Farmersgirl Kitchen

Saturday, 15 August 2015

Bramble and Vanilla Cordial

The blackberries have only just flowered here in Scotland, little berries are starting to form but I certainly haven't seen any fully ripened berries in the hedgerow yet. However, I always freeze some berries and my freezer harvest is perfect for making this delicious fruity cordial which is delicious served with water, sparkling water or including in alcoholic cocktails. It's also really easy to make and much less expensive than the high end fruit cordials that I often buy.

Bramble and Vanilla Cordial
makes just over a litre

1kg blackberries
1.5l cold water
500g sugar
1 vanilla pod

Rinse the blackberries in a colander, then place in a large pan (I use my pressure cooker, without the lid) with the water.
Bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes.
Use a jelly bag, muslin or a clean tea towel and strain the fruit over a clean bowl. Do not squeeze the bag as it will make the cordial cloudy.
While the juice is straining, sterilise your bottles. Either rinse thoroughly in cold water then place in a low oven for 30 minutes, or use a proprietary sterilising solution and follow the instructions.
Return the juice to the cleaned pan and add the sugar and the vanilla pod, unopened as you don't want the seeds in the cordial, heat gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Skim off any froth on the top and simmer vigorously for 10 minutes.
Remove the vanilla pod, rinse and dry for future use, and pour the cordial into sterilised bottles.
The cordial will keep for up to three months.

What I really like about this cordial, is that there is still a little sharpness from the blackberries and the vanilla just tempers it, without the cordial needing to be further sweetened.

If you are looking for more blackberry recipes or would like to share your own recipes, then join me and Karen from Lavender and Lovage for:

The Great British Blackberry Recipe Round Up

You don't have to be British to join in and you can use fresh, frozen, canned or any other kind of blackberries that you can get your hands on. It's very simple, here is what to do:

Post your recipe on your blog with a link to Farmersgirl Kitchen and Lavender and Lovage and attach the Great British Blackberry Recipe Round-Up logo as shown above.
If you put your post on twitter please mention @FarmersgirlCook @KarenBurnsBooth and #GBBR in your message and we will retweet all those we see.
By entering you are agreeing to let us use an image from your entry on this site, and to pin to Pinterest.
Please be respectful of other people's copyright and give credit where it is due.
Add your recipe link to the live Linky posted at the bottom of this page.
Closing date 18th September 2015

An InLinkz Link-up

Labels: blackberries, Bramble, cordial, drinks, foraging, soft drinks, The Great British Blackberry Recipe Round Up. bramble, Vanilla

Saturday, 7 March 2015

Creamy Butterscotch Pudding from Vanilla Table

Do you remember Butterscotch Angel Delight? Well this is nothing like that, it is rich, creamy and sweetly caramel flavoured, a really indulgent treat. It comes from a beautiful book called Vanilla Table: The essence of exquisite cooking from the world's best chefs.

Vanilla Table is curated by Natasha MacAller who has a passion for Vanilla and hopes to inspire home cooks, students and chefs to try this exotic but familiar ingredient in a wide range of dishes. It includes recipes from Natasha and 33 other chefs from around the world including David Lebovitz, Anton Mosimann, Yotam Ottolenghi and Peggy Porchen.

About the Author: NATASHA MACALLER is known worldwide as the “Dancing Chef”. A former professional ballerina, after thirty years of performing with companies such as New York’s Joffrey Ballet, the Boston Ballet and on the stages of Broadway, she decided to move on to what she considered another performing art: cookery. She used her seasonal layoffs from ballet to become a professional cook and eventually set up her own catering business, Dancing Chef Catering, which served TV, theatre, film and food industry folks. In 1996, after graduating number one in her class from The Colorado Culinary Institute, Natasha went from strength to strength, and she now holds her own culinary classes and has become an international chef consultant.

About the Photographer: MANJA WACHSMUTH is a Danish photographer who, while currently residing in New Zealand, comes out of the Scandinavian photographic tradition. Specialising in food photography, she has her own boutique photographic studio and works with some of New Zealand’s favourite magazines and chefs, as well as with clients in Denmark, UK and Australia.

Here are some of the recipes that caught my eye:

Starters: Shaved Fennel and KeriKeri Orange Salad, Caramelised Orange Salad, Pate au Poulet with Tipsy Cherries and Heirloom Tomato Bisque.

Main Plates: Slow Roasted Oxtail Pot Pies, Vanilla Lacquer Duck Leg, Seared Scallops with Vanilla Parsnip Puree, Chicken Stroganoff with Chanterelles and Vanilla.

Blue Plates* and Brunch Plates: Coronation Chicken on Squashy Poppyseed Buns, Crunchy Cornflake Fried Chicken and Apricot, Almond and Vanilla Clafoutis.

*Blue plates are a US invention, literally a plate made up of three compartments - one each for main, side and dessert.

Sharing Plates: Island Crab cakes with vanilla-grapefruit remoulade, The Tonga Trifle, Devilish Eggs with vanilla candied bacon and Saturn Peach, Onion and Blue Cheese Pie.

Dessert Plates: Vanilla Spiced Pineapple Roast, Quince Tarte Tatin, Raspberry Meringue Martinis, Creamy Butterscotch Pudding with Tash's English Toffee and The Anna Pavlova.

Cake Plates: Pure Vanilla Layer Cake, Caramelised Pineapple Carrot Cake, Two-Tone Chocolate Malt Cake and Bittersweet Chocolate Torte.

The Cookie Plate: Chocolate Sticky Bits, Espresso Brownie Bites, Gold Ingots, Cranberry Tweed Cardigans and Black Pepper Chai Truffles.

Bevvies and Bar Snacks: Toasty Coconut Chips and Nuts, Vanilla Passion Martini, Pink Ginger Zinger, Carrot Vanilla Gougeres.

Vanilla Pantry: Vanilla Sugar, Vanilla Salt Flakes, Vanilla Extract, Vanilla Aioli, Raspberry Vanilla Vinegar and Scooter Pastry Cases/Pie Shells.

Vanilla Plate concludes with Notes, Weights and Measures, All Sorts of Sources and biographies of the Contributing Chefs.

Who is this for?
This is not a beginners book, it is a book for confident cooks who would like to produce restaurant style dishes.

Pros: Each recipe is well laid out with a paragraph about the story behind the recipe, a table showing the ingredients and clear instructions. The photographs by Manja Wachsmuth are outstanding and help you understand how the dish should look as well as tempting your taste buds.

Cons: Some of the recipes are quite complex or include ingredients that are difficult to source although the majority seem fairly straightforward.

I chose to make the Creamy Butterscotch Pudding which is essentially a caramel custard made with dark brown sugar, cream and butter. I am not entirely sure why the egg yolks were added when the pudding also contains cornflour to thicken it, they seemed a little surplus to requirements to me. Whether you add the eggs or not, it is a gorgeous dessert and would be perfect for a dinner party or other event as you can make it beforehand and keep it in the fridge until required. The taste is well worth the many pots and bowls that it requires to make it.

Creamy Butterscotch Pudding
6 servings

475 ml whipping cream
225 g unsalted butter, softened
45 g cornflour/cornstarch
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
480 ml milk
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
15 ml pure vanilla extract
1 tsp rum (optional)
1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1. In a small saucepan, heat 300 ml cream until warm (or microwave in a small jug until warmed). Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Combine butter and brown sugar in a medium stainless steel saucepan over low heat. Simmer 2 minutes, stirring with a spatula until bubbly. Add warmed cream and stir until smooth.
3. Combine cornflour and salt in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in 1/4 of the cold milk until cornflour dissolves. Add this mixture to the pan with remaining milk. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Stir about 2 minutes until you see steam rise from the surface and the pudding thickens. Slowly stream in egg yolks, whisking constantly.

4. Switch to spatula and continue to gently stir until bubbles form on top of pudding.
5. Remove from heat and stir in 2 1/2 tsp vanilla, rum (if using) and the vinegar. Quickly strain into a jug , to make pouring easier, and then immediately pour into 6 individual serving dishes or glasses.
6. Tightly cover each one with a piece of cling-film to keep a skin from forming. Chill 3 hours or until softly set. Can be made a day in advance.

To serve whip remaining cream with 1/2 tsp vanilla until soft peaks form. Place a dollop of the whipped cream on top of each pudding. Garnish with a toffee shard.

As you can see I didn't serve mine with whipped cream but topped with thin slices of banana and finely grated chocolate. Banana and butterscotch is a great combination and gave a different texture.

Vanilla Table by Natasha MacAller
Published by Jacqui Small in March 2015
RRP £25

I have one copy of Vanilla Table to giveaway, follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter to enter (UK/EU only) GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Labels: Butterscotch, Cook book review, creamy, custard, dessert, pudding, Vanilla, Vanilla Table

Tuesday, 20 November 2012

Who says Vanilla isn't sexy? Pure Vanilla - A review

Pure Vanilla by Shauna Sever with photographs by Leigh Beisch

It says something that a whole book can be devoted to one flavouring ingredient . Vanilla is the world’s most universally loved flavour and for good reason. No flavour is more widely recognised, used and enjoyed across the globe.

This book aims to show the versatility of vanilla and tell the story of vanilla from its start as a green pod nestled inside a tropical flower to its transformation into the fragrant beans we all recognise and love.

The comprehensive Introduction starts with a brief history of vanilla tracing the history of vanilla from 1519 up to the present day. The history is told in a very accessible way in short ‘bites’ of readable story.

In From Orchid to Extract, Shauna explains how Vanilla is produced and why it is so expensive.

There is also information about vanilla in all its forms. An exploration of the different forms of vanilla you can use in your cooking and baking.

I had no idea there were different varieties of vanilla with different subtle tastes, but all is explained in the section: Vanilla origins, Varieties and Tasting notes . The introduction concludes with ‘Vanilla FAQs’ to answer any remaining questions.

Salted Vanilla Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 3 dozen cookies (I reduced the ingredients by a 1/3 to make 1 dozen)

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/14 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

8oz white chocolate, chopped

2 tbsp Vanilla Fleur de Sel (make it like vanilla sugar, but with flaky sea salt) for sprinkling

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat oven to 350F, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In a large bowl, whisk oats, flour, baking soda, and slat to blend well.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and vanilla extract on medium high speed until blended and creamy. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. I don't have a stand mixer so used an electric hand mixer.

Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add oat mixture, then white chocolate.

Scoop batter, 2 tbsp at a time, onto prepared baking sheets, about 8 cookies to a sheet, Sprinkle a bit of vanilla fleur de sel onto each cookie.

Bake until cookies are golden around the edges but still a bit soft in a centres, 12 to 14 minutes, rotating sheets from front to back and top to bottom half way through baking. Do not over bake. Let cookies cool on sheets for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I'm not a huge fan of salted with sweet, so didn't bother with the Vanilla Fleur de Sel, the cookies went down well with my visitors and were the first to be chosen. They have a nice texture, slightly soft and chewy. I realise I have chosen two recipes with oats in as well as vanilla, not deliberate just what appealed to me! There are lots more recipes with different ingredients, I've given you a taster of some of the titles below.

The Recipes

There are 80 recipes in the book divided into the following chapters:

Breakfasts including Vanilla Brown Sugar and Black Pepper Bacon, Slow Cooked Vanilla Spice Oatmeal* and Buttery Baked Vanilla Bean French Toast.

Cakes and Pies Including Vanilla Cloud Cake, Twinkie Bundt Cake and Vanilla Cream Pie

Cookies and Bars including Vanilla Latte Cookies, Mini Vanilla Eclairs and Salted Vanilla Chip Oatmeal Cookies*

Candies and Confections including Vanilla Bean Marshmallows, Golden Pear-Vanilla Jam and Vanilla Lollipops

Custards and Creams including Warm Vanilla-Rum Rice Pudding, Australian Vanilla Slice and Favourite Vanilla Ice Cream

Drinks including Vanilla Mojito, Fruity Vanilla Iced Tea and Melted White Hot Chocolate

Resources

Unfortunately, as this is an American book, the speciality stores are all in the US.

Conversion Chart

I was pleased to see there was a conversion chart in the back of the book and I used it to reduce the ingredients for the Vanilla Chip Oatmeal Cookies

Who is it for?

This book is for anyone who loves vanilla. The recipes are all cakes and desserts, but the two that I tried were not over-sweet, with much of the sweetness coming from the vanilla itself. There are a number of interesting and different recipes, the drinks chapter was a bit of a revelation and there are lots of interesting new ideas to try in the Candies and Confections chapter.

Pros and Cons

If you read all the information in the introduction you will be much better informed about vanilla and how to use it to full advantage. The quantities for some of the recipes are huge, I don't usually make 3 dozen cookies at a time.

Ease of use

The recipes are varied, some very simple and others more challenging. The recipes are well laid out and I found them easy to follow.

Slow Cooked Vanilla Spice Oatmeal

Serves 4

1 cup steel-cut oats

1/2 vanilla bean , split length ways

2 tablespoons light brown sugar (optional) plus more for serving

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cardamom

single or double cream for serving

Coat the sleeve of a 5 quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Place sleeve in slow cooker and combine all ingredients in it; add 3 1/2 cups water and stir to blend. Set slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours. Remove vanilla bean and scrape any remaining caviar into oatmeal. Stir well and serve with brown sugar to taste and a drizzle of cream.

I don't have a slow cooker, but wanted to try this, so this is what I did:

I only used half the quantity and cooked the oatmeal with the water in the microwave for 1 minute until hot, add the other ingredients,except the cream, and pour into a wide mouthed vacuum flask Leave overnight and serve with Greek yogurt or creme fraiche.

It worked brilliantly, the oatmeal could have been a little warmer but had absorbed all the vanilla and spice flavours and had a lovely texture. I would definitely make this again.

Worth buying?

It’s a surprising book, with so many different ways to use vanilla. However, I am not sure that I would buy a book that focused on one flavour, but if you really love vanilla then I’m sure you would have a lot of fun making these recipes.

Published by Quirk Books

Available at On line bookshop from £10.71

I received a copy of Pure Vanilla to review, I was not paid to review this book and all opinions are my own.

Labels: book review, chocolate, cookies, oatmeal, oats, Porridge, Pure Vanilla, review, Vanilla, white chocolate

Thursday, 7 June 2012

Vanilla and Blueberry Muffins

I was looking for a recipe that would use up the remaining blueberries after decorating the Elizabeth Sandwich. I also needed a 'V' recipe for the Alphabakes challenge. A quick look through the index of some of my books and the word 'vanilla' was jumping out as the most likely, but I couldn't see anything particular I wanted to make. Thank goodness for Google which led me to Cake Frills run by Sheila, an experienced baker and cake decorator, who had the perfect recipe for Blueberry and Vanilla Muffins

Alphabakes is hosted this month by Ros, The more than occasional baker who alternates hosting the challenge with Caroline at Caroline Makes

The muffins were delicious, beautifully light with a nice balance of vanilla and blueberry flavours.

Labels: AlphaBakes, blueberries, Cake Frills, Muffins, Vanilla

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