Farmersgirl Kitchen

Saturday, 15 December 2012

Delia's Christmas Dried Fruit Compote

Over at Belleau Kitchen, dear Dom has challenged us with his usual Random Recipe teaser. However, in my haste, I misread the challenge and instead of choosing a recipe from a cookbook that I received as a gift last Christmas, I thought we were to choose a 'Christmas Cookbook'. Doh!

I don't have too many Christmas cookbooks, just a couple of Delia's and the Home and Freezer books that I blogged about last week. The original Delia Smith's Christmas was the one that came to the top of the pile and I opened it randomly and was delighted to find myself looking at 'Christmas Dried Fruit Compote'.This version of the fruit compote isn't on Delia's website, but I found it published in the Telegraph online.

When I went to my larder, inevitably, I didn't have everything I needed for the recipe, so substituted some different dried fruits. No figs and no prunes, I could have sworn I had some prunes but must have used them in the instant mincemeat. I had some lovely Medjool dates from the hamper I got from Olives from Spain and some dried mandarins and cranberries, all lovely Christmassy flavours.

The original recipe calls for a liberal dose of Port, well my husband can't drink Port, it gives him migraines, so I used a couple of tablespoons of Amaretto, one of my favourite liqueurs. In the book Delia suggests that the fruit compote is served with flaked almonds, well I didn't have any of those either, so for this, by now VERY, Random Recipe, I used some nice green pistachio nuts to add to the festive colours.

I made the compote last night and was sorely tempted to have some on my porridge this morning, but remembered just in time that it was full of booze and I had to drive into town to the hairdressers! We had it this evening served with Greek yogurt and it was delicious, would be great with vanilla ice cream too. All in all I'm rather pleased that I misread the challenge as I wouldn't have come across this recipe otherwise.

I put up the Christmas tree today, it lives in the kitchen between the cook books and the stove, and is decorated with an eclectic mixture of totally uncoordinated baubles and pretty things I have been collecting since 1980 when we bought our first flat, indeed the coloured lights were a flat warming gift from a friend and they are still working. I used the tree and lights as a background behind the first photo of the Dried Fruit Compote. In the spirit of the Random Recipe challenge, here is a Random Christmas decoration from my tree.

Labels: Belleau Kitchen, Christmas, dates, Delia Smith, dried apricots, dried cranberries, oranges, pistachio nuts, raisins, Random Recipes

Monday, 18 June 2012

Chocca Mocha Date and Walnut Loaf

I had the urge to bake yesterday, I'd been clearing out and tidying up all my cake supplies and saw that there was half a bag of dates that could do to be used up. As always my thoughts drifted towards the various blog challenges that I like to join. I flipped through an old Bero cookbook and saw a Date and Walnut Cake. But that wouldn't do for any challenge but if I added cocoa powder and some coffee...it would fit with this month's We Should Cocoa!

And so the Chocca-Mocha Date and Walnut Loaf was born. 'We should Cocoa' is a challenge created by Choclette at Chocolate Log Blog and Chele at Chocolate Teapot, but this month is being guest hosted by Lucy at The Kitchenmaid.

Chocca- Mocca Date and Walnut Loaf

200g dates

Pinch bicarbonate of soda

2 heaped tsp Nuvia Cafe or other instant coffee

150ml boiling water

75g butter, softened

75g golden caster sugar

1 egg, beaten

200g self-raising flour

25 g cocoa powder

30g dark chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

75g walnuts

1. Heat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin

2. Chop the dates ( I cut them with scissors as it’s easier)

3. Put the dates in a bowl, add the pinch of bicarbonate of soda.

4. Measure the boiling water into a jug to 150ml and add the instant coffee

5. Pour the coffee over the dates and bicarb.

6. Cream the butter and sugar, then gradually beat in the egg.

7. Stir in the flour, nuts, chocolate and lastly the dates

8. Place the mixture into the lined tin and spread evenly.

9. Bake for about 1 ¼ hours until firm.

10. Cool on a wire rack, serve sliced with or without butter.

I used Nuvia Cafe as I had been asked to review it. I must say I was a little sceptical, Nuvia is promoted as Healthy Coffee. It is Sumtran Arabica coffee infused with the extracts of 100% Certified Organic Ganoderma Extract (an immune enhancer), African Mango (a healthy, natural appretite suppressant) and Pomegranate (a super anti-oxidant) I did wonder what on earth it would taste like with all those fruity flavours.

The coffee comes in nifty little sachets which are handy to keep in your bag or in a drawer at work.

I was pleasantly surprised when I tried it, it looks like the old-fashioned powdered coffee or instant esspresso powder. It tastes more like filter coffee than it does like instant coffee, I like my coffee fairly strong, so it suited me. I expect if you used less than one sachet you could get a weaker cup. Whether it has health-giving properties, I would not like to say, but it is does make a decent cup of coffee and I had no qualms about using it in my baking.

This recipe makes a really rich dark chocolately loaf, the dates provide a sweet moistness and the walnuts a nice crunch. I think it would go very well with a slice of crumbly wensleydale!

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I was not required to write a positive review and any opinion expressed is my own.

Labels: chocolate, coffee, dates, review, walnut, We should Cocoa

Saturday, 22 January 2011

Date and Walnut Scones - A Scone Challenge!

The Bakelady's Blog has put up a Scone Challenge and as I find scones really quite easy to make, I thought it would be good to have a go.

There are many different recipes and ingredients to include in a scone, but I fancied date and walnut. I scoured my cookbooks, but couldn't find a date and walnut recipe, so ended up combining a couple of Good Housekeeping recipes from the 'Complete book of Home Baking' i.e Spiced Walnut Scones and Date and Yogurt Scones.

Date and Walnut Scones

50g (2oz) stoned and chopped dates

75 g (3oz) walnut pieces

250g (8oz) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp Mixed Spice

50g (2oz) butter

50g (2oz) light brown soft sugar

1tbsp demerara sugar

about 170ml (6fl oz) milk

Place the flour in a bowl with the baking powder and mixed spice, stir until well mixed, rub in the butter (or whizz in a food processor). Stir in the sugar, dates, walnuts and sugar.

Pour the milk into a well in the middle of the flour and mix with a palette knife to a soft dough.

Roll out the dough and using a cutter, cut out 8 scones, re-rolling the dough if necessary. Place on a baking sheet, brush the tops with milk and sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Bake in the oven at 220C for about 18 minutes until well risen and golden brown, Cool on a wire rack.

Labels: dates, Scones, walnut

Wednesday, 24 March 2010

Knock Knock!

I saw this recipe for 'Knock-up Fruit Cake' on Meandering Through My Cookbook, a blog by Hopeeternal. It sounded like my kind of recipe i.e. basic recipe plus whatever happens to be in your cupboard, which for anyone who has read my blog for a while will know is pretty much how I cook!

The recipe was easy to follow and created a similar result to the picture on the blog, but I have to say that it did not keep particularly well. I'm not sure if I overbaked it, although it was not burnt, but it seemed a little bit dry for my taste. I may try again but think I prefer a boiled fruit cake with tons of fruit and really moist. It's just a matter of taste. I used dried cranberries, raisins and chopped dates for my fruit, I also used butter rather than margerine and I have to say that the cake part did have a lovely taste.

Labels: cake, cranberries, dates, fruit cake

Sunday, 10 February 2008

Carolyn's Banana and Raisin Loaf

I had those three black bananas in my fruit bowl, so I decided to make the Banana and Raisin Loaf that Carolyn had blogged HERE I am not showing you a picture because I burnt it slightly on the top - er well-fired. I got carried away doing something else and when I got to it it was a little bit browner than it should have been. I also used dates as, it seems I have run out of raisins. What I wanted to say, though, was - it was really lovely and I will be making it again.

Labels: banana, Carolyn, dates

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