Cooking with Wine, Spirits, Beer & Cider ~ Pamela Vandyke Price

This is one of the smallest compact cookbooks I have come across. Its pocket sized, has a blurry highly colourized reproduced photo on the cover, published by Herbert Jenkins Limited, written by Pamela Vandyke Price, who was a British Wine Taster and Writer, printed in 1959 and part of the Home Entertaining Series; this book has ninety-one pages and offers a selection of choice recipes, ranging from the basic to the extravagant, for those inclined to cook or bake with wine, beer, cider, brandy, rum or liqueurs. There is a compact seven page introduction which is both informative and economical, giving a brief synopsis of the selected spirits to use and the method of preparing. It covers starters, mains, desserts and extras, not bad for such a bijou book.

I will share the Cream of Avocado Soup and Pears in Wine recipes, keep in mind the year the book was printed, 1959 so the recipe is as it appears and written in the book.

Cream of Avocado Soup

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2 ripe avocado pears

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup thick cream

2 tablespoons sherry

few spoonfuls salted whipped cream

Cut a spoonful of the avocado pears into dice, mash the rest of them and add to the chicken broth. Bring this slowly to the boil, add the thick cream, then the sherry, but do not allow to boil. In each soup cup or plate put the pieces of diced avocado, pour in the soup and top each helping with the salted whipped cream. Serves 4. 

Pears in Wine

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Peel and halve 6 pears and remove the cores. 

Poach them in a syrup made with 2 tablespoons of red wine, 3 tablespoonfuls caster sugar, a slice of lemon peel and a small piece of cinnamon stick. Bring this to the boil before putting in the pears and then simmer them till they are quite tender. Drain the pears and arrange them on a serving dish. Take out the cinnamon stick and lemon peel and reduce the syrup by rapid boiling to about half, pour it over the pears. They may be served hot or cold. Serves six. 

Banana Muffins

 

Springy with a delicate coconut banana flavour these muffins are exceptionally easy to make and are such a satisfying abundant morsel to devour anytime.    

Banana Muffins

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2 cups self raising flour

3 large or 4 small-medium bananas, peeled and roughly mashed

1 cup coconut milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

shredded coconut for sprinkling on top

Notes: you can add 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup of sugar if you prefer a more sweeter muffin however I like them without the added sugar and do not miss it one bit. Do shake the can or carton of coconut milk before opening to blend milk and the cream that settles on top, Alternatively, empty the can of coconut milk into a medium bowl and whisk together until blended. You may replace the coconut milk with a Greek yoghurt or buttermilk and omit the walnuts and add chocolate chips or blueberries instead, if you prefer.  

 

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line a 12 cup muffin tin with silicone baking cups. Do not use paper liners as the muffins will stick to the liner. Set aside. Alternatively, you could try greasing each muffin cup with a cooking spray or butter. I haven't tried either method as I have silicone muffin cups which work a treat. 

Peel and roughly mash the bananas if you haven't already done so. Chop walnuts into pieces, if you are not using readymade chopped walnuts. 

In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, coconut milk and vanilla extract and stir together. Add the self raising flour and walnuts and stir together until a moist batter forms. The batter will be thick and sticky so not to worry. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full, ensuring all muffin cups are level. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with shredded coconut.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, a few sticky crumbs are fine. Remove immediately from the silicone cups to a wire rack and allow to cool slightly. 

150 Year Old Biscuit Recipe

 

I stumbled upon this recipe while researching ingredients, I know, the wonders of the internet, straight down a rabbit hole. This vintage biscuit recipe supposedly has not had one tweak in its century and a half existence... well until I made them however I am sure I am not the only one to make slight modifications. I used dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar. I also made only 15 cookies because I chose to roll the dough into walnut sized balls. I set the oven temperature to 325ºF (170ºC) to bake them. Sprinkled cinnamon sugar on them while still warm from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes on the baking tray before removing them to a wire rack. I quite like that I got fewer cookies that were of a fair size and the sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on top added a delicate touch, giving them a Snickerdoodle flavour to enhance their crunchy buttery butterscotch toffee texture. These are exceptional biscuits to make and can easily be whipped up in minutes and will be devoured just as quickly! 

150 Year Old Biscuit Recipe ( 3 Ingredient Recipe) 

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125 grams (approx. 1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

100 grams ( approx. 1/2 cup) brown caster sugar (light brown sugar)

150 grams (approx. 1 cup) self-raising flour

Add the butter, brown sugar and self-raising flour to a large bowl. Mix and knead everything by hand until well mixed and you can form a ball of dough.

Let the dough chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator or a cold place.

Preheat the oven to 305ºF (150ºC). Make 25 small round balls and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.

Gently press the pattern into the dough with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes. 

Notes: the biscuits do spread so place them on the baking tray with enough space in-between to accommodate for this. I did weigh ingredients with a kitchen scale and placed those amounts into a measuring cup to get cup measurements however it's best to measure by weight for the most accurate amounts.  

Food Photo of the Day ~ Chopped Salad

 

I know I have said this before and I am sure that I am not the only one who has, however... salads don't necessarily mean or need to be leafy greens or swimming in dressing. Chopped salad is fresh and refreshingly simple, chopped vegetables, in this case tomatoes, cucumber and green onion, tossed with dill or summer savoury with fresh ground pepper and maybe just a pinch of salt or possibly a squeeze of lemon juice. Allowing the herbs and spices to dress and enhance a more clean flavour by omitting a flood of dressing. Straightforward but succulent and the vegetables burst in their own juicy flavour. An effortless bright and voluptuously glowing mountain of vegetables, that is becoming my preference.   

Strawberry Banana Bread

 

Something comforting can be said about traditional banana bread. While chocolate chips may be the obvious addition so can fruit. With a whole plethora of fruit waiting to heighten its taste and texture; strawberries were my choice and they added such a welcoming sweet tang to this already fragrant loaf. 

Strawberry Banana Bread

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2 cups mashed banana, about 2 large or 4 small/medium bananas

2 cups self raising flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup dark brown sugar 

1/2 cup olive oil

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup plain Greek or Skyr yoghurt 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup fresh or frozen sliced strawberries

Notes: you can replace the self raising flour with all purpose flour and add 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. 

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 3 lb. (11 x 5 x 3 inch) loaf tin and line the bottom and sides with baking parchment, to ensure easy removal of bread from tin when baked.  

Place peeled bananas in a medium bowl and roughly mash together. Set aside.

Slice fresh strawberries or if you are using frozen place them in a microwavable bowl and use the microwave to gently defrost them.

In a medium bowl add the self raising flour and salt and whisk together. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, olive oil and whisk together until creamy and smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the yoghurt, vanilla extract and mashed bananas and using a wooden spoon stir together until well combined. Then add the sliced strawberries to the mixture and gently blend together. 

Fold in the flour mixture, in two additions, and stir until just combine, you do not want to over mix the batter. 

Spoon the batter into the prepared baking tin and bake in the preheated oven for about 60 minutes, check loaf after 30 minutes, if the loaf is browning to quickly on top cover with aluminium foil to prevent over browning, for the remainder of the baking time. 

When done, the middle should be set and a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully turn loaf out onto the wire rack to finish cooling. Cut into slices and serve with butter. 

 

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

 

If you're celebrating Cinco de Mayo then these Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies are a scrumptious nod to honour and celebrate the day of Mexican heritage and culture. A crisp and chewy chocolate crackle cookie with a distinctive mellow spicy piquant rich taste. Definitely moreish and you'll want to bake these whether it's Cinco de Mayo or not.  

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies

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1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon chilli powder

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup cocoa powder 

1/4 cup molasses

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup to 1/3 cup cinnamon sugar, for rolling

Line a large baking tray or two baking trays with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, cayenne powder and chilli powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl add the melted butter, cocoa powder and molasses and stir until well combined. Add the brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined.

Add the flour mixture to the buttery cocoa mixture and stir until combined. Leaving no flour streaks in the mixture. Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or alternatively lightly flour hands, as the dough is sticky, and roll the cookie dough between hands into balls no larger than a walnut, then roll in the cinnamon sugar and place on a plate lined with waxed paper and chill the dough balls in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Keeping the remaining cookie dough balls in the refrigerator until ready to bake. 

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). 

If not pre-rolling, Place the cinnamon sugar in a small bowl. When the 30 minutes of chill time is up, use a cookie scoop, that's a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop, to portion out the cookie dough, and roll lightly between hands to form a ball. Roll in the sugar to coat then place dough balls on the prepared baking tray, 2 inches apart. Place the bowl with the remaining portion of cookie dough back in the refrigerator until the first set of cookies are baked and are ready to roll and finish baking the rest of the dough.  

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven. The cookies should puff up and start to crackle on top. Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle with more sugar, if desired.

Notes: you can replace the cinnamon sugar for rolling with caster sugar instead.