Tag Archives: Homemade

#Recipe Mozzarella stuffed Meatloaf Cupcakes

Posted on by

IMG_0004

Mozzarella stuffed Meatloaf Cupcakes

So at first glance these may seem like I’m pulling your leg in the spirit of April Fool’s Day. However I jest you not! Think of these a mini-meatloaves and they’ll make all the more sense. A cupcake counterpart for those of you more enamoured by the Umami side of life they’re also a nifty little party food to have in your reportire- although make sure you have napkins to had!

Meatloaf has always been THE signature comfort food for me and one of my favourite dishes. No fuss, no muss with maximum impact this American mainstay has found a fond place in my kitchen (and my belly!) It’s a great family meal, large enough to serve my husband and  I and our two children. Served with warming mash and gravy it’s the ultimate culinary “warm blanket” for the soul (only rivaled by Chicken Soup- maybe an upcoming post?). And it gets even better! Any leftovers (is there such a thing?) can be kept in the fridge and sliced for a top-notch sarnie, slathered in BBQ sauce and served in a crispy roll, meatloaf is defeinatley the gift that keeps on giving.

As you can tell I have a soft-spot for this particulat dish so in a meeting of two worlds I present to you my Meatloaf Cupakes- stuffed with melting mozzarella, topped with cheesy truffle infused mash and drizzled with BBQ sauce. Are you drolling yet?

Ingredients

For the “Cupcakes”

800g lean mince beef

200g chopped onion

125g breadcrumbs

2 tsp. wholegrain mustard

2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tsp. mixed herbs

¼ tsp. salt

½ tsp. black pepper

1 egg, beaten

12 strips pancetta

12 mozzarella pearls

For the “Frosting”

6 medium potatoes, boiled

2 tbsp. butter

50ml milk

2 tbsp. strong cheddar, grated

1 tbsp. parmesan, grated

¼ tsp. truffle oil

To finish (optional)

Crispy onions

Good Quality barbecue sauce

Umami sprinkle

IMG_0001

Method

  • Fry and soften the onions in an oiled pan over a medium heat. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt to stop them catching.
  • When soft and lightly browned remove from the heat and set aside to cool
  • In a large bowl, combine the mince, breadcrumbs, mustard, Worcester sauce, mixed herbs, salt and pepper. Mix with your hands until well combined.
  • Add in the cooled, chopped onion and beaten egg, continue to mix with your hands until fully combined.
  • Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
  • Line the sides of the holes in a 12-hole (or 2 x 6-hole) muffin time with a strip of pancetta, pressing it each strip firmly so it sticks to the sides.
  • Taking a golf ball size of the meat mixture, press it into the bottom of each tray hole.
  • Place a mozzarella pearl into the meat mixture in each tray hole, and continue packing with the remaining meat mixture until each hole is filled. Press to make level with the surface of the tray.
  • Transfer the filled trays to your preheated oven and bake for 10 mins.
  • Whilst the “cupcakes” are baking, add the boiled potatoes, butter, cheeses, truffle oil and half the milk to a bowl and mix until well combined. Add in the reminader of the milk bit by bit. Using a potato masher or ricer, mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy. Place in a piping bag fitted with the nozzle if your choice. I use a Wilton 2D.
  • After the 10 mins remove the “cupcakes” from the oven and pipe on the potato “frosting”. Return to the oven and bake for a further 10-15mins. The “cupcakes” should be firm and shrink away from the sides. They’re now are ready to serve at this point. (You can toast the “frosting” a bit more if you prefer by using a cook’s blowtorch). If you prefer you can read on as to how I like to finish them.
  • Once ready remove the “cupcakes” from the oven, leave to cool for 2-3 minutes then remove from the tray(s) and place on a wire rack.  Drizzle them with the barbecue sauce and sprinkle with umami dust and crispy onions flakes and serve.IMG_0010

Cranberry, Pear & Dark Chocolate Hot Cross Buns

Posted on by

IMG_3404

Okay- I’ll come clean. I don’t actually like hot cross buns. Well- hot cross buns in the “traditional” sense. Dried fruits of sultanas, currants and raisins do absolutely nothing for me and hot cross buns I place firmly in the same category as Christmas Cake. I’ll accept them to be civil, I’ll bake them to experiment and I’ll eat them under duress. So it only seems fitting that this Easter season I come up with something  a lot more palatable, even to the those of us prone to outbursts of “inyaphobia” (yes, it’s a thing I jest you not…Google it).

I can’t quite put a finger on where my malaise with dried fruit comes from. It probably has its roots, like all else culinary for me, in my childhood and my mother’s kitchen. Each festive season, whether it be Easter, Christmas or Halloween was heralded with a routine palette of sensory ticks…the flat clanging of baking trays on kitchen surfaces, the heady scent of dried fruit steeping in brandy, cold tea or whatever liquid was to hand, and the frequent blistering blasts of heat from oven. It’s the smell of the dried fruit steeping that sticks with me, permeating memory as much as clothing. Like anything in life familiarity breeds contempt, and boy did my mother like a fruit cake!

Hence my deviation from hot cross buns with their traditional sultana/mixed peel combination. Instead I give you an almost “regal” combination of cranberries and pear (yes, I’m aware they’re dried too but far more tolerable in my view) laced with dark chocolate chunks. Chocolate makes everything better. Except fish- that’s just wrong! So best you stick to making these hot cross buns instead.

*This recipe has been revised in April 2020 to include measurements/ quantities and ingredient names as suitable for Canada and the US. Throughout the recipe I still refer to the ingredients as they were originally drafted.

IMG_3420

Ingredients
500g/ 4 cups All Purpose/ Plain flour
85g/ 1/3 cup (caster) sugar
2 teaspoons mixed spice powder (if you don’t have this you can use pumpkin spice mix)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
10g/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
14g/ 2 1/4 teaspoons fast-action dried yeast
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
40g/ 2 tablespoons butter
300ml/ 1 1/4 cups whole fat milk
1 egg, beaten
65g/ 1/3 cup dried cranberries, soaked in

2 tablespoons orange juice
65g/ 1/3 cup dried pear, chopped into small pieces
65g/ 40z dark chocolate/ semi-sweet chocolate, chopped in small/ medium chunks

Cross marking
50g/ 1/2 cup All Purpose/ Plain flour
80ml/ 1/3 cup cold water

Glaze
2 tbspn golden syrup/ light corn syrup

Method

  1. Line a baking sheet/ tray with baking parchment and set aside for later
  2. Combine the flour, sugar, spices, salt and yeast into a large bowl. Make sure the salt and yeast are on opposite sides of the bowl
  3. In a pan combine the milk, vanilla extract and butter. Heat over a medium/low heat until the butter has melted. Allow the mixture to cool until tepid
  4. Add 1/3 the tepid milk mixture to the dry ingredients, along with the beaten egg. and use your hands to bring the mixture together. Add in the second 1/3 of the milk mixture and continue forming a dough, taking any stray flour from the sides of the bowl
  5. Finally, slowly add the remaining milk until you form a soft pliable dough. Take note here as you may not need all of the milk
  6. Tip the dough out on to a lightly oiled work surface. Knead by hand for about 7-8 minutes. After this time add the fruit and chocolate chunks into the dough and continue to lightly knead for 3-4 minutes until you have a smooth, elastic dough and the fruit & chocolate has been incorporated (*If you are using a stand mixer please see the note below)
  7. Lightly oil a bowl and place the dough in it, covering with oiled cling film and leave to rest in a warm place until doubled in size (apx 1 hour)
  8. Tip the dough on to a lightly oiled surface and divide into 12 balls. (I usually do this by rolling it into a thick sausage shape, apx 40cms long. Divide into 2, then divide each half into 6 equal pieces and roll them into balls)
  9. Place the balls on the tray, placing them fairly close together and flattening them slightly
  10. Cover the baking tray with oiled cling film and leave for an hour until the balls have doubled in size
  11. Preheat the oven to 350F/170C degrees
  12. For the cross marking, combine the flour and water in a bowl. Mix together to make a paste and spoon into an icing bag
  13. When the buns have risen remove the tray from the bag, snip the end of the piping bag (making a hole about 3mm) and pipe a cross on each bun. Bake for 15-20 minutes until pale golden-brown, turning the baking trays round halfway through

*If you are using a stand mixer for the dough, attach the dough hook and follow steps as follows

  • Combine the flour, sugar, spices, salt and yeast into a large bowl. Make sure the salt and yeast are on opposite sides of the mixer bowl
  • Follow Steps 4 & 5 above to combine the liquid
  • Continue to knead in the mixer for 5 minutes
  • After 5 minutes remove the dough from the mixer, add  the dried fruit & chocolate chunks and continue to lightly knead until you have a smooth, elastic dough and the fruit & chocolate has been incorporated (apx 3-4 minutes)
  • Proceed to Step 7 above and follow remainder of method as above

To finish

  1. Warm the golden syrup in a pan and while the buns are still warm, brush the buns with a little syrup to glaze. Return to the wire rack and allow to cool.
  2. Serve with fresh butter. They can be lightly warmed in an oven for tasty seasonal breakfast treat. Enjoy!

IMG_3422

 

 

 

#Recipe Caramelised Walnut & Blue Cheese Soda bread

Posted on by
Screenshot

Soda bread was one of the first things I remember watching my mother make/bake in the kitchen. From my seat on the kitchen drainer I would watch how she’d mix and shape the dough into the thick, dense cakes and I’d hanker for a warm slice, the melted butter dripping down my greedy knuckles. Beats crumpets any day! With the minimum of ingredients it was her “go to” recipe when cupboards were getting bare- maximum flavour from minimum input. So often  was it made in my childhood house that there was no need for her to weigh or measure quantities. It was an instinctual process, hands tracing what seemed like arcane patterns and motions, guided by numerous loaves that came before.

The lack of yeast in the mix makes it a particularly quick and easy loaf to knock together. No kneading is required and the mixing is minimal (to avoid an overly heavy dough). So it really is just a case of mix, shape and bake.

Whilst I have kept to the basic recipe as taught to me (flour, bread soda (bicarbonate of soda), buttermilk and salt, I have as usual added my Mr. Mom’s twist. The additional of the caramelised walnuts and blue cheese add wonderful pockets of sweetness and Unmami to the earthy wholemeal dough. I serve mine here with Guinness infused butter to make it just that little bit more indulgent for a St. Patrick’s Day treat.

Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhaoibhe!

Ingredients

Caramelised walnuts

100g walnut halves
55g caster sugar
15g unsalted butter

Soda bread

450g wholemeal flour
175g plain flour
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoons salt
475ml buttermilk (450ml  milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice stirred in)
100 g Cashel Blue cheese, plus extra for topping
Caramelised walnuts (see above)

Guinness Butter

1 quantity of homemade butter (See the recipe here)

150ml Guinness Stout (not draught)

4 teaspoons Irish heather honey (If you can’t find this, ordinary honey will be fine)

Pinch of salt

Method

Caramelised walnuts

  • Set aside a non-stick baking tray. If you don’t have non-stick variety to hand, just line a standard tray with baking parchment.
  • Combine all the ingredients in a pan over a medium heat.
  • Stir to combine and to stop the mixture from catching.
  • Continue until the butter and sugar have melted. At this point you need to stir continuously until the syrup turns a deep shade of amber.
  • Immediately remove from the heat and tip the mixture onto the (lined) baking sheet. Using two forks separate the nuts individually so that they don’t clump together.
  • Allow the nuts to cool on the baking tray before use. (As a side note these make wonderfully tasty drinks snacks as they are like this. I often make a double batch!)

To make the soda bread

  • Preheat your oven to 180C/gas mark 4.
  • In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients (including the candied walnuts and cheese) and mix well.
  • Make a well in the center, and add in roughly 1/3 of the milk. Mix lightly.
  • Add in the second 1/3 of the milk and again mix until just combined.
  • Add in the final amount of milk and mix until a dough is formed and there is no dry flour remaining in the bowl.
  • Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead.
  • Form into a round about 1 1/2 inch thick transfer to your baking sheet.
  • Stud the top of the loaf with a few chunks of blue cheese (to taste) and dust with flour. Score the top of the loaf in half with a floured, sharp knife. Turn the loaf 90 degrees and score again so that you have a cross shape dividing the top of the loaf into quarters, then prick each of the four quarters**
  • Bake the loaf in your preheated oven for about 45mins. Test by tapping the bottom of the loaf- it should sound hallow. (If the top of the loaf starts to brown too quickly, loosely drap some foil over it). Once baked remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.
  • Serve with Guinness Butter (see recipe below) or for a traditional Irish after-school treat slathered in butter and jam!

To make the Guinness Butter

  • Heat the Guinness in a pan over a high heat and reduce down to 1/3 volume. You should have a denser syrup. Remove from heat and allow to cool fully.
  • Place the butter in a bowl of stand mixer, add in the cooled Guinness syrup, honey and salt.
  • Beat on medium until combined then increase the speed to high and “whip” for about 5-7 minutes until all the ingredients are fully combined and mixture is fluffy in texture.
  • Remove the butter from the mixing bowl, transfer to a dish and serve alongside the prepared soda bread.

**Although these two actions have a practical use in the making of this bread, the traditional meaning lends a much more romantic slant to them as only the Irish can. Cutting the loaf into quarters is said to be “Blessing the bread” so that it the house making it may never run out of it. Pricking each of the quarters is “to let the Sidhe (fairies) escape” in order to avoid any havoc they make reek if kept trapped in the bread. Quite how they got in there in the first place is beyond me by who am I to argue with centuries of tradition!

#Recipe Homemade Butter

Posted on by

Okay so I feel like a bit of a cheat posting this but a lot of people have asked me about it so here it is. The thought of making your own butter may instantly cause confusion and images of manic activity and sweaty exertion but believe me when I say- it really is UNBELIEVABLY easy! Well…I say “easy“…that’s if you’re in possession of a stand mixer such as KitchenAid or KMix. If not? then que the manic activity and sweaty exertion.

Getting back on track, once you’ve had a go at this there’s no looking back. A word to the wise though – I have yet to use this recipe in baking (mental note for some #KitchenExperiments) so I can’t vouch for how stable it is bake-wise. I’ll put it on my “To Do/ To Bake” list and let you know the outcome.

Ingredients (to make /3 cups (150g) of butter)

  • 300ml heavy cream
  • Salt to taste
  • Herbs (optional)

Yes that’s it- told you it was easy!

  • Fill a large bowl with ice-cold water and set aside for later.
  • Pour the cream into the bowl of your stand mixer. MAKE SURE TO FIT YOUR MIXER’S SPLASH GUARD!

2016-03-17 10.34.14

  • With the whisk attachment, whisk on a medium speed until the cream, starts to thicken (as if you were whipping cream as normal).

2016-03-17 10.35.10

  • Increase the speed to high and continue whipping. You will see the cream start to whip, then curdle. Keep whisking! You want to “push” the cream through this stage.  You may need to stop and scape down the sides.

2016-03-17 10.36.57

  • Continue to whisk and you’ll see the cream start to separate (and liquid start to splash!). The liquid is buttermilk and the solids, that should be starting to catch and gather in the whisk, are the butter solids. Carry on whisky for a few more minutes during which the buttermilk and solids will further separate. You should now have what resembles pale butter in your whisk bulb.

2016-03-17 10.38.22

  • Remove the whisk and gather the solids together in your hands and squeeze out any excess buttermilk. Immerse the butter in the water filled bowl- this washes it clean of any remaining buttermilk.

2016-03-17 10.41.18

  • Remove from the water, shake of any water and place on a clean surface. This is where you can add your flavourings. I normally just add some salt to taste, but you can also add herbs to make herb butter. Pat and fold the butter so that the flavourings are evenly distributed throughout. (You can get some butter paddles online which make this job a lot easier. They’re inexpensive and also look make an attractive kitchen decoration).
  • Wrap the finished and shaped butter in baking parchment to complete. I’ve kept mine at room temperature under a butter dish for up to 3 days and it’s still tasted great. You can also store in the fridge but it’ll need to be removed to allow to soften before use.

2014-09-02 08.50.59

Homemade buttermilk scones with Peach & Tonka bean jam and homemade butter

 

 

 

#Recipe Peanut Butter Cream Pie

Posted on by

If you’ve read my previous post on Toronto you may remember me mentioning a favourite restaurant there – The Gabardine. (If you haven’t you can read it here). One of the desserts I had the pleasure of trying was a Peanut Butter Cream Pie. I had never had it before and had no idea what it was but it sure sounded good. And boy, I was not disappointed! I can only describe it as a lighter version of a cheesecake with moreish peanut buttery goodness abound. Ever since then I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind and so set about trying to receate it. Not to detract from chef Graham Pratt’s original of course- the best form of flattery is, afterall, imitation.

For me this is one of those dishes that is truly evocative of a time in my life. One bite and I’m instantly back in the bright buttermilk interior of The Gabrdine, smelling herby puff pastry and smoked ham, cheeks gently puckering from a chilled Sauvignon, all the while watching the Torontonian business clique milling back to their desks. Typing this oddly stirs subtle pangs almost of homesickness. I hope to get back there some day- and hopfully try another slice of pie!

So with it being Peanut Butter Lovers Day today (seriously who decides these things?) it’s the perfect time for posting the recipe for my version of it.

Peanutbutter Cream Pie- Recipe Image

For the Pie

250g Digestive biscuits
5 tablespoons Melted butter
50g Demerara sugar
75g Salted peanuts
160g Icing suga
280g Cream cheese
230g Smooth peanut butter
230ml Double cream, lighlty whipped

To finish

150ml Double cream, whipped

You’ll also need a 9″ x 1″ or 1.5″ deep circular pie dish

  • In a food processor blend the digestive biscuits, Demerara sugar and salted peanuts.
  • Whilst blitzing drizzle in the melted butter. Blitz to rough breadcrumbs stage.
  • Pour into a pie dish and press into the base and sides using a metal spoon.
  • Place the crumb lined pie dish into the refrigerator to set at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
  • In a stand mixer blend the icing sugar and cream cream until smooth.
  • Add in the smooth peanut butter and mix again to combine.
  • Gently fold in the whipped cream. Don’t stir too much as this will whip the cream even more and make the filling “heavy”.
  • When the whipped cream is fully folded in, pour/ spoon the filling into the set crumb base, and smooth the top.Refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
  • When ready to serve remove from the fridge and top with the remaining whipped cream.
  • Slice, and serve (with additional whipped cream if you really want to treat yoursefl!)