Elderflower pannacotta.

I love making pannacotta, it is a really great light summery pudding. I have been meaning to experiment with different flavours of pannacotta for a while. Last summer I made a rather good passion fruit one but forgot to take a photo of it so never bothered blogging about it. This months Floral inspired Tea Time Treats spurred me on to attempt an elderflower variety. This recipe worked very well but remember that it only tastes as good as the elderflower cordial so don't scrimp on it. The recipe also specifies 2oz caster sugar but I prefer my pannacotta not too sweet so I only used 1oz.


Serves 6


3 sheets of gelatine
2oz caster sugar
100ml elderflower cordial
300ml double cream 
300ml milk


Heat the milk and cream through gently but don't let boil. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Soak the gelatine in warm water for a few minutes. Take the cream mixture off the heat and stir in the gelatine until it has completely melted. Add the elderflower cordial, stir and pour into six ramekins or moulds. Place in the fridge to set for a 3-4hrs it can easily be over night if you want to get ahead.


To release from the moulds dip them into warm water for a few seconds or run a pallet knife around the edge. Serve with soft fruit.

Strawberry and Kiwi Tarts.

I will admit that I hate kiwi but when I saw a picture of these I was so won over by the colours I had to try and make them. Despite not liking them personally I am reliably informed by the tasters present that this is a good recipe. I didn't bother with the food colouring if you want to see them with food colouring then have a look here Love and Olive Oil. Also I would suggest only putting the strawberries on top as you are about to serve as the colour from the fruit bleeds into the kiwi.

For base:
250g lemon biscuits
100g butter, melted

For filling:
4 kiwis pureed
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
100g butter
green food colouring, optional

Preheat oven to 175C. Break the biscuits up into a fine crumb, stir in melted sugar. Press the mixture into six individual tins or one 9inch tart tin. Bake for 4-5 minutes.

Put all filling ingredients into a heavy bottom pan and stir over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until the mixture has thickened. Don't let it boil. At this point add food colouring if desired. If the mixture has gone lumpy don't worry just put it through a sieve.

Divid the mixture amongst tins and leave in the fridge for 1-2 hours until set.

I have linked this up to Tinned Tomatoes Bookmarked Recipes.

Passion Fruit Souffle.

I usually indulge myself by introducing my recipes with some sort of uninteresting spiel about the history of or occasion surrounding the recipe. In this case I feel a picture says 1000 words and need I really say any more.


We used the recipe from the daily mail website by Daniel Bouluds he suggests making pear sauce to go with them which we didn't bother to make. If I were to make them again I think I would put a tablespoon of passion fruit curd in the bottom of each one or serve it with raspberry coulee.  


4 large egg yolks.
60ml passion fruit juice it is about 8 passion fruit.
4 large egg whites.
25g (1oz) sugar, plus enough to dust the inside of the ramekins.

Preheat the oven to 190C. Butter the inside and rims of 4 x 175g (6oz) soufflé dishes, and then dust with sugar.

Whisk together the egg yolks and passion fruit and set aside. Whisk the egg whites until foamy, increase the speed and gradually add the sugar, beating until the whites form medium-stiff peaks. Fold the meringue into the yolk mixture.

Bake the soufflés for 15-20 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. They should be firm with centres that are still a bit wobbly.

Plum torte.

I must admit that I am not  huge fan of plums. In Britain they are usually unripe and then rot in the fruit bowl before they ever get ripe. However they work fantastically well in this pudding as it doesn't matter how ripe they are. If you have ripe plums then use less of the demerara sugar. Once you have put the mixture and the fruit in the tin, it can be left in the fridge uncooked for up to twelve hours. It reheats well but won't freeze.


75g (3oz) soft butter
75g (3oz) caster sugar
100g (4oz) self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
zest of 1 orange
900g (2lb) plums, cut in half, stones removed
About 150g (5oz) Demerara sugar


Pre heat oven to 200C or for two door aga bake on grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven.


Generously butter a 28cm (11in) about 4cm (1½in) ovenproof dish or deep loose-bottomed flan tin.


Measure the first six ingredients into a large bowl and beat until smooth.


Spread this mixture evenly over the bottom of the tin or dish. It looks as if their is never going to be enough but trust me their is. Arrange the plums on top, cut side up and sprinkle with the Demerara sugar to form a thick layer. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Banana Loaf.

This is a recipe which is ingrained on my mind. At school we used to have fruit bowls in the boarding houses; in the bottom of which there was always a black banana or two, which everyone refused to eat. This offend me greatly so matron would provide me with the ingredients and I was regularly to be found in a free period, when I should have been studying making banana loaf. In a boarding house of sixty girls they never lasted long enough to get cold! Let alone toasted.


This original recipe which this is loosely based on comes from the magimix cook book, throw it all in and press on. It is therefore quite a forgiving batter so great for when you have small helpers. At the request of the Musician I have also included an optional extra 100g chocolate chips in this loaf.


225g Flour
75g Soft butter
175g Caster sugar
2 Large ripe bananas
2 Eggs
1 tsp Baking powder
2 tbsp Milk
100g Chocolate chips optional


Pre heat oven to 180C or 160C for a fan oven. This quantity fills a 2lb loaf tin. Grease the tin well and dust with flour. Mash the bananas. Stir together all ingredients and bake for 1hr or until a skewer comes out clean.


I have linked this up to Family Friendly Fridays.

Lemon and Blueberry Muffins.

For the last six weeks I have been conspicuous by my absence on all forms of social media. The only recipe I have blogged about in the last month was not even cooked by me! This morning I handed in my dissertation, all 14,588 words and 128 pages. Consequently baking shall now resume in ernest.

Anyone who has ever written a dissertation or the like, will agree that you have so much time and emotion turmoil invested in it, that when hand in day arrives you feel somewhat as if you are giving over a small child. I may have portrayed a calm facade to my flat mates, as I lay awake ever fearful of my recurring nightmare,  printers wantonly devouring my dissertation (the musician will attest to the fact that my printer and I are not the best of friends) but there are two people out there who know the truth. They found the process of my dissertation equally if not more trying than I did. They patiently attempted to explain the difference between a colon and semi colon, that the bibliography goes surname, initial. etc and that no my computer doesn't always know best when it comes to spelling. So in honour of my wonderful editors I thought that I would begin by baking something to post-able as a small thank you. Hence lemon and blueberry muffins.

1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup 
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice


This makes 12 muffins I would suggest using large muffin liners not cup cake cases as these do over flow slightly. Pre heat the oven to 190C. Mix all the dry ingredients and the fruit in one bowl. At this point you to have lined or greased your tins and be prepared to move quickly. Whisk together all the wet ingredients in another. Once you add the lemon juice to the milk it curdles don't worry its meant to. Add the wet ingredient into the dry, the mixture will start to rise slightly as the lemon reacts with the baking powder so you need to fold the mixture not stir and get it into the oven as quickly as possible. Bake for 20mins until golden brown on top.

American Pancakes filled with raspberries and blueberries.

One thing which we do very well in our flat is birthdays. We are all very good at spoiling each other on our birthdays. I was allowed to cook everyone breakfast on my birthday on the condition that I vacated the kitchen for the rest of the day as the one with a thing for men in uniform and oh I have such an expressive eyebrow wanted to cook supper. 

One with an oh so expressive eyebrow is a very good cook unfortunately he tends to way into the wine whilst cooking subsequently forgetting to put his beautifully prepared food into the oven. Thankfully the house guest who never leaves was predictably here for super, now sans tonsils and she stepped in to save the day. Consequently dinner was delicious but also served at half past ten! However, I shall have to forgive him as he bought me a huge bunch of flowers. Which are possibly my most favourite thing.

When we were children we were bribed with these pancakes as a reward for good behaviour in church of a sunday morning. They are really simple to make but unlike normal pancake batter this does not keep you are better to cook the whole batch and them reheat them. 

3 large eggs
120g Self Raising Flour
140ml  milk

pinch of salt

Soft fruit of your choice or chocolate chips work well too.

Separate the eggs and whip the whites to a stiff peak. Add the flour, baking powder and milk to the yolks and mix to a smooth thick batter. Fold the whites into the batter. Place a spoonful of batter into a hot pan wait a few seconds then add the fruit. Once bubble start to appear in the uncooked side of the mixture the pancakes are ready to be flipped.

I have linked this up with Family Friendly Fridays and Fuss Free Flavours Breakfast club

Strawberry Jam.

Only my Father eats strawberry jam in our house so I have never bothered to make it before preferring raspberry instead. This year he convinced me to make a small amount for him. I think many people are scared of making jam believing that it is difficult and time consuming. This is so not the case you don't have to spend hours once a year making huge quantities instead spend half and hour making a couple of jars. I would like to know more about jam making though, what is the difference between normal caster and jam sugar. I have never used jam sugar but some recipes insist on it. The only piece of equipment I would advise buying if you are going to make jam is a jam thermometer as this does making it easier to know when you have reached the setting point.

I used equal amounts of caster sugar and strawberries. Approximately the juice of one lemon per 600g of fruit. If you prefer jam with large lumps of strawberries still in it the place all the ingredients in a bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave in a cool place over night. Before you start place a saucer in the freezer. Put the mixture in a large pan heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved bring it to the boil for about for minutes or until it has reached 104c. Spoon a small amount onto the saucer after a couple of minutes if the surface wrinkles when you put you finger in it it is ready. If not return to a boil and give it another couple of minutes. Skim off the scum and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before putting into sterilised jars. If you put it straight into jars all the fruit rises to the top.

Poached nectarines.

Left over from the parents day trip to france we have a tray of white nectarines that need dealing with before they go off so I decided to poach some in the bottle of rather nasty white wine which was left in the fridge. The flavour was very delicate as I was using white fruit but it would work equally well with yellow nectarines or peaches. 


Ingredients:
180g caster sugar
1 orange
1/2 lemon
8 peaches, firm but ripe, white if possible
500ml water
500ml white wine, dry
1 vanilla pod



Method:
Split the vanilla pod in half lengthways and with the blade of a knife scrape the seeds. Cut the orange and lemon into fine slices 2 - 3mm, rind on. Peel the peaches and put them in a pan a single layer deep the peaches in a single layer. Add the caster sugar, water, white wine, vanilla pod halves and seeds. Top with orange and lemon slices. Cut out a round of greaseproof paper the same size as the saucepan and cut a hole in the centre to allow the excess heat to escape; place it directly on top of the peaches. On a high heat bring to the boil, immediately reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave them to cool in their own juices. Serve cold.