Cheese and Wild Garlic Scones

I've been out gathering Wild Garlic again. The flowers are starting to bloom on the plants and soon the leaves will  become more tough and not so good for cooking.  Scones are a really good vehicle for all sorts of flavours both sweet and savoury and the cheese worked really well with the wild garlic.


Cheese and Wild Garlic Scones
makes 6-8 depending on the size of your cutter!

225g self-raising flour
1 level tsp baking powder
50g butter
100g finely grated cheese
30g wild garlic leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp of dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
1 egg
milk

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C
2. Mix the flour and baking powder and rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs.
3. Stir in the cheese and the finely chopped wild garlic leaves.
4. Beat the egg in a bowl and add to the mixture, add enough milk to bring it together into a soft dough.
5. Dust your work surface with flour and gently pat the dough into a round about 2 cm thick, cut out your scones.
6. Place on a greased and floured baking tray, brush the tops with a little milk.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the scones are golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Labels: Bake, butter, cheese, Scones, Wild Garlic

posted by Janice @ 20:16 22 Comments

Cranberry Flaxseed Scones - Top with Cinnamon

Cranberry Flaxseed Scones

Izy Hossack isn't your regular 18 year old.  Since her early teens she has been developing delicious recipes and styling and photographing them with a flair well beyond her years and recording it all on her blog Top with Cinnamon, her site has received international attention and was shortlisted in Saveur Best Food Blog Awards 2013.



Izy has compiled a collection of her favourite recipes for all occasions in her debut cookbook, Top with Cinnamon.  Here she showcases her impressive skill for food photography and styling as well as her natural ability to produced delicious, wholesome recipes.  Featuring some gluten-free recipes and healthy options, as well as step-by-step how-to;s, Top with Cinnamon has something to suit everyone - this is approachable, flavoursome home cooking with a modern fresh twist.

Here's a taste of what's in Top with Cinnamon:

Breakfast includes Coconut Berry Pancakes, Cornbread with Cinnamon Sugar, Cranberry and Flaxseed Scones (see below)  and Wholemeal Maple Pecan Buns.

Sides features Chickpea and Pomegranate Dip, Squash Feta and Sage Focaccia, Courgette 'Spaghetti' with Chilli and Sweet and Spicy Roasted Chickpeas (see these at FabFood4All) and Baked Rosemary Polenta Chips.

Mains covers a wide range of dishes including Sweet Potato and Shredded Beef Chilli, Crispy Augergine with Kale Pesto Fettuccine, Griddled ChickenSalad and Caramelised Onion Thyme and Bean Pot Pies

Sweet Snacks is full of recipes for lovely treats like Rainbow Biscotti Cubes, Spanish Olive oil Tortas and Malted Pumpkin Gingerbread.

More sweetness in the Desserts chapter and Izy brings us Boozy Mocha Coconut Layer Cake, Crustless Plum and Almond Tart, Sticky Banoffee Cake with Salted Caramel and a seasonal pear, Frangipane and Caramel Tartlets.

The final chapter is a useful 'Staples and How To's' offering with pastries, doughs, butters and sauces and a couple of step-by-step instructions.

Who is it for? 
This is a difficult book to categorise it would interest anyone with an interest in vegan, gluten-free and healthy options.  However, there are meat based recipes and sweet treats too.  I do think any cook or baker would learn from Izy's creativity.

Pros
There are a wide range of recipes for all occasions, they are not difficult to make but often slightly quirky or with less usual ingredients, there are also some classics with a twist. Izy brings a lot of originality to her recipes.

Cons
The photographs have a bit of a sepia feel which, I felt, didn't do the dishes justice and made everything look alike.

I love a freshly baked scone, so was intrigued by this recipe for Cranberry Flaxseed Scones.  If I were making these scones again, I would use slightly less milk as the mixture was quite wet.  The scones were very tasty and perfect with the molasses butter which is also featured in the book.


Cranberry Flaxseed Scones (makes 9)

250g (9oz/2 cups) plain (all purpose) flour
4 tbsp ground flaxseed
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
110g (3 3/4oz / 1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cubed
80g (2 3/4 oz / 1/2 cup) dried cranberries
1 egg
125ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) buttermilk, plus a little extra for brushing
50g (2 o\/ 1/4 cup) demerara (raw) sugar, for topping
 Serve with Salted Treacle Butter


1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F/Gas 4)
2. Line a baking tray with baking parchment
3. Place the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl and stir together.  Add the cubes of butter and use your fingertips to rub into the dry ingredients, leaving some pea-sized chunks of butter.  You'll have a moist mealy mixture.
4. Stir in the cranberries then make a well in the middle and add the egg and buttermilk.  Stir together until just combined.
5. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it a few times, then roll it into a square 2 cm (3/4in) thick.
6. Cut into 9 squares using a sharp knife, then transfer the squares to the lined baking tray, placing them 2.5cm (1in) apart.
7. Brush the tops o the scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes until browned and risen. Serve with salted treacle butter.


Top with Cinnamon
Author: Izy Hossack
Publisher: Hardie Grant Books
RRP: £20

I was sent a copy of Top with Cinnamon to review, I was not paid for the review and all opinions are my own. 

Labels: book review, butter, cookbook review, Cranberry, Flaxseed, Izy Hossack, Molasses, Scones, Top with Cinnamon

posted by Janice @ 06:30 9 Comments

Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Sandwich

I am totally sold on the concept of the  Ice Cream Sandwich.  You can pick it up and lick the ice cream from the centre with the melting ice cream running down your fingers or eat it from a bowl breaking through the crisp cookie to reach the sweet, icy centre.  Add  some delicious Scottish strawberries and you have the perfect dessert.

If you don't have time to make your own shortbread, you could buy some shortbread cookies and make this a really speedy treat, but there is not doubt that home made butter shortbread is much better and it's simple to make.


Shortbread Biscuits/Cookies
300g (10oz) plain flour
100g ( 4oz) caster sugar
200g (8oz) butter
caster (superfine) sugar for dredging

1. Sift the flour into a bowl and add the sugar. Work in the butter with your fingertips - keep it in one piece and gradually work in the dry ingredients. Knead well until the dough has come together. 
2. Pat down on a work surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough to about 1/2 cm (1/8 in) and cut out with a cookie cutter. You will probably have to keep pushing the dough back together again as it is very crumbly.
3. Slide the cut biscuits off the work surface with a knife and onto a baking sheet. 
4. Bake in the oven at 170C (325F) Mark 3 for about 8 minutes until firm and pale golden brown.
5. Lift onto a cooling tray with a spatula and dredge with caster (superfine) sugar.


To make the ice cream sandwich: Using the ice cream of your choice, I used  ready made Strawberry Shortcake Frozen Yogurt, let it soften slightly and press it into the cookie cutter that you used to cut the biscuits, remove the cookie cutter and refreeze the ice cream patties.  Once I'd made these I realised that they were too deep for the sandwich so, once frozen,  I cut them through the middle to make six.  Then all you need to do is assemble the sandwich: take a biscuit,  layer on some sliced strawberries, add the ice cream pattie, more sliced berries, top with another biscuit and decorate with a halved strawberry.

Labels: butter, dessert, flour, ice cream, sandwich, shortbread, strawberry, sugar

posted by Janice @ 19:01 11 Comments

Dark Chocolate MIncemeat for Christmas

I haven't made anything with it yet, but I had a little taste and it is so delicious!

Labels: apples, butter, chocolate, cranberries, raisins, rum, We should Cocoa

posted by Janice @ 16:33 15 Comments