Christmas Pudding Cupcakes with Brandy Butter Frosting

I haven't tasted these (only invented them) cos I don't like xmas pudding, but everyone who tried them said they were delicious :) good for leftovers!

Cupcakes

• 120g plain flour
• 140g caster sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 40g unsalted butter or margarine
• 120ml whole milk (but I do use semi-skimmed)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Average sized supermarket christmas pudding (value!), around 454g

Frosting

• 250g icing sugar
• 80g brandy butter
• 25ml milk

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees C.

Put the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl or a mixer and mix until everything is a sandy consistency.

Pour in half the milk and mix until just combined.

Mix the egg with the vanilla extract and the rest of the milk and then pour into the mixture and mix again

Crumble about 2/3 of the christmas pudding into the mixture and mix again for a short time.

Spoon the mixture into paper cases so they are around 2/3 full and put into the oven for 20-25 mins.

Whilst they are cooking, put the icing sugar and brandy butter in a bowl, if you have a mixer you are best using it here.  Mix until it looks sandy again, then add the milk and put the mixer on full speed.  Leave it mixing for around 5 mins to make the frosting light and fluffy.

Once cupcakes are done, remove from oven and leave to cool, then pipe or spoon the frosting onto the top and decorate with sprinkles.

Spicy Corn Chowder

One of the 12 days of Soupmas :)  Made with all the leftovers I had in the house at the time

Serves 8

• 1 medium red onion (chopped fine)
• 6 spring onions (chopped fine)
• 1 leek (chopped fine)
• 6 medium potatoes (peeled and chopped fine)
• 2 cans of sweetcorn (340g each)
• 1.5l vegetable/chicken stock
• 500ml semi skimmed milk
• 1 tblsp olive oil
• pinch of chilli flakes or powder (to taste)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

Heat the oil in a large pan on the hob (around 3 litres in size or halve the recipe)

Saute the onion, spring onions and leek for 5-10 minutes until soft.

Add the potato and corn and mix well, season with chilli, salt and pepper.

Pour in the stock and milk and boil then leave to simmer for at least 60mins.

Before serving, if you have a hand blender or stand blender, use it to blend around half the soup so it becomes thick but there are still chunky bits in it.

Serve with fresh crusty bread and lashings of butter :)

Spicy pasta meatballs

• 4 Pork and chorizo burgers (or any speciality burgers from a supermarket)
• 6 Pork and chorizo sausages (or any speciality sausages from a supermarket)
• 2 large onions cut into chunks
• 4 rashers of bacon cut into small pieces
• 8-10 large mushrooms cut into chunks
• 300ml red wine
• 2 jars tomato sauce
• smoked paprika
• dried chilli to taste

Heat a large flat bottomed pan on the stove with some oil in.

Cut each burger into eighths and roll gently into ball shapes.  Cut the skin of the sausages and take out the meat and roll into balls equal in size to the burger ones.  Put all the formed meatballs into the pan and lightly brown them then put them to one side.

Saute the onions in the empty pan for around 5 minutes until soft and then add the bacon and cook as well.  Finally add the mushrooms and saute until cooked.  Add around a teaspoon of smoked paprika and stir until all is coated.  Add the chilli to taste (just a pinch makes it nice and spicy).

Pour in the jars of tomato sauce and add the red wine.  Bring to the boil and then simmer and add the browned meatballs.  Cook on simmer for around 30 mins.

15 mins into the simmer, put on the pasta of your choice.  Then once cooked serve with Parmesan cheese and enjoy :)

Goats cheese and red onion tartlets

I make these tarts using my proper Yorkshire pudding tin (4 shallow cups in the tin) so it makes perfect shallow little tarts.

• 4 slices of bread
• Splash of olive oil
• 2 large red onions cut in half and very thinly sliced
• 50ml red wine
• 50ml balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 small round of goats cheese (from the chiller aisle, not the cheese counter, there's one in a white packet with a goat on the top for 99p), sliced into 4 circles.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Heat the oil in a shallow based frying pan, add the onion and saute for 5-10 minutes until soft.

Add the red wine, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and simmer on a low heat for around 20mins until the liquid goes thick and sticky.

Grease the Yorkshire Pudding tins.  Get a cookie cutter or a saucer a little bigger than the size of the yorkshire pudding cup and cut out circles of bread.  Put them into the cups and gently push them into the edges to form a little case.

Divide the onion mixture equally between the cases and lay a slice of goats cheese on the top of each tart.  Put in the oven for 10-15 mins until the cheese goes golden brown on top.

Irish Coffee Mousse

This is a lovely but very rich :)  Shown in an irish coffee cup but would work very well in a small wine glass, the old style round 70s ones which they used to use in restaurants for Irish Coffees.  As with liquor coffees, you can pick your own flavour of alcohol, I just like Tia Maria ;)

Needs at least 6hrs chilling, so make night before or early in the morning.

For the coffee/chocolate mousse

• 300g 70% (at least) cocoa dark chocolate
• 2 tablespoons espresso coffee made up (can buy instant from supermarkets or really strong coffee)
• 2 tablespoons of your chosen alcohol
• 120g unsalted butter
• 6 large eggs, separated
• 6 tablespoons caster sugar

For the white chocolate topping

• 200g white chocolate
• 1 1/2 gelatine leaves
• 350ml whipping or double cream
• 3 medium egg yolks
• 65g icing sugar
• a little vanilla extract

Bring a pan of water to the boil.  Find a heatproof bowl that will fit in the top of the pan and put the chocolate in this with the coffee, alcohol and the butter and melt it slowly.  Once it has melted remove from the heat and stir.

Mix in the 6 egg yolks until the mixture is very smooth (it may look a little grainy at this point, do not worry).

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff and a bowl can be turned upside down without them moving, slowly add the sugar, tablespoon at a time allowing each one to dissolve in the mix and whisk until it goes stuff and glossy.

Fold a ladleful of the egg mix into the chocolate and then add the rest trying to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.

Spoon carefully into the individual glasses, leaving at least a 1cm gap at the top of the glass and put into the fridge until you have made the next step.

Wash all the bowls you used, you're going to need them again.

Again melt the white chocolate in the bowl over the pan of water.  

Put the gelatine leaves on a plate with a few spoons of the cream and heat in a microwave for a minute or so until dissolved.

In another bowl beat the egg yolks and the sugar with an electric whisk, add the gelatine cream and the melted white chocolate and mix well.

In another bowl whip the remainder of the cream untol thick and then fold into the chocolate and egg yolk mixture.

Get the glasses with the dark mousse in out of the fridge and they will be slightly set.  Add some white chocolate mousse to the tops of the glasses so it looks like the floating cream topping on an irish coffee.

Chill the mousses for at least 6hrs before serving, and then gently dust with cocoa powder before you put them out.

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Drunken Mushrooms

Really easy to make for a nice dinner :)  Make just before you want to serve.  Makes enough for around 6 people.

• 500g value mushrooms(stalks removed) chopped chunky (so each mushroom into 6 or 8 pieces)
• 1 packet wild mushrooms (oyster, chanterelle or any others)
• 10 garlic cloves chopped finely or crushed
• small bunch fresh parsley chopped
• 75ml double cream
• 375ml white wine
• 50g salted butter
• Nice crusty bread like granary or mediterranean cut into 12 slices

Put the butter in a large saute pan over a low heat until it melts.  Add the garlic and parsley and let it cook gently.

Heat the oven to 180 degrees.  Place the bread slices on a baking trays and brush both sides of the bread with oil.  Place in oven for 10 mins until become crispy.

Add mushrooms to butter and garlic in the pan and toss so they are all coated.  Cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add the white wine and then the double cream, turn down to a fierce simmer and cook for another 5 minutes until the sauce starts to reduce.  

Serve 2 slices of bread on a plate with mushrooms poured over the top.

Arrancini

My friend Alessandro introduced me to these and I first tried them at Jaime's Italian in Bristol, yum, yum, hooked ever since!  They are little balls of risotto surrounded in crispy breadcrumbs. They taste amazing, but be prepared to get messy.  And you're going to need a deep fat fryer ;)

• 500g risotto rice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
• 2 onions very finely chopped
• 6 large closed cup mushrooms very finely chopped
• 1 large glass white wine
• Chicken stock (some)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 ball mozzarella
• 1 tub breadcrumbs (ASDAs own are the best, or Japanese panko crumbs)
• 4 eggs
• 100g plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper

Start by making the risotto, put the oil in the pan and gently sauted the onions and garlic for around 5 minutes. Once starting to get soft and translucent add the mushrooms and cook for another few minutes.

Add the whole bag of risotto rice to the pan and allow it to lightly fry along with the onions and mushrooms, keep it moving around the pan so it doesn't stick for around 2 minutes.

Then add the glass of white wine and enough chicken stock to cover the rice.  Turn the pan down to a very low simmer and keep stirring to stop the rice sticking.  When the rice has soaked up the stock and started to dry out, add more and keep adding for around 30 minutes until the rice is soft.  Stir the risotto until you cook off as much liquid as possible, leaving the rice a little wet.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and leave to cool.

Switch on the deep fat fryer to warm up.

When the rice is cool, but not cold (you need to be able to mould it), set out 3 flat dishes, one with flour in, one with the 4 eggs (beaten) and one with breadcrumbs in.  

Cut the mozzarella ball up into around 25 small pieces 1cm x 1cm.

Take about a tablespoon of rice in your hand and squash into a flat ball put a piece of the mozzarella on top and add another tablespoon of rice to your hand and mould a ball with the cheese inside it.  Once it holds its shape, roll gently in the flour, then in the egg mixture and finally in the breadcrumbs so it is well coated.  Place on a plate and start again to make the next ball.

Keep going until all the rice mixture is used.  I made about 24 arrancini with this mix, they were a little varying in size but most about 4-5cm diameter.

Once the balls are made, cook them in the deep fat fryer, 5 at a time, until the outside is golden brown (about 5-6 minutes) and place on a baking tray.

Before serving as a starter, reheat in an over (around 180 degrees) for 10-15 minutes to crisp up and warm.  Serve with a dressing of pesto and olive oil and caesar salad.

Chocolate and Marmite Cupcakes

Yeah yeah I know it's the whole Love vs Hate debate for Marmite but you GOTTA try these!!











Ingredients:

3 Eggs
280g Caster Sugar
5-6 good Glugs of Olive Oil
25g Cocoa Powder
250g Plain Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 Good Glug of Baileys
2 Good tsps of Marmite
200g Milk or Dark Chocolate

Instructions:

1) Preheat Oven to Gas Mark Cake (aka 4/180C)
2) Chunk and melt chocolate in microwave for 1 minute
3) In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and oil.
4) Stir in melted chocolate
5) Stir in all other ingredients and mix well.
6) Separate into cupcake cases
7) Put in oven for 20-25 mins. Check with pokey thing to make sure cooked all the way through.

** IMPORTANT STEP **

8) Eat and enjoy!

Garden week of 24-Apr

Things are going well in the garden this year :)

Herb bed is going manic already.  The mint is going wild at the moment and I have decided to let it go for this year and then in the winter dig it all out and put some concrete slabs in to divide the bed up and stop it taking over.  Most herbs have come back apart from some of the thyme plants and 2 of the sage plants.

Onions were planted in March in sets and put under sun tunnels and have a huge growth on them, lettuce is also coming along well under the tunnels.

Have covered another bed in the tunnels and germinating carrots, parsnips, turnip, swede and beetroot under it.  Peas and mangetout in as well.

This year have special containers for the beans to keep them out of the main beds, and inside the house the tomatoes, cucumber, courgette and squash are coming along.

Got seed beds set up germinating cabbage, broccoli, kale and cauliflower but not much coming from them yet, everything crossed.

New potato salad

Fantastic for BBQs in the summer :)

• 1 bag small new potatoes like Charlotte
• 3 sticks celery, chopped
• 4-5 spring onions, chopped
• half cucumber chopped into quarters
• half tub reduced fat creme fraiche
• half tub low fat Philadelphia (I used the chive one, but any could work)
• 1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
• 1 teaspoon english mustard
• salt and pepper

Cook the potatoes and leave to cool.  Any large potatoes slice in half so all potatoes are roughly the same size.

Put the creme fraiche, Philadelphia and mustards in a small bowl and mix together.

Get a large bowl and put in the cooled potatoes, celery, onions and cucumber and mix well, then add the creme fraiche mix and mix until all the potatoes are coated.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

3 course meal timing

Here's a plan to put together a three course meal of breaded mushrooms, stuffed chicken breasts and vanilla panna cotta for a dinner party.  Its a great menu to use as everything can be prepared in advance so you can sit down and enjoy the company!

I started the menu around 12:00 and was finished by 15:00, but you may want to start a little earlier.

• Start with the Panna Cotta and do the whole recipe up to the point you put the moulds in the fridge to set - they will take 8hrs to set so if you want to this the night before to be sure they have set then this is good as well :)
• Next put the potatoes on to boil and then start to prepare the chicken according to the recipe, follow the recipe all the way through until the chicken is ready in the pan and the potatoes are in the cooking rings, leave in a cool place until the evening.
• Prepare the breaded mushrooms according to the recipe and leave on the baking sheet ready for cooking.
• I usually plan to serve dinner at 19:30 (guests arrive at 19:00), so about 18:30 I'd put the oven on at 180 degrees and set the table ready (remember to put the garlic dip on the table), get small plates out to serve the mushrooms on and make a small salad on each plate.  Also get the green vegetable out you have chosen for the main course, and prepare in a dish or bag to go in the microwave.
• If the mushrooms haven't been in the fryer, then I would put them in the oven around 19:05, if they have then I would put them in at 19:15.  At 19:30, place around 9 mushrooms per portion on the plates.  Put the chicken dish and the potatoes in the oven.  Serve the mushrooms and enjoy your starter.
• When you clear the table from the starter, get the plates for the main meal out and put in a sink of very hot water to heat up.
• About 20:25 put the vegetables into the microwave to cook.  Get the plates out of the sink and dry then place out on the side in the kitchen.  Take the potatoes and chicken out of the oven.  Using a fish slice place each potato ring in the centre of each plate and using a tea towel pull each ring off.  Open the dish with the chicken in and using tongs or a slotted spoon remove each chicken parcel and place on top of the potatoes in an artistic fashion, I did put the chicken directly on top of the potato but it did look like a large mushroom so maybe balance the chicken against the potato.  Pour sauce over the top of the chicken.  Put the vegetables in a dish and take them to the table and then follow with the chicken.
• Once dinner is done, give everyone a rest and then when people are ready for dessert prepare the panna cotta according to the recipe.
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Vanilla Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis and Dark Chocolate

I have heart shaped moulds for this but any kind of pudding mould will work, ASDA sell small jelly moulds that would work well

• 1 vanilla pod
• 350ml double cream
• 350ml full-fat milk
• 75g caster sugar
• 5 gelatine leaves
• 1 tube raspberry coulis
• 1 bar dark chocolate (70% or 85% cocoa is the best)

Put the gelatine leaves in the milk and leave to soften.

Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds out and put them a small dish to use later and put the pod in a saucepan with the cream and bring to the boil.  Once it has boiled, remove from the head and add the sugar, vanilla seeds, milk and softened gelatine.  Stir until the sugar and gelatine have dissolved.

Fill your sink or a large bowl with cold water and place the pan in it.  Leave to cool, stirring occassionally for around 20-30mins or until the mixture has started to thicken.  

Remove the vanilla pod from the mixture and pour into the moulds.  Refrigerate for a minimum of 8hrs could even make them the night before.

Before serving, put a pan of hot water on to boil and place a bowl on top with the chocolate in and melt slowly until liquid.  Then remove the moulds from the fridge, dip in warm water for a couple of seconds, place a plate upside down on the top of the mould and flip over and tap on the bottom to release.

Then drizzle lines of coulis and dark chocolate in criss-crossing pattern across the top of the panna cotta.

Brie stuffed chicken breasts with a mushroom cream sauce and colcannon crushed new potatoes

To make this look extra posh, get cooking rings for the potatoes and have 4.  They sell them really cheaply at The Range (can also be called crumpet rings and they are hollow)

• 4 large chicken breasts
• 180g brie
• 1 packet proscuitto crudo (need 1 piece per chicken)
• 1 jar pesto
• 1 small leek, chopped
• 100g mushrooms chopped
• 250ml white wine
• 500ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp english mustard
• 200ml double cream
• 50ml dry or sweet sherry
• 1kg pack baby new potatoes
• 6 rashers pancetta
• 8-10 leaves kale or cabbage chopped finely
• small knob butter

Put the new potatoes on to boil keep an eye on them whilst carrying on with the instructions below and strain and place in a large mixing bowl once cooked through.

First you need to butterfly the chicken breasts (removing the fillets) and pound them until they are thinned out.

Then open the butterflied chicken up and spread a thin layer of pesto across.  Then on one of the sides place a piece of proscuitto crudo and fold so that it does not touch or go over any of the edges of the chicken.  place a few slices of brie on top of this.  Then fold the butterflied breast in half.  Take a piece of clingfilm and wrap the chicken breast tightly in the film so that the chicken surrounds the stuffing.  Seal both ends of the clingfilm so the chicken is very tightly sealed in a nice parcel usually about 5in by 3in.  

Next put the chicken stock and white wine in a large pan and bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and add all 4 chicken breasts in their clingfilm.  The chicken should be poached for around 10-15mins just to ensure as much as possible the chicken closes around the stuffing inside to keep as much brie inside.

Remove the chicken parcels from the pan but do not throw away the stock and wine, this will be used for the sauce later.  Carefully unwrap the parcels and then put a little oil in a frying pan on the hob and gently pan fry the chicken parcels so they are brown on each side, then set aside on a plate until later.

In the frying pan add the knob of butter and allow to melt on a high-ish heat, chop the pancetta up into small pieces and add to the pan and fry until crisp then turn down to medium, then add half the chopped leeks and saute until soft, finally adding the kale or cabbage and quickly cooking until wilted.

Drain the new potatoes and lightly crush them with a potato masher, the idea is to try and keep them in large chunks rather than mash them.  Add the pancetta, leeks and kale and mix with a knife to combine all the ingredients.  Grease the inside of the four cooking rings and place them on a baking sheet.  Spoon the potato mix into the 4 rings so each one is completely full.  Cover with clingfilm and leave to one side until later.

Using the pan the pancetta was cooked in, add a little oil and saute the remaining leeks and the mushrooms until soft.  Add the sherry and allow to boil.  Then slowly add the chicken stock and wine from the chicken poaching earlier.  Stir in the spoonful of mustard and allow the sauce to boil.  Turn heat down and add the double cream and then simmer until the sauce thickens. 

Find an ovenproof dish with a lid, or use tinfoil.  The dish needs to be big enough that the chicken parcels can all be lay next to one another rather than on top of one another.  Put the chicken into the dish and cover with the sauce, put the lid on or tinfoil across and leave until 1hr prior to serving.

Prior to serving preheat oven to 180 degrees, put the chicken into the oven on a middle shelf and the potatoes on the top shelf (remove the clingfilm!).  Cook for an hour and then serve with green vegetables such as green breans or runner beans.

Breaded mushrooms with Garlic Dip

Would suggest 9 small (1 inch cap diameter) mushrooms per portion and a deep fat fryer really helps

• small closed cap mushrooms
• 100g flour
• 2 eggs
• tub breadcrumbs (I like ASDAs own) 
• mayonnaise
• 2 garlic cloves crushed or minced
• salad for garnish

If using the deep fat fryer, switch on now to heat up.

Set out a flat bowl with the flour in it and add salt and pepper to it and mix together.  Next get a rounder cereal style bowl and crack the two eggs in it and mix with a fork.  Then get a large mixing bowl and pour the breadcrumbs into this.

First put the mushrooms into the flour bowl and coat.  Then put about 6 into the egg bowl and swirl around until coated with egg.  Using a slotted spoon remove them coated mushrooms from the egg bowl and put into the breadcrumbs, toss the mushrooms in the breadcrumbs until well coated all over.  If using the deep fat fryer, cook the mushrooms until just turning golden brown in the fryer in small batches and then lay on an oven tray.

If not using a deep fat fryer, just lay the coated mushrooms once the breadcrumbs have been added on an oven tray.

To make the garlic dip mix the crushed garlic cloves with 2 or 3 large dessertspoons of mayonnaise and put in fridge until needed.

When wanting to serve for dinner, preheat oven to 180 degrees and put mushrooms in.  If cooking ones made without a deep fat fryer, I would suggest cooking for 25 minutes until they go golden brown.  For ones started with a fryer, cook for 15 minutes until hot through.

Serve on plate with salad garnish.

Healthy Lasagne

In this lasagne, I used brown pasta sheets, and then layers of spinach and cheese and meat to make a lighter and healthier style dish.

1kg mince (or mince your own from steak)

3 onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic

olive oil

4 sticks celery, chopped

3 peppers (red and green), chopped

200g mushrooms, chopped

1 Knorr beef stock gel packet (or 3 oxo cubes)

3 jars tomato sauce (I like Dress Italian slow cooked)

250ml red wine

Salt and pepper

2 tubs Quark non-fat soft cheese

400g natural low-fat cottage cheese

1 bag (200g) baby spinach

1/2 whole nutmeg grated

Brown lasagne sheets

2 fresh mozzarella balls

Preheat oven at 180 degrees.


Grease a lasagne dish, mine is pottery and 12 inches by 24 inches and 3 inches deep so fairly big, if you have a smaller one make 2 lasagnes or half the recipe.


Fry the onions and garlic in a deep frying pan until soft, add the mince and cook until brown.


Add the peppers, celery and mushrooms and cook off.


Melt down the beef stock and then add the tomato sauces and wine and simmer for 20 minutes, finishing off with salt and pepper.


Whilst the meat is simmering, put the Quark, cottage cheese and spinach into a large bowl or electric mixer and mix together until combined.  Add the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.


Take the lasagne dish, put a layer of brown pasta along the bottom and cover with a thick layer of meat (about 1/2), then cover with lasagne sheets.  Next put a layer of spinach and cheese (again about 1/2), then cover with lasagne sheets again.  Another layer of meat is next, then sheets, then finally the rest of the spinach and cheese mix.  Then tear down to mozzarella into thin pieces and lay across the top of the lasagne.


Cook for 30-40 mins until bubbling and golden brown on top,

Chicken and vegetable Dopiaza

Decided to add serving suggestions, cos I tend to make very big portions, so this feeds 6 large portions or 8 smaller portions :)

• 2 large onions chopped
• 1 leek chopped
• 4 peppers (some red, some other colours) chopped
• 1/2 butternut squash (cubed)
• 2 sweet potatoes (cubed)
• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste (or just use 1 tbsp ginger and garlic)
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp cardamon (out of the pods)
• 2 tsp tumeric
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 green chillies (chopped and deseeded)
• celery salt to taste
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• bunch of coriander leaves

Cook onions and leeks with the green chillies and the ginger-garlic paste until softened (about 4-5 minutes).  Add the peppers, squash and sweet potato.  Cook for another 5 minutes.

In a separate dry frying pan, slowly roast the coriander seeds, cumin, cloves and cardamon.  Roast until you can see the spices changing colour and can smell them.  Add the roasted spices to a pestle and mortar with the chilli flakes and grind them down into a powder.

Add the tumeric, garam masala, cinnamon to the vegetables and mix well to coat.  Then add the ground roasted spices and cook again until you can smell the spices.  Add the chopped chicken breasts and cook for 5 mins whilst stirring constantly.  Add the 2 tins of tomato and fill the tins with water and add 2 tins of water as well.  Mix well and cook for 30mins to 1hr.  Season using celery salt and pepper.  Just before serving chop the coriander leaves and mix through.

Serve with brown rice and poppadums

Sherry Trifle Cupcakes

• 1 or 2 tubs of raspberry jelly ready made
• 120g plain flour
• 140g caster sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 40g unsalted butter or margarine
• 120ml milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 punnet raspberries
• 50ml Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 125g marscapone cheese
• 250g icing sugar
• 50g custard powder
• Hundreds and thousands

Preheat oven to 170 degrees.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and butter in a bowl (can use an electric mixer for this) and beat until you get a sandy consistency.  Pour in half the milk and beat until just incorporated.

Beat egg with vanilla and rest of milk in a separate jug and slowly add into the mixture whilst beating, once all nicely mixed add the raspberries and just stir enough to combine them.

Spoon the mixture into 12 paper cases in a muffin tin until about 2/3 full and then put them in the oven for 20-25 minutes until they are light golden and the sponge bounces back.

Whilst cupcakes are baking, boil in a pan the sherry and 4 tbsp of caster sugar until dissolved and a syrup forms.  Leave to cool.

Once cupcakes are baked, take out of oven and cool on a rack.

When cool, using a teaspoon, scoop a circle of cake out of the middle of each cupcake to leave a small bowl shape.  Pour a spoonful of the sherry syrup over each cake, making sure to soak the inside of the bowl and the top of the cake.  Put a teaspoon of jelly into the bowl of each cake, do not overfill, the jelly should not be piled high above the cake.

To make the frosting mix together the icing sugar, custard powder and marscapone cheese in a bowl.  Beat the frosting for 5 mins at least to make it light and fluffy.  Pipe the icing onto the cupcakes so the jelly is hidden beneath it.  Finally sprinkle hundreds and thousands on the cakes to decorate.

Hibernation Macaroni Cheese

• 1 head cauliflower
• 250ml tub reduced fat creme fraiche
• 250ml double cream (you can substitute with semi skimmed milk to make it healthier, but it tends to split when cooking and goes watery, alternatively use Elmlea low)
• 300g grated cheddar cheese
• 5 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 2 tsp english mustard
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder (leave out if not overly keen on mustard)
• 1/4 nutmeg grated
• 1 clove garlic
• 1tsp onion granules (not salt)
• 500g packet macaroni
• 1 packet unsmoked bacon chopped
• 1 large or 2 medium onions chopped finely
• breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste

WARNING, this is not a light snack ;)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Cook the macaroni as instructed on the packet, drain and leave to cool.

Break up the cauliflower into small 1cm pieces and boil for 5 minutes in a pan of water, drain.

In a frying pan, saute the onions and bacon until all cooked.

In a large mixing bowl mix together the cream, creme fraiche, mustards and powder, nutmeg, garlic and onion granules.  Add the cheese, pasta, cauliflower, onion and bacon and mix until it is all combined.

Grease a large oven proof dish like a lasagne dish or casserole dish.  Pour the mixture into the dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the top.

Bake in oven for 30-40mins until bubbling and top golden brown.