Italian Amaretto Profiteroles

WARNING this is not the easiest recipe, and not for the impatient ;) Choux recipe taken from the Kenwood Chef cookbook

• 225ml cold water
• 75g/3oz butter (unsalted)
• 115g/4oz plain flour
• pinch of sugar
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 600ml cream
• 500g fresh custard
• 2 tablespoons Amaretto (or your favourite liquour, Tia Maria would be good too)
• 100g Green and Blacks dark chocolate
• Icing sugar
• 1oz butter
  

Set up food processor with blade attachment. Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Place a shallow swiss roll tin or dish full of water in the bottom to create steam.

Place water and butter in the saucepan and heat gently until the butter melts and then bring to the boil.

Remove from heat and tip in the flour. Beat with a wooden spoon until combined. Return to the heat and cook over a low heat for a few seconds until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan to form a ball (looks kind of like play-doh). Do not over-heat.

Transfer to food processor. Turn on at minimum speed and gradually pour eggs through tube. Process until just mixed and the pastry forms a stiff, glossy paste. Do not over process as will become too thin.

Brush 3 baking trays with a thin layer of water (do not use oil or greaseproof paper, or a tray with holes in! I have learnt) to dampen.

Either put pastry in piping bag, or use a teaspoon (I use teaspoon) and place small mounds on baking sheets (usually put 10 on a baking sheet, leave room cos they expand).

Bake for 20-25mins until puffed up and golden. Reduce the oven to 190 degrees.

Pull buns out of oven and make a small hole in each one with the end of a wooden spoon (I pick the place the pastry is thinest for this) and then return the buns to the oven (can all be on same tray now) for 5 mins to dry out. Transfer to wire rack and leave to cool.

Whip cream and add custard to make creme patisserie. Add alcohol and mix well. Fill piping bag with cream and fill the buns through their holes.

Melt chocolate in dish with butter (either on hob over a pan with water or in microwave carefully), add enough icing sugar to make a slightly runny icing (should be runny enough to dunk the profiteroles in, but thick enough to set). Dip each bun into the chocolate and arrange on a serving place. Chill until served.

Shepherd's or Cottage Pie

• 2 onions (diced)
• 850g mince
• 150g carrots (diced)
• 250g mushrooms (diced)
• 3-4 sticks celery (diced)
• Cutting celery (or can use parsley, thyme or sage)
• Celery salt
• Black pepper
• 350ml stock
• 150ml red wine
• Gravy granules
• 3.5lb potatoes
• Butter

Peel, chop and put potatoes on to boil.

In a large shallow pan, put some oil and add onions and fry until softened.

Add mince, stir and bash so in small pieces and no clumps.

Once mince browned, add carrots, mushrooms and celery and saute on low until all cooked.

Add herbs and salt and pepper to season.

Add stock and red wine and leave to simmer so juices reduce.

Whilst simmering, if potatoes are cooked, drain and mash with butter, salt and pepper until smooth.

Add gravy granules to mince mix to thicken. Put in large dish (like the kind you would use for lasagne or a roasting dish), spoon mash potatoes on top and smooth out with fork, brush melted butter over the top. To finish off, place in oven around 180 degrees for 30-40mins until top goes golden brown

Garden week of 5th September

With help from mum did some serious masacring of the triffid squashes and courgettes. Took one of the 7 courgette plants out as it had come to the end of its cropping time. Cabbages and Brassicas have been decimated by Cabbage white butterflies, must have 2,000 caterpillars. Had to cave in and use pesticide in the end as they were attacking the sprouts for Xmas and the Purple Sprouting Broccoli.

Dug up the last potato bucket, no more now till Xmas.

Made a fantastic Roast Beef dinner the other day with potatoes from the garden and Kale, broccoli and cabbage!

Picked - Kale, Cabbage, beans, tomatoes, potatoes

Planted - Savoy and spring cabbages, winter lettuces