Mincemeat Truffles

Very easy to make but rather sticky!!

Mincemeat Truffles

Makes: 30
Takes: 15 minutes + chilling time

Ingredients

300g white chocolate
4 tbsp double cream
3 tbsp mincemeat

Method

1. Melt together 200g of the chocolate with the cream then stir in the mincemeat till the suet has melted.
2. Line a baking tin with cling film and pour in the chocolate mixture then chill for an hour.
3. Grate the remaining chocolate. Divide the chilled mixture into 30 pieces, shape into balls and roll in the grated chocolate.
4. Chill for 1 hour until firm.

I recommend just grating a bit of chocolate at a time as you probably won't need all of it - and then you get to eat the leftover piece :-)

Mince pies

This is my new favourite way to make mince pies. You can top each pie with pastry if you prefer, though of course you will need more pastry in that case. When topping with pastry I usually cut out star shapes with a cookie cutter and pop a star on each pie rather than cutting circles to completely cover the mincemeat, but again, go with your own preference. Or give this recipe a try instead!

Mince pies

Makes: 24 pies
Takes: 20 minutes + 20 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

500g packet shortcrust pastry (or make your own if you must)
About 1 lb mincemeat (shop-bought, or see recipe here)
4 oz caster sugar
4 oz butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 oz self-raising flour

Method

1. Roll out the pastry to about 3mm thick and cut rounds with a cookie cutter or large glass. Use to line the holes in a cupcake tin.
2. Spoon one teaspoonful of mincemeat into each pastry case then set the tray aside.
3. Make the sponge topping: cream together the sugar and butter then beat in the eggs. Add the milk and vanilla, then sift in the flour and mix well.
4. Spoon one teaspoonful of sponge mixture onto each pie, smoothing over to cover the mincemeat.
5. Bake for about 20 minutes, till the sponge is golden and well-risen. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack till cold.

Delicious eaten warm or cold, with cream, brandy butter or custard or just as they are! They freeze well too.

Mincemeat

I have to be careful with mincemeat because of my nut allergy, so I make my own to be certain it's safe to eat. I think this version tastes nicer, anyway - it's not quite so rich and sickly sweet as the shop-bought varieties!

Mincemeat

Makes: Lots - about 9lb! You might want to try using just a third of each ingredient unless you're catering for a large number of people!
Takes: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

2 lb cooking apples
12 oz carrots
8 oz mixed peel
1 1/2 lb currants
1 1/2 lb sultanas
12 oz shredded suet (vegetable suet if you want vegetarian mincemeat)
1 1/2 lb soft brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 pint brandy (or apple juice if you prefer)

Method

1. Peel, core and grate the apple - a food processor with grater blade is best for this step. Peel and grate the carrots, again using a food processor if you have one.
2. Put all the ingredients except the brandy (or apple juice) into a LARGE bowl, mix well, cover, and leave for 24 hours.
3. Add the brandy, mix again, and pack into sterilised jars.

Make lots of mince pies! Also good in mincemeat cake, mincemeat crumble slices or mincemeat truffles - look out for those recipes soon.

Chocolate Treats

These measurements are quite vague, but that's just to give you flexibility.... For info, I used about 250g of each variety of chocolate and made about 30 of these treats each time. These look great, taste great, and are easy to make. Ideal for a handmade gift.

Chocolate Treats

Makes: Depends on how much chocolate you use

Takes: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

Chocolate (milk, plain or white)

Toppings - raisins, chopped cranberries, chopped crystallised ginger, chopped nuts, tiny sweets - use your imagination!

Method

• Melt the chocolate, either in a bowl over simmering water or in short bursts in the microwave.
• Drop teaspoonfuls onto non-stick baking parchment.
• Sprinkle over your chosen topping and leave to set.

It's that easy :-) Store in an airtight container in a cool place - will keep for several weeks so can be made in advance for Christmas presents.

Recommended combinations: plain chocolate and ginger, milk chocolate and raisins, white chocolate and cranberries.

Chocolate Fudge

No boiling required - this is such a quick and easy fudge to make, but it's very sweet - a little goes a long way!

Chocolate Fudge

Makes: 36 pieces
Takes: 10 mins preparation + refrigeration overnight

Photo to follow

Ingredients

4 oz (100g) plain chocolate
2 oz (50g) butter
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 lb (450g) icing sugar, sieved

Method

1. Break the chocolate into pieces and melt it with the butter over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave.
2. Remove from the heat and stir in the milk and vanilla.
3. Gradually beat in the icing sugar (the mixture gets very stiff towards the end, so expect your arm to ache a bit afterwards!)
4. Press into a greased 7" square tin, levelling the surface.
5. Refrigerate overnight then cut into 36 squares. Keep refrigerated.

Enjoy :-)

Try to share it with your family though.... ;-)

Banana Muffins

Great way to use up bananas that have gone a bit brown and soft :-) And it's a low-fat recipe, containing fruit, so it's cake that's good for you! Bonus!

Banana Muffins

Makes: 12 muffins or 24 cupcakes
Takes: 10 minutes + 20-25 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

9 oz (250g) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 medium well-ripened bananas
1 egg
3 oz (80g) soft brown sugar (demerara is fine)
5 tbsp water
4 tbsp corn oil (light olive oil is fine)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170oC (fan oven)/190oC/Gas Mark 5.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt.
3. Peel the bananas and place into a separate bowl. Mash them to a puree then add the egg, beaten.
4. Beat the sugar and water into the banana mixture then add the oil and stir well.
5. Tip in the dry ingredients and quickly mix till just combined. Don't overmix - it's better to have a few lumps and traces of flour!
6. Spoon into paper cases and bake for 20-25 minutes, until firm and springy to the touch. Cool on a wire rack.

Best eaten fresh but they also freeze well - great for lunchboxes!

Smoked Salmon and Spinach Tagliatelle

It sounds really decadent but it isn't really too bad as a treat now and then - and you can buy packs of smoked salmon scraps quite cheaply which makes this dish even more affordable. It works fine without the spinach if you prefer.

Smoked Salmon and Spinach Tagliatelle

Makes: 2 portions
Takes: 10 minutes + 10 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

200g dried tagliatelle (approximately - enough to serve two people)
150 ml creme fraiche (I use the reduced fat variety)
125g smoked salmon (again, approximately! The scraps come in a 120g pack and this is fine)
Two good handfuls baby spinach (about 50g)
Lemon juice
Black pepper

Method

1. Cook and drain the pasta and return to the pan.
2. Stir in the creme fraiche then cut the salmon into small pieces and add.
3. Rinse the spinach and drain. Add to the pasta mixture and stir well.
4. Heat through gently until the spinach wilts (5 minutes should be plenty). Season with a squeeze of lemon juice - about 1 tsp - and plenty of black pepper.

Nice for a special dinner, without needing loads of preparation (though I like that kind of recipe sometimes too...)

Tomato Sauce

I make this mainly for pasta, with or without various extras (see below), but it's also great as a pizza topping. The long cooking time and the addition of butter at the end makes the tomatoes sweet without any harshness or bitterness. While it's not a quick recipe, it is extremely easy and preparation is very quick - it's just that it needs to cook for a while!

Tomato Sauce

Makes: 4 portions of pasta sauce, or topping for 8 individual pizzas
Takes: 5 minutes + 1 hour cooking time

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped (I use a small amount from a jar of ready-prepared garlic)
2 400g tins peeled plum tomatoes
1 tbsp butter
a few basil leaves (optional)


Method

1. Heat the oil and add the garlic, then cook until the garlic is softened but not browned.
2. Add the tomatoes and break them up with a wooden spoon.
3. Bring to the boil then turn right down to simmering point, cover, and cook gently for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
4. The sauce should be quite thick, without any 'liquid' layer at the top. Take the pan off the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter melts. Add the basil, torn into pieces, if desired.

Other herbs, dried or fresh, could be added - basil should only go in at the end but other herbs could be added with the tomatoes.

Other variations might be: Add finely chopped onion with the garlic and cook until translucent before adding the tomatoes; fry sliced some mushrooms with the garlic till golden; add small pieces of bacon, fried until crispy (I like this better if you cook the bacon separately and add it after cooking the sauce); any of your own ideas!

The Boy likes this as is, with fusilli pasta. The Doctor and I are more likely to have it with fresh filled pasta, such as ravioli or tortellini. A sprinkling of grated cheese on top is also yummy ;-)

Drop Scone/Scotch Pancake Thingies

I don't know what the proper name for these would be, OK?! But I do know that they're very quick and easy to make, and they taste great. And they use such basic ingredients that we can nearly always make them without needing to plan ahead. Always a popular choice for a pudding in our household :-)

Drop Scone/Scotch Pancake Thingies

Makes: About 12
Takes: 5 minutes + 5 minutes cooking time

Ingredients

6 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 egg
4 tbsp milk

Method

1. Measure the flour and sugar into a bowl and mix together then add the egg. Mix to a smooth paste.
2. Gradually mix in the milk until the consistency is like double cream (you may need slightly more or less milk, depending on the size of the egg).
3. Pre-heat a non-stick frying pan (you may need a little oil in the pan, though I don't use any). Add spoonfuls of batter to the pan and cook until the bottom is brown and the top has dried out.
4. Flip to brown the other side then serve warm.

Great with maple syrup, honey, chocolate sauce, jam, or just as they are! I'm guessing that you could also add some dried fruit and/or chopped fresh fruit to the batter before cooking, though I've never actually tried it...

Cranberry and Orange Granola

Because of my nut allergy I have to be a bit careful with muesli and granola, so if I want it it's safer to make my own! I love the fruitiness of this particular recipe, and it's low-fat and low in added sugar too :-)

Cranberry and Orange Granola

Makes: About 1 1/2 lb
Takes: 20 mins + 45 mins cooking time

Ingredients

2 oranges
4 tbsp runny honey
11 oz rolled oats
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
3 1/2 oz dried cranberries
3 1/2 oz raisins

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160oC (fan oven)/180oC/Gas Mark 4 and line a baking tray with non-stick baking parchment.
2. Finely grate the rind of the oranges and squeeze out the juice. Put the rind and juice together with the honey in a saucepan and warm gently.
3. Add the oats and seeds and mix well then spread over the baking tray (it doesn't need to be level or anything - clumps of mixture are fine!)
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the clumps, till golden and starting to crisp. Give it a bit longer if you like your granola really crunchy.
5. Stir in the fruit then leave to cool before storing in an airtight container.

You can serve it with natural yogurt and fresh fruit, or any way you like really - my preference is just to add skimmed milk! It's also good as it is, still warm from the oven...

It keeps well for at least a week. If you're not sure you'll get through it in that time, halve the recipe (in fact, all the quantities here are doubled from the original as I found it better to make it in bulk!) It may not need to bake for quite as long though so keep an eye on it.

You can ring the changes by adding different kinds of dried fruit - a mixture of dried cranberries, blueberries and cherries is _delicious_! You can also add nuts of course, though you may want to reduce the quantity of oats accordingly. Try replacing a couple of ounces of oats with the same weight of chopped hazelnuts, for example. It's a flexible recipe so adapt it to your taste :-)

Light Fruit Loaf

I'm not generally a fan of fruitcake - too heavy and rich for me, and too high a chance of coming across nuts. But this isn't like ordinary fruitcake! It's light and sweet and low in fat, and gets most of its sweetness from the fruit - which makes it healthy cake in my book, meaning I can eat lots of it ;-)

Light Fruit Loaf

Makes: 12 slices
Takes: 20 mins preparation + 1 hour 10 mins cooking time

Ingredients

1 oz (25g) butter or margarine
1 3/4 oz (50g) caster sugar
4 medium eggs
6 oz (175g) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 medium carrot, peeled and grated
3 1/2 oz (100g) ready-to-eat apricots, chopped
3 1/2 oz (100g) raisins
3 1/2 oz (100g) sultanas

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 130oC (fan oven)/150oC/Gas Mark 2.
2. Cream together the butter/marg and sugar then add the eggs and stir well.
3. Sift in the flour and baking powder and stir to combine then fold in the carrot, apricots, raisins and sultanas.
4. Pour into a greased and lined 1 lb (450g) loaf tin. Bake for about an hour and 10 minutes, till a skewer poked into the middle comes out clean.
5. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.

You can freeze the whole cake or individual slices - great for packed lunches! It is a bit crumbly 'cos there's a high fruit:cake ratio so you might want to stick a napkin in that lunchbox too... But it tastes really good :-)

Malteser Cake

Oh boy, this is good :-) It's what I usually make as an end-of-term treat for my kids' teachers (who also happen to be my colleagues, no harm in getting them on side...!) You really do need cheapo cooking chocolate, don't try it with good-quality chocolate, it's actually better with the cheap stuff! And no baking required (though there is some melting).

Malteser Cake

Makes: 24
Takes: 15 mins preparation + couple of hours or overnight refrigeration time

Ingredients

4 oz (100g) butter or margarine
8 oz (225g) cooking chocolate
3 tbsp golden syrup
8 oz (225g) digestive biscuits, crushed
8 oz (225g) Maltesers
8 oz (225g) white chocolate

Method

1. Melt together the butter/marg, cooking chocolate and syrup - either in a bowl over simmering water, or in short bursts in the microwave.
2. Stir in the biscuits, cool slightly, then add the Maltesers. (Make sure the chocolate mixture is quite cool, as the chocolate coating of the Maltesers will melt otherwise. But don't let it go cold or it will start to set and you won't be able to mix the Maltesers in at all!)
3. Press into a greased and lined oblong baking tin and refrigerate till set.
4. Melt the white chocolate (again, over hot water or in the microwave - your choice!) and spread over the biscuit mixture. Refrigerate again till the chocolate has set.
5. Cut into squares - it's best to do this just before serving, as the Maltesers go a bit soft if you do it too far in advance (though it still tastes good!)

I'm told these freeze OK but I've never tried it - it's never been necessary, they don't last long enough lol...

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagne

I was a vegetarian for years - from the age of about 15 till I was about 25. This was my dinner party dish throughout those years! It still comes out now and then for special occasions, especially if a veggie option is required. In particular, I make it each year for the Coffee Plus weekend away, and someone always asks for the recipe. So I've been making it today ready for tomorrow night! Just one thing... I have no idea how much fat is in this dish, and if you work it out, please don't tell me!! I want to continue to enjoy it! It is a dinner party dish, not an everyday one, so just forget how much cream and butter has gone into it and enjoy the eating of it, huh?! Oh, and even people who don't usually like spinach tend to like this :-)

Spinach and Mushroom Lasagne

Serves: 6 decent-sized portions, or more as part of a hot buffet

Takes: 20 mins preparation + 30 mins cooking time

Ingredients

Spinach and mushroom layer:
1 lb frozen spinach (I usually chuck in slightly more for luck)
1 punnet button or closed cup mushrooms (about 250g)
2 oz butter
2 1/2 fl oz double cream
salt and black pepper

White sauce:
1 1/4 pints milk
3 oz butter
2 oz plain flour
3 fl oz double cream
pinch nutmeg
salt and black pepper

8 oz lasagne verde
cheese, eg medium-mature cheddar (don't know how much 'cos I've never weighed it! I just grate it from the end of whatever piece I have in the fridge!)

Method

1. Defrost the spinach overnight, ideally in a sieve over a bowl so the water drains out. When it's defrosted, squeeze out any excess water.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Wipe and thickly slice the mushrooms and cook in the butter till golden. (I don't peel my mushrooms but if you usually do, go for it!)
3. Stir in the spinach and cream. Cook gently until the cream has been absorbed then season to taste and set aside.
4. To make the white sauce, put the milk, butter and flour in a large saucepan and put over a gentle heat.
5. Stir continuously with a balloon whisk till the sauce comes to a simmering point and starts to thicken.
6. Reduce the heat and cook for a further 10 minutes then allow to cool slightly.
7. Push the sauce through a sieve into a large bowl then beat in the cream and add the nutmeg and salt and pepper.
8. Spread about half the spinach mixture over the base of a lasagne dish and arrange a single layer of lasagne sheets over the top. Cover with half of the white sauce. And another layer of lasagne sheets.
9. Repeat the layers so you finish with white sauce (ie three layers of lasagne sheets altogether). Grate a generous sprinkling of cheese over the top.
10. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180oC for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling. 

All the preparation can be done in advance - even the day before if necessary - and the lasagne kept in the fridge till you're ready to bake it. Any leftover portions freeze well. Great served with chips, or baked potato, or salad and garlic bread, or as part of a hot buffet...

Shortbread Biscuits

My first recipe is for easy shortbread biscuits. I love this recipe because it is _very_ easy, it's quick, it's forgiving, you can ring the changes by adding different ingredients, and the biscuits always taste great (in fact, the uncooked mixture also tastes great...)

Shortbread Biscuits

Makes: 12-24, depends how big you make 'em!
Takes: 5-10 mins preparation + 20 mins cooking time

Ingredients

3 oz caster sugar
7 oz butter or margarine (I use buttery spread)
9 oz plain flour

Method

1. Cream together the sugar and butter till light and fluffy. An electric mixer is best for this; you can do it by hand but it's quite hard work by the time you've mixed in the flour too.
2. Sift in the flour and stir then beat till the mixture comes together in a soft dough. It might start off a bit crumbly but it will come together if you keep mixing.
3. You can refrigerate the dough at this point (for a couple of hours or overnight) so it firms up slightly, but it's fine to use straight away. If you want to roll it out then refrigerating will probably help.
4. Either roll out to a thickness of about 5mm on a well-floured surface then use cutters to cut out your biscuits, or break off little balls of dough and flatten to about 5mm thick. I usually do the latter as it's quicker and I like the homemade look, but it's nice to cut Christmassy shapes or hearts or the kids' initials for special occasions.
5. Place the biscuits on a lightly greased baking tray and bake at 180oC (fan oven) till the edges start to brown. (It takes about 20 minutes. I forgot about my batch today - the ones in the photo - and they got 30 minutes, which is why they look quite brown! Still delicious, just crunchier.)
6. Cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack. Try not to eat them while they're hot, you will burn your mouth. Don't say I didn't warn you...

Store in an airtight container - they'll keep for a few days but probably won't last that long!

Variations

You can add raisins, chocolate chips, chopped cherries, Smarties/M&Ms etc to the mixture after step 2. Or sift in spices (eg cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice) with the flour - adding ground ginger here then chopped ginger after step 2 is delicious! I use a jar of ginger preserved in syrup (not the whole jar!!) You could add grated lemon zest and juice of 1 lemon after step 1, and increase the flour to 10 oz. Or mix in desiccated coconut and chopped glace cherries. Or some oats and raisins. Or replace a tablespoon or so of flour with the same amount of cocoa powder. Or... So many ideas!!

Here are some with chocolate chips added, and some where 1 oz of flour was replaced with 1 oz of cocoa powder, and white chocolate chunks were added. I spooned heaps of the mixture onto the baking sheet, keeping them quite rough and fairly thick, and only aiming to make about 8 large cookies. They needed about 30 minutes to cook because of the added thickness.

Also, these biscuits ice really well (though I'd use the rolled out and cut version, as they have a smooth top surface!). Just sift some icing sugar and mix with hot water to make a fairly stiff icing, adding any colours or flavours you wish, then spread over the cooled biscuits. You can add chocolate or sugar sprinkles, jelly sweets, etc, etc, before the icing sets. Or add cocoa powder to the icing sugar for chocolate icing.

Enjoy :-)

Intro

This is a place to collect together some of my favourite recipes - a kind of online cookbook. Cooking and baking is part of how I am creative, but I thought including recipes in my other blog might get a bit messy and it would be handy to gather them all in one place. I don't plan to update this one as frequently as the other, but whenever I think of it - perhaps when I rediscover an old favourite, or realise that I make a particular dish nearly every week, or I'm planning the next day's meals, or just because...