Cinnamon Spice Pancakes with Cinnamon Poached Plums

Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day or Mardi Gras falls on Tuesday 17th March this year.   Whatever you call it, it's a great excuse to make pancakes.  I'm definitely a fan of the fat pancake (very much a Scottish tradition) rather than the thin crepe style pancakes.

These Cinnamon Spice Pancakes have a lovely sweet cinnamon flavour and make a perfect base for the poached plums, soaking up the lovely juices, a little topping of cream or thick yogurt counteracts the acidity of the fruit.


Cinnamon Spice Pancakes

Labels: Cinnamon, Cinnamon Poached Plums, Mardi Gras, Pancake Day, pancakes, plums, Shrove Tuesday

posted by Janice @ 20:43 14 Comments

Slow Cooked Spiced Ham

It might seem like a bit of an extravagance to buy a ham in January, but you can get an awful lot of eating out of a large ham like this eating it sliced, warm and cold, then stretching the rest into several meals using rice, pasta, quiche, bakes, pies and pasties.

Adding some spices and citrus fruit to the cooking liquid just adds a little extra flavour to the ham.  It's not overpowering and is more obvious in the cold ham than when it is served warm.

Slow Cooked Spiced Ham
1 ham or gammon joint (2.5 kilos)
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
3 all spice berries
1/2 lemon
1/2 orange
1 litre of liquid (you can use apple juice, cider, white wine or water or a combination)

Place all the ingredients in your Slow Cooker or Crockpot,  put on the lid and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Farmersgirl Tips

• If you are using a smaller gammon joint, simply reduce the liquid, spices and cooking time, it's a really that simple.
• If you want to glaze your ham, remove the rind, then using a sharp knife, make a criss cross pattern in the fat.  Make a mixture of  50g dark brown sugar and 1 tsp dried mustard powder and rub into the fat.  Heat the oven to 180C and bake until the rind is bubbling about 10-12 minutes.  I would recommend lining your tin with foil as the sugar mixture is really sticky and difficult to remove.

• 

This is my entry for my #SlowCookedChallenge, the theme for January is CITRUS, why not join me?

Labels: all spice, bacon, Cinnamon, crockpot, Gammon, ham, lemon, orange, Slow Cooked Challenge, slow cooker, spice, star anise

posted by Janice @ 19:30 10 Comments

Wisdom for Home Preservers and Spiced Blackberry Jam

When autumn (fall) starts to creep in, it's definitely time to start preserving the harvest from your garden or the hedgerows.  People have been preserving food since ancient times—evidence shows that Middle Eastern cultures were using the heat of the sun to dry their foods as early as 12,000 BC—for reasons of survival or culture or both. Fast forward to the present day, and preserving our food—perhaps home-grown, seasonal, local, organic, or free-range—is an essential and enjoyable part of a healthy, sustainable lifestyle.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Labels: blackberries, brambles book review., Cinnamon, cloves, giveaway, Spiced Blackberry Jam, star anise, Wisdom for Home Preservers

posted by Janice @ 23:55 60 Comments

Cinnamon Apple Scone Cobbler

One of my favourite blogs to visit is Deb's Dust Bunny, it's a delightful place full of delicious recipes and interesting information all served with a dollop of good humour. Last week I spied Debs recipe for Cinnamon Apples Scones, it's one she posted last October, how did I miss that! These are not the usual kind of scones I would make, they are more like American Scones much sweeter than our and iced on top. I was really drawn to them and had a go at making the scones, as you can see above. However my mixture must have been too wet as they spread rather too much but were still totally delicious and I liked them so much that I thought the mixture would make a really good cobbler topping.

Cinnamon Apple Scone Cobbler
serves 6

For the filling
6-8 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp water

For the topping

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
4 Tablespoons soft brown sugar - you may need more if your apples are tart
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 Tablespoons butter - cut into small pieces
1 egg
6 Tablespoons of plain yogurt or milk
1 apple - peeled, cored and chopped into a fine dice

A little sifted icing sugar to finish

1. Place the sliced apples, sugar and water in an ovenproof dish and cover with a lid or foil and place in the oven at 160C for about 20 minutes until the apples are softened but not disintegrating.
2. Put all the dry ingredients into the bowl, use a knife to cut in the butter, then rub in with your fingers.
3. Beat the egg and yogurt or milk together in a small bowl.
4. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and mix until only just combined, do not over mix or the scone will become tough.
5. Remove the cooked apples from the oven and place large spoonfuls of the mixture on top of the apples.
6. Increase the oven temperature to 200C/400F and bake for 15-20 minutes. The scones take only 12-15 minutes but I found that the depth of the topping meant it needed a little extra time.

Dust with icing sugar and Serve with ice cream or custard. This was very good, the apples in the topping give a surprising texture and the cobbler was crispy on the top and softer where it met the stewed apples. It would be good to try with ginger instead of cinnamon.

Many thanks to Debs for giving me permission to recreate and re-purpose her recipe.

I'm entering this Cinnamon Apple Scone Cobbler into Bookmarked Recipes, the blog event hosted every month by Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes.

 

 

Labels: Apple Cobbler, apples, Bookmarked Recipes, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Apples, Cobbler, Deb's Dust Bunny, Scones

posted by Janice @ 08:30 11 Comments

Chelsea Buns and The World's Best Cakes Review

I've never made Chelsea Buns before but was not daunted by the sweet dough after making the Kugelhopf which turned out so well.  I'd also been watching the contestants on the 'Great British Bake Off' making sweet doughs the other week and it reminded me that I should make something like this again.

The opportunity came in the form of The World's Best Cakes by Roger Pizey, one of the finest pastry chef's in Britain, according to Marco Pierre White.

About the Author
Roger Pizey is a celebrated baker and patissier with over twenty five years experience at the cutting edge of cooking.  He trained for two years with Albert Roux at Le Gavroche in London before joining the charismatic Marco Pierre White as his Chef Patissier.

About the Book 
The World's Best Cakes is a collection of globally inspired classic bakes from national favourites such as American Boston Cream Pie and British Chelsea Buns to exquisite small treats including Russian Tea Cakes and French Madeleines.

The book is a Masterclass in baking, regular readers will know that I own many baking books and, over the past year, I have reviewed quite a few books on cakes and baking.  All I can say is GET THIS BOOK ON YOUR CHRISTMAS LIST.

Roger Pizey takes you through all the Basic Techniques you will need. shown in step by step pictures.  Every recipe is accompanied by stunning photographs, often two for each bake, the whole cake and a slice, or a variation e.g. Victoria Sponge and Fairy Cakes.

The recipes themselves are clearly laid out with the ingredients and each instruction in the process clearly numbered.  There is also a paragraph about the recipe and some recipes have variations too.

Another feature of the book is the pages on 'Where to Eat Cake' in various cities around the world. 

For me, the standout recipes in this book were the Raspberry Angel Cake, Willie Harcourt-Cooze's Cloud Forest Chocolate Cake,  Pastel de Chocolate Mexicano (A Chilli Chooclate cake), Espresso Marble Cake, Olive Oil Cake with Peaches, Richard Corrigan's More Stout Than Treacle Cake, Basbousa (a Semolina cake), Banana Cheesecake, Mustikkapiiraat (Finnish Blueberry Buns), Cinnamon Bear Claws and Christopher Farrugia's Maltese Prinjolata.

Are you getting the picture?  I could go on and on because every cake looks fantastic and fascinating and so, so delicious that I want to make them all.

Pros
Well written recipes, beautiful pictures, lots of cakes I've never even heard of, let alone made, before. The step by step basic techniques is easy to follow and there is also a section at the end of the book called 'Baking Basics' which includes recipes for Creme Anglaise, Creme Patissiere Royal Icing, Chocolate Ganache etc. 

Cons
Not really a book for a beginner baker, the recipes are clear enough but there are many which demand more technique, fine if you have a little experience of baking and want to expand your repertoire. 

The Verdict
I'm sure you have gathered that I like the book and I would certainly recommend it, plenty of inspiration for all those baking challenges. And it's not just me who is impresssed:

@FarmersgirlCook I bought the world's best cakes book as u said its gd. Wow. It is one of the best bks I have seen. Simply stunning.

— Deon van Schalkwyk (@dvans88) October 18, 2013

Chelsea Buns
Makes 12
For the yeast starter:
15g (1/2 oz) caster sugar
85g (3oz) strong flour
300ml (10floz) full-fat milk, slightly warmed
25g (1oz) fresh yeast

For the dough:
675g (1lb 8 3/4 oz) strong flour
a pinch of nutmeg
140g (5oz) butter, cubed
1 egg
85g (3oz) caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
finely grated zest of 1 lemon

For the decoration
50g (1 3/4 oz) butter, melted
50g (1 3/4 oz) caster sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
50g (1 3/4 oz) currants
65ml (2 1/2 fl oz) Stock Syrup

For the Stock Syrup
Makes 65ml (2 1/2 fl oz)
65ml (2 1/2 fl oz) water
65g  (2 1/4 oz) caster sugar 

1. To make the yeasty mix, stir the sugar and flour into the milk in a pan, then add the years.  Keep it warm until it froths up and then drops.
2. To make the dough, sift the four and nutmeg together in a bowl then rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Next make a well in the centre of this dry mixture.
3. Whisk the egg, sugar and lemon zest into the yeasty mixture then tip this into the well and mix until the dough is smooth, silky and slightly elastic.  Allow it to rest for 1 hour wrapped in clingfilm.
4. Grease and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
5. on a lightly floured surface roll out the dough to a square shape about 4 cm (1 1/2 in) thick, then brush with melted butter, Sprinkle sugar, cinnamon and currants over the surface.



Of course, I cheated!  I didn't have any fresh yeast, so used Fast Action Yeast, put all the dough ingredients and the starter ingredients, substituting the dried for fresh yeast, into the bread maker and put it onto the dough programme.  You could use your stand mixer with a dough hook, or just place it all in a bowl and mix by hand.   The dough still came out silky smooth and the buns were well risen and tasted great.

 The World's Best Cakes by Roger Pizey
Published by  Jacqui Small LLP
RRP £30
Available for £15-16 at online retailers


I'm entering these Chelsea Buns for Tea Time Treats, the blog challenge run by Karen at Lavender and Lovage and Kate at What Kate Baked.  The theme this month is Sweet Breads and Yeast Breads, so my Chelsea Buns fit perfectly and, believe me, they are a treat!

Labels: cakes, Chelsea Buns, Cinnamon, dough, Roger Pizey, sweet bread, Tea Time Treats, World's Best Cakes

posted by Janice @ 15:20 7 Comments

Mixed Vegetable Curry - A Random Recipe

Now, I know we are supposed to randomly pick the recipe were going to cook, but in this case I had a lot of vegetables in the fridge so I picked randomly from the Vegetarian chapter and came up with 'Mixed Vegetable Curry' on page 228.

Labels: Cinnamon, coconut milk, curry, Random Recipes, spices, vegetarian

posted by Janice @ 20:13 7 Comments

Spiced Rhubarb and Lemon Muffins

It's still Rhubarb Central here! This time I'm bringing you some Spiced Rhubarb and Lemon Muffins.  This is a classic combination with the spices including cinnamon and little pieces of crystallised ginger.  I decided to make these when I saw the Recipes for Life Challenge at Vanesther's Bangers and Mash blog. The rules of the Recipes for Life call for a trio of ingredients, and this month they are rhubarb with lemon and spice. A monthly winner  will be picked and the best of the recipes will be included in a new charity cookbook to be published by SWALLOW later this year.

 

Spice Rhubarb and Lemon Muffins
150g light brown sugar
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon extract (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
100ml milk
100g finely diced rhubarb
175g wholemeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp ground ginger
pinch salt
50g chopped ccrystallised ginger
grated zest of half a lemon

1.  Preheat the oven to 200C.
2. Line you muffin tin with paper cases.
3. Place 125g of the sugar, oil, egg cinnamon extract and milk.  Mix together and add the rhubarb.   

  

Wet ingredients

4. Sift your dry ingredients into the bowl, add the wet ingredients and stir until combined but don't over mix or your muffins will be heavy.

Dry ingredients

5. Spoon the mixture into the cases, filling about 3/4 full. 
6. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the remaining sugar (I forgot to do this!)
7. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
8. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Cakey, fruity gingeryness!

What I really liked about these muffins was that they were really moist, the acidity of the rhubarb and the lemon took the edge off the sweetness and the combination of ginger and cinnamon worked really well with the fruit.  Best of all were the little nuggets of intense crystallised ginger.

Labels: Bangers and Mash, Cinnamon, Ginger, lemon, Muffins, Recipes for Life, rhubarb, Swallows

posted by Janice @ 21:41 7 Comments

Choc-ful Christmas Muffins!

Muffins are such great little cakes, they are easy to make and you can pack them full of delicious things.  Muffins also make great gifts and are always appreciated at bake sales and Christmas Fairs. These muffins are full of Christmassy flavours: cranberries, orange, cinnamon, nuts and chocolate.

Choc-ful Christmas Muffins

150g chopped fresh or frozen cranberries
50g caster sugar
200g caster sugar
450g plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
170g butter or margarine
2 eggs, lightly beaten
250ml milk
100g chopped pecans or walnuts
50g chopped chocolate (white, milk or dark)
1 tbsp grated orange rind

1. Mix the chopped cranberries with the 50g caster sugar, set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and the 200g caster sugar.
3. Cut in the butter or margarine and rub in until it resembles coarse bread crumbs.
4. Combine the eggs with the milk and stir into the flour mixture until just moistened, do not over mix.
5. Gently fold in nuts, orange peel, cranberries and chopped chocolate.
6. Fill paper-lined muffin tins two thirds full.
7. Bake at 190C for 20-25 minutes.

Makes about 18 Muffins.


Baking is so much easier when you have the right equipment, so when I was asked to review some items from the Dunelm Mill Christmas Collection I chose items that would make baking and giving muffins so much easier and would also make great gifts for friends and relatives who like to bake.

I couldn't resist this gorgeous Red Mason Cash 'Let them Eat Cake' baking bowl with it's crown and 'Let them Eat Cake' embossed in the side!  It cheers me up just looking at it.

Then there is this Holly and Berries Collection Oval Platter, perfect for presenting any kind of Christmas fare but particularly good for cakes and muffins.

Transporting muffins can be a bit precarious, even more so when they are decorated, so this Portable Muffin Set  is ideal and would be a welcome gift to anyone who bakes.

It's so cool, the carrying handle folds flat and the 'doors' slide round to open and close, you also get a 12 cup round muffin tin (on the bottom) and if you use both layers you can carry 24 muffins secured in their little cups. If you have muffins or cupcakes which are decorated and sit up high you might just want to use the one layer.

Let's go!

The final item I chose was a bit of fun, a Novelty Santa apron which really appealed to me.

No, that's not going to work, you really can't get the full effect of this cute apron - cue Santa...

What is it they say?  Hat is model's own - hee hee!  I will be modelling this little number on Christmas day and offering my guests Christmas cakes, cookies and muffins on my holly decorated platter. Apologies for the dodgy pink slipper boots!

And these muffins really are 'Choc-ful' of deliciousness,  so I'm entering them for Christmas Tea Time Treats, the challenge run by Karen at Lavender and Lovage and Kate at What Kate Baked.  This month Kate is hosting and the theme is Chocolate.

Fortunately, this bake also contains 'Cinnamon' which is the ingredient to be combined with Chocolate for the We Should Cocoa blog challenge run, and hosted this month, by Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog and Chele at Chocolate Teapot.


There are loads more great Dunelm Mill Christmas Gifts for Cooks and essential  Dunelm Mill cooking and baking equipment in Christmas Cook and Dine

I received these products for review from Dunelm Mill, I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are my own.

Labels: chocolate, Christmas Muffins, Cinnamon, cranberries, Dunelm Mill, Holly and Berries Oval Platter, Mason Cash, Muffins, Novelty Santa Apron, orange, Porable Muffin Set, Tea Time Treats, We should Cocoa

posted by Janice @ 20:51 10 Comments

Chocolate Dipped Cannoli

I was thrown a little by the theme for this month's 'We should Cocoa', (the blogger challenge run by Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog and Chele at Chocolate Teapot) it's Chocolate and Cheese!  I've been mulling this over since it was announced, trying to think what I could make.  Then I remembered the ricotta and chocolate filled cannoli that my SIL used to bring to us from a Sicilian Bakery in Edinburgh.
I did a bit of research online, but decided that, rather than making the biscuit shells, I would use filo pastry.  I bought the pastry and then it occurred to me that I had no idea what I would use to create the tubes...but you will see that I did manage to come up with something.

Chocolate Dipped Cannoli




So here is my solution for making the cannoli tubes, rolled up aluminium foil! Roll the circle round the foil with the butter side out and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until the tubes are golden brown. Leave to cool then carefully remove the foil.


Mix the ricotta, 25g of the chocolate, the Amaretto and the sugar.  Fill a disposable piping bag without a nozzle and snip off the end. Fill from both ends with the cheese mixture.


Melt the rest of chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and dip the end of the cannoli into the melted chocolate.  Place onto a plate covered with baking paper and place in the fridge for about an hour until the chocolate and filling are set. Dust with icing sugar.



I was really pleased with the way the Cannoli turned out, they were totally delicious, the crunch of the filo and the soft sweetness of the ricotta mixture with a hit of dark chocolate.  These ones were a little on the big size, so I may try and make some smaller ones in future.

Labels: amaretto, cannoli, Cinnamon, dark chocolate, dessert, filo pastry, ricotta, We should Cocoa

posted by Janice @ 20:24 23 Comments

Blackberry and Apple Cobbler

or rather...Blackberry and Apple Cobble!  I think I should have chosen a shallower dish for this as the cobber pieces all joined together into one big cobble!  It did taste delicious though!




4. Scatter clumps of the dough over the fruit - don't cover completely.  Spinkle with the demerara sugar and bake for 40 minues, or unitl the fruit is tender and the cobbler golden.

Labels: Apple, blackberries, Bookmarked Recipes, buttermilk, Cinnamon, dessert, Dinner Tonight, Woman and Home

posted by Janice @ 20:38 18 Comments