Thursday, July 21, 2016

Yorkshire Parkin Mini Bundt #BundtBakers

Yorkshire parkin is a rich gingerbread made with treacle and golden syrup. It's a traditional baked treat that might well have been enjoyed by the characters in the beloved children's book, The Secret Garden.



This month my Bundt Bakers group was challenged by our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime, to create a Bundt with the theme Secret Garden. I'm not sure if it's what Sue intended but my mind immediately went to one of my all-time favorite books, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It's a book I have read over and over through the years. If you haven't read it, I recommend that you do. The Kindle edition is free on Amazon right now.

It's the story of an expat kid who loses her whole family to an epidemic and must return alone to England from the only home she's ever known in India. Her supposed home country is foreign to her as are the ways of the local people. After finding the secret garden to nurture in her mysterious uncle's estate, Mary grows from a sour-faced, spoiled and finicky child into one with pink cheeks and a wholesome appetite under the care of a kind Yorkshire maid and her down-to-earth brother, Dicken.

In 1999, Amy Colter published The Secret Garden Cookbook, with recipes inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic book. I must confess that I do not own that book but as I was reading its reviews, parkin was mentioned several times as a particularly traditional Yorkshire treat contained therein. I consulted The Google and found this recipe on BBC Good Food, which I adapted to fit my smaller Bundt pan.

I like to think that Mary took parkin just like this from the big house out to share with Dicken and the wee Robin Red Breast who first showed her where the secret garden was hidden.



Ingredients
1 medium egg
2 tablespoons milk
100g butter, plus extra for greasing the baking pan
1/3 cup or 80ml golden syrup
1/4 cup or 50g soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons treacle (or molasses)
1 cup or 125g flour, plus extra for pan
Slightly rounded 1/2 cup or 50g oatmeal
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional: powdered sugar to serve

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and liberally butter and flour your 2 1/2 to 3-cup mini Bundt pan. (Follow the original recipe for a larger pan. This just happened to be the only pan I own where I am staying right now. Traditionally parkin is baked in a square pan and cut into squares to serve.)

Beat the egg and milk together in a small mixing bowl. Set aside. Mix the flour, oatmeal, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.



In a small saucepan, gently warm the butter, brown sugar, golden syrup and treacle until the butter is just melted. Remove from the heat and continue to stir until the brown sugar has dissolved.



Add the dry ingredients to the warm butter mixture, followed by the egg and milk. Stir until well combined.



Pour the batter into your prepared Bundt pan.

Bake in the preheated oven about 30-35 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean and the top is a bit crusty.



Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before turning the parkin out on a wire rack to cool.

The BBC recipe says to wrap it up tightly in parchment paper and foil and to keep it for a few days before eating, as it gets softer and stickier the longer you keep it. I don’t know about that (time will tell!) but I can assure you that even straight out of the pan, it goes quite excellently with a strong cup of Yorkshire Tea, the brand my younger daughter happens to favor.



Enjoy!

Check out all the other Secret Garden recipes the Bundt Bakers are sharing today!

BundtBakers

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme.  Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.

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Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Cheddar Chive Shortbread #CreativeCookieExchange

Cheddar chive shortbread is buttery, savory and crisp when first out of the oven, the perfect accompaniment to your afternoon tea or evening cocktail time. 

Shortbread is a traditionally sweet treat but since the main ingredients are flour and butter, I figure there’s no good reason it can’t be savory as well. This month’s Creative Cookie Exchange theme is cheese so I thought it was a great time to test my theory. I am pleased to report that while it feels funny calling these cookies, shortbread is definitely considered a cookie, so here we are. And they are delicious! They are rich and buttery, with a lovely hint of heat from the black pepper and cayenne. They can stand up to a strong drink as well a good cup of tea.

Ingredients
1/2 cup or 113g unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 oz or 225g extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2 tablespoons finely minced chives or green onion tops
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Pinches paprika to decorate, optional

Method
In your electric mixer, beat together your butter, salt, black pepper and cayenne until you have a smooth paste.



Add in the cheese, flour and chives and mix at low speed until they form a soft dough.



Shape the dough into roll, wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper, and chill 30 minutes.



Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and line your baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Unwrap the roll and slice the shortbread into circles about 1/4 in or 1/2cm thick. Place on your prepared baking sheets leaving space around for them to spread. I put mine a bit close together thinking I might fit them all on one pan and ended up needing a second pan for the balance of six cookies. Learn from my errors and just space them more evenly on two pans to start with.



Sprinkle on a little paprika to decorate, if desired. You can use cayenne or black pepper instead but I was afraid mine might be too spicy for my taste testers.


Bake the shortbread until lightly golden and beginning to brown on edges, about 10-12 mins.

I decided that I didn’t like the rough edges for a civilized teatime treat with Manzanilla sherry so I cut them out with a glass to even the edges. This is a totally unnecessarily step, but they do look nicer, don’t they? And we loved the little toasted crumbs that were left behind.



Enjoy!



Check out all the other lovely cheesy cookies my Creative Cookie Exchange friends have made. Many thanks to Renee of Magnolia Days for doing all the behind the scenes work this month!


Creative Cookie Exchange is hosted by Laura of The Spiced Life. We get together once a month to bake cookies with a common theme or ingredient so Creative Cookie Exchange is a great resource for cookie recipes. Be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts at The Spiced Life). We post the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month!

Pin it! 

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Sunday, July 17, 2016

Fresh Peach Cucumber Salad

Fresh peaches that aren’t fully ripe can still be used in a fresh peach cucumber salad, adding a tart bite with a hint of sweet. An herby dressing with mint and parsley complement the peaches beautifully.

Food Lust People Love: Fresh peaches that aren’t fully ripe can still be used in a fresh peach cucumber salad, adding a tart bite with a hint of sweet. An herby dressing with mint and parsley complement the peaches beautifully.


This week my Sunday Supper group are using peaches in a variety of recipes both sweet and savory. I’m in the Channel Islands right now where apparently they make no bones about the fact that the peaches are picked too young. The little plastic boxes they are sold in say quite boldly – Ripen At Home. But I think we all know how that turns out. They really don’t taste the same or ripen well at home. Never mind, though, because slightly under ripe peaches are still tasty in salad. If you are fortunate enough to have good peaches, those work too!

Fresh Peach Cucumber Salad

Aside from the mint and parsley, the dressing is a basic vinaigrette so if you have a favorite vinaigrette recipe, by all means use it and just add the herbs to the salad itself.

Ingredients
For the dressing:
1/4 cup or 60ml extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup or 30ml good quality white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon whole grain mustard
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh mint
1 tablespoon finely minced parsley
1/4 teaspoon sugar
For the salad:
1 English cucumber
4 peaches
1/4 medium purple onion
2 1/2 oz or 70g pea sprouts

Method
Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar. Close the lid tightly and give it a good shake to combine the ingredients. Set it aside at room temperature while you get on with prepping the salad.

Cut your cucumber lengthwise in half, then cut the halves again so you have four long pieces. If the seeds are too juicy, you can but them off and discard. (My dog loves them!) Chop the cucumber into smaller chunks.

Cut the peach off the pit in slices, then cut those into smaller pieces. If you have freestone peaches, you can remove the pit, then slice and cut.

Finely slice your onion.



Add the cucumber, peaches and onion to a large salad bowl.  Give the herb dressing another good shake and drizzle on just as much as you need to wet the peaches and cucumbers. You might not use it all. (It’ll keep well in the refrigerator for a week or two.)

Food Lust People Love: Fresh peaches that aren’t fully ripe can still be used in a fresh peach cucumber salad, adding a tart bite with a hint of sweet. An herby dressing with mint and parsley complement the peaches beautifully.


Toss to coat.

Add in the pea sprouts just as you are ready to serve and toss again.

Food Lust People Love: Fresh peaches that aren’t fully ripe can still be used in a fresh peach cucumber salad, adding a tart bite with a hint of sweet. An herby dressing with mint and parsley complement the peaches beautifully.


Enjoy!

Food Lust People Love: Fresh peaches that aren’t fully ripe can still be used in a fresh peach cucumber salad, adding a tart bite with a hint of sweet. An herby dressing with mint and parsley complement the peaches beautifully.


Many thanks to our Peachy Keen host, Sue of Palatable Pastime and our event manager, Renee of Renee’s Kitchen Adventures. Take a look at all the deliciousness we have for you this week!


Starters:
Breakfasts:
Beverages:
Condiments:
Sides & Salads:
Main Dishes:
Desserts

Pin this Peach Cucumber Salad!  

Food Lust People Love: Fresh peaches that aren’t fully ripe can still be used in a fresh peach cucumber salad, adding a tart bite with a hint of sweet. An herby dressing with mint and parsley complement the peaches beautifully.


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Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Cider Honey Quick Loaf #BreadBakers

This rich cider honey quick loaf is naturally sweetened by the cider and the honey. It’s especially delicious toasted.


This month my Bread Bakers are creating sweet breads without refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners. Our host Mayuri of Mayuri’s Jikoni limited us to natural sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, blackstrap molasses, dates, banana puree, coconut sugar, balsamic glaze, brown sugar syrup, real fruit jam made without any sugar, stevia or palm jaggery. Further, she said NO SUGAR - white, brown, demerara, turbinado, muscovado, etc- . to be used in the bake.

Trying to use what I have on hand, I decided that honey was the way to go. I’m in the Channel Islands right now so I am also fortunate to have ready access to alcohol, unlike at home in Dubai where one must have a license to purchase (and mine has expired.) The first thing we buy is some traditional English cider, often called hard cider in the United States. It's tart and dry with a little sweetness.

Ingredients
3 cups or 375g flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons honey
12 oz or 355ml cider, at room temperature
1/2 cup or 113g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In another smaller bowl, add the honey to half of the melted butter.

Pour in the cider and mix well.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just mixed.



Pour half of the remaining melted butter into the loaf pan.



Spoon the batter into the pan, and pour the rest of the butter on top of the batter. Jersey butter comes by its color naturally, from the beta-carotene in the grass the cows eat.



Use a pastry brush to spread it around.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden brown and a toothpick/knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the top is browning too quickly, cover with foil and continue baking until done.



Cool for a few minutes in the pan and then turn the loaf out on to a wire rack to cool.

Slice and enjoy!



Check out all the wonderful naturally sweetened breads we have for you today! Many thanks to Mayuri of Mayuri’s Jikoni for hosting.
BreadBakers
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.



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Sunday, July 10, 2016

Lime Coconut Lassi

Made with yogurt, coconut milk and fresh lime juice sweetened with a little honey, this coconut lime lassi is the perfect drink on a hot summer day. 




My mom has a go-to place in Houston when she is out running errands. It’s called Rajah’s and her standard order is two samosas and a sweet lassi. Somehow the cool yogurt drink goes perfectly with the spicy fried samosas filled with curried potatoes and peas. And the two together make the perfect snack.

This week my Sunday Supper group is cooking and creating with coconut so I made a delightful chickpea potato curry for the Sunday Supper website. So Tasty! For this space, what could be more perfect than a complementary lassi? The sharp lime juice and yogurt were deliciously mellowed by the creamy coconut and the honey added just the right amount of sweetness. This drink would also make a delicious cocktail with the simple addition of a little rum.

Ingredients - for about 12 oz or 355ml. One tall glass or two shorter glasses, if you feel like sharing.
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup or 240ml coconut milk
1/3 cup or 85g plain Greek (thick) yoghurt
6-8 ice cubes

Method
Add the lime juice and honey to a large clean jar. Swirl around or stir until the honey dissolves in the lime juice.



Add in the coconut milk, yogurt and ice.


Put the lid on the jar and shake until well combined and frothy. Pour into glass or glasses.


Garnish with slices of lime.



Enjoy!

Are you craving coconut? This is your Sunday! Many thanks to our host Conni of Cosmopolitan Cornbread and our event manager Shelby of Grumpy’s Honeybunch for all of their hard work this week.

Great Starts
Dive in with Sides and Appetizers
Coco-Nutty Main Dishes
"Col-lots-a" Desserts
Sweet to Sip Beverages

Pin it! 


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Sunday, July 3, 2016

Pumped Up Potato Salad

Pumped up potato salad combines new potatoes with charred red peppers, tomatoes, olives, feta and basil for a wonderful summer salad.
 
Food Lust People Love: Pumped up potato salad combines new potatoes with charred red peppers, tomatoes, olives, feta and basil for a wonderful summer salad.


I love new potatoes. In fact, if I can make a confession, we ate them for dinner last night and they are on the menu again tonight. You see, it’s the season. One can find little potatoes at other times of the year but what separates a new potato from a simply small potato is the thin skin that can be eaten. In some varieties, like the Jersey Royal, it’s so thin that it can be rubbed off with bare hands. In any case, with new potatoes, no peeling is necessary.

Here's another confession. I wanted to name these Pimp My Potato Salad but my younger daughter wouldn't let me.

Pumped Up Potato Salad

This week my Sunday Supper group is sharing easy recipes for the Fourth of July. While my grandmother’s more labor-intensive mayo-based potato salad is far and away my favorite, this pumped up potato salad is a close second. It’s easy to make and travels well – no big worries about refrigeration - which makes it the perfect for bringing to an Independence Day picnic or barbecue.

Ingredients
1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons salt
1 lb or 450g new potatoes
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
14 oz or 400g grape tomatoes, assorted colors
1 red pepper
1/2 cup or 70g pitted, sliced black olives
3 1/2 oz or 100g feta cheese
Black pepper
handful basil leaves

Method
Put the potatoes to cook in a pot of boiling water with about 1 1/2 teaspoon salt added in, until fork tender.

Meanwhile thinly slice your onion and crush/mince your garlic. Add them to a large bowl with the white balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle on some salt and give the content a good stir. Set aside to marinate.



Skewer your red pepper with a fork and hold it over the flame of your gas stove, turning slowing until the pepper is charred on all side.

If you don’t have gas, you can also roast the pepper in a very hot oven. Pop charred pepper in a sturdy plastic bag when it’s done and twist the top closed.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain them well and set aside to cool for about five minutes.

Mix the olive oil in with the other dressing ingredients.

Remove the red pepper from the bag and use your clean hands to rub off the charred skin. Cut off and discard the interior membranes and seeds. Slice the red pepper into strips.



When the potatoes are still warm but not hot, add them to the bowl and toss to make sure that they are covered with the onion garlic dressing. If there are a few that are bigger than bite-sized, you can cut these in half.





Add the pepper strips, tomatoes and olives to the salad bowl. Toss well.

Food Lust People Love: Pumped up potato salad combines new potatoes with charred red peppers, tomatoes, olives, feta and basil for a wonderful summer salad.


Crumble in the feta and sprinkle on some more salt, to taste and a few good grinds of fresh black pepper.

Tear the basil leaves with your hands and toss them with the rest of the salad.

Enjoy!

Food Lust People Love: Pumped up potato salad combines new potatoes with charred red peppers, tomatoes, olives, feta and basil for a wonderful summer salad.





Many thanks to Cindy from Cindy's Recipes and Writings who is hosting this week and Shelby from Grumpy's Honeybunch, our event manager. Your hard work is greatly appreciated, ladies!

Are you looking for some easy recipes to bring to a Fourth of July celebration? Sunday Supper has got you covered! Check out all great recipes below – so many that are red, white and blue as well!

All-American Appetizers
America the Beautiful Beverages
Raise the Flag Breakfasts
For the Red, White and Blue Salads and Main Dishes
Oh Say Can You See Desserts


Pin this Pumped up Potato Salad! 

Food Lust People Love: Pumped up potato salad combines new potatoes with charred red peppers, tomatoes, olives, feta and basil for a wonderful summer salad.
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Monday, June 27, 2016

Sweet Corn Muffins #MuffinMonday

Just a little cornmeal adds a lovely flavor to these tender sweet muffins, without making them as heavy as cornbread could be. It’s all a manner of ratios, more flour to less cornmeal. 

It’s Muffin Monday time again! Somehow the last Monday of the month always seems to sneak up on me but I am delighted to say that my Muffin Monday bakers are clearly more organized than I am and are turning out in force this month. We’ve got seven wonderfully creative muffins for you and my rather normal sweet corn muffins. That said, sometimes normal can be terrific.

My younger daughter is home for a visit so I let her choose the muffin I’d make this month. After all, she’d probably be the one eating most of them. She told me of a sweet corn muffin they used to serve when she was still in school. It was sweet, but not too sweet, with a subtle corn flavor. It did not have any actual corn in it. In fact, when I asked that question, she looked horrified. You might remember my discussing her assertion that everybody likes plain things. Anyway, if there wasn’t actual corn, I had to presume that it was made with cornmeal. Last but not least, it was light in texture, not heavy like cornbread.

So, here you go. I think this muffin fulfills all of her requirements: A tender, light, fluffy, sweet corn muffin. Perfect for breakfast or snack time. As a bonus, the muffin top edges are almost crunchy from the cornmeal. She's still sleeping as I post this so I'll have to report back later on her verdict.

Update: She says the muffins are very good but the ones at school had more corn flavor. Next time I'm going to up the ratio of cornmeal to flour a little.

Make sure you scroll down to see the link list of the other more creative muffins!

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups or 190ml flour
1/2 cup or 100g sugar
1/2 cup or 85g yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 or 300ml cups milk
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil
2 large eggs

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C. Grease or paper-line your 12-cup muffin pan.

Whisk together your flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl.



In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together your milk, oil and eggs, until fully combined.


Fold your wet ingredients into your dry ingredients, until just combined.



Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. They are going to be pretty full but you can manage to fit it all in.


Bake in your preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden brown around the edges and a toothpick stuck in the middle of one comes out clean. Cool in the pan for a few minutes then remove the muffins to a wire rack.



Enjoy!



Check out all the great muffins we have for you this month!



#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page

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