Blowing Hot and Cold

February comes in like a lion

 At the time of writing, Storm Ciara is raging outside and it feels more like Autumn here.

Nothing to be done, except cocoon myself in the kitchen and do some baking- and whilst we  are waiting for the weather to warm up, a little added spice doesn't go amiss.


Some leftover tinned sweetcorn inspired this first bake. Sweetcorn really doesn't keep well so needs using up pronto. Combined with some Mexican Cheddar, garlic and herb soft cheese and a muffin batter, I made these delicious Chili Cheese and Corn Cakes.

Mmm... apero time

Assemble your ingredients- for the dry part: 220g flour, 1 tsp salt, 3 tsps baking powder, 125 g tinned sweetcorn and 125g grated Mexican Cheddar ( or other strong cheese and some chopped red chillis if you can't get it).

The dry ingredients

For the wet ingredients- 200 ml milk, 125 g soft garlic and herb cheese ( I used Quark ), 75g melted butter and 1 egg.

The wet ingredients mixed

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and generously grease some mini-loaf or muffin tins.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and beat together.

Mix wet and dry

Spoon into your tins and bake for around 15 minutes until risen and golden.

Spoon into muffin or mini-loaf tins

Lovely eaten warm with tomato soup, or with an early evening apéritif.

Chilli Cheese and Corn Cakes

With Easter not that far off, I thought I would have a go at making hot cross buns- but when the dough was ready for baking, I decided at the last minute to put it all in a loaf tin and make a Hot Cross Bun Cake. I was pleased with the result, and we ate it sliced with butter and jam for pretty much the rest of the week! Here's the recipe:

450g flour
pinch of salt
100g sugar
 7g sachet yeast
180 ml milk
1 egg
1 tsp each cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger
180g sultanas ( soaked in tea to plump them up)
70g melted butter
1. Warm the milk to blood temperature and mix in the yeast and  2 tsp of the sugar. Leave to rest 10 minutes.

Warm the milk and mix in yeast and sugar

2. Mix together the flour, salt, sugar and spices. Add the sultanas, tea, melted butter, milk mixture and  beaten egg.

Mix together all the ingredients

3. Knead well on a floured board until nice and elastic.
4.Place back in the mixing bowl, cover with a clean cloth and put in a warm place to rise for an hour or so.

Dough has doubled in size

5. When doubled in size, take out the dough and either make it into 12 buns or put it in a loaf tin.
Cover again and leave for another 30 minutes or so before cooking at 200 degrees for around 35 minutes.
6. When cool, you can either pipe a cross onto the top or glaze with a little icing sugar dissolved in hot water.

Hot Cross Bun Cake ( ready for icing)

Finally-I know it's not baking ( or even cooking ) but I did want to share with you my Instant Ginger Ice Cream- which goes beautifully in a banana split.
I make this now whenever I have half a tub of vanilla ice cream leftover. It is also really good made with soya ice cream for vegans or those on a dairy-free diet.

Just chop up 1-2 tbsp stem ginger in syrup

Chopped stem ginger

and quickly mix in a bowl with your softened ice cream.

Quickly mix and refreeze

When thoroughly mixed, put the ice cream back in the freezer until you are ready to serve.

I served it here with a Banana Split and topped with some of the ginger syrup from the jar or a caramel sauce and some crushed sesame snap biscuits for more crunch.

Banana Split with Ginger Ice cream

So there we are- some spiced recipes to take you through this stormy weekend. 

Next time I write this blog, I'm hoping for some spring weather to make us all feel good.

Yeah!

Sugar and Spice

All things nice. That's what I want my blog to be made of.
And this time I have been inspired by a recipe I tried out after watching 'Barefoot Contessa' on TV.

I do love chef Ina Garten- she looks a bit like me (although perhaps a few boxes of chocolate cookies and several sticks of butter down the line) and her recipes are always delicious.

Ina Garten in her kitchen

Leftover Liz in the kitchen

                                                          Spooky eh?

This first recipe is no exception to the delicious rule- Baked Cinnamon Mini Doughnuts. Mmmm!

As Ina says, 'Who doesn't love a doughnut?'- and she clearly has had a few in her time, as have I.

 I was intrigued with the idea of making these without a deep fat fryer though and so

duly purchased a silicone mini doughnut mould ready to try out the recipe.
I can report that it worked well and I adapted the quantities a little to give you a version here (less melted butter but still pretty damn good.)

This quantity makes 12 mini doughnuts.

Ingredients:
125g flour
125g sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon or mixed spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
200ml milk
1 tbsp butter (melted)
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping- 50g sugar, 1 tsp mixed spice or cinnamon, 50 g sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, spice and sugar.
3. In a separate jug, melt the butter (allow to cool a little) and whisk in the egg, milk and vanilla
4. Mix the wet ingredients with the dry
5. Pour or spoon into the moulds, filling just as far as the top of the central ring. Bake for 15 minutes or so until just golden and firm.

Turn them out once cool.

Melt 50g butter on a saucer in the microwave. Pour 50g sugar onto another saucer and mix in a tsp mixed spice or cinnamon.
Dip one side of each doughnut in the melted butter and then the sugar.

Baked Cinnamon Mini Doughnuts

I do like the flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg (or mixed spice) in cakes. This next recipe is a family favourite ( as you can see from the old recipe book) and never fails. It is particularly economical - ie. no eggs, no butter - as recipes often were back then.

Family Spice Cake

Ingredients:

450g flour

110g veg fat or 110ml veg oil

175g sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp black treacle

110g dried fruit

3 tsp mixed spice

275ml milk

1. Melt the veg fat and mix in treacle and milk

2. Combine all the dry ingredients thoroughly- and make a well in the centre to pour in the treacle mixture

3. Mix well with a spoon and then pour into a well greased 18 cm baking tin

4. Bake for 1 and 1/2 hours at 175 degrees- but check regularly with a skewer to see if it is cooked through.

The rest of todays's recipes are savoury- using chili, ginger and other warming spices and flavours to enhance simple leftover dishes: Thai- inspired noodle salad,  spiced pickled salad, chili chips and Tarte a l'indienne.

I'm beginning with the pickled salad.

Pickled Vegetable Salad

Slice cucumber, carrot and radish thinly with either a mandoline or in the food processor.

Bring 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 60 ml water, 2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp chili flakes or finely chopped red chili, juice of 1/2 lemon or lime and 1tsp minced ginger to the boil in a small saucepan

Pour over the vegetables and allow to cool before refrigerating for at least 4 hours.

Drain off the excess liquid ( but KEEP IT for the noodle salad dressing) and serve garnished with toasted sesame seeds.

For the Thai-inspired noodle salad, two things to say.

First of all, I am indebted to fellow blogger Thewholeingredient for the inspiration behind this recipe.

Secondly, I'm not going to tell you how to make the noodles and stir fry veg that make up this salad- as it is supposed to be made when you have leftover stir fry to use up!

Thai-inspired Noodle Salad

Ingredients:

leftover noodles and stir fry veg

leftover pickling vinegar etc from the recipe above

2-3 dates

1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

1 tbsp soy sauce

Blitz all the above dressing ingredients ( except of course the noodles and stir fry itself) and then warm them through in a small saucepan 

Pour over the waiting noodles and veg, add a dash of sesame oil and garnish with some extra chopped peanuts and spring onion if you have them.

Finally, my last two 'recipes' use up leftover chili con carne and chicken curry respectively.

My favourite way to use up a few spoons of chili is - over chips!

Put 'em in a bowl, spoon on the chili- add cheese if you want- and serve! (Not really a recipe but yummy nevertheless)

Chili chips

A little more skill required for the leftover curry- but not much.

Tarte a l'indienne

Tarte a l'Indienne:

1 baked pastry case

2-3 tbsp leftover curry with sauce

3 eggs

200 ml milk

1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees

2. Blitz the leftover curry together with the milk and beat in the eggs

3. Pour into the pastry case and bake for 20 -30 minutes until firm and golden.

OK with you Ina?

How good was that?