Nan's Sugar Scones

Nan's Sugar Scones.  I think this has to be one of the best, if not the best scone recipe! I adapted this delicious recipe from one in the April issue of Delicious magazine.  

From the moment I saw it, I knew it was something I wanted to bake.   A fairly ordinary buttermilk English scones recipe which have lemon soaked sugar cubes pushed into their centers!

The scone dough is fairly simple.  It was quite damp, so if you want scones that look more like baking powder biscuits, don't add all of the liquid.  I found it very tacky. 

 I did not want to add too much extra flour to them, so I just patted them out on a well floured surface and used a well floured cutter to cut them out.

 

Because the dough was kind of tacky they spread a bit . . .  the ones in the magazine were straight up and down. 

 

I actually  liked them spread out a bit, and soft sided . . .

The lemon soaked sugar cubes melt and end up tasting sort of like lemon curd.  It's like magic really!

I love magic in cooking, don't you?

In the magazine they recommended serving them with cream and jam, but I can tell you, they were positively delicious all on their own. 

 

Even the day after.   In fact we found them quite, quite moreish!

 

*Nan's Sugar Scones*

Makes 15 medium scones

Printable Recipe 

These are delicious!  For soft sided scones, place them close together on the pan, for crisp crusted ones place them on the baking sheet with some space in between.  Adapted from a recipe found in Delicious magazine. 

400g self raising flour, plus extra for dusting (3 1/2 cups)

50g caster sugar (1/4 cup)

1 tsp salt

60g cold unsalted butter, cut into bits (1/4 cup)

310ml buttermilk (1 1/3 cup)

the finely grated zest of 2 unwaxed lemons

the juice of one lemon

15 sugar cubes

buttermilk to glaze 

Preheat the oven to 230*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.  Line a baking sheet with baking paper.  Set aside.

Measure the flour into a bowl.  Whisk in the sugar and salt.  Drop in the butter.  Rub the butter in with your fingertip until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.  Stir in the lemon zest.  Add most of the buttermilk, stirring it in with a round bladed knife.  Only add the remaining buttermilk to give you a soft dough.  Turn out onto a floured surface and knead gently 2 or 3 times.  Pat or roll out to 1 inch thickness. 

 

Cut into 2 1/2 inch rounds using a sharp round cutter and using a sharp tapping up and down motion.  Do not twist the cutter and flour the cutter in between cuts.  

Place the scones onto the baking sheet as desired.  Gather the trimmings and re-pat and cut until you have used up all the dough, and placing them on the baking sheet.

Place the lemon juice into a bowl.  Working with one sugar cube at a time dip them into the lemon juice, turning to coat,  and then push them down into the centre of each scone.  

Once you have finished this, brush the scones with a bit more buttermilk.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until they are risen and golden brown.   Serve warm or cold, on the day, with some cream and jam.   Delicious!

Hope you will give them a go and let me know what you think!

Bon Appetit! 

 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com. 

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British Bangers with Buttermilk and Chive Mash

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 very easily  eat them more than once every week!

Garlic Lamb Cutlets with a Mint & Sun Blush Tomato Sauce

If you are looking for a delicious way to cook some lovely spring lamb cutlets look no further!  I adapted this delicious recipe from  a cookery book of mine entitled,  "Secrets from a Country Kitchen" by Lucy Young. The original recipe called for studding two 7 chop rack of lamb with garlic and roasting them for about 25 minutes in a hot oven. I didn't have a rack of lamb, but the recipe looked so tasty that I really wanted to try it, and so I did what any good cook does . . .  I switched it out for what I did have which was  . . . 

Persian Cucumber Salad

This is a fresh and simple salad that you will find yourself using a lot over these next few months.  I know it feels a bit like Winter here this week, but it won't be too long before temperatures will be soaring and you will be popping out the grills and BBQ season will be upon us!

Mushroom Sauced Turkey Tenderloins

I know it might not seem  like it sometimes, but I do try to eat healthy.  All the cake recipes etc. you see on here, I didn't bake them all at the same time.  I try to only bake two things a week and those I bake at the weekend.  The rest of the week I eat other things.  As a type 2 diabetic with diverticulitis and IBS, and severe exema,   finding a healthy balance can be really difficult, and a bit of a mine field, if not down right depressing from time to time.

Jelly Roll

Jelly roll . . . this is a favourite cake of my childhood.  We knew we were in for a real treat if we came home from school and a jelly roll was sitting on the counter waiting to be sliced.  Also known as a Swiss Roll, I think this is a perennial favourite with a lot of people!

Leona's Crumb Cake

 I think I have mentioned my good friend Leona before on here.  It was back on the 22nd of November, in 1981 that I met Leona at a Bingo game on the base my then husband had just been posted to. (London, Ontario in Canada)  I was heavily pregnant with my middle son at the time, and Leona was one of the first people I met along with a great gal named Debbie, who just happened to live down the street from me.  I will never forget that night because Debbie said if I went into labor she would watch my other three children until my sister arrived to take over.  Little did any of us know but the very next night I went into labor and the rest is history.

Shopping and Cooking made easy with Filofax!

I was recently send a lovely piece of kit from the people at Filofax.   One of their lovely  Saffiano Wrap Tablet Cases in Pear, along with a filofax easel for use with the Tablet Case.   I have to tell you this is going to completely revolutionize my shopping and cooking!

Juicy Turkey Burgers

We had the Sister Missionaries over for supper one night last week.  I cooked turkey burgers for them and they were just thrilled.   These are the simplest and juiciest turkey burgers ever!  Why are they so juicy?  Because of the secret ingredient . . .  and to find out what it is read on . . .

Spring Veggie Bowls

Bowl eating has definitely become somewhat of a trend in the recent couple of years.  You can call them power bowls or  health bowls, Buddah bowls, etc. but there is something quite inspiring about eating out of a bowl.  

Bowls are not just for soup or cereal anymore!  It's like bowls have now become the hot new plates!

I created a healthy Spring Veggie Bowl for my lunch yesterday and I have to say I quite, quite enjoyed it.  

I am not sure it would have brought me quite the same enjoyment had it been served on a plate, but eating this from a bowl was incredibly tasty and left me feeling very much like I was doing something good for myself.

Filled with spring vegetables  . . .  English peas, asparagus, purple sprouting broccoli and chard . . .  each vegetable quickly cooked until crispy tender with very little use of any fat.  

I used an olive oil cooking spray and a non stick pan . . . if you are afraid that the veggies will burn or stick before they are crispy tender, you can add a splash of water, which works very well, with just a touch of seasoning.

I used whole wheat pasta . . . which is a low GI carb.  

Our bodies need healthy carbs.  That is where we get our energy from.

There is a light dressing on the pasta . . .  for a bit of extra flavour, and I topped it with some coarsely grated Parmesan cheese and chopped toasted walnuts.  

Walnuts are a superfood, and so is chard and broccoli.  Altogether this  makes for a very colourful, quite delicious and healthy bowl full of food!

 

*Spring Veggie Bowls*

Serves 2

Printable Recipe 

A delicious and pretty supper making great use of all the fresh spring veggies.  Colourful, healthy and very quick to make.   

3 ounces dry whole wheat spaghetti

6 spears of spring asparagus

6 leaves of rainbow chard

6 spears of purple sprouting broccoli

4 TBS frozen petit pois, thawed

4 toasted whole walnuts, coarsely chopped

3 TBS coarsely grated Parmesan Cheese

non-stick olive oil cooking spray

For the dressing:

1 TBS olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

lemon juice

pinch of garlic and onion powders

salt and black pepper to taste

Put a pot of lightly salted water on to boil.  In the meantime prepare your vegetables.  Trim the asparagus and cut into 1 inch pieces, trimming off any woody ends and cutting into 1 inch lengths.  Trim the ends from the chard, and cut the stems into 1 inch lengths, shred the leaves.  Trim the purple sprouting broccoli, discard any wooden ends and peel the stems.  Cut into 1 inch lengths.

Whisk together the olive oil, dijon mustard, about 1/2 TBS of lemon juice, the onion and garlic powders and some salt and pepper in a bowl large enough to hold the pasta once cooked.  Set aside.

Break the pasta into 3 inch lengths and cook according to package directions in the boiling water.  While the pasta is cooking cook your veggies.  You will cook them separately and keep them individually.   Spray a large nonstick skillet with some cooking spray.   Add the asparagus.  Stir fry over medium heat until crispy tender.  Scoop out and keep warm.  Repeat with the purple sprouting broccoli.    Cook the swiss chard stems in much the same way, once they are crispy tender add the leaves and cook, tossing until lightly wilted.  Squirt with a bit of lemon juice.  Remove and set aside, keeping warm.  Heat the thawed peas through.

Drain your spaghetti and toss with the dressing in the bowl.

Divide the spaghetti between two pasta bowls.  Arrange the cooked veggies on top of each.  Top each with half of the coarsely grated cheese and chopped toasted walnuts.  Serve immediately.



Here's to good health and Bon Appetit!

Sausage Hash

If you are looking for a delicious and quick weeknight supper that is a bit of a doddle to make and something your entire family will love, look no further.  You've hit the jackpot with this one!  This tasty entree ticks all the boxes!

Simple Chicken Cordon Bleu

We are terribly fond of chicken here in The English Kitchen. I think it is the one protein that we eat the most of and we probably have it at least twice a week.  

We may have a red meat once a week, or probably even less than that . . . and we always have fish at least once as well . . . but chicken, well, it's a real mainstay in our kitchen.




More often than not, I will serve Chicken Breasts.  Chicken was not something we had very often when I was growing up.  

Occasionally my mother would do a Roast Chicken as a treat . . . and every once in a Blue Moon she would cook Maryland Fried Chicken, which we loved.  It was Chicken Breasts, dipped in egg and cracker crumbs and then fried.  

When that was on the menu, we knew were in for a real treat!  Chicken used to be a lot more expensive in the olden days.



Nowadays it's fairly affordable, depending on which type you buy.  If you are not bothered as to it's source or the ethics of responsible rearing, well then you could probably eat chicken every night of the week, coz that kind of chicken is cheap as chips.  

I am a bit more bothered about these things.  My husband worked on a Battery Chicken Egg Farm in Germany when he as younger for a short time and it was more than he could stomach . . . 

I have a real heart for animal cruelty and so I don't have a stomach for eating any kind of meat that's not raised according to high standards of animal welfare . . . so we eat chicken about two or three times a week, and it's always free range.



I know if I had a large family to feed it might be different, but for now it's just us two here,  and I can afford to pay a bit more.  I know not everyone has that option. 

I love chicken breasts because they are like a blank canvas just waiting to be written upon.   

They take to so many different flavours and styles of cooking . . . and as long as you don't overcook them, they make a pretty good basis for a delicious supper.



Today I cooked them a la Cordon Bleu.  I know . . . which interestingly enough is not to be confused with the French Cooking School of the same name.  

Cordon Bleu actually originated in Switzerland . . . and was done using veal cutlets, stuffed with cheese and ham.  

Chicken Cordon Bleu is, I believe . . . an American invention.    Cordon Bleu merely means Blue Ribbon . . . and this is my blue ribbon chicken!



I broke all the rules of course.  But I think I have made it better.  I rolled the ham around the cheese, a good Swiss Emmenthal in this case, and then I cut a pocket into the chicken breast and stuffed it inside.  

No risk of the cheese oozing out because it's inside the ham.  I also happen to believe that if you can cut through the fibres of a chicken breast like that . . . you are going to have one very tender chicken breast.  

I could be wrong, don't quote me on that . . . I only know for sure that it seems to work.



That was the only rule I broke though.  I then floured, egged and crumbed it as per normal, or pané (pan-aaaa) as it was called in Culinary School.  

I added butter to the crumbs ahead of time so that I wouldn't have to fry them, and then I baked them for a few minutes at a high temperature, and then finished them off at a lower temperature.



The end result . . . perfectly cooked Chicken Cordon Bleu . . . crisply crumbed on the outside, moist and tender on the insides and chock full of oozing cheese and ham.



In short.  Fabulous.  But don't take my word for it.  

Try them out yourself and see if I'm not telling the truth.  ☺



  *Simple Chicken Cordon Bleu*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe

A traditionally complicated dish, simplified.  Delicious and quite easy really!

25 buttery round crackers
4 slices of sourdough bread
6 TBS butter, melted
8 thin slices of deli ham
8 ounces of emmenthaler cheese, grated (about 2 cups, Swiss)
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I like to use free range chicken)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large free range eggs
2 TBS Dijon mustard
100g of plain flour (about 1 cup)

Preheat the oven 225*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.  Have ready a large baking tray with a lip.  Stir together about 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper in a small bowl.

Put the crackers into a food processor and blitz until they are coarsely ground.  Dump into a bowl.  Do the same with the bread, dumping it into the same bowl.  Pour the melted butter over all and toss together.  Spread the crumb mixture out over the baking tray.  Bake them in the hot oven, stirring them from time to time, until golden brown.  This can take anywhere between 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove from the oven and place in a shallow bowl.  Set the tray aside.

Wash your chicken breasts, pat dry and then cut a deep pocket in the thickest part of the breast, with a sharp knife, making an opening of about 3 inches, sliding the knife carefully inside to create the cavity without cutting through the meat to the back or the bottom.  Lay your slices of ham out on a board.  Top each slice with 1/8th of the grated cheese (about 1/4 cup), then roll the ham tightly around it to cover the cheese completely.  Stuff two of these ham rolls in each cavity of the chicken.

Beat the eggs, together with the mustard,  in a shallow bowl.  Place the flour in another shallow bowl.  You should have three shallow bowls laid out.  Place them in this order:  Flour, Eggs and then finally bread crumbs.  Season each chicken breast all over with some of the salt and pepper mix.  Roll each in the flour, then dip into the egg to coat, finally rolling each in the toasted crumbs, pressing the crumbs on to help them adhere.  Place them onto a clean baking sheet, when done, leaving a bit of space between each.  (At this point you could refrigerate them until you are ready to bake them  if you wished.)

Place them into the heated oven and bake for 10 minutes at the higher temperature.  Reduce the oven heat to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6, and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and the chicken juices run clear when it is pierced with a fork.  Transfer to a platter and tent with foil.  Allow to rest for five minutes before serving. 

 

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com. 

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Easy Lemon Refrigerator Dessert

We had the Sisters for a tea appointment the other night.   It was the day after transfers and there was a new Sister in town.  It was nice meeting her for the first time and spending some time together with both the girls.  It is always a bit sad to say goodbye to the Missionaries when they leave, but it is also nice to meet the new ones.  Such nice young people they are and I like to treat them extra special, and I especially love to feed them as you know!

Maple Glazed Black Pepper Scones

It's a good thing this recipe only makes two scones because if it made any more than that I would be in deep, deep trouble!  These are fabulous!  

I found the recipe over on a page called Dessert for Two and it looked like it would be something we might enjoy and so I went for it!






On looking a bit closer at the recipe I could see that it was a riff on a delicious scone recipe from Wolfgang Puck,  albeit of a much smaller quantity and with a Maple Glaze added.   

There really IS nothing new under the sun, only new ways of doing things!

I didn't do anything different, I just made them and baked them and then we devoured them.  

I have done the hard work of converting the measurements to UK measurements and that is how I made them, using UK measurements, so that I could be sure that they worked, and they did.  So that was my addition to the recipe.

 





You really have to bake these.   They are quite simply amazingly fabulous.  You can thank me later.  ;-)

*Small Batch Maple Glazed Black Pepper Scones*

Makes 2 very large scones

Printable Recipe 

These are absolutely flippin delicious.  Adapted from a recipe found on Dessert For Two. 

175g of plain flour (1 1/4 vups)

50g caster sugar (1/4 cup)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp freshy ground black pepper

4 TBS unsalted butter cold

78g of heavy cream + 1 TBS (1/3 cup +1 TBS)

1 large free range egg yolk 

You will also need 1 additional TBS of cream 

To glaze:

43g of icing sugar, sifted (1/3 cup)

1 1/2 TBS real maple syrup (plus some of the additional TBS cream from above) 

 

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.  Line a baking sheet with some baking paper.  Set aside. 

Sift the flour, sugar, soda, and baking powder into a bowl. Stir in the black pepper.  Dice the butter and drop it into the mixture. Rub it in using a snapping motion with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.  

Whisk together the egg yolk and cream.   Pour this over the flour mixture and then mix together with a fork to make a shaggy type of dough.  Don't overmix, but all of the ingredients should be well incorporated. 

 Using your hands, divide the dough in half and shape into two mounds on the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between to spread.  (I would leave 4 inches) 

Brush with some of the additional TBS of cream. 

 

Bake in the preheated oven for  approximately 15 minutes until golden brown at the edges and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. 

While the scones are baking, whisk together the icing sugar, maple syrup and leftover cream to make a thick glaze.  You may need to add a drop or two of warm water.  Spoon this mixture evenly over the scones as soon as they come out of the oven.  Serve warm.






Mmmm . . .  gorgeous served warm, and pretty damn good served cold.  These babies are huge so my husband and I shared one the first day and then had the second one the day after cold.  Scrumdiddlyumptious!

Bon Appetit!

Beef & Macaroni Casserole

I finally got rid of all the roast beef today by making this delicious casserole.   It's very similar to a Pastitsio, which is a Greek Casserole using ground beef.    My version has a delicious meat filling between two layers of pasta, with a cheese bechamel topping.