Showing posts with label utensils. Show all posts
Showing posts with label utensils. Show all posts

Thursday, 22 March 2012

Mother Knows Best!

Granny's jam pan!
When I was a little girl I used to pretend to be on TV presenting a cooking programme!  Strange how things turn out as, ironically, that's just what I do for a living - although not on TV.....  I would sit at the kitchen table and "present" to my mum whilst she prepared dinner.  Whilst she said she was a "boring" cook I would redefine that to be a "plain" cook.  A skill in itself is to be able to assemble a tasty meal from - what appear to be - bits of this and that left in the larder. 

I enjoy cooking with my kids and hope that I can pass on some of my Granny's wisdom and that of my mum.  In fact, only today I was looking for a recipe when I came across an old recipe collection - I had forgotten it was there.  To my delight on the inside cover my mother's name before she married and a wide selection of recipes ranging from war-time favourites including Mock Cream and Apple Dumplings through to more modern additions of how to cook spaghetti!

Lists of the amounts of sugar required for jam making and sauces traditionally served with meats alongside meats and poutlry in season, including Hare, Partridge, Grouse and English Plover.  Fantastic!

Inspired by my memories of my childhood and mums kitchen I made marmalade!

Beautiful, sunny, happy day - I love days like this...

Sheila's Saville Orange Marmalade

Seville oranges as required. 12 is a good number and makes about 10lbs when finished.
To each pound of fruit allow 2 pints water.  Weigh again when cooked and cut up and allow 1 lb of sugar to 1lb  of fruit and water.

Method:

  • Wipe and weigh oranges.
  • Put them into a preserving pan with the water.
  • Cover the fruit with a large place, to keep them under the water and boil them for 11/2 hours.
  • Leave until next day in the water then remove oranges from liquid.
  • Cut into quarters, scrape out the pulp, soft pith and rub through a sieve.
  • Boil pips in a saucepan with 1 pint water until reduced to about half.  Add to this whatever pulp is left after rubbing through the sieve.
  • Strain it off and add to the water in which the oranges were boiled.
  • Add sieved pulp and peel cut into thin strips.
  • Weigh and add sugar and cook slowly until dissolved, then bring to a rolling boil.
  • Boil until it will jelly when cold, keeping it stirred and when nearly ready remove any scum that may be on top.

Tip:  An easy way is to weigh preserving pan or bowl and weigh liquid in it, then add sugar accordingly.

Carol's version:

Method:


  • On Large Grooved Cutting Board, quarter oranges using Utility Knife, remove fruit pulp and chop. 
  • Place skins to one side.
  • Put pulp in bowl and seperate out pips - place pips in Small Batter Bowl.
  • Take half the skins and cut into thin strips - add to fruit pulp.
  • Cover pips with water.  Leave everything overnight.
  • Weigh fruit and allow 2 pints of water per 1 lb of fruit. Add 1 lb sugar per 1 lb fruit.
  • Strain pips and gather all jelly and strained liquid - use this in your liquid allowance.
  • Put fruit, sugar and liquid into preserving pan.
  • Add juice of 2 lemons.
  • Bring to boil, stirring and then allow to bubble well (rolling boil)

Tip:

Push the cooled liquid with your finger and it should wrinkle
  • To test if setting point has been reached, chill a plate in the fridge or freezer, drop a small amount of liquid on it and when cold push the liquid with your finger - if it wrinkles then it is ready, if not boil for longer!
Hot liquid = hot jars!
  • Warm jars in oven and then ladle warm marmalade in - if you use a jam funnel it makes it easier.



Sunday, 11 March 2012

Berry hearts


Sunday afternoons are meant to be lazy, leisurely events... A cup of tea in the sunshine and these attractive - and very simple to make -  Berry Hearts make me think of long summer days and the delicious juicy fresh flavours that are so abundant!  Once again this recipe is from Debbie at Slimming World and is absolutely scrummy!


Serves: 4

Syns per serving:   5.5 Syns on Extra Easy, Green or Red

Ingredients 

100g/3½oz puff pastry
100g/3½oz fat free natural fromage frais
57g/2oz quark
2 tbsp artificial sweetener
a few drops of rose water
340g/12oz mixed berries
icing sugar to dust

  • Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas 7. 
  • Divide the pastry into 4 equal portions and using the Baker's Roller, roll each one to make a 4-5in square. 
  • Cut a heart shape from each pastry square and place on a Rectangle Stone.
  • With a sharp Utility Knife score a border, about  ¼ - ½ inch from the edge of each heart. 
  • Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the pastry has risen and is slightly golden. 
  • Remove from the oven and place on the Stackable Cooling Rack to cool, push down the centres of the hearts gently to make a case for the filling.
  • Place fromage frais, quark and sweetener into Classic Batter Bowl and using the Double Balloon Whisk beat them together.
  • Measure the Rose Water using the Adjustable Measuring Spoons and add to fromage frais mixture.
  • Using the Easy Accent Decorator pipe mixture onto the bases of each heart. 
  • Top with the berries and serve dusted with a little icing sugar (use the Flour/Sugar Shaker to do this for ease).
Chef's tip: Prepare the pastry case and the creamy filling in advance, and then assemble when you are ready to serve.

Thursday, 8 March 2012

Kids Chuck and Bung Veggie Curry


OK, so yesterday I was Wonder Woman! 


School run without hiccups; packed lunches remembered, ironing done, Jeremy Kyle watched (it makes me realise how good my life it compared to those muppets!), hoovered and found out when tickets for the local JLS concert are going on sale!  That was all completed just in time for 11am coffee!!


Kids in from school - my son announced "I only want fruit and vegetables for tea Mummy!" OK - like the idea, but I bet I'd choose the wrong ones.....  I suggested the children collected the veggies together they wanted to eat - to my amazement this was the result!


Vegetable Curry - we call it a Chuck and Bung dish (you chuck it all in a pan and bung it on the stove!)

Any veg you want to use - we chucked together:  Onion, Carrots, Broccoli, Mushrooms, Pepper, French Beans, Asparagas, Tomatoes, Spinach, Celery, Root ginger, Garlic
Other things we bunged in:  Dessicated coconut, Sultanas, Garam Masala, Chilli powder, Turmeric, Curry powder, Chopped tomatoes, Tomato paste, Honey
Optional:  Double cream or Natural Yoghurt

What we did:
On Cutting Board, chop onion using Chefs Knife, place in Stir-fry Skillet. 
With Food Chopper chop ginger and then crush garlic using Garlic Press - add to pan.  Toss in a couple of handfuls of dessicated coconut and saute.  Stir occasionally using Small Mix n Scraper until coconut is toasted (I wish you could smell this it's so good!)  If you need to 'hide' vegetables, the Food Chopper is a great tool to use (sneeky Mummy - I did with the Spinach!)
Add rest of chopped vegetables, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, honey and sultanas.  Combine and bring to the boil.





Measure spices using Adjustable Measuring Spoons.  For the rice use the fabulous Rice Cooker (I use it for everything and rice!!! More to follow on that in later posts...)  Measure 1 250ml Prep Bowl of rice and add 1.5 - 2 Prep Bowls of water.  Microwave as per rice packet instructions.  The insert in the lid of the Rice Cooker catches all the starch and leaves you with perfect results - every time!

Thursday, 1 March 2012

Cooking Shows - live

Who do you know who likes to eat?

A Cooking Show is a fun, social event where your friends, neighbours, colleagues and family gather together to enjoy some live recipe demonstrations and get to taste some great food. They can try out professional quality kitchen gadgets and utensils and make purchases.

What's in it for you?

We like to thank our Hosts in a generous way - Click here to learn more...

Check my availability

Fundraising is fun

Our versatile fundraising programme can be tailored to meet your specific needs. There’s something here for every fundraiser, from an in-home Cooking Show through to a themed "Ready, Steady, Cook!", a Mexican Fiesta or a Pimms and Pud garden party! We can even take into consideration specific requirements for Vegetarians, Coeliacs and people with food allergy.

Click here to check my availability ....

To raise the profile of your event we recommend that you sell tickets (that will also provide us with the correct numbers to cater for). The ticket money goes straight to your charity or fund. Included in the ticket price you may wish to give your guests a drink (either wine or something softer) and some food. The food prepared during the demonstration will be added to your buffet. In addition, I am happy to provide a substantial prize for your raffle – again, a great way to raise funds during the event.

Our high quality kitchen and tableware is used during the demonstration, which of course your guests may wish to purchase. A percentage of my sales will be donated to your charity and for each Cooking Show booking I take you will receive an additional £2.50.

We agree the recipe(s) and I will advise you of the ingredients required. You provide the ingredients and the audience and let me do the rest!