Baked Nectarines with Almonds and Sultanas

Tonight’s pudding was baked nectarines with flaked almonds and sultanas… perfect for when the weather is wet and wild like tonight!

A real easy pudding to assemble…

1. Half the nectarines and take the stones out
2. assemble in an ovenproof dish
3. fill the holes where the stones came out with brown sugar
4. sprinkle with sultanas and flaked almonds
5. bake in the oven
6. serve with a good vanilla ice cream… or clotted cream… or double cream

 

Enjoy :o)

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

I was in my local supermarket earlier and I picked up 2 heads of organic broccoli reduced to only £0.03 each!!  …. you know what it’s like, your head starts going through possible yummy recipes… my head was telling me soup! 😉    I nipped round to the cheese counter and picked up a bit of stilton.

|This recipe should serve six.

Ingredients:

• 50g / 2oz butter
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Garlic Clove, crushed
• 2 large heads of Broccoli
• 2-3 oz of Stilton Cheese or adjust depending on your preference
• Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
• 1-1.5 litres boiling water and a stock cube

Method :

• Heat the Butter in a large pan, add the onion and garlic and leave to cook on a low-med heat for 8 mins until they become soft and clear
• Whilst the onion and garlic are softening, chop the broccoli as finely as possible.   Add the chopped broccoli to the onions and pour in 1 litre of boiling water an a stock cube and bring back to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• When the broccoli is tender, add the stilton cheese.   Whizz the soup well in a liquidiser to give it a really smooth texture.
• Check and adjust the seasoning and reheat if necessary.

Rhubarb and Apple Crumble

Ingredients :

• 450g (1lb) Rhubarb, shorn of leaves, trimmed and cut into 2.5cm (1in) lengths
• 450g (1lb) cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
• 150g (5oz) light muscavado sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

For the crumble :

• 60g (2oz) rolled oats
• 175g (6oz) plain flour
• 110g (4oz) unsalted butter
• 110g (4oz) demerara sugar

Method :

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C, 400 Degrees F, Gas 6
2. To make the crumble topping, mix the oats and flour, and rub in the butter until you have a pile of small crumble.   Stir in the sugar.
3. Mix the rhubarb and apples in a pie dish and dredge with the light muscavado sugar, then sprinkle with sinnamon.
4. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly and thickly over the top.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes, or a little longer if necessary, until the top is golden brown, with the juice bubbling up a little round the sides.
6. Serve hot or warm with cream or custard or even some gorgeous white chocolate ice cream to melt and ooze into the hot juices.

Recipe courtesy of Sophie Grigsons Country Kitchen – ISBN 0-7553-1054-3

Garlic Mushrooms on Toast

Frugal Jumbo Garlic Mushrooms on Toast.

I popped round to my local supermarket last night as I needed to pick up some cat food, and whilst I was in there I spied some Jumbo Mushrooms reduced to 5p per packet, an absolute bargin! I bought 2 packs.. so on the way home I had plans whizzing round in my head of everything I could make with them…  Garlic Mushrooms on toast…. Cream of Mushroom Soup…. and a mushroom pilaf… yumm..

So.. today I have already made lunch (above) the Cream of Mushroom soup is on the cooker bubbling away as I type this and as for the mushroom pilaf, that will be made tomorrow 🙂

For the Garlic Butter I used :

• Lightly Salted butter softened (at room temp)
• 2 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
• about a teaspoon of dried oregano
• Mix all the above until combined well
• Turn the mushrooms upside down and Spread the butter all over
• Place in an ovenware dish and bake in the oven at 180 degrees C for 15 minutes
• Place a couple of slices of bread in the toaster
• When the mushrooms and toast are cooked, place the toast on a plate, pour the excess garlic butter from the dish all over the toast, then place a mushroom on each slice and enjoy with a cup of hot tea

Enjoy!

Pineapple & White Choc Chip Muffins

I’ve been making rather a lot of Muffins lately….

But there is a genuine reason for this muffin overdose on my blog, my daughter.. she needs to practice making muffins, she has an exam this friday coming.

So instead of baking different things at the weekend, as I love to do, we have been making mostly….. the humble muffin 🙂

My daughter will be making Strawberry and White Choc Chip Muffins on the day of the exam, today we bring to you……….

Pineapple and White Choc Chip Muffins

Makes 12

Ingredients :

• 4oz – 115g Butter or margarine, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 oz – 70g caster sugar
• 1oz – 30g dark brown sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 7 1/2oz – 215g Plain Flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4fl oz – 125ml Milk
• 4oz White Choc Chips
• 5oz Fresh Pineapple, chopped small.

Method :

• Cream the butter until soft and add both the caster and the dark brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the eggs 1 at a time
• sift together the flour and baking powder, then fold into the butter mixture, alternating with the milk then fold in the pineapple and the choc chips.
• Divide the mixture equally between the 12 muffin cases/tin
• Bake for 25 minutes @ 375 degrees F – 190 degrees C or Gas Mark 5
• Once baked allow to stand for 25 minutes before turning out.

Verdict : My daughter gave it 8/10 because of the lack of choc chip in the one she ate and my son gave it 9/10 loved the taste combination.

Blackcurrants….

I have one blackcurrant bush in my garden, and when I was out cutting the grass tonight I noticed the little purple berries peeking from beneath the leaves…

I popped into the kitchen to get a container, and 5 mins later I had half a tub of gorgeous juicy blackcurants, I weighed them …. 290g! not bad from one bush 🙂

I’ve just got to make some blackcurrant jam with them, you just cant beat some hot buttered toast spread thick with blackcurrant jam… (my mouth is watering here lol).