Catherine Wheel Biscuits

Catherine wheel biscuits are ideal to make for the hungry party goers on bonfire night, the 5th of November.  Note that the rum can be omitted for young children.

 

Ingredients

8oz/250g self raising flour
4oz/125g unrefined caster sugar
4oz/110g soft margarine
1 large beaten egg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tespoons dark rum

Method

1 Cream together the soft margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
2 Keep one dessertspoon of egg white from the egg and add the remaining egg to the margarine mixture.
3 Add the flour and knead to form a firm dough
4 Divide the dough into two then add the cocoa to one part and rum to the other
5 Knead both separately until the cocoa and rum have blended into the dough
6 On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough to form to oblongs 12 inch (30cm) x 8 inch (20cm)
7 Use the reserved egg white to brush the chocolate dough, cover with the rum dough and roll up the two pieces
8 Wrap the dough roll in foil and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes
9 Cut into catherine wheels of a quarter inch (5mm) in thickness

10 Arrange on a greased baking tray and cook in a pre-heated oven at 190 degrees centigrade/gas mark 5 for about 10 minutes or until lightly coloured.

11 Cool in the tin on a wire cooling rack.

                                          

Makes about 30 biscuits

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Maple Pear Pudding

This is a lovely recipe, the pears come out really super, spicy and sweet.  It is a relatively easy recipe to make too.

 

Ingredients

8 softish peeled, cored and halved pears

125ml maple syrup

125ml lemonade

 

Method

1 Butter an open proof dish.

2 Place the pears cut side down onto the base of the dish.

3 Stir together the maple syrup and lemonade.

4 Pour the liquid over the pears.

5 Cover the dish with a lid or with aluminium foil.

6 Place the dish on a hot baking tray.

7 Transfer the dish into the oven set at 200 degrees centigrade/gas mark 6 for 30 minutes.

8 Remove the dish from the oven.

9 Remove the lid or the aluminium foil.

10 Place the dish back into the oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the pears are soft and sticky.

 

Serve hot or cold with freshly whipped double cream or a vanilla ice cream.

 

Serves 4 people 

 

Notes

Instead of lemonade you can use a dessert wine.

If you don’t like maple syrup try runny honey instead.

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Orchard Pork

 

This recipe is an economical dish for the harvest time (or anytime you wish).

 

Ingredients

3lb piece of pork spare ribs

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

salt

pepper

3 unpeeled, cored and quartered eating apples

3 firm unpeeled, cored and quartered pears

5fl oz cider

stock or water

3 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons cider

2 tablespoons redcurrant jelly

 

Method

1 Wash and dry the pork spareribs thoroughly.

2 Brush or smear the pork with oil.

3 Sprinkle over a little salt.

4 Place the ribs onto a roasting rack sitting in a roasting pan.

5 Place in the oven at 190 degrees centigrade/gas mark 5 for 30 minutes.

6 Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees centigrade/gas mark 4 for 60 minutes.

7 Remove the pork from the oven.

8 Remove the rack from the baking tin.

9 Drain off the excess fat and keep to 1 side.

10 Place the fruit pieces onto the base of the baking tray.

11 Place the pork over the fruits.

12 Return to the oven for 30 minutes or until the fruit and the pork are cooked thoroughly.

13 Cover the pork and allow to rest.

14 Spoon the fruits onto a carving plate, cover with aluminium foil and keep warm.

15 Drain the liquid from the roasting pan into a pint measure.

16 Make upto 1/2 pint with stock or water.

17 Take 3 tablespoons of pork fat and pour into a saucepan.

18 Add the flour and stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

19 Cook out, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.

20 Add the redcurrant jelly and mix thoroughly.

21 Add the cider slowly, stirring constantly.

22 Bring the gravy to the boil.

23 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for a minute.

24 Gradually add the stock a little at a time.

25 Bring back to the boil.

26 Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the required consistency is reached.

27 Check for seasoning and adjust.

28 Place the pork on top of the fruit.

 

Serve with potatoes and seasonal vegetables.

 

Serves 4 people

 

Notes

Calvados can be used instead of cider.

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Crafty’s Chocolate Trifle

This is my birthday treat to myself every year.   Ingredients 1 chocolate swiss roll 1 large drained tin black cherries Kirsch to taste 1 made up chocolate blancmange small tub double cream chocolate to decorate   Method 1 Slice swiss roll and place in the bottom of serving dish 2 Spoon over drained black cherries. 3 Mix Kirsch and black cherry juice, pour over swiss roll and cherries 4 Pour over cooled chocolate blancmange. 5 Cool in the fridge. 6 Whip double cream to soft peak stage and spread over chocolate blancmange. 7 Decorate with chocolate of choice. I have used sprinkles, curls, broken flake and chocolate buttons. 8 Serve chilled.

Serves 6 to 8 people

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Lamb Shanks In Red Wine

Lamb is my favourite meat and the shanks are my favourite cut, they are so juicy and tender when cooked for a long time at a low temperature and benefit even more when reheated, again cooked slowly for a long time.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 lamb shanks
2 large sliced onions
1 large sliced carrot
few celery leaves or 1 large stick celery thinly sliced
1 sliced garlic clove
250ml/9fl oz good full-bodied red wine
250 ml/9fl oz lamb or vegetable stock
175ml/6fl oz tomato passata
1 teaspoon golden caster sugar
1 large cracked bay leaf
1 large sprig thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 heaped tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

 

Method
1 Put a large casserole dish that will snugly hold the lamb shanks in a single layer over a high heat with 1 tablespoon oil.
2 Add the lamb shanks and brown really well on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3 Reduce the heat, add the remaining oil (if needed) and the sliced onions, carrot and celery (but not the leaf).
4 Let the vegetables sweat for about 5 minitess until they are tender.
5 Add the garlic and continue to cook for a further minute.
6 Pour the red wine into the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
7 Add the stock and passata and bring back to the boil.
8 Season to taste.
9 Add the sugar, bay leaf, thyme and celery leaf if using, stir well.
10 Add the lamb shanks, coat thoroughly in the braising liquid.
11 Cover with a tight-fitting lid and braise at 160 degrees centigrade/gas 2 on the middle shelf of the oven for about 2 hours or until the meat is really tender.
12 Turn the meat in the liquid every 30 mins.
13 Remove from the oven.
14 Remove the thyme, bay leaf and celery leaf.
15 Allow to cool overnight in the fridge.
16 Skim for any excess fat.
17 Re-check the seasoning of the sauce.
18 Place the casserole in the oven at 160 degrees centigrade/gas 2 for 2 to 3 hours to heat through thoroughly.
19 Scatter with parsley and serve with lots of creamy ultra smooth mashed potatoes.

After 3 hours of reheating the meat just fell off the bone and melted in the mouth.

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Making The Christmas Cake

Mums Christmas Cake Recipe   Dear mum made this cake every year on Stir Up Sunday.  It was always stored in fresh greaseproof paper in her special cake tin.    She always marzipanned it on December the 10th to enable the marzipan to dry out so that the marzipan did not bleed into the Royal Icing and always stored in the lid of the tin as a base and the original base was used as the lid, which might sound odd but it was so easy to get in and out of the tin.     The cake was religiously iced on December the 17th to allow the icing to dry out so that the decorations did not bleed into the virgin white icing and the band did not stick to it.    The finale occured on Christmas Eve when I used to help her decorate it with the obligatory Santa, snowman, reindeer and Christmas trees and the beautiful frilly cake band always secured by a sterilized pin. Ingredients 225g/8oz raisins 170g/6oz currants 450g/1lb sultanas 110g/4oz glace cherries, quartered and then cut in half again zest and juice of 1 lemon zest and juice of 1 orange 2 to 6 tablespoons sherry, dark rum, whisky or brandy 225g/8 oz butter at room temperature 225/8oz soft brown sugar 4 large beaten eggs 225g/8 oz plain flour 1/2 teaspoon mixed ground spice 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 80g/3oz flaked almonds   Method 1 Place the raisins, currants, sultanas, glace cherries, lemon an orange zests and juices into a medium sized saucepan. 2 Bring to the boil. 3 Remove from the heat and stir in the alcahol. 4 Cool completely. 5 Oil an 8 inches deep round cake tin with a loose bottom.  6 Line the tin with baking parchment or greaseproof paper. 7 Oil the paper. 8 Wrap brown paper or newspaper and tie with string 9 Purée one third of the fruit and all of the juice in a liquidiser or food processor or use a stick blender. 10 Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until almost white, soft and very fluffy. 11 Gradually add the beaten eggs a tablespoonful at a time, beating well between additions. (If the cake mixture curdles add a tablespoon of plain flour and then continue as normal).. 12 Add the fruit puree and stir well. 13 Add the fruits and nuts stir well. 14 Sieve the flour and the spices together. 15 Add the flour and spices into the cake. 16 Spoon into the tin and level the surface. 17 Bake at 170 degrees centigrade/gas mark 3 for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the skewer when placed into the centre of the cake comes out clean. 18 Cool in the tin on a wire cooling rack. 19 When completely cool remove the old greaseproof/baking parchment paper and replace with new and store in an airtight tin in a cool place, but not in the fridge.   Serves 15 to 20 quite generously

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Stir Up Sunday

This is always the last Sunday before Advent and is traditionally the time to get the Christmas puddings and cakes made for Christmas Day.   In Victorian times the Minister would deliver a stirring speach at the Sunday service to the cooks to prepare for the forthcomming Christmas feasts.   An important addition is that each member of the household and family should give the pudding mixture a final stir before the long steaming.   Lucky additions to the pudding are said to be:-   1 An old coin to be cooked in the pudding is supposed to bring wealth to the lucky diner who finds it in their dish on Christmas Day. An old silver sixpence or threepenny bit is the traditional coin, but a thoroughly washed ’silver’ coin has to do today.   2 A ring is supposed to signify an impending marriage.   3 A thimble indicates a lucky life.   Just warn the diners before eating to look out for something inedible wrapped in greaseproof paper or aluminium foil! Grannys Christmas Pudding   This recipe has been in the family for years. It is lighter than most Christmas puddings best served with brandy butter, custard or freshly whipped double cream. This pudding is traditionally made on ‘Stir Up Sunday’.   Ingredients 8oz melted butter 10oz stale breadcrumbs 4oz plain flour 1/2 teaspoon ground mace 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 8oz demerara sugar 5oz candied mixed peel 6oz quartered glace cherries (or cut into 1/8 if large) 8oz sultanas 1lb raisins 3oz chopped nuts 1 grated medium sized carrot 6 large beaten eggs 2 tablespoons black treacle 1/2 pint strong ale   Method 1 Sieve flour and spices into a huge mixing bowl. 2 Add breadcrumbs and sugar, mix well. 3 Add candied peel, cherries, sultanas, raisins, nuts and grated carrot. Mix well. 4 Add beaten eggs and treacle, mix well. 5 Add cooled melted butter, mix well. 6 Add beer and mix well. 7 Cover bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge overnight. 8 Mix for a final time. Let each member of the family stir and make a wish. 9 Divide between 4 x 1 pint greased pudding basins. 10 Cover with a pleated sheet of greaseproof paper. 11 Cover with a pleated sheet of aluminium foil. 12 Secure with a large piece of string. 13 Steam for a minimum of 4 hours. 14 Cool slightly in the bowl, turn out onto a wire rack. 15 When cool cover with clean greaseproof paper and aluminium foil. 16 Store in a cool dry place for up to 18 months wrapped in greaseproof paper. 17 To reheat, steam for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.   Notes Smaller versions can be made – I use a 180ml greased dairyole mould with a small circle of greaseproof paper on the bottom. Cover as per the 1 pint bowl. The cooking time is 3 hours (for a lighter coloured version or 4 hours for a darker colour), then 1 – 1 1/2 hours on the day of eating.   For larger versions – 2 pint sized bowl, prepare as before. Steam for 8 hours and then 2 1/2 hours on the day of eating.   It was traditional to place a silver thrupenny bit coin in the pudding, now this custom is slowly fizzling out due to safety reasons.

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