter, grate it then put it back in the freezer. Two, use Tipo 00 (or T45 pastry flour) for a softer biscuit. Three, make sure the baking powder isn’t out of date (d’oh!). Don’t use the fan oven setting – conventional heat seemed to work better. Finally, use a high-sided dish when cooking the biscuits so the sides keep the biscuits from spreading. I used a 28cm deep dish pie pan and got about 8 biscuits in there.

    Ingredients:

    • 250g Tipo 00 flour
    • 1 tbsp baking powder
    • 1/4 tsp baking soda
    • 2 tsp sugar
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 85g frozen, grated butter
    • 180ml buttermilk

    Instructions:

    Preheat the oven to 220C. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together well. Add the frozen butter and use a pastry cutter to mix until crumbly. Add the buttermilk and mix gently. Turn out onto a floured surface and work together into a ball (don’t overwork – you don’t want the butter granules to melt). Pat the dough into a rectangle about an inch thick and fold the short edges in. Turn and pat down again. Fold and turn another couple of times.

    Pat into a rectangle about 1.5cm thick and using a floured biscuit cutter, cut into 8-10 rounds. Arrange the biscuits in the high-sided pan with each biscuit touching. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.

    Category All Day Breakfast, Side Dishes, Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments

  2. Parsnip and Sweet Potato Soup

    December 30, 2023 by Lisa

    A lovely wintery soup that tastes a little like korma. Mix up the spices as you like. We used chili flakes, powdered ginger, lime and coriander, but chipotle would add some smokiness or you could use fresh ginger, fresh chili peppers or even curry powder if you like that kinda thing.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 chopped celery stalks, chopped
    • half an onion, diced
    • olive oil
    • 2 large parsnips, peeled and diced
    • 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
    • vegetable stock (about a pint)
    • 1 can of coconut milk
    • 2 tsp powdered ginger
    • chili flakes, salt and pepper to taste
    • fresh coriander and lime wedges for garnish

    Instructions:

    Fry the onions and celery in a large, deep skillet with the olive oil until soft. Add the parsnips and sweet potato, cover with vegetable stock, cover and cook until tender. Add the vegetables and stock to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add seasonings and coconut milk and transfer to a saucepan, heat and serve with coriander, lime and some crusty bread.

    Category Dinner Menu, Lunch Menu, Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments

  3. Gingerbread Cookies

    December 24, 2023 by Lisa

    These are soft, thick gingerbread cookies that are super simple to make.

    Ingredients

    • 225g salted butter, at room temperature
    • 213g light brown sugar
    • 170g black treacle
    • 390g plain flour
    • 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
    • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • pinch of nutmeg
    • 1/2 tsp baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp salt

    Instructions

    Beat butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until creamed. Add the treacle and mix until combined. Add flour and spices and mix well. Add 1-2 tsp of milk if the dough doesn’t stick together well.

    Divide the dough into halves, and roll each one between sheets of parchment to 1.25cm. Place the rolled dough in parchment paper on a baking sheet and chill for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator.

    Preheat your oven to 170° C fan or 180° C normal. Cut your desired shapes out of the chilled dough and place a couple of inches apart on a baking sheet. If the cookies are no longer firm and cold to the touch put the sheet back in the refrigerator or freezer for 5 to 15 minutes.

    Bake for 8-9 minutes. They should look just set and slightly puffy. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely before decorating.

    The dough can be made, rolled out, and stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before baking or baked, cooled, and stored in an airtight container for 1-2 days before decorating.

    Category Desserts and Sweets, Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments

  4. Fruit Crumble

    December 18, 2023 by Lisa

    Crumbles are super easy, but I always have to look up the proportions. This recipe is about right for a decent layer of fruit and a thick crumble. Honestly, I could eat crumble without the fruit, but we all need our 5 a day, right? Switch up the fruit as you like: apple, pears, maybe add some blackberries. You can use rhubarb if you’re feeling spicy – just pre-cook in a covered saucepan until soft and add sugar to taste. Use a rectangular baking dish. An 18×25 will serve 6-8.

    The Fruit:

    • 2 large Bramley apples for an apple crumble, but use more or less as you like
    • 2-3tsp cornflour
    • 150g caster sugar (or less if the fruit is sweet, like pears or eating apples)
    • 1tsp cinnamon

    The Crumble:

    • 240g plain flour
    • 150g room temperature salted butter, cut into pieces
    • 120g demerara sugar
    • 1-2tsp cinnamon
    • 100g rolled oats

    Peel and slice the apples into 1-2cm slices. If you use pears, cut into chunks as the pears will cook quickly. toss in a bowl with the cornflour, sugar and cinnamon.

    In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon with the butter and rub together with your fingers until the butter is evenly distributed and it has the texture of wet sand. mix in the oats.

    I always add a thin layer of crumble to the bottom of the dish as I love the slightly gooey base, but you can go straight in with the fruit if you prefer. Add the rest of the crumble to the top in an even layer. You can give some of the crumble a bit of a squeeze to create some larger crumbs which will crisp up nicely. If you want a really crunchy top, sprinkle on some more demerara sugar, but watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.

    Cook for 30-40 minutes at 180C fan or 200C conventional. You can stab a fork in to make sure the fruit is cooked. Serve hot or cold with cream, custard or ice cream.

    Category Desserts and Sweets, Uncategorized | Tags: | Comments Off on Fruit Crumble