Welsh Cakes in the Afternoon

The kidlets have a school in-service day so I made Welsh cakes to pass the playful time away. These made for a yummy mid afternoon treat that were gobbled up in seconds. It was my first time making them. Always thinking that they may be complicated to make this was one item on my baking bucket list. However I have tasted a Welsh cake or two before. Memories came flooding back from years ago when I participated in a bake exchange and low and behold I was on the receiving end of some very scrumptious Welsh cakes. All of which sparked a culinary fondness for such said cakes. 

WELSH CAKES

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1 2/3 cups self-rising flour, sifted

A pinch of salt

2oz shortening, e.g. Crisco, softened

1/2 stick butter, softened

Generous 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Scant 1/4 cup currants

1/2 egg, beaten

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Superfine sugar for sprinkling

1. Preheat a griddle or heavy frying pan to a moderate, even temperature. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the fat. Add the sugar and currants and mix with the egg and milk to a soft dough. 

2. On a floured board, roll out to a thickness of 1/4 - 1/2 inch and cut out circles using a 3 inch cutter. Place on the griddle and cook both sides until light golden. Lift onto a wire rack to cool and sprinkle with superfine sugar before serving. 

Notes:

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I omitted the Crisco that the recipe calls for and added 2oz of butter instead so a full stick of butter, which is 1/2 cup.

I did not use a 1/2 beaten egg, I used 1 whole egg. I was not quite sure on how to make an egg, half an egg, when raw.

Also I found that I need to add more milk... roughly about 3 more tablespoons. 

Spiced Pinto Bean, Oat, and Apple Muffins

Forging ahead with my bean baking... remember those chocolate bean brownies I made? I made these delicious morsels... Spiced pinto bean, oat, and apple muffins. They are quite tasty and you would not know that they are mostly made of beans. The texture is delicate and fluffy. Surprisingly, there is no flour in these muffins.  

The recipe came from this cookbook, Bean Cuisine by Genevieve Taylor. This is a great book. It is lovely to have a cookbook that offers alternative, for a lack of better terms, meal options. Not that one could not figure out a few substitutions on ones own however the recipes are easy. The photography mouthwatering. At 143 pages this puts beans first on the dinner, lunch and dessert tables. 

The introduction deals with the benefits of beans, varieties of beans, type of beans for cooking, cooking dried beans and bean storage. The 5 chapters offer Easy everyday beans, Bean feasts, Beans to go, Snacks and dips and Sweet beans (desserts). I want to try the Cappuccino navy bean cheesecake, Coconut rice and peas, Spicy roasted chickpea "chips", Jamaican red bean, spiced chicken and sweet potato casserole, and Mujaddara with halloumi. Those recipes can truly make one very hungry! 

Spiced pinto bean, oat and apple muffins

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1 x 14 oz (400g) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

3 large eggs

1/2 stick plus 3 tablespoons (3 1/2oz/100g) butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz/100g) dark brown sugar

3 small apples (about 3/4 lb/350g), peeled, cored and grated 

2 2/3 cups (9oz/250g) ground almonds

2 teaspoons ground mixed spice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup (3 1/2oz/100g) raisins

1/3 cup (2oz/60g) oats, plus a few extra for sprinkling on top

Clear honey to drizzle

Method

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Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC/gas mark 4). Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper cases.

Add the beans to a food processor finely. Add the eggs, butter, and sugar and blend together until smooth and creamy.

Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the grated apple, almonds, spices, and baking powder and beat until well combined. 

Fold through the raisins and oats, and spoon the mixture into the paper cases. Sprinkle a few extra oats on top of each muffin and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until springy to the touch. Before serving, drizzle a little honey on top of the muffins. 

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The comforting aroma of warm apple filled the kitchen. I managed to taste them fresh out of the oven and they melted in your mouth however I would suggest to let them cool a bit that way they won't be so crumbly. Enjoy! - JW 

Citrus Syrup Sponge Loaf Cake

I made this simple but delicious orange tea cake. The recipe came from the Tea at Fortnum and Mason book. At first, I possibly was a bit intimidated to recreate a Fortnum's quality standard however I was up for the challenge and it was just a tea cake. And if you want a bit of Fortnum's at home this cake is an easy way to achieve that. Lovely when served with tea, of course!    

Fortnum and Mason Citrus Syrup Sponge Loaf Cake

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Serves 10

200g softened unsalted butter, plus extra to grease

200g golden caster sugar, plus 4 tablespoons extra for the syrup

3 large eggs

100g plain flour, sifted

100g self-raising flour, sifted

Zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF/gas mark 3.

Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with greaseproof paper. i.e.: parchment paper

Beat the butter and 200g sugar in a large bowl using an electric hand whisk. Gradually add the eggs, adding a spoonful of flour if the mixture look like it is about to curdle. 

Fold in the remaining plain flour, all the self-raising flour, the orange and lemon zest and half the juice. Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the tin and cool on a wire rack. Put the remaining orange and lemon juice in a pan with the 4 tablespoons of sugar. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Drizzle over the cake and leave to soak in. Serve sliced or store in an airtight container for up to five days. 

The citrus syrup makes a wonderful glistening top to the cake. I randomly poked the top of the loaf with a toothpick so that the citrus syrup would sink further into the cake. 

Hope everyone has a good weekend! - JW 

Edwardian Glamour Cooking ~ Without Tears

Now that Downtown Abbey has started up again and most of us are into the thick of it, I found this cookbook in my collection. It is only 61 pages and gives you a glimpse at Edwardian cooking, glamour or not. The book mostly concentrates on savoury dishes and technique. There are no lavish desserts because according to the book there are no short cuts to recreating them. Even though this book was printed in 1960 the recipes have been fused with other recipes. To make a more simpler collection and have the cook contending with less prep time. Therefore seemingly bringing a more relaxed attitude to the Edwardian dinner table. Some recipe ingredients have been substituted for more common... accessible ones. With that being said, all the Edwardian epicurean delights may be brought back to life... without tears.    

Tools of the Edwardian kitchen - the pestle and mortar, the mixer, and the moulds. Serving hot or serving cold and decorations. The Edwardians luved to garnish! Thinking upon the modern day kitchen one has not strayed too far in that aspect. Some of the recipe names are worth pondering, like... Haddock Honeymoon, Chartreuse of Hare, Hot Egg Sandwiches,  Maharajah Morsels, Sefton Bloaters, and The Sultan's Cream of Chicken. And let us not forget the Aspic Jelly. 

If anything this cookbook is charming and is a nice addition to my collection.  

Hope everyone is having fun inside and outside of the kitchen. This week has certainly been a busy one for me! - JW 

Strawberry Raspberry Cheesecake

All this week I made some form of chocolate treats. However this was going to be a secret for my Valentine, my husband. There was no hiding the refrigerator stacked with berries, something round hidden under sheets of foil wrap and the smell of melting chocolate. Since I had melted too much chocolate and there were left over berries I felt compelled to share an early Valentine's Day treat. Sometimes there are benefits when one hangs around the kitchen. I prefer baked cheesecakes and this one was very easy to whip up.

  

Cheesecake

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1 1/4 cup graham crumbs

1/4 cup melted butter

3 - 250g packages of cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

spoonful of lemon juice

spoonful of lemon zest

Combine the graham crumbs and butter together. Press into a spring form pan.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until just blended. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour into crust. 

Bake at 350ºF for 45-50 minutes or until centre is almost set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Decorate as you desire. 

Notes - By far this is as simple as cheesecakes can get. It is pretty much foolproof. You can certainly change up the crust by using chocolate or vanilla cookie crumbs. Try digestive biscuits. Also adding spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg to the crust mixture is lovely. You can add orange or lime zest instead of the traditional lemon. Adding liqueur for a more grown-up sophisticated cheesecake. You can purée the fruit however I prefer fresh fruit. Simple things like chocolate, dried fruit, and nuts. The possibilities are truly endless. 

     

Chocolate Chip Muffins

A little bit of chocolate can go a long way. I made these last night as an early Valentine's Day treat. Nothing like the smell of chocolate wafting through the air as one warms up with a cup of Fortnum's Royal Blend tea. 

Oddly enough I do not own many cookbooks dedicated to chocolate. The recipe came from this cookbook produced by Reader's Digest. It is a pretty straight forward and basic cookbook. I agree with the irresistible, heavenly, luscious, tempting and sinful statement pronounced on the cover. This book shares a brief history on chocolate before diving into the many chocolate recipes. Covering everything from cakes, cookies, brownies and candies, pastries, pies and tarts, quick breads, muffins and coffee cakes, soufflés, custard and fruit crisps and holiday and celebration desserts. The abundance of chocolate captives one with this glossy coffee table style cookbook.

Chocolate Chunk Muffins

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2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 ounces (4 squares) semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease 12 standard size muffin pan cups or line the muffin tin with paper liners.

Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Mix together milk, oil, egg and vanilla.

Make a well in the centre of flour mixture. Add milk mixture all at once to well, tossing with a fork until dry ingredients are just moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. (Do not over mix) Spoon batter into prepared pan, filling cups three-quarters full.

Bake muffins until tops are firm and golden, 18-20 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool slightly. Turn muffins out onto rack to cool completely. 

Makes 1 dozen muffins.

Notes: I substituted the oil for the same amount of applesauce. This cut down on the fat. I also substituted the coarsely chopped chocolate chunks for 1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I found that the oven temperature may be a bit too hot so you may want to adjust the temperature and baking times. And use good quality muffin papers.

-JW 

  

Charlotte Watson's Chicken Egg Holder

The other day I received this nice surprise in the mail. An egg holder to go with my Charlotte Watson butter box. In Canada one always keep the eggs in the refrigerator however I noticed in England rarely are eggs put into cold storage. The chicken lid is hollowed out inside which makes stacking 8-10 large eggs easy. To find out more about the Henry Watson and Charlotte Watson Pottery click *here*    

Have a good weekend everyone! - JW 

Onion and Tomato Quiche

I was getting ahead of myself today and this afternoon I made dinner. Dinner tonight will be a savoury onion and tomato quiche with a mixed green salad topped with a fig balsamic dressing. - JW       

Black Bean Brownies

I literally stumble upon this recipe. I was quite intrigued by the use of black beans and no flour to make brownies. If you have a blender or a food processor then making these delicious low fat brownies will be a breeze.  

Black Bean Brownies

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15 1/2 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained

2 eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/2 cup granulated sugar

5 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

Semi-sweet chocolate chips and or nuts for the topping is optional

Pre heat oven to 350ºF.

Add all of the ingredients into the blender or food processor; mix until all ingredients are well blended and smooth. There should be not be any whole black beans in the batter. 

Spray an 8x8" baking pan with a non-stick cooking spray or you you could butter and flour the pan like I did. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Top with chocolate chips or nuts if desired.

Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean after inserting it in the centre. Cool for 30 minutes before cutting and serving, otherwise they will fall apart.

Notes: My only issue with these brownies came when I was slicing them. I did let them sit for the required 30 minutes and as I was cutting the knife kept pulling on the brownie which made for a less attractive brownie slice however by the time a slice was devoured that was all forgotten. Other than that these were fantastic and very delicious! - JW  

Maple Bacon Chocolate

Who doesn't like chocolate... and who doesn't like bacon? The pairing of these two seems like a step in the right direction. Maple and bacon I completely understand. I have been known to drizzle maple syrup inside my bacon butty. Maple, bacon and chocolate can go either way. For myself, this gourmet chocolate bar tasted like a creamy milk chocolate with tiny crunchy bits that didn't taste much like bacon. Perhaps I should have bought the potato chip chocolate bar. To find out more about Chuao chocolatiers click *here*  Hope you all are having a good weekend! - JW