This is a recipe which I have had printed out and in my "To Bake Someday" folder, for about two years now. It is a recipe I found on a little blog called Chef In Training, and I remember it looking really, really tasty. I often spy things on the net which catch my eye, and I think I would like to try baking sometime. I print them out and stick them in a file . . . and sometimes . . . I actually DO get around to baking them!
I had bought a HUGE jar of Nutella a few months back. What was I
thinking??? There is no way I could ever hope to use it all up, unless
I use it for extra things like baking. It tastes really good spread
onto malt biscuits . . . but that would be an awful lot of Malt Biscuits
. . . it's a 750g jar! (That's over a pound in weight!)
So the other day I dug through my recipes and pulled out this banana
bread recipe to try out. It worked out well because I also had a bunch
of brown bananas that I had bought before Christmas that just didn't get
eaten . . . there is nothing better to do with brown bananas than to bake a banana bread!
My bread didn't come out of the oven near as tasty looking as Chef In
Trainings did . . . it actually looked rather ugly and I did have to add
about 15 minutes time to the baking . . . but wow, cut it open and it
more than makes up for it's ugly surface.
That's kind of like people don't you think??? Some of the prettiest ones are the ones who aren't much to look at on the outsides . . . but dig a bit deeper and you've found a gem! Anyways, it was rather, RATHER tasty sliced and eaten plain . . . but then again, we quite, QUITE like it sliced and spread with softened butter because . . . that's just how we roll around here.
*Nutella Banana Bread*
Makes one medium loaf
Makes one medium loaf
Your favorite bread swirled with your favorite spread. What's not to like about this one?
280g plain flour (2 cups)
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 TBS unsalted butter, softened
190g caster sugar (1 cup)
2 large free range eggs
287g of mashed bananas (1 1/4 cups)
1 tsp vanilla paste
80ml of whole milk (1/3 cup)
145g of nutella (heaped 3/4 cup)
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 5. Butter an 8 by 4 inch loaf tin and line with baking paper. Butter the paper. Set aside
Whisk the flour, soda and salt together in a beaker. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly amalgamated. Beat in the bananas, milk and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture just to moisten.
Soften the nutella in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Stir in 1/3 of the batter until well blended.
Alternate the banana and nutella batters in the prepared baking tin. Swirl together with a chopstick or knife. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until well risen and done. It may seem a bit underdone in the centre, but that's how it should be. Allow to cool at least 15 minutes in the pan before tipping out onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
In for a penny, in for pound I guess. Yum! This is very good. Bon Appetit and a very Happy New Year!
If you are looking for something a lot different from the Christmas Cakes, puddings and mince pies that you have been enjoying over the past week or so, look no further. Today I have a fabulous Lemon Bread Pudding to share with you!
This pudding is very different than my usual Lemon Curd Bread and Butter Pudding that I make.
This is light and custardy, almost soufflee-like . . .
It puffs up nice and light in the oven, but will sink upon standing, so you will want to serve as soon as possible. But don't worry, it tastes fabulous even when it sinks . . .
It is filled with lovely lemon flavour . . . from thefresh juice and lemon zest used, along with a small amount of Limencello which is totally optional, but if you have it, do use it!
Even Todd who is not overly fond of lemon anything (I know very strange indeed) enjoyed this . . .
There is also a lovely Lemon and Cardamom sauce to serve . . . . warm and spooned over the warm pudding . . . . lashings of cream could also be a nice addition, although we did not avail ourselves of it on the day.
This is seriously delicious. Cardamom and lemon are such beautiful partners . . .
Sweet, tangy and moreish. You cannot ask for much better than that!
*Lemon Bread Pudding*
Serves 6 to 7
A delicious bread pudding with lovely lemon flavour, served with a fabulous warm lemon sauce.
1 1/2 TBS lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 170*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Butter the bottom only of a 2 litre/quart baking dish.
Heat the cream, milk, sugar and butter together to melt the butter. Set aside. Put the bread into a large bowl along with the lemon zest. Toss to coat the bread with the zest. Pour in the milk mixture and set aside to cool. Whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice and lemincello if using. Add this to the bread mixture in the bowl and combine. Whisk together the egg whites until stiff. Fold gently into the bread mixture and then pour into the prepared dish.
Bake for one hour, or until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean.
While the pudding is baking make the sauce. Whisk together the sugar and corn flour in the top of a double boiler. Whisk in the hot water, lemon juice and Limencello, if using. Cook, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the butter and cardamom. Keep warm.
Serve the pudding spooned out into bowls with some of the sauce drizzled over top.
Heat the cream, milk, sugar and butter together to melt the butter. Set aside. Put the bread into a large bowl along with the lemon zest. Toss to coat the bread with the zest. Pour in the milk mixture and set aside to cool. Whisk together the egg yolks, lemon juice and lemincello if using. Add this to the bread mixture in the bowl and combine. Whisk together the egg whites until stiff. Fold gently into the bread mixture and then pour into the prepared dish.
Bake for one hour, or until a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean.
While the pudding is baking make the sauce. Whisk together the sugar and corn flour in the top of a double boiler. Whisk in the hot water, lemon juice and Limencello, if using. Cook, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Whisk in the butter and cardamom. Keep warm.
Serve the pudding spooned out into bowls with some of the sauce drizzled over top.
I think a scoop of vanilla ice cream served on top of the warm pudding would also not go amiss! Happy New Year and Bon Appetit!
I was recently asked if I would like to try some of the new range of fresh pork raised without anti-biotics from The Black Farmer. Leading the way in being the first mainstream brand to introduce the produces, The Black Farmer has worked closely with partner farms to establish farming and production methods in response to the rising resistance to antibiotics. The selection of fresh British pork cuts from RSPCA assured pork can be easily identified by the blue Antibiotic Free swing tag.
For the whole week before Christmas I was craving cabbage rolls, and not just any cabbage rolls, but the ones that my ex BIL used to get at a German Butcher's he frequented in Windsor, Ontario.
They were probably the best cabbage rolls I have ever eaten. I am also mighty fond of the M&M ones . . . but I have to admit my homemade ones are also very, very good!
It is an old, old recipe which I have been making for many, many years and always the first thing to disappear at a buffet table.
Last week when I was craving the ones from Windsor however and the M&M ones, I got to thinking to myself, and we all know what happens then.
I decided to adapt my own recipe to what I felt the difference was between theirs and mine.
And I have to say I was well pleased with the end result! It was a simple change really . . . I decided to use pork sausage meat instead of beef.
That's it. And they were very, very close to what I was craving . . . very close.
My mother used to make cabbage rolls when I was growing up, but hers were very different than mine. She did not use any rice at all, and she only covered them with a tin of chopped tomatoes, there was no sauce per se.
She also added peeled potatoes an carrots to the pot. They were pretty good. I was never fond of the meat part, but I did like the cabbage.
My father was never fond of the cabbage. We had a deal between us. I gave him the meat from mine, and he gave me his cabbage. We both felt like winners.
My mother also cooked hers entirely on top of the stove, in her old Wearever aluminum dutch oven. I do mine totally in the oven.
Generally speaking I like to use a white cabbage, or ordinary cabbage . . . Nothing fancy here. No Savoy or any other kind. Just ordinary cabbage.
This time I tried a sweetheart cabbage, which is just like a white cabbage except it has fewer leaves, looser leaves and they are rather elongated. It worked very well. I was quite pleased with the results.
The sauce for mine is a really simple sauce. Passata (tomato sauce), lemon juice and brown sugar. I used the Cirio Passata, again because it is my favourite kind, with a lovely rich tomato flavour.
There is nothing there except for sieved tomatoes. Thick and rich, never bitter or sharp, quite pleasant . . . you can almost taste that Italian sunshine.
I have to say I totally ADORED them made with sausage meat. TOTALLY! These were soooooo tasty.
I made them on the eve of Christmas Eve, meaning the night before Christmas Eve.
The recipe makes exactly one dozen cabbage rolls. We each had two and then I froze the remainder in 4 roll lots to take out later on this winter on a day when I am over busy or feel like treating myself.
I don't know what is normal to serve with cabbage rolls, but I served them with rice and some peas and carrots. It really was a fabulous dinner.
I think it is safe to say I will be making my cabbage rolls with sausage meat from now on!
*Cabbage Rolls*
Makes 12
Makes 12
This is an adaptation of our favourite cabbage roll recipe. Delicious, moist and meaty with a fabulous sweet and sour sauce. These always go down a real treat. I often double and triple the recipe when I take them to pot luck suppers. I always bring home an empty dish.
1 pound extra lean sausage meat
55g raw long grain rice (1/4 cup)
1 medium free range egg, beaten with a fork
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
1 small carrot, peeled and grated
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
12 wilted cabbage leaves, thick veins trimmed to thin
1 medium free range egg, beaten with a fork
1 medium onion, peeled and grated
1 small carrot, peeled and grated
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
12 wilted cabbage leaves, thick veins trimmed to thin
For the sauce:
100g soft light brown sugar, (1/2 cup packed)
60ml fresh lemon juice (1/4 cup)
240ml tomato passata (1 cup tomato sauce)
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/gas mark 5.
Place
the meat into a bowl and mix together with the rice, egg, onion,
carrot, garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Shape into 12 equal
sized ovals. Place each oval at the wide end of a wilted cabbage
leaf. Roll up, tucking in the sides to completely encase the meat.
Place, folded side down, into a greased baking dish. Mix together the
brown sugar, lemon juice and tomato sauce. Pour this sauce over the
rolls. Cover tightly with a lid.
Place the casserole into the heated oven and bake for 1 hour. Uncover
at the end of that time and bake for 20 minutes longer. Serve hot.
These were as close to perfect as any cabbage roll could be. I don't know why people think that making cabbage rolls is really fiddly. It isn't really. Well, not for me anyways.
I hope you will try these and make them with sausage meat when you do! I think you will agree with me when I say these are Da Bomb! Bon Appetit!
I've never been a go out and paint the town red person on New Years Eve. I have always been a stay at home and enjoy a nice meal and nibbles kind of a person. Partially because through the years, whilst raising a large family, we couldn't afford to pay a sitter to come in and watch the children, and partially because my then husband always worked on New Years. The guys with the children got Christmas off and in exchange they worked for the single guys who wanted to ring in the New Year out and about!
I never minded really. I've never been a party type of gal. Instead we always just enjoyed a nice family meal and then the children and I would have a nibbles buffet and see if we could stay up long enough to rock it in with Dick Clark!
I had never tried a Pandoro until this year. We buy a Panettone every year (or two or three) but had never bought a Pandoro.
A Pandoro is a sweet Italian yeast bread that is shaped like a star and which is traditionally seen over the Christmas and New Year Period.
Very similar to a Panettone, but with no fruit involved. A six pointed star, traditionally dusted with icing sugar and served in wedges. Like I said, this was the first year we had bought one.
Meh . . . I prefer Panettone. Having said that however . . . it makes GREAT French Toast!
We had it this morning for our breakfast served warm with some warmed up pigs in blankets leftover from yesterday and a warm Maple Mincemeat Syrup.
Pigs in blankets are the tiny pork sausages wrapped in bacon that the British traditionally serve as a garnish for their Christmas Turkey's.
Quite yummy. They are really easy to make however.
You just either buy the smaller sized sausages, or twist chipolata
sausages (thinner than bangers) in the middle into two sausages, cut
apart, wrap in bacon and then roast until done in a moderate oven.
Easy
peasy.
The French toast is equally as easy. You just slice the Pandoro into 3/4 inch thick slices. So cute, they look like stars . . . some of the slices will be larger in circumference as you get closer to the base of the Pandoro.
Cut these larger slices in half down through the middle, so with each slice you get two. Easier to manage and more suitably sized for individual servings.
The syrup is also very easy . . . it is simply Maple Syrup heated together with leftover mincemeat. If you are like me you will have some languishing at the back of the refrigerator from making your mince pies that you want to use up.
Don't worry if you don't have any mincemeat, just use plain warmed Maple Syrup. It will still be very very good!
*Pandoro French Toast*
Serves 4 to 6
8 slices of am Italian Pandoro, 3/4 inch thick (larger slices cut in half horizontally)
Butter for frying
This made for the perfect Boxing Day Breakfast! Bon Appetit!
Most of you have probably got all of your Christmas Menu planned now right down to the last olive and pickle on the tray, but I thought there might be some of you who are still lacking in a bit of inspiration, and who were looking for something to delight your family in the dessert area of your festive celebrations!
I am drawing today from the vast archive of dishes that I used to make when I worked at the manor and bring to you a selection of four different desserts that are fabulous contenders to grace your holiday table, if not for Christmas lunch then perhaps for New Years, or really any time you are wanting something just a tiny bit special!
A Dark Chocolate Yule Log. Christmas and Yule Logs go together like peas and carrots!
This next recipe makes use of Sweetened Chestnut Puree as a part of the filling. This Chocolate Roulade is fabulously delicious, gluten free, and a very simple bake!
*Chocolate Roulade*
Serves 6
To fill:
250ml double cream (9 fluid ounces)Lay out a clean tea towel. Top with a sheet of baking paper and dust liberally with icing sugar. Invert the sponge onto the baking paper and gently peel away the tin lining paper. Whisk the double cream until almost stiff, then stir in the chestnut cream and brandy Spread this mixture over top of the sponge leaving a 1 inch border around the edges. Scatter the chopped chestnuts over top. Using one end of the teatowel, roll up from the long side carefully. Place onto a serving plate and dust liberally with some more icing sugar.
Chill until you are ready to serve. Cut into slices to serve.
Ginger Cake is a real favourite around here. This recipe used Preserved Stem Ginger in syrup. Stem Ginger and the holidays are wonderful companions!
Now if I have whetted your appetite for a Christmas Ginger Cake and you find it impossible to
get the preserved Ginger. This other Ginger Cake is a most suitable replacement,
and when baked in a bundt tin, very impressive!
Finally something cold to whet your appetites. Orange Ice Cream, served with a tasty Almond Praline!
*Orange Ice Cream*
Serves 6
Whisk in the creme
fraiche and orange peel. Pour into an ice cream machine and churn
according to the manufacturer's directions. Alternately pour into a
freezerproof container, cover and freeze for 12 hours. Remove from the
freezer and beat to break down any ice crystals. Refreeze and beat as
before, then refreeze until solid. Serve in scoops, garnished with the
broken praline.
My English Kitchen is now closed for Christmas and I want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a Very Merry Christmas. May it be filled with lots of love and family and plenty of good eats. See you on the flip side! (If you do have any pressing questions I will be checking comments and e-mails periodically!) Thank you all so very much for your faith and loyalty over this past year. You make blogging fun for me! God bless!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Social Icons