Fortnum and Mason ~ 2015

Christmas has come early because our annual Fortnum & Mason order has arrived. This year we were being particularly good and ordered a nice selection of Christmas themed jams, marmalade, coffee, tea, chutney, and mustard. Other delightful goodies included our usual tea, biscuits, crackers, fruitcake... disappointingly not the King George cake. It seems, Fortnum's did not offer it this year. Instead offering many Christmas puddings. I hope it's absence is not a permanent one. The King George fruitcake with be highly missed by all this year however I am sure the FitzGeorge fruitcake will do. Perhaps I should try and make a fruitcake myself. 

It is a lovely day... sun shining and an acceptable coolness to the air. I will be doing more baking and creating over the next few days. Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Leftovers #23 ~ Oven Roasted Chickpeas

Having leftover chickpeas is great because they can be roasted and are fantastic to snack on and perfect to add to any salad. They offer protein and fibre and are simply delicious.  

To make these oven roasted chickpeas you will need the following:

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed then gently pat dry or air dry

some oil, something with a high smoking point would be good

seasonings, which ever you prefer or have on hand

1 baking sheet, lined with parchment paper

Pre heat the oven to 400ºF.

In a medium large bowl toss the chickpeas in some oil. Then add which ever herbs or seasoning you have on hand or like. I did a chili and herb spice blend. You may add salt and pepper to taste however I did not. I would rather give way to the spicy herb flavour than taste it is either too salty or peppery. Again, toss to coat the chickpeas. Place the seasoned chickpeas on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until nicely browned. Checking them half way through the baking time and using oven mitts and holding the pan on either side carefully shake the baking sheet once to roll the chickpeas around; then place them back in the oven for the remainder of the baking time.  Once browned remove from the oven and allow to cool. Once cooled enjoy them as they are or on a salad. 

This was my lovely salad topped with the chickpeas and some warmed halloumi cheese.

Hope everyone is having a good week so far. The snow has arrived and the feeling of Christmas is in the air. - JD 

Iced Chai Shortbread

Making shortbread is one of my holiday musts. I always enjoy coming up with different flavours to this basic buttery biscuit. That is not to say that this classic recipe can not stand on it's own, rather by adding different ingredients unleashes this biscuit from it's festive roots and may be enjoyed... devoured anytime for any occasion. You may already have a favourite shortbread recipe, and if you do, then add two teaspoons of chai spice baking blend, and finish by fully icing or drizzling the top with an Empire icing.  

Iced Chai Shortbread

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1/2 cup corn starch

1/2 icing sugar

1 cup flour 

2 to 3 teaspoons Chai Spice baking blend

3/4 cup of butter, softened

Pre heat over to 300ºF.

In a large bowl combine the corn starch, icing sugar, flour, and Chai Spice blend.

Blend in the softened butter and blend until soft and smooth. Once the dough has formed, you can chill the dough for an 1 hour if too soft, shape into balls, no larger than a walnut and place on an ungreased, unprepared cookie sheet. Press each ball of dough gently with a lightly floured fork or like I did with a bottom of a smooth glass that has been lightly floured. 

Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool. When cool drizzle or ice with an Empire icing, Royal icing, or a simple drizzle icing.

Notes: I found that by 15 minutes the shortbread was nicely golden around the edges.     

If you are pressed for time or do not want to be bothered with make icing, you can always by a pre-made decorating icing tube. 

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Ploughman's Sandwich

This is one of my favourite sandwiches as it is fairly simple and so satisfying. I enjoy many ploughmans while in England and when I am feeling the need here, I create this for an afternoon lunch. Multigrain bread with a nice spread of Ploughmans pickle, a hefty bed of spinach and arugula, a good strong English or old cheddar, juicy tomato slices and a nip of Colman's English mustard. I serve it with a sprightly pickled onion and crisp apple slices. So delicious and it keeps me going until dinner. 

Hope everyone is good. I have packed quite a bit into this week so far and it is only Wednesday. - JD 

Cranberry Honey Biscuits

Of course, I have my tried and true recipes and a few that get recycled every second or third year however each year I always add a few different recipes to my usual holiday baking session. These honey biscuits get classified in the latter. Unfortunately, it has been more than a few years since I made them and goodness knows why. These were a favourite of my mothers and are soon becoming a favourite with the kidlets. I made them one year and my mum immediately wanted more and the recipe. Since I had plenty I was very pleased to mail off more with the recipe. I think she attempted to make them once or twice then always talked about the ones I made and how lovely they tasted and always suggested I made more. Although I did not have any cranberries I was still determined to make them. Instead of dried cranberries, I used chopped dried dates and halved the butter and added 1/2 cup of apple sauce instead. They still offered a delicious honey taste but this time with a cake like texture.  

Cranberry Honey Biscuits

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1 cup of butter

1 cup golden brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup honey

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon of British mixed spice

1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped

Pre heat oven to 350ºF.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda and British mixed spice. Set aside.

In a large bowl mix the butter, golden brown sugar and eggs. Stir in the honey and vanilla. Then blend in the flour mixture. Add the chopped dried cranberries, stir to combine. 

Once everything is combine chill the dough in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight if you wish. 

Roll into balls... nothing larger than a size of a walnut. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Gently flatten the cookies with a floured bottom of a glass or fork, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. When done remove from oven and let cookies cool on wire racks. 

For an added touch lightly dust icing sugar over the cooled cookies and serve.   

Notes: I replaced the cranberries with dried dates and cut the fat by only using 1/2 cup of butter and adding a 1/2 cup of apple sauce. The flavour was still there however the texture was more cake like. 

Important note: I also found that because the butter was reduced while baking them I had to line the baking sheet with parchment paper so that the cookies could be removed from the baking sheet more easily. 

- JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Stir-fry with Spiced Coffee Glaze

Just in case you were wondering about the stir-fry recipe, I posted about yesterday, here it is. The taste was dark and rich and full of flavour. I did tweak the recipe... rather than marinate the meat in the ginger, garlic, five spice and half oil...  I mixed all the ingredients together in a bowl excluding the meat, green onions and veggies... covered the bowl and let the sauce it created mellow in the refrigerator for a few hours. Then I added the sauce/glaze after I had seared/cooked the meat and added the veggies of choice. Allowing everything to simmer nicely. Topping with the green onions. The aroma throughout the house was very enticing and a delicious one.   

Have a good weekend everyone! - JD 

Coffee

From time to time enjoying a morning, afternoon or evening coffee is a must. We cook and bake with so many different ingredients from around the world that coffee should not be over looked as an ingredient. Cooking and baking with coffee, as with tea, is simple because it is found in most, if not all pantries and can easily be overlooked. Both may add the subtlest or a robust flavour to a recipe.  

This mini coffee table cookbook has 208 pages, 100 recipes to get you inspired and make one enjoy a bit more coffee. There are coffee based beverages both hot and cold, an array of the infamous coffee cakes, cookies, sweets, desserts and a few savoury dishes. This book is perfect for coffee lovers and home cooks and priced at $2.00, it is a bargain!

I have already started my holiday baking however I do want to try a few recipes like... the Coffee Fruitcake, Coffee & Hazelnut Biscotti and the Mocha Coconut Clusters. However for tonights dinner I will be attempting the Turkey Stir-fry with Spiced Coffee Glaze. I do not have any turkey so I will substitute with chicken. Therefore that is the recipe I will share with you now. 

Turkey Stir-fry with Spiced Coffee Glaze

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1 pound turkey breast, sliced into thin strips

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon five-spice seasoning

4 teaspoons sesame oil

1/4 cup strong black coffee, cooled

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons rice - wine vinegar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

6 scallions, trimmed and sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

salt and pepper

boiled egg noodles, to serve

Method:

1) Place the turkey in a shallow, nonmetallic bowl and add the ginger, garlic, five-spice seasoning and half the oil. Stir well, then cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2) Mix the coffee, teriyaki sauce, honey, vinegar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.

3) Heat the remaining oil in a large wok until almost smoking. Remove the turkey from the marinade, add to the wok, and stir-fry over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until brown. Add the scallions, red pepper, and yellow pepper and stir-fry for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

4) Pour in the coffee mixture and continue stir-frying for 1 to 2 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and coated the turkey and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and serve with noodles.

Notes: Although this recipes calls for turkey try chicken, beef or tofu. I will be serving this with brown rice not noodles as suggested in the recipe. Grate some orange rind to give the sauce a hint of citrus. This recipe would be great to use up some of those holiday leftovers, like turkey.  

Hope everyone has had a good week, so far. - JD

Bannock

As most of you know last night was Bonfire Night and we had a bonfire feast of chilli, bannock and oven roasted cauliflower and onions. I have made bannock before for Robert Burns night and thought it would be perfect last night. Traditional Selkirk bannock has sultanas and mixed peel added however there are other variations like adding blueberries or raisins or cranberries or cinnamon. Bannock may be formed into one circular shape or into a loaf pan and baked in the oven. It also can be cooked in a cast iron skillet over a campfire or wrapped around a stick. This bannock recipe is very easy and quick therefore I opted for a more simple in house method using a frying pan and the stovetop range. It doesn't have to be Bonfire Night for you to enjoy bannock; it can be made for breakfast just serve with jam.        

BANNOCK

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Makes 4. Serves 2 - 4. 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon British mixed spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup water

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, British mixed spice and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add 1/2 cup water and stir until flour is moistened and a stiff dough forms. Add more water if necessary.

Lightly oil and preheat a large cast iron or nonstick frying pan/skillet over medium heat.

Turn dough onto lightly floured board or counter. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Flatten each piece to form a disc 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick.

Place first disc in hot skillet and cook for 6 to 7 minutes per side. Serve warm with butter. 

Notes: I did add a bit more water, only adding a tablespoon at a time, to bring the dough to the desired consistency.  

Food Photo of the Day ~ Pumpkin Bread

I knew it would not be long before I made another one. The smell of this baking is so comforting that I can not fathom why I would want to snack on anything else. I posted the full recipe last month and I made a few tweaks here and there. I halved the vegetable oil to a 1/4 cup... as for the 1 cup of sugar, I did 1/2 cup caster sugar and 1/2 cup coconut sugar; also I changed the 1/4 of water to 1/4 cup of almond milk and added a bit more molasses. Skipped the walnuts and simply added pumpkin seeds and coconut on top before baking. For me this was the best. Very moist and spongy. Dense yet light. Perfect with afternoon tea or coffee.  

Hope your week has been a good one so far. - JD 

Chocolate Croissants

The other day I made chocolate croissants for brunch. I had an easy recipe that I was eager to try plus all the ingredients therefore I could not wait to make them. The croissants turned out alright; considering this was my first attempt at something so delectably sinful. I will definitely make these again, possibly trying other fillings such as fruit or marzipan. Following the recipe are my photos throughout the recipe stages. Enjoy!

Chocolate Croissants

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1 x package of ready puff pastry

Nutella 

1 egg beaten

sliced almonds

and some melted dark chocolate for drizzling on top

Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC)

Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Roll out the puff pastry according to the package. Using a pastry cutter or a pizza cutter cut the puff pastry into triangles and spread some Nutella in the middle of each. Roll each into a coiled croissant shape; brush lightly with the beaten egg. Sprinkle the top of each formed croissant with the sliced almonds. Bake on the prepared tray for about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of each croissant.

Notes: You do not have to use Nutella; you could try chocolate chips or broken up chunks of chocolate. 

My chocolate croissant recipe photos:

 Preparing...  rolling out the puff pastry and cutting it into squares or rectangles, first.  

I was so eager... probably too eager and in my culinary zone that after spreading some Nutella in the centre of each cut out pastry it was only then I realized that I did not cut  the pastry again to make triangle shapes... my husband and I had a laugh and I proceeded to roll them into a croissant shape, the best way I could, regardless. 

 Ready for the oven... more like a crescent moon shape then a croissant shape.   

 Out of the oven... nicely golden and puffed up, waiting for more chocolate.

Drizzle... the finishing touches before they said hello and goodbye to our stomachs. Regardless of the shape they were very pleasantly edible and enjoyed by everyone!   

- JD 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Jacket Sweet Potato with Chilli

When we have leftover chilli having a jacket potato with chilli is always a dinner option however this time I wanted to do something different so I opted for sweet potatoes instead. This is a tasty way to add more nutrients to the dinner plate. Find "potato sized" sweet potatoes; prepare and bake them how you normally would do potatoes for jacket/baked potatoes; slice lengthwise; top with chilli and cheese. Serve with a super green side salad. Simple, easy and delicious! 

Hope everyone had a lovely Halloween and weekend. The kidlets had lots of fun off doing their own thing. - JD