Cherry torte with a crumble topping

So I have 2 lovely cherry trees in my garden, one is for eating!! nomm nomm and one for cooking (if you accidentally eat a cooking one you realise why, just a bit bitter!)

This year is a bumper crop, in one picking I gathered (see am a hunter gatherer type) a colander full of cooking cherries.

 What to cook, don't fancy a cherry pie nor a cake! hmmm lets try a torte

Cherry torte with a crumble topping

Ingredients:

• 140g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp mixed spice
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 4 tbsp milk
• 85g butter, melted
• 350g juicy, ripe cherries

Topping:

• 25g plain flour
• ¼ tsp mixed spice
• 25g golden caster sugar
• 25g butter, at room temperature, diced

Method:

Preheat oven (I have an electric fan) 160 (conventional 180C/gas 4), grease and line your tin, go with what ever tin you have, cook longer if deeper, less if wider.

 I had to hull my cherries.

Bung (yup a very technical term) self raising flour, caster sugar, egg, mixed spice, (cooled) melted butter into the mixer and whisk, adding the milk spoon by spoon, if mixture is non-batter like add extra milk.

 Spread batter into the lined cake tin.

 Then layer cherries on top.

 In a food mixer, blitz the topping ingredients into a breadcrumb like mixture (or do it by hand if you don't have a blender)

 Then spread the "crumb" on top of the batter/cherry base.

Cook in the oven (middle is best) for 25-35 mins (depending on thickness of cake/oven type) until that darn skewer come clean.

Serve warm with ice cream or cooled with cream xxx

Puff, puff, puff and more puff (pastry and all things sausage)

Sausage rolls

Now why?, when they can be bought in the shop (pretty much all shops at that)

a) these taste better

b) not difficult to do

c) really!

Soooo ingredients (be prepared to write this mammoth list down!)

• Packet of puff pastry (pre rolled, lighter fat one available if desired)
• 6 sausages (I go for premium, minimum of 75% meat content, check those ingredients peeps)
• 1 egg beaten (thrashed, whisked what ever one prefers)

Method:

Strip the skin off the sausages

  

Roll pastry out of the packet and split horizontally in half, lay 3 on each half in a line up to the front, leaving enough to roll. Egg the back and roll back wards.

Cut into desired size.

Spray a tray with cooking spray (saves the faff of greaseproof/baking paper) and align rolls and egg wash.

Now I have a fan assisted electric oven and find 170 plenty hot enough and place the tray in the bottom 3rd so pastry cooks but does not burn, for 30 mins.

Now you can get as creative as you like, I have added stuffing, grated apple, cranberry sauce, cooked chopped bacon, fried onion and so on with the sausage meat. You can roll them smaller and use chipolata sausages for a finer roll. You can use flavoured sausages, made some cracking ones using pork and chili sausages.

Enjoy xxxx

(oh and a quick by line costings, 12 pack sausages £2.55, pack of puff pastry £1, 1 egg 35p = makes 12 rolls approx 0.22p per roll!!) 

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Liebster Award I was nominated!

agh agh agh free fall panic the lovely Martha Mother  has nominated me for this, agh agh agh!

I am simples - I have a simples blog (and a very very very new one at that), erm just recipes (unless you find my work blog, but that is no way a massive literary addition to the blogerty world!)

sooooooooo

Being lazy I will quote Martha Mother " had nominated me to take part in this fun set of questions, so people can get to know us bloggers a little bit better and just spread the love a bit"

and just to plagiarise some more!

Here are the rules for all those taking part:

1. Acknowledge and thank the person that nominated you.
2. Use an award image to add to the post.
3. Answer 11 questions given to you
4. Nominate up to 11 blogs
5. Don't forget to let them know!
6. Give them 11 questions to answer.

1. Why did you start blogging?

I have always had a work blog, this is a fun/playful way of keeping my mindees families updated, giving access to family members in far flung corners. My food blog is totally different. I am an avid cook (not chef) and fairly accomplished (i.e. I can read and work an oven!), a few friends (don't have that many tbh) often ask me what I am doing for tea etc. One day a couple of them (well maybe my 2 only friends) suggested I blog what I do, so hence the incarnation of this very brand new blog.

2. Which one of your posts is your favourite and why?

Erm not one, but all so far, as they are food related, unless I pop a wine related post up, until then!

3. Sweet or Savoury?

Savoury!

4. Tea or coffee?

Duh Tea! 

5. If you could meet one person past or present who would it be?

I am a deep, thoughtful and intellectual person, I procrastinated over this for hours (hahahaha maybe not), I have no idea, never ever given it any thought tbh. So erm no one really.

7. Are you a working parent or a stay at home mum?

I am both, I am a childminder, I work with children at home (awesome!), my PITA's are now 21, 18, 13. However I am living my Lego dreams vicariously though others offspring now! love it x

8. If there was one piece of advice you could give your 18 year old self, what would it be?

Not a lot (as really don't know that much). However the advice I would give anyone is life is too short at that age, we live longer and longer, will be working till much later, go and have some fun.

9. Do you have any regrets?

Nope

10. 'When I grow up I want to be...' What did you want to be?

An Olympic swimmer! or an Olympic equestrienne 

11. Do you have a secret talent? 

Erm no I have no talents :) 

Gee now time to nominate (ARRRRRRRRGH)
 
Talya at motherhoodtherealdeal
Becky at cuddlefairy
Lucy at occupationmother
Trista at domesticatedmomster
Tim at slouchingtowardsthatcham
Deardads at deardadsblog
Steph at  diaryofamidlifemummy
Martyn at insidemartynsthoughts

MWAHAHAHA HAAR (evil laff!)

WOW Raspberry meringue pie ...................... just divine

So why not lemon, well my eldest pain in the bum, dislikes anything with lemon flavouring, so thought I would have a go at making a raspberry version.

Raspberry meringue pie

Ingredients:

• shortcrust pastry (shop bought or make your own, tbh its not difficult to make and does not shrink when blind baked as contains less liquid)
• 225 g plain flour
• 100g chilled butter
• 25g icing or caster sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• chilled water
•  300-400g fresh raspberries
• 300ml water
• 75g caster sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 40g cornflour
• 3 egg whites
• 120g caster sugar

Method:

• For the pastry
  1. I use a food processor to make my pastry, so pop the flour and icing sugar into the mixer  add the butter blitz until resembles fine breadcrumbs. 
  2. Add egg yolk and a little water until just comes together (use as little water as possible for the shortest crumbliest pastry).  
  3. Chill for 30 minutes and use to line a 9inch/23cm dish suitable for the type of pudding, I used a flan dish. I found it easier to lightly roll and place in the dish and then patch together using my fingers. Allow the pastry to stand above the sides of the dish (this can be trimmed off after cooking). 
  4. Line with greaseproof paper and baking beans and bake blind (fan oven 170) for 15 minutes, remove the paper and beans and bake for five more minutes. 
  5. Leave to cool while you make the filling.  
   
  

• For the filling
  1. Buzz the raspberries in the food processor. 
  2. Then press the raspberries through a sieve, you need to squeeze as much juice as possible.
  3. Take some of the juice and blend into the cornflour, then add all of the juice until combined.   
  4. Put the water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. 
  5. Pour the raspberry and cornflour mixture into the water whisking continually until it thickens. 
  6. Remove from heat temporarily.
  7. Mix the egg yolks into the sugar and whisk this into the thickened raspberry curd. 
  8. Bring back to the boil whisking all the time. 
  9. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little before pouring into the pastry case.
  
   
  
• For the meringue
  1. Heat oven to 130 (fan oven)
  2. I use a stand mixer for this, Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until they form stiff peaks.
  3. Whisk in the sugar a dessertspoon at a time.   
  4. Spread over the raspberry custard ensuring there are no gaps and bake for 45 mins until golden beige and crisp.
     

Serve with cream, Ice cream warm or cold, be warned it is seriously lush!

Simple peanut butter cookies!

I like to cook things that are a) as simple as they can be b) with simple ingredients, because I at my core am very simples too. 

So here is the best most simplest peanut butter cookie recipe borrowed from over the pond from a very close friend of mine

Ingredients:

• 2x cups of crunchy peanut butter
• 2x cups of coconut sugar (I used caster from the cupboard)
• 2 large eggs
• salted peanuts

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180/170 fan.
2. Whisk the eggs until light and frothy.
3. In a separate bowl combine sugar and peanut butter till fluffy
4. Fold in egg mixture until full incorporated
5. Place a dollop (yup that's a technical term there!) on a lined baking tray, sprinkle extra peanuts on the top and cook in the oven until golden brown.
6. Cool slightly and eat

 

Strawberry upside down cake (thanks Tesco)

I am a supermarket whore, I can never commit to just one, think its down to my attention span, I just get bored of the same old same old. So this week it was Tesco, I love the free food mags at the end of the checkouts they are a super free recipe inspiration giving resource (Asda, Morrisons, Sainbury's do them, sure Waitrose do but way too expensive a shop for my dainty toes to step into).

So browsing through found this and thought I would take it out for a spin.

Strawberry upside down cake

Ingredients:

• 225g softened butter (I use salted as like a pinch of salt in my cake just removes the need to add it)
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2x orange zested and juiced
• 2xVanilla pod (I used vanilla essence 2x tsp, cba with vanilla pods tbh)
• 150 g golden syrup (have this in the cupboard but have to hide it from the sugar fiend)
• 225g self raising flour
  
  
  1. Preheat the oven to 180/fan 160. Grease a 9" cake tin and line with baking paper
  2. For the syrup, gently heat the syrup, vanilla, 1x orange zest ans 1-2 tbsp of the juice. Pour 2/3 of the liquid into the base of the tin, and set the remaining syrup aside for later.
  3. Arrange or do what I did scatter! the strawberries in the base of the tin.
  4. In a mixing bowl whisk the butter till soft and fluffy, then add the sugar, mixing till combined and fluffier, add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is combined prior to adding the next, fold in 1x the orange Zest and 1-2 tbsp of juice, vanilla, then fold in the flour.
  5. Spoon mixture over the strawberries. Bake for 45 mins, or until the skewer thing system works, you know where the inserted skewer comes out clean.
  6. Remove from the oven and leave to cool foe 10 mins, then turn onto a serving plate, pour the reserved liquid over the cake.
  7. make pretty (if you can be faffed) with fresh strawberries and orange zest.

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
   Serve with cream or ice cream - we chose cream xxxx
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

Strawberry torte cake

Its June and the great British strawberry comes into its own, yesterday due to my work (its really hard you know ;) ) we went strawberry picking (hunter gatherer types can also find some in their local supermarket/grocer) at the most brilliant Secretts PYO, so what do you do with gorgeous fresh strawberries that's quick and easy? well try this simple but effective cake, 7 ingredients!

Strawberry torte cake

Ingredients:

• 400g or so of strawberries hulled and halved
• 150g of granulated sugar
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 115g of softened salted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 125g plain flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170/gas 4-5, and grease a shallow cake dish, I used a flan dish.
2. In a bowl (I use a stand mixer, effort and time saving) Cream the butter till light and fluffy, the add the sugar, again beat till fluffy
3. Then add one egg at a time, beating thoroughly in, then add the vanilla.
4. Then slowly fold in the flour and baking powder.
5. Spread the mixture in and then arrange the strawberries, right way up, either in a pattern or scattered with want and abandon.
6. Sprinkle some granulated sugar on the top and bake for 35-40 mins. or until a toothpick placed in the centre comes out clean.

Serve with cream, or warm with ice cream, or whipped cream with lemon juice and rind included xxx