Todd just loves his Banger's and Mash. If I want to make him happy, that's all I have to cook up. He could eat them more than once every week!



I do think they have lovely sausages over here in the UK. . . well the best quality ones at any rate. The el cheapo ones are just plain nasty . . . but you could say the same thing about cheap sausages anywhere in the world. Full of fat and fillers, they are just horrible. There's no denying it.



But there is nothing tastier or more beautiful than a really good Butcher's sausage. I've said it before and I'll say it again . . . you can tell a good Butcher by the quality of his sausages!! We've got the best here in town, I think. R & J Dodd . . . there, I said it!



I picked up a pound of his lovely Pork and Chive sausages yesterday and I wanted to do something special with them, without destroying Todd's fancy . . . you know the old Banger's and Mash thing.



Anyhoo . . . I took the premise and I ran with it, glazing the sausages in a deliciously sticky sweet, fruity and spicy glaze and pimped the mash up with some chives and buttermilk. I love taking the boundaries of the traditional and stretching them!



Todd thoroughly enjoyed. Mission accomplished. He didn't even miss the Bisto.



*Sticky Bangers with Buttermilk and Chive Mash*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This ain't yo mama's bangers and mash!

1 pound good quality butcher's sausages
2 dessert spoons of mango chutney
2 dessert spoons of apricot preserves
2 dessert spoons of grainy Dijon mustard

For the mash:
2 pounds floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
( a maris piper, or a russet type of potato)
2 ounces milk (1/4 cup)
2 ounces butter (1/4 cup)
4 to 6 ounces of buttermilk (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
salt and black pepper

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add about a TBS of oil or less, just enough to coat the pan and allow it to heat up. Add the sausages in one layer, reduce the heat to medium and cook, turning frequently, until nicely browned all over and cooked through, about 20 minutes.

In the meantime place the potatoes into a pot of lightly salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until fork tender and then drain well. Place back into the saucepan and shake over the residual heat of the burner to dry out. Mash well with a potato masher. Beat in the milk, butter and buttermilk until ight and fluffy. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the chives. Keep warm.

Stir together the mango chutney, preserves and mustard. Turn up the heat under the pan of sausages. Pour the mango mixture over top. Heat to a boil and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the sausages are lightly glazed and sticky, but not burnt. Remove from the heat.

Divide the sausages and the mash amongst 4 heated plates and serve immediately along with your favourite vegetable. (Todd likes peas and carrots. He's so predictable!)

Season the slices of chicken breast to taste and dredge lightly with flour, patting it into the meat and shaking off any excess.  Heat another splash of olive oil in the pan.   Add the sage and cook for about a minute and then add the chicken slices, presentation side down.   Fry over medium high heat until they are golden and then flip them over and brown the other sides.

Add the wine and return the tomatoes to the pan along with the capers and parsley.  Let it bubble up a bit and evaporates somewhat.   Cover with a lid and set aside off the heat for several minutes before serving.   The juices of the chicken should run clear.   Divide between two heated dinner plates.  I like to serve with boiled and buttered new potatoes. Simple and delicious.

Note - This can easily be doubled or even tripled if you have a pan large enough.   Don't worry about the wine, it bubbles off.  If you really don't want to use it you can use chicken stock, or even water.

 

I usually always have puff pastry lurking in my freezer.  It's one of my store cupboard ingredients and it comes in really handy for both sweet and savory bakes.  It makes a lovely topping on a pot pie and it makes beautiful sweet scrolls . . . like these delicious Sunny Morning Scrolls.



I had a jar of lemon curd in the refrigerator that needed using up and we have had such a run of beautiful sunny days recently, I decided to put the two together and came up with these delicious Breakfast pastries.

 

They were very easy to make.  You just unroll your puff pastry and spread it with some lemon curd to the edges . . . easy enough.   Then I chopped some sultana raisins and toasted pecan nuts together in the mini chopper and sprinkled them on top of the lemon curd, prior to rolling it all up in a nice tight roll.



After  that I used a nice sharp knife to cut the roll into 8 thick slices and placed them onto a paper lined baking tray.  Still easy, right?   Smush them down a tiny bit with the palm of your hand and brush them with an egg wash.  (An egg yolk beaten with a bit of water, simple.)   A final sprinkle of crunchy demerara (turbinado) sugar and they were ready to be baked.



In all honesty I am a bit like a child when I have something like this in the oven, watching them puff up as they bake, through the glass in the oven window.  It's like magic.



Once baked I create lemon drizzle icing to drizzle over them, sort of like gilding the lily I suppose.  They would have been quite lovely without it, but with it . . . well . . . see for yourself.  Is that not magnifique???   Are you drooling yet?  I thought so!  Just like little rays of sunshine.  Fresh flavours.  Easy to make.  So delicious!

 

Put your pecans and sultanas into a food processor and blitz a couple times until they are coarsely chopped.  Set aside.



Bake in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.  Remove from the oven.  Let stand on the baking sheet for about 5  minutes then scoop off onto a wire rack.  Whisk together the glaze ingredients, adding only enough lemon juice to the sugar to make a drizzable mixture.  You may only need about a teaspoon of juice.  Drizzle decoratively over top of the buns.   Serve warm.

Delicious indeed!!

Generally speaking at the weekend I like to bake the Toddster a delicious teatime treat.  Something that I know he will enjoy and that I wouldn't normally bake for him.  He's very fond of scones . . . the problem is so am I.   What to do about that??  I don't know.  I bake em anyways, even if they do get in my mouth.

 

This is a simple recipe, using ordinary things and my most favourite ingredient of all fresh blueberries.  So good for you with their vitamins and anti-oxidents!    Once the dough is made for these you just pat it into a round, place it on the baking sheet and then cut it into wedges, pushing them apart gently for baking.  So good.

 

They bake like a dream and there is no faffing about with cutting them into rounds etc,  all the dough gets used up, so there's no waste.  No tough scones from having to re-roll and cut, etc.



These puff up really nicely, and are stogged full of lovely coconut and lime flavours which go really well with the blueberries.

 

These are beautiful served with a nice cuppa and some blueberry jam . . .  but lemon curd is my chosen poison, and I eat it whenever I can.   I know . . . I'm repeating myself here, but blueberries and lemon are such perfect partners!



Just look at that crisp  coconut and sugar gilding  the top of these delicious bakes!  So good!



And all those blueberries.   So tasty!  Nice.  Nice.



The delicate crunch of coconut and sugar, the sweetness of blueberries, the tang of lime.   What's not to like about these??

 

Store in an airtight container.

This is my final post about the set of Balsamic Vinegars and Olive Oils from  Vom Fass that I received recently, this time showcasing the Mango Balsam Vinegar which they sent.   Produced in Germany this is a fermented vinegar made from concentrated Carabao-Mango mousse added to white wine balsam vinegar to create a fine and fruity vinegar. It has a rich and strong flavour with a good balance between acidity and sweet flavours, rich and exotic. I thought it would be the perfect match for some really nice Cod Loins which I found at the fish mongers.



Several years ago I was lucky enough to visit Utah and went to a Brazilian grill restaurant when I was there called Tocanos.  The food was fabulous, but my favourite dish was the Cod with Mango Sauce.  I loved it so much that 5 years later I am still thinking about it!  That's when you know something is really good!



As soon as I saw the Mango Balsam Vinegar from Vom Fass, I knew that I wanted to try to recreate that beautiful dish.  This came pretty close.  I am sure theirs was a cooked sauce, but mine is a raw sauce, which has fresh fruity flavours with a touch of heat from chipotle chilies.



Cod is a really sweet mild fish and goes perfectly with this delicious sauce.  The cod is simply dusted with some seasoning and flour . . . and then pan fried in butter until it is just beginning to fall apart, but is still moist and succulent.  It's a sin to overcook fish.  It really is.  My timings are perfect for a piece of cod that is about one inch thick.



The sauce is fruity with a hint of tang from the vinegar and some mild heat from the chipotles . . .  which of course you can adjust by using more or less as you wish.  Altogether this was a fabulous entrée.   It was very simple to make, and yet at the same time this is something I would not hesitate to serve to my guests.  I think you will love it.  We sure did!



fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste  

As you all know I recently received a lovely set of Balsamic Vinegars and Olive Oils from  Vom Fass.  They came in a lovely wooden box and tied up with a pretty yellow ribbon.  

  

Included in the box was a small bottle of White Truffle infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Italy.  Their White Truffle Extra Virgin Olive Oil is an elegant finishing oil, with a deep, earthy aroma, and a full taste to match. They have used a blend of white and black truffles to create a complex web of flavour, with delicate hints of garlic and mushroom.   I decided to use it to make some oven chips to go along with some steaks I was cooking the other night. 



I guess you could call these gourmet oven chips!  Infused with the lovely flavours of garlic and truffles and black pepper  . . .



So simple to make too.   You will want to use a nice baking potato for these.   They are about the right size and have the perfect consistency when cooked.



I like to keep mine a little bit chunky and I keep the peels on, but do feel free to peel the potato if you aren't fond of the crispy goodness of deliciously moreish potato skins.   To me . . .  the skin is the best part!  I love em!



There is just enough garlic in these to add a hint of flavour, without it being overpowering.  You want the flavour of the truffle oil to shine through.  So delicious.  Earthy, and woodsey . . . the perfect accompaniment to our delicious steaks.    Heavenly bliss.

 

Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch thick fries, leaving the skins on.   Toss them into a bowl, along with the oil, garlic, salt and pepper.   Coat them well with the mixture, and then spread them out onto the baking sheet in a single layer.  Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, giving them a gentle stir every now and then, until golden brown and crisp.   Serve hot, garnished or not with the chopped parsley.

The Vom Fass Philosphy
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"The VOM FASS mission is to provide our customers with a Mediterranean way of sampling and savouring the finest, premium quality artisanal products, directly from the cask – with a commitment to uncompromising levels of customer satisfaction.”

Vom Fass has been created to enhance and meet the demands of a 21st century lifestyle, housing a superb selection of exquisite oils and balsamic vinegars, selected wines, liqueurs and a huge choice of exclusive spirits.   What makes Vom Fass completely unique is that all their products are sold straight from the cask, which means everythingn can be sampled before purchase.

Carefully sourced from leading producers from the Mediterranean to Austria, Vom Fass has selected it's artisan oils and vinegars for their eherapuetic health properties and as versatile cooking ingredients with real nutritional benefits.   Even the more indulgent products in the range have been created to bring something unique to shoe who also really know how to enjoy life.

Vom Fass prides itself on a vast range of high quality style conscious products, stocked by iconic store Selfridges.  Wtih an exceptional range of over 70 different glass bottles and hand inscribed labels or personal messages, Vom Fass will always represent a style choice.

For more information check out their web page.

Many thanks to Vom Fass!