2010

When I was at uni I was something of a drunken sot, but since leaving I rarely drink if at all, apart from two exceptions; Eggnog and Mulled Wine. I know a lot of people don’t like Eggnog because of the raw egg element, and it’s not a traditional or popular a drink in the UK as it is in the US. If eggnog isn’t your thing, you can’t go wrong with mulled wine, there’s something about warmed wine that has an almost sedative like quality, I’ve missed many a Christmas day film after a glass or two of the mulled stuff only to wake up during the closing credits.

An ability to produce homemade mince pie’s is a skill in other people that I greatly admire, and at the start of the year I decided I wanted to be one of these clever people and endeavoured to make my very own mince pies, from scratch, from the pastry to the mincemeat, every last bit of it would be made by my own fair hands. I talked about the hitch I had with the mincemeat, but luckily I found a Gluten-Free mincemeat recipe (god bless Nigella) which I made at the very start of November, and finally this week I decided the time was right to unite mince with pie and bake a batch.

Ingredients 1 Sachet of powdered gelatin 250g Granulated sugar (the same sugar you would use for jam making) 1 Egg white A few drops of pink food colouring 1-2 Tbsp’s cornflour 1-2 Tbsp’s icing sugar 1/2 Tsp vanilla extract Vegetable/sunflower oil Baking parchment and a shallow baking tray Method Start by using the oil to grease a shallow tin. I used round cake tins to make my marshmallow, but you could use any sort of tin as long as its shallow enough.

I harked on about Snicker-doodles in yesterdays post, but actually failed to explain what they are. According to Nigella they’re sort of like an oven baked doughnut and a cross between a cookie and sponge, they remind me of those massive sweet pretzels with the cinnamon sugar, and everyone knows I’m a slut for cinnamon. They’re the sort of thing that could be varied in so many different ways, but for now I’m going to give you the original recipe without any variations.

Phil’s original recipe contains chicken, while I have nothing against chicken, it sometimes doesn’t agree with me, so I generally leave it out. I’ll put the amounts and instructions if you want to add chicken to yours, or you can follow the amounts that I use and add extra prawns./ Ingredients Serves 4 2 Inch wedge or chorizo (you can get this cut to size at the Deli counter at your supermarket) cut into smallish chunks 200g/7oz Prawns (if your omitting the chicken, 180g if not) 1 Large red pepper diced 1 Large onion (i use white, but red is fine) finely diced 1 Crushed clove of garlic A big glug of olive oil 2 Tsp’s of smoked paprika 600ml strong stock (I use veggie stock, but feel free to use chicken) 2 Tsp’s tomato puree Small bunch of spring onions 160g white long grained rice (feel free to use brown rice if you’d like) salt and pepper If you want to add chicken you’ll need one large chicken breast cut into 2cm chunks.

Ingredients Makes 12 125g/5oz Butter (softened) 125g/5oz Caster sugar 125g/5oz Gluten-Free self raising flour (Doves Farm, Glutafin) 2 Eggs 2 Tsp’s instant coffee + a few drops of water 1 Tsp of vanilla essence (or extract, whichever your prefer) For the frosting 125g/5oz Full fat cream cheese (lite or half fat versions work just was well) 50g/2oz Softened butter 300g/ 10 1/2oz Icing sugar 1-2 Tsps instant coffee Method

Before we get started you will need a sterilised jar or two to store your cooked mincemeat in. I used a Kilner jar with a one litre capacity. if your new to sterilising jars I’ve included a Tips for Dummies guide just for you! Ingredients 250g Dark, soft muscovado sugar 250ml Dry cider (I used Henney’s) 6 Tablespoons of brandy Juice and rind of a small lemon 1 kg Cooking apples 1/2 Tsp cinnamon 1/2 Tsp nutmeg 1/2 Tsp ginger 250g Currants 250g Raisins 80g Glace cherries quartered If almonds don’t make your toes curl, you might want to include 75g’s of them finely chopped Method

I adapted this recipe from ye old faithful Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook who’s cakes and biccies are on a par with my one and only Nigella. Ingredients Makes 20 270g Soft butter 160g Caster sugar 160g Soft brown demerara sugar 2 Large eggs 1/4 Tsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp of vanilla essence 380g Plain Flour (as always Doves Farm are great, but any plain flour mix works just as well) 1 Tsp bicarbonate of soda 1/2 Tsp salt 1/2 Tsp cinnamon 110g Rolled oats (omit if you can’t tolerate oats) 220g Sultana’s Note: I use Sultana’s in this cookie recipe becauseIi think they’re not so shriveled as raisins and tend not to burn as easily either, but feel free to use raisins if you prefer.

This recipe is so easy, and you can also triple the ingredients and make one big crumble if you wanted or even swap the apple for rhubarb (which I prefer) or cherries or pretty much anything you want really, it’s quite versatile. Whether I make up a one-person crumble or not I always make a large batch of crumble mix and freeze it so I can just take it out of the freezer when I need it so below are the larger quantities (quarter them if your making a one person crumble).

Ingredients For the Pesto 112g/4oz Basil 300ml Olive oil 90g/3oz Toasted pine nuts 4 Peeled garlic cloves 100g/3 1/2oz Grated Parmesan For the pasta 400g/14oz Of any pasta you like, I use Dietary Specials Fusilli or Penne pasta, but you could use Spaghetti if it takes your fancy, it makes no real difference to the recipe so don’t fret. 8 Rashers of bacon, you could also use a chuck of chorizo if your not keen on bacon.

As if I could be the captain of a trawler, good grief! Ingredients Serves 4 450g/15 1/2oz Mixed, boneless fish cut into large cubes I used a mixture of prawns, cod and haddock 600ml Milk I Large leek sliced 100g/4oz Butter 50g/2oz Gluten Free Plain Flour (Dietary Specials, Glutafin, Juvela, Doves Farm) 1 Tbsp Fresh or dried parsley 50ml White wine 3-4 Medium sized potatoes for mashing 1 Tbsp Olive oil Medium sized oven proof pie dish Method

Thankfully I’m already totally in keeping with the Pink Campaign by Breast Cancer Care with my oh-so-pink blog. And here’s another oh-so-pink and shamelessly girly Pink Cupcake recipe in honour of breast cancer awareness month. Make as many as you want, hundreds if you got the time and the man power (or woman power, depending on your household demographics). Take them into work, school, college, uni, your reading circle, anywhere you please and ask everyone to make a donation per cupcake, they look so scrummy no one could possibly refuse and you’ll have a tidy sum to send off to Breast Cancer Care, plus everyone will remember you as the pink cupcake extraordinaire, it’s win win!

*/Warning! You WILL need a sharp knife or a strong man with bulging biceps in order to chop some of the harder vegetables, if you have neither be prepared to set aside a good 45 minutes to axe through the veg./ Ingredients 4 tbsp Olive oil 1 Small butternut squash 2 Carrots 1 Big parsnip 1 Small swede 2 Leeks 1 Large red onion 1.2 Litres of stock, I use veggie stock but feel free to use chicken stock.

I’m making a conscious effort to list the measurements in imperial and metric so I cover all bases, and I’ve also realised rather belatedly I never put how many people the recipes serve, so from now on that will also be listed at the start with the ingredients. Oven temperatures will be listed starting with gas mark followed by celcius. Ingredients Makes 12 small muffins 150g/5oz Carrots finely grated (about three small carrots) 100g/3 1/2oz Golden caster sugar 100g/3 1/2oz Sultanas 225g/80z Self raising flour (Doves Farm, Glutafin,Dietary Specials) 1 tsp Cinnamon 1 Small lemon grated 2 Large eggs 175ml Sunflower oil (use sunflower oil whenever possible, olive oil is too flavoursome an oil and it gives the muffins a sour sort of tang and after taste) For the frosting

Perfect for those days when your bundled up under a blanket and its cold and rainy outside. I’ve kept some of Nigella’s original specifications from her chicken noodle soup recipe but changed a few essentials to suit my tastes. If you want to try the original recipe click on the BBC recipe search link under Links to Love. Ingredients Makes 4-6 medium bowls of soup 1 Litre of chicken stock (I find the stock cubes quite salty, so I use the ready made liquid stock) 1x200ml Can of coconut milk (full fat or light) 150g/5oz Rice noodles (completely gluten free) if you can’t locate rice noodles use spaghetti broken up into small pieces 1 tsp Ginger (powdered or fresh, your choice) 1 tsp Cumin 2 tsp Turmeric 1 tsp Sugar Juice of a lemon or lime 200g/8oz Chicken shredded, you can use left over chicken a la Nigella, or roast a chicken breast or two and shred, adding to the soup when cool 100g/4oz Soya beans (you can find them in the frozen section in most supermarkets) Method

My Mum never actually gave me a recipe for B&B pudding, I just watched her make it over the years and picked it up along the way. This version is of course G/F and is so quick and easy you’ll wonder why you didn’t make it before. This recipe serves 4, and you’ll need 4 ramekins or 4 small oven proof dishes which are oven safe and roughly the same size.

(Before anyone cracks a joke about boobs, yes, I am well aware that it looks like a breast!) Ingredients 4 1/2 oz Raspberries 2 tbsp Orange juice (or maybe a raspberry liqueur if your hardcore!) 2 tbsp Icing sugar 2-4 tbsp Caster Sugar 2 1/2 gelatin leaves 150ml double cream Method Get yourself some medium sized glass bowls, or even large wine glasses and keep them to hand ready to put your mousse in at the end.

(Check out my Great Grannies vintage plate!) When these bad boys are cool they can be stored and frozen and kept for around a month or until you need them. Ingredients 200g Butter (melted) 150g Caster sugar 2 Eggs 250 Gluten-free self raising flour 150g Dried cranberries 1 tsp Golden caster 1 tsp Cinnamon 100g White chocolate cubed (or white chocolate drops) 2 tsp’s Vanilla Extract Method Pop the oven on to heat up at gas 3 (160c).

Ingredients 1x 200g pack of Dietary Specials shortcrust pastry (or if you want to make your own pastry follow the recipe for which went with the Treacle Tart recipe I did in June) 4 eggs 100g cheese 100ml milk or double cream 1 large red onion 1 red pepper 1 yellow pepper 5 mushrooms 2 tbsp’s olive oil 2 thin slices of ham, or 2 rashers of bacon cooked and cooled.

These tiny little burgers are again small enough to pop into a lunch box with a G/F pitta bread and a small tub of dip or even just left plain. The best thing of all is that they’re naturally gluten free! Hooray! They’re also cheap, and the mixture makes plenty that can be frozen for the future. Double Hooray! Should you want a dip to accompany your fabulous falafel’s I’ve listed a few quick to whip up dips and the like at the end of the recipe, good to you aren’t i?

Ingredients 9oz Plain gluten free flour mix (Dietary Specials, Doves Farm, Glutafin) 2 tsp’s Gluten free baking powder 5 1/2 oz Caster sugar 1 1/2 tsp’s Xantham gum (Doves Farm) 4 tbsp’s Olive oil 1 Egg 250ml Milk 5 1/2 oz Blueberries 1 tsp Cinnamon Method Whack the oven up to gas 6 while you set about putting your cases in a tray. If you make mini muffins just use regular cupcake cases, if you want to make normal sized muffins use muffin cases.

Ingredients 1/4 tsp Salt 1 tsp Cayenne pepper 1 1/2 oz Butter 1/4 Pint milk 8 oz Self raising flour (Doves Farm, Glutafin) 3 oz Cheese (Cheddar or a stronger cheese if you prefer) Method Pre-heat the oven to gas 5 and grease a baking tray with butter (you may need to grease two trays depending on the size and also how big you make your scones, the mixture will make 16-24 mini scones) Sieve the flour, salt and cayenne together in a bowl Cut the butter into cubes and pop into the bowl with the flour.

For all my fabulous followers! This is a twist of the normal Victoria sponge recipe and has a lemon curd layer between the sponges as well as lemon frosting! The lemon in the cake mix makes the sponge nice and light and moist, and the tartness of the curd balances out the sweetness of the frosting. Ingredients For the sponge 200g Caster sugar 200g Soft butter 200g Self raising flour (try Doves Farm and Glutafin) 1/2 Tsp vanilla essence Grated zest of two small lemons / For the lemon curd

Here we go then, good luck! Don’t worry too much, if a ditsy dope like me can make a souffle there’s more than enough hope for the rest of the world! Ingredients For the lemon curd Grated zest and juice of a lemon 1 Egg 40g (1 1/2 oz) Golden caster sugar 25g (1 oz) cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes 1 Teaspoon of cornflour For the souffles