This time of year sees the arrival of stone fruits – peaches, nectarines, plums, Mirabelles (if you can track them down in Scotland), greengages and my favourite – apricots! Fond memories of a holiday in France, plucking the slightly fuzzy fruit from an esplanaded tree outside our gîte; bees buzzing lazily around the lavender, the air heavy with perfume from blowsy roses. Looking like flushed … Continue reading Lazy Days and Sunshine … Oh and Apricots!
Osso Buco – Hollow Bones I’m sure we all have our own ‘labels’ for various things – Aldi and Lidl in our house are referred to as Random Tat or, sometimes Tandom Rat; but what do you call your hunt for bargains? Every supermarket seems to use yellow stickers for their reduced goods, so BOGG (Big Ol’ Grumpy Git) knows exactly where I’m going when … Continue reading Yellow Stickering We Will Go – In Other Words – Hunting for a Bargain!
Proust’s Favourite Little Cakes – Madeleines Like Proust, The Daught loves madeleines. These little temptresses seem to be shrouded in mystery as to who, where and when they were first made. Could it have been Madeleine Paulmier, possibly a cook in the 18th century for Stanislaus I, Duke of Lorraine, or perhaps a cook named Madeleine who is said to have offered little cakes in the shape … Continue reading Proust’s Favourite Little Cakes – Madeleines
‘Tis the Season It’s that time of year where Panic, Manic and Chaos tend to be unwelcome visitors to anyone’s home, including mine. I don’t know about you, my dear readers, but I pile on the pressure by opening up our home to friends and neighbours on Christmas Eve. Nothing fancy, just booze and nibbles, but it means that come Christmas Day I can only … Continue reading ‘Tis the Season
Bramble On I’m still picking these thorny blighters with the added danger of drowsy wasps buzzing around the fruit and my head. I say drowsy, but they could be drunk on the rotting windfalls. BOGG (Big Ol’ Grumpy Git aka the Husband) almost stuck his fingers into a hollow apple that had over twelve of the angry buggers inside! That would have been a … Continue reading On a Bramble Roll – The Bramble Glut Part lll
Bramble Glut Curd A Glut of Brambles – Part Deux! Well with the amount of fruit that I’ve amassed over the past few weeks, I really couldn’t leave you, my dear readers, with just one proper bramble recipe. As I said in my previous post, there are pickles, gin and cider vinegar on the pantry shelves, all stuffed full of autumn’s voluptuous wild berries. I have … Continue reading A Glut of Brambles – Part Deux!
Bramble Glut Posset This year has just been phenomenal for brambles. Our garden seemed to be overrun with the thorny buggers. Next year’s tangle thrashing around like demented spiky snakes, waiting to catch the unwary as they gather the fruit from this season’s pickings. I have had more than my fair share of scratches and miniscule thornlets embedded in my fingers and hands. And as … Continue reading What To Do With A Glut of Brambles
A great use for any leftover haggis you might have lurking around in the fridge. You can use any variety; works well with the meaty version or if you’re a vegetarian, Macsween’s make a very good veggie one. Has it been done before , I kenneth not! Scone Ecosse Tip 8oz of self raising flour into a bowl and rub in 1oz butter. Crumble in about … Continue reading Scone Ecosse – or in other words, haggis scones!
Banana Chocolate Loaf or is it a Dozen Muffins or a Pudding? Just because you use the same ingredients in a recipe doesn’t mean it should turn out the same each time. Most cake recipes can be turned into something else, for example, a Victoria sandwich mix can become fairy cakes or cupcakes (not that I’m a huge cupcake fan). Meringue can be a huge, billowing … Continue reading Banana Chocolate Loaf or is it a Dozen Muffins or a Pudding?
I love scones, they are so simple, quick and easy to make. Dollop jam and cream on fruit or plain ones. Nothing better than cold butter from the fridge melting slowly on cheese scones; I’m even partial to marmite on them! They make a lovely change from bread with soup. I now have published a SkillShare class, ‘English Cream Tea Made Simple – Scones are … Continue reading Fruit, Plain and Cheese Scones
In the Kitchen with @BakersBunny 