Plum Crazy

After the fruitless summer of 2017- when the late frosts of the Saints de Glace laid waste to all the blossom- this year the fruit trees in my Auvergne garden have gone, well...crazy.

My greengage tree, which in the 3 years we have been living here has only produced 4 little fruits, is suddenly and bough-breakingly laden.
What's more, they are all ripe and need to be dealt with right away.




Ho-hum, never mind about unpacking. Time to get preserving.



In addition to all the usual crumbles, pies and cakes I made pots and pots of plum relish and chutney.

Relish/Chutney

There were also Clafoutis

Plum Clafoutis

and Tatins to be made.

Plum Tarte Tatin

And, just as an experiment, I decided to make an Oriental Plum Sauce for dipping and stir fries.

I put 2 kilos of plums ( or greengages to be more precise) in the slow cooker ( stones removed),

Plums in the slow cooker

along with 750g of white onions ( chopped), 6 fat garlic cloves, 4 heaped tsp of ground ginger, 6 heaped tsp of Chinese 5 Spice powder, 250 ml of soy sauce, 2 tbsp black treacle and  650ml of cider vinegar.

Onions and oriental flavours added

I left it to cook ( and smell delicious) for 6 hours. (You could achieve the same effect in a large pan, simmered for an hour.)

I then tipped it all into said large pan and blitzed it to a smooth mixture using a stick blender. I added 400g of dark brown sugar and 400g of white granulated and heated until all dissolved. A quick boil and then pour the hot mixture into hot sterilised bottles or jars and seal.

Oriental Plum Sauce

Summer Stir Fry

I have used this on stir fries (yum), also with bacon and eggs like HP sauce and last night added a dash to some sauteed Swiss Chard. It was delish.

Just as we were eating the last of the plum/greengages in a fruit salad- my neighbour called round.

"Cela vous intéresse, les prunes?" he asked hopefully, holding out a sack of 5 kilos of golden Mirabelles. Smiling gamely, I accepted ..retaliating an hour later with 3 kilos of apples surreptitiously hung over his fence as a gift.

So, it's back to the preserving pan to make Mirabelle Jelly..

Mirabelle Jelly all made

just don't talk to me yet about the groaning peach trees. Give me a week.

One of three peach trees!

A Sandwich Short of a Picnic

What a summer it's been so far for eating al fresco. Whether it's been barbecuing in the back yard, soaking up the sun in Saugues or brunching at Bewl Water, this has definitely been the year when we ate outdoors!

But my first picnic challenge of the year was an interesting one- a picnic guest who was cutting down on gluten and wanted to go breadless.
No more sandwiches, quiches and pizzas- time to get creative with the cool box.



So, on today's picnic menu we have Tortilla, Flourless Mushroom Muffins and Seeded Shards ( for dipping in hummus or guacamole)

The Tortilla is simple- and uses up any leftover cooked vegetables or garden glut you might have. This recipe is for a classic potato and onion tortilla.

Ingredients:
2 large white onions
2 medium sized potatoes
6 eggs and a splash of milk
pinch each of salt, pepper and sugar

1. Finely slice the onions and potatoes

Finely sliced veg ready

2. Put the onions to fry gently in a little vegetable oil- in a large non-stick frying pan.
3. Blanch the potato slices (if you are using raw rather than leftover boiled potatoes) for 5-8 minutes in boiling salted water until tender.
4. Add the sugar to the onions and continue to fry until golden brown
5. Add the blanched potato and continue to fry gently until the potato also starts to brown
6. Beat the eggs with the milk, salt and pepper
7. Pour over the potato/onion mix and continue to heat gently until the tortilla is set underneath
8. Place a plate over the pan and invert the tortilla onto it.

Invert onto a plate

9. Slide the tortilla back into the pan and continue to cook on the second side.
10. Cool, slice and serve.

Potato and Onion Tortilla

Flourless Mushroom Muffins

A bit like tortillas, these little om-cakes are cooked in the oven in muffin cases.

I've used mushrooms and spring onions as the flavouring as that is what I had to hand- but  again you can use any veg you choose (peas, spinach, leeks...)

Ingredients:

4 eggs separated
125g of veg- eg. sliced mushrooms, sliced spring onions
40 g of  grated mature cheddar
25ml milk

1. Line a muffin tin with paper or silicone cases (the latter work best) and pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees
2. Beat the egg whites until stiff
3. Gently fry the mushrooms and onions until just cooked

Fry your filling choice

4. Beat the eggs and milk together
5. Add the  chopped fried vegetables and the cheese
6. Gently fold in the egg whites and spoon into the cases

Fold in the egg whites

Spoon into muffin cases

7. Bake until risen and golden.

Risen and golden!

Flourless Mushroom Muffins

Seeded Shards

50g porridge oats
100g mixed savoury seeds
1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp approx of water to mix

1. Mix all the ingredients together with enough water to make the mixture soft

Mix all the ingredients together

2. Allow the oats to soak up the moisture
3. Line a baking tin with greaseproof paper and spread out the mixture, pressing down with a spoon

Press into a baking tin

4. Bake at 170 degrees until browned (approx 25-30 minutes)
5. Allow to cool completely and then break into shards
6. Store in an airtight container.

Seeded Shards

Now pack up some salad, some dips and crisps and crunchy veg sticks and plenty to drink.

You should have a picnic that will please the pickiest of picknickers- so what are you waiting for?

Service!

Le Temps des Cerises

Who would have thought that one cherry tree could yield so much?
Every day I pick buckets of fruit- and still there is 100 times that left on the tree!

So many cherries..so little time!

What to do with them all?

Well, I've made batch after batch of cherry jam of course. Then cherry jellies-

Cherry jelly

Cherry juice for morning breakfast (reputedly good for gout!)-

Cherry juice

Cherrry compote (slow cooked with red wine and a tablespoon of icing sugar) for swirling onto ice cream..

Cherry compote ready for slow cooking

or layering onto chocolate cake with a dollop of chocolate mousse to make a Black Forest Express

All aboard the Black Forest Express

Spiced boozy cherries (with cinnamon and sugar, bottled in eau de vie)

Simmered with cinnamon and icing sugar

Boozy bottled cherries

I've floated them in jugs of Pimms..

Cherry o'clock

I've given them away to friends, neighbours and strangers alike.

Ouf! I'm running out of ideas. 

One last one though...Tarte Aux Cerises

You will need:

1 quantity of sweet pastry made by blitzing 225g of plain flour with 110g soft butter and 80g of icing sugar with 1 large egg in the food processor.

Cherries 

200 ml of either chocolate mousse, vanilla frosting or crème patissière

Jam to glaze

1. Make the pastry as above and press into a flan dish.

Ready for baking blind

2. Bake at 170 degrees until lightly golden all over.

3. Allow to cool completely then spread on your filling of choice.

4. De-stone the cherries and soften them a little by microwaving ( or simmering) for a very short time with a little icing sugar. (Microwaving helps preserve the colour).

5. Arrange the fruit on your flan base.

6. Melt some jam ( I used cherry of course, but strawberry or bramble or other red fruit would be fine) and glaze the surface of the fruit usng a pastry brush.

Glaze with red jam

Et voilà!

Tarte aux Cerises

And by the way- I'm sure you've all guessed what you're getting for Christmas this year!

Bitterballen

I've just returned from a weekend in Rotterdam- and, as ever, I was keen to come back with some ideas for the blog. I don't think I've featured Dutch recipes before, so an extra reason to be curious about the cuisine.
Well, if you like your food crispy- and usually deep fried- then Holland is for you!
Fish and chips, kroketten- and bitterballen- seemed to be the order of the day.
I confess rather guiltily that I was taken with these crunchy treats- especially with a cold glass of beer and some strong mustard for dipping.

Back home, I searched out the recipe- and discovered a brilliant new way to use up leftovers, be it a bit of Sunday roast, some spag bol, corned beef, ham, cauliflower cheese...you name it, they can be made into delicious bitterballen in no time.

Bitterballen- the originals

To start, you need a roux sauce base- melt 1 tbsp of butter in a pan and add 1 and a half tbsp of plain flour. Mix together to cook out the flour over a low heat.

Mix the flour into the melted butter

Add just a splash of milk and plenty of salt and pepper. Your are aiming for a thick paste- with a really glue-like consistency. (A bit like the base for Welsh Rarebit)http://lizsleftovers.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/welsh%20rarebit

Then- mix in 1-2  tbsp of your chosen filling. I suggest:

• leftover roast beef, shredded, with horseradish
• pulled pork with apple or BBQ sauce
• shredded Chinese duck
• corned beef or ham, finely chopped
• spring onions, grated cheese and mustard
• leftover veg with cheese or spring onion
• leftover  ragout or spaghetti sauce

I chose some leftover cauliflower and broccoli cheese, chopped it up quite small and mixed it in with the sauce.

Now turn the mixture out onto a chopping board and leave it to cool, until it can be handled.

Bitterballen 'dough' ready for coating

Line up 3 saucers- one with flour, one with beaten egg or milk and on with soft breadcrumbs or chapelure ( made from blitzed biscottes or crispbreads).

Flour, egg/milk and breadcrumbs at the ready

Break off walnut sized pieces of the 'dough' and coat them first in the flour, then the liquid and finally roll in the breadcrumbs.

Coat in breadcrumbs

Now, you can either fry your bitterballen in hot oil until crispy- which is the traditional way- or you can bake them in a lightly oiled baking tray at 180 degrees until golden brown.

Baked bitterballen

 They may spread a bit in the oven but can easily be reshaped with a spoon when you take them out to drain on kitchen paper.

Cauliflower Cheese Bitterballen

If you prefer, you can use leftover couscous as a coating, as I have done before on the blog with my Chicken Doris

http://lizsleftovers.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=chicken+doris

You can mix it up too- to make a bittergarnituur- lots of different flavoured ballen and kroketten, for a party. 

  

Bittergarnituur

The sky ( or probably the fridge) is the limit.

Enjoy!

Chocolate puddings!

Lent and the time of abstinence is over- Easter tide is well upon us. With that our fancy turns to thoughts of ....chocolate.

This month's blog salutes that most sublime of puds- chocolate mousse/sponge/cream in all (or many at least) of its forms.





I am featuring 4 choccy puds- two made with eggs, two without.

The first is the most wacky- made with aquafaba ( the water drained from a can of chickpeas)- so a really unusual way to use up something that would ordinarily be thrown away.

The chickpeas of course can be used in a variety of dishes- hummus, falafel, tagines...

https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/534564fbe4b06807fd8c4f13/927201
Hummus

Falafel 
http://lizsleftovers.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=falafel

http://lizsleftovers.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=tagine
Tagine

Chocolate Mousse with Aquafaba 

Now you have to trust me on this, as it might seem weird - but it does work.

You need 100g dark bitter chocolate, 100 ml of water drained from a can of chickpeas (known as aquafaba), 2 tbsp of icing sugar and 1 sachet of vegegel or agar-agar.

Simply melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water(as in the title pic above).Pour the chickpea liquid into a mixing bowl.
Whisk on high speed with an electric whisk ( too much work to do by hand), adding the icing sugar as you go, until the mixture begins to foam and turn into a mousse. (It will never be stiff like a meringue but it will be foamy)

Whisk the aquafaba until foamy

Sprinkle on the vegegel and whisk in. Now quickly add the melted chocolate and fold in until incorporated but still mousseux.

Pour into glasses or ramekins and chill for one hour before serving.

Chocolate Mousse with Aquafaba

Et voilà! A dark chocolate mousse- with no raw egg!

The second pud however does use eggs for a more traditional bitter Chocolate and Coffee Cream.

Chocolate and Coffee Creams

You will need 200g of dark chocolate, 90 ml of strong coffee, 60 ml of brandy or other liqueur of your choice and 3 eggs.

1. Melt the chocolate over simmering water as before. When melted, whisk in the coffee and brandy and allow to cool slightly whilst you whip the eggs.
2. Separate the eggs and whisk the whites to soft peaks.
3. Whisk the yolks into the chocolate
4. Pour the chocolate into the egg white mix and fold together until incorporated, keeping the mixture as light as possible.
5. Pour into ramekins or expresso cups and allow to chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

This dessert is quite rich- and not very sweet- so can benefit from a little pouring cream over the top.

Chocolate and Coffee Cream

Still using those eggs up- the third dish mixes crème anglaise with a chocolate custard to make a two-tone Crème Mic-Mac. (We made this at our Atelier de Cuisine so many thanks to Joselyne for the idea.)

Crème Mic-Mac

1. Heat 400 ml milk with 100g of sugar and warm through until the sugar is dissolved and the milk is hot but not boiling. Allow to cool whilst you prepare the eggs.
2. In a bowl, beat 4 eggs with a tbsp of cornflour until pale and frothy.
3. Also melt 100g of chocolate ( milk or plain) in a bowl over simmering water as before.
4. Pour the milk in  a steady stream over the eggs, beating as you do so

Carefully make your custard mix

5. Return it to the pan and heat through until it begins to thicken.
6. Now divide the custard evenly between two jugs with good pouring lips.
7. Whisk the melted chocolate into one of the custards and a tsp of vanilla extract into the other.
8. Now- hold your nerve! Line up the chosen ramekins or cups for the pud, take a jug in each hand and pour a steady stream into each side of the cup so you end up with a two-tone pud.

Crème Mic-Mac

Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.


And finally a little touch of magic with a Wizard Chocolate Sponge- self-saucing to make a complete dish in a few minutes. You can do this in the microwave or in a conventional oven.

Wizard Chocolate Sponge

100g plain flour
5 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
200g soft brown sugar
175 ml milk
30 ml vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

1.Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and 2 tbsp of the cocoa powder into a bowl and add 100g of the sugar
2. Pour in the milk, oil and vanilla and mix to a smooth batter
3. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 20cm cake tin or mould
4. Mix the remaining sugar and cocoa powder together and sprinkle evenly over the batter
5. Pour 350ml of boiling water over the mix
6. Either microwave on HIGH for 12-14 minutes or bake in a hot oven (180 degrees) until firm on the surface.(Around 20 minutes)

Chocolate sponge ready for spooning out

7. As if by magic, the cake has made its very own chocolate sauce underneath- ready to spoon over itself!

Saucy Chocolate Pud

So, here ends my tale of four chocolate puddings. I hope you get to try at least one of them- if not the whole lot!

Enjoy!